The Brain-Stealers

4

Thoughts in the moonlight. Undulating hills and upward-rearing mountains. Spreads of waving forest underneath the stars, Armies of trees, charging valorously over the hilltops. Here and there small clearings and little log cabins with tiny yellow glows in their windows.

And thoughts in the night. Thoughts of glee and gluttony. Of reckless, rebellious zest. Of uproarious and horrible satisfaction—And a cold and icy thought which raged at the others. The native life on this planet was intelligent. Aroused, it could be dangerous. There was need for planning. What had been done was sound enough, but they did not yet control a fraction of the planet's inhabitants. With their numbers, they could not yet control the whole. They must be cautious! They must be wise!

Thoughts of laughter and defiance. Then soberer, drowsy, satiated agreement. Yes. They must be cautious. But these folk, these "men" were such easy prey! They had no idea that thoughts could be projected. They could not communicate with each other save by speech, and their thoughts were feeble and did not carry. It was inconvenient that even stronger minds could not pick up the feeble thoughts of men—but it was convenient because those stronger minds could communicate freely with each other. And since men were such easy prey...

Thoughts of sensuous, infinitely agreeable satiation went through the moonlight. The cold, icy thought came savagely again. Caution! It was necessary to learn more about these men before all would be safe! All men were not like those under control. Some knew more. Much more. They had ground-vehicles and primitive flying craft and they could speak to a great distance by their machines. For that matter, a flying craft had been searching these hills today for a man who had jumped from another flying craft. There was organization among these men. If they cooperated—.

A thought said comfortably that the man who had jumped was known. He was under—. The thought hesitated and then said angrily that he was not yet under control. Not yet. But he would be! He was awake, and he raged when thoughts were sent to him, so the thoughts had not yet sunk into his brain. But he would be controlled! There was a female who would be made to lull him....

In the moonlight the icy thought came sharply. If the man raged when thoughts were sent to him, he might know of the sending of thought! It was important that he be controlled immediately and then be made to tell all that these creatures knew, in the primitive speech they used. It was very important. It was imperative! The safety and the—the thought was gluttony—of all of them might depend on what this man knew! They must learn every detail that men knew of control by thought...

The moonlight was bright and tranquil. The trees waved their branches gently in the night-wind. There were little clearings in the forest, and little houses in them, and there was a village down in a valley. There was a city, too, not many miles away, where many folk slept like the people in the mountain cabins. They were pale and thin and they looked as if they had labored to the very edge of collapse. But the face of each and every one wore an expression of an odd, unearthly tranquility, —especially those who were asleep.

The thoughts in the moonlight dwindled. But suddenly there came a triumphant, strong, clear thought. The man who was a fugitive, who had resisted by fury when thoughts were sent to him—that man no longer resisted. Thoughts sent to him no longer—the concept was indescribable, but it meant that they did not remain unabsorbed. Doubtless the man slept now. When he woke he would be definitely controlled, and then everything the wiser men knew would be available....