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The Alchemist, v. 1, issue 5, February 1941

Page 34

34            -----  ALCHEMIST  -----

one."

   Narodny laughed: "Yet by speaking for them you have shown yourself the leader. Step closer. Do not fear--yet."

   The robot said: "We feel no fear. Why should we? Even if you should destroy us who are here, you cannot destroy the billions of us outside. Nor can you breed fast enough, become men soon enough, to cope with us who enter into life strong and complete from the beginning."

   He flecked an appendage toward Narodny and there was contempt in the gesture. But before he could draw it back a bracelet of green flame circled it at the shoulder. It had darted like a thrown loop from something in Narodny's hand. The robot's arm dropped clanging to the floor, cleanly severed. The robot stared at it unbelievingly, threw foreward his other three arms to pick it up. Again the green flame encircled also his legs above the second joints. The robot crumpled and pitched foreward, crying in high pitched shrill tones to the others.

   Swiftly the green flame played among them. Legless, armless, some decapitated, all the robots fell except two.

   "Two will be enough," Said Narodny. "But they will not need arms--only feet."

   The flashing green bracelets encircled the appendages and excised them. The pair were marched away. The bodies of the others were taken apart, studied, and under Narodny's direction curious experiments were made. Music filled the cavern, strange chords, unfamiliar progressions, shattering arpeggios and immense vibrations of sound that could be felt but not heard by the human ear.

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34 ----- ALCHEMIST ----- one." Narodny laughed: "Yet by speaking for them you have shown yourself the leader. Step closer. Do not fear--yet." The robot said: "We feel no fear. Why should we? Even if you should destroy us who are here, you cannot destroy the billions of us outside. Nor can you breed fast enough, become men soon enough, to cope with us who enter into life strong and complete from the beginning." He flecked an appendage toward Narodny and there was contempt in the gesture. But before he could draw it back a bracelet of green flame circled it at the shoulder. It had darted like a thrown loop from something in Narodny's hand. The robot's arm dropped clanging to the floor, cleanly severed. The robot stared at it unbelievingly, threw foreward his other three arms to pick it up. Again the green flame encircled also his legs above the second joints. The robot crumpled and pitched foreward, crying in high pitched shrill tones to the others. Swiftly the green flame played among them. Legless, armless, some decapitated, all the robots fell except two. "Two will be enough," Said Narodny. "But they will not need arms--only feet." The flashing green bracelets encircled the appendages and excised them. The pair were marched away. The bodies of the others were taken apart, studied, and under Narodny's direction curious experiments were made. Music filled the cavern, strange chords, unfamiliar progressions, shattering arpeggios and immense vibrations of sound that could be felt but not heard by the human ear.