they could use. They knew their limitations when it came to mental force.
Without mishap they mounted a flight of stairs to the upper corridor and then paused. Three men were approaching, looking exactly like Earthmen, and were obviously coming from the laboratory.
“One of them is Dral,” Abna murmured to the Amazon. “You remember? We talked with him on the last occasion we were here? He’s the ruler of the planet. From what I can read of his mind, he has just been into the laboratory to see Quorne off on his journey to Earth.”
The advancing Dral and his two advisers stopped, utterly bewildered at the sight of the trio, then their hands flew to their guns. But in that instant they were overpowered.
The Amazon singled out Dral for herself, whirled him around, then delivered a blow that knocked him spinning backwards towards the corridor’s huge window, outside which blazed the glare of the artificial sun. Dral gasped and choked, trying to recover himself, but before he could do so the Amazon was upon him again, her yellow fingers tight about his neck. To her surprise, however, she found her strength was unequal to the task of squeezing the life out of the ruler: in fact, she herself was gradually being overpowered as his hands clutched her throat and tightened relentlessly.
Encumbered as she was by her sweeping gown, she took the only chance she could and wrenched herself free, narrowly missing the savage jet of a flame gun which one of the other men fired at her. Neither Abna nor Viona had overpowered their own adversaries, either, and were glancing about them for a means of escape.
The Amazon hesitated no longer. Since the men seemed too tough to be smashed down by ordinary methods, the only thing to do was get them out of the way for a while. So she twisted backwards quickly, seized Dral by the collar and belt of his jacket, then whirled him over her head and through the big window. With a tinkling of glass he sailed outside, dropping down forty feet to the street below. In a matter of seconds Viona and Abna had dealt likewise with the other two men, dodging the ray-gun beams that stabbed at them.
They sped down the corridor and into the laboratory. The place was deserted and the equipment switched off. Presumably Quorne had transmitted himself to Earth and the technicians had departed. Quickly the Amazon hurried to the dissembler and studied its panels, then she nodded in satisfaction.
“Practically a duplicate of my own invention,” she said. “And the settings are registering Earth—for Quorne, I suppose—so we’ll have no troubles in that direction. Quickly, one of you, switch on the power.”
Viona obeyed, or attempted to, but before she could grip the master-switch a robot glided unexpectedly from its concealed recess and seized her arm with its pincer hand. Instantly she tried to use the other hand, but this, too, was prevented.
Abna glanced around and saw what was happening. Immediately he hurtled for the monstrosity of metal, and by sheer strength tore open the pincers holding Viona’s arms. But by the time he had done this, other robots came gliding into view, evidently directed by post-hypnotic orders to protect the laboratory against all intruders.
“Get away from them!” the Amazon cried, and they all raced through the laboratory door into the corridor. They kept going until the corridor took a sharp right turn to the main street outside. In the doorway were guards, one on each side, guns at the ready. As the trio came hurtling towards them they swung, ready for action.
“Risk knocking them over,” Abna said. “Quorne likely left orders for us to be left unharmed, so we’ll hope they won’t fire.”
His guess was correct, and by the time the guards had been reached, their hands were wavering uncertainly about their guns—and that was as far as they got. Knuckles smashed into their faces and sent them reeling down the steps to the street. Passers-by, exactly akin to Earthlings, paused in amazement and helped the guards to rise.
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