«Richard?» J called again.

Blade did not reply, but went on staring blindly at nothing.

Lord Leighton advanced carefully, right hand clutching an air pistol, loaded, as J knew, with tranquilizer darts. It had been standard equipment in the laboratory for some time now. «Easy does it,» Leighton said gently. «Everything's all right, Richard. You're home.»

At last Richard moved, leaning out of the case like a huge falling tree, landing on his hands and knees with a force that must have been painful.

Lord Leighton took aim.

«Wait,» J said, raising a restraining hand. «I don't think he's dangerous.»

Richard's head lifted, tangled black hair dangling over his glistening forehead.

«What's wrong?» J asked gently. «You can tell us, Richard.» Leighton had not lowered the pistol. «He's a big man, J. If he gets rough. «

«He won't get rough.»

Richard raised a tightly clenched fist.

«Get back, J,» Leighton warned.

The fist came down, striking the floor with an alarming thud. When the fist raised Richard's knuckles were bleeding.

Then Richard began to scream, frightful howls, more animal than human, that echoed and reechoed in the hardwalled cavern room. Again his fist crashed down, and again and again, each time leaving a red stain on the floor. At last he half-turned, as if about to attack the delicate structure of the device from which he had emerged.

Leighton squeezed the trigger.

Chapter 2

The tranquilizer took a surprisingly long time to take effect, though the dose was literally enough to stop a horse. The dart pistol had originally been brought into the project when Blade had returned from one of the X dimensions with a horse. This animal, perhaps the largest thing ever brought back from the «other side,» had nearly wrecked the laboratory before the tranquilizer gun had arrived, and Leighton had reasoned that Blade might someday return with another horse, or something worse, and had kept the pistol, never dreaming that he would have to use it on Richard.