Steel's eyes widened. He recalled Dr. Harmon's and Dirk's mysterious doings in the video room. "Perhaps you can explain what happened, Doctor," Stahl said. "If you wish," the old man answered finally. He walked straight ahead, chin high, voice mechanical and cold. "Venus was in the way of Earth's planned trajectory from the Solar System. We simply moved it--as we've been moving smaller asteroids farther out in space for months. Venus was the last object that had to be cleared from Earth's path to Sun K-16." "So that's where you planned to take it," Stahl said with some surprise. He laughed. "Who was it that said 'Give me a lever and I'll move the Earth'? So you found it! And I'm quite sure you could have accomplished it without mishap too, Doctor. If you remember, I worked out the preliminary planning with you myself." "Until you realized what would happen to your vita-lamp monopoly if the Earth had a warm sun again!" Stahl laughed again, agreeably. Steel however could barely keep his mouth from hanging open. He didn't know what to believe any more. Those blurred white lines behind Venus' picture on the video screen--had they been star trails? A background that Venus was moving past so fast even the video camera's ultra speed couldn't catch it? Was it possible Venus _had_ been moved and that the Earth could _have_ been moved? These men talked about moving planets as if they'd been moving a house on log rollers. Steel was bewildered. "Well," Stahl said, "now I'll have your formula for the projector and vita-lamps will become only a sideline. I'll move another planet to Sun K-16--Jupiter, perhaps. When I move it to a livable climate its real estate prices will be something unimaginable. I suppose you applied the principle to space ships long ago." "They were our first experiments," Dr. Harmon told him. "We have a small fleet in stalls near the surface. We found our only problem was keeping their speed down--to keep them from burning by air friction in taking off and landing." For some reason now as they went down the room, Dr. Harmon went into greater detail in explaining whatever questions Stahl put to him. He was fighting for time, Steel decided, hoping that _something_ would happen, anything. Steel also decided it was high time he started hoping that too. He was in for the killing now himself. When explanations had finished they had reached the end of the room and now stopped at the brink of the vast bear-pit. "And here it is," Dr. Harmon said wearily. "The projector." * * * * * The immensity of the place, the terrible creatures staring up at them, the mysterious machine majestically alone down there--all combined to silence even Stahl a moment. His guards crowded forward, exclaiming to each other and staring into the pit. They did not, however, let their curiosity distract the vigilance of their rifles. The guns remained snug against their prisoners' backs.