The lieutenant knew as well as Zen what would happen to him. But he was helpless. No matter which way he looked, his back was always turned to someone. The person he was not watching--vanished. Unnoticed by the lieutenant, the face that seemed to be directing the vanishing operation appeared and disappeared in the center of the room. It kept directly above the lieutenant's head, moving as he moved, vanishing as he looked up. The note of the violin came into hearing and went out again, repeating this action time and time again. Sweat dripped off Zen's chin and formed a puddle on the floor under him. He did not know what was happening. Terror that was close to panic was in him but he did not move a muscle. For all he knew, the face might look at him and he might be the next one to vanish. Where would he find himself if he vanished? _Would_ he find himself again? Or did these people slide forever into nothingness, into some dimensional interspace where there was no Earth, no moon, and no stars? Only he and Nedra were left along the walls. The others had vanished. The lieutenant had gone completely crazy. Sputtering a mixture of Chinese and English, he was jabbing his rifle against Nedra's stomach and was yelling at her. "_Tze!_ Go away. I will kill you if you do. _N-oten._ Where did they go? I demand an answer. Speak!" "I do not know," the girl answered. "Speak! I command it. Cuso will have my throat slit if I let all of you get away!" "I have already--" The lieutenant jabbed the muzzle of his rifle against her stomach. "If you go away, I will kill you." He meant what he said. Smiling at him, the girl vanished. He pulled the trigger of the weapon. The bullets howled madly through the gallery. Zen dropped hastily to the floor. Death was too close for him to be amazed at the sight of an Asian officer shooting at nothing. The lieutenant stopped shooting when the magazine was empty. As he clicked another clip into place, some measure of sanity seemed to return to him. He did not shoot the colonel. Instead Zen found himself being prodded with the muzzle of the still hot and smoking rifle. "If you go away--" Zen got to his feet. "If I knew how to do it, I'd be gone," he said. "Where did they go? How did they do it?" Fine flecks of spittle were blown from the lieutenant's lips. The sound of hot lead was still strong in Zen's ears. At any moment, the lieutenant might start shooting again, for any reason. Or for no reason. "I don't know," Zen said. "But you've got to know. You're one of them." "Would I stand around here and let you shoot me if I was one of them?" Zen answered. Some of the logic of the question must have penetrated to the officer's mad mind. "No. No, you wouldn't. That is, I guess you wouldn't. But you might be trying to trick me." The thought of being tricked seemed to bring all his fury to the surface. "You did it once before, you and the girl." "How?" Zen demanded.