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"He waited until we made an aggressive move," I thought, "and then he did something to us. He did something which brought us shooting through the air here to his headquarters!" After I had progressed so far, it did not take me long to realize what method Leider had employed to fetch us to the caverns.
"Captain," I whispered as we battered against some confused and helpless Orconites and flung them aside, "could you make anything of the control system on the cruiser before Leider got us?" Virginia Crane said vigorously that she had. "The light switches are all on a board to the right of the entrance door. The other controls are as readily accessible." "Leaves us in something of a position!"
Leider shrugged and his eyes twinkled behind the thick glasses. "Herr Doktor, you are a brilliant man. Amongst the most brilliant, I should say, of any who on the Earth have labored. Yet of science you know less than a child.
The instant he looked away from me, I gave a tug which jerked the heavy box away from its wires as easily as a weed is plucked from soft earth. As I made the move Leider looked up and screamed. His hand, already reaching for the buttons, darted forward. But the instant had been all I needed.
When the secret service detail which had been handling the Leider case brought in word of his whereabouts, there was time only to get a ship specially outfitted for such a tremendous journey and start. We had to kidnap you." I hardly heard her last words. Ludwig Leider scientist extraordinary, renegade, terrorist.
And that, while he was free, there could be no real safety anywhere, either for Earth, which he hated, or any of its allied planets. Leider, here! No wonder I had been observing queer goings on in Orcon! Somehow I forgot to be angry with poor dead Forbes. Almost I forgot to disapprove of the woman. "See here!" I broke out.
"So far as I can see," I said quickly, "Leider hasn't armed his guards with any unique weapon, but has merely left them to watch us. And the Orconites don't know how to fight! Think of the ease with which I got away with Hargrib last night. When it comes to dealing destruction with scientific weapons, their power is appalling. When it comes to a slugging match, they are only so many sheep.
Then suddenly the rapid patter of the artist ceased, there were little whoops of subsiding mirth, Ursula and Gudrun were wiping their eyes, and the Professor was crying loudly. 'Das war ausgezeichnet, das war famos 'Wirklich famos, echoed his exhausted daughters, faintly. 'And we couldn't understand it, cried Ursula. 'Oh leider, leider! cried the Professor.
I hardly know what might have happened between us if she had not mentioned Leider's name when she did. The insults with which she had begun had hardly been atoned for by her half understanding of my refusal to join Forbes, and I was still in a rage. Yet, as it was, at the mention of Leider I snapped to attention. "Ludwig Leider! Here?" "Yes," she replied significantly.
With that I turned to the companionway, lugging the winged man, and the others followed. In the Grip of Ludwig Leider Once we were below, LeConte joined us from the radio room. After taking a swift look at our prisoner, and listening to our account of what had happened above, he reported that the radio had been put out of commission by the crash but could be repaired.
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