azedly from where he had been flung, he
saw they were in Tom's laboratory. Joan lay over there white and
still, a pitiful crumpled heap. Panicky, Bert crossed to her. His
trembling fingers found her pulse; a sobbing breath of relief escaped
his lips. She had merely swooned.

Tom Parker, exhausted from his efforts in that other plane and with
the very foundations of his being wrenched by the passage through the
fifth dimension, was unable to rise. Only semiconscious, his eyes were
glazed with pain, and incoherent moaning sounds came from his white
lips when he attempted to speak.

Bert's mind was clearing rapidly. That diabolical machine of Tom's was
still operating, the drone of its motors being the only sound in the
laboratory as the inventor closed his mouth grimly and made a
desperate effort to raise his head. But Bert had seen shapes
materializing on the lighted disk that was the gateway between planes
and he rushed to the controls of the instrument. That starting lever
must be shifted without delay.

"Don't!" Tom Parker had found his voice; his frantic warning was a
hoarse whistling gasp. He had struggled to his knees. "It will kill
you, Bert. Those things in the force area--partly through--the
reaction will destroy the machine and all of us if you turn it off.
Don't, I say!"

"What then?" Bert fell back appalled. Hazily, the steel prow of a war
machine was forming itself on the metal disk; caterpillar treads moved
like ghostly shadows beneath. It was the vanguard of the Bardek
hordes!

"Can't do it that way!" Tom had gotten to his feet and was stumbling
toward the force area. "Only one way--during the change of oscillation
periods. Must mingle other atoms with those before they stabilize in
our plane. Must localize annihilating force. Must--"

What was the fool doing? He'd be in the force area in another moment.
Bert thrust forward to intercept him; saw that Joan had regained
consciousness and was sitting erect, swaying weakly. Her eyes widened
with horror as they took in the scene and she screamed once
despairingly and was on her feet, tottering.

"Back!" Tom Parker yelled, wheeling. "Save yourselves."

* * * * *

Bert lunged toward him but was too late. Tom had already burst into
the force area and cast himself upon the semitransparent tank of the
spider men. A blast of searing heat radiated from the disk and the
motors of Tom's machine groaned as they slowed down under