Part 2

When he decided further investigation was useless, Klendro was very glad to leave that place. A group of the carnivores gave chase, but Klendro spun his ship about long enough to shoot metal darts into two of them. As the others swerved back to begin an impromptu feast on their wounded companions, Klendro turned the skimmer up to full speed and made quick connection with the homing device on the ship, back in New York.

* * * * *

"I don't understand it," said Gwann, on the night of the fifth day. The Venusians were all back in the ship in Times Square, having a meal together that was partly to satisfy their appetites, partly to celebrate being together again with their friends.

"It's incredible, all right," said Jorik. "A whole planet--and of a high degree of civilization, too--wiped out. The very vegetation dying. And that's the frightening part of it: Not _dead_, mind you, _dying_. That means that whatever happened here happened _recently_."

"And those constructions in the buildings," said Volval, staring bemusedly at the wall, "the ones marked S-t-a-i-r-w-a-y. I wonder what they were for."

"Obviously they were decorations added by the architect," said Drog. "Any fool can see they served no purpose. If anything, they _hindered_ the use of the access slots to the various levels of the buildings."

"Well," said Gwann, "our work here is through. We'd better be heading back to Venus."

"And your report?" asked Jorik.

"Positive," said Gwann. "Favorable for immediate possession and colonization."

"It's a good little planet." Jorik nodded. "But why do you suppose the Earthmen all vanished?"

"We'll probably never know," Volval sighed.

"Not unless," said Klendro, indicating a bale of salvaged Earth materials, "our linguists and archeologists can make some sense out of this junk here."

"Let's hope so," Gwann said. "The mysteriousness of this whole thing is going to drive me crazy if they don't."

"Well, sir," said Drog, consulting his charts, "if we're going to take advantage of juxtaposition of the two planets--"

"Right," said Gwann, turning and making his way toward the pilot's compartment. "We'll depart from Earth in ten minutes. Secure all hatches and loose objects until we get into space."

The crew hurried to their tasks.

* * * * *

Halfway to Venus, Volval, paging idly through one of the rotting books from Earth, gave a shout.

"What is it?" said Gwann, coming into the light-beam operator's compartment, stretching to ease the muscle cramps from his long stint in the pilot's cabin.

"I've found a picture of the carnivore, sir!" said Volval proudly. "Look, sir."

"Hmm," said Gwann, studying the fading illustration. "I believe you're right. Jorik!"

The biochemist popped into the compartment, his face curious. "Yes, sir? What is it?"

"Isn't this one of your carnivores, Jorik?" asked Gwann, giving him the book.

Jorik, reaching for the book, nudged one of the newspapers atop the stack near the cabin wall, and the front page fluttered unnoticed to the floor. Across its surface were spread the incomprehensible--to Venusian eyes--words:

LITHIUM BOMB TEST COULD DESTROY WORLD

Noted Scientist Declares Danger of Polar Experiment; Melted Polar Caps May Flood Entire Globe

Jorik studied the picture carefully, his gills trickling a faint stream of bubbles as he concentrated on the image of the carnivore. "Yes, that's one of them, sure enough. I wish I could read Earth writing. I wonder just what a T-i-g-e-r-s-h-a-r-k is."

Volval bobbed up from his place and floated to a port in the ceiling, through which he could see the tiny, glittering ball of Earth, its blue-green surface sparkling like a star against the black backdrop of empty space.

"I can't understand what killed them," he said. "Living conditions were ideal."