by Lee Sheldon
"For how long?" Jeff asked.
"Not too long; but this fellow was out like a light for a few minutes."
"Are they sensitive all over?" Jeff asked.
Meredith shook his head. "Not in the least. I think you could beat one over the head with a baseball bat and he wouldn't flinch. As I said, his nerve center is in that thumb. Apparently it is about the only place where he can be hurt."
"When do they plan to leave for Earth?" Jeff asked, changing the subject.
"It will have to be soon," Meredith said. "That comet is due to crash into Illus in six months. They'll have to be gone before that happens. Peter and I will leave in a few days."
"You're going home right away?" Woody exclaimed eagerly.
"Very soon," Peter said with a smile. "If you cooperate with them and prove your loyalty, you might get to go with us,”
"You're going before the rest?" Jeff asked.
"Oh, yes," Meredith said. "Especially if their experiments with Sue do not prove rewarding. Peter and I will return and prepare the people of our world for acceptance of the Illustrians when they come."
"How do you plan to do that?"
"I'm not exactly sure," Meredith said. "The Illustrians will have a plan for us to follow. I am a well known scientist. I should have a great deal of influence if I return to my own part of the country, which is where they will set me down. Somehow I will convince the authorities that the best thing that can happen to Earth is to welcome these people when they come."
Jeff realized that there was more than a grain of truth in what Meredith said. He did have a great deal of influence. He might lull the people of his own community into thinking these visitors from outer space would be a boon to mankind. Once the Illustrians were established on Earth, Jeff had little doubt that they would soon dominate any part of it they wished—maybe all of it.
Chapter X
The two Illustrians appeared suddenly at the door again and Jeff and Woody were taken out into the corridor. As they were marched back to their room, Jeff began working on a plan to break out. He had no idea where he would go once he got out of this complex, but there must be some place where they could hide—especially if there weren't too many Illustrians to hunt for them. It was the danger to Sue that was prodding him into immediate action; if he didn't get her away from them very soon, they might kill her.
It struck him suddenly that, although he had asked Meredith a lot of questions, he had forgotten to ask if he knew exactly where Sue was. If Jeff didn't have something to guide him, he'd never find her even if he broke out of his own room.
As soon as they were back in their room and the Illustrians had left, Jeff motioned to Woody to come close.
"What's the idea?" Woody asked. "We're alone."
"We're never alone with those cameras in here," Jeff whispered. "We've got to do something, Woody, before they kill Sue."
"I'm willing to do something if you'll tell me what," Woody said in a low voice.
Jeff hoped their whispers weren't being picked up by the monitoring system here in the room. "Here's what we'll do," he said. "We'll act as though we had nothing unusual on our minds while we pick up a couple of those jackets they gave us. When I give the signal, we'll each stuff a jacket into the hole in front of the camera in our corner. When they can't see what we're doing, we'll go ahead with our plan."
"What plan?" Woody asked with a blank stare.
"Our plan to get out of here," Jeff said. "If they don't see us cover those cameras, they might think that something just went wrong and not be in any hurry to fix it. Well contact Sue if we can and get the message across to her that we're going to try to break her out. Then we'll proceed."
"Proceed to get ourselves killed," Woody whispered glumly. "First, how are we going to get out of this room? Then how are we going to find Sue? If we succeed in that, how do we get out of this complex and where do we go when we do get out?"
"I know it looks hopeless," Jeff admitted. "But they're going to kill Sue if we don't get her away from them. Are you willing to help me?"
"I reckon," Woody whispered. "But I'm not sure what I'm helping you do."
Jeff got up and walked aimlessly across the room, picking up one of the jackets that had been left for Woody and him to wear. It would stuff easily into the hole through which the camera stared into the room. But he must time his move with Woody's; if one camera showed those in the monitoring room what was happening to the other camera, it would probably bring Illustrian guards in here before Jeff could carry out the next step in his plan.
When Jeff got close to the camera in his corner, he looked across the room at Woody. Woody had another jacket and he was watching Jeff. Jeff made a quick signal with his hand then turned and stepped up to the corner, stuffing his jacket into the hole in front of the camera. He shot a look across the room. Woody was grinning back at him; he had stuffed his jacket into the hole over the camera in his corner.
"I hope there aren't any more hidden cameras," Woody said.
"Two of us." Jeff ran across to the lighted panel. Touching the blue button that connected him with Sue's room, he turned to look at the screen. Sue's room flashed into view. She was alone in the room and Jeff sighed in relief. If there had been an Illustrian there, or if Sue had been gone, his whole plan would have collapsed before it got under way.
"What's wrong?" Jeff said in alarm as he took another look at Sue.
She was sitting with her head in her hands. Now she looked up, pain showing in her face. "They've been pressing and measuring my head with a machine," she said. "Almost crushed my skull."
Woody whispered in Jeff's ear. "Careful what you say. They'll be monitoring her room, you can bet."
Jeff nodded. "I know," he whispered. "And they can hear us just as well as Sue can."
"Speak up, Jeff," Sue said, showing more interest. "I can't hear you."
"I was just thinking of the big homecoming game," he said and saw the puzzled look come over her face. "The home team is behind but they have a trick play they've been waiting to use, a double reverse ending in a sweep. The opposing tackle and end are knocked down. The runner picks up a pulling guard who escorts him all the way to the touchdown. Got it?"
Sue had been a cheerleader both in high school and college; Jeff was depending on her getting the message. The Illustrians, he was sure, wouldn't. Sue seemed puzzled for a while, frowning as she stared at him. Then suddenly understanding broke over her face.
"If he didn't pick up that running guard, he wouldn't score, would he?"
"Right," Jeff said, grinning. "The whole play would be a failure. By the way, do you know any more about where you are?"
"I'm close to Meredith and Peter," she said. "I was allowed to look into their room today as they took me to the lab for this terrible experiment."
"What room?" Jeff asked, knowing this was taking a big chance. If he couldn't find Sue, there was nothing to be gained by breaking free now.
Sue bent over for a moment. When she straightened, she held up a flat sheet of something that looked like paper. On it, she had drawn a figure.
"This one," she said.
Jeff memorized the figure. That would be on her door. And he already knew how to get into the area where Meredith and Peter were. If he could find that door...
"Not too much to go on," Woody whispered.
"Better than nothing," Jeff said softly. Then to Sue, "Think about that homecoming game. If that halfback can get together with that running guard, it could mean a victory for the home team."
The door behind Jeff suddenly burst open. He flicked off the screen and turned to face the Illustrians. His heart sank when he saw three of them. He had hoped only one would come.
"Unexpected company," Woody said.
"Not unexpected," Jeff said. "We knew they'd have to fix the cameras. And they may be curious about our football game."
Jeff discovered that his last guess was uppermost in the Illustrians, minds. They motioned Jeff and Woody away
from the lighted panel then stood facing them.
"What do you mean by homecoming game, double reverse, and touchdown?" the spokesman demanded.
Jeff shrugged. "I was just trying to cheer up Sue by describing a football game to her. She understands football."
"What's football?" the Illustrian asked.
"It's a game where people tackle each other."
"What's tackle?"
Jeff looked at Woody. "Let's show them."
Woody nodded and charged forward along with Jeff. They collided with the three Illustrians, who were still standing close together. All five went down in a heap. Jeff heard one crack his head hard against the floor but it didn't seem to bother him in the least. He remembered Meredith saying they were very tough and hard to hurt. The Illustrians were first to bounce up.
"The thumbs!" Jeff yelled as he scrambled to his feet, dodging away from the two men who were rushing at him.
The screen came alive and Dood was there shouting, "What's wrong?"
Jeff shot a glance at the panel. The blue light to the control room was shining brightly. The people in that room could hear what was going on but they couldn't see because the two cameras were covered. At least there was something in this strange place that obeyed the natural laws that Jeff understood.
Jeff stood his ground, concentrating on his effort to hit the lower left hand of the first man. He succeeded, bumping both thumbs. The man wilted like a plastic machine with the power suddenly turned off.
But the other Illustrian came on, wrapping his rubbery arms around Jeff and squeezing. Jeff was rapidly getting the breath choked out of him before he saw the thumbs of the hand he wanted to hit just under his chin. He brought up his fist and struck that hand. The moment he hit the lower thumb, the pressure on his throat relaxed and the man slid to the floor, the arms unwinding like dead snakes.
Jeff wheeled toward Woody. He was still battling with his man, evidently not having any luck getting to that tender thumb. Jeff leaped to his aid, grabbing the Illustrian's lower arm and jerking it around until the thumb hit the wall. Like the others, he wilted, uncoiling from Woody.
"Man, they're strong," Woody gasped.
Dood was still calling from the screen. Jeff answered loudly. "Everything is all right here."
Dood's face told him he doubted it; but Jeff felt that this might give them a few more minutes before a general alarm was sent out.
"Now let's get out of here," Jeff said softly.
He ran to the door with Woody directly behind him. The door was partly open and they squeezed through. There was a short hallway before they reached the door leading into the main corridor. That door was shut. Jeff pushed on it but it didn't give.
"There's no way to open it," Woody said in despair.
"There's got to be," Jeff said. "They use their thumbs."
Jeff jammed his thumb into the depression on the door, but nothing happened. He realized that though they had been successful with their plan so far, now they were completely stymied by a door they couldn't open.
Chapter XI
"Can we break it down?" Woody yelled.
Together Jeff and Woody crashed against the door; it didn't even creak.
"We can't budge it," Jeff said. "Maybe there is a lock."
He searched the door, looking for some kind of latch or lock, but he found nothing except the small depression into which the Illustrians stuck their thumbs. The doors always opened easily when the Illustrians touched those depressions.
"Must be something about their thumbs that opens it," Jeff said.
"Maybe those sensitive thumbs of theirs are connected to the nerve center of this whole complex," Woody suggested.
"I suppose that's possible," Jeff said.
His mind was racing, probing for some means of getting out of this hallway into the main corridor. He didn't doubt that his and Woody's punishment would be severe now that they had made an attempt to break out. He had known when he began that there would be risks, but he had expected to get farther with his plan than the hallway adjoining his room.
"Maybe if we go back now, they'll never know we tried to get away," Woody suggested.
"They'll know it," Jeff said. "How are you going to keep those three Illustrians we knocked out from talking?"
"Suppose we killed them?" Woody asked in sudden alarm.
"Meredith said they only fainted when they were hit on those thumbs."
As if to verify Meredith's words, a murmur of sound came from their room now. Jeff turned and ran back there. Two of the Illustrians were stirring, looking around them stupidly.
Unlike Woody, Jeff was not ready to give up in his attempt to escape and rescue Sue. If he was going to do anything more, however, he had to put these Illustrians out of action for a while longer.
Running to them, he stooped over and hit the first one on the tender lower thumb on his left hand again. He wilted just as he had before. Jeff wondered, as he moved over to the next Illustrian, how it happened that although each man had four arms and four hands, each hand had only one thumb except for the lower left hand. That one had two thumbs and one of those was the tender nerve center of his whole system.
Passing the second Illustrian, Jeff reached over and slapped his tender thumb; instantly the man became motionless. He came to the last one and found him sitting up, blinking stupidly at him. Quickly Jeff hit the man's left hand and the Illustrian wilted again; as he went down, however, he struck his lower left hand on the floor.
Jeff stared in amazement as he saw one of the man's two thumbs break away from his hand and roll out on the floor. Stooping, he touched the thumb and discovered that this wasn't the tender thumb that he had struck to knock the man out; this was the other thumb.
Examining the Illustrian's hand, he saw that this thumb that had broken off was not a real part of the man's hand at all. It was something that had been fastened there. Suddenly it struck Jeff: This was a tool that the man carried. And with that discovery, a new idea hit him.
Grabbing the thumb, he ran back to the hall door. Jamming the thumb into the door's depression, he watched the door slide silently open.
"How did you do that?" Woody exclaimed.
"See this thumb," Jeff said, holding it up. "It's a power tool that the Illustrians carry all the time. I'm guessing it will open every door in this complex. And no telling what other things it will do."
"I hope it will get us out of here safely," Woody said.
"So do I. At least, it's a start. Come on. Let's find Sue."
"They'll have cameras out in these corridors," Woody said as they ran.
"I know it. But there's no other way to get to Sue."
Jeff knew the time they had to find Sue would be short. Dood had been alarmed when he heard the scuffle in their room a few minutes ago. Now when he didn't hear from his men, he'd become more suspicious. The cameras in these corridors would probably pick up Jeff and Woody out here where they weren't supposed to be. And it would be only a few minutes till the three Illustrians who had been knocked out recovered and reported the prisoners' escape.
"Do you know the way?" Woody asked as they ran.
"I think so," Jeff said. "I kept track of the right and left turns we made the last time we were taken down to Meredith's room."
They saw no one in the corridors, and Jeff's hopes rose with every minute. If he could get to Sue he would have accomplished the first step in his plan; he didn't allow himself to think beyond that now.
When they were close to the place where they had been taken to see Meredith and Peter, Jeff began looking at very door they passed. He had memorized the figure Sue had drawn for him because that figure would be on her door.
They reached a circle in the corridor from which a half-dozen smaller hallways branched out. Jeff was sure he could pick the one down which they had gone to see Meredith and Peter. But he wondered if Sue was on the same corridor.
Quickly, he looked down each hallway. He saw a man standing in front of a door
half way down one corridor. Playing a hunch, he started down that one.
"There's somebody there," Woody said. "Let's go down one of these others."
"That's a guard," Jeff guessed. "What would he be guarding unless it was Sue's room?"
Jeff doubted if a guard was normally kept outside Sue's room, but Dood might have guessed that somehow Jeff and Woody had escaped their room. If so, he might have called a man close to Sue's room to take up a guard post there.
They were within twenty feet of the guard before he turned toward them. Jeff wondered fleetingly if perhaps their hearing was not as keen as that of Earthmen. He resolved to check that out later; it might be worth knowing.
But he forgot about that the next instant as he saw the Illustrian lift something in one hand that looked a little like a snub-nosed gun.
"Stop!" the man said in Illustrian.
Jeff and Woody kept on, as if they didn't understand him. The man jabbed the gun at them and suddenly there was a hissing noise in the corridor that sounded something like steak frying in a hot skillet. A tiny sliver of white flame streaked from the gun; Woody collapsed as though he had been clubbed over the head.
Jeff didn't stop to see what had happened to Woody. He leaped forward, hitting the Illustrian before he could swing the gun on him. This man was as strong as the others he had battled back in his room.
As soon as Jeff made contact with him, the man seemed to forget about the gun and concentrated on wrapping his four arms around Jeff to squeeze the life out of him. Jeff, on the other hand, bent all his effort on reaching that tender lower thumb.
This man, however, kept that hand down at Jeff's side where he couldn't hit it. Jeff threw himself sideways, hitting the floor hard on his right side. The Illustrian's hand was under that side and when it hit the floor, Jeff felt the man wilt, all strength going out of his arms.
Jeff untangled himself from the arms and got up. Reaching down he picked up the gun the man had dropped. Then he turned and looked at Woody. He was crumpled in a heap and Jeff was sure he was beyond help, at least for the moment.
