ings.
Through the door the machine or creature carried its helpless load, and
out into and along a main corridor. And soon the three Terrestrials,
without arms, without armor, and almost without clothing, were standing
in the control room, again facing the calm and unmoved Nerado. To the
surprise of the impetuous Costigan, the Nevian commander was entirely
without rancor.

"The desire for freedom is perhaps common to all forms of animate life,"
he commented, through the transformer. "As I told you before, however,
you are specimens to be studied by the College of Science, and you shall
be so studied in spite of anything you may do. Resign yourselves to
that."

"Well, say that we don't try to make any more trouble; that we cooperate
in the examination and give you whatever information we can," Costigan
suggested. "Then you will probably be willing to give us a ship and let
us go back to our own world?"

"You will not be allowed to cause any more trouble," the amphibian
declared, coldly. "Your cooperation will not be required. We will take
from you whatever knowledge and information we wish. In all probability
you will never be allowed to return to your own system, because as
specimens you are too unique to lose. But enough of this idle
chatter--take them back to their quarters!"

Back to their three inter-communicating rooms the prisoners were led
under heavy guard; and, true to his word, Nerado made certain that they
had no more opportunities to escape. To Nevia the space-ship sped
without incident, and in manacles the Terrestrials were taken to the
College of Science, there to undergo the physical and psychical
examinations which Nerado had promised them.

Nor had the Nevian scientist-captain erred in stating that their
cooperation was neither needed nor desired. Furious but impotent, the
human beings were studied in laboratory after laboratory by the coldly
analytical, unfeeling scientists of Nevia, to whom they were nothing
more or less than specimens; and in full measure they came to know what
it meant to play the part of an unknown, lowly organism in a biological
research. They were photographed, externally and internally. Every bone,
muscle, organ, vessel, and nerve was studied and charted. Every reflex
and reaction was noted and discussed. Meters registered every impulse
and recorders filmed every thought, every idea, and every sensation.
Endlessly, day after day, the nerve-wracking torture went on, until t