VI
They found the door was torn off the storeroom. It hadn't even beensecured. Someone had just been in a terrific hurry. There wasn't asingle weapon left. MacFarland studied the disarray, then thoughtfullyhefted a broad-bladed pick axe.
"I'm of the opinion," he said quietly, "that in a short time things aregoing to get a little rough around here."
"Now wait a minute, Mac," Gallifa protested.
"Sorry, boy," MacFarland said grimly. "If I knew everyone else wasbarehanded, I would go along with you. I may not be the next victim--orthe tenth. I'll more than likely have to protect myself against someonewho has come down with it, however, and I've got an overwhelming desireto stay alive."
Gallifa let his hands drop helplessly to his sides. MacFarland wasright, of course. They hadn't acted soon enough. Was this how panic wasborn?
"Mac," Gallifa tried huskily. "We've got to keep our heads. If we don't,we'll destroy ourselves."
"I'm open to any suggestions," MacFarland said steadily. "But until I'msatisfied that the danger is past, I'll just hang on to this axe."
"Let's go back over to the hospital," Gallifa said wearily. "We'll useThorndyke's projector and go over every inch of micro-film we have. Wemay be too close to the problem. There must be something we'veoverlooked."
Outside the rain had slackened into a fine mist. Overhead the cloudsstill held, but they were somewhat lighter. In a short while, it wouldbe dawn. Every light in the compound was burning fiercely. Gallifasuddenly remembered the generator in the shack behind the AdministrationBuilding. If anyone smashed or damaged the generator beyond repair, thecamp would be without power of any kind. And they might be forced towarn the colonists to stay away from the planet.
He stopped MacFarland. "I think we better secure the door to thegenerator shack," he said thoughtfully. "We can put a robot control onthe radio, but we have to insure power."
MacFarland understood the reason immediately. But before he could answerangry voices rang out somewhere across the compound.
Gallifa hesitated. "You better see what that is," he told MacFarland."And I'll check the generator."
MacFarland nodded and slipped away. Gallifa detoured around the hospitaland carefully approached the Administration Building. Once he sawsomething moving in the half-light and halted abruptly. It was only afew of the little gnomes moving through the camp.
Gallifa quickly rummaged through the spare parts cache in the shack anddrove stout pegs into the door jamb and the door. Then he expertly wovea short length of wire around the pegs and drew them tight with a pairof wire nippers. He leaned a shoulder against the door until he wassatisfied it would hold. Then he returned to the hospital.
MacFarland met him at the back entrance. The five corpses still layshackled to the bunks in a mute and grisly reminder of how quicklydeterioration had spread through the embryonic colony. Gallifa felt hisjaw muscles tighten.
"The bio team stole all the weapons," MacFarland said without preamble."They've barricaded themselves in the mess hall and threaten to shootanyone who comes within ten feet of the door."
Gallifa waited, his expression somber.
"The other teams are mad clear through," MacFarland continued. "Iconvinced them to go back to their own shacks, but I don't know how longthey will stay there."
Gallifa nodded. "If the other teams decide to rush the mess hall--" Helet the sentence trail off and grimly began to sort the micro-film.
A few hours later he had uncovered a series of very surprising--andconfusing--facts. He was amazed by the extent and completeness of thedata the teams and machines had assembled during their brief stay on theplanet. Gallifa closed his eyes and began to sift through the data withthe queer, persistent sixth sense of all true research men.
The field of biology isn't limited. It begins just under the crust of aplanet, encompasses the surface, and extends ... as far as needs be.Gallifa was a good biologist. And now he had a series of incrediblefacts at his command. He thought he had the answer to the epidemic. Onlyif he was on the right track--and he was almost sure of it--the curemight be so simple that it would be no cure at all.
How did you cure fear?
MacFarland was dozing across the room. Gallifa suddenly realized howtired he really was. Perhaps the doctor could give him a stimulant. Inany case, he wanted to discuss an idea with Dr. Thorndyke. He stood upand gathered together the papers lying scattered on the desk.
MacFarland was immediately awake. He held the axe loosely in one bighand, but a slight tensing of the muscles in his forearm denoted hisreadiness to use the weapon.
Gallifa noticed only that MacFarland was awake. He gestured vaguely andwalked through the room to the doctor's office.
"Dr. Thorndyke!" Gallifa called.
"Eh!" The doctor was startled. He walked quickly over to a wall cabinetand busied himself with an electronic sterilizer. When he turned he washolding a short-barreled, hair-thin hypodermic jet.
"I've been hoping you'd come by," he said. "That cut in your cheek. Youshould have had a tetanus shot."
Gallifa automatically bared an arm and leaned on the table. The doctorheld the needle up to the light and exerted a minute pressure on theplunger. He reached for Gallifa's arm.
MacFarland was across the room in five quick strides. He hit the doctoracross the side of the head with the broad blade of the axe. Dr.Thorndyke sighed and collapsed loosely on the floor. The point of thedropped hypodermic shattered and a milky fluid oozed from the splinteredend.
Gallifa's reflexes were slow. For a long moment he stood as thoughstunned. Then shock caught at him. But the slow-motion time whichgripped him wouldn't allow him to take more than two steps before theaxe in MacFarland's big hand would come crashing down. He wished hecould have activated the transmitter before it happened. Dazed, hewondered who would warn the colonists?
Gallifa suddenly realized he had placed the portable operating tablebetween himself and the other man. He drew his first breath, and itcaught in his throat. Then he was through the door and running acrossthe compound. He stumbled towards the equipment shack and threw himselfin the back of a truck.
MacFarland didn't follow.