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Authors: Kevin J. Anderson
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arrogant-looking man strode in as if he were a king. In the corridors behind him, incensed security men hustled forward, blowing whistles and shouting for the man to stop. But thebarrel-chested intruder strode down the central aisle.
At the side of the stage, Huxley wore a terrible expression on his face. “Moreau! How dare you enter here?”
Moreau squared his shoulders, and his voice boomed out. “I dare, Thomas, because I must save you all from becoming fools.” His eyes were bright and defiant. “The Imperial Institute has a much too narrow view of the true threat that is upon us.”
Huxley struggled to regain his composure. “Guards, remove this man. He is not welcome here, nor in any facility of higher education in the British Empire. In fact, Scotland Yard has several outstanding warrants for his arrest.”
“Thomas Henry Huxley, you pride yourself on being a scientist, but you are pathetic when you allow emotions to rule you.” Moreau crossed his arms over his chest. “I know you dislike me. You and I have a bitter history, and you have accused me of committing heinous crimes.” He pointed an accusing finger at the professor. “But will you—before all these other researchers and the prime minister himself —refuse to hear what I have to say, though it may have a bearing upon the survival of every man, woman, and child on Earth? Where is your much-vaunted scientific objectivity?”
Huxley glowered. Wells had never seen the professor so angry. Moreau directed his words to Prime Minister Gladstone, but his voice still held an overconfident sneer. “I swear to you that the coming war will not only encompass all of the British Empire, but the entire world—nay, two worlds. You sit here clucking like old hens, worried about an insignificant shadow when the whole sky is falling on you.”
“What is this man saying?” Gladstone said, flustered. Guards had come into the auditorium, ready to drag Moreau away, butthe unwelcome scientist did not budge. Wells wondered how Moreau had learned of this gathering of great scientists, when the entire research wing was supposedly a closely guarded secret.
Huxley fumed. “Very well, Moreau. What is it? Be succinct and make your words pertinent. Do not waste our time here.”
The audience members stirred and grumbled. “Silence! So that I may speak!” Moreau bellowed. The hubbub dwindled, and he waited for complete silence. “You will consider my information vital, though some may have been squeamish about my past methods. If you would drive me out now, you would blind yourselves to the most terrible danger the Earth itself has ever known!”
Huxley tapped the lectern impatiently. “Enough grandstanding, Moreau. What threat is greater than the Germans, or the Russians, or the French?”
Moreau said a single word in a deep, forbidding tone. “Martians.”
The lecture hall resounded with gasps, then chuckles.
“Enough! I assure you this is not a joke.” Moreau turned to the anxious-looking guards still standing in the doorway. “You there! Haul in my specimen. Go on!”
When the men hesitated, Moreau looked as if he intended to chase them into the corridor himself. “Come, come! Men entrusted with protecting this facility should be capable of lugging a single crate!”
While Wells watched with intense curiosity, the guards returned through the doors. Grunting and straining, they dragged a heavy rectangular crate nearly as large as the cages that had held the enormous rats. The crate was covered with a tarpaulin that hid its contents from view.
Moreau strode up to the crate and clutched the fabric with both hands. He looked back at Huxley. “Now you shall see. You all will see.” With a flourish, he yanked away the sheet to reveal an abominable, misshapen creature contained inside a glass-walled aquarium. “This is the true face of our enemy, gentlemen.”
The lecture hall resounded with gasps and exclamations. The unearthly creature was obviously
At the side of the stage, Huxley wore a terrible expression on his face. “Moreau! How dare you enter here?”
Moreau squared his shoulders, and his voice boomed out. “I dare, Thomas, because I must save you all from becoming fools.” His eyes were bright and defiant. “The Imperial Institute has a much too narrow view of the true threat that is upon us.”
Huxley struggled to regain his composure. “Guards, remove this man. He is not welcome here, nor in any facility of higher education in the British Empire. In fact, Scotland Yard has several outstanding warrants for his arrest.”
“Thomas Henry Huxley, you pride yourself on being a scientist, but you are pathetic when you allow emotions to rule you.” Moreau crossed his arms over his chest. “I know you dislike me. You and I have a bitter history, and you have accused me of committing heinous crimes.” He pointed an accusing finger at the professor. “But will you—before all these other researchers and the prime minister himself —refuse to hear what I have to say, though it may have a bearing upon the survival of every man, woman, and child on Earth? Where is your much-vaunted scientific objectivity?”
Huxley glowered. Wells had never seen the professor so angry. Moreau directed his words to Prime Minister Gladstone, but his voice still held an overconfident sneer. “I swear to you that the coming war will not only encompass all of the British Empire, but the entire world—nay, two worlds. You sit here clucking like old hens, worried about an insignificant shadow when the whole sky is falling on you.”
“What is this man saying?” Gladstone said, flustered. Guards had come into the auditorium, ready to drag Moreau away, butthe unwelcome scientist did not budge. Wells wondered how Moreau had learned of this gathering of great scientists, when the entire research wing was supposedly a closely guarded secret.
Huxley fumed. “Very well, Moreau. What is it? Be succinct and make your words pertinent. Do not waste our time here.”
The audience members stirred and grumbled. “Silence! So that I may speak!” Moreau bellowed. The hubbub dwindled, and he waited for complete silence. “You will consider my information vital, though some may have been squeamish about my past methods. If you would drive me out now, you would blind yourselves to the most terrible danger the Earth itself has ever known!”
Huxley tapped the lectern impatiently. “Enough grandstanding, Moreau. What threat is greater than the Germans, or the Russians, or the French?”
Moreau said a single word in a deep, forbidding tone. “Martians.”
The lecture hall resounded with gasps, then chuckles.
“Enough! I assure you this is not a joke.” Moreau turned to the anxious-looking guards still standing in the doorway. “You there! Haul in my specimen. Go on!”
When the men hesitated, Moreau looked as if he intended to chase them into the corridor himself. “Come, come! Men entrusted with protecting this facility should be capable of lugging a single crate!”
While Wells watched with intense curiosity, the guards returned through the doors. Grunting and straining, they dragged a heavy rectangular crate nearly as large as the cages that had held the enormous rats. The crate was covered with a tarpaulin that hid its contents from view.
Moreau strode up to the crate and clutched the fabric with both hands. He looked back at Huxley. “Now you shall see. You all will see.” With a flourish, he yanked away the sheet to reveal an abominable, misshapen creature contained inside a glass-walled aquarium. “This is the true face of our enemy, gentlemen.”
The lecture hall resounded with gasps and exclamations. The unearthly creature was obviously
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