art holding your breath."

The contact broke for a moment, then clicked on again. This time it was
another voice. "We've got Johnny Coombs down here," it said. "You want
him to stay alive, you start moving. Without your stunner."

Greg chewed his lip. They could be bluffing ... but they might not be.
"I want to see Johnny," he said.

On the control panel a viewscreen flickered to life. "Take a look,
then," the voice said in his earphones.

They had Johnny, all right. A burly guard was holding his good arm
behind his back. Greg could see the speaker wires jerked loose from his
helmet.

"It's up to you," the voice said. "You've got three minutes. If you're
not down here by then, this helmet comes off and your friend goes out
the lock. It's quick that way, but it's not very pleasant."

Johnny was shaking his head violently; the guard wrenched at his arm,
and the miner's face twisted in pain. "Two minutes," the voice said.

"Okay," Greg said. "I'm coming down."

"Drop the stunner right there."

He dropped the weapon onto the deck. Three steps out into the corridor,
and two guards were there to meet him, stunners raised. They marched him
up the ramp to the outer level corridor and around to No. 3 lock.

They were waiting there with Johnny. A moment later the guards herded
them through the lock and into the hold of the Ranger ship, stripped off
their suits, and searched them.

A big man with a heavy face and coarse black hair came into the cabin.
He looked at Johnny and Greg and grunted. "You must be Hunter," he said
to Greg. "Where's the other one?"

"What other one?" Greg said.

"Your brother. Where is he?"

"How would I know?" Greg said.

The man's face darkened. "You'd be smart to watch your tongue," he said.
"We know there were three of you, we want the other one."

The man turned to a guard. "What about it?"

"Don't know, Doc. Nobody's reported him."

"Then take a crew and search the ship. We were due back hours ago. He's
in there somewhere."

"Sure, Doc." The guard disappeared through the lock. The man called Doc
motioned Greg and Johnny through into the main cabin.

"What are you planning to do with us?" Greg demanded.

"You'll find out soon enough." Doc's mouth twisted angrily.

A guard burst into the cabin. "Doc, there's just nobody there! We've
scoured the ship."

"You think he just floated away in his space suit?" Doc growled. "_Find
him._ Tawney only needs one of them, but we can't ta