y, though. Stop
worrying about it."

She threw herself sideways, as far from him as she could get. Her voice
was thick, muffled in the blanket. "Damn you, Bruce Gordon. I _should_
have killed you!"

Chapter XVI

GET THE DOME!

To Gordon's surprise, the publicity Randolph wrote about his being a
Security Prime seemed to bring the other sections of Outer Marsport
under the volunteer police control even faster. But he was too busy to
worry about it. He left general co-ordination in the hands of Mother
Corey, while Izzy and Schulberg ran the expanding of the police force.

Praeger arrived with the first load of food, and came storming up to
him. "Why didn't you tell me you were a Security Prime! I'm grade three
myself."

"And I suppose that would have meant you'd have shipped in all the food
we needed free?" Gordon asked.

The other stopped to think it over. Then he laughed roughly. "Nope.
You're right. The growers would starve next year if they gave it all
away now. Well, we'll get in enough food this way to keep you going for
a while--couple of weeks, at least."

It sounded good, and might have worked if there had been the normal food
reserve, or if the other three quadrants had been willing to do as much.
But while the immediate pressure of starvation was lifted, Gordon's own
stomach told him that it wasn't an adequate diet. Signs of scurvy and
pellagra were increasing.

Bruce Gordon whipped himself into forgetting some of that. His army was
growing. Or rather, his mob. There was no sense in trying to get more
than the vaguest organization.

It was the eighth day when he led them out in the early dawn. He had
issued extra dope and managed a slight increase in the ration, so they
made a brave showing--until they reached the dome.

There were no rifles opposed to him, as he had expected, and the guard
at the gate was no heavier. But the warning had somehow been given, and
both forces were ready.

Stretching north from the gate were the Municipals with members of some
of the gangs; the other gangmen were with the Legals to the south. And
they stood within inches of the dome, holding axes and knives.

A big Marspeaker ran out from the gate, and the voice of Gannett came
over it. "Go back! If just one of you gets within ten feet of the dome
or entrance, we're going to rip the dome! We'll destroy Marsport before
we'll give in to a doped-up crowd of riffraff! You've got five minutes
to get out of sight