"Our purpose here on Earth is to aid this evolving race until it's capable of taking care of itself--which won't be too long now. There are more than a hundred of them, of which thirty are adult. But now Darruui agents have started to arrive on Earth. Their purpose is to obstruct us, to interfere with our actions, and to win Earth over to what they think is their 'cause.' They don't see that they're backing a dead horse." "Tell me," Harris said. "What's your motive in bringing into being this super-race?" "Motive?" Beth said. "You Darruui always think in terms of motives, don't you? Profit and reward. Major, there's nothing in this for us but the satisfaction of knowing that we're bringing something wonderful into being in the universe." Harris swallowed that with much salt. The concept of altruism was not unknown on Darruu, certainly, but it seemed highly improbable that a planet would go to the trouble of sending emissaries across space for the sole purpose of serving as midwives to an emerging race of super-beings on Earth. No, he thought. It was simply part of an elaborate propaganda maneuver whose motives did not lie close to the surface. There were no supermen. Wrynn was probably a Medlin himself, on whom the surgeons had done a specially good job. Whatever the Medlins' motive, he determined to play along with them. By now Carver had probably picked up his distress signal and had worked out the location of the place where he was being held. He said, "So you're busily raising a breed of super-Earthmen, and you want me to help? How?" "We told you. By disposing of your comrades before they make things complicated for us." "You're asking me to commit treason against my people, in other words." "We know what sort of a man you are," Beth said. "You aren't in sympathy with the Darruui imperialistic ideals. You may _think_ you are, but you aren't." _I'll play along_, Harris thought. He said, "You're right. I didn't want to take the job on Earth in the first place. What can I do to help?" Coburn and Beth exchanged glances. The "Earthman" Wrynn merely smiled. Beth said, "I knew you'd cooperate. The first target is the man who calls himself Carver. Get rid of him and the Darruui agents are without a nerve-center. After him, the other eight will be easy targets." "How do you know I won't trick you once you've released me?" Harris said. Coburn said, "We have ways of keeping watch." Harris nodded. "I'll go after Carver first. I'll get in touch with you as soon as he's out of the way." * * * * * It seemed too transparent, Harris thought, when they had set him loose. He found himself in a distant quarter of the city, nearly an hour's journey by helitaxi from his hotel. All this talk of supermen and altruism! It made no sense, he thought--but Medlin propaganda was devious stuff, and he had good reason to distrust it.