this man Glaudot somehow convinces Robin
to use her power as he tells her, he might want to take over all of
Crimson?"

"Do you mean this world? Is it called Crimson? Yes--and more than that.
There's no telling how far a man like Glaudot could go with such power.
And with the ability to create all the armament and all the deadly
weapons he needed, and all the missiles to carry those weapons, he might
challenge the entire galaxy--and win!"

The words were strange to Charlie. He only understood them vaguely. Now
Robin, she would understand, he thought. Robin was always more
interested in things like that, Robin who almost knew their encyclopedia
by heart, Robin ...

"Listen," he said. "Listen. We created all the life on this world. We
made Greeks and Royal Navymen and Ministers and Russians and Congressmen
and everything we knew or somehow had heard about or had read in our
book. We get along fine with all of them, except ..."

"Yes," Captain Purcell prompted. "Go on, go on!"

"No, she'd never go there. She was always afraid of them."

"Where, man? Where?"

"No. Robin wouldn't. She just wouldn't."

It was not hot in Wild Country, but sweat trickled down Purcell's face
while he waited for Charlie's answer.

* * * * *

"Show me!" cried Glaudot in rapture. "Show me! Show me! Show me!"

He stood with Robin in a little glade in the Land of the Cyclopes. About
them were heaped all the treasures Glaudot had suddenly demanded. He did
not quite know why. He felt his iron control slipping and permitted it
to slip now, for once he got this wild desire from his system, he knew
only his untroubled iron will would be left, and with it--and the
girl--he might conquer the galaxy.

Heaped about them were jewels and precious metals and deadly weapons,
all of which Robin had summoned into being at Glaudot's orders, while
Glaudot smiled at her. It was almost a frightening smile. She was even a
little sorry she had come away with him, but she could always go back,
couldn't she? She wasn't shackled to this strange man from space, was
she? And the way he looked at her, the desire she saw in his eyes, that
was frightening too. She did not know how to cope with it. Oh, she could
create a duplicate Charlie, for example. Charlie would know what to do.
Charlie would help her. Charlie hadn't read the book as she had read it,
but Charlie was more practical. Still, what would they do with the
duplicate Char