ry, he had a shutter-swift glimpse of the
frozen plain, starkly clear with its huddle of metal buildings and its
faceless people clustered on the snow-packed street.

Janice Wynn gave him no time to flounder for control. "You're the last,"
she said. "And the most stubborn of the lot. You're lucky that we could
find you in the little time we have left."

Alcorn said hoarsely, "I don't know what you mean."

She looked more disappointed than surprised. "You've no inkling _yet_?
I've known most of the truth for days, though I still haven't made the
change. Your conditioning must have been too thorough or--"

She caught the shift of Alcorn's glance toward the window and turned
quickly. The man in gray was watching them intently from the office
across the street.

"You're under surveillance!" she said sharply. "By whom and for how
long?"

He told her of Jaffers' call, and winced at the sudden dismay in her
face.

"At best you've killed an inoffensive psychiatrist with your problem,"
she said. "At worst--" She came around O'Donnell's desk toward him, her
manner abruptly decisive. "We've less time than I hoped. Come out of
here, quickly."

In the corridor, she opened her handbag and took out a thick white
envelope. "There's no time now for explanations. The clippings will give
you an idea of what you're up against. Lose your spy if you can and
don't go near your apartment. I'll be at your cabin tonight at 21:00.
You'll learn the rest then."

She pressed a stud at the elevator bank and chose an ascending lift.
Alcorn realized that there would be a turbo-copter waiting for her on
the roof.

She faced Philip before entering the cage. "You have no chance at all
except with us. Remember that, or you'll regret it for the rest of your
_very_ short life."

Alcorn made no attempt to follow.

"... except with us," Janice Wynn had said.

_Us?_

She was like himself, gifted with his own talent. She was connected
somehow with the faceless people of his hallucinations.

Who were they, and where were they, and what did they want of him?

* * * * *

He was still groping for the answers when Kitty came toward him. She
gave a little cry of dismay when she saw his face.

"You look simply awful, Philip! Is it another of your--"

With Kitty's arrival, Alcorn's premonition of disaster returned.
Something was going to happen to him, _was_ happening to him, and unless
he moved carefully, it coul