He closed and locked the door behind him as he left. A few minutes passed and there was the sound of clattering metal against it as it opened again. Zukis carried a tray. There was the yellow of squash on it and the green of something leafy.
"Vegetable salad," said Zukis. "Good enough for you."
A blackened thumb showed over one end of the tray. The other end balanced upon the back of his wrist so that the farmboy's hand was not visible.
David straightened, leaping to one side, bending his legs under him and bringing them down upon the mattress of the bed. Zukis, caught by surprise, turned in alarm, but David, using the springs of the mattress as extra leverage, launched into the air.
He collided heavily with the farmboy, brought down one hand flatly on the tray, ripping it out of the other's grasp and hurling it to the ground while twining his other hand in the farmboy's beard.
Zukis dropped, yelling hoarsely. David's booted foot came down on the farmboy's hand, the one that had been hidden under the tray. The other's yell be came an agonized scream as the smashed fingers flew open, releasing the cocked blaster they had been holding.
David's hand whipped away from the beard and caught the other's unharmed wrist as it groped for the second blaster. He brought it up roughly, across the prone chest, under the head and out again. He pulled.
"Quiet," he said, "or I'll tear your arm loose from its socket."
Zukis subsided, his eyes rolling, his breath puffing out wetly. He said, "What are you after?"
"Why were you hiding the blaster under the tray?"
"I had to protect myself, didn't I? In case you jumped me while my hands were full of tray?"
"Then why didn't you send someone else with the tray and cover him?"
"I didn't think of that," whined Zukis.
David tightened pressure a bit and Zukis's mouth twisted in agony. "Suppose you tell the truth, Zukis."
"I-I was going to kill you."
"And what would you have told Makian?" '
"You were-trying to escape."
"Was that your own idea?"
"No. It was Hennes's. Get Hennes. I'm just following orders."
David released him. He picked up one blaster and flicked the other out of its holster. "Get up."
Zukis rolled over on one side. He groaned as he tried to lift his weight on a mashed right hand and nearly torn left shoulder.
"What are you going to do? You wouldn't shoot an unarmed man, would you?"
"Wouldn't you?" asked David.
A new voice broke in. "Drop those guns, Williams," It said crisply.
David moved Ms head quickly. Hennes was in the doorway, blaster leveled. Behind him was Makian, face gray and etched with lines. Hennes's eyes showed his intentions plainly enough and his blaster was ready.
David dropped the blasters he had just torn from Zukis.
"Kick them over," said Hermes.
David did so.
"Now. What happened?"
David said, "You know what happened. Zukis tried a little assassination at your orders and I didn't sit still and take it."
Zukis was gabbling. "No, sir, Mr. Hennes. No, sir. It was no such thing. I was bringing in his lunch when he jumped me. My hands were full of tray; I had no chance to defend myself."
"Shut up," said Hennes contemptuously. "We'll have a talk about that later. Get out of here and be back with a couple of pinions in less than no time."
Zukis scrambled out.
Makian said mildly, "Why the pinions, Hennes?"
"Because this man is a dangerous impostor, Mr. Makian. You remember I brought him in because he seemed to know something about the food poisoning."
"Yes. Yes, of course."
"He told us a story about a younger sister being poisoned by Martian jam, remember? I checked on that. There haven't been too many deaths by poisoning that have reached the authorities the way this man claimed his sister's death had. Less than two hundred and fifty, in fact. It was easy to check them all and I had that done. None on record involved a twelve-year-old girl, with a brother of Williams' age, who died over a jar of jam."
Makian was startled. "How long have you known this, Hennes?"
"Almost since he came here. But I let it go. I wanted to see what he was after. I set Griswold to watching him____________________ ''
"To trying to kill me, you mean," interrupted David.
"Yes, you would say that, considering that you killed him because he was fool enough to let you suspect him." He turned back to Makian. "Then he managed to wiggle himself in with that soft-headed sap, Benson, where he could keep close check on our progress in investigating the poisoning. Then, as the last straw, he slipped out of the dome three nights ago for a reason he won't explain. You want to know why? He was reporting to the men who hired him-the ones who are behind all this. It's more than just a coincidence that the ultimatum came while he was gone."
"And where were you?" demanded David suddenly. "Did you stop keeping tabs on me after Griswold died? If you knew I was gone on the kind of deal you suspected, why wasn't a party sent out after me?"
Makian looked puzzled, and began, "Well____________________ "
But David interrupted. "Let me finish, Mr. Makian. I think that maybe Hennes wasn't in the dome the night I left and even the day and night after I left. Where were you, Hennes?"
Hennes stepped forward, Ms mouth twisting. David's cupped hand was near his face. He did not believe Hennes would shoot, but he was ready to use the shield-mask if he had to.
Makian placed a nervous hand on Hennes's shoulder. "I suggest we leave him for the Council."
David said quickly, "What is this about the Council?"
"None of your business," snarled Hennes.
Zukis was back with the pinions. They were flexible plastic rods that could be bent in any way and then frozen in position. They were infinitely stronger than ropes or even metal handcuffs.
"Hold out your hands," ordered Hennes.
David did so without a word. The pinion was wrapped twice about his wrists. Zukis, leering, drew them savagely tight then drew out the pin, which action resulted in an automatic molecular rearrangement that hardened the plastic. The energy developed in that rearrangement made the plastic warm to the touch. Another pinion went about David's ankles.
David sat quietly down upon the bed. In one hand he still had the shield-mask. Makian's remark about the Council was proof enough to David that he would not remain pinioned long. Meanwhile he was content to allow matters to develop further.
He said again, "What's this about the Council?"
But he need not have asked. There was a yell from outside, and a catapulting figure hurled itself through the door with the cry of, "Where's Williams?"
It was Bigman himself, as large as life, which wasn't very large. He was paying no attention to anything but David's seated figure. He was speaking rapidly and breathlessly. "I didn't hear you were through a dust storm till I landed inside the dome. Sizzling Ceres, you must have been fried. How did you get through it? I____________________ I____________________ "
He noticed David's position for the first time, and turned furiously. "Who in Space has the boy tied up like this?"
Hennes had caught his breath by now. One of his hands shot out and caught Bigman's overall collar in a brutal grip that lifted his slight body "off the floor.
"I told you what would happen, slug, if I caught you here again."
Bigman yelled, "Let go, you pulp-mouth jerk! I've got a right in here. I give you a second and a half to let me go or you'll answer to the Council of Science."
Makian said, "For Mars' sake, Hennes, let him go."
Hennes let Mm drop. "Get out of here."