ugh his severed throat. Brute clapped a hand to
the wound, tightly.

For a moment, blood oozed through his fingers. Then, pale but steady,
Brute dropped his hand.

The wound had closed! Its edges already were sealed, leaving a raw, red
scar that no longer bled.

"Brute not lie," said Brute, the words forced out with some difficulty.
"It not kill Brute."

Stunned by astonishment and disbelief, Goat stared at him, his mouth
moving soundlessly.

"Go away," he whispered hoarsely at last. "Go out of here, monster!"

Obediently, Brute shambled out of the study. As he passed through the
door, Goat regained his voice and called after him:

"Tell the children to come and take away Adam's body."

* * * * *

Kilometers away, Maya Cara Nome and S. Nuwell Eli rode a groundcar that
moved swiftly across the interminable waves of the red sand. It swayed
through hollows and jounced over multiple ridges, Nuwell steering it
with some difficulty. In the steely sky, the small sun moved downward,
its brightness unimpaired by the occasional thin clouds which moved
before it.

The sun touched the western horizon, seemed to hesitate, dropped with
breathtaking suddenness, and the stars immediately began to appear in
the deepening twilight sky.

They stopped and had a compact meal, heated in the groundcar's
short-wave cooker. Then Nuwell switched on the headlights and they went
on again.

Soon afterward, a faint spot of light appeared in the desert far ahead
of them. As they approached it, it became a yellow-lighted window in a
huge black mass rearing up against the night sky. They had reached Ultra
Vires.

Nuwell announced their arrival over the groundcar radio and swung the
groundcar up beside the building's main entrance. He sealed the
groundcar's door to the building air-lock so they would not have to don
marsuits.

After a few moments, the airlock opened. They passed through it and were
greeted by a skinny, shriveled little man with watery blue eyes and a
goatee.

"I was expecting you, but not tonight," said this person, rather sourly.
"Well, come on in and I'll have the children fix you something to eat if
you haven't eaten."

"I'm S. Nuwell Eli," said Nuwell, holding out a hand which the other
ignored. "This is the terrestrial agent, Miss Maya Cara Nome. You are
Dr. Hennessey, I assume."

"That's right," said Goat. "Do you want supper?"

"No, thank you, we ate on the way," said Nuwel