Mendez, a big man with dark hair and moustache, rose and looked around the hall at the faces of outstanding politicians. Bright sunlight came in through the large windows. Outside the sky was clear and blue.
"We must attack again," said Mendez, "but not from the sky - from the ground…"
It seemed to him that it was very hot in the hall. Or was it only his imagination? He touched his collar.
"…a big attack from the ground…" he continued.
It was really hot. The temperature in the hall was quickly rising.
"…use heavy tanks…"
Mendez could not speak any longer. The people in the hall had also noticed the rise of the temperature. They were jumping up from their seats and running to the doors. The glass walls began to melt. A woman screamed: her dress suddenly began to burn…
In a few minutes the great building of the United Nations was burning. The New York firemen could not put out the fire because the water in their pipes was turning into steam. Nobody could do anything… and many of the world's outstanding statesmen perished in the great fire.
- 44 -
The tanks were moving forward. There were three rows of them, the most modern heavy tanks with powerful guns. They were making a circle around the buildings of the Imperial Technical Institute.
The commander was watching them through field-glasses from his observation post. He was a thin, grey-haired veteran, very sure of himself and very proud of his tanks.
The commander smiled to himself, remembering the bomb which had not exploded. Such things sometimes happened to bombs. But he was sure that nothing could stop his tanks. He continued watching them through his field-glasses. They were already near the Institute. Another second or two - and he was going to give the signal to open fire.
Suddenly something was wrong. The first row of tanks stopped. They began to change their shape. They were melting, like ice.
The commander seized his microphone. "Open fire!"
The second and third rows of tanks stopped, too. The commander saw through his field-glasses that they were melting. They were melting very quickly In a few minutes there were no more tanks. There were great pools of melted metal in their place.
- 45 -
Captain Christian threw the end of his cigar into the Thames and stepped down into the cabin. Paul was still working on his apparatus. It was a small box with wires, and it was difficult for Christian to believe that it could be an effective weapon against the Brains.
"Have you read the report about the tragedy in New York?" Christian asked.
Paul nodded.
"Do you understand how the Brains did it?"
"They have modernized their decapitation weapon. They release the energy of the air by remote control."
"Can your energy barrier hold out against that?"
"Yes."
"Then you must teach our scientists to erect this energy barrier. The Brains may attack with their new weapon again."
Paul shook his head.
"No, Captain, I will not interfere. The people of your time are not ready for such a weapon. But my apparatus is nearly ready - the Brains will not bother you any longer."
Paul connected his apparatus to the energy source. A high-pitched sound came from the little box. It was getting higher and higher. It was resounding in the captain's head. Christian felt that he wanted to scream. The sound was getting still higher… higher… then Christian could not hear it any more. But the needle moving across the dial on the machine told him that the sound was still coming from the little box.
Paul explained: "I have built a high-frequency oscillator. It broadcasts sound waves which cannot be heard by a human ear. The sound is continuous and will last indefinite time."
"Well?"
"The structure of the Brains' ear is different from yours. -They will hear the sound, and it is impossible for them to stop it. From this moment they will always have this noise in their heads. I don't think they will be able to stand it for a long time.. and to escape from this noise, they must return to the future."
Christian shuddered.
"For me a few seconds were enough!" he said.
"Quite so," said Paul. "So the Brains will have to return to their time. When they return, I shall destroy their time machine, and you can live in peace."
Christian went up on deck and lit a cigar. He was sure that the Brains would strike back. He only hoped that Paul's energy barrier would be effective enough to hold out against their attack.
- 46 -
Waldo trembled and screamed and held his big head with his small hands. That high-pitched note was sounding in his head without stopping. He felt sharp pain, a red curtain was hanging before his eyes. He could not think clearly
The Brains suffered greatly. Their science could find nothing to stop that terrible noise in their heads. They could not stand that noise any longer. Some of them went mad and killed each other.
Where was the source of the noise? If the Brains knew where the noise was coming from, they could try to stop it. Waldo was sure that it was the Watcher's work. But where was the Watcher?
This was all Christian's fault, Waldo thought; Christian brought the Watcher here - and suddenly Waldo understood. The Watcher and his terrible transmitter were on the captain's yacht.
He turned to the other Brains and shouted:
"The yacht! The noise is coming from the yacht! We must attack at once. We must go there and destroy the transmitter - or perish!"
The grey dwarfs seized their weapons.
"Destroy the transmitter, Christian and the Watcher!" shouted Waldo. Every weapon must be used on the yacht!"
"But the energy barrier," said one of the Brains. "How can we break the Watcher's energy barrier?"
"We shall overload it. We shall use all the power of our weapons, and the barrier will collapse."
- 47 -
Christian was sitting in his chair in the cabin and smoking his cigar. Paul was lying on the bed and reading.
Suddenly a brilliant flash lit the cabin, and the yacht shook
"They are here," said Paul and stood up. "They will try to break the energy barrier. But don't worry - we are safe here."
"I am going on deck," said Christian
"Put on your dark glasses to protect your eyes," said Paul
Christian put on a pair of sun-glasses and went up the steps. Now he could see the energy barrier - a sphere of light, fifty yards across
He was surrounded by bright light. It seemed that a thousand lightnings were flashing outside the energy barrier at the same time. The air was filled with loud roar, the energy barrier was shaking as the Brains were trying to break it with their heat weapons. The water in the Thames was boiling hot, the yacht began going down and soon settled on the dry river-bed
The attack stopped, and the Brains disappeared
"I don't think they will try again," said Paul
"We must get out of here and go to a high place on the bank of the river," said Christian. "The water will come here soon."
"We'll go at once," said Paul
Together they left the yacht and went up to the high bank - and then the water came in a great wave that completely covered the yacht
"I shall visit my own time," said Paul, "to make sure that the Brains have returned there."
He touched the crystal at his belt and disappeared. In a few minutes he was standing near Christian again.