Suddenly, Stokely's eyes widened and fear became dominant in his expression. He obviously had just realized the implication of the fact that his head-globe was broken. He licked his lips, and looked back and forth from Archer to Evans. His mouth tightened with sudden purpose. "Evans! Look out!" Archer shouted, but too late. Stokely had lashed out with his gun and caught Evans sharply on the right wrist. As Evans' gun dropped from paralyzed fingers, Stokely easily shoved him away and scooped it up from the ground. He stepped back a few paces, keeping a watchful eye on Archer. "Okay," he ordered Evans grimly, "take it off!" * * * * * Only then, evidently, did Evans' slow wits grasp the meaning of what had happened. His dark eyes stared with fright, but he loosened the clamps with trembling fingers, and set his head-globe carefully on the ground. Stokely, now in possession of all three guns, holstered the one in his left hand, removed his cracked head-globe with some difficulty, and even more awkwardly replaced it with Evans'. Head-globes were interchangeable, though the individually proportioned suits were not. The reason that Stokely had called upon Evans, not Archer, to remove his globe was disturbingly obvious. Stokely wanted Evans in the same status as himself, for the time being--which should have been reassuring to Evans. To Archer it was quite the contrary, and he was not surprised when Stokely scowled at him a moment later and spoke in a voice that was too quiet: "As for you, you're too smart for your own good. I don't think we need you around any longer." The gun in his right hand swung slowly. "On the contrary," said Archer quickly, "since that borrowed helmet might not make any difference now, you need me worse than ever. That is, unless you trust each other implicitly." He spoke the last few words with slow emphasis. For a long moment, the gun held steady, then it lowered a little. Stokely gestured with the other hand. "Take it off," he said harshly, "and I'll hear what you have to say. I'm not promising anything, though. For instance--why should I trust _you_?" Archer removed his head-globe, admitting the outer air. It was cold against his face, and so dry by comparison with the humidified air of his pressure-suit that it caught in his throat as he breathed. He left his headset on for communication with Stokely. "Maybe you won't have to," Archer answered steadily. "I have a plan that might work in spite of our low regard for each other's veracity. But--in case it doesn't--you'll be better off if you take off that globe." Stokely sneered. "You'll have a hard time selling me that idea!"