thoughtfully. "Let us see
what we know. First of all, two team members were stricken in
Washington, within a short time of each other. They were examined by
competent specialists who arrived at no conclusion. They admitted they
were unable to diagnose the ailment. The possibility of an unknown
disease was considered briefly, but not seriously. The possibility of
a chemical agent--a drug, if you like--also was considered. This
possibility has not been entirely rejected. However, a detailed
laboratory investigation disclosed no trace of chemicals in the
patients, apart from chemicals that were expected, of course."

"Could there be chemicals that left no trace?" Scotty asked.

Hartson Brant shook his head. "No one can claim total knowledge of
body chemistry, obviously. Just the same, the elements to be found in
the body, and the proportions in which they occur, are well known. I
said the possibility has not been entirely eliminated, but it seems
unlikely that chemical interference caused the disruption."

"What does that leave?" Steve inquired.

The scientist shrugged. "I can't even guess. Physical interference,
perhaps. There is also a possibility, which is very difficult to
explore, that the ailment was caused within the minds of the
scientists by some catalytic agent, or by some psychic trauma that we
can't even imagine."

Rick and Scotty exchanged glances. They had seen the ailment at work,
and even its effects were almost beyond description. Its cause was
hard to imagine.

"But, to continue. Steve recognized the possibility that the ailment
was caused by some outside source. Call it an enemy source, if you
prefer. He acted to get the remaining team members beyond reach of the
enemy by smuggling them to Spindrift. He succeeded with Dr.
Miller--excuse me, Dr. Morrison. He did not succeed with Dr. Marks.
What does this suggest?"

"That hiding Dr. Morrison was an effective preventative," Steve Ames
concluded.

"If he is hidden." Rick said the words before he even thought.

"What do you mean, Rick? No one outside the family or the project
knows of his presence!" Julius Weiss exclaimed.

Steve held up his hand. "Hold it a minute. We'll get to that point in
its proper turn."

Hartson Brant picked up the threads again. "We will assume for the
moment that Steve's statement is correct, and that hiding Dr. Morrison
was a preventative. I know Steve doesn't accept this fully, but we
must use assumptions since we h