He had been wrong, however. He knew that much when the army of hideous monsters sprang up from subliminal depth to fill the cave with their vile, menacing forms. Only, it wasn't a cave in which he found himself now. It was a huge chamber whose vaulted ceiling was supported by ornate columns. In the center of the room was an immense table, surrounded by thousands of--chairs? Standing on stout legs evidently intended to bear ponderous hulks, the artifacts consisted of paired buttock rests merging into a large, tapering chute that curved down to the floor. It was as though the chairs had suggested a shape for the monsters in his nightmare. For abruptly the chamber was filled with scaly creatures only remotely resembling the Harpies of his former fantasies. The head was a grotesque pair of jaws, lined with jagged teeth and resembling that of a massive crocodile. Resting in each chute was an immense tail that seemed as large as the body itself. Then he was caught up in a vortex of blazing light and incredible sounds. He spun from fear to terror, from incomprehensible concepts to semantic confusion. The air about him was a sonic battleground of _hisses_ and _clicks_. But, occasionally, one of the noises seemed to convey meaning of a sort. * * * * * The cave floor jolted beneath him and Stewart instantly sprang up, welcoming the abrupt awakening no matter what new complication had caused the tremorlike shock. Then Carol screamed and lurched back against the far wall. There was a blur at the mouth of the cave and the Mineral Analyzer's huge drill rammed in--until its forward test chamber was blocked by the narrowness of the entrance. Backing off, the robot charged again; withdrew and came forward once more. Then, apparently satisfied it couldn't get through, the thing directed its drill head in a series of determined, chopping blows that sent fragments of rock hurtling in all directions. McAllister sidled along the wall. "That thing's got the same compulsion the OC had! It's trying to reach us!" Randall stood in front of the transceiver to protect it from flying chips. "But I don't think it'll get through," he said uncertainly. "How does it look to you, Dave?" "All depends on the amount of power it has left." Stewart drew Carol farther from the entrance. Between blows, he glanced outside. Dawn was beginning to tinge the sky. "But it's been almost a whole day since it's had a recharge from the OC," he added hopefully. The MA's drill head slammed down again and knocked loose a section of rock the size of Mortimer's head. Carol dropped to the floor and sat with her arms wrapped around her knees. Stewart leaned against the wall above her. "You said something about leaving the Bureau--maybe going to Terra--you and I--" Her face was rigid, though no less attractive than he had remembered it when good-natured jest was her principal mannerism. "Talking about that is only an exercise in futility now," she said.