The future-man smiled. "Yes," he said. "I believe that Dr. Gerard's
medication is quite effective. It's made me feel much better already,
even though it's the Kralons rather than I who are taking it!"
Then he turned to the little investigation agent. "Neat idea of yours,
Randall, of synthesizing D.D.T. to fight the Kralons."
"D.D.T.?" asked Malherne, who had not been a member of this particular
phase of the intrigue. "What's that?"
"Dichloro-diphenyl-trichlorethane, to use the generic term for the
chemical," replied Dr. Gerard. "It's a chemical insecticide that's
quite specific for most insects."
"Oh," said the engineer in comprehension. "That's what you were
synthesizing instead of sulfonilamide!"
"Right," said the little doctor. "But it _is_ a remedy for our
troubles, we hope," he added in defense of the deceit they had
practiced.
The group chuckled at Gerard's righteousness, even in dealing with
inhuman monsters.
"How long do you think it will take for the chemical to have a material
effect on the Kralons?" inquired Lanson.
"Shouldn't be too long," interposed Dr. Gerard. "Unlike the insects of
our own times, these creatures have had no opportunity to build up an
immunity, nor time to mutate as a race to types resistant to chemical
insecticides. Therefore its effect should be considerably more rapid
than upon even the small insects of the future."
Zor Ala nodded in satisfaction. "The floor is yours, Randall," he said.
Randall stepped to the center of the group. "We are apparently all
in agreement that the zero hour is to be set at 4:00 AM, or 1600
in universal time. That should give sufficient time for the DDT to
accomplish its work, and we do not dare delay beyond then for fear
that Dr. Gerard's contrivance will be discovered in the morning, thus
alerting the Kralons."
He paused a moment, his pale gray eyes flicking from one member of the
group to another. "It might be wise to keep an eye on Jackson in the
meantime," he said. "He undoubtedly has had time to think things over,
and to have concluded that Dr. Gerard's fake synthesis and subsequent
actions weren't quite plausible under the circumstances."
"How did you happen to suspect him in the first place?" asked McClellan.
Randall smiled faintly. "It was quite obvious that the salesman lacked
courage," he replied. "We all were fully aware of that. Also, both by
profession and inclination, Jackson was an opportunist.
"In my dealings with the renegades of society, I have always found that
to be a deadly combination. A cowardly opportunist can almost always
be expected to turn traitor to a cause which offers him any particular
inconvenience. Also," he added, "the Kralons asked me several questions
about Jackson which set me thinking."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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