The guard whirled, eyes blazing. The Jovians were extremely sensitive about their vocal defect that made forming of the letter "T" physically impossible. Augie's hot expletive was the equivalent of telling Pordo's underling he was too dumb to pronounce the sound. The enraged dupe leaped at Augie, snarling fiercely. The two went down in a tangle flying arms and legs, the Jovian pouring sledgehammer blows into Augie's midriff--blows that were meant to kill. He wore no gun, or he would have used it. The Jovians were giving us no opportunity at escape. I jumped into the fray, knowing if I didn't intercede in Augie's behalf the guard would maul him into a bloody pulp. The Jovian turned on me and closed in, fists flailing and teeth gritting in fury at my interruption. I sidestepped his wild body punch and heard bone crunch as I caught his chin on a well-timed upper-cut. The guard screamed, blood dripping from his torn lips and Augie came in triumphantly from behind, raining mincy, bird-like blows on his head. [Illustration: _Professor Twilken clubbed futilely at the Jovian's back._] It didn't last long. The other guards, attracted by the clamorous uproar, came on the run and quickly subdued us with clubbed flame-pistols. Our badly-beaten opponent was dragged from the room, uttering garbled, vengeful threats, and we were left to lick our wounds. "You shouldn't have done that," I mildly reproached Augie. "I was mad." He thrust out a stubborn chin. "They're stirring up a hornet's nest, Tod, and I won't be responsible for what happens! My formula was meant to be used on the native worlds of the subjects and there's no telling what kind of monstrosities they may evolve by not following the natural laws embodied in it. The resultant organisms may be intelligent, yes, but--" Augie broke off, tenderly fingering a swollen eye and munching thoughtfully on his lower lip. He was sure down in the dumps all right, and I couldn't blame him. We were in a hell of a mess, putting it mildly. Three worlds to save, and we couldn't even save ourselves! We spent two full months in the dungeon. I fretted away the last thirty nights on the floor, since contact with the cold stone had goaded Augie's rheumatism into full-flare. News leaked in now and then and, on the sixty-second day, our guard disclosed the experiment had been completed and the high officials of Jupiter and its cohorts would meet that very day with the evolved Plutonians in the Grand Assembly Hall of the palace to form a pact that would seal the fate of the Allied Worlds. "Now is the time, Augie!" I whispered excitedly. Augie was electrified into action. He backed off in a corner and pulled the cot down over him. There would be tremendous heat. I placed one hand under a foot and heaved up. The false hand remained on the floor, leaving my prehensile tentacle free to act.