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MINDSWITCH
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As I moved around the ship, I found the control room, the sleeping quarters, and the galley. In the galley, I checked the menu and found some of Drugor's favorite meals. I keyed the menu and the meal was served. I found the Jhinn meal delicious, but suspected that my human palate would have found it disgusting.
My stomach now full, I felt tired and sleepy. I made my way to the sleeping quarters and lay down on Drugor's bed. The bed was comfortable to my Jhinn body, but I was unable to sleep.
As I lay there, several questions entered my mind. Who were the Jhinn? Why was Drugor here? What was he doing on Earth below? As if responding to my queries, the answers began to flow from Drugor's subconscious mind.
The Jhinn considered themselves as masters of the galaxy. It was their destiny to conquer and rule over every planet in the galaxy. They had already conquered many planets, but were constantly searching for more. Thousands of scouts, such as Drugor, were sent out in search of new worlds.
Upon finding a world, scouts were instructed to note the location, make a cursory exploration, and then transmit a report to the Jhinn High Command, who would lay plans for the invasion.
A Jhinn scout considered the mind exchanger as his most important tool. It was built into the scout's utility belt, and all scouts were required to be experts in using the device. After an exchange, a scout must do two things: he must recover his belt immediately after the exchange, and he must take every precaution to protect his body after the exchange.
I now realized that I was not being held prisoner to prevent my escape, but I was being held to prevent Drugor's body from coming to harm. Drugor had chosen the best possible place to leave his body--a Jhinn ship.
But if Drugor was so concerned with the safety of his body, why had he threatened me with the carbine to regain the utility belt? After all, he was pointing the weapon at his own body. Again, the answer came from Drugor's subconscious mind.
Drugor's body was shielded. A thin protective undersuit instantly hardened upon impact from a sudden blow. Drugor's body was never in danger. But I learned that the most vulnerable part of a Jhinn's body was a spot just below the chest--about where the human navel would be.
There must be some way to use all the information that I had learned about Drugor to my advantage. Point by point, I went over everything I knew about the Jhinn, his body, and his ship. After weighing all the data that I could recall, I came up with an idea.
I had a plan, but it depended on two things: first, I would need a weapon. Drugor had taken the carbine with him, and I was banking on him bringing it back with him on his return. Second, I would need to act immediately upon his return. Drugor would waste no time in switching minds to regain his own body. I hoped to force him to switch, but on my terms.
I fell asleep rehearsing the plan in my mind.
By converting the ship's clock to Earth time, I figured Drugor had been out for almost two days. From this point on, I must spend every hour in the compartment where Drugor would enter the ship.
I removed the coveralls, then removed the protective undersuit. Discarding the undersuit, I slipped back into the coveralls. I then set out for the entry bay.
I positioned myself so as to catch him the instant he came through the airlock. It happened so quickly that I was almost thrown off guard. No sooner had I positioned myself than the hatch hissed open and Drugor stepped in. I recovered quickly, but my spirits plummeted when I saw that he was not carrying the carbine.
My eyes dropped to the utility belt, and something caught my attention. The hunting knife was still there; the ivory handle was protruding from behind the belt. I knew that the knife would not be as effective as the carbine, but I hoped it would serve as my weapon.
I needed to alter my plans slightly. I must work at closer range than I cared to, and my timing must be perfect; one slip and I'd be dead.
It was now or never. I roared in my growling voice and charged, hurling my powerful seven-foot frame toward the small human body occupied by Drugor. Drugor's human eyes widened with fear, and his hand immediately dropped to the utility belt. Just before reaching Drugor, I threw my hands up in the air, exposing my belly.
Abruptly, I found myself in my own body, facing a roaring seven-foot giant charging toward me, its arms raised. My hand went for the hunting knife. Before the surprised Drugor could react, I brought the knife up and plunged it into the vulnerable navel area of the Jhinn. Blood gushed from the wound as Drugor vainly tried to stop the flow with his hands. He staggered back a few feet and fell. The Jhinn was dead.
Drugor had not yet transmitted a report giving Earth's location. As far as the High Command was concerned Drugor had probably met with an accident somewhere in the vastness of space, as often happened to Jhinn scouts.
I keyed the studs on the utility belt to restore power to the ship's controls and seated myself at the control panel. Where, I wondered, would be a good place to land this ship? For a moment I was in a whimsical mood and considered landing at places like the White House lawn or Cape Canaveral. But I thought better of it. I'd probably be detained and interrogated by federal authorities, followed by barrages of questions by news reporters. Being a private person, the thought didn't appeal to me.
I flew over Blackroot Forest and spotted my pickup. Drugor had left it in the same clearing where I'd parked it. After flying the ship to a nearby air force base, I circled the base flying low and slow enough to make sure that their radars picked me up.
I flew back to the pickup, landed in the clearing, and sped away from the scene.
The next day there were news reports of UFO sightings over Blackroot State Forest. The air force investigated, reports said, and announced that the sightings were nothing more than weather balloons.
***THE END***
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