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.Through it they floated, up to and over buildings, finally slanting downwardtoward thePage 128 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmldoor of a great high-towered structure.Doors opened before them and closedbehindthem, until at last they stood upright in a room which was evidently theoffice of a busyexecutive.They faced a desk which, in addition to the usual equipment of thebusinessman, carried also a bewilderingly complete switchboard and instrument panel.Seated impassively at the desk there was a gray man.Not only was hedressedentirely in gray, but his heavy hair was gray, his eyes were gray, and evenhis tannedskin seemed to give the impression of grayness in disguise.His overwhelmingpersonality radiated an aura of grayness - not the gentle gray of the dove,but theresistless, driving gray of the super-dreadnought the hard, inflexible,brittle gray of thefracture of high-carbon steel."Captain Bradley, First Officer Costigan, Miss Marsden," the man spokequietly,but crisply."I had not intended you two men to live so long.That is adetail, however,which we will pass by for the moment.You may remove your suits."Neither officer moved, but both stared back at the speaker,unflinchingly."I am not accustomed to repeating instructions," the man at the deskcontinued;voice still low and level, but instinct with deadly menace."You may choosebetween re-moving those suits and dying in them, here and now."Costigan moved over to Clio and slowly took off her armor.Then, after aflashingexchange of glances and a muttered word, the two officers threw off theirsuits simul-taneously and fired at the same instant; Bradley with his Lewiston, Costiganwith aPage 129 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlheavy automatic pistol whose bullets were explosive shells of tremendouspower.Butthe man in gray, surrounded by an impenetrable wall of force, only smiled atthefusillade, tolerantly and maddeningly.Costigan leaped fiercely, only to behurledbackward as he struck that unyielding, invisible wall.A vicious beam snappedhim backinto place, the weapons were snatched away, and all three captives were heldto theirformer positions."I permitted that, as a demonstration of futility," the gray man said,his hard voicebecoming harder, "but I will permit no more foolishness.Now I will introducemyself.Iam known as Roger.You probably have heard nothing of me: very few Tellurianshave,or ever will.Whether or not you two live depends solely upon yourselves.Beingsomething of a student of men, I fear that you will both die shortly.Able andresourcefulas you have just shown yourselves to be, you could be valuable to me, but youprobably will not - in which case you shall, of course, cease to exist.That,however, inits proper time - you shall be of some slight service to me in the process ofbeingeliminated.In your case, Miss Marsden, I find myself undecided between twocoursesof action; each highly desirable, but unfortunately mutually exclusive.Yourfather will beglad to ransom you at an exceedingly high figure, but in spite of that fact Imay decideto use you in a research upon sex.""Yes?" Clio rose magnificently to the occasion.Fear forgotten, hercourageousspirit flashed from her clear young eyes and emanated from her taut youngbody, erectin defiance."You may think that you can do anything with me that you please,but youPage 130 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlcan't!""Peculiar - highly perplexing why should that one stimulus, in the caseof youngfemales, produce such an entirely disproportionate reaction?" Roger's eyesbored intoClio's; the girl shivered and looked away."But sex itself, primal and basic,the mostwidespread concomitant of life in this continuum, is completely illogical andparadoxical.Most baffling - decidedly, this research on sex must go on."Roger pressed a button and a tall, comely woman appeared - a woman ofindefinite age and of uncertain nationality."Show Miss Marsden to her apartment," he directed, and as the two womenwentout a man came in."The cargo is unloaded, sir," the newcomer reported."Thetwo menand the five women indicated have been taken to the hospital.""Very well, dispose of the others in the usual fashion." The minion wentout, andRoger continued, emotionlessly:"Collectively, the other passengers may be worth a million or so, but itwould notbe worthwhile to waste time upon them.""What are you, anyway?" blazed Costigan, helpless but enraged beyondcaution."I have heard of mad scientists who tried to destroy the Earth, and of equallymadgeniuses who thought themselves Napoleons capable of conquering even the SolarSystem.Whichever you are, you should know that you can't get away with it.""I am neither.I am, however, a scientist, and I direct many otherscientists [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.Through it they floated, up to and over buildings, finally slanting downwardtoward thePage 128 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmldoor of a great high-towered structure.Doors opened before them and closedbehindthem, until at last they stood upright in a room which was evidently theoffice of a busyexecutive.They faced a desk which, in addition to the usual equipment of thebusinessman, carried also a bewilderingly complete switchboard and instrument panel.Seated impassively at the desk there was a gray man.Not only was hedressedentirely in gray, but his heavy hair was gray, his eyes were gray, and evenhis tannedskin seemed to give the impression of grayness in disguise.His overwhelmingpersonality radiated an aura of grayness - not the gentle gray of the dove,but theresistless, driving gray of the super-dreadnought the hard, inflexible,brittle gray of thefracture of high-carbon steel."Captain Bradley, First Officer Costigan, Miss Marsden," the man spokequietly,but crisply."I had not intended you two men to live so long.That is adetail, however,which we will pass by for the moment.You may remove your suits."Neither officer moved, but both stared back at the speaker,unflinchingly."I am not accustomed to repeating instructions," the man at the deskcontinued;voice still low and level, but instinct with deadly menace."You may choosebetween re-moving those suits and dying in them, here and now."Costigan moved over to Clio and slowly took off her armor.Then, after aflashingexchange of glances and a muttered word, the two officers threw off theirsuits simul-taneously and fired at the same instant; Bradley with his Lewiston, Costiganwith aPage 129 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlheavy automatic pistol whose bullets were explosive shells of tremendouspower.Butthe man in gray, surrounded by an impenetrable wall of force, only smiled atthefusillade, tolerantly and maddeningly.Costigan leaped fiercely, only to behurledbackward as he struck that unyielding, invisible wall.A vicious beam snappedhim backinto place, the weapons were snatched away, and all three captives were heldto theirformer positions."I permitted that, as a demonstration of futility," the gray man said,his hard voicebecoming harder, "but I will permit no more foolishness.Now I will introducemyself.Iam known as Roger.You probably have heard nothing of me: very few Tellurianshave,or ever will.Whether or not you two live depends solely upon yourselves.Beingsomething of a student of men, I fear that you will both die shortly.Able andresourcefulas you have just shown yourselves to be, you could be valuable to me, but youprobably will not - in which case you shall, of course, cease to exist.That,however, inits proper time - you shall be of some slight service to me in the process ofbeingeliminated.In your case, Miss Marsden, I find myself undecided between twocoursesof action; each highly desirable, but unfortunately mutually exclusive.Yourfather will beglad to ransom you at an exceedingly high figure, but in spite of that fact Imay decideto use you in a research upon sex.""Yes?" Clio rose magnificently to the occasion.Fear forgotten, hercourageousspirit flashed from her clear young eyes and emanated from her taut youngbody, erectin defiance."You may think that you can do anything with me that you please,but youPage 130 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlcan't!""Peculiar - highly perplexing why should that one stimulus, in the caseof youngfemales, produce such an entirely disproportionate reaction?" Roger's eyesbored intoClio's; the girl shivered and looked away."But sex itself, primal and basic,the mostwidespread concomitant of life in this continuum, is completely illogical andparadoxical.Most baffling - decidedly, this research on sex must go on."Roger pressed a button and a tall, comely woman appeared - a woman ofindefinite age and of uncertain nationality."Show Miss Marsden to her apartment," he directed, and as the two womenwentout a man came in."The cargo is unloaded, sir," the newcomer reported."Thetwo menand the five women indicated have been taken to the hospital.""Very well, dispose of the others in the usual fashion." The minion wentout, andRoger continued, emotionlessly:"Collectively, the other passengers may be worth a million or so, but itwould notbe worthwhile to waste time upon them.""What are you, anyway?" blazed Costigan, helpless but enraged beyondcaution."I have heard of mad scientists who tried to destroy the Earth, and of equallymadgeniuses who thought themselves Napoleons capable of conquering even the SolarSystem.Whichever you are, you should know that you can't get away with it.""I am neither.I am, however, a scientist, and I direct many otherscientists [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]