"I've a poor head for wine," said Dumarest. "And my stomach was upset. I find it unpleasant to drink at the best of times."
"And you could not sleep?"
"No, sir."
"Why not? Did something wake you? A noise, perhaps?"
"No, sir." It was safe to lie. The whispering voice had been on the verge of sub-aural diminution and the officer could not know the state of his hearing ability. "I just woke and wanted to go to the toilet That's all, sir."
"Why?"
Dumarest made a helpless gesture. He was an ignorant worker from Loame. How was he supposed to know what the officer was getting at?
"You passed three ounces of urine-hardly enough to have made your visit imperative." Keron touched a control and the spotlight blazed into life. Dumarest narrowed his eyes against the glare. "Those scars, how did you get them?"
"I fell into a patch of thorge and was pretty badly torn getting out."
"Long ago?"
"A couple of years, sir."
"On your grower's land?"
"No, sir. A crowd of us went to help another grower to the north."
"His name?"
Dumarest gave it, adding details, piling lie upon lie. He had worked out the story with Lemain, claiming to have worked for a grower on the opposite hemisphere, a region from which the present contingent had not been drawn. It was a safeguard against being faced with someone who should know him or whom he should know. It should pass a casual questioner but the major was far from that.
The spotlight died, Keron leaning forward as Dumarest blinked away the retinal afterimages.
"Take a thousand men," he said gently. "Among them, you are certain, are spies in disguise. How do you discover them? You wait. You watch. You compare behavior patterns and, sooner or later, they will betray themselves. A wolf cannot emulate a sheep-not and delude the shepherd. You understand?"
Dumarest frowned. "I'm not sure, sir. Are you saying that I am a spy?"
"Yes. From Cest, Wen, Hardish, or some other world with which we are having a difference of opinion. But not from Loame. Your reactions are not those of a worker. By now you should be in tears begging my forgiveness. You should have become confused and afraid. You are neither. I am intrigued." He looked beyond Dumarest to the guard standing at the rear. "Selig!"
Dumarest turned as the man stepped forward, lifting his club.
* * *
He was a tall man, hard faced, teeth bared as if he enjoyed his work. He lost the smile as Dumarest spun from the chair, straightening, catching the descending wrist and twisting savagely so that bone snapped and the club dangled from its thong. Snatching the weapon free he sprang aside and then forward beyond the desk. One of the guards standing at the rear lifted his club to block an expected blow then fell, choking on blood from a ruptured larynx as Dumarest thrust instead. Again he sprang to one side, foot lifting to kick aside the second guard's club, seeing a flash from the orifice at the end, feeling the shock as he smashed his own club at the side of the man's neck.
The knurled grip held a stud. He pressed it as he faced the remaining guard. Selig, chair lifted in his good hand, stumbled and fell as something sprouted from his cheek.
"Drop it!" Dumarest thrust the club toward Keren's face, aiming at an eye. "Take your hand from that drawer. Empty!"
The officer drew a long breath. "Fast," he said. "I've never seen anyone move so fast. Where are you from?"
"That doesn't matter." Dumarest looked around the room. The fight had been practically noiseless but there was no way of telling how long he would remain undisturbed. Nor could he be sure that Keron hadn't given the alarm. "Stand away from that desk. Quickly!"
The officer obeyed, his eyes enigmatic. "What now?" he said quietly. "What do you hope to accomplish?"
"Lie on the floor, face down, hands above your head." The drawer of the desk held a laser. Dumarest picked it up and held it loosely in his hand. "Don't move or try anything stupid. I've made one mistake, I don't intend making another."
"You made no mistake," said Keron as Dumarest, the laser at his side, began to strip the uniform from Selig. The man was unconscious, the dart had been an anesthetic. "The dormitories are monitored. I knew you were not asleep. You anticipated the arrival of guards by minutes."
Dumarest ignored him, rapidly donning the guard's uniform. They were of a size and he needed the authority it would give. One of the other guards moaned and he fired twice with the club, sending them both into a deeper sleep. Discarding the club, he picked up another, holding it in his right hand, the laser in his left. Frowning he looked about the room.
The electronic panel was studded with signal lights, some winking, others burning with steady colors. The men who had preceded him had not left by the same door so there had to be another. He found it, almost invisible in the shadows, against the far wall.
"This door," he said to Keron. "Where does it lead?"
"To a monitoring room. There are guards."
"Get up." Dumarest gestured with the laser. "This will be aimed at your back at all times. If you make a mistake or we are stopped I will burn your kidneys. Do you understand?"
"What do you intend?" Keron showed curiosity as he rose, but he was not afraid. Almost he seemed amused. Had microphones picked up every sound?
"We are going to leave here and get above ground. You are going to guide me. Which is the best way out?"
"That way." Keron pointed to the door by which Dumarest had entered. "Outside into the corridor, turn right and continue until you reach an elevator. It will take you to the upper level."
The truth? It was possible but Dumarest doubted it. The man was too much at ease and an elevator would make a perfect trap. Without warning he struck with the clenched fist of his right hand and as Keron, dazed, staggered back, he jerked open the inner door. A guard sitting before a panel began to rise. Another standing against the far wall took a step forward. Both slumped unconscious as darts thudded into their flesh.
Dumarest reached for Keron, pulled him forward and sent him staggering across the room to the far door. It opened on a corridor, empty, the passage running to either side.
"We want the stairs," said Dumarest. "Take me to them. Quickly!"
There had to be stairs, for emergency use if for nothing else, and the chances were they would be deserted. Keron shook his head as he led the way, rubbing the side of his jaw, recovering rapidly from the effects of the blow.
"Fast," he said again. "The speed of your reflexes is incredible. Do you come from a heavy gravity world?"
Dumarest dug the laser into his spine.
"There are no microphones here if that's what you are thinking," said the officer calmly. He seemed to have regained his full composure. "I suggest that you would be well advised to consider the advantages of complete cooperation. You are a most unusual spy. What do you hope to gain now that you have revealed yourself?"
"I am not a spy," said Dumarest. It could be important that he made that clear. "Technos has nothing to fear from me. All I want is to get away from here."
"And you will kill me in order to do it?"
"If I have to, yes."
"And then what? Such an act would be irredeemable." Keron opened a door and led the way to a staircase. Calmly he began to mount. "Once you kill me," he pointed out, "you will have no defense. Need I describe the punishment you will suffer? I assure you that it will not be pleasant. On the other hand, if you were to yield and give full cooperation, you would not only safeguard your life but also obtain rich rewards."
Dumarest made no comment. The stairs circled a well and he looked down then up seeing nothing but emptiness. At the head of the stairs he halted before a closed door, thinking. Beyond could wait guards. Certainly there would be danger, but would it be best to face it alone or with his hostage? Alone, he decided. Keron was not a coward and had correctly judged the situation. He would take the risk that Dumarest would not kill and act accordingly. In any case, from now on he would be a liability.