The Mind Magnet by Paul Ernst

by Monte Herridge

forward for a dozen quick though po with our eyes closed, waiting for death.

  steps. Then it stopped, and though we could (Interjection, jury foreman: “This not see the result, we could guess it.

  man is a well known scientist, but his story In the blood-red grass below, pulped is so unbelievable on the face of it that I wer, w

  under the metal feet of the to ould be

  hould halt it here and now. Also I think we s

  our sh

  f

  n

  apeless blobs that had once bee move that he be examined by the psychiatric chitin-covered intelligences.

  board.”)

  terest was transferred back to us.

  In

  (Protest by three members: “Let him

  “If they search us—” breathed finish, w

  l

  ith a warning that he faces menta Farman.

  examination if he persists in telling of things The discovery of the tiny tubes of which could not possibly have happened.”) explosive would mean our instant death, of

  (Professor Stillwell: “Gentlemen, I course.

  can only tell the truth, as God hears me, Several of the Things drew near, hat occurred to Commander about w

  coiling arms

  w

  weaving cautiously to ard us.

  Farman and myself in the stratosphere Farman held up his hand, palm out.

  shell.”)

  “Just a minute!” he barked.

  But death did not come (Professor The words, of course, meant nothing.

  Stillwell resumes). The Thing in the But the gesture stopped the Things. Once laboratory had reasoned correctly. Our more Farman went through the motions of bizarre appearance, the

  t we

  obvious fact tha

  wanting to draw pictures on the floor.

  were absolutely alien to the planet, kept the This time it took longer for his meaning to Round forces from instantly killing us.

  be grasped; but eventually it was. One of the A sort of scoop lowered swiftly from surrounding horde produced a sharp piece of the turret. It swooped on us like a bird that metal and handed it to Farman. He stooped

  Thrilling Wonder Stories 12

  . Again there followed a passage of with it

  had left. In an amazingly short time we were estures, and of diagram

  g

  s scratched on the

  within a half mile of it. We could imagine floor.

  in its underground

  the cold-eyed Thing

  borat

  la

  ory, bent tensely over the tell-tale FARMAN pointed to us and then to the metal plate, watching.

  heavens, telling that we came from another One of the Things wheeled out a sort pointed off

  world. Then he drew a circle and of catapult and fastened our loin cloths in over the plains, finally getting the message the sling. He released the contrivance. The across that we had landed there.

  metallic patches of fabric sailed through the The tale went on. We had been air. It seemed to take them minutes to hit the captured by the Squares and threatened with ground—in the center of the circle we had torture. He drew a big hairy insect, and the left.

  way the things turned eye-stalks to look at There was a terrific explosion. The each othe

  that th

  r showed

  ey understood

  tower swayed sickeningly, then steadied.

  in

  pla ly. Evidently this was a form of torture Everything within the distant metal circle common to them all.

  geysered up into the reddish sky. We caught And then Farman managed to

  glim

  f twisted metal, and of several pses o

  convey the message that we had been sent tiny, shattered things that seemed to move under threat of death to bring about the slightly....

  nds. And at the end of

  destruction of the Rou

  “That’s the finish of our three-legged the harangue, he carefully handed his loin friend and his damned cannibalistic torturing cloth to one of them.

  reathed Farm

  bugs,” b

  an. “And of our

  Excitement followed as the small hance

  c

  to Earth again,” he

  s of getting back

  tubes of explosives were discovered. I finished.

  thought for a moment that we would be torn I looked at him.

  to pieces, but even to the dullest brai s

  n it wa

  “We might have been shot back to clear that we were friendly or we would where we came from by standing in that never have surrendered our deadly burden.

  circle and having the lever set to its repelling For the time, at least, we were saved.

  stead

  in

  of attracting point,” explained There m

  om

  ust be, we reasoned, s

  e show of

  Farman.

  gratitude in even the fiercest of these ice-The tower moved off, seeming to eyed monsters for such an act.

  stalk stiff-legged with triumph. Dully we We reasoned wrong, as it was to leaned against the railing, unhampered by develop. We could see later why the Thing the monstrosities about, seemingly accepted in the laboratory, when it sent us forth with as allies. Miles were covered before the the explosives, didn’t anticipate the simple rushing speed of the tower slowed. It act of surrender we had performed. It knew stopped. We

  own.

  looked d

  its breed, and what happened to captives, There, under and around us, was o well! Its only m

  only to

  istake was in not

  another metal circle!

  realizing that we, from another globe, didn’t know.

  HERE, as on Earth, invention in war gave For the moment, however, we were rise to invention. The Squares perhaps had satisfied that we were safe. There was a jar, invented the moving towers. The Rounds and the tower began to move again, now had countered with the same. The Squares directly over the prairie toward the circle we had invented the deadly repelling circle. The

  The Mind Magnet 13

  Rounds, through spies probably, had We were pushed only a short

  countered with the same—though it looked distance down one of the interminable as though the Squares did not know that yet.

  corridors when we were halted opposite a But the

  portan

  im

  t thing to us was the

  up, and we saw a

  door. The door rose

  fact that we could hope again where all hope laboratory quite similar to the one in which had seemed lost.

  we had first recovered.

  “Maybe we can persuade them to A Thing teetered toward us on e from

  send us back where we cam

  in return

  clashing legs that seemed more greyish than for the favor we did them,” said Farman. “It red-black. The creature moved sluggishly, as seems little enough to ask.”

  though it were very old. It touched familiar-But little as it was, it was speedily looking, mighty coils carelessly as it passed revealed to us that the request would not be them. Evidently it was the presiding genius granted. When Farman pointed to the circle, of the place.

  to us, and then to the red heavens, asking

  “Science seems to be king here,” I plainly that we be repelled from the crimson whispered to Farman. “Both with the planet, the inhuman Things got his meaning Squares and the Rounds we have been clearly. And made no sign of any kind! It brought to the laboratory first.”

  looked as though they had plans for us, or Farman only nodded. All his

  were perhaps simply keeping us for some attention was centered on a certain crooked cold-blooded diversion of torture.

  lever beside a metal telltale plate.

  Farman squared his jaw, but made no

  “If we only could fight our way up to move. Wi
th their deadly wires and their the surface of the prairie and then force one overwhelm

  um

  ing n

  bers, the Things would

  our

  of

  captors to throw the lever,” he have made short work of any attempt at muttered.

  violent escape.

  The age-enfeebled Thing that ruled The big scoop rose up and began here glared at us speculatively out of slowly weaving back and forth doing service as an weaving eyes. There was no curiosity in elevator from turret to ground. Soon all of us those eyes, only a queer, intent gleam.

  stood on the prairie. Nowhere, save for the At some command which we could great metal ring, were there signs of life. But not hear, our guards shoved us over to a soon a door, like the trapdoor of the Squares, deep receptacle beside one of the great coils.

  was opened. The fighting crew filed down The aged Thing came after us. Into the into the ground through this. We were receptacle it thrust a metal rod, carefully, as by half a dozen of the

  prodded after them

  though whatever liquid was in the vessel Things which had evidently been detailed as were very deadly and dangerous to handle.

  our special guards.

  The Thing glanced from the

  Corridor after corridor stretched receptacle to us. Intuition told me what was away from the bottom of the ramp we coming.

  descended. This was evidently a great city,

  “They’ve got some new concoction, buried under the ground. I had a crazy probably for war use,” I whispered to wonder as to whether cities on our own Farman. “And they’re going to try it on us to Earth might not some day be all see how it works.”

  round, what with the increasing underg

  Farm

  hing, but his face got

  an said not

  ferocity and frequency of our own senseless white, and his eyes told me that his guess wars.

  was the same as mine.

  Thrilling Wonder Stories 14

  The aged Thing turned toward a made the wire a weapon. The three nearby wall. I looked there. Set into it were onstr

  m

  osities he had bowled to the floor, gleaming metal hoops, open at the ends, for plus the other three, were leaping at him.

  the purpose of holding struggling bodies in Then I saw the aged Thing go down, secure metal bonds against the wall. They slumping horribly into the receptacle beside were apparently to be used on us, now.

  it. A thick reddish vapor boiled up, and the What was in the receptacle? Acid?

  chitin-protected body seemed to melt into Heavy, deadly, almost liquid vapor? What?

  thin air. Farman had stumbled onto the Certainly something that brought quick secret of the wire, whatever it was.

  annihilation, judging from the way in which He turned it on the charging group.

  the Thing had cautiously stirred it.

  He got three of the Things. Four! Then he At

  another

  soundless command, the

  was caught by the remaining two. They Things that guarded us approached closer.

  coiled their triple arms around him and They raised their weapons, probably with wrenched for the wire he held.

  the idea of stunning us. But the triple eyes of the Thing in command here glinted a bit, and the wires were lowered. It seemed that it UP and down the three figures writhed and didn’t want us stunned for this experiment.

  fought while I raced for the rest of the weapons on the floor.

  THE Things laid down their weapons, to One of the two got near enough to catch us by arms and legs and drag us to the trip me as I fled. But when I fell, I fell with wall.

  the nearest wire within my reach. I got up I have never seen a man move as with it, wondering what in the world had to swiftly, as explosively, as Farman moved be done with the thing to make it work. But then. Without warning of any kind, he there was no need to find out. Farman had sprang straight at the group. Those thick torn from the two in that instant, and blasted wires, dealing such instant unconsciousness them with his wire.

  or death, lay on the floor now. The Things,

  “Run upstairs,” he panted to me.

  six to two against us, had been too confident

  “Out the trapdoor. Stand in the circle. I’ll in their numbers!

  w

  throw the s itch.”

  Like a football player, Farman

  “Who’ll throw the switch for you?” I charged the group, great arms spread wide.

  protested.

  He knocked three of them from their tripod

  “Not necessary. I’ll leave it on, and legs before they could balance themselves llow

  fo

  you. Run! This will be our last against his rush.

  chance—”

  He got to the wires on the floor.

  I ran. Out the laboratory door, along With a savage shout he raised one, the corridor, to the ramp leading up to the and pointed it first at the Thing that still trapdoor. Here were two of the ghastly teetered feebly near the deadly receptacle.

  Things, evidently guardians of the gate. I The Thing started to draw the metal rod waved for them

  pdoor,

  to open the tra

  from the vessel.

  pointing the wire in a gesture that threatened I think I lived a year in that second.

  them with death if they did not obey.

  The scientist-Thing was drawing out the Luckily they hadn’t the slightest deadly rod. Farman was fighting to find suspicion of the fact that I couldn’t have whatever trigger or release-catch it was that worked the weapon if I had wanted to. Their

  The Mind Magnet 15

  icily ferocio

  l

  us eyes g azed with fear, they threw open the trap. The red light of the I GOT the balloon down. It landed here in heavens streamed in.

  North Carolina. During the long descent, I ran up into the open. Around me Farman never moved. I thought he was spread the big metal circle. I stood there dead. He was just as he is now, seeming to waiting—waiting for the miracle to happen be dead by all ordinary physiological tests, that should transport me back to Earth.

  but yet not dead. The reason, I am sure, is When Farman threw the switch—

  that his mind, his consciousness, re-clothed But seconds passed and I was not so in material substance when it was transported. I was still there. Something transported to that other world, stayed in that must have happened to keep him from world, leaving his body only a shell.

  moving the lever.

  Perhaps that shell will live for a Now I heard a commotion, and

  thousand years. Ten thousand! Perhaps in a shouting, from the direction of the few days it will suffer true death.

  laboratory. The shouting was the bull-Meanwhile, Farman, companion on my roaring of Farman. He was being attacked ascent, is forever gone.

  again, held from the repelling lever.

  This, gentlemen, is my story. I swear Reinforcements must have come to avenge on oath that it is the truth, the whole truth, the killing of the Things Farman had and nothing but the truth.

  downed.

  * * * * *

  I turned to go to help him. But in that (Jury foreman: “You are really trying instant Farman must have fought his way to to hint that you and Commander Farman the switch.

  were for a time on a ‘planet’ which turned Once more I was seized by the out to he that tiny speck of dust?”) terrible agony that had preceded my transfer (Professor Stillwell: “This speck was to this globe of war and hate. I felt as if my undoubtedly cosmic dust, settling in through body were being blasted to bits.

  the open trap while Farman wiped the frost I was back in the stratosphere shell.

  clear, after wandering for untold millions of My whole body quivered with nauseating years through space. Who knows but what agony. But the veil of torture was quickly every speck of matter, every asteroid and pierced by memory.

  tiny
meteor, in all the heavens, has life on

  “Farman!” I called.

  it?”)

  There was no answer from the body I (Jury member: “How could any force saw stretched on the floor of the stratosphere on a dust mote be powerful enough to draw ball near me. Between me and the body of to it two objects as vast as human bodies?”) Farman a bright sunbeam poured down (Professor

  Stillwell: “I repeat, it is

  through the glass trap on the top of the ball.

  my theory that only our minds, our In this beam, settling slowly down so that it consciousnesses, were so attracted”) was only a fraction of an inch from the floor, (Member: “And after they had been a

  w s a bright red speck of dust, a mote of transported, your minds took on bodies brilliant crimson.

  again?”)

  “Farman,” I cried again, thickly.

  (Professor:

  “Yes.

  tic

  Bodies iden

  al

  Farm

  ove. The red dust

  an did not m

  with the ones housing our minds on Earth, mote settled on the floor, extinguished like a but microscopic on that small planet.”) tiny ember at the contact.

  (Member: “How could that be

  Thrilling Wonder Stories 16

  possible?”)

  is his soul, or mind, or life spark—whatever (Professor: “I don’t know. How did you care to call it?”)

  minds on Earth become clothed with bodies?

  (fury foreman: “There can be little Did the bodies come first and the minds uncertainty about the verdict of this grow in them later? Or was pure thought coroner’s jury. I recommend again that first, becomi

  y surrounded with a

  ng graduall

  Professor Stillwell be subjected to strict materialization of matter to suit, like the mental tests, and I further recommend to a hardening of a shell?”)

  court of law that he be held in the state (Jury foreman: “Please do not asylum for the insane. I guess that will be answer questions with questions. You have the court’s