"Penelle seems to have recovered his wits," Mokk said suddenly. "See what he knows, Torio." It turned all their gazes upon me. I was up on one elbow. "What I know about what?" I said. * * * * * Torio leaped to his feet and stood bending over me. "Now then, you damned crime-tracker. Where is the T-catalyst? It's hidden around here somewhere. Where is it?" "Catalyst," I mumbled. "I don't know what you mean." Torio's foot kicked savagely at me. I tensed; the giant Mokk shifted his weapon to level down at me. I saw Mackensie flash me a glance. "So you're going to try that too?" Torio rasped. I stared. "He doesn't know any more about it than I do," Mackensie growled. "Nobody knew except Georg Blake, and you killed him. Find it for yourself. My guess it that Blake cast it adrift when the attack came." "You talk without sense," Mokk put in. "Maybe the girl knows." He chuckled. "If you leave me alone with her, Torio, I can think of ways to make her tell." "I know nothing about it," Nina gasped. "Well, some one of you does," Torio said grimly. "We'll start with this damn crime-tracker." He leaped across the room, came back with a length of wire. My gaze strayed to the opposite wall; the treasure was there, back of a secret panel. "Bare your chest, Penelle." Torio stooped to where I was backed against the wall, on the floor. He tore at my shirt, exposing the flesh of my chest. "Are you going to tell?" "I can't. I don't know." Beyond his slim shoulder I saw Nina's face, pallid, her dark eyes glistening with horror, her lips compressed as though to stifle a scream. Torio had a small cylinder in his hand, with the naked length of wire connected to it. The wire was glowing now--red, orange, white, then violet hot. "A few lashes with this," Torio hissed at me. "Whatever you know will come out then." His pale face was blazing. "He will talk even more quickly if you try that on the girl," Mokk growled. "No!" I burst out. "No, damn you! We don't know where it is! I can't tell what I don't know." "We'll see," Torio muttered. He dangled the wire at my face. The violet light of it was blinding; the heat scorched my skin. "Stop! Oh, stop it! I'll tell you!" Nina's anguished cry rang out. The light and heat receded from my face. "Oh, so you're the one who's willing to tell?" Torio swung on her; snapped off the current in his wire and flung it away. "All right, where is it? But remember, by the gods, if we don't find it where you say--" "It's there." She gestured to the wall. "My father told me it's there." "I hope so," the giant Mokk growled. "For your sake, I hope so, little lady." I held my breath. If by some mischance it should not be there--