Unsteadily, Ross rose and made his way back to the area close to the lighted room. A switch-box loomed in the dimness. Ross threw the whole bank. Like magic, light came to the warehouse. Cases appeared, piled high on either side of long, echoing aisles. Overhead, two catwalks--accessible by ladders--ran the length of the building, one above the other. For a moment Ross stood brooding. Then, quickly, he disconnected the lines that served the warehouse lights, leaving only the set that supplied the office area. Moving into the lighted room, next, he looked about. A case stood on the central table ... a neat black plastic cube perhaps six inches high. Ross suddenly had trouble with his breathing. Not too steadily, he crossed to the table and opened the black cube. A bracket in the top held a shiny aeroderm injector. Beyond that, the contents resembled a honeycomb--a honeycomb whose each cell was a glistening, hermetically-sealed plastic ampule. * * * * * Stiff-fingered, Ross closed and sealed the cube again and, gripping it tightly beneath his arm, hurried back to the office next to the street, the one through which he'd entered via the broken window. In the darkness, something slithered. Ross jumped, then halted, grinning wryly. Going to the outer door, he unbolted and opened it. Plates rattling, all six feet slithering, the bak scurried out into the night. Warily, Ross once again surveyed the square outside. It still seemed deserted. He started forward. Only then, before he could so much as cross the threshold, something gouged into his back. A familiar, too-dulcet voice said, "No, Thigpen." Ross stopped short. "Astrell--!" "Of course." The woman laughed gaily. "You see, Thigpen, I get what I want. I have that kind of perseverance." Ross said nothing. "Back, now. Close the door and lock it," Astrell continued. And then: "Aren't you wondering how I got here, dearest? Just this once, haven't I surprised you?" Ross shrugged. But apparently no answer was needed or expected. Astrell went on talking anyhow: "Let's go back where the lights are, Thigpen. I'm dreadfully tired of standing in the dark. And--oh, yes, I found that address on Sanford Hall's closet door too. I must have been right behind you. I'd arranged in advance to meet Sanford, you know--that's why he'd stolen the catalyst, so I'd give him money to buy all the starak he needed for the rest of his life. So I figured out the message, of course, since I'd been to Calor City often years ago, and knew all about Triangle Square. My cruiser put me down here even before you. In fact, I was watching when you broke in--" Abruptly, Astrell stopped talking long enough to push Ross into the lighted office. She gestured to the black cube with one puffy hand. "Is that it? Is that the catalyst?" Ross drew a quick breath. "No, it isn't."