I have some books there I want to check, and I don't want to be
disturbed for a few hours."

"All right," Cercy agreed. "But what--?"

[Illustration]

"No, no, I could be wrong," Darrig said. "Let me work it out." He
hurried from the room.

"What do you think he's driving at?" Malley asked.

"Beats me," Cercy shrugged. "Come on, let's try some more of that
psychological stuff."

First they filled the Ambassador's room with several feet of water.
Not enough to drown him, just enough to make him good and
uncomfortable.

To this, they added the lights. For eight hours, lights flashed in the
Ambassador's room. Bright lights to pry under his eyelids; dull,
clashing ones to disturb him.

Sound came next--screeches and screams and shrill, grating noises. The
sound of a man's fingernails being dragged across slate, amplified a
thousand times, and strange, sucking noises, and shouts and whispers.

Then, the smells. Then, everything else they could think of that could
drive a man insane.

The Ambassador slept peacefully through it all.

* * * * *

"Now look," Cercy said, the following day, "let's start using our
damned heads." His voice was hoarse and rough. Although the
psychological torture hadn't bothered the Ambassador, it seemed to
have backfired on Cercy and his men.

"Where in hell is Darrig?"

"Still working on that idea of his," Malley said, rubbing his stubbled
chin. "Says he's just about got it."

"We'll work on the assumption that he can't produce," Cercy said.
"Start thinking. For example, if the Ambassador can turn into
anything, what is there he can't turn into?"

"Good question," Harrison grunted.

"It's the payoff question," Cercy said. "No use throwing a spear at a
man who can turn into one."

"How about this?" Malley asked. "Taking it for granted he can turn
into anything, how about putting him in a situation where he'll be
attacked even _after_ he alters?"

"I'm listening," Cercy said.

"Say he's in danger. He turns into the thing threatening him. What if
_that thing_ were itself being threatened? And, in turn, was in the
act of threatening something else? What would he do then?"

"How are you going to put that into action?" Cercy asked.

"Like this." Malley picked up the telephone. "Hello? Give me the
Washington Zoo. This is urgent."

The Ambassador turned as the door opened. An unwilling, angry, hungry
tiger was propelled in. The door slammed sh