The man ignored the question. "You are unique in that love, Mr. Kendall. We conducted a telepathic survey of every married scientist in this project. And only one psych-pattern was suited to our purpose." Kendall scowled. "I think you are enjoying this--but I'm not. And believe me, you'll live to regret it." "We were fortunate in finding you, Mr. Kendall--the one man here who would be incapable of allowing his wife to die horribly if he could prevent it--no matter what the cost." A vague fear coupled with a chill was seeping through Kendall's brain. "Say what you've come to say and get it over with!" "I'm doing just that. We have your wife, Kendall. We got her at ten o'clock this morning." "Impossible! Our security is foolproof. No person has ever been kidnapped from any world defense project!" "Never before, but let me tell you why. Because such a hostage would have been of little value. Terran scientists and defense personnel have been psychologically conditioned to the point of fanaticism. We have never before discovered a Terran scientist who would put his wife or any other loved one before his loyalty to Terra." "And what makes you think I will?" "Our tests are absolute. But if we are wrong it will be unfortunate for only one person. Your wife." * * * * * Kendall thought of Clare, trying the while to keep his panic from showing through. Blonde, beautiful Clare--the one person who really made his life worth living. Clare. As he worked at this brutal, tedious defense business, he did not work for the defense of Terra, though that idea and its psychological drive was ever in his conscious mind. He worked to keep Clare safe and now he realized the stark fact; realized it as he cursed the Centaurians and their devilish extrasensory penetration; cursed this masked devil for being right. Shocked out of wariness, he allowed these thoughts to spill through his conscious mind; then he caught himself and threw up the blank mental wall all defense people were taught to use. But not until the man chuckled behind his mask and said, "I agree on all counts, but you have to admit that we clocked you perfectly, Mr. Kendall. The risk we took in kidnapping your wife was well worthwhile." "On the contrary. One life is of little consequence." "I'm sorry you feel that way," the man said with mocking lightness in his voice. "Let me describe the manner in which your wife will die. First we'll strip her nak--" "What is it you're after?" Kendall snapped. The man's chuckle was even more pronounced. "You're right of course in surmising I'm a Centaurian, and you're quite familiar with the way our cold war works--how the balance of power has been maintained these last hundred years." "The balance is tipped in our favor."