[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Fantastic Universe
September 1956. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the
U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
[Sidenote: It was a chill, terrifying planet inhabited by furtive
gnomes. And something was forcing the crew into homicidal insanity. But
what?]
Early on the first morning after the camp had been secured--scarcely
twenty-four hours after the first plastic shack had been erected--four
members of the surveying section brought in Bradshaw.
Gallifa, the senior biologist of the party, was loading the halftrack in
preparation for a field trip when the men placed the stretcher in the
shade of the truck. He took one look; and immediately stopped
congratulating himself on the ease of operations.
"Damn! Is he dead?" asked the stunned Gallifa.
"He isn't dead," the mapping officer said lamely. "But he's damn well
beat up."
Gallifa nodded awkwardly and looked down at the stretcher. Bradshaw was
one of his team. A good man. Gallifa hadn't known he wasn't in the
compound. Bradshaw wasn't a pleasant sight. Blood covered his face from
a deep gash above the temple, and his clothes and body were cut and
scratched in a dozen places.
"Better get him over to the hospital," Gallifa ordered brusquely. "I'll
be along as soon as I can."
The mapping officer gestured, and the men moved away with their burden.
The officer inspected the toes of his boots uncomfortably.
"How did it happen?" Gallifa asked quietly. "I would say that he had
been clawed by some kind of animal."
"That's possible," the other agreed unconvincingly. He licked his lips
nervously. "Of course, we are not sure just what did happen." He nodded
at a tall, sad-faced man standing almost at his elbow. "Hawkins spotted
him from the 'copter on his second recon flight this morning. He came
back and directed a crew to pick Bradshaw up."
The officer's manner was hesitant and confusing. Gallifa started to
speak, then glanced questioningly at Hawkins and motioned impatiently.
Hawkins cleared his throat. "I saw him almost as soon as I was in the
air. He was about half a mile on the other side of camp. I probably
wouldn't have paid any attention if he hadn't been acting so funny."
Hawkins paused and glanced apologetically at Gallifa. Gallifa frowned.
"You know how thick those brambles are all around here?" Hawkins
continued quickly. "Well, Bradshaw was running through them, just as if
something was chasing him. The thorns were cutting the clothes right off
his back. I couldn't see anything from the air, so I swung the 'copter
back and grabbed some men to see if we could find out what was wrong.
"It took almost an hour to find him again. He was in the bottom of a
little ravine, leaning against a rock. He seemed to be all right until
we were close. Then he picked up a stick and started swinging it around
like a wild man. He was clear crazy. I finally had to hit him over the
head with a rock to save myself. He was true crazy."
So that was what they had been so hesitant in telling him! Gallifa shook
his head in bewilderment. Bradshaw was one of his most competent men. It
didn't make sense that he suddenly should go berserk. Something seemed
to be missing in the report.
"That doesn't sound right," Gallifa argued stubbornly. "Are you sure
Bradshaw wasn't scared half to death by something? A man sometimes does
some funny things if he's scared."
"Maybe he _was_ scared," Hawkins admitted. "But he was sure acting
crazy. I'm sorry--" He spread his hands helplessly and walked away,
accompanied by the mapping officer.
Gallifa glanced at his wrist watch and swore softly to himself. He had
planned to get an early start, but the Bradshaw tragedy was too
important. They still knew relatively nothing about the planet. If a man
could wander around for only an hour or so and return with grievous,
unexplained injuries--Well, it obviously needed looking into.
It would be difficult enough to finish the pre-colonization survey in
the allotted time under the best of circumstances, and this was hardly
what could be called a smooth beginning. He sighed and walked over to
the hospital.
Dr. Thorndyke, a small, swarthy man with the penetrating gaze of his
profession, greeted him with a shrug and a puzzled frown.
Gallifa framed the question with his eyes.
"I don't know," the doctor said slowly. "Frankly, I've never seen
anything like this before. Your man seems to have lost his mind
completely, yet his reactions are at least pseudo-normal. He has an
intense homicidal mania, however. He regained consciousness unexpectedly
and almost brained two of my medics with a headboard before we could
give him a hypo. I don't know whether he'll improve or not. But I've
classified him unfit for further survey duty."
Gallifa shook his head in disbelief. The doctor had told him exactly
nothing. He had intelligently diagnosed Bradshaw's condition, but he
apparently hadn't the slightest idea what had caused it. It was damned
strange. Bradshaw's psych check certainly hadn't hinted at any
instability. The initial spot check notwithstanding, maybe there _was_
something disturbingly wrong with this planet. If such were the case,
his team would have to uncover it. The problem would belong to Gallifa.