w and arrow. It did nothing except lend an oddly festive air to the
battered room.

After a week of this, they moved the unprotesting Ambassador into a
newer, bigger, stronger death cell. They were unable to venture into
his old one because of the radioactivity and micro-organisms.

The Ambassador went back to work at his typewriter. All his previous
attempts had been burned, torn or eaten away.

"Let's go talk to him," Darrig suggested, after another day had
passed. Cercy agreed. For the moment, they were out of ideas.

* * * * *

"Come right in, gentlemen," the Ambassador said, so cheerfully that
Cercy felt sick. "I'm sorry I can't offer you anything. Through an
oversight, I haven't been given any food or water for about ten days.
Not that it matters, of course."

"Glad to hear it," Cercy said. The Ambassador hardly looked as if he
had been facing all the violence Earth had to offer. On the contrary,
Cercy and his men looked as though they had been under bombardment.

"You've got quite a defense there," Malley said conversationally.

"Glad you like it."

"Would you mind telling us how it works?" Darrig asked innocently.

"Don't you know?"

"We think so. You become what is attacking you. Is that right?"

"Certainly," the Ambassador said. "You see, I have no secrets from
you."

"Is there anything we can give you," Cercy asked, "to get you to turn
off that signal?"

"A bribe?"

"Sure," Cercy said. "Anything you--?"

"Nothing," the Ambassador replied.

"Look, be reasonable," Harrison said. "You don't want to cause a war,
do you? Earth is united now. We're arming--"

"With what?"

"Atom bombs," Malley answered him. "Hydrogen bombs. We're--"

"Drop one on me," the Ambassador said. "It wouldn't kill me. What
makes you think it will have any effect on my people?"

* * * * *

The four men were silent. Somehow, they hadn't thought of that.

"A people's ability to make war," the Ambassador stated, "is a measure
of the status of their civilization. Stage one is the use of simple
physical extensions. Stage two is control at the molecular level. You
are on the threshold of stage three, although still far from mastery
of atomic and subatomic forces." He smiled ingratiatingly. "My people
are reaching the limits of stage five."

"What would that be?" Darrig asked.

"You'll find out," the Ambassador said. "But perhaps you've wondered
if my po