It had been done at Koll’s direction. The big demons were underlings; they were called Oganoon by the Palachs. Koll was of the same species but not large or heavy. Like many of the Great Palachs, he was a wrinkled miniature, not much more than a foot high. Cloaked and hooded, he looked like a shrunken mummy. But he could move like springing steel. Ticos had seen Koll leap eight feet to plunge a paralyzing needle into the eye of an Oganoon who had angered him. He struck five or six times, so quickly that the victim seemed to stiffen in death without understanding what had occurred.
Ticos strongly preferred not to anger Koll. But he needed as long a period of silence as Koll would permit to clear his head for the questions that would be directed at him. He had been maintaining a precarious balance between considerations on that order for some time. He waited until the speaking slit above Koll’s eyes writhed open, then said unsteadily, “I could not avoid all the pain. But it remained tolerable.”
“It remained tolerable!” the speaking slit repeated as if Koll were musing over the statement. Ticos was accustomed to the fact that many of the Everliving had an excellent command of human speech, but Koll’s voice still seemed unnatural to him. It was a deep warm voice, rich and strong, which shouldn’t be issuing from such a malevolent little entity. “These children are afraid of you, Dr. Cay,” it told him. “Did you know that?”
“No, I didn’t,” Ticos said.
“At a tenth of the setting used here,” Koll explained, “these instruments are employed to punish them for serious offenses. They are in terror of them. They are afraid of you because you seem able to bear agony beyond their comprehension. And there are other reasons. . . . Your communicator has recorded six call signals during the past two days.”
Ticos nodded. “So I heard.”
“You predicted that one of the so-called Tuvelas would attempt to contact you here.”
Ticos hesitated, said, “The term Tuvela is yours. The person to whom you refer is known to me as a Guardian.”
“Apparently the same class of creature,” said Koll. “A creature assumed by some to possess abnormal qualities. Among them the quality of being invincible. Dr. Cay, what do you know of these remarkable qualities—if they exist?”
Ticos shrugged. “As I’ve told you, I’ve known of the Guardians and of their function in our civilization for a relatively short time. They operate very secretly. I’ve had personal contacts with only one of them. She appears to me to be an exceptionally capable human being. But if she or the Guardians generally have abnormal qualities, I don’t know of them.” He added, “Evidently the Everliving know more about the Guardians than I do.”
“That is possible. You said they claim to be immortal.”
Ticos shook his head. “I was told they’ve developed methods of restoring youthful health to an organism and maintaining it for a long period. I was not told they were immortal. To me the word does not have significant meaning.”
“The concept of immortal entities is meaningless to you, Dr. Cay?”
Ticos hesitated again because this could become dangerous ground in speaking to a Palach. But he said, “Who can prove he is immortal before he’s reached the end of time?”
Koll’s dark face twitched. He might have been amused. “Who indeed?” he agreed. “Describe to me your relationship with these Guardians.”
Ticos had described that relationship to Koll several times before. He said, “Two years ago I was asked whether I would enter their service. I accepted.”
“Why?”
“I’m aging, Great Palach. Among my rewards was to be instruction in the Guardian’s methods of obtaining longevity and regaining the advantages of youth.”
“They’ve given you such instructions?”
“I’ve been instructed in some of the fundamental approaches. My progress evidently is satisfactory.”
“In what way do you serve them, Dr. Cay?”
“I’m still undergoing a training process and haven’t been told what my service is to be. I assume that my scientific background will play a part in it.”
“The nerve controls you practice to distort the effects of the pain-giver were acquired through the longevity exercises?”
“Yes, they were.”
A long pause followed his reply. Koll’s speaking slit had closed and he remained unmoving. The lower sections of his double-lensed eyes were lidded; the upper sections stared with a kind of baleful blankness at Ticos. The hulking servitors had become equally immobile, probably as a sign of respect. Ticos wasn’t sure what the pause meant. The same thing had occurred during earlier interrogations. Perhaps the tiny monster was simply reflecting on what had been said. But he appeared sunk in a remote trance. If he was addressed now he would ignore it, and he seemed unaware of motion about him. Ticos suspected there was the equivalent of human insanity in Koll. Even Great Palachs of his own rank seemed afraid of him, and he treated them with barely veiled contempt. His dark cowl and cloak were of utilitarian material and often indifferently clean, while they concealed their dwarfish bodies under richly ornamented garments, gleaming with jewels. Apparently they preferred to avoid Koll’s company; but his influence on them was very strong.
The speaking slit above the eyes twisted open again.
“Dr. Cay,” Koll’s voice said, “I become increasingly inclined to add you to my museum of humanity. You have seen my collection?”
Ticos cleared his throat. “Yes,” he said.
“Of course you have,” Koll said, as if the fact had just occurred to him. “I showed it to you. As a warning not to lie to us. In particular, not to lie to me.”
Ticos said warily, “I have been quite careful not to lie to you, Great Palach.”
“Have you? I’m not at all certain of it,” said Koll. “Do you believe that the person who is attempting to reach you by communicator is the Guardian of whom you told us?”
Ticos nodded. “Yes. The Guardian Etland.”
“Why should it be she?”
“No one else has the call symbol of my communicator.”
“Because you were to remain isolated here?”
“Yes.”
“The Guardian Etland supervises your training?”
“Yes.”
“You describe her as a young female,” said Koll.
“I said she appears young,” Ticos corrected him. “I don’t know her age.”
“You say that these Guardians or Tuvelas have developed a form of longevity which provides even the appearance of their species’ youth. . . . ”
“The Guardian Etland has implied that.”
“And yet,” said Koll, “you tell us the Guardians assigned you the task of searching here for substances among the life forms of this world which promote longevity. What interest could the Guardians have in research which yields them no more than they possess?”
Ticos shrugged. “I know they’re testing me in various ways, and it may be that this is their manner of testing my ability as a biochemist. But it’s also possible that they’re still interested in finding simpler or more dependable methods of gaining longevity than their present ones.”
“What part does the use of chemicals play in their present methods?”
“I don’t know. I’ve described the basic approaches I was told to practice. I’ve been given no hint of the nature of more advanced longevity procedures. My research is confined to the observation of effects in my test material.”
“You’ve suggested that research at this level could be of value to the Everliving. . . . ”
“I haven’t suggested it,” Ticos said. “I realize, of course, that a number of Palachs observe my test results and analyze the substances involved.”
“Don’t let yourself assume their scientific interest assures your continuing safety, Dr. Cay. Our methods of obtaining individual longevity require no improvement. I’m certain you are lying to us. I intend to determine in what manner you are lying. Why did you request permission to respond to the Guardian’s call?”
“I explained my purpose to the Palach Moga,” Ticos said.
“Explain it to me.”
Ticos indicated the equipment and specimens in the darkened recesses of the room. “This project is the Guardian Etland’s responsibility. I and my training are her responsibility. Until your arrival she came here at very regular intervals to inspect the progress I made. Since then she hasn’t come here.”
“What do you deduce from that?”
“It’s possible that the Guardians know of your presence.”
“I don’t consider that a possibility, Dr. Cay.”
Ticos shrugged. “It’s the only explanation I see for the Guardian Etland’s failure to maintain her schedule. The Guardians may prefer you to leave quietly before there is a general disturbance. If I’m permitted to turn on the communicator when she signals again, we may learn that the Guardian is on her way here to speak to the Everliving rather than to me. . . . ”
“She would come knowingly into the area we hold?” said Koll.
“From what several Palachs have told me,” Ticos remarked, “it would not be surprising conduct in a Tuvela. If it is true—”