Despairing of ever learning the truth from such informants, Lynn fought her way to a public audio booth. After a longer-than-usual wait, her call was put through. Over the selenoplate she stared into the worried eyes of her father. A prayer of relief and gratitude escaped the Colonel as he recognized his caller. "Lynn! Thank the Lord you're safe! I've been worried sick about you. And so has that young doctor--" "Rocky? You mean he and Bud escaped? They're with you at the base?" "Roswell--I mean _Russell_--is. Mulligan has gone out with the Fleet on scout patrol." "F-fleet?" stammered Lynn. "Scout patrol? Daddy--what _is_ this all about? I seem to be the only person on this world who doesn't know what's wrong--" * * * * * A voice at the other end of the wire said politely, "May I, sir?"--and Colonel Graham's face faded back to be replaced by the grave, sharp-lined features of the young S.I.D. captain. "Lynn--" he began, and even in that tense moment Lynn Graham found time to wonder that he had dropped all pretense of formality--"Lynn, we are all in the gravest peril. Colossus has broken loose!" "Co-colossus?" "The _Thing_ for which those manacles were forged. It turned out to be a giant humanoid. Bud and I saw it. It was more than a thousand feet tall when it escaped Grossman. Now it has more than doubled that height!" Lynn gasped. "But--but where is it?" "After it broke from its underground cell it headed west. For almost seven hours it has been roaming the planet wildly and at will. It completely destroyed the mining-town of Hawesbury and the villages of Placer and Dry Ditch." "But aren't we doing anything to stop it? It must be destroyed--" "Three flights are out looking for it. Two haven't been able to contact it at all ... the third is unreported. We fear that flight ... found it!" Russell's voice was more sober than ever. "Lynn ... our weapons seem to be useless against it. Its skin is incredibly tough, hard, resistant. Heat does not bother it, and our heaviest HE shells are like pebbles upon a hippo's hide." "But there must be _some_ way--" "There has _got_ to be some way," nodded Russell, "for if we don't find it ... and soon ... Titan will be a dead world, peopled by a single, monstrous entity. Now--" He abandoned explanations for a more immediate problem--"you stand tight. I'm coming to New Boston to get you." "Oh, that's not necessary. I'll hire a transport." "There's no such thing. The road between here and the city is and has been thronged with refugees for hours. I don't believe there's a commercial roller left in the city. Because, you see--" "Yes?" pressed Lynn as he hesitated. "Never mind. I'll be right there for you." "You were going to tell me something, Rocky. What?"