No human being likes physical torture. The idea of having hot needles slid under one's fingernails, of having one's toenails removed by pincers, of being scourged with nerve-whips—none of these were pleasant thoughts.

Not pleasant, perhaps, but not unbearable, so far as Marten was concerned. It hurt; of course it hurt. But not once during the terrible ordeal did Marten either pass out or give any sign that the torture was more than he could bear.

"What's the matter, Ghuvek? Slowing down?"

At each taunt, the alien overlord grew uglier and angrier. And as the horror went on, Ghuvek seemed to come more and more frantic. None of the most delicate subtle torture devised—and the Flesso were experts at devising torture—seemed to have any effect on the Earthman. He simply sat there, grimly, stoically.

"You're boring me, Ghuvek," Marten remarked as an acid-tipped auger nibbled flesh from his chest. "But I'm willing to be cooperative. You'll notice I'm just sitting here patiently while you play with me."

"Very well!" Ghuvek stormed. "If that's your attitude, we'll see what can be done! Perhaps you Earthmen have no pain nerves—but at the sight of your very bodies being destroyed—"

"I think I've had about enough of this," Marten said. Flexing his muscles, he yanked one hand free of the torture-chair and ripped the auger from his chest.

He hurled the acid-tipped drill far across the room, where it smashed against the wall. Then he pulled his other arm free and, with one final straining effort, rose from the chair and stood unbound.

"What?" Ghuvek's half-whispered question was almost impossible to hear. "You're free?" Captain Yknor opened his bulging eyes even wider and flattened himself against the wall, while Ghuvek gasped in terror.

"I'm free," Marten said. "I got tired of having you play with me."

He smiled cheerfully—and then sprang into life as one of the projectors that lined the wall, manned by guards outside, moved just a fraction of an inch. A burst of energy from one of those projectors could kill him—but it would kill anyone or anything else.

He leaped on Ghuvek. He sensed the acrid, nauseating odor of the alien, and wrapped his legs around the Flesso's body, pitching them both to the ground. The two of them rolled over against the 

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