Lesbee felt a lot better when he had the weapon. But still another idea had come to him. He said harshly, "I want to lift you over to the cage, and I don't want First Officer Miller to interfere. Get that, _Mister_ Miller!" There was no answer from the screen. Browne said uneasily, "Why over to the cage?" Lesbee did not answer right away. Silently he manipulated the tractor beam control until Browne was in position. Having gotten him there, Lesbee hesitated. What bothered him was, why had the Karn's thought impulses ceased? He had an awful feeling that something was very wrong indeed. He gulped, and said, "Raise the lid!" Again, he freed Browne's arm. The big man reached over gingerly, unfastened the catch, and then drew back and glanced questioningly at Lesbee. "Look inside!" Lesbee commanded. Browne said scathingly, "You don't think for one second that--" He stopped, for he was peering into the cage. He uttered a cry: "He's gone!" VI Lesbee discussed the disappearance with Browne. It was an abrupt decision on his part to do so. The question of where Dzing might have got to was not something he should merely turn over in his own head. He began by pointing at the dials from which the immense speed of the ship could be computed, and then, when that meaning was absorbed by the older man, said simply, "What happened? Where did he go? And how could we speed up to just under 186,000 miles a second in so short a time?" He had lowered the big man to the floor, and now he took some of the tension from the tractor beam but did not release the power. Browne stood in apparent deep thought. Finally, he nodded. "All right," he said, "I know what happened." "Tell me." Browne changed the subject, said in a deliberate tone, "What are you going to do with me?" Lesbee stared at him for a moment unbelievingly. "You're going to withhold this information?" he demanded. Browne spread his hands. "What else can I do? Till I know my fate, I have nothing to lose." Lesbee suppressed a strong impulse to rush over and strike his prisoner. He said finally, "In your judgment is this delay dangerous?" Browne was silent, but a bead of sweat trickled down his cheek. "_I_ have nothing to lose," he repeated. The expression in Lesbee's face must have alarmed him, for he went on quickly, "Look, there's no need for you to conspire any more. What you really want is to go home, isn't it? Don't you see, with this new method of acceleration, we can make it to Earth in a few _months_!" He stopped. He seemed momentarily uncertain. Lesbee snapped angrily, "Who are you trying to fool? Months! We're a dozen light years in actual distance from Earth. You mean years, not months." Browne hesitated then: "All right, a few years. But at least not a lifetime. So if you'll promise not to scheme against me further, I'll promise--"