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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..751b9a1 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #63826 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/63826) diff --git a/old/63826-0.txt b/old/63826-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 92c3a53..0000000 --- a/old/63826-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2279 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Spider Men of Gharr, by Wilbur S. Peacock - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this ebook. - -Title: Spider Men of Gharr - -Author: Wilbur S. Peacock - -Release Date: December 05, 2020 [EBook #63826] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SPIDER MEN OF GHARR *** - - - - - Spider Men of Gharr - - By WILBUR S. PEACOCK - - Kimball Trent was the last hope of a ravaged Earth, - for locked in his mind were secrets that would - bring freedom to the Barbs. He lacked but one - thing to release the power of those secrets--the key - to the riddle of the blue monsters who could not die. - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Planet Stories Summer 1945. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -At first there was only the cold, the Stygian inky iciness that held -every muscle of his body in thrall and made his thoughts flow with the -turgid slowness of treacly molasses. He could not open his eyes, nor -could he move; and his mind slipped back into the darkness time and -time again. He tried to think of who he was, or _what_ he was, and -there was no knowledge in his brain. - -And then the heat came through to him, biting into his numbed flesh -with the bitter sharpness of a naked yellow flame, drawing life to all -his body, pressing back some of the velvet shadows from his mind. - -"_Kim_," he thought dazedly. "_I'm Kim._" - -And then his mind blanked out again, for how long, he did not know. But -when he came to, he could open his eyes and see the faintest glimmer of -sunlight coming through the split and ruptured earth, tiny dust motes -floating in the golden streak. - -"_I'm Kim_," he thought again, and held onto the memory with a frantic -desperation, frightened that it was the only reality he had. - -He moved at last, screaming at the agony that surged with every -movement, finally rolled into a sitting position. There was but the -barest glint of light from the earth fault, and his eyes grew strained -as he peered about. - -He was in a cave, obviously artificial, for there were shelves loaded -with dully-gleaming objects, and man-hewn blocks of stone lay upturned -where great strangling roots squirmed into the air like monstrous scaly -snakes. - -He looked at himself. - -His hands were talons now, for the nails were curled and twisted into -tangled knots, and the flesh had not the resiliency or the strength to -straighten the fingers. He bent his head, watched fabric disintegrate -into dust on his emaciated body, then gasped. Great festoons of -the dust had not powdered into nothingness, and he recognized that -they were the swirls of beard that hung pendant from his chin. He -straightened, mind trying to grasp what had happened, and the hair from -his head swirled about his shoulders, rippling in undulant waves into -the clump of tangled masses that lay at his side. - -He tried to swallow, but his throat was dry, his tongue swollen. -The terrible cold was still in him, and he shivered agonizingly for -seconds. It was then he heard the sound of rilling water close at hand. - -He crawled toward the sound, tangling hands and feet in the hair that -grew so monstrously from his head, his fingernails scrabbling and -clicking together like the whisperings of bare branches before a soft -Winter breeze. - -"_I'm Kim_," he thought again, and drank with great slobbering noises -from the narrow shallow stream that pierced one wall of the cave and -vanished through the opposite. - -Thirst slaked, he lay, gasping, like some spent animal, thoughts -swelling and unfolding in his mind, creeping unbidden from dark -recesses, stealing into the brightness of his consciousness. - -"I'm Kim," he thought. "Kimball Trent." - -He sat, groaning from the hurt that was in every muscle, methodically -broke the twisted fingernails close to his finger tips, permitting his -fingers to flex more freely, giving him hands once more instead of -paws. He tried to break his heavy hair and beard the same way, but his -strength was not enough for that, and he searched for something that -would free him of the burden. - - * * * * * - -He found the knife almost where he had waked. The plastic haft was -pitted with corrosion, and there was but a scrap of the incredibly hard -steel left; but with it he managed to hack away his beard and hair, -leaving both less than a foot long. - -He felt a bit better now, some of the pain easing from his body, the -tiny warm breeze slipping through the earth fault touching him and -giving life to him in passing. - -Standing, moving with agonizing slowness, he staggered toward the -source of light, clawed at the sides of the fault. Earth crumbled -beneath his hands, dropped about his bare feet. He fought the imbedded -rocks, pulled them free, then scratched his way out of the cave, -dragging himself into the sunlight, blinking against the radiance. - -He lay on the velvety-smooth green grass, breathing deeply, his lean -body etched with shadows as though it had received no sustenance for a -long time. A redbird watched silently from the clump of green bushes -at his side, then hopped fearlessly into cover again, trilling its -warbling melody to the sky. - -A squirrel chittered inquisitively from the limb of a towering tree, -then flicked out of sight with a toss of its bushy tail. The breeze was -warm and soothing, and Kimball Trent slept. - - * * * * * - -He awoke to sunlight again, stretching with the uneasy flexing of an -animal, then snapped to awareness with a movement that almost brought -him to his feet. Pain gushed through his body in red waves, and he sank -back with a stifled groan. - -And as though the pain had been a curtain before his brain, it parted, -and he could think again. - -He looked around, trying to adjust his memories to what he saw. He was -in timber, great leafy trees towering over his head, the grass and -bushes thick and green upon the ground. He saw the huge monolithic -rock directly before him, and his mind could not comprehend what had -happened. - -Only yesterday there had been no trees; that rock had stood alone in -the clearing he had made with axe and saw. - -And even the rock had changed. Now the edges were not sharp and -angular; now they were softened and worn, like a blocky cake of salt -that had stood in the summer rain. - -He rose to his feet, went to where the heavy metal door had been. It -was gone, covered with soil, the earth matted with grass and flowers. -He turned away, panic eating at his heart, walked to the earth fault -through which he had burrowed like a worm. - -Shuddering, he went into the hole, slipping, scrambling, stood upright -in the darkness, adjusting his eyes to the lack of light. He saw the -radi-flash on the stony floor, bent and clicked it on. The cone of -yellow brilliance went twice about the chamber, came to the wheel that -no longer turned before the surge of pressure from water rushing along -its underground course. - -He bent over it, marvelling at the wear that had come to the plastic -hub, remembering how utterly indestructible it was. He allowed his gaze -to travel along the refrigerating tubes that spider-webbed the ceiling -and walls. They were dry, no longer coated with sheaths of hoar-frost. -The air was still cold, though, and he shivered in his nakedness. - -Then he saw the broken refrigerating pipe, and full knowledge of what -had happened flooded his mind. He had been repairing the pipe, had just -taken the first twist of the nut, when it had exploded in his face, -cascading silvery liquid over his entire body---liquid so perfectly -heat-absorbent it froze anything and everything within a split second -after contact. - -Kimball Trent whimpered deep in his throat, appalled at the death -that he had escaped by inches. Evidently the liquid had not more than -brushed him in passing. - -He turned to the shelves, reaching for the cans, kicking aside the heap -of hair that touched his foot. - -He broke the seal on the first can, placed it aside, feeling the heat -burgeoning from the built-in cooking unit. Then he opened other cans, -ripping away the plastic seals, gorging himself on the cold soups and -ripe succulent vegetables. Partially sated, he opened the heated can, -used the knife remnant as a fork with which to feed himself on the -preserved beef and beans. - -Satisfied, he breached a small cask of water, drank thirstily and -avidly; then turned away. The radi-light cut brightness through -the dark, and he went along the wall, removing covers from five -radi-lights, glad that they were eternal. With shadows driven from the -chamber, and with his belly fed, he felt more like a man and less like -an animal. - -The first door of the underground fortress stuck a bit, and he had to -swing his weight against it. The portal swung open in a gushing of damp -air, and automatically, he flicked the air-conditioning switch. Far -away, deeper in the ground, machinery began to hum, and clean air began -forcing out the bad. - -Trent clicked on the ceiling lights, staring about the mammoth cavern -as though he had never seen it before. It stretched so far away from -him that his eyes could make out no details at the far end. Along -one side, doors opened into the living quarters where more than ten -thousand people were destined to live. Further back were the open -kitchens where communal meals would be prepared; and still further back -where his eyes could make out no detail were the machine shops where -weapons to fight the Gharrians would be conditioned and manufactured. - -He was smiling as he looked about; for this was his dream brought to -realization by the wealth that had come to him from his father. His -money had built this retreat, his money and the hands of a thousand -men. Here, within this man-made cavern, would be the refuge for those -people who escaped the ravages of the monsters whose sleek vicious -ships had wiped New York and London and Berlin from the face of the -Earth. - - * * * * * - -He went toward the great televisors, wondering how many stations still -broadcast news of the holocaust that had come to the world. A frown -tightened dark brows when he saw the dust that lay on the floor, became -a scowl when he saw how it was heaped before the main receiver. He -kicked at the dust, saw the signet ring that had fallen through it. - -Bending, Kimball Trent lifted the gold ring, studied it. Doctor Boyliss -had worn it the last time they had talked; it was strange that he -should find it here. - -He sat in the chair, switched on the main televisor, relaxed as warmth -came from the screen, color glowing from green into violet, swirling -into the indescribable shade of blue that gave the screen its three -dimensional depth of focus. - -His hand went to the "repeat" switch, flicked it. - -"This is Doctor Boyliss speaking for the last time," a familiar voice -said tiredly from the speaker, while the screen showed no figure. "I -have just escaped from the Gharrians, but the wound I have received -is mortal, and I can live but moments." There was only the sound of -labored breathing for seconds, then the voice continued. - -"Most of the leaders are dead, betrayed by spies; only three of us -escaped the Gharrian's last raid. Thompson and Fortney have elected to -act as guides for the few of you who might escape the final series of -raids. I hope that many of you are listening to these final words of -mine. - -"Kimball Trent is also dead, frozen to death by an explosion in the -Refrigerator Room, Number One; therefore his knowledge must be replaced -by the minds of those among you." - -A surge of terrible wracking coughing sounded, followed by the sobbing -gasps of a man dying of an agonizing wound. Then: - -"One final word. Fight the Gharrians, blast them from the face of -Earth, drive them back into hell-space that spawned them. Battle them -with every weapon and scheme within your power to use. My blessings -upon all of you. Go with God--" - -There was only the faintest of thudding sounds, and then silence. - -Kimball Trent leaned back in the chair, twisting the ring over and over -in his fingers, horror piling upon horror in his mind. His gaze flicked -to the perpetual radi-calendar beside the screen, and he read the date, -June 9, 2735. - -He gasped, knowing now the answer to many things, his mind accepting -the thought that he would not believe before, one that he had stifled -with all his will because it was so fantastic. He shuddered, gaze -racing about the crypt-stillness of the room, and fear knotted the -muscles of his heart. - -He knew now why his beard and hair had been so uncannily long and why -his body had withered and grown emaciated through the passage of what -had seemed a few hours. He knew now why the dust had been throughout -the room, and he knew why the ring had been in the greater dust pile -that lay before the screen. - -He knew that he had been held in frozen thrall, had been kept -miraculously alive, like a fish frozen in a block of ice, by the -instantaneous freezing of his body by the refrigerant. He knew that the -primitive water-wheel attached to the machinery of the refrigerating -room had kept the room at a below zero temperature until it had stopped -when the water flow had dropped below the wheel by slow degrees. - -Yes, he had the answers to everything now. - -This was June 2735--and the accident had befallen him in August 2210. - -He had slept in frozen suspended animation for more than five hundred -years. - -He was alive, and the men and women with whom he had fought the -Gharrians were dead and dust for centuries. He was alive, and the -refuge he had built had never been used. He was alive--_and alone_. - - - II - -Nine days had passed since Kimball Trent's awakening. He was more alert -now, the flat muscles of his body swelling again because of the rich -solid food that he ate to replenish his strength. He had found razors -and cream and had shaved, and with scissors he had given his unruly -dark mane of hair a close cropping, leaving it only long enough that it -did not drop over his eyes. - -The nine days had been busy; for he had spent hours at the televisor, -trying vainly to pick up any messages that might be sent by enemy or -friend. He had found clothing still good in their air-tight lockers, -had strapped on a flame gun automatically, still unable to make himself -believe that five centuries had passed in the few short moments of -eternity that he had been unconscious. - -He stood now before the televisor, turning off the visual screen, -cutting in the automatic relay that would record any scene or message -that came through in his absence. He knew that none would arrive; but -there was in his heart something that would not admit total defeat. - -He shrugged the small food pack into a more comfortable position on -his wide shoulders, lifted the radi-needle gun and looped it from his -right shoulder by the sling. Slowly, then with greater determination, -he began to walk to the door that led to the refrigerator room. - -He entered the room, climbed through the earth fault to the outside, -carefully replacing the camouflage mat he had made to cover the -entrance. Standing straight and tall in the warm sunlight, he checked -his wrist compass, then paced lightly forward through the trees. - -His strength was almost fully returned now, and he walked with the -lithe grace of an Indian, slipping through the underbrush and foliage -with but the barest of sounds to mark his passing. Light trickled -through the trees, caressed his back, brought perspiration to his -forehead. His face was hard and grim, and his eyes keen, as he searched -the woods about for the slightest of signs that would betoken a hidden -watcher. - -His shadow walked before him, sliding through other shadows, then -standing out bold and deep in the sunlit places. The webbing of his -chest harness pressed against the rippling muscles of his flesh, and -the flame pistol bounced slightly on his hip with every step. - -He checked his compass again, then turned due south, cutting through -the timber, finding open fields two miles further where the walking was -much easier. Rabbits sat in curious wide-eyed watchfulness as he walked -through the waving green grass that carpeted the fields, but he gave -them no heed, his eyes watching the skies for signs of a crimson ship. - -He was a stranger in his native land. Land contours seemed different -now, since the timber had come up unheeded. The old roads and paths -that he had walked as a boy and man were gone, absorbed through the -passing of years. He traveled entirely by compass, swinging to the east -after two hours of hard traveling. - -The smell of water came to the air, cloying it with dampness, making -it somehow fragrant. A hundred yards further, and he was on the bank, -gazing across the muddy flood. He turned to his right, and far ahead -was New York. - -He swore then, cursing in the tight voice of a man who feels a hurt so -deeply that it is a physical pain. His hands clenched at his sides, and -the muscles of his chest glided upward against the straps. - -There was no superb skyline now; gone were the gleaming white spheres -and golden columns and blocky marble and plastic shafts that were -famous the world over. No smoke hung high in the sky over the city; -only a few white clouds floated in graceful indifference where great -strato-liners had flashed on pinions of gushing rocket flames. - -There was a skyline, yes, but it hugged the ground, and it was only -the skeleton of the greatest city on earth. Even from where he stood, -Kimball Trent could see that buildings had toppled one against the -other when the concussion guns of the Gharrians had roared their song -of death. - - * * * * * - -Kimball Trent began to walk with great ground-eating strides. He could -see where the supports of the great bridges were on either bank further -south; but the spans had been blown away, and he knew that to cross the -river would mean swimming or constructing some kind of raft on which to -float and paddle. - -Instinctively, he unslung his rifle, held it in both hands, the -prescience of danger a cold and clammy hand that squeezed his heart and -tightened the nerves in his rangy body. - -He came to a cut-back, where water had washed a deep gully to the -river. He had stepped from the bushes and poised on the edge. - -Then he saw the girl. - -She was trapped, huddling back against the base of the far wall, -slender hands outspread at either side, wide terrified eyes watching -the alien monstrosity stalk her with a dreadful calmness. She wore -a belted skirt of soft leather, laced sandals and a tight halter of -blue leather. Red-gold hair hung in a cloud of brilliance about her -shoulders, swirled, as she turned. - -She made no outcry, all of her attention on the beast that stalked her -with heavy mincing steps. - -Kimball Trent swore softly, lifted his gun, then let it sag in -futility. Only too well did he know how invulnerable these Gharrians -were to any weapon Earthmen had devised. Radi-needles could not -penetrate their steel-hard hide, and high-explosives merely bounced -them about, apparently doing no damage at all. - -They were squat, almost apelike in build, except that they had a double -chest, ending in two pairs of arms. A single eye peered lidlessly from -the head-like protuberance on the shoulders that made them weirdly -humanlike in appearance. Pad feet without toes carried them on legs -that had no knee joints. And their skin was the slaty bright blue of -sea water thirty feet down. - -Kimball Trent saw the Gharrian before the girl, and horror was in his -eyes. He lifted his rifle automatically again, and hell raved for a -brief second as he shot a full clip at the beast. The Gharrian did not -turn, apparently did not notice the attack. - -But not the girl. She lifted her head, violet eyes widening in features -browned by the sun, and her hands make quick gestures. - -"Run!" she cried. - -The Gharrian plodded forward, multi-fingered hands outspread to take -the girl. He gave no heed to the cry, for his race had no speech, and -apparently no hearing. - -Kimball Trent, cocked the gun to explosives, wondering if he could blow -the monster to bloody fragments, then shook his head, knowing that such -was impossible. He was held in thrall by the sheer bravery of the -golden girl, for there could be but one ending to the drama. - -"Run to your left," he ordered, swung the gun up again. - -The girl darted to one side like a flame-haired wraith, going -unquestioningly toward the blank end of the gully, pressing against the -rocky wall. Her eyes followed every movement of the man on the gully's -edge. - -And even the Gharrian seemed to sense Trent's presence now; for it -turned with a ponderous deadly smoothness, one hand dipping for the -square box dangling on a waist cord. Its single eye was as coldly -emotionless as that of a cobra. - -Kimball Trent fired five times, bracing himself against the -concussions, blowing away the center of the cliff that towered twenty -feet above the Gharrian's head. And on the fifth shot, even as the -monster from outer space began to move with sudden speed for safety, -the embankment collapsed, burying him beneath tons of earth. - -[Illustration: _Trent fired three feet above the Gharrian's head._] - -"_Here!_" Trent called, but the girl was already running toward him, -scrambling up the sloping bank at his side of the gully. - -He reached out to give her a hand, and she caught his in a grip that -was remarkably strong. Below, noise filled the gully, and dirt blasted -upward from the slide. The Gharrian was blowing himself free with his -concussor box. - -"This way," the girl said, and began to run. - -She raced toward the river, scrambled down the bank, going directly -toward a large log at the bank. Trent followed, sliding and slipping, -beginning to breathe hard from the unaccustomed exertion. - -"Wait," he called. "He'll see us swimming." - -Then wonder came to his mind; for the girl had bent and swung back the -top of the log, showing the interior of a crudely camouflaged canoe. -She scrambled into it, beckoning for him to follow, and he stepped in, -helped close the lid over their heads. - -"We're safe now," the girl breathed, touched a single lever at her -head. A slight humming came from somewhere, and motion came to the -canoe, and there was the slightest sensation of movement. - - * * * * * - -Kimball Trent bent his head to one side, peered through a line of tiny -holes that pierced the side of the canoe. He grinned tightly, seeing -the dirt-clotted figure of the Gharrian come slowly into sight on the -river bank. The monster searched the water for a second, then turned -and went toward the woods with an implacable slowness that was all the -more terrifying because of the utter lack of speed. - -Trent looked ahead at the girl, barely making her out in the semi-gloom -of the camouflaged canoe. Her eyes were on his features, and they did -not waver at his stare. - -"Who are you, Barb, that you stand against the Masters, and what manner -of weapons are those you carry?" she asked. - -Trent shook his head slightly, missing some of the words because of -the queer manner she had in her syllabication and pronunciation. Then -he grinned, remembering that this was not the past, and that language -would have changed considerably during the five centuries of his -enforced entombment. - -"I do not know what you mean by 'Barb,'" he said. "My name is Kimball -Trent, and the weapons are--well, weapons." - -"You speak strangely," the girl said slowly. "Where are you -from--Giland, or Connet, or where?" - -Trent studied the question for a moment, then understanding came to his -eyes. "You mean Long Island and Connecticut?" he asked. - -The girl shrugged, brushed soft hair back from a smooth forehead. "Once -they were called that, I think," she admitted. - -Trent shook his head. "I came from the woods," he said. "Who are you, -and how did you get mixed up with that Gharrian?" he finished. - -"I am Lura, of the tunnels of York. I was hunting, when the Master -trapped me." She smiled, and gratitude was in her voice. "I thank you, -Barb," she finished. - -"Barb?" - -"Of course--Barbarian, Barbar, Barb--whatever you like." - -She notched the lever more, and the canoe swayed slightly from the -increasing speed, water slapping brightly against the wooden sides. -Trent watched her graceful movements, saw the swell of her breasts, the -long clean lines of her body. - -"So the world is conquered," he mused, half aloud. - -Anger came to Lura's fine features, and her hand dropped to the knife -at her waist. "I do not like joking about the world," she said stiffly. -"The world is not conquered, not while any of us free people live." - -Kimball Trent shifted to a more comfortable position. "I meant no -joke," he apologized, while thoughts ran with quicksilver speed in his -mind. "I do not know," he added. "I fell but a few days ago and hurt my -head. I cannot remember many things." - -Contrition came to her voice. "The magician will bleed you," she said, -"and the reader will heal your mind." - -"_Magician--Reader?_" - -Suspicion hardened the girl's voice again, and the knife came clear of -the sheath. Her gaze locked with his, and her words came softly one -upon the other. - -"You know too little and too much," she said. "I think the Elder will -talk with you." - -Kimball Trent shrugged, relaxed, while the girl sent the canoe through -the water. Events were transpiring a little too fast for him, and his -mind could not assimilate the facts as fast as they were produced. - -People still lived, that was obvious, even though the world had been -conquered. But they were not the kind of people he had known. If this -girl were representative of her people, then they knew nothing of -weapons, that is, the type he had; and in all probability her reference -to the magician and the reader meant that they had reverted almost to a -primitive form of social life. - -He saw no particular reason to trust the slim girl, even though his -senses were stirred by her wild litheness. For seconds, he had almost -blurted out the knowledge that was his, intending to tell her of the -underground cavern. Then caution and common sense came to his mind, and -he said nothing, watching her through slitted eyes. - -She was conscious of his gaze, of that he was aware. But now suspicion -lay in her eyes, and her hand was close to the slim knife at her side, -as she guided the slim canoe through the blue water toward the nearing -bank. - -"Do not move, Barb," the girl said coldly, "else you shall feel my -knife in your ribs." - -Kimball Trent smiled to himself. "I shall not move," he said evenly. "I -know my limitations." - - * * * * * - -The canoe grated against sand, and the girl threw the cover back. Trent -blinked in the sunlight, then came to his feet, watched amusedly as -the girl gestured with her knife for him to lead the way. Catching up -his rifle, he slung it over his shoulder, then stepped from the canoe, -watched as she camouflaged it again as a log. - -"Through there," she ordered, pointed ahead. - -They did not speak, for the time of speaking lay in the future. Behind -them, a soulless monster was searching the brush with a blind patience -that had conquered a world; and for all they knew he might have -signalled more of his kind to come and aid him in his search. - -He went ahead, not absolutely certain of where he was, climbing the -sloping bank, going toward the edge of the trees ahead. He saw the -rustle in the bushes, froze at half-step, hand going to the pistol at -his hip. - -"_Brok!_" Lura said softly. "Go back toward the water--slowly, and -maybe it will not attack." - -But Kimball Trent had his flame gun in his hand now and was going -forward, placing each foot carefully, ready for instant action. And on -the fourth step, he gasped, felt the blood freeze in his veins. - -It came through the bush with the gliding grace of a cat. And it -was feline, too, in a way, with the gaping mouth and fangs of a -saber-tooth tiger. But there the resemblance ended. Six clawed legs -carried it forward, and scales glittered like the skin of a diamondback -rattlesnake. Pupilless eyes, like polished red marbles stared -unwinkingly, and the hissing sound from the beast's throat was like the -escaping of steam. - -"Brok," Lura called again. "Do not move, Barb." - -But Kimball Trent's hand was already coming up, leveling the flame gun. -And even as the gun swung into position, the brok came hurtling forward -in a fluid drive of ruthless destruction. - -He came squarely into the raving cone of orange flame that gushed from -the pistol, came smashing into it, and a scream of agony keened high -at the bright blue sky. For nothing alive could withstand the awful -violence of that ravening energy; only one creature, the Gharrian, had -been able to live through its devouring power. - -It died in midleap, and Kimball Trent stepped aside so that its -hurtling body would not touch him. He turned the flame on the -smouldering corpse, destroyed it with the full power of the gun. Then, -grey faced, he looked at Lura. - -"What manner of man are you?" she whispered. "You battle the Masters -and their stalking broks; you use weapons the like of which I have -never heard. Are you a God?" - -Trent smiled, shaken a bit by the sincere simplicity of the girl's -question, then shook his head. - -"I am a man," he answered gently. "Now let us go and talk with the one -you call 'the Elder.'" - -Lura looked at the knife still gripped in her fingers, and a flush of -color tided upward from her throat when her gaze went to the two guns -carried by Trent. Wordlessly, she sheathed the blade. - -She led the way now, going into the thickest part of the timber, -gliding through the most tangled of the thickets with a careless -familiar grace. Kimball Trent followed more clumsily, tripping despite -his natural skill, scratching himself on sharp brambles. Minutes -flicked away, grew into an hour, and he knew that he was approaching -the city. They crossed roads now, cement blocks cracked by rain and -winter ice, bright flowers and green grasses springing upward through -the cracks. - -Everywhere was bleak desolation. They passed holes in the ground that -had once been basements. Walls still stood in other places, and further -on, a great stone fence wound gracefully about what had been a private -park. - -Rubble came to the ground, the crushed remains of towering buildings -blasted to bits by the Gharrians' concussors. Here and there, shards of -indestructible plastic poked toward the sky to mark where vehicles had -collapsed and dusted away in the course of centuries. - -They came at last to a mighty stack of ruptured stone and plastics. -Lura picked her way over the rubble, then dropped into a small hole, -beckoning for Trent to follow. He came cautiously up the pile of stone, -hand close to his gun, feeling his nerves crawl, now that he was close -to his destination. This was not the situation he had planned five -hundred--he grinned wryly--years ago. - -Then he sat, dangled his feet into the hole, dropped through. - -Lura steadied him, and he stood upright, his head almost even with -the ceiling of stone blocks. Light came through the interstices, and -he could see that the girl was urging him toward a blank wall of grey -plastic fifty feet away. - -He walked slowly, conscious of being watched, eyes tightening when he -saw the girl give a tapping signal to the wall. Then a door pivoted -open, and three men were covering him with needle-sharp spears. - -"_Kill him_," Lura cried. "_He's a Gharrian spy!_" - - - III - -Kimball Trent was already moving, swinging to one side, the flame gun -fitting snugly into the palm of his hand. There was no laughter in his -eyes now, nor no friendliness in his heart. He felt a sympathy for the -girl; but the die had been cast, and he must play out the role. - -"Don't make me kill you," he said briefly. - -The leader of the trio laughed aloud, the sound rocking from wall to -wall of the weird hole in the fallen masonry. He came lightly forward, -blond hair gleaming, great muscles rippling over his superb body. He -carried himself with the grace of a dancer, the spear held crosswise in -his hands, ready for instant action at any angle. - -"Ho!" he said. "The traitor is mine." - -Flame roared from Kimball Trent's gun, and the iron shaft of the blond -giant's spear melted and dripped in splattering white-hot globules -where the energy touched. - -Low cries of fear whirled from the other two men, and the blond stared -stupidly at his useless spear, dropped it as the heat crept along the -haft. He stared at Trent, and no fear was in his eyes; only a growing -respect and hate. - -"Traitor!" he snarled, came driving in. - -Trent went spinning to one side, slipping in the way that all army men -were trained, then chopped with a cool calculating skill at the base of -the giant's neck with the pistol butt. The giant dropped inertly, and -Kimball Trent faced Lura and the spearmen again. - -"One!" he said grimly. "The next to attack me dies. Now take me to the -Elder." - -There was a shadow in the doorway that materialized into the figure of -a man. "I am the Elder, Barb," he said. "Who are you?" - -He was tall, the loose robe hanging straight from lean shoulders, his -thin features stern as he gazed at the scene. His hands were empty, -yet they gave a sense of power to him, for the fingers were long and -tapering, the palms broad. He watched Trent quietly through eyes that -gave the uncanny impression of seeing much and retaining all. - -He stepped from the doorway, stood waiting quietly, pale eyes -appraising the man from the past, features tightening in puzzled -memory, as though he was trying to recall someone he had seen before. - -"He is a spy, Elder," Lura cried. "He appeared from nowhere, _overcame -a Master_, and slew a brok. He carries weapons such as only the Masters -have--and he has a double name." - -"My name is Trent, Kimball Trent," Trent said evenly. "I was searching -for anyone alive--" - -The blond giant stirred at his feet, moaned, then came groggily to -his feet. He blinked dazed eyes, saw Trent, instantly fell to a -half-crouch, hands knotting into blocky fists. - -"Enough, Korm," the Elder snapped, and the giant relaxed. - -The tension was easing now, dispersed by the calmness of the Elder. -Quietly, Trent holstered his flame gun, then crossed his arms, stood -quietly waiting for the old man to speak. - -"I have seen you somewhere before," the Elder said, "and your double -name is familiar in the depths of my mind." His voice changed subtly, -grew desperately grim. "What do you here?" he finished. - -"Let us talk somewhere else," Trent said. "I shall be glad to tell my -story then." - -The Elder nodded, turned and stepped through the door. Kimball Trent -followed, the remaining four coming directly after. The blond giant -touched a stud on the wall, and the door came softly closed, mantling -all with sable darkness. - -Light swelled in a pale nimbus from a wall lamp, and they began walking -down a narrow tunnel. Sweat dripped from the walls, and the air was -coldly damp. Their feet made rasping noises, and the sound of their -breathing was abnormally loud. They did not speak, but Kimball Trent -was aware of their coldly appraising looks, and the skin of his back -crawled when he remembered the razor-sharp spears couched in capable -hands. - -The lights flickered out of being behind, new ones coming on, as they -walked, leaving them in a perpetual cocoon of brilliance, making the -darkness a velvet wall eternally pressing in. Close at hand light -speared suddenly from a side tunnel, and the Elder led the way into -it, halted at the side of a low mono-wheel car that rested on a single -plastic track. - -He waited until all had seated themselves in the car, then stepped into -the front, touched a series of studs. Vibration came from a concealed -motor, and the mono-wheel car slipped into whining speed almost -instantly. - - * * * * * - -The walls whirred by, and the air was a solid blast against their -faces. Kimball Trent turned slightly as the car sped along, watching -the faces, nerves tightening at the suspicion and distrust that held -all in thrall. - -He gave his attention to the machine in which they rode, saw that it -was a model but slightly better than the ones to which he had been -accustomed. The plastic air-shield had been removed for some reason, -otherwise the passengers could have carried on a conversation in normal -tones. - -The tunnel wound through the ground like the home of a worm, slipping -through mazes of interlocking tracks, automatic relays making certain -that the car was not shunted into the path of an approaching vehicle. -But they met no other cars; there was a sense of death and desolation -in the tunnels and depots. - -The car began to slow, the walls firming at either side, and came at -last to a stop at a single platform on which stood three men armed -with knives and spears. They were dressed as were his captors, in -loose robes, which they apparently wore against the chill of their -underground retreat. - -They saluted as the car came to a stop, stepped forward, weapons -levelled, when they saw Trent. - -"A prisoner, Elder," the first said respectfully. - -The Elder shook his head. "A friend," he said gently. - -Kimball Trent stepped to the platform, stretched his hand to help Lura, -flushed when she ignored his hand and came from the vehicle without -aid. The others ranged themselves at his back; and the tension was in -the group again. - -"This way," the Elder said. "We shall talk in my room." - -"Elder, his weapons!" Korm said briefly. - -Kimball Trent shrugged, lifted his guns free, handed them to the giant -who took them with gingerly respect. - -"Do not experiment with them," Trent advised. - -Korm grinned wryly, laid them on the platform. "I want _nothing_ to do -with them," he said grimly. - -Then the Elder and Kimball Trent were going through the open door, the -others remaining behind. They followed a short lighted tunnel carved -through living rock, turned aside into a single room. - -"I make you welcome," the Elder said. - -Kimball Trent gazed curiously about, seeing the crudeness of the -furnishings; the room was furnished like that of an ascetic, not like -the home of the leader of some group. It had a spartan simplicity in -the plastic furniture, the bare walls white and unmarked. - -Kimball Trent chose a chair at the side of a table, waited until the -Elder had seated himself and pushed what appeared to be some sort of -signal button. - -A young man, brown-haired and athletic, came through the door, nodded -in greeting, stared curiously at Trent. He walked slowly to the table, -bent his head in tribute. - -"Valur, this is Kimball Trent, a newcomer," the Elder said. "We shall -listen to his story." He turned to Trent. "Valur is the Reader; it is -he who knows the past and who is the keeper of the books." - -"I make you welcome," Valur said quietly, eyes wise beyond his years -calmly studying the well-knit body of Trent. - -"Your story?" the Elder prompted gently. - -Kimball Trent began to speak. He told of his awakening, of his rescue -of Lura, of his being brought to the tunnels. He saw the skepticism -in the Elder's eyes, was conscious of the probing of his statements by -Valur. He told nothing of the fortress that had stayed untenanted for -five centuries, told only that he had been buried in a cave, and had -come miraculously alive. - -Finished, he relaxed against the chair back, waited for the questions. -He could feel the perspiration on his forehead, for he sensed the -mettle of the men, knew that he would not leave the underground alive -if they believed him to be a spy of the Gharrians. - -"What think you?" the Elder asked Valur. - -Valur seated himself directly before Trent. "You claim to be a Kimball -Trent?" he asked. - -"Yes," Trent said. - -"There was once a Kimball Trent who fought the Masters when first they -came. He was the friend of a man called Doctor Boyliss, and one of the -first leaders of the fight against the Masters." - -"I'm the one," Kimball Trent said grimly. - -"You will submit to a neuro test?" - -"Gladly." - - * * * * * - -Valur strode to a side door, entered, returned with a small neurograph -machine. He clamped cables to the arms, legs and head of Trent, -adjusted dials, then began his questioning. For minutes he talked, both -he and the Elder studying the dials. Slowly, amazement came to their -faces, excitement flickering in their eyes. At last, they freed the -cables, and Trent relaxed. - -"Satisfied?" he asked. - -"One more test," Valur said, left the room. - -Kimball Trent smiled at the Elder. "My story must sound utterly -insane," he said. - -"It does," the Elder said noncommittally. - -Then Valur was back, gently carrying a plasti-book, opening it as he -came. He spread the book on the table, opening it to a group picture, -indicating one man. He took a small box from a pocket in his robe, made -prints of Trent's fingerprints. - -"It is he," he said at last, pushing the book and prints aside. - -There was silence then, the Elder and Valur studying the man before -them with awe-filled eyes. Trent shifted uncomfortably. - -"Now, suppose you tell me your story?" he asked. - -The Elder nodded. "There are about three thousand of us Barbs beneath -the city. Our ancestors fought the Masters, hiding like beasts beneath -the ground, never finding the weapons that would rid the Earth of the -Gharrians. We do nothing now but live and hope, sometimes making raids -on the breeding stations, trying to free those who would escape." -Weariness came to his voice. "The breeders lack spirit now, after -centuries of slavery; usually they will not run, even when their -devil-wires are broken." - -"Devil-wires?" Trent asked. - -Valur explained. "They slay at a touch, and when broken, they snap and -spit yellow flames." - -"Electricity?" - -Valur shrugged. "I have read the word, but it means nothing to me." - -Kimball Trent gestured at the lights. "Those lights and the mono-wheel -car; they are both somewhat electrical in nature." - -The Elder shook his head. "We know how none of the things work that -we use. We find them, and sometimes they do certain things; when they -cease to function, we forget them. None of us have the knowledge to -maintain or repair them." - -Kimball Trent nodded. He saw now many things that he had not understood -before. He had seen primitive spears and a car that ran by _atomilect_ -power, had seen one man who could read and others to whom reading -was a mystery not to be fathomed by ordinary men. He had seen the -intelligence that gleamed in his captors' eyes, and yet they had -thought him a superman because he had slain one of the Gharrians' -hunting broks with a flame gun. - -"I can repair them," he said at last. "But first, I must know how you -live, and the machines upon which you live." - -The Elder came lithely to his feet. "We shall show you all," he said, -faint hope flickering in his voice. "You will find conditions much -changed from those you knew." He smiled. "Later, you shall tell us of -your world." - -He led the way into the tunnel, sent a guard for Trent's weapons. -Kimball Trent fitted them onto his shoulder and hip again, then strode -down the tunnel at the side of his two guides. - -"You spoke of breeding stations," he said as they walked. "What did you -mean?" - -Muscles knotted in Valur's jaws. "They _are_ breeding stations," he -said. "For almost five centuries the Gharrians have forced Earth to -supply slaves for them. Great depots are made into slave camps, and the -children born are carried in the crimson ships into space. We never see -them again." - - * * * * * - -There was hate in Kimball Trent again, the surging twisting of -emotions that had driven him in the days he had fought the monsters -from infinity. It had lain dormant the last few days, stifled by his -thoughts of the centuries he had slept, smothered by his fear that the -world was dead and he alive. Now, knowing the way in which men lived on -their planet, the hate came alive again, and he could feel the muscles -of his body swelling against his harness. - -"And nothing can be done?" he asked. - -"Nothing!" Valur shook his head. "The Masters cannot be slain, and they -hunt us like animals with their broks. We try now only to stay alive, -praying for a miracle." His eyes swung to Trent. "It may be that _you_ -are that miracle." - -Kimball Trent flushed, feeling helpless and naked and impotent. "We -fought," he said, "and our weapons were of no avail. The men who might -have devised new weapons are all dead, and I do not have the knowledge -for manufacturing along new lines of thought." - -The Elder's voice was gentle. "We shall win," he said. "We shall win -eventually, for men were never meant to crawl as animals." His voice -changed. "We shall call you 'Trent'," he finished, "and say that you -are a Barb from Connet, for my people will not believe the tale you -tell. Or if they did believe, they might think you a superman, and that -would not be good." - -The light of an entrance ahead came into view as they rounded a corner -in the tunnel. They could hear voices; and the odors of cooking came on -the faint breeze. Trent shivered suddenly. This was not the way that -he thought the world would be. Never in even his wildest dreams had he -thought Earth could be conquered. Now it was so, and the future was -a hopeless thing, Earthmen fighting with feather-weapons against the -invulnerable armor of the Gharrians. - -They stepped from the tunnel, and Lura joined them from where she stood -with Korm and another man. Her gaze was level and inscrutable as she -studied Trent's face. - -"Did he lie?" she asked. - -"He spoke the truth," the Elder said evenly. - -Lura smiled then, and the warmth of her smile was like the soothing -fingers of a Summer breeze stroking Trent's features. - -"I am glad," she said simply. "One who faces a Master and his brok -should be one of us." She beckoned to Korm. "You fought once; now meet -as friends." - -Korm grinned, held out his hand. "My sister told me of how you saved -her; I am your friend." He tensed the muscles of his proud neck, winced -instinctively. "Some time you must show me that fighting trick; never -before have I been bested in battle." - -"Any time," Kimball Trent said. - -"Come," Valur said. "Light talk shall wait until later." - -Kimball Trent turned to follow his guides, conscious of the slim girl -at his side, wondering how any woman could be so fearlessly reliant -and so feminine at the same time. He glanced at the blond giant, saw -the knowing look that came to the grey eyes when they went from him to -Lura, and hotness flooded upward from his throat. - -He turned his attention to the Elder. "What first?" he asked. "My -people," the Elder said simply. - -Together, they began their tour. - - - IV - -Three weeks had passed since Kimball Trent's arrival. At first, he had -met doubt and suspicion from the inhabitants of the tunnels beneath the -rubble of New York. His manner of speech was odd, as were his weapons, -his clothing and his knowledge. But gradually, he had been accepted by -the majority of those he had met through the Elder. - -The dwellers of the underground caverns were a strange admixture of -modern and primitive cultures. None but the Elder, the Reader and his -acolytes could read or write. They knew nothing of the past except what -the Reader gave to them from his books, or what the Singers gave to -them in their songs of legend. - -They had been cleaved into three classes: workers, warriors and -growers, each with its distinct duties, each contributing to the -welfare of the whole. The warriors were the hunters of wild game and -the protectors of their homes; the workers kept everything used in as -good repair as they were capable of doing, except upon the mechanical -machines and contrivances of which they had no knowledge either -inherited or acquired. The growers were the food gardeners and flock -tenders, utilizing their skill in abandoned subway tubes where gardens -grew fabulously beneath the radi-lights studding the walls, and where -various food and milk animals and food fowls were kept in penned-in -tunnels. - -Over all were the Elder and his council of five. They ruled by -election of the people, and so kindly and wise had been their rule that -never had one been deposed except by death. They studied the old books, -sent parties searching on great journeys in efforts to contact other -groups of men and women hidden from the invaders. They made the laws -that were needed, interpreted them, and meted out what punishment was -necessary. Major crimes were unknown, for the knowledge had been bred -into generation after generation that life could only be maintained by -absolute dependence upon each other. - -This was the society that Kimball Trent found beneath the earth, one -that amazed and embittered him; for in his mind was the world that had -been his, one of freedom of movement and thinking, with only the coming -of the Gharrians to mar the peace that had seemed eternal. - -He found a great admiration, too, for the people of the caverns. -Never had he heard grumbling among them, always there had been soft -laughter. And always had there been, deep beneath their mannerisms, -that steel-like will that would never bow beneath the weird tyrants. - -For the first week, he had done little more than meet the men and women -and children, acquainting himself with their way of living, measuring -them against his memories of those who had fought at his side five -hundred years before. He had felt the bite of conscience, remembering -the fortress that lay hidden but a few hours away from these tunnel -homes; but he kept the knowledge to himself, not certain that these -people were what they claimed to be in actuality. - -In the second week, he began his repairing of the machines that lay -abandoned where they had fallen into disuse. He grinned at the sounds -of amazement made by Lura and Korm, his constant companions, as he -replaced wiring and reset the atomic burners so that machines would -work and run again. To him the repairing was as simple as the setting -of a watch, for the machines had been almost indestructible and -foolproof when they were built. They had needed but to have certain -small parts replaced, and the atomic vibrators replenished with fuel; -but to Lura and Korm the sudden working of machines discarded long -before they were born was little short of miraculous. - -Kimball Trent had explained as he repaired, showing the simplicity -of every machine, indicating how many others could be repaired and -maintained. Korm had grasped the knowledge with a natural skill, had -elected himself to instruct others in the 'mechanic' art. Lura had been -more slow, mechanics not her natural bent, but she retained what she -learned, and demonstrated it on several occasions. - -There had been other long hours, too, spent in talks with the Elder and -the Council of Five. In them, he had told of the past, had explained -the manner in which people lived, had told of the religions and the -work and the miracles of machinery that made living comfortable and -easy of accomplishment. He had used his smattering of several foreign -languages to open dusty books to the inquiring mind of the Readers, had -given knowledge that would raise the standard of living of the cavern -dwellers. - -In return, he had learned that colonies were scattered over the world, -underground cities where tens of thousands of free men lived and died, -waiting for the day when the Earth would be delivered of the monsters -that held it in an iron grip of tyrannical mastery. - -He had made his decision to disclose the location of the underground -fortress, with its weapons and facilities for living in comfort. He -knew now that these were his people, even though they had come five -centuries after him. Within them burned the flame that motivated him, -and he sensed that within them might lie the salvation of the world. - - * * * * * - -He was finishing the repairing of a water pump, when first he heard the -excited voice of Korm calling from nearby. Straightening, wrench in -hand, he waved an answer, waited until the blond giant had come to his -side. - -"Your guns, Trent," Korm said breathlessly. "We make a raid today." - -"A raid? Where?" - -"At the south of York. Spies have brought information that new -prisoners have been brought to the encampment; they will be more than -willing to escape. And perhaps others may come, too." - -The thrill of the words swept through Kimball Trent's mind, surged hot -blood into his temples. He dropped the wrench, caught up his guns from -where they lay beside the pump. - -"How many are going?" he asked. - -"A few," Korm answered, setting the pace toward a small group waiting -beside a tunnel mouth. - -"Hurry," a voice called clearly. - -"Lura!" Kimball Trent said. "Surely you're not letting her go along." - -Korm frowned. "Of course," he said. "She is good with knife and spear; -she has been on many raids." - -"But she is a woman!" - -Korm shrugged. "That is good; she will influence the female breeders to -escape." - -Then they were at the edge of the group, and Korm was introducing the -five men and two women. Valur and Lura, Trent had already met. He shook -hands with Frong, a jovial red-haired giant almost as huge as Korm. -Neela, the second woman smiled shyly in greeting, clung hand to hand -with her dark-skinned husband, Matt. Nels and Parb, the last two men, -nodded silent greetings, their strong hands caressing the spears they -carried. - -They had discarded the tunnel-robes, were dressed now in chest -harnesses hung with knives, and in brief leather skirts that came -halfway down their thighs. Sandals protected their feet and ankles. - -"Come," Korm said, led the way into the side tunnel. - -They walked the length of the tunnel, entered a large mono-wheel car, -Korm sending it speeding down the single track. The walls blurred from -the speed, and conversation was impossible for the fifteen minutes of -the ride. - -This was the first time that Kimball Trent had travelled in this -direction from the tunnel city. He prodded his memory, trying to -recall details of the city, recognizing Grand Central Air Terminal, -and farther on the tubes that had been used by ground traffic and the -underground trains to reach New Jersey. But after that, he recognized -no stations or details; evidently the tunnels had been built after he -had been frozen in the fortress. - -Korm touched studs on the control panel, brought the car to a sliding -stop. "We go no farther by car," he said quietly. "Follow me, and be -careful to make no sound; broks might be around." - -He stepped to the small platform at the right of the car, gently eased -open a small door, went through the black opening. Lura followed on his -heels, and after her came Trent and the rest of the party. - -They followed a dank sloping repair tunnel, slipping on the mossy -damp flooring, going toward the faint glimmer of light a hundred feet -ahead. Korm hissed for silence at the end, carefully parted the fringe -of camouflaging bushes, searched the landscape for signs of hidden -watchers. Satisfied, he slipped into the open, gave a helping hand to -Lura. Within seconds, all stood within the cover of a thick growth of -trees and bushes. - -"This way," Korm whispered. - -They squirmed through the brush, taking care to make no sound, keen -eyes searching everywhere about. Kimball Trent felt the tension -mounting unconsciously in his heart, felt the cold sheen of sweat on -his body. He gripped the rifle with nervous hands, felt a bit of relief -when Lura flashed him a brief warm smile. Somehow, they were very close -at the moment. - -"There!" Korm said at last, squatted behind a bush. - - * * * * * - -Kimball Trent saw the building first, towering like the round silo of a -Midwestern farmer, slotted windows strips of black against the gleaming -red surface of seamless plastic. His gaze drifted to the ground, and -muscles bulged along his back. - -There were people there, herded together in a great wire pen. There -were men and women and children; and even from a distance, Trent could -see the hate and fear and despair that tortured every face. - -He scowled unbelievingly when he saw the guards. They were metal men, -robots, stalking steady guard duty a few feet outside of the wire -enclosure. They were weird caricatures of men, quartz eyes staring -straight ahead, concussor boxes dangling from waist cords, tiny puffs -of dust spurting with each step of their flat mechanical feet. - -Kimball Trent shook his head. He had heard nothing of the robots, had -never seen them when first he fought the Gharrians. Evidently they had -been created after the world had been conquered. Now they walked in -deadly silence, a menace against which an unarmed man would have no -chance at all. - -A man died, even as Trent watched. He cried his hate and raced toward -the fence, leaping high so as to clamber over it with catlike speed and -agility. Trent felt the unheard warning coming from his chest, stifled -it, even as electricity crackled and writhed along the figure of the -man and dropped him in a smouldering blackened heap onto the ground. - -No sound came from the prisoners; they stared in dull hate, as the -nearest robot ignored the crackling electricity and pulled the body -below the lowest strand of wire. Dragging the corpse by the legs, the -robot soullessly pulled it toward a shallow ditch, dumped it in, then -again began its endless patrol. - -"The inhuman beasts!" Lura cried softly, tears in her eyes. - -A Gharrian came from the base of the tower, walking with its ponderous -smoothness, the single eye glittering in the sunlight. There was -something obscene and deadly about its deliberate stalking of the -prisoners huddled within the enclosure. - -Its long multi-fingered arms were like writhing tentacles, as it -singled out a man and woman, capturing them before they could move. -Three men hurled themselves at its broad back, beating insanely -with their fists. A robot came rushing in, battered them free, -then beat them into unconsciousness with mailed feet. The Gharrian -turned, stalked toward the tower, dragging the man and woman with an -unconscious incredible ease. It was like a blue monster from hell -dragging two victims to some hideous sacrifice. - -"Where?" Kimball Trent breathed. - -Korm shrugged. "We're not certain," he said. "One escaped prisoner said -that, in the tower, tests are made of their mentality and fertility." -His great hands knotted about the heavy spear shaft. "Some day I shall -enter that tower, and all hell shall not stop my destroying every -Master therein!" - -Then the passion was gone from his voice, and he was their leader -again. "Matt, Nels, Parb," he ordered. "Go around to the other side and -create a diversion. We shall tear down the fence from this side." - -The three men nodded and were gone like drifting shadows. Korm opened -the small bundle Frong, the red-haired giant, handed him, disclosing -several plastic ropes, gang-hooks attached to one end of each. He -distributed the ropes to Valur, Frong and himself. Trent watched -intently, as they fitted the spears to the hooked end of the ropes. - -"Is this your plan?" he asked quietly. - -Korm nodded shortly, testing a knot with heavy fingers. - -Kimball Trent lifted his rifle. "I can blow the fence to pieces with a -couple of shots?" he said. - -"No!" Lura laid a slim hand on the rifle barrel. "We want no more noise -than necessary. They discovered us early the last time we raided, and -loosed the broks. We lost more than half of our group." - -Trent shrugged. "All right, then, what do I do?" - -"Sit and watch," Korm said shortly. "Cover us with your weapons." - - * * * * * - -Then he and Frong were in the open, walking steadily down the gentle -slope, ropes coiled in their left hands, the spears couched in their -right. And even as they began their march, a yellow rope sailed out -of the trees across the enclosure, settled about the neck of a robot, -tightened with a whiplike snap. The robot spun halfway about, then -toppled with a metallic clatter. - -"Ready?" Lura whispered. - -Neela nodded, dark eyes worried and intent as she watched her husband -and two companions pulling with all their strength upon the far rope. - -Four robots had whirled at the clattering, were speeding to the aid of -their companion. Cable fingers caught at the black concussors at their -waists, were lifting them for lethal shots. - -"Now!" Korm's voice came winging back. - -He and Frong threw with gigantic strength, the spears speeding aloft, -hovering, dropping just past the coppery strands of electrified wire. -Sparks danced a drunken saraband along the fence, grounded through -the spears. Then the connecting ropes were pulling taut, the hooks -catching firmly. The two giants braced heavy legs, muscles rippling, -and swelling along massive shoulders. The ropes tightened, grew solid, -and the fence began to lean toward them. Posts snapped with brittle -reports--and then the fence was ruptured, broken wires leaping and -sparking with white-hot violence. - -"Ho, Barbs!" Korm bellowed. "Run for freedom. Dodge the wires and -follow me." - -Then the action was almost too swift to follow. The four robots turned -as one, lifting their concussors to focus on the blond giant. Kimball -Trent fired in one swift move, levering the rifle for explosive -needles, the racking bellow of the concussions bounding through the -churning air. One robot blew to pieces, and the explosion knocked down -the second. The third fired, but the shot went wild, for a second rope -whirled from nowhere, jerked him off balance. The shot exploded fifty -feet over Trent's head, blasted him face down in the dirt. - -He scrambled to his knees, fired at the fourth robot, blew it to -pieces, then whirled to watch the enclosure again. He saw the two -Gharrians standing in the doorway of the tower, blasted two shots their -way, saw them rock from the explosions. - -Men and women were running for the breach in the fence. Some died, -touched by the vicious sparks that flicked from the whipping wires; -others scrambled through to safety. They made no sound, but came in an -instinctive rush, coming directly toward the great blond and red giants -who had torn down the fence with insulated ropes of soft plastic. - -"Good!" Neela said quietly, straightened to her full height. - -"Broks!" Lura cried desperately, and terror was in the single word, a -terror more horrible than the word could express. - - * * * * * - -They came gliding from a side door, one after the other, until fully a -dozen stood before the tower. Then they turned and came in a murderous -wave of death up the slope, going straight toward the rescuers, -ignoring the escaping prisoners. Saliva dropped from gaping fangs, and -their six legs threw them forward with an incredible speed. They mewled -like gigantic cats, then hissed their hate. - -Korm and Frong turned and ran before the group of prisoners, knives -glittering in their hands as they watched the beasts come in a circling -attack. There was no fear in their features, only a calm determination -that didn't alter. - -Kimball Trent came to his feet, braced heavy thigh muscles against the -concussion shocks that were coming, then set the rifle for continuous -fire. He swayed the muzzle like a fire hose, spraying death into the -broks, blowing them to bloody scraps of bone and flesh, cursing, as -some of them escaped the blasting fire. - -The rifle clicked empty, and he caught at the flame gun. Korm and Frong -were at his side then, knives bared, and he waved them on. - -"Run, you fools," he snarled. "Get the prisoners to safety. I can kill -them all with the flame gun." - -He fired as he spoke, and the orange flames gushed in a hellish -holocaust that roasted two of the fanged monsters to death in midleap. -Three others whipped to one side, split forces, came whirling in from -different directions. - -The last of the prisoners were by him now, except for a few who had -dropped from concussion shock. He tried to scream a warning at Lura, -who had darted out and was helping a woman to her feet; but he had no -time, for the three snake-scaled broks came snarling in. - -Full power he had the gun, and full power he needed. The first brok -charged directly into the flame, vanished in a greasy puff of smoke. -The second was barely caught by the swinging flame, screamed in agony, -bounded to safety. The third drove squarely in, evading the flame for -a second, then died, the vortex of surging energy slashing away the -forepart of its body with magical speed. - -Kimball Trent whirled, sent a spear of flame after the fleeing brok, -caught it a hundred yards away, dropped it in its tracks. Then, -breathing deeply, sickened by the odor of burning flesh, he raced to -aid Lura. She had half-lifted the woman to her feet, and he bent to -lift her to his shoulders. It was then he saw the terror in Lura's -violet eyes. He tried to whirl, managed only to get part of the way -about. - -He saw the single eye of the Gharrian, cursed himself for lulling -himself into thinking that the alien monsters moved but slowly. He -reached for his gun, knowing the weapon was useless, hoping only to -give Lura a chance at escape. - -Then the first arm of the Gharrian lashed out, coiled about him like an -octopus tentacle, drew him close, and a second sledged with a brutal -scientific precision. He felt the hurt spreading in a racing wave over -his body, tried to fight away the blanket of darkness. He heard Lura's -scream, saw dimly that the Gharrian had caught her with his other arms. - -Then the blackness became opaque and he could see nothing. He felt a -second blow, and he was sinking into a funnel of darkness that had no -bottom. He heard a faint echo of Lura's scream; then he knew no more. - - * * * * * - -He was on a boat, water slapping his face each time the boat rocked in -the troughs of the spilling waves. He tried to sit, but nausea cramped -his belly, and he felt the blackness knotting his mind again. He heard -his name called again and again, but he did not have the strength to -answer. - -Then the curtain began lifting from his memory, and thoughts came -flooding to his mind. He blinked dazedly, focusing his eyes grimly, saw -that Lura was bent over him, a wet cloth in her hand. - -"Some fight!" he tried to joke, and the pain of his head took all of -the jolliness from his tone. - -"You'll be all right," Laura said. - -He leaned back against the pressure of her arm, saw that he had been -lying on a crude bunk against the wall of an unfurnished room. He swung -his legs to the floor, braced his head with both hands, gently explored -the swelling bruise-knots that marked his skull. - -"Never again," he said grimly. "Next time, I run." - -Lura smiled gamely, worry shadows fleeing back into the depths of her -violet eyes. She brushed back a stray lock of red-gold hair from her -cheek, allowed her gaze to wander about the room. - -"The Master brought us here and left a metal man on guard. You have -been unconscious for hours." - -Kimball Trent came groggily to his feet, bracing himself with one hand -on the wall. Then he circled the room, stopping at the slit window, -trying to see into the velvet night, going on to peer through the -barred grille in the door at the expressionless inhuman face of the -robot that stood at motionless guard across the hallway. Farther down -the hall, on either side, he could see more doors with grilled openings. - -"Are we in the tower?" he asked. - -"Yes," Lura answered from where she sat. "The Master brought us -directly here." - -"Did the others escape?" - -"I do not know. I did not see them when we were brought in, and none -have been brought here since." Her self control gave slightly. "Kim, -what are we going to do?" - -Kimball Trent grinned, forcing back the futility that beat at his -thoughts. "We're going to get out of here, one way or the other," he -said reassuringly. - -"How?" - -Trent shrugged, wished the ache in his head would stop bouncing about. -"I don't know," he said equably. "But I've got a hunch we're in for a -little quiz session with the Gharrians." - -"Quiz session?" - -"Sure. Questions and answers; they question and we answer." - -Lura's face was white beneath her tan, but she smiled at Trent. "I hope -they hurry with whatever they've got planned; I'm beginning to feel -hungry." - -They laughed then, laughed with the brightness and hope of youth, -amused by the incongruity of worrying about a meal when their -lives were probably forfeit for the events that had taken place. -They laughed, and the robot moved to the grille, stared with blank -telephotic eyes. - -"Curious little devil, isn't he?" Trent said, walked toward the bunk. - -He watched the grille for a moment, thoughts whirling in his mind, -trying to form some plan of escape that could be based on the reactions -of the robot to anything out of the ordinary that happened among the -prisoners he was set to guard. - - * * * * * - -The minutes walked by on leaden feet, neither of them speaking, each -intent on silent thoughts. There were no sounds, inside or out, and a -chill came to the room from the night air. - -Then there came the heavy sound of metallic footsteps from the -corridor, echoed by the shuffling of bare feet. Hands fumbled at the -door, and it swung open, an Earthman entering, the doorway blocked by a -single robot. - -"I've some questions to ask," the intruder said fearfully. - -"Traitor!" Lura spat, turned to Trent. "He gave himself up to the -Masters weeks ago, fleeing from a Connet colony he betrayed." - -The man drew himself up, glancing at the robot at his back, then -turning to face the prisoners. Fear was in his eyes, but brutality -masked his face. - -"I can order you killed," he said. "Don't drive me far." He glanced at -the rifle and flame gun he carried. "Where did you get these weapons?" -he asked Trent. - -"_Are_ they weapons?" Kimball Trent asked mockingly. - -"I don--the Master says they are." - -"Then they can talk?" Incredulity was in Trent's voice. "I thought they -had no speech." - -"They do not speak, not the way we do; but they make themselves -understood." Perspiration slid in greasy drops down the man's face. -"Where did you get these weapons?" he asked again. - -The robot came into the room, staring glassily, tentacular arms swaying -gently at its sides. Lura stiffened, pressed closer to Trent. He -grinned, nodded at the metal man. - -"Your dog?" he asked. - -"_Dog?_" the man said puzzledly, turned his head. - -And Kimball Trent flowed into action, leaping with the grace and -darting agility of a panther. - -His left hand reached out, caught the arm of the man, and his right -hand chopped down in a vicious rabbit punch at the base of the other's -neck. Bones snapped from the brutal power, and the man went utterly -limp. - -The robot came driving forward with an incredible speed, tentacles of -whipping steel lashing for Trent's throat. But even as the robot came -swinging in, Trent whirled, spinning the rifle as a club, smashed the -automaton squarely across the eyes. - -Glass popped and shattered, tiny shards flying through the air. Light -flared intensely white in each eye socket, then died to red and -vanished into blackness. - -Then the robot was but an eyeless machine methodically smashing its -way about the room. It was a legged juggernaut, a ton of destruction -that crushed the bunk to splinters with a double sweep of its heavy -tentacles. - -Trent bent low, avoiding death by a fraction of an inch, saw that Lura -had flowed into action almost as quickly as he. She stood at the door -now, flame gun in hand, waiting for him. He dodged to her side, caught -the door, slammed it shut, then locked it with a turn of the switch. - -He dropped the shattered rifle, caught the flame gun in his right hand. -"This is it," he said briefly, led the way at a run down the corridor. - -They ducked about the corner of the hall, heard the battering sounds -disappearing behind. Their breaths were hot in their throats, and the -utter soullessness of the tower was a dank mantle that shrouded them. - -"Which way?" Lura said at the double door facing them at the end of the -corridor. - -"This," Trent said shortly, pushed through a swing door. - -The second hall was lighted by radi-lights in ceiling brackets, and a -current of air came strong against their faces from the far end. Light -shone through the bottom crack of a doorway, and they went toward it on -cat-feet, making no sound, stifling their very breathing for fear of -discovery. - -Strangely, there was no sound of alarm above, nor did they hear sounds -of pursuit. They glanced instinctively at each other, then drifted -forward, the single weapon their only defense against attack. - - * * * * * - -Kimball Trent almost smiled when he remembered the wish that had been -Korm's that day. He would have given ten years of his life to exchange -places with Lura and Trent, to have had this opportunity of wreaking -his vengeance upon the Masters in their fortress. - -Then the thought was gone, and they stood before the door of the room -from which light came. Trent laid his finger across his lips, nodded -for Lura to wait. She shook her head impatiently, started to speak. - -It was the natural thing to do to keep her quiet. He bent his head to -hers, and her lips were soft and sweet and fragrant against his mouth. -He came close to her, savoring her warmth and pliancy, feeling the urge -that lay in them both. Then he backed away, smiled from deep in his -heart. - -"Wait for me," he whispered, and was gone through the doorway. - -His gun was out in front of him, finger trembling on the stud. He saw -the Gharrian standing to one side, and hell raved from his flame pistol -as he fired instinctively. The cone of ravening energy twisted its -deadly way over the entire body--yet the alien monster made no move to -flee or to attack. - -Heat grew and built and swelled, drove him back a full step--and still -the blue-grey monster made no move. Red rage pulsed in Trent's mind, -and he whispered, "Damn! Damn! Damn!" over again as the last charge in -the flame began to die away. - -And at last, the gun empty and cooling in his hand, he stood facing -the Gharrian, blinking against the heat, smelling the odor of charred -plastic where the flame had touched the wall. Then he gasped, bent -forward in excitement. - -For the Gharrian had no head. - -Kimball Trent took two cautious steps forward, standing on tiptoe, -staring at the cavity where the eye-head had been. And what he saw -chilled the blood in his body. - -For the Gharrian was a robot, a tiny control board deep in the -aperture, a curved hood dropping on hinges to the back. - -Kimball Trent whirled then and began to stalk the room. He didn't know -exactly what he sought, but there was a singing in his mind, and the -knowledge he had just gained was the answer to many things that had -never been solved. - -He saw the flickering movement at the corner of the room, took two long -strides that way, snatched with bare hands at the monstrosity that -squirmed with miniature strength against the grip of his lean fingers. - -He almost vomited at sight of the weird creature that fought to free -itself. It was like a pink convoluted brain, with spider legs like -wormy tentacles coiling and uncoiling in mad rage. Two tiny eyes glared -lidlessly at Trent, and a hole like a sucker mouth gaped, showing blue -toothless gums. - -Trent increased the pressure of his fingers, and the tiny eyes popped -in agony, the tentacles wrapping about his fingers, trying to pry them -free. And in the midst of the struggle, a thought pried its way into -Trent's consciousness. - -"Do not slay me, Earthman. Let me live." - - * * * * * - -Kimball Trent went to the side table where small machines and tools -were scattered haphazardly. He emptied out a deep plastic jar, set it -upright, then dropped the pink monstrosity into its depths. His skin -crawled, and he heard Lura's gasp, as the Gharrian righted itself, -trying frantically to climb the glasslike walls of the prison. - -"Laura, bolt the door," Trent said without turning his head, then spoke -directly at the squirming blob of flesh. "Do you understand what I am -saying?" he asked. - -"Faintly," the answer came welling into his mind. "Our minds are not -enough alike to catch all thoughts." - -"So you are one of the Masters!" Trent sighed contemptuously, glancing -at the monster robot that all Earth had thought to be a creature that -lived. - -"I am one," the Gharrian thought. - -Lura came to Trent's side. "Put a cover on the jar," she said, -shuddering, "and we shall take him along with us." - -Mental laughter shook their minds, a dry ironical humor all the more -terrible because there was no sound. They stared in horror at the -brain-beast, while its thoughts raced through their consciousness. - -"You cannot escape; all doors are guarded." - -"Maybe!" Trent said aloud, lifting a sharp tool from the table, -balancing it idly in one hand. Then he reached over, probed delicately -at the scrambling pink beast in the jar, watched critically as green -ichor oozed from a tiny cut the tool had inflicted. - -"See us safely out, or you die," he said unemotionally. - -The thought came hurtling back, utterly savage and unafraid. "Destroy -me, and you surely die." There was an interval in which no message -came. Then: "I shall bargain with you. Tell me where those ancient -weapons were found, make yourself my prisoner, and the girl, as you -call her, shall go free." - -Trent carefully dropped the razor-sharp tool, heard the soundless -shriek of agony that welled high as a tentacular leg was sheared -completely away. - -"I make no bargains," he said coldly. - -He turned about, studying the single window that studded the far wall -of the room, catching up several tools from the bench, he crossed the -plastic floor, studied the incredibly hard plastic that served as a -pane through which the outer world could be seen. - -He searched for a catch, realized there would be none, for this was a -ground floor, and the Gharrians would leave no openings through which -an attack could be made. Calmly, he beat at the pane with his pistol -butt, bruising his hand, making absolutely no impression. - -"Will it break?" Lura called softly. - -"No. But it may cut." Trent chose the sharpest of the tools, bore down -with all his weight. - -The squeal of metal on plastic keened high, setting his teeth on edge; -and then the sound had passed too high for him to hear. He finished -the stroke, bent close, then straightened in defeat. There was not the -slightest of scratches on the plastic window. - -"Kim!" Lura cried, and he raced to her side. - -Even as he reached her, the Gharrian began to putrefy. It had died -during the few moments Trent had tried to break the window; and its -monstrosity of a body was already beginning to rot in upon itself like -a blighted spider caught in a flame. - -"Damn!" Trent swore softly. "I probably squeezed too hard. Come." - -He led the way toward the door through which they had come, lifted the -single bar. He smiled tiredly, gamely, was warmed by the unquenchable -courage that flamed in her bearing. - -"Ready?" he asked, threw open the door at her wordless nod. - -Facing them from ten feet away, single eyes emotionlessly watching, -were three of the robot-Gharrians. - - - VI - -"Run!" Trent snapped, threw himself to one side, pausing for a fraction -of a second to permit Lura to dart past him. Then, even before the -Gharrians could move, they were darting through the side door, flung -instantly open by Trent's driving hand. - -He slammed the door, slammed the single bar shut, then whirled to -follow the girl. A soundless gasp of incredible awe came from his -throat, and he froze motionless. - -Kimball Trent went dashing forward, smashed the single darting pink -monstrosity, as it raced toward a robot, with his heel, then stopped, -and watched the incredible thing that filled the entire center of the -room. - -It was like a monster fishbowl, great cables snaking to atomic motors -that hummed with quiet power. Colors glowed and played and flickered in -the greenish liquid that filled the bowl, and the liquid bubbled softly -within itself. - -But the things that brought the sickness to Trent's and Lura's hearts -and minds were the things that bobbed in the liquid. They were brains, -some large, some shrunken in upon themselves, each attached to fine -wires that led to grids at the center of the bowl. Larger wires ran -from the grids to the sides of the bowl, slipped through and dropped -to small platforms upon which rested the spider monsters who ruled the -world. - -"Life eaters!" Trent whispered. "They live on the lives and brains of -the people they kill." - -He walked about the great bowl, watching the lights flicker behind the -plastic wall, seeing the sluggish movements of the creatures who sucked -the life forces from the liquid bubbling so gently. Then with a calm -viciousness that surprised even himself, he methodically crushed each -of the pinkish monsters to death. - -And with the death of the last monster, the first of the Gharrians -in the hall attacked the door. Great sledging blows smashed at the -plastic, each blow driving bulges where no man could have scratched the -surface. - -Kimball Trent stared thoughtfully at the bulging panel, his mind -working clearly for the first time in minutes. There was no fear in him -now, no blazing hate, only the crystal brightness of logic in his mind. -He looked about the room, then beckoned for Lura to come to his side. -She came trustingly, staring into his eyes, and he knew then his future -was yet to come. - -He grinned, kissed her gently. "You will do as I say. Go to the Reader -and tell him to read about sound waves. Tell him that the Gharrians can -be killed with supersonic waves of sound; that that is the _only_ way -that they can be killed while in their armor. Do you understand?" - -"I understand," Lura said quietly. "But I do not leave." - -The door shattered inward, hanging on a single hinge, and through the -opening came the invulnerable Gharrians, moving slowly toward the -unarmed Earthman and girl. - -Kimball Trent swung the girl behind him, retreated, wondering if the -mad scheme he had would possibly work. And even as he thought, his hand -reached out, ripped loose the cables from one of the motors that fed -the current to the life-trap bowl. - -He raced to the second, tore the cables free, winced, as the motor sang -a shriller song, power mounting now that it no longer fed the bowl. -He tore the third bunch of cables free, then shielded Lura with his -body, as the motors began to race with incredible speed, their screams -mounting higher and higher. - -Still the Gharrians came forward, moving with an implacable deadliness -that nothing could stop apparently, their concussors dangling from -their waists. They would use their strength here, for concussion would -wreck the life bowl, and they had no reason to fear the puny strengths -of the couple they faced. - -The screams of the motors were like knife blades now, biting into -every nerve, wrenching agony from their brains. Trent and Lura gasped -from the pain, pressed farther back around the great transparent bowl, -striving desperately to evade that last moment when the Masters would -reach them. - -And then the shrill screams of the motor eased, were gone, vibrations -scaling past the audible, going into a supersonic range that their ears -could not catch. - -The first Gharrian lifted a mailed arm--and died. - - * * * * * - -He died rather horribly, beating insanely at his companion and the -plastic wall. Then he was dead, and was but a toppling metal hulk that -smashed to the floor. - -Almost in the same instant, the others died. They died as silently as -they had lived, except for one simultaneous thought of agony that came -clearly to the humans' minds. - -Kimball Trent leaped past the bulk of the first slain Gharrian, closed -the switches on the motors. Slowly they stopped, grew silent. - -Without a word, Trent switched on the motors again, then raced at -Lura's side from the room. Behind, the motors began their keening song -again. - -They found the outer door without trouble, guided by a supernal -instinct that needed no voluntary thought. Trent threw the great bar -and they raced outside, going toward the slope from which they had -attacked the Gharrians hours before. - -They heard Korm's great voice cry out, and relief gave strength to -their flying legs. Then the blond giant was at their side, and behind -him they saw the hundreds who had followed his leadership. - -"Run!" Trent panted. "The tower will blow within seconds." - -Then the motors exploded, lifting the tower in shattered fragments, -blowing to dust the place that had been one of the Gharrians' -strongholds. Flames leaped a mile into the air, fed by the ruptured -atomic motors, spreading crimson light like the wave of a rock dropped -into a still pond. The concussion passed, and all was still, the column -of brilliance still leaping and pulsing into the night. - -And watching the flame, his arm tight about the slender shoulders of -Lura, was Kimball Trent, the man who had lived five hundred years to -save his doomed world. He held her tightly, and the hope in his heart -was a singing melody that crept into his mind, tangling his thoughts. - -"Call the Elder," he said to grinning Korm. "I have a story to tell of -a new home for all of us. And"--his voice grew strong, rang like that -of a prophet--"of a weapon we can make that the Gharrians cannot fight." - -Then he and Lura stood alone in a night that was a dream and they -the dreamers. The first streamers of dawn were coming in the sky, -foretelling of the new day that was coming to their world. - - * * * * * - -[Transcriber's Note: No section V heading in original text.] - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SPIDER MEN OF GHARR *** - -***** This file should be named 63826-0.txt or 63826-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/3/8/2/63826/ - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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Peacock. - </title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; -} - -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} -hr.tb {width: 45%; margin-left: 27.5%; margin-right: 27.5%;} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.right {text-align: right;} - -/* Images */ -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - -.caption p -{ - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0; - margin: 0.25em 0; -} - -div.titlepage { - text-align: center; - page-break-before: always; - page-break-after: always; -} - -div.titlepage p { - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0em; - font-weight: bold; - line-height: 1.5; - margin-top: 3em; -} - -.ph1 { text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; } -.ph1 { font-size: medium; margin: .83em auto; } - - </style> - </head> -<body> -<pre style='margin-bottom:6em;'>The Project Gutenberg EBook of Spider Men of Gharr, by Wilbur S. Peacock - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this ebook. - -Title: Spider Men of Gharr - -Author: Wilbur S. Peacock - -Release Date: December 05, 2020 [EBook #63826] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SPIDER MEN OF GHARR *** -</pre> -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>Spider Men of Gharr</h1> - -<h2>By WILBUR S. PEACOCK</h2> - -<p>Kimball Trent was the last hope of a ravaged Earth,<br /> -for locked in his mind were secrets that would<br /> -bring freedom to the Barbs. He lacked but one<br /> -thing to release the power of those secrets—the key<br /> -to the riddle of the blue monsters who could not die.</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Planet Stories Summer 1945.<br /> -Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br /> -the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>At first there was only the cold, the Stygian inky iciness that held -every muscle of his body in thrall and made his thoughts flow with the -turgid slowness of treacly molasses. He could not open his eyes, nor -could he move; and his mind slipped back into the darkness time and -time again. He tried to think of who he was, or <i>what</i> he was, and -there was no knowledge in his brain.</p> - -<p>And then the heat came through to him, biting into his numbed flesh -with the bitter sharpness of a naked yellow flame, drawing life to all -his body, pressing back some of the velvet shadows from his mind.</p> - -<p>"<i>Kim</i>," he thought dazedly. "<i>I'm Kim.</i>"</p> - -<p>And then his mind blanked out again, for how long, he did not know. But -when he came to, he could open his eyes and see the faintest glimmer of -sunlight coming through the split and ruptured earth, tiny dust motes -floating in the golden streak.</p> - -<p>"<i>I'm Kim</i>," he thought again, and held onto the memory with a frantic -desperation, frightened that it was the only reality he had.</p> - -<p>He moved at last, screaming at the agony that surged with every -movement, finally rolled into a sitting position. There was but the -barest glint of light from the earth fault, and his eyes grew strained -as he peered about.</p> - -<p>He was in a cave, obviously artificial, for there were shelves loaded -with dully-gleaming objects, and man-hewn blocks of stone lay upturned -where great strangling roots squirmed into the air like monstrous scaly -snakes.</p> - -<p>He looked at himself.</p> - -<p>His hands were talons now, for the nails were curled and twisted into -tangled knots, and the flesh had not the resiliency or the strength to -straighten the fingers. He bent his head, watched fabric disintegrate -into dust on his emaciated body, then gasped. Great festoons of -the dust had not powdered into nothingness, and he recognized that -they were the swirls of beard that hung pendant from his chin. He -straightened, mind trying to grasp what had happened, and the hair from -his head swirled about his shoulders, rippling in undulant waves into -the clump of tangled masses that lay at his side.</p> - -<p>He tried to swallow, but his throat was dry, his tongue swollen. -The terrible cold was still in him, and he shivered agonizingly for -seconds. It was then he heard the sound of rilling water close at hand.</p> - -<p>He crawled toward the sound, tangling hands and feet in the hair that -grew so monstrously from his head, his fingernails scrabbling and -clicking together like the whisperings of bare branches before a soft -Winter breeze.</p> - -<p>"<i>I'm Kim</i>," he thought again, and drank with great slobbering noises -from the narrow shallow stream that pierced one wall of the cave and -vanished through the opposite.</p> - -<p>Thirst slaked, he lay, gasping, like some spent animal, thoughts -swelling and unfolding in his mind, creeping unbidden from dark -recesses, stealing into the brightness of his consciousness.</p> - -<p>"I'm Kim," he thought. "Kimball Trent."</p> - -<p>He sat, groaning from the hurt that was in every muscle, methodically -broke the twisted fingernails close to his finger tips, permitting his -fingers to flex more freely, giving him hands once more instead of -paws. He tried to break his heavy hair and beard the same way, but his -strength was not enough for that, and he searched for something that -would free him of the burden.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He found the knife almost where he had waked. The plastic haft was -pitted with corrosion, and there was but a scrap of the incredibly hard -steel left; but with it he managed to hack away his beard and hair, -leaving both less than a foot long.</p> - -<p>He felt a bit better now, some of the pain easing from his body, the -tiny warm breeze slipping through the earth fault touching him and -giving life to him in passing.</p> - -<p>Standing, moving with agonizing slowness, he staggered toward the -source of light, clawed at the sides of the fault. Earth crumbled -beneath his hands, dropped about his bare feet. He fought the imbedded -rocks, pulled them free, then scratched his way out of the cave, -dragging himself into the sunlight, blinking against the radiance.</p> - -<p>He lay on the velvety-smooth green grass, breathing deeply, his lean -body etched with shadows as though it had received no sustenance for a -long time. A redbird watched silently from the clump of green bushes -at his side, then hopped fearlessly into cover again, trilling its -warbling melody to the sky.</p> - -<p>A squirrel chittered inquisitively from the limb of a towering tree, -then flicked out of sight with a toss of its bushy tail. The breeze was -warm and soothing, and Kimball Trent slept.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He awoke to sunlight again, stretching with the uneasy flexing of an -animal, then snapped to awareness with a movement that almost brought -him to his feet. Pain gushed through his body in red waves, and he sank -back with a stifled groan.</p> - -<p>And as though the pain had been a curtain before his brain, it parted, -and he could think again.</p> - -<p>He looked around, trying to adjust his memories to what he saw. He was -in timber, great leafy trees towering over his head, the grass and -bushes thick and green upon the ground. He saw the huge monolithic -rock directly before him, and his mind could not comprehend what had -happened.</p> - -<p>Only yesterday there had been no trees; that rock had stood alone in -the clearing he had made with axe and saw.</p> - -<p>And even the rock had changed. Now the edges were not sharp and -angular; now they were softened and worn, like a blocky cake of salt -that had stood in the summer rain.</p> - -<p>He rose to his feet, went to where the heavy metal door had been. It -was gone, covered with soil, the earth matted with grass and flowers. -He turned away, panic eating at his heart, walked to the earth fault -through which he had burrowed like a worm.</p> - -<p>Shuddering, he went into the hole, slipping, scrambling, stood upright -in the darkness, adjusting his eyes to the lack of light. He saw the -radi-flash on the stony floor, bent and clicked it on. The cone of -yellow brilliance went twice about the chamber, came to the wheel that -no longer turned before the surge of pressure from water rushing along -its underground course.</p> - -<p>He bent over it, marvelling at the wear that had come to the plastic -hub, remembering how utterly indestructible it was. He allowed his gaze -to travel along the refrigerating tubes that spider-webbed the ceiling -and walls. They were dry, no longer coated with sheaths of hoar-frost. -The air was still cold, though, and he shivered in his nakedness.</p> - -<p>Then he saw the broken refrigerating pipe, and full knowledge of what -had happened flooded his mind. He had been repairing the pipe, had just -taken the first twist of the nut, when it had exploded in his face, -cascading silvery liquid over his entire body—-liquid so perfectly -heat-absorbent it froze anything and everything within a split second -after contact.</p> - -<p>Kimball Trent whimpered deep in his throat, appalled at the death -that he had escaped by inches. Evidently the liquid had not more than -brushed him in passing.</p> - -<p>He turned to the shelves, reaching for the cans, kicking aside the heap -of hair that touched his foot.</p> - -<p>He broke the seal on the first can, placed it aside, feeling the heat -burgeoning from the built-in cooking unit. Then he opened other cans, -ripping away the plastic seals, gorging himself on the cold soups and -ripe succulent vegetables. Partially sated, he opened the heated can, -used the knife remnant as a fork with which to feed himself on the -preserved beef and beans.</p> - -<p>Satisfied, he breached a small cask of water, drank thirstily and -avidly; then turned away. The radi-light cut brightness through -the dark, and he went along the wall, removing covers from five -radi-lights, glad that they were eternal. With shadows driven from the -chamber, and with his belly fed, he felt more like a man and less like -an animal.</p> - -<p>The first door of the underground fortress stuck a bit, and he had to -swing his weight against it. The portal swung open in a gushing of damp -air, and automatically, he flicked the air-conditioning switch. Far -away, deeper in the ground, machinery began to hum, and clean air began -forcing out the bad.</p> - -<p>Trent clicked on the ceiling lights, staring about the mammoth cavern -as though he had never seen it before. It stretched so far away from -him that his eyes could make out no details at the far end. Along -one side, doors opened into the living quarters where more than ten -thousand people were destined to live. Further back were the open -kitchens where communal meals would be prepared; and still further back -where his eyes could make out no detail were the machine shops where -weapons to fight the Gharrians would be conditioned and manufactured.</p> - -<p>He was smiling as he looked about; for this was his dream brought to -realization by the wealth that had come to him from his father. His -money had built this retreat, his money and the hands of a thousand -men. Here, within this man-made cavern, would be the refuge for those -people who escaped the ravages of the monsters whose sleek vicious -ships had wiped New York and London and Berlin from the face of the -Earth.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He went toward the great televisors, wondering how many stations still -broadcast news of the holocaust that had come to the world. A frown -tightened dark brows when he saw the dust that lay on the floor, became -a scowl when he saw how it was heaped before the main receiver. He -kicked at the dust, saw the signet ring that had fallen through it.</p> - -<p>Bending, Kimball Trent lifted the gold ring, studied it. Doctor Boyliss -had worn it the last time they had talked; it was strange that he -should find it here.</p> - -<p>He sat in the chair, switched on the main televisor, relaxed as warmth -came from the screen, color glowing from green into violet, swirling -into the indescribable shade of blue that gave the screen its three -dimensional depth of focus.</p> - -<p>His hand went to the "repeat" switch, flicked it.</p> - -<p>"This is Doctor Boyliss speaking for the last time," a familiar voice -said tiredly from the speaker, while the screen showed no figure. "I -have just escaped from the Gharrians, but the wound I have received -is mortal, and I can live but moments." There was only the sound of -labored breathing for seconds, then the voice continued.</p> - -<p>"Most of the leaders are dead, betrayed by spies; only three of us -escaped the Gharrian's last raid. Thompson and Fortney have elected to -act as guides for the few of you who might escape the final series of -raids. I hope that many of you are listening to these final words of -mine.</p> - -<p>"Kimball Trent is also dead, frozen to death by an explosion in the -Refrigerator Room, Number One; therefore his knowledge must be replaced -by the minds of those among you."</p> - -<p>A surge of terrible wracking coughing sounded, followed by the sobbing -gasps of a man dying of an agonizing wound. Then:</p> - -<p>"One final word. Fight the Gharrians, blast them from the face of -Earth, drive them back into hell-space that spawned them. Battle them -with every weapon and scheme within your power to use. My blessings -upon all of you. Go with God—"</p> - -<p>There was only the faintest of thudding sounds, and then silence.</p> - -<p>Kimball Trent leaned back in the chair, twisting the ring over and over -in his fingers, horror piling upon horror in his mind. His gaze flicked -to the perpetual radi-calendar beside the screen, and he read the date, -June 9, 2735.</p> - -<p>He gasped, knowing now the answer to many things, his mind accepting -the thought that he would not believe before, one that he had stifled -with all his will because it was so fantastic. He shuddered, gaze -racing about the crypt-stillness of the room, and fear knotted the -muscles of his heart.</p> - -<p>He knew now why his beard and hair had been so uncannily long and why -his body had withered and grown emaciated through the passage of what -had seemed a few hours. He knew now why the dust had been throughout -the room, and he knew why the ring had been in the greater dust pile -that lay before the screen.</p> - -<p>He knew that he had been held in frozen thrall, had been kept -miraculously alive, like a fish frozen in a block of ice, by the -instantaneous freezing of his body by the refrigerant. He knew that the -primitive water-wheel attached to the machinery of the refrigerating -room had kept the room at a below zero temperature until it had stopped -when the water flow had dropped below the wheel by slow degrees.</p> - -<p>Yes, he had the answers to everything now.</p> - -<p>This was June 2735—and the accident had befallen him in August 2210.</p> - -<p>He had slept in frozen suspended animation for more than five hundred -years.</p> - -<p>He was alive, and the men and women with whom he had fought the -Gharrians were dead and dust for centuries. He was alive, and the -refuge he had built had never been used. He was alive—<i>and alone</i>.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">II</p> - -<p>Nine days had passed since Kimball Trent's awakening. He was more alert -now, the flat muscles of his body swelling again because of the rich -solid food that he ate to replenish his strength. He had found razors -and cream and had shaved, and with scissors he had given his unruly -dark mane of hair a close cropping, leaving it only long enough that it -did not drop over his eyes.</p> - -<p>The nine days had been busy; for he had spent hours at the televisor, -trying vainly to pick up any messages that might be sent by enemy or -friend. He had found clothing still good in their air-tight lockers, -had strapped on a flame gun automatically, still unable to make himself -believe that five centuries had passed in the few short moments of -eternity that he had been unconscious.</p> - -<p>He stood now before the televisor, turning off the visual screen, -cutting in the automatic relay that would record any scene or message -that came through in his absence. He knew that none would arrive; but -there was in his heart something that would not admit total defeat.</p> - -<p>He shrugged the small food pack into a more comfortable position on -his wide shoulders, lifted the radi-needle gun and looped it from his -right shoulder by the sling. Slowly, then with greater determination, -he began to walk to the door that led to the refrigerator room.</p> - -<p>He entered the room, climbed through the earth fault to the outside, -carefully replacing the camouflage mat he had made to cover the -entrance. Standing straight and tall in the warm sunlight, he checked -his wrist compass, then paced lightly forward through the trees.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2.jpg" alt=""/> - <div class="caption"> - <p>Kimball Trent</p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>His strength was almost fully returned now, and he walked with the -lithe grace of an Indian, slipping through the underbrush and foliage -with but the barest of sounds to mark his passing. Light trickled -through the trees, caressed his back, brought perspiration to his -forehead. His face was hard and grim, and his eyes keen, as he searched -the woods about for the slightest of signs that would betoken a hidden -watcher.</p> - -<p>His shadow walked before him, sliding through other shadows, then -standing out bold and deep in the sunlit places. The webbing of his -chest harness pressed against the rippling muscles of his flesh, and -the flame pistol bounced slightly on his hip with every step.</p> - -<p>He checked his compass again, then turned due south, cutting through -the timber, finding open fields two miles further where the walking was -much easier. Rabbits sat in curious wide-eyed watchfulness as he walked -through the waving green grass that carpeted the fields, but he gave -them no heed, his eyes watching the skies for signs of a crimson ship.</p> - -<p>He was a stranger in his native land. Land contours seemed different -now, since the timber had come up unheeded. The old roads and paths -that he had walked as a boy and man were gone, absorbed through the -passing of years. He traveled entirely by compass, swinging to the east -after two hours of hard traveling.</p> - -<p>The smell of water came to the air, cloying it with dampness, making -it somehow fragrant. A hundred yards further, and he was on the bank, -gazing across the muddy flood. He turned to his right, and far ahead -was New York.</p> - -<p>He swore then, cursing in the tight voice of a man who feels a hurt so -deeply that it is a physical pain. His hands clenched at his sides, and -the muscles of his chest glided upward against the straps.</p> - -<p>There was no superb skyline now; gone were the gleaming white spheres -and golden columns and blocky marble and plastic shafts that were -famous the world over. No smoke hung high in the sky over the city; -only a few white clouds floated in graceful indifference where great -strato-liners had flashed on pinions of gushing rocket flames.</p> - -<p>There was a skyline, yes, but it hugged the ground, and it was only -the skeleton of the greatest city on earth. Even from where he stood, -Kimball Trent could see that buildings had toppled one against the -other when the concussion guns of the Gharrians had roared their song -of death.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Kimball Trent began to walk with great ground-eating strides. He could -see where the supports of the great bridges were on either bank further -south; but the spans had been blown away, and he knew that to cross the -river would mean swimming or constructing some kind of raft on which to -float and paddle.</p> - -<p>Instinctively, he unslung his rifle, held it in both hands, the -prescience of danger a cold and clammy hand that squeezed his heart and -tightened the nerves in his rangy body.</p> - -<p>He came to a cut-back, where water had washed a deep gully to the -river. He had stepped from the bushes and poised on the edge.</p> - -<p>Then he saw the girl.</p> - -<p>She was trapped, huddling back against the base of the far wall, -slender hands outspread at either side, wide terrified eyes watching -the alien monstrosity stalk her with a dreadful calmness. She wore -a belted skirt of soft leather, laced sandals and a tight halter of -blue leather. Red-gold hair hung in a cloud of brilliance about her -shoulders, swirled, as she turned.</p> - -<p>She made no outcry, all of her attention on the beast that stalked her -with heavy mincing steps.</p> - -<p>Kimball Trent swore softly, lifted his gun, then let it sag in -futility. Only too well did he know how invulnerable these Gharrians -were to any weapon Earthmen had devised. Radi-needles could not -penetrate their steel-hard hide, and high-explosives merely bounced -them about, apparently doing no damage at all.</p> - -<p>They were squat, almost apelike in build, except that they had a double -chest, ending in two pairs of arms. A single eye peered lidlessly from -the head-like protuberance on the shoulders that made them weirdly -humanlike in appearance. Pad feet without toes carried them on legs -that had no knee joints. And their skin was the slaty bright blue of -sea water thirty feet down.</p> - -<p>Kimball Trent saw the Gharrian before the girl, and horror was in his -eyes. He lifted his rifle automatically again, and hell raved for a -brief second as he shot a full clip at the beast. The Gharrian did not -turn, apparently did not notice the attack.</p> - -<p>But not the girl. She lifted her head, violet eyes widening in features -browned by the sun, and her hands make quick gestures.</p> - -<p>"Run!" she cried.</p> - -<p>The Gharrian plodded forward, multi-fingered hands outspread to take -the girl. He gave no heed to the cry, for his race had no speech, and -apparently no hearing.</p> - -<p>Kimball Trent, cocked the gun to explosives, wondering if he could blow -the monster to bloody fragments, then shook his head, knowing that such -was impossible. He was held in thrall by the sheer bravery of the -golden girl, for there could be but one ending to the drama.</p> - -<p>"Run to your left," he ordered, swung the gun up again.</p> - -<p>The girl darted to one side like a flame-haired wraith, going -unquestioningly toward the blank end of the gully, pressing against the -rocky wall. Her eyes followed every movement of the man on the gully's -edge.</p> - -<p>And even the Gharrian seemed to sense Trent's presence now; for it -turned with a ponderous deadly smoothness, one hand dipping for the -square box dangling on a waist cord. Its single eye was as coldly -emotionless as that of a cobra.</p> - -<p>Kimball Trent fired five times, bracing himself against the -concussions, blowing away the center of the cliff that towered twenty -feet above the Gharrian's head. And on the fifth shot, even as the -monster from outer space began to move with sudden speed for safety, -the embankment collapsed, burying him beneath tons of earth.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1.jpg" alt=""/> - <div class="caption"> - <p><i>Trent fired three feet above the Gharrian's head.</i></p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"<i>Here!</i>" Trent called, but the girl was already running toward him, -scrambling up the sloping bank at his side of the gully.</p> - -<p>He reached out to give her a hand, and she caught his in a grip that -was remarkably strong. Below, noise filled the gully, and dirt blasted -upward from the slide. The Gharrian was blowing himself free with his -concussor box.</p> - -<p>"This way," the girl said, and began to run.</p> - -<p>She raced toward the river, scrambled down the bank, going directly -toward a large log at the bank. Trent followed, sliding and slipping, -beginning to breathe hard from the unaccustomed exertion.</p> - -<p>"Wait," he called. "He'll see us swimming."</p> - -<p>Then wonder came to his mind; for the girl had bent and swung back the -top of the log, showing the interior of a crudely camouflaged canoe. -She scrambled into it, beckoning for him to follow, and he stepped in, -helped close the lid over their heads.</p> - -<p>"We're safe now," the girl breathed, touched a single lever at her -head. A slight humming came from somewhere, and motion came to the -canoe, and there was the slightest sensation of movement.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Kimball Trent bent his head to one side, peered through a line of tiny -holes that pierced the side of the canoe. He grinned tightly, seeing -the dirt-clotted figure of the Gharrian come slowly into sight on the -river bank. The monster searched the water for a second, then turned -and went toward the woods with an implacable slowness that was all the -more terrifying because of the utter lack of speed.</p> - -<p>Trent looked ahead at the girl, barely making her out in the semi-gloom -of the camouflaged canoe. Her eyes were on his features, and they did -not waver at his stare.</p> - -<p>"Who are you, Barb, that you stand against the Masters, and what manner -of weapons are those you carry?" she asked.</p> - -<p>Trent shook his head slightly, missing some of the words because of -the queer manner she had in her syllabication and pronunciation. Then -he grinned, remembering that this was not the past, and that language -would have changed considerably during the five centuries of his -enforced entombment.</p> - -<p>"I do not know what you mean by 'Barb,'" he said. "My name is Kimball -Trent, and the weapons are—well, weapons."</p> - -<p>"You speak strangely," the girl said slowly. "Where are you -from—Giland, or Connet, or where?"</p> - -<p>Trent studied the question for a moment, then understanding came to his -eyes. "You mean Long Island and Connecticut?" he asked.</p> - -<p>The girl shrugged, brushed soft hair back from a smooth forehead. "Once -they were called that, I think," she admitted.</p> - -<p>Trent shook his head. "I came from the woods," he said. "Who are you, -and how did you get mixed up with that Gharrian?" he finished.</p> - -<p>"I am Lura, of the tunnels of York. I was hunting, when the Master -trapped me." She smiled, and gratitude was in her voice. "I thank you, -Barb," she finished.</p> - -<p>"Barb?"</p> - -<p>"Of course—Barbarian, Barbar, Barb—whatever you like."</p> - -<p>She notched the lever more, and the canoe swayed slightly from the -increasing speed, water slapping brightly against the wooden sides. -Trent watched her graceful movements, saw the swell of her breasts, the -long clean lines of her body.</p> - -<p>"So the world is conquered," he mused, half aloud.</p> - -<p>Anger came to Lura's fine features, and her hand dropped to the knife -at her waist. "I do not like joking about the world," she said stiffly. -"The world is not conquered, not while any of us free people live."</p> - -<p>Kimball Trent shifted to a more comfortable position. "I meant no -joke," he apologized, while thoughts ran with quicksilver speed in his -mind. "I do not know," he added. "I fell but a few days ago and hurt my -head. I cannot remember many things."</p> - -<p>Contrition came to her voice. "The magician will bleed you," she said, -"and the reader will heal your mind."</p> - -<p>"<i>Magician—Reader?</i>"</p> - -<p>Suspicion hardened the girl's voice again, and the knife came clear of -the sheath. Her gaze locked with his, and her words came softly one -upon the other.</p> - -<p>"You know too little and too much," she said. "I think the Elder will -talk with you."</p> - -<p>Kimball Trent shrugged, relaxed, while the girl sent the canoe through -the water. Events were transpiring a little too fast for him, and his -mind could not assimilate the facts as fast as they were produced.</p> - -<p>People still lived, that was obvious, even though the world had been -conquered. But they were not the kind of people he had known. If this -girl were representative of her people, then they knew nothing of -weapons, that is, the type he had; and in all probability her reference -to the magician and the reader meant that they had reverted almost to a -primitive form of social life.</p> - -<p>He saw no particular reason to trust the slim girl, even though his -senses were stirred by her wild litheness. For seconds, he had almost -blurted out the knowledge that was his, intending to tell her of the -underground cavern. Then caution and common sense came to his mind, and -he said nothing, watching her through slitted eyes.</p> - -<p>She was conscious of his gaze, of that he was aware. But now suspicion -lay in her eyes, and her hand was close to the slim knife at her side, -as she guided the slim canoe through the blue water toward the nearing -bank.</p> - -<p>"Do not move, Barb," the girl said coldly, "else you shall feel my -knife in your ribs."</p> - -<p>Kimball Trent smiled to himself. "I shall not move," he said evenly. "I -know my limitations."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The canoe grated against sand, and the girl threw the cover back. Trent -blinked in the sunlight, then came to his feet, watched amusedly as -the girl gestured with her knife for him to lead the way. Catching up -his rifle, he slung it over his shoulder, then stepped from the canoe, -watched as she camouflaged it again as a log.</p> - -<p>"Through there," she ordered, pointed ahead.</p> - -<p>They did not speak, for the time of speaking lay in the future. Behind -them, a soulless monster was searching the brush with a blind patience -that had conquered a world; and for all they knew he might have -signalled more of his kind to come and aid him in his search.</p> - -<p>He went ahead, not absolutely certain of where he was, climbing the -sloping bank, going toward the edge of the trees ahead. He saw the -rustle in the bushes, froze at half-step, hand going to the pistol at -his hip.</p> - -<p>"<i>Brok!</i>" Lura said softly. "Go back toward the water—slowly, and -maybe it will not attack."</p> - -<p>But Kimball Trent had his flame gun in his hand now and was going -forward, placing each foot carefully, ready for instant action. And on -the fourth step, he gasped, felt the blood freeze in his veins.</p> - -<p>It came through the bush with the gliding grace of a cat. And it -was feline, too, in a way, with the gaping mouth and fangs of a -saber-tooth tiger. But there the resemblance ended. Six clawed legs -carried it forward, and scales glittered like the skin of a diamondback -rattlesnake. Pupilless eyes, like polished red marbles stared -unwinkingly, and the hissing sound from the beast's throat was like the -escaping of steam.</p> - -<p>"Brok," Lura called again. "Do not move, Barb."</p> - -<p>But Kimball Trent's hand was already coming up, leveling the flame gun. -And even as the gun swung into position, the brok came hurtling forward -in a fluid drive of ruthless destruction.</p> - -<p>He came squarely into the raving cone of orange flame that gushed from -the pistol, came smashing into it, and a scream of agony keened high -at the bright blue sky. For nothing alive could withstand the awful -violence of that ravening energy; only one creature, the Gharrian, had -been able to live through its devouring power.</p> - -<p>It died in midleap, and Kimball Trent stepped aside so that its -hurtling body would not touch him. He turned the flame on the -smouldering corpse, destroyed it with the full power of the gun. Then, -grey faced, he looked at Lura.</p> - -<p>"What manner of man are you?" she whispered. "You battle the Masters -and their stalking broks; you use weapons the like of which I have -never heard. Are you a God?"</p> - -<p>Trent smiled, shaken a bit by the sincere simplicity of the girl's -question, then shook his head.</p> - -<p>"I am a man," he answered gently. "Now let us go and talk with the one -you call 'the Elder.'"</p> - -<p>Lura looked at the knife still gripped in her fingers, and a flush of -color tided upward from her throat when her gaze went to the two guns -carried by Trent. Wordlessly, she sheathed the blade.</p> - -<p>She led the way now, going into the thickest part of the timber, -gliding through the most tangled of the thickets with a careless -familiar grace. Kimball Trent followed more clumsily, tripping despite -his natural skill, scratching himself on sharp brambles. Minutes -flicked away, grew into an hour, and he knew that he was approaching -the city. They crossed roads now, cement blocks cracked by rain and -winter ice, bright flowers and green grasses springing upward through -the cracks.</p> - -<p>Everywhere was bleak desolation. They passed holes in the ground that -had once been basements. Walls still stood in other places, and further -on, a great stone fence wound gracefully about what had been a private -park.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus3.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Rubble came to the ground, the crushed remains of towering buildings -blasted to bits by the Gharrians' concussors. Here and there, shards of -indestructible plastic poked toward the sky to mark where vehicles had -collapsed and dusted away in the course of centuries.</p> - -<p>They came at last to a mighty stack of ruptured stone and plastics. -Lura picked her way over the rubble, then dropped into a small hole, -beckoning for Trent to follow. He came cautiously up the pile of stone, -hand close to his gun, feeling his nerves crawl, now that he was close -to his destination. This was not the situation he had planned five -hundred—he grinned wryly—years ago.</p> - -<p>Then he sat, dangled his feet into the hole, dropped through.</p> - -<p>Lura steadied him, and he stood upright, his head almost even with -the ceiling of stone blocks. Light came through the interstices, and -he could see that the girl was urging him toward a blank wall of grey -plastic fifty feet away.</p> - -<p>He walked slowly, conscious of being watched, eyes tightening when he -saw the girl give a tapping signal to the wall. Then a door pivoted -open, and three men were covering him with needle-sharp spears.</p> - -<p>"<i>Kill him</i>," Lura cried. "<i>He's a Gharrian spy!</i>"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">III</p> - -<p>Kimball Trent was already moving, swinging to one side, the flame gun -fitting snugly into the palm of his hand. There was no laughter in his -eyes now, nor no friendliness in his heart. He felt a sympathy for the -girl; but the die had been cast, and he must play out the role.</p> - -<p>"Don't make me kill you," he said briefly.</p> - -<p>The leader of the trio laughed aloud, the sound rocking from wall to -wall of the weird hole in the fallen masonry. He came lightly forward, -blond hair gleaming, great muscles rippling over his superb body. He -carried himself with the grace of a dancer, the spear held crosswise in -his hands, ready for instant action at any angle.</p> - -<p>"Ho!" he said. "The traitor is mine."</p> - -<p>Flame roared from Kimball Trent's gun, and the iron shaft of the blond -giant's spear melted and dripped in splattering white-hot globules -where the energy touched.</p> - -<p>Low cries of fear whirled from the other two men, and the blond stared -stupidly at his useless spear, dropped it as the heat crept along the -haft. He stared at Trent, and no fear was in his eyes; only a growing -respect and hate.</p> - -<p>"Traitor!" he snarled, came driving in.</p> - -<p>Trent went spinning to one side, slipping in the way that all army men -were trained, then chopped with a cool calculating skill at the base of -the giant's neck with the pistol butt. The giant dropped inertly, and -Kimball Trent faced Lura and the spearmen again.</p> - -<p>"One!" he said grimly. "The next to attack me dies. Now take me to the -Elder."</p> - -<p>There was a shadow in the doorway that materialized into the figure of -a man. "I am the Elder, Barb," he said. "Who are you?"</p> - -<p>He was tall, the loose robe hanging straight from lean shoulders, his -thin features stern as he gazed at the scene. His hands were empty, -yet they gave a sense of power to him, for the fingers were long and -tapering, the palms broad. He watched Trent quietly through eyes that -gave the uncanny impression of seeing much and retaining all.</p> - -<p>He stepped from the doorway, stood waiting quietly, pale eyes -appraising the man from the past, features tightening in puzzled -memory, as though he was trying to recall someone he had seen before.</p> - -<p>"He is a spy, Elder," Lura cried. "He appeared from nowhere, <i>overcame -a Master</i>, and slew a brok. He carries weapons such as only the Masters -have—and he has a double name."</p> - -<p>"My name is Trent, Kimball Trent," Trent said evenly. "I was searching -for anyone alive—"</p> - -<p>The blond giant stirred at his feet, moaned, then came groggily to -his feet. He blinked dazed eyes, saw Trent, instantly fell to a -half-crouch, hands knotting into blocky fists.</p> - -<p>"Enough, Korm," the Elder snapped, and the giant relaxed.</p> - -<p>The tension was easing now, dispersed by the calmness of the Elder. -Quietly, Trent holstered his flame gun, then crossed his arms, stood -quietly waiting for the old man to speak.</p> - -<p>"I have seen you somewhere before," the Elder said, "and your double -name is familiar in the depths of my mind." His voice changed subtly, -grew desperately grim. "What do you here?" he finished.</p> - -<p>"Let us talk somewhere else," Trent said. "I shall be glad to tell my -story then."</p> - -<p>The Elder nodded, turned and stepped through the door. Kimball Trent -followed, the remaining four coming directly after. The blond giant -touched a stud on the wall, and the door came softly closed, mantling -all with sable darkness.</p> - -<p>Light swelled in a pale nimbus from a wall lamp, and they began walking -down a narrow tunnel. Sweat dripped from the walls, and the air was -coldly damp. Their feet made rasping noises, and the sound of their -breathing was abnormally loud. They did not speak, but Kimball Trent -was aware of their coldly appraising looks, and the skin of his back -crawled when he remembered the razor-sharp spears couched in capable -hands.</p> - -<p>The lights flickered out of being behind, new ones coming on, as they -walked, leaving them in a perpetual cocoon of brilliance, making the -darkness a velvet wall eternally pressing in. Close at hand light -speared suddenly from a side tunnel, and the Elder led the way into -it, halted at the side of a low mono-wheel car that rested on a single -plastic track.</p> - -<p>He waited until all had seated themselves in the car, then stepped into -the front, touched a series of studs. Vibration came from a concealed -motor, and the mono-wheel car slipped into whining speed almost -instantly.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The walls whirred by, and the air was a solid blast against their -faces. Kimball Trent turned slightly as the car sped along, watching -the faces, nerves tightening at the suspicion and distrust that held -all in thrall.</p> - -<p>He gave his attention to the machine in which they rode, saw that it -was a model but slightly better than the ones to which he had been -accustomed. The plastic air-shield had been removed for some reason, -otherwise the passengers could have carried on a conversation in normal -tones.</p> - -<p>The tunnel wound through the ground like the home of a worm, slipping -through mazes of interlocking tracks, automatic relays making certain -that the car was not shunted into the path of an approaching vehicle. -But they met no other cars; there was a sense of death and desolation -in the tunnels and depots.</p> - -<p>The car began to slow, the walls firming at either side, and came at -last to a stop at a single platform on which stood three men armed -with knives and spears. They were dressed as were his captors, in -loose robes, which they apparently wore against the chill of their -underground retreat.</p> - -<p>They saluted as the car came to a stop, stepped forward, weapons -levelled, when they saw Trent.</p> - -<p>"A prisoner, Elder," the first said respectfully.</p> - -<p>The Elder shook his head. "A friend," he said gently.</p> - -<p>Kimball Trent stepped to the platform, stretched his hand to help Lura, -flushed when she ignored his hand and came from the vehicle without -aid. The others ranged themselves at his back; and the tension was in -the group again.</p> - -<p>"This way," the Elder said. "We shall talk in my room."</p> - -<p>"Elder, his weapons!" Korm said briefly.</p> - -<p>Kimball Trent shrugged, lifted his guns free, handed them to the giant -who took them with gingerly respect.</p> - -<p>"Do not experiment with them," Trent advised.</p> - -<p>Korm grinned wryly, laid them on the platform. "I want <i>nothing</i> to do -with them," he said grimly.</p> - -<p>Then the Elder and Kimball Trent were going through the open door, the -others remaining behind. They followed a short lighted tunnel carved -through living rock, turned aside into a single room.</p> - -<p>"I make you welcome," the Elder said.</p> - -<p>Kimball Trent gazed curiously about, seeing the crudeness of the -furnishings; the room was furnished like that of an ascetic, not like -the home of the leader of some group. It had a spartan simplicity in -the plastic furniture, the bare walls white and unmarked.</p> - -<p>Kimball Trent chose a chair at the side of a table, waited until the -Elder had seated himself and pushed what appeared to be some sort of -signal button.</p> - -<p>A young man, brown-haired and athletic, came through the door, nodded -in greeting, stared curiously at Trent. He walked slowly to the table, -bent his head in tribute.</p> - -<p>"Valur, this is Kimball Trent, a newcomer," the Elder said. "We shall -listen to his story." He turned to Trent. "Valur is the Reader; it is -he who knows the past and who is the keeper of the books."</p> - -<p>"I make you welcome," Valur said quietly, eyes wise beyond his years -calmly studying the well-knit body of Trent.</p> - -<p>"Your story?" the Elder prompted gently.</p> - -<p>Kimball Trent began to speak. He told of his awakening, of his rescue -of Lura, of his being brought to the tunnels. He saw the skepticism -in the Elder's eyes, was conscious of the probing of his statements by -Valur. He told nothing of the fortress that had stayed untenanted for -five centuries, told only that he had been buried in a cave, and had -come miraculously alive.</p> - -<p>Finished, he relaxed against the chair back, waited for the questions. -He could feel the perspiration on his forehead, for he sensed the -mettle of the men, knew that he would not leave the underground alive -if they believed him to be a spy of the Gharrians.</p> - -<p>"What think you?" the Elder asked Valur.</p> - -<p>Valur seated himself directly before Trent. "You claim to be a Kimball -Trent?" he asked.</p> - -<p>"Yes," Trent said.</p> - -<p>"There was once a Kimball Trent who fought the Masters when first they -came. He was the friend of a man called Doctor Boyliss, and one of the -first leaders of the fight against the Masters."</p> - -<p>"I'm the one," Kimball Trent said grimly.</p> - -<p>"You will submit to a neuro test?"</p> - -<p>"Gladly."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Valur strode to a side door, entered, returned with a small neurograph -machine. He clamped cables to the arms, legs and head of Trent, -adjusted dials, then began his questioning. For minutes he talked, both -he and the Elder studying the dials. Slowly, amazement came to their -faces, excitement flickering in their eyes. At last, they freed the -cables, and Trent relaxed.</p> - -<p>"Satisfied?" he asked.</p> - -<p>"One more test," Valur said, left the room.</p> - -<p>Kimball Trent smiled at the Elder. "My story must sound utterly -insane," he said.</p> - -<p>"It does," the Elder said noncommittally.</p> - -<p>Then Valur was back, gently carrying a plasti-book, opening it as he -came. He spread the book on the table, opening it to a group picture, -indicating one man. He took a small box from a pocket in his robe, made -prints of Trent's fingerprints.</p> - -<p>"It is he," he said at last, pushing the book and prints aside.</p> - -<p>There was silence then, the Elder and Valur studying the man before -them with awe-filled eyes. Trent shifted uncomfortably.</p> - -<p>"Now, suppose you tell me your story?" he asked.</p> - -<p>The Elder nodded. "There are about three thousand of us Barbs beneath -the city. Our ancestors fought the Masters, hiding like beasts beneath -the ground, never finding the weapons that would rid the Earth of the -Gharrians. We do nothing now but live and hope, sometimes making raids -on the breeding stations, trying to free those who would escape." -Weariness came to his voice. "The breeders lack spirit now, after -centuries of slavery; usually they will not run, even when their -devil-wires are broken."</p> - -<p>"Devil-wires?" Trent asked.</p> - -<p>Valur explained. "They slay at a touch, and when broken, they snap and -spit yellow flames."</p> - -<p>"Electricity?"</p> - -<p>Valur shrugged. "I have read the word, but it means nothing to me."</p> - -<p>Kimball Trent gestured at the lights. "Those lights and the mono-wheel -car; they are both somewhat electrical in nature."</p> - -<p>The Elder shook his head. "We know how none of the things work that -we use. We find them, and sometimes they do certain things; when they -cease to function, we forget them. None of us have the knowledge to -maintain or repair them."</p> - -<p>Kimball Trent nodded. He saw now many things that he had not understood -before. He had seen primitive spears and a car that ran by <i>atomilect</i> -power, had seen one man who could read and others to whom reading -was a mystery not to be fathomed by ordinary men. He had seen the -intelligence that gleamed in his captors' eyes, and yet they had -thought him a superman because he had slain one of the Gharrians' -hunting broks with a flame gun.</p> - -<p>"I can repair them," he said at last. "But first, I must know how you -live, and the machines upon which you live."</p> - -<p>The Elder came lithely to his feet. "We shall show you all," he said, -faint hope flickering in his voice. "You will find conditions much -changed from those you knew." He smiled. "Later, you shall tell us of -your world."</p> - -<p>He led the way into the tunnel, sent a guard for Trent's weapons. -Kimball Trent fitted them onto his shoulder and hip again, then strode -down the tunnel at the side of his two guides.</p> - -<p>"You spoke of breeding stations," he said as they walked. "What did you -mean?"</p> - -<p>Muscles knotted in Valur's jaws. "They <i>are</i> breeding stations," he -said. "For almost five centuries the Gharrians have forced Earth to -supply slaves for them. Great depots are made into slave camps, and the -children born are carried in the crimson ships into space. We never see -them again."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>There was hate in Kimball Trent again, the surging twisting of -emotions that had driven him in the days he had fought the monsters -from infinity. It had lain dormant the last few days, stifled by his -thoughts of the centuries he had slept, smothered by his fear that the -world was dead and he alive. Now, knowing the way in which men lived on -their planet, the hate came alive again, and he could feel the muscles -of his body swelling against his harness.</p> - -<p>"And nothing can be done?" he asked.</p> - -<p>"Nothing!" Valur shook his head. "The Masters cannot be slain, and they -hunt us like animals with their broks. We try now only to stay alive, -praying for a miracle." His eyes swung to Trent. "It may be that <i>you</i> -are that miracle."</p> - -<p>Kimball Trent flushed, feeling helpless and naked and impotent. "We -fought," he said, "and our weapons were of no avail. The men who might -have devised new weapons are all dead, and I do not have the knowledge -for manufacturing along new lines of thought."</p> - -<p>The Elder's voice was gentle. "We shall win," he said. "We shall win -eventually, for men were never meant to crawl as animals." His voice -changed. "We shall call you 'Trent'," he finished, "and say that you -are a Barb from Connet, for my people will not believe the tale you -tell. Or if they did believe, they might think you a superman, and that -would not be good."</p> - -<p>The light of an entrance ahead came into view as they rounded a corner -in the tunnel. They could hear voices; and the odors of cooking came on -the faint breeze. Trent shivered suddenly. This was not the way that -he thought the world would be. Never in even his wildest dreams had he -thought Earth could be conquered. Now it was so, and the future was -a hopeless thing, Earthmen fighting with feather-weapons against the -invulnerable armor of the Gharrians.</p> - -<p>They stepped from the tunnel, and Lura joined them from where she stood -with Korm and another man. Her gaze was level and inscrutable as she -studied Trent's face.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus4.jpg" alt=""/> - <div class="caption"> - <p>Lura</p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"Did he lie?" she asked.</p> - -<p>"He spoke the truth," the Elder said evenly.</p> - -<p>Lura smiled then, and the warmth of her smile was like the soothing -fingers of a Summer breeze stroking Trent's features.</p> - -<p>"I am glad," she said simply. "One who faces a Master and his brok -should be one of us." She beckoned to Korm. "You fought once; now meet -as friends."</p> - -<p>Korm grinned, held out his hand. "My sister told me of how you saved -her; I am your friend." He tensed the muscles of his proud neck, winced -instinctively. "Some time you must show me that fighting trick; never -before have I been bested in battle."</p> - -<p>"Any time," Kimball Trent said.</p> - -<p>"Come," Valur said. "Light talk shall wait until later."</p> - -<p>Kimball Trent turned to follow his guides, conscious of the slim girl -at his side, wondering how any woman could be so fearlessly reliant -and so feminine at the same time. He glanced at the blond giant, saw -the knowing look that came to the grey eyes when they went from him to -Lura, and hotness flooded upward from his throat.</p> - -<p>He turned his attention to the Elder. "What first?" he asked. "My -people," the Elder said simply.</p> - -<p>Together, they began their tour.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">IV</p> - -<p>Three weeks had passed since Kimball Trent's arrival. At first, he had -met doubt and suspicion from the inhabitants of the tunnels beneath the -rubble of New York. His manner of speech was odd, as were his weapons, -his clothing and his knowledge. But gradually, he had been accepted by -the majority of those he had met through the Elder.</p> - -<p>The dwellers of the underground caverns were a strange admixture of -modern and primitive cultures. None but the Elder, the Reader and his -acolytes could read or write. They knew nothing of the past except what -the Reader gave to them from his books, or what the Singers gave to -them in their songs of legend.</p> - -<p>They had been cleaved into three classes: workers, warriors and -growers, each with its distinct duties, each contributing to the -welfare of the whole. The warriors were the hunters of wild game and -the protectors of their homes; the workers kept everything used in as -good repair as they were capable of doing, except upon the mechanical -machines and contrivances of which they had no knowledge either -inherited or acquired. The growers were the food gardeners and flock -tenders, utilizing their skill in abandoned subway tubes where gardens -grew fabulously beneath the radi-lights studding the walls, and where -various food and milk animals and food fowls were kept in penned-in -tunnels.</p> - -<p>Over all were the Elder and his council of five. They ruled by -election of the people, and so kindly and wise had been their rule that -never had one been deposed except by death. They studied the old books, -sent parties searching on great journeys in efforts to contact other -groups of men and women hidden from the invaders. They made the laws -that were needed, interpreted them, and meted out what punishment was -necessary. Major crimes were unknown, for the knowledge had been bred -into generation after generation that life could only be maintained by -absolute dependence upon each other.</p> - -<p>This was the society that Kimball Trent found beneath the earth, one -that amazed and embittered him; for in his mind was the world that had -been his, one of freedom of movement and thinking, with only the coming -of the Gharrians to mar the peace that had seemed eternal.</p> - -<p>He found a great admiration, too, for the people of the caverns. -Never had he heard grumbling among them, always there had been soft -laughter. And always had there been, deep beneath their mannerisms, -that steel-like will that would never bow beneath the weird tyrants.</p> - -<p>For the first week, he had done little more than meet the men and women -and children, acquainting himself with their way of living, measuring -them against his memories of those who had fought at his side five -hundred years before. He had felt the bite of conscience, remembering -the fortress that lay hidden but a few hours away from these tunnel -homes; but he kept the knowledge to himself, not certain that these -people were what they claimed to be in actuality.</p> - -<p>In the second week, he began his repairing of the machines that lay -abandoned where they had fallen into disuse. He grinned at the sounds -of amazement made by Lura and Korm, his constant companions, as he -replaced wiring and reset the atomic burners so that machines would -work and run again. To him the repairing was as simple as the setting -of a watch, for the machines had been almost indestructible and -foolproof when they were built. They had needed but to have certain -small parts replaced, and the atomic vibrators replenished with fuel; -but to Lura and Korm the sudden working of machines discarded long -before they were born was little short of miraculous.</p> - -<p>Kimball Trent had explained as he repaired, showing the simplicity -of every machine, indicating how many others could be repaired and -maintained. Korm had grasped the knowledge with a natural skill, had -elected himself to instruct others in the 'mechanic' art. Lura had been -more slow, mechanics not her natural bent, but she retained what she -learned, and demonstrated it on several occasions.</p> - -<p>There had been other long hours, too, spent in talks with the Elder and -the Council of Five. In them, he had told of the past, had explained -the manner in which people lived, had told of the religions and the -work and the miracles of machinery that made living comfortable and -easy of accomplishment. He had used his smattering of several foreign -languages to open dusty books to the inquiring mind of the Readers, had -given knowledge that would raise the standard of living of the cavern -dwellers.</p> - -<p>In return, he had learned that colonies were scattered over the world, -underground cities where tens of thousands of free men lived and died, -waiting for the day when the Earth would be delivered of the monsters -that held it in an iron grip of tyrannical mastery.</p> - -<p>He had made his decision to disclose the location of the underground -fortress, with its weapons and facilities for living in comfort. He -knew now that these were his people, even though they had come five -centuries after him. Within them burned the flame that motivated him, -and he sensed that within them might lie the salvation of the world.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He was finishing the repairing of a water pump, when first he heard the -excited voice of Korm calling from nearby. Straightening, wrench in -hand, he waved an answer, waited until the blond giant had come to his -side.</p> - -<p>"Your guns, Trent," Korm said breathlessly. "We make a raid today."</p> - -<p>"A raid? Where?"</p> - -<p>"At the south of York. Spies have brought information that new -prisoners have been brought to the encampment; they will be more than -willing to escape. And perhaps others may come, too."</p> - -<p>The thrill of the words swept through Kimball Trent's mind, surged hot -blood into his temples. He dropped the wrench, caught up his guns from -where they lay beside the pump.</p> - -<p>"How many are going?" he asked.</p> - -<p>"A few," Korm answered, setting the pace toward a small group waiting -beside a tunnel mouth.</p> - -<p>"Hurry," a voice called clearly.</p> - -<p>"Lura!" Kimball Trent said. "Surely you're not letting her go along."</p> - -<p>Korm frowned. "Of course," he said. "She is good with knife and spear; -she has been on many raids."</p> - -<p>"But she is a woman!"</p> - -<p>Korm shrugged. "That is good; she will influence the female breeders to -escape."</p> - -<p>Then they were at the edge of the group, and Korm was introducing the -five men and two women. Valur and Lura, Trent had already met. He shook -hands with Frong, a jovial red-haired giant almost as huge as Korm. -Neela, the second woman smiled shyly in greeting, clung hand to hand -with her dark-skinned husband, Matt. Nels and Parb, the last two men, -nodded silent greetings, their strong hands caressing the spears they -carried.</p> - -<p>They had discarded the tunnel-robes, were dressed now in chest -harnesses hung with knives, and in brief leather skirts that came -halfway down their thighs. Sandals protected their feet and ankles.</p> - -<p>"Come," Korm said, led the way into the side tunnel.</p> - -<p>They walked the length of the tunnel, entered a large mono-wheel car, -Korm sending it speeding down the single track. The walls blurred from -the speed, and conversation was impossible for the fifteen minutes of -the ride.</p> - -<p>This was the first time that Kimball Trent had travelled in this -direction from the tunnel city. He prodded his memory, trying to -recall details of the city, recognizing Grand Central Air Terminal, -and farther on the tubes that had been used by ground traffic and the -underground trains to reach New Jersey. But after that, he recognized -no stations or details; evidently the tunnels had been built after he -had been frozen in the fortress.</p> - -<p>Korm touched studs on the control panel, brought the car to a sliding -stop. "We go no farther by car," he said quietly. "Follow me, and be -careful to make no sound; broks might be around."</p> - -<p>He stepped to the small platform at the right of the car, gently eased -open a small door, went through the black opening. Lura followed on his -heels, and after her came Trent and the rest of the party.</p> - -<p>They followed a dank sloping repair tunnel, slipping on the mossy -damp flooring, going toward the faint glimmer of light a hundred feet -ahead. Korm hissed for silence at the end, carefully parted the fringe -of camouflaging bushes, searched the landscape for signs of hidden -watchers. Satisfied, he slipped into the open, gave a helping hand to -Lura. Within seconds, all stood within the cover of a thick growth of -trees and bushes.</p> - -<p>"This way," Korm whispered.</p> - -<p>They squirmed through the brush, taking care to make no sound, keen -eyes searching everywhere about. Kimball Trent felt the tension -mounting unconsciously in his heart, felt the cold sheen of sweat on -his body. He gripped the rifle with nervous hands, felt a bit of relief -when Lura flashed him a brief warm smile. Somehow, they were very close -at the moment.</p> - -<p>"There!" Korm said at last, squatted behind a bush.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Kimball Trent saw the building first, towering like the round silo of a -Midwestern farmer, slotted windows strips of black against the gleaming -red surface of seamless plastic. His gaze drifted to the ground, and -muscles bulged along his back.</p> - -<p>There were people there, herded together in a great wire pen. There -were men and women and children; and even from a distance, Trent could -see the hate and fear and despair that tortured every face.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus5.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>He scowled unbelievingly when he saw the guards. They were metal men, -robots, stalking steady guard duty a few feet outside of the wire -enclosure. They were weird caricatures of men, quartz eyes staring -straight ahead, concussor boxes dangling from waist cords, tiny puffs -of dust spurting with each step of their flat mechanical feet.</p> - -<p>Kimball Trent shook his head. He had heard nothing of the robots, had -never seen them when first he fought the Gharrians. Evidently they had -been created after the world had been conquered. Now they walked in -deadly silence, a menace against which an unarmed man would have no -chance at all.</p> - -<p>A man died, even as Trent watched. He cried his hate and raced toward -the fence, leaping high so as to clamber over it with catlike speed and -agility. Trent felt the unheard warning coming from his chest, stifled -it, even as electricity crackled and writhed along the figure of the -man and dropped him in a smouldering blackened heap onto the ground.</p> - -<p>No sound came from the prisoners; they stared in dull hate, as the -nearest robot ignored the crackling electricity and pulled the body -below the lowest strand of wire. Dragging the corpse by the legs, the -robot soullessly pulled it toward a shallow ditch, dumped it in, then -again began its endless patrol.</p> - -<p>"The inhuman beasts!" Lura cried softly, tears in her eyes.</p> - -<p>A Gharrian came from the base of the tower, walking with its ponderous -smoothness, the single eye glittering in the sunlight. There was -something obscene and deadly about its deliberate stalking of the -prisoners huddled within the enclosure.</p> - -<p>Its long multi-fingered arms were like writhing tentacles, as it -singled out a man and woman, capturing them before they could move. -Three men hurled themselves at its broad back, beating insanely -with their fists. A robot came rushing in, battered them free, -then beat them into unconsciousness with mailed feet. The Gharrian -turned, stalked toward the tower, dragging the man and woman with an -unconscious incredible ease. It was like a blue monster from hell -dragging two victims to some hideous sacrifice.</p> - -<p>"Where?" Kimball Trent breathed.</p> - -<p>Korm shrugged. "We're not certain," he said. "One escaped prisoner said -that, in the tower, tests are made of their mentality and fertility." -His great hands knotted about the heavy spear shaft. "Some day I shall -enter that tower, and all hell shall not stop my destroying every -Master therein!"</p> - -<p>Then the passion was gone from his voice, and he was their leader -again. "Matt, Nels, Parb," he ordered. "Go around to the other side and -create a diversion. We shall tear down the fence from this side."</p> - -<p>The three men nodded and were gone like drifting shadows. Korm opened -the small bundle Frong, the red-haired giant, handed him, disclosing -several plastic ropes, gang-hooks attached to one end of each. He -distributed the ropes to Valur, Frong and himself. Trent watched -intently, as they fitted the spears to the hooked end of the ropes.</p> - -<p>"Is this your plan?" he asked quietly.</p> - -<p>Korm nodded shortly, testing a knot with heavy fingers.</p> - -<p>Kimball Trent lifted his rifle. "I can blow the fence to pieces with a -couple of shots?" he said.</p> - -<p>"No!" Lura laid a slim hand on the rifle barrel. "We want no more noise -than necessary. They discovered us early the last time we raided, and -loosed the broks. We lost more than half of our group."</p> - -<p>Trent shrugged. "All right, then, what do I do?"</p> - -<p>"Sit and watch," Korm said shortly. "Cover us with your weapons."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Then he and Frong were in the open, walking steadily down the gentle -slope, ropes coiled in their left hands, the spears couched in their -right. And even as they began their march, a yellow rope sailed out -of the trees across the enclosure, settled about the neck of a robot, -tightened with a whiplike snap. The robot spun halfway about, then -toppled with a metallic clatter.</p> - -<p>"Ready?" Lura whispered.</p> - -<p>Neela nodded, dark eyes worried and intent as she watched her husband -and two companions pulling with all their strength upon the far rope.</p> - -<p>Four robots had whirled at the clattering, were speeding to the aid of -their companion. Cable fingers caught at the black concussors at their -waists, were lifting them for lethal shots.</p> - -<p>"Now!" Korm's voice came winging back.</p> - -<p>He and Frong threw with gigantic strength, the spears speeding aloft, -hovering, dropping just past the coppery strands of electrified wire. -Sparks danced a drunken saraband along the fence, grounded through -the spears. Then the connecting ropes were pulling taut, the hooks -catching firmly. The two giants braced heavy legs, muscles rippling, -and swelling along massive shoulders. The ropes tightened, grew solid, -and the fence began to lean toward them. Posts snapped with brittle -reports—and then the fence was ruptured, broken wires leaping and -sparking with white-hot violence.</p> - -<p>"Ho, Barbs!" Korm bellowed. "Run for freedom. Dodge the wires and -follow me."</p> - -<p>Then the action was almost too swift to follow. The four robots turned -as one, lifting their concussors to focus on the blond giant. Kimball -Trent fired in one swift move, levering the rifle for explosive -needles, the racking bellow of the concussions bounding through the -churning air. One robot blew to pieces, and the explosion knocked down -the second. The third fired, but the shot went wild, for a second rope -whirled from nowhere, jerked him off balance. The shot exploded fifty -feet over Trent's head, blasted him face down in the dirt.</p> - -<p>He scrambled to his knees, fired at the fourth robot, blew it to -pieces, then whirled to watch the enclosure again. He saw the two -Gharrians standing in the doorway of the tower, blasted two shots their -way, saw them rock from the explosions.</p> - -<p>Men and women were running for the breach in the fence. Some died, -touched by the vicious sparks that flicked from the whipping wires; -others scrambled through to safety. They made no sound, but came in an -instinctive rush, coming directly toward the great blond and red giants -who had torn down the fence with insulated ropes of soft plastic.</p> - -<p>"Good!" Neela said quietly, straightened to her full height.</p> - -<p>"Broks!" Lura cried desperately, and terror was in the single word, a -terror more horrible than the word could express.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>They came gliding from a side door, one after the other, until fully a -dozen stood before the tower. Then they turned and came in a murderous -wave of death up the slope, going straight toward the rescuers, -ignoring the escaping prisoners. Saliva dropped from gaping fangs, and -their six legs threw them forward with an incredible speed. They mewled -like gigantic cats, then hissed their hate.</p> - -<p>Korm and Frong turned and ran before the group of prisoners, knives -glittering in their hands as they watched the beasts come in a circling -attack. There was no fear in their features, only a calm determination -that didn't alter.</p> - -<p>Kimball Trent came to his feet, braced heavy thigh muscles against the -concussion shocks that were coming, then set the rifle for continuous -fire. He swayed the muzzle like a fire hose, spraying death into the -broks, blowing them to bloody scraps of bone and flesh, cursing, as -some of them escaped the blasting fire.</p> - -<p>The rifle clicked empty, and he caught at the flame gun. Korm and Frong -were at his side then, knives bared, and he waved them on.</p> - -<p>"Run, you fools," he snarled. "Get the prisoners to safety. I can kill -them all with the flame gun."</p> - -<p>He fired as he spoke, and the orange flames gushed in a hellish -holocaust that roasted two of the fanged monsters to death in midleap. -Three others whipped to one side, split forces, came whirling in from -different directions.</p> - -<p>The last of the prisoners were by him now, except for a few who had -dropped from concussion shock. He tried to scream a warning at Lura, -who had darted out and was helping a woman to her feet; but he had no -time, for the three snake-scaled broks came snarling in.</p> - -<p>Full power he had the gun, and full power he needed. The first brok -charged directly into the flame, vanished in a greasy puff of smoke. -The second was barely caught by the swinging flame, screamed in agony, -bounded to safety. The third drove squarely in, evading the flame for -a second, then died, the vortex of surging energy slashing away the -forepart of its body with magical speed.</p> - -<p>Kimball Trent whirled, sent a spear of flame after the fleeing brok, -caught it a hundred yards away, dropped it in its tracks. Then, -breathing deeply, sickened by the odor of burning flesh, he raced to -aid Lura. She had half-lifted the woman to her feet, and he bent to -lift her to his shoulders. It was then he saw the terror in Lura's -violet eyes. He tried to whirl, managed only to get part of the way -about.</p> - -<p>He saw the single eye of the Gharrian, cursed himself for lulling -himself into thinking that the alien monsters moved but slowly. He -reached for his gun, knowing the weapon was useless, hoping only to -give Lura a chance at escape.</p> - -<p>Then the first arm of the Gharrian lashed out, coiled about him like an -octopus tentacle, drew him close, and a second sledged with a brutal -scientific precision. He felt the hurt spreading in a racing wave over -his body, tried to fight away the blanket of darkness. He heard Lura's -scream, saw dimly that the Gharrian had caught her with his other arms.</p> - -<p>Then the blackness became opaque and he could see nothing. He felt a -second blow, and he was sinking into a funnel of darkness that had no -bottom. He heard a faint echo of Lura's scream; then he knew no more.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He was on a boat, water slapping his face each time the boat rocked in -the troughs of the spilling waves. He tried to sit, but nausea cramped -his belly, and he felt the blackness knotting his mind again. He heard -his name called again and again, but he did not have the strength to -answer.</p> - -<p>Then the curtain began lifting from his memory, and thoughts came -flooding to his mind. He blinked dazedly, focusing his eyes grimly, saw -that Lura was bent over him, a wet cloth in her hand.</p> - -<p>"Some fight!" he tried to joke, and the pain of his head took all of -the jolliness from his tone.</p> - -<p>"You'll be all right," Laura said.</p> - -<p>He leaned back against the pressure of her arm, saw that he had been -lying on a crude bunk against the wall of an unfurnished room. He swung -his legs to the floor, braced his head with both hands, gently explored -the swelling bruise-knots that marked his skull.</p> - -<p>"Never again," he said grimly. "Next time, I run."</p> - -<p>Lura smiled gamely, worry shadows fleeing back into the depths of her -violet eyes. She brushed back a stray lock of red-gold hair from her -cheek, allowed her gaze to wander about the room.</p> - -<p>"The Master brought us here and left a metal man on guard. You have -been unconscious for hours."</p> - -<p>Kimball Trent came groggily to his feet, bracing himself with one hand -on the wall. Then he circled the room, stopping at the slit window, -trying to see into the velvet night, going on to peer through the -barred grille in the door at the expressionless inhuman face of the -robot that stood at motionless guard across the hallway. Farther down -the hall, on either side, he could see more doors with grilled openings.</p> - -<p>"Are we in the tower?" he asked.</p> - -<p>"Yes," Lura answered from where she sat. "The Master brought us -directly here."</p> - -<p>"Did the others escape?"</p> - -<p>"I do not know. I did not see them when we were brought in, and none -have been brought here since." Her self control gave slightly. "Kim, -what are we going to do?"</p> - -<p>Kimball Trent grinned, forcing back the futility that beat at his -thoughts. "We're going to get out of here, one way or the other," he -said reassuringly.</p> - -<p>"How?"</p> - -<p>Trent shrugged, wished the ache in his head would stop bouncing about. -"I don't know," he said equably. "But I've got a hunch we're in for a -little quiz session with the Gharrians."</p> - -<p>"Quiz session?"</p> - -<p>"Sure. Questions and answers; they question and we answer."</p> - -<p>Lura's face was white beneath her tan, but she smiled at Trent. "I hope -they hurry with whatever they've got planned; I'm beginning to feel -hungry."</p> - -<p>They laughed then, laughed with the brightness and hope of youth, -amused by the incongruity of worrying about a meal when their -lives were probably forfeit for the events that had taken place. -They laughed, and the robot moved to the grille, stared with blank -telephotic eyes.</p> - -<p>"Curious little devil, isn't he?" Trent said, walked toward the bunk.</p> - -<p>He watched the grille for a moment, thoughts whirling in his mind, -trying to form some plan of escape that could be based on the reactions -of the robot to anything out of the ordinary that happened among the -prisoners he was set to guard.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The minutes walked by on leaden feet, neither of them speaking, each -intent on silent thoughts. There were no sounds, inside or out, and a -chill came to the room from the night air.</p> - -<p>Then there came the heavy sound of metallic footsteps from the -corridor, echoed by the shuffling of bare feet. Hands fumbled at the -door, and it swung open, an Earthman entering, the doorway blocked by a -single robot.</p> - -<p>"I've some questions to ask," the intruder said fearfully.</p> - -<p>"Traitor!" Lura spat, turned to Trent. "He gave himself up to the -Masters weeks ago, fleeing from a Connet colony he betrayed."</p> - -<p>The man drew himself up, glancing at the robot at his back, then -turning to face the prisoners. Fear was in his eyes, but brutality -masked his face.</p> - -<p>"I can order you killed," he said. "Don't drive me far." He glanced at -the rifle and flame gun he carried. "Where did you get these weapons?" -he asked Trent.</p> - -<p>"<i>Are</i> they weapons?" Kimball Trent asked mockingly.</p> - -<p>"I don—the Master says they are."</p> - -<p>"Then they can talk?" Incredulity was in Trent's voice. "I thought they -had no speech."</p> - -<p>"They do not speak, not the way we do; but they make themselves -understood." Perspiration slid in greasy drops down the man's face. -"Where did you get these weapons?" he asked again.</p> - -<p>The robot came into the room, staring glassily, tentacular arms swaying -gently at its sides. Lura stiffened, pressed closer to Trent. He -grinned, nodded at the metal man.</p> - -<p>"Your dog?" he asked.</p> - -<p>"<i>Dog?</i>" the man said puzzledly, turned his head.</p> - -<p>And Kimball Trent flowed into action, leaping with the grace and -darting agility of a panther.</p> - -<p>His left hand reached out, caught the arm of the man, and his right -hand chopped down in a vicious rabbit punch at the base of the other's -neck. Bones snapped from the brutal power, and the man went utterly -limp.</p> - -<p>The robot came driving forward with an incredible speed, tentacles of -whipping steel lashing for Trent's throat. But even as the robot came -swinging in, Trent whirled, spinning the rifle as a club, smashed the -automaton squarely across the eyes.</p> - -<p>Glass popped and shattered, tiny shards flying through the air. Light -flared intensely white in each eye socket, then died to red and -vanished into blackness.</p> - -<p>Then the robot was but an eyeless machine methodically smashing its -way about the room. It was a legged juggernaut, a ton of destruction -that crushed the bunk to splinters with a double sweep of its heavy -tentacles.</p> - -<p>Trent bent low, avoiding death by a fraction of an inch, saw that Lura -had flowed into action almost as quickly as he. She stood at the door -now, flame gun in hand, waiting for him. He dodged to her side, caught -the door, slammed it shut, then locked it with a turn of the switch.</p> - -<p>He dropped the shattered rifle, caught the flame gun in his right hand. -"This is it," he said briefly, led the way at a run down the corridor.</p> - -<p>They ducked about the corner of the hall, heard the battering sounds -disappearing behind. Their breaths were hot in their throats, and the -utter soullessness of the tower was a dank mantle that shrouded them.</p> - -<p>"Which way?" Lura said at the double door facing them at the end of the -corridor.</p> - -<p>"This," Trent said shortly, pushed through a swing door.</p> - -<p>The second hall was lighted by radi-lights in ceiling brackets, and a -current of air came strong against their faces from the far end. Light -shone through the bottom crack of a doorway, and they went toward it on -cat-feet, making no sound, stifling their very breathing for fear of -discovery.</p> - -<p>Strangely, there was no sound of alarm above, nor did they hear sounds -of pursuit. They glanced instinctively at each other, then drifted -forward, the single weapon their only defense against attack.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Kimball Trent almost smiled when he remembered the wish that had been -Korm's that day. He would have given ten years of his life to exchange -places with Lura and Trent, to have had this opportunity of wreaking -his vengeance upon the Masters in their fortress.</p> - -<p>Then the thought was gone, and they stood before the door of the room -from which light came. Trent laid his finger across his lips, nodded -for Lura to wait. She shook her head impatiently, started to speak.</p> - -<p>It was the natural thing to do to keep her quiet. He bent his head to -hers, and her lips were soft and sweet and fragrant against his mouth. -He came close to her, savoring her warmth and pliancy, feeling the urge -that lay in them both. Then he backed away, smiled from deep in his -heart.</p> - -<p>"Wait for me," he whispered, and was gone through the doorway.</p> - -<p>His gun was out in front of him, finger trembling on the stud. He saw -the Gharrian standing to one side, and hell raved from his flame pistol -as he fired instinctively. The cone of ravening energy twisted its -deadly way over the entire body—yet the alien monster made no move to -flee or to attack.</p> - -<p>Heat grew and built and swelled, drove him back a full step—and still -the blue-grey monster made no move. Red rage pulsed in Trent's mind, -and he whispered, "Damn! Damn! Damn!" over again as the last charge in -the flame began to die away.</p> - -<p>And at last, the gun empty and cooling in his hand, he stood facing -the Gharrian, blinking against the heat, smelling the odor of charred -plastic where the flame had touched the wall. Then he gasped, bent -forward in excitement.</p> - -<p>For the Gharrian had no head.</p> - -<p>Kimball Trent took two cautious steps forward, standing on tiptoe, -staring at the cavity where the eye-head had been. And what he saw -chilled the blood in his body.</p> - -<p>For the Gharrian was a robot, a tiny control board deep in the -aperture, a curved hood dropping on hinges to the back.</p> - -<p>Kimball Trent whirled then and began to stalk the room. He didn't know -exactly what he sought, but there was a singing in his mind, and the -knowledge he had just gained was the answer to many things that had -never been solved.</p> - -<p>He saw the flickering movement at the corner of the room, took two long -strides that way, snatched with bare hands at the monstrosity that -squirmed with miniature strength against the grip of his lean fingers.</p> - -<p>He almost vomited at sight of the weird creature that fought to free -itself. It was like a pink convoluted brain, with spider legs like -wormy tentacles coiling and uncoiling in mad rage. Two tiny eyes glared -lidlessly at Trent, and a hole like a sucker mouth gaped, showing blue -toothless gums.</p> - -<p>Trent increased the pressure of his fingers, and the tiny eyes popped -in agony, the tentacles wrapping about his fingers, trying to pry them -free. And in the midst of the struggle, a thought pried its way into -Trent's consciousness.</p> - -<p>"Do not slay me, Earthman. Let me live."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Kimball Trent went to the side table where small machines and tools -were scattered haphazardly. He emptied out a deep plastic jar, set it -upright, then dropped the pink monstrosity into its depths. His skin -crawled, and he heard Lura's gasp, as the Gharrian righted itself, -trying frantically to climb the glasslike walls of the prison.</p> - -<p>"Laura, bolt the door," Trent said without turning his head, then spoke -directly at the squirming blob of flesh. "Do you understand what I am -saying?" he asked.</p> - -<p>"Faintly," the answer came welling into his mind. "Our minds are not -enough alike to catch all thoughts."</p> - -<p>"So you are one of the Masters!" Trent sighed contemptuously, glancing -at the monster robot that all Earth had thought to be a creature that -lived.</p> - -<p>"I am one," the Gharrian thought.</p> - -<p>Lura came to Trent's side. "Put a cover on the jar," she said, -shuddering, "and we shall take him along with us."</p> - -<p>Mental laughter shook their minds, a dry ironical humor all the more -terrible because there was no sound. They stared in horror at the -brain-beast, while its thoughts raced through their consciousness.</p> - -<p>"You cannot escape; all doors are guarded."</p> - -<p>"Maybe!" Trent said aloud, lifting a sharp tool from the table, -balancing it idly in one hand. Then he reached over, probed delicately -at the scrambling pink beast in the jar, watched critically as green -ichor oozed from a tiny cut the tool had inflicted.</p> - -<p>"See us safely out, or you die," he said unemotionally.</p> - -<p>The thought came hurtling back, utterly savage and unafraid. "Destroy -me, and you surely die." There was an interval in which no message -came. Then: "I shall bargain with you. Tell me where those ancient -weapons were found, make yourself my prisoner, and the girl, as you -call her, shall go free."</p> - -<p>Trent carefully dropped the razor-sharp tool, heard the soundless -shriek of agony that welled high as a tentacular leg was sheared -completely away.</p> - -<p>"I make no bargains," he said coldly.</p> - -<p>He turned about, studying the single window that studded the far wall -of the room, catching up several tools from the bench, he crossed the -plastic floor, studied the incredibly hard plastic that served as a -pane through which the outer world could be seen.</p> - -<p>He searched for a catch, realized there would be none, for this was a -ground floor, and the Gharrians would leave no openings through which -an attack could be made. Calmly, he beat at the pane with his pistol -butt, bruising his hand, making absolutely no impression.</p> - -<p>"Will it break?" Lura called softly.</p> - -<p>"No. But it may cut." Trent chose the sharpest of the tools, bore down -with all his weight.</p> - -<p>The squeal of metal on plastic keened high, setting his teeth on edge; -and then the sound had passed too high for him to hear. He finished -the stroke, bent close, then straightened in defeat. There was not the -slightest of scratches on the plastic window.</p> - -<p>"Kim!" Lura cried, and he raced to her side.</p> - -<p>Even as he reached her, the Gharrian began to putrefy. It had died -during the few moments Trent had tried to break the window; and its -monstrosity of a body was already beginning to rot in upon itself like -a blighted spider caught in a flame.</p> - -<p>"Damn!" Trent swore softly. "I probably squeezed too hard. Come."</p> - -<p>He led the way toward the door through which they had come, lifted the -single bar. He smiled tiredly, gamely, was warmed by the unquenchable -courage that flamed in her bearing.</p> - -<p>"Ready?" he asked, threw open the door at her wordless nod.</p> - -<p>Facing them from ten feet away, single eyes emotionlessly watching, -were three of the robot-Gharrians.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">VI</p> - -<p>"Run!" Trent snapped, threw himself to one side, pausing for a fraction -of a second to permit Lura to dart past him. Then, even before the -Gharrians could move, they were darting through the side door, flung -instantly open by Trent's driving hand.</p> - -<p>He slammed the door, slammed the single bar shut, then whirled to -follow the girl. A soundless gasp of incredible awe came from his -throat, and he froze motionless.</p> - -<p>Kimball Trent went dashing forward, smashed the single darting pink -monstrosity, as it raced toward a robot, with his heel, then stopped, -and watched the incredible thing that filled the entire center of the -room.</p> - -<p>It was like a monster fishbowl, great cables snaking to atomic motors -that hummed with quiet power. Colors glowed and played and flickered in -the greenish liquid that filled the bowl, and the liquid bubbled softly -within itself.</p> - -<p>But the things that brought the sickness to Trent's and Lura's hearts -and minds were the things that bobbed in the liquid. They were brains, -some large, some shrunken in upon themselves, each attached to fine -wires that led to grids at the center of the bowl. Larger wires ran -from the grids to the sides of the bowl, slipped through and dropped -to small platforms upon which rested the spider monsters who ruled the -world.</p> - -<p>"Life eaters!" Trent whispered. "They live on the lives and brains of -the people they kill."</p> - -<p>He walked about the great bowl, watching the lights flicker behind the -plastic wall, seeing the sluggish movements of the creatures who sucked -the life forces from the liquid bubbling so gently. Then with a calm -viciousness that surprised even himself, he methodically crushed each -of the pinkish monsters to death.</p> - -<p>And with the death of the last monster, the first of the Gharrians -in the hall attacked the door. Great sledging blows smashed at the -plastic, each blow driving bulges where no man could have scratched the -surface.</p> - -<p>Kimball Trent stared thoughtfully at the bulging panel, his mind -working clearly for the first time in minutes. There was no fear in him -now, no blazing hate, only the crystal brightness of logic in his mind. -He looked about the room, then beckoned for Lura to come to his side. -She came trustingly, staring into his eyes, and he knew then his future -was yet to come.</p> - -<p>He grinned, kissed her gently. "You will do as I say. Go to the Reader -and tell him to read about sound waves. Tell him that the Gharrians can -be killed with supersonic waves of sound; that that is the <i>only</i> way -that they can be killed while in their armor. Do you understand?"</p> - -<p>"I understand," Lura said quietly. "But I do not leave."</p> - -<p>The door shattered inward, hanging on a single hinge, and through the -opening came the invulnerable Gharrians, moving slowly toward the -unarmed Earthman and girl.</p> - -<p>Kimball Trent swung the girl behind him, retreated, wondering if the -mad scheme he had would possibly work. And even as he thought, his hand -reached out, ripped loose the cables from one of the motors that fed -the current to the life-trap bowl.</p> - -<p>He raced to the second, tore the cables free, winced, as the motor sang -a shriller song, power mounting now that it no longer fed the bowl. -He tore the third bunch of cables free, then shielded Lura with his -body, as the motors began to race with incredible speed, their screams -mounting higher and higher.</p> - -<p>Still the Gharrians came forward, moving with an implacable deadliness -that nothing could stop apparently, their concussors dangling from -their waists. They would use their strength here, for concussion would -wreck the life bowl, and they had no reason to fear the puny strengths -of the couple they faced.</p> - -<p>The screams of the motors were like knife blades now, biting into -every nerve, wrenching agony from their brains. Trent and Lura gasped -from the pain, pressed farther back around the great transparent bowl, -striving desperately to evade that last moment when the Masters would -reach them.</p> - -<p>And then the shrill screams of the motor eased, were gone, vibrations -scaling past the audible, going into a supersonic range that their ears -could not catch.</p> - -<p>The first Gharrian lifted a mailed arm—and died.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He died rather horribly, beating insanely at his companion and the -plastic wall. Then he was dead, and was but a toppling metal hulk that -smashed to the floor.</p> - -<p>Almost in the same instant, the others died. They died as silently as -they had lived, except for one simultaneous thought of agony that came -clearly to the humans' minds.</p> - -<p>Kimball Trent leaped past the bulk of the first slain Gharrian, closed -the switches on the motors. Slowly they stopped, grew silent.</p> - -<p>Without a word, Trent switched on the motors again, then raced at -Lura's side from the room. Behind, the motors began their keening song -again.</p> - -<p>They found the outer door without trouble, guided by a supernal -instinct that needed no voluntary thought. Trent threw the great bar -and they raced outside, going toward the slope from which they had -attacked the Gharrians hours before.</p> - -<p>They heard Korm's great voice cry out, and relief gave strength to -their flying legs. Then the blond giant was at their side, and behind -him they saw the hundreds who had followed his leadership.</p> - -<p>"Run!" Trent panted. "The tower will blow within seconds."</p> - -<p>Then the motors exploded, lifting the tower in shattered fragments, -blowing to dust the place that had been one of the Gharrians' -strongholds. Flames leaped a mile into the air, fed by the ruptured -atomic motors, spreading crimson light like the wave of a rock dropped -into a still pond. The concussion passed, and all was still, the column -of brilliance still leaping and pulsing into the night.</p> - -<p>And watching the flame, his arm tight about the slender shoulders of -Lura, was Kimball Trent, the man who had lived five hundred years to -save his doomed world. He held her tightly, and the hope in his heart -was a singing melody that crept into his mind, tangling his thoughts.</p> - -<p>"Call the Elder," he said to grinning Korm. "I have a story to tell of -a new home for all of us. And"—his voice grew strong, rang like that -of a prophet—"of a weapon we can make that the Gharrians cannot fight."</p> - -<p>Then he and Lura stood alone in a night that was a dream and they -the dreamers. The first streamers of dawn were coming in the sky, -foretelling of the new day that was coming to their world.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">[Transcriber's Note: No section V heading in original text.]</p> - -<pre style='margin-top:6em'> -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SPIDER MEN OF GHARR *** - -This file should be named 63826-h.htm or 63826-h.zip - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/6/3/8/2/63826/ - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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