or two of the
three days since his capture he had been drugged and subject to
constant hypnotic suggestion. He had given his name as Rainbolt,
acknowledged freely that he was a member of the group of malcontent
deserters known in the records of the Machine as the Mars Convicts,
but described himself as being a "missionary of Oneness" whose purpose
was to bring the benefits of some of the principles of "Oneness" to
Earth. He had refused to state whether he had any understanding of the
stardrive by the use of which the Mars Convicts had made their mass
escape from the penal settlements of the Fourth Planet sixty years
before, though the drive obviously had been employed in bringing him
out of the depths of interstellar space to the Solar System and Earth.
At the moment, while the significance of the bank of torture
instruments on his right could hardly have escaped him, his expression
was serious but not detectably concerned.

"Here is an interesting point!" Director Ojeda's voice said on
Menesee's right.

Menesee glanced over at him. Ojeda was tapping the transcript with a
finger.

"This Rainbolt," he said, "hasn't slept since he was captured! He
states, furthermore, that he has never slept since he became an
adult--"

Menesee frowned slightly, failing to see any great significance in the
fact. That the fellow belonged to some curious cult which had
developed among the Mars Convicts following their flight from the
Solar System was already known. Earth's science had methods of
inducing permanent sleeplessness but knew, too, that in most instances
the condition eventually gave rise to very serious side effects which
more than offset any advantages to be gained from it.

He picked up his transcript, indicating that he did not wish to be
drawn into conversation. His eyes scanned quickly over the pages. Most
of it was information he already had. Rainbolt's ship had been
detected four days earlier, probing the outermost of the multiple
globes of force screens which had enclosed Earth for fifty years as a
defense both against faster-than-light missiles and Mars Convict
spies. The ship was alone. A procedure had been planned for such an
event, and it was now followed. The ship was permitted to penetrate
the first two screens which were closed again behind it.

Rainbolt's ship, for all its incredible speed, was then a prisoner.
Unhurriedly, it was worked closer to Earth until it came within range
of giant scanners. For a