Part 3

Only a little distance away a stone pillar rose from a dais. A dark blur of a figure still sagged there with a wide, wire cage over its head. Janus stared through the gloom. He knew it was Ketrik, but there was something vaguely wrong, unnatural, about it. Something he could not immediately make out.

He moved swiftly nearer to find out. Devries, knowing what he would see, called a warning. But Janus didn't stop. He didn't stop until he came very near, and the full horror of the sight burst suddenly upon his vision.

The Ritual had gone on to the very end.

Through the ghastly, greenish dusk all that Janus saw was a white gleaming skull upon a still living body. He knew the body lived for he saw it still breathing, faintly, and he saw one of the out-stretched hands twitch. And from somewhere in the throat he heard a horrible little gurgling sound as though the skull were trying to speak. The brain, of course, had not been touched, but Janus knew the brain within that skull must now be mad. He could no longer think of the thing as Ketrik.

In those few seconds that he looked, Janus felt his mind slowly slipping away into a chaos of vertiginous horror, but he caught it on the brink. Instinctively he raised the flame-pistol, aimed, and made very sure that the thing which had been Ketrik no longer lived.

Devries gave a cry of warning. Four or five thin, shadowy figures were leaping from a nearby street. They had probably seen the flash of the flame-pistol.

Devries tensed. "For Lord's sake fire! Let 'em have it!" he cried hoarsely to Janus, as the creatures bounded nearer in long leaping strides. But Janus stood there, swaying a little, still dazed by the sight he had just seen.

Devries leaped to his side, snatched the flame-pistol just as the Proktols came within range. One of them reached for its pistol. At the same time Devries let his flash out in a sweeping path. He was about two seconds quicker. The Proktols' momentum carried them straight into it, and they crumpled with hardly a sound.

Devries grasped Janus' arm and shook him out of his daze. "That way!" he whispered, indicating a wide street across the square. "It's the way we came in. If we can get out into that desert, we might steal one of those space-ships we saw!"

But the delay had been fatal. Other Proktols had seen the flash, and were hurrying toward them. Janus stopped to snatch up a fallen flame-pistol, then they were leaping away across the square.

But they didn't get far. Now, not dozens, but hordes of Proktols were converging on the scene. The entire square seemed to resound with their shrilling cries, bringing others. The Earthmen hadn't even time to wonder where they all came from. Most of them were the smaller, savage Proktols, unarmed; but some of the others with flame-pistols were trying to press through.

As the men swept their flaming fire around, the savages fell back in shrilling panic. Scores of them were burned down, but more of the creatures kept surging in. The Earthmen knew it would be only a matter of seconds before the sheer mass of the creatures overwhelmed them. Still they pressed forward, slowly burning a way through.

For some foolish reason Devries remembered shouting at Janus: "These flame-pistols are all right as toys. Wish I had an atom-blast!" Then the shrilling coppery devils were closing around, clawing. Janus brought down some more with a sweeping blast, and Devries did the same, but the flame-charges were getting very weak.

Then the Earthmen stared. The savages were no longer pressing around them; they were fleeing away! For no reason at all they saw the space ahead of them open up. They saw a long, clean swath of Proktols topple like grain cut down by a mower. Those that did not fall fled frantically, shrilling in thin terror at a strangely invisible death.

The men couldn't quite understand what had happened, but they took swift advantage of the miracle and darted across the now open square. But the larger Proktols weren't so superstitious. A dozen of them, now unimpeded, came leaping to intercept them. But before these Proktols could raise their flame-pistols, they toppled too, cut clean in two! All was clear around the men now, and they paused to catch a breath.

"What the devil was it, Janus? What happened?"

"Pure luck! I knew that lucky piece of mine couldn't fail!"

But just then a figure emerged from the dark shadow of a building, and ran toward them. It was a familiar figure, and it held two atom-blasts, one of which it thrust into Devries' hands.

"Luck nothing!" Devries yelled, recognizing him. "It's Ross! How did you escape? We thought you died on the _Wasp_!"

* * * * *

"Not quite," Ross said. "Come on, this is no picnic! Let's get out of here before those devils stop wondering what an atom-blast is."

The men turned and sprinted for the open street ahead of them. But they hadn't taken five steps when Devries felt a crushing, numbing weight upon his brain. He staggered, fell to his knees; tried to rise but couldn't. Then he fell flat, as a force hit him like a giant invisible hand. Agonizingly he wondered why the others didn't help him; then he saw that they too were lying flat, dazed and panting heavily.

With a tremendous effort Devries twisted his head around and looked across the square. He saw the huge Brain under its glass dome. It was pulsing with a fiery, angry red radiance. And Devries knew it was the Brain's tremendous thought-force that was reaching out and crushing them there.

His right hand, still grasping the atom-blast, was doubled under him. Desperately he tried to move it--and did--about an inch. It seemed to weigh a ton. With a tremendous effort that took all his strength, Devries managed to slide his hand around so the atom-blast was trained on the Brain across the square. With his last ounce of strength he pressed the power button and held it there.

Devries knew his aim was good, but that dome over the Brain must have been of tougher substance that he thought. It did not blast, although he held the weapon there for about five seconds, on full power.

But the Brain must have felt the menace. There came a great surge of anger, and the atom-blast was suddenly torn from Devries' hand, as was the one Ross held. Then the men were jerked to their feet by the same invisible force which had held them prone upon the pavement. The Brain, still pulsing angrily, held them there until dozens of the official Proktols came and grasped them; not until then did it withdraw its powerful thought-force.

Janus and Devries, with Ross accompanying them this time, were hurried back toward that building from which they had just escaped at such pains. Now Devries saw the huge, green glowing Neptune rising swiftly in the heavens, and realized that day was here again. And already the hordes of savage Proktols were coming again into the square, to await their Ritual, which would undoubtedly continue so long as there were victims.

"Too bad you had to come here, Ross," Devries said dully. He was utterly without hope now. They had come very close to escape, and they would have made it, had it not been for that diabolical Brain.

* * * * *

Devries was just wondering how he could die, but not the way Ketrik had, when they heard a great cry go up from the gathered throng behind them. And it was a cry of fear, or awe. Despite the wiry arms that held them, the men twisted around and looked back.

Coming toward them, low over the city, was a rocket-plane. And it was undeniably an Earth type of plane! The Proktols holding the three men jabbered excitedly in their own staccato language; then, still holding the men, they hurried to the shelter of the nearest building and crouched there. It sounded very much as if they had seen this rocket-plane before, and feared it!

The Proktols crowding in the square were trying to flee too; but before they could all disperse, the plane was over them, letting loose a wide swath of death. From the extent of it, the Earthmen judged that rocket-plane must carry a portable atom-blast nearly as large as the Patrol ships carried! It swept over the square once, veered sharply and came back. This time the atom-blast swept very close to the line of buildings where the men crouched. Their captors broke and raced for shelter.

But the Earthmen were not yet free. As they crouched there, watching their unknown benefactor, they felt the fierce surge of power from the Brain again. It alone did not flee. It remained there, on its platform, in the middle of the now deserted square. And if it was angry before, it was raging now, with a crimson, crackling radiance.

For it was the Brain which was the object of the rocket-plane's attack. A third, fourth, and yet a fifth time the plane came sweeping back over the square. And each time it did so, the Earthmen could feel part of the crushing thought-force which the Brain hurled upward at it. Invisible weapon against invisible weapon. Atom-blast versus the Brain's super mental-force!

And the Brain fought tenaciously. Such was its power that the rocket-plane was caught in its grip once, veered crazily and was almost buffeted down until an extra burst of the rockets sent it zooming away. The watching Earthmen felt that power too, and were sent spinning, bruised and battered, against the building where they crouched.

But the plane's atom-blast must have begun to find the range, because soon the Brain propelled itself toward the shelter of one of the buildings. It was angry, but it was intelligent. It recognized the danger of that atom-blast. The transparent dome encasing the Brain was of very tough material, but it would have soon crumbled under a few direct and powerful blasts.

It was not until the Brain had withdrawn to safety that the tension eased, and the men dared to leap across the square again, strewn with the ghastly remains of numberless Proktols. This time they were not apprehended. The mysterious rocket-plane was speeding away toward the desert, but the destruction had been so terrible that the remaining Proktols didn't care or dare to emerge.

Devries spied one of the atom-blasts that he or Ross had dropped. He snatched it up, stopped and looked back speculatively, weighing the weapon in his hand.

Janus pulled at him. "Come on, you don't know when you're lucky!"

"Yes, but I'd like to take at least one good blast at that Brain after the way it slapped and battered us around!" Devries stumbled along after them, unwillingly.

"Have you got the _Wasp_?" Janus finally managed to ask Ross.

"I didn't get here through the fourth dimension! It's out on the desert there, just about a mile from here. I had a close call when they turned that flame on the _Wasp_. I got to a space-suit just in time. Kept their ship in our visipanel long enough to see they were heading back for Neptune. Took me hours to repair the _Wasp_, and hours more to find you." Ross very prudently didn't ask about Blake or Ketrik, and Janus was glad of that.

* * * * *

They reached the _Wasp_, and lost little time in blasting out into space.

"What about that fleet of space-ships we saw down there?" Devries asked. "Can't we go down and blast them off the map?"

"It would take days," replied Commander Janus, "and we're lucky to be away from there as it is!"

"But--"

"Haven't you had enough action this trip?" Janus snapped.

"Look," Ross said suddenly, pointing down at the tiny satellite they had just left. Blasting out into space from that planet was a sleek, black space-ship.

Janus exclaimed: "That's Perrin--I'd recognize his ship anywhere! That must have been his rocket-plane we saw fighting with the Brain! And we came out here to get that pirate!"

He leaped to the radio, clicked it on. "Attention Perrin! Perrin, in the _Princess_! Commander Janus of Earth Patrol ship _Wasp_ speaking. We now have our long-range blast trained upon you, and you cannot outrun a Patrol ship. You will please go into a drift while we come over to board you."

A voice replied almost immediately, calm and a little amused: "Very well, Commander, do not get excited. I was just coming over to you, but if you wish, come to me instead." The rockets of the _Princess_ immediately ceased blasting, and the pirate ship drifted just a few hundred miles away.

The _Wasp_ drew near and made contact. Janus spoke again: "Our lock is ready. I should prefer that you came across, Perrin. No tricks!"

A minute later Perrin stepped through their lock with his hands held high, mockingly. He was tall, darkly handsome, with a straightforwardness that put Commander Janus ill at ease. Perrin smiled and looked down at his belt. "My pistol, Commander? That is customary I believe."

Janus stepped forward and took it. Perrin lowered his hands and said, "That is better. I was going to come over anyway, and see who it was I saved down there. I thought you were Earthmen, but I wasn't sure."

There was a slight mockery in the words. Janus flushed a little as he said: "This is damned awkward, Perrin. You did save our lives, but we were sent out here to get you, you're wanted on three planets."

"Three? I thought it was four," said Perrin, still smiling. "But I quite understand, Commander, and I ask no favors. As for saving your lives, that was a side issue. I really came to take a crack at that Brain. What did you think of our duel?"

"Interesting," murmured Janus. He was still uncomfortable, wavering between his duty and his debt of honor.

"Yes, wasn't it?" Perrin said. "You know, that thing's getting more powerful than I ever thought possible! Oh, sure, I've had a couple of other encounters with it. It's too canny to let me get a good crack at it, but how it hates me! I've been hanging around out here to see what it's up to."

"Then you know about that fleet of space-ships down there," Devries spoke up. "What do you think? Is that Brain going to direct that fleet toward the inner planets by remote control?"

"No," replied Perrin, reflectively. "That's not too fantastic a thought, but the Brain's not that powerful yet. However, those Proktols might man the ships. I think that's the plan. Did you notice those antennae they have? That's the way the Brain contacts them, and it might control them from any distance! Another thing: did you notice their flame-pistols? Modelled after the ones the Martians use, but an improvement. If you men left any atom-blasts there, the Brain'll soon find out how they click, and they'll turn out their own. And _they'll_ be an improvement. That entire space fleet will be equipped with them. But that fleet's not quite ready to move yet; they've got to have fuel."

"You mean," said Devries, "they haven't any?"

Perrin laughed softly. "They _did_ have. Those Proktols were mining it on Neptune--greenish grained stuff, something like the Tynyte we get from the Mars mountains. I watched their operations awhile, secretly. It seems to be pretty hard stuff to get out. I waited until they had quite a supply, then I swooped down and blasted it all sky high, together with a few score Proktols. That's just one more reason they hate me. But they're still mining, and getting more of the fuel out."

Janus had been listening to the pirate's words. Now he paced the control room, nervously. "That would give us time," he said softly to himself. "We could get back to Earth in a week, at full speed." He stopped and looked up. "Yes," he said aloud, "we're going back to Earth immediately!"

"Very well, Commander Janus," said Perrin, looking straight at him. "But I trust you will take the _Princess_ in tow? I love that ship very much."

"Not you, Perrin! You're not going."

"Not me, Commander? I wonder what you can mean?" The pirate's black eyes were glowing.

"Perrin, suppose I should get very careless and you suddenly escaped. I wonder where you'd escape to?"

Perrin glanced out at the glowing ball of Neptune. He was smiling again, but it was a grim little smile. "I have a hideout," he said, "which not even those Proktols have found yet. I imagine they have a lot more of that fuel mined by now, and I just love for them to hate me."

Janus glanced at the space-lock, and turned his back. When next he looked he saw the trim, black _Princess_ speeding unerringly back toward Neptune, a thousand miles away.

Devries alone was regretful, almost bitter. He weighed the familiar atom-blast in his hand. "And I didn't even get to use this! Damn it, Janus, you know what that Brain's doing, planning. If they keep on with those sacrifices, feeding it that mental force, who knows how far it'll go? It's a potential menace, it oughtn't to be allowed to exist!"

"Devries, stop gibbering!" Once again Janus was in his familiar role, Commander of the _Wasp_ of the Earth Patrol. "Ross! Stand by in the rocket room for orders; we're on double duty now."

"Yes, sir! It's a pleasure, sir." Ross hurried away.

"Devries! Start charting our course for Earth."

"Yes sir." Devries turned to the charts, disgruntled but obedient. Janus took over the controls. But a moment later he turned.

"I know it, Devries. Don't think I'm forgetting what they did to Ketrik, and what we promised him. You see, that's why I want to be sure of making a thorough job of it!"

"Yes sir," Devries said again, briskly, and he was satisfied. As the hideous green ball of Neptune rolled away behind them he didn't even look back; for he knew they'd be out here again--and soon--with more than a Patrol ship and a few atom-blasts.