* * * * *

He stooped and fumbled in Stevelman's pocket, pulling out a ring of
keys.

"They better be the right ones," he told the unconscious medic.
Holstering the needle gun, he walked over to the medical stores cabinet,
hoping that the things he needed would be inside. He knew exactly what
he was facing now, and what he would have to do.

He checked over the labels, peering through the neatly-arranged racks
for the substance he was searching for.

Finally he picked a large plastine container filled with a white,
crystalline powder. Then he selected a couple of bottles filled with a
clear, faintly yellow liquid, and took a hypodermic gun from the rack.
He relocked the cabinet.

Suddenly a knock sounded. He stiffened, sucked in his breath, and turned
to face the door.

"Who's there?" he asked cautiously, trying to counterfeit Stevelman's
voice.

"Harrenburg," said a rumbling voice. "I'm on guard duty. Heard some
noise coming from in there a while back, and thought I'd look in.
Everything all right, Dr. Stevelman? I mean--"

"Everything's fine, Harrenburg," Wayne said, imitating the medic's thin,
dry voice. "We're running some tests on Captain Wayne. They're pretty
complicated affairs, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't interrupt
again."

"Sure, sir," the guard said. "Just a routine check, sir. Colonel
Petersen's orders. Sorry if I've caused any trouble, sir."

"That's all right," Wayne said. "Just go away and let us continue, will
you?"

There was the sound of the guard's footsteps retreating down the
corridor. Wayne counted to ten and turned back to the things he had
taken from the cabinet.

The bottles of liquid and the hypo gun went into his belt pouch. He
tucked the big bottle of white powder under his left arm and cautiously
unbolted and opened the door. There was no sign of anyone in the
corridor. _Good_, he thought. It was a lucky thing Harrenburg had
blundered along just then, and not two minutes later.

He stepped outside the Medic Section and locked the door behind him with
the key he'd taken from Stevelman. After turning the needle gun back to
low power again in order to keep from killing anyone, he started on
tiptoe toward the stairway that led into the bowels of the ship.

After about ten paces, he saw a shadow on the stairway, and cowered in a
dark recess while two crewmen passed, talking volubly. Once they were
gone, he came out and continued on his way.