over the sandy
terrain, containing all the marsuits and all the seven heatguns that he
had been able to find at Ultra Vires.

It also contained a supply of water, in cans. Dark had found that, while
he was operating directly on solar energy, he did not need food at all
and he did not need as much water as he did under ordinary
circumstances. He probably could have survived two weeks without any
water at all. But some water did make him much more efficient. His
independence of food and oxygen did not prevent the slow dessication if
his tissues in the dry Martian air.

As he walked, only part of his mind was devoted to the routine task of
moving across the desert. The remainder of it was free of the limitation
of distance, touching and interacting with the minds of three other men.

These men were members of the Phoenix. At the Childress Barber College,
they had been among the instructors, struggling to develop the ESP
potentialities of their students so that a psychic community of purpose
and action might be developed toward the goal of teleporting materials
from Earth to Mars.

These were the men whose ability at telepathy and psychokinesis had been
most fully developed, to the point of practical demonstration. Now,
newly aware of the extent of his own inner powers, Dark had conceived a
bold plan of action to which these men's comparable abilities was a
necessary contribution.

There were three of them: Mantar Falusaine at Hesperidum, Pietro
Corrallani at Mars City and Cheng I K'an at Ophir. Among them, by a vast
intangible network of communication, they discussed strategy and the
situation on which it was based.

Mantar: _We knew of the existence of the Canfell Hydroponic Farm. It was
on our charts as a Marscorp industry, supported by the government. But
we thought it was only an industry, producing food. We did not know it
was an experimental center._

Cheng: _We did not know Marscorp was conducting genetic experiments at
all, except those of Goat Hennessey. We kept a casual observation on
Goat's work. Our intention was that, if he ever succeeded completely in
what he was trying to do, we would make a fast raid with a task force
and appropriate his work to our own purposes._

Dark chuckled.

Dark: _That would have dismayed Marscorp! But it appears that, as things
have developed, this sort of raid must be directed now at the Canfell
Hydroponic Farm, to free my father and the Marscorp slaves there. Old
Bear