CHAPTER VIII
_Dr. Ku Shows His Claws_
The scientist brushed back his thinning white hair with a tremblinghand. He knew that voice. He walked over and put his hands on hisfriend's shoulders.
"Carse!" he exclaimed. "Thank God, you're alive!"
"And you," said the Hawk.
Ku Sui interrupted.
"I am most glad, honored Master Scientist," he said in the floweryOriental fashion that he affected in his irony, "to welcome you here.For me it is a memorable occasion. Your presence graces my home, and,however unworthily, distinguishes me, rewarding as it does aspirationswhich I have long held. I am humbly confident that great achievementswill result from your visit----"
Quickly Eliot Leithgow turned and looked squarely at him. There was nobending of spirit in the frail old man. "Yes," he said, "my visit. Yoursickening verbal genuflections beautifully evade the details--the houseof my friend raided at night; he, himself, unarmed, shot down in coldblood; his house gutted! You are admirably consistent, Dr. Ku. Abrilliant stroke, typical of your best!"
Five faint lines appeared across the Eurasian's high, narrow brow."What?" he exclaimed. "Is this true? My servitors must be reprimandedseverely; and meanwhile I beg you not to hold their impetuousnessagainst me."
* * * * *
Carse could stand it no longer. This suave mockery and the patheticfigure of his friend; the mention of raid and murder----
"It's all my fault," he blurted out. "I told him where you were. Ithought----"
"Oh, no!" Dr. Ku broke in, pleasantly protesting. "Captain Carse isgallant, but the responsibility's not his. I have a little machine--atrifle, but most ingenious at extracting secrets which persons attemptto hold from me. The Captain couldn't help himself, you see----"
"It was not necessary to tell me that," said Leithgow.
"Of course," the Eurasian agreed and for the first time seriously; "butlet me suggest that the end justifies the means. And that brings me tomy point. Master Scientist, now you may know that I have for some timebeen working toward a mighty end. This end is now in sight, with youhere, the final achievement can be attained. An achievement----" Hepaused, and the ecstasy of the inspired fanatic came to his eyes. Neverbefore had the three men standing there so seen him. "I will explain."
His eyes changed, and imperiously he gave an order to his assistants. "Achair for Master Leithgow, and one for Carse. Place them there." Then,"Be seated," he invited them with a return of his usual seemingcourtesy. "I'm sure you must be tired."
Slowly Eliot Leithgow lowered himself into the metal seat. Friday,ignored, shifted his weight from one foot to the other. The Hawk did notsit down until with old habit he had sized up the whole layout oflaboratory, assistants and chances. The two chairs faced toward ward thehigh screen; to each side stood the five coolie-guards; mechanicallyalert as always; the four Caucasian assistants made a group of strangestatues to the right.
Ku Sui took position, standing before the screen. Seldom did the cold,hard iron of the man show through the velvet of his manner as now.
"Yes," he said, "I will talk to you for a while; give you broad outlineof my purpose. And when I have finished you will know why I have wantedyou here so badly, Master Leithgow."
* * * * *
He began, and, as never before, he hid nothing of his monstrousambition, his extraordinary preparations. With mounting fear hiscaptives listened to his well-modulated voice as it proceeded logicallyfrom point to point. He had fine feeling for the dramatic, knew well thevalue of climax and pause; but his use of them was here unconscious, forhe spoke straight from his dark and feline heart.
For the first time in the Affair of the Brains, the tiger was showinghis claws.
"For a long time," Ku Sui said, "we four gathered here have fought eachother. All over space our conflict has ranged, from Earth to beyondSaturn. I suppose there never have been more bitter enemies; I knowthere has never been a greater issue. I said we four, but I should havesaid we _two_, Master Leithgow. Captain Carse has commanded a certainrespect from me, the respect one must show for courage, fine physicalcoordination and a remarkable instinct and capacity forself-preservation--but, after all, he is primarily only like the blackhere, Friday, and a much less splendid animal. It is a _brain_ thatreceives my respect! A brain! Genius! I do not fear Carse: he is only anadventurer; but your brain, Master Leithgow, I respect.
"For, naturally, brains will determine the future of these planetsaround us. The man with the most profound and extensive scientificknowledge united to the greatest audacity--remember, audacity!--can rulethem every one!"
He paused and looked into the eyes of the Master Scientist. Pointedly hesaid:
"You, Master Leithgow, have the brains but not the audacity. I have theaudacity _and_ the brains--now that you are here."
* * * * *
Cold prickles of fear chased down Carse's and the scientist's spine atthis obscure threat. Some of their reaction must have shown in theirfaces, for the Eurasian permitted himself a brief, triumphant smile andadded:
"You shall know just what I mean in but a few minutes. Right now, inthis very laboratory, the fate of the planets is being decided!"
Hawk Carse licked his dry lips.
"Big words!" he said.
"Easily proved, Captain Carse, as you'll see. What can restrain the manwho can instantly command Earth's master-minds of scientific knowledge,the man who has both a considerable brain of his own to call on and themightiest brains in existence, all coordinated for perfect, instanteffectiveness. Why, with these brains working for him, he can becomeomnipotent; there can be but feeble resistance to his steps towarduniversal power! Only chance, unpredictable chance, always at work,always powerful, can defeat him--and my audacity allows me to disregardwhat I cannot anticipate."
"You talk riddles," answered Leithgow. "You do not explain your intendedmeans. What you imply you can do with brains is utterly impossible."
"Impossible? Ever a foolish word, Master. You know that the brain hasalways been my special study. As much as ten years ago, I wasuniversally recognized as the greatest expert in my specialty. But Itell you that my knowledge of the subject was as nothing then to what itis now. I have been very busy these last ten years. Look!"
With a graceful sweep of a hand he indicated the four coolie-guards andhis four white-smocked assistants.
"These men of mine," he continued, "do they appear normal, would yousay? Or, rather, mechanicalized; lacking in certain things and therebygaining enormously in the values which can make them perfect servitors?I have removed from their minds certain superficial qualities ofthought. The four men in white were, a few years ago, highly skilledsurgeons, three of them brain specialists and noted for exceptionalintellects and bold, pioneering thinking. I needed them and took them,diverting them from their natural state, in which they would haveresisted me and refused my commands. Certain complicated adjustments ontheir brains--and now their brains are mine, all their separate skill atmy command alone!"
* * * * *
Leithgow sat back suddenly, astonishment and horror on his face. Hislips parted as if to speak, then closed tightly together again. At lasthe uttered one word.
"Murderer!"
Dr. Ku smiled. "In a sense, yes. But let me go on.
"The reshaping of these mentalities and of the mentalities of all mycoolies, were achievements, and valuable ones; but I wanted more. Iwanted much more. I wanted the great, important part of all Earth'sscientific knowledge at my fingertips, under my control. I wanted theexceptional brains of Earth, the brains of rare genius, the brains thatlived like lonely stars, infinitely removed from the common herd. Andmore than that, I wanted them _always_; I wanted them _ageless_. For Ihad to seal my power!"
The Eurasian's words were coming more rapidly now, though the man'sthoughts and tone were still under cont
rol; and Carse, sitting theresilently, felt that the climax was being reached; that soon somethingunthinkable, something of dread, would be revealed. The voice went on:
"These brains I wanted were not many--only six in all. Most of them youknew, Master Leithgow, these men who constituted the cream of Earth'sscientific ability. Professor Estapp, the good-looking young American;Dr. Swanson, the Swede; Master Scientist Cram--the great English geniusCram, already legendary, the only other of that rank beside yourself;Professor Geinst, the hunchbacked, mysterious German; and Dr.Norman--Dr. Sir Charles Esme Norman, to give him his English title. Iwanted these men, and I got them! All except you, the sixth!"
* * * * *
Again Dr. Ku Sui smiled in triumph. To Eliot Leithgow his smile wasunspeakable.
"Yes," the elderly scientist cried out, "you got them, you murderer!"
"Oh, no, no, Master Leithgow, you are mistaken. I did not kill them. Whyshould I be stupid as to do that? To these men I wanted so badly? No,no. Because these five scientists disappeared from Earth suddenly,without trace, without hint of the manner of their going, the stupidEarthlings believe they were killed! Stupid Earthlings! Abducted, ofcourse; but why assume they were killed? And why, of all people, decidethat Master Scientist Eliot Leithgow had something to do with theirdisappearance? I confess to having planted that evidence pointing toyou, but if they had the sense of a turnip they would know that you wereincapable of squashing a flea, let alone destroying five eminentbrothers in science! You, jealous, guilty of five _crimes passionel!Pour le science!_ Credulous Earthlings! Incredible Earthlings! And hereare you, a hunted man with a price on your head!
"So for ten years you have thought I murdered those five men? No, no.They were very much alive for eight years and very troublesomeprisoners. It took me eight years to solve the problem I had set myself.
"You will meet them in a minute--the better part of them. You'll see foryourself that they are very usefully alive. For I succeeded completelywith them. _I have sealed my power!_"
His silk pajamalike clothing rustled loud in the strained silence as heturned to the screen behind him. For some obscure reason the perfumeabout him, flowers of tsin-tsin, seemed to grow in their nostrils.
"Observe!" he said, and lifted it aside. An assistant threw a switch ona nearby panel. The unnatural quiet in the laboratory was resumed.
"The ultimate concentration of scientific knowledge and genius! Thegateway to all power!"
The Affair of the Brains Page 8