Although Saxon still held the alien weapon, he had the uncomfortable sensation that a trap had been sprung and the Moderator was only waiting for it to close on him.
With a suffocating tenseness, he asked, "What am I?"
"You," said the Moderator, "are a test experiment!"
"What?"
"A test experiment. On your psychological reactions will depend the ultimate fate of the humanoids!"
"A test experiment," he repeated dazedly. "What do you mean?"
"Simply this. For some time we've realized that steps must be taken to curb the rapaciousness of the humanoids."
"But me...."
The Moderator held up his hand.
"I'm coming to you. If the ruthless savagery of the humanoids was instinctive, part of their heredity, there was little that could be done except destroy them.