Soft as a breath the swift car came to rest at the level of the upper vaults, and into the blue lighted corridor issued the strange procession--four strange creatures beyond any man's imaginings, whose very presence made the air electric with menace; two of them bearing the glittering thing that gave them life, the irreplaceable telepath whose structure was known to the Master and to no other living man, and within the shelter of their square walked the puissant owner of the world, quick with desire for the woman he hoped to resurrect from the forgotten dead, but still fearful in the memory of the bright flame of the sky and the city drenched in blood. He remembered now that as he had first seen the girl, the heavens had unleashed upon him that great storm, quivering with a concentration of the hate that always subtly beat upon him, and he wondered whether the old gods still lived, and had shown him then a sign and now another sign. "Perhaps," he thought, "I should turn back, lest I and my great destiny should be trapped and lost in the dimness of these vaults and the enticements of the past, so that I might never again look forth upon the planet that lies crushed beneath my will, or behold the great cold space of twinkling suns that yet may feel my power. But no, this is weakness, for the past is mine as well as the future, and this woman shall be but the first tribute I shall exact." Thus fixed in his determination, he came to the laboratory, where Heidkamp stood alone and tense among the fantastic trappings of his science. In the center of the room was a great cylinder of softly glowing orange, on the warm surface of which danced flecks of silver light. This was the mold into which the whining generators, banked tier on tier in the further shadows, were pouring dissonances to be flung across the incredible emptiness of timelessness to snatch back a living prize. Upon its side an insulated handle stood out sharp and black, and around it a faint suggestion of a door showed thru the radiance. No spark of hatred showed in Heidkamp's eyes as he saluted. "Your Excellency has arrived within three minutes of the time when the Ronferth potential will be at maximum. You will observe on the right a visiscreen connected thru a time visor so as to show the house and its surroundings. Upon the steps sits the girl whom you desire. She is waiting for her escort. I have drawn this black circle upon the screen itself, to show where the trap will be sprung." "And how will you lure her to the trap?"