"One instant more," Unger spoke. "What was the vision that you saw?" He addressed Johnson. "A--" "Eeeeeeeh!" A woman's scream ripped through the room. Martin and Caldwell both turned. Johnson did not move. He kept his eyes rigidly fixed on Unger. The Venusian stood in the bright glare from the spot, glanced toward the source of the scream. "Bring the human forward unharmed," Unger spoke. Fighting, scratching, clawing, doing everything but spit and she would have done that if she had had the chance, Vee Vee was dragged forward. Johnson still did not move. Neither his gaze nor the focus of the zit gun ever left Unger's face. Out of the corners of his eyes he saw Martin leap forward. "Vee Vee!" Martin screamed. "What in the devil are you doing here? What the hell are you doing on Venus?" Out of the corners of his eyes, Johnson saw Vee Vee flow into Martin's arms. "Hank, Hank, darling, I came by the last rocket. I've been looking everywhere for you." Her arms were around Martin's neck and she was kissing him wildly. "I learned you might be here and I came here looking for you. When they caught you, I tried to escape and go for help. I couldn't get out. They caught me too, Hank." Again she kissed him. The word, "Hank," rang through Johnson's mind like a bell. Very few people knew Martin's nickname. He was very sensitive about this name, it was his most carefully guarded secret, known only to friends intimate enough not to use it. If Vee Vee knew Martin's carefully guarded name. "Oh, hell!" Something inside Johnson said. "Damn!" He glanced at the two, to make certain of what he was seeing out of the corners of his eyes. The instant after he shifted his gaze he knew it was not the thing to do. He swung quickly back to look at Unger. The circle of light was empty. Unger had vanished. In the silence, Johnson could hear Venusian feet drawing closer, the soft rustle of knives being pulled from scabbards. IV Johnson stood without moving and stared at the empty circle of light. His eyes insisted. "He is not there. We looked away for a moment and when we looked back he was gone." The corners of his eyes said, "We caught a glimpse of something...." "What was it you glimpsed?" "We ... we are not certain ... we think...." The human could not wait to get the message from the corners of his eyes. Steps were driving forward. He whirled in time to see Taldero lunging at him. A naked knife glittered in the Venusian's uplifted hand. Taldero's face was a gleaming mask of triumph. The Venusian was already relishing the good feeling he would get from sinking his knife up to the hilt in this human's throat. Men were interlopers on Venus, space creatures to be destroyed, vermin that no honest Venusian could accept.