"What are you going to do?" demanded Yaxa in a voice that still reflected overwhelming astonishment. "I don't understand----" "It's perfectly simple," said Sukune. "We were deathly afraid that you'd guess before this, but now you may as well know. The whole business of your rescue, our capture, the flight from Earth, was arranged by our intelligence staff. They wanted to get three determined men inside this shell, where we could in some way lay the innards open to Terrestrial disintegrators." "That's why you were so curious about the cable," Yaxa accused Neil. "Right," admitted the other. "Well, we have little time to lose. Follow me." * * * * * Suddenly Yaxa began to struggle. "Help! Help!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, and at his cry a little group of Martians came running to view from a side-passage. Bull Mike clouted Yaxa with his fist and the prisoner fell insensible, while the three Terrestrials ran swiftly up the corridor. Behind them came a summons to stop, followed by a scatter of shots. A few leaps, however, left the pursuit well behind. "There's the cable-pillar, ahead of us," said Neil, pointing ahead. Sure enough they were approaching a pole on their level. The two guards on duty by the device looked up at the sound of hurriedly approaching feet. Before they could challenge, however, they fell beneath a volley from the Terrestrials. Ignoring the still quivering bodies, the three comrades gathered around the pillar. "How can we cut it?" panted Sukune. "I smuggled this along," said Neil, producing a hand disintegrator appliance, about the size of a pistol. With it he began to fuse the metal facings of the pillar. The Martians who had come at Yaxa's call were approaching now. Bull Mike sent a stream of bullets at them from the rifle of one of the cable-guards. Sukune did likewise. Several of the pursuers fell while the others ducked into sheltering doorways without returning the fire. "They're afraid they'll hit and damage this pillar," said Neil. "Hang close to it, you two." He had cut well into one facing of the great upright. Still he had not pierced the layer of metal that protected the cable. On he worked while his comrades faced in opposite directions, rifles at the ready. The shots had attracted groups in other corridors, and from all four directions bodies of Martian soldiery could be seen stealthily approaching. As they came close enough to be good targets Sukune and Bull Mike sprayed bullets on them. The survivors all sought shelter for a moment, then resumed steady advance from doorway to doorway along the passages. A rush from all quarters seemed imminent.