Talk of Mandrakes

On his way to an appointment at Skybase Five, John Peak, Ph.D., learns that the public transit is out of service. He spots a stranger carrying a set of car keys and, showing an invitation to meet with the esteemed Doctor Selim, asks for a ride.  

The driver, Ram Boardman, passes through the city and a series of automated security checkpoints. He asks Peak about Selim, a well-known extraterrestrial biologist.  Arriving on the grounds of a secure facility, Boardman is asked to wait outside, and Peak is admitted by an armed officer.  Selim greets Peak and invites him to tour his laboratory. Peak expresses his reverence for the scientist and offers to assist him. 

Selim and Peak discuss the sophisticated security measures of the base and reflect on days long-past of free demonstrations and open cities.  Peak asks whether Boardman might be granted access as a token of gratitude, and Selim agrees.

Entering Selim’s lab, Peak notices a variety of strange creatures held in glass containers.  He spots a pile of blue-gray material in a sterile room.  Selim explains that the mass is the most important of the specimens that he returned to Earth.  He encourages Peak to enter the enclosure without him. Peak eagerly examines the alien’s anatomy.