"Quite. But don't alarm yourself. They'll never get past the blue door." Far from being soothing, Thorpe's reassurance had just the opposite effect on Vickers. For the first time, he began to doubt that he could get through that blue door himself. There was something so damned complacent about the man behind the desk-- In sudden alarm, Vickers opened his nictitating lids, flicked a quick glance around. The room was quite real, but there was no sign of Luna City nor of the moon's desolate surface. He sucked in his breath. The office seemed to be part of a large windowless structure. He could see, through the walls, a restless ochre sea outside and a red pebble beach. Strange, sinuous vegetation cloaked the shore. "Where are we?" he blurted out. "How did I get here?" "I'm sorry," said Thorpe, "but that's one secret that isn't for sale." Vickers closed the nictitating lids and the office recovered its solidity. "What's your proposition?" Thorpe gave him a shrewd look. "This is Tani Fralick," he introduced the girl. "I'm sure you've heard of her father. He's the physicist...." * * * * * Vickers sat bolt upright. Fralick was probably the most renowned man on Earth, Mars or Venus. He certainly was the Systems greatest physicist. Fralick was head of the United States' Bureau of Research. It was practically treason for his daughter to be in the offices of such an organization as "International Spy Ring, Inc." Thorpe said: "Tani's father has been abducted by the Arab Federation." The girl gave a muffled sob, buried her face in her hands. Vickers yelled: "What!" Then in a lower voice, "But there's been nothing on the newscasts." "Of course not. The U.S. is hushing it up. They don't want it broadcast that their top experimental physicist has been stolen. They don't even know who has him or where he is. Tani has asked us to get her father back." "Where is he?" Thorpe didn't look so cherubic as he drummed on the desk top. "Here. Luna City. He's being held in the embassy of the Arab Federation." Vickers said: "Why don't you turn your information over to the U.S.?" "It's not as simple as that. The Arabs would kill him before they'd give him up." Vickers shrugged. "If the U.S. with all its resources can't release him, I don't see how you expect me to do it." "You can, though. In fact you're the only one who can. The question is, will you?" "No!" said Vickers flatly; "I won't." "But--" "No buts about it. With my record, it would be poison for me, if my name ever became associated with anything like International Spy Ring, Inc. I'm through, Thorpe, I've quit. I can't afford to be sent back to Jupiter." Tani Fralick suddenly burst into a flood of tears. Vickers clenched his fist. At that instant a bell began to ring insistently. "The raid," Thorpe said. "What say we watch it? Anyway, Vickers, you can't leave 'til it's over."