pidly approaching from
the sides. Again and again the heavy beam lashed out, now upon this
side, now upon that, and in its flaming path Nevians disappeared. And
not only Nevians--in the incredible energy of that beam's blast, floor,
walls, ramps, and every material thing vanished in clouds of thick and
brilliant vapor. The room temporarily clear of foes, he sprang again to
Clio's assistance, but her task was nearly done. She had "rubbed out"
all opposition and, tugging lustily at Bradley's feet, had already
dragged him almost to the side of the speedster.

"'At-a-girl, Clio!" cheered Costigan, as he picked up the burly captain
and tossed him through the doorway. "Highly useful, girl of my dreams,
as well as ornamental. In with you, and we'll start out to go places!"

But getting the speedster out of the now completely ruined hall proved
to be much more of a task than driving it in had been, for scarcely had
the Terrestrials closed their locks than a section of the building
collapsed behind them, cutting off their retreat. Nevian submarines and
airships were beginning to arrive upon the scene, and were raying the
building viciously in an attempt to entrap or to crush the Terrestrials
in its ruins. Costigan managed finally to blast his way out, but the
Nevians had had time to assemble in force and he was met by a
concentrated storm of beams and of metal from every inimical weapon
within range.

But not for nothing had Conway Costigan selected for his dash for
liberty the craft which, save only for the two immense interstellar
cruisers, was the most powerful vessel ever built upon red Nevia. And
not for nothing had he studied minutely and to the last, least detail
every item of its controls and of its armament during wearily long days
and nights of solitary imprisonment. He had studied it under test, in
action, and at rest; studied it until he knew thoroughly its every
possibility--and what a ship it was! The iron-driven generators of his
shielding screens handled with ease the terrific load of the Nevians'
assault, his polycyclic screens were proof against any material
projectile, and the machines supplying his offensive beams with power
were more than equal to their tasks. Driven now at full rating those
frightful weapons lashed out against the Nevian blocking the way, and
under their impacts her screens flared brilliantly through the spectrum
and went down. And in the instant of their failure the enemy vessel was
lit