(Found) Human escapes from an escape proof alien prison

[TomMazanec]

Long short story or short novelette. Probably late 40s-mid 60s.
Protagonist (who was something of a curmudgeon) is abducted by ETs which, iirc, resembled bears. It is explained to him that the galaxy lives in peace, except for one species which sweeps across it and devastates it. Each time it is methodically exterminated, but each time a tiny group of survivors somewhere recovers over hundreds of centuries to do it all again. The protagonist is a member of this species.
To study him he is placed in an escape proof prison (elaborately described as escape proof). He escapes from it by such means as dissolving the lock with his saliva. He then steals an FTL starship and escapes to Earth. The ETs realize that humanity will reverse engineer the starship and explode out into the galaxy once again.
The last paragraph describes a psychic child of some ET species crying in a nightmare.

 

[Danny McG]

It sounds a bit like Danger, human! By Gordon R Dickson

- Chapter 1

 

[PaulMmn]

A similar Terra Uber Alles is in Alan Dean Foster's "With Friends Like These" collection. I hope you like chocolate!

 

[TomMazanec]

Well, Danny McG, that was it.
Found.
Thanks.

 

[TomMazanec]

Rereading it...

"But—" said the commander. "The screen was shut off, of course, to let the food carrier out, at the same time the door was opened. I assumed—"

"I checked," said the doctor, his eyes burning on the commander. "They turned it on again before he could get out."

"But he did get out! You don't mean . . ." the commander's voice faltered and dropped. The three stood caught in a sudden silence like stone. Slowly, as if drawn by strings controlled by an invisible hand, they turned as one to stare up into the empty sky and space beyond.

"You mean—" the commander's voice tried again, and died.

"Exactly!" whispered the doctor.

Uh...how the hell did he do that!?

 

[Danny McG]

It's Science Fiction so obviously he used handwavium

 

[Peter V]

Rereading it...



Uh...how the hell did he do that!?

I'm glad I'm not the only one scratching my head