s going on here,
anyway?"

"That's enough," cried the doctor, suddenly. He sprang up and strode
toward the door. "Leave me alone," he exclaimed, almost in tears. "By
heaven, I've had enough of this. I've had all I can stand."

Donnelly moved to block the door and the psychiatrist came abruptly to a
halt. "That ain't enough, Doc. You get out after you talk."

"For God's sake, Joe."

"Shut up, Williams, I'm warning you for the last time."

"Let me by. I warn you, Donnelly. Let me by."

Williams moved in, regaining a sudden spurt of assurance. "What about
that kid up there, Doc? Nobody's letting him by, are they, Doc?"

A look of utter weariness swept across the doctor's face.

"All right," he said. "You may as well know the truth then. You won't
like or understand it, but here it is anyway. You see, there isn't any
tug up there, experimental or otherwise. There was only our need for a
good excuse--in this present case--to get him to take the drug. You're a
space-engineer and a good one, Donnelly. That's why you were chosen for
this job. If anybody could help those kids, you could."

Donnelly's face tightened warningly and the doctor hurried on. "You
would have known about it if there had been any experimental models
developed even if they had been secret. As a matter of fact, with your
standing, you would probably have been working on them."

"Why all this, then, Doc? Why?"

"Because," the little doctor hesitated--and then shrugged. "I may as
well tell you. It's not going to make any difference now, anyway. It was
all done to put him out for several hours until--"

"Until what, Doc?" Donnelly's tone was harsh and uncompromising.

"You must understand that I'm under orders. I'm doing what is done in
all these cases. Though heaven help me, I wish I didn't have to--"

"Doc," Donnelly roared. "You have been contradicting yourself all along
and I intend to find out why."

"There isn't much more to find out.... Wait."

The doctor strode quickly over to the radio, and glanced at his
wristwatch. His face haggard with strain, he turned to Williams. "Will
you contact the MR4, please?"

He held up a silencing hand to Donnelly. "There's a reason behind all
this. Just wait for a moment, please. Just wait and listen--"

* * * * *

It was a fumbling-fingered ten minutes later, after Donnelly had signed
off, that Hal Burnett finally found the tiny red plastic box in the
little emergen