e the flames of the candles licked
at the still air.

"I think, however," Heidel said, savoring the moment, "that we should
have one final toast before we proceed." He lifted his glass. "May the
receiver of the fifth bullet go straight to hell. I phrase that
literally, gentlemen," he said, laughing. "Drink up!"

The glasses were drained and placed again on the table.

"Watch carefully," Heidel said and lifted the pistol. He aimed at the
first candle. The trigger was taut against his finger, the explosion
loud in the room.

"One," said Heidel.

He aimed again. The explosion.

"Two," he said. "Rather good, eh?"

"Oh, yes," Sadler said.

"Quite," said Forbes.

"Again," said Heidel. A third shot echoed.

"Now," he said, pointing the muzzle at the last candle. "I would say
this is it, wouldn't you, gentlemen? And as soon as this one goes, I'm
afraid one of us is going to find a bullet right between his goddam
sparkling eyes. Are you ready?"

He squinted one eye and looked down the sights. He squeezed the trigger,
the room echoed and there was blackness. Heidel held his pistol poised
over the table.

Silence.

"Well," said Forbes finally. "There you have it. Surprise, what?"

Heidel balanced the pistol, feeling his palm go suddenly moist against
the black grip, and he looked around at the five pairs of glowing eyes.

"Bit of a shock, I should imagine," Forbes said. "Discovering all of us,
as it were."

Heidel licked his lips. "How? _How_ could you do this?"

Forbes remained motionless. "Simple as one, you know. Put men on rockets
going back to Earth in place of returning colonists. Study. Observe.
Learn. Shift a record here and there. Forge, change pictures, all that
sort of thing. Poor contact between here and Earth, you know. Not too
difficult."

"I'll get one of you," Heidel said, still balancing his pistol tightly.

"Well, possibly," Forbes said. "But no more than one. You have three
guns pointed at you. We can see you perfectly, you know, as though it
were broad daylight. One shiver of that pistol, and you're dead."

"Why have you done this?" Heidel said suddenly. "_Why?_ Everything that
was done was for the Martian. We tried to give you freedom and culture,
the benefit of our knowledge...."

"We didn't like your wrestlers," Forbes said.

Heidel's nostrils twitched, and suddenly he swung the pistol. There was
a crashing explosion and then silence.

"Good," said Forbes. "I don't think he got