Andreson made no attempt to stop. He shot directly into the Varan's arms. The vacuum-rod crashed into his injured side again. Gritting his teeth, he grasped Atel around the chest, trying for a half-Nelson. The wings fluttered--the bar thudded home once more-- Then Atel broke free. "Monster!" he gasped. "What's the matter, Atel?" Andreson shouted raggedly. "Met your match?" For an answer the Varan shot at him head first, like a gull-winged rocket. Andreson flung himself lengthwise and grappled once more. Atel's body, as he had suspected, was remarkably light, probably hollow boned--and his arms were not nearly as strong as his wings. They simply couldn't be! This was the death struggle. Fiercely the two strove against each other. Andreson locked one of the flailing legs, steadily forced the great body back. He had one hand free for a split second, and he grasped the belt-control-- The garish glow of the city began to brighten at an alarming rate. Atel's hands fastened upon the Earthman's throat; Andreson pried weakly at them, but he had already lost too much blood to be able to free himself with one hand. He clung doggedly to the belt-control with the other. The city grew and grew--the blood pounded in his head, and his lungs burned like twin sacs of acid--the pillars of cold fire that were the city's towers flowed past him, blurring rapidly-- At the last instant Atel realized what was happening. A scream of terror was whipped from his mouth into the slip-stream, and he released Andreson's throat to claw frantically at the hand on the belt-control-- But it had been too late seconds ago. Andreson let go of him entirely, kicked himself free, began to brake. The Varan spread his wings--and lost his life. The right pinion snapped back and broke at once. The vanes on the left somehow withstood the blast, but the membrane between them could not--in a split second the living fabric was bloody tatters. Atel's body slammed itself to jelly against the bright Earth. Dizzy and sick, Andreson concentrated on cutting down the terrific velocity the levitator had built up. He succeeded fairly well, though he broke the other foot when he struck. The levitator held him upright, swaying. A cloud of winged creatures gathered around him. One of them he thought he recognized. "Jina--" "Yes--Ken--we saw most of the fighting--how--" "I outflew him," he said proudly, and then passed out for the third time. * * * * * Johnny Kimball peered out the door of the chamber the Varans had assigned as his laboratory, and grinned. "Quite a formal farewell committee coming across the bridge," he said. "Looks like the whole Council's in it."