* * * * * "This is _one_ spot, Kang," cried Gary excitedly. "And elsewhere?" "Elsewhere," repeated Kang, "it is the same." He spun the dial which moved the telelens of the vision screen at a 360° arc about Khundru. Everywhere they looked it was the same. Tsalnor of Gog had placed his troops cunningly, entirely encircling the city. To the north and south, divisions had crossed the chasmed mounts to take their posts outside the barrier. Now in two wedges they were storming Khundru's primary defense line toward the central citadel. The marine detail, which had completely bypassed the capital to reach the shoreline, was now swarming up yet another avenue of Khundru from the docks and wharves which they had seized. These three formed diversionary forces, hammering at the flanks and rear of the Magogeans, who were forced to concentrate their main defense on the eastern front; that which faced the Twilight Zone out of which the _bulk_ of the Gogean army was pouring. So swift was the movement, so hectic the opening phases of that battle, that it was only in fitful glimpses one could comprehend the magnitude of what was going on. Afterward Gary Lane recalled having briefly glimpsed Tsalnor himself riding at the fore of a cavalry detail hewing its way through broken ranks of fleeing Magogeans up to the citadel proper. In another sector, whether yards or miles away it was hard to tell, he saw for an instant Flick Muldoon, wild-eyed and jubilant, in command of a foray squad busily opening a new breach in the fading Magogean defenses. Little Herby Hawkins fought beside Flick, and though no sound transmitted itself over the vision plate, the watchers could almost hear the voice of the little cockney raised in joyful battle cry. "Blimey, wot fun, eh? Wot bleedin' fun!" How long the battle raged was hard to tell. Certainly long enough to place on pins and needles Gary and Lark, both of whom, as they watched the scenes depicted about them, chafed with impatience to fight at their comrades' sides. But this Dr. Kang sternly forbade, and gave good reason. "No, not yet! As we have seen, it should be easy for our allies to take the _outer_ city. The real difficulty will come when they try to storm the Palace Royal. We must wait until that moment, then take from within." "From within?" echoed Lark. "But how?" "This is how we will use _him_," Kang nodded toward the trussed Borisu who lay smouldering with impotent rage upon the floor. "This chamber is the heart of all Magogean apparatus; not only their barrier shield and vision screens but their intercommunicating system as well. When the proper moment comes we shall visiplate him throughout the entire palace, and make him order his countrymen to lay down their arms." "_Order_ them, yes," grunted Lark. "But will they _do_ it? That's another question."