Gene whirled and stared sickly at the warriors rising from the ground. It was true. Wrath was on their features as they fumbled toward the cave, guided by the very sound of his breathing impinging against their sensitive ears.
The blood-spattered biologist was stunned. "Wait, my brothers!" he cried, throwing up his arms. "You have not been betrayed! Today, you have won a great victory over your enemies; on this same day you shall begin a new life—a life of plenty, of happiness."
But his words were lost in the roar of a people aroused. Nearer they groped. Kac added his appeal, to no avail. They would have the blood of this false-tongued specimen of a race that revelled on a world that was not his own.
If only they would listen to his plan! But argument would only bring about his death—and the end of all hope for a once-mighty people. He turned despairingly to his one remaining friend.
"Hear this now, Kac," he said urgently. "I am going into the cave to—to appeal to the all-powerful Talkers. It is your task to remain here and hold off your warriors as long as possible. In a few moments wondrous magic will be worked on you and all your people, but fear not. Know I am your friend, no matter what strange, new vista your eyes next look upon, and never would I do you harm. When next we meet, it will be in a paradise far more glorious than that for which you mourn. Will you do this your brother asks?"
The great jaws parted and one resolute word came from them: "Yes!"
Gene took the gnarled, furry hand in a warm grip, then turned and bounded down the steps. His hands seemed to be all thumbs as he climbed the ladder.
At least, he thought as he spun the dials to long range, the ego-transposer would undo some of its horrors before its evil existence came to an end.
The splendid, sun-tanned form of a tall youth coalesced on one screen and Gene froze it there with a flick of his finger.
A panorama of life hastened across the other screen, and he recoiled impulsively as the flat, stupid face of a half-man leaped at him from its depth. But he knew that intelligence reposed behind those fearsome features—intelligence that would build a world.