CHAPTER V
_"My Congratulations, Captain Carse!"_
A few minutes later the trap was in readiness.
It had been swiftly planned and executed, and it promised well. Boththe inner and outer doors of the smaller port-lock lay ajar. HawkCarse was gone from view. The only figure visible there was that whichlay sprawled face-downward on the ground close to the inner door ofthe port-lock.
The figure seemed to have been stricken down in sudden death. It wasclad in the trim yellow smock of a coolie of Ku Sui. It was limp, itsarms and legs spreadeagled, and it lay there as mute evidence that thedome of the asteroid had been attacked.
To one entering from outside, the figure was that of a dead coolie.The coolie that had worn those clothes was dead; his clothes nowcovered the wiry length of freckle-faced Ban Wilson.
Ban played the game well. His face lay in the ground, pointed awayfrom the lock, so he could not see what was going to happen behindhim: but before the Hawk had directed him to take off his suit and donthe yellow smock, he had glimpsed, rising swiftly over thesouthernmost barrier of hills that edged the valley, three black dotscoming fast toward the asteroid in straight, disciplined flight, andhe knew that the leader of the three was Dr. Ku Sui.
As he lay limp on the ground, playing his important part as the decoyof the trap, he knew that his life depended on the action and theskill and the timing of Hawk Carse. But he did not worry about that.He had implicit faith in the Hawk, and trusted his life to hisjudgment without a tremor.
Still, it was hard for Ban to throttle down his excessively nervousnature and maintain the dead man pose for the long silent minutes thatcrawled by before there came any sound from behind. The Jupiter-light,flooding down on him from the glittering blue sky above, was hot andgrowing hotter, and of course he began to itch. Had he had the freedomof his limbs, he would not have itched, he knew; it happened only whenhe had to keep absolutely still; he cursed the phenomenon to himself.Minute after minute, and no sound to tell him what was happeningbehind, or how close the three approaching figures had come, orwhether Carse was at all visible or not--and the mounting, maddeningitch right in the middle of his back!
* * * * *
At last Ban's mental cursings stopped. His straining ears had caught asound.
It was quickly repeated, and again and again--the heavy, grating noiseof metal on metal. The boots of space-suits on the metal floor of theport-lock. They had arrived!
Ku Sui would be there, close behind him; probably gazing at hisoutflung figure; probably puzzled, and suspicious, and quickly lookingaround for the enemies that had apparently killed one of his coolies.With a raygun in hand--and guns in the hands of the two others withhim--glancing warily around over the guard-chamber close to theport-lock, and the main buildings beyond, and the whole area insidethe dome, and seeing no one.
And then--approaching!
Ban could tell it by the silence, then the harsh crunch of the greatboots against the powdered, metallic upper crust of ground. But he laywithout an eyelash's flickering, a dead coolie, limp, crumpled. Heheard the crunch of boots come right up to him and then pause; and thefeeling that came to his stomach told him unmistakably that a man waslooking down on him....
Now--while Ku Sui's attention was on him--now was the time! Now!Otherwise the Eurasian would turn him over and see that he was white!
It seemed to Ban centuries later that he heard the welcome voice ofthe Hawk bark out:
"You are covered, Dr. Ku! And your men. I advise you not to move. Tellyour men to drop their guns--_sh!_"
The sound of the voice from the guard-chamber was replaced by twospits of a raygun. Unable to restrain himself, Ban rolled over andlooked up.
He saw, first, the figure of the Hawk. Carse had stepped out fromwhere he had been concealed, in the guard-chamber, and was holding thegun that had just spoken. Standing upright, close to the inner door ofthe port-lock, were two suit-clad coolies. Ban saw that they hadturned to fire at Carse, and that now they were dead. Dead on theirfeet in the stiff, heavy stuff of their suits.
Dr. Ku Sui was standing motionless above him, and through the openface-plate of the Eurasian's helmet Ban could see him gazing at HawkCarse with a strange, faint smile on his beautifully chiselled,ascetic face.
The Hawk came towards them, the raygun steady on his old foe; butwhile he was still yards away, and before he could do anything toprevent it, the Eurasian spoke a few unintelligible words into themicrophone of his helmet-radio. Carse continued forward and stoppedwhen a few feet away. Dr. Ku bowed as well as he could in his stiffsuit and said courteously, in English:
"So I am trapped. My congratulations, Captain Carse! It was veryneatly done."
* * * * *
The two puffed-out, metal-gleaming figures faced each other for amoment without speaking. And in the silence, Ban Wilson, watchful,with a raygun he had drawn from his belt, fancied he could _feel_ thelong, bitter, bloody feud between the two, adventurer and scientist,there met again....
Carse spoke first, his voice steel-cold.
"You take it lightly, Dr. Ku. Do not rely too much on those words youspoke in Chinese. I could not understand them--but such things as I donot know about your asteroid I have already guarded against; and Ithink we can forestall whatever you have set in action.... You willplease take off your space-suit."
"Willingly, my friend!"
"Watch close, Ban," said the Hawk.
Dr. Ku Sui unbuckled the heavy clasps of his suit, unscrewed thecumbersome helmet, and in a moment stepped free. At the suit slid tothe ground, there stood revealed his tall, slim-waisted form, clad inthe customary silk. He wore a high-collared green silk blouse,tailored to the lines of his body, full trousers of the same material,and pointed red slippers and red sash, which set the green offtastefully. A lithe, silky figure; and above the silk the highforehead, the saffron, delicately carved face, the fine black hair.Half-veiled by their long lashes, his exotic eyes rested like a cat'son his old enemy.
The Hawk moved close to him, and swiftly patted one hand over hisbody. From inside one of the blouse's sleeves he drew a pencil-thinblade of steel from its hidden sheath. He found no other weapon.Stepping back, he quickly divested himself of his suit also.
"And now, Captain?" the Eurasian murmured softly.
"Now, Dr. Ku," answered Carse, once again a slender, wiry figure insoft blue shirt and blue denim trousers, "we are going to have alittle talk. In your living room, I think.
"Ban," he continued. "I don't believe there's anyone else who can evensee the asteroid, but we have to be careful. Will you stay on guardhere by the port-lock? Good. Close its doors, and yell or come to meif anything should occur."
He turned to the waiting Eurasian again.
"You may go first, Dr. Ku. Into the laboratory, and then to the livingroom of your quarters."
* * * * *
They found Friday on guard where he had been stationed in thelaboratory. The big Negro, on recognizing the Eurasian, grinned fromear to ear and gave him what he considered a witty greeting.
"Well, well!" he said with gusto, "--come right in. Dr. Ku Sui! Makeyourself at home, suh! Sure glad to have you come visitin' us!" Helaughed gleefully.
But his words were wasted on Dr. Ku. His eyes at once fastened on thecase of coordinated brains, standing at one side. Carse noticed this.
"No. Dr. Ku," he said. "I have not touched the brains. Not yet. Butthat's what we're going to talk about." He motioned to one of the fourdoors connecting the central laboratory with the building's wings."Into your living room please, and be seated there. And no suddenmoves, of course: I have a certain skill with a raygun. Friday, keepdoubly alert now. Better take off your suit. I will call for you in afew minutes."
Ku Sui walked on silent feet into the first division of his personalquarters, the softly-lit living room. A lush velvet carpet made thefloor soft; ancient Chinese tapestries hid the
pastelled metal of thewalls; books were everywhere. It was a quiet and restful room, with novisible reminder of the asteroid and its controlling mechanics.
Dr. Ku sank into a deep armchair, linked his fingers before him andlooked up inquiringly.
"We were going to talk about the brains?" he asked.
* * * * *
Carse had closed the door behind him, and now remained standing. Hemet the masked green eyes squarely.
"Yes." He was silent for a little, then, quietly and coldly he went tothe point.
"You'll be interested to hear that I have talked with the brains andbeen relieved of my premise to destroy them. They requested somethingelse. Now I have committed myself to attempt their restoration intoliving bodies."
"So?" murmured the Eurasian. "So. Yes, Captain, that is veryinteresting."
"Very." The Hawk spoke without trace of emotion. "And some courtroomon Earth will find more than interesting the testimony of yourre-embodied brains."
Dr. Ku Sui smiled in answer. "Oh, no doubt. But, my friend--thistransplantation--you accept its possibility so casually! Won't itprove rather difficult for you, who have never even pretended to be ascientist?"
"Not difficult. Impossible."
"And Master Scientist Eliot Leithgow--I have unbounded respect for hisgenius, but brain surgery is a specialty and I really think that thistask would be outside even his capabilities. I am sure he himselfwould admit it."
"You are right, Dr. Ku: he has admitted it. We both realize there isonly one person in the universe who could achieve it--you. So you willhave to perform the operations."
"Well!" said Dr. Ku Sui. The smooth, fine skin of his brow wrinkledslightly as he gazed up at the intent man facing him. "Is this juststupidity on your part, Captain? Or do you attempt a joke at which incourtesy I should smile?"
The Hawk answered levelly: "I was never farther from joking in mylife."
* * * * *
With a delicate shrug of his silken shoulders, Ku Sui averted hiseyes. As if bored, he glanced around the room. Slowly he unclasped hishands.
"I am a very fast shot, Dr. Ku," whispered Carse. "You must not make asingle move without my permission."
At that the Eurasian laughed aloud, a liquid laugh that showed hiseven teeth between the finely cut lips.
"But I am so completely in your power, Captain Carse!" He held on tothe last syllable, a low, sustained hiss--and then he snapped it off.
"_S-s-stah!_" His mood had changed: the smile vanished from a facesuddenly thin and cruel; the green eyes unmasked, to show in theirdepths the tiger.
"What insane talk! You say such things to me! Don't you know that tocoordinate those brains I worked for years with a devotion, aconcentration, a genius you can never hope even to comprehend? Don'tyou realize they're the most precious possession of the greatestsurgeon and the greatest mind in the universe? Don't you understandthat I've fashioned a miracle? Realize these things, then, and marvelat yourself--you who, with your gun and your egotism, think you canmake me undo their wonderful coordination!"
The tiger returned behind the veil, its power and fury again leashed,and Dr. Ku Sui relaxed his green eyes once more masked and enigmatic.Hawk Carse asked simply:
"_Could_ you transplant the brains?"
"You insist on continuing this farce?" murmured the Eurasian. "I wouldnot be rude, but really you try my patience!"
"_Could_ you transplant the brains?"
Dr. Ku Sui looked at the colorless face with its eyes of ice. With atrace of irritation, he said:
"Of course! What I have once transplanted, I can transplant again. ButI will not do it--and my will no one, and no force, can alter. Perhapsit is clear now? In no way can you touch my will. I am sorry that I sogrossly insulted you, Carse, for there are certain things about youthat in a small way I respect. But here you are helpless."
"Not entirely," said the Hawk.
* * * * *
Ku Sui leaned forward a trifle. In that moment, perhaps, he first feltreal concern, for Carse's quiet voice was so confident, so assured. Heattempted to sound him out.
"A gun?" he asked. "Torture? Threats? These against my will? Absurd!Consider, my friend--even if I seemed to consent to the operations,could I not easily destroy the brains while ostensibly working onthem?"
"Of course," said Carse, with a faint smile. "And threats and torturewould be absurd. Against your will, Dr. Ku, a more powerful weaponwill have to be used."
The Eurasian's eyes were brilliant with intuition.
"Ah--I see," he murmured. "Eliot Leithgow!"
"Yes, Dr. Ku!"
The two gazed at each other, Carse still with the faint smile, theother with the face of a statue. Presently the adventurer went on:
"Unfortunately for you, Eliot Leithgow can provide a method ofcompulsion neither you nor any other man could ever resist. Not guns,torture, threats--no. A subtler weapon, worthy of your fine will."
As he spoke, Carse saw the Eurasian's green eyes narrow, and in thepause that followed he knew that the swift, trained mind behind thoseeyes was working. What would it evolve? What move? And those Chinesewords, uttered out by the port-lock--what would they result in, andwhen? Dr. Ku Sui was concerned now, the Hawk knew, seriouslyconcerned, and inevitably, would take serious steps. What was growingin his resourceful brain? He would have to ward off any trouble whenit came, for he could not know now. He said curtly:
"But enough of that. Now, I have a trifling favor to ask ofyou--something concerning the laboratory. Will you please return toit."
A strange light glimmered for an instant in Dr. Ku Sui's eyes--amocking of the slender man before him. Only for an instant; then itwas gone. Gracefully he raised his tall figure.
"The laboratory? Of course, my friend. And as for the favor--almostanything."