Page:Amazing Stories Volume 01 Number 05.djvu/76

made, and quarters allotted him and Macrae. He handed Lieutenant Hughes the written authority he had brought with him respecting the use of the signal-room, and so great was his impatience to put the purpose of his journey to the test, that he and Macrae went to the signal-table that same evening.

Macrae put on the receivers. "Are you there?" he said, and it struck him at once that he had, without premeditation, used the same low tone as in his previous conversations. He then sat silent.

Professor Rudge was sufficiently convinced of the interest of the Venerians to feel confident that his and Macrae's coming to Station X had been observed, having the Venerian's own word for it that such observation was within their power. A prompt reply obviously depended on that.

The time seemed interminable. The Professor could not take his eyes off his companion, nor could he sit still upon his chair. Neither could he, now that the great moment had come, entirely drive from his mind that "second voice." He felt as one reaching out in the dark expecting to grasp a desired object, but with an uncomfortable feeling of not being certain on what his fingers might close.

One, two, three minutes passed. He drummed with his fingers upon the table. Would the time never pass? His watch was lying before him. Four, five minutes passed. Six minutes, the interval in Macrae's previous conversations elapsed, and there was no reply. He felt his threat dry. The second hand of his watch crawled on.

Suddenly Macrae gave a start, at the sight of which the Professor almost jumped out of his chair.

"Yes, I am here," said Macrae. Then, turning from the mouthpiece to the Professor, he said, as he had agreed—

"It is he!"

After an interval (the Professor soon became accustomed to these intervals) he saw Macrae begin to take shorthand notes. He repeated the words as he wrote, and thus Professor Rudge was able to follow the conversation.

"You have some one with you?" The conversations are given without reference to the intervals.

"Yes, there is a scientific gentleman with me, and he hopes to speak with you."

"We have already heard of Professor Rudge. At this moment he could not hear my voice, and you are necessary, but for a reason I will explain to him when possible, it is desirable to establish direct communication at once. Ask him if he is willing to place himself under my control, in full rapport with me."

Professor Rudge on hearing these words as repeated by Macrae at once understood what was required, but not the means by which it was to be achieved.

For a moment he was silent. It was a risk. It was surrendering his ego to another. For a few seconds he thought rapidly. Then he seemed to come to a decision. He motioned Macrae to remove the receivers from his ears.

"Macrae, do you still clearly recall the two voices you heard at the moment you were last here?"

"Very clearly, sir. I shall never forget either!"

"Are you quite certain, absolutely certain, that the voice you now hear is the first voice, the one with whom you had conversations?"

"Quite sure, sir."

"Did the voices have any resemblance?"

"None whatever! The second voice," he added, and the Professor noticed the same tone and look of awe that had struck his two hearers on board the Sagitta, "was—was—I felt a worm. This is the friendly voice that spoke to me all through."

After another short pause, the Professor said, "Reply that I am willing to do as desired." He added to himself. "But I cannot see how it is to be done."

Macrae then replied to the voice, "Yes, he is willing."

In due course came the direction, "Face each other." Professor Rudge perceived that Macrae was in some way about to be used as the medium, but could not guess the intended proceedings. He knew that his companion's will was so much the weaker, that of his own power he would be quite incapable of acquiring the necessary dominance.

The voice then addressed Macrae. "Although you are under my influence, and it is by the rapport so established that you hear me, that is not enough for the present purpose. In the present phase of the rapport, the attempt would fail; in the first place because you would probably be incapable of influencing Professor Rudge, who has probably the stronger mind, and in the second place because, if you succeeded, he would be under your influence, not mine, and therefore be still incapable of hearing me. It is necessary that you pass on into the second phase, in which your consciousness is merged in mine. You will now sleep, and then act as I shall direct you. In thought contact there will be little need of words."

At the first suggestion, at the mention of the word sleep, Macrae instantly responded and, offering no resistance, his hold on consciousness slipped from him, as it might from one who had taken an anaesthetic.

Professor Rudge saw the change, and his own knowledge of the subject enabled him to gather that the second phase had been brought about.

"Look fixedly in my eyes," said the voice of the unconscious operator, and, on being obeyed, he moved his hand in backward sweeps above the other's head.

As they remained eye to eye the Professor began to notice a very peculiar expression that he had never noticed before, in the eyes before him. Was it expression, or was it something in their contour? Certainly very peculiar—and yet not altogether new to him. How strangely fixed and unwinking they seemed. He had never before seen anything like that in Macrae's eyes—nor in those of any other human being. What are those creatures that have eyes that these reminded him of? His memory seemed vague—those passes were very soothing.

"Sleep!" said Macrae, in a quiet but firm tone.

The Professor nodded.

"Sleep!" said Macrae.