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Colony by Philip K. Dick

published in Galaxy Magazine, June 195

Major Lawrence Hall bent over the binocular microscope, correcting thefine adjustment.

"Interesting," he murmured.

"Isn't it? hree wee!s on this planet and we've et to find a harmful

life form." Lieutenant #riendl sat down on the edge of the lab table,avoiding the culture bowls. "$hat !ind of place is this? %o disease

germs, no lice, no flies, no rats, no &&"

"%o whis!e or red&light districts." Hall straightened up. "uite a place.I was sure this brew would show something along the lines of erra'seberthella tphi. (r the Martian sand rot cor!screw."

")ut the whole planet's harmless. *ou !now, I'm wondering whether

this is the +arden of den our ancestors fell out of."

"$ere pushed out of."

Hall wandered over to the window of the lab and contemplated thescene beond. He had to admit it was an attractive sight. -olling

forests and hills, green slopes alive with flowers and endless vineswaterfalls and hanging moss fruit trees, acres of flowers, la!es. vereffort had been made to preserve intact the surface of /lanet )lue &&

as it had been designated b the original scout ship, si0 months earlier.

Hall sighed. "uite a place. I wouldn't mind coming bac! here againsome time."

"Ma!es erra seem a little bare." #riendl too! out his cigarettes, then

put them awa again. "*ou !now, the place has a funn effect on me. I

don't smo!e an more. +uess that's because of the wa it loo!s. It's

so && so damn pure. 1nsullied. I can't smo!e or throw papers around. Ican't bring mself to be a picnic!er."

"he picnic!ers'll be along soon enough," Hall said. He went bac! tothe microscope. "I'll tr a few more cultures. Mabe I'll find a lethal

germ et."

"2eep tring." Lieutenant #riendl hopped off the table. "I'll see ou

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later and find out if ou've had an luc!. here's a big conferencegoing on in -oom (ne. he're almost read to give the go&ahead to

the .3. for the first load of colonists to be sent out."

"/icnic!ers4"

#riendl grinned. "3fraid so."

he door closed after him. His bootsteps echoed down the corridor.Hall was alone in the lab.

He sat for a time in thought. /resentl he bent down and removed theslide from the stage of the microscope, selected a new one and held it

up to the light to read the mar!ing. he lab was warm and 5uiet.6unlight streamed through the windows and across the floor. he trees

outside moved a little in the wind. He began to feel sleep.

"*es, the picnic!ers," he grumbled. He adjusted the new slide intoposition. "3nd all of them read to come in and cut down the trees,

tear up the flowers, spit in the la!es, burn up the grass. $ith not even

the common&cold virus around to &&"

He stopped, his voice cho!ed off &&

7ho!ed off because the two eepieces of the microscope had twistedsuddenl around his windpipe and were tring to strangle him. Hall

tore at them, but the dug relentlessl into his throat, steel prongs

closing li!e the claws of a trap.

hrowing the microscope onto the floor, he leaped up. he microscopecrawled 5uic!l toward him, hoo!ing around his leg. He !ic!ed it loose

with his other foot, and drew his blast pistol.

he microscope scuttled awa, rolling on its coarse adjustments. Hallfired. It disappeared in a cloud of metallic particles.

"+ood +od4" Hall sat down wea!l, mopping his face. "$hat the && ?"

He massaged his throat. "$hat the hell4"

he council room was pac!ed solid. ver officer of the /lanet )lue

unit was there. 7ommander 6tella Morrison tapped on the big controlmap with the end of a slim plastic pointer.

"his long flat area is ideal for the actual cit. It's close to water, and

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weather conditions var sufficientl to give the settlers something total! about. here are large deposits of various minerals. he colonists

can set up their own factories. he won't have to do an importing.(ver here is the biggest forest on the planet. If the have an sense,

the'll leave it. )ut if the want to ma!e newspapers out of it, that's

not our concern."

6he loo!ed around the room at the silent men.

"Let's be realistic. 6ome of ou have been thin!ing we shouldn't sendthe o!a to the migration 3uthorit, but !eep the planet our own

selves, to come bac! to. I'd li!e that as much as an of the rest ofou, but we'd just get into a lot of trouble. It's not our planet. $e're

here to do a certain job. $hen the job is done, we move along. 3nd it

is almost done. 6o let's forget it. he onl thing left to do is flash thego&ahead signal and then begin pac!ing our things."

"Has the lab report come in on bacteria?" 8ice&7ommander $ood

as!ed.

"$e're ta!ing special care to loo! out for them, of course. )ut the lastI heard nothing had been found. I thin! we can go ahead and contact

the .3. Have them send a ship to ta!e us off and bring in the first

load of settlers. here's no reason wh &&" 6he stopped.

3 murmur was swelling through the room. Heads turned toward thedoor.

7ommander Morrison frowned. "Major Hall, ma I remind ou that

when the council is in session no one is permitted to interrupt4"

Hall swaed bac! and forth, supporting himself b holding on to thedoor !nob. He ga9ed vacantl around the council room. #inall his

glass ees pic!ed out Lieutenant #riendl, sitting halfwa across the

room.

"7ome here," he said hoarsel.

"Me?" #riendl san! farther down in his chair.

"Major, what is the meaning of this?" 8ice&7ommander $ood cut inangril. "3re ou drun! or are && ?" He saw the blast gun in Hall's

hand. "Is something wrong, Major?"

3larmed, Lieutenant #riendl got up and grabbed Hall's shoulder."$hat is it? $hat's the matter?"

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color&code lights changed from red to green.

"$ell?" Hall demanded.

"6evere disturbance. Instabilit ratio up above ten."

"hat's over danger?"

"*es. ight is danger. en is unusual, especiall for a person of ourinde0. *ou usuall show about a four."

Hall nodded wearil. "I !now."

"If ou could give me more data && "

Hall set his jaw. "I can't tell ou an more."

"It's illegal to hold bac! information during a psche test," the machinesaid peevishl. "If ou do that ou deliberatel distort m findings."

Hall rose. "I can't tell ou an more. )ut ou do record a high degree

of unbalance for me?"

"here's a high degree of pschic disorgani9ation. )ut what it means,or wh it e0ists, I can't sa."

"han!s." Hall clic!ed the tester off. He went bac! to his own 5uarters.

His head whirled. $as he out of his mind? )ut he had fired the blast

gun at something. 3fterward, he had tasted the atmosphere in the lab,and there were metallic particles in suspension, especiall near the

place he had fired his blast gun at the microscope.

)ut how could a thing li!e that be? 3 microscope coming to life, tringto !ill him4

3nhow, #riendl had pulled it out of its bo0, whole and sound. )ut

how had it got bac! in the bo0?

He stripped off his uniform and entered the shower. $hile he ran warm

water over his bod he meditated. he robot psche tester had showedhis mind was severel disturbed, but that could have been the result,

rather than the cause, of the e0perience. He had started to tell#riendl about it but he had stopped. How could he e0pect anone to

believe a stor li!e that?

He shut off the water and reached out for one of the towels on therac!.

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he towel wrapped around his wrist, an!ing him against the wall.-ough cloth pressed over his mouth and nose. He fought wildl, pulling

awa. 3ll at once the towel let go. He fell, sliding to the floor, his headstri!ing the wall. 6tars shot around him then violent pain.

6itting in a pool of warm water, Hall loo!ed up at the towel rac!. hetowel was motionless now, li!e the others with it. hree towels in a

row, all e0actl ali!e, all unmoving. Had he dreamed it?

He got sha!il to his feet, rubbing his head. 7arefull avoiding thetowel rac!, he edged out of the shower and into his room. He pulled a

new towel from the dispenser in a gingerl manner. It seemed normal.He dried himself and began to put his clothes on.

His belt got him around the waist and tried to crush him. It was strong

&& it had reinforced metal lin!s to hold his leggings and his gun. He

and the belt rolled silentl on the floor, struggling for control. he beltwas li!e a furious metal sna!e, whipping and lashing at him. 3t last he

managed to get his hand around his blaster.

3t once the belt let go. He blasted it out of e0istence and then threwhimself down in a chair, gasping for breath.

he arms of the chair closed around him. )ut this time the blaster was

read. He had to fire si0 times before the chair fell limp and he was

able to get up again.

He stood half dressed in the middle of the room, his chest rising andfalling.

"It isn't possible," he whispered. "I must be out of m mind."

#inall he got his leggings and boots on. He went outside into the

empt corridor. ntering the lift, he ascended to the top floor.

7ommander Morrison loo!ed up from her des! as Hall stepped throughthe robot clearing screen. It pinged.

"*ou're armed," the 7ommander said accusingl.

Hall loo!ed down at the blaster in his hand. He put it down on thedes!. "6orr."

"$hat do ou want? $hat's the matter with ou? I have a report from

the testing machine. It sas ou've hit a ratio often within the lasttwent&four hour period." 6he studied him intentl. "$e've !nown each

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other for a long time, Lawrence. $hat's happening to ou?"

Hall too! a deep breath. "6tella, earlier toda, m microscope tried tostrangle me."

Her blue ees widened. "$hat4"

"hen, when I was getting out of the shower, a bath towel tried to

smother me. I got b it, but while I was dressing, m belt &&" Hestopped. he 7ommander had got to her feet.

"+uards4" she called.

"$ait, 6tella." Hall moved toward her. "Listen to me. his is serious.here's nothing wrong. #our times things have tried to !ill me.

(rdinar objects suddenl turned lethal. Mabe it's what we've been

loo!ing for. Mabe this is &&"

"*our microscope tried to !illed ou?"

"It came alive. Its stem got me around the windpipe."

here was a long silence. ":id anone see this happen besides ou?"

"%o."

"$hat did ou do?"

"I blasted it."

"3re there an remains?"

"%o," Hall admitted reluctantl. "3s a matter of fact, the microscope

seems to be all right, again. he wa it was before. )ac! in its bo0."

"I see." he 7ommander nodded to the two guards who had answered

her call. "a!e Major Hall down to 7aptain alor and have himconfined until he can be sent bac! to erra for e0amination."

6he watched calml as the two guards too! hold of Hall's arms withmagnetic grapples.

"6orr, Major," she said. "1nless ou can prove an of our stor,

we've got to assume it's a pschotic projection on our part. 3nd theplanet isn't well enough policed for us to allow a pschotic to run

loose. *ou could do a lot of damage."

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he guards moved him toward the door. Hall went unprotestingl. Hishead rang, rang and echoed. Mabe she was right. Mabe he was out

of his mind.

he came to 7aptain alor's offices. (ne of the guards rang the

bu99er.

"$ho is it?" the robot door demanded shrill.

"7ommander Morrison orders this man put under the 7aptain's care."

here was a hesitant pause, then; "he 7aptain is bus."

"his is an emergenc."

he robot's relas clic!ed while it made up its mind. "he 7ommandersent ou?"

"*es. (pen up."

"*ou ma enter," the robot conceded finall. It drew its loc!s bac!,

releasing the door.

he guard pushed the door open. 3nd stopped.

(n the floor la 7aptain alor, his face blue, his ees gaping. (nl hishead and feet was visible. 3 red&and&white scatter rug was wrapped

around him, s5uee9ing, straining tighter and tighter.

Hall dropped to the floor and pulled at the rug. "Hurr4" he bar!ed.

"+rab it4"

he three of them pulled together. he rug resisted.

"Help," alor cried wea!l.

"$e're tring4" he tugged franticall. 3t last the rug came awa intheir hands. It flopped off rapidl toward the open door. (ne of the

guards blasted it.

Hall ran to the vidscreen and sha!il dialed the 7ommander'semergenc number.

Her face appeared on the screen.

"6ee4" he gasped.

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6he stared past him to alor ling on the floor, the two guards!neeling beside him, their blasters still out.

"$hat && what happened?"

"3 rug attac!ed him." Hall grinned without amusement. "%ow who'scra9?"

"$e'll send a guard unit down." 6he blin!ed. "-ight awa. )ut how &&"

"ell them to have their blasters read. 3nd better ma!e that a general

alarm to everone."

Hall placed four items on 7ommander Morrison's des!; a microscope, atowel, a metal belt, and a small red&and&white rug.

6he edged awa nervousl. "Major, are ou sure && ?"

"he're all right, now. hat's the strangest part. his towel. 3 few

hours ago it tried to !ill me. I got awa b blasting it to particles. )uthere it is, bac! again. he wa it alwas was. Harmless.

7aptain alor fingered the red&and&white rug waril. "hat's m rug. I

brought it from erra. M wife gave it to me. I && I trusted it

completel."

he all loo!ed at each other.

"$e blasted the rug, too," Hall pointed out.

here was silence.

"hen what was it that attac!ed me?" 7aptain alor as!ed. "If itwasn't this rug?"

"It loo!ed li!e this rug," Hall said slowl. "3nd what attac!ed me

loo!ed li!e this towel."

7ommander Morrison held up the towel to the light. "It's just an

ordinar towel4 It couldn't have attac!ed ou."

"(f course not," Hall agreed. "$e've put these objects through all the

tests we can thin! of. he're just what the're supposed to be, all

elements unchanged. /erfectl stable non&organic objects. It'simpossible that an of these could have come to life and attac!ed us."

")ut something did." alor said. "6omething attac!ed me. 3nd it if

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wasn't this rug, what was it?"

Lieutenant :odds felt around on the dresser for his gloves. He was in ahurr. he whole unit had been called to emergenc assembl.

"$here did I && ?" he murmured. "$hat the hell4"

#or on the bed were two pair of identical gloves, side b side.

:odds frowned, scratching his head. How could it be? He owned onl

one pair. he others must be somebod else's. )ob $esle had been in

the night before, plaing cards. Mabe he had left them.

he vidscreen flashed again. "3ll personnel, report at once. 3llpersonnel, report at once. mergenc assembl of all personnel."

"3ll right4" :odds said impatientl. He grabbed up one of the pairs of

gloves, sliding them onto his hands.

3s soon as the were in place, the gloves carried his hands down to hiswaist. he clamped his fingers over the butt of his gun, lifting it from

the holster.

"I'll be damned," :odds said. he gloves brought the blast gun up,

pointing it at his chest.

he fingers s5uee9ed. here was a roar. Half of :odd's chest dissolved.$hat was left of him fell slowl to the floor, the mouth still open in

ama9ement.

7orporal enner hurried across the ground toward the main building assoon as he heard the wail of the emergenc alarm.

3t the entrance to the building he stopped to ta!e off his metal&cleated

boots. hen he frowned. ) the door were two safet mats instead of

one.

$ell, it didn't matter. he were both the same. He stepped onto oneof the mats and waited. he surface of the mat sent a flow of high&

fre5uenc current through his feet and legs, !illing an spores or seedsthat might have clung to him while he was outside.

He passed on into the building.

3 moment later Lieutenant #ulton hurried up to the door. He an!ed

off his hi!ing boots and stepped onto the first mat he saw.

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he 7ommander drew awa from the identical vases of flowers. "Howabout those? Mabe one is && whatever the are."

"here's two of a lot of things. %atural pairs. wo boots. 7lothing.

#urniture. I didn't notice that e0tra chair in m room. 5uipment. It'll

be impossible to be sure. 3nd sometimes &&"

he vidscreen lit. 8ice&7ommander $ood's features formed. "6tella,

another casualt."

"$ho is it this time?"

"3n officer dissolved. 3ll but a few buttons and his blast pistol &&

Lieutenant :odds."

"hat ma!es three," 7ommander Morrison said.

"If it's organic, there ought to be some wa we can destro it," Hallmuttered. "$e've alread blasted a few, apparentl !illed them. he

can be hurt4 )ut we don't !now how man more there are. $e've

destroed five or si0. Mabe it's an infinitel divisible substance. 6ome!ind of protoplasm."

"3nd meanwhile && ?"

"Meanwhile we're all at its merc. (r their merc. It's our lethal life

form, all right. hat e0plains wh we found everthing else harmless.

%othing could compete with a form li!e this. $e have mimic forms ofour own, of course. Insects, plants. 3nd there's the twist slug on

8enus. )ut nothing that goes this far."

"It can be !illed, though. *ou said so ourself. hat means we have achance."

"If it can be found." Hall loo!ed around the room. wo wal!ing capes

hung b the door. Had there been two a moment before?

He rubbed his forehead wearil. "$e've got to tr to find some sort of

poison or corrosive agent, something that'll destro them wholesale.$e can't just sit and wait for them to attac! us. $e need something

we can spra. hat's the wa we got the twist slugs."

he 7ommander ga9ed past him, rigid.

He turned to follow her ga9e. "$hat is it?"

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"I never noticed two briefcases in the corner over there. here wasonl one before && I thin!." 6he shoo! her head in bewilderment. "How

are we going to !now? his business is getting me down."

"*ou need a good stiff drin!."

6he brightened. "hat's an idea. )ut &&"

")ut what?"

"I don't want to touch anthing. here's no wa to tell." 6he fingered

the blast gun at her waist. "I !eep wanting to use it, on everthing."

"/anic reaction. 6till, we are being pic!ed off, one b one."

7aptain 1nger got the emergenc call over his headphones. Hestopped wor! at once, gathered the specimens he had collected in his

arms, and hurried bac! toward the buc!et.

It was par!ed closer than he remembered. He stopped, pu99led. hereit was, the bright little cone&shaped car with its treads firml planted in

the soft soil, its door open.

1nger hurried up to it, carring his specimens carefull. He opened the

storage hatch in the bac! and lowered his armload. hen he wentaround to the front and slid in behind the controls.

He turned the switch. )ut the motor did not come on. hat was

strange. $hile he was tring to figure it out, he noticed something thatgave him a start.

3 few hundred feet awa, among the trees, was a second buc!et, just

li!e the one he was in. 3nd that was where he remembered having

par!ed his car. (f course, he was in the buc!et. 6omebod else hadcome loo!ing for specimens, and this buc!et belonged to them.

1nger started to get out again.

he door closed around him. he seat folded up over his head. he

dashboard became plastic and oo9ed. He gasped && he was suffocating.He struggled to get out, flailing and twisting. here was a wetness all

around him, a bubbling, flowing wetness, warm li!e flesh.

"+lub." His head was covered. His bod was covered. he buc!et was

turning to li5uid. He tried to pull his hands free but the would notcome.

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3nd then the pain began. He was being dissolved. 3ll at once hereali9ed what the li5uid was.

3cid. :igestive acid. He was in a stomach.

":on't loo!4" +ail homas cried.

"$h not?" 7orporal Hendric!s swam toward her, grinning. "$h can't

I loo!?'

")ecause I'm going to get out."

he sun shone down on the la!e. It glittered and danced on the water.

3ll around huge moss&covered trees rose up, great silent columnsamong the flowering vines and bushes.

+ail climbed up on the ban!, sha!ing water from her, throwing her hair

bac! out of her ees. he woods were silent. here was no sounde0cept the lapping of the waves. he were a long wa from the unit

camp.

"$hen can I loo!?" Hendric!s demanded, swimming around in a circle,

his ees shut.

"6oon." +ail made her wa into the trees, until she came to the placewhere she had left her uniform. 6he could feel the warm sun glowing

against her bare shoulders and arms. 6itting down in the grass, she

pic!ed up her tunic and leggings.

6he brushed the leaves and bits of tree bar! from her tunic and began

to pull it over her head.

In the water, 7orporal Hendric!s waited patientl, continuing in his

circle. ime passed. here was no sound. He opened his ees. +ail wasnowhere in sight.

"+ail?" he called.

It was ver 5uiet.

"+ail4"

%o answer.

7orporal Hendric!s swam rapidl to the ban!. He pulled himself out of

the water. (ne leap carried him to his own uniform, neatl piled at theedge of the la!e. He grabbed up his blaster.

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"+ail4"

he woods were silent. here was no sound. He stood, loo!ing aroundhim, frowning. +raduall, a cold fear began to numb him, in spite of

the warm sun.

"+3IL4"

3nd still there was onl silence.

7ommander Morrison was worried. "$e've got to act," she said. "$e

can't wait. en lives lost alread from thirt encounters. (ne&third istoo high a percentage."

Hall loo!ed up from his wor!. "3nhow, now we !now what we're up

against. It's a form of protoplasm, with infinite versatilit." He lifted

the spra tan!. "I thin! this will give us an idea of how man e0ist."

"$hat's that?"

"3 compound of arsenic and hdrogen in gas form. 3rsine."

"$hat are ou going to do with it?"

Hall loc!ed his helmet into place. His voice came through the

7ommander's earphones. "I'm going to release this throughout the

lab. I thin! there are a lot of them in here, more than anwhere else."

"$h here?"

"his is where all samples and specimens were originall brought,where the first one of them was encountered. I thin! the came in

with the samples, or as the samples, and then infiltrated through therest of the buildings."

he 7ommander loc!ed her own helmet into place. Her four guards did

the same. "3rsine is fatal to human beings, isn't it?"

Hall nodded. "$e'll have to be careful. $e can use it in here for a

limited test, but that's about all."

He adjusted the flow of his o0gen inside his helmet.

"$hat's our test supposed to prove?" she wanted to !now.

"If it shows anthing at all, it should give us an idea of how e0tensivelthe've infiltrated. $e'll !now better what we're up against. his ma

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be more serious than we reali9e."

"How do ou mean?" she as!ed, fi0ing her own o0gen flow.

"here are a hundred people in this unit on /lanet )lue. 3s it stands

now, the worst that can happen is that the'll get all of us, one b one.)ut that's nothing. 1nits of a hundred are lost ever da of the wee!.It's a ris! whoever is first to land on a planet must ta!e. In the final

analsis, it's relativel unimportant."

"7ompared to what?"

"If the are infinitel divisible, then we're going to have to thin! twice

about leaving here. It would be better to sta and get pic!ed off oneb one than to run the ris! of carring an of them bac! to the

sstem."

6he loo!ed at him. "Is that what ou're tring to find out && whetherthe're infinitel divisible?"

"I'm tring to find out what we're up against. Mabe there are onl afew of them. (r mabe the're everwhere." He waved a hand around

the laborator. "Mabe half the things in this room are not what wethin! the are. . . It's bad when the attac! us. It would be worse if

the didn't."

"$orse?" he 7ommander was pu99led.

"heir mimicr is perfect. (f inorganic objects, at least. I loo!ed

through one of them, 6tella, when it was imitating m microscope. Itenlarged, adjusted, reflected, just li!e a regular microscope. It's a

form of mimicr that surpasses anthing we've ever imagined. Itcarries down below the surface, into the actual elements of the object

imitated."

"*ou mean one of them could slip bac! to erra along with us? In theform of clothing or a piece of lab e5uipment?" 6he shuddered.

"$e assume the're some sort of protoplasm. 6uch malleabilitsuggests a simple original form && and that suggests binar fission. If

that's so, then there ma be no limits to their abilit to reproduce. hedissolving properties ma!e me thin! of the simple unicellular

proto9oa."

":o ou thin! the're intelligent?"

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"I don't !now. I hope not." Hall lifted the spra. "In an case, thisshould tell us their e0tent. 3nd, to some degree, corroborate m

notion that the're basic enough to reproduce b simple division && theworse thing possible, from our standpoint.

"Here goes," Hall said.

He held the spra tightl against him, depressed the trigger, aimed the

no99le slowl around the lab. he commander and the four guards

stood silentl behind him. %othing moved. he sun shone in throughthe windows, reflecting from the culture dishes and e5uipment.

3fter a moment he let the trigger up again.

"I didn't see anthing," 7ommander Morrison said. "3re ou sure ou

did anthing?"

"3rsine is colorless. )ut don't loosen our helmet. It's fatal. 3nd don'tmove."

he stood waiting.

#or a time nothing happened. hen &&

"+ood +od4" 7ommander Morrison e0claimed.

3t the far end of the lab a slide cabinet wavered suddenl. It oo9ed,buc!ling and pitching. It lost its shape completel && a homogeneous

jellli!e mass perched on top of the table. 3bruptl, it flowed down theside of the table on to the floor, wobbling as it went.

"(ver there4"

3 bunsen burner melted and flowed along beside it. 3ll around the

room objects were in motion. 3 great glass retort folded up into itself

and settled down into a blob. 3 rac! of test tubes, a shelf of chemicals.. .

"Loo! out4" Hall cried, stepping bac!.

3 huge bell jar dropped with a sogg splash in front of him. It was a

single large cell, all right. He could diml ma!e out the nucleus, thecell wall, the hard vacuoles suspended in the ctoplasm.

/ipettes, tongs, a mortar, all were flowing now. Half the e5uipment in

the room was in motion. he had imitated almost everthing there

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was to imitate. #or ever microscope there was a mimic. #or evertube and jar and bottle and flas!. . .

(ne of the guards had his blaster out. Hall !noc!ed it down. ":on't

fire4 3rsine is inflammable. Let's get out of here. $e !now what we

wanted to !now."

he pushed the laborator door open 5uic!l and made their wa out

into the corridor. Hall slammed the door behind them, bolting it tightl.

"Is it bad, then?" 7ommander Morrison as!ed.

"$e haven't got a chance. he arsine disturbed them enough of it

might even !ill them. )ut we haven't got that much arsine. 3nd, if wecould flood the planet, we wouldn't be able to use our blasters."

"6uppose we left the planet."

"$e can't ta!e the chance of carring them bac! to the sstem."

"If we sta here we'll be absorbed, dissolved, one b one," the

7ommander protested.

"$e could have arsine brought in. (r some other poison that might

destro them. )ut it would destro most of the life on the planet alongwith them. here wouldn't be much left."

"hen we'll have to destro all life forms4 If there's no other wa of

doing it we've got to burn the planet clean. ven if there wouldn't be athing left but a dead world."

he loo!ed at each other.

"I'm going to call the 6stem Monitor," 7ommander Morrison said. "I'm

going to get the unit off here, out of danger && all that are left, at least.

hat poor girl b the la!e. . ." 6he shuddered. "3fter everone's out ofhere, we can wor! out the best wa of cleaning up this planet."

"*ou'll run the ris! of carring one of them bac! to erra?"

"7an the imitate us? 7an the imitate living creatures? Higher life

forms?"

Hall considered. "3pparentl not. he seem to be limited to inorganicobjects."

he 7ommander smiled griml. "hen we'll go bac! without an

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inorganic material."

")ut our clothes4 he can imitate belts, gloves, boots &&"

"$e're not ta!ing our clothes. $e're going bac! without anthing. 3nd

I mean without anthing at all."

Hall's lips twitched. "I see." He pondered. "It might wor!. 7an ou

persuade the personnel to && to leave all their things behind?verthing the own?"

"If it means their lives, I can order them to do it."

"hen it might be our one chance of getting awa."

he nearest cruiser large enough to remove the remaining members ofthe unit was two hours' distance awa. It was moving erraside again.

7ommander Morrison loo!ed up from the vidscreen. "he want to

!now what's wrong here."

"Let me tal!." Hall seated himself before the screen. he heavfeatures and gold braid of a erran cruiser captain regarded him. "his

is Major Lawrence Hall, from the -esearch :ivision of this unit."

"7aptain :aniel :avis." 7aptain :avis studied him without e0pression.

"*ou're having some !ind of trouble, Major?"

Hall lic!ed his lips. "I'd rather not e0plain until we're aboard, if oudon't mind."

"$h not?"

"7aptain, ou're going to thin! we're cra9 enough as it is. $e'll

discuss everthing full once we're aboard." He hesitated. "$e're goingto board our ship na!ed."

he 7aptain raised an eebrow. "%a!ed?"

"hat's right."

"I see." (bviousl he didn't.

"$hen will ou get here?"

"In about two hours, I'd sa."

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/ar!ed in the center of the landing field was a long gra cruiser, its hullpitted and dented from meteoric stri!es. It la motionless. here was

no sign of life about it.

3 crowd of na!ed people was alread moving hesitantl across the

field toward it, blin!ing in the bright sunlight.

"It's here4" Hall started tearing off his shirt. "Let's go4"

"$ait for me4"

"hen hurr." Hall finished undressing. )oth men hurried out into thecorridor. 1nclothed guards raced past them. he padded down the

corridors through the long unit building, to the door. he randownstairs, out onto the field. $arm sunlight beat down on them from

the s! overhead. #rom all the unit buildings, na!ed men and women

were pouring silentl toward the ship.

"$hat a sight4" an officer said. "$e'll never be able to live it down."

")ut ou'll live, at least," another said.

"Lawrence4"

Hall half turned.

"/lease don't loo! around. 2eep on going. I'll wal! behind ou."

"How does it feel, 6tella?" Hall as!ed.

"1nusual."

"Is it worth it?"

"I suppose so."

":o ou thin! anone will believe us?"

"I doubt it," she said. "I'm beginning to wonder mself."

"3nhow, we'll get bac! alive."

"I guess so."

Hall loo!ed up at the ramp being lowered from the ship in front ofthem. he first people were alread beginning to scamper up the metal

incline, into the ship, through the circular loc!.

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"Lawrence &&"

here was a peculiar tremor in the 7ommander's voice. "Lawrence, I'm&&"

"*ou're what?"

"I'm scared."

"6cared4" He stopped. "$h?"

"I don't !now," she 5uavered.

/eople pushed against them from all sides. "#orget it. 7arr&over from

our earl childhood." He put his foot on the bottom of the ramp. "1p

we go."

"I want to go bac!4" here was panic in her voice. "I &&"

Hall laughed. "It's too late now, 6tella." He mounted the ramp, holdingon to the rail. 3round him, on all sides, men and women were pushing

forward, carring them up. he came to the loc!. "Here we are."

he man ahead of him disappeared.

Hall went inside after him, into the dar! interior of the ship, into thesilent blac!ness before him. he 7ommander followed.

3t e0actl > 7aptain :aniel :avis landed his ship in the center ofthe field. -elas slid the entrance loc! open with a bang. :avis and the

other

officers of the ship sat waiting in the control cabin, around the bigcontrol table.

"$ell," 7aptain :avis said, after a while. "$here are the?"

he officers became uneas. "Mabe something's wrong."

"Mabe the whole damn thing's a jo!e?"

he waited and waited.

)ut no one came.

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