"You see," Alda continued, "they can't understand why O Braniac and Larissa are so stiff and rigid.  They can't know anything about the paralisação gun."

"And the degravitizador rod is unknown to them as well, from the way they act," I remarked.  I had no sooner spoken than one of the tiny strangers turned on the power and, to the consternation of his amigos, floated away into the air.

He instantly became weightless and could not release the rod.  

"I'm going up after that little man," she said.

She had no sooner risen than the tiny men on the ground had raised their guns.  There was an explosion of blue flame right in Alda's face.  She was unconscious as I shot up after where she floated on her degravitizador belt.

I headed into a regular barrage, but their aim was terrible.  I sprayed them from a wide angle beam from my paralisação gun.

"That stops them all right, but the effect won't last long with a diffused beam," I thought as I grabbed Alda.  Even at that moment, an amazing little craft shot upward in pursuit.