“Clothes,” I said, “and drink, and not necessarily in that order.” I tucked a corner of the blanket coyly over me. Not out of shame, rather that these alert amazons should not be subject to temptation. And besides, my wife was there. She knew very well what I meant by drink and pushed aside the glass of water one of the ladies was trying to force on me and passed over a small flask of potent brew. It burned sweetly down my throat and sent tendrils of fire into my brain.

“I’m afraid my thoughts… my sense of reality is still a little confused,” I admitted, and from the look on Angelina’s face I knew that she was already aware of it. “They did something to me, don’t know what, but it’ll wear off soon I’m sure.”

“I’ll kill them, every one, terribly,” Angelina said through tight clenched teeth and there was a murmur of agreement from all the listeners. I closed my eyes for a moment to rest them and when I opened them again the room was empty except for Angelina; a light had been lit and the window was dark. It was like a spliced break in a film with a chunk left out. I respected Kraj’s mental diddling techniques and roundly loathed him for it.

“Hungry,” I told Angelina and she came over and sat by me and held my hand.

“You’ve been asleep—and talking. Some awfully strange things.”

“I feel better for it. When we get back to base I’ll have the medics vacuum out all the dark corners. But there are more important things for the present. We have to organize the resistance here before the Cliaand get a tight grip on everything. And…”

“No.”

“What do you mean no?”

I had the feeling that I had missed some important part of the conversation. Was this more results of the brain fiddling—or just female conversation?

“I mean no, we won’t do that. While you were sleeping I sent a long report to Inskipp, everything you told me about the Cliaand plans and how they work their invasions and how they are out to get the Corps, everything.”

“Did you at least sign my name?” I asked, petulantly.

She patted my hand. “Of course, darling. It was your work and I wouldn’t think of trying to get credit for it.”

I was filled with instant regret for speaking like that, and apologized, then she apologized because my ill temper probably had to do with the brain business, and we had a drink and that was settled and I tried to get back to the business at hand.

“So you sent the report. And then—?”

“Then it went to a relay ship on the other side of this sun and was sent out as a psi gram to Inskipp. His answer came in and he said ‘message received, congratulations, return at once. ’ So you see you will have to go back.”

I snorted through my nose, then sipped my drink.

“Do you think I’ll go back?”

“You’re not well, you need medical attention, you’ve done what you came to do—”

“That’s not what I asked. Do you think I’ll go back now?”

Angelina tried to look fierce, which she cannot do unless she really means it—then shrugged her shoulders in a very resigned way.

“Of course not. If you did you would not be the man I married. So now we wipe out these fiends and save Burada and stop the invasions.”

“Not quite all at once, but that is sort of what I had in mind. A resistance movement will have to be organized, with our advice and material help Taze should be able to handle that, but there is one thing that takes priority over even that. We must capture Kraj or one of IBS gray men.”

“What a wonderful idea! If they think they know about torture they will soon learn a thing or two. I remember…”

“Angelina! That is not what I had in mind. For a moment there a lot of the old reconstructed you was shining through.”

“Nonsense. I admit I could use one or two techniques I learned in those days, but my motives are the purest. Lioness defending her mate and that sort of thing. Perfectly justified.”

“Yes, that might be so, but it is not quite what I was talking about. I want one of those gray men in a laboratory and I want exhaustive tests run on him. When you were beating up on that bunch earlier today did you notice anything strange about them?”

“Nothing particular, I was otherwise occupied you might say. Just the fact that they weren’t wearing enough clothing or something, because their skins felt so chill.”

“Exactly so. And they never laugh or show emotion, they don’t gossip or talk unless there is something important to say, and have a number of other little traits that draw the attention.”

“Just what are you trying to say, darling, that they are zombies or robots or something? I thought that sort of thing appeared only on space operas for the kiddies.”

“Laugh now, while there is still time. Not robots or such, these types are alive enough. I just don’t think that they are human, that’s all. There are aliens among us.”

“Perhaps you better have some more sleep. I’ll turn down the light.”

“Don’t humor me, damn it! I have been thinking about this ever since I first met Kraj, so it is no figment of a recently tortured mind. There is all sort of evidence. The Cliaand soldiers are deathly afraid of Kraj and his thugs and won’t even talk about them. The gray men are cut off from normal Cliaandian life and different in every way from them. Almost as though they were not the same people. I can visualize these gray men doing a survey of the human planets and finding Cliaand just ripe for their picking. A stratified, militarized way of life with everyone in uniform. All they had to do was take over at the top and they would be in control. And this they seem to have done. They appear in none of the tables of organization or charts so dear to the military mind—yet they seem to be running things most of the time.”

“Well…”

“There. You’re not convinced but you are beginning to doubt. Then you’ll help me get a specimen gray man?”

“Help?” She clapped her hands with sheer girlish enthusiasm. “I’m simply looking forward to it. Of course he might get a little damaged while I’m bringing him in, but as long as he still works that is really all that matters, isn’t it?”

Before I could answer Taze ran in and threw an armload of clothing onto the bed.

“Get dressed, quickly,” she ordered. “The boots are the biggest we could find and I hope they fit.” “Is there any reason for all this-rush?” I asked.

“There certainly is. There are troops and heavy weapons on all sides. This building is completely surrounded by the enemy.”

The boot was tight and delicately pointed, but I squeezed my foot in as fast as I could. “Were we followed here?” I asked Taze.

“No—of course not. I am no beginner at this business. Nor is the stolen car here any longer.”

I cudgeled my sluggish brain into thought while I struggled with the second boot. The telephone rang and I froze—as did the two women—staring at it like a poison snake. It rang just once more then the tiny inset screen lit up and Kraj stared out of it, as emotionless as ever.

“You know that you are surrounded,” he said. “Resistance is useless, diGriz. Surrender quietly and none of your friends will be hurt…”

My boot hit the screen and Kraj’s image flared and died; I ripped the entire instrument out by the roots and buried it against the wall. A fine cold sweat dotted my skin. I knew that most phones can be turned on from central with the right equipment, but this was a bad time to see the theory proven.

“Don’t panic!” I shouted, mostly to myself I imagine, because Angelina and Taze were perfectly calm. I hopped about the room getting on the other boot and tried to jar some clear thought into my tangled brain. The last hop ended me up sitting on the cot, panting, counting off on my fingers.

“Let us forget that call for a moment and figure out what is happening. One, we were not followed when we came here. Two, our transportation is gone so that could not be traced. Three, Kraj knew that I was here, which means they may have planted a directional radio transponder in me. In which case the services of a surgeon and a good x-ray machine will be needed as soon as we get out of here.”