“Open the door, and give up the machine!”
Grot stood motionless. Fists like hammers hung down from his arms. He gulped. But he said nothing.
“Repeat instructions,” said the quiet voice.
The guard of the heart-machine swung his head violently this way and that, like a weighty bundle.
“I ... I didn’t understand,” he said, gaspingly.
The quiet voice spoke in a more forceful tone:
“Open the door and give up the machine!”
The man still said nothing, gazing stupidly upward.
“Repeat instructions,” said the quiet voice.
The guard of the Heart-machine drew in a great draught of air.