"I suppose so." Jimmy flashed a farewell look to Rowena and Tama as he let Roc lead him away.
This, by Earth-time, was shortly after dawn of March 16th, about the time our Cube was leaving the Earth. Jimmy was confined in a small three-sided room. He could see that the ball was divided into two stories. A raised base-floor perhaps a third up the vertical height gave a level area for the bottom of the lower tier of rooms. The space beneath it a single bowl-shaped roomheld the ball's driving mechanisms. The lower tier was cut into triangular rooms, like slices of pie. The upper tier was the sametwo triangular sleeping rooms, the others housing operating instruments and controls.
It was to this upper tier, up a steep metal ladder, that Roc now pushed Jimmy ahead of him. They entered a small triangular room. Wall and ceiling one continuous curve, which was the outer side of the ball; the other walls converging to a point at the ball's center.
Jimmy stood gazing around. The room was dimly lighted by starlight and Earthlight streaming in its single window.
"So this is where I bunk down? Do I eat in here?"
"Yes." It was a comfortable though very small room. There was a low, bunk-like couch on the floor set under the bull's-eye window. A low, curiously-shaped table, a wide-armed metal seat, and an animalskin rug were on the floor. One side wall was blank; the other held the small door-slide through which they had entered. Roc turned toward it.
"I will send you food, or bring it."
"Much obliged." Jimmy took a step and gripped his captor. "Say, what are you going to do with us?" Roc eyed him. The fellow's queer satanic look with his thin pale face and that peak of black hair down on his forehead was accentuated now by an ironic smile.
"You can follow me in our great conquest of Mercury the Light Country." He checked himself suddenly. "You ask too many questions." But Jimmy gripped him again. "I don't give a damn about your Mercury. Except for Tama"
"Tama is mine!" The irony left Roc's face. "It is you who are the intruder. You and Guy Palisse, Earthmen.
Tama is a girl of Mercury, my world. I loved her years before you or Guy Palisse ever heard of her. Did you know that?" His eyes held Jimmy. His voice was vibrant with the intensity of his emotion.
"You Earthmen would think to steal her from me? She is mine!"
"She doesn't say so. Look here. Roc, don't lets try to kill each other, especially about a girl who most certainly is nothing to me." It flashed to Jimmy that something might be gained by talldug. He added, "Get me something to eat. Bring it back and we'll argue this out." Rocs look was gauging him. "You Earthmen are strange."
"That's our way. You help me, and I'll help you. I like that better than sticking knives into people. Do you realize that the Bolton Cube will probably be after us by now?"
"Yes."
"Well, I know all about the Flying Cube and what it's going to do to you, Roc. Get that food and we'll talk." Roc did not answer. He went through the doorway; and Jimmy heard the snap of the door-slide as it closed upon him.
Left alone, Jimmy examined the room in which he was imprisoned. No way, apparently, of getting out. Much good it would do him, to get out until they landed on Mercury.
He went to the window. The Earth hung level with it, a great disk spreading half across the firmament. The ball had now a very slow axial rotation. The Earth, the Moon and all the starfield slowly swung; presently the Sun was visible.
Roc did not return. He sent in the meal. Jimmy confronted the sullen woman who had attacked Rowena.
"Where is Roc?"
"He no come. Not now. Once again maybe, later." She put down the thin metal slab on which Jimmy's meal was arranged. She had left the door-slide open; Roc evidently did not much fear that Jimmy would try leaving the room. As she closed the door-slide, Jimmy called: "Tell Roc to come in here!" But Roc did not come. Jimmy bad no way of calculating the time. He slept, and Muta served him his meals. The ball's axial rotation continued. Outside Jimmy's single window the heavens passed in slow horizontal procession.
Then Roc brought Jimmy's meal. While Jimmy ate he squatted on the floor. He thumped his chest.
"Master of Mercury, and Tama my mate to help me rule iti" A crafty look was on the Mercurians face. "I love Tama.
It was a fortunate choice tor me. She is leader of the flying virgins. They have always been rebellious. With Tama as my mate I can win them.'"
"Diplomacy," said Jimmy, "is a great thing. But maybe Tama is rebellious too?"
"I shall win her."
"Not force her?"
"No, unless she makes it necessary."
"What do you want of me?"
"Perhaps as what you call a hostage," Roc promptly returned. "The Earth vehicle might attack us. They would not want me to kill you. That Cube is in sight now"
"Is it?" Jimmy involuntarily turned to the window, but Roc stopped him.
"Eat your meal. It is not visible yetonly with my detection instruments."
"Will you attack It?" Jimmy held his breath.
"No. I cannot. And it will not attack me. That is one advantage of having you here. You and Tama and that big Earth-girl you call Rowena." Roc rose to his feet. "We will talk again."
"Sit down a minute," Jimmy urged. "You mention Rowena.
What do you want of her?"
"I brought her," said Roc, "for Dorrek. Or at least, he Rmbcs ao." Roc's crafty look came back; again he lowered his voice. "I would rather trust you, Earthman, than any Mercurian of the Cold Country. This Rowena makes a good hostage now. That is what interests me. I do not wish to harm her."
"No, I believe you don't. But there's Dorrek"
"A leader of many men, is Dorrek. I need them so I need him. Yet" His voice fell still lower: "I have been in the Light Country for many years. This Dorrekthese eight other men with us here nowthey are strange to me. I command them, because I am my father's son. But I cannot trust them. I did not realize it when we started for Earth, but I do now. So you see, Jimmy Turk, why I want to make friends with you? I am really alone here on this flight." A pulse was pounding in Jimmy's throat. For the first time l,Ai.ViA, Z \11* Uuu v-I------ -'he felt that he and Roc were talking without duplicity. A bond was between them. They both desired, at least, the present safety of Tama and Rowena. And they were shut up here with what Jimmy now realized were barbarians, savages of a strange planet. Roc was bad enough; but Jimmy realized now these others were infinitely worse.
"You mean," said Jimmy tensely, "he might slip a knife into you? Now that your father is out of the way, if he got rid of you, would he be the leader then of this invasion or conquest or whatever it is you are planning?"
"Yes."
"Look here," pursued Jimmy, "hadn't you better give me a weapon?"
"And have you turn it on me?"
"Don't be a fool, Roc. I'm with youfor this flight, anyway. See here, we're shut up in this damn little ball" They were startled by a sound outside the door. Roc's cylinder weapon sprang into his hand. He shoved it back to his belt with a laugh.
"Talking like this makes me nervous." He and Jimmy were on their feet. Jimmy gripped him, whispered, "See herethose girls, don't let anything happen to them" The slide abruptly opened. It was the giant, DoJ,tde.What had he heard? His face was impassive as he stooped and squeezed through the little doorway. He spoke to Roc in the Mercurian tongue. Roc said in English: "The Earth vehicle can be seen now." They went to the window, waited a moment for the ball's axial rotation to bring the Earth into view. Jimmy stood gazing at the slowly shifting, starfield; but he was very conscious of the giant Mercurian beside him. Roc was undoubtedly an unscrupulous, crafty scoundrel. But at least one could talk to him, perhaps almost reason with him.