th, "I take it that a
para is the human victim of some condition which makes him act
insanely. That is pretty vague. You say it hasn't been controlled.
That leaves everything very vague indeed. How widely spread is it?
Geographically, I mean."

"Paras have appeared," said the Minister for Health, "at every place
on Tallien Three where there are men."

"It's epidemic, then," said Calhoun professionally. "You might call it
pandemic. How many cases?"

"We guess at thirty per cent of the population--so far," said the
Minister for Health, hopelessly. "But every day the total goes up." He
added: "Dr. Lett has some hope for a vaccine, but it will be too late
for most."

Calhoun frowned. With reasonably modern medical techniques, almost any
sort of infection should be stopped long before there were as many
cases as that!

"When did it start? How long has it been running?"

"The first paras were examined six months ago," said the Health
Minister. "It was thought to be a disease. Our best physicians
examined them. They couldn't agree on a cause, they couldn't find a
germ or a virus...."

"Symptoms?" asked Calhoun crisply.

"Dr. Lett phrased them in medical terms," said the Minister for
Health. "The condition begins with a period of great irritability or
depression. The depression is so great that suicide is not infrequent.
If that doesn't happen, there's a period of suspiciousness and
secretiveness--strongly suggestive of paranoia. Then there's a craving
for--unusual food. When it becomes uncontrollable, the patient is
mad!"

* * * * *

The ground cars sped toward the city. A second group of vehicles
appeared, waiting. As the four-car caravan swept up to them, one swung
in front of the car in which Calhoun and Murgatroyd rode. The others
fell into line to the rear. It began to look like a respectable
fighting force.

"And after madness?" Calhoun asked.

"Then they're paras!" said the Health Minister. "They crave the
incredible. They feed on the abominable. And they hate us normals
as--devils out of hell would hate us!"

"And after that again?" said Calhoun. "I mean, what's the prognosis?
Do they die or recover? If they recover, in how long? If they die, how
soon?"

"They're paras!" said the Health Minister querulously. "I'm no
physician! I'm an administrator! But I don't think any recover.
Certainly none die of it! They stay--what they've become."

"My experience," said Calhou