ndy
now. As it was, he had to handle it differently. And that meant a
different approach.

"No, Dr. Ch'ien," he said, in a voice that was deliberately too smooth,
"I will not sit down, thank you. I would prefer that you stand up."

The physicist's face became a frozen mask. "I see that the doctorate you
claim is not for studies in the field of physics. You're not here to
worm things out of me by discussing my work talking shop. What is it,
_Doctor_ Wan?"

"I am a psychologist." Candron said. He knew that the monitors watching
the screens and listening to the conversation were recording everything.
He knew that they shouldn't be suspicious yet. But if the real General
Soong should decide to check on what his important guest was doing....

"A psychologist," Ch'ien repeated in a monotone. "I see."

"Yes. Now, will you stand, or do I have to ask the guards to lift you to
your feet?"

James Ch'ien recognized the inevitable, so he stood. But there was a
wary expression in his black eyes. He was not a tall man; he stood
nearly an inch shorter than Candron himself.

"You have nothing to fear, Dr. Ch'ien," Candron said smoothly. "I merely
wish to test a few of your reactions. We do not wish to hurt you." He
put his hands on the other man's shoulders, and positioned him. "There,"
he said. "Now. Look to the left."

"Hypnosis, eh?" Ch'ien said with a grim smile. "All right. Go ahead." He
looked to his left.

"Not with your head," Candron said calmly. "Face me and look to the left
with your eyes."

Ch'ien did so, saying: "I'm afraid you'll have to use drugs after all,
Dr. Wan. I will not be hypnotized."

"I have no intention of hypnotizing you. Now look to the right."

Ch'ien obeyed.

Candron's right hand was at his side, and his left hand was toying with
a button on his coat. "Now up," he said.

Dr. James Ch'ien rolled his eyeballs upward.

Candron had already taken a deep breath. Now he acted. His right hand
balled into a fist and arced upwards in a crashing uppercut to Ch'ien's
jaw. At almost the same time, he jerked the button off his coat, cracked
it with his fingers along the special fissure line, and threw it to the
floor.

As the little bomb spewed forth unbelievable amounts of ultra-finely
divided carbon in a dense black cloud of smoke, Candron threw both arms
around the collapsing physicist, ignoring the pain in the knuckles of
his right hand. The smoke cloud billowed around them, darkening the room
a