"With a lock like this," Arkalion explained, as if he had read Temple's thought, "they need no other precaution. It is assumed that only authorized personnel know the combination." Then had Arkalion come this way before? It seemed the only possible assumption. But when? And how? "Here we are," said Arkalion. The door swung in toward them. Temple strode forward, found himself in a great bare hall, surprisingly well-lighted. After the dimness of the caverns, he hardly could see. "Don't stand there scowling and fussing with your eyes. There is one additional precaution--an alarm at Central Headquarters. We have about five minutes, no more." At one end of the bare hall stood what to Temple looked for all the world like an old-fashioned telephone booth, except that its walls were completely opaque. On the wall adjacent to it was a single lever with two positions marked "hold" and "transport". The lever stood firmly in the "hold" position. "You sure you want to come?" Arkalion demanded. "Yes, I told you that." "Good. I have no time to explain. I will enter the conveyor." "Conveyor?" "This booth. You will wait until the door is shut, then pull the lever down. That is all there is to it, but, as you can see, it is a two-man operation." "But how do I--" "Haste, haste! There are similar controls at the other end. You pull the lever, wait two minutes, enter the conveyor yourself. I will fetch you--if you are sure." "I'm sure, dammit!" "Remember, you go without training, without the opportunity everyone else has." "You already told me that. Mars is halfway to eternity. Mars is limbo. If I can't go back to Earth I want to go--well, to Nowhere. There are too many ghosts here, too many memories with nothing to do." Arkalion shrugged, entered the booth. "Pull the lever," he said, and shut the door. Temple reached up, grasped the lever firmly in his hand, yanked it. It slid smoothly to the position marked "transport." Temple heard nothing, saw nothing, began to think the device, whatever it was, did not work. Did Arkalion somehow get _moved_ inside the booth? Temple thought he heard footfalls on the stairs outside. Soon, faintly, he could hear voices. Someone banged on the door to the hall. Licking dry lips, Temple opened the booth, peered inside. Empty. The voices clamored, fists pounded on the door. Something clicked. Tumblers fell. The door to the great, bright hall sprung outward. Someone rushed in at Temple, who met him savagely with a short, chopping blow to his jaw. The man, temporarily blinded by the dazzling light, stumbled back in the path of his fellows. Temple darted into the booth, the conveyor, and slammed it shut. Fingers clawed on the outside. A sound almost too intense to be heard rang in Temple's ears. He lost consciousness instantly. CHAPTER VI