midnight
For the first time in days , Dal Timgar felt a new flicker of hope . It was a long way from the students ' barracks to the pathology sector where Black Doctor Arnquist lived . Dal Timgar decided not to try to go to the barracks first . It was after midnight , and even though the message had said `` regardless of hour , '' Dal shrank from the thought of awakening a physician of the Black Service at two o'clock in the morning . He was already later arriving at Hospital Seattle than he had expected to be , and quite possibly Black Doctor Arnquist would be retiring . It seemed better to go there without delay . But one thing took priority .