"But Haddix said—"
"Your guards welcomed me, Keifer. You couldn't afford to tell anyone else I was dead. Laura, are you all right?"
"Yes, Alan. I thought you ... he said...."
"We're getting out of here. Keifer, call your guards. Tell them to bring General Olmstead here. If you try any tricks, I'll kill you." Alan's head was whirling. He'd lost too much blood, he thought vaguely. There were two Laura's and two Keifer's swimming before his eyes.
"You can't desert your own people," Keifer told him. "You don't like my policies, but—"
"Shut up. You told Haddix to kill me. One of Haddix's men killed Eugene Talbrick, at your orders."
"I—"
Alan jammed the atomic pistol against Keifer's chest. "One question," he said. "I want the truth. Who cut off the space-warp?"
"Earth—"
"I'm going to Earth to find out. I just want to know where I stand, that's all."