Greg worked desperately, cursing under his breath. He pulled down the outer screen that was fighting directly against the radio frequency, energy for energy, and allowed the beam to strike squarely on the second screen, the inversion field that shunted the major portion of the energy impacting against it through 90 degrees into another space. The engines moaned softly and settled into a quieter rumble as the necessity of supplying the first screen was eliminated. But they screamed once again as Greg sent out a tractor beam that seized and held, dragged the _Interplanetarian_ to a standstill. Craven's ship had gained millions of miles, though, and established a tremendous advantage by fighting nearer to its source of energy. "Russ," gasped Greg, "if you don't get that scheme of yours figured out pretty soon, we're done for. They've stopped everything we've got. They're nearer the sun. We won't stand a chance if they make another break like that." Russ glanced up to answer, but his mouth fell open in amazement and he did not speak. A streak of terrible light was striking at them from the _Interplanetarian_, blinding white light, and along that highway of light swarmed a horde of little green figures, like squirming green amebas. Swarming toward the _Invincible_, stretching out hungry, pale-green pseudopods toward the inversion barrier ... _and eating through it_! Wherever they touched, holes appeared. They drifted through the inversion screen easily and began drilling into the inner screen of anti-entropy. Eating their way into the anti-entropy ... _into a state of matter which Russ and Greg had thought would resist all change_! * * * * * For seconds both men stood transfixed, unable to believe the evidence of their eyes. But the ameba things came on in ever-increasing throngs, creatures that gnawed and slobbered at the anti-entropy, eating into it, flaking it away, drilling their way through it. When they pierced the anti-entropy, they would cut through the steel plates of the _Invincible_ like so much paper! And more were coming. More and more! With a grunt of amazement, Greg slammed a beam straight into the heart of the amebas. They ate the beam and vanished as mistily as before, little glowing things that ate and died. But there were always more to take their place. They overwhelmed the beam and ate back along its length, attacked the screen again. They ate through walls of force and walls of metal, and a rush of hissing air began to flame into ions in the terrific battle of energies outside the _Invincible_. Russ was crouching over the manual of the televisor board. His breath moaned in his throat as his fingers flew. "I have to have power, Greg," he said. "Lots of power." "Take it." Greg replied. "I haven't been able to do anything with it. It isn't any use to me." Russ's thumb reached out and tripped the activating lever. The giant engines shrieked and yowled.