Rudi moved a little, lowering his arms. He turned to Hendricks, licking his lips. The whites of his eyes shone wildly. Sweat dripped from his forehead, down his cheeks. He fixed his gaze on Hendricks. "Major, he's gone insane. Stop him." Rudi's voice was thin and hoarse, almost inaudible. "What's going on?" Hendricks demanded. Without lowering his pistol Klaus answered. "Major, remember our discussion? The Three Varieties? We knew about One and Three. But we didn't know about Two. At least, we didn't know before." Klaus' fingers tightened around the gun butt. "We didn't know before, but we know now." He pressed the trigger. A burst of white heat rolled out of the gun, licking around Rudi. "Major, this is the Second Variety." * * * * * Tasso swept the curtain aside. "Klaus! What did you do?" Klaus turned from the charred form, gradually sinking down the wall onto the floor. "The Second Variety, Tasso. Now we know. We have all three types identified. The danger is less. I--" Tasso stared past him at the remains of Rudi, at the blackened, smouldering fragments and bits of cloth. "You killed him." "Him? _It_, you mean. I was watching. I had a feeling, but I wasn't sure. At least, I wasn't sure before. But this evening I was certain." Klaus rubbed his pistol butt nervously. "We're lucky. Don't you understand? Another hour and it might--" "You were _certain_?" Tasso pushed past him and bent down, over the steaming remains on the floor. Her face became hard. "Major, see for yourself. Bones. Flesh." Hendricks bent down beside her. The remains were human remains. Seared flesh, charred bone fragments, part of a skull. Ligaments, viscera, blood. Blood forming a pool against the wall. "No wheels," Tasso said calmly. She straightened up. "No wheels, no parts, no relays. Not a claw. Not the Second Variety." She folded her arms. "You're going to have to be able to explain this." Klaus sat down at the table, all the color drained suddenly from his face. He put his head in his hands and rocked back and forth. "Snap out of it." Tasso's fingers closed over his shoulder. "Why did you do it? Why did you kill him?" "He was frightened," Hendricks said. "All this, the whole thing, building up around us." "Maybe." "What, then? What do you think?" "I think he may have had a reason for killing Rudi. A good reason." "What reason?" "Maybe Rudi learned something." Hendricks studied her bleak face. "About what?" he asked. "About him. About Klaus." * * * * * Klaus looked up quickly. "You can see what she's trying to say. She thinks I'm the Second Variety. Don't you see, Major? Now she wants you to believe I killed him on purpose. That I'm--" "Why did you kill him, then?" Tasso said. "I told you." Klaus shook his head wearily. "I thought he was a claw. I thought I knew." "Why?" "I had been watching him. I was suspicious." "Why?"