that shortly." Simms turned his head to listen, added in a
lowered voice, "They're coming now."

* * * * *

Dr. Stephen Spalding said to Simms and Fredericks: "Dr. McAllen agrees
with me that the man we shall be looking for on Base Eighteen may be
dead. If this is indicated, we'll attempt to find some evidence of his
death before normal ecological operations on Eighteen are resumed.

"Next, we may find him alive but no longer sane. Dr. Simms and I are
both equipped with drug-guns which will then be used to render him
insensible. The charge is sufficient to insure he will not wake up
again. In this circumstance, caution will be required since he was
left on the Base with a loaded gun.

"Third, he may be alive and technically sane, but openly or covertly
hostile to us." Spalding glanced briefly at each of the others, then
went on, "It is because of this particular possibility that our
contact group here has been very carefully selected. If such has been
the result of Dr. McAllen's experiment, it will be our disagreeable
duty to act as Chard's executioners. To add lifelong confinement or
further psychological manipulation to the five solitary years Chard
already has spent would be inexcusable.

"Dr. McAllen has told us he did not inform Chard of the actual reason
he was being marooned--"

"On the very good grounds," McAllen interrupted, "that if Chard had
been told at the outset what the purpose was, he would have preferred
killing himself to allowing the purpose to be achieved. Any other
human being was Chard's antagonist. It would have been impossible for
him to comply with another man's announced intentions."

Simms nodded. "I'll go along on that point, doctor."

Spalding resumed, "It might be a rather immaterial point by now. In
any event, Chard's information was that an important 'five-year-plan'
of the association made it necessary to restrict him for that length
of time. We shall observe him closely. If the indications are that he
would act against the association whenever he is given the
opportunity, our line will be that the five-year-plan has been
concluded, and that he is, therefore, now to be released and will
receive adequate compensation for his enforced seclusion. As soon as
he is asleep, he will, of course, receive euthanasia. But up to that
time, everything must be done to reassure him."

He paused again, concluded, "There is the final possibility that Dr.
McAllen