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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e6c9699 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #69124 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69124) diff --git a/old/69124-0.txt b/old/69124-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index a84abee..0000000 --- a/old/69124-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6881 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The hellflower, by George O. Smith - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The hellflower - -Author: George O. Smith - -Release Date: October 9, 2022 [eBook #69124] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HELLFLOWER *** - - - - - - The HELLFLOWER - - A Novel by - GEORGE O. SMITH - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Startling Stories, May 1952. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -The book had been thrown at Charles Farradyne. Then they had added the -composing room, the printing press, and the final grand black smear -of printer's ink. So when Howard Clevis located Farradyne working in -the fungus fields of Venus four years later, Farradyne was a beaten -man who no longer burned with resentment because he was all burned -out. Farradyne looked up dully when Clevis came into the squalid -rooming-house. - -"I am Howard Clevis," said the visitor. - -"Fine," mumbled Farradyne. "So what?" He looked at one of the few white -shirts in a thousand miles and grunted disapprovingly. - -"I've got a job for you." - -"Who do you want killed?" - -"Take it easy. You're the Charles Farradyne who--" - -"Who dumped the Semiramide into The Bog ... and you're Santa Claus, -here to undo it?" - -"This is on the level, Farradyne." - -Farradyne laughed shortly, but the sound was all scorn and no humor. -While the raw bark was still echoing in the room, he added, "Can it, -Clevis. With a thousand licensed spacemen handy everywhere, willing to -latch onto an honest buck, any man that comes halfway across Venus to -offer Farradyne a job can't be on the level." - -Clevis eyed Farradyne calculatingly. "I should think you might enjoy -the chance." - -"It doesn't look good." - -Clevis smiled calmly. He had the air of a man who knew what he was -doing. He was medium tall, with a sprinkle of gray in his hair and -determined lines near the eyes and across the forehead. There was -character in his face, strong and no doubt about it. "I'm here, -Farradyne, just because of the way it looks. But the fact is that I -need you. I know you're bitter, but--" - -"Bitter!" roared Farradyne, getting to his feet and stalking across the -squalid room towards Clevis. "Bitter? My God! They haul me home on a -shutter so they can give me a fair trial before they kick me out. You -don't think I like it in this rat hole, do you?" - -"No, I don't. But listen, will you?" - -"Nobody listened to me, why should I listen to you?" - -"Because I have something to say," said Clevis pointedly. "Do you want -to hear it?" - -"Go ahead." - -"I'm Howard Clevis of the Solar Anti-Narcotic Department." - -Farradyne snorted. "Well, I haven't got any. I don't use any. And I -don't have much truck with those that do." - -"Nobody is on trial here--nothing that you say can be used in any -way. That's why I came alone. Look ... if I were in your shoes I'd do -anything at all to get out of this muck-field." - -"Some things even a bum won't do. And I don't owe you anything." - -"Wrong. When you dumped the Semiramide into The Bog four years ago, you -killed one of our best operatives. We need you, Farradyne, and you owe -us for that. Now?" - -"When I dumped the Semiramide no one would listen to me. Do you want to -listen to me now?" - -"No, I don't." - -"I got a raw deal." - -"So did the man you killed." - -"I didn't kill anybody!" yelled Farradyne. - - * * * * * - -Clevis eyed Farradyne calmly, even though Farradyne was large enough -to take the smaller, older man's hide off if he got angry enough. "I'm -not here to argue that point," said Clevis, "and I don't intend to. -Regardless of how you feel, I'm offering you a chance to get out of -this mess. It's a space job, Farradyne." - -"What makes you think I'll play stool pigeon?" - -"It's no informer's job. It's space-piloting." - -"I'll bet." - -"You bet and I'll cover it a thousand to one." - -Farradyne sat down on the dingy bed and said, "Go ahead and talk, -Clevis. I'll listen." - -Clevis dug into his brief case and brought out a flower. "Do you know -what this is?" he asked, handing the blossom to Farradyne. - -Farradyne looked at it briefly. "It might be a gardenia but it isn't." - -"How can you tell?" asked Clevis eagerly. - -"Only because you wouldn't be coming halfway across Venus to bring me a -gardenia. So that is a love lotus." - -Clevis looked a bit disappointed. "I thought that maybe you might have -some way--" - -"What makes you think I'd know more than a botanist?" - -Clevis smiled. "Spacemen tend to come up with some oddly interesting -specks of knowledge now and then." - -"So far as I know, there's only one way of telling. That's to try it -out. Thanks, I'll not have my fun that way. That's one thing you can't -pin on me." - -"I wouldn't try. But listen, Farradyne. In the past twelve years we -have carefully besmirched the names and reputations of six men, hoping -that they could get on the inside. For our pains we have lost all six -of them one way or another. The enemy seems to have a good espionage -system. Our men roam up and down the solar system making like big time -operators and get nowhere. The love-lotus operators seem to be able to -tell a phony louse when they see one." - -"And I'm a real louse?" - -"You've a convincing record, Farradyne." - -Farradyne shook his head angrily. "Not that kind," he snapped. "Your -pals sloughed off my license and tossed me out on my duff to scratch, -but no one ever pinned the crooked label on me and made it stick." - -"Then why did they take away your license?" - -"Because someone needed a goat." - -"And you are innocent?" - -Farradyne growled hopelessly. "All right," he said, returning to his -former lethargy. "So just remember that I was acquitted, remember? Lack -of evidence. But they took my license and tossed me out of space and -that's as bad as a full conviction. So where am I? I'll stop beating my -gums about it, Clevis." - - * * * * * - -Clevis smiled quietly. "You were a good pilot, Farradyne. Maybe a bit -too good. You collected a few too many pink tickets for cutting didoes -and collecting women to show off in front of. They'd have marked it -off as an accident if it hadn't been Farradyne. Your record accused -you of being the hot-pants pilot, the fly-fly boy. Maybe that last job -of yours was another dido that caught you. But let's leave the ghost -alone, Farradyne. We need you, Farradyne." - -Farradyne grunted and his lips twisted a bit. He got up from the unmade -bed and went to the scarred dresser to pour a stiff jolt from an -open bottle into a dirty glass. He took a sip and then walked to the -window and stood there, staring out into the dusk and talking, half to -himself. Clevis listened. - -[Illustration: Charles Farradyne.] - -"I've had my prayer," said Farradyne. "A prayer in a nightmare. A man -fighting against a rigged job, like the girl in the old story who -turned up in her mother's hotel room to find that every evidence of her -mother's existence had been erased. Bellhops, and cab driver, and the -steamship captain, and the hotel register all rigged. Even the police -disbelieved her, remember? Well, that's Farradyne, too, Clevis. My -first error was telling them that someone came into the control room -during landing. They said that no one would do that because everybody -knew the danger of diverting the pilot's attention during a landing. No -one, they said, would take the chance of killing himself; and the other -passengers would stop anybody who tried to go up the stairs at that -time because they knew the danger to themselves. - -"They practically scoffed me into jail when I told them that there were -three people in the room. I couldn't look around, you know. A pilot -might just as well be blindfolded and manacled to his chair during -landing. So I heard three people behind me and couldn't look. All I -could do was to snarl for them to get the hell out. Then we rapped the -cliff and dumped the ship into The Bog, and I got tossed out through -the busted observation dome. They salvaged the Semiramide a few months -later and found only one skeleton in the room. That made me a liar. -Besides the skeleton was of a woman, and then they all nodded sagely -and said, 'Woman? Well, we know our Farradyne!' and I got the works. - -"So," Farradyne sounded bitter once more, "they suspended me and took -away my license. They wouldn't even let me near a spacer; maybe they -thought I might steal one, forgetting that there's no place to hide. -Maybe they thought I'd steal Mars, too. So if I want a drink they ask -me if it's true that jungle juice gives a man hallucinations. If I -light a cigarette I'm asked if it is real laughing grass. If I ask for -a job they want to know how hard I'll work for my liquor. So I end up -in this God-forsaken marsh playing nursemaid to a bunch of stinking -toadstools." Farradyne's voice rose to an angry pitch. "The mold grows -on your hide and under your nails and in your hair and you forget what -it's like to be clean and you lose hope and ambition because you're -kicked off the bottom of the ladder, but you still dream of someday -being able to show the whole damned solar system that you're not the -louse they made you. Then instead of getting a chance, a man comes to -you and offers you a job because he needs a professional bastard with -a bad record--and its damned small consolation, but I'll take it just -to show you and everybody else that I'm not the hot-rock that I've been -called." - - * * * * * - -Farradyne sniffed at the glass and then threw it into the dirty sink -with a derisive gesture. "I'll ask for a lot of things," he said, -quietly now. "The first thing is for enough money to buy White Star -Trail instead of this rotgut." - -"That can be done, but can you take it?" - -"It'll be hard," admitted Farradyne. "I've been on this diet of soap -and vitriol too long. But I'll do it. Give me a month." - -"I can't offer you much," said Clevis. "But maybe this can be hope for -you: help us clean up the hellblossom gang and you'll do a lot towards -erasing that black mark on your record." - -"Just what's the pitch?" - -Clevis took a small leather folder from his briefcase and handed it -over. Farradyne recognized it as a space-pilot's license before he -opened it. He read it with a cynical smile before he asked, "Where did -you get it?" - -"It's probably the only official forgery in existence. The Solar -Anti-Narcotics Department has a lot of angles to play, Farradyne. -First, that ticket is made of the right paper and printed with the -right type and the right ink because," and Clevis smiled, "it came from -the right office. The big rubber stamp 'Reinstated' is the right stamp -and the initials are put on properly, but not by the right man. The -license will get you into and out of spaceports and all the rest of the -privileges. But it has no listing on the master log at the Bureau of -Space Personnel. So long as you stay out of trouble, the only people -who will check on the validity will be the ones we hope to catch. When -they discover that your ticket is invalid, you may get an offer to join -'em." - -"And in the meantime?" - -"In the meantime you'll be running a spacer in the usual way. We've a -couple of subcontracts you can handle to stay in business, and you'll -pick up other business, no doubt. But there are two things to remember, -always. The first is that you've got to play it flat, Farradyne. No -nonsense. Just remember who and what you are. To make sure of it, I'll -remind you again that you are a crumb with a bad reputation. You'll be -running a spacer worth a hell of a lot of dough and there will be a -lot of people asking a lot of other people how you managed the deal. -Probably none of them will ever get around to asking you, but your -attitude is the same as the known gangster whose only visible means of -support for his million-dollar estate and his yacht and his high living -is his small string of hot-dog stands. That he owns these things is -only an indication of thrift and good management." - -"I get it," grinned Farradyne. - - * * * * * - -Clevis snapped, "This is no laughing matter. What goes along with this -is important. You'll play this game as we outline it to you and in no -other way. The first time we find you playing hanky-panky we'll have -you by the ears in the morning. And if you cut a dido and get pinned -for it, there you'll be with a forged license and a spacer that will -have some very odd-looking registration papers so far as the Master Log -runs. And no one is going to admit that they know you. Certainly the -SAND office won't. And furthermore if you do claim any connection at -any time for any reason whatsoever, we'll haul you in for attempting to -impersonate one of us. You're a decoy, a sitting duck with both feet in -the mud, Farradyne, and no damned good to anybody until you get mired -deeper in the same stinking mud. Now for the second item." - -"Second? Weren't there ten or twelve in that last?" grunted Farradyne. - -"That was only the beginning. The second is this: do not, under any -circumstances make any attempt to investigate that accident of yours. -The game you are going to play will not permit you to make any attempt -to clear up that mess. As a character of questionable background, your -attitude must be that of a man caught in a bad show and forced to -undergo visible suffering long enough for the public to forget, before -you can resume your role of professional louse. Got this straight?" - -Farradyne looked at Clevis; gaunt has-been looking at success. The -window was dark now, but there were no stars visible from the surface -of Venus; only Terra and Jupiter and Sirius and Vega and a couple of -others that haloed through the haze. The call of the free blackness of -space pulled at Farradyne. He turned back from the window and looked -at the unmade bed, the insect-specked walls, the scarred dresser, the -warped floor. His nose wrinkled tentatively and he cursed inwardly -because he knew that the joint reeked of rancid sweat and mildewed -cloth and his nose was so accustomed to this stink that he could not -smell it. - -Inwardly Farradyne came to understand, in those few moments while -Clevis watched him quietly, that his oft-repeated statement that there -were some things that even a bum wouldn't do was so much malarkey. -Farradyne would join the hellblossom operators if it gave him an -opportunity to get out of this Venusian mire. He turned to Clevis, not -realizing that only a few seconds had passed. - -"Let's go," he said. - -Clevis cast a pointed look at the dresser. - -"There's nothing in the place but bad memories," said Farradyne. "I'll -leave them here. Good, bad or indifferent, Clevis, I'm your man no -matter how you want it played. For the first time in years I want a -bath and a clean shirt." - - - - - II - - -He was rustier than he had realized. It was not only the four years -away from the levers of the control room and the split-second decision -of high speed, it was the four years of rotting in skid row. His -muscles were stringy, his skin was slaty, his eyes were slow. He was -flab and ached and off his feed. He was slow and overcompensating in -his motions. He missed his aim by yards and miscalculated his position -and his speed and his direction so badly that Donaldson, who rode in -the co-pilot's seat, sat there with his hands poised over the levers -and clutched convulsively or pressed against the floor with his feet, -chewing his lips with concern as Farradyne flopped the sky cruiser -roughly here and there like a recruit. - -It took him a month of practise on Mercury to get the hang of it again. -A solid month of severe discipline, living in the ship and taking -exercise and routine practise to refine his control. He found that -making the change from the rotgut jungle juice to White Star Trail was -not too hard because his mind was busy all the time and he did not need -the high-powered stuff. White Star Trail was a godsend to the man who -liked the flavor of fine Scotch whiskey but could not afford to befog -his coordination by so much as a single ounce of the pure quill. - -Eventually they 'soloed' him; Donaldson sat in the easy chair in the -salon below talking to Clevis, and he could hear them discussing -problems unrelated to him. Their voices came over the squawk-box -system clear enough to be understood. It gave Farradyne confidence. He -took the Lancaster Eighty-One into the sky, circled Mercury and began -landing procedure. For a moment, then, he relived that black day in his -past: - -He had called the spaceport, "Semiramide calling North Venus Tower." - -"Aye-firm, Semiramide, from North Venus Tower." - -"Semiramide requesting landing instructions; give with the dope, Tower." - -"Tower to Semiramide. Beacon Nine at one hundred thousand feet, Landing -Area Twelve. Traffic is one Middleton Seven-Six-Two at thirty thousand -taking off from Beacon Two and one Lincoln Four-Four landing at Beacon -Seven. Keep an eye peeled for a Burbank Eight-Experimental that's been -scooting around at seventy thousand. That's all." - -"Aye-firm, Tower." - -Then had come the voice of a woman behind him. Just a murmur--perhaps -a sigh of wonder from a woman who had just been shown for the first -time in her life the intricacies of rack and panel of meter and gage -and lever and shining device that surrounds the space pilot to demand -every iota of his attention during take-off or landing. In Farradyne's -recollection, there were two kinds of people: one kind stood in the -center of such an array and held their hands together for fear of -upsetting something; the other couldn't keep their damned hands off a -button or a lever even if it meant their own electrocution. - -There were thirty-three people aboard, thirteen of them women, and -Farradyne wondered which of them it was. He didn't care. "Get the hell -below," he snapped over his shoulder. - -A young man made some sound. Farradyne was even sharper; a woman might -wander up, interested, but a man should know that this was a deadly -curiosity. "Take her below, you imbecile," he snarled. - -An older man chimed in with something that sounded like an agreement -to Farradyne's order; there was a very brief three-way argument that -lasted until one of them fell for the lure of a dark pilot-lamp and an -inviting push-button. The Semiramide bucked like a wasp-stung colt and -the silver-dull sky over North Venus Spaceport whirled-- - - * * * * * - -Farradyne was shocked out of his vivid daydream by the matter-of-fact -voice of the Mercury Port's dispatcher: "Lancaster from Tower, you are -a half degree off landing course. Correct." - -Farradyne responded, "Instructions received, Tower. Will correct. Will -correlate instruments after landing." - -"Aye-firm, Lancaster Eighty-One." - -Farradyne's solo landing was firm and easy; almost as good as he used -to do in the days before-- - -He put it out of his mind and went below to Clevis and Donaldson. The -latter asked him what had been the matter with the course. - -"I hit a daydream of the Semiramide," admitted Farradyne. - -"Better forget it." - -"I came out of it," said Farradyne shortly. - -"Okay?" Clevis looked at Donaldson. The pilot nodded. "Okay, Farradyne, -you're ready. This is your ship; you're cleared to Ganymede on -speculation. You'll play it from there. There's enough money in the -strong-locker to keep you going for a long time on no pickups at all, -and you'll get regular payment for the Pluto run. Just remember, no -shenanigans." - -"No games," promised Farradyne. - -Clevis stood up. "I hope you mean that," he said earnestly. "If nothing -else, remember that your--er--misfortune on Venus four years ago may -have put you in a position to be a benefactor to the same mankind you -hate. I hope you'll find that they are as quick to applaud a hero as to -condemn a louse. Don't force me to admit that my hope of running down -the hellblossom outfit was based on a bum hunch. Don't let me down, -Farradyne." - -Clevis left then, before Farradyne could find words. Donaldson left -with him, but stopped at the spacelock to hurl at Farradyne: "Luck, -fella." - -An hour later Farradyne was a-space between Mercury and Ganymede. On -his own in space for the first time in four long aching years. Not -quite a free man, but at least no prisoner. He took a deep breath -once he was out of control-range and could put the Lancaster on the -autopilot. Gone were the smells and the rotting filth of the fungus -fields; here were the bright clear stars in the velvety sky. Here was -freedom--freedom of the body, at least. Maybe even freedom of the soul. -But not freedom of the intellect, yet. He had a tough row to hoe and -the tougher row of his innocence to turn up into the light of day. - -But for the first time since he'd been thrown flat on his face, -Farradyne felt that he had a chance. - - - - - III - - -Ganymede was in nightfall and Jupiter was a half-rim over the horizon -when he landed. He checked in at the Operations Office and listed his -Lancaster as available for a pick-up job. The clerk that took his -license to make the listing raised one mild eyebrow at the big rubber -stamp reading 'Reinstated' across the face of the card, but made no -comment. Farradyne's was not the only one so stamped. Pilots had been -suspended for making a bounce-landing with an official aboard or coming -in too slantwise instead of following a beacon down vertically. - -He folded the leather case and slipped it back in his pocket. He looked -at the pick-up list, which was not too long. He had a fair chance of -picking up a job, and that would add to whatever backlog Clevis had -left him. Farradyne found himself able to figure his chances as though -he had not spent his time digging mushrooms on Venus. The pilot that -owned his ship outright was a rare one. The rest were mortgaged to the -scupper and it was a touch and clip job to make the monthly payments. -Some pilots never did get their ships paid off but managed to scratch -out a living anyway. A pilot with a clear ship could rake in the dough, -and could eventually start a string of his own. This was the ultimate -goal which so many aimed at but so few achieved. With no mortgage to -contend with, Farradyne could loaf all over space and still make out -rather well, picking up a job here and a job there. - -He waved a hand at the registry clerk and went out into the dark of the -spaceport. - -Rimming the edge of the field were three distant globs of neon, all -indicating bars. One was as good as the next, so Farradyne headed -towards the nearest. He entered it with the air of a man who had every -right to land his ship anywhere he pleased and then hit the nearest -bar. He waggled a finger at the barkeep, called for White Star Trail, -and dropped a ten-spot on the bar with an air that indicated that he -might be there long enough for a second. - -Then he turned and hooked one heel in the brass rail, leaned back on -the mahogany with his elbows and surveyed the joint like a man with -time and money to spare, looking for what could be found. The glass in -his hand dangled a bit and his posture was relaxed. - -It was called 'The Spaceman's Bar,' like sixteen hundred other -'Spaceman's Bar's rimming spaceports from Pluto to Mercury. The -customers were about the same, too. There were four spacemen playing -blackjack for dimes near the back of the room. Two women were nursing -beers, hoping for someone to come and offer them something more -substantial. Two young fellows were agreeing vigorously with one -another about the political situation which neither of them liked. -One character should have gone home eighteen drinks earlier, and was -earning a ride home on a shutter with a broken nose by needling a man -with a lot of patience, which was running out. A woman sat in a booth -along the wall, dressed in a copy of some exclusive model that had -neither the cloth nor the workmanship to stand up for more than the -initial wearing, and looked already as if she had worn it often. The -woman herself had the same tired, overworked look. She was too young to -have that look, and Farradyne looked away, disinterested; he favored -the vivacious brunette that sat gayly across the table from a young -spaceman and enticed him with her eyes. Farradyne shrugged; the girl -had eyes for no one else and she probably couldn't have been pried away -from her young spaceman by any means. It occurred to Farradyne that, -judging by the way she was acting, if some other guy slipped her a love -lotus, the girl would take a deep breath, get bedroom eyed, and then -leave the guy to go looking for her spaceman. Farradyne grinned at the -idea. - - * * * * * - -As far as Farradyne could tell, there was not a love lotus in the -place, which hardly surprised him because he did not really expect -to find one in a place such as this. He turned back to the bar for a -refill. When he got it, he turned to face the room again and saw that a -man had come in and was standing just inside the door, blinking at the -lights. He was eyeing the customers with a searching look. - -Eventually he addressed the entire room: "Who owns the Lancaster -Eighty-One that just came in?" - -"I do," said Farradyne. - -"Are you free?" - -"Until the third of August." - -"I'm Timothy Martin of the Martian Water Commission. I'd like to hire -you for a trip to Uranus." - -"My name is Charles Farradyne, and maybe we can make a deal. What's the -job, Mr. Martin?" Farradyne eyed the room furtively, wondering if the -mention of the name would ring any cracked bells among the spacemen. It -did not seem to, and Farradyne did not know whether to be gratified at -the forgetfulness or depressed at his lack of notoriety. - -"Three of us and some instruments," said Martin. - -"That's hiking all the way to Uranus empty, you know." - -"I know, but this is of the utmost importance. Government business." - -"It's up to you; I'll haul you out there on a three-passenger charter, -since you probably haven't enough gear to make it a payload. Okay?" - -"It's a bit high," Martin grunted, "but this is necessity. Can you be -ready for an early morning hop-off?" - -"You be there with your gear and we'll hike it at dawn." Farradyne -turned to the barkeep and wagged for a refill, then indicated that -Martin be served. The government man took real bourbon but Farradyne -stuck to his White Star Trail. The two of them clinked glasses and -drank, and Farradyne was about to say something when he felt a touch -against his elbow. It was the girl in the over-tired cocktail dress. -Her glazed eyes were wide and glittering, her face hard and thin-lipped. - -"You're Charles Farradyne?" she asked in a flat voice. Beneath a tone -of distrust and hatred the voice had what might have been a pleasant -throatiness if it had not been strained. - -Farradyne nodded. - -"Farradyne--of the Semiramide?" - -"Yes." He felt a peculiar mixture of gratification and resentment. He -had been recognized at last, but it should have come from a better -source. - - * * * * * - -She shut him out by turning to Martin. "Do you know who you've hired?" -she asked with the same flatness of tone. Profile-wise, she looked -about twenty-three at most. Farradyne wondered how a woman that young -could possibly have crammed into the brief years all of the experience -that showed in her face. - -Martin was fumbling for words. "Why, er--" he said lamely. - -"This rum-lushing bum is Charles Farradyne, the hot-rock that dumped -his spacer into The Bog." - -"Is this true?" demanded Martin of Farradyne. - -"I did have an accident there," said Farradyne. "But--" - -The woman sneered. "Accident, you call it. Sorry, aren't you? Reeking -with remorse. But not so grief-stricken that you'll not take this man -out and kill him the way you killed my brother." - -Farradyne grunted. "I don't know you from Mother Machree. I've had my -trouble and I don't like it any more than you do." - -"You're alive, at least," she snarled at him. "Alive and ready to go -around skylarking again. But my brother is dead and you--" - -"Am I supposed to blow out my brains? Would that make up for this -brother of yours?" demanded Farradyne angrily. Some of the anguish -of the affair returned. He recalled all too vividly his own mental -meanderings at the time, and the feeling that suicide would erase -that memory. But he had burned himself out with those long periods of -self-reproach. - -"Blow your brains out," advised the girl sharply. "Then the rest of us -will be protected against you." - -"I suppose I am responsible for you, too?" he asked bitterly. - -Martin gulped down his drink. "I think I'd better find another ship," -he said hurriedly. - -Farradyne nodded curtly at Martin's back, then looked down at the girl. -He felt again the powerful impulse to plead his case, to explain, to -show his innocence. But he knew that this was the wrong thing to do. -Martin had refused the job once Farradyne had been identified. This -might be the start of what Clevis wanted. Farradyne could louse it -up for fair by saying the wrong thing here and now. So instead of -making some appeal to the woman, Farradyne eyed her coldly. There was -something incongruous about her. She looked like the standard tomato of -the spacelanes; she dressed the part and she acted it. The rough-hewn -language and the cynical bitterness were normal enough, but they should -not have been expressed in acceptable grammar and near-perfect diction. -He had catalogued her as a drunken witch, but she was neither drunk nor -a witch. Nor was she a thrill-seeking female out slumming for the fun -of it. She belonged in the "Spaceman's Bar" but not among the lushes-- - - * * * * * - -And then he caught it. He had been too far from it too long. The -glazed, bored eyes, the completely blase attitude were the tip-off; -then the fact that she had become animated at the chance to start a -scene of violence. Dope is dope and all of it works the same way. The -first sniff is far from dangerous, but the second must be larger and -the third larger still until the body craves a massive dose. With -some dope the effect is physical, with others it is mental. With love -lotus it was emotional. The woman had been on the emotional toboggan; -her capacity for emotion had been dulled to such an extent that only -a scene of real violence could cut through the scars to give her a -reaction. Someone had slipped the girl a really top-notch dose of -hellflower! - -"Who are you?" he asked. - -"Norma Hannon," she snapped. "And I don't suppose you remember Frank -Hannon at all." - -"Never met him." - -"You killed him." - -Farradyne felt a kind of hysteria; he wanted to laugh and he knew that -once he started he could not stop easily. Then the feeling went away -and he looked around the room. - -Every eye in the place was on him, but as he met their eyes they -looked down or aside or back to their own personal affairs. He knew -the breed--spacemen, a strange mixture of high intelligence and hard -roughness. Farradyne knew that to a man they understood that the most -damaging thing they could do was to deny him the physical satisfaction -of a fight. He could rant and roar and in the end he would be forced to -leave the joint. It would be a lame retreat. A defeat. - -He looked back at her; she stood there in front of him with her hands -on her hips, swaying back and forth and relishing the emotional -stimulus of hatred. She wanted more, he could see. Farradyne wanted out -of here; the girl had done her part for him and could do no more. To -take her along as a possible link to the hellblossom operators was less -than a half-baked idea. She would only make trouble, because trouble -was what she relished. - -"I've got it now," she blurted. Her voice rose to a fever-pitch, her -face cleared and took on the look of someone who is anticipating a -real thrill. Norma Hannon was at that stage in the addiction where -bloody murderous butchery would thrill her about to the same degree -as a normal woman being kissed good-night at her front door. "I've got -it now," she said and her voice rang out through the barroom. "The -only kind of a rascal that could dump a spacer and kill thirty-three -people and then turn up with another spacer is a big-time operator. You -louse!" she screamed at him. Then she turned to the rest of the room, -calling: - -"Fellows, meet Charles Farradyne, the big-time hellflower operator!" - - * * * * * - -Farradyne's nerves leaped. He knew his spacemen. A louse they could -ignore, but a dope runner-- - -Their faces changed from deliberate dis-recognition of him to cold and -calculated hatred, not so much of Farradyne as of what he represented -in their minds. Farradyne knew that he had better get out of here -quickly or he would leave most of his skin on the floor. - -Something touched him on the shoulder, hard. He snapped his head -around. The bartender had rapped him on the shoulder with the muzzle of -a double-barrelled shotgun. - -"Get the hell out of here," said the man from between narrowed lips. -"And take your rotten money with you!" - -He scooped up the change he had dropped beside Farradyne's glass and -hurled the original bill at him. It went over the bar and landed in a -spittoon between the brass rail and the bar. - -"Pick it up," growled the barkeep coldly. He waved the shotgun and -forced Farradyne to retrieve the soggy bill. "Now get out--quick!" -Then his voice rose above the growing murmur of angry men. "Sit down, -dammit! Every bloody one of you sit the hell down. We ain't going to -have no trouble in here!" He covered the room with the shotgun to hold -them. - -Farradyne left quickly. He burned inwardly, he wanted to have it out; -but this was the game Clevis wanted him to play--it was the price of -his freedom from the fungus fields. He took it on the run to his -Lancaster, knowing that the barkeep would hold the room until escape -was made. - -He took the ship up as soon as the landing ramp was retracted and only -then did his nerves calm down. He seemed to have started with a bang. -If Clevis wanted a decoy, what better decoy than to make a noise like a -small guy muscling in on a big racket? - -The word would travel from bar to bar, from port to port until it -reached the necessary person. Time was unimportant now. The word -must get around. So instead of driving to some definite destination, -Farradyne set the Lancaster in a long, lazy course and let the big ship -loaf its way into space. - - - - - IV - - -Big Jupiter and tiny Ganymede were dwindling below by the time -Farradyne was finished at the control panel. He was hungry and he was -tired and so he was going to eat and hit the sack. He turned from the -board and saw her. - -Norma Hannon sat in the computer's chair behind the board. Her hands -were folded calmly and her body was listless. Farradyne grunted -uncertainly because he was absolutely ignorant of her attitude, except -perhaps the feeling that she would enjoy bloody violence. - -"Well?" he said. - -"I caught the landing ramp as it came running in," she said quietly. - -"Why?" - -"You owe me a couple," she told him. "You're a lotus runner, you can -give me one. Simple as that." - -"How do you figure?" - -"You killed my brother," she said. There was more vigor in her tone as -the anger flared again. - -"What makes you think--" - -"Another thing," she interrupted, "I wanted to come along with you." - -"Now see here--" - -"Don't be stupid," she said sharply. "I've no passion for you. I'm a -love-lotus addict, remember?" - -"Then why--?" - -"Don't you give a damn for the lives of the people you sell those -things to? Run your dope and get your dough and skip before you have -to see the ruin you bring." The flare of anger was with her and she -wriggled in her chair with an animal relish that was close to ecstasy. - -"But I can't--" - -"Keep it up," she said. "You'll satisfy me, one way or another." She -eyed him critically. "You can't win, Farradyne. I've had my love lotus, -and all that is left of my feelings is heavy scar-tissue. Pleasure and -surprise are too weak to cut through; only a burning anger or a deep -hatred are strong enough to make me feel the thrill of a rising pulse. -I can get a lift out of hating you, but if you kissed me it would leave -me cold." She paused speculatively, "Now, would it? Come here and kiss -me." - -"Why?" - -"Because I hate your guts, Farradyne. Of all the people in the solar -system, I hate you the most. I can keep telling myself that you killed -Frank, and that does it. And I add that you are a love-lotus runner and -in some way part and parcel of this addiction of mine and that builds -it up. Now if you came over and kissed me, I'd let you, and the very -thought of being kissed and fondled by such a completely rotten reptile -as Farradyne makes me seethe with pleasant anger." Farradyne recoiled. - -"Afraid?" she jeered, wriggling again. "You know, as a last thrill I -might kill you. But only as a last thrill, Farradyne. Because then -the chance to hate you actively would be over and finished and there -could be no more. So between hating your guts and getting an occasional -hellflower from the man I hate, making me hate you even more, I can -feel almost alive again." - - * * * * * - -Farradyne shook his head. This sort of talk was above and beyond him. -No matter what he said or did it was the wrong thing, which made it -right for Norma Hannon. - -He did not know much about the love lotus, and that from hearsay. But -it did not include this sort of illogical talk. Seeing this end-result -actually made Farradyne feel better about the lot he had been cast -in. If Clevis was the kind of man who boiled inwardly from a sense of -outraged civic responsibility, Farradyne was beginning to feel somewhat -the same. - -He looked at Norma Hannon more critically. She had been a good looking -woman not too long ago. She had probably laughed and danced and fended -off wolves and planned on marriage and a gang of happy children in a -pleasant home. Someone had cut her out of that future, and Farradyne -felt that he wanted to get the man's neck between his hands and -squeeze. He shook himself and wondered whether this addiction to hatred -and violence were catching. - -He said softly, "Who did it, Norma?" - -Her eyes changed. "I loved him," she breathed in a voice that was -both soft and heavy with another kind of anger than the violence she -had shown just a moment before. This was the resentment against the -past, while her previous flare of anger had been against the physical -present. "I loved him," she repeated. "I loved the flat-brained animal, -enough to lead him into the bedroom if that's what he wanted. But -no, the imbecile thought that the only way I would unfreeze was with -a hellflower. So he parted with a half-a-hundred dollars for one. -He could have rented a hotel room for a ten dollar bill," she added -sourly. "Or bought a marriage license and had me for the rest of his -life for five." - -"Why didn't you refuse it?" he asked. "Or didn't you know that it -wasn't a gardenia?" - -Norma looked up with eyes that started to blaze, but they died and she -was listless again. "Maybe because people like to flirt with danger," -she said. "Maybe because men and women don't really understand each -other." - -"That's the understatement of the century." - -There was no flicker of amusement in her face. "Look at it this way," -she said. "I did say I loved him. So naturally he wouldn't be the kind -of man who would bring me a lotus. Or if he did I could wear it for the -lift they bring without any danger, because any man worth loving would -not take advantage of his sweetheart while she's unable to object. -So I wore it and when I woke up after a real orgy instead of a mild -emotional binge, I was on the road toward having no feelings left. I've -been on that road ever since and I've come a long way." - -She looked at him again. "So you see what you and your kind have done?" -she demanded. Farradyne knew that she was whipping herself into a fury -again. "I was a nice, healthy woman once, but now I'm a burned-out -battery--a tired engine. It takes a spot of violence to make me feel -anything. Or maybe a sniff from a lotus. Maybe by now it would take -more than one." - -"But I haven't any." - -She bared her teeth at him. "You can afford to part with one stinking -flower." - -"I haven't--" - - * * * * * - -Norma leaped out of her chair and came across the room, her face -distorted, her hands clawing at his face. Farradyne fought her away, -and saw with dismay the look of animated pleasure on her twisted face. -It was an unfair fight; Farradyne was trying to keep her from hurting -him without being forced to hurt her, while she went at him with heel -and fingernail and teeth. - -He gave up. Taking a cold aim at the point of her jaw, Farradyne let -her have it. - -Norma recoiled a bit and her face glowed even more. He had not struck -her hard enough because of his repugnance at hitting a woman. She came -after him again, enjoying the physical violence, looking for more of -the same. Farradyne gritted his teeth and let her have it, hard this -time. - -Norma collapsed with a suddenness that scared him. He caught her -before she hit the metal floor and carried her to the salon where he -placed her on the padded bench that ran along one wall. His knowledge -of things medical was not high, but it was enough to let him know that -she did not have a broken jaw. Of one thing there was no doubt: Norma -was out colder than Farradyne had ever seen man or woman. - -He carried her below, to one of the tiny staterooms. - -He stood there, contemplating her and wondering what to do next. He -would have been puzzled as to the next move even if Norma had been a -completely normal person. As it was, Farradyne decided that no matter -what he did it would be wrong. The cocktail dress would not stand much -sleeping in before it came apart at the seams, but she would surely -rave if he took it off to save it for tomorrow. If he left her in it, -she would rave at him for letting her ruin the only thing she had to -wear. He shrugged and slipped the hold-down strap across her waist and -let it go at that. - -Then he went to his own stateroom and locked the door against any more -of this ruckus and confusion. He slept fitfully even though the locked -door separated him from both amour and murder--either of which added up -to the same end with Norma Hannon. - - - - - V - - -It was a sixty-hour trip from Ganymede to Mars. Each hour was a bit -more trying than the one before. - -Norma bedeviled him in every way she knew. She found fault with his -cooking but refused to go near the galley herself. She objected to the -brand of cigarettes he smoked. She made scathing remarks whenever he -touched an instrument, reminding him of his presumed incompetence as a -pilot. She scorned him for refusing to open his hold and bring her the -love lotus she craved. - -By the time Farradyne set the Lancaster Eighty-One down at Sun Lake -City on Mars, he had almost arrived at the point where her voice was -just so much noise. - -He landed after the usual discussion of landing space and beacon route -with Sun Lake Tower, and he found time to wonder whether the word about -his affiliation had been spread yet. The Tower operator paid him no -more attention than if he had been running in and out of that spaceport -for years. - -He pressed the button that opened the spacelock and ran out the landing -ramp. - -"This is it," he said flatly. - -"This is what?" - -"The end of the line." - -"I'm staying." - -"No, you're not." - -"I'm staying, Farradyne. I like it here. You go on about your sordid -business, and see that you get enough to spare a couple for me. For -I'll be here when you get back." - -The woman's eyes glinted with hatred and determination. - -Farradyne swore. She had moved in on him unwanted and had ridden with -him unwanted. If she wanted to, she could raise her voice and that -would be it. One yelp and Farradyne would spend a long time explaining -to all sorts of big brass why he was hauling a woman around the solar -system against her wishes. - -So grunting helplessly, Farradyne left her in the Lancaster and went to -register at Operations. He was received blandly, just as he had been -received on Ganymede. Then he headed into Sun Lake City to stall a -bit. He went to a show, had a drink or two, prowled around a bookstore -looking for something that might inform him about the love lotus, -bought himself some clothing to augment his scant supply. He succeeded -in forgetting about Norma Hannon for a solid four hours. - -Then he remembered, and with the air of a man about to visit a dentist -for a painful operation, Farradyne went reluctantly back to his ship. - - * * * * * - -The silence that met him was reassuring. Even if she had been sound -asleep, the noise of his arrival would have awakened her so that -she would come out to needle him some more. He looked the ship over -carefully, satisfying himself that Norma Hannon was not present. - -This was too good to miss. - -He raced to the control room, punched savagely at the button that -closed the spacelock, and fired up the communications radio. - -"Lancaster Eighty-One calling Tower." - -"Go ahead, Lancaster." - -"Request take-off instructions. Course, Terra." - -"Lancaster, is your passenger aboard?" - -"Passenger?" - -"Check Stateroom Eight, Lancaster. Your passenger informed us that she -was going into town on an errand, that you were not to leave without -her." - -"Aye-firm. I will check." Farradyne grimaced at the closed microphone. -Willfully marooning a passenger would get him into more trouble than -trying to account for the presence of his guest. Norma had done a fine -job of bolting the Lancaster to the landing block in her absence. - -He waited fifty seconds. "Tower from Lancaster Eighty-One. I will wait. -My passenger is not aboard." - -"Lancaster. Hold-down Switches to Safety, Warm-Up Switches to Stand-By. -Power Switches to Off. Open your port for visitor." - -"Visitor, Tower?" - -"Civilian requests conference about pick-up job, Lancaster. Are you -free?" - -"I am free for Terra, Tower." - -"Prepare to receive visitor, Lancaster. Good luck on the job." - -"Aye-firm. Over and off." - -Farradyne went below and rode the bottom step of the landing ramp on -its way out of the spacelock. He reached the ground with the arrival of -a port jeep, which brought his visitor to him. - -"You're Charles Farradyne? I'm Carl Brenner. I'm told you are free for -Terra. Is that right?" - -"That's right." - -Brenner nodded. He looked around. The jeep was idling and making enough -noise so that the driver, sitting in the machine, could not possibly -hear anything that was being said. The driver was not even interested -in them; something in the distance had caught his eye and he was giving -it all his attention. Satisfied, Brenner leaned forward and in a low -voice said: "Let me see what you've got." - -Farradyne shook his head. "Who, me?" he asked, as though he did not -know what Brenner was talking about. - -"You. I'm in the market. If they're in good shape, we can make a deal." - -Farradyne felt that this was as good a time to play cagey as any. "I -don't know what you're talking about," he said. - -"No? I hardly think you're telling the truth, Farradyne." - -Farradyne smiled broadly. "So I'm a liar?" - -"I wouldn't say that." - -"Look, Brenner, I don't know you from Adam's Off Ox. From somewhere, -you've got the idea that I am a hellblossom runner and you want to get -into the act. Well, in the first place I am not a runner, and in the -second place you have about as much chance of getting into a closed -racket with that open-faced act of yours as you have of filling a -warehouse with heroin by asking the local cops where to buy it." - - * * * * * - -Brenner smiled. "I can see you're cagey," he said. "I don't blame you. -In fact, I'd not have come out here asking like an open-faced fool if I -hadn't been completely out of stock. I'm a bit desperate." He went into -an inside pocket and came out with an envelope. "This is a credential -or two," he said. "When you return this way, we can maybe do business. -The usual way, you know. No questions asked--nor answered. And no -witnesses. Okay?" - -"I'll be back--maybe--mister--er, Brenner?" - -"You get the idea." - -"I'll--" - -Farradyne's voice trailed away as he caught sight of the object that -had held the interest of the jeep driver. It was Norma Hannon, who came -around the fins of the Lancaster with the sun behind her. - -Her errand had been shopping. The overworn cocktail dress was gone -and in its place was a white silky number that did a lot of fetching -things to her figure. She had also taken the complete course at some -primp-mill. She was another woman; not even Farradyne, who had seen her -in her worn clothing for days, could have been convinced that this sort -of beautiful perfection was not Norma's usual appearance. - -Farradyne was silent. But as Brenner caught sight of her coming around -the sunlit tail of the Lancaster, and with enough sun shining through -her to make the pulses jump, he made a throaty discord. - -"Hello," she said brightly, as though she and Farradyne were close -acquaintances, but in a tone that indicated that she was paid-passenger -and he the driver of the spacer. "I've some packages being delivered in -a bit. We'll wait, of course?" - -Farradyne nodded dumbly. - -Norma nodded coolly to Brenner and went up the ramp, displaying a yard -of well-filled nylon stocking at every step. - -The roar of the jeep's engine snapped Farradyne's attention back to -Brenner--or where he had been standing. The jeep was taking Brenner -away in a cloud of spaceport dust. - -Farradyne shook his head. That was not the man he wanted. Call it close -but no cigar. Farradyne did not want a man to buy love lotus, he wanted -a seller, a character from the upper echelon. - - * * * * * - -With a sigh, Farradyne went into the Lancaster. Norma rose from the -divan along the edge of the salon and whirled like a mannequin, her -silken skirt floating. She stopped and let the silk wrap itself around -her thighs. "Like it?" she asked. - -"It's very neat," he said flatly. "But where did you get the -wherewithal?" - -"I figured you owed me something so I took it out of the locker in the -control room. You left the key dangling in the lock?" - -"What's the grand idea?" he asked. - -"You're a cold-blooded bird, Farradyne. You don't give a hoot that you -and your cowboy spacing killed my brother and that you and your kind -made it possible for some wanton to dope me. I'm told that half-decent -gangsters send flowers to a rival's funeral, but you wouldn't even part -with a love lotus. So if you won't give me one, I'm going to force it -out of you." - -"But--" - -"You get the idea," she said, smoothing down a non-existent wrinkle -over one round hip. "But I'm honest. You've some change coming." She -put her hand down in the space between her breasts and brought forth a -small roll of bills which she handed to Farradyne. Dumbly, he took them. - -They were warm and scented with woman and cologne, and would have -been hard on Farradyne's blood-pressure if it had not been for the -anticipatory glitter in Norma Hannon's eyes. - -There was a small commotion at the spacelock. Farradyne looked to see -three men coming in with fancy-wrapped boxes. - -He groaned, and went aloft to the control room. Norma had run the gamut. - - - - - VI - - -Farradyne sat before his control panel with his head in his hands. -There had to be some way out of this. The alternative was to go on -hauling Norma back and forth, being the target of her needling and her -vicious desire and getting nothing done because of it. The mess had -started off badly enough, but now it had deteriorated. - -Norma's needling and goading had been hard enough to bear. He was -willing to bet his spare money that the boxes she was now receiving -contained whatever could be purchased of the most seductive clothing -she could find. And included in her basic idea was, most likely, a -sharp appreciation of what Farradyne would consider exciting. Acres -of exposed skin or rank nudity would pall on him. So she would come -out with little items that might cover her from toe to chin in such a -way as to make him wonder about what was underneath; probably simple -stuff with a lot of fine fit and a lot of semi-transparent quality that -compelled the eye. If she coupled this program with a soft voice, as -she was most likely to do now that she had shucked the sleazy costume, -Norma Hannon would be almost irresistible. Before this happened, -Farradyne had to park her somewhere that would be binding. - -Had she parents? Friends? - -He hit the control panel with his fist. He hated to think of it, but -if push came to shove he might be able to drop her in one of the -sanatoriums that had been set up for love-lotus addicts. They did -little good for the victims but did keep the addicts out of other -people's hair. - -It seemed that it should be parents, first. - -Farradyne's forefinger hit the radio button viciously. - -"Tower? Connect me to the city telephone." - -"Aye-firm, Lancaster. Wait five." - -A few seconds later Farradyne was asking for the Bennington Detective -Agency, an outfit that was system wide. He got a receptionist first and -then a quiet-voiced man named Lawson. - -Farradyne came to the point. "I want any information you can collect -about the family of a man named Frank Hannon who was killed in the -wreck of the Semiramide in The Bog, on Venus four years ago." - -"You're same Charles Farradyne?" - -"Maybe--but is it important?" - -"It might be, but it will be held confidential. I'm asking because I -prefer to know the motives of clients. I'd like reassurance that our -investigation will be made for a legal reason." - -"I'll put it this way: I know Frank Hannon was killed in the wreck. I -have reason to believe that he had a sister that disappeared shortly -afterwards. If this is true, I want to know it--but I haven't time to -find out through the usual channels. Fact of the matter is that I want -no more information than I could get myself if I had time to go pawing -through issues of newspapers of four years ago. No more." - -"I will look through our list of missing persons and see if such is the -case, Mr. Farradyne. I suggest that you either call back in a couple of -hours, or better, that you call in person here at my office. There will -be no charge for the initial search, but if this evolves into something -concrete--well, we can discuss the matter when you call. Is that all -right?" - -"It's okay and I'll be in your office at four o'clock." - - * * * * * - -Farradyne hung up and considered. If Norma Hannon had a couple of -grieving parents, he could hand her over to them and that would be the -end of that. He lit a cigarette and smoked for a moment, then got up -from the control console and started for the spacelock. - -He met Norma in the salon. She had changed into a heavy satin housecoat -that molded her arms to the wrists, clung to her waist and breasts -and throat, and outlined her hips and thighs. Painted toenails were -provocatively visible below the hem as she sat there with her legs -crossed, tossing her foot up and down. - -"Thought we were about to take off again," she asked. Her voice was -soft and personal and friendly. She was plying the affectionate line as -smoothly as an experienced woman could. - -Farradyne shook his head. Having a plan of action made him feel better. -"Got a call from the tower," he said. "More business. I'll be back in a -couple of hours." - -Norma held up her hand for his cigarette and he gave it to her. She -puffed deeply and offered it back. Farradyne refused it. The memory -of her needling and her desire for violence had not had time to fade. -Another twenty hours of this calmness and he would begin to look upon -the sharing of a cigarette as a pleasant gesture of companionship. - -Norma shrugged at his wave of the hand in refusal. "I'll be here -when you get back," she said comfortably, wriggling down against the -cushions and giving him the benefit of an inviting smile. - -Farradyne left the salon swearing under his breath. If this parking of -her did not work, Farradyne was licked. - - * * * * * - -He walked. He did not like walking, but he preferred walking to -remaining in the Lancaster with Norma for the next couple of hours. He -tried to think, but he could not come to any conclusion because he had -all his hope tied on the Bennington outfit and what they might turn up. - -He was shown into the office of Peter Lawson, who was a bright-eyed -elderly man with a body surprisingly lithe for his years. - -"Now, before we go any further," said Lawson pleasantly, "I'd like to -hear your reasons for becoming interested in this case." - -Farradyne nodded. "As I told you, Frank Hannon was killed in an -accident on a spacecraft I owned. That was four years ago. Recently I -met Norma Hannon in a gin-mill on Ganymede and she fastened onto me -like a leech as a person to hate. You know the results of love-lotus -addiction?" - -"Yes, I do." - -"Well, it occurred to me that one way of getting rid of Miss Hannon -would be to turn her over to some relative or friend who would be -deeply interested in her welfare. Does this add up?" - -"Quite logical. Miss Hannon is where you can find her?" - -Farradyne nodded with a sour look on his face. "She's sitting in my -salon waiting for me to come back." - -"Why not just turn her over to the police?" asked Lawson with a careful -look at Farradyne. - -"Look," said Farradyne testily, "I don't enjoy Miss Hannon's company, -but I can't see jailing her. She isn't truly vicious, she's just -another unfortunate victim of the love-lotus trap. Maybe I feel a bit -concerned over her brother. Anyway, take it from here." - -"Very well. I shall. The facts are these: - -"Frank Hannon was a lawyer with a limited but apparently lucrative -practise. Norma acted as a sort of junior partner. The case-history -says that Frank Hannon had been on his way to Venus to place some case -before one of the higher courts, the nature of which was not a matter -for public discussion. I don't know what it was myself. - -"Then Frank was killed, and Norma dropped her study of law. Her -brother's death seemed to be quite a blow to her. Before, she had dated -at random, with nothing serious in mind. But afterwards she seemed to -develop a strong determination to marry, perhaps as a substitute for -the gap left by the death of her brother. A man named Antony Walton -became Number One boy friend after a few months and they were together -constantly and seemed devoted. She disappeared after a dinner-date with -Walton, and Walton is now serving a term on Titan Colony for possession -of love-lotus blossoms." - -Farradyne shook his head. "The louse," he said feelingly. - -"Everybody agrees." - -"I don't know as much as I might about lotus addiction," said -Farradyne. "It all seems so sudden to me. One moment we have a -well-bred young woman with ideals and ambition and feelings and the -next moment--" - -"It is a rather quick thing," said Lawson. "The love lotus is vicious -and swift. I've studied early cases. They all seem to have the same -pattern. And oddly enough, love lotus is not an addictive drug in every -case. It is not only an aphrodisiac; it also heightens the physical -senses so that a good drink tastes better and a good play becomes -superb. The touch of a man's hand becomes a magnificent thrill. And -here is the point where addiction begins, Mr. Farradyne. If the woman's -senses and emotions are treated only to the mild appreciations of food -and drink and music and a gentle caress, her addiction may take years -and years to arrive at the point where she cannot feel these stimuli -without a sniff of hellflower. But if she should be so unlucky as to -have her emotions raised to a real passion during the period of dosage, -it is like overloading the engine. You burn her out." - - * * * * * - -Farradyne nodded. "I see. And there is no cure?" - -"Some doctors believe that a long period of peace and quiet under -conditions where only the mildest of stimuli are available may bring -the addict back. I am of the opinion that such a place does not -exist. They fasten onto hate as an emotion that cuts through their -burned-out emotions and if you should place them among completely -bland surroundings they would find it possible to hate those that -incarcerated them. It becomes almost paranoiac; anything you do is -wrong." - -"So I've discovered. But what do I do with Miss Hannon?" - -"At the time of Miss Hannon's disappearance, her family offered a -reward of five thousand dollars for her return." - -"I'd be happy to deliver her FOB her own front porch," said Farradyne. -"Can I hand her over to you and let you take it from there?" - -"She would put up quite a ruckus," said Lawson. "I doubt that she will -go home willingly. It is my opinion that Miss Hannon's response to -Walton's lovemaking was extremely high, so that the result was a quick -blunting of her normal capability for feelings. After this, anger and -shame would cause her--a proud woman of education and breeding--to -hide where she could not be known, where she could possibly get -the hellflower she needed for her next desire to enjoy the lift -of emotions. This would not be in the home of her parents. So she -would not go home willingly--and the alternative is an appeal to the -authorities." Lawson smiled. "I heard your offer to deliver her free to -her home." - -"But--" - -"You've depended upon us and you will be helped. We will have an -operative collect Miss Hannon at the Denver Spaceport. All you have -to do is live with this trouble for about fifty hours more. We have -done quite a bit of work on this case already, and we are willing to -do more. For delivering your information and for taking Miss Hannon to -Denver, we will be happy to divide the reward." - -"I'll deliver Miss Hannon to Denver," said Farradyne, thinking that for -twenty-five hundred he could stick cotton in his ears and sweat it out -at about fifty dollars an hour. - -"Good, Mr. Farradyne. I'll make arrangements to have our Mr. Kingman -meet you at Denver." - -Lawson handed Farradyne a few pages of dossier on the case and then -showed him out of the office. Farradyne took a deep breath and decided -that what he wanted was a drink to his good fortune. He could look -forward to getting rid of Norma Hannon. He made the street, glanced -around, and headed for a small bar, to relax and think. - - - - - VII - - -At a small table with a tiny lamp he opened the papers that Lawson -had given him, to read them more thoroughly. The waitress was high -breasted in a manner that invited him to look, but he merely barked, -"White Star Trail" and went back to his reading. - -"Spaceman?" she asked. - -Farradyne nodded in an irritated manner. She flounced off after a -moment of futile effort to beguile the spaceman. - -So when, a moment later, someone slid into the bench beside him, -Farradyne turned to tell her to please vacate the premises because he -wasn't having any, thanks. Instead of looking into a vapidly willing -face, Farradyne's eyes were met with an equally cold blue stare -from the face of a hard-jawed man dressed in a jacket tailored to -half-conceal the shoulder holster he wore. Farradyne blinked. - -"Farradyne?" - -"So?" said Farradyne. He tried to think, but all he could cover was the -idea that someone was now playing games with guns. - -"Hear tell you're running blossoms, Farradyne." - -"Who says?" - -"People." - -"People say a lot of things. Which people?" - -"Well, are you?" - -"Who, me?" - -"Can it and label it," snapped the newcomer. - -Farradyne shrugged angrily. "What do you want me to do?" he asked in a -mild tone. "You've got the jump on me. You slide into my seat and bar -my exit and without introducing yourself you start asking questions -that could get me twenty years in bad company, poor surroundings, and -no pay." - -"Pardon me. You may call me Mike. Michael Cahill is the name." - -"Maybe I'm glad to meet you, Mike. Have you any identification that -doesn't bark for itself?" - -"It's usually good enough." - -"Probably. But the numbers on its calling cards are someone else's." - -Mike laughed. "That's not bad, Farradyne. But so far as I know, your -number isn't among those present." - -"I'll bet you could change a number fast enough." - -"Could be," nodded Cahill. He turned around over his shoulder and -called at the waitress: "Hey, Snooky. Make it two instead of one." - -"Mine's White Star." - -"That's all right with me. It's easier to drive this rod with a clear -head." - -"No doubt," said Farradyne. "So now that we are about to drink -together, let's face it. You had more in mind than to pass the time of -day with a nervous spaceman who wanted to be alone." - -"Correct. Or as you birds say, Aye-firm. How's the hellblossom -business?" - -"That's easy to answer. The answer is that I haven't any, and I'm not -in the business." - -"People say you are." - -"People are wrong." - -"Sometimes, but not always." - -Farradyne grunted. "Not too long ago, someone accused me openly. The -story started when someone suggested that the only way a guy could come -from down on his bottom to the top of the heap in one large step was -to be among the big-time operators. The heavy-sugar know-how. To the -limited imagination, this meant running love lotus." - - * * * * * - -Mike Cahill was silent while the high-breasted waitress brought their -drinks. After she left, Cahill lifted his glass to Farradyne. "Is you -is or is you ain't?" he chuckled. - -"I ain't," said Farradyne, drinking with Cahill. - -"Stop sounding like a parrot. The tomato in the bar on Ganymede must -have known something. You spent four years as flat on your duff -as a musclebound wrestler and then you come bouncing along in a -last-year model Lancaster. So since we know damned well that you're no -hellblossom runner, where did you get the stack?" - -"Thrift and good management." - -"Maybe it's a rich uncle?" - -"I'm just a capable operator." - -"The label is sour, Farradyne." - -"Then what do you make of this?" asked Farradyne, handing Cahill his -license folder. - -"It looks nice and legal, but it's as phony as a ten-cent diamond and -both of us know it. So how did you get it--and the Lancaster to go -along with it?" - -Farradyne sipped his drink. "Look, Cahill, it just happens that I don't -care to tell. This is a gentler version of the old bark, 'None of -your blank business!' which I've always considered rude and which has -started a lot of fights. But the fact remains that I am not telling." - -"It might make a difference if you did." - -"Let's stop fencing. I may be of use to you. It might be that you are a -SAND agent and it might be otherwise, but I still may be of use to you -either way. But the first time I start shooting off my trap, you'll get -the idea that I'm not close-mouthed enough for whatever job you have in -mind for me. So let's leave it this way, huh? I got a ticket that gets -me in and out and a spacer that takes me there and back." - -"And that's your story?" - -Farradyne nodded, sipped his drink, and offered Cahill a smoke which -Cahill took. - -"We've had a rather moist spring," observed Cahill. - -"It was moister on Venus," commented Farradyne. - -"It's on Terra that the weather is fine," said Cahill. "The crops are -coming up, I'm told, excellently. Nothing like fresh vegetables." - -Farradyne nodded. "No matter how well we convert the planets to -Terra-condition, nothing grows like on earth." - -"Ever enjoy lying on your back in the sun in a field of flowers with -nothing to do but get sunburned?" - -"Not for a long time." - -"Funny how a guy gets out of his kid-habits," mused Cahill. "And even -funnier how he wants to go and do it all over again, but it's never -quite the same." - -"Yeah." - -"Farradyne, you're not sold-up on this next jaunt to Terra, are you?" - -"Just one passenger going to Denver." - -"Mind if I buy a stateroom?" - -"Not at all." - -"I want to go pick flowers on Terra," yawned Cahill. "If you like, -maybe we can pick some together." - -"Maybe we can," said Farradyne, draining his glass and starting to get -up. Cahill got up too and led the way out. Farradyne flagged down a -taxicab. "Spaceport," he told the driver. "Coming?" he asked Cahill. - -"Yeah." - - - - - VIII - - -Farradyne took the Lancaster up and set the course to Terra. As soon -as he could spare time to think of anything but handling the ship, he -began to wonder about Norma and Mike Cahill. She had not been visible -when they arrived, but no doubt by now she had made her presence known. -It bothered him a bit because he was as certain as a man can be that -Cahill was a hellflower operator, and he did not want the man to get -cold feet because Farradyne was connected with an addict, if even for a -short hop. - -So as soon as he could leave the board, Farradyne went down into the -salon. - -They had met. Norma, for the first time in her trip with Farradyne, was -presiding over the dining table. She was wearing a slinky, sea-green -hostess gown that scarcely existed above the waist and was slit on both -sides to just below the knees. Her white, bare legs twinkled as she -walked and almost forced the eye to follow them. She was giving Cahill -all the benefit of her physical beauty, and Cahill was enjoying it. -Farradyne had a hunch that Norma was about to start slipping him the -old jealousy-routine. He wondered about his reaction. He was extremely -wary of Norma, but he did feel a sort of responsibility for her. She -might make him jealous, but it would not be the jealousy of passion or -desire, but the jealous concern that stems from a desire to protect. - -Norma's lissome figure vanished toward the galley, and Cahill wagged a -forefinger at Farradyne. - -"That dame's a blank," he said in a low voice. - -"I know. She's not my woman, Cahill." - -"Maybe not, but it sure looks like it from a distance. What are you -doing with her?" - -"Delivering her to her parents in Denver." - -"That all?" - -Farradyne nodded. "She latched onto me on Ganymede; she's the dame that -made the loud announcement of my being a hellflower runner." - -"Maybe she'll be right sooner or later. But you get rid of her, see?" - -Farradyne nodded vigorously. "That I'll do. She's been hell on high -heels to have around the joint." - -"Looks like she might be fun." - -"She hates my guts." - -Cahill nodded. "Probably. They usually end up in a case of anger and -violence. Tough." - -Norma came back with a tray and set food on the table. They ate in -silence, with Norma still giving Cahill the full power of her charm. -Cahill seemed to enjoy her advances, although he accepted them with a -calloused, self-assured smile. Once dinner was finished, Norma jumped -up and began to clear the table. This act annoyed Farradyne because he -could not account for it, and the only thing that seemed to fit the -case was the possibility that Norma was acting as she did to soften his -wariness of her; but she was carrying the thing too far. - - * * * * * - -As she left again, Farradyne turned to Cahill and asked, "How can a man -tell a love lotus from a gardenia?" - -"That takes experience. You'll learn." - -"The thing that stops me," said Farradyne, "is that the Sandmen have -been trying to stamp out the things for about forty years and they -can't even tell where they come from." - -"They'll never find out," said Cahill. "Maybe you won't either." - -"But I--" - -"Better you shouldn't. Just enjoy living off the edges. It's safer that -way." - -"Where are we going after we leave Denver?" - -"I'm not too sure we're going anywhere." - -"But--" - -"I'm none too sure of you, Farradyne. You've some holes to fill in." -Cahill lit a cigarette and leaned back, letting the smoke trickle -through his nostrils. "I don't mind talking to you this way because it -would be your word against mine if you happen to be a Sandman. Some of -your tale rings true. The rest sticks, hard." - -"For instance?" - -"Well, let's suppose you are a Sandman. Humans are a hard-boiled lot, -but somehow I can't see killing thirty-three people just to establish -a bad reputation. So that tends to clear your book. As to the chance -of your laying low for four years until the mess blew over, I might -buy that except for the place. A guy who can ultimately turn up with -enough oil to grease his way into a reinstated license and a Lancaster -Eighty-One isn't likely to spend four interim years living in a -fungus-field." - -"Maybe I hit it rich?" - -Cahill laughed roughly. "Dug up a platinum-plated toadstool?" - -"Maybe I just met up with the right guy." - -"Blackmail?" - -"That's a nasty word, Cahill." - -"Sure is. What did he do?" - -"Let's call it malingering. Let's say he played rough at the wrong time -and might have to pay for it high at the present." Farradyne looked at -the ceiling. "And maybe that isn't it." - -Cahill laughed. "Have it your way, Farradyne. Tell me, do we have -a lay-over at Denver or is it better if we take off immediately for -Mercury?" - -"Cinnabar or Hell City?" - -"Cinnabar, if it makes any difference." - -"Mercury, Schmercury, I didn't know there was anything there but the -central heating plant for the solar system." - -"Isn't much," admitted Cahill. "But enough. The--" - - * * * * * - -His voice trailed away as Norma's high heels came clicking up the -circular stairway back toward the salon. "I thought I'd have a -cigarette and a drink with company before I go to bed," she announced -in a tone of voice that Farradyne had not heard her use before. With -gracious deftness, she made three highballs of White Star Trail and -water and handed two of them to the men. She let her fingers linger -over Farradyne's very briefly, and over Cahill's longer. She lounged in -a chair across the room from them, all curves and softness, with only -that strange disinterested look in her eyes to give her away. - -The evening had been a series of paradoxes; Norma's change from the -vixen to the lady of languid grace did not ring true. He had been -aware of her ability to reason coldly, brought about by her burned-out -emotional balance which was so dulled that her thinking was mechanical -and therefore inclined to be frightfully chilled logic. Norma had -claimed that she knew the emotions by name and definition; that once -she had felt them but now she only knew how they worked. Farradyne -found it hard to believe that she was so well schooled in her knowledge -that she could put on the act of having them when she obviously did not. - -Yet it was only the blankness in her eyes that gave her away this -evening. Otherwise she might have been a very charming companion. - -She did not even force herself upon them; when her cigarette and her -drink were gone, Norma excused herself quietly and went below. - -"Me, too," said Cahill. - -Farradyne led him down to a stateroom and waved him in. "See you in the -morning," he said. Cahill nodded his good-night and Farradyne went to -his own stateroom to think. - -He hadn't done bad, he thought; he had been on the trail for less -than a hundred hours and already had a lead. Obviously the Semiramide -disaster was the tip-off; no Sandman would go that far to establish a -shady reputation. - -Farradyne was prepared to go on as far as he had to. The idea of -actually running love lotus was not appealing, but the SAND office -had been fighting the things for a half century, watching helplessly -while the moral fibre of the race was being undermined, and somehow -it was far better to let a few more lives be wrecked by hellflowers -than to save a few and let the whole thing steamroller into monumental -destruction. Farradyne still had to duck a few people who might like -to nail his hide to a barn door, but sooner or later he would come out -on top and then he could look his fellow man in the eye and ask him to -forget one bad mistake. - -Being on this first step eased his mind somewhat. He would be rid of -Norma tomorrow morning and on his way with Cahill. He went to sleep -easily for the first time since that meeting with Norma at Ganymede. - -He dreamed a pleasant dream of freedom and success that ended with the -bark of a pistol. - - - - - IX - - -Shocked out of his sleep, he lay stunned and blinking for a moment, -then leaped out of bed and raced to the corridor. The light blinded him -at first, but not enough to stop him from seeing Cahill. - -Cahill came along the tiny corridor listlessly, blood dribbling -from under his left arm, running down his fingers and splashing -to the floor. On Cahill's face was a stunned expression, full of -incomprehension, semi-blank. Blood ran down his leg, across his ankle, -and left red footprints on the floor. - -Through whatever haze clouded Cahill's eyes, he saw Farradyne. He -stumbled forward and reached for Farradyne, but collapsed in midstep -like a limp towel, to stretch out at Farradyne's feet like a tired -baby. His voice sighed out in a dying croon that sounded like a rundown -phonograph. - -Behind him came Norma Hannon. Her eyes were blazing with an unholy -satisfied light and her body was alive and sinuous. A tiny automatic -dangled from her right hand. Her lips curled as she came up to Cahill -and poked at the man's hand with her bare foot. - -"He--" she started to cry in a strident tone. Then the semi-hysteria -faded and she looked down at Cahill again, relishing the situation. - -Farradyne shuddered. What had happened was obvious. Cahill had tried -to force himself upon Norma; she had killed him. Apparently Cahill had -not been able to do more than clutch at the deep neckline of Norma's -nightgown, which was slightly torn. - -He leaned back against the wall and saw things in a sort of horrid slow -motion. Under any normal circumstance, no jury in the solar system -would have listened to an attempt to prosecute her. Under any normal -circumstance, Farradyne could bury Cahill at space and report the -incident at the first landing. But Farradyne couldn't stand too much -investigation. And Norma Hannon was a love-lotus addict--a 'blank,' in -Cahill's words. - -"Now what?" asked Farradyne bitterly. - -"He--" Her eyes opened wide again as she relived the scene and relished -the violence. - -"Have your fun," Farradyne growled. "What did you do? Let him get all -the way in before you plugged him? No warning at all?" - -"I hoped it was you," she said. "I wouldn't have killed you." Her -voice was calm; she might have been saying 'kiss' instead of 'kill'. -"Him I did not like." - -"And you like me?" - -"You I save to hate tomorrow," she said matter-of-factly. - -"Why didn't you save him?" - -"What was he to you?" - -"He was my source." - -"Source?" Norma looked blank. Then understanding crossed her face. -"Hellblossoms," she said with a sneer that twisted her face. She -stepped past Cahill's body and handed the tiny automatic to Farradyne, -who took it dumbly just because it was proffered. She went on into the -salon and sat down. - -Farradyne wanted to hurt her, to reach through that wall of emotional -scar and make her feel something besides anger. Remorse, perhaps. - -"Source," he nodded, following her. "Love lotus. I'd have given you -one, Norma." - -She made a sound like a bitter laugh. "No good, Farradyne. What good is -one love lotus?" - -"I don't know," he said simply. "I've never had one." - -Her laugh was shrill. Then she bawled at him like a fishwife, "What an -operator you are, Farradyne! You big fumbling boob with your stolen -spacer and your forged license, making like a big wind and blowing like -a breeze! Fah!" - -She got up as suddenly as she had sat down. She paused on her way down -the corridor to kick Cahill's head with her bare foot. The man's head -moved aside limply. - - * * * * * - -Farradyne stayed where he was until he heard her door slam shut. Then -he got up and went toward his own room, pausing at the door to look at -Cahill. He should be moved, thought Farradyne. - -He found himself looking down on the dead man with a strangely detached -feeling, as if he were watching a rather poorly plotted play. He -relived the scene although he tried to shut it out of his mind. -Shutting out would not work, and so he went through it detail by -detail, minutely, from the sound of the pistol shot to the last dying -groan from Cahill's tortured throat. The memory of that dying sound -jarred on Farradyne's nerves. There had been something strange about -it-- - -It had been a discordant cry. - -Farradyne found himself making a completely useless analysis, itemizing -things that surely could not matter. The cry had been a discord. - -His mind wandered a bit as he considered the word. A series of atonal -notes do not make a discord. A discord comes when atonal notes are -sounded at the same time. The former can be pleasant to the ear, the -latter not. - -And then a chill hit him. He felt like a man who has just been told -that he had one more question to answer before winning the prize on a -quiz show. - -Cahill's moan had been a full discord. - -With a sudden leap of the mind, Farradyne was back in the Semiramide, -hearing three voices behind him. They had found one skeleton -afterwards. Then his mind leaped to Brenner, who had emitted an -approving grunt when he saw Norma come around the tail structure of the -Lancaster with the sun shining through her skirt. He had no proof, no -proof. Brenner's grunt had no discord but none the less a mingling of -tones. Three voices? Maybe more? - -Maybe he was not sure of the first. Brenner's sound had been very -brief--maybe he was convincing himself. But Cahill's death-cry had been -most certainly polytonal. And they both were love-lotus operators. - -It might mean something or it might not. Farradyne put his head back -and tried to make a series of sounds. He moaned. He gargled, and he -tried to hum and say something at the same time. Maybe the stunt could -be cultivated after much practise, and maybe it was used as a password. - -More than anything Farradyne needed corroboration. - -It was a weak hope, but he stepped over Cahill's body and rapped on -Norma's door. - -She opened the door after a moment and said, "Now what?" - - * * * * * - -He looked down into her glazed eyes, hoping to see some flicker of -expression that showed some interest in anything. "Norma, you've a good -logical mind--tell me, did you notice anything about Cahill's last cry?" - -"No." - -"Nothing odd?" - -"I've not seen men die very often. What was strange about it?" The eyes -unglazed a bit, but Farradyne could not tell whether this was awakened -interest or merely the recapture of the feeling she had enjoyed before. - -"It sounded to me like a discordant moan." - -"It was discordant." - -"Not the way you mean. It sounded to me like there were three or four -distinct tones all going at once." - -"Stop beating that dead horse," she told him flatly. "It's the same -chorus you used to sing about the three people in your control room, -remember?" - -"Brenner made a sound like that, too," he said. - -"A piglike sound," she said scornfully. "Forget it, Farradyne. Your -evidence consists of one man surprised at the sight of a good-looking -woman and one man whose throat was coming apart in death. Forget it." -She shut the door to her room in his face abruptly. - -Farradyne looked down at Cahill's body with regret. A gunman and a -love-lotus operator was not likely to have his absence noticed among -the kind of people who could afford to start asking questions of the -officials, and there might be a chance that Cahill's absence would -cause the same people to ask a question or two of Farradyne. - -Farradyne would have liked to keep the body. But hauling a slain -corpse--he did not consider it murder--into a doctor's office and -asking for an autopsy on the throat could not be done. Nor could -Farradyne do it himself. He could perform a fair job of setting a -broken bone and he could treat a burn or a cut, but he would not -recognize a larynx if he saw it. - -Grunting distastefully, Farradyne hauled the body to the scuttle port -and consigned it to space with a terse, "See you in Hell, Cahill!" - -Sleep did not come to Farradyne for a long time. - - - - - X - - -The Lancaster came down at Denver; before Farradyne had the landing -ramp out, a spaceport buggy came careening across the field to stop -almost at the base of the ship. - -"Farradyne?" said the man. - -"You're the Bennington man?" - -"Sidney Kingman," said the other, showing Farradyne a small case with -an identification card and license. "Where is she?" - -"Inside." - -Kingman handed Farradyne an envelope. He pocketed it and led Kingman -into the salon. Norma was there, sitting on the divan, smoking. - -"Miss Hannon, Mr. Kingman." - -"Another one of your friends?" she sneered. - -"No. He's one of yours." - -"I have no friends." - -"Yes, you have, Miss Hannon. And you have parents--" - -Norma leaped to her feet angrily. "You good-for-nothing bum!" she -screeched at Farradyne. - -"You wouldn't leave me alone, Norma," said Farradyne tiredly. "So I've -brought you home." - -"I'll come after you," she snarled. - -"Not if I see you first," he told her. "This is it." - -"I won't go!" - -"You'll go," said Farradyne harshly, "if I have to clip you on the chin -and help Kingman carry you out on a shutter." - -For the first time, Farradyne saw tears of genuine sorrow. There was -anger at him, too; but remorse was there a-plenty. "Why hurt them?" she -asked. "Why can't they just call me dead and let it go at that? I'm -worse than dead." - -Then her face froze again and she looked at Kingman. "All right," -she said in a hard voice, "let's go and hurt my folks to death. You -money-grubbing ghouls." - -She started towards the spacelock. Kingman followed. Her face wore a -coldly distant expression as she left the Lancaster. Kingman's driver -took them off. She did not turn back to look at Farradyne. - -And that was that. Farradyne retracted the landing ramp, closed the -spacelock, and not long afterwards hiked the Lancaster into the sky and -headed for Mercury. - - - - - XI - - -Cinnabar was inside of the sunlight zone by a thousand miles and its -sun was always in the same spot of the sky. It was a well-contrived -city, built so that the streets were lighted either directly or from -reflections. Cinnabar was also one of the show-cities of the solar -system; but Farradyne found that it did not show him the right things. -He could have learned more about hellflowers on Terra because New York -had a larger Public Library than Cinnabar. - -Farradyne tried everything he could think of but made no progress. His -trail had turned to ice after Cahill's death. He loafed and he poked -his nose in here and there and drank a bit and varied his routine from -man-about-town to the spaceman concerned about his future. There was -only one bright spot: his listing had been tentatively taken up by a -group of schoolteachers on a sabbatical, who had seen Mercury and now -wanted a cheap trip to Pluto. Farradyne accepted this job for about -three weeks later. It gave him a payload to Pluto, and when he got -there it would be time to do the subcontracting job Clevis had set up -as a combined source of revenue and a means of contact. Once each month -Farradyne was to haul a shipment of refined thorium ore from Pluto to -Terra, a private job that paid well. In the meantime, Farradyne could -nose around Mercury to see what he could see. Then he could haul his -schoolteachers to Pluto and pick up his thorium, which definitely made -his actions look reasonably normal to the official eye. - -On the end of the drums of refined thorium there would be a spot of -fluorescent paint, normally invisible. He was to wash this spot off so -long as he had nothing to report; if it remained then something was -wrong with Farradyne, or he had something to report. Clevis would know -what to do next. - -And so Farradyne watched the date grow closer and closer and his hopes -of having something to report dimmed. - -He cursed under his breath at the futility of it, and realized that his -curse must have been audible when he felt a touch on his elbow and a -voice asking, "Is it that bad?" - -He turned slowly, his mind working fast to think of something to say -that would not be leading in the wrong direction. "I was--" he started, -and then saw that the voice, which had been low-pitched enough to have -been the voice of a rather small, thin man, had come from the throat -of a tall dark-haired woman who sat beside him at the bar. "--just -wondering what strangers did for excitement on Mercury," he finished -lamely. - -"Spaceman?" - -"Yes." - -She laughed in her low contralto. "I guessed it. Is Cinnabar so -inhospitable?" - -"To strangers it seems so." - -"To me it seems quite normal. It makes the rest of the solar system -sound like a very exciting place." - -"Born on Mercury?" - -"No," she said, shaking her head. "I was born on Venus. I spent four -years on Terra before my folks brought me to Mercury. But my last -space trip took place when I was nine. Tell me, what is New York like?" - -"Buildings and people and mad rushing around. Any change in the last -hundred years has been for taller buildings, more people, and a higher -general velocity of humanity." - -"But--" - -"I know, the way I put it sounds a bit harsh. But anybody can find -anything they want somewhere in New York if he has the money to buy it." - - * * * * * - -She smiled calmly. "I'll show you that Cinnabar is not an inhospitable -place," she said. "You may take me to dinner if you wish." - -"I wish," he chuckled. "And since we haven't a mutual friend to -introduce us, I'm Charles Farradyne." - -"How do you do?" she said solemnly, putting a lithe hand in his. "I'm -Carolyn Niles." She took a little step out from the bar and made him -a slight curtsy. He saw that she was almost as tall as he was, and he -grinned as he thought that her figure was far better than his. - -"How shall we meet?" he asked. - -"We shall not meet," said Carolyn. "You shall drive me home where -we will have cocktails with my folks. You will be an old friend -of Michael's, who is a sort of school-chum of my brother. After -cocktails I will change and you will make polite conversation with my -family--none of which eat personable young men, though they may scare -them to death by having father show them the fine collection of Terran -shotguns he owns. Then we will go out to your spacecraft, and you will -change while I roam around and investigate the insides." - -"Done," agreed Farradyne. - -Something rapped him on the elbow and he had to look down before he saw -a boy of ten or so with a green-paper lined box containing flowers. The -young merchant had an eye for business; he eyed Farradyne knowingly and -smiled at Carolyn fetchingly. "Corsage? One dollar." - -Farradyne grinned--and then almost recoiled before he realized that -nowhere in the solar system could a love lotus be purchased for a -dollar. These were definitely gardenias. He bought one to cover up his -confusion, and as he handed it to Carolyn he wondered whether having -a good-looking woman in a car outside a florist shop might not be the -password to the purchase of the hellflower. Carolyn pinned the gardenia -in her dark hair as she smiled her thanks, then led him from the bar -to an open roadster almost as low and long as the curb it was parked -against. Carolyn handed him her keys and Farradyne drove according to -her directions until they came to a rather large rambling home just -outside of the city limits. - - * * * * * - -He was received graciously. Her father was a tall, distinguished man -with a dab of gray at the temples and a rather stern face that became -completely friendly whenever he smiled, which was very frequently. -Carolyn's mother was tall and dark with only a sprinkle of gray; -Carolyn's stature seemed natural in that tall family. The brother was -not present, which made it completely easy for Farradyne who could not -have given any account of his friendship for the unknown Michael. - -Mr. Niles mixed a pitcher of martinis and inquired about the spaceman -business. Farradyne explained how it was. Mrs. Niles laughed at his -story about fish one day and fins the next and said that she thought -it couldn't be that bad, really. Farradyne grinned. Mr. Niles observed -that a man who can operate a spacer and pay off a mortgage on the craft -must not be entirely penniless or without prospects. - -Mrs. Niles added, "I suppose it takes money to operate, Mr. Farradyne." - -"A fair amount. A spaceman begins to think in large figures so much -that he wonders how he can get along on a more humanly reasonable -amount. To clear a reasonable standard of living, a rather staggering -amount of money comes in one hand and goes out the other. Operating -expenses are high, but so are charges." - -"But do you land on Mercury often, Mr. Farradyne?" - -Farradyne smiled. "Perhaps less frequently in the past than in the -future." - -"Now, that's sheer flattery," laughed Carolyn. - -"Better enjoy it," observed her father with a chuckle. "Charles, you -are welcome here any time you land." - -"Thank you," smiled Farradyne. "But all things considered, I should -think that you'd take a dim view of any man that brought your daughter -home wearing a gardenia." - -"Gardenia--oh. You mean that it might be--" Mr. Niles laughed. "I think -that Carolyn has enough judgement to take up with the right kind of -young man, Charles." - -"Of course," said Mrs. Niles. "Robert and Michael wouldn't stay friends -with the wrong kind." - -"So, you see?" laughed Mr. Niles. - -"By the way," asked Mrs. Niles, "how is Michael?" - -"Quite well, the last time I saw him," said Farradyne, knowing that -this was the right thing to say at any time. - -"You're sure?" - -"Of course." - -"I'm very happy to hear it," said Mrs. Niles. "We knew he was with you, -but we didn't know how long he stayed." - -Farradyne gulped imperceptibly, and hoped that they did not notice. -"You did? Then he must have mentioned me." - -"Oh, he did. Tell me, Charles, what happened to Michael?" - -"Did something happen to him?" - -Mr. Niles eyed Farradyne rather pointedly. "Mike took off with you from -Mars. He did not land at Denver, Mr. Farradyne. So what happened to -Mike Cahill?" - -Farradyne gulped, and this time it was a full-throated gulp that left -him with his Adam's Apple high in his throat. Carolyn cooed, "Yes, -Charles, what happened to Michael Cahill?" - - - - - XII - - -Farradyne felt a muscle-loosening tingle of fear. His thinking -mechanism stopped functioning. His mind buzzed with a frenetic -insistence that he say something, but being so completely unprepared he -could not say anything. And he dimly knew that his long speechlessness -was as damning as any story he could have prepared after such a pause. -Perhaps he would have been stunned short this way even if he had -concocted some story on the offhand chance that someday the question -might come up. But it had come like this, from an unexpected quarter -and he was both shocked and unprepared. - -Then it occurred to him that he need not say anything. The die had -been cast and he stood accused, twice; once by the Niles Family and -once by his own shocked reaction. He must act for the next moment, -because the passed moment was irreparable. Farradyne laughed at his own -simplicity--a brief scornful bark. - -"What is funny?" asked Mr. Niles. - -"It just occurred to me that you people are either innocent or guilty." - -"Very sage," commented Niles, drily. "Now, what happened to Cahill?" - -Farradyne leaned back, trying to relax. He took a sip of his martini, -not that he wanted it, but to see if his hand were still trembling. It -wasn't. - -He said, "If you knew Cahill and his whereabouts, you also know quite -a bit about me. You'll have heard that I was recognized in a bar on -Ganymede by a woman named Norma Hannon, who is a love-lotus addict. She -hated my guts because her brother was among those present when I had -the accident in The Bog. She hung onto me for the emotional ride it -gave her. I succeeded in locating the home of her parents and was going -to take her home when I met Cahill. He came along. Then during the -night, he made a pass at Norma, and she shot him for it. I put his body -out through the scuttle port." - -"Cahill was always a damned fool," nodded Niles. "He was a dame-crazy -idiot and it served him right. Some men prefer money, power, or model -railroads, Farradyne. Women are poison." - -"I seem to have followed one of them like the little lamb," said -Farradyne. "But I was picked up and brought here for a purpose, so -let's get down to cases." - -"You're a rather quick-on-the-trigger man, aren't you? What gives you -to assume that this purpose was anything beyond finding out about -Cahill?" - -"Because you've tipped your hand," said Farradyne, feeling more at -ease. "You could have accomplished the same thing by tipping the -police and waiting for the case to be newscast. If Cahill admitted to -hellblossom running, it was for a purpose, too, Niles." - -"Please. _Mister_ Niles. I'm a bit your senior, Farradyne." - -"All right. Mr. Niles. I've learned one thing so far: I can tell a love -lotus operator from the rest of the system." - -"How?" They all leaned forward eagerly. - -"Because it is the real operators that take an amused view of my -alleged machinations. They know the facts." - -"Very sage. You are a bit brighter than you appeared a moment ago." - -"May I ask why you let me cool my heels for almost a month before you -hauled me in?" He looked at Carolyn with a wry smile. "I would make a -mild bet that you weren't more than a few hundred feet from me all the -while." - -"You're a blind man, Farradyne," she said. - - * * * * * - -Mr. Niles smiled knowingly. "There are a lot of unexplained items in -your past, Farradyne. We never could be too sure that you were not a -Sandman. So we've been checking up on you and for that angle you are -clean. Then comes the question of Cahill. It might be that you thought -turning in a love-lotus operator would help to smoothe your lot in -life, mayhap get you a bit of reward. So we waited. No Cahill. Cahill -started to bring you here; he would have turned up either with you or -without you. Unless he were dead. You would know the answer." - -"No more than I've told you. Cahill came and made me a sort of sidelong -offer." - -"That much of it rings as true as the other. But there are still holes -in your story." - -Farradyne nodded. "Let's put it this way: There are ways of getting -money and things. I found one way, which is an obvious fact. But I've -been told time and again that the first entering wedge to a full -confession is a willingness to talk. Do you follow me?" - -"I do. But--" - -Farradyne smiled. "I don't care to face it. Not in company, Mr. Niles." -Farradyne's emphasis on the 'Mister' was heavy with sarcasm. - -Niles looked at him piercingly. "You are a bit belligerent and a trifle -sure of yourself. Close-mouthed and apparently able to get along. -You'll be out on a lonely limb for some time, Farradyne, but we can use -you." - -"I can use the sugar," said Farradyne. - -"Naturally. Anybody can use money. In fact everybody needs money, and -so, Farradyne, what visible means of support have you?" - -"I've a subcontract. Once each month I'm to lug a load of thorium -refines from Pluto to Terra." - -"It's a start but it isn't enough." - -"I'll pick up more." - - * * * * * - -Niles leaned back and put the tips of his fingers together -pontifically. "One of the hardest jobs in this business is to justify -your standard of living. The financial rewards are large and the hours -involved are small. It is patent that a man who has not been granted a -large inheritance, or perhaps stumbled on a lucrative asteroid, cannot -live in a semi-royal manner without having to work in a semi-royal -fury. One of the great risks in this business is the accepting of a -recruit whose appearance causes discussion. The day when a man can -build a fifty thousand dollar home on a five thousand dollar salary -without causing more than a raised eyebrow is gone. If a man has a -large income, he must appear busy enough to warrant it--or at least -provide a reasonable facsimile." - -"This I can understand." - -"For a job like this," Niles went on, "we prefer the natural-born -spaceman, with sand in his shoes or space-dust in his eyes. Because -the man with a bad case of wanderlust always looks busy even when he -is idling. You seem to be that sort, but we can never tell until it's -tried. Unless, of course, you turn out to be woman-crazy." - -"I'm a normal-enough male," said Farradyne. "I'll remind you that -Cahill was the guy who tried and failed." - -"How normal are you? We'd have less liking for a misogynist than for a -satyr here." - -Farradyne smiled serenely. "I had enough sense to keep my hands off -Norma Hannon, but I have enough red blood to come home with Carolyn. -That good enough?" - -Niles thought a moment. "Could be. Anyway, we'll find out. We'll try it -and see. Now, when do you go to Pluto?" - -"I've some schoolteachers to haul out there tomorrow." - -"Good. Gives you a good background, without much labor. Now, when you -land on Terra, you'll not post your ship because you have already -contracted for a job. Carolyn will be there on a business trip and will -have chartered your ship for a hauling job back to Mercury. During -this trip you will get some more details on how you are to operate. -This much I will tell you now, Farradyne: you'll be an inbetweener. -Advancement may come fast or slow, depending on you. You'll get the -details later; as for now, however--" Niles leaned back in his chair -and smiled. "Farradyne, you met my daughter in a cocktail lounge and -several people heard the two of you planning an evening together. -So you will go dancing and dining and from this moment on you will -be Charles and I will be Mister Niles and we'll have no nonsense, -understand?" - -Farradyne nodded. - -"Good. Now, let's have another martini while Carolyn dresses for -dinner." - -Niles poured. Carolyn disappeared. Mrs. Niles leaned forward slightly -and asked, "Charles, why did you become a spaceman?" - - * * * * * - -Farradyne blinked. His impulse was to ask in turn why they had become -hellflower operators. He stifled the impulse because there was -something strangely odd about this set-up. Her question was quite -normal to the background she appeared to fill as matron of a happy, -successful family. - -The aura of respectability extended far, to include the home and its -spacious grounds, so that Farradyne burned with resentment at the -social structure whereby he, who had committed no more than a few -misdemeanors, should be less cultured, less successful, less poised -than this family of low-grade vultures. If anything, the attitude of -Mrs. Niles shocked him more than the acts of her husband. Men were the -part of the race that played the rough games and ran up the score while -women occupied one of two positions: they were either patterned after -Farradyne's mother or they were slatterns and sluts who looked as well -as acted the part. It offended Farradyne's sense of proportion that -Mrs. Niles was gracious and well-bred instead of being loud and cheap. - -Farradyne labeled it a form of hypocrisy and yearned to pull the -pedestal out from under them and dump them into the mud where they all -damn well belonged. - -Farradyne matured a bit in those few moments of thinking. He had often -wondered why a clever man like Clevis would work at a dangerous, -thankless job in complete anonymity when he could have put his efforts -into business and probably emerge wealthy and famous. He began to -understand the personal gratification that could be his in working to -rid the human race of its parasites. In Niles' own words, some men like -money and some want power and others build model railroads; neither -money nor power were god to Farradyne, who had always been restlessly -happy with just enough money and power to exchange for the fun and -games to be found in being alive. - -Farradyne was just discovering the threshold of a new outlet for his -wealth of nervous energy, and he looked forward to it eagerly. - -Blandly, he started to outline a semi-humorous tale of his life and -adventures to Mrs. Niles, exaggerating his own early fumblings in a -casual way. She listened with amused interest, just as any mother might -use in hearing the background of a young man who was interested in a -daughter. - -But in the back of Farradyne's mind was the niggling fear that he would -not be able to act the part of convincing suitor to the girl whose -background, attitude, and character he detested. He knew that a man can -lie in his teeth and play the role of spy convincingly, but he believed -that the truth of his feelings would be evident when it came to making -love to the enemy. - -And then Carolyn came down the stairs in a white strapless evening -dress and Farradyne changed his mind. It was going to be extremely easy -for him to put his personal attitudes in a small compartment of his -mind and slam the door. - -"You've got to dress too, Charles," she said in a soft voice. It was -low and intimate, unlike a woman of her type. - -He nodded and got up. - -Carolyn tucked her hand under his elbow and gave a little squeeze; the -last image of Norma Hannon's lackluster eyes faded out of his mind and -Farradyne became the man his role so urgently demanded. - - - - - XIII - - -In the salon of the Lancaster, Farradyne smiled knowingly. "The plan -was to let you investigate the ship while I dressed," he said. "But I -gather that you've seen you share of spacers." - -"I admit it," she replied. "For that I'm sorry, Charles." - -"Well, park yourself somewhere while I get into whites." - -She sat down and stretched. "A highball and a cigarette?" she asked. - -"The cigarette is easy," he said, handing one to her and flipping his -lighter. While she puffed, he went on, "But the highball may be more -difficult. I've nothing but White Star Trail aboard." - -She nodded at him. "With water," she said. She relaxed into the -cushions. Farradyne went and mixed her highball. She sipped it and -nodded approvingly. He turned to go. - -"Charles?" - -He stopped. Carolyn put her glass on the tiny tray and parked her -cigarette. She rose and came forward, lifting her hands to put them on -his shoulders. He stood woodenly. "Charles," she asked in a soft voice, -"Are you unhappy because I am not the girl you hoped I'd be?" - -"How many men have you played this role for?" he asked. - -Carolyn smiled, a wry smile that twisted her face. "I should slap your -face for that," she said. "Because when I tell you the answer you won't -believe me." - -Caution came to him. He was the rookie hellflower operator, not the -young man who has discovered that his girl has been playing games -behind his back. He tried to fit himself into her picture and decided -that according to her code of loused-up ethics she might possibly be -thinking of a future: a pleasant home with rambling roses and a large -lawn and a devoted husband and maybe a handful of happy children all -creating the solid-citizen facade for dope running, just as her parents -were doing. If this were the case, Farradyne must carry roses for his -wife in one hand, toys for the kids in the other, and his hip pocket -must be filled with hellflowers. - -He played it. He relaxed and put his hands on her waist. "I admit to -being a bit of a louse," he said, with a brief laugh. "But that's -because I'm a bit new at a very rough game." - -She leaned forward a bit. "Even rough games have their rules." - -"I'll play according to the rules--as soon as I learn them." - -She looked up at him. "You know them," she said quietly. "All men and -women learn them at home, in school, in church. They're sensible rules -and they keep people out of trouble, mostly. If you adhere to the -rules, people will have nothing to attract their attention. That's what -father was trying to say when he suggested that you provide a visible -means of support for yourself. Play by these rules and we'll get along. -It's especially important when we must not have people looking in our -direction, Charles." - -She sighed and leaned against him softly. "You asked me a question. The -answer is three. One of them preferred a blonde and they are living -quietly and happily on Callisto. The second couldn't have jelled -because he was the kind of man who would work eighteen hours a day. -Some men are that way and some women like it that way, but not me. The -third, Charles, was Michael. Mike didn't last long. Only long enough to -prove to me that he was a woman-chaser. The fourth could be you, and -maybe there mightn't be a fifth." - -"Three men in your life," he said. - -She smiled up into his eyes. "Three men in my life--but, Charles, not -three men in my bedroom." Carolyn cocked an eyebrow at him knowingly. -"The only way the fourth will get in is to make sure there won't be a -fifth. So now you know. You can play it from there." - - * * * * * - -His arms did not slip around the slender waist, but the hands pulled -her close to him. He kissed her gently, and for a moment she clung to -him with her body. Her response was affectionate but only bordering on -passion. Then she leaned back and smiled into his face. "You need a -shave," she told him. "So let go of me until you can kiss me without -scratching." Then to prove that she didn't really mean it, Carolyn -kissed him, briefly, and ended it by rubbing her forehead against his -chin. - -Farradyne went to his stateroom and showered. He shaved. He dressed -carefully in white slacks and shirt and the last remaining holdover -from a Victorian period, a dark necktie. He returned to the salon to -find Carolyn finished with her highball and cigarette and waiting for -him calmly and patiently. She looked him over, then got up and rubbed -her cheek against his and cooed pleasantly, but moved away when he -tried to kiss her. - -She tucked her hand under his elbow and said, "Dinner, man-thing." - -Farradyne chuckled. "Dinner," he repeated. - -She hugged his arm. He led her down the landing ramp and into her car, -and at her direction drove to her choice of a dinner spot. The food -was good. Carolyn was a fine dancer with a high sense of rhythm and a -graceful body. Farradyne decided that if this were a thankless job that -gave no chance for fame and fortune, there were plenty of very pleasant -facets to it. Her shoulder rubbed his as he drove her home hours later. - -He handed her out of the car and walked to the front door with her. She -gave him her key and he opened her door and she walked in, to wait for -him just inside. She came into his arms as the door closed behind them -and she clung to him, returning his kiss and his embrace; matching his -rising fervor with a passion of her own. They parted minutes afterward. -Farradyne moved her slightly, settling her body into a more comfortable -fit against him. - -"It's late," she breathed. - -Farradyne chuckled. "With the sun shining like that?" - -She kissed him, amused. "It's always like that, silly. You're on -Mercury, remember?" - - * * * * * - -Farradyne held her close and kissed her again. A minute passed before -he came up for air. He looked down at her, leaning his head back so -that he could see her face without looking cross-eyed. "I'll bet you're -a real mush-face in the dark." - -Carolyn laughed, and shook her head. "Like all the rest of the women on -Mercury, I'm scared to pieces of the dark. But it's late, Charles, and -you've just got to go." She hugged his head down so that she could look -at her wrist watch on the arm about his neck. "It's five o'clock and -you're to take off at nine. Charles, please don't crack up just because -of lack of sleep." - -"Okay," he said regretfully. "Okay." - -She held him close. "It's been a nice evening, Charles. So kiss me good -bye, and remember that it won't be long until I see you on Terra." - -"It gets dark on Terra," he told her. He tightened his arms and she -pressed against him. - -Against his lips she murmured, "I might not be afraid of the -dark--Charles." - -The promise in her last embrace stayed with him. There were only three -hours of sleep between the time he left her and the time of awakening -to prepare for the take-off, but dreams of Carolyn filled all of them. -They were pleasant dreams and unpleasant dreams; he saw Carolyn coming -to him with her past renounced, he saw her coming to him as a secret -agent who was in the hellish business for the same reason as he was. -And he dreamed of her waving him a good-bye with her dark eyes filled -with tears as she was taken off to the Titan Penal Colony. He even -entertained notions of joining them, justifying himself by thinking -that people who fall in with love-lotus addiction were the weaklings -of the human race anyway, and could be eradicated to good advantage of -the general level. This reasoning he recognized as sophistry. - -But be it as it may, Carolyn was an attractive woman, and if her -companionship could only be known for a very short time, it was none -the less pleasant. It was a rough game they were playing and many -people were bound to get hurt. But more people--innocent people--would -get hurt if he called it off. So by the time Farradyne and his dreams -came to the conclusion that he could afford to take what pleasure out -of life this situation offered for the moment and let Tomorrow exact -its tribute when Tomorrow came, it was time to get out of his bed and -start the pre-flight check-off. - -He had work to do. Schoolmarms to haul to Pluto and some refined -thorium ore to bring to Terra. He would make no signal this trip; he -was still far from being on the inside. Maybe the next. Or the one -after that, depending on his progress. But in the meantime, he would be -seeing Carolyn Niles on Terra. - -Farradyne began his check-up, already anticipating the reunion. - - - - - XIV - - -Farradyne watched them carefully as they came aboard and after he had -seen them he breathed a sigh of relief. There was something prim and -straitlaced about them all, and they would give him no trouble. It was -going to be a breeze. - -There were a few whose faces and names correlated; the rest became -a confusing background of nonentities, uninteresting and bland. -Professor Martin was an elderly gentleman who herded them all into -place efficiently, and who knew enough about spacing to handle the job. -He took over and left only the running of the Lancaster to Farradyne. -There was a Miss Otis who giggled like a fifty year old schoolgirl; a -Mrs. Logan who probably had all of the boys in her class drooling; -a Miss Tilden who was old enough to be Farradyne's mother and a Miss -Carewe who was old enough to be Miss Tilden's mother and who also knew -her way around space, apparently. Miss Higginbotham was the she-dragon -type and Mr. Hughes was the know-it-all type. - -He left them alone. They ran the galley and policed the joint and made -the beds, and one of them made a small water-color to hang in the empty -space over the tiny bar and Miss Carewe requested an oilcan because she -hated squeaky doors. - -Beyond that, Farradyne saw little of them. He used his spare time -tinkering down in the tiny workshop, or demonstrating how the atomic -pile was controlled by the damper rods. - -He was happy and free from care, even though the bunch of them took -over the more comfortable parts of the ship and left him only the -control room above and the lower reaches of the ship, below the salon -and the passenger's cabins. - -He sat for long hours, thinking idly. He was lulled by the noises of -the ship itself; the faint sound of metal on metal, an occasional -groan of a plate or the creaking of a point. The moaning cry of a -motor winding up to take care of some automatic function and the click -and clack of relays and circuit breakers and the peculiar hum of the -servodynes that maintained the correct level of pile activity. The -muted sibilance of the reaction motor created a threshold level of -something like a constant heavy exhalation or the sound of seashore -from a distance. - -And then a few hours before turnover there came another sound that -bothered Farradyne. It was a faint ringing in his ears. - -He knew that ringing in the ears can come of too much alcohol, a box on -the side of the head, certain diseases--or a change in air pressure. He -was healthy, had not been drinking, no one had clipped him; but he had -spent a number of years in an environment where the air pressure was -damned important-- - -He sneezed and brought forth a tiny trickle of blood! - -He couldn't believe it; any such change in air pressure would make -alarms ring like the crack of doom all over the ship and there would be -a lot of activity from the air-pressure regulators. - -He hurried aloft to the control room, pausing briefly to listen to the -snoring along the curved corridor of the passenger's section. - - * * * * * - -Lamps told him the story in a series of quick appraisals, because of -some long-forgotten genius who had insisted that, whenever possible, -warning devices should not be fused, should not be turn-offable, should -not be destructible. The Lancaster was a fine ship, designed well, but -a frontal attack on a panel with metal-cutting tools consists of making -the exception to the 'wherever possible' part of the design of warning -signals. The ship's bell-system had been opened like a tin can. - -But there was another warning system: the pilot-lamp system, which -was strung here and there behind the panels and it would have needed -a major overhaul to be ruined; the saboteur would have spent all -night just opening cans instead of doing his dirty work inside them. -Farradyne should have been asleep; then he would not have noticed the -blazing lamps, which told him exactly what was amiss in the ship, and -where. - -They told him the tale in a glance: - -The low-pressure center of the ship was down in the pile-bay, and the -reason was that one of the little scuttle-doors was open. The pressure -in the reaction-mass bay was low, and now that Farradyne had come -aloft, opening the upper levels, the pressure here was as low as down -in the reaction-mass bay. - -As he watched, another one of the scuttle ports swung open and its -warning lamp flared into life. - -Farradyne went into action. He ripped open the cabinet that held his -spacesuit and clawed the thing from its hook. He started down the -stairway on a stumbling run, getting into the suit by leaps and jumps -and pauses. He realized that he could have moved faster if he stopped -to do one thing at a time, but his frantic mind would not permit him to -make haste slowly. He stumbled and bounced off walls, and the tanks on -his back rapped against his shoulder blades and the helmet cut a divot -out of the bridge of his nose. - -He had zipped up the airtight closures by the time he reached the -little workshop, and he ducked in there to get a weapon of some sort. -He reached past the hammer, ignored the obvious chisel because it was -not heavy, even though it were sharp, and picked up a fourteen-inch -half-round rasp. He hefted it in his gloved hand and it felt about -right. - -The air-break on the topside was still open, and Farradyne closed it. -He fretted at the seconds necessary to equalize the pressure, but -used them sensibly to check the workings of the space suit. He also -located the cause of the air-leakage; normally the air-break doors were -airtight. A sliver of wool or cotton string lay in the rubber gasket -and produced a channel for the escape of some of the air into the -pile-bay. Farradyne stooped, as anyone will, his attention attracted by -this trifle. It was neither wool nor cotton, but a match torn from a -giveaway book. - -He threw it aside and went in, his attention once more on the important -business before him. He ran along the curved corridor-- - -And there, a figure in a spacesuit was quietly levering one of the -control rods out of its slot and preparing to hurl it into the void. - - * * * * * - -Farradyne understood the whole act in one glance; it was the sort of -thing that he would do if sabotage had been his intention. The single -scuttleport had been opened first by hand. Then the saboteur had -scuttled the stock of spare control rods, and since the Lancaster was -reasonably new, there had been quite a batch of them. Furthermore they -were long, unwieldly, heavy things that took time to handle. Naturally, -this was the first act, because the next act would cause the ship's -acceleration to rise. The rise in acceleration would make the rods too -heavy to carry and would also cause investigation as soon as people -became aware of the increasing pressure. - -Then the working rods would be hurled out, leaving the ship heading -hell-bent out of the galaxy at about eight gravities of acceleration. -The passengers and crew would be helpless. - -Maybe two or three rods had been scuttled already. The rest, -functioning on the automatic, would be shoved in further to compensate; -Farradyne could feel no change in the acceleration pressure. But once -the working rods were all the way home, the removal of the next would -cause the ship to take off, literally, with the throttle tied down. -Farradyne was willing to bet the rest of his life that the safety-valve -that furnished the water-mass to the pile was either welded open or -damaged in such a way that supply could not be stopped. - -Then--and Farradyne had to admire his precautions--the vandal would -make his way to the escape hatch, hit the void, and let the helpless -passengers go on and on and on. - -The saboteur was well prepared. His suit was a high-efficiency job -capable of maintaining a man alive for a long time in space. It had -a little radio and a small and expensive chemical motor for mild -maneuvering. The man had friends, obviously, lying in wait out there -ahead, who would pick him up. - -A passel of ice-cold-blooded murderers. - -Farradyne saw the man through a red haze that clouded up over his eyes. -His evaluation of the act was made in a glance, in the bare instant -that it took for Farradyne to see the man and then get his feet in -motion. He plunged forward with a bellow that hurt his own ears. - -The airlessness kept the sound in; the killer was not aware of -Farradyne until the heavy file crashed down on the top of his helmet, -putting a half-inch dent in the steel. - - - - - XV - - -The man whirled and sent a heavy-gloved hand back against Farradyne's -face-glass. Farradyne lifted the file for a second swing and caught the -gleam of a heavy knife just as it swung upwards at his face. The blade -jabbed at the face-glass and blunted slightly before Farradyne's eyes. -The glass crazed, clouding Farradyne's vision. - -Farradyne's second swing caught a shoulder-pad and sent the man -staggering back; the knife came up again and the gleaming edge sliced -space close to Farradyne's arm. The man stumbled and fell, and -Farradyne moved forward. The long lever used to handle the radioactive -control rod chopped against his shins and cut his feet out from under -him; he landed on his face in position to let the other man kick out -with heavy spaceboots. The heels rammed Farradyne's helmet hard down -into the shoulders and the top of the helmet hit the top of Farradyne's -head, stunning him slightly. - -The other scrambled forward and landed on Farradyne's back. He pulled -up and back on the fittings of Farradyne's helmet until the pilot's -spine ached with the tension. Then the man thrust forward and slammed -Farradyne's face down on the deck. The safety glass cracked further and -there came the thin, high screech of air escaping through a sharp-edged -hole. - -Farradyne lashed out and around just in time to parry a slash of the -knife. Blade met file in a glint of metal-spark and both weapons were -shocked out of and gloved hands to go skittering across the deck. - -The man left Farradyne to scrabble across the floor after his knife. -Farradyne jumped to his feet, took three fast steps and leaped to -come down with both feet on the man's back. The other collapsed and -Farradyne fell, turning his right wrist painfully underneath him. The -other made a kick that caught Farradyne in the side, turning him over. -And as Farradyne rolled, his bent hand touched hard metal and he came -up out of the roll clutching a heavy pair of spaceman's repair pliers. - -He faced the killer, standing again, armed again; spaceman's pliers -against assassin's knife. He plunged forward and felt the knife bite -against his suit; he swung the pliers as a club and caught the killer's -upper arm, then opened the jaws and bit down, twisting and pulling. - -[Illustration: The spaceman's pliers were pitted against the assassin's -knife.] - -A three-cornered patch ripped and came away between the jaws as -the heavy outer cloth gave way. The knife came up and bit through -Farradyne's suit across the knuckles of the hand that held the pliers. -Farradyne kicked, sending the killer staggering, and followed him, -probing at the tear to get at the thin inner suit beneath. The other -man struggled, hurled Farradyne away; but when Farradyne staggered -back, it was with the thin lining between the jaws of the spaceman's -pliers. The other's suit ripped and there came a puff of white vapor as -the air blew into the void. - -The struggling killer stopped as though shocked by an electric current; -he stood there stiffly, his hands slowly falling to his sides, limp. -Farradyne took a step back, breathing heavily. - -He could see, now that his head was not jerking back and forth behind -the cracked glass. He peered, in time to watch the froth of blood foam -out of Hughes' nose. - -Hughes! - -Farradyne wondered whether Hughes had cried out in a polytonal voice-- - - * * * * * - -He hauled Hughes into the air-break and slammed the door shut. He -valved air into the break and ripped Hughes' suit off. He felt for a -pulse and found one fluttering; he turned Hughes on his face and pumped -on the ribs in, out, in, out, wondering whether he was wasting his time. - -Hughes groaned painfully. His voice echoed and re-echoed in the tiny -air break, but Farradyne could not hear more than the groan of a man -badly hurt. Hughes stirred and opened one eye halfway. Then he closed -it again and moaned under his breath. Farradyne checked the heart and -found it beating weakly; the pulse was not fluttering any more, and -the breath was coming naturally, even though the man's chest heaved -high and dropped low and there was a foghorn sound in the throat as he -gasped huge lungfuls of air. - -Hughes would give Farradyne no trouble for some time. He carried Hughes -to his stateroom and stretched him on the bed. Then he went below and -closed the little hatches and reinserted the control rod, wondering -again whether missing a few would louse-up his landing. - -He went to the control room and replaced the wiring torn out of the -audible-alarm panel. The phalanx of warning lamps had winked out, and -the clangor of danger did not sound. - -Farradyne went back to Hughes' stateroom. "Can you hear me?" he -demanded. - -Hughes awakened slightly. He looked up, his eyes dim but aware. - -"You're a back-biting s.o.b.," snapped Farradyne. "And I'd have let -you die if it hadn't occurred to me that you might be good for some -information. What makes, Hughes?" - -"Wiseacre," came from Hughes' lips in a whisper. - -"What's the game, Hughes?" - -"I don't know what--you're talking--about." - -"I can break all your fingers and slip a hot soldering iron under your -armpits until you yelp loud and clear." - -"You'd better kill me, then," breathed Hughes. "Because you aren't -smart enough to hold me." - -"No? Hughes, you're wrong." Farradyne continued to smile as he went -into the medicine-bay and came up with an ampule and a hypodermic. He -filled the needle deliberately, eyed the dose critically and adjusted -the quantity by causing a droplet to ooze out of the needle until the -plunger was exactly at the mark. - -"This is a fine pain-killer," he said. "Marcoleptine. Know it, Hughes?" - -Hughes began to mouth curses. Farradyne paid no more attention to the -curses than if Hughes had been delivering benedictions. He caught the -man's arm, quelled the resulting struggle easily and locked the arm in -a cruel arm-bar between the elbow and the wrist beneath his arm-pit. -Farradyne lifted, and Hughes came up from the bed slightly; the arm -was both rigid and still because to move might break the arm. Hughes -glared; Farradyne put on more pressure. - -Then, as deliberately as he had measured out the dose, Farradyne -slid the needle into Hughes' elbow, probed briefly for the vein and -delivered the shot. He withdrew the needle quickly and swabbed the ooze -of blood with cotton dipped in an astringent. - - * * * * * - -He dropped Hughes on the bed and sat down on the chair beside the bed -and relaxed a bit. - -"Marcoleptine," he said conversationally, "is a fine pain-killer--and -habit-forming as hell. You'll blank out in a few moments, and when you -come to it will be about this time tomorrow. You'll see me, because -I'll be here with another healthy needle full of the stuff. By the time -we get to Pluto, you'll be willing to sell your eyeballs for a jolt, -Hughes." - -Hughes' eyes were heavy-lidded, but beneath them pure hatred looked out. - -"As for the reason you're here, that's easy. I can almost quote the -Spaceman's Guide to Diagnosis of Common Ailments. I think it's on Page -two forty-four." Farradyne did not really remember, but he wanted to -keep a drone of speech running to lull Hughes' mind--and also to help -keep himself awake until Hughes blanked out under the marcoleptine. -"Coryosis, one of the nine allied infections formerly grouped under the -ambiguous term 'Common Cold,' is contagious but not fatal except in -severe cases of extreme sensitivity. Treatment consists of isolation -of the patient plus frequent intravenous injections of MacDonaldson's -Formula 2,Ph-D3;Ra7. Nobody will want to spend much time with you for -fear of infection themselves, which would be both hazardous to them and -to you because of the danger of reinfection. - -"I heard you coughing and sneezing and I came to help and found you in -severe pain. Good Old Samaritan Farradyne is going to take care of you -and he will also lug you back to Terra. You wouldn't want to stay on -Pluto where it's cold even despite the Terraconversion program. There's -only one thing more. They'll want to see you even though it's only a -peek in through the door, so you've got to look presentable." - -Farradyne ran hot water into the lavatory and soaped a cloth. He -slapped the hot cloth over Hughes' face and let the soap and water soak -in. Then he began to scrub vigorously. - -The caked blood came away from Hughes' face easily. And so did dark -pigment: makeup. The dark-complected Hughes turned paler; the lines of -his face faded as the reinforcing pigment washed away. Schoolteacher -Hughes came off on the soapy washcloth. - -"Brenner!" exploded Farradyne. - - * * * * * - -But the man on the bed was out cold. Farradyne cursed his enthusiasm -with the marcoleptine, for his questions would fall on deaf ears and -torture would hurt only numbed nerves. He would have to wait; but there -would be plenty of time to pry certain answers out of Hughes-Brenner. - -He left the doped man and went to his own stateroom and to bed. Oddly -enough, he fell asleep immediately and slept dreamlessly until it was -time to get up. - -Warily he faced his passengers over the breakfast table, eyeing them -one by one. He explained about Hughes--"heard him moaning in the night -and found he had a nice case of coryosis. He's under treatment now and -he'll probably be out colder than a mackerel for some time." - -There was no response that Farradyne could put down as strange or -odd. Either Hughes-Brenner had a confederate that was very cagey and -capable of running a good ad lib, or the crook was operating alone. -Farradyne felt that it was not impossible for the hellflower gang to -have a second operator on his ship to take over if Brenner failed, -perhaps unknown even to Brenner. But there was no evidence of such--no -more than there had been evidence of Brenner until the disguise was -removed--and so Farradyne decided to play cagey too. - -He learned only one thing: the difference in attitude between himself -and normal people. Where Farradyne would not have accepted a statement -of sickness without taking a sample of Brenner's sputum or blood, these -people believed it easily and complimented Farradyne on his willingness -to help a fellow man. Farradyne carried this even farther by asking -Professor Martin about 'Hughes' and his home. - -Hughes, according to Professor Martin, taught Ancient History in a -school in Des Moines, Iowa, but none of them knew much about him -because the teacher had joined them on Mercury not much before they had -contracted for this trip. - -Farradyne then buttered up the program by suggesting that he take -Hughes back home to Terra, because a sick man would not find Pluto a -pleasant place. There was relief in their eyes; good and as honest as -they were, all of them were happy to be relieved of the responsibility -of a sick comrade. Some of them went with him to peek through the door -while Farradyne gave Hughes his medicine and they remarked on how pale -he looked. He was also weak enough to be convincing and he went back to -sleep as soon as the drug took hold. - -Farradyne set a photoelectric alarm on the stairway below the -passenger's section; but if Hughes-Brenner had any cohorts from the -rest of the hellflower outfit aboard, they laid low. Farradyne kept -Brenner under dope until Pluto was looming in the sky, and then went to -him just before landing. - - - - - XVI - - -Farradyne poised the needle. "Ready for another jolt?" he asked. "Feel -the craving yet, Brenner?" - -Brenner grunted. - -"Say it in that triple-voiced tongue of yours," snapped Farradyne. "Let -me hear you sing, Brenner!" - -"Go to hell. I don't know what you're talking about." - -"No? I'm surprised ... you mean there's something I know that you don't -know?" Farradyne loaded the hypodermic with slow deliberation, watching -Brenner's eyes to see if there was any sign of longing for the drug. -"Maybe I'll know more than I do now, pretty soon. I'm taking you off -the dope as soon as we get rid of the customers, so they can't hear you -screaming your lungs out for a jolt. You'll talk, all right. Put up the -arm, Brenner. Quietly and nicely--or I'll break it off at the arm-pit -and shove the needle into the other one." - -"You're a devil from hell." - -"And you're an angel, ripping out the damper rods to take us to -Heaven?" sneered Farradyne. "I owe you the works for that one. You'll -get 'em! Feel any craving?" - -"No!" - -Farradyne waved the needle in front of Brenner's face. "Maybe I should -think it over for a bit," he said. - -"You wouldn't dare." - -"No?" - -"Look, Farradyne, no matter how smart you think you are, you won't get -anything out of me. And you'll not stop me from leaving this ship when -I want to leave." - -"Trying to sidelong-urge me into slipping you your slug?" taunted -Farradyne. - -Brenner held up his arm. "Shoot me the sugar, Farradyne. I could hold -out, but you couldn't afford to have me wide awake while we're on -Pluto. I know that as well as you do." - -"You're not too bad off so far," said Farradyne, slipping the needle -into Brenner's arm. "But you're coming along. We'll find out how long -your nonchalance lasts after we get rid of the school-folks." - -"Just go away and let me sleep." - -"Have a nice dream," said Farradyne. "Because your next one will be a -wake-mare." - -Farradyne waited until the eyelids closed heavily and Brenner's -breathing became deep and regular. Then he left him to explain to -the rest of the passengers that 'Hughes' was resting easily but that -the lack of sunshine on Pluto would impair his recovery-time. Then -Farradyne went aloft and into the landing pattern, one wary eye poised -for danger. - -The Lancaster came down easily, and while the landing was as good as -any Farradyne had ever made, he was a jittering wreck from three hours -in the chair worrying about a recurrence of the Semiramide affair. - -He checked in; the spaceport bus snaked out to meet them as they came -trooping down the landing ramp. - -"All here?" called the driver. - -"All that's coming," replied Farradyne. - -"But the roster-count was--" - -"Mr. Hughes has an attack of coryosis," offered Professor Martin. "He -is going--" - -"--to be a bit late, but here I am," said a voice behind them. They -whirled to see Hughes-Brenner coming down the ramp, his bag packed, a -smile on his face. - - * * * * * - -Brenner laughed and his voice was hearty. "I kept telling Mr. Farradyne -that he was going a bit heavy on the rest-cure. I'm really quite all -right." He slapped Farradyne on the shoulder. "Coryosis is not as -dangerous as the books say it is," he said. "Certainly it is nothing to -keep a good man flat on his back!" - -"But--" - -"Sleep and isolation did the job," chuckled Brenner. "And now I'll be -happy to let any doctor on Pluto look down my throat. I'm a bit pale, I -suppose, but I assure you I'm quite well again." - -He climbed into the spaceport bus, still thanking Farradyne for the -medication that had kept him quiet, and waved back gayly as the bus -sped off across the Pluto Spaceport. - -Brenner had become 'Hughes' again to his friends, and had disappeared -under the protection of a group of people above reproach. - -He was a very extraordinary gentleman, Farradyne thought glumly; he -had been able to walk off the ship with his eyes bright and his system -hale, when he should have been flat on his spine with a brain full of -marcoleptine--one of the most completely paralyzing drugs that had ever -been synthesized. He had feigned doped slumber and helplessness, then -had walked away, knowing that Farradyne had not the legal right to -raise a cry against him. - -Hughes was a very remarkable fellow. - -Farradyne watched the truck bringing out his shipment of refined -thorium ore, with a sneer directed at himself. Outpointed and -outsmarted--the evidence he had was very meager. Evidence? It was more -of a belief than evidence. - -What did he have to fit together? A common pattern of love-lotus -background. A man who died with a discordant moan. A man who grunted in -a polytonal when surprised by a woman, and who could take a paralyzing -dose of marcoleptine and then walk out jauntily. An apparent -well-to-do family with a proud place in the community, and a girl who -worked hand-in-glove with love-lotus operators but who had never had -her nose in one of the hellish things. - -He sat bolt upright. Could Carolyn be immune to hellflower as Brenner -was to marcoleptine? And did she make with three-toned cries when she -was surprised? - -The thought that he had been avoiding came back again. Obviously, since -he himself was susceptible to marcoleptine and women like Norma were -susceptible to hellflower perfume, and neither of them could sing a -trio unaided, there must be two kinds of people! - - - - - XVII - - -Farradyne wondered how soon the fuss would start once the drums of -refined thorium ore went under some hidden beam of ultra violet light. -He watched the drums being trundled off and disappearing. He watched -and waited until it was evening, but no one came on the double-run to -ask him leading questions. - -He finally took off about nine o'clock, and made the looping run from -New Jersey to Los Angeles in time to get there just about dusk. - -He checked into the control Tower at seven o'clock, and went over to -the mail-listing window. "Anything for Charles Farradyne?" - -"Expecting something?" - -"At least one. A payment voucher from Eastern Atomic. Come yet?" - -The mail clerk disappeared; came back with one envelope. "Nothing from -Eastern Atomic," he said. "But here's a letter for Charles Farradyne, -Pilot of ship's registry Six-Eight-Three, a Lancaster Eighty-One. That -must be yours." - -"It's mine. But keep an eye peeled for a landwire payment voucher, -will you? I had to leave Newark before it was ready and the guy at -the shipping office said he'd notify the company that the stuff was -received at the 'port, and that I'd be in Los Angeles. Okay?" - -"Aye-firm." - -The letter was from Carolyn; a brief note telling him that she would be -ready for the trip on the morning of the fifth. This suited Farradyne; -he had been afraid that Carolyn might be waiting at the spaceport for -him, and that they'd be taking off before Clevis had a chance to find -out about the unwashed drum-ends. - -She also suggested in a postscript that she would be in her hotel and -free any evening after nine o'clock. Farradyne looked at his watch and -decided what to do with the intervening two hours: he was going to buy -a love lotus, to check on the question of her immunity. - -On this problem Farradyne had to admit a lack of experience. He -wandered for some time, entering one florist-shop after another and -getting nowhere. He could buy a gardenia for five, but the fifty he -offered for a 'Corsage' could only buy something resembling the garland -they put on Kentucky Derby Winners. - -And then as his two hours were about gone, a seedy-looking character -sidled up alongside and said, "Lookin' for somepin', Jack?" - -"Who isn't?" - -"Might be able to fix y' up, Jack. Got a few?" - -Farradyne looked at his watch. "I've got fifteen," he said. - -"Won't take that long. Just try the stand in the Essex, and tell 'em -Lovejoy sent you to pick up his corsage. Cost ya half a yard, Jack. Got -it?" - -"Got it." - -The character slipped away leaving a faint aroma of decaying cloth -and a trace of gardenia, making what Farradyne considered a God-awful -mixture. Farradyne did not look to see where he went, but started for -the Essex immediately. - -The flower-shop attendant was a dark, handsome woman in a low-cut -dinner dress. She gave Farradyne a mechanical smile as he entered. - -"I'm a friend of Mr. Lovejoy," said Farradyne significantly. "He said -he'll be late, and asked me if I'd stop by and pick up his corsage on -my way." - -"Oh. Of course. Just one moment." She disappeared for a few minutes and -came back with a fancy transparent box containing a gardenia--or a love -lotus. "That will be five dollars, sir," she said. - -Farradyne took a fifty from his wallet and handed it to her. The girl -rang up five on the register but put the whole fifty in the till. - -A few minutes later, the desk clerk at Carolyn's hotel informed him -that Miss Niles was expecting a Mr. Farradyne and he should go right up -to Room Seven Twenty-Three. - - * * * * * - -Carolyn greeted him warmly, took him by the hand and drew him into the -room. Once the door was closed she came into his arms and kissed him, -not too fervently but very pleasantly, with her body pressing his for -a long moment. Then she moved out of his arms and accepted the flower. -"Lovely," she breathed. - -She opened the box and held the white flower at arms' length, admiring -its beauty. Then she held it to her nose and took a deep breath, -letting the fragrance fill her lungs. - -Farradyne's mind did a flip-flop. First he felt like a louse--and he -felt that it was only what she and her kind did to other women, and it -was damn well good enough for her. She smiled at him over the edge of -the blossom, still breathing in its fragrance. - -"Maybe," she said archly, "I shouldn't dare do this." - -The badinage was the same as it had been a couple of weeks ago, but -at that time both of them knew the blossom was pure gardenia. Now -Farradyne knew that it was not, and this knowledge made him wary. He -hoped his smile was honest-looking. "You're hooked already," he grinned -wolfishly. - -Carolyn tucked the blossom in her hair and came into his arms, leaning -back to look in his eyes. "I'm not afraid of you, Charles," she said -in a low, throaty voice. - -"No?" - -Carolyn laughed at him and slipped out of his arms. She went to a -tiny sideboard and waved an inquiring hand at a bottle of Farradyne's -favorite liquor. He nodded. As she mixed their drinks, she said -quietly, "Don't disappoint me, Charles." - -"How?" he asked, wondering what she was driving at, and feeling that -this had nothing to do with hellflowers. - -She handed him the highball, and sipped at her own drink. "I think -you know that my family is a long way from poverty. And I hope you'll -forgive me if I point out that I know I am rather well equipped with -physical charms. I also flatter myself that I have a mind large enough -to absorb some of the interesting factors of this rather awesome -universe." - -"I will grant you the truth of all three." - -"Thanks," she said, smiling at him over the top of her glass. "But the -point is, Charles, that a girl with a bit of money in the top of her -stocking--and a brain in her head--wonders whether the gentleman is -interested only in the money, or in the shape of her stocking. She'd -like to feel that the gentleman in question would still be interested -if the shape of the stocking went a bit gauche with age, and the money -disappeared." - -Farradyne looked at her and wondered. Carolyn was a consummate actress. -The hellflower was still in her hair, and Farradyne wanted very much -to take his face in his hands and ponder this problem deeply: Carolyn -Niles was the daughter of a hellflower operator, and, by all that was -holy, at least her parents should have taught her how to recognize a -hellflower at ninety paces in a dusky smoke-filled nightclub. - -But he knew that he could not take the time to think this out now. -He had to reply. He walked across the room and took Carolyn by the -shoulders and shook her gently. "Let's leave it just that way," he -said. "Sooner or later something will give me away--and then you'll -know whether I'm after your body, your money, or your mind." Farradyne -kissed her lightly. "Until you _know_, nothing I say will convince you -of anything." - -Farradyne still had her shoulders under his palms; Carolyn moved -forward into his arms and rested herself against him. She put up her -face for his kiss and held herself close against him. Then she said -dreamily, "You're a nice sort of guy, Charles, and I'll be very happy -to leave it that way. Maybe you'll be the one who stays." - - * * * * * - -Farradyne recoiled mentally and hoped that this instinctive reaction -was not noticed. It was too easy to forget what Carolyn represented, -when she went soft and sweet and eager. Inwardly he cursed himself -and his all-too-easy ability to forget that this was not a personal -conflict. - -Then he relaxed and decided that if this was what he had to do to cut -the hellblossom ring out of human culture, it was nice work if you -could get it. The job would have been much less pleasant if Carolyn -Niles had been a gawky, ugly duckling with buck teeth and a pasty -complexion. - -"Charles," she breathed, "take me out into the dark?" - -He laughed lightly. "Whither?" - -She leaned far back in his arms, arching her fine body. "I want to go -to some dark and smoky gin-mill, and dance among the natives, to the -throbbing of tomtoms!" - -Farradyne led her towards the door. The hellflower she wore in her hair -would do as much to her in a crowded nightery as it would if she were -forced to spend the next four hours in a closed telephone booth. He -wondered briefly whether he really wanted the damned thing to work; he -would much prefer to have her come to him without it-- - -The he forced himself to remember that she wore this hellflower not -because of his frustrated lust, but because he wanted Carolyn, alive -and vivid and charming, to change into the lifeless and futureless -woman that Norma Hannon was. - -Their evening was a repetition of the evening on Mercury, except that -on Terra it was dark outside. They danced, and there was a steak dinner -at midnight, and there was Carolyn relaxed in his arms in the taxicab -on the way back to her hotel. - -He took her up to her room and she handed him her key. They went in, -and Carolyn came into his arms again, soft and sweet. When he kissed -her, her response was deep and passionate in a mature sort of way -that Farradyne was not prepared for. It was not the mindless lust he -had expected. The woman in his arms was all woman and there could be -no mistaking the fact--but there was also the mysterious ability of -the woman to know when to call a halt at the proper height of the -lovemaking. She smiled a little, and put her hand on his chest. - -"It's been wonderful again, Charles," she said quietly. - -Farradyne rubbed his chin against the top of her head. Then Carolyn -swirled out of his arms. "It's incredibly late again, too," she told -him. "I'm going to come aboard your ship at seven tomorrow night so we -can take off before the crack of dawn. This much I'll tell you and no -more, now." - -"But--" - -"Easy, sweetheart, easy. Take it slow and lovely. Tomorrow night. -Tonight I need my beauty sleep." - -He eyed her, saying nothing, and she laughed happily. "Charles, do me a -favor. Put this gardenia in the icebox for me. I'd like to wear it for -you tomorrow. Please?" - -Farradyne nodded. Dumbly he nodded. Had that character bilked him out -of fifty dollars for a gardenia by calling it a love lotus? He watched -Carolyn put the thing into its plastic box, he watched her tie it up in -its original ribbon. She handed it to him, and then came into his arms -again for one last caress. - -"Go," she told him with a wistful smile after she let him out of her -arms. "Go and dream about tomorrow night." - -He went, half-propelled by her hands, his reluctance partly honest and -partly curious. But he went. - - * * * * * - -Farradyne walked into his spacer feeling like a man who had put his -last dollar on the turn of a card and lost. One moment he was on top of -the world with everything going according to plan; the next, his world -was kicked out from under him and he was dropped back into the mire of -fumbling, helpless ignorance. - -When he entered the salon of the Lancaster he stopped short, because -the last peg had been pulled out of the creaky ladder of his success. - -"What's the matter, Farradyne? Aren't you glad to see me?" - -There was plenty the matter and he was not glad to see her. But she -sat there as though she had every right to bedevil his life. Her -eyes widened a bit and she came up out of her chair and towards him. -"Farradyne," she said with more eagerness in her voice than he had ever -heard before, "you've brought me a love lotus!" - -Norma lifted the flower from its nest in the box, eyed it with relish, -and then buried her nose deep in the center of the blossom and inhaled -with a deep, shuddering sob. Her eyes closed, then opened slowly to -look up at Farradyne from beneath half-closed lids. - -Then, oddly, she relaxed. The tension went out of her body and she -sank back against the cushions. Now Farradyne could see her face more -clearly. Her features had lost their chiseled immobility and her eyes -had lost the glassy stare. Her face became alive and mobile, and -pleasant color flooded it. Her lips parted slightly and curved into -normal lines. - -The hand that held the flower lay idly on the seat beside her, the -other hand lay palm up on the other side. She looked like a young girl -that has just been kissed. - -"Thanks, Farradyne," she said softly. She looked up at him with a -mixture of impishness and friendliness. "You're a sort of nice guy, -Farr--no, Charles. Probably a big lumbering bumble-puppy that doesn't -really mean any harm." - -Farradyne's mind at first refused to work on any but the single -thought: Why didn't it work on Carolyn? Then he wondered whether Norma, -so obviously normal now, would react to any gesture of affection, and -absently he took a step towards her. He felt once again that flush of -pity for her, and anger for the rotten devils who had done this to her; -he wanted to comfort her. She had changed visibly from a hardened, -lackluster woman whose beauty was stiff and unnatural, to a girl whose -loveliness was vivid enough to shine through the hard facade of heavy -makeup. - -"Norma," he said. - -She smiled at him warmly but shook her head. Her arms raised as she -tucked the love lotus in the heavy hair over one ear. The gesture -slimmed her waist and raised her breasts, and through the triangle of -her arms he could see her eyes. They were sultry, but they rejected him -as she shook her head slowly. - -"No," she said, and Farradyne stopped. "You're a nice sort of idiot, -Charles, and I've stopped hating you for the moment, but that doesn't -mean that I want you to make love to me." The smell of the love lotus, -identical to the heady perfume of a gardenia, permeated the room. Norma -breathed it in, lifting her face as she inhaled and closing her eyes. -"The smell of this is all I want." - -She put her head back, and rested. A smile crossed her face, and -Farradyne realized that she had dozed off in an ecstasy of relaxation. -He wondered what to do next; his mind was torn between the desire to -protect her by letting her sleep off the effects of the love lotus, and -the certain knowledge that if he did, Norma would never leave him in -time for his meeting with Carolyn Niles tomorrow night. And of the two, -the latter was by far the more important. - - - - - XVIII - - -As Farradyne stood wondering what to do, a knuckle-on-metal rap came at -the spacelock entrance and he turned to see Howard Clevis coming in. -Clevis said nothing, for he had caught sight of Norma. He stopped stock -still and looked her over from hair to heels. His face grew bitter and -hard, and he turned away from her to face Farradyne. - -"Farradyne, this isn't the contact you've managed to make?" The tone -was heavy with scorn. - -Farradyne shook his head sourly. "She's the one that got me started," -he said. "But--" - -"You've started," snapped Clevis angrily. "That's a real hellflower -she's doping, you know." - -"For God's sake listen!" yelled Farradyne. - -"You listen to me!" yelled Clevis, louder than Farradyne. - -Their voices rang up and down the corridors of the ship and Norma's -eyes opened. She looked happily at Farradyne, but when she saw Clevis -her eyes clouded. - -"Howard," she said quietly. - -"Why did you run away, Norma? Your folks--" - -She shook her head slowly. "I know," she said. "There's even a reward -out for me that Farradyne tried to collect. I couldn't sit around -and watch my mother and father eating their hearts out. A son killed -and a daughter ruined--both by hellflowers. So here I am again. For -their sakes I wish I were dead--but that wouldn't cut the hide of a -hellflower operator, would it, Howard?" Farradyne gulped. - -Norma went on: "Charles, may I have my old room for the night? I gather -that you two would like to talk business." - -After she had gone, Farradyne said, "So you know her?" - -"I knew her brother rather well," said Clevis quietly, "and I've known -Norma for some time. I knew her before--before--" He shook his head -as if to shake the thought away. "I gather that she thinks you are a -hellflower runner." - -"That's right. But what does she think you are?" - -"She thinks I'm a stockbroker. A former client of Frank Hannon's. Where -did you pick her up?" - -Farradyne explained how Norma had announced his connection with the -hellflower racket, and how Cahill had been killed; how he had been -picked up by Carolyn Niles, and the subsequent sabotage by Edwin -Brenner, and all the rest of it. At the end he spread out his hands and -said, "This isn't all hard work and good management, Clevis. But here I -am. And now I have a couple of questions that I'd like answered." - -"Yes?" - -"Carolyn Niles wore that hellflower for six or seven hours without -turning a corpuscle. Norma Hannon proved that it was no gardenia. -There's something fishy here, Clevis. Does medical history indicate any -immunes to the love lotus?" - -"Some. Not many. A few doctors have even gone so far as to claim that -the hellflower is no more dangerous than tobacco." - -Farradyne swore. "Not according to Norma Hannon it isn't," he said -harshly. - - * * * * * - -Clevis eyed Farradyne carefully. "You're not a bit soft-headed over -Norma Hannon, are you?" - -"I doubt it," said Farradyne honestly. "She's a poor kid that got -clipped, and it makes my blood boil. I want to bundle her up in my -arms and tell her that it'll be all right, and I want to go out and -rap a half-dozen scum-brained heads together for what they did to her. -Normal, she'd be the kind of woman I could fall in love with, and I'm -not denying it. But Norma Hannon is a real blank, and any man that -married her would end up by trying to make her normal, and then what? -Y'know, if you doped up enough women with hellflowers, the birth-rate -would take a decline that would alarm a concrete statue." - -"That's a hard thing to think about," nodded Clevis. - -"Of course, I've never seen a woman just after she has taken her -first sniff, so I don't know how long after it a woman's libido is -still capable of being excited. But by the time they get to Norma's -state, a love lotus only changes their scar-tissued emotional system -to something barely normal whose only desire is to sniff the flower." -Farradyne shook his head angrily. After a few moments' thought -he went on, "Anyway, you might have a couple of ships follow me -day-after-tomorrow morning. We're going out somewhere--destination -unknown--to make a rendezvous with someone high-up in the business, I -think. And no matter what, Clevis, I think it wise for your fellows to -keep on my trail, because at least one faction of their gang is out -to clip me hard. Sooner or later they'll be sending someone of large -proportions to clobber me and then I'd like to have your gang move in -fast." - -"There's more to it than that," suggested Clevis. - -"Well--" - -"Go on." - -"All right, I will. Remember the cock-and-bull story that nobody -believed?" - -"The three people in the control room of the Semiramide?" - -"That. Well, Clevis, now I know that there was only one person in the -control room." - -"Oh? Look, Farradyne, you're not trying--" - -"No, I'm not. This came by accident. I've heard the same kind of -three-voiced cries--once when Cahill died, once when Brenner caught -sight of Norma Hannon in bright sunlight. I've been wondering since -whether it might be some sort of concocted language." - -"Granting that for a moment, just how would you use such a language?" - - * * * * * - -Farradyne eyed Clevis thoughtfully before he spoke. "I couldn't," he -said. "You'd have to take some statement like 'I've been shot!' and -break it down to utter the 'I've' in the upper register, the 'been' in -the middle tones, and the 'shot' in the bass region." - -"Make talking fast--but difficult." - -"Make it impossible," said Farradyne pointedly, "for a human being with -normal vocal chords." - -"What are you trying to say?" - -"Maybe it's another race, Clevis." - -"A what?" exploded Clevis. - -"Item: Carolyn Niles is immune to hellflower. Item: Brenner is immune -to marcoleptine. Correlation: they're both hellflower operators." - -"Based on a grunt and a cry and an exclamation ... you're asking a lot -of me, although we've spent years following less tangible evidence than -this." - -"I'll add one more item. Where do hellflowers come from?" - -"We don't know." - -"But you have combed the system for them?" - -"Hell, yes--but there are a lot of places that have never been -explored. We can't cover all of them. So what's the next step?" - -"Taking off with Carolyn Niles. During the next few days I'm going to -startle her, and I hope she grunts in three notes. Then I'll have a -nice tie-up." - -"How so?" - -"She has a hellflower-operator background. She'll have a three-noted -cry. And she's immune to the damnable flowers her gang deals in." - -"Okay, that's your game, Farradyne. But in the meantime what are you -going to do about Norma?" - -Farradyne eyed Clevis carefully. "You're going to drive her off in your -car," he said. "Because one of the games I'm playing is nosey-nosey -with Carolyn Niles, and there's going to be no addict cluttering up my -spacer. Norma is a bundle of trouble when she's not relaxed with a -snoot full of love lotus. She could louse-up the deal for fair if she -stayed." - -"But what do I do with her?" - -Farradyne shrugged. "Take her to a sanatorium," he said. "That'll keep -her out of everybody's hair, especially mine." - -Clevis scowled. "I hate to put her in a sanatorium." - -"What else can you do?" asked Farradyne, spreading his hands. - -"Not much; but I feel that I owe her more than that kind of handling. -Those sanatoriums are little better than jails, you know." - -"So I've heard. But what can you do for people cursed with a disease -that nobody knows how to cure?" - -"Segregate 'em," sighed Clevis. "Well, let's see what we can do about -carting her out of the ship and into my car. About the ships--you'll be -followed at extreme military radar range, Farradyne. I won't be there, -but you'll have very hard-boiled company watching you." - -They went below and found Norma. She was sleeping, relaxed as a kitten, -with one leg drawn up to uncover the other shapely leg. Her hands were -outstretched over her head, her breathing regular and normal. The -hellflower still cast its heady perfume through the room, and Norma -was smiling in her sleep, probably dreaming some completely normal -woman-type dream. - -Farradyne plucked the flower from her hair. "This I'll need," he said -quietly. Clevis nodded. - -Farradyne stooped down, but Clevis waved him away. "I'll carry her." -The Sandman picked Norma up gently. She sleepily protested, but put her -arms around Clevis' neck and let herself be carried from the salon. - -Watching from the port, Farradyne saw them leave. They looked like a -happy party-couple, leaving after too many cocktails, with the girl -dozing on her man's shoulder. - -Farradyne grinned sourly and shrugged. Clevis had bought himself a -bundle of trouble. When Norma really awakened, she would be without her -love lotus and would be back to her former self. She would pick Clevis -as a target for the only emotion she could really feel. Norma would -hate Clevis for taking her away from the man she could really hate in -spades. Redoubled. Farradyne shrugged again and went to bed. - - * * * * * - -Carolyn came aboard the next evening and her first request was for her -"gardenia." She put it in her hair and stood there inviting Farradyne -with her eyes. He kissed her briefly and waved her to a seat. - -"Tired of me, Charles?" - -"I've had no time to get used to you, let alone tired of you," he told -her. "But I'm more than a trifle curious about this trip we'll be -taking in the morning." - -"Why not let it wait until then?" - -Farradyne looked at her boldly, made no attempt to hide his careful -appraisal of her figure and her face. She accepted his brazen eyeing, -although she colored a bit. At last he said, "Let's admit it--there's -nothing I'd rather do than spend the night making love. It's one of my -favorite indoor sports. It's fun outdoors, too. But there are at least -two things against it." - -She frowned. - -He smiled. "You've made affectionate noises, but also a few statements -regarding your previous affections that lead me to believe you would -not applaud me if I slung you over one shoulder and carried you down to -your stateroom for a spot of seduction. Second, the way to get ahead -is to marry the boss' daughter, not make a mistress of her. Gentlemen -do not take kindly to daughters' lovers. So we've got to think of -something like chess or tiddledy-winks for the next few hours, because -I haven't enough ice in these hardened arteries to keep my hands off -you otherwise." - -She leaned back and laughed. "That's the nicest compliment I've ever -had--in a backhanded way," she said. - -"Then behave, Carolyn. Turn off the lure unless you really want the man -you're luring." - -The laugh was still in her voice when she asked, "But how can I behave -myself when you've given me a love lotus, Charles?" - -Farradyne's mind raced in a tight circle. He cursed his impulse to find -out whether Carolyn were immune, because it had now led him into the -problem of trying to square it with his role of a young and ambitious -man who felt deep regard for her. He parried for time: - -"Love lotus?" - -"A real one." - -"But you--I--you wore it all last night! It can't be." - -"It is." - -Farradyne felt almost certain that Carolyn did not know of Norma's -visit, which had verified the hellflower's potency. "How can you tell?" -he asked blankly. "You did not react, and I--" - -"I'm immune," she said flatly. "Why did you give it to me, Charles?" - -"I bought it for a gardenia, Carolyn. Hell, I can't tell 'em apart." - -"It's a genuine love lotus. How much did you pay for it?" - -Farradyne almost felt a glow of cheer. He fumbled in his pocket and -came up with the cash register receipt. "The usual five dollars," he -said. - -"Someone must have been trying to start another addict," she said in a -hard tone. - -He looked at her. "But why did you wear it?" he asked. - -"I wore it because I know I'm immune and I wanted to see how you -reacted. If it was for the usual reason, I was going to lead you on and -then send you packing." She looked up at him shyly. "I didn't want it -to be for the usual reason, Charles, but I was confused." - -"But how do you tell them apart?" - -"That I'll not tell you until tomorrow." - -Farradyne shrugged. "Okay," he said, taking the love lotus out of her -hair and tossing it down the disposal chute. "So what'll it be? Chess, -or tiddledy-winks?" - -"Astronomy," she said with a smile. "We can see no stars from where I -live on Mercury, you know." - -He followed her up to the control room and stood behind her as she -peered through the spotting telescope. She leaned back against him and -rubbed her cheek against his chin. - -"None of that, woman," he said sternly. - -She turned in his arms and melted against him. He held her close for -a bit and then turned her around again to the telescope. "Remember my -creaking blood pressure, Carolyn." - -Astronomy is a pleasant hobby. It took Farradyne's mind away from the -problem at hand, although the problem was inclined to lean back in his -arms frequently while he was readjusting the setting wheels; or to rub -his ear with her chin while he squinted through the finder to locate -another celestial view. - -At midnight, Farradyne showed her to her stateroom--and kissed her good -night at the door. - -He went to bed congratulating himself that he had succeeded in playing -the tender, high-minded, thoughtful lover. - - * * * * * - -At six a.m., Farradyne checked out for space, still wondering where -they were going. Tower signed him off with a few crude remarks about -damned yawning people in the morning, and cited himself as a man -finishing a hard night's work. Then contact was closed and Farradyne -was free of the board. - -He had two choices. - -He could either wake her up because he wanted to be near her, or he -could let her sleep because he did not want to disturb her. He chose -the second and went down to the galley and had a heavy breakfast. -Afterwards he loafed in the salon, trying to plan his future. - -She appeared about ten o'clock and reproached him for not calling her. -Then she asked, "Where are we?" - -"About a half million miles out," he said after a moment's thought. -"But the important thing is that we're on our way but your pilot -doesn't know where he's going." - -"Can you strike a line between Terra and Polaris at a distance of three -hundred million miles?" - -"Duck soup," replied Farradyne. "But how fast?" - -"Zero with respect to Terra at three hundred million." - -"Let's go up and start computing," he suggested. "I'll construct you -some grub after we get the first approximation and get the ship on the -preliminary correction course." - -He led her up to the course computer in the control room, where she -added the time of rendezvous to the rest of the figures. He plunked at -the keyboard steadily for a minute, then sat back while the calculator -machine went through the program of arithmetical operations for which -it was designed. He took the punched paper strip from the machine and -fed it into the autopilot, and then said, "Now we'll go below and eat." - -"You haven't been waiting for me, have you?" - -He nodded, hoping that he looked a bit lovesick. - -"You shouldn't have." - -She led him below and eyed the dirty dishes with womanly amusement. -"You're a sweet sort of liar, Charles," she said, turning and coming -into his arms. - -He returned her kiss, thinking: "_these are the dames that try men's -souls_." - - - - - XIX - - -Carolyn's eyes were fastened on the telescope. There was a tiny -signal-pip at extreme range on the long-range radar that controlled the -telescope, but the object was still too far away. The range was closing -slowly; they would meet somewhere out there three hundred million miles -above Terra to the astronomical North. - -Farradyne knew his instruments and his attention was therefore free -to think of other matters. Very quietly he slipped a long fluorescent -lamp from its terminals and stood it carefully on one end beside him. -He balanced it exactly, and then took a couple of silent steps toward -Carolyn before the tube lost its balance and fell to the floor with an -ear-shattering explosion. - -Carolyn Niles reacted like a person stabbed with a red-hot spear. Every -muscle in her body tensed and she stood there for a full ten seconds -as stiff as a figure of concrete, while the shock gripped her. Then, -as she realized there was no real danger, Farradyne could see the -relaxation of her body taking place, almost inch by inch. Her breasts -began to fall in a shuddering exhalation. She made a wordless sound of -relief--_and her voice was a quavering trill in three lilting tones_. - -Farradyne's attention snapped into full awareness and he felt the -thrill of exultation run through him. - -Carolyn relaxed against a brace, holding one hand under her left breast -and breathing heavily. "What on earth--?" - -"Lamp fell out of its moorings," said Farradyne. "My fault. That's -one of the pre-flight check-ups that I didn't have time to take this -morning. Stay where you are and I'll clean up this mess of broken -glassware." - -"Do you mind if I sit down?" - -"Park yourself in the pilot's seat," he said. "But be careful. Broken -fluorescent tubing can be dangerous." - -She nodded, and picked her way through the glass to the pilot's chair. -She looked up at him and said, "You don't seem to have been startled at -all." - -"I had a few millionths of a second to get my nerves in readiness," he -said. "I saw it come down." He laughed. "Someone told me once that when -a person is excited he reverts to his native tongue." - -Her eyes widened and her mouth started to open, but Farradyne went on -talking as though he hadn't noticed. "I didn't think your native tongue -was Upper Banshee!" - - * * * * * - -Her eyes half-closed and her mouth snapped from slackness back to -self-control. "What did I say?" she asked. - -"It sounded like 'I am slain to pieces,' but I don't know Upper Banshee -very well." - -"You're making fun of me," she complained. - -"No, I'm not. Anybody can be scared right out of his skin when -something like that happens." - -"All right," she said, and her eyes were cold. "So you're not making -fun of me. You've been playing a very serious game with me, haven't -you?" - -Farradyne blinked. "What makes you think--?" - -"Let's drop our masks, Charles." - -"Masks? Look, Carolyn, I'd better clean up this glass." - -"Sweep it up, then. But while you're cleaning up the mess we'll talk -seriously." - -"About what?" He got a brush from the locker and a square of cardboard -from the bottom of a ream of paper, and started to collect the debris. - -"What do you know about our language?" - -"Damned little," Farradyne said bluntly, all pretense gone. Suddenly he -was trembling with rage that wanted release. "Frankly, I've had only a -suspicion, up to this moment." - -"So I gave it away myself?" - -"Yes, damn you--you gave it away!" - -"What do you want of me?" - -"What do I want of anybody?" he whispered in a voice that was almost -lost in cold fury. "I had four brutal years clipped out of my life by -a three-voiced party-unknown who wanted to commit suicide bad enough -to take thirty-three innocent victims along with her. They blamed it -on Hot-Rock Farradyne, the spur-wearing spaceman." His voice came -back, and he was half-roaring. "I've seen the results of love lotus! -A wrecked personality that might have been a brilliant and gracious -woman. I've seen a man plugged through the middle, to die at my feet. -And on top of that, I've seen a family prosper and calmly make its -place in society by dealing in the stinking things that bring ruin and -death! What do I want of you? Your lovely, flawless hide peeled alive -and spread out before a fireplace!" - -She shrank from him; looked wildly at the stairway and then back into -his face as she realized there was not a place in the spacecraft where -she could hide. - -He sneered at her fear. "I'm not going to commit violence on you," he -said. "It would only give you pleasure to know that violence was my -last resort." He looked at her closely. "What kind of person are you, -anyway?" - -Carolyn drew herself together; somehow her self-confidence had -returned. "Why take your hatred out on me?" she asked. - -"You?" he asked harshly. "Why shouldn't I? How in hell should I know -what slinky game you're playing? One of your kind was responsible for -the Semiramide affair, but who's to prove it? Am I the character that -started tossing the con-rods out of the Lancaster? What was your former -boy-friend doing on my ship? Setting me up for another kiss-off? Hell, -woman, you'll be asking me next not to take these things personally!" - -"You shouldn't. They're the fortunes of war." - -Farradyne roared, so loud that his voice echoed and re-echoed up and -down the ship: "Fortunes of war be god-damned!" - -Then he stopped suddenly and looked at her again. "War?" he asked. -"Between who and whom or between what, and where?" - -When she did not answer, he sat down and put one hand to his head. -Carolyn started to say, "Charles--" but he looked up and said, "Shut -the hell up and let me think!" - -"But I--" - -"You don't want me to think?" snapped Farradyne. "Shut up or I'll slap -you shut!" - - * * * * * - -He had enough evidence to make a shrewd guess if he could only sort out -the hodge-podge, and hang the material end to end. Some of it had to do -with combined suicide and wanton mass-murder in a wrecked spacecraft. -There were the Niles, who probably went to church on Sunday, belonged -to the Chamber of Commerce and the Ladies' Aid, and considered running -hellflowers a proper business. And daughter Carolyn, who wanted -marriage and a bunch of kids to bring up into the same hellish business -run so well by their grandfather. - -And something important hinged around this triple-toned voice, -which now had been proven more than a hasty impression under stress -and excitement. Women who were immune to the solar system's most -devastating narcotic, and used their immunity to deal in the things -with safety, were bringing ruin to other women. It was a form of -warfare, and indicated an organization large and well-integrated; -capable of outmaneuvering capable men who had dedicated their lives to -stamping out the racket--and who died under the juggernaut instead of -destroying it. - -Well, there it was. - -No, there was more to be added. Brenner, who had tried to remove the -control rods of the reaction-pile, and who was immune to marcoleptine. -That was an odd-shaped piece of the jigsaw puzzle that suddenly dropped -into place with a click. - -Farradyne tried to put himself in the position of Professor Martin, -who might have been a survivor if the Lancaster had foundered. Martin -might ask why someone had tried to kill him--just as Farradyne had -often asked himself why Party X had tried to kill Farradyne in the -Semiramide. The answer was that Martin would have been an innocent -victim in the second episode just as Farradyne had been in the first. -Party X had wrecked the Semiramide because there was someone aboard -with dangerous knowledge! - -Farradyne came to one decision: there was a coldly-operating group of -persons who were themselves immune to drugs, and who were efficiently -undermining the rest of the human race by preying on weakness, lust, -and escapist factors that lie somewhere near the surface in the -strongest of human characters. - -He raised his head and looked at Carolyn Niles. - -She faced him squarely and asked, "Have you got it figured out?" - -"I think so," he said coldly. "There are a couple of gaps yet which you -can fill in." - -Carolyn shook her head in a superior manner. "You didn't just -_discover_ this thing, you know," she said calmly. "You were shown most -of it deliberately." - -"Indeed?" His voice was sarcastic. - -"We knew that someone high up and undercover had furnished you with -a spacecraft and a forged license, hoping that your reputation would -establish you as a racketeer. He used you efficiently, and so we merely -used you more efficiently. There are two ends to a fishline, Charles, -and we caught Howard Clevis on the wrong end of the line, so to speak. -We also--" - -"You caught Clevis?" - -"As soon as we knew who your contact was we pulled him in. So if you're -expecting a flight of military spacecraft to come racing up in time to -intercept the rendezvous ship out there, forget it. The military is -still on the landing blocks at the spaceport." - - * * * * * - -Farradyne whirled and peered into the radar. The single pip was close -and closing the range swiftly, but there was nothing else on the -'scope. It was a huge ship, if the size of the radar response meant -anything, and Farradyne peered into the coupled telescope. - -Nothing like it could ever have been built in secret anywhere among the -habitable planets of the solar system. The size of it was such that the -purchase of the metal alone would have created some notice, and the -rest of the project would require the resources of a planet to feed it -and the men that built it. - -Farradyne turned away from the telescope. - -"Baby, what a sucker you played me for!" he jeered. "So I was to be -your lover, your husband? Together, hand in hand, we go to cement the -first interstellar union. The mating of a jackass and a triple-tongued -canary, that the fruit of such union will be half-ass and bird-brained! -Well, if it's war your gang wants, we'll give it to 'em!" - -Farradyne strode across the room toward the controls, and as he came, -Carolyn's hand moved swiftly, catching up the microphone and bringing -it to her mouth. She cried a singy-songy rhythm into the mike. It -reminded Farradyne of an exotic trio chanting a ritual celebration. - -He slapped the microphone out of her hand. It hurtled out to the end of -its cord and jerked free, crashing against the far wall and leaving the -cord-ends dangling open like a raw sore. - -He caught her by the hair and lifted her out of the seat and hurled -her across the room. She fell and went rolling in a tumble of arms and -legs until she came up hard against the wall beside the microphone. She -scooped it up and hurled it at Farradyne's head; he caught it in one -hand and dropped it to the floor. - -He dropped into the seat and hit the levers with both hands. The -Lancaster surged upwards, throwing Carolyn back to the floor in a -painful heap. The acceleration rose to three gravities and then to four. - -"This trick we take," he gloated. - -Carolyn moaned; it sounded like attempted laughter. - -He looked into the radarscope and saw that despite his four gravities -of acceleration the monstrous spacecraft was matching him and closing -the range. - - - - - XX - - -Farradyne watched Carolyn uncaringly as she fought herself out of -her crumpled position and succeeded in flopping over on her back. She -spread-eagled on the floor, and her chest labored a bit with the effort. - -"Forget it--Charles--" she said with some difficulty. "You can't--run -away from a ship--that can go--faster than light." - -"I can try." - -"You can't--win." - -The radio speaker came alive: "Surrender, Farradyne! Stop and submit or -we fire!" - -Farradyne fought the controls so that the ship slued sidewise, putting -another vector in its course. He twirled the volume knob to zero on the -radio with a violent twist of his wrist. - -"They're your friends, but they don't mind killing you," he sneered. - -"I'm not--afraid to--die." - -"I am," grunted Farradyne. "I have some dope that I don't want to die -without telling." - -His hands danced on the levers and the Lancaster turned end for end -and sped back at the huge spacecraft almost on a sideswiping course. -Out here intrinsic velocity meant nothing; the only thing that counted -was the Lancaster's velocity with respect to the velocity of the enemy -spacecraft. He had the advantage of surprise. He could go where he -pleased and the other pilot must follow him; and since Farradyne's -changes of pace and course would come without warning, each switch -would take a few fractions of a second to follow. On land a few -fractions of a second mean nothing; in space they mean miles. On land -a quartering flight meant closing of the range; in space where the -pursuit could not dig a heel into the ground, quartering flight meant -adding another vector to the course. - -He widened the gap. - -On the third pass, Farradyne realized that the interstellar drive -of the enemy ship must be some unknown 'all-or-nothing' device, or -force field, or something that demanded that ordinary interplanetary -maneuvering be done without the superdrive; and that once the gadget -was turned on, the enemy ship would dart into the next galactic sector -in a wink of the eye. - -So long as he could dodge more agilely because of his smaller mass, -they could not catch him. They wanted him alive, naturally, and his -only danger was in the final escape. Then he would have to dodge the -target-seeking missiles they would launch at him under several hundred -gravities, capable of turning in midflight if he succeeded in ducking -the first pass. - -He wished desperately for a cargo of bowling balls or steel castings -that he could have strewn in his wake. He cursed his lack of foresight -in not having the spare control rods replaced, because a few of them -might do the trick. - -Farradyne stopped cursing. - -Recollection of Brenner and the depredations in the pile-bay had -started a train of thought that he followed with growing interest. It -was long and it was involved, and it depended upon a large amount of -luck, good planning, and ability. - -He struggled to the computer and played a long tune on the keys, -ignoring the fact that the huge spacecraft had finally lined up on his -course from behind and was closing the range. - -The Lancaster made one more complex turn as the end of the punched tape -entered the autopilot. If Farradyne's computations were correct, the -Lancaster's nose was now pointed at Terra. The spaceliner behind made a -swinging turn and began to pick up the space it had lost. - - * * * * * - -Farradyne saw he had plenty of time. He waited until the punchings on -the tape cut the drive a bit, then went below and came back into the -control room with Brenner's space suit. He got out patching material -and carefully repaired the triangular rip. Then he set about checking -it, testing the air supply and purifier, filling the food pouch and the -water tank. Men had been known to last seventy-two hours in a suit like -this without any discomfort other than the confinement; the primary -danger was running out of oxygen and the secondary danger was water -starvation. - -When the suit was checked to Farradyne's satisfaction he took time -out for a last cigarette. He lit one and puffed before he spoke. -"Honey-child, I could outguess that gang of yours until Sol freezes -over. But sooner or later they'll get tired of the chase and end it by -launching a target-seeking missile, and that will be that. I have no -intention of sitting here and waiting for it." - -"So what are you going to do?" - -Farradyne reached up and stopped the clock. "I've punched a very -interesting autopilot tape. It'll dodge and swoop along at about four -gravities in the cockeyedest course, and lead your pals a long and -devious way from where you and I part company. Four gee is heavy enough -to keep you flat, so you can't louse it up. You can't measure time -too accurately, so when they grab you you won't be able to tell 'em -just when I took off. They'll have a fine old time combing space for a -man-sized mote, making his course to Terra." - -"Charles--?" - -Farradyne snubbed his cigarette out and dropped on his knees so that -he could look down into her face. "You've pitched me many a low, soft -curve to the inside," he told her quietly. "This is one battle you -lose, I think. So we'll meet again to take it up later." - -He bent down with a cynical smile and kissed her on the lips. To his -surprise he found them responsive. - -"So long, Carolyn," he chuckled. "Some of this has been a lot of fun!" - -He donned the space suit and with a careless wave of his hand went down -the stairs. She was not looking at him, but at the ruined microphone -and the radio equipment far out of her reach. Panic showed in her face -and gave her some strength, but not enough to fight the four gravities -that held her flat. - -Then as Farradyne lost sight of her, his jaunty self-confidence -faded. He was far from the bright character he had portrayed. Up -until not-too-long-ago, Farradyne had been complimenting himself on -being able to find out more about the hellflower operations than the -Sandmen, and it had not occurred to him that there was a reason for -it. Now he knew. It became obvious that fighting a gang of cutthroats, -and fighting an enemy race of intelligent people, were two different -things. About as different as Farradyne was from the brilliant operator -he had begun to think he was. - -It required that he change his plans for escape. He knew that he could -flee the big ship and have a good chance of being picked up by a Space -Guard scooter as soon as he could get within calling-distance of Luna. -But the chances were just as high that the hellflower people would have -their entire undercover outfit alerted, and at the first radio call -would be swarming the neighborhood to pick him up. - -He paused by the spacelock and cracked the big portal, thoughtfully -eyeing the huge starship, a tiny dot far below, visible only because of -its reaction-flare. Then he closed the lock and went down and down in -the Lancaster until he found the lowermost inspection cubby. He crawled -in, closed the inspection hatch behind him, and settled down to wait. - - * * * * * - -Time creaked past, and the Lancaster turned and curved according to -the punchings on the autopilot tape. Farradyne had only one prayer, -now: that the enemy ship would not get tired of the chase and fire -a target-seeking missile, ending the whole game with a wave of -intolerable heat and indescribably bright light. Carolyn's presence -aboard the Lancaster might prevent that until the last moment. - -The hour-period ended with the Lancaster pointing up on a quartering -course from Terra and Sol--a long way from the point of his supposed -escape. Not long after that, Farradyne heard the clink of magnetic -grapples. - -He tensed again. Would they fine-comb the Lancaster? Or would the -question-and-answer session with Carolyn convince them that he had -abandoned ship? If so, would they take her off and blast the Lanc' or -would they deem it of value and keep it? - -His mind went on with unanswerable questions: how good was their radar? -How alert was their radar operator? Were both good enough to state -unequivocably that there had been no object leaving the Lancaster on a -tangential course? Or would there have been the usual clutter of noise -and interference, so that no one would doubt that he had left the ship? -And, assuming that the enemy considered a spacecraft valuable, where -would they take it and what would they do with it? - -Far from feeling gratified at his maneuver, Farradyne felt only -satisfied to be alive and temporarily out of the hands of the enemy. -What happened from here on in must be played by ear against an unknown -score for three voices. - -The drive of the Lancaster dropped from four gravities to about one, -and Farradyne could hear dimly the clumpings of heavy feet. Then the -drive diminished again, remaining at about a quarter-gravity or maybe -less, and there were sounds of feet above his head. He tasted the acid -in his mouth; he found his heavy automatic and clutched it clumsily in -the heavy space-glove and prepared to give back whatever they gave him. -Capture might be preferable to death--but Farradyne had every right to -believe that the enemy could not permit him to stay alive with what he -knew about them, even though it was precious little. - -The cubby he was hiding in was annularly shaped; to one side was -space beyond the hull-plates. Inside was the water-jacket that cooled -the throat of the reaction motor. Farradyne moved quietly around the -central pillar until he was on the opposite side from the inspection -hatch and settled down to wait. - -On the plates above his head was the scraping of something heavy being -hauled across the deck. - -He heard the sound of triple-toned voices in both musical and -discordant sounds, distorted and muffled by the deck and by the helmet -he wore. Someone fiddled with the inspection hatch; and Farradyne found -the scuttlebutt and valved air out into space so the enemy would have -a hard time cracking the hatch. Whoever it was gave up after a moment; -and then came the sound of drilling on the deck-plates above him. A -cloud of whitish vapor spurted downward and the sound of alien voices -rose sharply as the drill came through. Three more spurts of escaping -air blasted downward in whitish vapor that skirled around the annular -room and went in a fading draw towards the scuttlebutt. - -Plugs filled the four holes and Farradyne turned his head-torch on -them. They were heavy self-tapping bolts being turned in from above. -There was a softer sound of scraping, and the clumping of feet; then -the sound of men at work faded away. - -Farradyne took a deep breath and realized that his skin was itching -from the cold perspiration that bathed him. The taste in his mouth was -brackish; his heart was pounding and his breath was shallow and rapid. -He opened his mouth to gasp and discovered that he had been clenching -his teeth so hard that his jaw ached. - -He closed the scuttlebutt, but did not valve any air into his hiding -place. He put the top of his helmet against the deck-plates above him -and listened. Far above he could hear them, still at work; but they -were going higher and higher in the ship. - -He relaxed, waiting. - -Three more hours passed, as nerve-wracking as any Farradyne had ever -spent. Then, with absolutely no warning, the drive went off completely. -He floated from the deck and scrabbled around to grab a stanchion, -finally getting his magnetic shoes against a girder where they held him -at an odd angle. - -The drive went on to a full one-gravity and hurled Farradyne flat -against the bottom of the cubby, wrenching his ankles slightly. The -drive went off again, and then on, and finally off. This time it stayed -off. - -Floating free, with only his feet for mooring, was like resting in -a tub of body-temperature water; and as the lulling, muscle-freeing -sensation went on and on, Farradyne's mind lulled and he dozed. From -the doze, he dropped off into a deep slumber. - - - - - XXI - - -Farradyne awoke to the pressure of about one-gravity and began to -wonder how far the Lancaster had carried him under its jury-rigged -drive. His watch said that fourteen hours had passed since -weightlessness had come, but this was no good for an estimate of -distance. - -The whole thing was incomprehensible to him. Interstellar travel in -a matter of hours made his mind reel, and the idea of installing a -gadget that made it possible with the ease of installing a radio in -an automobile only added to the inconsistencies. All he could grasp -of it was that the gadget the alien race had must be some sort of -force-field generator that worked independently of the basic reaction -motor and therefore could be turned off or on at will. He gave up -trying to theorize and began to consider the more personal problem of -his location and what he could do. - -He cracked the scuttlebutt and found that the ship was a-planet. He -listened and heard nothing, not even the familiar sounds of a ship in -warm-up. He cracked the hatch of his cubby and looked out. The small -corridor was as dark as the grave, and as silent. Boldly he stepped out -and looked around under the light of his spacesuit torch. - -Bolted to the floor were four rectangular boxes of metal connected -together by a heavy cable, and from one a second cable ran to a -standard connector set in the wall of the Lancaster. - -Like all other Solarian spacecraft, the Lancaster was well-supplied -with a network of cables running up and down the length of the ship -to serve as test connections and spares for this or that equipment -when needed. So the enemy had re-connected their multi-line cable to -one of the standard Terran connectors and plugged the cable into the -Lancaster's cable-plate. - -Farradyne could see nothing about the metal boxes that would tell him -anything, so he left them and went aloft, cautiously. He doffed the -spacesuit at the next level and hung it neatly in a suit locker, before -he continued up the stairways. - -Out of one porthole he could see the spaceport. It was broad and dark -except for a bouquet of searchlights that drilled into the sky around -the rim, a wash of floodlamps that surrounded one of the vast starships -a mile or so distant, and the far-off blurs of bright red light that -probably read "Spaceman's Bar" in whatever the enemy used for a printed -language. - -He left the viewport and went higher until he came to the salon. He -peered into it from floor level, but it was dark and untenanted. The -spacelock was open and Farradyne looked out of the big round opening -across the field to another huge starship standing a few hundred yards -from the Lancaster. The other ship was as dark as the Lancaster, except -for one small porthole that gleamed like a headlight in the darkness. - -The problem of where he was sent him to the control room. He looked -into the sky, hunting for familiar constellations. The Pleiades were -there, but warped, and Farradyne found that while he knew they were -distorted as an aggregation of stellar positions, he could not remember -their proper relationship. Orion was visible, but the hero had hiked -his belt up. The Great Bear was sitting on his haunches, and the -Smaller Bear had lost his front feet. Sirius no longer blazed in Canis -Major. Procyon had taken off for parts unknown, while several other -bright stars dotted the skies in places where no stars had been on -Terra. - -He tried to recall visits to the big stellatarium in New York where the -lecturer displayed the skies as seen from various well-known stars that -were within a half-hundred light years of Sol; but he found that he -evidently had not been as attentive as he might have been. - - * * * * * - -Finally he gave up hoping to establish his whereabouts by visual -inspection, and took his first look at the control room. He could -see nothing changed at first; then he found a small auxiliary panel -beside the pilot's seat, which contained a bar-topped toggle switch and -three pilot lamps quite different in appearance from the rest of the -Lancaster's standard equipment. He felt an urge to try the toggle, but -fought it down; it was too much like playing with toy building blocks -made of subcritical masses of plutonium, and Farradyne wanted to stay -alive long enough to _watch_ the ruin of the enemy, not become a part -of it. - -He got his 20-power binoculars from the locker and went down to the -spacelock. The near-by starship was as abandoned as the Lancaster, -except for that one bright porthole. Through it he could see nothing -but one corner of wall and ceiling. - -A sudden flash of light made Farradyne drop to the floor of the salon -and wriggle forward cautiously to the edge of the door. - -A vehicle of some sort had turned in at the spaceport from the rim, and -its headlights had flashed against his face. He looked at it through -the glasses but could not see beyond the glare of the headlights; the -car was coming swiftly toward the Lancaster. - -Farradyne gathered himself to make a grand rush for his cubby, but -stayed to watch because he could make safety after he was certain that -the car would stop at the Lancaster. Instead, the vehicle swung around -the interstellar ship and stopped by the landing ramp. Three men and a -woman got out-- - -"Norma!" breathed Farradyne. - -High in the enemy ship, one porthole winked off and the one beside it -winked on, and a few minutes later Farradyne saw the same trio of men -escort Clevis from the landing ramp and hand him into the spaceport -jeep. The engine roared and they took off for the rim of the port. - -Farradyne looked around the spaceport and wondered. It seemed such -a cozy place, completely unguarded so far as he could tell. This -undoubtedly meant that the port was a restricted zone and anybody -permitted inside the boundaries was known and recognized before he got -in. - -The jeep disappeared, and Farradyne came down his landing ramp and -scooted across the flat spaceport to the starship. - -Inside the spacelock was a small ante-room with an elevator and some -stairs. Farradyne did not trust the elevator; he turned and raced up -the stairs, ignoring the warnings of his own mind that this was a -completely foolhardy stunt. - -Up and up he went, around circular corridors, past dark doorways -and sealed hatches, until he was both winded and muscle-weary from -climbing. He paused from time to time to orient himself by a quick look -out of the nearest porthole that faced the Lancaster, until he found -that he was at the right level above the control room of his own ship. -The next level above brought him to a door that had a thin line of -light along the bottom. - -Across the door was a metal bar, but the slide-aside keeper, with a -hole in it for a lock, hung open; the enemy had not considered it -necessary to lock the door against outside tampering. - -Farradyne slipped the keeper aside and lifted the bar. - - * * * * * - -Norma stood there just inside the door, waiting. Her hands were on her -hips and there was a cold glitter in her eye. It flickered and failed -as she recognized Farradyne. - -"Well!" she snapped. "If it isn't our Boy Scout and Man-about-space who -claims he doesn't know where hellflowers come from!" - -"I didn't--but I'm learning fast," he told her. "Maybe you can help. Do -you know where we are?" - -"Your friends asked questions. They didn't tell me anything." - -He looked at her sourly. "I wish I'd known the other light in the -window was Clevis," he said. - -"So you didn't know?" she cried angrily. - -Farradyne waved a hand sidewise and it shut her up. "Stop making like a -fishwife and think! You have a good mind--for God's sake, use it!" - -She looked at him calculatingly. "Just what do you expect me to assume?" - -"Let's assume that I'm what I said I was," he said. "And let's assume -we're fighting an undeclared war against a powerful enemy. An enemy -that is running down the moral fiber of our race so they can walk in -and take over without an open battle. Does that make sense?" - -Norma considered it a moment. "Of course. Nobody wins a shooting-war. -But which side are you on, Farradyne?" - -He grunted. "Norma, just who was your brother?" - -"Frank was one of Howard's best men," she said simply. - -"More of the pattern clearing up," he sighed. "They killed your -brother, getting a lot of innocent bystanders in the process. They -tried to kill me the same way, although I didn't have anything more -than a crude idea to go on." - -Norma looked at him soberly. "I hate to admit it, but I've heard this -three-tongued language of yours. So that makes you right on one count -anyway." - -"We're not fighting only a well-integrated mob," he said. "We're -fighting a complete stellar culture." - -"You say 'we' so blithely. Tell me how you managed to turn up like the -proverbial bad penny." - -"I outguessed 'em, finally. I was right, for once--" He explained how -it had been done in a few rapid sentences. - -"We saw them catch the Lancaster, and wondered why you suddenly -went dead at the board after dodging them so well. Damn it, -Farra--er--Charles, you've done it." - -"Done what?" - -"Convinced me. You aren't here to play the friend-in-need act to get -more information out of me, after loading me to the gills with stuff -out of a needle that makes me babble like a marmoset. So you're here -for what you say." - -"Why did they bring you back here?" he asked. "It seems to me they'd -toss you in the locker." - -"That's for later. Right now they're comparing my story with Howard's, -and after that we'll both be taken to their 'Detention Planet' in some -other stellar system and kept as last-ditch hostages in this war. There -seem to be a lot of people who got too bright for the enemy and they're -all there, too." - -Farradyne swore. "The stinking bastards--!" - -Norma shook her head coolly. "That's emotion, Charles. I don't know -exactly what their purpose is, but I do understand that this is a -conflict for eventual survival, and for the rule of an economic empire." - -"But--" - -Norma shook her head slowly. "Put the shoe on the other foot, Charles. -Suppose you and your kind had come upon these people--how would you see -them?" - -"As possible allies and friends, and--" - -"Balderdash. You'd have seen them as possible customers, and people to -be exploited, and maybe enemies after you knew their history. Their -attitude is as arrogant as ours, and their personal justification is -as high. By some lucky break they got to interstellar travel before we -did and so they automatically place us in an inferior position; but -they know that this doesn't make us a push-over. We are scientifically -capable of discovering their interstellar drive at any moment, and why -we haven't is probably just a matter of our not combining the right -sciences. Our knowledge of medicine is far wider than theirs, for -instance." - -"How can you know this?" he asked. - - * * * * * - -Norma slipped open a few buttons at her throat and slipped her dress -down from one shoulder. There was a tiny circular white bandage stuck -to one spot. "They took a sample of me," she said, "because I seem -to be immune to several diseases that should give me trouble. When I -asked about this, they told me that they hoped to discover just what -cell-change takes place when we take our anti-cancer immunization. That -thing they have yet to discover." - -"But--" - -"Oh, they use our immunization," she said, slipping the dress up. "But -they use it as an African witch doctor might use a typhoid serum. The -thing you have to remember, Charles, is that if Terrans had gotten -there first there would have been the same conflict, but started by the -other side." - -Farradyne shook his head angrily. "We're not inclined to ruin--" - -"Stop sounding like one of King Arthur's knights. Men of sense and good -judgment don't request their enemies to meet them on a field of honor. -Instead, a state of war is assumed and from that instant on 'A' is -looking for a chance to stab 'B' in the back because he knows that 'B' -will cut him off at the hips if he turns his back for a moment. So both -sides know that open warfare means total destruction and the process is -one of boring from within, or gnawing at the foundation. But this is no -place to get involved in a discussion of ethics, Charles. Where do we -go from here?" - -"If I knew how to run that ka-dodie in the Lancaster we'd head for -Sol--if I knew where Sol was." - -"And how about Howard?" - -"I don't know about Clevis," he told her. "The thing to do would be -to hike it home as fast as we could and spill our tale to the people -who'd know what to do. Let's face it, Norma. They can mingle with -Terrans because they can speak our language. But I couldn't mingle with -them to locate Howard. I'd be picked up in a minute." - -"So how do we get back?" - -"Why do you think they brought the Lancaster?" - -"Probably to fit her out as a bona-fide hellflower runner." - -"Okay, then, we'll hide out in my cubby until they run her back." - -"You hide out," said Norma. "If they find me missing from here they'll -know that something smells." - -Farradyne chuckled. "They're as arrogant as the Gods of Olympus. Part -of their gang is still expecting me to turn up near Terra on an escape -course, and the only smart thing I've done in this game is to be where -they didn't dream I'd be. So we'll be where they don't expect us, and -maybe we'll get away with it. Come on, let's hide out." - - - - - XXII - - -Halfway down the stairs in the Lancaster, Farradyne put out a hand and -whispered, "Trouble." - -"I don't hear anything." - -"Someone's tinkering with something down below. See the dim light?" - -"Oh," she nodded. Farradyne waved her back, and stole down the stairs -and peeked cautiously around the corner. A man sat on the floor with -his back to Farradyne, probing into one of the mysterious boxes with a -long-handled tool. - -He went back to Norma. "They're tuning up the drive." - -"What do we do now?" she asked. - -"Hide somewhere until that guy is finished." - -"We can wait it out," said Norma thoughtfully. "Then if trouble comes -at the last moment, I can slide out of here like a startled rabbit and -draw the chase away from you." - -"But I'm--" - -"Stop being noble. You're not known to be here--you might get away -with it. Besides--" - -The sound of an engine cut them off. From not too far away came the -rapid sing-song of triple voices, and, following the chant, the -irritated voice of Carolyn Niles: "Stop that, you imbeciles. Speak -Terran!" - -"Why?" came the insolent reply. - -"Because I don't want to get into the habit of speaking out of turn. I -did it once and you know what happened." - -"I merely asked when we were taking off." - -"As soon as we get aboard." - -"Okay. Okay." - -Farradyne nudged Norma with his elbow and whispered, "The cargo hold. -We're pincered!" - -He led her to the cargo hold and helped her down the service ladder. -He followed, closing the door behind him; then, before he snapped out -the dim lights, he reached up and removed one of them, saying, "I don't -think we'll have an inspection, but if we do, one lamp missing will -make a shadow that might help." - -Huddled down in the corner of wall and floor, they sat with their feet -pulled up beneath them, not daring to say a word. They waited in the -dark silence, listening, and occasionally tensing when someone clumped -past the wall outside or near the cargo hatch above their heads. There -were voices and calls and running feet from time to time, and then the -humming sound of the belt-conveyor. - -The hatch above was opened wide but the lights were not snapped on. - -From the end of the loose-cargo conveyor came tumbling a shower of love -lotus blossoms. They landed on the floor in a conical pile and kept on -coming until both Farradyne and Norma were sitting shoulder deep in the -flowers. The air filled with the thick, syrupy perfume. Farradyne felt -a dizziness from the heady odor and wondered with horrified interest -just what effect this completely unpredictable overdose of dope would -have on Norma. - -The shower of hellflowers came on and on, and Farradyne was forced to -stand up because of their depth. Still they came, and he found himself -swimming in them; it reminded him of treading in a haymow. The rain of -blossoms ceased as the hold filled, and the lights went on briefly for -an inspection. - -Farradyne was propped neck deep, his head barely below the ceiling, and -he felt quite safe from detection unless the inspectors put their heads -down into the hatch to peer around the edges of the cylindrical cargo -hold. He looked at Norma. She had scrabbled up a-top of the pile and -was lying on her back with her arms thrown up over her head. Her eyes -were closed, but as she drew in a deep breath, the lids went half-up -and she looked over at Farradyne and smiled. - -The hatch slammed down, and she said, huskily, "Such nice friends you -have, Charles. This is--" Her voice trailed away. - - * * * * * - -Pressure came upsurging and Farradyne knew that the Lancaster was on -its way to space and perhaps back home. In the midst of the take-off -pressure she found his hand and drew it towards her, snuggled her face -against his palm. Her free hand came over and touched his cheek, then -ran back around his head. She pulled him forward until she could rest -her head against his shoulder. - -She kissed his cheek, a brief invitation; then he could feel the soft -breath from her lips, parted an inch or so from his, waiting. - -His voice was harsh, "Invite me to make love to you after we get this -affair settled and find you a cure." - -Her lips cut off his voice, soft and warm and vibrant. Her fingers ran -through his hair and pressed his face to her. He struggled a bit; his -hands closed on either side of her waist but instead of moving away, -her body came forward against his. - -Then, abruptly, the pressure of the drive went off and they floated -free. - -Their weight upon the cushion of flowers was released and the -springiness of the hellblossoms thrust them up, hard, hurling them at -the ceiling. - -Norma's hands were dragged free of his head and, in clutching at him -frantically, her fingernails raked his cheek slightly. The pressure -he held against her waist thrust her away as soon as she lost her -leverage. Her head hit the ceiling with a dull thunk. A sigh came from -her lips--the sigh of an unconscious person. - -The hold was filled with love lotus, floating free and spread apart by -the tiny pressure of the ends of their leaves and petals; Farradyne -fought them away frantically but only succeeded in digging himself -deeper in the room. - -Eventually he found the service ladder and clung to it, waving himself -a breathing-space by pushing the floating blossoms back. - -Norma's inert hand touched him limply. - -Farradyne toyed with the idea of reviving her but gave it up instantly; -let her sleep it off. He gave the hand a push and she floated from him -in the dark. - -The exertion had called upon his reserves and he drank in lungfuls of -air that was sticky and cloying. It made him dizzy again. He scrabbled -up the ladder and found the hatch, and opened it cautiously. It was as -dark outside as it was inside. Farradyne pushed the hatch up more and -put his face in the clean air and took a deep breath. Then, because -he felt better, he climbed out of the hold and floated free in the air -above the hatch. He grabbed a handrail and closed the hatch carefully -with a breathed, "You like 'em, Baby, you breathe 'em until I get back!" - - * * * * * - -He sat in midair with one hand hooked around the rail and tried to -think of what to do next. - -After a while he prowled the cargo-hold level, floating along the -circular corridor, knowing that it was not the safest thing to do, but -preferring almost anything to a return to the hold. - -An hour passed, and Farradyne was growing bolder by the moment. He had -covered the entire lower level of his Lancaster and had stopped above -his former hiding place, speculating. - -He decided, and went floating upward through the ship until he came -to the stateroom level. He floated around the corridor, noticing that -the little flags that indicated that the door was locked from the -inside were all down except one. One of his 'guests' did not trust -his fellow-travellers. He wondered how many rooms, and which ones, -contained the rest of the enemy gang. - -He floated on upstairs to the salon and almost ruined his silent flight -by trying to put on the brakes. On the divan lay a man, restrained by -the hold-down safety-strap, sound asleep. - -Farradyne floated over, and taking hold of the strap to keep himself -from flying free with the motion, he deepened the man's slumber with a -vicious chop of his hand. - -He floated into the control room, where the silent and distant stars -watched. Some of them were moving down, while the rest stood as -immobile as he had always known them. He would have liked to stay and -watch the effects of traveling faster than light, for the sky directly -above was very strange in color and in constellation, but he had a job -to finish. - -He took a roll of two inch adhesive tape from the medical supplies and -taped the unconscious man's wrists and ankles, and slapped on a length -that covered the mouth. Then he went down to his own quarters and -opened the door slowly. - -A second man slept there; Farradyne slugged him and applied tape -effectively and quickly. - -That made two. - - * * * * * - -He considered the situation carefully. So long as his batting average -stayed at one thousand percent he was in fine shape. The ship ran -itself; there was nothing to watch; and so the crew did what all -spacemen do: sleep. If he could catch them one by one-- - -He opened Stateroom One. It was empty. - -That put a different light on things. Maybe this was not a fully-loaded -transport. Maybe it was just like the average cargo-haul with only a -couple of passengers. - -He opened Stateroom Two and found it empty. - -That sort of proved it. He opened Stateroom Three and found a man -asleep in the bunk. He was stirring as Farradyne scanned the room, -and he moved just as Farradyne launched himself across the cabin. -Haste ruined his aim and his down-slashing hand clipped the enemy on -the skull instead of hitting him alongside the ear. The man grunted -and swung out blindly, hitting Farradyne and moving him up and away. -Farradyne caught the upright of the bunk and stayed his free flight, -levered himself around and swung again. - -The enemy parried the blow and then let out a triple-tone roar. -Farradyne pulled himself down and around, then kicked out with both -feet, catching the enemy in the face and chest. The force drove the -enemy deep into the mattress, from which he rebounded to fold up over -the hold-down strap and flop up and down, limp, an inert mass caught -between two springs. The same force drove Farradyne toward the open -door. - -His aim was still bad; his outsweeping hand caught the leading edge of -the door and he and it swung on the hinges until he came flat against -the wall behind the door. Then he fought his body around and came out -of the stateroom feet first. - -He caught at the handrail and stabilized his flight, then took notice -of his surroundings. - -A door down the hall opened and a man came sailing out. He caught -sight of Farradyne and launched himself down the hall at the spaceman. -Farradyne met him with a slash, which was parried by a block of the -man's forearm against Farradyne's wrist. It stopped the enemy's -flight, and tore Farradyne's hold loose. - -Farradyne let the enemy peer down the barrel of his gun. "Hold it," he -snapped. - -The enemy, about to kick himself forward, took a firm hold on the -handrail behind him and retracted his feet from against the wall. - -"You can't get away with it, Farradyne." - -Farradyne smiled grimly. "I can try, Brenner. So happy to meet you -again." - - - - - XXIII - - -Warily he listened. There were no other sounds along the corridor but -the one he expected, and soon the little flag on the lock went in and -the door opened. Carolyn Niles came out in pajamas and coat, her eyes -blinking slightly. "What's the--" Then she gasped. "Charles!" - -"Howdedo. Any more hiding in the dark, Carolyn?" - -"How did you get here?" - -"I walked," he said flatly. He turned to Brenner. "You stay there, -school-master. I'm scared to death and therefore a bit touchy." - -Brenner shook his head, eyeing the gun. "Sure, you're scared. I'm -scared, too." - -"Relax--but do it slowly. Now turn around and make it hand over hand -along toward the salon. You follow the gentleman," he said to Carolyn. - -Farradyne followed them both, mentioning that if Brenner tried any -tricks, Carolyn might get in the way of the shot intended for him. They -went up the stairway, one, two, three, and floated into the salon, -Farradyne having a bit of a time of it because of his full gun-hand. He -hooked his legs around the guardrail and eyed them coldly. - -"Carolyn, let's see how good a job you can do on Brenner's wrists -with a chunk of this tape." He tossed the roll at her and she went to -Brenner, who held his hands behind him while she ran tape around the -wrists. - -"I'd be willing to bet that's a slipshod job," said Farradyne. "But it -will probably hold for a while. Carolyn, coast over here and sit in the -straight chair." - -Farradyne taped her to the chair by her wrists and ankles, and took -a slight hitch in the hold-down strap. He added some security to -Brenner's bonds and taped the man's ankles to the legs of the divan. -Then he propped the still unconscious man up near Brenner and taped him -similarly. - -Now he took time to go below and collect the third man from his cabin -and bring him up; the man struggled against the wide tape and glared at -Farradyne over the plaster on his lips. Farradyne hurled him backside -first at the divan and followed him, catching him on the rebound. He -taped the man as he had the others, and then took a small flight to the -bar, where he perched on top by hooking his feet around one of the bar -stools. - -"Aren't we a good-looking bunch?" he chuckled. "Shall we sing?" - -"Stop it, Farradyne," snapped Brenner. - - * * * * * - -Farradyne's twisted smile faded. - -"I'm telling who to do what, Brenner. We'll play this game according to -my rules for a while." - -"You can't get away with it." - -"Nuts. I should think you would feel a bit awkward, for a conqueror." - -"I can stand it for a time. But the sooner you free us, the--" - -Farradyne laughed, one loud humorless bark. "So I'm still your -prisoner?" - -"In a way. You wouldn't want to die without telling what you know about -us. You'll do anything to stay alive." - -"You damn well bet! And I'll do anything to learn a bit more about it, -too." - -"You can't make me talk." - -"Want to bet? I don't think I could squeeze anything out of you by -torture, Brenner, but I have a hunch you'll sing loud and long after -you watch me take Carolyn's fingernails off with long-nosed pliers, -and listen to her screaming." - -Carolyn looked at Farradyne coldly. "Charles, I don't think you have -enough sadism to perform that operation on me." - -Farradyne looked at her. He held enough dislike of what she stood for -to do almost anything; but she was still a woman and he knew that she -was right: he simply didn't have the requisite sadism. Even though it -would be a just retribution. - -Carolyn sniffed cynically, and Farradyne realized that he had -mumbled the last few words of his thoughts. She repeated them: "Just -retribution, perhaps, Charles--but have you the guts?" - -He looked down at her. "No, it seems I haven't. But I've someone with -me who might." - -He took aim and sailed down the stairs. He soared around the stateroom -corridor and ran full-tilt into someone coming the opposite way. He -hurled the figure from him and recoiled, and when he caught himself -again, he had one hand braced against the handrail and the pistol aimed -at the middle of Norma's stomach. He let out his breath and relaxed his -gun hand. - -She looked at the gun and her face went white with the realization of -how close it had been. She looked at him searchingly, as if seeking -company for her fright. She apparently found it, for her face relaxed -and she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then she fought the -hem of her skirt down again and blushed. - -Farradyne chuckled shakily. "Go into Number Four and swipe a pair of -Carolyn Niles' pajamas," he said. "They don't float. Then come on up to -the salon." - -He turned and headed back slowly, stalling until he heard her return to -the corridor. - - * * * * * - -He went up first and helped her make the curve around the railing at -the top. Solicitously, Farradyne steered her to the divan and fastened -the seat-strap. - -Then he faced Carolyn and the rest. "Speaking of retribution," he said -slowly, "I'd like you to meet a woman I know. Miss Norma Hannon. She's -a love-lotus addict, you know. Whatever she is and whatever she does -is basically your own damned fault." He said directly to Carolyn, "I -couldn't do it. But I think that Miss Hannon might enjoy a bit of an -emotional binge with the people who fed her the first hellflower and -caused the death of her brother." - -Farradyne turned and sailed across the salon to land at Norma's side. -He reached out and removed the love lotus from Norma's hair, and -re-crossed the room to hurl it into the disposal chute. - -"Just sit there quietly until the effects of that thing wear off," he -told her. "I'm going to make a tour of inspection." - -Farradyne turned and dived down the stairway again. He did not know how -long it might take, especially after Norma had been literally sleeping -in a smothering roomful of the things for hours. Probably take long -enough for them all to get the whim-whams just thinking about it, he -concluded. - -He conned every stateroom on his way down. He was reasonably certain -that the ruckus would have awakened them all, but he wanted to make -sure that no one of them was lying doggo until he could make his bid. -They were all empty. Farradyne went on down in the Lancaster, checking -the supply-rooms, the galley, the workshop, the other cargo lock, the -storage room. He looked into the inspection cubbies and wiring hatches -until he had covered every nook and cranny in the Lancaster that was -large enough to contain a human being. - -The ship was clean. - -He stopped once more to eye the four metal cases bolted to the floor. -He went up, then, all the way. - -"Any talk?" he asked brightly as he soared through the salon. - -"Farradyne, you can't do this!" rasped Brenner. - -Farradyne ignored him. Norma was still sitting on the divan, in the -same position. But her face was losing its softness and her attention -was no longer diverted so easily. "I'm waiting," she told him as he -passed upward to the control room. - -Somehow, Farradyne believed that she would not have very long to wait. - - - - - XXIV - - -Farradyne again ignored the oddness of the sky to examine the small -auxiliary panel fastened to one edge of the main control panel. It -contained a small meter calibrated in arbitrary units of three colors. -The needle stood high, about three-quarter scale, in the middle of -the blue region. Below the meter was the toggle switch, and on either -side of the switch were flat buttons, blue to the right and red to the -left. Behind the panel was a metal box; emerging from the box a cable -no longer than a lead pencil snaked away into the maze of wiring behind -the main equipment. - -He considered the thing carefully. Booby traps were unlikely, but -there were destruction-charges used to prevent the capture of secret -equipment. - -The destruction triggers usually were protected switches, placed in -such a position and built in such a manner that when the crew wished to -destroy their secret devices, they had to do it deliberately. - -So Farradyne eyed the small panel critically and decided that while -there must be some destruction-device included in such a highly secret -piece of gear, it was not on the front panel where it might be pressed -accidentally or in the heat of excitement. He was even certain that not -very much could happen if he tinkered with the switches, so long as he -was in space and a few light years from anything large and hard. It was -also extremely unlikely that any gear of this sort would be easy to -foul-up. The destruction of the gadget in space would leave the ship -and crew marooned in the void between the stars. - -He took the cross-bar toggle in his hand and pulled. It resisted his -efforts, and so he tried pushing. It moved down in a wide arc and as -he moved the switch down, the pressure of the drive suddenly caught up -with the seat of his pants and Farradyne was sitting in his pilot's -chair instead of floating above it by a fraction of an inch. He thrust -the toggle all the way down and a full one-gravity of force came on. - -Above his head the stars resumed their familiar appearance. - -The needle on the meter stayed where it was, at three-quarter scale. - -Farradyne chuckled aloud. _He had it now._ One button to start the -equipment for warm-up period; the toggle to control its functioning; -and the other button to cut the gear off when the flight was concluded. -It was as simple as that, and although Farradyne had sat in many a -spaceman's bar and heard arguments as to the possibilities of exotic -operation of alien equipment, he knew that mechanical and electrical -principles are universal and that their exploitation would most likely -lead toward universal simplification. - -Then, being practical, Farradyne dropped the subject and began to think -about where he was, where he had come from, and where he was going. He -put his eye to the point-of-drive telescope and caught a small star on -the cross-hairs. This was undoubtedly Sol, considerably tinier than its -appearance from Pluto, but of the right color. A true stellar point, it -was, which meant that he must be light years from it. - -He squinted through the point-of-departure periscope and cut the drive -so that the flare would not blind him. Behind was the constellation -of Lyra and on the cross-hairs was another tiny star of no particular -consequence. - -He got out his Spaceman's Star Catalog and opened it to Lyra. Among the -listings were several semi-dwarfs of the F, G and K classifications and -one of them, about twenty-seven light years from Sol, was located in -the right position, so far as Farradyne could determine-- - -The sound of a whimper cut into his thoughts, and he remembered the -possibilities of the scene down in the salon. He snapped on the -intercom and listened, wondering whether he could actually sit there -and let Norma go to work on Carolyn. Man's inhumanity to man was a pale -and insignificant affair compared to the animal ferocity of a woman -about to settle up a long-standing account with another woman. - -His curiosity got the better of him. He sauntered down the stairs. -Norma stood before the bound Carolyn, her eyes glassy and her -face impersonal. In one hand she held a small bottle of acid from -Farradyne's workshop and in the other hand she held a little pointed -glass-bristle brush. As Farradyne came down the stairs, Norma dipped -the brush in the acid and approached Carolyn, holding the brush as she -would a pencil. - -Farradyne said, "Wait." - - * * * * * - -Norma looked at him. "Don't stop me," she said. "I'm going to write -'Hellflower' across that alabaster forehead." - -Farradyne shuddered. His imagination had stopped working at the point -of removing fingernails and applying cigarettes to the skin. Now it -leaped forward. A formerly flawless skin covered with scar-tissue -lettering of accusals, viciousness, and probably lewdness. - -"Are you ready to talk?" Farradyne asked Carolyn. - -"I'll talk. I'll talk because you'll never get a chance to use the -information." - -"You talk, and I'll take my chances on that." - -Norma frowned. "Please, Farradyne?" - -"Maybe later," he said soothingly. "Go sit down and wait." - -Norma turned and headed for the divan. - -"Spill it," he said to Carolyn. "What the hell's going on, and why?" - -"This is war," she said. - -"Like hell it's war. This is backstabbing. But it'll be war as soon as -we can fight back." - -"It is war," she repeated. "The process should not be unfamiliar to -you; you've done it yourselves time and again. First you weaken the -enemy by undermining his resources, by lowering his resistance, by -turning his efforts towards advancement against some stumbling block. -Then--" - -"I presume that doping the women of a race with hellflowers is an -honorable practise?" sneered Farradyne. - -"It is better than dropping a mercurite bomb. We got to interstellar -space first and met another people as racially jealous as we are: your -people. We could have made a landing openly, but if we had, the warfare -you're threatening would have happened long ago. And there would be -nothing left of either of our people but smouldering planets to mark -the meeting-place of two stellar peoples." - -"You can say this, knowing that no Solan has the barest inkling of how -this doodad in the hold can permit us to travel faster than light?" - - * * * * * - -Carolyn looked at him contemptuously. "You're an idealist, Charles," -she said. "I'll tell you what would happen. You'd greet us with cheers -and invite us in--long enough to steal our warp-generator. You'd trade -us your medical science for our chemistry and your electronics for our -gravities, and then you'd meet us face to face to prove to yourselves -that even though you got a second-place start, you could move faster -and hit harder than we could. You'd carry your war to us, and we'd -carry our war to you, and there would be cause and effect, and attack -and retaliation, with each blow a bit more vicious until your people -would be planting mercurite at the same time we were. And then, as I -say, the next interstellar race to visit this region of the sky would -find the radioactive remains of two ex-cultures. I know, because both -our people come of the same stock." - -"All right," he snapped. "So you've justified your actions to yourself." - -"_Of course._ Everybody is self-justified." - -"And you justify the doping of our race by calling it better than -meeting us face to face." - -"Remember your own history. Even before the First Atomic War everybody -realized that warfare was a bankrupt measure, to be undertaken only -after all else failed. You conducted your conflicts under cover, by -boring from within, by undermining the national structure. Similarly, -when your people have been lowered in resistance, we shall move in -quietly and make of you an asset to our economy, instead of a ruined -structure that must be helped." - -"Wonderful. However, I don't cotton to the idea of being an abject -supplicant to your superior kind." - -There was a yelp from behind him and he whirled to see Norma Hannon -about to letter something on Brenner's forehead. - -He raced across the floor and caught her hand just before the -acid-laden brush touched Brenner's skin. "Norma," he said quietly. -"Don't." - -She looked up at him reproachfully. "You promised me--" - -"Later." - -"That's what you're always saying," she complained. "Then all you do is -talk a lot of guff with that female over there." - -"Okay. I forgot." He turned to Brenner. "Next question: how do we -navigate that ka-dodie of yours?" - -Brenner laughed harshly. "You know so much, why don't you go ahead and -try it?" - -"Now, Farradyne?" pleaded Norma. - -"Not yet. I'm going to try his suggestion." Farradyne inspected the -tapings and satisfied himself. Then he turned toward the stairway. - -"Wait," said Brenner testily. "Take her with you, dammit. I don't want -my face lettered with words found in washrooms." - -"Somehow it seems appropriate." - -"All right. The toggle fades the generator on and off. The red button -stops the equipment. The green button is for start. Wait until the -meter reads in the upper block before using the toggle. The speed for -this particular equipment is approximately two light years per hour in -Solarian measurement. We're about six hours from Sol now. Go ahead and -run us close to Sol so we can finish this gambit." - - * * * * * - -Farradyne took Norma by the hand and led her up the stairs. She -protested and hung back--but once in the control room, she crossed -briskly and turned the intercom so that sound from the salon would come -through clear and strong, but sound from the control room would not -go out. Then she turned from the panel and faced Farradyne with the -beginning of a soft smile on her face. - -"That was the hardest job I've ever had," she breathed. - -Visibly, she relaxed. An aliveness came around her eyes and her mouth -spread into a brief smile. She snapped her bottle of acid into one of -the many spring-holds in the control room. Then she walked over to the -co-pilot's seat and dropped into it. She rested, with her head tilted -back. - -Farradyne watched with puzzlement. "Norma," he asked, "how long after a -sniff of love lotus does the effect last?" - -"Seldom more than an hour. I have been free of it for quite some time." - -"But you had a hell of a dose." - -She took a deep breath. "I could feel it leaving," she said. "The -effects faded after you took the flower out of my hair, but instead of -fading away with a dulling of the senses, the urges I felt diminished -without leaving me emotionless. I think I'm cured of it." - -Farradyne recoiled a bit. - -"No, Charles, this is no trick. This is not an attempt to lead you on. -I'm cured, I think, honestly." - -"But how?" - -"One thing no one has tried is to place the addict in a veritable bath -of the things. Perhaps that did it--an overdose--Anyway, it's wonderful -to feel normal again." She sat up in the chair and leaned toward him. -She reached for his hand and drew him forward and kissed him on the -lips. For a moment they clung together, then she moved away from him -slowly. "It's all back again," she said quietly. "The quickened pulse -and the pleasant tingle. I'm a woman again, Charles. Let's go home so I -can enjoy it." - -It was almost too good to be true--but it had to be. - -Farradyne gave her hand a squeeze. "Done!" he said. His other hand -lifted the cross-bar toggle, and the pressure of the springed seats -threw them up against their hold-down straps. - -Two light years an hour. Farradyne ran the Lancaster for exactly six -hours and then cut the superdrive. Together, they inspected the heavens -and found a brilliant yellow star on their quarter. Farradyne turned -the Lancaster to face it and raised the toggle slowly; Sol changed -color, racing toward the blue and the violet first, then turning a dull -red and raising through the spectrum again until it became violet once -more. It went through another spectrum-change and grew in size like -a toy balloon hitched to a high-pressure air line, until its flare -frightened the pilot. He shoved the toggle down and Sol winked back -into the familiar disc of blinding white, about the size as seen from -Mars. - -Farradyne oriented himself, consulted the spaceman's ephemeris and -pointed at a large unwinking point. "Home," he said. - -Two light years an hour. Farradyne went to the computer and made -some calculations. He returned, pointed the Lancaster at Terra and -flicked the toggle up and down, counting off a few seconds for drive. -Sol whiffled past, changing in color as its position changed in the -astrodome; and when Farradyne drove the toggle down, Terra was a -distinct disc in the sky above them. - - - - - XXV - - -Farradyne said, "Norma, hike below and see that our visitors stay taped -to their chairs. I'm going to land this crate without interference." - -Norma nodded and went down to the salon. "They're still penned," she -reported over the Intercom. - -Farradyne said "Aye-firm," and then made his first ranging-radar -contact with Terra. He set his declaration drive accordingly and the -integrator-needle crept over to the center-scale zero, informing -Farradyne that zero separation from the surface of the spaceport would -result in zero velocity of the Lancaster. - -Then Farradyne fired up the radio and called: "Washington Tower. This -is a Lancaster Eighty-One requesting landing instructions. Registry Six -Eight Three. Farradyne piloting." - -"Tower to Six-Eight-Three. Take Beacon Nine at one twenty thousand, -Landing Area Five. Traffic is zero-zero, but eight, repeat, eight, -Spaceguard cutters are in formation at sixty thousand." The voice -changed in tone slightly. "Spaceguard, Code Watchung. Calling Watchung." - -"Watchung to Tower, go ahead." - -"Tower. Watchung, ware away from Beacon Nine. Lancaster Eighty-One -coming in. Give position and course." - -"Watchung to Tower: position azimuth six-seven zero, altitude sixty -thousand, distance nine miles. Course twenty-seven North azimuth. Will -miss Beacon Nine by thirty-three miles. Recheck?" - -"Recheck and aye-firm, Watchung. Tower to Six-Eight-Three: did you -follow that?" - -"Aye-firm!" called Farradyne. - -"Watchung to Six-Eight-Three: pilot identify yourself." - -"Pilot Farradyne here, Watchung." - -"Aye-firm. Watchung Five, assume command of Six, Seven, and Eight. Take -alert pattern at two hundred thousand feet and stand by, Watchung Two, -Three, and Four compute and take closing course on Six-Eight-Three and -convoy to Landing Area Five. Farradyne, prepare to accept convoy." - -"Deny, Watchung. Request reason." - -"Prepare to accept inspection, Six-Eight-Three." - -Farradyne growled angrily and dropped the radio formalities. "Why?" he -snapped. - -"You are suspected of hauling a cargo of love lotus. Prepare to stand -inspection upon landing." - -From down in the salon came the sound of cynical laughter. Brenner -said, "We'll let your own people punish you, Farradyne. Hellblossom -running, resisting arrest, kidnaping, operating with a forged license, -a ship with a questionable registry!" - -Farradyne knew what Brenner meant. Taped tight in his ship were -Carolyn Niles, daughter of one of Mercury's leading citizens, and a -schoolteacher named Hughes. There would be a lot of other witnesses -prepared to perjure him into three hundred years of hard labor on -Titan. He wondered how the enemy managed this; certainly they had not -been prepared to lose their captured spacecraft so quickly. Yet the -counter-preparations looked as though such an eventuality had been -expected. - -"Six-Eight-Three, respond!" - -Farradyne snapped his mike-switch and said, "I resent the accusation, -and demand an explanation!" - -"There is no accusation, Farradyne. We have an anonymous tip-off. You -are not accused of illegal operations, only suspect. Will you permit -inspection?" - -"No!" snapped Farradyne. "Deny!" - -"Code Watchung: intercept Six-Eight-Three! Prepare to fire." - -"Fire and be damned," said Farradyne in a growl. His hand reached for -the toggle and shoved it home for ten seconds. When he turned the -ultradrive off, they were far a-space and the radio was silent. - -"Give it up, Charles," said Carolyn from below. - -"Go to hell!" - -Brenner said, "You might as well, Farradyne. No matter how you figure -it, you'll either be grabbed by your own people or get picked up by -ours. We can't lose." - - * * * * * - -Going below, Farradyne faced them. "And what happens if I dump you out -of the spacelock and your cargo of hellflowers with you?" - -"You could do that to Cahill," said Carolyn, "because Cahill was not -registered as a paying passenger. I am, and when the authorities find -me missing you'll be called to account." - -"Just what do you suggest?" Farradyne asked. - -"Surrender and turn this ship over to us. You will be detained as a -prisoner of war and imprisoned among your own kind." - -"Doing what kind of prison labor? Growing hellflowers?" - -"Not at all. That, we wouldn't consider ethical." - -"It's a cockeyed code of ethics you jerks have," growled Farradyne. "I -suppose you want a gold medal for doping our women instead of dropping -mercurite bombs and killing them." - -"Let's not discuss ethics now. Surrender, and you'll be placed on a -Terra-conformed planet, with every freedom among your own kind except -the right to space flight." - -"No, thanks," said Farradyne dryly. "I had four years of slogging in a -fungus marsh. I'm disinclined to give up after one miss. It--" - -"Charles!" cried Norma through the squawk-box. "Radar trace!" - -Farradyne turned and raced up the stairs just in time to see the long -green line of the radar settling down to a solid signal-pip at the -extreme end. He flipped the switch that coupled the telescope to the -radar and looked through the eye-piece. At the extreme range of the -radar beam was a spacecraft, either the same starship that had chased -him before or its sister ship. It was closing in fast. - -Farradyne dropped into his chair and snapped the belt. He turned the -Lancaster by ninety degrees and grasped the toggle on the ultradrive. -Ten seconds later he resumed normal flight for a few seconds and then, -at another angle, used the ultradrive again. - -He paused long enough to take his space bearing, and then plunged the -ship down between the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn, far to the South of -the ecliptic. - -"Norma," he asked quietly, "who is Howard Clevis' boss?" - -"Howard reports to Solon Forester directly." - -"Oh, fine," groaned Farradyne. "Getting to the Solon is no picnic. How -do we go about it?" - - * * * * * - -A flick of color caught his eye and he turned to look at the radar. The -line had wiggled slightly and as he watched, its extreme end formed -into a signal-pip. Farradyne looked through the telescope and saw the -starship again--or another one. Whether they had one with supervelocity -tracking methods, or several hundred covering the solar system like an -interception net, it made no difference. The enemy was on his trail. - -Farradyne played with the high-space drive again and cut some more -didoes back and forth across space, ending up this time not too far -from Mercury. - -From below there came a rapid conversation in multi-tones, like someone -dusting off the keys on a pipe organ played in mute. - -Farradyne swore, and then he sat there looking at the big chronometer -on the wall, counting off the seconds. Seventy of them went under the -sweep hand before the radar trace hiked up into the same, familiar -extreme-range warning. - -Deliberately, Farradyne turned his ship towards Terra and hit the -ultradrive. "They called me a hot-pants pilot," he gritted. - -Yellow-green Terra raced up and up and up through the spectrum -and burst in size from an unwinking pinpoint of light to a -shockingly-large disc that zoomed towards them. They saw its roundness -come out of the sky in a myriad of colors until it filled the dome -above them. Norma screamed; but by the time her voice had stopped -echoing through the control room, Terra was past them by a good many -miles of clean miss, and Farradyne had cut the ultradrive. He grunted -unhappily because he was now as far from Terra on the other side as -he had been before he took the chance. This mad use of the enemy -ultradrive in ducking around the solar system was like trying to make a -fifty-ton clamshell digger split a cigarette paper. At two light years -per hour, their speed was enough to take them from Sol to Pluto in one -second flat. He could not control it finely enough to do more than zoom -off out of sight of the starship. - -Farradyne shrugged, and patted Norma on the shoulder. "I doubt that my -aim is good enough to hit the thing," he said. He turned the Lancaster -end for end abruptly and tried a quick flick of the toggle. Once more -Terra leaped at them, a swirling kaleidoscope of color, looming into -monster size and then flicking past. - -When they came out of it, Terra was behind them by a few million miles. -Farradyne thought for a moment. "Maybe we--" he reached out and pressed -the red button on the auxiliary panel--"are being tracked by the -generator doodad they put below." - -"But what are we going to do now?" - -"Hit for Terra!" - - - - - XXVI - - -Farradyne set the drive for Terra and then sat there, tense and -waiting. The radar wiggled into its warning trace, almost dead ahead. - -They moved to intercept him, but Farradyne raised the drive to four -gravities and plunged on. The starship grew, and behind it Terra grew. -The radio burst into sound and Farradyne grabbed the microphone and -said, "Come and get me, fellows!" - -"Stop," came the demand, "or we fire!" - -"I've been fired at by experts," said Farradyne. "Start a -shooting-match out here and you'll have all of Terra wondering why the -fireworks." - -"Stop!" - -Farradyne touched a lever. "Maybe you'd like to polish a few rivets?" - -The Lancaster turned ever so slightly until the starship was directly -on the point-of-drive. His other hand touched the drive and the -acceleration increased a bit. Caustically, Farradyne said, "Go ahead -and shoot! You'll find your own living room full of by-products if you -do!" - -He was right. The Lancaster was on collision course with the starship -and if the Lancaster was blasted at this moment, shards and fragments -of the spacecraft would spread like a shotgun charge. If the starship -escaped being hit with a rather uncomfortably large mass of jagged -metal it would be sheer luck. - -"Veer off!" came the strident cry. - -The starship moved aside. Farradyne's hands levered his handles with a -velvet touch and the starship of the enemy returned to the cross-hairs. - -"Veer off!" - -"I'm going to ram, goddam you!" roared Farradyne. - -The starship flared at its tail and at the same time a torpedo-port -winked as a missile blasted-off. Farradyne gauged the missile and the -starship and kept his nose on the starship's lead. Gritting his teeth, -he watched the missile come at him; and at the last moment the missile -veered aside, obviously controlled. It was a war of nerves; the enemy -did not dare hit him at this moment and on this course, but they hoped -to scare him. - -The starship loomed big in the astrodome and Farradyne aimed the -Lancaster amidships. The interstellar monster grew rapidly until the -individual plates could be seen; then with a silent, dark flicker that -was as shocking as a loud blast and a searing flare of light might have -been, the starship ceased to exist as an obstacle in front of them. The -enemy had resorted to the ultradrive. The sky was clear-- - -Except for the missile, seeking them and with no control to stop it. - -It had curved in a vast circle behind them and was now closing in on a -curving course. - -Dead ahead was Terra, looming huge; the tactic of the enemy was clear. -In order to escape the missile Farradyne would have to drive hard and -long, which would carry him far beyond Terra and into the hands of -another enemy ship on the other side of home. To turn and attempt a -landing would be to invite atomic death in the depths of space far -above the planet. - -He chuckled, and Norma looked at him wonderingly. - -"Get set for some terrific acceleration," he said. "Hunker down in the -seat!" - - * * * * * - -His hands ran across the board. The Lancaster turned slightly and the -drive went up and up. The flare brightened and lengthened behind them, -aimed at the missile below. - -The missile followed its homing gear and came speeding up the -reaction-flare. The Lancaster drive was a reaction motor, a rocket with -a reaction mass of water heated by the atomic pile to an energy that -cracked the water down to sheer gamma and particle radiation and tossed -it rearward into a condition where the word 'heat' has no meaning -unless there is some body able to absorb the ravening energy. - -The missile absorbed the energy. - -Its nose melted and its homing circuits mingled with the flare of the -Lancaster's drive; then there was a minute puff as the missile was -consumed before its atomics could be joined in fission. - -Farradyne cut the drive and took a deep breath; but his relief didn't -last long. Terra was before him, a monstrous blue-green globe just to -one side--close--close-- - -Beyond, the enemy ship was waiting. - -The thin scream of atmosphere cried at their ears and there came -a braking pressure that threw them against their seat straps. The -accelerometer went crazy, reaching for the peg-stop on the left. - -The blood rushed to their heads and Farradyne fought the pressure that -tried to raise his arms. - -Then the screaming stopped as the Lancaster passed beyond the -atmosphere into space again. Farradyne hit the drive hard again. - -But if the enemy was expecting him to come past on a line-course, they -were wrong. The touch of the upper air, thin as it was, had deflected -the Lancaster's course into a long ellipse and hurled the ship far -to one side of the expected line of flight. The course wound out and -around and back and plunged the ship into the upper air again. Terra -rotated madly below and then dropped beneath the level of the edge of -the control room dome as the Lancaster speared out into space once -more. Again they went out and around and down into the upper air, and -this time they went around in a tight ellipse with the air screaming at -them all the way. Four times around Terra they went, and then Farradyne -turned the tail of the Lancaster straight down and started to drop like -a plummet. - -He was kept busy checking the controls and the autopilot and the -computing radar altimeter as he aimed the Lancaster for the southern -edge of Lake Superior; they came down in a screaming fall like a -meteorite. - -The flare parted the waters of the lake and sent up a billow of steam -for about a hundredth of a second. Then the autopilot cut the drive and -the violence ceased as the Lancaster sank into the deep cool waters, to -stop, to come rising buoyantly towards the surface again. - - * * * * * - -Farradyne hit the switch that opened the scuttlebutt of the water -tanks and the lake waters rushed in, killing buoyancy. - -The astrodome porpoised once, gently, and then the Lancaster sank very -slowly. Farradyne waited until the ship was resting tail down on the -bottom; then he turned it slightly to one side and opened the drive by -a bare fraction. Water churned below them and the ship moved loggily -sidewise, towards the shore. He spent an hour testing and trying the -depth along the shore until he found a place that was just deep enough -to let the Lancaster stand upright with its dome an inch or two below -the surface. - -A small fish goggled hungrily at the shining metal. - -Farradyne stretched and said, "We got this far anyway!" - -Norma looked at him dizzily. "How?" - -"My pappy used to tell me about this sort of come-in," he said. "Seems -as how he once knew a gent who had piloted one of the old chemical -rockets that used braking ellipses for landings. That was a heck of a -long time ago, before we had power to burn. Anyway, it wasn't expected, -because we succeeded." - -"Now what?" - -Farradyne tuned the radio to a local broadcast station, and waited, -relaxing in his seat, until the music stopped and the latest news -flashes came on. Then the announcer said, "The system-wide hunt for -Charles Farradyne, the notorious love-lotus operator, still goes on. -The search has been narrowed down to North America because of several -reports, some official and some unofficial, of activity a-space in this -region. - -"Farradyne is also to be charged with complicity in the disappearance -of Howard Clevis, high undercover operative for the Sand Office. It -is believed in some circles that Farradyne may be much higher in the -love-lotus ring than a mere handler or distributor. Some officials have -indicated that Farradyne may be Mister Big, himself. - -"An early interception and arrest is anticipated. Keep tuned to this -station for the latest news." - -The music returned. - - - - - XXVII - - -Brenner said, "Very neat. Glad you made it." His smile was serene, -and it made Farradyne want to push his face in. Brenner grinned at -Farradyne's expression. "I wouldn't like to die in space. Now that -we've landed it's going to be easier to pick you up." - -"No doubt you have your henchmen neatly planted in many of the high -offices. But you can't cover them all." - -"But how can you tell which is which?" laughed Brenner. "And if you -could, how could you prove it? If you should be stupid enough to try -to point out the number of people who are plotting your downfall, who -are trying to apprehend you--dead or alive--you'll sound like a howling -case of paranoia." - -Carolyn stirred and groaned. Farradyne looked at her as she opened her -eyes. "Can't take it, eh? But how you can dish it out!" - -"Where are we?" groaned Carolyn. - -"Wouldn't tell you on a bet," he snapped. "You might be telepathic as -well as multi-tonal. I--" - -Farradyne's eye caught a flicker of motion and he whirled. The other -two men were struggling against the tape that bound their wrists and -ankles; they glared at him over the white strip of tape beneath their -noses, and made three-toned honking noises. - -"Shut up!" roared Farradyne. - -They stopped struggling. - -Brenner said, "Just what do you hope to do?" - -"I've got my ideas." Farradyne lit a cigarette and relaxed. "We'll wait -until dusk to be sure," he said. - -Hourly, the radio went on telling how Farradyne was being cornered. -Radar nets and radio-contact squadrons were scouring the North American -continent with special attention being given to the North Middle-West. -Another report said, "Charles Farradyne, sought for many charges -involving love-lotus operations, is implicated in the disappearance of -Carolyn Niles, according to her family. Her father indicated that Miss -Niles did not return home after a date with the criminal. Be careful! -This criminal is cornered and desperate. He will not hesitate to shoot, -and he may even bomb a village or neighborhood if his freedom is -threatened!" - -Brenner and Carolyn did not even jeer at him. The situation was -obvious; Farradyne and his white flag would be shot to bits before he -could take three steps, let alone make explanations. - -By now it was dark outside. The stars were bright above the dome, and -danced with the motion of the water. To one side a wavy trail passed -across the sky, and high above was the flicker of a space patrol -crossing the sky at fifty or sixty miles. The radio was alive with -reports, and the police bands were busy with their myriad of reports -and directions. Farradyne pricked off their calls on a map, with a -drawing pencil. Ground and air patrols were combing a vast area. For -a very brief interval, Farradyne could hear a distant network in -operation which indicated that the same sort of search was under way in -other districts across the face of the continent. - -He inspected his map and hoped he had them all. Then, very cautiously, -he lifted the nose of the Lancaster above the waterline and eyed his -radar. Pips showed here and there, a couple within a few miles of him. -He waited until they turned away, waited until they went beyond the -radar horizon. - -"Now," said Farradyne for all of them to hear. "I can't do this job -fair, so I'll do it foul!" - -Using just enough power to waft the Lancaster into the air, Farradyne -placed the ship in a gully a few hundred yards from a state highway. -The trees covered it from direct observation at night and the flat -hills and ravines would cover it from radar detection. - - * * * * * - -It was almost two o'clock in the morning when a lonely moving van came -along the highway. The brakes screeched as the driver caught sight of -a crumpled body lying by the road. Redness smeared along a length of -white thigh, uncovered by a ripped skirt. More redness dribbled wetly -from a corner of Norma's mouth. The driver piled out of one door and -his helper from the other. They ran to kneel by the woman's side. - -Then they smelled the ketchup and stood up, raising their hands -promptly in anticipation of the command. - -"That's not blood spilled," said the driver loudly. "Let's keep it that -way, whoever you are." - -The driver's helper said, "This is a bum job, friend. We're carting -second-hand furniture, not gold." - -"I don't want your load," said Farradyne, stepping into the glare of -the headlights while Norma got up and dusted herself off. "I want your -truck." - -They looked at him and he saw recognition in their faces. Probably -every newscast had his picture presented in full color. - -"What's the next move, Farradyne?" asked the driver in a surly tone. -"Do we take the high jump?" - -"No, I just want your truck. Driver, what's your name?" - -"Morgan. This is Roberts." - -"Morgan, you drive the truck down into that ravine, and Roberts will -play hostage. Get it?" - -"Behave, Al," pleaded Roberts. - -"I will, but I think we'll get bumped anyway." - -Morgan got into the truck and drove it slowly from the road, down -through the trees, until they came to the Lancaster. Both men goggled -at the ship parked there, and Farradyne, who had walked alongside with -Roberts and Norma, let them look at it for a moment. Then he waved his -gun. "Unload it," he said sharply. - -It took them an hour to move the load from the truck to the ground, and -Farradyne spent that hour in nervous watching. He could not trust them -not to make a break, nor could he hope to explain. When the van was -emptied, he faced Roberts against it and said, "Norma, tape Morgan's -hands behind him; then Roberts'. Then we unload our cargo." - - * * * * * - -The two truckmen glowered as the conveyor belt came out of the cargo -lock and the white hellflower blossoms tumbled along it to drop into -the back of the van. Farradyne left them sitting there on the ground -after the loading was finished. He and Norma went into the salon and he -faced Brenner. "Better take this quietly," he said. - -The radio made him pause: - -"Ladies and gentlemen, the late news: the system-wide search for -Charles Farradyne is hurrying to a close. Indications are now that the -infamous love-lotus chief is hiding in the Lake Superior Region, and -all forces are being hurried to that area to create the most leakproof -dragnet in the history of man's man-hunts. A special session of the -planning committee of the Solar Anti-Narcotic Department has been -called to deal with the problem. Any information pertaining to Charles -Farradyne may be delivered by picking up your telephone and calling -Sand, One-thousand. - -"This information is being disseminated freely. We know that Farradyne -is listening to this broadcast, and the Sandmen have instructed all -radio stations and networks to deliver the following announcement: - -"To Charles Farradyne: A reward of fifty thousand dollars has been -offered for your capture dead or alive. You cannot escape. The forces -that are blanketing the Lake Superior Area are being augmented hourly -by additional men and _matériel_ brought in from all corners of the -solar system. You will be arrested and brought to trial for your life. -However, the reward of fifty thousand dollars will be turned over to -you to be used in your own defense if you surrender at once." - -Farradyne grunted. "Very tasty dish," he said sourly. "Very competent -people you have, boys and girl. Someone really thought that one out -most thoroughly. Can you picture me walking up to a patrol and saying, -'Fellers, I've come to give myself up so I can have the reward.' And -then I'd go in, sure enough--on a shutter, and the patrol would divide -the loot. To hell with you, we'll play it my way. Norma, go ahead." - -Norma slipped off one high-heeled shoe and advanced upon Brenner. The -enemy agent tried to shy away, but Farradyne went over and caught his -head between the palms of the hands and held Brenner fixed. Norma swung -the slipper and crashed the heel against Brenner's jaw. - -Brenner slumped, and the heelprint on his jaw oozed a dribble of blood -mixed with mud. - -Farradyne slung Brenner over his shoulder and carried the inert man -out. He propped Brenner in the helper's seat and handed Norma into the -driver's seat. He stood on the running-board and watched Norma strip -the tape from Brenner's wrists and replace it with fresh tape from the -truck's own first-aid kit. - -"The ankles too," he warned her. "You've got to cover up the -tape-burns." - -Norma taped Brenner's ankles. Then she looked up at Farradyne. "I'm -shaky." - -"I know," he said. "But you've got to hold yourself together until this -gambit is played out." - -She smiled wanly. "That's what's holding me together," she told him. -"Charles, wish me luck?" - -He leaned into the truck window and put his lips to hers. It was a -very pleasant kiss, and while they both knew that this was their first -kiss of real affection and mutual confidence, it lacked a compelling -passion. But for the present it was satisfying, and complete. - -Then Farradyne swung down from the truck with a wave of his hand and -Norma put the big engine in gear with a grind that set his teeth on -edge. - -The truck turned onto the highway and roared off into the night. - -Morgan said, "What do we do now?" - -"We wait in the spacer," Farradyne replied. - - - - - XXVIII - - -They went up the landing ramp and into the salon; the truckmen stopped -short as they saw Carolyn and the other pair. - -"Quite a collection you have here," said Morgan. "Is this Carolyn -Niles?" - -"I am," replied Carolyn. "Aren't you going to do something about it?" - -Morgan showed her his taped wrists. "Not in this garland." - -Farradyne smiled and left them. He went aloft and returned the -Lancaster to the lake. "Now," he said, "we'll wait it out." - -Morgan shook his head. "With the net they've set up you'll never see -your girl or your truck or your hellflowers again." - -"Maybe I want it that way." - -"Oh? Putting the finger on the bird you carted out of here?" - -"Precisely." - -"And how about the dame?" - -Farradyne laughed. "In this cockeyed society of ours," he said, "even a -streetwalker can rip her dress open, point at a man, and holler 'help!' -and half of the community will start yelling 'Lynch the sonofabitch' -without looking too hard at either of them. She'll get by, but it may -go hard with him." - -Morgan and Roberts were scornful, angry, and ready at any instant to -do whatever they could to overcome him. Only the tape kept them from -trying. But on Carolyn's face was an expression of mingled defeat and -admiration. She knew as well as Farradyne that Brenner was in for a -rough time. - -Farradyne lit a cigarette and mixed himself a highball. Carolyn groaned -and tried to flex the wrists that were secured to the arms of the -chair. Morgan growled at the sight of her helplessness and asked if -Farradyne had harmed her. - -Her face took on a cynical smile. "I happen to be immune to love -lotus," she said. - -"Scorpions," said Farradyne, "are immune to their own poison." - - * * * * * - -Once again the radio music faded: "And here is the latest news on -Charles Farradyne: within the past half hour the area of search has -been narrowed down to a tiny ten-mile circle, by the interception of -a moving van laden with love lotus. The arrest was made by a state -highway patrol with the aid of a woman who gave her name as Norma -Hannon. - -"Miss Hannon was in a state of hysterical collapse after days of -imprisonment at the hands of the love-lotus ring, brutal physical -assault, and threats of being forced into love-lotus addiction. The -driver of the truck was carrying a license made out to Walter Morgan, -but information from the Bureau of Identification indicates that Morgan -is also known as Lewis Hughes, a prominent teacher of Ancient History -in a Des Moines school. During the struggle Miss Hannon succeeded in -rendering the criminal unconscious by hitting him on the jaw with her -slipper, after which she taped--" - -Farradyne chuckled. "You see?" - -Morgan grunted: "My license!" - -Roberts cried: "Our truck!" - -Carolyn said, "And what's it got you, Charles?" - -"--the first-aid kit," went on the announcer. "Morgan or Hughes is -being held on a John Doe warrant, charged with love-lotus possession, -abduction, illegal restraint, assault and battery, and driving an -interstate truck with an improper license. - -"Miss Hannon collapsed after driving the truck to within sight of the -dragnet set out for Farradyne. Her statement will be taken by the Sand -Office as soon as she has recovered. The point of hospitalization has -been kept secret by the Sandmen, who are now confident of an early -arrest. Indications are that Hughes or Morgan (also known occasionally -as Carl Brenner) has turned state's evidence and is willing to inform -on his racket-boss Farradyne." - -"Hah!" said Carolyn nastily. - -"Did you a lot of good, didn't it, Farradyne?" snarled Morgan. - -Farradyne ignored Morgan and spoke to Carolyn. "Unless Norma is being -tended by someone of your gang, this is the end, baby." - -She eyed him superciliously. "How long will they believe her after they -discover she's a love-lotus addict herself?" - -"She isn't. She's cured, remember?" - -Carolyn laughed. "Everybody knows there is no cure." - -"And how about our pal Brenner-Hughes-Morgan?" - -"You leave me out of this!" snapped Morgan. - -"Sorry," said Farradyne with a smile. "I didn't mean to include you, -Walter." - -Carolyn said in a confident voice, "Brenner is one of us. He is just as -willing to die for our cause as--" - -A searchlight swept across the lake and its light, refracted downward -from the waves, caught Farradyne's eye. He left them in the salon -and raced up the stairs to the control room. Through the astrodome, -distorted by the water, Farradyne could see the headlamps of the big -truck. The searchbeam crossed the water again and flashed ever so -briefly on the slender rod of the antenna. The truck paused in its -course, the beam swept the woody shore and stopped; then the truck -turned and rumbled off through the trees. - - * * * * * - -The radio music died again. "Ladies and Gentlemen, we are about to -bring you a very unusual program. John Bundy, our special events -newscaster, has joined the forces scouring the Lake Superior region -for Charles Farradyne. Inasmuch as an early arrest is expected, and -possibly a running gun battle, John Bundy will now take the air with an -on-the-spot account. Mr. Bundy: - -"Hello; this is John Bundy. Our convoy of trucks, men, guns, radar, and -radio control resembles a war convoy. We have everything from trench -knives to one-fifty-five rifles aboard as we scour the Northwoods for -the criminal who has been so successful up to this time. We arrived -at a point along Lake Superior which must be close to the point of -Farradyne's operations, according to the information given us by the -arrested truck driver. Sand and mud from Miss Hannon's shoes correspond -to the district. - -"Flying above us now are eight squadron bombers carrying heavy -depth-charges, since Farradyne is believed to be hiding his spacecraft -in the waters of Lake Superior. A submarine from the Great Lakes -Geodetic Survey has been hastily equipped with some ranging sonar -from the War Museum at Chicago and is seeking Farradyne's submerged -spacecraft. It--" - -There came a distant crash in the radio and seconds afterwards the -Lancaster resounded with the thunder of an underwater explosion. - -"One of the depth-charge patterns has been dropped," explained Bundy -excitedly. "Perhaps this is--no, it is not. Sorry. The submarine has -covered the explosion area and reported only an underwater mountain -peak instead of a hidden spacecraft. Nothing will be left unsearched--" - -A thin, pure, ping, of a pitch, so high it was at the upper limit -of Farradyne's hearing, came and lasted for less than a tenth of a -second. It came again in about twenty seconds, and repeated itself in -twenty seconds, and again and again and again. The interval dropped; -the volume of the ping increased noticeably until the singing tinkle, -something like tapping a silver table knife on a fine glass goblet, was -coming fast. - -Ping! Ping! Ping! - -Farradyne looked above and saw the sky-trails of jet bombers, making -ghostly patterns in the night sky. There came another flash of the -searchbeam against the antenna. Ping! _Get through, wherever you are!_ - -Along the shoreline something blossomed with an orange flash. Seconds -later there was an eruption fifty yards from the Lancaster that shook -the big ship hard enough to make the plates groan. A trickle of lake -water oozed through the sealing of the astrodome. - -The pinging came louder. - -Underwater bursts racketed and flashed and hurled their gouts of force -against the Lancaster, coming closer. - -The radio was rambling on and on as John Bundy gave the world a -blow-by-blow description of the action. - -"--to those people who have stood out against the expenditure of monies -for arms and training, I say they should witness this attack upon an -enemy of society. They are evacuating the area, now. Farradyne is -trapped and unless he surrenders within the next half hour, atomic -weapons will be used. And then we will never learn the thoughts of the -mind that has directed the decay of the moral fiber of our people. We -will never know why a man, given the opportunities that many finer men -have been denied, chose as his life's work--" - -Carolyn laughed hysterically and Farradyne went below for a look. - -Morgan and Roberts were waiting on either side of the door; they fell -upon him and pinned him to the deck and held him there, and Carolyn -stood above him gloatingly. - -The Lancaster shook with the throb of depth-charges. - - - - - XXIX - - -Farradyne struggled against his captors. He'd been as blind a fool as -he always had been, to let them sit there together. "Let me up!" he -stormed. "Let me up so we can escape--" - -"Shut the hell up!" - -Farradyne struggled. - -There was a blasting roar that stunned them all; it shook the Lancaster -viciously. The trickle-sound of water through the astrodome was -covered by the ear-splitting thunder, but when the tumult died the -trickle had become a full stream that came running down the control -room stairway in a cataract. - -There came another blast, closer still. The lights flickered as the -shock of the ship snapped the relays back and forth. Carolyn cried, -"Hurry!" - -The enemy pilot, lame and cramped from hours of being taped, struggled -up the stairs. A moment later, deep in the ship, relays and circuit -breakers clicked home. - -Farradyne roared, "You fools! Stop that guy aloft! Why do you think I -sent Norma Ha--" - -Morgan cuffed him backhanded and drove his head hard against the deck. -His senses reeled and the sheer physical shock of the next burst made -his head roll from side to side. - -An upsurge of pressure told Farradyne that the enemy pilot had started -to take off from the lake bottom. Flashes of bursting explosive -winked at the ports; then the blasts came less shockingly loud as the -Lancaster hiked into the open air. - -Farradyne fought himself awake. "Let him escape and we--" - -Carolyn's shrill laugh drowned his weak voice. - - * * * * * - -The radio went on, as accursedly unanswerable as always: - -"Farradyne's spacecraft has been trapped and fired upon, and now has -been flushed from cover. The criminal is hoping to flee through the -most thorough sky-cover that has ever been assembled. He cannot hope -to win through, ladies and gentlemen. I wish we had video here in the -early morning light, so that you could see this vivid spectacle of the -eternal battle between the forces of good and evil! - -"But we'll all be there when Farradyne goes down to the death in flame -he so richly deserves. Above him now are the jet bombers and above them -are squadron upon squadron of Terran Space Guard ships, and above them -lie the Interplanetary Space Guard to fire the final coup de grace if -Farradyne can run this gauntlet of righteous wrath that far. - -"His flare trail is dimmed by the pinpoints of flashing death that -seek him out. On every side of me are ships spewing torpedoes, guided -missiles with target-seeking radar in their sleek noses, that will end -this reign of terror once they find their mark. It--" - -The radio clicked audibly and a forceful voice came on: - -"Attention! Attention all listeners! Attention Spacecraft Lancaster -and Charles Farradyne! This is the office of The Secretary of Solar -Defense, Undersecretary Marshall White speaking. All persons, whether -official or unofficial, whether citizen or military, are hereby charged -with the safety of Charles Farradyne and the Lancaster model Eighty -One in Farradyne's possession. This is a 'Cease Fire' order. All -persons are hereby ordered to offer Charles Farradyne whatever he may -request in the nature of manpower, machinery, supplies, protection, -and safe-conduct; so that he may deliver his spacecraft to the Terran -Arsenal at Terra Haute, Indiana." - -Morgan scowled at Farradyne. - -Carolyn cried, "Friends in the high places!" - -The undersecretary's voice went on: "Within the hour, Miss Norma -Hannon, onetime associate of Howard Clevis, undercover agent attached -to this office on free duty, has presented irrevocable evidence to -show that the love-lotus operations have been part and parcel of -an unsuspected plot against humanity by denizens of an extra-solar -culture. Since Farradyne's spacecraft contains the only known device -enabling matter to exceed the velocity of light, its delivery to the -Arsenal is deemed Top Priority. All persons are charged--" - -Farradyne shrugged himself out of the grip of the truckmen. "Get the -hell aloft and grab that bastard running the ship!" he snarled at them. - - * * * * * - -The other enemy rushed forward. Roberts caught a hard fist on the jaw -and reeled back. Farradyne chopped in a wide swing with the edge of -his hand and sent the enemy back against the little bar in the salon. -Morgan looked stunned, but he turned and started for the stairway at a -dead run. - -"So I couldn't get through?" asked Farradyne bitterly. "So I'm licked?" - -Carolyn looked at him, but said nothing. The stillness outside was -so marked that her silence was almost painful after the noise of the -bombardment. - -Then she shrugged. "You poor fool! You've just bought your own doom." - -"So," said Farradyne, "by digging out the rats that gnaw at our roots -we've toppled our tree?" - -Carolyn nodded soberly. "We'd hoped to win you by stealth, but we're -prepared. The starships are loaded with mercurite right now." - -"I hate to start quoting Patrick Henry," snapped Farradyne. "So I'll -just suggest that you think over the reason why they want me at the -Arsenal." - -She looked at him. - -"We've always been handy with a screwdriver," he said. "Our race. And -we know we couldn't copy this drive before the mercurite starts to -fall. But there is enough time to load up my Lancaster and take it -out." He roared with harsh laughter. "You didn't mind dying if you -could take me with you. Well, maybe Solans won't mind dying if we can -rid the universe of a bunch of lice, either." - -"And what alternative do you offer?" she whispered, white-faced. - -"Complete surrender," he snarled. "Complete surrender!" And then he -recalled the history he had been forced to learn as a schoolboy: -history, a subject of dry dates and dry events, a factual symposium -of war and war and war--of conflict and hatred and death. Then had -come the realization of Peace, which started to turn the course of -history from attack and reprisal, and war and defeat, and victor and -vanquished. A just peace, started in the Twentieth Century, which -ended oppression and subjection. - -Farradyne looked at Carolyn with a cynical smile. "We demand -unconditional surrender," he said bitterly. "Then we move in and number -off your people. With a careful tally of our own losses, we choose -a similar number from a fish-bowl. So many men to be cold-bloodedly -murdered. So many virgins to be ravished. So many wives left without -husbands, and so many husbands left without wives. Children to -such-and-such a number left homeless, and a certain quantity made to -stand in the street so that automobiles can run them down." His voice -rose to a roar. "Damn it, woman, do you think we're vultures? You've -pushed us around for fifty years, but now you know damned well that we -have what it takes to kick back." His voice fell back to normal, even -lower, as he said, "It's me asking you, now. What'll you have?" - -She looked at him. "What am I?" she asked, just as quietly as he. "A -species of louse to be pinched out, or an adversary vanquished? An -un-victorious warrior?" - -"You're what you want to be." - -Carolyn turned and went up the stairs to the control room where Morgan -was standing behind the pilot with a strong hammerlock closed tight. -Farradyne was close behind her. - -"I'll be the defeated warrior," she said. She uttered three words -in her native sing-song and the man in the pilot's chair stopped -struggling. She went to the radio and picked up the microphone and -started to broadcast. - -It was a long series of staccato sounds that were sometimes musical and -just as often discordant, as the tones rose and fell seemingly without -pattern. Then she turned to face Farradyne. - -"You win. Again you win," she told him. "Somehow you always do, and -maybe--maybe--I'm glad it's over!" - -Tears spilled down her cheeks as she stumbled away from him. - - * * * * * - -Farradyne looked down at the face, as pale and wan as the hospital -sheets. Her eyes opened slowly and saw him. Her smile was genuine, but -far from robust. Farradyne squeezed her hand gently and said, "Relax, -Norma. It's all over." - -"You're sure?" - -"As sure as any man can be. There's been a batch of meetings and -conferences, and lots and lots of gold braid and striped trousers. I -got strictly left behind when the top-level boys moved in. So now all -you have to do is get well." - -Her eyes were large and hurt-animal luminous. "I know. It's not the -excitement. It's the cure. I had to hang on to my nervous system too -long after being freed, they tell me. It's left me washed-out--but I'll -be all right, Charles." - -"Good. You've got to be." - -"You talk," she said. "I'm--tell me what happened?" - -"First thing, they sat on the guys that were in the Lancaster with -Carolyn and among them they discovered a space engineer. They held -them as hostages against my return, and several of us went to Lyra -with Carolyn as interpreter. We made 'em cough up Clevis and about -thirty-five other boys who'd been too smart for them to let free. It's -all been concluded nicely. I have my license back for honest, and just -between you and me, I have enough contracts already to make a mint of -moola out of the interstellar business. I can buy more spacers soon, -and then I can let someone else go a-spacing. Maybe I'd like to retire, -honey--" - -She looked up at him and smiled. "Is that a proposal of marriage?" - -He nodded. - -Norma pulled him down and gave him her lips. Then as he stood up again, -he saw that her eyes were filled with tears. - -"Norma--?" he said plaintively. - -"Charles, it wouldn't work." - -"But--" - -Norma smiled gently through her tears. "Not that, Charles," she said. -"You were thinking about Frank, and the years of hate. Since then I've -come to know you and admire you, but I can't really love you. I--" - -He saw something glow momentarily in her eyes and he waited patiently. - -"Howard is a strong man," she said simply. "He used Frank, and then he -used me, and finally he used you. And hellflowers took me away from -Howard, and then they took Howard. And you brought me back and now -you've brought Howard back to me, and--" - -Farradyne interrupted her: "Be happy, baby!" He bent down and kissed -her. Then he turned on his heel and left the room. He paused long -enough in the corridor to shake the vacuum out of his feelings and then -went down to the waiting room. - -"Howard? She's awake and feeling fit, even though weak. A bit of the -sight and touch of you would work wonders. She wants you." - - * * * * * - -Clevis nodded and started for the door. Farradyne caught him by the arm -and turned him around. "Look," he said with a crookedly amused grin, "I -want to be second-best man." - -"Any damned day in the week, Charley," said Howard Clevis. - -Farradyne sat down in a chair and waited. He lit a cigarette and blew -smoke at his toes. Somehow he felt disappointed in himself; he should -have been despondent instead of content. - -And then the plume of smoke curled around a pair of slender ankles and -Farradyne realized what his unfinished business was. - -The waiting room resounded gently with a delicate musical chord, -operatic in quality like a trio of angel, hoyden, and devil singing -a bacchanal. He smiled and looked up at her. "Any damned day in the -week," he promised, getting to his feet. - -Against his face, softly, Carolyn laughed. "But you don't even know my -name!" - -"I'll find out," he promised. 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Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our website which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This website includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/old/69124-0.zip b/old/69124-0.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 4b47585..0000000 --- a/old/69124-0.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/69124-h.zip b/old/69124-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 666cc8b..0000000 --- a/old/69124-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/69124-h/69124-h.htm b/old/69124-h/69124-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index b47f73e..0000000 --- a/old/69124-h/69124-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7057 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Hellflower, by George O. 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Smith</p> -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: The hellflower</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: George O. Smith</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: October 9, 2022 [eBook #69124]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HELLFLOWER ***</div> - -<div class="figcenter x-ebookmaker-drop"> - <img src="images/illusc.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>The HELLFLOWER</h1> - -<h2>A Novel by<br /> -GEORGE O. SMITH</h2> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Startling Stories, May 1952.<br /> -Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br /> -the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>The book had been thrown at Charles Farradyne. Then they had added the -composing room, the printing press, and the final grand black smear -of printer's ink. So when Howard Clevis located Farradyne working in -the fungus fields of Venus four years later, Farradyne was a beaten -man who no longer burned with resentment because he was all burned -out. Farradyne looked up dully when Clevis came into the squalid -rooming-house.</p> - -<p>"I am Howard Clevis," said the visitor.</p> - -<p>"Fine," mumbled Farradyne. "So what?" He looked at one of the few white -shirts in a thousand miles and grunted disapprovingly.</p> - -<p>"I've got a job for you."</p> - -<p>"Who do you want killed?"</p> - -<p>"Take it easy. You're the Charles Farradyne who—"</p> - -<p>"Who dumped the Semiramide into The Bog ... and you're Santa Claus, -here to undo it?"</p> - -<p>"This is on the level, Farradyne."</p> - -<p>Farradyne laughed shortly, but the sound was all scorn and no humor. -While the raw bark was still echoing in the room, he added, "Can it, -Clevis. With a thousand licensed spacemen handy everywhere, willing to -latch onto an honest buck, any man that comes halfway across Venus to -offer Farradyne a job can't be on the level."</p> - -<p>Clevis eyed Farradyne calculatingly. "I should think you might enjoy -the chance."</p> - -<p>"It doesn't look good."</p> - -<p>Clevis smiled calmly. He had the air of a man who knew what he was -doing. He was medium tall, with a sprinkle of gray in his hair and -determined lines near the eyes and across the forehead. There was -character in his face, strong and no doubt about it. "I'm here, -Farradyne, just because of the way it looks. But the fact is that I -need you. I know you're bitter, but—"</p> - -<p>"Bitter!" roared Farradyne, getting to his feet and stalking across the -squalid room towards Clevis. "Bitter? My God! They haul me home on a -shutter so they can give me a fair trial before they kick me out. You -don't think I like it in this rat hole, do you?"</p> - -<p>"No, I don't. But listen, will you?"</p> - -<p>"Nobody listened to me, why should I listen to you?"</p> - -<p>"Because I have something to say," said Clevis pointedly. "Do you want -to hear it?"</p> - -<p>"Go ahead."</p> - -<p>"I'm Howard Clevis of the Solar Anti-Narcotic Department."</p> - -<p>Farradyne snorted. "Well, I haven't got any. I don't use any. And I -don't have much truck with those that do."</p> - -<p>"Nobody is on trial here—nothing that you say can be used in any -way. That's why I came alone. Look ... if I were in your shoes I'd do -anything at all to get out of this muck-field."</p> - -<p>"Some things even a bum won't do. And I don't owe you anything."</p> - -<p>"Wrong. When you dumped the Semiramide into The Bog four years ago, you -killed one of our best operatives. We need you, Farradyne, and you owe -us for that. Now?"</p> - -<p>"When I dumped the Semiramide no one would listen to me. Do you want to -listen to me now?"</p> - -<p>"No, I don't."</p> - -<p>"I got a raw deal."</p> - -<p>"So did the man you killed."</p> - -<p>"I didn't kill anybody!" yelled Farradyne.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Clevis eyed Farradyne calmly, even though Farradyne was large enough -to take the smaller, older man's hide off if he got angry enough. "I'm -not here to argue that point," said Clevis, "and I don't intend to. -Regardless of how you feel, I'm offering you a chance to get out of -this mess. It's a space job, Farradyne."</p> - -<p>"What makes you think I'll play stool pigeon?"</p> - -<p>"It's no informer's job. It's space-piloting."</p> - -<p>"I'll bet."</p> - -<p>"You bet and I'll cover it a thousand to one."</p> - -<p>Farradyne sat down on the dingy bed and said, "Go ahead and talk, -Clevis. I'll listen."</p> - -<p>Clevis dug into his brief case and brought out a flower. "Do you know -what this is?" he asked, handing the blossom to Farradyne.</p> - -<p>Farradyne looked at it briefly. "It might be a gardenia but it isn't."</p> - -<p>"How can you tell?" asked Clevis eagerly.</p> - -<p>"Only because you wouldn't be coming halfway across Venus to bring me a -gardenia. So that is a love lotus."</p> - -<p>Clevis looked a bit disappointed. "I thought that maybe you might have -some way—"</p> - -<p>"What makes you think I'd know more than a botanist?"</p> - -<p>Clevis smiled. "Spacemen tend to come up with some oddly interesting -specks of knowledge now and then."</p> - -<p>"So far as I know, there's only one way of telling. That's to try it -out. Thanks, I'll not have my fun that way. That's one thing you can't -pin on me."</p> - -<p>"I wouldn't try. But listen, Farradyne. In the past twelve years we -have carefully besmirched the names and reputations of six men, hoping -that they could get on the inside. For our pains we have lost all six -of them one way or another. The enemy seems to have a good espionage -system. Our men roam up and down the solar system making like big time -operators and get nowhere. The love-lotus operators seem to be able to -tell a phony louse when they see one."</p> - -<p>"And I'm a real louse?"</p> - -<p>"You've a convincing record, Farradyne."</p> - -<p>Farradyne shook his head angrily. "Not that kind," he snapped. "Your -pals sloughed off my license and tossed me out on my duff to scratch, -but no one ever pinned the crooked label on me and made it stick."</p> - -<p>"Then why did they take away your license?"</p> - -<p>"Because someone needed a goat."</p> - -<p>"And you are innocent?"</p> - -<p>Farradyne growled hopelessly. "All right," he said, returning to his -former lethargy. "So just remember that I was acquitted, remember? Lack -of evidence. But they took my license and tossed me out of space and -that's as bad as a full conviction. So where am I? I'll stop beating my -gums about it, Clevis."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Clevis smiled quietly. "You were a good pilot, Farradyne. Maybe a bit -too good. You collected a few too many pink tickets for cutting didoes -and collecting women to show off in front of. They'd have marked it -off as an accident if it hadn't been Farradyne. Your record accused -you of being the hot-pants pilot, the fly-fly boy. Maybe that last job -of yours was another dido that caught you. But let's leave the ghost -alone, Farradyne. We need you, Farradyne."</p> - -<p>Farradyne grunted and his lips twisted a bit. He got up from the unmade -bed and went to the scarred dresser to pour a stiff jolt from an -open bottle into a dirty glass. He took a sip and then walked to the -window and stood there, staring out into the dusk and talking, half to -himself. Clevis listened.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2.jpg" alt=""/> - <div class="caption"> - <p>Charles Farradyne.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"I've had my prayer," said Farradyne. "A prayer in a nightmare. A man -fighting against a rigged job, like the girl in the old story who -turned up in her mother's hotel room to find that every evidence of her -mother's existence had been erased. Bellhops, and cab driver, and the -steamship captain, and the hotel register all rigged. Even the police -disbelieved her, remember? Well, that's Farradyne, too, Clevis. My -first error was telling them that someone came into the control room -during landing. They said that no one would do that because everybody -knew the danger of diverting the pilot's attention during a landing. No -one, they said, would take the chance of killing himself; and the other -passengers would stop anybody who tried to go up the stairs at that -time because they knew the danger to themselves.</p> - -<p>"They practically scoffed me into jail when I told them that there were -three people in the room. I couldn't look around, you know. A pilot -might just as well be blindfolded and manacled to his chair during -landing. So I heard three people behind me and couldn't look. All I -could do was to snarl for them to get the hell out. Then we rapped the -cliff and dumped the ship into The Bog, and I got tossed out through -the busted observation dome. They salvaged the Semiramide a few months -later and found only one skeleton in the room. That made me a liar. -Besides the skeleton was of a woman, and then they all nodded sagely -and said, 'Woman? Well, we know our Farradyne!' and I got the works.</p> - -<p>"So," Farradyne sounded bitter once more, "they suspended me and took -away my license. They wouldn't even let me near a spacer; maybe they -thought I might steal one, forgetting that there's no place to hide. -Maybe they thought I'd steal Mars, too. So if I want a drink they ask -me if it's true that jungle juice gives a man hallucinations. If I -light a cigarette I'm asked if it is real laughing grass. If I ask for -a job they want to know how hard I'll work for my liquor. So I end up -in this God-forsaken marsh playing nursemaid to a bunch of stinking -toadstools." Farradyne's voice rose to an angry pitch. "The mold grows -on your hide and under your nails and in your hair and you forget what -it's like to be clean and you lose hope and ambition because you're -kicked off the bottom of the ladder, but you still dream of someday -being able to show the whole damned solar system that you're not the -louse they made you. Then instead of getting a chance, a man comes to -you and offers you a job because he needs a professional bastard with -a bad record—and its damned small consolation, but I'll take it just -to show you and everybody else that I'm not the hot-rock that I've been -called."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Farradyne sniffed at the glass and then threw it into the dirty sink -with a derisive gesture. "I'll ask for a lot of things," he said, -quietly now. "The first thing is for enough money to buy White Star -Trail instead of this rotgut."</p> - -<p>"That can be done, but can you take it?"</p> - -<p>"It'll be hard," admitted Farradyne. "I've been on this diet of soap -and vitriol too long. But I'll do it. Give me a month."</p> - -<p>"I can't offer you much," said Clevis. "But maybe this can be hope for -you: help us clean up the hellblossom gang and you'll do a lot towards -erasing that black mark on your record."</p> - -<p>"Just what's the pitch?"</p> - -<p>Clevis took a small leather folder from his briefcase and handed it -over. Farradyne recognized it as a space-pilot's license before he -opened it. He read it with a cynical smile before he asked, "Where did -you get it?"</p> - -<p>"It's probably the only official forgery in existence. The Solar -Anti-Narcotics Department has a lot of angles to play, Farradyne. -First, that ticket is made of the right paper and printed with the -right type and the right ink because," and Clevis smiled, "it came from -the right office. The big rubber stamp 'Reinstated' is the right stamp -and the initials are put on properly, but not by the right man. The -license will get you into and out of spaceports and all the rest of the -privileges. But it has no listing on the master log at the Bureau of -Space Personnel. So long as you stay out of trouble, the only people -who will check on the validity will be the ones we hope to catch. When -they discover that your ticket is invalid, you may get an offer to join -'em."</p> - -<p>"And in the meantime?"</p> - -<p>"In the meantime you'll be running a spacer in the usual way. We've a -couple of subcontracts you can handle to stay in business, and you'll -pick up other business, no doubt. But there are two things to remember, -always. The first is that you've got to play it flat, Farradyne. No -nonsense. Just remember who and what you are. To make sure of it, I'll -remind you again that you are a crumb with a bad reputation. You'll be -running a spacer worth a hell of a lot of dough and there will be a -lot of people asking a lot of other people how you managed the deal. -Probably none of them will ever get around to asking you, but your -attitude is the same as the known gangster whose only visible means of -support for his million-dollar estate and his yacht and his high living -is his small string of hot-dog stands. That he owns these things is -only an indication of thrift and good management."</p> - -<p>"I get it," grinned Farradyne.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Clevis snapped, "This is no laughing matter. What goes along with this -is important. You'll play this game as we outline it to you and in no -other way. The first time we find you playing hanky-panky we'll have -you by the ears in the morning. And if you cut a dido and get pinned -for it, there you'll be with a forged license and a spacer that will -have some very odd-looking registration papers so far as the Master Log -runs. And no one is going to admit that they know you. Certainly the -SAND office won't. And furthermore if you do claim any connection at -any time for any reason whatsoever, we'll haul you in for attempting to -impersonate one of us. You're a decoy, a sitting duck with both feet in -the mud, Farradyne, and no damned good to anybody until you get mired -deeper in the same stinking mud. Now for the second item."</p> - -<p>"Second? Weren't there ten or twelve in that last?" grunted Farradyne.</p> - -<p>"That was only the beginning. The second is this: do not, under any -circumstances make any attempt to investigate that accident of yours. -The game you are going to play will not permit you to make any attempt -to clear up that mess. As a character of questionable background, your -attitude must be that of a man caught in a bad show and forced to -undergo visible suffering long enough for the public to forget, before -you can resume your role of professional louse. Got this straight?"</p> - -<p>Farradyne looked at Clevis; gaunt has-been looking at success. The -window was dark now, but there were no stars visible from the surface -of Venus; only Terra and Jupiter and Sirius and Vega and a couple of -others that haloed through the haze. The call of the free blackness of -space pulled at Farradyne. He turned back from the window and looked -at the unmade bed, the insect-specked walls, the scarred dresser, the -warped floor. His nose wrinkled tentatively and he cursed inwardly -because he knew that the joint reeked of rancid sweat and mildewed -cloth and his nose was so accustomed to this stink that he could not -smell it.</p> - -<p>Inwardly Farradyne came to understand, in those few moments while -Clevis watched him quietly, that his oft-repeated statement that there -were some things that even a bum wouldn't do was so much malarkey. -Farradyne would join the hellblossom operators if it gave him an -opportunity to get out of this Venusian mire. He turned to Clevis, not -realizing that only a few seconds had passed.</p> - -<p>"Let's go," he said.</p> - -<p>Clevis cast a pointed look at the dresser.</p> - -<p>"There's nothing in the place but bad memories," said Farradyne. "I'll -leave them here. Good, bad or indifferent, Clevis, I'm your man no -matter how you want it played. For the first time in years I want a -bath and a clean shirt."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">II</p> - - -<p>He was rustier than he had realized. It was not only the four years -away from the levers of the control room and the split-second decision -of high speed, it was the four years of rotting in skid row. His -muscles were stringy, his skin was slaty, his eyes were slow. He was -flab and ached and off his feed. He was slow and overcompensating in -his motions. He missed his aim by yards and miscalculated his position -and his speed and his direction so badly that Donaldson, who rode in -the co-pilot's seat, sat there with his hands poised over the levers -and clutched convulsively or pressed against the floor with his feet, -chewing his lips with concern as Farradyne flopped the sky cruiser -roughly here and there like a recruit.</p> - -<p>It took him a month of practise on Mercury to get the hang of it again. -A solid month of severe discipline, living in the ship and taking -exercise and routine practise to refine his control. He found that -making the change from the rotgut jungle juice to White Star Trail was -not too hard because his mind was busy all the time and he did not need -the high-powered stuff. White Star Trail was a godsend to the man who -liked the flavor of fine Scotch whiskey but could not afford to befog -his coordination by so much as a single ounce of the pure quill.</p> - -<p>Eventually they 'soloed' him; Donaldson sat in the easy chair in the -salon below talking to Clevis, and he could hear them discussing -problems unrelated to him. Their voices came over the squawk-box -system clear enough to be understood. It gave Farradyne confidence. He -took the Lancaster Eighty-One into the sky, circled Mercury and began -landing procedure. For a moment, then, he relived that black day in his -past:</p> - -<p>He had called the spaceport, "Semiramide calling North Venus Tower."</p> - -<p>"Aye-firm, Semiramide, from North Venus Tower."</p> - -<p>"Semiramide requesting landing instructions; give with the dope, Tower."</p> - -<p>"Tower to Semiramide. Beacon Nine at one hundred thousand feet, Landing -Area Twelve. Traffic is one Middleton Seven-Six-Two at thirty thousand -taking off from Beacon Two and one Lincoln Four-Four landing at Beacon -Seven. Keep an eye peeled for a Burbank Eight-Experimental that's been -scooting around at seventy thousand. That's all."</p> - -<p>"Aye-firm, Tower."</p> - -<p>Then had come the voice of a woman behind him. Just a murmur—perhaps -a sigh of wonder from a woman who had just been shown for the first -time in her life the intricacies of rack and panel of meter and gage -and lever and shining device that surrounds the space pilot to demand -every iota of his attention during take-off or landing. In Farradyne's -recollection, there were two kinds of people: one kind stood in the -center of such an array and held their hands together for fear of -upsetting something; the other couldn't keep their damned hands off a -button or a lever even if it meant their own electrocution.</p> - -<p>There were thirty-three people aboard, thirteen of them women, and -Farradyne wondered which of them it was. He didn't care. "Get the hell -below," he snapped over his shoulder.</p> - -<p>A young man made some sound. Farradyne was even sharper; a woman might -wander up, interested, but a man should know that this was a deadly -curiosity. "Take her below, you imbecile," he snarled.</p> - -<p>An older man chimed in with something that sounded like an agreement -to Farradyne's order; there was a very brief three-way argument that -lasted until one of them fell for the lure of a dark pilot-lamp and an -inviting push-button. The Semiramide bucked like a wasp-stung colt and -the silver-dull sky over North Venus Spaceport whirled—</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Farradyne was shocked out of his vivid daydream by the matter-of-fact -voice of the Mercury Port's dispatcher: "Lancaster from Tower, you are -a half degree off landing course. Correct."</p> - -<p>Farradyne responded, "Instructions received, Tower. Will correct. Will -correlate instruments after landing."</p> - -<p>"Aye-firm, Lancaster Eighty-One."</p> - -<p>Farradyne's solo landing was firm and easy; almost as good as he used -to do in the days before—</p> - -<p>He put it out of his mind and went below to Clevis and Donaldson. The -latter asked him what had been the matter with the course.</p> - -<p>"I hit a daydream of the Semiramide," admitted Farradyne.</p> - -<p>"Better forget it."</p> - -<p>"I came out of it," said Farradyne shortly.</p> - -<p>"Okay?" Clevis looked at Donaldson. The pilot nodded. "Okay, Farradyne, -you're ready. This is your ship; you're cleared to Ganymede on -speculation. You'll play it from there. There's enough money in the -strong-locker to keep you going for a long time on no pickups at all, -and you'll get regular payment for the Pluto run. Just remember, no -shenanigans."</p> - -<p>"No games," promised Farradyne.</p> - -<p>Clevis stood up. "I hope you mean that," he said earnestly. "If nothing -else, remember that your—er—misfortune on Venus four years ago may -have put you in a position to be a benefactor to the same mankind you -hate. I hope you'll find that they are as quick to applaud a hero as to -condemn a louse. Don't force me to admit that my hope of running down -the hellblossom outfit was based on a bum hunch. Don't let me down, -Farradyne."</p> - -<p>Clevis left then, before Farradyne could find words. Donaldson left -with him, but stopped at the spacelock to hurl at Farradyne: "Luck, -fella."</p> - -<p>An hour later Farradyne was a-space between Mercury and Ganymede. On -his own in space for the first time in four long aching years. Not -quite a free man, but at least no prisoner. He took a deep breath -once he was out of control-range and could put the Lancaster on the -autopilot. Gone were the smells and the rotting filth of the fungus -fields; here were the bright clear stars in the velvety sky. Here was -freedom—freedom of the body, at least. Maybe even freedom of the soul. -But not freedom of the intellect, yet. He had a tough row to hoe and -the tougher row of his innocence to turn up into the light of day.</p> - -<p>But for the first time since he'd been thrown flat on his face, -Farradyne felt that he had a chance.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">III</p> - - -<p>Ganymede was in nightfall and Jupiter was a half-rim over the horizon -when he landed. He checked in at the Operations Office and listed his -Lancaster as available for a pick-up job. The clerk that took his -license to make the listing raised one mild eyebrow at the big rubber -stamp reading 'Reinstated' across the face of the card, but made no -comment. Farradyne's was not the only one so stamped. Pilots had been -suspended for making a bounce-landing with an official aboard or coming -in too slantwise instead of following a beacon down vertically.</p> - -<p>He folded the leather case and slipped it back in his pocket. He looked -at the pick-up list, which was not too long. He had a fair chance of -picking up a job, and that would add to whatever backlog Clevis had -left him. Farradyne found himself able to figure his chances as though -he had not spent his time digging mushrooms on Venus. The pilot that -owned his ship outright was a rare one. The rest were mortgaged to the -scupper and it was a touch and clip job to make the monthly payments. -Some pilots never did get their ships paid off but managed to scratch -out a living anyway. A pilot with a clear ship could rake in the dough, -and could eventually start a string of his own. This was the ultimate -goal which so many aimed at but so few achieved. With no mortgage to -contend with, Farradyne could loaf all over space and still make out -rather well, picking up a job here and a job there.</p> - -<p>He waved a hand at the registry clerk and went out into the dark of the -spaceport.</p> - -<p>Rimming the edge of the field were three distant globs of neon, all -indicating bars. One was as good as the next, so Farradyne headed -towards the nearest. He entered it with the air of a man who had every -right to land his ship anywhere he pleased and then hit the nearest -bar. He waggled a finger at the barkeep, called for White Star Trail, -and dropped a ten-spot on the bar with an air that indicated that he -might be there long enough for a second.</p> - -<p>Then he turned and hooked one heel in the brass rail, leaned back on -the mahogany with his elbows and surveyed the joint like a man with -time and money to spare, looking for what could be found. The glass in -his hand dangled a bit and his posture was relaxed.</p> - -<p>It was called 'The Spaceman's Bar,' like sixteen hundred other -'Spaceman's Bar's rimming spaceports from Pluto to Mercury. The -customers were about the same, too. There were four spacemen playing -blackjack for dimes near the back of the room. Two women were nursing -beers, hoping for someone to come and offer them something more -substantial. Two young fellows were agreeing vigorously with one -another about the political situation which neither of them liked. -One character should have gone home eighteen drinks earlier, and was -earning a ride home on a shutter with a broken nose by needling a man -with a lot of patience, which was running out. A woman sat in a booth -along the wall, dressed in a copy of some exclusive model that had -neither the cloth nor the workmanship to stand up for more than the -initial wearing, and looked already as if she had worn it often. The -woman herself had the same tired, overworked look. She was too young to -have that look, and Farradyne looked away, disinterested; he favored -the vivacious brunette that sat gayly across the table from a young -spaceman and enticed him with her eyes. Farradyne shrugged; the girl -had eyes for no one else and she probably couldn't have been pried away -from her young spaceman by any means. It occurred to Farradyne that, -judging by the way she was acting, if some other guy slipped her a love -lotus, the girl would take a deep breath, get bedroom eyed, and then -leave the guy to go looking for her spaceman. Farradyne grinned at the -idea.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>As far as Farradyne could tell, there was not a love lotus in the -place, which hardly surprised him because he did not really expect -to find one in a place such as this. He turned back to the bar for a -refill. When he got it, he turned to face the room again and saw that a -man had come in and was standing just inside the door, blinking at the -lights. He was eyeing the customers with a searching look.</p> - -<p>Eventually he addressed the entire room: "Who owns the Lancaster -Eighty-One that just came in?"</p> - -<p>"I do," said Farradyne.</p> - -<p>"Are you free?"</p> - -<p>"Until the third of August."</p> - -<p>"I'm Timothy Martin of the Martian Water Commission. I'd like to hire -you for a trip to Uranus."</p> - -<p>"My name is Charles Farradyne, and maybe we can make a deal. What's the -job, Mr. Martin?" Farradyne eyed the room furtively, wondering if the -mention of the name would ring any cracked bells among the spacemen. It -did not seem to, and Farradyne did not know whether to be gratified at -the forgetfulness or depressed at his lack of notoriety.</p> - -<p>"Three of us and some instruments," said Martin.</p> - -<p>"That's hiking all the way to Uranus empty, you know."</p> - -<p>"I know, but this is of the utmost importance. Government business."</p> - -<p>"It's up to you; I'll haul you out there on a three-passenger charter, -since you probably haven't enough gear to make it a payload. Okay?"</p> - -<p>"It's a bit high," Martin grunted, "but this is necessity. Can you be -ready for an early morning hop-off?"</p> - -<p>"You be there with your gear and we'll hike it at dawn." Farradyne -turned to the barkeep and wagged for a refill, then indicated that -Martin be served. The government man took real bourbon but Farradyne -stuck to his White Star Trail. The two of them clinked glasses and -drank, and Farradyne was about to say something when he felt a touch -against his elbow. It was the girl in the over-tired cocktail dress. -Her glazed eyes were wide and glittering, her face hard and thin-lipped.</p> - -<p>"You're Charles Farradyne?" she asked in a flat voice. Beneath a tone -of distrust and hatred the voice had what might have been a pleasant -throatiness if it had not been strained.</p> - -<p>Farradyne nodded.</p> - -<p>"Farradyne—of the Semiramide?"</p> - -<p>"Yes." He felt a peculiar mixture of gratification and resentment. He -had been recognized at last, but it should have come from a better -source.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>She shut him out by turning to Martin. "Do you know who you've hired?" -she asked with the same flatness of tone. Profile-wise, she looked -about twenty-three at most. Farradyne wondered how a woman that young -could possibly have crammed into the brief years all of the experience -that showed in her face.</p> - -<p>Martin was fumbling for words. "Why, er—" he said lamely.</p> - -<p>"This rum-lushing bum is Charles Farradyne, the hot-rock that dumped -his spacer into The Bog."</p> - -<p>"Is this true?" demanded Martin of Farradyne.</p> - -<p>"I did have an accident there," said Farradyne. "But—"</p> - -<p>The woman sneered. "Accident, you call it. Sorry, aren't you? Reeking -with remorse. But not so grief-stricken that you'll not take this man -out and kill him the way you killed my brother."</p> - -<p>Farradyne grunted. "I don't know you from Mother Machree. I've had my -trouble and I don't like it any more than you do."</p> - -<p>"You're alive, at least," she snarled at him. "Alive and ready to go -around skylarking again. But my brother is dead and you—"</p> - -<p>"Am I supposed to blow out my brains? Would that make up for this -brother of yours?" demanded Farradyne angrily. Some of the anguish -of the affair returned. He recalled all too vividly his own mental -meanderings at the time, and the feeling that suicide would erase -that memory. But he had burned himself out with those long periods of -self-reproach.</p> - -<p>"Blow your brains out," advised the girl sharply. "Then the rest of us -will be protected against you."</p> - -<p>"I suppose I am responsible for you, too?" he asked bitterly.</p> - -<p>Martin gulped down his drink. "I think I'd better find another ship," -he said hurriedly.</p> - -<p>Farradyne nodded curtly at Martin's back, then looked down at the girl. -He felt again the powerful impulse to plead his case, to explain, to -show his innocence. But he knew that this was the wrong thing to do. -Martin had refused the job once Farradyne had been identified. This -might be the start of what Clevis wanted. Farradyne could louse it -up for fair by saying the wrong thing here and now. So instead of -making some appeal to the woman, Farradyne eyed her coldly. There was -something incongruous about her. She looked like the standard tomato of -the spacelanes; she dressed the part and she acted it. The rough-hewn -language and the cynical bitterness were normal enough, but they should -not have been expressed in acceptable grammar and near-perfect diction. -He had catalogued her as a drunken witch, but she was neither drunk nor -a witch. Nor was she a thrill-seeking female out slumming for the fun -of it. She belonged in the "Spaceman's Bar" but not among the lushes—</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>And then he caught it. He had been too far from it too long. The -glazed, bored eyes, the completely blase attitude were the tip-off; -then the fact that she had become animated at the chance to start a -scene of violence. Dope is dope and all of it works the same way. The -first sniff is far from dangerous, but the second must be larger and -the third larger still until the body craves a massive dose. With -some dope the effect is physical, with others it is mental. With love -lotus it was emotional. The woman had been on the emotional toboggan; -her capacity for emotion had been dulled to such an extent that only -a scene of real violence could cut through the scars to give her a -reaction. Someone had slipped the girl a really top-notch dose of -hellflower!</p> - -<p>"Who are you?" he asked.</p> - -<p>"Norma Hannon," she snapped. "And I don't suppose you remember Frank -Hannon at all."</p> - -<p>"Never met him."</p> - -<p>"You killed him."</p> - -<p>Farradyne felt a kind of hysteria; he wanted to laugh and he knew that -once he started he could not stop easily. Then the feeling went away -and he looked around the room.</p> - -<p>Every eye in the place was on him, but as he met their eyes they -looked down or aside or back to their own personal affairs. He knew -the breed—spacemen, a strange mixture of high intelligence and hard -roughness. Farradyne knew that to a man they understood that the most -damaging thing they could do was to deny him the physical satisfaction -of a fight. He could rant and roar and in the end he would be forced to -leave the joint. It would be a lame retreat. A defeat.</p> - -<p>He looked back at her; she stood there in front of him with her hands -on her hips, swaying back and forth and relishing the emotional -stimulus of hatred. She wanted more, he could see. Farradyne wanted out -of here; the girl had done her part for him and could do no more. To -take her along as a possible link to the hellblossom operators was less -than a half-baked idea. She would only make trouble, because trouble -was what she relished.</p> - -<p>"I've got it now," she blurted. Her voice rose to a fever-pitch, her -face cleared and took on the look of someone who is anticipating a -real thrill. Norma Hannon was at that stage in the addiction where -bloody murderous butchery would thrill her about to the same degree -as a normal woman being kissed good-night at her front door. "I've got -it now," she said and her voice rang out through the barroom. "The -only kind of a rascal that could dump a spacer and kill thirty-three -people and then turn up with another spacer is a big-time operator. You -louse!" she screamed at him. Then she turned to the rest of the room, -calling:</p> - -<p>"Fellows, meet Charles Farradyne, the big-time hellflower operator!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Farradyne's nerves leaped. He knew his spacemen. A louse they could -ignore, but a dope runner—</p> - -<p>Their faces changed from deliberate dis-recognition of him to cold and -calculated hatred, not so much of Farradyne as of what he represented -in their minds. Farradyne knew that he had better get out of here -quickly or he would leave most of his skin on the floor.</p> - -<p>Something touched him on the shoulder, hard. He snapped his head -around. The bartender had rapped him on the shoulder with the muzzle of -a double-barrelled shotgun.</p> - -<p>"Get the hell out of here," said the man from between narrowed lips. -"And take your rotten money with you!"</p> - -<p>He scooped up the change he had dropped beside Farradyne's glass and -hurled the original bill at him. It went over the bar and landed in a -spittoon between the brass rail and the bar.</p> - -<p>"Pick it up," growled the barkeep coldly. He waved the shotgun and -forced Farradyne to retrieve the soggy bill. "Now get out—quick!" -Then his voice rose above the growing murmur of angry men. "Sit down, -dammit! Every bloody one of you sit the hell down. We ain't going to -have no trouble in here!" He covered the room with the shotgun to hold -them.</p> - -<p>Farradyne left quickly. He burned inwardly, he wanted to have it out; -but this was the game Clevis wanted him to play—it was the price of -his freedom from the fungus fields. He took it on the run to his -Lancaster, knowing that the barkeep would hold the room until escape -was made.</p> - -<p>He took the ship up as soon as the landing ramp was retracted and only -then did his nerves calm down. He seemed to have started with a bang. -If Clevis wanted a decoy, what better decoy than to make a noise like a -small guy muscling in on a big racket?</p> - -<p>The word would travel from bar to bar, from port to port until it -reached the necessary person. Time was unimportant now. The word -must get around. So instead of driving to some definite destination, -Farradyne set the Lancaster in a long, lazy course and let the big ship -loaf its way into space.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">IV</p> - - -<p>Big Jupiter and tiny Ganymede were dwindling below by the time -Farradyne was finished at the control panel. He was hungry and he was -tired and so he was going to eat and hit the sack. He turned from the -board and saw her.</p> - -<p>Norma Hannon sat in the computer's chair behind the board. Her hands -were folded calmly and her body was listless. Farradyne grunted -uncertainly because he was absolutely ignorant of her attitude, except -perhaps the feeling that she would enjoy bloody violence.</p> - -<p>"Well?" he said.</p> - -<p>"I caught the landing ramp as it came running in," she said quietly.</p> - -<p>"Why?"</p> - -<p>"You owe me a couple," she told him. "You're a lotus runner, you can -give me one. Simple as that."</p> - -<p>"How do you figure?"</p> - -<p>"You killed my brother," she said. There was more vigor in her tone as -the anger flared again.</p> - -<p>"What makes you think—"</p> - -<p>"Another thing," she interrupted, "I wanted to come along with you."</p> - -<p>"Now see here—"</p> - -<p>"Don't be stupid," she said sharply. "I've no passion for you. I'm a -love-lotus addict, remember?"</p> - -<p>"Then why—?"</p> - -<p>"Don't you give a damn for the lives of the people you sell those -things to? Run your dope and get your dough and skip before you have -to see the ruin you bring." The flare of anger was with her and she -wriggled in her chair with an animal relish that was close to ecstasy.</p> - -<p>"But I can't—"</p> - -<p>"Keep it up," she said. "You'll satisfy me, one way or another." She -eyed him critically. "You can't win, Farradyne. I've had my love lotus, -and all that is left of my feelings is heavy scar-tissue. Pleasure and -surprise are too weak to cut through; only a burning anger or a deep -hatred are strong enough to make me feel the thrill of a rising pulse. -I can get a lift out of hating you, but if you kissed me it would leave -me cold." She paused speculatively, "Now, would it? Come here and kiss -me."</p> - -<p>"Why?"</p> - -<p>"Because I hate your guts, Farradyne. Of all the people in the solar -system, I hate you the most. I can keep telling myself that you killed -Frank, and that does it. And I add that you are a love-lotus runner and -in some way part and parcel of this addiction of mine and that builds -it up. Now if you came over and kissed me, I'd let you, and the very -thought of being kissed and fondled by such a completely rotten reptile -as Farradyne makes me seethe with pleasant anger." Farradyne recoiled.</p> - -<p>"Afraid?" she jeered, wriggling again. "You know, as a last thrill I -might kill you. But only as a last thrill, Farradyne. Because then -the chance to hate you actively would be over and finished and there -could be no more. So between hating your guts and getting an occasional -hellflower from the man I hate, making me hate you even more, I can -feel almost alive again."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Farradyne shook his head. This sort of talk was above and beyond him. -No matter what he said or did it was the wrong thing, which made it -right for Norma Hannon.</p> - -<p>He did not know much about the love lotus, and that from hearsay. But -it did not include this sort of illogical talk. Seeing this end-result -actually made Farradyne feel better about the lot he had been cast -in. If Clevis was the kind of man who boiled inwardly from a sense of -outraged civic responsibility, Farradyne was beginning to feel somewhat -the same.</p> - -<p>He looked at Norma Hannon more critically. She had been a good looking -woman not too long ago. She had probably laughed and danced and fended -off wolves and planned on marriage and a gang of happy children in a -pleasant home. Someone had cut her out of that future, and Farradyne -felt that he wanted to get the man's neck between his hands and -squeeze. He shook himself and wondered whether this addiction to hatred -and violence were catching.</p> - -<p>He said softly, "Who did it, Norma?"</p> - -<p>Her eyes changed. "I loved him," she breathed in a voice that was -both soft and heavy with another kind of anger than the violence she -had shown just a moment before. This was the resentment against the -past, while her previous flare of anger had been against the physical -present. "I loved him," she repeated. "I loved the flat-brained animal, -enough to lead him into the bedroom if that's what he wanted. But -no, the imbecile thought that the only way I would unfreeze was with -a hellflower. So he parted with a half-a-hundred dollars for one. -He could have rented a hotel room for a ten dollar bill," she added -sourly. "Or bought a marriage license and had me for the rest of his -life for five."</p> - -<p>"Why didn't you refuse it?" he asked. "Or didn't you know that it -wasn't a gardenia?"</p> - -<p>Norma looked up with eyes that started to blaze, but they died and she -was listless again. "Maybe because people like to flirt with danger," -she said. "Maybe because men and women don't really understand each -other."</p> - -<p>"That's the understatement of the century."</p> - -<p>There was no flicker of amusement in her face. "Look at it this way," -she said. "I did say I loved him. So naturally he wouldn't be the kind -of man who would bring me a lotus. Or if he did I could wear it for the -lift they bring without any danger, because any man worth loving would -not take advantage of his sweetheart while she's unable to object. -So I wore it and when I woke up after a real orgy instead of a mild -emotional binge, I was on the road toward having no feelings left. I've -been on that road ever since and I've come a long way."</p> - -<p>She looked at him again. "So you see what you and your kind have done?" -she demanded. Farradyne knew that she was whipping herself into a fury -again. "I was a nice, healthy woman once, but now I'm a burned-out -battery—a tired engine. It takes a spot of violence to make me feel -anything. Or maybe a sniff from a lotus. Maybe by now it would take -more than one."</p> - -<p>"But I haven't any."</p> - -<p>She bared her teeth at him. "You can afford to part with one stinking -flower."</p> - -<p>"I haven't—"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Norma leaped out of her chair and came across the room, her face -distorted, her hands clawing at his face. Farradyne fought her away, -and saw with dismay the look of animated pleasure on her twisted face. -It was an unfair fight; Farradyne was trying to keep her from hurting -him without being forced to hurt her, while she went at him with heel -and fingernail and teeth.</p> - -<p>He gave up. Taking a cold aim at the point of her jaw, Farradyne let -her have it.</p> - -<p>Norma recoiled a bit and her face glowed even more. He had not struck -her hard enough because of his repugnance at hitting a woman. She came -after him again, enjoying the physical violence, looking for more of -the same. Farradyne gritted his teeth and let her have it, hard this -time.</p> - -<p>Norma collapsed with a suddenness that scared him. He caught her -before she hit the metal floor and carried her to the salon where he -placed her on the padded bench that ran along one wall. His knowledge -of things medical was not high, but it was enough to let him know that -she did not have a broken jaw. Of one thing there was no doubt: Norma -was out colder than Farradyne had ever seen man or woman.</p> - -<p>He carried her below, to one of the tiny staterooms.</p> - -<p>He stood there, contemplating her and wondering what to do next. He -would have been puzzled as to the next move even if Norma had been a -completely normal person. As it was, Farradyne decided that no matter -what he did it would be wrong. The cocktail dress would not stand much -sleeping in before it came apart at the seams, but she would surely -rave if he took it off to save it for tomorrow. If he left her in it, -she would rave at him for letting her ruin the only thing she had to -wear. He shrugged and slipped the hold-down strap across her waist and -let it go at that.</p> - -<p>Then he went to his own stateroom and locked the door against any more -of this ruckus and confusion. He slept fitfully even though the locked -door separated him from both amour and murder—either of which added up -to the same end with Norma Hannon.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">V</p> - - -<p>It was a sixty-hour trip from Ganymede to Mars. Each hour was a bit -more trying than the one before.</p> - -<p>Norma bedeviled him in every way she knew. She found fault with his -cooking but refused to go near the galley herself. She objected to the -brand of cigarettes he smoked. She made scathing remarks whenever he -touched an instrument, reminding him of his presumed incompetence as a -pilot. She scorned him for refusing to open his hold and bring her the -love lotus she craved.</p> - -<p>By the time Farradyne set the Lancaster Eighty-One down at Sun Lake -City on Mars, he had almost arrived at the point where her voice was -just so much noise.</p> - -<p>He landed after the usual discussion of landing space and beacon route -with Sun Lake Tower, and he found time to wonder whether the word about -his affiliation had been spread yet. The Tower operator paid him no -more attention than if he had been running in and out of that spaceport -for years.</p> - -<p>He pressed the button that opened the spacelock and ran out the landing -ramp.</p> - -<p>"This is it," he said flatly.</p> - -<p>"This is what?"</p> - -<p>"The end of the line."</p> - -<p>"I'm staying."</p> - -<p>"No, you're not."</p> - -<p>"I'm staying, Farradyne. I like it here. You go on about your sordid -business, and see that you get enough to spare a couple for me. For -I'll be here when you get back."</p> - -<p>The woman's eyes glinted with hatred and determination.</p> - -<p>Farradyne swore. She had moved in on him unwanted and had ridden with -him unwanted. If she wanted to, she could raise her voice and that -would be it. One yelp and Farradyne would spend a long time explaining -to all sorts of big brass why he was hauling a woman around the solar -system against her wishes.</p> - -<p>So grunting helplessly, Farradyne left her in the Lancaster and went to -register at Operations. He was received blandly, just as he had been -received on Ganymede. Then he headed into Sun Lake City to stall a -bit. He went to a show, had a drink or two, prowled around a bookstore -looking for something that might inform him about the love lotus, -bought himself some clothing to augment his scant supply. He succeeded -in forgetting about Norma Hannon for a solid four hours.</p> - -<p>Then he remembered, and with the air of a man about to visit a dentist -for a painful operation, Farradyne went reluctantly back to his ship.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The silence that met him was reassuring. Even if she had been sound -asleep, the noise of his arrival would have awakened her so that -she would come out to needle him some more. He looked the ship over -carefully, satisfying himself that Norma Hannon was not present.</p> - -<p>This was too good to miss.</p> - -<p>He raced to the control room, punched savagely at the button that -closed the spacelock, and fired up the communications radio.</p> - -<p>"Lancaster Eighty-One calling Tower."</p> - -<p>"Go ahead, Lancaster."</p> - -<p>"Request take-off instructions. Course, Terra."</p> - -<p>"Lancaster, is your passenger aboard?"</p> - -<p>"Passenger?"</p> - -<p>"Check Stateroom Eight, Lancaster. Your passenger informed us that she -was going into town on an errand, that you were not to leave without -her."</p> - -<p>"Aye-firm. I will check." Farradyne grimaced at the closed microphone. -Willfully marooning a passenger would get him into more trouble than -trying to account for the presence of his guest. Norma had done a fine -job of bolting the Lancaster to the landing block in her absence.</p> - -<p>He waited fifty seconds. "Tower from Lancaster Eighty-One. I will wait. -My passenger is not aboard."</p> - -<p>"Lancaster. Hold-down Switches to Safety, Warm-Up Switches to Stand-By. -Power Switches to Off. Open your port for visitor."</p> - -<p>"Visitor, Tower?"</p> - -<p>"Civilian requests conference about pick-up job, Lancaster. Are you -free?"</p> - -<p>"I am free for Terra, Tower."</p> - -<p>"Prepare to receive visitor, Lancaster. Good luck on the job."</p> - -<p>"Aye-firm. Over and off."</p> - -<p>Farradyne went below and rode the bottom step of the landing ramp on -its way out of the spacelock. He reached the ground with the arrival of -a port jeep, which brought his visitor to him.</p> - -<p>"You're Charles Farradyne? I'm Carl Brenner. I'm told you are free for -Terra. Is that right?"</p> - -<p>"That's right."</p> - -<p>Brenner nodded. He looked around. The jeep was idling and making enough -noise so that the driver, sitting in the machine, could not possibly -hear anything that was being said. The driver was not even interested -in them; something in the distance had caught his eye and he was giving -it all his attention. Satisfied, Brenner leaned forward and in a low -voice said: "Let me see what you've got."</p> - -<p>Farradyne shook his head. "Who, me?" he asked, as though he did not -know what Brenner was talking about.</p> - -<p>"You. I'm in the market. If they're in good shape, we can make a deal."</p> - -<p>Farradyne felt that this was as good a time to play cagey as any. "I -don't know what you're talking about," he said.</p> - -<p>"No? I hardly think you're telling the truth, Farradyne."</p> - -<p>Farradyne smiled broadly. "So I'm a liar?"</p> - -<p>"I wouldn't say that."</p> - -<p>"Look, Brenner, I don't know you from Adam's Off Ox. From somewhere, -you've got the idea that I am a hellblossom runner and you want to get -into the act. Well, in the first place I am not a runner, and in the -second place you have about as much chance of getting into a closed -racket with that open-faced act of yours as you have of filling a -warehouse with heroin by asking the local cops where to buy it."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Brenner smiled. "I can see you're cagey," he said. "I don't blame you. -In fact, I'd not have come out here asking like an open-faced fool if I -hadn't been completely out of stock. I'm a bit desperate." He went into -an inside pocket and came out with an envelope. "This is a credential -or two," he said. "When you return this way, we can maybe do business. -The usual way, you know. No questions asked—nor answered. And no -witnesses. Okay?"</p> - -<p>"I'll be back—maybe—mister—er, Brenner?"</p> - -<p>"You get the idea."</p> - -<p>"I'll—"</p> - -<p>Farradyne's voice trailed away as he caught sight of the object that -had held the interest of the jeep driver. It was Norma Hannon, who came -around the fins of the Lancaster with the sun behind her.</p> - -<p>Her errand had been shopping. The overworn cocktail dress was gone -and in its place was a white silky number that did a lot of fetching -things to her figure. She had also taken the complete course at some -primp-mill. She was another woman; not even Farradyne, who had seen her -in her worn clothing for days, could have been convinced that this sort -of beautiful perfection was not Norma's usual appearance.</p> - -<p>Farradyne was silent. But as Brenner caught sight of her coming around -the sunlit tail of the Lancaster, and with enough sun shining through -her to make the pulses jump, he made a throaty discord.</p> - -<p>"Hello," she said brightly, as though she and Farradyne were close -acquaintances, but in a tone that indicated that she was paid-passenger -and he the driver of the spacer. "I've some packages being delivered in -a bit. We'll wait, of course?"</p> - -<p>Farradyne nodded dumbly.</p> - -<p>Norma nodded coolly to Brenner and went up the ramp, displaying a yard -of well-filled nylon stocking at every step.</p> - -<p>The roar of the jeep's engine snapped Farradyne's attention back to -Brenner—or where he had been standing. The jeep was taking Brenner -away in a cloud of spaceport dust.</p> - -<p>Farradyne shook his head. That was not the man he wanted. Call it close -but no cigar. Farradyne did not want a man to buy love lotus, he wanted -a seller, a character from the upper echelon.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>With a sigh, Farradyne went into the Lancaster. Norma rose from the -divan along the edge of the salon and whirled like a mannequin, her -silken skirt floating. She stopped and let the silk wrap itself around -her thighs. "Like it?" she asked.</p> - -<p>"It's very neat," he said flatly. "But where did you get the -wherewithal?"</p> - -<p>"I figured you owed me something so I took it out of the locker in the -control room. You left the key dangling in the lock?"</p> - -<p>"What's the grand idea?" he asked.</p> - -<p>"You're a cold-blooded bird, Farradyne. You don't give a hoot that you -and your cowboy spacing killed my brother and that you and your kind -made it possible for some wanton to dope me. I'm told that half-decent -gangsters send flowers to a rival's funeral, but you wouldn't even part -with a love lotus. So if you won't give me one, I'm going to force it -out of you."</p> - -<p>"But—"</p> - -<p>"You get the idea," she said, smoothing down a non-existent wrinkle -over one round hip. "But I'm honest. You've some change coming." She -put her hand down in the space between her breasts and brought forth a -small roll of bills which she handed to Farradyne. Dumbly, he took them.</p> - -<p>They were warm and scented with woman and cologne, and would have -been hard on Farradyne's blood-pressure if it had not been for the -anticipatory glitter in Norma Hannon's eyes.</p> - -<p>There was a small commotion at the spacelock. Farradyne looked to see -three men coming in with fancy-wrapped boxes.</p> - -<p>He groaned, and went aloft to the control room. Norma had run the gamut.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">VI</p> - - -<p>Farradyne sat before his control panel with his head in his hands. -There had to be some way out of this. The alternative was to go on -hauling Norma back and forth, being the target of her needling and her -vicious desire and getting nothing done because of it. The mess had -started off badly enough, but now it had deteriorated.</p> - -<p>Norma's needling and goading had been hard enough to bear. He was -willing to bet his spare money that the boxes she was now receiving -contained whatever could be purchased of the most seductive clothing -she could find. And included in her basic idea was, most likely, a -sharp appreciation of what Farradyne would consider exciting. Acres -of exposed skin or rank nudity would pall on him. So she would come -out with little items that might cover her from toe to chin in such a -way as to make him wonder about what was underneath; probably simple -stuff with a lot of fine fit and a lot of semi-transparent quality that -compelled the eye. If she coupled this program with a soft voice, as -she was most likely to do now that she had shucked the sleazy costume, -Norma Hannon would be almost irresistible. Before this happened, -Farradyne had to park her somewhere that would be binding.</p> - -<p>Had she parents? Friends?</p> - -<p>He hit the control panel with his fist. He hated to think of it, but -if push came to shove he might be able to drop her in one of the -sanatoriums that had been set up for love-lotus addicts. They did -little good for the victims but did keep the addicts out of other -people's hair.</p> - -<p>It seemed that it should be parents, first.</p> - -<p>Farradyne's forefinger hit the radio button viciously.</p> - -<p>"Tower? Connect me to the city telephone."</p> - -<p>"Aye-firm, Lancaster. Wait five."</p> - -<p>A few seconds later Farradyne was asking for the Bennington Detective -Agency, an outfit that was system wide. He got a receptionist first and -then a quiet-voiced man named Lawson.</p> - -<p>Farradyne came to the point. "I want any information you can collect -about the family of a man named Frank Hannon who was killed in the -wreck of the Semiramide in The Bog, on Venus four years ago."</p> - -<p>"You're same Charles Farradyne?"</p> - -<p>"Maybe—but is it important?"</p> - -<p>"It might be, but it will be held confidential. I'm asking because I -prefer to know the motives of clients. I'd like reassurance that our -investigation will be made for a legal reason."</p> - -<p>"I'll put it this way: I know Frank Hannon was killed in the wreck. I -have reason to believe that he had a sister that disappeared shortly -afterwards. If this is true, I want to know it—but I haven't time to -find out through the usual channels. Fact of the matter is that I want -no more information than I could get myself if I had time to go pawing -through issues of newspapers of four years ago. No more."</p> - -<p>"I will look through our list of missing persons and see if such is the -case, Mr. Farradyne. I suggest that you either call back in a couple of -hours, or better, that you call in person here at my office. There will -be no charge for the initial search, but if this evolves into something -concrete—well, we can discuss the matter when you call. Is that all -right?"</p> - -<p>"It's okay and I'll be in your office at four o'clock."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Farradyne hung up and considered. If Norma Hannon had a couple of -grieving parents, he could hand her over to them and that would be the -end of that. He lit a cigarette and smoked for a moment, then got up -from the control console and started for the spacelock.</p> - -<p>He met Norma in the salon. She had changed into a heavy satin housecoat -that molded her arms to the wrists, clung to her waist and breasts -and throat, and outlined her hips and thighs. Painted toenails were -provocatively visible below the hem as she sat there with her legs -crossed, tossing her foot up and down.</p> - -<p>"Thought we were about to take off again," she asked. Her voice was -soft and personal and friendly. She was plying the affectionate line as -smoothly as an experienced woman could.</p> - -<p>Farradyne shook his head. Having a plan of action made him feel better. -"Got a call from the tower," he said. "More business. I'll be back in a -couple of hours."</p> - -<p>Norma held up her hand for his cigarette and he gave it to her. She -puffed deeply and offered it back. Farradyne refused it. The memory -of her needling and her desire for violence had not had time to fade. -Another twenty hours of this calmness and he would begin to look upon -the sharing of a cigarette as a pleasant gesture of companionship.</p> - -<p>Norma shrugged at his wave of the hand in refusal. "I'll be here -when you get back," she said comfortably, wriggling down against the -cushions and giving him the benefit of an inviting smile.</p> - -<p>Farradyne left the salon swearing under his breath. If this parking of -her did not work, Farradyne was licked.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He walked. He did not like walking, but he preferred walking to -remaining in the Lancaster with Norma for the next couple of hours. He -tried to think, but he could not come to any conclusion because he had -all his hope tied on the Bennington outfit and what they might turn up.</p> - -<p>He was shown into the office of Peter Lawson, who was a bright-eyed -elderly man with a body surprisingly lithe for his years.</p> - -<p>"Now, before we go any further," said Lawson pleasantly, "I'd like to -hear your reasons for becoming interested in this case."</p> - -<p>Farradyne nodded. "As I told you, Frank Hannon was killed in an -accident on a spacecraft I owned. That was four years ago. Recently I -met Norma Hannon in a gin-mill on Ganymede and she fastened onto me -like a leech as a person to hate. You know the results of love-lotus -addiction?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I do."</p> - -<p>"Well, it occurred to me that one way of getting rid of Miss Hannon -would be to turn her over to some relative or friend who would be -deeply interested in her welfare. Does this add up?"</p> - -<p>"Quite logical. Miss Hannon is where you can find her?"</p> - -<p>Farradyne nodded with a sour look on his face. "She's sitting in my -salon waiting for me to come back."</p> - -<p>"Why not just turn her over to the police?" asked Lawson with a careful -look at Farradyne.</p> - -<p>"Look," said Farradyne testily, "I don't enjoy Miss Hannon's company, -but I can't see jailing her. She isn't truly vicious, she's just -another unfortunate victim of the love-lotus trap. Maybe I feel a bit -concerned over her brother. Anyway, take it from here."</p> - -<p>"Very well. I shall. The facts are these:</p> - -<p>"Frank Hannon was a lawyer with a limited but apparently lucrative -practise. Norma acted as a sort of junior partner. The case-history -says that Frank Hannon had been on his way to Venus to place some case -before one of the higher courts, the nature of which was not a matter -for public discussion. I don't know what it was myself.</p> - -<p>"Then Frank was killed, and Norma dropped her study of law. Her -brother's death seemed to be quite a blow to her. Before, she had dated -at random, with nothing serious in mind. But afterwards she seemed to -develop a strong determination to marry, perhaps as a substitute for -the gap left by the death of her brother. A man named Antony Walton -became Number One boy friend after a few months and they were together -constantly and seemed devoted. She disappeared after a dinner-date with -Walton, and Walton is now serving a term on Titan Colony for possession -of love-lotus blossoms."</p> - -<p>Farradyne shook his head. "The louse," he said feelingly.</p> - -<p>"Everybody agrees."</p> - -<p>"I don't know as much as I might about lotus addiction," said -Farradyne. "It all seems so sudden to me. One moment we have a -well-bred young woman with ideals and ambition and feelings and the -next moment—"</p> - -<p>"It is a rather quick thing," said Lawson. "The love lotus is vicious -and swift. I've studied early cases. They all seem to have the same -pattern. And oddly enough, love lotus is not an addictive drug in every -case. It is not only an aphrodisiac; it also heightens the physical -senses so that a good drink tastes better and a good play becomes -superb. The touch of a man's hand becomes a magnificent thrill. And -here is the point where addiction begins, Mr. Farradyne. If the woman's -senses and emotions are treated only to the mild appreciations of food -and drink and music and a gentle caress, her addiction may take years -and years to arrive at the point where she cannot feel these stimuli -without a sniff of hellflower. But if she should be so unlucky as to -have her emotions raised to a real passion during the period of dosage, -it is like overloading the engine. You burn her out."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Farradyne nodded. "I see. And there is no cure?"</p> - -<p>"Some doctors believe that a long period of peace and quiet under -conditions where only the mildest of stimuli are available may bring -the addict back. I am of the opinion that such a place does not -exist. They fasten onto hate as an emotion that cuts through their -burned-out emotions and if you should place them among completely -bland surroundings they would find it possible to hate those that -incarcerated them. It becomes almost paranoiac; anything you do is -wrong."</p> - -<p>"So I've discovered. But what do I do with Miss Hannon?"</p> - -<p>"At the time of Miss Hannon's disappearance, her family offered a -reward of five thousand dollars for her return."</p> - -<p>"I'd be happy to deliver her FOB her own front porch," said Farradyne. -"Can I hand her over to you and let you take it from there?"</p> - -<p>"She would put up quite a ruckus," said Lawson. "I doubt that she will -go home willingly. It is my opinion that Miss Hannon's response to -Walton's lovemaking was extremely high, so that the result was a quick -blunting of her normal capability for feelings. After this, anger and -shame would cause her—a proud woman of education and breeding—to -hide where she could not be known, where she could possibly get -the hellflower she needed for her next desire to enjoy the lift -of emotions. This would not be in the home of her parents. So she -would not go home willingly—and the alternative is an appeal to the -authorities." Lawson smiled. "I heard your offer to deliver her free to -her home."</p> - -<p>"But—"</p> - -<p>"You've depended upon us and you will be helped. We will have an -operative collect Miss Hannon at the Denver Spaceport. All you have -to do is live with this trouble for about fifty hours more. We have -done quite a bit of work on this case already, and we are willing to -do more. For delivering your information and for taking Miss Hannon to -Denver, we will be happy to divide the reward."</p> - -<p>"I'll deliver Miss Hannon to Denver," said Farradyne, thinking that for -twenty-five hundred he could stick cotton in his ears and sweat it out -at about fifty dollars an hour.</p> - -<p>"Good, Mr. Farradyne. I'll make arrangements to have our Mr. Kingman -meet you at Denver."</p> - -<p>Lawson handed Farradyne a few pages of dossier on the case and then -showed him out of the office. Farradyne took a deep breath and decided -that what he wanted was a drink to his good fortune. He could look -forward to getting rid of Norma Hannon. He made the street, glanced -around, and headed for a small bar, to relax and think.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">VII</p> - - -<p>At a small table with a tiny lamp he opened the papers that Lawson -had given him, to read them more thoroughly. The waitress was high -breasted in a manner that invited him to look, but he merely barked, -"White Star Trail" and went back to his reading.</p> - -<p>"Spaceman?" she asked.</p> - -<p>Farradyne nodded in an irritated manner. She flounced off after a -moment of futile effort to beguile the spaceman.</p> - -<p>So when, a moment later, someone slid into the bench beside him, -Farradyne turned to tell her to please vacate the premises because he -wasn't having any, thanks. Instead of looking into a vapidly willing -face, Farradyne's eyes were met with an equally cold blue stare -from the face of a hard-jawed man dressed in a jacket tailored to -half-conceal the shoulder holster he wore. Farradyne blinked.</p> - -<p>"Farradyne?"</p> - -<p>"So?" said Farradyne. He tried to think, but all he could cover was the -idea that someone was now playing games with guns.</p> - -<p>"Hear tell you're running blossoms, Farradyne."</p> - -<p>"Who says?"</p> - -<p>"People."</p> - -<p>"People say a lot of things. Which people?"</p> - -<p>"Well, are you?"</p> - -<p>"Who, me?"</p> - -<p>"Can it and label it," snapped the newcomer.</p> - -<p>Farradyne shrugged angrily. "What do you want me to do?" he asked in a -mild tone. "You've got the jump on me. You slide into my seat and bar -my exit and without introducing yourself you start asking questions -that could get me twenty years in bad company, poor surroundings, and -no pay."</p> - -<p>"Pardon me. You may call me Mike. Michael Cahill is the name."</p> - -<p>"Maybe I'm glad to meet you, Mike. Have you any identification that -doesn't bark for itself?"</p> - -<p>"It's usually good enough."</p> - -<p>"Probably. But the numbers on its calling cards are someone else's."</p> - -<p>Mike laughed. "That's not bad, Farradyne. But so far as I know, your -number isn't among those present."</p> - -<p>"I'll bet you could change a number fast enough."</p> - -<p>"Could be," nodded Cahill. He turned around over his shoulder and -called at the waitress: "Hey, Snooky. Make it two instead of one."</p> - -<p>"Mine's White Star."</p> - -<p>"That's all right with me. It's easier to drive this rod with a clear -head."</p> - -<p>"No doubt," said Farradyne. "So now that we are about to drink -together, let's face it. You had more in mind than to pass the time of -day with a nervous spaceman who wanted to be alone."</p> - -<p>"Correct. Or as you birds say, Aye-firm. How's the hellblossom -business?"</p> - -<p>"That's easy to answer. The answer is that I haven't any, and I'm not -in the business."</p> - -<p>"People say you are."</p> - -<p>"People are wrong."</p> - -<p>"Sometimes, but not always."</p> - -<p>Farradyne grunted. "Not too long ago, someone accused me openly. The -story started when someone suggested that the only way a guy could come -from down on his bottom to the top of the heap in one large step was -to be among the big-time operators. The heavy-sugar know-how. To the -limited imagination, this meant running love lotus."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Mike Cahill was silent while the high-breasted waitress brought their -drinks. After she left, Cahill lifted his glass to Farradyne. "Is you -is or is you ain't?" he chuckled.</p> - -<p>"I ain't," said Farradyne, drinking with Cahill.</p> - -<p>"Stop sounding like a parrot. The tomato in the bar on Ganymede must -have known something. You spent four years as flat on your duff -as a musclebound wrestler and then you come bouncing along in a -last-year model Lancaster. So since we know damned well that you're no -hellblossom runner, where did you get the stack?"</p> - -<p>"Thrift and good management."</p> - -<p>"Maybe it's a rich uncle?"</p> - -<p>"I'm just a capable operator."</p> - -<p>"The label is sour, Farradyne."</p> - -<p>"Then what do you make of this?" asked Farradyne, handing Cahill his -license folder.</p> - -<p>"It looks nice and legal, but it's as phony as a ten-cent diamond and -both of us know it. So how did you get it—and the Lancaster to go -along with it?"</p> - -<p>Farradyne sipped his drink. "Look, Cahill, it just happens that I don't -care to tell. This is a gentler version of the old bark, 'None of -your blank business!' which I've always considered rude and which has -started a lot of fights. But the fact remains that I am not telling."</p> - -<p>"It might make a difference if you did."</p> - -<p>"Let's stop fencing. I may be of use to you. It might be that you are a -SAND agent and it might be otherwise, but I still may be of use to you -either way. But the first time I start shooting off my trap, you'll get -the idea that I'm not close-mouthed enough for whatever job you have in -mind for me. So let's leave it this way, huh? I got a ticket that gets -me in and out and a spacer that takes me there and back."</p> - -<p>"And that's your story?"</p> - -<p>Farradyne nodded, sipped his drink, and offered Cahill a smoke which -Cahill took.</p> - -<p>"We've had a rather moist spring," observed Cahill.</p> - -<p>"It was moister on Venus," commented Farradyne.</p> - -<p>"It's on Terra that the weather is fine," said Cahill. "The crops are -coming up, I'm told, excellently. Nothing like fresh vegetables."</p> - -<p>Farradyne nodded. "No matter how well we convert the planets to -Terra-condition, nothing grows like on earth."</p> - -<p>"Ever enjoy lying on your back in the sun in a field of flowers with -nothing to do but get sunburned?"</p> - -<p>"Not for a long time."</p> - -<p>"Funny how a guy gets out of his kid-habits," mused Cahill. "And even -funnier how he wants to go and do it all over again, but it's never -quite the same."</p> - -<p>"Yeah."</p> - -<p>"Farradyne, you're not sold-up on this next jaunt to Terra, are you?"</p> - -<p>"Just one passenger going to Denver."</p> - -<p>"Mind if I buy a stateroom?"</p> - -<p>"Not at all."</p> - -<p>"I want to go pick flowers on Terra," yawned Cahill. "If you like, -maybe we can pick some together."</p> - -<p>"Maybe we can," said Farradyne, draining his glass and starting to get -up. Cahill got up too and led the way out. Farradyne flagged down a -taxicab. "Spaceport," he told the driver. "Coming?" he asked Cahill.</p> - -<p>"Yeah."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">VIII</p> - - -<p>Farradyne took the Lancaster up and set the course to Terra. As soon -as he could spare time to think of anything but handling the ship, he -began to wonder about Norma and Mike Cahill. She had not been visible -when they arrived, but no doubt by now she had made her presence known. -It bothered him a bit because he was as certain as a man can be that -Cahill was a hellflower operator, and he did not want the man to get -cold feet because Farradyne was connected with an addict, if even for a -short hop.</p> - -<p>So as soon as he could leave the board, Farradyne went down into the -salon.</p> - -<p>They had met. Norma, for the first time in her trip with Farradyne, was -presiding over the dining table. She was wearing a slinky, sea-green -hostess gown that scarcely existed above the waist and was slit on both -sides to just below the knees. Her white, bare legs twinkled as she -walked and almost forced the eye to follow them. She was giving Cahill -all the benefit of her physical beauty, and Cahill was enjoying it. -Farradyne had a hunch that Norma was about to start slipping him the -old jealousy-routine. He wondered about his reaction. He was extremely -wary of Norma, but he did feel a sort of responsibility for her. She -might make him jealous, but it would not be the jealousy of passion or -desire, but the jealous concern that stems from a desire to protect.</p> - -<p>Norma's lissome figure vanished toward the galley, and Cahill wagged a -forefinger at Farradyne.</p> - -<p>"That dame's a blank," he said in a low voice.</p> - -<p>"I know. She's not my woman, Cahill."</p> - -<p>"Maybe not, but it sure looks like it from a distance. What are you -doing with her?"</p> - -<p>"Delivering her to her parents in Denver."</p> - -<p>"That all?"</p> - -<p>Farradyne nodded. "She latched onto me on Ganymede; she's the dame that -made the loud announcement of my being a hellflower runner."</p> - -<p>"Maybe she'll be right sooner or later. But you get rid of her, see?"</p> - -<p>Farradyne nodded vigorously. "That I'll do. She's been hell on high -heels to have around the joint."</p> - -<p>"Looks like she might be fun."</p> - -<p>"She hates my guts."</p> - -<p>Cahill nodded. "Probably. They usually end up in a case of anger and -violence. Tough."</p> - -<p>Norma came back with a tray and set food on the table. They ate in -silence, with Norma still giving Cahill the full power of her charm. -Cahill seemed to enjoy her advances, although he accepted them with a -calloused, self-assured smile. Once dinner was finished, Norma jumped -up and began to clear the table. This act annoyed Farradyne because he -could not account for it, and the only thing that seemed to fit the -case was the possibility that Norma was acting as she did to soften his -wariness of her; but she was carrying the thing too far.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>As she left again, Farradyne turned to Cahill and asked, "How can a man -tell a love lotus from a gardenia?"</p> - -<p>"That takes experience. You'll learn."</p> - -<p>"The thing that stops me," said Farradyne, "is that the Sandmen have -been trying to stamp out the things for about forty years and they -can't even tell where they come from."</p> - -<p>"They'll never find out," said Cahill. "Maybe you won't either."</p> - -<p>"But I—"</p> - -<p>"Better you shouldn't. Just enjoy living off the edges. It's safer that -way."</p> - -<p>"Where are we going after we leave Denver?"</p> - -<p>"I'm not too sure we're going anywhere."</p> - -<p>"But—"</p> - -<p>"I'm none too sure of you, Farradyne. You've some holes to fill in." -Cahill lit a cigarette and leaned back, letting the smoke trickle -through his nostrils. "I don't mind talking to you this way because it -would be your word against mine if you happen to be a Sandman. Some of -your tale rings true. The rest sticks, hard."</p> - -<p>"For instance?"</p> - -<p>"Well, let's suppose you are a Sandman. Humans are a hard-boiled lot, -but somehow I can't see killing thirty-three people just to establish -a bad reputation. So that tends to clear your book. As to the chance -of your laying low for four years until the mess blew over, I might -buy that except for the place. A guy who can ultimately turn up with -enough oil to grease his way into a reinstated license and a Lancaster -Eighty-One isn't likely to spend four interim years living in a -fungus-field."</p> - -<p>"Maybe I hit it rich?"</p> - -<p>Cahill laughed roughly. "Dug up a platinum-plated toadstool?"</p> - -<p>"Maybe I just met up with the right guy."</p> - -<p>"Blackmail?"</p> - -<p>"That's a nasty word, Cahill."</p> - -<p>"Sure is. What did he do?"</p> - -<p>"Let's call it malingering. Let's say he played rough at the wrong time -and might have to pay for it high at the present." Farradyne looked at -the ceiling. "And maybe that isn't it."</p> - -<p>Cahill laughed. "Have it your way, Farradyne. Tell me, do we have -a lay-over at Denver or is it better if we take off immediately for -Mercury?"</p> - -<p>"Cinnabar or Hell City?"</p> - -<p>"Cinnabar, if it makes any difference."</p> - -<p>"Mercury, Schmercury, I didn't know there was anything there but the -central heating plant for the solar system."</p> - -<p>"Isn't much," admitted Cahill. "But enough. The—"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>His voice trailed away as Norma's high heels came clicking up the -circular stairway back toward the salon. "I thought I'd have a -cigarette and a drink with company before I go to bed," she announced -in a tone of voice that Farradyne had not heard her use before. With -gracious deftness, she made three highballs of White Star Trail and -water and handed two of them to the men. She let her fingers linger -over Farradyne's very briefly, and over Cahill's longer. She lounged in -a chair across the room from them, all curves and softness, with only -that strange disinterested look in her eyes to give her away.</p> - -<p>The evening had been a series of paradoxes; Norma's change from the -vixen to the lady of languid grace did not ring true. He had been -aware of her ability to reason coldly, brought about by her burned-out -emotional balance which was so dulled that her thinking was mechanical -and therefore inclined to be frightfully chilled logic. Norma had -claimed that she knew the emotions by name and definition; that once -she had felt them but now she only knew how they worked. Farradyne -found it hard to believe that she was so well schooled in her knowledge -that she could put on the act of having them when she obviously did not.</p> - -<p>Yet it was only the blankness in her eyes that gave her away this -evening. Otherwise she might have been a very charming companion.</p> - -<p>She did not even force herself upon them; when her cigarette and her -drink were gone, Norma excused herself quietly and went below.</p> - -<p>"Me, too," said Cahill.</p> - -<p>Farradyne led him down to a stateroom and waved him in. "See you in the -morning," he said. Cahill nodded his good-night and Farradyne went to -his own stateroom to think.</p> - -<p>He hadn't done bad, he thought; he had been on the trail for less -than a hundred hours and already had a lead. Obviously the Semiramide -disaster was the tip-off; no Sandman would go that far to establish a -shady reputation.</p> - -<p>Farradyne was prepared to go on as far as he had to. The idea of -actually running love lotus was not appealing, but the SAND office -had been fighting the things for a half century, watching helplessly -while the moral fibre of the race was being undermined, and somehow -it was far better to let a few more lives be wrecked by hellflowers -than to save a few and let the whole thing steamroller into monumental -destruction. Farradyne still had to duck a few people who might like -to nail his hide to a barn door, but sooner or later he would come out -on top and then he could look his fellow man in the eye and ask him to -forget one bad mistake.</p> - -<p>Being on this first step eased his mind somewhat. He would be rid of -Norma tomorrow morning and on his way with Cahill. He went to sleep -easily for the first time since that meeting with Norma at Ganymede.</p> - -<p>He dreamed a pleasant dream of freedom and success that ended with the -bark of a pistol.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">IX</p> - - -<p>Shocked out of his sleep, he lay stunned and blinking for a moment, -then leaped out of bed and raced to the corridor. The light blinded him -at first, but not enough to stop him from seeing Cahill.</p> - -<p>Cahill came along the tiny corridor listlessly, blood dribbling -from under his left arm, running down his fingers and splashing -to the floor. On Cahill's face was a stunned expression, full of -incomprehension, semi-blank. Blood ran down his leg, across his ankle, -and left red footprints on the floor.</p> - -<p>Through whatever haze clouded Cahill's eyes, he saw Farradyne. He -stumbled forward and reached for Farradyne, but collapsed in midstep -like a limp towel, to stretch out at Farradyne's feet like a tired -baby. His voice sighed out in a dying croon that sounded like a rundown -phonograph.</p> - -<p>Behind him came Norma Hannon. Her eyes were blazing with an unholy -satisfied light and her body was alive and sinuous. A tiny automatic -dangled from her right hand. Her lips curled as she came up to Cahill -and poked at the man's hand with her bare foot.</p> - -<p>"He—" she started to cry in a strident tone. Then the semi-hysteria -faded and she looked down at Cahill again, relishing the situation.</p> - -<p>Farradyne shuddered. What had happened was obvious. Cahill had tried -to force himself upon Norma; she had killed him. Apparently Cahill had -not been able to do more than clutch at the deep neckline of Norma's -nightgown, which was slightly torn.</p> - -<p>He leaned back against the wall and saw things in a sort of horrid slow -motion. Under any normal circumstance, no jury in the solar system -would have listened to an attempt to prosecute her. Under any normal -circumstance, Farradyne could bury Cahill at space and report the -incident at the first landing. But Farradyne couldn't stand too much -investigation. And Norma Hannon was a love-lotus addict—a 'blank,' in -Cahill's words.</p> - -<p>"Now what?" asked Farradyne bitterly.</p> - -<p>"He—" Her eyes opened wide again as she relived the scene and relished -the violence.</p> - -<p>"Have your fun," Farradyne growled. "What did you do? Let him get all -the way in before you plugged him? No warning at all?"</p> - -<p>"I hoped it was you," she said. "I wouldn't have killed you." Her -voice was calm; she might have been saying 'kiss' instead of 'kill'. -"Him I did not like."</p> - -<p>"And you like me?"</p> - -<p>"You I save to hate tomorrow," she said matter-of-factly.</p> - -<p>"Why didn't you save him?"</p> - -<p>"What was he to you?"</p> - -<p>"He was my source."</p> - -<p>"Source?" Norma looked blank. Then understanding crossed her face. -"Hellblossoms," she said with a sneer that twisted her face. She -stepped past Cahill's body and handed the tiny automatic to Farradyne, -who took it dumbly just because it was proffered. She went on into the -salon and sat down.</p> - -<p>Farradyne wanted to hurt her, to reach through that wall of emotional -scar and make her feel something besides anger. Remorse, perhaps.</p> - -<p>"Source," he nodded, following her. "Love lotus. I'd have given you -one, Norma."</p> - -<p>She made a sound like a bitter laugh. "No good, Farradyne. What good is -one love lotus?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know," he said simply. "I've never had one."</p> - -<p>Her laugh was shrill. Then she bawled at him like a fishwife, "What an -operator you are, Farradyne! You big fumbling boob with your stolen -spacer and your forged license, making like a big wind and blowing like -a breeze! Fah!"</p> - -<p>She got up as suddenly as she had sat down. She paused on her way down -the corridor to kick Cahill's head with her bare foot. The man's head -moved aside limply.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Farradyne stayed where he was until he heard her door slam shut. Then -he got up and went toward his own room, pausing at the door to look at -Cahill. He should be moved, thought Farradyne.</p> - -<p>He found himself looking down on the dead man with a strangely detached -feeling, as if he were watching a rather poorly plotted play. He -relived the scene although he tried to shut it out of his mind. -Shutting out would not work, and so he went through it detail by -detail, minutely, from the sound of the pistol shot to the last dying -groan from Cahill's tortured throat. The memory of that dying sound -jarred on Farradyne's nerves. There had been something strange about -it—</p> - -<p>It had been a discordant cry.</p> - -<p>Farradyne found himself making a completely useless analysis, itemizing -things that surely could not matter. The cry had been a discord.</p> - -<p>His mind wandered a bit as he considered the word. A series of atonal -notes do not make a discord. A discord comes when atonal notes are -sounded at the same time. The former can be pleasant to the ear, the -latter not.</p> - -<p>And then a chill hit him. He felt like a man who has just been told -that he had one more question to answer before winning the prize on a -quiz show.</p> - -<p>Cahill's moan had been a full discord.</p> - -<p>With a sudden leap of the mind, Farradyne was back in the Semiramide, -hearing three voices behind him. They had found one skeleton -afterwards. Then his mind leaped to Brenner, who had emitted an -approving grunt when he saw Norma come around the tail structure of the -Lancaster with the sun shining through her skirt. He had no proof, no -proof. Brenner's grunt had no discord but none the less a mingling of -tones. Three voices? Maybe more?</p> - -<p>Maybe he was not sure of the first. Brenner's sound had been very -brief—maybe he was convincing himself. But Cahill's death-cry had been -most certainly polytonal. And they both were love-lotus operators.</p> - -<p>It might mean something or it might not. Farradyne put his head back -and tried to make a series of sounds. He moaned. He gargled, and he -tried to hum and say something at the same time. Maybe the stunt could -be cultivated after much practise, and maybe it was used as a password.</p> - -<p>More than anything Farradyne needed corroboration.</p> - -<p>It was a weak hope, but he stepped over Cahill's body and rapped on -Norma's door.</p> - -<p>She opened the door after a moment and said, "Now what?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He looked down into her glazed eyes, hoping to see some flicker of -expression that showed some interest in anything. "Norma, you've a good -logical mind—tell me, did you notice anything about Cahill's last cry?"</p> - -<p>"No."</p> - -<p>"Nothing odd?"</p> - -<p>"I've not seen men die very often. What was strange about it?" The eyes -unglazed a bit, but Farradyne could not tell whether this was awakened -interest or merely the recapture of the feeling she had enjoyed before.</p> - -<p>"It sounded to me like a discordant moan."</p> - -<p>"It was discordant."</p> - -<p>"Not the way you mean. It sounded to me like there were three or four -distinct tones all going at once."</p> - -<p>"Stop beating that dead horse," she told him flatly. "It's the same -chorus you used to sing about the three people in your control room, -remember?"</p> - -<p>"Brenner made a sound like that, too," he said.</p> - -<p>"A piglike sound," she said scornfully. "Forget it, Farradyne. Your -evidence consists of one man surprised at the sight of a good-looking -woman and one man whose throat was coming apart in death. Forget it." -She shut the door to her room in his face abruptly.</p> - -<p>Farradyne looked down at Cahill's body with regret. A gunman and a -love-lotus operator was not likely to have his absence noticed among -the kind of people who could afford to start asking questions of the -officials, and there might be a chance that Cahill's absence would -cause the same people to ask a question or two of Farradyne.</p> - -<p>Farradyne would have liked to keep the body. But hauling a slain -corpse—he did not consider it murder—into a doctor's office and -asking for an autopsy on the throat could not be done. Nor could -Farradyne do it himself. He could perform a fair job of setting a -broken bone and he could treat a burn or a cut, but he would not -recognize a larynx if he saw it.</p> - -<p>Grunting distastefully, Farradyne hauled the body to the scuttle port -and consigned it to space with a terse, "See you in Hell, Cahill!"</p> - -<p>Sleep did not come to Farradyne for a long time.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">X</p> - - -<p>The Lancaster came down at Denver; before Farradyne had the landing -ramp out, a spaceport buggy came careening across the field to stop -almost at the base of the ship.</p> - -<p>"Farradyne?" said the man.</p> - -<p>"You're the Bennington man?"</p> - -<p>"Sidney Kingman," said the other, showing Farradyne a small case with -an identification card and license. "Where is she?"</p> - -<p>"Inside."</p> - -<p>Kingman handed Farradyne an envelope. He pocketed it and led Kingman -into the salon. Norma was there, sitting on the divan, smoking.</p> - -<p>"Miss Hannon, Mr. Kingman."</p> - -<p>"Another one of your friends?" she sneered.</p> - -<p>"No. He's one of yours."</p> - -<p>"I have no friends."</p> - -<p>"Yes, you have, Miss Hannon. And you have parents—"</p> - -<p>Norma leaped to her feet angrily. "You good-for-nothing bum!" she -screeched at Farradyne.</p> - -<p>"You wouldn't leave me alone, Norma," said Farradyne tiredly. "So I've -brought you home."</p> - -<p>"I'll come after you," she snarled.</p> - -<p>"Not if I see you first," he told her. "This is it."</p> - -<p>"I won't go!"</p> - -<p>"You'll go," said Farradyne harshly, "if I have to clip you on the chin -and help Kingman carry you out on a shutter."</p> - -<p>For the first time, Farradyne saw tears of genuine sorrow. There was -anger at him, too; but remorse was there a-plenty. "Why hurt them?" she -asked. "Why can't they just call me dead and let it go at that? I'm -worse than dead."</p> - -<p>Then her face froze again and she looked at Kingman. "All right," -she said in a hard voice, "let's go and hurt my folks to death. You -money-grubbing ghouls."</p> - -<p>She started towards the spacelock. Kingman followed. Her face wore a -coldly distant expression as she left the Lancaster. Kingman's driver -took them off. She did not turn back to look at Farradyne.</p> - -<p>And that was that. Farradyne retracted the landing ramp, closed the -spacelock, and not long afterwards hiked the Lancaster into the sky and -headed for Mercury.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XI</p> - - -<p>Cinnabar was inside of the sunlight zone by a thousand miles and its -sun was always in the same spot of the sky. It was a well-contrived -city, built so that the streets were lighted either directly or from -reflections. Cinnabar was also one of the show-cities of the solar -system; but Farradyne found that it did not show him the right things. -He could have learned more about hellflowers on Terra because New York -had a larger Public Library than Cinnabar.</p> - -<p>Farradyne tried everything he could think of but made no progress. His -trail had turned to ice after Cahill's death. He loafed and he poked -his nose in here and there and drank a bit and varied his routine from -man-about-town to the spaceman concerned about his future. There was -only one bright spot: his listing had been tentatively taken up by a -group of schoolteachers on a sabbatical, who had seen Mercury and now -wanted a cheap trip to Pluto. Farradyne accepted this job for about -three weeks later. It gave him a payload to Pluto, and when he got -there it would be time to do the subcontracting job Clevis had set up -as a combined source of revenue and a means of contact. Once each month -Farradyne was to haul a shipment of refined thorium ore from Pluto to -Terra, a private job that paid well. In the meantime, Farradyne could -nose around Mercury to see what he could see. Then he could haul his -schoolteachers to Pluto and pick up his thorium, which definitely made -his actions look reasonably normal to the official eye.</p> - -<p>On the end of the drums of refined thorium there would be a spot of -fluorescent paint, normally invisible. He was to wash this spot off so -long as he had nothing to report; if it remained then something was -wrong with Farradyne, or he had something to report. Clevis would know -what to do next.</p> - -<p>And so Farradyne watched the date grow closer and closer and his hopes -of having something to report dimmed.</p> - -<p>He cursed under his breath at the futility of it, and realized that his -curse must have been audible when he felt a touch on his elbow and a -voice asking, "Is it that bad?"</p> - -<p>He turned slowly, his mind working fast to think of something to say -that would not be leading in the wrong direction. "I was—" he started, -and then saw that the voice, which had been low-pitched enough to have -been the voice of a rather small, thin man, had come from the throat -of a tall dark-haired woman who sat beside him at the bar. "—just -wondering what strangers did for excitement on Mercury," he finished -lamely.</p> - -<p>"Spaceman?"</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>She laughed in her low contralto. "I guessed it. Is Cinnabar so -inhospitable?"</p> - -<p>"To strangers it seems so."</p> - -<p>"To me it seems quite normal. It makes the rest of the solar system -sound like a very exciting place."</p> - -<p>"Born on Mercury?"</p> - -<p>"No," she said, shaking her head. "I was born on Venus. I spent four -years on Terra before my folks brought me to Mercury. But my last -space trip took place when I was nine. Tell me, what is New York like?"</p> - -<p>"Buildings and people and mad rushing around. Any change in the last -hundred years has been for taller buildings, more people, and a higher -general velocity of humanity."</p> - -<p>"But—"</p> - -<p>"I know, the way I put it sounds a bit harsh. But anybody can find -anything they want somewhere in New York if he has the money to buy it."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>She smiled calmly. "I'll show you that Cinnabar is not an inhospitable -place," she said. "You may take me to dinner if you wish."</p> - -<p>"I wish," he chuckled. "And since we haven't a mutual friend to -introduce us, I'm Charles Farradyne."</p> - -<p>"How do you do?" she said solemnly, putting a lithe hand in his. "I'm -Carolyn Niles." She took a little step out from the bar and made him -a slight curtsy. He saw that she was almost as tall as he was, and he -grinned as he thought that her figure was far better than his.</p> - -<p>"How shall we meet?" he asked.</p> - -<p>"We shall not meet," said Carolyn. "You shall drive me home where -we will have cocktails with my folks. You will be an old friend -of Michael's, who is a sort of school-chum of my brother. After -cocktails I will change and you will make polite conversation with my -family—none of which eat personable young men, though they may scare -them to death by having father show them the fine collection of Terran -shotguns he owns. Then we will go out to your spacecraft, and you will -change while I roam around and investigate the insides."</p> - -<p>"Done," agreed Farradyne.</p> - -<p>Something rapped him on the elbow and he had to look down before he saw -a boy of ten or so with a green-paper lined box containing flowers. The -young merchant had an eye for business; he eyed Farradyne knowingly and -smiled at Carolyn fetchingly. "Corsage? One dollar."</p> - -<p>Farradyne grinned—and then almost recoiled before he realized that -nowhere in the solar system could a love lotus be purchased for a -dollar. These were definitely gardenias. He bought one to cover up his -confusion, and as he handed it to Carolyn he wondered whether having -a good-looking woman in a car outside a florist shop might not be the -password to the purchase of the hellflower. Carolyn pinned the gardenia -in her dark hair as she smiled her thanks, then led him from the bar -to an open roadster almost as low and long as the curb it was parked -against. Carolyn handed him her keys and Farradyne drove according to -her directions until they came to a rather large rambling home just -outside of the city limits.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He was received graciously. Her father was a tall, distinguished man -with a dab of gray at the temples and a rather stern face that became -completely friendly whenever he smiled, which was very frequently. -Carolyn's mother was tall and dark with only a sprinkle of gray; -Carolyn's stature seemed natural in that tall family. The brother was -not present, which made it completely easy for Farradyne who could not -have given any account of his friendship for the unknown Michael.</p> - -<p>Mr. Niles mixed a pitcher of martinis and inquired about the spaceman -business. Farradyne explained how it was. Mrs. Niles laughed at his -story about fish one day and fins the next and said that she thought -it couldn't be that bad, really. Farradyne grinned. Mr. Niles observed -that a man who can operate a spacer and pay off a mortgage on the craft -must not be entirely penniless or without prospects.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Niles added, "I suppose it takes money to operate, Mr. Farradyne."</p> - -<p>"A fair amount. A spaceman begins to think in large figures so much -that he wonders how he can get along on a more humanly reasonable -amount. To clear a reasonable standard of living, a rather staggering -amount of money comes in one hand and goes out the other. Operating -expenses are high, but so are charges."</p> - -<p>"But do you land on Mercury often, Mr. Farradyne?"</p> - -<p>Farradyne smiled. "Perhaps less frequently in the past than in the -future."</p> - -<p>"Now, that's sheer flattery," laughed Carolyn.</p> - -<p>"Better enjoy it," observed her father with a chuckle. "Charles, you -are welcome here any time you land."</p> - -<p>"Thank you," smiled Farradyne. "But all things considered, I should -think that you'd take a dim view of any man that brought your daughter -home wearing a gardenia."</p> - -<p>"Gardenia—oh. You mean that it might be—" Mr. Niles laughed. "I think -that Carolyn has enough judgement to take up with the right kind of -young man, Charles."</p> - -<p>"Of course," said Mrs. Niles. "Robert and Michael wouldn't stay friends -with the wrong kind."</p> - -<p>"So, you see?" laughed Mr. Niles.</p> - -<p>"By the way," asked Mrs. Niles, "how is Michael?"</p> - -<p>"Quite well, the last time I saw him," said Farradyne, knowing that -this was the right thing to say at any time.</p> - -<p>"You're sure?"</p> - -<p>"Of course."</p> - -<p>"I'm very happy to hear it," said Mrs. Niles. "We knew he was with you, -but we didn't know how long he stayed."</p> - -<p>Farradyne gulped imperceptibly, and hoped that they did not notice. -"You did? Then he must have mentioned me."</p> - -<p>"Oh, he did. Tell me, Charles, what happened to Michael?"</p> - -<p>"Did something happen to him?"</p> - -<p>Mr. Niles eyed Farradyne rather pointedly. "Mike took off with you from -Mars. He did not land at Denver, Mr. Farradyne. So what happened to -Mike Cahill?"</p> - -<p>Farradyne gulped, and this time it was a full-throated gulp that left -him with his Adam's Apple high in his throat. Carolyn cooed, "Yes, -Charles, what happened to Michael Cahill?"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XII</p> - - -<p>Farradyne felt a muscle-loosening tingle of fear. His thinking -mechanism stopped functioning. His mind buzzed with a frenetic -insistence that he say something, but being so completely unprepared he -could not say anything. And he dimly knew that his long speechlessness -was as damning as any story he could have prepared after such a pause. -Perhaps he would have been stunned short this way even if he had -concocted some story on the offhand chance that someday the question -might come up. But it had come like this, from an unexpected quarter -and he was both shocked and unprepared.</p> - -<p>Then it occurred to him that he need not say anything. The die had -been cast and he stood accused, twice; once by the Niles Family and -once by his own shocked reaction. He must act for the next moment, -because the passed moment was irreparable. Farradyne laughed at his own -simplicity—a brief scornful bark.</p> - -<p>"What is funny?" asked Mr. Niles.</p> - -<p>"It just occurred to me that you people are either innocent or guilty."</p> - -<p>"Very sage," commented Niles, drily. "Now, what happened to Cahill?"</p> - -<p>Farradyne leaned back, trying to relax. He took a sip of his martini, -not that he wanted it, but to see if his hand were still trembling. It -wasn't.</p> - -<p>He said, "If you knew Cahill and his whereabouts, you also know quite -a bit about me. You'll have heard that I was recognized in a bar on -Ganymede by a woman named Norma Hannon, who is a love-lotus addict. She -hated my guts because her brother was among those present when I had -the accident in The Bog. She hung onto me for the emotional ride it -gave her. I succeeded in locating the home of her parents and was going -to take her home when I met Cahill. He came along. Then during the -night, he made a pass at Norma, and she shot him for it. I put his body -out through the scuttle port."</p> - -<p>"Cahill was always a damned fool," nodded Niles. "He was a dame-crazy -idiot and it served him right. Some men prefer money, power, or model -railroads, Farradyne. Women are poison."</p> - -<p>"I seem to have followed one of them like the little lamb," said -Farradyne. "But I was picked up and brought here for a purpose, so -let's get down to cases."</p> - -<p>"You're a rather quick-on-the-trigger man, aren't you? What gives you -to assume that this purpose was anything beyond finding out about -Cahill?"</p> - -<p>"Because you've tipped your hand," said Farradyne, feeling more at -ease. "You could have accomplished the same thing by tipping the -police and waiting for the case to be newscast. If Cahill admitted to -hellblossom running, it was for a purpose, too, Niles."</p> - -<p>"Please. <i>Mister</i> Niles. I'm a bit your senior, Farradyne."</p> - -<p>"All right. Mr. Niles. I've learned one thing so far: I can tell a love -lotus operator from the rest of the system."</p> - -<p>"How?" They all leaned forward eagerly.</p> - -<p>"Because it is the real operators that take an amused view of my -alleged machinations. They know the facts."</p> - -<p>"Very sage. You are a bit brighter than you appeared a moment ago."</p> - -<p>"May I ask why you let me cool my heels for almost a month before you -hauled me in?" He looked at Carolyn with a wry smile. "I would make a -mild bet that you weren't more than a few hundred feet from me all the -while."</p> - -<p>"You're a blind man, Farradyne," she said.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Mr. Niles smiled knowingly. "There are a lot of unexplained items in -your past, Farradyne. We never could be too sure that you were not a -Sandman. So we've been checking up on you and for that angle you are -clean. Then comes the question of Cahill. It might be that you thought -turning in a love-lotus operator would help to smoothe your lot in -life, mayhap get you a bit of reward. So we waited. No Cahill. Cahill -started to bring you here; he would have turned up either with you or -without you. Unless he were dead. You would know the answer."</p> - -<p>"No more than I've told you. Cahill came and made me a sort of sidelong -offer."</p> - -<p>"That much of it rings as true as the other. But there are still holes -in your story."</p> - -<p>Farradyne nodded. "Let's put it this way: There are ways of getting -money and things. I found one way, which is an obvious fact. But I've -been told time and again that the first entering wedge to a full -confession is a willingness to talk. Do you follow me?"</p> - -<p>"I do. But—"</p> - -<p>Farradyne smiled. "I don't care to face it. Not in company, Mr. Niles." -Farradyne's emphasis on the 'Mister' was heavy with sarcasm.</p> - -<p>Niles looked at him piercingly. "You are a bit belligerent and a trifle -sure of yourself. Close-mouthed and apparently able to get along. -You'll be out on a lonely limb for some time, Farradyne, but we can use -you."</p> - -<p>"I can use the sugar," said Farradyne.</p> - -<p>"Naturally. Anybody can use money. In fact everybody needs money, and -so, Farradyne, what visible means of support have you?"</p> - -<p>"I've a subcontract. Once each month I'm to lug a load of thorium -refines from Pluto to Terra."</p> - -<p>"It's a start but it isn't enough."</p> - -<p>"I'll pick up more."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Niles leaned back and put the tips of his fingers together -pontifically. "One of the hardest jobs in this business is to justify -your standard of living. The financial rewards are large and the hours -involved are small. It is patent that a man who has not been granted a -large inheritance, or perhaps stumbled on a lucrative asteroid, cannot -live in a semi-royal manner without having to work in a semi-royal -fury. One of the great risks in this business is the accepting of a -recruit whose appearance causes discussion. The day when a man can -build a fifty thousand dollar home on a five thousand dollar salary -without causing more than a raised eyebrow is gone. If a man has a -large income, he must appear busy enough to warrant it—or at least -provide a reasonable facsimile."</p> - -<p>"This I can understand."</p> - -<p>"For a job like this," Niles went on, "we prefer the natural-born -spaceman, with sand in his shoes or space-dust in his eyes. Because -the man with a bad case of wanderlust always looks busy even when he -is idling. You seem to be that sort, but we can never tell until it's -tried. Unless, of course, you turn out to be woman-crazy."</p> - -<p>"I'm a normal-enough male," said Farradyne. "I'll remind you that -Cahill was the guy who tried and failed."</p> - -<p>"How normal are you? We'd have less liking for a misogynist than for a -satyr here."</p> - -<p>Farradyne smiled serenely. "I had enough sense to keep my hands off -Norma Hannon, but I have enough red blood to come home with Carolyn. -That good enough?"</p> - -<p>Niles thought a moment. "Could be. Anyway, we'll find out. We'll try it -and see. Now, when do you go to Pluto?"</p> - -<p>"I've some schoolteachers to haul out there tomorrow."</p> - -<p>"Good. Gives you a good background, without much labor. Now, when you -land on Terra, you'll not post your ship because you have already -contracted for a job. Carolyn will be there on a business trip and will -have chartered your ship for a hauling job back to Mercury. During -this trip you will get some more details on how you are to operate. -This much I will tell you now, Farradyne: you'll be an inbetweener. -Advancement may come fast or slow, depending on you. You'll get the -details later; as for now, however—" Niles leaned back in his chair -and smiled. "Farradyne, you met my daughter in a cocktail lounge and -several people heard the two of you planning an evening together. -So you will go dancing and dining and from this moment on you will -be Charles and I will be Mister Niles and we'll have no nonsense, -understand?"</p> - -<p>Farradyne nodded.</p> - -<p>"Good. Now, let's have another martini while Carolyn dresses for -dinner."</p> - -<p>Niles poured. Carolyn disappeared. Mrs. Niles leaned forward slightly -and asked, "Charles, why did you become a spaceman?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Farradyne blinked. His impulse was to ask in turn why they had become -hellflower operators. He stifled the impulse because there was -something strangely odd about this set-up. Her question was quite -normal to the background she appeared to fill as matron of a happy, -successful family.</p> - -<p>The aura of respectability extended far, to include the home and its -spacious grounds, so that Farradyne burned with resentment at the -social structure whereby he, who had committed no more than a few -misdemeanors, should be less cultured, less successful, less poised -than this family of low-grade vultures. If anything, the attitude of -Mrs. Niles shocked him more than the acts of her husband. Men were the -part of the race that played the rough games and ran up the score while -women occupied one of two positions: they were either patterned after -Farradyne's mother or they were slatterns and sluts who looked as well -as acted the part. It offended Farradyne's sense of proportion that -Mrs. Niles was gracious and well-bred instead of being loud and cheap.</p> - -<p>Farradyne labeled it a form of hypocrisy and yearned to pull the -pedestal out from under them and dump them into the mud where they all -damn well belonged.</p> - -<p>Farradyne matured a bit in those few moments of thinking. He had often -wondered why a clever man like Clevis would work at a dangerous, -thankless job in complete anonymity when he could have put his efforts -into business and probably emerge wealthy and famous. He began to -understand the personal gratification that could be his in working to -rid the human race of its parasites. In Niles' own words, some men like -money and some want power and others build model railroads; neither -money nor power were god to Farradyne, who had always been restlessly -happy with just enough money and power to exchange for the fun and -games to be found in being alive.</p> - -<p>Farradyne was just discovering the threshold of a new outlet for his -wealth of nervous energy, and he looked forward to it eagerly.</p> - -<p>Blandly, he started to outline a semi-humorous tale of his life and -adventures to Mrs. Niles, exaggerating his own early fumblings in a -casual way. She listened with amused interest, just as any mother might -use in hearing the background of a young man who was interested in a -daughter.</p> - -<p>But in the back of Farradyne's mind was the niggling fear that he would -not be able to act the part of convincing suitor to the girl whose -background, attitude, and character he detested. He knew that a man can -lie in his teeth and play the role of spy convincingly, but he believed -that the truth of his feelings would be evident when it came to making -love to the enemy.</p> - -<p>And then Carolyn came down the stairs in a white strapless evening -dress and Farradyne changed his mind. It was going to be extremely easy -for him to put his personal attitudes in a small compartment of his -mind and slam the door.</p> - -<p>"You've got to dress too, Charles," she said in a soft voice. It was -low and intimate, unlike a woman of her type.</p> - -<p>He nodded and got up.</p> - -<p>Carolyn tucked her hand under his elbow and gave a little squeeze; the -last image of Norma Hannon's lackluster eyes faded out of his mind and -Farradyne became the man his role so urgently demanded.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XIII</p> - - -<p>In the salon of the Lancaster, Farradyne smiled knowingly. "The plan -was to let you investigate the ship while I dressed," he said. "But I -gather that you've seen you share of spacers."</p> - -<p>"I admit it," she replied. "For that I'm sorry, Charles."</p> - -<p>"Well, park yourself somewhere while I get into whites."</p> - -<p>She sat down and stretched. "A highball and a cigarette?" she asked.</p> - -<p>"The cigarette is easy," he said, handing one to her and flipping his -lighter. While she puffed, he went on, "But the highball may be more -difficult. I've nothing but White Star Trail aboard."</p> - -<p>She nodded at him. "With water," she said. She relaxed into the -cushions. Farradyne went and mixed her highball. She sipped it and -nodded approvingly. He turned to go.</p> - -<p>"Charles?"</p> - -<p>He stopped. Carolyn put her glass on the tiny tray and parked her -cigarette. She rose and came forward, lifting her hands to put them on -his shoulders. He stood woodenly. "Charles," she asked in a soft voice, -"Are you unhappy because I am not the girl you hoped I'd be?"</p> - -<p>"How many men have you played this role for?" he asked.</p> - -<p>Carolyn smiled, a wry smile that twisted her face. "I should slap your -face for that," she said. "Because when I tell you the answer you won't -believe me."</p> - -<p>Caution came to him. He was the rookie hellflower operator, not the -young man who has discovered that his girl has been playing games -behind his back. He tried to fit himself into her picture and decided -that according to her code of loused-up ethics she might possibly be -thinking of a future: a pleasant home with rambling roses and a large -lawn and a devoted husband and maybe a handful of happy children all -creating the solid-citizen facade for dope running, just as her parents -were doing. If this were the case, Farradyne must carry roses for his -wife in one hand, toys for the kids in the other, and his hip pocket -must be filled with hellflowers.</p> - -<p>He played it. He relaxed and put his hands on her waist. "I admit to -being a bit of a louse," he said, with a brief laugh. "But that's -because I'm a bit new at a very rough game."</p> - -<p>She leaned forward a bit. "Even rough games have their rules."</p> - -<p>"I'll play according to the rules—as soon as I learn them."</p> - -<p>She looked up at him. "You know them," she said quietly. "All men and -women learn them at home, in school, in church. They're sensible rules -and they keep people out of trouble, mostly. If you adhere to the -rules, people will have nothing to attract their attention. That's what -father was trying to say when he suggested that you provide a visible -means of support for yourself. Play by these rules and we'll get along. -It's especially important when we must not have people looking in our -direction, Charles."</p> - -<p>She sighed and leaned against him softly. "You asked me a question. The -answer is three. One of them preferred a blonde and they are living -quietly and happily on Callisto. The second couldn't have jelled -because he was the kind of man who would work eighteen hours a day. -Some men are that way and some women like it that way, but not me. The -third, Charles, was Michael. Mike didn't last long. Only long enough to -prove to me that he was a woman-chaser. The fourth could be you, and -maybe there mightn't be a fifth."</p> - -<p>"Three men in your life," he said.</p> - -<p>She smiled up into his eyes. "Three men in my life—but, Charles, not -three men in my bedroom." Carolyn cocked an eyebrow at him knowingly. -"The only way the fourth will get in is to make sure there won't be a -fifth. So now you know. You can play it from there."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>His arms did not slip around the slender waist, but the hands pulled -her close to him. He kissed her gently, and for a moment she clung to -him with her body. Her response was affectionate but only bordering on -passion. Then she leaned back and smiled into his face. "You need a -shave," she told him. "So let go of me until you can kiss me without -scratching." Then to prove that she didn't really mean it, Carolyn -kissed him, briefly, and ended it by rubbing her forehead against his -chin.</p> - -<p>Farradyne went to his stateroom and showered. He shaved. He dressed -carefully in white slacks and shirt and the last remaining holdover -from a Victorian period, a dark necktie. He returned to the salon to -find Carolyn finished with her highball and cigarette and waiting for -him calmly and patiently. She looked him over, then got up and rubbed -her cheek against his and cooed pleasantly, but moved away when he -tried to kiss her.</p> - -<p>She tucked her hand under his elbow and said, "Dinner, man-thing."</p> - -<p>Farradyne chuckled. "Dinner," he repeated.</p> - -<p>She hugged his arm. He led her down the landing ramp and into her car, -and at her direction drove to her choice of a dinner spot. The food -was good. Carolyn was a fine dancer with a high sense of rhythm and a -graceful body. Farradyne decided that if this were a thankless job that -gave no chance for fame and fortune, there were plenty of very pleasant -facets to it. Her shoulder rubbed his as he drove her home hours later.</p> - -<p>He handed her out of the car and walked to the front door with her. She -gave him her key and he opened her door and she walked in, to wait for -him just inside. She came into his arms as the door closed behind them -and she clung to him, returning his kiss and his embrace; matching his -rising fervor with a passion of her own. They parted minutes afterward. -Farradyne moved her slightly, settling her body into a more comfortable -fit against him.</p> - -<p>"It's late," she breathed.</p> - -<p>Farradyne chuckled. "With the sun shining like that?"</p> - -<p>She kissed him, amused. "It's always like that, silly. You're on -Mercury, remember?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Farradyne held her close and kissed her again. A minute passed before -he came up for air. He looked down at her, leaning his head back so -that he could see her face without looking cross-eyed. "I'll bet you're -a real mush-face in the dark."</p> - -<p>Carolyn laughed, and shook her head. "Like all the rest of the women on -Mercury, I'm scared to pieces of the dark. But it's late, Charles, and -you've just got to go." She hugged his head down so that she could look -at her wrist watch on the arm about his neck. "It's five o'clock and -you're to take off at nine. Charles, please don't crack up just because -of lack of sleep."</p> - -<p>"Okay," he said regretfully. "Okay."</p> - -<p>She held him close. "It's been a nice evening, Charles. So kiss me good -bye, and remember that it won't be long until I see you on Terra."</p> - -<p>"It gets dark on Terra," he told her. He tightened his arms and she -pressed against him.</p> - -<p>Against his lips she murmured, "I might not be afraid of the -dark—Charles."</p> - -<p>The promise in her last embrace stayed with him. There were only three -hours of sleep between the time he left her and the time of awakening -to prepare for the take-off, but dreams of Carolyn filled all of them. -They were pleasant dreams and unpleasant dreams; he saw Carolyn coming -to him with her past renounced, he saw her coming to him as a secret -agent who was in the hellish business for the same reason as he was. -And he dreamed of her waving him a good-bye with her dark eyes filled -with tears as she was taken off to the Titan Penal Colony. He even -entertained notions of joining them, justifying himself by thinking -that people who fall in with love-lotus addiction were the weaklings -of the human race anyway, and could be eradicated to good advantage of -the general level. This reasoning he recognized as sophistry.</p> - -<p>But be it as it may, Carolyn was an attractive woman, and if her -companionship could only be known for a very short time, it was none -the less pleasant. It was a rough game they were playing and many -people were bound to get hurt. But more people—innocent people—would -get hurt if he called it off. So by the time Farradyne and his dreams -came to the conclusion that he could afford to take what pleasure out -of life this situation offered for the moment and let Tomorrow exact -its tribute when Tomorrow came, it was time to get out of his bed and -start the pre-flight check-off.</p> - -<p>He had work to do. Schoolmarms to haul to Pluto and some refined -thorium ore to bring to Terra. He would make no signal this trip; he -was still far from being on the inside. Maybe the next. Or the one -after that, depending on his progress. But in the meantime, he would be -seeing Carolyn Niles on Terra.</p> - -<p>Farradyne began his check-up, already anticipating the reunion.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XIV</p> - - -<p>Farradyne watched them carefully as they came aboard and after he had -seen them he breathed a sigh of relief. There was something prim and -straitlaced about them all, and they would give him no trouble. It was -going to be a breeze.</p> - -<p>There were a few whose faces and names correlated; the rest became -a confusing background of nonentities, uninteresting and bland. -Professor Martin was an elderly gentleman who herded them all into -place efficiently, and who knew enough about spacing to handle the job. -He took over and left only the running of the Lancaster to Farradyne. -There was a Miss Otis who giggled like a fifty year old schoolgirl; a -Mrs. Logan who probably had all of the boys in her class drooling; -a Miss Tilden who was old enough to be Farradyne's mother and a Miss -Carewe who was old enough to be Miss Tilden's mother and who also knew -her way around space, apparently. Miss Higginbotham was the she-dragon -type and Mr. Hughes was the know-it-all type.</p> - -<p>He left them alone. They ran the galley and policed the joint and made -the beds, and one of them made a small water-color to hang in the empty -space over the tiny bar and Miss Carewe requested an oilcan because she -hated squeaky doors.</p> - -<p>Beyond that, Farradyne saw little of them. He used his spare time -tinkering down in the tiny workshop, or demonstrating how the atomic -pile was controlled by the damper rods.</p> - -<p>He was happy and free from care, even though the bunch of them took -over the more comfortable parts of the ship and left him only the -control room above and the lower reaches of the ship, below the salon -and the passenger's cabins.</p> - -<p>He sat for long hours, thinking idly. He was lulled by the noises of -the ship itself; the faint sound of metal on metal, an occasional -groan of a plate or the creaking of a point. The moaning cry of a -motor winding up to take care of some automatic function and the click -and clack of relays and circuit breakers and the peculiar hum of the -servodynes that maintained the correct level of pile activity. The -muted sibilance of the reaction motor created a threshold level of -something like a constant heavy exhalation or the sound of seashore -from a distance.</p> - -<p>And then a few hours before turnover there came another sound that -bothered Farradyne. It was a faint ringing in his ears.</p> - -<p>He knew that ringing in the ears can come of too much alcohol, a box on -the side of the head, certain diseases—or a change in air pressure. He -was healthy, had not been drinking, no one had clipped him; but he had -spent a number of years in an environment where the air pressure was -damned important—</p> - -<p>He sneezed and brought forth a tiny trickle of blood!</p> - -<p>He couldn't believe it; any such change in air pressure would make -alarms ring like the crack of doom all over the ship and there would be -a lot of activity from the air-pressure regulators.</p> - -<p>He hurried aloft to the control room, pausing briefly to listen to the -snoring along the curved corridor of the passenger's section.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Lamps told him the story in a series of quick appraisals, because of -some long-forgotten genius who had insisted that, whenever possible, -warning devices should not be fused, should not be turn-offable, should -not be destructible. The Lancaster was a fine ship, designed well, but -a frontal attack on a panel with metal-cutting tools consists of making -the exception to the 'wherever possible' part of the design of warning -signals. The ship's bell-system had been opened like a tin can.</p> - -<p>But there was another warning system: the pilot-lamp system, which -was strung here and there behind the panels and it would have needed -a major overhaul to be ruined; the saboteur would have spent all -night just opening cans instead of doing his dirty work inside them. -Farradyne should have been asleep; then he would not have noticed the -blazing lamps, which told him exactly what was amiss in the ship, and -where.</p> - -<p>They told him the tale in a glance:</p> - -<p>The low-pressure center of the ship was down in the pile-bay, and the -reason was that one of the little scuttle-doors was open. The pressure -in the reaction-mass bay was low, and now that Farradyne had come -aloft, opening the upper levels, the pressure here was as low as down -in the reaction-mass bay.</p> - -<p>As he watched, another one of the scuttle ports swung open and its -warning lamp flared into life.</p> - -<p>Farradyne went into action. He ripped open the cabinet that held his -spacesuit and clawed the thing from its hook. He started down the -stairway on a stumbling run, getting into the suit by leaps and jumps -and pauses. He realized that he could have moved faster if he stopped -to do one thing at a time, but his frantic mind would not permit him to -make haste slowly. He stumbled and bounced off walls, and the tanks on -his back rapped against his shoulder blades and the helmet cut a divot -out of the bridge of his nose.</p> - -<p>He had zipped up the airtight closures by the time he reached the -little workshop, and he ducked in there to get a weapon of some sort. -He reached past the hammer, ignored the obvious chisel because it was -not heavy, even though it were sharp, and picked up a fourteen-inch -half-round rasp. He hefted it in his gloved hand and it felt about -right.</p> - -<p>The air-break on the topside was still open, and Farradyne closed it. -He fretted at the seconds necessary to equalize the pressure, but -used them sensibly to check the workings of the space suit. He also -located the cause of the air-leakage; normally the air-break doors were -airtight. A sliver of wool or cotton string lay in the rubber gasket -and produced a channel for the escape of some of the air into the -pile-bay. Farradyne stooped, as anyone will, his attention attracted by -this trifle. It was neither wool nor cotton, but a match torn from a -giveaway book.</p> - -<p>He threw it aside and went in, his attention once more on the important -business before him. He ran along the curved corridor—</p> - -<p>And there, a figure in a spacesuit was quietly levering one of the -control rods out of its slot and preparing to hurl it into the void.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Farradyne understood the whole act in one glance; it was the sort of -thing that he would do if sabotage had been his intention. The single -scuttleport had been opened first by hand. Then the saboteur had -scuttled the stock of spare control rods, and since the Lancaster was -reasonably new, there had been quite a batch of them. Furthermore they -were long, unwieldly, heavy things that took time to handle. Naturally, -this was the first act, because the next act would cause the ship's -acceleration to rise. The rise in acceleration would make the rods too -heavy to carry and would also cause investigation as soon as people -became aware of the increasing pressure.</p> - -<p>Then the working rods would be hurled out, leaving the ship heading -hell-bent out of the galaxy at about eight gravities of acceleration. -The passengers and crew would be helpless.</p> - -<p>Maybe two or three rods had been scuttled already. The rest, -functioning on the automatic, would be shoved in further to compensate; -Farradyne could feel no change in the acceleration pressure. But once -the working rods were all the way home, the removal of the next would -cause the ship to take off, literally, with the throttle tied down. -Farradyne was willing to bet the rest of his life that the safety-valve -that furnished the water-mass to the pile was either welded open or -damaged in such a way that supply could not be stopped.</p> - -<p>Then—and Farradyne had to admire his precautions—the vandal would -make his way to the escape hatch, hit the void, and let the helpless -passengers go on and on and on.</p> - -<p>The saboteur was well prepared. His suit was a high-efficiency job -capable of maintaining a man alive for a long time in space. It had -a little radio and a small and expensive chemical motor for mild -maneuvering. The man had friends, obviously, lying in wait out there -ahead, who would pick him up.</p> - -<p>A passel of ice-cold-blooded murderers.</p> - -<p>Farradyne saw the man through a red haze that clouded up over his eyes. -His evaluation of the act was made in a glance, in the bare instant -that it took for Farradyne to see the man and then get his feet in -motion. He plunged forward with a bellow that hurt his own ears.</p> - -<p>The airlessness kept the sound in; the killer was not aware of -Farradyne until the heavy file crashed down on the top of his helmet, -putting a half-inch dent in the steel.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XV</p> - - -<p>The man whirled and sent a heavy-gloved hand back against Farradyne's -face-glass. Farradyne lifted the file for a second swing and caught the -gleam of a heavy knife just as it swung upwards at his face. The blade -jabbed at the face-glass and blunted slightly before Farradyne's eyes. -The glass crazed, clouding Farradyne's vision.</p> - -<p>Farradyne's second swing caught a shoulder-pad and sent the man -staggering back; the knife came up again and the gleaming edge sliced -space close to Farradyne's arm. The man stumbled and fell, and -Farradyne moved forward. The long lever used to handle the radioactive -control rod chopped against his shins and cut his feet out from under -him; he landed on his face in position to let the other man kick out -with heavy spaceboots. The heels rammed Farradyne's helmet hard down -into the shoulders and the top of the helmet hit the top of Farradyne's -head, stunning him slightly.</p> - -<p>The other scrambled forward and landed on Farradyne's back. He pulled -up and back on the fittings of Farradyne's helmet until the pilot's -spine ached with the tension. Then the man thrust forward and slammed -Farradyne's face down on the deck. The safety glass cracked further and -there came the thin, high screech of air escaping through a sharp-edged -hole.</p> - -<p>Farradyne lashed out and around just in time to parry a slash of the -knife. Blade met file in a glint of metal-spark and both weapons were -shocked out of and gloved hands to go skittering across the deck.</p> - -<p>The man left Farradyne to scrabble across the floor after his knife. -Farradyne jumped to his feet, took three fast steps and leaped to -come down with both feet on the man's back. The other collapsed and -Farradyne fell, turning his right wrist painfully underneath him. The -other made a kick that caught Farradyne in the side, turning him over. -And as Farradyne rolled, his bent hand touched hard metal and he came -up out of the roll clutching a heavy pair of spaceman's repair pliers.</p> - -<p>He faced the killer, standing again, armed again; spaceman's pliers -against assassin's knife. He plunged forward and felt the knife bite -against his suit; he swung the pliers as a club and caught the killer's -upper arm, then opened the jaws and bit down, twisting and pulling.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus3.jpg" alt=""/> - <div class="caption"> - <p>The spaceman's pliers were pitted against the assassin's knife.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>A three-cornered patch ripped and came away between the jaws as -the heavy outer cloth gave way. The knife came up and bit through -Farradyne's suit across the knuckles of the hand that held the pliers. -Farradyne kicked, sending the killer staggering, and followed him, -probing at the tear to get at the thin inner suit beneath. The other -man struggled, hurled Farradyne away; but when Farradyne staggered -back, it was with the thin lining between the jaws of the spaceman's -pliers. The other's suit ripped and there came a puff of white vapor as -the air blew into the void.</p> - -<p>The struggling killer stopped as though shocked by an electric current; -he stood there stiffly, his hands slowly falling to his sides, limp. -Farradyne took a step back, breathing heavily.</p> - -<p>He could see, now that his head was not jerking back and forth behind -the cracked glass. He peered, in time to watch the froth of blood foam -out of Hughes' nose.</p> - -<p>Hughes!</p> - -<p>Farradyne wondered whether Hughes had cried out in a polytonal voice—</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He hauled Hughes into the air-break and slammed the door shut. He -valved air into the break and ripped Hughes' suit off. He felt for a -pulse and found one fluttering; he turned Hughes on his face and pumped -on the ribs in, out, in, out, wondering whether he was wasting his time.</p> - -<p>Hughes groaned painfully. His voice echoed and re-echoed in the tiny -air break, but Farradyne could not hear more than the groan of a man -badly hurt. Hughes stirred and opened one eye halfway. Then he closed -it again and moaned under his breath. Farradyne checked the heart and -found it beating weakly; the pulse was not fluttering any more, and -the breath was coming naturally, even though the man's chest heaved -high and dropped low and there was a foghorn sound in the throat as he -gasped huge lungfuls of air.</p> - -<p>Hughes would give Farradyne no trouble for some time. He carried Hughes -to his stateroom and stretched him on the bed. Then he went below and -closed the little hatches and reinserted the control rod, wondering -again whether missing a few would louse-up his landing.</p> - -<p>He went to the control room and replaced the wiring torn out of the -audible-alarm panel. The phalanx of warning lamps had winked out, and -the clangor of danger did not sound.</p> - -<p>Farradyne went back to Hughes' stateroom. "Can you hear me?" he -demanded.</p> - -<p>Hughes awakened slightly. He looked up, his eyes dim but aware.</p> - -<p>"You're a back-biting s.o.b.," snapped Farradyne. "And I'd have let -you die if it hadn't occurred to me that you might be good for some -information. What makes, Hughes?"</p> - -<p>"Wiseacre," came from Hughes' lips in a whisper.</p> - -<p>"What's the game, Hughes?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know what—you're talking—about."</p> - -<p>"I can break all your fingers and slip a hot soldering iron under your -armpits until you yelp loud and clear."</p> - -<p>"You'd better kill me, then," breathed Hughes. "Because you aren't -smart enough to hold me."</p> - -<p>"No? Hughes, you're wrong." Farradyne continued to smile as he went -into the medicine-bay and came up with an ampule and a hypodermic. He -filled the needle deliberately, eyed the dose critically and adjusted -the quantity by causing a droplet to ooze out of the needle until the -plunger was exactly at the mark.</p> - -<p>"This is a fine pain-killer," he said. "Marcoleptine. Know it, Hughes?"</p> - -<p>Hughes began to mouth curses. Farradyne paid no more attention to the -curses than if Hughes had been delivering benedictions. He caught the -man's arm, quelled the resulting struggle easily and locked the arm in -a cruel arm-bar between the elbow and the wrist beneath his arm-pit. -Farradyne lifted, and Hughes came up from the bed slightly; the arm -was both rigid and still because to move might break the arm. Hughes -glared; Farradyne put on more pressure.</p> - -<p>Then, as deliberately as he had measured out the dose, Farradyne -slid the needle into Hughes' elbow, probed briefly for the vein and -delivered the shot. He withdrew the needle quickly and swabbed the ooze -of blood with cotton dipped in an astringent.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He dropped Hughes on the bed and sat down on the chair beside the bed -and relaxed a bit.</p> - -<p>"Marcoleptine," he said conversationally, "is a fine pain-killer—and -habit-forming as hell. You'll blank out in a few moments, and when you -come to it will be about this time tomorrow. You'll see me, because -I'll be here with another healthy needle full of the stuff. By the time -we get to Pluto, you'll be willing to sell your eyeballs for a jolt, -Hughes."</p> - -<p>Hughes' eyes were heavy-lidded, but beneath them pure hatred looked out.</p> - -<p>"As for the reason you're here, that's easy. I can almost quote the -Spaceman's Guide to Diagnosis of Common Ailments. I think it's on Page -two forty-four." Farradyne did not really remember, but he wanted to -keep a drone of speech running to lull Hughes' mind—and also to help -keep himself awake until Hughes blanked out under the marcoleptine. -"Coryosis, one of the nine allied infections formerly grouped under the -ambiguous term 'Common Cold,' is contagious but not fatal except in -severe cases of extreme sensitivity. Treatment consists of isolation -of the patient plus frequent intravenous injections of MacDonaldson's -Formula 2,Ph-D3;Ra7. Nobody will want to spend much time with you for -fear of infection themselves, which would be both hazardous to them and -to you because of the danger of reinfection.</p> - -<p>"I heard you coughing and sneezing and I came to help and found you in -severe pain. Good Old Samaritan Farradyne is going to take care of you -and he will also lug you back to Terra. You wouldn't want to stay on -Pluto where it's cold even despite the Terraconversion program. There's -only one thing more. They'll want to see you even though it's only a -peek in through the door, so you've got to look presentable."</p> - -<p>Farradyne ran hot water into the lavatory and soaped a cloth. He -slapped the hot cloth over Hughes' face and let the soap and water soak -in. Then he began to scrub vigorously.</p> - -<p>The caked blood came away from Hughes' face easily. And so did dark -pigment: makeup. The dark-complected Hughes turned paler; the lines of -his face faded as the reinforcing pigment washed away. Schoolteacher -Hughes came off on the soapy washcloth.</p> - -<p>"Brenner!" exploded Farradyne.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>But the man on the bed was out cold. Farradyne cursed his enthusiasm -with the marcoleptine, for his questions would fall on deaf ears and -torture would hurt only numbed nerves. He would have to wait; but there -would be plenty of time to pry certain answers out of Hughes-Brenner.</p> - -<p>He left the doped man and went to his own stateroom and to bed. Oddly -enough, he fell asleep immediately and slept dreamlessly until it was -time to get up.</p> - -<p>Warily he faced his passengers over the breakfast table, eyeing them -one by one. He explained about Hughes—"heard him moaning in the night -and found he had a nice case of coryosis. He's under treatment now and -he'll probably be out colder than a mackerel for some time."</p> - -<p>There was no response that Farradyne could put down as strange or -odd. Either Hughes-Brenner had a confederate that was very cagey and -capable of running a good ad lib, or the crook was operating alone. -Farradyne felt that it was not impossible for the hellflower gang to -have a second operator on his ship to take over if Brenner failed, -perhaps unknown even to Brenner. But there was no evidence of such—no -more than there had been evidence of Brenner until the disguise was -removed—and so Farradyne decided to play cagey too.</p> - -<p>He learned only one thing: the difference in attitude between himself -and normal people. Where Farradyne would not have accepted a statement -of sickness without taking a sample of Brenner's sputum or blood, these -people believed it easily and complimented Farradyne on his willingness -to help a fellow man. Farradyne carried this even farther by asking -Professor Martin about 'Hughes' and his home.</p> - -<p>Hughes, according to Professor Martin, taught Ancient History in a -school in Des Moines, Iowa, but none of them knew much about him -because the teacher had joined them on Mercury not much before they had -contracted for this trip.</p> - -<p>Farradyne then buttered up the program by suggesting that he take -Hughes back home to Terra, because a sick man would not find Pluto a -pleasant place. There was relief in their eyes; good and as honest as -they were, all of them were happy to be relieved of the responsibility -of a sick comrade. Some of them went with him to peek through the door -while Farradyne gave Hughes his medicine and they remarked on how pale -he looked. He was also weak enough to be convincing and he went back to -sleep as soon as the drug took hold.</p> - -<p>Farradyne set a photoelectric alarm on the stairway below the -passenger's section; but if Hughes-Brenner had any cohorts from the -rest of the hellflower outfit aboard, they laid low. Farradyne kept -Brenner under dope until Pluto was looming in the sky, and then went to -him just before landing.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XVI</p> - - -<p>Farradyne poised the needle. "Ready for another jolt?" he asked. "Feel -the craving yet, Brenner?"</p> - -<p>Brenner grunted.</p> - -<p>"Say it in that triple-voiced tongue of yours," snapped Farradyne. "Let -me hear you sing, Brenner!"</p> - -<p>"Go to hell. I don't know what you're talking about."</p> - -<p>"No? I'm surprised ... you mean there's something I know that you don't -know?" Farradyne loaded the hypodermic with slow deliberation, watching -Brenner's eyes to see if there was any sign of longing for the drug. -"Maybe I'll know more than I do now, pretty soon. I'm taking you off -the dope as soon as we get rid of the customers, so they can't hear you -screaming your lungs out for a jolt. You'll talk, all right. Put up the -arm, Brenner. Quietly and nicely—or I'll break it off at the arm-pit -and shove the needle into the other one."</p> - -<p>"You're a devil from hell."</p> - -<p>"And you're an angel, ripping out the damper rods to take us to -Heaven?" sneered Farradyne. "I owe you the works for that one. You'll -get 'em! Feel any craving?"</p> - -<p>"No!"</p> - -<p>Farradyne waved the needle in front of Brenner's face. "Maybe I should -think it over for a bit," he said.</p> - -<p>"You wouldn't dare."</p> - -<p>"No?"</p> - -<p>"Look, Farradyne, no matter how smart you think you are, you won't get -anything out of me. And you'll not stop me from leaving this ship when -I want to leave."</p> - -<p>"Trying to sidelong-urge me into slipping you your slug?" taunted -Farradyne.</p> - -<p>Brenner held up his arm. "Shoot me the sugar, Farradyne. I could hold -out, but you couldn't afford to have me wide awake while we're on -Pluto. I know that as well as you do."</p> - -<p>"You're not too bad off so far," said Farradyne, slipping the needle -into Brenner's arm. "But you're coming along. We'll find out how long -your nonchalance lasts after we get rid of the school-folks."</p> - -<p>"Just go away and let me sleep."</p> - -<p>"Have a nice dream," said Farradyne. "Because your next one will be a -wake-mare."</p> - -<p>Farradyne waited until the eyelids closed heavily and Brenner's -breathing became deep and regular. Then he left him to explain to -the rest of the passengers that 'Hughes' was resting easily but that -the lack of sunshine on Pluto would impair his recovery-time. Then -Farradyne went aloft and into the landing pattern, one wary eye poised -for danger.</p> - -<p>The Lancaster came down easily, and while the landing was as good as -any Farradyne had ever made, he was a jittering wreck from three hours -in the chair worrying about a recurrence of the Semiramide affair.</p> - -<p>He checked in; the spaceport bus snaked out to meet them as they came -trooping down the landing ramp.</p> - -<p>"All here?" called the driver.</p> - -<p>"All that's coming," replied Farradyne.</p> - -<p>"But the roster-count was—"</p> - -<p>"Mr. Hughes has an attack of coryosis," offered Professor Martin. "He -is going—"</p> - -<p>"—to be a bit late, but here I am," said a voice behind them. They -whirled to see Hughes-Brenner coming down the ramp, his bag packed, a -smile on his face.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Brenner laughed and his voice was hearty. "I kept telling Mr. Farradyne -that he was going a bit heavy on the rest-cure. I'm really quite all -right." He slapped Farradyne on the shoulder. "Coryosis is not as -dangerous as the books say it is," he said. "Certainly it is nothing to -keep a good man flat on his back!"</p> - -<p>"But—"</p> - -<p>"Sleep and isolation did the job," chuckled Brenner. "And now I'll be -happy to let any doctor on Pluto look down my throat. I'm a bit pale, I -suppose, but I assure you I'm quite well again."</p> - -<p>He climbed into the spaceport bus, still thanking Farradyne for the -medication that had kept him quiet, and waved back gayly as the bus -sped off across the Pluto Spaceport.</p> - -<p>Brenner had become 'Hughes' again to his friends, and had disappeared -under the protection of a group of people above reproach.</p> - -<p>He was a very extraordinary gentleman, Farradyne thought glumly; he -had been able to walk off the ship with his eyes bright and his system -hale, when he should have been flat on his spine with a brain full of -marcoleptine—one of the most completely paralyzing drugs that had ever -been synthesized. He had feigned doped slumber and helplessness, then -had walked away, knowing that Farradyne had not the legal right to -raise a cry against him.</p> - -<p>Hughes was a very remarkable fellow.</p> - -<p>Farradyne watched the truck bringing out his shipment of refined -thorium ore, with a sneer directed at himself. Outpointed and -outsmarted—the evidence he had was very meager. Evidence? It was more -of a belief than evidence.</p> - -<p>What did he have to fit together? A common pattern of love-lotus -background. A man who died with a discordant moan. A man who grunted in -a polytonal when surprised by a woman, and who could take a paralyzing -dose of marcoleptine and then walk out jauntily. An apparent -well-to-do family with a proud place in the community, and a girl who -worked hand-in-glove with love-lotus operators but who had never had -her nose in one of the hellish things.</p> - -<p>He sat bolt upright. Could Carolyn be immune to hellflower as Brenner -was to marcoleptine? And did she make with three-toned cries when she -was surprised?</p> - -<p>The thought that he had been avoiding came back again. Obviously, since -he himself was susceptible to marcoleptine and women like Norma were -susceptible to hellflower perfume, and neither of them could sing a -trio unaided, there must be two kinds of people!</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XVII</p> - - -<p>Farradyne wondered how soon the fuss would start once the drums of -refined thorium ore went under some hidden beam of ultra violet light. -He watched the drums being trundled off and disappearing. He watched -and waited until it was evening, but no one came on the double-run to -ask him leading questions.</p> - -<p>He finally took off about nine o'clock, and made the looping run from -New Jersey to Los Angeles in time to get there just about dusk.</p> - -<p>He checked into the control Tower at seven o'clock, and went over to -the mail-listing window. "Anything for Charles Farradyne?"</p> - -<p>"Expecting something?"</p> - -<p>"At least one. A payment voucher from Eastern Atomic. Come yet?"</p> - -<p>The mail clerk disappeared; came back with one envelope. "Nothing from -Eastern Atomic," he said. "But here's a letter for Charles Farradyne, -Pilot of ship's registry Six-Eight-Three, a Lancaster Eighty-One. That -must be yours."</p> - -<p>"It's mine. But keep an eye peeled for a landwire payment voucher, -will you? I had to leave Newark before it was ready and the guy at -the shipping office said he'd notify the company that the stuff was -received at the 'port, and that I'd be in Los Angeles. Okay?"</p> - -<p>"Aye-firm."</p> - -<p>The letter was from Carolyn; a brief note telling him that she would be -ready for the trip on the morning of the fifth. This suited Farradyne; -he had been afraid that Carolyn might be waiting at the spaceport for -him, and that they'd be taking off before Clevis had a chance to find -out about the unwashed drum-ends.</p> - -<p>She also suggested in a postscript that she would be in her hotel and -free any evening after nine o'clock. Farradyne looked at his watch and -decided what to do with the intervening two hours: he was going to buy -a love lotus, to check on the question of her immunity.</p> - -<p>On this problem Farradyne had to admit a lack of experience. He -wandered for some time, entering one florist-shop after another and -getting nowhere. He could buy a gardenia for five, but the fifty he -offered for a 'Corsage' could only buy something resembling the garland -they put on Kentucky Derby Winners.</p> - -<p>And then as his two hours were about gone, a seedy-looking character -sidled up alongside and said, "Lookin' for somepin', Jack?"</p> - -<p>"Who isn't?"</p> - -<p>"Might be able to fix y' up, Jack. Got a few?"</p> - -<p>Farradyne looked at his watch. "I've got fifteen," he said.</p> - -<p>"Won't take that long. Just try the stand in the Essex, and tell 'em -Lovejoy sent you to pick up his corsage. Cost ya half a yard, Jack. Got -it?"</p> - -<p>"Got it."</p> - -<p>The character slipped away leaving a faint aroma of decaying cloth -and a trace of gardenia, making what Farradyne considered a God-awful -mixture. Farradyne did not look to see where he went, but started for -the Essex immediately.</p> - -<p>The flower-shop attendant was a dark, handsome woman in a low-cut -dinner dress. She gave Farradyne a mechanical smile as he entered.</p> - -<p>"I'm a friend of Mr. Lovejoy," said Farradyne significantly. "He said -he'll be late, and asked me if I'd stop by and pick up his corsage on -my way."</p> - -<p>"Oh. Of course. Just one moment." She disappeared for a few minutes and -came back with a fancy transparent box containing a gardenia—or a love -lotus. "That will be five dollars, sir," she said.</p> - -<p>Farradyne took a fifty from his wallet and handed it to her. The girl -rang up five on the register but put the whole fifty in the till.</p> - -<p>A few minutes later, the desk clerk at Carolyn's hotel informed him -that Miss Niles was expecting a Mr. Farradyne and he should go right up -to Room Seven Twenty-Three.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Carolyn greeted him warmly, took him by the hand and drew him into the -room. Once the door was closed she came into his arms and kissed him, -not too fervently but very pleasantly, with her body pressing his for -a long moment. Then she moved out of his arms and accepted the flower. -"Lovely," she breathed.</p> - -<p>She opened the box and held the white flower at arms' length, admiring -its beauty. Then she held it to her nose and took a deep breath, -letting the fragrance fill her lungs.</p> - -<p>Farradyne's mind did a flip-flop. First he felt like a louse—and he -felt that it was only what she and her kind did to other women, and it -was damn well good enough for her. She smiled at him over the edge of -the blossom, still breathing in its fragrance.</p> - -<p>"Maybe," she said archly, "I shouldn't dare do this."</p> - -<p>The badinage was the same as it had been a couple of weeks ago, but -at that time both of them knew the blossom was pure gardenia. Now -Farradyne knew that it was not, and this knowledge made him wary. He -hoped his smile was honest-looking. "You're hooked already," he grinned -wolfishly.</p> - -<p>Carolyn tucked the blossom in her hair and came into his arms, leaning -back to look in his eyes. "I'm not afraid of you, Charles," she said -in a low, throaty voice.</p> - -<p>"No?"</p> - -<p>Carolyn laughed at him and slipped out of his arms. She went to a -tiny sideboard and waved an inquiring hand at a bottle of Farradyne's -favorite liquor. He nodded. As she mixed their drinks, she said -quietly, "Don't disappoint me, Charles."</p> - -<p>"How?" he asked, wondering what she was driving at, and feeling that -this had nothing to do with hellflowers.</p> - -<p>She handed him the highball, and sipped at her own drink. "I think -you know that my family is a long way from poverty. And I hope you'll -forgive me if I point out that I know I am rather well equipped with -physical charms. I also flatter myself that I have a mind large enough -to absorb some of the interesting factors of this rather awesome -universe."</p> - -<p>"I will grant you the truth of all three."</p> - -<p>"Thanks," she said, smiling at him over the top of her glass. "But the -point is, Charles, that a girl with a bit of money in the top of her -stocking—and a brain in her head—wonders whether the gentleman is -interested only in the money, or in the shape of her stocking. She'd -like to feel that the gentleman in question would still be interested -if the shape of the stocking went a bit gauche with age, and the money -disappeared."</p> - -<p>Farradyne looked at her and wondered. Carolyn was a consummate actress. -The hellflower was still in her hair, and Farradyne wanted very much -to take his face in his hands and ponder this problem deeply: Carolyn -Niles was the daughter of a hellflower operator, and, by all that was -holy, at least her parents should have taught her how to recognize a -hellflower at ninety paces in a dusky smoke-filled nightclub.</p> - -<p>But he knew that he could not take the time to think this out now. -He had to reply. He walked across the room and took Carolyn by the -shoulders and shook her gently. "Let's leave it just that way," he -said. "Sooner or later something will give me away—and then you'll -know whether I'm after your body, your money, or your mind." Farradyne -kissed her lightly. "Until you <i>know</i>, nothing I say will convince you -of anything."</p> - -<p>Farradyne still had her shoulders under his palms; Carolyn moved -forward into his arms and rested herself against him. She put up her -face for his kiss and held herself close against him. Then she said -dreamily, "You're a nice sort of guy, Charles, and I'll be very happy -to leave it that way. Maybe you'll be the one who stays."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Farradyne recoiled mentally and hoped that this instinctive reaction -was not noticed. It was too easy to forget what Carolyn represented, -when she went soft and sweet and eager. Inwardly he cursed himself -and his all-too-easy ability to forget that this was not a personal -conflict.</p> - -<p>Then he relaxed and decided that if this was what he had to do to cut -the hellblossom ring out of human culture, it was nice work if you -could get it. The job would have been much less pleasant if Carolyn -Niles had been a gawky, ugly duckling with buck teeth and a pasty -complexion.</p> - -<p>"Charles," she breathed, "take me out into the dark?"</p> - -<p>He laughed lightly. "Whither?"</p> - -<p>She leaned far back in his arms, arching her fine body. "I want to go -to some dark and smoky gin-mill, and dance among the natives, to the -throbbing of tomtoms!"</p> - -<p>Farradyne led her towards the door. The hellflower she wore in her hair -would do as much to her in a crowded nightery as it would if she were -forced to spend the next four hours in a closed telephone booth. He -wondered briefly whether he really wanted the damned thing to work; he -would much prefer to have her come to him without it—</p> - -<p>The he forced himself to remember that she wore this hellflower not -because of his frustrated lust, but because he wanted Carolyn, alive -and vivid and charming, to change into the lifeless and futureless -woman that Norma Hannon was.</p> - -<p>Their evening was a repetition of the evening on Mercury, except that -on Terra it was dark outside. They danced, and there was a steak dinner -at midnight, and there was Carolyn relaxed in his arms in the taxicab -on the way back to her hotel.</p> - -<p>He took her up to her room and she handed him her key. They went in, -and Carolyn came into his arms again, soft and sweet. When he kissed -her, her response was deep and passionate in a mature sort of way -that Farradyne was not prepared for. It was not the mindless lust he -had expected. The woman in his arms was all woman and there could be -no mistaking the fact—but there was also the mysterious ability of -the woman to know when to call a halt at the proper height of the -lovemaking. She smiled a little, and put her hand on his chest.</p> - -<p>"It's been wonderful again, Charles," she said quietly.</p> - -<p>Farradyne rubbed his chin against the top of her head. Then Carolyn -swirled out of his arms. "It's incredibly late again, too," she told -him. "I'm going to come aboard your ship at seven tomorrow night so we -can take off before the crack of dawn. This much I'll tell you and no -more, now."</p> - -<p>"But—"</p> - -<p>"Easy, sweetheart, easy. Take it slow and lovely. Tomorrow night. -Tonight I need my beauty sleep."</p> - -<p>He eyed her, saying nothing, and she laughed happily. "Charles, do me a -favor. Put this gardenia in the icebox for me. I'd like to wear it for -you tomorrow. Please?"</p> - -<p>Farradyne nodded. Dumbly he nodded. Had that character bilked him out -of fifty dollars for a gardenia by calling it a love lotus? He watched -Carolyn put the thing into its plastic box, he watched her tie it up in -its original ribbon. She handed it to him, and then came into his arms -again for one last caress.</p> - -<p>"Go," she told him with a wistful smile after she let him out of her -arms. "Go and dream about tomorrow night."</p> - -<p>He went, half-propelled by her hands, his reluctance partly honest and -partly curious. But he went.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Farradyne walked into his spacer feeling like a man who had put his -last dollar on the turn of a card and lost. One moment he was on top of -the world with everything going according to plan; the next, his world -was kicked out from under him and he was dropped back into the mire of -fumbling, helpless ignorance.</p> - -<p>When he entered the salon of the Lancaster he stopped short, because -the last peg had been pulled out of the creaky ladder of his success.</p> - -<p>"What's the matter, Farradyne? Aren't you glad to see me?"</p> - -<p>There was plenty the matter and he was not glad to see her. But she -sat there as though she had every right to bedevil his life. Her -eyes widened a bit and she came up out of her chair and towards him. -"Farradyne," she said with more eagerness in her voice than he had ever -heard before, "you've brought me a love lotus!"</p> - -<p>Norma lifted the flower from its nest in the box, eyed it with relish, -and then buried her nose deep in the center of the blossom and inhaled -with a deep, shuddering sob. Her eyes closed, then opened slowly to -look up at Farradyne from beneath half-closed lids.</p> - -<p>Then, oddly, she relaxed. The tension went out of her body and she -sank back against the cushions. Now Farradyne could see her face more -clearly. Her features had lost their chiseled immobility and her eyes -had lost the glassy stare. Her face became alive and mobile, and -pleasant color flooded it. Her lips parted slightly and curved into -normal lines.</p> - -<p>The hand that held the flower lay idly on the seat beside her, the -other hand lay palm up on the other side. She looked like a young girl -that has just been kissed.</p> - -<p>"Thanks, Farradyne," she said softly. She looked up at him with a -mixture of impishness and friendliness. "You're a sort of nice guy, -Farr—no, Charles. Probably a big lumbering bumble-puppy that doesn't -really mean any harm."</p> - -<p>Farradyne's mind at first refused to work on any but the single -thought: Why didn't it work on Carolyn? Then he wondered whether Norma, -so obviously normal now, would react to any gesture of affection, and -absently he took a step towards her. He felt once again that flush of -pity for her, and anger for the rotten devils who had done this to her; -he wanted to comfort her. She had changed visibly from a hardened, -lackluster woman whose beauty was stiff and unnatural, to a girl whose -loveliness was vivid enough to shine through the hard facade of heavy -makeup.</p> - -<p>"Norma," he said.</p> - -<p>She smiled at him warmly but shook her head. Her arms raised as she -tucked the love lotus in the heavy hair over one ear. The gesture -slimmed her waist and raised her breasts, and through the triangle of -her arms he could see her eyes. They were sultry, but they rejected him -as she shook her head slowly.</p> - -<p>"No," she said, and Farradyne stopped. "You're a nice sort of idiot, -Charles, and I've stopped hating you for the moment, but that doesn't -mean that I want you to make love to me." The smell of the love lotus, -identical to the heady perfume of a gardenia, permeated the room. Norma -breathed it in, lifting her face as she inhaled and closing her eyes. -"The smell of this is all I want."</p> - -<p>She put her head back, and rested. A smile crossed her face, and -Farradyne realized that she had dozed off in an ecstasy of relaxation. -He wondered what to do next; his mind was torn between the desire to -protect her by letting her sleep off the effects of the love lotus, and -the certain knowledge that if he did, Norma would never leave him in -time for his meeting with Carolyn Niles tomorrow night. And of the two, -the latter was by far the more important.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XVIII</p> - - -<p>As Farradyne stood wondering what to do, a knuckle-on-metal rap came at -the spacelock entrance and he turned to see Howard Clevis coming in. -Clevis said nothing, for he had caught sight of Norma. He stopped stock -still and looked her over from hair to heels. His face grew bitter and -hard, and he turned away from her to face Farradyne.</p> - -<p>"Farradyne, this isn't the contact you've managed to make?" The tone -was heavy with scorn.</p> - -<p>Farradyne shook his head sourly. "She's the one that got me started," -he said. "But—"</p> - -<p>"You've started," snapped Clevis angrily. "That's a real hellflower -she's doping, you know."</p> - -<p>"For God's sake listen!" yelled Farradyne.</p> - -<p>"You listen to me!" yelled Clevis, louder than Farradyne.</p> - -<p>Their voices rang up and down the corridors of the ship and Norma's -eyes opened. She looked happily at Farradyne, but when she saw Clevis -her eyes clouded.</p> - -<p>"Howard," she said quietly.</p> - -<p>"Why did you run away, Norma? Your folks—"</p> - -<p>She shook her head slowly. "I know," she said. "There's even a reward -out for me that Farradyne tried to collect. I couldn't sit around -and watch my mother and father eating their hearts out. A son killed -and a daughter ruined—both by hellflowers. So here I am again. For -their sakes I wish I were dead—but that wouldn't cut the hide of a -hellflower operator, would it, Howard?" Farradyne gulped.</p> - -<p>Norma went on: "Charles, may I have my old room for the night? I gather -that you two would like to talk business."</p> - -<p>After she had gone, Farradyne said, "So you know her?"</p> - -<p>"I knew her brother rather well," said Clevis quietly, "and I've known -Norma for some time. I knew her before—before—" He shook his head -as if to shake the thought away. "I gather that she thinks you are a -hellflower runner."</p> - -<p>"That's right. But what does she think you are?"</p> - -<p>"She thinks I'm a stockbroker. A former client of Frank Hannon's. Where -did you pick her up?"</p> - -<p>Farradyne explained how Norma had announced his connection with the -hellflower racket, and how Cahill had been killed; how he had been -picked up by Carolyn Niles, and the subsequent sabotage by Edwin -Brenner, and all the rest of it. At the end he spread out his hands and -said, "This isn't all hard work and good management, Clevis. But here I -am. And now I have a couple of questions that I'd like answered."</p> - -<p>"Yes?"</p> - -<p>"Carolyn Niles wore that hellflower for six or seven hours without -turning a corpuscle. Norma Hannon proved that it was no gardenia. -There's something fishy here, Clevis. Does medical history indicate any -immunes to the love lotus?"</p> - -<p>"Some. Not many. A few doctors have even gone so far as to claim that -the hellflower is no more dangerous than tobacco."</p> - -<p>Farradyne swore. "Not according to Norma Hannon it isn't," he said -harshly.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Clevis eyed Farradyne carefully. "You're not a bit soft-headed over -Norma Hannon, are you?"</p> - -<p>"I doubt it," said Farradyne honestly. "She's a poor kid that got -clipped, and it makes my blood boil. I want to bundle her up in my -arms and tell her that it'll be all right, and I want to go out and -rap a half-dozen scum-brained heads together for what they did to her. -Normal, she'd be the kind of woman I could fall in love with, and I'm -not denying it. But Norma Hannon is a real blank, and any man that -married her would end up by trying to make her normal, and then what? -Y'know, if you doped up enough women with hellflowers, the birth-rate -would take a decline that would alarm a concrete statue."</p> - -<p>"That's a hard thing to think about," nodded Clevis.</p> - -<p>"Of course, I've never seen a woman just after she has taken her -first sniff, so I don't know how long after it a woman's libido is -still capable of being excited. But by the time they get to Norma's -state, a love lotus only changes their scar-tissued emotional system -to something barely normal whose only desire is to sniff the flower." -Farradyne shook his head angrily. After a few moments' thought -he went on, "Anyway, you might have a couple of ships follow me -day-after-tomorrow morning. We're going out somewhere—destination -unknown—to make a rendezvous with someone high-up in the business, I -think. And no matter what, Clevis, I think it wise for your fellows to -keep on my trail, because at least one faction of their gang is out -to clip me hard. Sooner or later they'll be sending someone of large -proportions to clobber me and then I'd like to have your gang move in -fast."</p> - -<p>"There's more to it than that," suggested Clevis.</p> - -<p>"Well—"</p> - -<p>"Go on."</p> - -<p>"All right, I will. Remember the cock-and-bull story that nobody -believed?"</p> - -<p>"The three people in the control room of the Semiramide?"</p> - -<p>"That. Well, Clevis, now I know that there was only one person in the -control room."</p> - -<p>"Oh? Look, Farradyne, you're not trying—"</p> - -<p>"No, I'm not. This came by accident. I've heard the same kind of -three-voiced cries—once when Cahill died, once when Brenner caught -sight of Norma Hannon in bright sunlight. I've been wondering since -whether it might be some sort of concocted language."</p> - -<p>"Granting that for a moment, just how would you use such a language?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Farradyne eyed Clevis thoughtfully before he spoke. "I couldn't," he -said. "You'd have to take some statement like 'I've been shot!' and -break it down to utter the 'I've' in the upper register, the 'been' in -the middle tones, and the 'shot' in the bass region."</p> - -<p>"Make talking fast—but difficult."</p> - -<p>"Make it impossible," said Farradyne pointedly, "for a human being with -normal vocal chords."</p> - -<p>"What are you trying to say?"</p> - -<p>"Maybe it's another race, Clevis."</p> - -<p>"A what?" exploded Clevis.</p> - -<p>"Item: Carolyn Niles is immune to hellflower. Item: Brenner is immune -to marcoleptine. Correlation: they're both hellflower operators."</p> - -<p>"Based on a grunt and a cry and an exclamation ... you're asking a lot -of me, although we've spent years following less tangible evidence than -this."</p> - -<p>"I'll add one more item. Where do hellflowers come from?"</p> - -<p>"We don't know."</p> - -<p>"But you have combed the system for them?"</p> - -<p>"Hell, yes—but there are a lot of places that have never been -explored. We can't cover all of them. So what's the next step?"</p> - -<p>"Taking off with Carolyn Niles. During the next few days I'm going to -startle her, and I hope she grunts in three notes. Then I'll have a -nice tie-up."</p> - -<p>"How so?"</p> - -<p>"She has a hellflower-operator background. She'll have a three-noted -cry. And she's immune to the damnable flowers her gang deals in."</p> - -<p>"Okay, that's your game, Farradyne. But in the meantime what are you -going to do about Norma?"</p> - -<p>Farradyne eyed Clevis carefully. "You're going to drive her off in your -car," he said. "Because one of the games I'm playing is nosey-nosey -with Carolyn Niles, and there's going to be no addict cluttering up my -spacer. Norma is a bundle of trouble when she's not relaxed with a -snoot full of love lotus. She could louse-up the deal for fair if she -stayed."</p> - -<p>"But what do I do with her?"</p> - -<p>Farradyne shrugged. "Take her to a sanatorium," he said. "That'll keep -her out of everybody's hair, especially mine."</p> - -<p>Clevis scowled. "I hate to put her in a sanatorium."</p> - -<p>"What else can you do?" asked Farradyne, spreading his hands.</p> - -<p>"Not much; but I feel that I owe her more than that kind of handling. -Those sanatoriums are little better than jails, you know."</p> - -<p>"So I've heard. But what can you do for people cursed with a disease -that nobody knows how to cure?"</p> - -<p>"Segregate 'em," sighed Clevis. "Well, let's see what we can do about -carting her out of the ship and into my car. About the ships—you'll be -followed at extreme military radar range, Farradyne. I won't be there, -but you'll have very hard-boiled company watching you."</p> - -<p>They went below and found Norma. She was sleeping, relaxed as a kitten, -with one leg drawn up to uncover the other shapely leg. Her hands were -outstretched over her head, her breathing regular and normal. The -hellflower still cast its heady perfume through the room, and Norma -was smiling in her sleep, probably dreaming some completely normal -woman-type dream.</p> - -<p>Farradyne plucked the flower from her hair. "This I'll need," he said -quietly. Clevis nodded.</p> - -<p>Farradyne stooped down, but Clevis waved him away. "I'll carry her." -The Sandman picked Norma up gently. She sleepily protested, but put her -arms around Clevis' neck and let herself be carried from the salon.</p> - -<p>Watching from the port, Farradyne saw them leave. They looked like a -happy party-couple, leaving after too many cocktails, with the girl -dozing on her man's shoulder.</p> - -<p>Farradyne grinned sourly and shrugged. Clevis had bought himself a -bundle of trouble. When Norma really awakened, she would be without her -love lotus and would be back to her former self. She would pick Clevis -as a target for the only emotion she could really feel. Norma would -hate Clevis for taking her away from the man she could really hate in -spades. Redoubled. Farradyne shrugged again and went to bed.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Carolyn came aboard the next evening and her first request was for her -"gardenia." She put it in her hair and stood there inviting Farradyne -with her eyes. He kissed her briefly and waved her to a seat.</p> - -<p>"Tired of me, Charles?"</p> - -<p>"I've had no time to get used to you, let alone tired of you," he told -her. "But I'm more than a trifle curious about this trip we'll be -taking in the morning."</p> - -<p>"Why not let it wait until then?"</p> - -<p>Farradyne looked at her boldly, made no attempt to hide his careful -appraisal of her figure and her face. She accepted his brazen eyeing, -although she colored a bit. At last he said, "Let's admit it—there's -nothing I'd rather do than spend the night making love. It's one of my -favorite indoor sports. It's fun outdoors, too. But there are at least -two things against it."</p> - -<p>She frowned.</p> - -<p>He smiled. "You've made affectionate noises, but also a few statements -regarding your previous affections that lead me to believe you would -not applaud me if I slung you over one shoulder and carried you down to -your stateroom for a spot of seduction. Second, the way to get ahead -is to marry the boss' daughter, not make a mistress of her. Gentlemen -do not take kindly to daughters' lovers. So we've got to think of -something like chess or tiddledy-winks for the next few hours, because -I haven't enough ice in these hardened arteries to keep my hands off -you otherwise."</p> - -<p>She leaned back and laughed. "That's the nicest compliment I've ever -had—in a backhanded way," she said.</p> - -<p>"Then behave, Carolyn. Turn off the lure unless you really want the man -you're luring."</p> - -<p>The laugh was still in her voice when she asked, "But how can I behave -myself when you've given me a love lotus, Charles?"</p> - -<p>Farradyne's mind raced in a tight circle. He cursed his impulse to find -out whether Carolyn were immune, because it had now led him into the -problem of trying to square it with his role of a young and ambitious -man who felt deep regard for her. He parried for time:</p> - -<p>"Love lotus?"</p> - -<p>"A real one."</p> - -<p>"But you—I—you wore it all last night! It can't be."</p> - -<p>"It is."</p> - -<p>Farradyne felt almost certain that Carolyn did not know of Norma's -visit, which had verified the hellflower's potency. "How can you tell?" -he asked blankly. "You did not react, and I—"</p> - -<p>"I'm immune," she said flatly. "Why did you give it to me, Charles?"</p> - -<p>"I bought it for a gardenia, Carolyn. Hell, I can't tell 'em apart."</p> - -<p>"It's a genuine love lotus. How much did you pay for it?"</p> - -<p>Farradyne almost felt a glow of cheer. He fumbled in his pocket and -came up with the cash register receipt. "The usual five dollars," he -said.</p> - -<p>"Someone must have been trying to start another addict," she said in a -hard tone.</p> - -<p>He looked at her. "But why did you wear it?" he asked.</p> - -<p>"I wore it because I know I'm immune and I wanted to see how you -reacted. If it was for the usual reason, I was going to lead you on and -then send you packing." She looked up at him shyly. "I didn't want it -to be for the usual reason, Charles, but I was confused."</p> - -<p>"But how do you tell them apart?"</p> - -<p>"That I'll not tell you until tomorrow."</p> - -<p>Farradyne shrugged. "Okay," he said, taking the love lotus out of her -hair and tossing it down the disposal chute. "So what'll it be? Chess, -or tiddledy-winks?"</p> - -<p>"Astronomy," she said with a smile. "We can see no stars from where I -live on Mercury, you know."</p> - -<p>He followed her up to the control room and stood behind her as she -peered through the spotting telescope. She leaned back against him and -rubbed her cheek against his chin.</p> - -<p>"None of that, woman," he said sternly.</p> - -<p>She turned in his arms and melted against him. He held her close for -a bit and then turned her around again to the telescope. "Remember my -creaking blood pressure, Carolyn."</p> - -<p>Astronomy is a pleasant hobby. It took Farradyne's mind away from the -problem at hand, although the problem was inclined to lean back in his -arms frequently while he was readjusting the setting wheels; or to rub -his ear with her chin while he squinted through the finder to locate -another celestial view.</p> - -<p>At midnight, Farradyne showed her to her stateroom—and kissed her good -night at the door.</p> - -<p>He went to bed congratulating himself that he had succeeded in playing -the tender, high-minded, thoughtful lover.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>At six a.m., Farradyne checked out for space, still wondering where -they were going. Tower signed him off with a few crude remarks about -damned yawning people in the morning, and cited himself as a man -finishing a hard night's work. Then contact was closed and Farradyne -was free of the board.</p> - -<p>He had two choices.</p> - -<p>He could either wake her up because he wanted to be near her, or he -could let her sleep because he did not want to disturb her. He chose -the second and went down to the galley and had a heavy breakfast. -Afterwards he loafed in the salon, trying to plan his future.</p> - -<p>She appeared about ten o'clock and reproached him for not calling her. -Then she asked, "Where are we?"</p> - -<p>"About a half million miles out," he said after a moment's thought. -"But the important thing is that we're on our way but your pilot -doesn't know where he's going."</p> - -<p>"Can you strike a line between Terra and Polaris at a distance of three -hundred million miles?"</p> - -<p>"Duck soup," replied Farradyne. "But how fast?"</p> - -<p>"Zero with respect to Terra at three hundred million."</p> - -<p>"Let's go up and start computing," he suggested. "I'll construct you -some grub after we get the first approximation and get the ship on the -preliminary correction course."</p> - -<p>He led her up to the course computer in the control room, where she -added the time of rendezvous to the rest of the figures. He plunked at -the keyboard steadily for a minute, then sat back while the calculator -machine went through the program of arithmetical operations for which -it was designed. He took the punched paper strip from the machine and -fed it into the autopilot, and then said, "Now we'll go below and eat."</p> - -<p>"You haven't been waiting for me, have you?"</p> - -<p>He nodded, hoping that he looked a bit lovesick.</p> - -<p>"You shouldn't have."</p> - -<p>She led him below and eyed the dirty dishes with womanly amusement. -"You're a sweet sort of liar, Charles," she said, turning and coming -into his arms.</p> - -<p>He returned her kiss, thinking: "<i>these are the dames that try men's -souls</i>."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XIX</p> - - -<p>Carolyn's eyes were fastened on the telescope. There was a tiny -signal-pip at extreme range on the long-range radar that controlled the -telescope, but the object was still too far away. The range was closing -slowly; they would meet somewhere out there three hundred million miles -above Terra to the astronomical North.</p> - -<p>Farradyne knew his instruments and his attention was therefore free -to think of other matters. Very quietly he slipped a long fluorescent -lamp from its terminals and stood it carefully on one end beside him. -He balanced it exactly, and then took a couple of silent steps toward -Carolyn before the tube lost its balance and fell to the floor with an -ear-shattering explosion.</p> - -<p>Carolyn Niles reacted like a person stabbed with a red-hot spear. Every -muscle in her body tensed and she stood there for a full ten seconds -as stiff as a figure of concrete, while the shock gripped her. Then, -as she realized there was no real danger, Farradyne could see the -relaxation of her body taking place, almost inch by inch. Her breasts -began to fall in a shuddering exhalation. She made a wordless sound of -relief—<i>and her voice was a quavering trill in three lilting tones</i>.</p> - -<p>Farradyne's attention snapped into full awareness and he felt the -thrill of exultation run through him.</p> - -<p>Carolyn relaxed against a brace, holding one hand under her left breast -and breathing heavily. "What on earth—?"</p> - -<p>"Lamp fell out of its moorings," said Farradyne. "My fault. That's -one of the pre-flight check-ups that I didn't have time to take this -morning. Stay where you are and I'll clean up this mess of broken -glassware."</p> - -<p>"Do you mind if I sit down?"</p> - -<p>"Park yourself in the pilot's seat," he said. "But be careful. Broken -fluorescent tubing can be dangerous."</p> - -<p>She nodded, and picked her way through the glass to the pilot's chair. -She looked up at him and said, "You don't seem to have been startled at -all."</p> - -<p>"I had a few millionths of a second to get my nerves in readiness," he -said. "I saw it come down." He laughed. "Someone told me once that when -a person is excited he reverts to his native tongue."</p> - -<p>Her eyes widened and her mouth started to open, but Farradyne went on -talking as though he hadn't noticed. "I didn't think your native tongue -was Upper Banshee!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Her eyes half-closed and her mouth snapped from slackness back to -self-control. "What did I say?" she asked.</p> - -<p>"It sounded like 'I am slain to pieces,' but I don't know Upper Banshee -very well."</p> - -<p>"You're making fun of me," she complained.</p> - -<p>"No, I'm not. Anybody can be scared right out of his skin when -something like that happens."</p> - -<p>"All right," she said, and her eyes were cold. "So you're not making -fun of me. You've been playing a very serious game with me, haven't -you?"</p> - -<p>Farradyne blinked. "What makes you think—?"</p> - -<p>"Let's drop our masks, Charles."</p> - -<p>"Masks? Look, Carolyn, I'd better clean up this glass."</p> - -<p>"Sweep it up, then. But while you're cleaning up the mess we'll talk -seriously."</p> - -<p>"About what?" He got a brush from the locker and a square of cardboard -from the bottom of a ream of paper, and started to collect the debris.</p> - -<p>"What do you know about our language?"</p> - -<p>"Damned little," Farradyne said bluntly, all pretense gone. Suddenly he -was trembling with rage that wanted release. "Frankly, I've had only a -suspicion, up to this moment."</p> - -<p>"So I gave it away myself?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, damn you—you gave it away!"</p> - -<p>"What do you want of me?"</p> - -<p>"What do I want of anybody?" he whispered in a voice that was almost -lost in cold fury. "I had four brutal years clipped out of my life by -a three-voiced party-unknown who wanted to commit suicide bad enough -to take thirty-three innocent victims along with her. They blamed it -on Hot-Rock Farradyne, the spur-wearing spaceman." His voice came -back, and he was half-roaring. "I've seen the results of love lotus! -A wrecked personality that might have been a brilliant and gracious -woman. I've seen a man plugged through the middle, to die at my feet. -And on top of that, I've seen a family prosper and calmly make its -place in society by dealing in the stinking things that bring ruin and -death! What do I want of you? Your lovely, flawless hide peeled alive -and spread out before a fireplace!"</p> - -<p>She shrank from him; looked wildly at the stairway and then back into -his face as she realized there was not a place in the spacecraft where -she could hide.</p> - -<p>He sneered at her fear. "I'm not going to commit violence on you," he -said. "It would only give you pleasure to know that violence was my -last resort." He looked at her closely. "What kind of person are you, -anyway?"</p> - -<p>Carolyn drew herself together; somehow her self-confidence had -returned. "Why take your hatred out on me?" she asked.</p> - -<p>"You?" he asked harshly. "Why shouldn't I? How in hell should I know -what slinky game you're playing? One of your kind was responsible for -the Semiramide affair, but who's to prove it? Am I the character that -started tossing the con-rods out of the Lancaster? What was your former -boy-friend doing on my ship? Setting me up for another kiss-off? Hell, -woman, you'll be asking me next not to take these things personally!"</p> - -<p>"You shouldn't. They're the fortunes of war."</p> - -<p>Farradyne roared, so loud that his voice echoed and re-echoed up and -down the ship: "Fortunes of war be god-damned!"</p> - -<p>Then he stopped suddenly and looked at her again. "War?" he asked. -"Between who and whom or between what, and where?"</p> - -<p>When she did not answer, he sat down and put one hand to his head. -Carolyn started to say, "Charles—" but he looked up and said, "Shut -the hell up and let me think!"</p> - -<p>"But I—"</p> - -<p>"You don't want me to think?" snapped Farradyne. "Shut up or I'll slap -you shut!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He had enough evidence to make a shrewd guess if he could only sort out -the hodge-podge, and hang the material end to end. Some of it had to do -with combined suicide and wanton mass-murder in a wrecked spacecraft. -There were the Niles, who probably went to church on Sunday, belonged -to the Chamber of Commerce and the Ladies' Aid, and considered running -hellflowers a proper business. And daughter Carolyn, who wanted -marriage and a bunch of kids to bring up into the same hellish business -run so well by their grandfather.</p> - -<p>And something important hinged around this triple-toned voice, -which now had been proven more than a hasty impression under stress -and excitement. Women who were immune to the solar system's most -devastating narcotic, and used their immunity to deal in the things -with safety, were bringing ruin to other women. It was a form of -warfare, and indicated an organization large and well-integrated; -capable of outmaneuvering capable men who had dedicated their lives to -stamping out the racket—and who died under the juggernaut instead of -destroying it.</p> - -<p>Well, there it was.</p> - -<p>No, there was more to be added. Brenner, who had tried to remove the -control rods of the reaction-pile, and who was immune to marcoleptine. -That was an odd-shaped piece of the jigsaw puzzle that suddenly dropped -into place with a click.</p> - -<p>Farradyne tried to put himself in the position of Professor Martin, -who might have been a survivor if the Lancaster had foundered. Martin -might ask why someone had tried to kill him—just as Farradyne had -often asked himself why Party X had tried to kill Farradyne in the -Semiramide. The answer was that Martin would have been an innocent -victim in the second episode just as Farradyne had been in the first. -Party X had wrecked the Semiramide because there was someone aboard -with dangerous knowledge!</p> - -<p>Farradyne came to one decision: there was a coldly-operating group of -persons who were themselves immune to drugs, and who were efficiently -undermining the rest of the human race by preying on weakness, lust, -and escapist factors that lie somewhere near the surface in the -strongest of human characters.</p> - -<p>He raised his head and looked at Carolyn Niles.</p> - -<p>She faced him squarely and asked, "Have you got it figured out?"</p> - -<p>"I think so," he said coldly. "There are a couple of gaps yet which you -can fill in."</p> - -<p>Carolyn shook her head in a superior manner. "You didn't just -<i>discover</i> this thing, you know," she said calmly. "You were shown most -of it deliberately."</p> - -<p>"Indeed?" His voice was sarcastic.</p> - -<p>"We knew that someone high up and undercover had furnished you with -a spacecraft and a forged license, hoping that your reputation would -establish you as a racketeer. He used you efficiently, and so we merely -used you more efficiently. There are two ends to a fishline, Charles, -and we caught Howard Clevis on the wrong end of the line, so to speak. -We also—"</p> - -<p>"You caught Clevis?"</p> - -<p>"As soon as we knew who your contact was we pulled him in. So if you're -expecting a flight of military spacecraft to come racing up in time to -intercept the rendezvous ship out there, forget it. The military is -still on the landing blocks at the spaceport."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Farradyne whirled and peered into the radar. The single pip was close -and closing the range swiftly, but there was nothing else on the -'scope. It was a huge ship, if the size of the radar response meant -anything, and Farradyne peered into the coupled telescope.</p> - -<p>Nothing like it could ever have been built in secret anywhere among the -habitable planets of the solar system. The size of it was such that the -purchase of the metal alone would have created some notice, and the -rest of the project would require the resources of a planet to feed it -and the men that built it.</p> - -<p>Farradyne turned away from the telescope.</p> - -<p>"Baby, what a sucker you played me for!" he jeered. "So I was to be -your lover, your husband? Together, hand in hand, we go to cement the -first interstellar union. The mating of a jackass and a triple-tongued -canary, that the fruit of such union will be half-ass and bird-brained! -Well, if it's war your gang wants, we'll give it to 'em!"</p> - -<p>Farradyne strode across the room toward the controls, and as he came, -Carolyn's hand moved swiftly, catching up the microphone and bringing -it to her mouth. She cried a singy-songy rhythm into the mike. It -reminded Farradyne of an exotic trio chanting a ritual celebration.</p> - -<p>He slapped the microphone out of her hand. It hurtled out to the end of -its cord and jerked free, crashing against the far wall and leaving the -cord-ends dangling open like a raw sore.</p> - -<p>He caught her by the hair and lifted her out of the seat and hurled -her across the room. She fell and went rolling in a tumble of arms and -legs until she came up hard against the wall beside the microphone. She -scooped it up and hurled it at Farradyne's head; he caught it in one -hand and dropped it to the floor.</p> - -<p>He dropped into the seat and hit the levers with both hands. The -Lancaster surged upwards, throwing Carolyn back to the floor in a -painful heap. The acceleration rose to three gravities and then to four.</p> - -<p>"This trick we take," he gloated.</p> - -<p>Carolyn moaned; it sounded like attempted laughter.</p> - -<p>He looked into the radarscope and saw that despite his four gravities -of acceleration the monstrous spacecraft was matching him and closing -the range.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XX</p> - - -<p>Farradyne watched Carolyn uncaringly as she fought herself out of -her crumpled position and succeeded in flopping over on her back. She -spread-eagled on the floor, and her chest labored a bit with the effort.</p> - -<p>"Forget it—Charles—" she said with some difficulty. "You can't—run -away from a ship—that can go—faster than light."</p> - -<p>"I can try."</p> - -<p>"You can't—win."</p> - -<p>The radio speaker came alive: "Surrender, Farradyne! Stop and submit or -we fire!"</p> - -<p>Farradyne fought the controls so that the ship slued sidewise, putting -another vector in its course. He twirled the volume knob to zero on the -radio with a violent twist of his wrist.</p> - -<p>"They're your friends, but they don't mind killing you," he sneered.</p> - -<p>"I'm not—afraid to—die."</p> - -<p>"I am," grunted Farradyne. "I have some dope that I don't want to die -without telling."</p> - -<p>His hands danced on the levers and the Lancaster turned end for end -and sped back at the huge spacecraft almost on a sideswiping course. -Out here intrinsic velocity meant nothing; the only thing that counted -was the Lancaster's velocity with respect to the velocity of the enemy -spacecraft. He had the advantage of surprise. He could go where he -pleased and the other pilot must follow him; and since Farradyne's -changes of pace and course would come without warning, each switch -would take a few fractions of a second to follow. On land a few -fractions of a second mean nothing; in space they mean miles. On land -a quartering flight meant closing of the range; in space where the -pursuit could not dig a heel into the ground, quartering flight meant -adding another vector to the course.</p> - -<p>He widened the gap.</p> - -<p>On the third pass, Farradyne realized that the interstellar drive -of the enemy ship must be some unknown 'all-or-nothing' device, or -force field, or something that demanded that ordinary interplanetary -maneuvering be done without the superdrive; and that once the gadget -was turned on, the enemy ship would dart into the next galactic sector -in a wink of the eye.</p> - -<p>So long as he could dodge more agilely because of his smaller mass, -they could not catch him. They wanted him alive, naturally, and his -only danger was in the final escape. Then he would have to dodge the -target-seeking missiles they would launch at him under several hundred -gravities, capable of turning in midflight if he succeeded in ducking -the first pass.</p> - -<p>He wished desperately for a cargo of bowling balls or steel castings -that he could have strewn in his wake. He cursed his lack of foresight -in not having the spare control rods replaced, because a few of them -might do the trick.</p> - -<p>Farradyne stopped cursing.</p> - -<p>Recollection of Brenner and the depredations in the pile-bay had -started a train of thought that he followed with growing interest. It -was long and it was involved, and it depended upon a large amount of -luck, good planning, and ability.</p> - -<p>He struggled to the computer and played a long tune on the keys, -ignoring the fact that the huge spacecraft had finally lined up on his -course from behind and was closing the range.</p> - -<p>The Lancaster made one more complex turn as the end of the punched tape -entered the autopilot. If Farradyne's computations were correct, the -Lancaster's nose was now pointed at Terra. The spaceliner behind made a -swinging turn and began to pick up the space it had lost.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Farradyne saw he had plenty of time. He waited until the punchings on -the tape cut the drive a bit, then went below and came back into the -control room with Brenner's space suit. He got out patching material -and carefully repaired the triangular rip. Then he set about checking -it, testing the air supply and purifier, filling the food pouch and the -water tank. Men had been known to last seventy-two hours in a suit like -this without any discomfort other than the confinement; the primary -danger was running out of oxygen and the secondary danger was water -starvation.</p> - -<p>When the suit was checked to Farradyne's satisfaction he took time -out for a last cigarette. He lit one and puffed before he spoke. -"Honey-child, I could outguess that gang of yours until Sol freezes -over. But sooner or later they'll get tired of the chase and end it by -launching a target-seeking missile, and that will be that. I have no -intention of sitting here and waiting for it."</p> - -<p>"So what are you going to do?"</p> - -<p>Farradyne reached up and stopped the clock. "I've punched a very -interesting autopilot tape. It'll dodge and swoop along at about four -gravities in the cockeyedest course, and lead your pals a long and -devious way from where you and I part company. Four gee is heavy enough -to keep you flat, so you can't louse it up. You can't measure time -too accurately, so when they grab you you won't be able to tell 'em -just when I took off. They'll have a fine old time combing space for a -man-sized mote, making his course to Terra."</p> - -<p>"Charles—?"</p> - -<p>Farradyne snubbed his cigarette out and dropped on his knees so that -he could look down into her face. "You've pitched me many a low, soft -curve to the inside," he told her quietly. "This is one battle you -lose, I think. So we'll meet again to take it up later."</p> - -<p>He bent down with a cynical smile and kissed her on the lips. To his -surprise he found them responsive.</p> - -<p>"So long, Carolyn," he chuckled. "Some of this has been a lot of fun!"</p> - -<p>He donned the space suit and with a careless wave of his hand went down -the stairs. She was not looking at him, but at the ruined microphone -and the radio equipment far out of her reach. Panic showed in her face -and gave her some strength, but not enough to fight the four gravities -that held her flat.</p> - -<p>Then as Farradyne lost sight of her, his jaunty self-confidence -faded. He was far from the bright character he had portrayed. Up -until not-too-long-ago, Farradyne had been complimenting himself on -being able to find out more about the hellflower operations than the -Sandmen, and it had not occurred to him that there was a reason for -it. Now he knew. It became obvious that fighting a gang of cutthroats, -and fighting an enemy race of intelligent people, were two different -things. About as different as Farradyne was from the brilliant operator -he had begun to think he was.</p> - -<p>It required that he change his plans for escape. He knew that he could -flee the big ship and have a good chance of being picked up by a Space -Guard scooter as soon as he could get within calling-distance of Luna. -But the chances were just as high that the hellflower people would have -their entire undercover outfit alerted, and at the first radio call -would be swarming the neighborhood to pick him up.</p> - -<p>He paused by the spacelock and cracked the big portal, thoughtfully -eyeing the huge starship, a tiny dot far below, visible only because of -its reaction-flare. Then he closed the lock and went down and down in -the Lancaster until he found the lowermost inspection cubby. He crawled -in, closed the inspection hatch behind him, and settled down to wait.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Time creaked past, and the Lancaster turned and curved according to -the punchings on the autopilot tape. Farradyne had only one prayer, -now: that the enemy ship would not get tired of the chase and fire -a target-seeking missile, ending the whole game with a wave of -intolerable heat and indescribably bright light. Carolyn's presence -aboard the Lancaster might prevent that until the last moment.</p> - -<p>The hour-period ended with the Lancaster pointing up on a quartering -course from Terra and Sol—a long way from the point of his supposed -escape. Not long after that, Farradyne heard the clink of magnetic -grapples.</p> - -<p>He tensed again. Would they fine-comb the Lancaster? Or would the -question-and-answer session with Carolyn convince them that he had -abandoned ship? If so, would they take her off and blast the Lanc' or -would they deem it of value and keep it?</p> - -<p>His mind went on with unanswerable questions: how good was their radar? -How alert was their radar operator? Were both good enough to state -unequivocably that there had been no object leaving the Lancaster on a -tangential course? Or would there have been the usual clutter of noise -and interference, so that no one would doubt that he had left the ship? -And, assuming that the enemy considered a spacecraft valuable, where -would they take it and what would they do with it?</p> - -<p>Far from feeling gratified at his maneuver, Farradyne felt only -satisfied to be alive and temporarily out of the hands of the enemy. -What happened from here on in must be played by ear against an unknown -score for three voices.</p> - -<p>The drive of the Lancaster dropped from four gravities to about one, -and Farradyne could hear dimly the clumpings of heavy feet. Then the -drive diminished again, remaining at about a quarter-gravity or maybe -less, and there were sounds of feet above his head. He tasted the acid -in his mouth; he found his heavy automatic and clutched it clumsily in -the heavy space-glove and prepared to give back whatever they gave him. -Capture might be preferable to death—but Farradyne had every right to -believe that the enemy could not permit him to stay alive with what he -knew about them, even though it was precious little.</p> - -<p>The cubby he was hiding in was annularly shaped; to one side was -space beyond the hull-plates. Inside was the water-jacket that cooled -the throat of the reaction motor. Farradyne moved quietly around the -central pillar until he was on the opposite side from the inspection -hatch and settled down to wait.</p> - -<p>On the plates above his head was the scraping of something heavy being -hauled across the deck.</p> - -<p>He heard the sound of triple-toned voices in both musical and -discordant sounds, distorted and muffled by the deck and by the helmet -he wore. Someone fiddled with the inspection hatch; and Farradyne found -the scuttlebutt and valved air out into space so the enemy would have -a hard time cracking the hatch. Whoever it was gave up after a moment; -and then came the sound of drilling on the deck-plates above him. A -cloud of whitish vapor spurted downward and the sound of alien voices -rose sharply as the drill came through. Three more spurts of escaping -air blasted downward in whitish vapor that skirled around the annular -room and went in a fading draw towards the scuttlebutt.</p> - -<p>Plugs filled the four holes and Farradyne turned his head-torch on -them. They were heavy self-tapping bolts being turned in from above. -There was a softer sound of scraping, and the clumping of feet; then -the sound of men at work faded away.</p> - -<p>Farradyne took a deep breath and realized that his skin was itching -from the cold perspiration that bathed him. The taste in his mouth was -brackish; his heart was pounding and his breath was shallow and rapid. -He opened his mouth to gasp and discovered that he had been clenching -his teeth so hard that his jaw ached.</p> - -<p>He closed the scuttlebutt, but did not valve any air into his hiding -place. He put the top of his helmet against the deck-plates above him -and listened. Far above he could hear them, still at work; but they -were going higher and higher in the ship.</p> - -<p>He relaxed, waiting.</p> - -<p>Three more hours passed, as nerve-wracking as any Farradyne had ever -spent. Then, with absolutely no warning, the drive went off completely. -He floated from the deck and scrabbled around to grab a stanchion, -finally getting his magnetic shoes against a girder where they held him -at an odd angle.</p> - -<p>The drive went on to a full one-gravity and hurled Farradyne flat -against the bottom of the cubby, wrenching his ankles slightly. The -drive went off again, and then on, and finally off. This time it stayed -off.</p> - -<p>Floating free, with only his feet for mooring, was like resting in -a tub of body-temperature water; and as the lulling, muscle-freeing -sensation went on and on, Farradyne's mind lulled and he dozed. From -the doze, he dropped off into a deep slumber.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XXI</p> - - -<p>Farradyne awoke to the pressure of about one-gravity and began to -wonder how far the Lancaster had carried him under its jury-rigged -drive. His watch said that fourteen hours had passed since -weightlessness had come, but this was no good for an estimate of -distance.</p> - -<p>The whole thing was incomprehensible to him. Interstellar travel in -a matter of hours made his mind reel, and the idea of installing a -gadget that made it possible with the ease of installing a radio in -an automobile only added to the inconsistencies. All he could grasp -of it was that the gadget the alien race had must be some sort of -force-field generator that worked independently of the basic reaction -motor and therefore could be turned off or on at will. He gave up -trying to theorize and began to consider the more personal problem of -his location and what he could do.</p> - -<p>He cracked the scuttlebutt and found that the ship was a-planet. He -listened and heard nothing, not even the familiar sounds of a ship in -warm-up. He cracked the hatch of his cubby and looked out. The small -corridor was as dark as the grave, and as silent. Boldly he stepped out -and looked around under the light of his spacesuit torch.</p> - -<p>Bolted to the floor were four rectangular boxes of metal connected -together by a heavy cable, and from one a second cable ran to a -standard connector set in the wall of the Lancaster.</p> - -<p>Like all other Solarian spacecraft, the Lancaster was well-supplied -with a network of cables running up and down the length of the ship -to serve as test connections and spares for this or that equipment -when needed. So the enemy had re-connected their multi-line cable to -one of the standard Terran connectors and plugged the cable into the -Lancaster's cable-plate.</p> - -<p>Farradyne could see nothing about the metal boxes that would tell him -anything, so he left them and went aloft, cautiously. He doffed the -spacesuit at the next level and hung it neatly in a suit locker, before -he continued up the stairways.</p> - -<p>Out of one porthole he could see the spaceport. It was broad and dark -except for a bouquet of searchlights that drilled into the sky around -the rim, a wash of floodlamps that surrounded one of the vast starships -a mile or so distant, and the far-off blurs of bright red light that -probably read "Spaceman's Bar" in whatever the enemy used for a printed -language.</p> - -<p>He left the viewport and went higher until he came to the salon. He -peered into it from floor level, but it was dark and untenanted. The -spacelock was open and Farradyne looked out of the big round opening -across the field to another huge starship standing a few hundred yards -from the Lancaster. The other ship was as dark as the Lancaster, except -for one small porthole that gleamed like a headlight in the darkness.</p> - -<p>The problem of where he was sent him to the control room. He looked -into the sky, hunting for familiar constellations. The Pleiades were -there, but warped, and Farradyne found that while he knew they were -distorted as an aggregation of stellar positions, he could not remember -their proper relationship. Orion was visible, but the hero had hiked -his belt up. The Great Bear was sitting on his haunches, and the -Smaller Bear had lost his front feet. Sirius no longer blazed in Canis -Major. Procyon had taken off for parts unknown, while several other -bright stars dotted the skies in places where no stars had been on -Terra.</p> - -<p>He tried to recall visits to the big stellatarium in New York where the -lecturer displayed the skies as seen from various well-known stars that -were within a half-hundred light years of Sol; but he found that he -evidently had not been as attentive as he might have been.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Finally he gave up hoping to establish his whereabouts by visual -inspection, and took his first look at the control room. He could -see nothing changed at first; then he found a small auxiliary panel -beside the pilot's seat, which contained a bar-topped toggle switch and -three pilot lamps quite different in appearance from the rest of the -Lancaster's standard equipment. He felt an urge to try the toggle, but -fought it down; it was too much like playing with toy building blocks -made of subcritical masses of plutonium, and Farradyne wanted to stay -alive long enough to <i>watch</i> the ruin of the enemy, not become a part -of it.</p> - -<p>He got his 20-power binoculars from the locker and went down to the -spacelock. The near-by starship was as abandoned as the Lancaster, -except for that one bright porthole. Through it he could see nothing -but one corner of wall and ceiling.</p> - -<p>A sudden flash of light made Farradyne drop to the floor of the salon -and wriggle forward cautiously to the edge of the door.</p> - -<p>A vehicle of some sort had turned in at the spaceport from the rim, and -its headlights had flashed against his face. He looked at it through -the glasses but could not see beyond the glare of the headlights; the -car was coming swiftly toward the Lancaster.</p> - -<p>Farradyne gathered himself to make a grand rush for his cubby, but -stayed to watch because he could make safety after he was certain that -the car would stop at the Lancaster. Instead, the vehicle swung around -the interstellar ship and stopped by the landing ramp. Three men and a -woman got out—</p> - -<p>"Norma!" breathed Farradyne.</p> - -<p>High in the enemy ship, one porthole winked off and the one beside it -winked on, and a few minutes later Farradyne saw the same trio of men -escort Clevis from the landing ramp and hand him into the spaceport -jeep. The engine roared and they took off for the rim of the port.</p> - -<p>Farradyne looked around the spaceport and wondered. It seemed such -a cozy place, completely unguarded so far as he could tell. This -undoubtedly meant that the port was a restricted zone and anybody -permitted inside the boundaries was known and recognized before he got -in.</p> - -<p>The jeep disappeared, and Farradyne came down his landing ramp and -scooted across the flat spaceport to the starship.</p> - -<p>Inside the spacelock was a small ante-room with an elevator and some -stairs. Farradyne did not trust the elevator; he turned and raced up -the stairs, ignoring the warnings of his own mind that this was a -completely foolhardy stunt.</p> - -<p>Up and up he went, around circular corridors, past dark doorways -and sealed hatches, until he was both winded and muscle-weary from -climbing. He paused from time to time to orient himself by a quick look -out of the nearest porthole that faced the Lancaster, until he found -that he was at the right level above the control room of his own ship. -The next level above brought him to a door that had a thin line of -light along the bottom.</p> - -<p>Across the door was a metal bar, but the slide-aside keeper, with a -hole in it for a lock, hung open; the enemy had not considered it -necessary to lock the door against outside tampering.</p> - -<p>Farradyne slipped the keeper aside and lifted the bar.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Norma stood there just inside the door, waiting. Her hands were on her -hips and there was a cold glitter in her eye. It flickered and failed -as she recognized Farradyne.</p> - -<p>"Well!" she snapped. "If it isn't our Boy Scout and Man-about-space who -claims he doesn't know where hellflowers come from!"</p> - -<p>"I didn't—but I'm learning fast," he told her. "Maybe you can help. Do -you know where we are?"</p> - -<p>"Your friends asked questions. They didn't tell me anything."</p> - -<p>He looked at her sourly. "I wish I'd known the other light in the -window was Clevis," he said.</p> - -<p>"So you didn't know?" she cried angrily.</p> - -<p>Farradyne waved a hand sidewise and it shut her up. "Stop making like a -fishwife and think! You have a good mind—for God's sake, use it!"</p> - -<p>She looked at him calculatingly. "Just what do you expect me to assume?"</p> - -<p>"Let's assume that I'm what I said I was," he said. "And let's assume -we're fighting an undeclared war against a powerful enemy. An enemy -that is running down the moral fiber of our race so they can walk in -and take over without an open battle. Does that make sense?"</p> - -<p>Norma considered it a moment. "Of course. Nobody wins a shooting-war. -But which side are you on, Farradyne?"</p> - -<p>He grunted. "Norma, just who was your brother?"</p> - -<p>"Frank was one of Howard's best men," she said simply.</p> - -<p>"More of the pattern clearing up," he sighed. "They killed your -brother, getting a lot of innocent bystanders in the process. They -tried to kill me the same way, although I didn't have anything more -than a crude idea to go on."</p> - -<p>Norma looked at him soberly. "I hate to admit it, but I've heard this -three-tongued language of yours. So that makes you right on one count -anyway."</p> - -<p>"We're not fighting only a well-integrated mob," he said. "We're -fighting a complete stellar culture."</p> - -<p>"You say 'we' so blithely. Tell me how you managed to turn up like the -proverbial bad penny."</p> - -<p>"I outguessed 'em, finally. I was right, for once—" He explained how -it had been done in a few rapid sentences.</p> - -<p>"We saw them catch the Lancaster, and wondered why you suddenly -went dead at the board after dodging them so well. Damn it, -Farra—er—Charles, you've done it."</p> - -<p>"Done what?"</p> - -<p>"Convinced me. You aren't here to play the friend-in-need act to get -more information out of me, after loading me to the gills with stuff -out of a needle that makes me babble like a marmoset. So you're here -for what you say."</p> - -<p>"Why did they bring you back here?" he asked. "It seems to me they'd -toss you in the locker."</p> - -<p>"That's for later. Right now they're comparing my story with Howard's, -and after that we'll both be taken to their 'Detention Planet' in some -other stellar system and kept as last-ditch hostages in this war. There -seem to be a lot of people who got too bright for the enemy and they're -all there, too."</p> - -<p>Farradyne swore. "The stinking bastards—!"</p> - -<p>Norma shook her head coolly. "That's emotion, Charles. I don't know -exactly what their purpose is, but I do understand that this is a -conflict for eventual survival, and for the rule of an economic empire."</p> - -<p>"But—"</p> - -<p>Norma shook her head slowly. "Put the shoe on the other foot, Charles. -Suppose you and your kind had come upon these people—how would you see -them?"</p> - -<p>"As possible allies and friends, and—"</p> - -<p>"Balderdash. You'd have seen them as possible customers, and people to -be exploited, and maybe enemies after you knew their history. Their -attitude is as arrogant as ours, and their personal justification is -as high. By some lucky break they got to interstellar travel before we -did and so they automatically place us in an inferior position; but -they know that this doesn't make us a push-over. We are scientifically -capable of discovering their interstellar drive at any moment, and why -we haven't is probably just a matter of our not combining the right -sciences. Our knowledge of medicine is far wider than theirs, for -instance."</p> - -<p>"How can you know this?" he asked.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Norma slipped open a few buttons at her throat and slipped her dress -down from one shoulder. There was a tiny circular white bandage stuck -to one spot. "They took a sample of me," she said, "because I seem -to be immune to several diseases that should give me trouble. When I -asked about this, they told me that they hoped to discover just what -cell-change takes place when we take our anti-cancer immunization. That -thing they have yet to discover."</p> - -<p>"But—"</p> - -<p>"Oh, they use our immunization," she said, slipping the dress up. "But -they use it as an African witch doctor might use a typhoid serum. The -thing you have to remember, Charles, is that if Terrans had gotten -there first there would have been the same conflict, but started by the -other side."</p> - -<p>Farradyne shook his head angrily. "We're not inclined to ruin—"</p> - -<p>"Stop sounding like one of King Arthur's knights. Men of sense and good -judgment don't request their enemies to meet them on a field of honor. -Instead, a state of war is assumed and from that instant on 'A' is -looking for a chance to stab 'B' in the back because he knows that 'B' -will cut him off at the hips if he turns his back for a moment. So both -sides know that open warfare means total destruction and the process is -one of boring from within, or gnawing at the foundation. But this is no -place to get involved in a discussion of ethics, Charles. Where do we -go from here?"</p> - -<p>"If I knew how to run that ka-dodie in the Lancaster we'd head for -Sol—if I knew where Sol was."</p> - -<p>"And how about Howard?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know about Clevis," he told her. "The thing to do would be -to hike it home as fast as we could and spill our tale to the people -who'd know what to do. Let's face it, Norma. They can mingle with -Terrans because they can speak our language. But I couldn't mingle with -them to locate Howard. I'd be picked up in a minute."</p> - -<p>"So how do we get back?"</p> - -<p>"Why do you think they brought the Lancaster?"</p> - -<p>"Probably to fit her out as a bona-fide hellflower runner."</p> - -<p>"Okay, then, we'll hide out in my cubby until they run her back."</p> - -<p>"You hide out," said Norma. "If they find me missing from here they'll -know that something smells."</p> - -<p>Farradyne chuckled. "They're as arrogant as the Gods of Olympus. Part -of their gang is still expecting me to turn up near Terra on an escape -course, and the only smart thing I've done in this game is to be where -they didn't dream I'd be. So we'll be where they don't expect us, and -maybe we'll get away with it. Come on, let's hide out."</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XXII</p> - - -<p>Halfway down the stairs in the Lancaster, Farradyne put out a hand and -whispered, "Trouble."</p> - -<p>"I don't hear anything."</p> - -<p>"Someone's tinkering with something down below. See the dim light?"</p> - -<p>"Oh," she nodded. Farradyne waved her back, and stole down the stairs -and peeked cautiously around the corner. A man sat on the floor with -his back to Farradyne, probing into one of the mysterious boxes with a -long-handled tool.</p> - -<p>He went back to Norma. "They're tuning up the drive."</p> - -<p>"What do we do now?" she asked.</p> - -<p>"Hide somewhere until that guy is finished."</p> - -<p>"We can wait it out," said Norma thoughtfully. "Then if trouble comes -at the last moment, I can slide out of here like a startled rabbit and -draw the chase away from you."</p> - -<p>"But I'm—"</p> - -<p>"Stop being noble. You're not known to be here—you might get away -with it. Besides—"</p> - -<p>The sound of an engine cut them off. From not too far away came the -rapid sing-song of triple voices, and, following the chant, the -irritated voice of Carolyn Niles: "Stop that, you imbeciles. Speak -Terran!"</p> - -<p>"Why?" came the insolent reply.</p> - -<p>"Because I don't want to get into the habit of speaking out of turn. I -did it once and you know what happened."</p> - -<p>"I merely asked when we were taking off."</p> - -<p>"As soon as we get aboard."</p> - -<p>"Okay. Okay."</p> - -<p>Farradyne nudged Norma with his elbow and whispered, "The cargo hold. -We're pincered!"</p> - -<p>He led her to the cargo hold and helped her down the service ladder. -He followed, closing the door behind him; then, before he snapped out -the dim lights, he reached up and removed one of them, saying, "I don't -think we'll have an inspection, but if we do, one lamp missing will -make a shadow that might help."</p> - -<p>Huddled down in the corner of wall and floor, they sat with their feet -pulled up beneath them, not daring to say a word. They waited in the -dark silence, listening, and occasionally tensing when someone clumped -past the wall outside or near the cargo hatch above their heads. There -were voices and calls and running feet from time to time, and then the -humming sound of the belt-conveyor.</p> - -<p>The hatch above was opened wide but the lights were not snapped on.</p> - -<p>From the end of the loose-cargo conveyor came tumbling a shower of love -lotus blossoms. They landed on the floor in a conical pile and kept on -coming until both Farradyne and Norma were sitting shoulder deep in the -flowers. The air filled with the thick, syrupy perfume. Farradyne felt -a dizziness from the heady odor and wondered with horrified interest -just what effect this completely unpredictable overdose of dope would -have on Norma.</p> - -<p>The shower of hellflowers came on and on, and Farradyne was forced to -stand up because of their depth. Still they came, and he found himself -swimming in them; it reminded him of treading in a haymow. The rain of -blossoms ceased as the hold filled, and the lights went on briefly for -an inspection.</p> - -<p>Farradyne was propped neck deep, his head barely below the ceiling, and -he felt quite safe from detection unless the inspectors put their heads -down into the hatch to peer around the edges of the cylindrical cargo -hold. He looked at Norma. She had scrabbled up a-top of the pile and -was lying on her back with her arms thrown up over her head. Her eyes -were closed, but as she drew in a deep breath, the lids went half-up -and she looked over at Farradyne and smiled.</p> - -<p>The hatch slammed down, and she said, huskily, "Such nice friends you -have, Charles. This is—" Her voice trailed away.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Pressure came upsurging and Farradyne knew that the Lancaster was on -its way to space and perhaps back home. In the midst of the take-off -pressure she found his hand and drew it towards her, snuggled her face -against his palm. Her free hand came over and touched his cheek, then -ran back around his head. She pulled him forward until she could rest -her head against his shoulder.</p> - -<p>She kissed his cheek, a brief invitation; then he could feel the soft -breath from her lips, parted an inch or so from his, waiting.</p> - -<p>His voice was harsh, "Invite me to make love to you after we get this -affair settled and find you a cure."</p> - -<p>Her lips cut off his voice, soft and warm and vibrant. Her fingers ran -through his hair and pressed his face to her. He struggled a bit; his -hands closed on either side of her waist but instead of moving away, -her body came forward against his.</p> - -<p>Then, abruptly, the pressure of the drive went off and they floated -free.</p> - -<p>Their weight upon the cushion of flowers was released and the -springiness of the hellblossoms thrust them up, hard, hurling them at -the ceiling.</p> - -<p>Norma's hands were dragged free of his head and, in clutching at him -frantically, her fingernails raked his cheek slightly. The pressure -he held against her waist thrust her away as soon as she lost her -leverage. Her head hit the ceiling with a dull thunk. A sigh came from -her lips—the sigh of an unconscious person.</p> - -<p>The hold was filled with love lotus, floating free and spread apart by -the tiny pressure of the ends of their leaves and petals; Farradyne -fought them away frantically but only succeeded in digging himself -deeper in the room.</p> - -<p>Eventually he found the service ladder and clung to it, waving himself -a breathing-space by pushing the floating blossoms back.</p> - -<p>Norma's inert hand touched him limply.</p> - -<p>Farradyne toyed with the idea of reviving her but gave it up instantly; -let her sleep it off. He gave the hand a push and she floated from him -in the dark.</p> - -<p>The exertion had called upon his reserves and he drank in lungfuls of -air that was sticky and cloying. It made him dizzy again. He scrabbled -up the ladder and found the hatch, and opened it cautiously. It was as -dark outside as it was inside. Farradyne pushed the hatch up more and -put his face in the clean air and took a deep breath. Then, because -he felt better, he climbed out of the hold and floated free in the air -above the hatch. He grabbed a handrail and closed the hatch carefully -with a breathed, "You like 'em, Baby, you breathe 'em until I get back!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He sat in midair with one hand hooked around the rail and tried to -think of what to do next.</p> - -<p>After a while he prowled the cargo-hold level, floating along the -circular corridor, knowing that it was not the safest thing to do, but -preferring almost anything to a return to the hold.</p> - -<p>An hour passed, and Farradyne was growing bolder by the moment. He had -covered the entire lower level of his Lancaster and had stopped above -his former hiding place, speculating.</p> - -<p>He decided, and went floating upward through the ship until he came -to the stateroom level. He floated around the corridor, noticing that -the little flags that indicated that the door was locked from the -inside were all down except one. One of his 'guests' did not trust -his fellow-travellers. He wondered how many rooms, and which ones, -contained the rest of the enemy gang.</p> - -<p>He floated on upstairs to the salon and almost ruined his silent flight -by trying to put on the brakes. On the divan lay a man, restrained by -the hold-down safety-strap, sound asleep.</p> - -<p>Farradyne floated over, and taking hold of the strap to keep himself -from flying free with the motion, he deepened the man's slumber with a -vicious chop of his hand.</p> - -<p>He floated into the control room, where the silent and distant stars -watched. Some of them were moving down, while the rest stood as -immobile as he had always known them. He would have liked to stay and -watch the effects of traveling faster than light, for the sky directly -above was very strange in color and in constellation, but he had a job -to finish.</p> - -<p>He took a roll of two inch adhesive tape from the medical supplies and -taped the unconscious man's wrists and ankles, and slapped on a length -that covered the mouth. Then he went down to his own quarters and -opened the door slowly.</p> - -<p>A second man slept there; Farradyne slugged him and applied tape -effectively and quickly.</p> - -<p>That made two.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He considered the situation carefully. So long as his batting average -stayed at one thousand percent he was in fine shape. The ship ran -itself; there was nothing to watch; and so the crew did what all -spacemen do: sleep. If he could catch them one by one—</p> - -<p>He opened Stateroom One. It was empty.</p> - -<p>That put a different light on things. Maybe this was not a fully-loaded -transport. Maybe it was just like the average cargo-haul with only a -couple of passengers.</p> - -<p>He opened Stateroom Two and found it empty.</p> - -<p>That sort of proved it. He opened Stateroom Three and found a man -asleep in the bunk. He was stirring as Farradyne scanned the room, -and he moved just as Farradyne launched himself across the cabin. -Haste ruined his aim and his down-slashing hand clipped the enemy on -the skull instead of hitting him alongside the ear. The man grunted -and swung out blindly, hitting Farradyne and moving him up and away. -Farradyne caught the upright of the bunk and stayed his free flight, -levered himself around and swung again.</p> - -<p>The enemy parried the blow and then let out a triple-tone roar. -Farradyne pulled himself down and around, then kicked out with both -feet, catching the enemy in the face and chest. The force drove the -enemy deep into the mattress, from which he rebounded to fold up over -the hold-down strap and flop up and down, limp, an inert mass caught -between two springs. The same force drove Farradyne toward the open -door.</p> - -<p>His aim was still bad; his outsweeping hand caught the leading edge of -the door and he and it swung on the hinges until he came flat against -the wall behind the door. Then he fought his body around and came out -of the stateroom feet first.</p> - -<p>He caught at the handrail and stabilized his flight, then took notice -of his surroundings.</p> - -<p>A door down the hall opened and a man came sailing out. He caught -sight of Farradyne and launched himself down the hall at the spaceman. -Farradyne met him with a slash, which was parried by a block of the -man's forearm against Farradyne's wrist. It stopped the enemy's -flight, and tore Farradyne's hold loose.</p> - -<p>Farradyne let the enemy peer down the barrel of his gun. "Hold it," he -snapped.</p> - -<p>The enemy, about to kick himself forward, took a firm hold on the -handrail behind him and retracted his feet from against the wall.</p> - -<p>"You can't get away with it, Farradyne."</p> - -<p>Farradyne smiled grimly. "I can try, Brenner. So happy to meet you -again."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XXIII</p> - - -<p>Warily he listened. There were no other sounds along the corridor but -the one he expected, and soon the little flag on the lock went in and -the door opened. Carolyn Niles came out in pajamas and coat, her eyes -blinking slightly. "What's the—" Then she gasped. "Charles!"</p> - -<p>"Howdedo. Any more hiding in the dark, Carolyn?"</p> - -<p>"How did you get here?"</p> - -<p>"I walked," he said flatly. He turned to Brenner. "You stay there, -school-master. I'm scared to death and therefore a bit touchy."</p> - -<p>Brenner shook his head, eyeing the gun. "Sure, you're scared. I'm -scared, too."</p> - -<p>"Relax—but do it slowly. Now turn around and make it hand over hand -along toward the salon. You follow the gentleman," he said to Carolyn.</p> - -<p>Farradyne followed them both, mentioning that if Brenner tried any -tricks, Carolyn might get in the way of the shot intended for him. They -went up the stairway, one, two, three, and floated into the salon, -Farradyne having a bit of a time of it because of his full gun-hand. He -hooked his legs around the guardrail and eyed them coldly.</p> - -<p>"Carolyn, let's see how good a job you can do on Brenner's wrists -with a chunk of this tape." He tossed the roll at her and she went to -Brenner, who held his hands behind him while she ran tape around the -wrists.</p> - -<p>"I'd be willing to bet that's a slipshod job," said Farradyne. "But it -will probably hold for a while. Carolyn, coast over here and sit in the -straight chair."</p> - -<p>Farradyne taped her to the chair by her wrists and ankles, and took -a slight hitch in the hold-down strap. He added some security to -Brenner's bonds and taped the man's ankles to the legs of the divan. -Then he propped the still unconscious man up near Brenner and taped him -similarly.</p> - -<p>Now he took time to go below and collect the third man from his cabin -and bring him up; the man struggled against the wide tape and glared at -Farradyne over the plaster on his lips. Farradyne hurled him backside -first at the divan and followed him, catching him on the rebound. He -taped the man as he had the others, and then took a small flight to the -bar, where he perched on top by hooking his feet around one of the bar -stools.</p> - -<p>"Aren't we a good-looking bunch?" he chuckled. "Shall we sing?"</p> - -<p>"Stop it, Farradyne," snapped Brenner.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Farradyne's twisted smile faded.</p> - -<p>"I'm telling who to do what, Brenner. We'll play this game according to -my rules for a while."</p> - -<p>"You can't get away with it."</p> - -<p>"Nuts. I should think you would feel a bit awkward, for a conqueror."</p> - -<p>"I can stand it for a time. But the sooner you free us, the—"</p> - -<p>Farradyne laughed, one loud humorless bark. "So I'm still your -prisoner?"</p> - -<p>"In a way. You wouldn't want to die without telling what you know about -us. You'll do anything to stay alive."</p> - -<p>"You damn well bet! And I'll do anything to learn a bit more about it, -too."</p> - -<p>"You can't make me talk."</p> - -<p>"Want to bet? I don't think I could squeeze anything out of you by -torture, Brenner, but I have a hunch you'll sing loud and long after -you watch me take Carolyn's fingernails off with long-nosed pliers, -and listen to her screaming."</p> - -<p>Carolyn looked at Farradyne coldly. "Charles, I don't think you have -enough sadism to perform that operation on me."</p> - -<p>Farradyne looked at her. He held enough dislike of what she stood for -to do almost anything; but she was still a woman and he knew that she -was right: he simply didn't have the requisite sadism. Even though it -would be a just retribution.</p> - -<p>Carolyn sniffed cynically, and Farradyne realized that he had -mumbled the last few words of his thoughts. She repeated them: "Just -retribution, perhaps, Charles—but have you the guts?"</p> - -<p>He looked down at her. "No, it seems I haven't. But I've someone with -me who might."</p> - -<p>He took aim and sailed down the stairs. He soared around the stateroom -corridor and ran full-tilt into someone coming the opposite way. He -hurled the figure from him and recoiled, and when he caught himself -again, he had one hand braced against the handrail and the pistol aimed -at the middle of Norma's stomach. He let out his breath and relaxed his -gun hand.</p> - -<p>She looked at the gun and her face went white with the realization of -how close it had been. She looked at him searchingly, as if seeking -company for her fright. She apparently found it, for her face relaxed -and she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then she fought the -hem of her skirt down again and blushed.</p> - -<p>Farradyne chuckled shakily. "Go into Number Four and swipe a pair of -Carolyn Niles' pajamas," he said. "They don't float. Then come on up to -the salon."</p> - -<p>He turned and headed back slowly, stalling until he heard her return to -the corridor.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He went up first and helped her make the curve around the railing at -the top. Solicitously, Farradyne steered her to the divan and fastened -the seat-strap.</p> - -<p>Then he faced Carolyn and the rest. "Speaking of retribution," he said -slowly, "I'd like you to meet a woman I know. Miss Norma Hannon. She's -a love-lotus addict, you know. Whatever she is and whatever she does -is basically your own damned fault." He said directly to Carolyn, "I -couldn't do it. But I think that Miss Hannon might enjoy a bit of an -emotional binge with the people who fed her the first hellflower and -caused the death of her brother."</p> - -<p>Farradyne turned and sailed across the salon to land at Norma's side. -He reached out and removed the love lotus from Norma's hair, and -re-crossed the room to hurl it into the disposal chute.</p> - -<p>"Just sit there quietly until the effects of that thing wear off," he -told her. "I'm going to make a tour of inspection."</p> - -<p>Farradyne turned and dived down the stairway again. He did not know how -long it might take, especially after Norma had been literally sleeping -in a smothering roomful of the things for hours. Probably take long -enough for them all to get the whim-whams just thinking about it, he -concluded.</p> - -<p>He conned every stateroom on his way down. He was reasonably certain -that the ruckus would have awakened them all, but he wanted to make -sure that no one of them was lying doggo until he could make his bid. -They were all empty. Farradyne went on down in the Lancaster, checking -the supply-rooms, the galley, the workshop, the other cargo lock, the -storage room. He looked into the inspection cubbies and wiring hatches -until he had covered every nook and cranny in the Lancaster that was -large enough to contain a human being.</p> - -<p>The ship was clean.</p> - -<p>He stopped once more to eye the four metal cases bolted to the floor. -He went up, then, all the way.</p> - -<p>"Any talk?" he asked brightly as he soared through the salon.</p> - -<p>"Farradyne, you can't do this!" rasped Brenner.</p> - -<p>Farradyne ignored him. Norma was still sitting on the divan, in the -same position. But her face was losing its softness and her attention -was no longer diverted so easily. "I'm waiting," she told him as he -passed upward to the control room.</p> - -<p>Somehow, Farradyne believed that she would not have very long to wait.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XXIV</p> - - -<p>Farradyne again ignored the oddness of the sky to examine the small -auxiliary panel fastened to one edge of the main control panel. It -contained a small meter calibrated in arbitrary units of three colors. -The needle stood high, about three-quarter scale, in the middle of -the blue region. Below the meter was the toggle switch, and on either -side of the switch were flat buttons, blue to the right and red to the -left. Behind the panel was a metal box; emerging from the box a cable -no longer than a lead pencil snaked away into the maze of wiring behind -the main equipment.</p> - -<p>He considered the thing carefully. Booby traps were unlikely, but -there were destruction-charges used to prevent the capture of secret -equipment.</p> - -<p>The destruction triggers usually were protected switches, placed in -such a position and built in such a manner that when the crew wished to -destroy their secret devices, they had to do it deliberately.</p> - -<p>So Farradyne eyed the small panel critically and decided that while -there must be some destruction-device included in such a highly secret -piece of gear, it was not on the front panel where it might be pressed -accidentally or in the heat of excitement. He was even certain that not -very much could happen if he tinkered with the switches, so long as he -was in space and a few light years from anything large and hard. It was -also extremely unlikely that any gear of this sort would be easy to -foul-up. The destruction of the gadget in space would leave the ship -and crew marooned in the void between the stars.</p> - -<p>He took the cross-bar toggle in his hand and pulled. It resisted his -efforts, and so he tried pushing. It moved down in a wide arc and as -he moved the switch down, the pressure of the drive suddenly caught up -with the seat of his pants and Farradyne was sitting in his pilot's -chair instead of floating above it by a fraction of an inch. He thrust -the toggle all the way down and a full one-gravity of force came on.</p> - -<p>Above his head the stars resumed their familiar appearance.</p> - -<p>The needle on the meter stayed where it was, at three-quarter scale.</p> - -<p>Farradyne chuckled aloud. <i>He had it now.</i> One button to start the -equipment for warm-up period; the toggle to control its functioning; -and the other button to cut the gear off when the flight was concluded. -It was as simple as that, and although Farradyne had sat in many a -spaceman's bar and heard arguments as to the possibilities of exotic -operation of alien equipment, he knew that mechanical and electrical -principles are universal and that their exploitation would most likely -lead toward universal simplification.</p> - -<p>Then, being practical, Farradyne dropped the subject and began to think -about where he was, where he had come from, and where he was going. He -put his eye to the point-of-drive telescope and caught a small star on -the cross-hairs. This was undoubtedly Sol, considerably tinier than its -appearance from Pluto, but of the right color. A true stellar point, it -was, which meant that he must be light years from it.</p> - -<p>He squinted through the point-of-departure periscope and cut the drive -so that the flare would not blind him. Behind was the constellation -of Lyra and on the cross-hairs was another tiny star of no particular -consequence.</p> - -<p>He got out his Spaceman's Star Catalog and opened it to Lyra. Among the -listings were several semi-dwarfs of the F, G and K classifications and -one of them, about twenty-seven light years from Sol, was located in -the right position, so far as Farradyne could determine—</p> - -<p>The sound of a whimper cut into his thoughts, and he remembered the -possibilities of the scene down in the salon. He snapped on the -intercom and listened, wondering whether he could actually sit there -and let Norma go to work on Carolyn. Man's inhumanity to man was a pale -and insignificant affair compared to the animal ferocity of a woman -about to settle up a long-standing account with another woman.</p> - -<p>His curiosity got the better of him. He sauntered down the stairs. -Norma stood before the bound Carolyn, her eyes glassy and her -face impersonal. In one hand she held a small bottle of acid from -Farradyne's workshop and in the other hand she held a little pointed -glass-bristle brush. As Farradyne came down the stairs, Norma dipped -the brush in the acid and approached Carolyn, holding the brush as she -would a pencil.</p> - -<p>Farradyne said, "Wait."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Norma looked at him. "Don't stop me," she said. "I'm going to write -'Hellflower' across that alabaster forehead."</p> - -<p>Farradyne shuddered. His imagination had stopped working at the point -of removing fingernails and applying cigarettes to the skin. Now it -leaped forward. A formerly flawless skin covered with scar-tissue -lettering of accusals, viciousness, and probably lewdness.</p> - -<p>"Are you ready to talk?" Farradyne asked Carolyn.</p> - -<p>"I'll talk. I'll talk because you'll never get a chance to use the -information."</p> - -<p>"You talk, and I'll take my chances on that."</p> - -<p>Norma frowned. "Please, Farradyne?"</p> - -<p>"Maybe later," he said soothingly. "Go sit down and wait."</p> - -<p>Norma turned and headed for the divan.</p> - -<p>"Spill it," he said to Carolyn. "What the hell's going on, and why?"</p> - -<p>"This is war," she said.</p> - -<p>"Like hell it's war. This is backstabbing. But it'll be war as soon as -we can fight back."</p> - -<p>"It is war," she repeated. "The process should not be unfamiliar to -you; you've done it yourselves time and again. First you weaken the -enemy by undermining his resources, by lowering his resistance, by -turning his efforts towards advancement against some stumbling block. -Then—"</p> - -<p>"I presume that doping the women of a race with hellflowers is an -honorable practise?" sneered Farradyne.</p> - -<p>"It is better than dropping a mercurite bomb. We got to interstellar -space first and met another people as racially jealous as we are: your -people. We could have made a landing openly, but if we had, the warfare -you're threatening would have happened long ago. And there would be -nothing left of either of our people but smouldering planets to mark -the meeting-place of two stellar peoples."</p> - -<p>"You can say this, knowing that no Solan has the barest inkling of how -this doodad in the hold can permit us to travel faster than light?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Carolyn looked at him contemptuously. "You're an idealist, Charles," -she said. "I'll tell you what would happen. You'd greet us with cheers -and invite us in—long enough to steal our warp-generator. You'd trade -us your medical science for our chemistry and your electronics for our -gravities, and then you'd meet us face to face to prove to yourselves -that even though you got a second-place start, you could move faster -and hit harder than we could. You'd carry your war to us, and we'd -carry our war to you, and there would be cause and effect, and attack -and retaliation, with each blow a bit more vicious until your people -would be planting mercurite at the same time we were. And then, as I -say, the next interstellar race to visit this region of the sky would -find the radioactive remains of two ex-cultures. I know, because both -our people come of the same stock."</p> - -<p>"All right," he snapped. "So you've justified your actions to yourself."</p> - -<p>"<i>Of course.</i> Everybody is self-justified."</p> - -<p>"And you justify the doping of our race by calling it better than -meeting us face to face."</p> - -<p>"Remember your own history. Even before the First Atomic War everybody -realized that warfare was a bankrupt measure, to be undertaken only -after all else failed. You conducted your conflicts under cover, by -boring from within, by undermining the national structure. Similarly, -when your people have been lowered in resistance, we shall move in -quietly and make of you an asset to our economy, instead of a ruined -structure that must be helped."</p> - -<p>"Wonderful. However, I don't cotton to the idea of being an abject -supplicant to your superior kind."</p> - -<p>There was a yelp from behind him and he whirled to see Norma Hannon -about to letter something on Brenner's forehead.</p> - -<p>He raced across the floor and caught her hand just before the -acid-laden brush touched Brenner's skin. "Norma," he said quietly. -"Don't."</p> - -<p>She looked up at him reproachfully. "You promised me—"</p> - -<p>"Later."</p> - -<p>"That's what you're always saying," she complained. "Then all you do is -talk a lot of guff with that female over there."</p> - -<p>"Okay. I forgot." He turned to Brenner. "Next question: how do we -navigate that ka-dodie of yours?"</p> - -<p>Brenner laughed harshly. "You know so much, why don't you go ahead and -try it?"</p> - -<p>"Now, Farradyne?" pleaded Norma.</p> - -<p>"Not yet. I'm going to try his suggestion." Farradyne inspected the -tapings and satisfied himself. Then he turned toward the stairway.</p> - -<p>"Wait," said Brenner testily. "Take her with you, dammit. I don't want -my face lettered with words found in washrooms."</p> - -<p>"Somehow it seems appropriate."</p> - -<p>"All right. The toggle fades the generator on and off. The red button -stops the equipment. The green button is for start. Wait until the -meter reads in the upper block before using the toggle. The speed for -this particular equipment is approximately two light years per hour in -Solarian measurement. We're about six hours from Sol now. Go ahead and -run us close to Sol so we can finish this gambit."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Farradyne took Norma by the hand and led her up the stairs. She -protested and hung back—but once in the control room, she crossed -briskly and turned the intercom so that sound from the salon would come -through clear and strong, but sound from the control room would not -go out. Then she turned from the panel and faced Farradyne with the -beginning of a soft smile on her face.</p> - -<p>"That was the hardest job I've ever had," she breathed.</p> - -<p>Visibly, she relaxed. An aliveness came around her eyes and her mouth -spread into a brief smile. She snapped her bottle of acid into one of -the many spring-holds in the control room. Then she walked over to the -co-pilot's seat and dropped into it. She rested, with her head tilted -back.</p> - -<p>Farradyne watched with puzzlement. "Norma," he asked, "how long after a -sniff of love lotus does the effect last?"</p> - -<p>"Seldom more than an hour. I have been free of it for quite some time."</p> - -<p>"But you had a hell of a dose."</p> - -<p>She took a deep breath. "I could feel it leaving," she said. "The -effects faded after you took the flower out of my hair, but instead of -fading away with a dulling of the senses, the urges I felt diminished -without leaving me emotionless. I think I'm cured of it."</p> - -<p>Farradyne recoiled a bit.</p> - -<p>"No, Charles, this is no trick. This is not an attempt to lead you on. -I'm cured, I think, honestly."</p> - -<p>"But how?"</p> - -<p>"One thing no one has tried is to place the addict in a veritable bath -of the things. Perhaps that did it—an overdose—Anyway, it's wonderful -to feel normal again." She sat up in the chair and leaned toward him. -She reached for his hand and drew him forward and kissed him on the -lips. For a moment they clung together, then she moved away from him -slowly. "It's all back again," she said quietly. "The quickened pulse -and the pleasant tingle. I'm a woman again, Charles. Let's go home so I -can enjoy it."</p> - -<p>It was almost too good to be true—but it had to be.</p> - -<p>Farradyne gave her hand a squeeze. "Done!" he said. His other hand -lifted the cross-bar toggle, and the pressure of the springed seats -threw them up against their hold-down straps.</p> - -<p>Two light years an hour. Farradyne ran the Lancaster for exactly six -hours and then cut the superdrive. Together, they inspected the heavens -and found a brilliant yellow star on their quarter. Farradyne turned -the Lancaster to face it and raised the toggle slowly; Sol changed -color, racing toward the blue and the violet first, then turning a dull -red and raising through the spectrum again until it became violet once -more. It went through another spectrum-change and grew in size like -a toy balloon hitched to a high-pressure air line, until its flare -frightened the pilot. He shoved the toggle down and Sol winked back -into the familiar disc of blinding white, about the size as seen from -Mars.</p> - -<p>Farradyne oriented himself, consulted the spaceman's ephemeris and -pointed at a large unwinking point. "Home," he said.</p> - -<p>Two light years an hour. Farradyne went to the computer and made -some calculations. He returned, pointed the Lancaster at Terra and -flicked the toggle up and down, counting off a few seconds for drive. -Sol whiffled past, changing in color as its position changed in the -astrodome; and when Farradyne drove the toggle down, Terra was a -distinct disc in the sky above them.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XXV</p> - - -<p>Farradyne said, "Norma, hike below and see that our visitors stay taped -to their chairs. I'm going to land this crate without interference."</p> - -<p>Norma nodded and went down to the salon. "They're still penned," she -reported over the Intercom.</p> - -<p>Farradyne said "Aye-firm," and then made his first ranging-radar -contact with Terra. He set his declaration drive accordingly and the -integrator-needle crept over to the center-scale zero, informing -Farradyne that zero separation from the surface of the spaceport would -result in zero velocity of the Lancaster.</p> - -<p>Then Farradyne fired up the radio and called: "Washington Tower. This -is a Lancaster Eighty-One requesting landing instructions. Registry Six -Eight Three. Farradyne piloting."</p> - -<p>"Tower to Six-Eight-Three. Take Beacon Nine at one twenty thousand, -Landing Area Five. Traffic is zero-zero, but eight, repeat, eight, -Spaceguard cutters are in formation at sixty thousand." The voice -changed in tone slightly. "Spaceguard, Code Watchung. Calling Watchung."</p> - -<p>"Watchung to Tower, go ahead."</p> - -<p>"Tower. Watchung, ware away from Beacon Nine. Lancaster Eighty-One -coming in. Give position and course."</p> - -<p>"Watchung to Tower: position azimuth six-seven zero, altitude sixty -thousand, distance nine miles. Course twenty-seven North azimuth. Will -miss Beacon Nine by thirty-three miles. Recheck?"</p> - -<p>"Recheck and aye-firm, Watchung. Tower to Six-Eight-Three: did you -follow that?"</p> - -<p>"Aye-firm!" called Farradyne.</p> - -<p>"Watchung to Six-Eight-Three: pilot identify yourself."</p> - -<p>"Pilot Farradyne here, Watchung."</p> - -<p>"Aye-firm. Watchung Five, assume command of Six, Seven, and Eight. Take -alert pattern at two hundred thousand feet and stand by, Watchung Two, -Three, and Four compute and take closing course on Six-Eight-Three and -convoy to Landing Area Five. Farradyne, prepare to accept convoy."</p> - -<p>"Deny, Watchung. Request reason."</p> - -<p>"Prepare to accept inspection, Six-Eight-Three."</p> - -<p>Farradyne growled angrily and dropped the radio formalities. "Why?" he -snapped.</p> - -<p>"You are suspected of hauling a cargo of love lotus. Prepare to stand -inspection upon landing."</p> - -<p>From down in the salon came the sound of cynical laughter. Brenner -said, "We'll let your own people punish you, Farradyne. Hellblossom -running, resisting arrest, kidnaping, operating with a forged license, -a ship with a questionable registry!"</p> - -<p>Farradyne knew what Brenner meant. Taped tight in his ship were -Carolyn Niles, daughter of one of Mercury's leading citizens, and a -schoolteacher named Hughes. There would be a lot of other witnesses -prepared to perjure him into three hundred years of hard labor on -Titan. He wondered how the enemy managed this; certainly they had not -been prepared to lose their captured spacecraft so quickly. Yet the -counter-preparations looked as though such an eventuality had been -expected.</p> - -<p>"Six-Eight-Three, respond!"</p> - -<p>Farradyne snapped his mike-switch and said, "I resent the accusation, -and demand an explanation!"</p> - -<p>"There is no accusation, Farradyne. We have an anonymous tip-off. You -are not accused of illegal operations, only suspect. Will you permit -inspection?"</p> - -<p>"No!" snapped Farradyne. "Deny!"</p> - -<p>"Code Watchung: intercept Six-Eight-Three! Prepare to fire."</p> - -<p>"Fire and be damned," said Farradyne in a growl. His hand reached for -the toggle and shoved it home for ten seconds. When he turned the -ultradrive off, they were far a-space and the radio was silent.</p> - -<p>"Give it up, Charles," said Carolyn from below.</p> - -<p>"Go to hell!"</p> - -<p>Brenner said, "You might as well, Farradyne. No matter how you figure -it, you'll either be grabbed by your own people or get picked up by -ours. We can't lose."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Going below, Farradyne faced them. "And what happens if I dump you out -of the spacelock and your cargo of hellflowers with you?"</p> - -<p>"You could do that to Cahill," said Carolyn, "because Cahill was not -registered as a paying passenger. I am, and when the authorities find -me missing you'll be called to account."</p> - -<p>"Just what do you suggest?" Farradyne asked.</p> - -<p>"Surrender and turn this ship over to us. You will be detained as a -prisoner of war and imprisoned among your own kind."</p> - -<p>"Doing what kind of prison labor? Growing hellflowers?"</p> - -<p>"Not at all. That, we wouldn't consider ethical."</p> - -<p>"It's a cockeyed code of ethics you jerks have," growled Farradyne. "I -suppose you want a gold medal for doping our women instead of dropping -mercurite bombs and killing them."</p> - -<p>"Let's not discuss ethics now. Surrender, and you'll be placed on a -Terra-conformed planet, with every freedom among your own kind except -the right to space flight."</p> - -<p>"No, thanks," said Farradyne dryly. "I had four years of slogging in a -fungus marsh. I'm disinclined to give up after one miss. It—"</p> - -<p>"Charles!" cried Norma through the squawk-box. "Radar trace!"</p> - -<p>Farradyne turned and raced up the stairs just in time to see the long -green line of the radar settling down to a solid signal-pip at the -extreme end. He flipped the switch that coupled the telescope to the -radar and looked through the eye-piece. At the extreme range of the -radar beam was a spacecraft, either the same starship that had chased -him before or its sister ship. It was closing in fast.</p> - -<p>Farradyne dropped into his chair and snapped the belt. He turned the -Lancaster by ninety degrees and grasped the toggle on the ultradrive. -Ten seconds later he resumed normal flight for a few seconds and then, -at another angle, used the ultradrive again.</p> - -<p>He paused long enough to take his space bearing, and then plunged the -ship down between the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn, far to the South of -the ecliptic.</p> - -<p>"Norma," he asked quietly, "who is Howard Clevis' boss?"</p> - -<p>"Howard reports to Solon Forester directly."</p> - -<p>"Oh, fine," groaned Farradyne. "Getting to the Solon is no picnic. How -do we go about it?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>A flick of color caught his eye and he turned to look at the radar. The -line had wiggled slightly and as he watched, its extreme end formed -into a signal-pip. Farradyne looked through the telescope and saw the -starship again—or another one. Whether they had one with supervelocity -tracking methods, or several hundred covering the solar system like an -interception net, it made no difference. The enemy was on his trail.</p> - -<p>Farradyne played with the high-space drive again and cut some more -didoes back and forth across space, ending up this time not too far -from Mercury.</p> - -<p>From below there came a rapid conversation in multi-tones, like someone -dusting off the keys on a pipe organ played in mute.</p> - -<p>Farradyne swore, and then he sat there looking at the big chronometer -on the wall, counting off the seconds. Seventy of them went under the -sweep hand before the radar trace hiked up into the same, familiar -extreme-range warning.</p> - -<p>Deliberately, Farradyne turned his ship towards Terra and hit the -ultradrive. "They called me a hot-pants pilot," he gritted.</p> - -<p>Yellow-green Terra raced up and up and up through the spectrum -and burst in size from an unwinking pinpoint of light to a -shockingly-large disc that zoomed towards them. They saw its roundness -come out of the sky in a myriad of colors until it filled the dome -above them. Norma screamed; but by the time her voice had stopped -echoing through the control room, Terra was past them by a good many -miles of clean miss, and Farradyne had cut the ultradrive. He grunted -unhappily because he was now as far from Terra on the other side as -he had been before he took the chance. This mad use of the enemy -ultradrive in ducking around the solar system was like trying to make a -fifty-ton clamshell digger split a cigarette paper. At two light years -per hour, their speed was enough to take them from Sol to Pluto in one -second flat. He could not control it finely enough to do more than zoom -off out of sight of the starship.</p> - -<p>Farradyne shrugged, and patted Norma on the shoulder. "I doubt that my -aim is good enough to hit the thing," he said. He turned the Lancaster -end for end abruptly and tried a quick flick of the toggle. Once more -Terra leaped at them, a swirling kaleidoscope of color, looming into -monster size and then flicking past.</p> - -<p>When they came out of it, Terra was behind them by a few million miles. -Farradyne thought for a moment. "Maybe we—" he reached out and pressed -the red button on the auxiliary panel—"are being tracked by the -generator doodad they put below."</p> - -<p>"But what are we going to do now?"</p> - -<p>"Hit for Terra!"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XXVI</p> - - -<p>Farradyne set the drive for Terra and then sat there, tense and -waiting. The radar wiggled into its warning trace, almost dead ahead.</p> - -<p>They moved to intercept him, but Farradyne raised the drive to four -gravities and plunged on. The starship grew, and behind it Terra grew. -The radio burst into sound and Farradyne grabbed the microphone and -said, "Come and get me, fellows!"</p> - -<p>"Stop," came the demand, "or we fire!"</p> - -<p>"I've been fired at by experts," said Farradyne. "Start a -shooting-match out here and you'll have all of Terra wondering why the -fireworks."</p> - -<p>"Stop!"</p> - -<p>Farradyne touched a lever. "Maybe you'd like to polish a few rivets?"</p> - -<p>The Lancaster turned ever so slightly until the starship was directly -on the point-of-drive. His other hand touched the drive and the -acceleration increased a bit. Caustically, Farradyne said, "Go ahead -and shoot! You'll find your own living room full of by-products if you -do!"</p> - -<p>He was right. The Lancaster was on collision course with the starship -and if the Lancaster was blasted at this moment, shards and fragments -of the spacecraft would spread like a shotgun charge. If the starship -escaped being hit with a rather uncomfortably large mass of jagged -metal it would be sheer luck.</p> - -<p>"Veer off!" came the strident cry.</p> - -<p>The starship moved aside. Farradyne's hands levered his handles with a -velvet touch and the starship of the enemy returned to the cross-hairs.</p> - -<p>"Veer off!"</p> - -<p>"I'm going to ram, goddam you!" roared Farradyne.</p> - -<p>The starship flared at its tail and at the same time a torpedo-port -winked as a missile blasted-off. Farradyne gauged the missile and the -starship and kept his nose on the starship's lead. Gritting his teeth, -he watched the missile come at him; and at the last moment the missile -veered aside, obviously controlled. It was a war of nerves; the enemy -did not dare hit him at this moment and on this course, but they hoped -to scare him.</p> - -<p>The starship loomed big in the astrodome and Farradyne aimed the -Lancaster amidships. The interstellar monster grew rapidly until the -individual plates could be seen; then with a silent, dark flicker that -was as shocking as a loud blast and a searing flare of light might have -been, the starship ceased to exist as an obstacle in front of them. The -enemy had resorted to the ultradrive. The sky was clear—</p> - -<p>Except for the missile, seeking them and with no control to stop it.</p> - -<p>It had curved in a vast circle behind them and was now closing in on a -curving course.</p> - -<p>Dead ahead was Terra, looming huge; the tactic of the enemy was clear. -In order to escape the missile Farradyne would have to drive hard and -long, which would carry him far beyond Terra and into the hands of -another enemy ship on the other side of home. To turn and attempt a -landing would be to invite atomic death in the depths of space far -above the planet.</p> - -<p>He chuckled, and Norma looked at him wonderingly.</p> - -<p>"Get set for some terrific acceleration," he said. "Hunker down in the -seat!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>His hands ran across the board. The Lancaster turned slightly and the -drive went up and up. The flare brightened and lengthened behind them, -aimed at the missile below.</p> - -<p>The missile followed its homing gear and came speeding up the -reaction-flare. The Lancaster drive was a reaction motor, a rocket with -a reaction mass of water heated by the atomic pile to an energy that -cracked the water down to sheer gamma and particle radiation and tossed -it rearward into a condition where the word 'heat' has no meaning -unless there is some body able to absorb the ravening energy.</p> - -<p>The missile absorbed the energy.</p> - -<p>Its nose melted and its homing circuits mingled with the flare of the -Lancaster's drive; then there was a minute puff as the missile was -consumed before its atomics could be joined in fission.</p> - -<p>Farradyne cut the drive and took a deep breath; but his relief didn't -last long. Terra was before him, a monstrous blue-green globe just to -one side—close—close—</p> - -<p>Beyond, the enemy ship was waiting.</p> - -<p>The thin scream of atmosphere cried at their ears and there came -a braking pressure that threw them against their seat straps. The -accelerometer went crazy, reaching for the peg-stop on the left.</p> - -<p>The blood rushed to their heads and Farradyne fought the pressure that -tried to raise his arms.</p> - -<p>Then the screaming stopped as the Lancaster passed beyond the -atmosphere into space again. Farradyne hit the drive hard again.</p> - -<p>But if the enemy was expecting him to come past on a line-course, they -were wrong. The touch of the upper air, thin as it was, had deflected -the Lancaster's course into a long ellipse and hurled the ship far -to one side of the expected line of flight. The course wound out and -around and back and plunged the ship into the upper air again. Terra -rotated madly below and then dropped beneath the level of the edge of -the control room dome as the Lancaster speared out into space once -more. Again they went out and around and down into the upper air, and -this time they went around in a tight ellipse with the air screaming at -them all the way. Four times around Terra they went, and then Farradyne -turned the tail of the Lancaster straight down and started to drop like -a plummet.</p> - -<p>He was kept busy checking the controls and the autopilot and the -computing radar altimeter as he aimed the Lancaster for the southern -edge of Lake Superior; they came down in a screaming fall like a -meteorite.</p> - -<p>The flare parted the waters of the lake and sent up a billow of steam -for about a hundredth of a second. Then the autopilot cut the drive and -the violence ceased as the Lancaster sank into the deep cool waters, to -stop, to come rising buoyantly towards the surface again.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Farradyne hit the switch that opened the scuttlebutt of the water -tanks and the lake waters rushed in, killing buoyancy.</p> - -<p>The astrodome porpoised once, gently, and then the Lancaster sank very -slowly. Farradyne waited until the ship was resting tail down on the -bottom; then he turned it slightly to one side and opened the drive by -a bare fraction. Water churned below them and the ship moved loggily -sidewise, towards the shore. He spent an hour testing and trying the -depth along the shore until he found a place that was just deep enough -to let the Lancaster stand upright with its dome an inch or two below -the surface.</p> - -<p>A small fish goggled hungrily at the shining metal.</p> - -<p>Farradyne stretched and said, "We got this far anyway!"</p> - -<p>Norma looked at him dizzily. "How?"</p> - -<p>"My pappy used to tell me about this sort of come-in," he said. "Seems -as how he once knew a gent who had piloted one of the old chemical -rockets that used braking ellipses for landings. That was a heck of a -long time ago, before we had power to burn. Anyway, it wasn't expected, -because we succeeded."</p> - -<p>"Now what?"</p> - -<p>Farradyne tuned the radio to a local broadcast station, and waited, -relaxing in his seat, until the music stopped and the latest news -flashes came on. Then the announcer said, "The system-wide hunt for -Charles Farradyne, the notorious love-lotus operator, still goes on. -The search has been narrowed down to North America because of several -reports, some official and some unofficial, of activity a-space in this -region.</p> - -<p>"Farradyne is also to be charged with complicity in the disappearance -of Howard Clevis, high undercover operative for the Sand Office. It -is believed in some circles that Farradyne may be much higher in the -love-lotus ring than a mere handler or distributor. Some officials have -indicated that Farradyne may be Mister Big, himself.</p> - -<p>"An early interception and arrest is anticipated. Keep tuned to this -station for the latest news."</p> - -<p>The music returned.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XXVII</p> - - -<p>Brenner said, "Very neat. Glad you made it." His smile was serene, -and it made Farradyne want to push his face in. Brenner grinned at -Farradyne's expression. "I wouldn't like to die in space. Now that -we've landed it's going to be easier to pick you up."</p> - -<p>"No doubt you have your henchmen neatly planted in many of the high -offices. But you can't cover them all."</p> - -<p>"But how can you tell which is which?" laughed Brenner. "And if you -could, how could you prove it? If you should be stupid enough to try -to point out the number of people who are plotting your downfall, who -are trying to apprehend you—dead or alive—you'll sound like a howling -case of paranoia."</p> - -<p>Carolyn stirred and groaned. Farradyne looked at her as she opened her -eyes. "Can't take it, eh? But how you can dish it out!"</p> - -<p>"Where are we?" groaned Carolyn.</p> - -<p>"Wouldn't tell you on a bet," he snapped. "You might be telepathic as -well as multi-tonal. I—"</p> - -<p>Farradyne's eye caught a flicker of motion and he whirled. The other -two men were struggling against the tape that bound their wrists and -ankles; they glared at him over the white strip of tape beneath their -noses, and made three-toned honking noises.</p> - -<p>"Shut up!" roared Farradyne.</p> - -<p>They stopped struggling.</p> - -<p>Brenner said, "Just what do you hope to do?"</p> - -<p>"I've got my ideas." Farradyne lit a cigarette and relaxed. "We'll wait -until dusk to be sure," he said.</p> - -<p>Hourly, the radio went on telling how Farradyne was being cornered. -Radar nets and radio-contact squadrons were scouring the North American -continent with special attention being given to the North Middle-West. -Another report said, "Charles Farradyne, sought for many charges -involving love-lotus operations, is implicated in the disappearance of -Carolyn Niles, according to her family. Her father indicated that Miss -Niles did not return home after a date with the criminal. Be careful! -This criminal is cornered and desperate. He will not hesitate to shoot, -and he may even bomb a village or neighborhood if his freedom is -threatened!"</p> - -<p>Brenner and Carolyn did not even jeer at him. The situation was -obvious; Farradyne and his white flag would be shot to bits before he -could take three steps, let alone make explanations.</p> - -<p>By now it was dark outside. The stars were bright above the dome, and -danced with the motion of the water. To one side a wavy trail passed -across the sky, and high above was the flicker of a space patrol -crossing the sky at fifty or sixty miles. The radio was alive with -reports, and the police bands were busy with their myriad of reports -and directions. Farradyne pricked off their calls on a map, with a -drawing pencil. Ground and air patrols were combing a vast area. For -a very brief interval, Farradyne could hear a distant network in -operation which indicated that the same sort of search was under way in -other districts across the face of the continent.</p> - -<p>He inspected his map and hoped he had them all. Then, very cautiously, -he lifted the nose of the Lancaster above the waterline and eyed his -radar. Pips showed here and there, a couple within a few miles of him. -He waited until they turned away, waited until they went beyond the -radar horizon.</p> - -<p>"Now," said Farradyne for all of them to hear. "I can't do this job -fair, so I'll do it foul!"</p> - -<p>Using just enough power to waft the Lancaster into the air, Farradyne -placed the ship in a gully a few hundred yards from a state highway. -The trees covered it from direct observation at night and the flat -hills and ravines would cover it from radar detection.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It was almost two o'clock in the morning when a lonely moving van came -along the highway. The brakes screeched as the driver caught sight of -a crumpled body lying by the road. Redness smeared along a length of -white thigh, uncovered by a ripped skirt. More redness dribbled wetly -from a corner of Norma's mouth. The driver piled out of one door and -his helper from the other. They ran to kneel by the woman's side.</p> - -<p>Then they smelled the ketchup and stood up, raising their hands -promptly in anticipation of the command.</p> - -<p>"That's not blood spilled," said the driver loudly. "Let's keep it that -way, whoever you are."</p> - -<p>The driver's helper said, "This is a bum job, friend. We're carting -second-hand furniture, not gold."</p> - -<p>"I don't want your load," said Farradyne, stepping into the glare of -the headlights while Norma got up and dusted herself off. "I want your -truck."</p> - -<p>They looked at him and he saw recognition in their faces. Probably -every newscast had his picture presented in full color.</p> - -<p>"What's the next move, Farradyne?" asked the driver in a surly tone. -"Do we take the high jump?"</p> - -<p>"No, I just want your truck. Driver, what's your name?"</p> - -<p>"Morgan. This is Roberts."</p> - -<p>"Morgan, you drive the truck down into that ravine, and Roberts will -play hostage. Get it?"</p> - -<p>"Behave, Al," pleaded Roberts.</p> - -<p>"I will, but I think we'll get bumped anyway."</p> - -<p>Morgan got into the truck and drove it slowly from the road, down -through the trees, until they came to the Lancaster. Both men goggled -at the ship parked there, and Farradyne, who had walked alongside with -Roberts and Norma, let them look at it for a moment. Then he waved his -gun. "Unload it," he said sharply.</p> - -<p>It took them an hour to move the load from the truck to the ground, and -Farradyne spent that hour in nervous watching. He could not trust them -not to make a break, nor could he hope to explain. When the van was -emptied, he faced Roberts against it and said, "Norma, tape Morgan's -hands behind him; then Roberts'. Then we unload our cargo."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The two truckmen glowered as the conveyor belt came out of the cargo -lock and the white hellflower blossoms tumbled along it to drop into -the back of the van. Farradyne left them sitting there on the ground -after the loading was finished. He and Norma went into the salon and he -faced Brenner. "Better take this quietly," he said.</p> - -<p>The radio made him pause:</p> - -<p>"Ladies and gentlemen, the late news: the system-wide search for -Charles Farradyne is hurrying to a close. Indications are now that the -infamous love-lotus chief is hiding in the Lake Superior Region, and -all forces are being hurried to that area to create the most leakproof -dragnet in the history of man's man-hunts. A special session of the -planning committee of the Solar Anti-Narcotic Department has been -called to deal with the problem. Any information pertaining to Charles -Farradyne may be delivered by picking up your telephone and calling -Sand, One-thousand.</p> - -<p>"This information is being disseminated freely. We know that Farradyne -is listening to this broadcast, and the Sandmen have instructed all -radio stations and networks to deliver the following announcement:</p> - -<p>"To Charles Farradyne: A reward of fifty thousand dollars has been -offered for your capture dead or alive. You cannot escape. The forces -that are blanketing the Lake Superior Area are being augmented hourly -by additional men and <i>matériel</i> brought in from all corners of the -solar system. You will be arrested and brought to trial for your life. -However, the reward of fifty thousand dollars will be turned over to -you to be used in your own defense if you surrender at once."</p> - -<p>Farradyne grunted. "Very tasty dish," he said sourly. "Very competent -people you have, boys and girl. Someone really thought that one out -most thoroughly. Can you picture me walking up to a patrol and saying, -'Fellers, I've come to give myself up so I can have the reward.' And -then I'd go in, sure enough—on a shutter, and the patrol would divide -the loot. To hell with you, we'll play it my way. Norma, go ahead."</p> - -<p>Norma slipped off one high-heeled shoe and advanced upon Brenner. The -enemy agent tried to shy away, but Farradyne went over and caught his -head between the palms of the hands and held Brenner fixed. Norma swung -the slipper and crashed the heel against Brenner's jaw.</p> - -<p>Brenner slumped, and the heelprint on his jaw oozed a dribble of blood -mixed with mud.</p> - -<p>Farradyne slung Brenner over his shoulder and carried the inert man -out. He propped Brenner in the helper's seat and handed Norma into the -driver's seat. He stood on the running-board and watched Norma strip -the tape from Brenner's wrists and replace it with fresh tape from the -truck's own first-aid kit.</p> - -<p>"The ankles too," he warned her. "You've got to cover up the -tape-burns."</p> - -<p>Norma taped Brenner's ankles. Then she looked up at Farradyne. "I'm -shaky."</p> - -<p>"I know," he said. "But you've got to hold yourself together until this -gambit is played out."</p> - -<p>She smiled wanly. "That's what's holding me together," she told him. -"Charles, wish me luck?"</p> - -<p>He leaned into the truck window and put his lips to hers. It was a -very pleasant kiss, and while they both knew that this was their first -kiss of real affection and mutual confidence, it lacked a compelling -passion. But for the present it was satisfying, and complete.</p> - -<p>Then Farradyne swung down from the truck with a wave of his hand and -Norma put the big engine in gear with a grind that set his teeth on -edge.</p> - -<p>The truck turned onto the highway and roared off into the night.</p> - -<p>Morgan said, "What do we do now?"</p> - -<p>"We wait in the spacer," Farradyne replied.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XXVIII</p> - - -<p>They went up the landing ramp and into the salon; the truckmen stopped -short as they saw Carolyn and the other pair.</p> - -<p>"Quite a collection you have here," said Morgan. "Is this Carolyn -Niles?"</p> - -<p>"I am," replied Carolyn. "Aren't you going to do something about it?"</p> - -<p>Morgan showed her his taped wrists. "Not in this garland."</p> - -<p>Farradyne smiled and left them. He went aloft and returned the -Lancaster to the lake. "Now," he said, "we'll wait it out."</p> - -<p>Morgan shook his head. "With the net they've set up you'll never see -your girl or your truck or your hellflowers again."</p> - -<p>"Maybe I want it that way."</p> - -<p>"Oh? Putting the finger on the bird you carted out of here?"</p> - -<p>"Precisely."</p> - -<p>"And how about the dame?"</p> - -<p>Farradyne laughed. "In this cockeyed society of ours," he said, "even a -streetwalker can rip her dress open, point at a man, and holler 'help!' -and half of the community will start yelling 'Lynch the sonofabitch' -without looking too hard at either of them. She'll get by, but it may -go hard with him."</p> - -<p>Morgan and Roberts were scornful, angry, and ready at any instant to -do whatever they could to overcome him. Only the tape kept them from -trying. But on Carolyn's face was an expression of mingled defeat and -admiration. She knew as well as Farradyne that Brenner was in for a -rough time.</p> - -<p>Farradyne lit a cigarette and mixed himself a highball. Carolyn groaned -and tried to flex the wrists that were secured to the arms of the -chair. Morgan growled at the sight of her helplessness and asked if -Farradyne had harmed her.</p> - -<p>Her face took on a cynical smile. "I happen to be immune to love -lotus," she said.</p> - -<p>"Scorpions," said Farradyne, "are immune to their own poison."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Once again the radio music faded: "And here is the latest news on -Charles Farradyne: within the past half hour the area of search has -been narrowed down to a tiny ten-mile circle, by the interception of -a moving van laden with love lotus. The arrest was made by a state -highway patrol with the aid of a woman who gave her name as Norma -Hannon.</p> - -<p>"Miss Hannon was in a state of hysterical collapse after days of -imprisonment at the hands of the love-lotus ring, brutal physical -assault, and threats of being forced into love-lotus addiction. The -driver of the truck was carrying a license made out to Walter Morgan, -but information from the Bureau of Identification indicates that Morgan -is also known as Lewis Hughes, a prominent teacher of Ancient History -in a Des Moines school. During the struggle Miss Hannon succeeded in -rendering the criminal unconscious by hitting him on the jaw with her -slipper, after which she taped—"</p> - -<p>Farradyne chuckled. "You see?"</p> - -<p>Morgan grunted: "My license!"</p> - -<p>Roberts cried: "Our truck!"</p> - -<p>Carolyn said, "And what's it got you, Charles?"</p> - -<p>"—the first-aid kit," went on the announcer. "Morgan or Hughes is -being held on a John Doe warrant, charged with love-lotus possession, -abduction, illegal restraint, assault and battery, and driving an -interstate truck with an improper license.</p> - -<p>"Miss Hannon collapsed after driving the truck to within sight of the -dragnet set out for Farradyne. Her statement will be taken by the Sand -Office as soon as she has recovered. The point of hospitalization has -been kept secret by the Sandmen, who are now confident of an early -arrest. Indications are that Hughes or Morgan (also known occasionally -as Carl Brenner) has turned state's evidence and is willing to inform -on his racket-boss Farradyne."</p> - -<p>"Hah!" said Carolyn nastily.</p> - -<p>"Did you a lot of good, didn't it, Farradyne?" snarled Morgan.</p> - -<p>Farradyne ignored Morgan and spoke to Carolyn. "Unless Norma is being -tended by someone of your gang, this is the end, baby."</p> - -<p>She eyed him superciliously. "How long will they believe her after they -discover she's a love-lotus addict herself?"</p> - -<p>"She isn't. She's cured, remember?"</p> - -<p>Carolyn laughed. "Everybody knows there is no cure."</p> - -<p>"And how about our pal Brenner-Hughes-Morgan?"</p> - -<p>"You leave me out of this!" snapped Morgan.</p> - -<p>"Sorry," said Farradyne with a smile. "I didn't mean to include you, -Walter."</p> - -<p>Carolyn said in a confident voice, "Brenner is one of us. He is just as -willing to die for our cause as—"</p> - -<p>A searchlight swept across the lake and its light, refracted downward -from the waves, caught Farradyne's eye. He left them in the salon -and raced up the stairs to the control room. Through the astrodome, -distorted by the water, Farradyne could see the headlamps of the big -truck. The searchbeam crossed the water again and flashed ever so -briefly on the slender rod of the antenna. The truck paused in its -course, the beam swept the woody shore and stopped; then the truck -turned and rumbled off through the trees.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The radio music died again. "Ladies and Gentlemen, we are about to -bring you a very unusual program. John Bundy, our special events -newscaster, has joined the forces scouring the Lake Superior region -for Charles Farradyne. Inasmuch as an early arrest is expected, and -possibly a running gun battle, John Bundy will now take the air with an -on-the-spot account. Mr. Bundy:</p> - -<p>"Hello; this is John Bundy. Our convoy of trucks, men, guns, radar, and -radio control resembles a war convoy. We have everything from trench -knives to one-fifty-five rifles aboard as we scour the Northwoods for -the criminal who has been so successful up to this time. We arrived -at a point along Lake Superior which must be close to the point of -Farradyne's operations, according to the information given us by the -arrested truck driver. Sand and mud from Miss Hannon's shoes correspond -to the district.</p> - -<p>"Flying above us now are eight squadron bombers carrying heavy -depth-charges, since Farradyne is believed to be hiding his spacecraft -in the waters of Lake Superior. A submarine from the Great Lakes -Geodetic Survey has been hastily equipped with some ranging sonar -from the War Museum at Chicago and is seeking Farradyne's submerged -spacecraft. It—"</p> - -<p>There came a distant crash in the radio and seconds afterwards the -Lancaster resounded with the thunder of an underwater explosion.</p> - -<p>"One of the depth-charge patterns has been dropped," explained Bundy -excitedly. "Perhaps this is—no, it is not. Sorry. The submarine has -covered the explosion area and reported only an underwater mountain -peak instead of a hidden spacecraft. Nothing will be left unsearched—"</p> - -<p>A thin, pure, ping, of a pitch, so high it was at the upper limit -of Farradyne's hearing, came and lasted for less than a tenth of a -second. It came again in about twenty seconds, and repeated itself in -twenty seconds, and again and again and again. The interval dropped; -the volume of the ping increased noticeably until the singing tinkle, -something like tapping a silver table knife on a fine glass goblet, was -coming fast.</p> - -<p>Ping! Ping! Ping!</p> - -<p>Farradyne looked above and saw the sky-trails of jet bombers, making -ghostly patterns in the night sky. There came another flash of the -searchbeam against the antenna. Ping! <i>Get through, wherever you are!</i></p> - -<p>Along the shoreline something blossomed with an orange flash. Seconds -later there was an eruption fifty yards from the Lancaster that shook -the big ship hard enough to make the plates groan. A trickle of lake -water oozed through the sealing of the astrodome.</p> - -<p>The pinging came louder.</p> - -<p>Underwater bursts racketed and flashed and hurled their gouts of force -against the Lancaster, coming closer.</p> - -<p>The radio was rambling on and on as John Bundy gave the world a -blow-by-blow description of the action.</p> - -<p>"—to those people who have stood out against the expenditure of monies -for arms and training, I say they should witness this attack upon an -enemy of society. They are evacuating the area, now. Farradyne is -trapped and unless he surrenders within the next half hour, atomic -weapons will be used. And then we will never learn the thoughts of the -mind that has directed the decay of the moral fiber of our people. We -will never know why a man, given the opportunities that many finer men -have been denied, chose as his life's work—"</p> - -<p>Carolyn laughed hysterically and Farradyne went below for a look.</p> - -<p>Morgan and Roberts were waiting on either side of the door; they fell -upon him and pinned him to the deck and held him there, and Carolyn -stood above him gloatingly.</p> - -<p>The Lancaster shook with the throb of depth-charges.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XXIX</p> - - -<p>Farradyne struggled against his captors. He'd been as blind a fool as -he always had been, to let them sit there together. "Let me up!" he -stormed. "Let me up so we can escape—"</p> - -<p>"Shut the hell up!"</p> - -<p>Farradyne struggled.</p> - -<p>There was a blasting roar that stunned them all; it shook the Lancaster -viciously. The trickle-sound of water through the astrodome was -covered by the ear-splitting thunder, but when the tumult died the -trickle had become a full stream that came running down the control -room stairway in a cataract.</p> - -<p>There came another blast, closer still. The lights flickered as the -shock of the ship snapped the relays back and forth. Carolyn cried, -"Hurry!"</p> - -<p>The enemy pilot, lame and cramped from hours of being taped, struggled -up the stairs. A moment later, deep in the ship, relays and circuit -breakers clicked home.</p> - -<p>Farradyne roared, "You fools! Stop that guy aloft! Why do you think I -sent Norma Ha—"</p> - -<p>Morgan cuffed him backhanded and drove his head hard against the deck. -His senses reeled and the sheer physical shock of the next burst made -his head roll from side to side.</p> - -<p>An upsurge of pressure told Farradyne that the enemy pilot had started -to take off from the lake bottom. Flashes of bursting explosive -winked at the ports; then the blasts came less shockingly loud as the -Lancaster hiked into the open air.</p> - -<p>Farradyne fought himself awake. "Let him escape and we—"</p> - -<p>Carolyn's shrill laugh drowned his weak voice.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The radio went on, as accursedly unanswerable as always:</p> - -<p>"Farradyne's spacecraft has been trapped and fired upon, and now has -been flushed from cover. The criminal is hoping to flee through the -most thorough sky-cover that has ever been assembled. He cannot hope -to win through, ladies and gentlemen. I wish we had video here in the -early morning light, so that you could see this vivid spectacle of the -eternal battle between the forces of good and evil!</p> - -<p>"But we'll all be there when Farradyne goes down to the death in flame -he so richly deserves. Above him now are the jet bombers and above them -are squadron upon squadron of Terran Space Guard ships, and above them -lie the Interplanetary Space Guard to fire the final coup de grace if -Farradyne can run this gauntlet of righteous wrath that far.</p> - -<p>"His flare trail is dimmed by the pinpoints of flashing death that -seek him out. On every side of me are ships spewing torpedoes, guided -missiles with target-seeking radar in their sleek noses, that will end -this reign of terror once they find their mark. It—"</p> - -<p>The radio clicked audibly and a forceful voice came on:</p> - -<p>"Attention! Attention all listeners! Attention Spacecraft Lancaster -and Charles Farradyne! This is the office of The Secretary of Solar -Defense, Undersecretary Marshall White speaking. All persons, whether -official or unofficial, whether citizen or military, are hereby charged -with the safety of Charles Farradyne and the Lancaster model Eighty -One in Farradyne's possession. This is a 'Cease Fire' order. All -persons are hereby ordered to offer Charles Farradyne whatever he may -request in the nature of manpower, machinery, supplies, protection, -and safe-conduct; so that he may deliver his spacecraft to the Terran -Arsenal at Terra Haute, Indiana."</p> - -<p>Morgan scowled at Farradyne.</p> - -<p>Carolyn cried, "Friends in the high places!"</p> - -<p>The undersecretary's voice went on: "Within the hour, Miss Norma -Hannon, onetime associate of Howard Clevis, undercover agent attached -to this office on free duty, has presented irrevocable evidence to -show that the love-lotus operations have been part and parcel of -an unsuspected plot against humanity by denizens of an extra-solar -culture. Since Farradyne's spacecraft contains the only known device -enabling matter to exceed the velocity of light, its delivery to the -Arsenal is deemed Top Priority. All persons are charged—"</p> - -<p>Farradyne shrugged himself out of the grip of the truckmen. "Get the -hell aloft and grab that bastard running the ship!" he snarled at them.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The other enemy rushed forward. Roberts caught a hard fist on the jaw -and reeled back. Farradyne chopped in a wide swing with the edge of -his hand and sent the enemy back against the little bar in the salon. -Morgan looked stunned, but he turned and started for the stairway at a -dead run.</p> - -<p>"So I couldn't get through?" asked Farradyne bitterly. "So I'm licked?"</p> - -<p>Carolyn looked at him, but said nothing. The stillness outside was -so marked that her silence was almost painful after the noise of the -bombardment.</p> - -<p>Then she shrugged. "You poor fool! You've just bought your own doom."</p> - -<p>"So," said Farradyne, "by digging out the rats that gnaw at our roots -we've toppled our tree?"</p> - -<p>Carolyn nodded soberly. "We'd hoped to win you by stealth, but we're -prepared. The starships are loaded with mercurite right now."</p> - -<p>"I hate to start quoting Patrick Henry," snapped Farradyne. "So I'll -just suggest that you think over the reason why they want me at the -Arsenal."</p> - -<p>She looked at him.</p> - -<p>"We've always been handy with a screwdriver," he said. "Our race. And -we know we couldn't copy this drive before the mercurite starts to -fall. But there is enough time to load up my Lancaster and take it -out." He roared with harsh laughter. "You didn't mind dying if you -could take me with you. Well, maybe Solans won't mind dying if we can -rid the universe of a bunch of lice, either."</p> - -<p>"And what alternative do you offer?" she whispered, white-faced.</p> - -<p>"Complete surrender," he snarled. "Complete surrender!" And then he -recalled the history he had been forced to learn as a schoolboy: -history, a subject of dry dates and dry events, a factual symposium -of war and war and war—of conflict and hatred and death. Then had -come the realization of Peace, which started to turn the course of -history from attack and reprisal, and war and defeat, and victor and -vanquished. A just peace, started in the Twentieth Century, which -ended oppression and subjection.</p> - -<p>Farradyne looked at Carolyn with a cynical smile. "We demand -unconditional surrender," he said bitterly. "Then we move in and number -off your people. With a careful tally of our own losses, we choose -a similar number from a fish-bowl. So many men to be cold-bloodedly -murdered. So many virgins to be ravished. So many wives left without -husbands, and so many husbands left without wives. Children to -such-and-such a number left homeless, and a certain quantity made to -stand in the street so that automobiles can run them down." His voice -rose to a roar. "Damn it, woman, do you think we're vultures? You've -pushed us around for fifty years, but now you know damned well that we -have what it takes to kick back." His voice fell back to normal, even -lower, as he said, "It's me asking you, now. What'll you have?"</p> - -<p>She looked at him. "What am I?" she asked, just as quietly as he. "A -species of louse to be pinched out, or an adversary vanquished? An -un-victorious warrior?"</p> - -<p>"You're what you want to be."</p> - -<p>Carolyn turned and went up the stairs to the control room where Morgan -was standing behind the pilot with a strong hammerlock closed tight. -Farradyne was close behind her.</p> - -<p>"I'll be the defeated warrior," she said. She uttered three words -in her native sing-song and the man in the pilot's chair stopped -struggling. She went to the radio and picked up the microphone and -started to broadcast.</p> - -<p>It was a long series of staccato sounds that were sometimes musical and -just as often discordant, as the tones rose and fell seemingly without -pattern. Then she turned to face Farradyne.</p> - -<p>"You win. Again you win," she told him. "Somehow you always do, and -maybe—maybe—I'm glad it's over!"</p> - -<p>Tears spilled down her cheeks as she stumbled away from him.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Farradyne looked down at the face, as pale and wan as the hospital -sheets. Her eyes opened slowly and saw him. Her smile was genuine, but -far from robust. Farradyne squeezed her hand gently and said, "Relax, -Norma. It's all over."</p> - -<p>"You're sure?"</p> - -<p>"As sure as any man can be. There's been a batch of meetings and -conferences, and lots and lots of gold braid and striped trousers. I -got strictly left behind when the top-level boys moved in. So now all -you have to do is get well."</p> - -<p>Her eyes were large and hurt-animal luminous. "I know. It's not the -excitement. It's the cure. I had to hang on to my nervous system too -long after being freed, they tell me. It's left me washed-out—but I'll -be all right, Charles."</p> - -<p>"Good. You've got to be."</p> - -<p>"You talk," she said. "I'm—tell me what happened?"</p> - -<p>"First thing, they sat on the guys that were in the Lancaster with -Carolyn and among them they discovered a space engineer. They held -them as hostages against my return, and several of us went to Lyra -with Carolyn as interpreter. We made 'em cough up Clevis and about -thirty-five other boys who'd been too smart for them to let free. It's -all been concluded nicely. I have my license back for honest, and just -between you and me, I have enough contracts already to make a mint of -moola out of the interstellar business. I can buy more spacers soon, -and then I can let someone else go a-spacing. Maybe I'd like to retire, -honey—"</p> - -<p>She looked up at him and smiled. "Is that a proposal of marriage?"</p> - -<p>He nodded.</p> - -<p>Norma pulled him down and gave him her lips. Then as he stood up again, -he saw that her eyes were filled with tears.</p> - -<p>"Norma—?" he said plaintively.</p> - -<p>"Charles, it wouldn't work."</p> - -<p>"But—"</p> - -<p>Norma smiled gently through her tears. "Not that, Charles," she said. -"You were thinking about Frank, and the years of hate. Since then I've -come to know you and admire you, but I can't really love you. I—"</p> - -<p>He saw something glow momentarily in her eyes and he waited patiently.</p> - -<p>"Howard is a strong man," she said simply. "He used Frank, and then he -used me, and finally he used you. And hellflowers took me away from -Howard, and then they took Howard. And you brought me back and now -you've brought Howard back to me, and—"</p> - -<p>Farradyne interrupted her: "Be happy, baby!" He bent down and kissed -her. Then he turned on his heel and left the room. He paused long -enough in the corridor to shake the vacuum out of his feelings and then -went down to the waiting room.</p> - -<p>"Howard? She's awake and feeling fit, even though weak. A bit of the -sight and touch of you would work wonders. She wants you."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Clevis nodded and started for the door. Farradyne caught him by the arm -and turned him around. "Look," he said with a crookedly amused grin, "I -want to be second-best man."</p> - -<p>"Any damned day in the week, Charley," said Howard Clevis.</p> - -<p>Farradyne sat down in a chair and waited. He lit a cigarette and blew -smoke at his toes. Somehow he felt disappointed in himself; he should -have been despondent instead of content.</p> - -<p>And then the plume of smoke curled around a pair of slender ankles and -Farradyne realized what his unfinished business was.</p> - -<p>The waiting room resounded gently with a delicate musical chord, -operatic in quality like a trio of angel, hoyden, and devil singing -a bacchanal. He smiled and looked up at her. "Any damned day in the -week," he promised, getting to his feet.</p> - -<p>Against his face, softly, Carolyn laughed. "But you don't even know my -name!"</p> - -<p>"I'll find out," he promised. "Later."</p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HELLFLOWER ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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