He was looking at the inventor who was standing in front of him.
284 "I haven't the money to do it myself," said the inventor. "That's why I came to you. I need a research laboratory. But I am sure that you will get your money back in the end."
285 "In the end!" Brant smiled cynically. "Listen, Marten, I am a financier, not a philanthropist. I want results - now. All right," he went on, "I'll give you five thousand."
"Ten," said Marten.
286 At this moment, though the door was locked, a dwarf-like figure, dressed in grey, suddenly appeared in the room. The man raised his hand and pointed a strange-looking gun at Marten. A bright ray appeared from the gun.
287 The next moment Marten's headless corpse fell on the floor. The weapon turned to Brant...
288 Afterwards the man in grey turned the ray on Marten's invention, and then disappeared.
- 18 -
289 In South America five men died.
290 In Africa and Mexico, in Sweden and Madagascar, the decapitations continued. Reports from behind the Iron Curtain said that this process was now world-wide. Brains were seen in Berlin, Hawaii, and other places. More and more people were murdered, and all of them were scientists - until the incident in Caribou City.
291 Caribou City was a small town on the banks of the Peace River in Canada. Uranium had been discovered there, and a group of scientists were doing some research work. One night a scientist was decapitated there in the presence of a large group of people, but this time the Brain who had decapitated him did not escape.
292 The scientist's assistant had a gun and shot the Brain through his heart.
293 There was a full hour of triumph in Caribou City. Then the revenge came. There appeared a lot of Brains in the town. They used the weapons, which were of the same type as the decapitators, but much bigger and more powerful. Whole buildings were burned to the ground. In a short while Caribou City was completely destroyed...
294 After that the Brains returned to their practice of killing the world's scientists. Every day reports of new decapitations came from different parts of the world: from Athens and Tokyo, Lisbon and Vienna. Newspapers attacked the governments for doing nothing.
295 The British Prime Minister declared a state of emergency.
296 The police and Military Intelligence were looking for the Brains' base, but could not find anything. The Brains simply appeared, killed, and disappeared again.
- 19 -
297 Sitting in an armchair in the cabin of his yacht, Captain Christian raised his glass.
298 "It's nice to be a free man again. Thanks, Doc."
299 Doctor Fox, sitting opposite him, opened a fresh bottle of beer.
300 "You did it yourself, Chris," he said. "You got the decapitator."
301 "And you took it to Miller's chief. I could not do it without you."
302 They sat a few minutes in silence.
303 "The important thing now," said Christian, "is to find the Brains. We must get one of those crystals."
304 "I don't see, how you can do that," said Fox. "You can't catch people who disappear into thin air."
305 "We must try. We must catch one of them before he has time to use his decapitator or touch his crystal. If we work fast, we can do it. And then we'll separate. I'll take the prisoner to a hiding-place which will be prepared - and you will take the crystal somewhere else."
306 Fox laughed: "First catch your Brain."
Christian smiled.
307 "We'll make a trap," he said. "We can publish an article in the newspapers that some scientist has found out the mystery of the Brains. The newspaper article will mention the place where this scientist works - and it will be our hiding-place! I am sure the Brains will come to that place at once!"
The doctor thought.
308 "Maybe it will work," he said.
309 "I am sure it will work," said Christian. "One of them will come and we'll catch him. And I'll make him talk."
"Shall we ask the Old Man to help?"
310 "No! This is my show. Afterwards, if we do it, we'll tell him the good news. But I want to do it myself."
He took a note-book and began to write a plan.
311 "We shall need two fast cars and an empty house in some isolated place. Then two separate hiding places."
312 Christian worked out the details of his plan.
313 "Where do they come from?" he asked suddenly. "I don't agree with your theory that they come from interplanetary space. A spaceship large enough to carry fifty Brains cannot be hidden. The astronomers have searched the sky with their telescopes and found nothing. There must be some other explanation. But what?"
- 20 -
314 The house stood on a high hill. There were no houses or trees around. In a large room on the ground floor Fox and Christian sat in opposite corners; both were armed. Fox held one end of a nylon cord in his left hand. The cord was connected with a net, which was hanging from the ceiling. One pull - and the net would fall.
315 If only one Brain appeared, they were planning to try to take him alive; more than one - and they would open fire immediately.
316 They were sitting and waiting. They were sure that the Brains would learn of the supposed threat to their safety. Not only newspapers published the story, but radio and television had broadcast it, too; and people were talking in the streets...
317 Outside the house, in the garage, two cars stood ready. Two hiding-places were prepared. One was an underground laboratory - Fox was going to use it to investigate the crystal. The other was the cellar of an empty house - and Christian was going to take the prisoner there and question him.
318 Suddenly a Brain appeared in the room. Christian recognized him by the scar on his nose: it was Waldo. He was alone and armed with a decapitation. He saw Christian and raised his hand with the weapon at the moment when Fox pulled the cord.
319 The net fell. Waldo tried to touch the black crystal on his belt, but could not do it because of the net. Christian jumped at Waldo and hit him heavily with his automatic gun. The Brain fell on the floor. Christian unfastened the Brain's belt with the crystal and gave it to Fox.
320 "Go!" he said. "I'll take care of Waldo."
321 Doctor Fox put the belt with its black crystal into a metal box and locked the box. Then he quickly left the room.
322 Christian lit a cigar. Then he lifted Waldo from the floor, threw him over his shoulder and went out. He saw Fox's car in the distance. Reaching the garage, he put Waldo into the other car, got in himself, started the engine and drove off.
Waldo spat.
323 All the way to the hiding-place he spat and cursed Christian - and there were some words in his speech, which Christian did not understand. These words sounded English, but he did not know them.
324 The cellar of the house where Christian brought Waldo was empty. In the middle was a big barrel filled with water. It was very heavy, and Christian tied Waldo to it. In one corner of the cellar there were stone steps, which led to a massive door. Christian had locked this door, and the key was in his pocket.
325 The Brain's decapitator was pushed under Christian's belt. He looked at his prisoner, holding his automatic in his hand.
326 "Listen," he said. "You are going to answer my questions. We are quite alone, and I shall make you talk."