He heard Tersen's dry voice saying, "... must have been a short in the wave canal. But that's taken care of now." The voice was not loud. It was in his mind. And he was unable to move. * * * * * It was a strange, unearthly experience to be a zombie. Part of Reese's mind remained conscious. Part of him knew that Tersen had belatedly achieved control through the bracelet on his wrist and that Reese was no longer his body's master. He felt a presence in his mind. Tersen. Tersen dictated his motions now. Stiffleggedly--and it was no sham, now--he turned or _was_ turned, and walked back toward the rest of the group. Tersen had appeared and stood there, icy eyes glittering at him. "I made the mistake of not testing you before I freed you," the scientist said. "But I think the control is in effect now. We'll see." _Raise your right hand!_ came a sudden mental command. Reese felt his right hand shoot above his head. He struggled to pull it down but it was impossible. _Left hand!_ _Both hands!_ _Kneel on your left knee!_ Apparently Tersen was satisfied. He ordered Reese up and turned away. His control was complete. "We march on Colony Seven tonight," Tersen announced again. The rest of that day was a dim blur for Jim Reese. He followed through a series of dictated tasks, preparing for the raid on the colony. He discovered now exactly what had happened to Colony Eight but there was nothing at all he could do about it. Tersen had appeared about a week after Reese had quarrelled with Lois. He had announced he was here to perform some experiments and asked the Colony to let him stay for a month or so. The Colony had agreed. Tersen had proceeded to set up a dome and build his generator. It operated on encephalographic principles and allowed him to control the brains of all within its field at the time it was turned on. The Colony had not discovered this until the day Tersen had switched the generator on. From then on all were slaves. Since Reese had not been present when that happened he was not subject to the generator field nor was the generator set up to control him. Tersen had had a portable generator under experimental construction and it was that which he had used to control Reese. It had failed, at first, though Reese's clever act had deceived Tersen. But when the scientist discovered Reese still was not under control he was able to make a trifling adjustment that altered the situation. These things Reese found out by his contact with Tersen's mind. Contact worked in two directions--but control in only one. Reese and the others readied the Colony for the attack on its neighbors. Tersen planned to control all the 10 colonies on _Damballa_--and then, building more generators, he would spread his dominion to Earth, the planet that had driven him into exile. * * * * * But one person in Colony Eight was free from Tersen's control. One person came and went as he pleased.