d gone over. There was the record of inoculation
there, too. I got hold of some of the vaccine and had the lab analyze
it. It's mostly vaccine all right, but there _is_ a foreign substance in
it. Listen." He read from the report: "_Isolated point oh six four seven
grams unclassified crystal compound, apparently form of nucleotide
enzyme. Further analysis necessary._"

"You think this enzyme, or whatever it is, has something to do with it?"

"I don't know. All I have is a pretty wild theory. To begin, when our
lab can't analyze something right away, it's pretty rare--possibly even
unknown to chemistry in general. Now it's just possible that this
substance does something to the brain that makes a man into a Supremist,
and that somebody's behind the whole thing, deliberately planting the
stuff so that people here and there become injected with it."

"Pell." Larkin made a pained face. "Really."

Pell shrugged. "Well, as I say, it's a hunch, that's all."

"It's a pipe dream," said Larkin. "I never heard of anything so
fantastic."

"That's what folks said a couple of centuries ago when the Venusians
were first trying to make contact and their ships were sighted all over
the place. 'I never heard of anything so fantastic,' they all said."

Theodor Rysland still looked interested. "Granted there is some
connection between the Supremist mental state and this, er, enzyme. What
then, Mr. Pell?"

"Well," said Pell, stretching his legs out, "I had an idea maybe your
friend Dr. Nebel could give us some help on that."

"Nebel?"

"He's interested in this thing, isn't he?"

"Definitely. Nebel's a very public spirited man."

"Well, I understand he's one of the top psychobiologists in the country
today. Seems to me this new enzyme, whatever it is, would be right up
his alley. Of course the lab should get to it eventually, but he might
do it a lot quicker."

Larkin had been examining some statistical crime charts on the wall. He
turned from them. "Pell, does Kronski know about all these wild hunches
of yours?"

"I haven't talked with him about them yet. He left today before the lab
report came in. Why?"

"I was just wondering," said Larkin evenly, "whether I had two maniacs
in my organization or only one."

Rysland, frowning, turned to the chief. "I wouldn't be hasty, Larkin,"
he said. "Crazy as it sounds Pell may have something here."

Larkin snorted again, and this time along with it he shook his head
sadly.

"Wha