"This young warrant officer has given me an interesting account of his recent experiences which, he would have us believe, included being drugged into sleep and semi-sleep," said Chisholm. "I want you to test blood samples for silicon traces, in fact the whole gamut of tests." Dr. Jonas' pointed chin sank toward his chest, then rose. "Yes, General Chisholm." He pulled up Cramer's left sleeve and applied a blood-sucker tube which clicked off drops until it reached fifty and stopped. The doctor set the fractionating apparatus on automatic and approached his superior's chair to say, "I hardly think a person could be sedated with a silicon compound, sir." Chisholm gestured for Cramer to remain silent. "All right, while we're waiting for your machine to complete its run, here's a purely hypothetical problem. Imagine a silicon-based _bacteria_--" "_What?_" Dr. Jonas exclaimed. "I said a silicon-based bacteria. It raises human metabolism when absorbed into the blood stream in the form of a tiny frost flake, a flake whose very _atomic_ structure breaks down the elements scale without the explosive force of nuclear fission or any other kind of serious disruption." "I'd say the whole thing's impossible, sir!" "But let's just suppose it is not." "Then I'd have to proceed on the assumption that the life cycle of the hypothetical form permits it to reach a high threshold of energy storage, part of which energy is smoothly released while the rest achieves a new balance as the silicon transmutes into elements of lesser weight." "Sounds like a reasonable explanation for something unreasonable, doctor," he stiffly observed. "Your tests should be ready now." * * * * * Dr. Jonas looked satisfied as he pulled the tape from the machine. "No silicon." He stopped, frowning. "But there is indication of massive barbiturate dosages. This man _has_ been drugged! There shouldn't be any lasting damage--he's a healthy specimen all right--but whoever did this wasn't worrying about his welfare, General." "Thank you, Dr. Jonas, you may go now." He casually leaned back in his chair. "This is Top Secret for the present. I will be consulting you later on this matter." "Yes, sir." But as soon as Jonas and his equipment were gone the General sprang into frantic action. "You're under arrest, Mister." "Sir!" "_Protective_ arrest--although it won't be announced that way. No time for explanations right now. Give me the precise reading and time for that asteroid."