The Earth man continued to stare morosely down at the street. Under Tabak's guidance the three of them had secreted themselves in this neglected cell just off the sanctum of the Radiant God.
When the city was new this chamber had been a part of the defenses of the temple in case of an uprising. But as the ages crept past without any threat from the human cattle, even its existence had gradually been forgotten.
Outside, the city by the Dra Dur was in the grip of hysteria. The alarm had gone out and the street below was deserted except for occasional patrols of Nehogans.
Jupiter squinted at the angry orange sun. It seemed to rest on the rooftops. Only a minute or two and the ceremony should begin. He faced back into the room.
Tabak said: "I think it's crazy."
"Crazy or not, we need her," Jupiter said. "We can't hope to succeed without her."
He closed his eyes searching the memory patterns imprinted on his brain by Tabak.
The temple was built in the form of a hollow square with the breeding pens located in the main courtyard. Every day the human guinea pigs were driven up a back way into the sanctum of the Radiant God. There they were exposed to the hard radiations emitted by the statue.
No wonder the Anolyn could create endless mutations. The effects of hard radiation on the genes were known to every school child in the Galactic Federation.
He was still standing beside the window when the faint sound of cymbals broke the silence.