"It sure does," Cal agreed. "But why did you shoot him?" "I made up my mind months ago to shoot him as soon as I no longer needed him," the Asian officer answered. "He was too crazy to trust." "But he found this place for you and he got you past those hell generators," Cal said. "That is true. But the place is now found and we are past the odd devices that make weaklings afraid." His tone said that this also made the situation different and that the ragged man had better understand this and guide himself accordingly. Cal started to speak, then changed his mind. "What were you two talking about?" the Asian asked. "He said he saw a face in the air," the ragged man answered. "I told him that he was nuts and to shut up." "Was there a face?" "I didn't see nothing," Cal answered. While the two were talking, Zen was watching a youth in a loin cloth across the room. Standing erect against the wall, looking as if he were being crucified there, but without making any sound, the youth was slowly vanishing. While the youth was sliding away, the violin note throbbed softly in the air. As he vanished, it went into silence, ending on a note of triumph. The lieutenant became suspicious. He scanned the people against the wall. "I thought there were more--" he muttered. Slowly he counted them. "Thirty-eight," he said. As if to engrave the number on his memory, he repeated it. Simultaneously, one of the Asian soldiers spoke to him in a swift flow of sound. Zen could not understand what was being said, but he guessed from the way the soldier pointed to the spot where the fat youth had stood that he was reporting what he had seen happen. While they were talking the face appeared again in the air high in the middle of the room. The face was that of a man. He was wearing a mustache and he looked around the room with alert brown eyes. Nodding to himself with apparent satisfaction, he vanished. Down the wall from Zen, a young woman vanished. She went rapidly, in the flicker of an eye. A youth standing next in line to her, followed suit. Turning, the lieutenant saw that something had happened. Hastily he counted those standing against the wall. "Thirty-six! Who slipped out while my back was turned?" As he asked the question, three of the new people vanished behind him. No one answered him. He turned again, and realized that more blank places had appeared while he was not looking. Again, keeping behind him, another one of the new people vanished. Watching, Zen was treated to the spectacle of seeing an Asian officer grow crazy. While the lieutenant was watching one particular person, nothing happened to the one under his scrutiny. But directly behind him a person flicked out of existence. For a time, the lieutenant almost had Zen's sympathy. The colonel knew what would happen to this officer when Cuso returned and found his prey had been permitted to escape. The Asians were not known for leniency to their own men who failed an assigned duty.