He touched the door of the autobath and it swung open. He went inside. "Shave, massage, bath," he ordered. The mechanism reached out of the wall to enfold him. He leaned back. It gripped him, not comfortably, as usual--but tightly. He squirmed, but when the grip didn't adjust, he relaxed. The autobath rumbled familiarly and a jet of water spouted up from the floor. It was icy cold and Jadiver shivered. "You didn't listen," he said firmly. "I asked for the bath last." The autobath paid no attention. The top and side jets turned on. The force was greater than he had ever experienced. It was difficult to breathe. The water got hotter rapidly, and then, seconds later, steam blew out of the nozzles. Jadiver shouted and tried to struggle free. The autobath did not let go. Instead, it ground at his muscles with hard inflexible hands. Here and there his skin began parting from his flesh. The autobath kept on kneading him. It was when it reached for his face--Jadiver remembered very clearly--he lost consciousness. He lay on the bed in the hospital, sweat soaking into the bandages. He could understand why he'd had a memory block--being boiled alive was frightful enough for his mind to repress. It was not only the accident that was disturbing, but the manner in which it occurred. He knew robot machinery and the principles used in the construction of it. The autobath was one of the best--foolproof, if there was such a mechanism. Someone had tampered with it--object: _to try to kill him_. That was one possibility and he could face it with equanimity. There was also another, but he didn't like to think about that. * * * * * He looked out over Venicity. From his apartment, the topography resembled that of a lunar crater. In the middle was a giant concrete plain, the rocketport. From the edges of the rocketport, the size of the buildings increased gradually; at a third of the distance from the center, they were at maximum height; thereafter, they decreased gradually until one and two story structures nibbled at the surrounding forest. Five million people and in ten years there would undoubtedly be seven, a sizable metropolis even for Earth. That didn't mean that the population of Venus could compare with the home planet. Venus was settled differently. Newcomers started with the cities; only later did they venture out into the vast wild lands. Venus was civilized, after a fashion, but it wasn't a copy of Earth. The screen glimmered at his back. "Thadeus Jadiver, consulting engineer?" He turned. "That's right. Can I help you?" The man on the screen closed one eye slowly and opened it again the same way. "This is Vicon Burlingame. I've been doing some experimenting and am now at the point where I can use some technical assistance." "I'm not sure. I've been in the hospital until this morning. I think I need a checkup."