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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..7fb4ca9 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #50945 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50945) diff --git a/old/50945-h.zip b/old/50945-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index cde984e..0000000 --- a/old/50945-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/50945-h/50945-h.htm b/old/50945-h/50945-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 5e63bd3..0000000 --- a/old/50945-h/50945-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1487 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=us-ascii" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of Point of Departure, by Vaughan Shelton. - </title> - - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; -} - -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} -hr.tb {width: 45%; margin-left: 27.5%; margin-right: 27.5%;} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.right {text-align: right;} - -.caption {font-weight: bold;} - -/* Images */ -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - -div.titlepage { - text-align: center; - page-break-before: always; - page-break-after: always; -} - -div.titlepage p { - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0em; - font-weight: bold; - line-height: 1.5; - margin-top: 3em; -} - -.ph1, .ph2, .ph3, .ph4 { text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; } -.ph1 { font-size: xx-large; margin: .67em auto; } -.ph2 { font-size: x-large; margin: .75em auto; } -.ph3 { font-size: large; margin: .83em auto; } -.ph4 { font-size: medium; margin: 1.12em auto; } - - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Point of Departure, by Vaughan Shelton - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Point of Departure - -Author: Vaughan Shelton - -Release Date: January 17, 2016 [EBook #50945] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK POINT OF DEPARTURE *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/cover.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> -<h1>Point of Departure</h1> - -<p>By VAUGHAN SHELTON</p> - -<p>Illustrated by WEISS</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Galaxy Science Fiction April 1956.<br /> -Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br /> -the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1.jpg" width="600" height="300" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph3"><i>As if Donner's troubles weren't bad<br /> -enough—they were a repetition of something<br /> -that had created chaos thousands of years ago!</i></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"Halleck, for Pete's sake, sit down! You act as if you were ready to -attack Donner with your bare hands." The president of the Research -Foundation removed an expensive cigar from its plastic cocoon and lit -it from young Taplin's eagerly offered lighter.</p> - -<p>Halleck sat down. "Sorry, G. W. This business has me on edge. I feel -responsible for Donner's activities—and for the missing $300,000, too. -The whole thing reeks of larceny."</p> - -<p>"You <i>are</i> responsible, Hal." The president's tone was crisp but not -accusing. "That's what a general manager gets paid for. Isn't it time -Donner showed up?"</p> - -<p>"He's to be here at ten, Mr. Caples. The girl will buzz us as soon -as he comes in." Orville Taplin was a very good secretary, but his -eagerness to prove it sometimes irked his superiors. "Shall I order -some coffee sent up, Mr. Caples?"</p> - -<p>"Not just now. Look, Hal, have you checked on this Simon Kane that -Donner mentions in his letter? He doesn't sound quite real. Do we know -if there is such a person?"</p> - -<p>Taplin interrupted the general manager to answer the question. -"Yes, sir. There really is a Simon Kane. I talked to Dr. Reed by -transatlantic telephone last night. He said Kane was public relations -man on his first expedition to Egypt in 1958."</p> - -<p>"Why the blazes didn't you let <i>me</i> talk to him?" Halleck was on his -feet again, a sharp-faced, balding man with a temper that suggested -ulcers. "G. W., I—"</p> - -<p>"Forget it, Hal! What else, young man?"</p> - -<p>"Well, Dr. Reed said he fired him at the request of the Egyptian -government and sent him back to the States. He said it was a long story -and he didn't want to get into it on the phone."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Leaning across the wide mahogany desk and tapping the blotter for -emphasis, Halleck said, "Look, G. W., Kane doesn't matter. He's just a -name. The Utah Flats plant is short $300,000. Let Donner explain it in -court. If Kane or anyone else was involved, let Donner prove it."</p> - -<p>The buzzer wheezed and Orville Taplin's finger shot to the key. "Yes?"</p> - -<p>"Mr. Donner is here."</p> - -<p>G. W. Caples nodded to the question in the secretary's face. "Send him -in."</p> - -<p>The man in the doorway was tall, sandy and rather stooped for early -middle age. His straight lined features looked competent, but the mouth -was compressed to a narrow hyphen, as if he had lived through this -ordeal many times in anticipation and always come out of it badly. His -gray business suit was wrinkled with travel.</p> - -<p>"Good morning, Mr. Caples. Gentlemen."</p> - -<p>Although he closed the door gently, the click of it sounded loud in the -silence. "I hope I'm not late."</p> - -<p>"Right on the dot, Ray. Glad to see you. Pick a comfortable chair." The -president smoothed the crumpled letter in front of him on the desk and -waved the silent Halleck to a seat. "You can order that coffee now, -young man."</p> - -<p>When Taplin had called for the coffee and started the recording -machine, G. W. Caples addressed the newcomer again with heavy, -executive affability. It was authentic enough to ease the watch-spring -tension in the room.</p> - -<p>"Before we start, Ray, keep it in mind that this isn't a trial or -anything like that. I, for one, have an open mind. If your record -hadn't been beyond reproach, you wouldn't be a research plant manager -in the first place."</p> - -<p>"Thank you."</p> - -<p>"But your letter here mentions an unauthorized experiment that cost -$300,000, a missing man—two missing men, in fact—your fear of ugly -publicity and—well, various other details that leave me thoroughly -confused. Now, you're going to give us all the facts—not as a culprit, -but as a trusted official."</p> - -<p>"I appreciate that, sir. Shall I begin at the beginning?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. Forget the letter. Begin where you like."</p> - -<p>"Well, first, you know Dr. Wilson Reed, the archeologist. Top man in -the field. He made the Yucatan discoveries and located the Poseidon -Tablets in the vaults under the Sphinx—the newspapers called him the -'Columbus of the Past.' But I don't need to tell you that. This all -began with a letter I had from Dr. Reed shortly after he left for his -second expedition to Egypt."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Caples nodded. "I know his reputation, but I never met the man."</p> - -<p>"That's one of the many things I don't understand, Mr. Caples." Raymond -Donner sat on the edge of the leather lounge chair and kneaded his -long, thin hands. "You see, the letter asked me to cooperate with Simon -Kane in every way and there was an interoffice memo from you enclosed, -instructing me to do so, written in your own handwriting."</p> - -<p>Caples leaned across the desk, startled. "A memo from <i>me</i>! Now see -here, Ray—Where is the memo? Where's the letter?"</p> - -<p>"They're gone, Mr. Caples. They were stolen."</p> - -<p>The buzzer sounded and a cheerful redhead brought in a tray with -four cups, cream and sugar bowls and a large aluminum coffee urn. It -remained untouched on the desk when she had gone.</p> - -<p>"I see. They were stolen." The president's casual manner was gone and -the tension returned unchecked. "Go on."</p> - -<p>"I'm sorry, sir. But the letter and memo were the keys to the whole -business. And I want to remind you at the beginning that I'm not a -scientist or an aviation engineer, but an administrative officer—"</p> - -<p>"Maybe we should say you <i>were</i>."</p> - -<p>"Shut up, Halleck! Let him go on."</p> - -<p>The president glanced at the recorder spinning silently and drew short, -angry puffs on his cigar.</p> - -<p>"And I want to remind you, too, gentlemen, that I'm here of my own -volition. My fears are for the Foundation's reputation, not for myself -alone. After all, there's no motive for murder and—"</p> - -<p>"Murder!" The two executives looked frozen. Taplin, starting to reach -for the coffee, changed his mind.</p> - -<p>"—and, to put it bluntly, no dead body. But let me take it from the -beginning."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"As I said, the letter and memo came in May, just after Dr. Reed left -for Egypt again. A week after that, Simon Kane phoned from Salt Lake -City to make an appointment for the following afternoon.</p> - -<p>"He turned out to be a dark-featured, very distinguished type in his -late forties. His eyes were an intense black, heavily browed and, -though he wasn't big, his voice was deep and arrestingly modulated. -Listening to him, it was easy to lose track of what he was saying. His -mouth was wide and—well, sympathetic.</p> - -<p>"We talked for about an hour that first day, mostly about Dr. Reed's -marvelous discovery in Egypt. Kane said the Poseidon Tablets described -a magnificent civilization, scientifically advanced, that had -flourished on an equatorial continent until it was destroyed by the -Biblical Flood—around 10,700 B.C.</p> - -<p>"He spoke of Dr. Reed as an intimate friend and said he had been greatly -impressed with you, Mr. Caples."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The president scowled. "I've never heard of the man. But it seems -pretty strange that he should have turned up when Halleck was in Persia -and I was in Europe on atomic-inspection duty and Reed was off to -Egypt."</p> - -<p>"Looking back at it, I agree with you," said Donner, taking out a -cigarette and lighting it. "But it didn't occur to me at the time."</p> - -<p>"Well, get on with it."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"If I could give you a better idea of Kane's remarkable voice, its -hypnotic quality—but I guess I can't. Maybe that's just an excuse. I -wish I'd thrown him out of the office the first day.</p> - -<p>"When we got around to the reason for his call, he asked if there was -any chance of our being overheard. I assured him there wasn't and he -told me his weird story.</p> - -<p>"It seemed Dr. Reed had found another series of fourteen tablets along -with the others, but these hadn't been publicized. A translation of the -first half dozen showed that they concerned an outstanding—perhaps the -ultimate—scientific achievement of the Poseidon civilization: a small -solar energy converter, able to deliver such fantastic power that it -made our nuclear sources look as primitive as the windmill.</p> - -<p>"When I said the invention wouldn't be very welcome in a country where -the entire economy was geared to atomic power, Kane agreed and said -that explained the secrecy. He said you, Mr. Caples, and Dr. Reed felt -the device should be tested under wraps and then turned over to the -government, since private ownership of a dirt-cheap power source—if it -worked—might precipitate economic chaos."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>G. W. Caples sat stiffly in the same position. "The whole idea is pure -nonsense, the most transparent fraud. A child wouldn't swallow it."</p> - -<p>"You may be right. It was my misfortune not to be a child."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Simon Kane made it sound completely plausible. He said two good -men could build the gadget in a month. He agreed to bring the -specifications to my office the next morning and I showed him out, -feeling very excited about the thing. I had a lot to learn about Mr. -Kane.</p> - -<p>"In the morning, I called in Ruhl and Heiniger and told them they were -to work on a project involving 100% security. They agreed, of course. -The hush-hush jobs are usually the most interesting. Then Kane came -in with his sheets of specifications and gave them the details. Their -faces were—I was going to say like children viewing their first -Christmas tree.</p> - -<p>"Since it was all Greek to me, I left the three of them to discuss the -project and went off about some other business. Kane was gone when -I got back and had left a note inviting me out to his house for a -cocktail or two that afternoon.</p> - -<p>"When I could get away, I drove out to his place, a great, sprawling -ranchhouse he'd rented a few miles from the plant. No one else was -there, but Kane was an ingratiating host and a couple of hours passed -very pleasantly. I kept wondering why he wanted such a big place, way -out in the hills, just for himself.</p> - -<p>"Around five, I phoned Ruhl at the plant. He's rather a stolid type -ordinarily, but he was stuttering with excitement. He said the power -unit was revolutionary and might change the course of history.</p> - -<p>"Kane laughed when I repeated that to him. 'Maybe it already did,' he -said. 'A few thousand years ago.'"</p> - -<p>"We shook hands at the door and agreed to meet the next morning and get -to work.</p> - -<p>"As I was walking along the house toward the drive where my car stood, a -movement at one of the windows near the end of the building caught my -eye. I paused and looked up—into the face of one of the most beautiful -women I've ever seen.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2.jpg" width="600" height="368" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"She was youngish, not over 27 or 28, pale in coloring with rich, black -hair piled up behind her neck. The large, dark eyes were looking -squarely into mine. I must have stopped and stared for several seconds, -for, in addition to her beauty, I thought I saw a great dread written -in the girl's face. Then she was gone.</p> - -<p>"All the way home, I kept wondering why Simon Kane hadn't mentioned the -woman in his house. The silly thought that she was being held captive -there kept coming to me, no matter how often I dismissed it."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Caples poured a cup of coffee and made a face when he sipped it. -"Donner, I don't know why you have to ornament this yarn with -hypnotic-voiced villains and captive girls. Can't you just tell us if -your expensive gadget worked?"</p> - -<p>Halleck slumped glumly. Taplin fluttered over the cold coffee and -ordered some more.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"The device <i>did</i> work, Mr. Caples. I set Ruhl and Heiniger up in the -isolated shop at the west corner of the plant area and they had it -functioning in three weeks. We brought in a skilled glass-cutter to -form the big, faceted eye to receive the Sun's radiations. Naturally, -he didn't know what it was for.</p> - -<p>"By the time the eye was ready, they'd assembled the conversion -elements. They rigged the thing to deliver electrical current through a -series of step-down transformers. The result was appalling. Until the -current was reduced to a tiny fraction of the potential, it blew out -every testing gauge they plugged into it.</p> - -<p>"Up to this time, I think all three of us—Heiniger, Ruhl and -myself—had been kept hopped up by curiosity and Kane's infectious -confidence. Now it was evident that something incredible had been -produced. Think of it—two men could lift the converter between them, -yet its potential was as great as any atomic pile we have!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"It sounds crazy." Caples was getting restless. "Are you sure you -didn't dream all this, Donner?"</p> - -<p>"That story will sound great in court—but it doesn't account for the -$300,000." Halleck's laugh was thin, with no amusement in it.</p> - -<p>The buzzer sounded. "Here's your hot coffee, Mr. Caples," said Taplin. -When the girl had gone again, Donner continued patiently, speaking in -Halleck's direction without anger.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"So far, we had spent less than three thousand dollars, including -salaries, materials, overhead, everything. The experiment seemed to be -finished. I wrote up my report and showed it to Kane before filing it -in the project folder with Reed's letter and the memo and everything -else concerned. I supposed Kane would be on his way east and I'd be -expected to verify his statement of the results. But he didn't come in -to say good-by.</p> - -<p>"One morning, I stopped in at the isolated shop and found Heiniger still -working with the power unit. Naturally, I asked what he was doing.</p> - -<p>"'Getting it ready to mount in the projectile, Mr. Donner,' he said.</p> - -<p>"I said, '<i>What</i> projectile?'</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Then he explained how Kane (and I) had leased a surplus one-man -rocket from the White Sands Project and that he and Ruhl were to rig -the solar unit in it. Rather than let Heiniger know something was -wrong, though I felt like blowing my top, I asked him how on Earth an -electrical plant could power a rocket.</p> - -<p>"'There's nothing to it,' he said. 'It's all in Mr. Kane's translations -of those tablets of his.'"</p> - -<p>"I was beginning to wonder if this was really happening or if I <i>was</i> -dreaming. Heiniger described some sort of method for setting up a -magnetic field in <i>front</i> of the rocket so that it could be <i>pulled</i>, -rather than pushed, at almost any speed through the atmosphere that the -pilot wished—five, ten, twelve thousand miles an hour—whatever the -pilot could take.</p> - -<p>"It was hard to believe an experienced man like Heiniger would swallow -that. I said, 'It's ridiculous! The skin would melt!'</p> - -<p>"'Oh, no,' said Heiniger. 'Mr. Kane has the formula for an alloy that -won't melt at any speed in atmosphere. His tablets tell how it was -used way back there for the same kind of flight. He's having a special -sheath of it made for the rocket in Santa Fe.'"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>President Caples stabbed his cigar into the ashtray. "Donner," he said, -"what do you take us for? You're making it almost impossible for the -Foundation to back you up, coming in here with such a fairy story."</p> - -<p>Raymond Donner seemed to shrink in his clothes and he slumped deep -in his chair. "I <i>know</i> how it sounds. I'm a fool—I admit it. But -Heiniger isn't, nor Ruhl. They were convinced they were working on the -modern world's first practical spaceship."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"I left the plant with my head spinning and drove out to Simon Kane's -place. I was determined not to go any farther with this without -authority from you, even if I had to chase you all over Europe.</p> - -<p>"When I reached the house, Kane's car was in the driveway. He met me on -the patio and pushed me inside before I could say my piece. There was a -young man in the drawing room whom he introduced as Porter Hays. He was -a handsome chap in his middle twenties with cropped, blond hair and an -engaging candor about him. I guessed he was a flier by the recklessness -about his mouth and eyes. He seemed very excited.</p> - -<p>"They took me to a table spread with photographs and typed sheets and, -for the first time, I saw pictures of the original tablets. The typed -sheets were translations.</p> - -<p>"'Porter has agreed to fly the ship,' said Kane, as if I knew all about -that. 'He's with the Pan-Columbian Project and has flown all the other -types that have been developed so far.'</p> - -<p>"'But this is the one that will make history, Mr. Donner!' I looked at -Hays closely and saw that he meant it. 'This will fly anywhere in our -solar system—and probably clear out to most others—without carrying a -fuel supply. And the best thing about it is the absolute guarantee of a -return trip. Those geniuses down at Pan-Columbia have plenty of ideas -for getting you out there, but very few for getting you back.'</p> - -<p>"I realized the Simon Kane magic had been at work on the young man. He -was sold completely and—considering the possibilities and that he was -willing to risk his life on them—the objections I intended to make -seemed rather puny at the time. Still, I was about to ask Kane to see -me in private when the young pilot spoke up.</p> - -<p>"He said, 'Say, Mr. Kane, where's the last tablet? There are only photos -of thirteen here.'</p> - -<p>"'Why, that's right,' Kane said. 'I forgot to mention it. The first -thirteen take us through the construction of the unit and the ship and -the inventor's successful trial flights. Number fourteen hasn't been -translated yet—it takes about a month to decipher each tablet.'</p> - -<p>"Porter Hays had a disarming way of asking anything he wanted to know. -'And who does it? Do you, Mr. Kane?'</p> - -<p>"'No. That is, it's a special gift, takes years of study—'</p> - -<p>"'Then who <i>does</i> decipher them?'</p> - -<p>"'Well, you see—' It was the first time I'd seen Simon Kane uneasy and -at a loss for words. 'My wife does it. She's Egyptian, a scholar in her -own right, daughter of one of Egypt's foremost antiquarians.'</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Hays insisted upon meeting her and, although Kane tried every evasion, -he finally left the room and was gone quite a while. During the wait, I -talked with young Hays and confirmed my high opinion of him. I wondered -how he'd react to Mrs. Kane if she turned out to be the beautiful girl -I'd seen in the window a few weeks earlier.</p> - -<p>"I soon found out, for Kane came back leading the girl by the hand. -I might have said 'dragging,' but it wasn't quite that obvious. At -closer view, wearing a sort of chiton-draped white dress, she was even -more lovely than I'd thought. The long lashes veiled her eyes, except -when she acknowledged Kane's introductions with a quick glance and a -murmured, 'How do you do.' Her name was Nalja.</p> - -<p>"Hays was obviously impressed and, in his uninhibited way, said, 'Good -Lord, Kane! If I had a dream like this at home, I wouldn't hide her. -I'd keep her out on display to make the other guys jealous.'</p> - -<p>"The girl gave him a grateful look and just a flicker of a smile, but -said nothing.</p> - -<p>"Simon Kane's reaction was curious. The color drained from his face -and hostile was the only word for his expression. Then he seemed to -get under control and became his genial self. 'My dear,' he said to -his wife, 'we thought you could give a hint about the text of the -fourteenth tablet. Are you far enough along?'</p> - -<p>"Her voice was low and throaty, with a slight British accent. 'I'm -sorry. I have only just started.'</p> - -<p>"'Have you no idea what it's about?'</p> - -<p>"'Only that it seems to be some sort of testimonial. The language -symbols are a little different than the others and it's difficult to -read.'</p> - -<p>"Then she was gone and Porter Hays stood looking at the door through -which she had passed, as if he had just seen a vision."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Wait a minute, Donner," Caples cut in. "How's that tape holding out, -young man?"</p> - -<p>"Fine, Mr. Caples. At least an hour more to go."</p> - -<p>"All right. Go ahead, Donner. Can't you leave out some of the side -issues and get to the finish of this?"</p> - -<p>"They're all related to the outcome of the matter, Mr. Caples. It -wouldn't make any sense at all without them."</p> - -<p>"Nor with them," said Halleck sourly, staring out the window.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Kane was to drive Hays back to Salt Lake, so I only had a moment alone -with him. When I told him I wanted to hold up everything until I'd -checked with my superiors, he just laughed it off. He said that you, -Mr. Caples, had seen all thirteen translations and your memo covered -the whole works. I'm sorry to say this convinced me.</p> - -<p>"Next day, a carload of equipment came in for testing and I didn't -see Simon Kane for about a week, though I learned things weren't -going so well. There was some trouble with the alloy. The rocket was -shipped in, though, and turned out to be a very recent model with the -latest developments in shock and pressure compensation, oxygen plant, -homing-beam navigation and all that. The credit to White Sands was only -$32,000, including insurance, so I authorized it without misgivings, -figuring that the persuasive Kane had swung a good deal.</p> - -<p>"Ruhl got back from Santa Fe and said they'd licked the alloy problem, -though it had been hard to avoid publicity. The metal could only be -worked in a molten state, so the fabricator was casting the nose -sheath and three overlapping girdles with rivet holes, also rivets and -fin shields of the same stuff. It sounded heavy to me, but Ruhl said -that would eliminate all possibility of vibration. This metal casting -accounted for most of the $300,000.</p> - -<p>"During the next two weeks, I was too busy with other things to worry -much about the project, but two incidents happened that had a bearing -on it.</p> - -<p>"On a visit to Salt Lake, I was dining at the Pioneer Arms one evening -and spotted Porter Hays at a table across the room. He was with a young -lady who looked familiar to me, even from the back. They were deep in -conversation. Hays looked up and saw me just as the waiter brought my -dinner. His expression was far from friendly. When the waiter moved out -of the way, I looked over and saw that Hays and the girl were gone.</p> - -<p>"A little later, a bellboy brought me a note. It read, 'I expect you'll -be guided by your own ideas of honor in a case like this. But if you -can conscientiously keep your goddam mouth shut, you may help to -correct a great injustice. Hays.'"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Caples had joined Halleck at the window. Now he interrupted. "I suppose -this note and the bill of lading on the rocket were stolen, too?"</p> - -<p>"I tore up that note myself, Mr. Caples. The bill of lading, -though—the second incident concerns it."</p> - -<p>Young Taplin had begun to fidget.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"On July 19, Kane telephoned and said the airship was all rigged -and ready to go. He had chosen a spot in the desert for the test -and had scheduled it for the next morning. He'd engaged an expert -communications man—a friend of Ruhl's—and the ship and all ground -equipment were loaded on a trailer under canvas, ready to leave at -nightfall. Ruhl, Heiniger and the radio man would ride out there -together in the trailer.</p> - -<p>"I was irked not to have been consulted on the arrangements. Kane wanted -me to pick up Porter Hays and follow the trailer out, saying he'd be -delayed, but would be there at dawn. I told him I had an appointment -for dinner—some government brass—but would be there in time for the -test.</p> - -<p>"Kane seemed to become furious at this. He railed about the lack of -cooperation and how he'd had to work out the details of the project -almost single-handed, in spite of a clear directive from my superiors. -It ended by my hanging up on him.</p> - -<p>"Driving home around eleven that night, I passed the plant and noticed -a light burning in the darkened office building. Before I reached the -gate, it struck me that the light was from my own office. The guard -at the gate had just come on duty, but his clip-board had no incoming -signatures on it. So I went to take a look. I turned the knob of my -office door and Kane was standing by the desk with his briefcase in one -hand and his hat in the other.</p> - -<p>"I was shocked at the change in him. His eyes were sunken and deeply -rimmed with shadow. He looked ten years older than the last time I'd -seen him.</p> - -<p>"But he wasn't at all abashed. He walked around the desk and took my -hand, saying, 'Raymond, I've been waiting here an hour. Felt sure you'd -stop by. Wanted to apologize in private for my disgraceful performance -this afternoon.'</p> - -<p>"Kane must have seen I wasn't satisfied. 'The strain of this undertaking -has been greater than you realize,' he added. 'So much is at stake, -such a great responsibility to Dr. Reed, your foundation, the whole -world—'</p> - -<p>"I mumbled something about forget it and told him to come along to my -place for a bracer and we'd ride out to the site together. But he said -he had a couple of matters to attend to and we parted at the plant gate."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Halleck came back and sat down. Caples took his seat at the desk. -"I have a feeling," he said, "that we are about to learn if this -prehistoric spaceship of yours ever got off the ground."</p> - -<p>"Shall I order some more coffee, Mr. Caples?" asked Taplin eagerly.</p> - -<p>"No. Just shut up, you idiot! Are you too young to appreciate this -breathless, <i>undocumented</i> melodrama Mr. Donner's describing for us? -This last incident explains the lack of documentation, doesn't it, -Donner?"</p> - -<p>"I'm afraid it does. I discovered later that the folder with all the -papers relating to the project was missing from my files, but I have -other evidence to offer—a witness." He glanced at his wristwatch. "If -my witness is prompt, I'll just have time to finish this."</p> - -<p>"Please do! Does the next scene take place at the launching site?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Yes. I got there a little late—missed the turn off the highway and -went a long way past it. When I found the place, everything was ready -and they were waiting for me.</p> - -<p>"The aircraft lay on its side, looking fat and very ungainly, I -thought, because of its increased girth. Porter Hays seemed tense, but -eager to get on with it. He wore no flight garb except his helmet with -the earphones. Standing there in slacks and sweater, smoking a final -cigarette, he didn't look theatrical enough for such an occasion. I -thought of telling him I'd kept my goddam mouth shut, but didn't get a -chance.</p> - -<p>"The plan was to take the ship up a few hundred feet and jockey around -to test everything. If the equipment and ship were all right, Hays -would whip her up a few hundred miles and cruise at his discretion. -There was to be no long flight that day. Since we were far out of the -traffic lanes, we didn't expect to attract any attention.</p> - -<p>"At last the Sun came up full, there was a final conference, and Hays -climbed into the ship's rotating cabin by the door at the rear. He -waved and shut the door. He could see out with his tele-view of course, -but we couldn't see him.</p> - -<p>"While the radio man checked the ship-to-ground contact, the rest of us -moved back out of habit, though there would be no blast here.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Very slowly, the ship raised itself to a vertical position. It rose -gradually to about ten feet, stopped, then shot up a couple of hundred -and stopped again. It was incredible!</p> - -<p>"'Give me the phone,' said Kane. He was as white as paste and his eyes -were fever-bright. 'How's it doing, Hays? Looked good from here. Is she -powering right?'</p> - -<p>"The answer must have been gratifying because Simon Kane's white teeth -flashed when he heard it.</p> - -<p>"After that, the ship bobbed around in swift dashes, stopping, then -darting upward till it was only a dot, reaching unbelievable speeds. -All this time, Kane was talking with Hays on the phone, asking -questions, suggesting new maneuvers. Though he was trembling with -excitement, his voice was calm, controlled and persuasive. I realized -later that he was egging Hays on to try more and more spectacular tests -of the ship.</p> - -<p>"Suddenly it shot away in a steep climb toward the west and was out of -sight in a matter of seconds. Kane laid down the telephone and turned -to me.</p> - -<p>"'He's satisfied the craft works perfectly,' he said. 'He's going to -take it straight out for four or five hours and then come back.'</p> - -<p>"We all stared at him, for Hays wasn't to have stayed up over an hour. -I said, 'He can't do that. There's too much he doesn't know about the -ship. Tell him to come back!'</p> - -<p>"Kane didn't look at me. 'The boy knows his business. Leave him alone. -He's making history.'</p> - -<p>"'But the first time—'</p> - -<p>"'I'm going down the road a few miles to get some breakfast. Take turns -talking to him, why don't you?'</p> - -<p>"He got in his car and drove off."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Exit the villain! Donner, you've got a talent, but you're in the wrong -line of work." G. W. Caples dug a chubby fore-finger under his collar -and worked the tie knot loose. "This scenario is worth every single -cent of $300,000."</p> - -<p>Raymond Donner's mouth pressed a little tighter and his tongue pushed -through to moisten his gray dry lips.</p> - -<p>"He never came back," he said hoarsely. "And neither did Hays."</p> - -<p>Something in the man's voice stopped the president from going on with -his sarcastic attack.</p> - -<p>"Did the ship crash?" he asked more soberly.</p> - -<p>"No. It just flew away and never came back."</p> - -<p>The silence hung like a shroud. All three of them—even the -self-conscious Taplin—stared at Donner.</p> - -<p>"We talked to Porter Hays in turns. We begged him to come back. But he -just laughed and said he was having the ride of his life. After about -two hours, his voice faded out suddenly—and that was the end of it."</p> - -<p>"How long ago was this?"</p> - -<p>"Four days."</p> - -<p>"Have you notified the authorities, the police or—well, anyone?"</p> - -<p>"No. I've been putting it off. You see, Hays gave us no hint of any -trouble. The others are still sitting out there in the desert waiting -for him, trying to make radio contact. The ship carried a standard -survival kit with seven days' rations and water. If he's had no -operational trouble, Hays could stay out at least a week."</p> - -<p>"And what about Simon Kane?" demanded Caples.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"When Kane didn't come back by noon, I went to look for him.</p> - -<p>"On the way to his home, I stopped at the office, on a hunch, and -discovered the records were missing. At last it began to penetrate that -there was something rotten in Denmark.</p> - -<p>"Dusk had fallen and there were no lights in the Kane house when I got -there. No one answered the doorbell. I called and pounded and finally -climbed in a window to look for signs that the Kanes had packed and -left. There were none. Everything was in order.</p> - -<p>"Then, as I was leaving, I heard a knocking sound from the end of the -building and traced it to the last room on the west side, a sort of -study. The knocking came from a locked closet. The key was gone, so I -had to smash the door.</p> - -<p>"Nalja Kane was sitting on the floor, staring at me without seeming to -see me. She looked frightful, with her hair awry and her eyes red and -glassy.</p> - -<p>"She sort of moaned as I helped her up. 'Did it happen? Did he fly the -ship?'</p> - -<p>"I said, 'Yes, but something's wrong. Where is your husband?'</p> - -<p>"The girl seemed to go all to pieces, turning her head from side to side -and repeating, 'Oh, no! Oh, no!' Then she collapsed.</p> - -<p>"I drove her to the hotel in the nearest town and called a doctor I -knew. He said she had emotional exhaustion, needed rest rather than -hospital care, and gave her a strong sedative. When I got home, I -stayed awake long enough to write that letter to you and then fell into -bed.</p> - -<p>"The phone woke me around ten the next morning. It was Ruhl, calling -from a gas station on the highway. He said Hays wasn't back yet and -promised to call again at five.</p> - -<p>"I mulled the whole thing over all day, trying to sort out the facts, -but they just wouldn't add up to anything. When Ruhl called again with -the same bad news, I decided to come on east and get it off my chest. -It's all beyond me. I don't know what to do."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Donner searched in his pockets and pulled out a cigarette pack. It was -empty and he crumpled it absently. Halleck patted his own pockets but -couldn't find any.</p> - -<p>"Now take it easy, Ray," said Caples, walking around the desk with the -humidor and holding it open. "This is the weirdest thing I've ever -heard—yet I think I believe you. Leave it to you solid types to foul -up on a grand scale! How about this witness you mentioned?"</p> - -<p>"On the train—I wanted more time to think, so I didn't fly here—it -occurred to me how flimsy this would all sound, without your memo or -anything else to back it up. I couldn't even prove the tablets ever -existed. In Chicago, I phoned Nalja Kane. She was much better and quite -calm. When I told her the spot I was in, she agreed to take a plane in -the morning and try to be here at 11:30 today."</p> - -<p>Taplin's finger darted to the key panel, but Caples brushed him aside -and opened the circuit himself. "This is Mr. Caples. Is there a lady in -the outer office?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir. Mrs. Simon Kane."</p> - -<p>"Ask her to step in, please."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus3.jpg" width="548" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>The four men rose before the door opened—Donner, slowly, with great -weariness. She stood a moment, looking from one face to another, cool -and regal in summer white with a small flowered hat. Faint purple -circles gave her black eyes a brilliance.</p> - -<p>Raymond Donner took her hand and led her to a chair. "Thank you for -coming, Mrs. Kane. May I present Mr. Caples and Mr. Halleck, my -superiors—and Mr. Taplin."</p> - -<p>When they were seated, she spoke first in her low, passionate voice, -without waiting for questions. "I will tell you what I know of Simon -Kane, gentlemen, though it may be less than you would expect from a -wife. In return, I ask you to use all your influence to find him and -bring him to justice. He is a monster and a murderer!"</p> - -<p>"You have my word on it, Mrs. Kane," said Caples, "if you can supply -the evidence that crimes have been committed. Taplin—the recorder. -Move it closer."</p> - -<p>As she began to speak, an occasional small break in her voice hinted at -the emotional turbulence the girl was holding in tight rein.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"I married Simon Kane in Egypt in 1958. We met through my father, who -represented the Egyptian government on Dr. Reed's excavation project. -At first, Simon was charming and devoted. We left Egypt almost at once -and entered upon a very pleasant, if secluded, life in this country. -The only discordant note was my father's obvious dislike for Simon. His -letters were stiff and infrequent, and finally stopped altogether.</p> - -<p>"One day, after we had lived here about three years, my husband brought -home two heavy cases and called me in when he opened them. These cases -contained the fourteen tablets that Mr. Donner has probably mentioned. -Simon told me Dr. Reed had turned them over to him to be deciphered.</p> - -<p>"I knew at once that this was not true, since Dr. Reed is one of the -world's foremost students of ancient writings and would have prized the -tablets too highly to let my husband carry them around in his car. When -Simon asked me to make the translations, I refused.</p> - -<p>"He became nearly insane with rage and finally told me he had persuaded -my father to help him steal them a few weeks before our wedding. If I -did not agree to translate them, he threatened to expose my father and -disgrace him before the world. So I did as Simon demanded and it killed -my love for him.</p> - -<p>"In his twisted, possessive way, I think my husband continued to love -me. Once the translation was under way, he tried very hard to win my -voluntary cooperation. He said the device described in the tablets -would upset the economy of the entire world. The government and -industry, he claimed, would pay any price he asked for suppressing it, -once it was tested and proved. We would live like royalty. But I told -him that, if not for my father, I would expose him without the least -hesitation.</p> - -<p>"When we moved to Utah, Simon found an isolated house for us and I was -virtually a prisoner."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Nalja Kane stopped. The danger signals of emotion breaking through -showed in the swift, anxious breathing. The four men studied her -helplessly and then it was Taplin who got the glass of water that -bridged a difficult moment. She went on.</p> - -<p>"The first day you came to our house, Mr. Donner, I wrote a note of -warning. I intended to hand it to you through the window, but Simon -came into the room behind me and I couldn't."</p> - -<p>"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Kane. You were obviously in trouble. I should -have—"</p> - -<p>"Perhaps it was better. It might have cost you your life to cross Simon -at that point."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Anyway, Porter Hays stopped by one day. My husband was out and I -answered the door. He was a fine man, sensitive and kind, considering -his adventurous temperament. He could see I was nervous—you know the -disarming way he had of asking the most personal questions.</p> - -<p>"I was afraid to talk there and asked him to drive me to Salt Lake. -On the way, I told him the whole story. He was very sympathetic and -promised to help—beginning by trying to contact my father. I hoped -he would refuse to fly the ship when he knew about Simon. But he had -absolute confidence in it and no fear at all. His plan was to complete -the test and then ask you, Mr. Donner, to impound the ship and all the -records on it.</p> - -<p>"The day before the test flight, I put in the time completing the -translation of the fourteenth tablet.</p> - -<p>"Simon had shown no interest in this, believing it to be a summary of -the others. As the sense of it began to emerge, I was horrified. By -midnight, I had finished it and I sat down in the drawing room with a -typed copy in my hand, waiting for my husband. I waited all night and -must have fallen asleep around dawn.</p> - -<p>"The door chime wakened me. It was a messenger with a note from -Porter—Mr. Hays. A newspaper friend of his in Cairo had been -checking and discovered that my father had been dead six months. -The circumstances of his death were curious and Mr. Hays suggested -contacting the Cairo police as soon as the flight was over.</p> - -<p>"This news was a terrible blow, but the moment I read it, I was free of -Simon Kane. I went to the phone and asked the operator for the police. -While I was waiting for the connection, there was a slight sound behind -me. I turned and Simon was crossing the room. He was in his dressing -gown. He must have come in while I was dozing. I ran for the door, but -he caught me and pushed me into a chair.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"When he had hung up the phone, he read Mr. Hays' note without saying a -word. His face was terrible and I knew I was in danger. Then I saw that -the typed copy of the fourteenth tablet was gone.</p> - -<p>"'You read it—the last tablet,' I said. 'And you know you've done all -this evil for nothing. The flight can't take place. If you—if you stop -me from telling the police, Porter will tell them. He knows everything.'</p> - -<p>"He took my wrist and dragged me to the studio and forced me into the -closet and locked the door. I could hear him crumpling and burning -papers for a long time.</p> - -<p>"At last he came close to the door and said, 'There, my dear! Try to -prove that the tablets ever existed!'</p> - -<p>"When he was gone, I screamed and pounded on the door until I was -exhausted. A frightful thing was going to happen and there was nothing -I could do to stop it.</p> - -<p>"Only once—only one time since this all began have I opposed my husband -successfully. And it had no effect on the outcome. When I typed up the -text of the last tablet, I made a carbon copy and put it in my handbag. -I have it here. I believe it will be evidence enough to prove that -Simon Kane is a murderer."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Nalja Kane reached in her flat beaded bag and found a folded sheet, -which she handed to Donner. He smoothed it on his knees with hands that -trembled a little.</p> - -<p>"May he read it aloud, Mrs. Kane?" asked Caples.</p> - -<p>"Certainly, if he wishes. But the first part is technical data on a -flight by an inventor named Axtel. The two last paragraphs contain the -evidence I am offering you."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Donner nodded and ran his finger down the sheet. He read:</p> - -<p>"'The foregoing record is accurate and we acknowledge Axtel's -superlative contribution to science. But we must admit that his -greatest contribution is in the proving of an axiom: Where ultimate -force is involved, it is better to know <i>none</i> of the laws than to know -<i>most</i> of them.</p> - -<p>"'On the fourth day, the aircraft returned from far space to the point -of its departure. It was in excellent condition—but empty. Nothing -remained of Axtel but merely his clothing and his ring.'"</p> - -<p>Nalja Kane covered her face with both hands and sobbed noiselessly.</p> - -<p>The four men all gazed at the paper as it rustled in Donner's quivering -hand.</p> - -<p>Presently the buzzer ripped the silence like the tearing of a shroud.</p> - -<p>After the second sharp buzz, G. W. Caples tripped the switch and -croaked, "Yes?"</p> - -<p>The girl's voice, bright and businesslike, answered, "There's a -long-distance call from Utah for Mr. Donner. It's a Mr. Ruhl. He says -it's urgent."</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Point of Departure, by Vaughan Shelton - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK POINT OF DEPARTURE *** - -***** This file should be named 50945-h.htm or 50945-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/9/4/50945/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Point of Departure - -Author: Vaughan Shelton - -Release Date: January 17, 2016 [EBook #50945] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK POINT OF DEPARTURE *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - Point of Departure - - By VAUGHAN SHELTON - - Illustrated by WEISS - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Galaxy Science Fiction April 1956. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - - - - As if Donner's troubles weren't bad - enough--they were a repetition of something - that had created chaos thousands of years ago! - - -"Halleck, for Pete's sake, sit down! You act as if you were ready to -attack Donner with your bare hands." The president of the Research -Foundation removed an expensive cigar from its plastic cocoon and lit -it from young Taplin's eagerly offered lighter. - -Halleck sat down. "Sorry, G. W. This business has me on edge. I feel -responsible for Donner's activities--and for the missing $300,000, too. -The whole thing reeks of larceny." - -"You _are_ responsible, Hal." The president's tone was crisp but not -accusing. "That's what a general manager gets paid for. Isn't it time -Donner showed up?" - -"He's to be here at ten, Mr. Caples. The girl will buzz us as soon -as he comes in." Orville Taplin was a very good secretary, but his -eagerness to prove it sometimes irked his superiors. "Shall I order -some coffee sent up, Mr. Caples?" - -"Not just now. Look, Hal, have you checked on this Simon Kane that -Donner mentions in his letter? He doesn't sound quite real. Do we know -if there is such a person?" - -Taplin interrupted the general manager to answer the question. -"Yes, sir. There really is a Simon Kane. I talked to Dr. Reed by -transatlantic telephone last night. He said Kane was public relations -man on his first expedition to Egypt in 1958." - -"Why the blazes didn't you let _me_ talk to him?" Halleck was on his -feet again, a sharp-faced, balding man with a temper that suggested -ulcers. "G. W., I--" - -"Forget it, Hal! What else, young man?" - -"Well, Dr. Reed said he fired him at the request of the Egyptian -government and sent him back to the States. He said it was a long story -and he didn't want to get into it on the phone." - - * * * * * - -Leaning across the wide mahogany desk and tapping the blotter for -emphasis, Halleck said, "Look, G. W., Kane doesn't matter. He's just a -name. The Utah Flats plant is short $300,000. Let Donner explain it in -court. If Kane or anyone else was involved, let Donner prove it." - -The buzzer wheezed and Orville Taplin's finger shot to the key. "Yes?" - -"Mr. Donner is here." - -G. W. Caples nodded to the question in the secretary's face. "Send him -in." - -The man in the doorway was tall, sandy and rather stooped for early -middle age. His straight lined features looked competent, but the mouth -was compressed to a narrow hyphen, as if he had lived through this -ordeal many times in anticipation and always come out of it badly. His -gray business suit was wrinkled with travel. - -"Good morning, Mr. Caples. Gentlemen." - -Although he closed the door gently, the click of it sounded loud in the -silence. "I hope I'm not late." - -"Right on the dot, Ray. Glad to see you. Pick a comfortable chair." The -president smoothed the crumpled letter in front of him on the desk and -waved the silent Halleck to a seat. "You can order that coffee now, -young man." - -When Taplin had called for the coffee and started the recording -machine, G. W. Caples addressed the newcomer again with heavy, -executive affability. It was authentic enough to ease the watch-spring -tension in the room. - -"Before we start, Ray, keep it in mind that this isn't a trial or -anything like that. I, for one, have an open mind. If your record -hadn't been beyond reproach, you wouldn't be a research plant manager -in the first place." - -"Thank you." - -"But your letter here mentions an unauthorized experiment that cost -$300,000, a missing man--two missing men, in fact--your fear of ugly -publicity and--well, various other details that leave me thoroughly -confused. Now, you're going to give us all the facts--not as a culprit, -but as a trusted official." - -"I appreciate that, sir. Shall I begin at the beginning?" - -"Yes. Forget the letter. Begin where you like." - -"Well, first, you know Dr. Wilson Reed, the archeologist. Top man in -the field. He made the Yucatan discoveries and located the Poseidon -Tablets in the vaults under the Sphinx--the newspapers called him the -'Columbus of the Past.' But I don't need to tell you that. This all -began with a letter I had from Dr. Reed shortly after he left for his -second expedition to Egypt." - - * * * * * - -Caples nodded. "I know his reputation, but I never met the man." - -"That's one of the many things I don't understand, Mr. Caples." Raymond -Donner sat on the edge of the leather lounge chair and kneaded his -long, thin hands. "You see, the letter asked me to cooperate with Simon -Kane in every way and there was an interoffice memo from you enclosed, -instructing me to do so, written in your own handwriting." - -Caples leaned across the desk, startled. "A memo from _me_! Now see -here, Ray--Where is the memo? Where's the letter?" - -"They're gone, Mr. Caples. They were stolen." - -The buzzer sounded and a cheerful redhead brought in a tray with -four cups, cream and sugar bowls and a large aluminum coffee urn. It -remained untouched on the desk when she had gone. - -"I see. They were stolen." The president's casual manner was gone and -the tension returned unchecked. "Go on." - -"I'm sorry, sir. But the letter and memo were the keys to the whole -business. And I want to remind you at the beginning that I'm not a -scientist or an aviation engineer, but an administrative officer--" - -"Maybe we should say you _were_." - -"Shut up, Halleck! Let him go on." - -The president glanced at the recorder spinning silently and drew short, -angry puffs on his cigar. - -"And I want to remind you, too, gentlemen, that I'm here of my own -volition. My fears are for the Foundation's reputation, not for myself -alone. After all, there's no motive for murder and--" - -"Murder!" The two executives looked frozen. Taplin, starting to reach -for the coffee, changed his mind. - -"--and, to put it bluntly, no dead body. But let me take it from the -beginning." - - * * * * * - -"As I said, the letter and memo came in May, just after Dr. Reed left -for Egypt again. A week after that, Simon Kane phoned from Salt Lake -City to make an appointment for the following afternoon. - -"He turned out to be a dark-featured, very distinguished type in his -late forties. His eyes were an intense black, heavily browed and, -though he wasn't big, his voice was deep and arrestingly modulated. -Listening to him, it was easy to lose track of what he was saying. His -mouth was wide and--well, sympathetic. - -"We talked for about an hour that first day, mostly about Dr. Reed's -marvelous discovery in Egypt. Kane said the Poseidon Tablets described -a magnificent civilization, scientifically advanced, that had -flourished on an equatorial continent until it was destroyed by the -Biblical Flood--around 10,700 B.C. - -"He spoke of Dr. Reed as an intimate friend and said he had been -greatly impressed with you, Mr. Caples." - - * * * * * - -The president scowled. "I've never heard of the man. But it seems -pretty strange that he should have turned up when Halleck was in Persia -and I was in Europe on atomic-inspection duty and Reed was off to -Egypt." - -"Looking back at it, I agree with you," said Donner, taking out a -cigarette and lighting it. "But it didn't occur to me at the time." - -"Well, get on with it." - - * * * * * - -"If I could give you a better idea of Kane's remarkable voice, its -hypnotic quality--but I guess I can't. Maybe that's just an excuse. I -wish I'd thrown him out of the office the first day. - -"When we got around to the reason for his call, he asked if there was -any chance of our being overheard. I assured him there wasn't and he -told me his weird story. - -"It seemed Dr. Reed had found another series of fourteen tablets along -with the others, but these hadn't been publicized. A translation of the -first half dozen showed that they concerned an outstanding--perhaps the -ultimate--scientific achievement of the Poseidon civilization: a small -solar energy converter, able to deliver such fantastic power that it -made our nuclear sources look as primitive as the windmill. - -"When I said the invention wouldn't be very welcome in a country where -the entire economy was geared to atomic power, Kane agreed and said -that explained the secrecy. He said you, Mr. Caples, and Dr. Reed felt -the device should be tested under wraps and then turned over to the -government, since private ownership of a dirt-cheap power source--if it -worked--might precipitate economic chaos." - - * * * * * - -G. W. Caples sat stiffly in the same position. "The whole idea is pure -nonsense, the most transparent fraud. A child wouldn't swallow it." - -"You may be right. It was my misfortune not to be a child." - - * * * * * - -"Simon Kane made it sound completely plausible. He said two good -men could build the gadget in a month. He agreed to bring the -specifications to my office the next morning and I showed him out, -feeling very excited about the thing. I had a lot to learn about Mr. -Kane. - -"In the morning, I called in Ruhl and Heiniger and told them they -were to work on a project involving 100% security. They agreed, of -course. The hush-hush jobs are usually the most interesting. Then Kane -came in with his sheets of specifications and gave them the details. -Their faces were--I was going to say like children viewing their first -Christmas tree. - -"Since it was all Greek to me, I left the three of them to discuss the -project and went off about some other business. Kane was gone when -I got back and had left a note inviting me out to his house for a -cocktail or two that afternoon. - -"When I could get away, I drove out to his place, a great, sprawling -ranchhouse he'd rented a few miles from the plant. No one else was -there, but Kane was an ingratiating host and a couple of hours passed -very pleasantly. I kept wondering why he wanted such a big place, way -out in the hills, just for himself. - -"Around five, I phoned Ruhl at the plant. He's rather a stolid type -ordinarily, but he was stuttering with excitement. He said the power -unit was revolutionary and might change the course of history. - -"Kane laughed when I repeated that to him. 'Maybe it already did,' he -said. 'A few thousand years ago.'" - -"We shook hands at the door and agreed to meet the next morning and get -to work. - -"As I was walking along the house toward the drive where my car stood, -a movement at one of the windows near the end of the building caught my -eye. I paused and looked up--into the face of one of the most beautiful -women I've ever seen. - -"She was youngish, not over 27 or 28, pale in coloring with rich, -black hair piled up behind her neck. The large, dark eyes were looking -squarely into mine. I must have stopped and stared for several seconds, -for, in addition to her beauty, I thought I saw a great dread written -in the girl's face. Then she was gone. - -"All the way home, I kept wondering why Simon Kane hadn't mentioned the -woman in his house. The silly thought that she was being held captive -there kept coming to me, no matter how often I dismissed it." - - * * * * * - -Caples poured a cup of coffee and made a face when he sipped it. -"Donner, I don't know why you have to ornament this yarn with -hypnotic-voiced villains and captive girls. Can't you just tell us if -your expensive gadget worked?" - -Halleck slumped glumly. Taplin fluttered over the cold coffee and -ordered some more. - - * * * * * - -"The device _did_ work, Mr. Caples. I set Ruhl and Heiniger up in the -isolated shop at the west corner of the plant area and they had it -functioning in three weeks. We brought in a skilled glass-cutter to -form the big, faceted eye to receive the Sun's radiations. Naturally, -he didn't know what it was for. - -"By the time the eye was ready, they'd assembled the conversion -elements. They rigged the thing to deliver electrical current through a -series of step-down transformers. The result was appalling. Until the -current was reduced to a tiny fraction of the potential, it blew out -every testing gauge they plugged into it. - -"Up to this time, I think all three of us--Heiniger, Ruhl and -myself--had been kept hopped up by curiosity and Kane's infectious -confidence. Now it was evident that something incredible had been -produced. Think of it--two men could lift the converter between them, -yet its potential was as great as any atomic pile we have!" - - * * * * * - -"It sounds crazy." Caples was getting restless. "Are you sure you -didn't dream all this, Donner?" - -"That story will sound great in court--but it doesn't account for the -$300,000." Halleck's laugh was thin, with no amusement in it. - -The buzzer sounded. "Here's your hot coffee, Mr. Caples," said Taplin. -When the girl had gone again, Donner continued patiently, speaking in -Halleck's direction without anger. - - * * * * * - -"So far, we had spent less than three thousand dollars, including -salaries, materials, overhead, everything. The experiment seemed to be -finished. I wrote up my report and showed it to Kane before filing it -in the project folder with Reed's letter and the memo and everything -else concerned. I supposed Kane would be on his way east and I'd be -expected to verify his statement of the results. But he didn't come in -to say good-by. - -"One morning, I stopped in at the isolated shop and found Heiniger -still working with the power unit. Naturally, I asked what he was doing. - -"'Getting it ready to mount in the projectile, Mr. Donner,' he said. - -"I said, '_What_ projectile?' - - * * * * * - -"Then he explained how Kane (and I) had leased a surplus one-man -rocket from the White Sands Project and that he and Ruhl were to rig -the solar unit in it. Rather than let Heiniger know something was -wrong, though I felt like blowing my top, I asked him how on Earth an -electrical plant could power a rocket. - -"'There's nothing to it,' he said. 'It's all in Mr. Kane's translations -of those tablets of his.'" - -"I was beginning to wonder if this was really happening or if I _was_ -dreaming. Heiniger described some sort of method for setting up a -magnetic field in _front_ of the rocket so that it could be _pulled_, -rather than pushed, at almost any speed through the atmosphere that the -pilot wished--five, ten, twelve thousand miles an hour--whatever the -pilot could take. - -"It was hard to believe an experienced man like Heiniger would swallow -that. I said, 'It's ridiculous! The skin would melt!' - -"'Oh, no,' said Heiniger. 'Mr. Kane has the formula for an alloy that -won't melt at any speed in atmosphere. His tablets tell how it was -used way back there for the same kind of flight. He's having a special -sheath of it made for the rocket in Santa Fe.'" - - * * * * * - -President Caples stabbed his cigar into the ashtray. "Donner," he said, -"what do you take us for? You're making it almost impossible for the -Foundation to back you up, coming in here with such a fairy story." - -Raymond Donner seemed to shrink in his clothes and he slumped deep -in his chair. "I _know_ how it sounds. I'm a fool--I admit it. But -Heiniger isn't, nor Ruhl. They were convinced they were working on the -modern world's first practical spaceship." - - * * * * * - -"I left the plant with my head spinning and drove out to Simon Kane's -place. I was determined not to go any farther with this without -authority from you, even if I had to chase you all over Europe. - -"When I reached the house, Kane's car was in the driveway. He met me on -the patio and pushed me inside before I could say my piece. There was a -young man in the drawing room whom he introduced as Porter Hays. He was -a handsome chap in his middle twenties with cropped, blond hair and an -engaging candor about him. I guessed he was a flier by the recklessness -about his mouth and eyes. He seemed very excited. - -"They took me to a table spread with photographs and typed sheets and, -for the first time, I saw pictures of the original tablets. The typed -sheets were translations. - -"'Porter has agreed to fly the ship,' said Kane, as if I knew all about -that. 'He's with the Pan-Columbian Project and has flown all the other -types that have been developed so far.' - -"'But this is the one that will make history, Mr. Donner!' I looked at -Hays closely and saw that he meant it. 'This will fly anywhere in our -solar system--and probably clear out to most others--without carrying a -fuel supply. And the best thing about it is the absolute guarantee of a -return trip. Those geniuses down at Pan-Columbia have plenty of ideas -for getting you out there, but very few for getting you back.' - -"I realized the Simon Kane magic had been at work on the young man. He -was sold completely and--considering the possibilities and that he was -willing to risk his life on them--the objections I intended to make -seemed rather puny at the time. Still, I was about to ask Kane to see -me in private when the young pilot spoke up. - -"He said, 'Say, Mr. Kane, where's the last tablet? There are only -photos of thirteen here.' - -"'Why, that's right,' Kane said. 'I forgot to mention it. The first -thirteen take us through the construction of the unit and the ship and -the inventor's successful trial flights. Number fourteen hasn't been -translated yet--it takes about a month to decipher each tablet.' - -"Porter Hays had a disarming way of asking anything he wanted to know. -'And who does it? Do you, Mr. Kane?' - -"'No. That is, it's a special gift, takes years of study--' - -"'Then who _does_ decipher them?' - -"'Well, you see--' It was the first time I'd seen Simon Kane uneasy and -at a loss for words. 'My wife does it. She's Egyptian, a scholar in her -own right, daughter of one of Egypt's foremost antiquarians.' - - * * * * * - -"Hays insisted upon meeting her and, although Kane tried every evasion, -he finally left the room and was gone quite a while. During the wait, I -talked with young Hays and confirmed my high opinion of him. I wondered -how he'd react to Mrs. Kane if she turned out to be the beautiful girl -I'd seen in the window a few weeks earlier. - -"I soon found out, for Kane came back leading the girl by the hand. -I might have said 'dragging,' but it wasn't quite that obvious. At -closer view, wearing a sort of chiton-draped white dress, she was even -more lovely than I'd thought. The long lashes veiled her eyes, except -when she acknowledged Kane's introductions with a quick glance and a -murmured, 'How do you do.' Her name was Nalja. - -"Hays was obviously impressed and, in his uninhibited way, said, 'Good -Lord, Kane! If I had a dream like this at home, I wouldn't hide her. -I'd keep her out on display to make the other guys jealous.' - -"The girl gave him a grateful look and just a flicker of a smile, but -said nothing. - -"Simon Kane's reaction was curious. The color drained from his face -and hostile was the only word for his expression. Then he seemed to -get under control and became his genial self. 'My dear,' he said to -his wife, 'we thought you could give a hint about the text of the -fourteenth tablet. Are you far enough along?' - -"Her voice was low and throaty, with a slight British accent. 'I'm -sorry. I have only just started.' - -"'Have you no idea what it's about?' - -"'Only that it seems to be some sort of testimonial. The language -symbols are a little different than the others and it's difficult to -read.' - -"Then she was gone and Porter Hays stood looking at the door through -which she had passed, as if he had just seen a vision." - - * * * * * - -"Wait a minute, Donner," Caples cut in. "How's that tape holding out, -young man?" - -"Fine, Mr. Caples. At least an hour more to go." - -"All right. Go ahead, Donner. Can't you leave out some of the side -issues and get to the finish of this?" - -"They're all related to the outcome of the matter, Mr. Caples. It -wouldn't make any sense at all without them." - -"Nor with them," said Halleck sourly, staring out the window. - - * * * * * - -"Kane was to drive Hays back to Salt Lake, so I only had a moment alone -with him. When I told him I wanted to hold up everything until I'd -checked with my superiors, he just laughed it off. He said that you, -Mr. Caples, had seen all thirteen translations and your memo covered -the whole works. I'm sorry to say this convinced me. - -"Next day, a carload of equipment came in for testing and I didn't -see Simon Kane for about a week, though I learned things weren't -going so well. There was some trouble with the alloy. The rocket was -shipped in, though, and turned out to be a very recent model with the -latest developments in shock and pressure compensation, oxygen plant, -homing-beam navigation and all that. The credit to White Sands was only -$32,000, including insurance, so I authorized it without misgivings, -figuring that the persuasive Kane had swung a good deal. - -"Ruhl got back from Santa Fe and said they'd licked the alloy problem, -though it had been hard to avoid publicity. The metal could only be -worked in a molten state, so the fabricator was casting the nose -sheath and three overlapping girdles with rivet holes, also rivets and -fin shields of the same stuff. It sounded heavy to me, but Ruhl said -that would eliminate all possibility of vibration. This metal casting -accounted for most of the $300,000. - -"During the next two weeks, I was too busy with other things to worry -much about the project, but two incidents happened that had a bearing -on it. - -"On a visit to Salt Lake, I was dining at the Pioneer Arms one evening -and spotted Porter Hays at a table across the room. He was with a young -lady who looked familiar to me, even from the back. They were deep in -conversation. Hays looked up and saw me just as the waiter brought my -dinner. His expression was far from friendly. When the waiter moved out -of the way, I looked over and saw that Hays and the girl were gone. - -"A little later, a bellboy brought me a note. It read, 'I expect you'll -be guided by your own ideas of honor in a case like this. But if you -can conscientiously keep your goddam mouth shut, you may help to -correct a great injustice. Hays.'" - - * * * * * - -Caples had joined Halleck at the window. Now he interrupted. "I suppose -this note and the bill of lading on the rocket were stolen, too?" - -"I tore up that note myself, Mr. Caples. The bill of lading, -though--the second incident concerns it." - -Young Taplin had begun to fidget. - - * * * * * - -"On July 19, Kane telephoned and said the airship was all rigged -and ready to go. He had chosen a spot in the desert for the test -and had scheduled it for the next morning. He'd engaged an expert -communications man--a friend of Ruhl's--and the ship and all ground -equipment were loaded on a trailer under canvas, ready to leave at -nightfall. Ruhl, Heiniger and the radio man would ride out there -together in the trailer. - -"I was irked not to have been consulted on the arrangements. Kane -wanted me to pick up Porter Hays and follow the trailer out, saying -he'd be delayed, but would be there at dawn. I told him I had an -appointment for dinner--some government brass--but would be there in -time for the test. - -"Kane seemed to become furious at this. He railed about the lack of -cooperation and how he'd had to work out the details of the project -almost single-handed, in spite of a clear directive from my superiors. -It ended by my hanging up on him. - -"Driving home around eleven that night, I passed the plant and noticed -a light burning in the darkened office building. Before I reached the -gate, it struck me that the light was from my own office. The guard -at the gate had just come on duty, but his clip-board had no incoming -signatures on it. So I went to take a look. I turned the knob of my -office door and Kane was standing by the desk with his briefcase in one -hand and his hat in the other. - -"I was shocked at the change in him. His eyes were sunken and deeply -rimmed with shadow. He looked ten years older than the last time I'd -seen him. - -"But he wasn't at all abashed. He walked around the desk and took my -hand, saying, 'Raymond, I've been waiting here an hour. Felt sure you'd -stop by. Wanted to apologize in private for my disgraceful performance -this afternoon.' - -"Kane must have seen I wasn't satisfied. 'The strain of this -undertaking has been greater than you realize,' he added. 'So much is -at stake, such a great responsibility to Dr. Reed, your foundation, the -whole world--' - -"I mumbled something about forget it and told him to come along to my -place for a bracer and we'd ride out to the site together. But he said -he had a couple of matters to attend to and we parted at the plant -gate." - - * * * * * - -Halleck came back and sat down. Caples took his seat at the desk. -"I have a feeling," he said, "that we are about to learn if this -prehistoric spaceship of yours ever got off the ground." - -"Shall I order some more coffee, Mr. Caples?" asked Taplin eagerly. - -"No. Just shut up, you idiot! Are you too young to appreciate this -breathless, _undocumented_ melodrama Mr. Donner's describing for us? -This last incident explains the lack of documentation, doesn't it, -Donner?" - -"I'm afraid it does. I discovered later that the folder with all the -papers relating to the project was missing from my files, but I have -other evidence to offer--a witness." He glanced at his wristwatch. "If -my witness is prompt, I'll just have time to finish this." - -"Please do! Does the next scene take place at the launching site?" - - * * * * * - -"Yes. I got there a little late--missed the turn off the highway and -went a long way past it. When I found the place, everything was ready -and they were waiting for me. - -"The aircraft lay on its side, looking fat and very ungainly, I -thought, because of its increased girth. Porter Hays seemed tense, but -eager to get on with it. He wore no flight garb except his helmet with -the earphones. Standing there in slacks and sweater, smoking a final -cigarette, he didn't look theatrical enough for such an occasion. I -thought of telling him I'd kept my goddam mouth shut, but didn't get a -chance. - -"The plan was to take the ship up a few hundred feet and jockey around -to test everything. If the equipment and ship were all right, Hays -would whip her up a few hundred miles and cruise at his discretion. -There was to be no long flight that day. Since we were far out of the -traffic lanes, we didn't expect to attract any attention. - -"At last the Sun came up full, there was a final conference, and Hays -climbed into the ship's rotating cabin by the door at the rear. He -waved and shut the door. He could see out with his tele-view of course, -but we couldn't see him. - -"While the radio man checked the ship-to-ground contact, the rest of us -moved back out of habit, though there would be no blast here. - - * * * * * - -"Very slowly, the ship raised itself to a vertical position. It rose -gradually to about ten feet, stopped, then shot up a couple of hundred -and stopped again. It was incredible! - -"'Give me the phone,' said Kane. He was as white as paste and his eyes -were fever-bright. 'How's it doing, Hays? Looked good from here. Is she -powering right?' - -"The answer must have been gratifying because Simon Kane's white teeth -flashed when he heard it. - -"After that, the ship bobbed around in swift dashes, stopping, then -darting upward till it was only a dot, reaching unbelievable speeds. -All this time, Kane was talking with Hays on the phone, asking -questions, suggesting new maneuvers. Though he was trembling with -excitement, his voice was calm, controlled and persuasive. I realized -later that he was egging Hays on to try more and more spectacular tests -of the ship. - -"Suddenly it shot away in a steep climb toward the west and was out of -sight in a matter of seconds. Kane laid down the telephone and turned -to me. - -"'He's satisfied the craft works perfectly,' he said. 'He's going to -take it straight out for four or five hours and then come back.' - -"We all stared at him, for Hays wasn't to have stayed up over an hour. -I said, 'He can't do that. There's too much he doesn't know about the -ship. Tell him to come back!' - -"Kane didn't look at me. 'The boy knows his business. Leave him alone. -He's making history.' - -"'But the first time--' - -"'I'm going down the road a few miles to get some breakfast. Take turns -talking to him, why don't you?' - -"He got in his car and drove off." - - * * * * * - -"Exit the villain! Donner, you've got a talent, but you're in the wrong -line of work." G. W. Caples dug a chubby fore-finger under his collar -and worked the tie knot loose. "This scenario is worth every single -cent of $300,000." - -Raymond Donner's mouth pressed a little tighter and his tongue pushed -through to moisten his gray dry lips. - -"He never came back," he said hoarsely. "And neither did Hays." - -Something in the man's voice stopped the president from going on with -his sarcastic attack. - -"Did the ship crash?" he asked more soberly. - -"No. It just flew away and never came back." - -The silence hung like a shroud. All three of them--even the -self-conscious Taplin--stared at Donner. - -"We talked to Porter Hays in turns. We begged him to come back. But he -just laughed and said he was having the ride of his life. After about -two hours, his voice faded out suddenly--and that was the end of it." - -"How long ago was this?" - -"Four days." - -"Have you notified the authorities, the police or--well, anyone?" - -"No. I've been putting it off. You see, Hays gave us no hint of any -trouble. The others are still sitting out there in the desert waiting -for him, trying to make radio contact. The ship carried a standard -survival kit with seven days' rations and water. If he's had no -operational trouble, Hays could stay out at least a week." - -"And what about Simon Kane?" demanded Caples. - - * * * * * - -"When Kane didn't come back by noon, I went to look for him. - -"On the way to his home, I stopped at the office, on a hunch, and -discovered the records were missing. At last it began to penetrate that -there was something rotten in Denmark. - -"Dusk had fallen and there were no lights in the Kane house when I got -there. No one answered the doorbell. I called and pounded and finally -climbed in a window to look for signs that the Kanes had packed and -left. There were none. Everything was in order. - -"Then, as I was leaving, I heard a knocking sound from the end of the -building and traced it to the last room on the west side, a sort of -study. The knocking came from a locked closet. The key was gone, so I -had to smash the door. - -"Nalja Kane was sitting on the floor, staring at me without seeming to -see me. She looked frightful, with her hair awry and her eyes red and -glassy. - -"She sort of moaned as I helped her up. 'Did it happen? Did he fly the -ship?' - -"I said, 'Yes, but something's wrong. Where is your husband?' - -"The girl seemed to go all to pieces, turning her head from side to -side and repeating, 'Oh, no! Oh, no!' Then she collapsed. - -"I drove her to the hotel in the nearest town and called a doctor I -knew. He said she had emotional exhaustion, needed rest rather than -hospital care, and gave her a strong sedative. When I got home, I -stayed awake long enough to write that letter to you and then fell into -bed. - -"The phone woke me around ten the next morning. It was Ruhl, calling -from a gas station on the highway. He said Hays wasn't back yet and -promised to call again at five. - -"I mulled the whole thing over all day, trying to sort out the facts, -but they just wouldn't add up to anything. When Ruhl called again with -the same bad news, I decided to come on east and get it off my chest. -It's all beyond me. I don't know what to do." - - * * * * * - -Donner searched in his pockets and pulled out a cigarette pack. It was -empty and he crumpled it absently. Halleck patted his own pockets but -couldn't find any. - -"Now take it easy, Ray," said Caples, walking around the desk with the -humidor and holding it open. "This is the weirdest thing I've ever -heard--yet I think I believe you. Leave it to you solid types to foul -up on a grand scale! How about this witness you mentioned?" - -"On the train--I wanted more time to think, so I didn't fly here--it -occurred to me how flimsy this would all sound, without your memo or -anything else to back it up. I couldn't even prove the tablets ever -existed. In Chicago, I phoned Nalja Kane. She was much better and quite -calm. When I told her the spot I was in, she agreed to take a plane in -the morning and try to be here at 11:30 today." - -Taplin's finger darted to the key panel, but Caples brushed him aside -and opened the circuit himself. "This is Mr. Caples. Is there a lady in -the outer office?" - -"Yes, sir. Mrs. Simon Kane." - -"Ask her to step in, please." - -The four men rose before the door opened--Donner, slowly, with great -weariness. She stood a moment, looking from one face to another, cool -and regal in summer white with a small flowered hat. Faint purple -circles gave her black eyes a brilliance. - -Raymond Donner took her hand and led her to a chair. "Thank you for -coming, Mrs. Kane. May I present Mr. Caples and Mr. Halleck, my -superiors--and Mr. Taplin." - -When they were seated, she spoke first in her low, passionate voice, -without waiting for questions. "I will tell you what I know of Simon -Kane, gentlemen, though it may be less than you would expect from a -wife. In return, I ask you to use all your influence to find him and -bring him to justice. He is a monster and a murderer!" - -"You have my word on it, Mrs. Kane," said Caples, "if you can supply -the evidence that crimes have been committed. Taplin--the recorder. -Move it closer." - -As she began to speak, an occasional small break in her voice hinted at -the emotional turbulence the girl was holding in tight rein. - - * * * * * - -"I married Simon Kane in Egypt in 1958. We met through my father, who -represented the Egyptian government on Dr. Reed's excavation project. -At first, Simon was charming and devoted. We left Egypt almost at once -and entered upon a very pleasant, if secluded, life in this country. -The only discordant note was my father's obvious dislike for Simon. His -letters were stiff and infrequent, and finally stopped altogether. - -"One day, after we had lived here about three years, my husband brought -home two heavy cases and called me in when he opened them. These cases -contained the fourteen tablets that Mr. Donner has probably mentioned. -Simon told me Dr. Reed had turned them over to him to be deciphered. - -"I knew at once that this was not true, since Dr. Reed is one of the -world's foremost students of ancient writings and would have prized the -tablets too highly to let my husband carry them around in his car. When -Simon asked me to make the translations, I refused. - -"He became nearly insane with rage and finally told me he had persuaded -my father to help him steal them a few weeks before our wedding. If I -did not agree to translate them, he threatened to expose my father and -disgrace him before the world. So I did as Simon demanded and it killed -my love for him. - -"In his twisted, possessive way, I think my husband continued to love -me. Once the translation was under way, he tried very hard to win my -voluntary cooperation. He said the device described in the tablets -would upset the economy of the entire world. The government and -industry, he claimed, would pay any price he asked for suppressing it, -once it was tested and proved. We would live like royalty. But I told -him that, if not for my father, I would expose him without the least -hesitation. - -"When we moved to Utah, Simon found an isolated house for us and I was -virtually a prisoner." - - * * * * * - -Nalja Kane stopped. The danger signals of emotion breaking through -showed in the swift, anxious breathing. The four men studied her -helplessly and then it was Taplin who got the glass of water that -bridged a difficult moment. She went on. - -"The first day you came to our house, Mr. Donner, I wrote a note of -warning. I intended to hand it to you through the window, but Simon -came into the room behind me and I couldn't." - -"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Kane. You were obviously in trouble. I should -have--" - -"Perhaps it was better. It might have cost you your life to cross Simon -at that point." - - * * * * * - -"Anyway, Porter Hays stopped by one day. My husband was out and I -answered the door. He was a fine man, sensitive and kind, considering -his adventurous temperament. He could see I was nervous--you know the -disarming way he had of asking the most personal questions. - -"I was afraid to talk there and asked him to drive me to Salt Lake. -On the way, I told him the whole story. He was very sympathetic and -promised to help--beginning by trying to contact my father. I hoped -he would refuse to fly the ship when he knew about Simon. But he had -absolute confidence in it and no fear at all. His plan was to complete -the test and then ask you, Mr. Donner, to impound the ship and all the -records on it. - -"The day before the test flight, I put in the time completing the -translation of the fourteenth tablet. - -"Simon had shown no interest in this, believing it to be a summary of -the others. As the sense of it began to emerge, I was horrified. By -midnight, I had finished it and I sat down in the drawing room with a -typed copy in my hand, waiting for my husband. I waited all night and -must have fallen asleep around dawn. - -"The door chime wakened me. It was a messenger with a note from -Porter--Mr. Hays. A newspaper friend of his in Cairo had been -checking and discovered that my father had been dead six months. -The circumstances of his death were curious and Mr. Hays suggested -contacting the Cairo police as soon as the flight was over. - -"This news was a terrible blow, but the moment I read it, I was free of -Simon Kane. I went to the phone and asked the operator for the police. -While I was waiting for the connection, there was a slight sound behind -me. I turned and Simon was crossing the room. He was in his dressing -gown. He must have come in while I was dozing. I ran for the door, but -he caught me and pushed me into a chair. - - * * * * * - -"When he had hung up the phone, he read Mr. Hays' note without saying a -word. His face was terrible and I knew I was in danger. Then I saw that -the typed copy of the fourteenth tablet was gone. - -"'You read it--the last tablet,' I said. 'And you know you've done all -this evil for nothing. The flight can't take place. If you--if you stop -me from telling the police, Porter will tell them. He knows everything.' - -"He took my wrist and dragged me to the studio and forced me into the -closet and locked the door. I could hear him crumpling and burning -papers for a long time. - -"At last he came close to the door and said, 'There, my dear! Try to -prove that the tablets ever existed!' - -"When he was gone, I screamed and pounded on the door until I was -exhausted. A frightful thing was going to happen and there was nothing -I could do to stop it. - -"Only once--only one time since this all began have I opposed my -husband successfully. And it had no effect on the outcome. When I typed -up the text of the last tablet, I made a carbon copy and put it in my -handbag. I have it here. I believe it will be evidence enough to prove -that Simon Kane is a murderer." - - * * * * * - -Nalja Kane reached in her flat beaded bag and found a folded sheet, -which she handed to Donner. He smoothed it on his knees with hands that -trembled a little. - -"May he read it aloud, Mrs. Kane?" asked Caples. - -"Certainly, if he wishes. But the first part is technical data on a -flight by an inventor named Axtel. The two last paragraphs contain the -evidence I am offering you." - - * * * * * - -Donner nodded and ran his finger down the sheet. He read: - -"'The foregoing record is accurate and we acknowledge Axtel's -superlative contribution to science. But we must admit that his -greatest contribution is in the proving of an axiom: Where ultimate -force is involved, it is better to know _none_ of the laws than to know -_most_ of them. - -"'On the fourth day, the aircraft returned from far space to the point -of its departure. It was in excellent condition--but empty. Nothing -remained of Axtel but merely his clothing and his ring.'" - -Nalja Kane covered her face with both hands and sobbed noiselessly. - -The four men all gazed at the paper as it rustled in Donner's quivering -hand. - -Presently the buzzer ripped the silence like the tearing of a shroud. - -After the second sharp buzz, G. W. Caples tripped the switch and -croaked, "Yes?" - -The girl's voice, bright and businesslike, answered, "There's a -long-distance call from Utah for Mr. Donner. It's a Mr. Ruhl. He says -it's urgent." - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Point of Departure, by Vaughan Shelton - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK POINT OF DEPARTURE *** - -***** This file should be named 50945.txt or 50945.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/9/4/50945/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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