THE MAGIC LABYRINTH

X had to be responsible for this.

Burton reasoned that the same event that had downed these three had also resulted in stranding X and all the other Ethicals and agents in The Valley.

That meant that no craft could fly out from the tower to pick them up. Nor could the renegade fly one of his hidden vessels to the tower. He'd been forced, as Barry Thorn, to go on the airship built by Firebrass. And he'd failed to get in the tower.

From Burton's viewpoint, the event had made certain advantages for him and for X. The agents had obviously discovered the cloth-ropes hanging down from the cliffside and the tu

If the three hadn't been killed, the cave entrance would be plugged up.

He strode to the shelves filled with tins. At the corner of each shelf was a plastic sheet about twelve inches by twelve inches. On it were figures of a man demonstrating how to open the tins. Burton didn't need the pictures since he knew from Paheri's story what to do. He passed a fingertip completely around the upper rim and waited for a few seconds. The top, seemingly of hard metal, quivered, shimmered, and turned into a gelatinous film. His finger penetrated it easily.

Burton said, loudly, "X forgot all about eating utensils and plates! But that's all right! We can use our fingers!"

Famished, the others quit looking at the objects in the cave and followed his example. They scooped out the beef stew— warm—with their fingers and, from the tins marked by a bas-relief of bread, brought out loaves. They ate voraciously until their bellies were stuffed. There seemed no reason to ration themselves. The supply was more than plentiful.

Burton, sitting on the floor, lis back against a wall, watched the others.

If one was X, why didn't he reveal his identity? Was it because he had only recruited The Valley people to have a backup team? People who might pull his chestnuts out of the fire for him if he was in a situation where he was helpless without them?

If so, why hadn't he told them more of what he expected from them?

Or had he meant to do that but events had happened unexpectedly and too swiftly? And now he was in a position where he didn't need their help? Might, in fact, believe them to be a hindrance?

And why was he a renegade?

Burton didn't believe X's story about why the other Ethicals had resurrected the Terrans.

Indeed, he wasn't sure that he hadn't been allied with someone whose true goals he would loathe if he knew them.

Perhaps that was why the Mysterious Stranger had been so mysterious, why he'd not told them the truth, why he was still in disguise.

If he were.

Whatever the truth was, it was long past time for the Ethical to reveal himself. Unless... unless X knew that some of this party were agents or other Ethicals. He would then believe that he had to keep his disguise until they were in the tower. Why in the tower? Because there he had means to overpower or kill his enemies. Or anyone else who would try to keep him from carrying out his schemes, beneficent or malignant.

These might require that his recruits be among the removed. He'd needed them only to get to the tower.

Why would he ever have thought that he might have to have their help?

Well... when Spruce had been interrogated, he'd said something about the Operator of a giant computer. Burton didn't know who the Operator was, but a computer might have been used secretly by X when, or before when, the resurrection project began. He might have put into it all the probabilities he could think of regarding his unlawful project and asked for an estimate of their happening. Perhaps, the computer might even have been able to come up with some that X couldn't think of.

One of the items offered by the computer was a situation or situations in which X might need recruits.

Burton couldn't imagine what it was, unless it was the present one.

Good enough.

And so X had gotten his recruits, and he'd erased all his questions and the answers from the computer. Somehow, he'd done it without the Operator's knowing about it. That is, all this had happened if Spruce hadn't lied and there were indeed such things as an Operator and computer.

As of now, Burton's big problem was that X hadn't told him who he was. Which meant that very soon X would be acting, not for his recruits but against them.

Burton thought that they should get some sleep before they ventured out on the boats. All agreed, and so they laid out their heavy cloths on the floor and rolled up others for pillows. Since it was warm here, they didn't even have to cover themselves with their eskimo-suit-type garments. The hot air came from slits along the bases of the walls.

"Probably powered by nuclear energy," Frigate said. "The same goes for the lamps."

Burton wanted to set two-hour watches with two guards each.

"Why?" Tai-Peng said. "It's evident that we're the only ones around for twenty thousand miles."

"We don't know that," Burton said. "We shouldn't get careless now."

Some agreed with the Chinese, but it was finally decided that they should take no chances. Burton picked the sentinels and appointed Nur to be Gilgamesh's partner and himself as Ah Qaaq's.

The Moor wasn't likely to be taken by surprise; he had extraordinary perceptions of others' attitudes and feelings; he could often tell by subtle body language what others intended to do.

It was possible that Nur was an agent or that Gilgamesh and Ah Qaaq were in cahoots. One might pretend to sleep until his colleague who was on watch attacked his partner.

The possibilities were numerous, but Burton had to take chances. He couldn't do without sleep all the time.

What worried him most, though, was that X, if he was here, might take a small boat during the night and get to the tower ahead of the others. Once there, he would make sure that the entrance at the base couldn't be entered.

Burton gave de Marbot, Alice's partner for the first duty, his wristwatch. Then he lay down on his cloths, which were near the entrance to the tu

"You owe for the flesh. Pay up."

His eyes opened, and he looked around. Tai-Peng and Blessed Croomes were on guard now. The Chinese was talking in a soft voice to the black woman not ten feet from Burton. Then Croomes slapped his face and walked away.

Burton said, "Better luck next time, Tai-Peng," and he went back to sleep.

When Nur and Gilgamesh were on watch, Burton roused again. He slitted his eyes so that they would think he was still sleeping. Both were in one of the big boats, sitting on the raised deck by the controls. The Sumerian seemed to be telling a fu

The Moor, however, seemed very much at ease. Burton watched them for a while, then nodded off. When he awoke again, with a start, Nur was shaking him.

"Your watch."

Burton rose and yawned. Ah Qaaq was standing by the shelves, eating bread and stew. He gestured at Burton to join him. Burton shook his head. He didn't intend to get any closer to him than he had to. Stooping, he withdrew the pistol from under the pillow and placed it in his holster. Ah Qaaq, he noted, was also armed. There was nothing significant in this. The guards were supposed to carry their weapons.