Stranger in a Strange Land

While having dinner, Ben and Gillian watch a video of Douglas and a wheelchair-bound Smith addressing the public. Smith seems to recite a planned speech in which he thanks Van Tromp and his crew for “rescuing” him. He says he is excited to broker relations between Earth and Mars. The video ends, and Broadman claims the man in the video is not Smith but an actor. They deduce that either Smith is dead or Douglas will keep him hidden forever to manipulate the situation to his advantage. Caxton plans to use legal means to get Smith discharged and then take him to his friend, Jubal Harshaw, a well-known doctor and lawyer. He hopes that having Smith in the custody of a public figure will make Douglas think twice about using force to get him back.

Back at the hospital, Gillian learns that Smith has been transferred to another facility. She calls Caxton at work but is told he has left town. Caxton, meanwhile, retains a lawyer and “Fair Witness,” James Oliver Cavendish. They arrive at the medical center demanding to see the director but instead are greeted by Gil Berquist, “one of Douglas’s platoon of stooges” (45).