A shudder , more mental than physical , ran through him , and his mind seemed to melt away into emptiness .sx His bulging eyes caught the reclining form of Heather , who was still repeating in sing-song :sx " .sx .sx I will not give in .sx .sx " He stared at her blankly , mouthing an incoherent gabble of half words .sx Then he broke into a crazy laugh that made rolling echoes through the house , and trailed-off into a long-drawn-out unearthly wail .sx The wail should have been despairing ; but its eerie note , even in its senseless gaggling babble , was jubilant , triumphant .sx CHAPTER 7 .sx HAPPY FACES AND AN EXIGENCY .sx RETURNING to some degree of consciousness , Steve found himself slumped in a chair trying to shake and blink away the mind-deadening mists of hypnotic trance .sx To his still rather stuporous perceptions , the world was an endless cloud in which he floated , and in which various dark , shapeless objects went round and round in concentric orbits .sx The rotations preceeded [SIC] by rhythmic jerks , which were timed to a painful throb that bumped in his head .sx He slapped himself in the face and cuffed the sides of his head .sx Then by degrees the rotating objects slowed , and coming into focus took the form of the furnishings in Dan Brown's living room .sx He stood up unsteadily and looked about the room , trying to gather his wits .sx Outside the dusk was settling over Dow's Lake and the heights beyond were in silhouette , already a solid black .sx He bumped into a floor lamp and switched it on .sx Heather McNabb still lay on the couch , her body uncomfortably twisted and afflicted with occasional spasmodic jerks .sx He went to the kitchen for water and found Dan .sx Dan was lying on a long bench in the breakfast nook , his head bent upright against the wall .sx His usually animated face was expressionless and looked flat , as though his nose had been pushed back and his eyes and cheeks brought forward .sx He mouthed a low mutter , punctuated at intervals with a few syllables of a crazy and incoherent jargon .sx As Steve looked at him his mouth suddenly snapped shut , with jaws askew .sx There was utter imbecility in his blank face .sx Presently the muttering started again , and went on and on .sx Stunned and shaken , Steve drew a glass of water and went back to Heather .sx Half an hour later Heather and Steve were still trying to shake-off the last traces of hypnotic after-effects .sx For several minutes they had been facing each other across a low table , like two old convalescents thoroughly bored with each other through forced association .sx Then something like a zest for living began to come back to Steve and he squeezed her hand .sx Her face took on enough animation to produce a wan smile .sx Dan's low muttering was just audible from the kitchen .sx And Steve could see that as Heather recovered her senses and emotions she was growing cold and numb with shock .sx She had seen Dan , or rather the physical relic of him- the empty shell of flesh and bone , devoid of intellect and personality .sx And these had been his great qualities , so attractive to her .sx The Base Station had gone before , discharging its narrow plane of ementalating energy along the length of the Earth's imaginary longitudes , moving eastward like a knife-edged twilight in reversed progression .sx It had brought the First Stage in the Thetan pattern of conquest , the empty-minded receptiveness that prepared the way for the Second Stage .sx The Landingship followed with its longitudinal sweeps , an invisible speck moving at incredible speed in the ionosphere .sx Up and down , from pole to pole .sx Beaming down a moving cone of impulses , and bringing the Second Stage .sx Bringing reverence and servility to preconditioned humanity .sx Now the Thetan impulses of the Second Stage descended on Dan and he received their inspiration .sx It was nine-thirty .sx He rose from his breakfast-nook bench and came into the livingroom , where Heather and Steve stood aghast at his entrance .sx He came , almost falling forward in an ungainly shuffle , neck thrust out , arms dangling loosely .sx Then , abruptly , he drew himself up and walked on the very tips of his toes .sx He stretched his arms over his head and yawned agape , drawing-in great breaths that became great sighs of ecstacy .sx [SIC] His flat moonface shone with an undescribable expression of utter happiness .sx Seeing Heather he came to her and danced her gleefully around the room .sx He slapped Steve heartily on the back , and then sat down .sx He seemed preoccupied , as though groping for an elusive understanding of some new and wonderful phenomenon .sx Then he beamed upon his guests .sx " They have come !sx " he said reverently , gripping his hands together between his knees and leaning forward .sx " Isn't it a glorious thing !sx Long awaited transcendent event , the exalted desire of all mankind through all ages !sx The Kingdom of the Mind is at hand !sx " He turned beaming eyes upward and shook his head slowly from side to side .sx " Oh , Lord of Lords !sx I commend myself , through my mind which is part of Thine , to Thy Command .sx For in doing Thy command my services become a part of the ultimate fulfilment .sx Fulfilment of the Kingdom of the Mind on Earth !sx " He had intoned this awful devotion in rapt attention , as though repeating the faint phrasing of a distant voice .sx And his fervour grew in stringendo until his last words were uttered in a frenzy of zeal and adoration .sx Then , very calmly , and with a light of inner peace and sure purpose shining in his eyes , he said :sx " I go to bed now .sx Good night .sx " Steve drove Heather to her nearby apartment and then continued through the sleeping city to his place in Rockliffe .sx He drove down the lighted streets , his passage controlled by traffic lights that blinked green and red in their proper intervals .sx A superfluous precaution for there was no other car abroad ; and no pedestrian to cross his path nor to wait at an intersection for the light to change .sx At his apartment he garaged his car and then stood listening in the night .sx Listening in vain .sx For the earth had lost its life-tempo , as the heart loses its beat in death .sx Deadly stillness , deadly portent !sx Steve awakened early and switched on the radio , which he kept tuned to CBO .sx The set lighted-up but gave only a low buzzing sound .sx He had just finished shaving when it came on , with a flat voice repeating :sx " This is BBC calling .sx .sx this is BBC calling .sx .sx " After what seemed an undue period of repetition , the voice went on to describe the landing of the Thetan colony in Sussex , in all its obscene details .sx Then the radio went dead again , and Steve had no stomach for breakfast .sx It was a beautiful day , as firsts-of-June should be .sx Steve got out the car and traversed the same empty streets as he had the night before , to keep an appointment with Heather .sx Coming around the great mass of the Chateau Laurier , he braked to a screeching stop .sx A flying saucer was tilting and dipping over the War Memorial .sx There was a deep whirring sound , and a high-pitched hissing overtone that sang in his ears with an almost painful sharpness .sx He reversed and turned back on McKenzie Avenue .sx The Thetans must not see him !sx He took another route to Heather's and saw two more flying saucers on the way .sx Heather was very anxious to visit Dan at once ; but Steve insisted that they should first discuss their situation , as far as it could be assessed , and to decide on what seemed to be the best way of meeting it .sx " The Thetans , " he said , " are presumably here to take charge , as it were , of the minds of the people- who are probably falling all over themselves in their zeal to get their orders and to carry them out .sx Just what these orders will be , we don't know .sx Now , because of prior hypnosis we have escaped Thetan subjugation .sx This time .sx But we no longer have any immunity .sx There can be little doubt that if the Thetans discover our mental independence they will promptly give us their hypnotic treatment .sx If we can avoid undue prominence , it may be that we can move about pretty freely without detection .sx If we can- well , then we may be able to promote our own interests .sx What those interests are , beyond personal security , I haven't a clue ; but , who knows , we may form the nucleus around which some sort of resistance movement may be built .sx " Now , to summarize what I think our course of action should be .sx First , to avoid the Thetans like the plague , for they must not find us out !sx Second , to tread pretty warily among our own people , finding out just how much freedom we can take with safety .sx And third , to study these damned Thetans .sx We must learn all we can about them .sx There is just a hope that we may uncover some weakness , and find a way of fighting back at them .sx " Heather agreed , and suggested that they use Dan as a specimen demonstrating how the Thetan machinations had been working out .sx It occurred to Steve that this may not have been entirely an objective suggestion on her part ; but he thought it a good idea nevertheless .sx So they proceeded to see if the coast was clear .sx The street was quiet and deserted , and there were neither sight nor sound of flying saucers .sx So they ventured forth and made their way on foot to Dan's house .sx Dan came to the door at their ring but neglected to offer any greeting .sx He was deeply preoccupied , and it seemed that the ringing of a doorbell was to him a new and strange phenomenon .sx When he finally beckoned to them to enter , the action gave the impression of having been thought out and decided upon .sx Inside they sat down unbidden , while Dan paced the floor .sx He seemed completely unaware of their presence .sx They just stared at him , turning their heads like tennis spectators as he walked up and down , up and down .sx His whole attitude was a mixture of impatience pending an awaited communication and of a vague perplexity respecting his surroundings and the purpose he was to serve .sx Finally , being so obviously on their own , Heather and Steve tried to make themselves at home .sx Steve switched on Dan's powerful , world-wide radio and systematically turned the tuning knob through all the tuning points of the world's great radio stations .sx The dials lighted up but he got only a variety of squeaks and whistles .sx The ether waves were without human voice or sound ; they were dead to the world .sx Overhead a flying saucer whirred and , pitched high above the whir , whined its pungent song .sx Dan stopped his pacing and became profoundly attentive .sx It seemed that he was listening to unspoken orders and they could almost hear him say , " Yes , " , in his eager acceptance of them .sx Then he beamed on Steve and Heather in turn with an expression of ineffable happiness on his flat face .sx Quickly taking his coat and hat from the vestibule closet , he rushed from the house without a word .sx They followed him to a city bus stop on Carling Avenue , where he waited .sx The bus stop was a deserted island on an empty street .sx But not for long , for soon pedestrians and cars flocked upon the Avenue from its many tributary streets .sx It might have been a normal business-day bustle , except for two anomalies .sx First , it was Sunday morning ; and , second , everyone walked , or drove , or waited as a person possessed of a single all-exclusive purpose .sx There were no pleasantries , no shouted greetings , no friendly waves of recognition .sx Everyone minded his own business with a vengeance .sx Yet there was not a grim or surly face in all the crowd .sx Anywhere that Heather and Steve might look they found reflections of Dan Brown's indescribably happy face .sx After a long wait a bus appeared and they followed the beaming Dan aboard , taking seats some rows behind him .sx Steve was beginning to find the stereotyped , flattish , happy faces very disconcerting ; and looking at Heather he found a welcome relief in her relatively long doleful one .sx