"Barton, let me explain, pleasel" Oh hell; why not?

Barton stopped, but not before he was within reach of her.

"What's to explain?" he said, dead-voiced. "You caught me out, didn't you? Just the way you wanted."

The trouble was that he didn't want to kill her. She was small like Whnee-no, Eeshta-and female, as he had come to think of Eeshta. And she hadn't harmed him.

herself; she had the potential, was all. Suddenly Barton knew that he would not, could not hurt this woman. But he mustn't let her know. The hostage principle had got him loose from the Demu; maybe it would keep him out of a cage here, too. If he worked it right...

She was still talking; he tried to tune in. ". . . what we needed to know. Barton. Don't you see?"

"Sorry; I missed that. Say again?"

"We knew you were obsessed with something that was blocking communication. We had to find out what it was.

125.

It was obvious that you had flummoxed the other tests, but I don't know how and I don't care." She paused.

"Well, I do, really, but that can wait. Anyway, we set up this room, as you had described it, and brought you here.

That was it. You see?"

"Yeh, I see. You found out what I couldn't let you find out. That Barton isn't safe to be running around loose. But here's how it is. Barton is going to run around loose anyway. As long as he is alive, that is." The trouble now was that whatever she might say, he couldn't afford to trust it.

"So right here is where you quit talking and start lis- tening."

He hadn't misjudged her tenacity. She was still trying to talk after he stuffed her mouth full of his handkerchief and tied her gauzy scarf around her face to hold it. She tried to claw the scarf away; he used her belt to tie her hands behind her back. She kicked at him with her high heels; he faced her away from him and gave her a solid knee square in her compact rump, hard enough that her eyes were running tears when he turned her around again.

"Now lookit, Dr. Fox," he said-gently, considering the panic that racked him-"you just behave yourself for a couple of hours until I get me loose out of here, and you can sleep in your own comfy bed tonight and forget all about it."

He looked over to Scherroerhora, who had managed, barely, to sit up. "You, therel If you want to kill this lady, all you nave to do is to get on the phone or ring the alarms. If you want to see her alive some more, just rinse your nose and don't do any one more damn thing until she tells you so in person. You got that?" The man nodded, but Barton didn't trust him. There was an easy answer; the door to Laboratory B opened only from the outside. Schermerhom, with a little help, went inside.

Then Barton began steering Arleta Fox down the corridor, hoping he remembered his way out of the place.

He did even better, by luck. He came upon a side exit that opened directly onto the parking lot. In the jeep he fastened the woman's seatbelt and drove away, planning as he went. There had to be a chance or two left.

First he stopped by his and Limila's quarters, locking Dr. Fox in a closet for safekeeping. He packed a couple

126.

of suitcases and a grocery bag. He called Limila at the project site.

"Don't say anything, Limila; just listen," he said. "I'll be out there in less than half an hour. Watch for me; I'll be in the jeep. Ill go directly aboard the Demu ship, with alT we'll need for a head start. Get loose from whatever is happening and join me fast, because then I have to take off in a hurry. You got it?"

"Yes, Barton. But why?'*

"They caught me out, Limila. I have no choice. Are you with me?"

"Yes, Barton. Of course."

*4Then watch for me, Limila. And be ready to move fast" He retrieved Arleta Fox, led her to the jeep and buckled her in. He set out for the Demu ship. It had served him once ...

Approaching the ship area. Barton was on the lookout for a possible reception committee. There was none; no one was close enough to notice anything unusual as be hurried Dr. Fox aboard the ship. Relieved to find it un- attended, he took her to the control room. It was the best place to keep her, he figured, until Limila arrived.

Almost at once, Limila joined them. He hugged her briefly, then turned to the doctor. "OK, lady, you can go now." He removed her gag, turned and knelt to fumble with her wrist bonds. >.

"I won't go!" She spun to face Aim, looking down at him for once.

"Now, look! You're free, you're loose, you're safe. Get your ass out." He reached for her; she backed away.

*'I won't."

The hell with it. Barton stood, grabbed her, retrieved the handkerchief and scarf* and replaced the gag. She scored one good bite on his thumb.

"All right, if you want the Grand Tour you can have it Here, Limila; hold her, will you?*'

It was time, past time, to seal the ship. He did so, re- turned to the control console and sat down. He inserted the "car keys" assembly.

It didn't work. It just plain didn't work.

Well, they had him. Nothing he could do, and no point in taking it out on Arleta Fox, though it had to be her doing. He would have to run on Earth, not in space, was an. But he'd give them one hell of a run. Barton would.

The viewscreen lit: Tarleton's face appeared. Barton

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hadnt noticed that the ship's switch was on. It didn*t matter. What mattered was that his talk with Limila had been bugged. That figured.

"You sonofabitchi You said you were giving me this way out if I needed iti"

"Barton, I was overruled. I gave you the keys to the car. Somebody went over my head and had your drive disabled some other way. I'm sorry; I wouldn't have okayed that."

"Yeh, sorry. I guess you wouldn't OK, the Agency keeps/the ship. I can't carry it off in my pocket"

"Or anything else. A lot of guards showed up here a minute ago, and I'm afraid they have you surrounded. So come on out, why don't you, and talk it over? We can figure out something.**

yBarton looked at the sleep-gun controls. No, they couldn't have been dumb enough to leave those opera- tional. Of course it wouldn't hurt to try the thing if they went to rush him.

What else did he have on his side? Nothing but a woman he didn't want to hurt, and in fact couldn't The bluff didn't seem worth pulling.

"How about a head start in the jeep, Tarleton? A lousy half-hour, for services rendered?"

"It's out of my bands, Barton. You'd better come out**

The hell you say. Barton said goodbye to himself. He pulled Limila to him and kissed her. Not long; there'd never be long enough. Then he let her go.

"Well, so long, Tarieton,'* he said. "You were a good guy; luck with the Demu." You have an easier touch than I do, maybe, he thought. Seeing a bare, gray room.

"What the hell do you think'you're going to do?" said Tarleton.

"Bartoni" Limila cried. **Do not go. You cannot!"

"No," said Barton, "I guess I can't, from here. No place. So I might as well listen to Dr. Fox now, for I don't intend ever to listen to her from inside a cage." He cut the viewscreen and activated the Demu shield. He stood, and removed the gag and bonds from Dr. Arleta Fox.