<h2>IX</h2>
<p>"Good God, what was that?" Dr. Frank's face had gone white. Snap stood
like a statue of horror.</p>
<p>The deck here was patched as always, with silver radiance from the
deck ports. The empty deck chairs stood about. The scream was stilled,
but now we heard a commotion inside—the rasp of opening cabin doors;
questions from frightened passengers.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_46" id="Page_46"></SPAN></span></p>
<p>I found my voice. "Anita! Anita Prince!"</p>
<p>"Come on!" shouted Snap. "In her stateroom, A22!" He was dashing for
the lounge archway.</p>
<p>Dr. Frank and I followed. I realized that we passed the deck door and
window of A22. But they were dark, and evidently sealed on the inside.
The dim lounge was in a turmoil; passengers standing at their cabin
doors.</p>
<p>I shouted, "Go back to your rooms! We want order here—keep back!"</p>
<p>We came to the twin doors of A22 and A20. Both were closed. Dr. Frank
was in advance of Snap and me now. He paused at the sound of Captain
Carter's voice behind us.</p>
<p>"Was it from in there? Wait a moment!"</p>
<p>Carter dashed up. He had a large heat-ray projector in his hand. He
shoved us aside. "Let me in first. Is the door sealed? Gregg, keep
those passengers back!"</p>
<p>The door was not sealed. Carter burst into the room. I heard him gasp,
"Good God!"</p>
<p>Snap and I shoved back three or four passengers. And in that instant
Dr. Frank had been in the room and out again.</p>
<p>"There's been an accident! Get back, Gregg! Snap, help me keep the
crowd away." He shoved me forcibly.</p>
<p>From within, Carter was shouting, "Keep them out! Where are you,
Frank? Come back here! Send a flash for Balch!"</p>
<p>Dr. Frank went back into the room and banged the cabin door upon Snap
and me. I was unarmed. Weapon in hand, Snap forced the panic-stricken
passengers back to their rooms.</p>
<p>Snap reassured them glibly; but he knew no more about the facts than
I. Moa, with a nightrobe drawn tight around her thin, tall figure,
edged up to me.</p>
<p>"What has happened, <i>Set</i> Haljan?"</p>
<p>I gazed around for her brother Miko, but did not see him.</p>
<p>"An accident," I said shortly. "Go back to your room. Captain's
orders."</p>
<p>She eyed me and then retreated. Snap was threatening<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_47" id="Page_47"></SPAN></span> everybody with
his cylinder. Balch dashed up. "What in hell! Where is Carter?"</p>
<p>"In there." I pounded on A22. It opened cautiously. I could see only
Carter, but I heard the murmuring voice of Dr. Frank through the
interior connecting door to A20.</p>
<p>The Captain rasped, "Get out, Haljan! Oh, is that you, Balch? Come
in." He admitted the older officer and slammed the door upon me again.
And immediately reopened it.</p>
<p>"Gregg, keep the passengers quieted. Tell them everything's all right.
Miss Prince got frightened—that's all. Then go to the turret. Tell
Blackstone what's happened."</p>
<p>"But I don't know what's happened."</p>
<p>Carter was grim and white. He whispered, "I think it may turn out to
be murder, Gregg! No, not dead yet.... Dr. Frank is trying ... don't
stand there like an ass, man. Get to the turret! Verify our
trajectory—no—wait...."</p>
<p>The Captain was almost incoherent. "Wait a minute. I don't mean that!
Tell Snap to watch his radio room. Arm yourselves and guard our
weapons."</p>
<p>I stammered, "If ... if she dies ... will you flash us word?"</p>
<p>He stared at me strangely. "I'll be there presently, Gregg."</p>
<p>He slammed the door upon me.</p>
<p>I followed his orders but it was like a dream of horror. The turmoil
of the ship gradually quieted. Snap went to the radio room; Blackstone
and I sat in the tiny chart room; how much time passed, I do not know.
I was confused. Anita hurt! She might die ... murdered.... But why? By
whom? Had George Prince been in his own room when the attack came? I
thought now I recalled hearing the low murmur of his voice in there
with Dr. Frank.</p>
<p>Where was Miko? It stabbed at me. I had not seen him among the
passengers in the lounge.</p>
<p>Carter came into the chart room. "Gregg, you get to bed. You look like
a ghost."</p>
<p>"But—"</p>
<p>"She's not dead. She may live. Dr. Frank and her brother<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_48" id="Page_48"></SPAN></span> are with
her. They're doing all they can." He told us what had happened. Anita
and George Prince had both been asleep, each in his respective room.
Someone unknown had opened Anita's corridor door.</p>
<p>"Wasn't it sealed?"</p>
<p>"Yes. But the intruder opened it."</p>
<p>"Burst it? I didn't think it was broken."</p>
<p>"It wasn't broken. The assailant opened it somehow, and assaulted Miss
Prince—shot her in the chest with a heat ray. Her left lung."</p>
<p>"Shot her?"</p>
<p>"Yes. But she did not see who did it. Nor did Prince. Her scream
awakened him, but the intruder evidently fled out the corridor door of
A22, the way he entered."</p>
<p>I stood weak and shaken at the chart room entrance. Anita—dying,
perhaps; and all my dreams were fading into a memory of what might
have been.</p>
<p>I was glad enough to get away. I would lie down for an hour and then
go to Anita's stateroom. I'd demand that Dr. Frank let me see her.</p>
<p>I went to the stern deck where my cubby was located. My mind was
confused but some instinct within me made me verify the seals of my
door and window. They were intact. I entered cautiously, switched on
the dimmer of the tube lights, and searched the room. It had only a
bunk, my tiny desk, a chair and clothes robe. There was no evidence of
any intruder here. I set my door and window alarm. Then I audiphoned
to the radio room.</p>
<p>"Snap?"</p>
<p>"Yes."</p>
<p>I told him about Anita. Carter cut in on us from the chart room. "Stop
that, you fools!"</p>
<p>We cut off. Fully dressed, I flung myself on my bed. Anita might
die....</p>
<p>I must have fallen into a tortured sleep, I was awakened by the sound
of my alarm buzzer. Someone was tampering with my door! Then the
buzzer ceased; the marauder out<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_49" id="Page_49"></SPAN></span>side must have found a way of
silencing it. But it had done its work—awakened me.</p>
<p>I had switched off the light; my cubby was Stygian black. A heat
cylinder was in the bunk-bracket over my head. I searched for it,
pried it loose softly.</p>
<p>I was fully awake. Alert. I could hear a faint sizzling—someone
outside trying to unseal the door. In the darkness, cylinder in hand,
I crept softly from the bunk. Crouched at the door. This time I would
capture or kill this night prowler.</p>
<p>The sizzling was faintly audible. My door seal was breaking. Upon
impulse I reached for the door, jerked it open.</p>
<p>No one there! The starlit segment of deck was empty. But I leaped and
struck a solid body, crouching in the doorway. A giant man. Miko!</p>
<p>His electronized metallic robe burned my hands. I lunged against
him—I was almost as surprised as he. I shot, but the stab of heat
evidently missed him. The shock of my encounter, short-circuited his
robe; he materialized in the starlight. A brief, savage encounter. He
struck the weapon from my hand. He had dropped his hydrogen torch, and
tried to grip me. But I twisted away from his hold.</p>
<p>"So it's you!"</p>
<p>"Quiet, Gregg Haljan! I only want to talk."</p>
<p>Without warning, a stab of radiance shot from a weapon in his hand. It
caught me. Ran like ice through my veins. Seized and numbed my limbs.</p>
<p>I fell helpless to the deck. Nerves and muscles paralyzed. My tongue
was thick and inert. I could not speak, nor move. But I could see Miko
bending over me, and hear him:</p>
<p>"I don't want to kill you, Haljan. We need you."</p>
<p>He gathered me up like a bundle in his huge arms; carried me swiftly
across the deserted deck.</p>
<p>Snap's radio room in the network under the dome was diagonally
overhead. A white actinic light shot from it<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_50" id="Page_50"></SPAN></span>—caught us, bathed us.
Snap had been awake; had heard the commotion of our encounter.</p>
<p>His voice rang shrilly: "Stop! I'll shoot!" His warning siren rang out
to alert the ship. His spotlight clung to us.</p>
<p>Miko ran with me a few steps. Then he cursed and dropped me; fled
away. I fell like a sack of carbide to the deck. My senses faded into
blackness....</p>
<p>"He's all right now."</p>
<p>I was in the chart room with Captain Carter, Snap and Dr. Frank
bending over me. The surgeon said,</p>
<p>"Can you speak now, Gregg?"</p>
<p>I tried it. My tongue was thick, but it moved. "Yes." I was soon
revived. I sat up, with Dr. Frank vigorously rubbing me.</p>
<p>"I'm all right." I told them what had happened.</p>
<p>Captain Carter said, "Yes, we know that. And it was Miko also who
killed Anita Prince. She told us before she died."</p>
<p>"Died!..." I leaped to my feet. "She ... died...."</p>
<p>"Yes, Gregg. An hour ago. Miko got into her stateroom and tried to
force his love upon her. She repulsed him. He killed her...."</p>
<p>It struck me blank. And then with a rush came the thought, "He says
Miko killed her"....</p>
<p>I heard myself stammering, "Why—why we must get him!" I gathered my
wits; a surge of hate swept me; a wild desire for vengeance.</p>
<p>"Why, by God, where is he? Why don't you go get him? I'll get
him—I'll kill him!"</p>
<p>"Easy, Gregg!" Dr. Frank gripped me.</p>
<p>The Captain said gently. "We know how you feel, Gregg. She told us
before she died."</p>
<p>"I'll bring him in here to you! But I'll kill him, I tell you!"</p>
<p>"No you won't, lad. We don't want him killed, not attacked, even. Not
yet. We'll explain later."</p>
<p>They sat me down, calming me....<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_51" id="Page_51"></SPAN></span></p>
<p>Anita dead. The door of the shining garden was closed. A brief glimpse
given to me and to her of what might have been. And now she was
dead....</p>
<hr style="width: 65%;" />
<div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />