He dropped the last sheet and got up and poured himself another Scotch. "They will make an army now," he said. The Scotch went down smoothly. He went to the window and looked out. "This planet is different. The sun there is blue and the air is very thin. Their bodies are nothing, but their heads are very big. Now they will create an army and take this planet." Frank Corson was shaking his head slowly like a groggy fighter. Rhoda sat huddled on the sofa, her mind such a mixture of tumbling emotions that it seemed to be trying to tear itself out of her head. John Dennis came back and stood in the middle of the room. He swayed drunkenly. "So many things I don't understand. I see people I know--or I should know. I--" He turned his eyes--eyes no longer empty--on Rhoda. "I want to make love!" Frank Corson got up from his chair and hurled himself on Dennis. Rhoda screamed. * * * * * Senator Crane sat at his desk. There were a pile of newspapers in front of him. The first one carried a front page story with the headline: SENATOR CRANE WARNS OF SPACE INVASION SHADES OF ORSON WELLS' MARTIAN SCARE STALKS CAPITOL CORRIDORS. Crane tossed the paper aside listlessly and picked up the second one: SENATORS VOICE CONCERN FOR SANITY OF COLLEAGUE CRANE IN STUNNING TIRADE WARNS OF SCIENCE-FICTION DISASTER. The third paper featured an internationally syndicated columnist, famous for his biting wit: * * * * * Senator Crane today launched a one-man campaign to make America space-conscious. If there was any Madison Avenue thinking behind the launching it was certainly lower Madison Avenue. In order to make his point--exactly what this was confused a vast roomful of newspapermen--the Senator invented a race of creatures called androids. These androids, it seems, look exactly like Tom Smith down the block except that they'd just as soon cut your throat as not. We fear the Senator must have been watching the wrong television shows--knives yet, ugh!--possibly _Jim Bowie_, because there wasn't a ray gun nor a disintegrator in his whole bag of exhibits. All in all, it would appear that the project was pointed toward making the people Senator Crane-conscious rather than aiming their attention at the deadly heavens. * * * * * Senator Crane put that paper aside and looked at the next. This one, more so than all the rest, was completely factual: SENATOR CRANE DELUGED WITH WIRES FROM HOME CONSTITUENTS CLAIM WASHINGTON RIDICULE HEAPED ON SENATOR REFLECTS AGAINST STATE. Crane dropped the paper and got up from the desk. That son-of-a-bitch Taber was to blame for this. Shaping up a goddamn hoax and feeding it out piecemeal. By God--!