"Now we come to yesterday morning," said the speaker. "This is the important part at this very moment, because it explains why I feel we must immediately take steps to tell the public what has happened, why I feel that it is necessary to put a man like Colonel Walther Mannheim in charge of the Nipe affair and keep him in charge until the matter is cleared up. Because the public is going to be scared witless if we don't do something to reassure them." "What happened yesterday morning, Mr. President?" one of the men asked. "The Nipe got angry, lost his temper, went mad--whatever you want to call it. At the morning meeting he simply became more and more incomprehensible. The psychologists were trying to see if the Nipe had any religious beliefs, and, if so, what they were. One of them, a Dr. Valichek, was explaining the various religious sects and rites here on Earth. Suddenly, with no warning whatever, the Nipe chopped at Valichek's throat with an open-hand judo cut, killing him. He killed two more men before he leaped out of the window and vanished. "No trace of him was found until late last night. He killed another man in Leningrad--we have since discovered that it was for the purpose of stealing his personal flyer. The Nipe could be anywhere on Earth by now." "How was the man killed, Mr. President? With bare hands, as the others were?" "We have no way of knowing. Identification of the body was made difficult by the fact that every shred of flesh had been stripped away. It had been gnawed--literally _eaten_--to the bone!" _FIRST INTERLUDE_ The big man with the tiny child on his shoulder pushed through the air curtain that kept the warm humid air out of the shop. "There," he said to the little boy softly, turning his head to look up into the round, chubby, smiling face. "There. Isn't that nicer, huh? Isn't that better than that hot old air outside?" "Gleefle-ah," said the child with a grin. "Oh, come on, boy. I've heard you manage bigger words than that. Or is it your brother?" He chuckled and headed toward the drug counter. "Hey, Jim!" The big man brought himself up short and turned--carefully, so as not to jiggle the baby on his shoulder. When he saw the shorter, thinner man, he grinned hugely. "Jinks! By God! Jinks! Watch it! Don't shake the hand too hard or I'll drop this infant. God damn, man, I thought you were in Siberia!" "I was, Jim, but a man can't stay in Siberia forever. Is that minuscule lump of humanity your own?" "Yup, yup. So I've been led to believe. Say hello to your Uncle Jinks, young 'un. C'mon, say hello." The child jammed the three fingers of his left hand into his mouth and refused to say a word. His eyes widened with an unfathomable baby-emotion. "Well, he's got your eyes," said the thinner man. "Fortunately, he's going to look like his mother instead of being ugly. He _is_ a he, isn't he?"