_The Deadline_
Friday greeted them with another wide grin, and would again have
bludgeoned the Eurasian with his wit had not the Hawk motioned him to
silence. Looking at Dr. Ku, he said:
"I have Friday posted here because of the secret panel somewhere in
this wall. You escaped through it before--do you remember?"
"Of course I remember. And if I'd had merely a fraction of your luck
then, my present situation would be quite different."
"Perhaps," said the Hawk. "This panel is now the unknown quantity so
far as I'm concerned, and I don't like unknown quantities; so I am
asking you to show me where it is and how it works. That's my favor.
Of course you can refuse to reveal it, but that will not delay me very
long. The method of compulsion I mentioned...."
Dr. Ku-Sui appeared to reflect a moment, but his decision was not
tardy in coming. He smiled.
"You terrify me, Captain, with your ominous hints about compulsion. I
suppose I'd better be reasonable and show it to you. Really, though,
your concern over the panel is rather wasted, inasmuch as it conceals
nothing more than a small escape passage leading out of this building.
Nothing important at all."
But his words, Carse somehow felt, were a screen; something else lay
beneath them. He watched the tall figure with its always present odor
of tsin-tsin blossoms move forward in a few indecisive steps, then
back again, considering. The smile and the easy words were a
camouflage, surely--but for what?
"Nothing important at all." Dr. Ku Sui repeated pleasantly. "Come. I
will show you. Friday--if I may so address you--over on that
switchboard you will find a small lever-control. It is the one with a
Chinese character above it. Will you be so kind as to throw it?"
The Negro glanced inquiringly at his master. Grimly Carse nodded.
An enigmatic light glimmered in the Eurasian's green eyes as they
watched the Negro go to the switchboard and put thumb and forefinger
on the control.
"Only a small escape passage," he said deprecatingly as the Hawk
crouched, gun ready, his eyes on the suspected place in the wall.
Friday threw the switch.
Immediately there sounded a short, sharp explosion. And acrid smoke
billowed out from under the case of coordinated brains!
* * * * *
Carse sprang to Ku Sui, gripped one arm and cried harshly:
"What have you done?"
"Not I, Captain--your obedient servant, the Black. Please, your
fingers--" He removed them from his arm; and then, smiling, he said:
"I am afraid that all your assurance, your threats, are now but so
much wasted breath."
"You mean--?"
"Surely, Captain," said Ku Sui, "you must have known I would provide
for such an emergency, as this. I chose not to risk your darkly-hinted
method of compulsion, and so had Friday remove the need for it. The
Chinese character above the switch stands for 'Death.'"
Frigidly the Hawk asked: "You've destroyed the brains?"
"I have destroyed the brains." The Eurasian's voice was deep with a
strange, unusual tone. "No matter: it was time. I am far, far ahead of
that work, great though it was; it has destroyed itself with its
inherent, irremediable fault. Yes, far ahead. Next time...." He
appeared to lapse into profound and melancholy reflections; seemed to
forget entirely the two men by him.
But the Hawk acted.
"We'll see," he said curtly. "Friday, watch the Doctor closely; this
trick may be only the first." An intent, grim figure, he strode to the
case of coordinated brains, pulled over the first of its two
controlling switches, and stood silent while slowly the pulsings of
light grew through the inner liquid and very slowly irradiated the
five gray, naked mounds that were human brains. The light came to
full, and Carse threw over the second switch. He said into the
grille:
"I am Captain Carse. I wish to know if you are aware of what has just
happened. Do you hear me, and did you feel anything a minute ago?"
* * * * *
Silence. Friday, close to the Eurasian and watchful, hung breathless,
hoping that words might come from the grille in answer. But the silken
figure he watched was there only in body; Dr. Ku's mind was in a far
space of his own.
Cold, unhuman words spoke out.
"_Yes, Captain Carse, I hear you. I felt the vibrations of the
explosion that occurred a minute ago._"
"Hah!" grunted Friday, immediately relieved. "All bluff, suh! No
damage to 'em at all!"
Carse asked quickly into the grille:
"You felt the explosion, but do you know what it meant?--what it did?"
Again a pause; and again the toneless voice:
"_A vital part of the machinery through which I live his been
destroyed. I have left only some three hours of life._"
The Hawk returned to Ku Sui. "Is that true?" he snapped.
"Yes, Captain." The words made a whisper, gentle and melancholy,
coming from afar. A man was turning back from the scanning of the long
years of one phase of his life. "Three hours is all that is left to
them.... But there was a fault inherent in such coordinated brains; it
is just as well that they are going.... Ah, Carse. I am so far ahead
of you ... but I tell you it is a painful thing to destroy so
wonderful a work of my hands...."
Silence filled the laboratory. It was broken by the awful voice of the
living dead.
"_I release you from your second promise, Captain Carse. No doubt
what happened was beyond your control.... I will soon be dead.
Although there is still nourishment in my liquid, I grow weaker
already. I am dying...._"
Harshly, the Hawk asked a final question into the grille:
"Within what time will you retain the vitality necessary to undergo
the initial steps of the transplanting operations? Do you know?"
Dr. Ku raised his head at this, though he seemed only mildly
interested in what the reply would be.
"_I think for two of the remaining three hours._"
"All right!" said Hawk Carse decisively. He threw off the case's
switches. "Dr. Ku," he said, "you've only succeeded in accelerating
things. Now for speed! Friday, we're taking this asteroid to Eliot
Leithgow's laboratory. Go see that the port-lock doors are closed
tight, then you and Wilson hurry back here! Fast! Run!"