side, since I'm not
a power officer, so I came up here to report. I--"

At that moment the lights blazed on again. There was a faint hum that
built up all over the ship as the air conditioning came on at the same
time.

"All right, Mister Vaneski," said Black Bart, "get below and take care
of things. There's a man hurt down there, so be ready to take him to
sick bay when the Physician's Mate gets there. We don't have a medic in
any condition to take care of people, so he'll have to do. Hop it."

As Vaneski left, Black Bart preceded Mike into the bridge. Pete Jeffers
was on the intercom. As Mike and the captain came in, he was saying,
"All right. I'll notify the Officer of the Watch, and we'll search the
ship. He can't hide very long." Then, without waiting to say anything to
Mike or Quill, he jabbed at another button. "Mister von Liegnitz! Jake!"

"_Ja?_ Huh? What is it?" came a fuzzy voice from the speaker.

"You all right?"

"Me? Sure. I was asleep. Why?"

"Be on your toes, sleepyhead; just got word that Mellon has escaped from
his stateroom. He may try to take another crack at you."

"I'll watch it," said von Liegnitz, his voice crisp now.

"Okay." Jeffers sighed and looked up. "As soon as the power came on,
the Physician's Mate was on the intercom. Mellon isn't in his
stateroom."

"Oh, wonderful!" growled Captain Quill. "We now have one insane robot
and one insane human running loose on this ship. I'm glad we didn't
bring any gorillas with us."

"Somehow I think I'd be safer with a gorilla," said Mike the Angel.

"According to the Physician's Mate, Mellon is worse than just nuts,"
said Jeffers quietly. "He says he loaded Mellon full of dope to make him
sleep and that the man's got no right to be walkin' around at all."

"He must have gotten out while the doors were open," said Captain Quill.
He rubbed the palm of his hand over the shiny pinkness of his scalp. His
dark, shaggy brows were down over his eyes, as though they had been
weighted with lead.

"Mister Jeffers," he said abruptly, "break out the stun guns. Issue one
to each officer and one to each chief non-com. Until we get this
straightened out, I'm declaring a state of emergency."

16

Mike the Angel hefted the heavy stun gun in his right fist, feeling its
weight without really noticing it. He knew damned good and well it
wouldn't be of any use against Snookums. If Mellon came at him, the
supersonic beam from the gun would affect