ng, he
felt the cold, baffling-colored metal close around him again; once more
he was borne aloft for the journey to the laboratory, from there to be
propelled back to Earth.

* * * * *

Seven days of grace! But Phobar knew that less than ten minutes remained
to him. Only here could he possibly accomplish anything. Once off the
surface of Xlarbti, there was not the remotest chance that all the
nations of Earth could reach the invaders or even attempt to defy them.
Yet what could he alone do in a week, to say nothing of ten minutes?

He sensed the amused, supercilious contempt of his captor. That was
really the greatest obstacle, this ability of theirs to read
thought-pictures. And already he had given them enough word-pictures of
English so that they could understand....

In the back of Phobar's mind the ghost of a desperate thought suddenly
came. What was it he had learned years ago in college? Homer--"The
Odyssey"--Plutarch.... From rusty, disused corners of memory crept forth
the half-forgotten words. He bent all his efforts to the task, not
daring to think ahead or plan ahead or visualize anything but the Greek
words.

He felt the bewilderment of his captor. To throw it off the track,
Phobar suddenly let an ancient English nursery rime slip into his
thoughts. The disgust that emanated from his captor was laughable;
Phobar could have shouted aloud. But the Greek words....

* * * * *

Already the pair had left the mountain-high titan city far behind; they
rippled across the smooth, black surface of Xlarbti, and bore like rifle
bullets down on the swiftly looming laboratory. In a few minutes it
would be too late forever. Now the lost Greek words burst into Phobar's
mind, and, hoping against hope, he thought in Greek word-pictures which
his captor could not understand. He weighed chances, long shots. Into
his brain flashed an idea.... But they were upon the laboratory; a
stupendous door dissolved weirdly into shimmering haze; they sped
through.

Phobar's hand clutched a bulge in his pocket. Would it work? How could
it?

They were beyond the door now and racing across the great expanse of the
floor, past the central tower, past the control-panel which he had first
seen....

And as if by magic there leaped into Phobar's mind a clear-cut, vivid
picture of violet oceans of energy crackling and streaking from the
heavens to crash through the laborato