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"It killed?" asked Jim. "The subjects didn't become conscious after, say, an
hour or so?"
"What are you saying?" asked Llalal. "We could not wait around for an hour
afterward but why and how could they come back to life?"
"I don't know," Jim scowled. He walked around the base of the weapon, looking
at it. He saw Curt and Ellen watching him, but not Peep. He came all way
around to the other side and saw two ropelike objects that were pretty
evidently insulated cables running to the machine. He kicked them, and a
sudden stomach-chilling suspicion came to him.
"These " he found there was no Quebahrian word for them, "these
pipes-like-ropes. You duplicated them exactly, too?"
Llalal's slightly golden features tensed with what was obviously a strong
effort to understand Jim's words.
"But why?" he said, at last. "We are not like the Noifs who cannot see in the
dark."
"What's seeing in the dark got to do with it?" Jim asked.
"Why, we do not need the light up there!" Llalal pointed to one of the Noif
liquid electric lamps that was built in at the top of the weapon. "We would
rather have it, as we enjoyed the use of the lantern in the ventilating
system, just now. But we did not have to have light to use the weapon, as the
Noifs did, and it would have been foolish to go to the great work of building
a light-pumping machine, such as the Noifs must have to make light and pump it
into a lamp like that or these others." And he pointed to the lights burning
high up in the ceiling of the room.
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"Is that what you think goes through these?" Again Jim kicked the cables at
his feet.
"Brother, what else?" asked Llalal, staring at him. "Any fool can see that
these lamps of the Noifs are dark and empty of light until their light-pumping
machine is turned on. Then the light is made in the machine and pumped through
these ropes to the lamp." He suddenly clutched Jim's arm. "What is it? Does
the weapon require light to work? We can move ours out into sunlight. Or if
need be we can even build the light-pumping machines, themselves, if there is
some particular virtue or usefulness in their light. Tell us, Brother!"
Jim shook his head.
"I don't know yet," he said, "I'm just asking questions. Let me talk to my
friends for a moment privately."
"Very well." Llalal fell back, beckoning the other Mauregs who were close to
move back with him. Jim beckoned his companions over into the shadow of the
weapon.
"Listen," he said, low-voiced and in English when they were close.
"There's something I've got to talk over with you.
But first hadn't we better see if we can't find the beacon?"
"I have found it already, young friend," answered Peep in the same language.
"And I have set it off. Rescue should arrive soon."
"Not soon enough to help us now," said Jim, grimly. He turned to Curt and
Ellen. "You two have got to help me," he went on. "You've got to help me make
up my mind about something. I don't include Peep because he's not human and
it's my human knowledge that makes this decision necessary. Do you follow me?"
"No," said Curt.
"I mean," said Jim, slowly, "you two and I have got to decide whether I tell
the Quebahrians something, I don't mean just the Mauregs, but the Noifs and
the Walats as well. If 1 tell them and they understand me and there's no
reason they shouldn't be able to understand from what I've seen in this
room then this world will never be the same again."
"But " began Ellen. She did not have time to finish.
Interrupting her, across the silence of the big room, came the sudden rattling
of a latch from the double doors that gave entrance to it. Then the doors
creaked as if weight was being put against them. But their lock evidently
held. The creaking ceased.
"O Mauregs!" cried a high, musical Noif voice from beyond the doors. "We know
you are in there. Also we know that you could only have entered by the
ventilating system. Armed men of our race are now searching the system to find
their way to you. Shortly you will be trapped between them and us. Surrender
now and you will be well treated until the hour of your death."
The voice fell silent. The whole huge room was silent. Human and Maureg, they
stood looking at each other, without a word.
Llalal came swiftly across the floor to Jim. His face was fierce with pride.
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"We do not surrender to Noifs," he said, "but, Brother, you and your friends
must leave soon, if we are to get back through the ventilating system before
they find all the escape routes and block them on us. In the fourth part of
the period measured by an hourglass, it will be too late and we all must die
here. This is nothing for us of the Brotherhood, but you are the hope of our
people with your knowledge that may understand the weapon."
"You go," said Jim. "We'll wait here." "No," said Llalal. "We would never go
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