11

It was a bright day when Ogtate awoke. General Yewliss arrived. At the moment that Ogtate first saw bin, he was not intent upon them. His fierce black eyes were fixed upon his wristwatch.

Ogtate sat up to dress. Neither man spoke.

By the time Bill was clothed, Barbara came in.

Yewliss did not explode. He spoke gently, "All right, Barbara. I was worried about what might happen, so I took an anti-asp myself and flew here. I am not too surprised by what I find. I understand you might feel sorry for Ogtate. I do myself, a little."

"Don't just stand there, Yewliss, breathing like a foundered bull," Barbara said. "Events have put a different perspective on this." Her voice regained its normal fluid assurance. "I take it, Yew, all is forgiven and forgotten?" She held out her hand to Yewliss.

Then she turned. "Bill, I may be a fool, but I don't regret what happened before. And since I've decided we'll be a long time together ..."

Bill wasn't looking at her. He was staring over her shoulder at the clock on the wall. She twisted her head. It was a few seconds before she realized the significance of the hands on the face.

Yewliss knew when he came, but he had said nothing. Now he rumbled, "Babs, your ten hours were up fifty minutes ago."

She turned away, shrugging. "Should I be frightened?" She went to the table on which rested her tube-rack and bag.

As if inspired by press of daring resolve, she stopped, tube in hand, and stared, red mouth gaping in hopeful wonder. "Could it be? Why not? They never tried that particular combination before. It won't be the first time an accident has shown what experiment never would." She whirled and leaped at Ogtate and seized his shirt.

"Bill, it's wonderful! And it was an accident! But I did it! I did it!"

The men were bewildered.

"Bill, don't you see? I poured that anti-pyretigen into you. It not only discharged its enemies, it did more. It must have released the asps, too! When the interlocking antis and gees burned, they reversed the positive charge of the asp cells. And the weakened asps drifted off and were excreted while you slept. They couldn't reattach themselves after they'd regained their normal charge, probably because the electrophoretic display accelerated the normal time for your soma's disposal of the asps. Eight years' work in ten hours! Oh, I don't know exactly. We can find out in the labs, later. Now, you're free, Bill. Free! Nobody will ever run away from you!"

Yewliss and Ogtate looked at her and then at each other. Their eyes said that she was very beautiful.

Yewliss roared with resigned laughter. They waited until he'd quit laughing. Then Barbara said, "All's not well yet. The war isn't won. We discovered the Belos; the Priami may do so independently."

Ogtate shot her a grateful look for keeping confidence of his concession to the Priami.

"You're right," the General said. "We're at a standstill. The only way we'll find out if they own it, too, will be to send a ship through. If they have it, the ship goes up in a blaze of energy."

"Then what?" asked Ogtate, staring at the woman as if he were seeing a new creature.

"Then static. The end of interplanetary travel. Babs, you'll get new orders that'll keep you on Earth. I promise that."

"I'd hoped so," she replied. "Bill, what about you? This development puts us on a new plane. Before, I knew where we stood. Now, I'm confused."

Ogtate frowned. Then tidily, as a good husband should, he replied: "I'll have to arrange for moving certain things from this island."