ty. He seems to be the mouthpiece for the group of magter that
are pushing this idiotic war. As to your second question, I have to
answer yes and no. We found Director Mervv's head outside the door
next morning with all the skin gone. We knew who it was because the
doctor identified the bridgework in his mouth. _Do you understand?_"

All pretense of control had vanished, and Faussel almost shrieked
the last words. They were all close to cracking up, if he was any
example. Brion broke in quickly.

"That will be all, Faussel. Just get word to the doctor that I would
like to see him as soon as I can." He broke the connection and
opened the first of the folders. By the time the doctor called he
had skimmed the reports and was reading the relevant ones in greater
detail. Putting on his warm coat, he went through the outer office.
The few workers still on duty turned their backs in frigid silence.

Doctor Stine had a pink and shiny bald head that rose above a thick
black beard. Brion had liked him at once. Anyone with enough
firmness of mind to keep a beard in this climate was a pleasant
exception after what he had met so far.

"How's the new patient, Doctor?"

Stine combed his beard with stubby fingers before answering.
"Diagnosis: heat-syncope. Prognosis: complete recovery. Condition
fair, considering the dehydration and extensive sunburn. I've
treated the burns, and a saline drip is taking care of the other.
She just missed going into heat-shock. I have her under sedation
now."

"I'd like to have her up and helping me tomorrow morning. Could she
do this--with stimulants or drugs?"

"She could--but I don't like it. There might be side factors,
perhaps long-standing debilitation. It's a chance."

"A chance we will have to take. In less than seventy hours this
planet is due for destruction. In attempting to avert that tragedy
I'm expendable, as is everyone else here. Agreed?"

The doctor grunted deep in his beard and looked Brion's immense
frame up and down. "Agreed," he said, almost happily. "It is a
distinct pleasure to see something beside black defeat around here.
I'll go along with you."

"Well, you can help me right now. I checked the personnel roster and
discovered that out of the twenty-eight people working here there
isn't a physical scientist of any kind--other than yourself."

"A scruffy bunch of button-pushers and theoreticians. Not worth a
damn for field work, the whole bunch of them!" The doctor to