one."

"I mean, if we can't cope with this transuranic Thing," Cubbison answered fussily. "It might get all of us under control as it has Andersen and Mathers. In that case, we'd all be working to help It grow. The Commission is sending two rockets at once to take off all Station personnel if the situation here becomes untenable. But in case we're overpowered by the Thing before the rockets can get here, and fail to maintain intelligent communication by televisor, the rockets will drop plutonium bombs on the Station."

We stared at him. "You mean, destroy the Station?" said Burris. "Destroy all of us?"

Cubbison nodded, frowning. "It's regrettable, but it would have to be done if the Thing in there proves too much for us before the rockets come. We can take no chance of Its growing beyond the Moon in power."

Zarias' face worked, and he went up to Cubbison and took his hand. "I want to say that I am sorry, sir," the Greek said huskily.

"Sorry?" Cubbison asked annoyedly. "Sorry about what? Really, Doctor Zarias, you are being obscure."

But we knew what Zarias meant—we all knew, for we all felt the same shame as he did at our misjudgment of the man before us. Pompous, vain, stuffy—yes, Cubbison was all those things. But what we hadn't suspected was that he was the best scientist, and the best man, among us.

We knew, now! We knew it wasn't bureaucratic intriguing that had led the Commission to put him at the head of the Station. We knew, and were ashamed.

I don't think Cubbison dreamed what we were thinking.

"Now, Doctor Zarias," he went on briskly, "if you'll explain how you propose to deal with this Thing?"

"We've got to rush It before It gets stronger," Zarias said. "Burris, Drummond and I will wear these beryllium-shielded helmets. They may hold out the radiation well enough to let us shove the transuranic elements back to their chambers, and thus break Its body up."

"And if the helmets don't hold?" Marie asked anxiously.

No one answered her. There wasn't any answer.

Young Carew stood ready at the lab corridor door as we put on the helmets and adjusted them so we could see through the lead-glass eye-slits. Then we crouched at the door like sprinters 

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