"What makes you think you can just come sneaking in here any time you want and bully me around? I can have you thrown out of here."

"Now, now." Hocking clicked his tongue and chided, "You agreed to our little arrangement long ago, didn't you? It would be showing poor form to begin getting all indignant and officious at this late date. We've kept our part of the bargain. We expect you to keep yours."

"What do you want?" Zanderson scowled at his unwelcome guest. want a modicum of consideration," sniffed Hocking. I "Ha! You won't get that from me."

"I thought I made myself clear last time we talked," Hocking intoned menacingly. "You are a powerful man, director. With powerful enemies. What they might do with the information I could give them… Well, who knows what they might do? There is, of course, one quick way to find out, isn't there? But you don't want me to use it, do you?"

Zanderson closed his eyes and turned away.

"I thought not," Hocking soothed.

"I made a big mistake in letting you come here. A big mistake."

"'I wouldn't worry about that. It wasn't really your choice." Hocking smirked haughtily. The chair rose higher in the air.

"What do you want?"

"I want to know the whereabouts of a certain Dr. Spencer Reston."

Zanderson gulped and stared blankly at his guest. "Him? Why him?"

"Let's just say he has become something of a topic of conversation lately. I would like to know where he is."

"He's missing," said the director delicately. "I'm afraid that's want anyone can say right now."

"Do you expect to say more later?"

"No. I mean, I don't know. We haven't even notified his family yet."

"And why is that? Do you think he's likely to turn up soon?"

"No, I don't." The director shook his head sadly. "Dr. Reston is dead."

"Then why haven't you notified his family? And why has there been no announcement to this effect?"

Director Zanderson touched fingertips to his temples and sank into his chair. "You don't understand," he said wearily. "In the case of suicide we don't exactly like to rush to press with the news. It isn't good for the Center."

"Is that what you suspect? Suicide?"

"I am afraid so."

Hocking watched his man intently and decided that he was telling the truth. He assumed a bright, reassuring tone. "See how easy that was? Not unpleasant at all. I shall be going now." The chair floated across the room toward the door.

"I don't want to see you again," Zanderson said to the retreaing figure. "Do you hear me? Stay away from here.".

Hocking did not answer and the chair kept right As the door panel slid closed, the director thought on going. grim, ghostly laughter coming from the othe side He * of that heard a motionless in his chair for a long time after the sound laughter had died away. Sat …

THE TWO MEN SLIPPED along the trafficways trying to be as invisible as possible. The °f Gotham of technicians and construction workers, the dark one keeping crowd wary watch ahead on all sides, the light man keeping his face averted, eyes on his feet.

When they were certain they were not being followed they slipped unnoticed into an empty axial and hurried on. As they approached their destination they stopped and waited. Upon hearing a slight noise and voices speaking low as a portal slid open they dived into a nearby maintenance alcove and waited until the footsteps trailed away down the corridor before emerging to press the buzzer on the access plate. …

ARI, HAVING JUST GOTTEN rid of one visitor, hesitated before answering the door. She expected to hurry off to meet Spence soon and considered that probably it was best to ignore the buzzer and hope that whoever it was would go away. But it buzzed again, more insistent this time, she thought, so she went to the panel and lightly tapped the entry key.

The panel slid open and she saw a slight dark man and another behind him hidden in the shadow. "Yes?"

"Excuse me, Miss Zanderson, I-"

"Oh, it's you, Dr. Rajwandhi. " She paused. "I, uh-was just about to leave…"

"Please, I understand. Is your father here?"

"Why, no. He is at his office, I imagine. Or at a meeting somewhere. If you need to see him, I would suggest-"

He cut her off. "Thank you. Is anyone else here?" He answered her suspicious look, saying, "Please, the purpose of my questions will immediately become clear."

She peered past Adjani to the man lurking behind him. A hint of worry glinted in her eyes. "No one else is here. I'm alone."

At this the man behind Adjani moved into the light and both men hurried through the door. ,,Spence!" squeaked Ari in surprise.

"Sorry for the charade. I had to see you at once."

She saw a strange fire smoldering behind his dark eyes and stopped; she had been about to greet him with a kiss. Instead, she froze, her hands halfway to him. "What is it? Something wrong?"

Spence took one of the outstretched hands and led her to the reading room where they all sat down together. "No," he told her, "nothing's wrong. I remembered some details that might help us. I couldn't wait. I'm sorry if we frightened you."

They sat on the couch beneath the green abstract and Adjani pulled up the low table and sat facing them.

Now that he was here, Spence did not know where to begin. Adjani helped him. "Our friend here has been awake all night pestering me with impossible questions. For the sake of a restful sleep tonight I suggested we come to see you."

Ari smiled. "For a sleep researcher he doesn't seem to do much of it, does he?"

"And he makes sure no one else does, either, I assure you."

"He's right. I couldn't sleep last night. I kept thinking about what you said yesterday-about the Dream Thief. I told Adjani about it. We think it might be important."

Ari suddenly paled. Spence could see her withdraw a little into herself. Her tone became guarded. "Certainly. I'll tell you anything you want to know."

"Who was with you just now?" asked Adjani. The change in subject came so abruptly, both Spence and Ari looked at him sharply.

"What?" they asked in unison.

"When we came up a moment ago someone was just leaving. Your father, perhaps?"

Spence frowned. "That doesn't concern us, Adjani. Anyway it's none of our business."

"But you are wrong, my friend. It might concern us entirely."

Ari held up her hands. "It's all right. I was going to bring it up myself anyway because I thought it was a little odd.

"Spence, it was that lab assistant of yours."

"Kurt Millen?" He said the name as if it were a foreign word he did not know how to pronounce. "What did he want?"

"Now that you ask, I don't know. He didn't say exactly, That's what was odd about it." She paused; a look of deep con, centration crossed her face. When she looked up again her eyes glittered; her tone was hushed excitement.

"Oh, Spence! I remember something-it's been haunting me for weeks and I couldn't for the life of me think of what it was. I think it' important."

"What is it? What do you know?"

"I think I know who's out to get you!"