The Base monitor willrecord your signal. The Base is under the surface, of course. They'llguide you down with magnetic grapples."
"And the controls? Can I operate them?"
"The controls are virtually automatic. All you have to do is give theright signal at the right time."
"I will."
"The seat absorbs most of the take-off shock. Air and temperature areautomatically controlled. The ship will leave Terra and pass out intofree space. It'll line itself up with the moon, falling into an orbitaround it, about a hundred miles above the surface. The orbit willcarry you over the Base. When you're in the region of the Appenine,release the signal rockets."
Tasso slid into the ship and lowered herself into the pressure seat.The arm locks folded automatically around her. She fingered thecontrols. "Too bad you're not going, Major. All this put here for you,and you can't make the trip."
"Leave me the pistol."
Tasso pulled the pistol from her belt. She held it in her hand,weighing it thoughtfully. "Don't go too far from this location. It'llbe hard to find you, as it is."
"No. I'll stay here by the well."
Tasso gripped the take-off switch, running her fingers over the smoothmetal. "A beautiful ship, Major. Well built. I admire yourworkmanship. You people have always done good work. You build finethings. Your work, your creations, are your greatest achievement."
"Give me the pistol," Hendricks said impatiently, holding out hishand. He struggled to his feet.
"Good-bye, Major." Tasso tossed the pistol past Hendricks. The pistolclattered against the ground, bouncing and rolling away. Hendrickshurried after it. He bent down, snatching it up.
The hatch of the ship clanged shut. The bolts fell into place.Hendricks made his way back. The inner door was being sealed. Heraised the pistol unsteadily.
* * * * *
There was a shattering roar. The ship burst up from its metal cage,fusing the mesh behind it. Hendricks cringed, pulling back. The shipshot up into the rolling clouds of ash, disappearing into the sky.
Hendricks stood watching a long time, until even the streamer haddissipated. Nothing stirred. The morning air was chill and silent. Hebegan to walk aimlessly back the way they had come. Better to keepmoving around. It would be a long time before help came--if it came atall.
He searched his pockets until he found a package of cigarettes. He litone grimly. They had all wanted cigarettes from him. But cigaretteswere scarce.
A lizard slithered by him, through the ash. He halted, rigid. Thelizard disappeared. Above, the sun rose higher in the sky. Some flieslanded on a flat rock to one side of him. Hendricks kicked at themwith his foot.
It was getting hot. Sweat trickled down his face, into his collar. Hismouth was dry.
Presently he stopped walking and sat down on some debris. Heunfastened his medicine kit and swallowed a few narcotic capsules. Helooked around him. Where was he?
Something lay ahead. Stretched out on the ground. Silent and unmoving.
Hendricks drew his gun quickly. It looked like a man. Then heremembered. It was the remains of Klaus. The Second Variety. WhereTasso had blasted him. He could see wheels and relays and metal parts,strewn around on the ash. Glittering and sparkling in the sunlight.
Hendricks got to his feet and walked over. He nudged the inert formwith his foot, turning it over a little. He could see the metal hull,the aluminum ribs and struts. More wiring fell out. Like viscera.Heaps of wiring, switches and relays. Endless motors and rods.
He bent down. The brain cage had been smashed by the fall. Theartificial brain was visible. He gazed at it. A maze of circuits.Miniature tubes. Wires as fine as hair. He touched the brain cage. Itswung aside. The type plate was visible. Hendricks studied the plate.
And blanched.
IV--IV.
For a long time he stared at the plate. Fourth Variety. Not theSecond. They had been wrong. There were more types. Not just three.Many more, perhaps. At least four. And Klaus wasn't the SecondVariety.
But if Klaus wasn't the Second Variety--
Suddenly he tensed. Something was coming, walking through the ashbeyond the hill. What was it? He strained to see. Figures. Figurescoming slowly along, making their way through the ash.
Coming toward him.
Hendricks crouched quickly, raising his gun. Sweat dripped down intohis eyes. He fought down rising panic, as the figures neared.
The first was a David. The David saw him and increased its pace. Theothers hurried behind it. A second David. A third. Three Davids, allalike, coming toward him silently, without expression, their thin legsrising and falling. Clutching their teddy bears.
He aimed and fired. The first two Davids dissolved into particles. Thethird came on. And the figure behind it. Climbing silently toward himacross the gray ash. A Wounded Soldier, towering over the David. And--
* * * * *
And behind the Wounded Soldier came two Tassos, walking side by side.Heavy belt, Russian army pants, shirt, long hair. The familiar figure,as he had seen her only a little while before. Sitting in the pressureseat of the ship. Two slim, silent figures, both identical.
They were very near. The David bent down suddenly, dropping its teddybear. The bear raced across the ground. Automatically, Hendricks'fingers tightened around the trigger. The bear was gone, dissolvedinto mist. The two Tasso Types moved on, expressionless, walking sideby side, through the gray ash.
When they were almost to him, Hendricks raised the pistol waist highand fired.
The two Tassos dissolved. But already a new group was starting up therise, five or six Tassos, all identical, a line of them coming rapidlytoward him.
And he had given her the ship and the signal code. Because of him shewas on her way to the moon, to the Moon Base. He had made it possible.
He had been right about the bomb, after all. It had been designed withknowledge of the other types, the David Type and the Wounded SoldierType. And the Klaus Type. Not designed by human beings. It had beendesigned by one of the underground factories, apart from all humancontact.
The line of Tassos came up to him. Hendricks braced himself, watchingthem calmly. The familiar face, the belt, the heavy shirt, the bombcarefully in place.
The bomb--
As the Tassos reached for him, a last ironic thought drifted throughHendricks' mind. He felt a little better, thinking about it. The bomb.Made by the Second Variety to destroy the other varieties. Made forthat end alone.
They were already beginning to design weapons to use against eachother.
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