bepreferred.
Sergeant Boggs stood stolidly on the far side of the room. A lividbruise along his jaw testified to the struggle that had taken place. Oneeye was puffed, and his expression was an unhappy one. Near him,MacPherson and Private Manetti stood stiffly at attention.
The colonel looked at Boggs. "What's your side of the story, Sergeant?"
The non-com's face didn't change. "Sir, the captain's statement isn'ttrue."
"_What's that?_" Wayne asked angrily.
"Quiet, Captain," Petersen said. "Go ahead, Boggs."
The sergeant licked his bruised lips. "I was about to start up the ropewhen, for no reason at all, he struck me in the stomach. Then he hit meagain a few more times, and I passed out."
"Did he say anything when he did this?" the Colonel asked.
"No, sir."
Wayne frowned. What was the sergeant trying to do? What the devil was heup to?
"Corporal MacPherson," the colonel said, "Did you witness the fight?"
"Yes, sir," the small man said, stepping a pace forward.
"Describe it."
"Well, sir, we were up on top of the cliff, and we called--or rather,_I_ called for the captain and the sergeant to come on up. SergeantBoggs took a hold of the rope and then the captain hit him in the belly,sir. He hit him twice more and the sergeant fell down. Then the captaintold us to come down, which we did, sir. That was all." He gestured withhis hands to indicate he had no more to say.
Wayne could hardly believe his ears. Making an effort, he managed torestrain himself.
"Private Manetti, do you have anything to add to that?" the colonelasked.
"No, sir. It happened just like that, sir. We both seen the entirething. That's the way it happened. The captain hauled off and let himhave it."
The colonel swivelled around and let his cold eyes rest on Wayne."Captain, you have stated that Sergeant Boggs did not talk to either ofthese two men after you struck him. That eliminates any collusion."
"Yes, sir," Wayne said stonily.
"I talked to both men separately, and they tell substantially the samestory. The records of all three of these men are excellent. The sergeantclaims he never saw any monster of the type you describe, and the groupI sent out to check says that there is no body of any alien animalanywhere near the spot. How do you explain the discrepancies betweenyour story and theirs?"
* * * * *
Wayne glared angrily at the three men. "They're lying, sir," he saidevenly. "I don't know why they're doing it. The whole thing took placeexactly as I told you."
"I find that very difficult to believe, Captain."
"Is that a formal accusation, sir?"
Petersen shrugged and rubbed his hands against his iron-grey temples."Captain," he said finally, "you have a very fine record. You have neverbefore been known to strike an enlisted man for any cause whatever. Ihold that in your favor."
"Thank you, sir."
"On the other hand, the evidence here definitely indicates that yourstory is not quite true. Now, we know that Lieutenant Jervis actedpeculiarly after the crew of the _Mavis_ met its mysterious end, and theMedical Corps thinks that whatever is causing the deaths could alsocause mental confusion. Therefore, I am remanding you to the custody ofthe Medical Corps for observation. You'll be kept in close confinementuntil this thing is cleared up."
Wayne frowned bitterly. "Yes, sir," he said.
* * * * *
Peter Wayne sat in his cell in the hospital sector and stared at thewall in confusion. What in blazes was going on? What possible motivewould three enlisted men have to frame him in this way? It didn't makeany sense.
Was it possible that he really _had_ gone off his rocker? Had heimagined the little beast under the sand?
He lifted his foot and looked again at the sole. There it was: a littlepit about an eighth of an inch deep.
The colonel had explained it away easily enough, saying that he mightpossibly have stepped on a sharp rock. Wayne shook his head. He knew hewasn't nuts. But what the hell was going on?
There were no answers. But he knew that the eventual answer, when itcame, would have something to do with the mystery of the _Mavis's_ eightcorpses.
It was late that afternoon when Sherri James came storming into thehospital sector. She was wearing a spacesuit, and she was brandishing apass countersigned by Colonel Petersen himself. She was determined toenter.
"The medics didn't want to let me in," she explained. "But I told themI'd wear a spacesuit if it would make them any happier."
"Sherri! What the devil are you doing here?"
"I just wanted to check on you," she said. Her voice sounded oddlydistorted coming over the speaker in the helmet. "You're supposed tohave blown your wig or something. Did you?"
"No. Of course not."
"I didn't think so." She unscrewed her helmet quickly. "Listen, Peter,there's something funny going on aboard this ship."
"I've known that a long time," he said.
"I think Boggs and those other two are trying to frame you," she said,her voice low. "Do you know of anyone aboard named Masters?"
"Masters?" Wayne repeated. "Not that I know of--why?"
"Well, I overheard Boggs talking to one of the other men. I didn't hearvery clearly, but it sounded as though he said: 'We've got to get Mooreout and turn him over to Masters.' Bill Moore is one of mycomputermen--tall, skinny fellow."
Wayne nodded, frowning. "Yeah, but who is Masters? This is the queerestthing I ever heard of."
Footsteps sounded in the corridor outside.
"Better put your helmet on," Wayne advised. "Whoever's coming might notlike to see you this way."
Quickly, she slipped the helmet back on. "I don't know what's going on,"she said. "But I intend to find out."
* * * * *
One of the medics entered the cell without knocking and came up toSherri. "You'll have to go now, Lieutenant," he said. "We're going toperform some tests on the captain now."
Sherri bristled. "Tests? What kind of tests?"
"Nothing very serious," the medic said. "Just a routine checkup toclarify some points we're interested in."
"All right," Sherri said. "You won't find anything the matter withhim." She left.
"Come with me, Captain," said the medic politely. He unlocked the celldoor and, equally politely, drew a needle-beam pistol. "Don't tryanything, please, sir. I have my orders."
Silently, Wayne followed the medic into the lab. Several other medicswere standing around watching him, with Stevelman, the head man, in theback.
"Over this way, Captain," Stevelman called.
There was a box sitting on a table in the middle of the room. It wasfull of sand.
"Give me your hand, please, Captain," the medic said tonelessly.
In a sudden flash of insight, Wayne realized what was in the box. Hethought fast but moved slowly. He held out his hand, but just as themedic took it, he twisted suddenly away.
His hand flashed out and grasped the other's wrist in a steely grip. Themedic's fingers tightened on the needle-beam, and managed to pull thetrigger. A bright beam flared briefly against the lab's plastalloyfloor, doing nothing but scorching it slightly. Wayne's other handballed into a fist and came up hard against the medic's jaw.
He grabbed the needle-beam pistol from the collapsing man's limp handand had the other three men covered before the slugged medic hadfinished sagging to the floor.
"All of you! Raise your hands!"
They paid no attention to him. Instead of standing where they were, theybegan to move toward him. Wayne swore and, with a quick flip of histhumb, turned the beam down to low power and pulled the trigger threetimes in quick succession.
The three men fell as though they'd been pole-axed, knocked out by thelow-power beam.
"The whole ship's gone crazy," he murmured softly, looking at the threemen slumped together on the lab floor. "Stark, staring, raving nuts."
He took one step and someone jumped him from behind. The needle-beampistol spun from his hand and slithered across the floor as Wayne fellunder the impact of the heavy body. Apparently the whole Medical Corpswas out to knock him down today.
He twisted rapidly as an arm encircled his neck, and rammed an elbowinto the newcomer's midsection. Then he jerked his head back, smashingthe back of his skull into his opponent's nose.
The hold around his neck weakened, and Wayne tore himself loose from theother's grasp. He jumped to
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