"Well, then," said Evans, "we're through with them."
"If it comes to that," said Lucky, "I'm not at all certain. There are a few things…"
He turned away, frowning, his lips clamped shut, as though he had already spoken too much.
The dome glimmered gorgeously outside the port, and Bigman felt his heart lift at the sight. He had eaten, even napped a bit, and his ebullient spirits bubbled as ever now. Lou Evans had recovered considerably from his own despondency. Only Lucky had not lost his look of wariness.
Bigman said, "I tell you the V-frogs are demoralized, Lucky. Look here, we've come back through a hundred miles of ocean, nearly, and they haven't touched us once. Well, have they?"
Lucky said, "Right now, I'm wondering why we don't get an answer from the dome."
Evans frowned in his turn. "They shouldn't take this long."
Bigman looked from one to the other. "You don't think anything can be wrong inside the city, do you?"
Lucky waved his hand for silence. A voice came in over the receiver, low and rapid.
"Identification, please."
Lucky said, "This is the Council-chartered subship Hilda, out of Aphrodite, returning to Aphrodite. David Starr in charge and speaking."
"You will have to wait."
"For what reason, please?"
"The locks are all in operation in the moment."
Evans frowned and muttered, "That's impossible, Lucky."
Lucky said, "When will one be free? Give me its location, and direct me to its vicinity by ultrasignal."
"You will have to wait."
The connection remained open, but the man at the other end spoke no more.
Bigman said indignantly, "Get Councilman Morriss, Lucky. That'll get some action."
Evans said hesitantly, "Morriss thinks I'm a traitor. Do you suppose he could have decided that you've thrown in with me, Lucky?"
"If so," said Lucky, "he'd be anxious to get us into the city. No, it's my thought that the man we've been speaking to is under mental control."
Evans said, "To stop us from getting in? Are you serious?"
"I'm serious."
"There's no way they can stop us from getting hi in
the long run unless they…" Evans paled and moved
to the porthole in two rapid strides. "Lucky, you're right! They're bringing a cannon blaster to bear! They're going to blow us out of the water!"
Bigman was at the porthole, too. There was no mistake about it. A section of the dome had moved to one side, and through it, somewhat unreal as seen through water, was a squat tube.
Bigman watched the muzzle lower and center upon, them, with fascinated horror. The Hilda was unarmed. It could never gain velocity fast enough to escape being blasted. There seemed no way out of instant death.
15. The Enemy?
But even as Bigman felt his stomach constrict at the prospect of imminent destruction, he could hear Lucky's even voice speaking forcefully into the transmitter:
"Subship Hilda arriving with cargo of petroleum… Subship Hilda arriving with cargo of petroleum… Subship Hilda arriving with cargo of petroleum… Subship Hilda…"
An agitated voice broke through from the other end. "Clement Heber at lock control at this end. What is wrong? Repeat. What is wrong? Clement Heber…"
Bigman yelled, "They're withdrawing the blaster, Lucky."
Lucky let out his breath in a puff, but only in that way did he show any sign of tension. He said into the transmitter, "Subship Hilda reporting for entrance to Aphrodite. Please assign lock. Repeat. Please assign lock."
"You may have lock number fifteen. Follow directional signal. There seems to be some confusion here."
Lucky rose and said to Evans, "Lou, take the controls and get the ship into the city as fast as you can." He motioned Bigman to follow him to the other room.
"What-what…" Bigman spluttered like a leaky
popgun.
Lucky sighed and said, "I thought the V-frogs would try to arrange to have us kept out, so I was all set with the petroleum trick. But I didn't think things would get so bad they would point a cannon at us. That made it really tough. I wasn't as sure as all that that the petroleum notion would work."
"But how did it?"
"Hydrocarbon again. Petroleum is hydrocarbon. My word came over the open radio and the V-frogs who had the dome guards under control were distracted."
"How come they knew what petroleum was?"
"I pictured it in my mind, Bigman, with every bit of imagination I had. They can read minds when you sharpen the mental pictures by speaking, you know.
"But never mind all that." His voice dropped to a whisper. "If they're ready to blow us out of the ocean, if they're ready for something as crudely violent as that, they're desperate; and we're desperate, too. We've got to bring this to an end right away, and we've got to do the right thing. One mistake at this stage could be fatal."'
From his shirt pocket Lucky had undipped a scriber, and he was writing rapidly on a piece of foil.
He held it out to Bigman. "That's what you're to do when I give the word."
Bigman's eyes widened, "But Lucky…"
"Sh! Don't refer to any of this in words."
Bigman nodded, "But are you sure you're right?"
"I hope so." Lucky's handsome face was drawn with anxiety. "Earth knows about the V-frogs now, so they'll never win over humanity; but they may still do damage here on Venus. We've got to prevent that somehow. Now do you understand what you're to do?"
"Yes."
"In that case…" Lucky rolled the foil together and kneaded it with his strong fingers. The pellet that remained he returned to his shirt pocket.
Lou Evans called out, "We're in the lock, Lucky. In five minutes we'll be in the city."
Lucky said, "Good. Get Morriss on the radio."
They were in Council headquarters in Aphrodite again, the same room, Bigman thought, in which he had first met Lou Evans; the same room in which he had first seen a V-frog. He shuddered at the thought of those mental tendrils infiltrating his mind for the first time without his knowledge.
That was the one way in which the room was different now. The aquarium was gone; the dishes of peas and of axle grease were gone; the tall tables stood bare at the false window.
Morriss had pointed that out mutely as soon as they entered. His plump cheeks sagged and the lines of strain about his eyes were marked. His pudgy handshake was uncertain.
Carefully Bigman put what he was carrying on top of one of the tables. "Petroleum jelly," he said.
Lou Evans sat down. So did Lucky.
Morriss did not. He said, "I got rid of the V-frogs in this building. That was all I could do. I can't ask people to do away with their pets without a reason. And I couldn't give the reason, obviously."
"It will be enough," said Lucky. "Throughout this discussion, though, I want you to keep your eyes on the hydrocarbon. Keep its existence firmly in your mind."
"You think that will help?" asked Morriss.
"I think it will."
Morriss stopped his pacing immediately before Lucky. His voice was a sudden bluster. "Starr, I can't believe this. The V-frogs have been in the city for years. They've been here almost since the city was built."
"You've got to remember…" began Lucky.