They all tensed at a sudden sound outside--metal dragging the floor and voices. Then suddenly the smell of burning paint. The door panel turned red, the paint peeled off, and dropped to the deck. Within seconds a hole blazed through. Lodar aimed his gun at the opening and fired. He grinned as a yelp sounded, then moved beside the door to trigger several bursts along the corridor beyond. There were horrible yells, the scurry of retreat, then silence. Lodar stooped to peer. "Got four of 'em," he announced. "That'll cool 'em off!" He crossed swiftly to the chart case, heaved it aside, and slid open a small hidden panel. He reached inside to close a switch. "This'll help too," he added grimly. "Gas!" "What a monster!" the girl said. * * * * * Lodar ignored her. He was looking at McVane. The engineer had taken a bottle from his pocket, was stretching his scraggy neck to gurgle it. "Can't you stay sober?" With a stride Lodar swept the bottle away and smashed it on the deck. "What for?" McVane slumped against the wall. Lodar raised his hands angrily, but Ellenor moved swiftly and swung him away from the groggy engineer. "Let him alone!" she raged. "He doesn't care any more. You can't beat that out of him!" Lodar's eyes glittered. "You know too much about everything," he said tightly. Her chin tilted defiantly. "I know that you'll never see Earth again!" "Damn you!" He lashed out suddenly. His slap sent her sprawling against the wall. With a snarl Ray hurled himself at Lodar. His fist slammed a shoulder as Lodar spun to meet the infuriated charge. A second blow, that crunched Ray's knuckles on the other's head, never even jarred the larger man. Growling, he reached out. His huge hands closed on Ray's neck, the thumbs dug into his windpipe. "You dumb fool!" Lodar's clenched teeth lay bare between tight drawn lips. Convulsively his strangling grip tightened. Ray's fist slammed the grinning lips, with savage joy he felt the smash of teeth. He hammered at Lodar's face, beating it in frenzied rage while his lungs strained for air. His back jolted the wall and Lodar was slamming his head on the plates. His lungs were jerking, the room blurred with pulsing darkness. He saw only Lodar's blazing eyes, felt the power of his viselike grip. The man was made of steel, driven by raw violence. And, in that flashing moment, Ray guessed Lodar's secret, the why of his driving energy, cagelike pacings, and burning eyes! Space Rays! Ray heaved convulsively, trying to break the strangling grip. Lodar had been too long in space. The days were killing him, burning him up inside. He would go on with roaring metabolism, like an overdriven jet, till his heart burst! And that would be soon now. Lodar's compelling urge to return to Earth was the instinct of a dying animal for its lair, to die with its kind. Nothing would stop him. Nothing except death!