r trial comes up day after tomorrow.
Be a shame to lock you in Southport jail, a man of your importance.
We'll just keep you here in the pending-trial room. It's a lot more
comfortable."

Chris had been boiling slowly, and now she seemed to blow her safety
valve. "Judge Wilson, your methods are your own business in local
affairs. But this involves Earth Medical Lobby. I demand--"

"Tch, _tch_!" The judge stared at her reprovingly. "Young woman, you
don't demand anything. This is Mars. If Space Lobby can stand me, I
guess our friends over at Medical will have to. Or should I hold trial
right now and find Feldman innocent for lack of evidence?"

"You wouldn't!" Chris cried. Then her face sobered suddenly. "I
apologize. Medical is pleased to leave things in your hands, of course."

Wilson smiled. "Court's closed for today. Doc, I'll show you your cell.
It's right next to my study, so I'm heading there anyhow."

He began shucking his robe while Chris went out with the police, her
voice sharp and continual.

The cell was both reasonably escape-proof and comfortable, Doc saw, and
he tried to thank the judge.

But the old man waved it aside. "Forget it. I just like to see that
little termagant taken down. But don't count on my being soft. My
methods may be a bit unusual--I always did like the courtroom scenes in
the old books by that fellow Smith--but Space Lobby never had any
reason to reverse my decisions. Anything you need?"

"Sure," Doc told him, grinning in spite of his bitterness. "A good
biology lab and an electron microscope."

"Umm. How about a good optical mike and some stains? Just got them in on
the last shipment. Figure they were meant for you anyhow, since Jake
Mullens asked me to order them."

He went out and came back with the box almost at once. He snorted at
Doc's incredulous thanks and moved off, his bedroom slippers slapping
against the hard floor.

Doc stared after him. If he were a friend of Jake, willing to invent
some excuse to get a microscope here ... but it didn't matter. Friend or
foe, his death sentence would be equally fatal. And there were other
things to be thought of now. The little microscope was an excellent one,
though only a monocular.

Doc's hands trembled as he drew his cultures out and began making up a
slide. The sun offered the best source of light near the window, and he
adjusted the instrument. Something began to come into view, but too
faintly to be really visible.