busy to pay any attention to the pain.

Morey, too, had realized the futility of trying to overcome the guards
by wrestling. The only thing to do was dodge and punch. The guards were
trying to take the Earthmen alive, but, because of their greater weight,
they couldn't move quite as fast as Arcot and Morey.

Torlos was still in action. He had seen the success of the Earthmen who,
weak as they were, had been able to knock a man out with a blow to the
jaw. Driving his own fists like pistons, he imitated their blows with
deadly results; every man he struck went down forever.

The dead were piling around him, but through the open door he could see
reinforcements arriving. Somehow, he had to save these Earthmen; if
Sator got their secrets, Nansal would be lost!

He reached down and grabbed one of the fallen men and hurled him across
the room, smashing back the men who struggled to attack. Then he picked
up another and followed through with a second projectile. Then a third.
With the speed and tirelessness of some giant engine of war, he slammed
his macabre ammunition against the oncoming reinforcements with telling
results.

At last Arcot was free for a moment, and that was all he needed. He
jerked his molecular ray pistol from its holster and beamed it
mercilessly toward the door, hurling the attackers violently backwards.
They died instantly, their chilled corpses driving back against their
comrades with killing force.

In a moment, every man in the room was dead except for the two Earthmen
and the giant Torlos.

Outside the room, they could hear shouted orders as more of the Satorian
guards were rallied.

"They'll try to kill us now!" Arcot said. "Come on, we've got to get out
of here!"

"Sure," said Morey, "but which way?"

XVII

"Morey, pull down the wall over that door to block their passage," Arcot
ordered. "I'll get the other wall."

Arcot pointed his pistol and triggered it. The outer wall flew outward
in an explosion of flying masonry. He switched on his radio and called
_the Ancient Mariner_.

"Wade! We were cut off because of the metal in the walls! We've been
doublecrossed--they tried to jump us. Torlos warned us in time. We've
torn out the wall; just hang outside with the airlock open and wait for
us. Don't use the rays, because we'll be invisible, and you might hit
us."

Suddenly the room rocked under an explosion, and the debris Morey's ray
had torn down over the door was blasted aw