Grotesquely, ludicrously, the relatively tiny appendage began a waving movement "... And now I will shout my greeting!" A bellow that rattled equipment on distant tables, that seemed to shake the very building, rolled about them.

"I must! I must!" cried the marquis. "Let me try! Please let me try it!" Sundoc grinned and removed the headgear. "Sure. It's easy. I'll show you how to put it on ..." For several minutes, the marquis marched the monster about its pit, waving its tail, stamping its feet "I really can see through its eyes!" "That's the feedback part I was telling you about'' "My— Its strength must be phenomenal!" "Oh, it is."

Several additional minutes passed, then, "I am really loath to surrender this sensation," he observed, "but I suppose I must. How do you turn it off?" "Here, I'll show you."

He removed the headpiece, switched off the control unit.

"I have never known such a sensation of power," said the marquis. "Why— There would be the invincible weapon, the perfect assassin. Why do you not use it to kill that Dorakeen fellow and claim the bounty your master is offering?" Sundoc laughed.

"Can you see it lumbering along the Road toward some guessed-at rendezvous, to step on his enemy? No, transportation would be an insuperable problem, even if we did know exactly where to deliver the beast. I

never intended to use it in any such fashion. Far too cumbersome."

"True, true—when you put it that way. It was the imagery that took hold of me—the reptilian avenger swooping down upon its prey... The sensations of controlling it the while..." "Um. I suppose so."

"... Whereas it actually represents a noble enterprise for the advancement of science."

"Hardly. All of the techniques employed here are quite venerable.