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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..bce5da3 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #61870 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/61870) diff --git a/old/61870-h.zip b/old/61870-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 2591677..0000000 --- a/old/61870-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/61870-h/61870-h.htm b/old/61870-h/61870-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 3478f08..0000000 --- a/old/61870-h/61870-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1184 +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 The Monster That Threatened the Universe, by R. R. Winterbotham. - </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; -} - - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Monster That Threatened the Universe, by -R.R. Winterbotham - -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: The Monster That Threatened the Universe - -Author: R.R. Winterbotham - -Release Date: April 19, 2020 [EBook #61870] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MONSTER THAT THREATENED *** - - - - -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="351" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>THE MONSTER THAT THREATENED THE UNIVERSE</h1> - -<h2>By R. R. WINTERBOTHAM</h2> - -<p>From Chaos a space-consuming creature reached<br /> -slimy tentacles toward trembling planets. And<br /> -no man of the old fighting breed remained on<br /> -effete Earth to battle the invulnerable monster.</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Planet Stories Spring 1941.<br /> -Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br /> -the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Limio hugged the dying fires of Chaos. He was not cold, for the fires -that burned in the center of the cold star were not dead, only dying. -But they were the source of life to the monster who lived in the depths -of a black hole of space.</p> - -<p>The Black Hole, about thirty degrees from the solar quadrant in the -terrestrial galaxy, was not dark, but twilight to Limio, whose eyes -were sensitive to infra-red radiation. These eyes, hundreds of them -floating on huge cranial bumps that dotted the thousands of miles of -his massive body, caught the ruddy glow of a rocket ship entering The -Black Hole.</p> - -<p>Limio grunted. These iron creatures were hard to crack, but inside -their hulls were juicy tidbits of carbon and oxygen in various -combinations. It had seemed to Limio that these tasty morsels were -alive; that they might even possess intelligence. Of course, it would -be hard to conceive of anything so small having much intelligence, but -Limio had run across strange things in the universe in his millions of -years of existence.</p> - -<p>Limio had come to Chaos a single spore. He had grown into a slimy, -reptilian, nauseating mass, the supreme hideosity in a warp of -creation. His body lacked form, except as a tenuous syrupy blanket -covering a fourth of the surface of Chaos. Here and there in the -skin of this monster were toothed craters ready to devour any carbon -molecule that might fall from space. Food was not important to Limio, -for it only made him grow. The energy of the inner fires of Chaos -supplied the needs of his existence. He ate simply to destroy, for -Limio wanted no competitive form of life on Chaos. Competition might -mean death and Limio loved his immortality.</p> - -<p>The rocket ship drew nearer. Limio saw that it had guns. Limio knew -these guns. Once before he had met a rocket ship equipped with neutron -blasters. Limio had received a hole in his body that had taken a -century to heal. Limio had been unprepared then, but this time he was -ready.</p> - -<p>He tapped the inner fires of energy. A warm glow softened his body. The -network of nerves that formed his brain threw out a web of magnetic -energy. The toothed craters in his skin yawned expectantly.</p> - -<p>The intelligence behind the controls of the ship spotted Chaos. It -circled the dying sun. Searchlights stabbed downward toward the -surface. Limio's sensitive nerves tingled as radio energy lashed out -rhythmically from the craft. It was signaling, probably.</p> - -<p>Suddenly from the surface of the star a long, tenuous arm shot out. It -was fifty miles long and five miles in diameter. It leaped from the -surface with mile a second velocity, aiming a blow at the space ship -that could have pounded it to junk, had it landed.</p> - -<p>But the pilot saw the blow and dodged out of the way. The tentacle -snapped back. Again Limio tingled with radio energy. His brain caught -the rhythm and deciphered the thought:</p> - -<p>"It is a living world. It seems to be a vicious animal. Just now it -attacked—"</p> - -<p>"And I will attack again!" whispered Limio's brain in the same magnetic -rhythm of the impulses that flowed from the ship.</p> - -<p>Again the arm shot out toward the ship's hull. Once more the alert -pilot dodged in time.</p> - -<p>"Who are you?" asked the space ship, in the rhythm Limio had begun to -understand.</p> - -<p>"I am Limio," replied the monster. "Who are you, metal monster?"</p> - -<p>"This ship is the <i>Burnt Atom</i>, from earth in the solar system."</p> - -<p>"I have never heard of the solar system, but I have seen others like -you in my time. I have never had trouble destroying one of your kind. -Go away. Leave me alone, or I shall kill you."</p> - -<p>"That is not our policy. We are men. We have principles. Our principles -demand that you be destroyed as a menace to space navigation."</p> - -<p>"Why?"</p> - -<p>"Because you interfere with progress. We know now why ships that enter -The Black Hole never return. We intend to put an end to this wanton and -useless destruction."</p> - -<p>"If you do not go away, I will kill you," said Limio. "But if you -creatures who call yourselves men leave me alone, I will leave you -alone."</p> - -<p>"We can't leave you alone because your principles are not the same as -ours. You stand in the way of progress. You are hideous. You are a -monster. You must be destroyed."</p> - -<p>"You are unbeauteous yourself, but no doubt you are in your early -stages of development. But I do not kill for esthetic reasons. I simply -want to be left alone. Go away."</p> - -<p>"No!" came from the <i>Burnt Atom</i>. "There is no room in the universe for -enemies of progress. Besides, our studies reveal that your planet has -rare minerals on its surface."</p> - -<p>Limio studied the assertion. It was evident to him that the -intelligence directing the <i>Burnt Atom</i> had room for progress. There -was nothing wrong in wanting to progress, except that rapid progress -was self-evidently a bad policy. Progress was inevitable, according to -Limio's way of looking at things, but it should be avoided, because -progress would seek one out. Limio's ultimate destruction would be due -to progress. He would grow until Chaos was too small to keep his bodily -processes in operation. Limio could not stop growth, because carbon -molecules and spores fell continually on the surface of Chaos. But he -did not invite food to come to his planet. That was why he asked the -men to go away.</p> - -<p>"Perhaps your idea of progress is different from mine," Limio said. "To -me, progress is synonymous with growth."</p> - -<p>"To us, progress means growth of mind; development of resources; -betterment of human institutions and relationships."</p> - -<p>"Then your idea of progress is nothing at all," Limio said. "I have -seen many forms of life, even some of your own forms, and I have never -seen a mind whose growth was not limited by hereditary conditions -which tend to progress in nature's own way; nature alone can develop -resources—you simply take them away from nature; and if human -relations are governed by this philosophy it is better that the human -race does not progress, although it will in spite of itself. Now that -we understand each other, please go away."</p> - -<p>In reply the yellow flame of a neutron gun streaked from the <i>Burnt -Atom</i>.</p> - -<p>But Limio had met men before and he was prepared for the niceties of -their means of destruction. His web-like brain cast off magnetic force -to shield his body. The magnetism swerved the neutrons from their path, -doubled them back on their course until the yellow flame touched the -sides of the space ship itself.</p> - -<p>There was a single explosive puff. The darkness of The Black Hole -returned.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Commander General Adstrom, president of the terrestrial Congress, -surveyed the two men who stood in front of him. One was an officer in -uniform, while the other was a pale-faced, poorly dressed person.</p> - -<p>The commander general addressed the officer.</p> - -<p>"Is—is this a—a criminal?" he asked.</p> - -<p>The pale-faced young man watched with evident amusement.</p> - -<p>"The gland extracts have been most effective during the past ten years, -sir," the officer said. "This is the only law violator we've been able -to find."</p> - -<p>Commander General Adstrom shook his head. "We should have known -when to stop with those gland extracts," he declared. "We sought to -destroy criminality and we did. But we also destroyed creativeness, -originality, individuality. I hoped that the gland extract would not -affect everyone. I expected that some individualists would remain and -that we could find him among the criminal classes. But there are no -criminal classes!"</p> - -<p>"This man is a criminal. His name is Marmaduke Karns. Perhaps you -remember the trial not long ago. It was quite a sensation."</p> - -<p>"Marmaduke Karns? The name is familiar." The commander general -appraised the young man. "What crime did he commit?"</p> - -<p>"He synthesized teakwood without a permit, sir."</p> - -<p>"I got thirty days, too!" Marmaduke Karns added proudly. "They treated -me royally in jail. It was the first job the jailer has had in ten -years."</p> - -<p>"Did you take the gland extract?" Commander General asked.</p> - -<p>Marmaduke nodded.</p> - -<p>"There's something funny about that, too, sir," the officer -interrupted. "Karns was given a test in jail and the gland extract was -found in his veins, but there also was a trace of another substance. An -antidote, sir!"</p> - -<p>Marmaduke's face grew paler. The commander general eyed his prisoner -seriously.</p> - -<p>"You know it's a capital offense to take an antidote to the extract?" -the commander general asked.</p> - -<p>"I'm standing on my Constitutional rights," Marmaduke said. "I want a -lawyer."</p> - -<p>"I didn't know there was an antidote," the commander general said. "It -seems that the antidote probably will be, in your case, a great boon to -the universe. Have you got any more of it?"</p> - -<p>"I'm still standing on my Constitutional rights," Marmaduke said. "The -stuff—and I'm not admitting anything—is a secret."</p> - -<p>"You can feel perfectly free to talk," the commander general said. -"Nothing you say will go beyond these walls. Furthermore, one -difficulty we are up against is that of finding an executioner, even if -you were convicted and sentenced to death for manufacturing an antidote -to the extract. There's not a human being on earth who would take -another man's life, even legally."</p> - -<p>"I know," Marmaduke said. "That's why I invented the stuff and took -it. Now I'm in the position of a superman. I've got a monopoly on -originality, individuality and creativeness in the world. If I revealed -my antidote, I'd not have a monopoly."</p> - -<p>"We can still put you in jail," the commander general reminded.</p> - -<p>"The world would beat a pathway to my cell," Marmaduke replied. "I -wouldn't stay in jail long."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Commander General Adstrom was confronted with a serious problem. -Marmaduke Karns represented a one-man revolution that could not be -suppressed. The commander general might call out the army, the navy, -the airforce and the spaceforce, but not a human being would kill -Karns, because the gland extract had made it psychologically impossible -for one human being to kill another. As long as Karns were alive, -whether he be in jail or free, Karns was bound to climb to the top of -the heap.</p> - -<p>The commander general played his final trump.</p> - -<p>"I plead with you in the name of human progress," he said, "to thrust -aside your personal ambitions and put your self-bestowed gift of -individuality in the service of mankind!"</p> - -<p>"When you put it that way," Karns said, "I'd be a heel to refuse."</p> - -<p>"Ah!" Commander General Adkins drew a deep sigh.</p> - -<p>Briefly he explained his proposition. He told of the radio reports -received from the <i>Burnt Atom</i> indicating that a creature existed in -the middle of The Black Hole that blocked progress in developing Chaos.</p> - -<p>"There was an interruption of signals and then silence," Adstrom -continued. "We have not heard from the <i>Burnt Atom</i> since and there's -no doubt that this terrible creature, Limio, destroyed the ship. Now -we human beings have learned a few lessons in our millions of years of -existence. One of them is that a rotten place on the world or in the -universe spreads. We must someday come to death grips with Limio and we -believe we can tackle him better now than later on."</p> - -<p>"Why now?"</p> - -<p>"At present he is confined to only one planet—or star, for we -believe Chaos is simply a burnt-out star. As he grows he will become -desperate, just as mankind grew desperate when the earth became -overpopulated. Limio, sooner or later, will find a way to move Chaos -out of The Black Hole. By that time he will be large enough to join -other planets to his own. The eventual conclusion will be that Limio -will absorb every atom of carbon in the universe, including the human -race, and the whole universe will be occupied by a single living -creature."</p> - -<p>"It sounds rather absurd," Marmaduke said.</p> - -<p>"It's not half as absurd as some other theories about the end of the -world and it's just as logical."</p> - -<p>"I suppose you want me to destroy this monster?"</p> - -<p>"We've tried our best weapons against him and failed to hurt him," -the commander general pointed out. "You've got to invent a weapon to -conquer Limio. You're the only man in the world with genius enough to -do it."</p> - -<p>"May I see the reports from the <i>Burnt Atom</i>?"</p> - -<p>"The resources of the world are at your command."</p> - -<p>"Then I'll take the job," Marmaduke said. "But when I get back, it's -every man for himself. Either you abdicate, or I'll overthrow you."</p> - -<p>Commander General Adstrom smiled. "I'll abdicate," he said.</p> - -<p>The door of the room opened and a slender figure dressed in slacks -entered.</p> - -<p>"Oh, it's you, Sandra!" Commander General Adstrom said. He turned to -Marmaduke. "This is Sandra, my daughter; Sandra, this is Marmaduke -Karns, the world's foremost public enemy."</p> - -<p>Sandra stepped forward and took the hand of the prisoner in a friendly -clasp.</p> - -<p>"I read about your trial! It was so exciting! I've always wanted to -meet a bad man."</p> - -<p>Marmaduke Karns grinned bashfully. "You're Sandra Adstrom! I've had -your pictures from the rotogravure section pasted all over my cell!"</p> - -<p>It was Sandra's turn to blush. She noted that if Marmaduke had -more color he wouldn't be so bad looking, even if he were a little -underweight.</p> - -<p>"Karns is going to lead an expedition into The Black Hole," Commander -General Adstrom explained. "He's going to invent a weapon to conquer -Limio."</p> - -<p>"Oh!" Sandra caught her breath. "How soon?"</p> - -<p>"Not for a few weeks," Marmaduke explained. "I've got to invent the -weapon first."</p> - -<p>"Oh, then you could drop over to my house for tea," Sandra smiled. -"Some of my friends would like to meet you. Perhaps you could autograph -their copies of the court records of your trial."</p> - -<p>Karns quickly accepted the invitation. The officer showed him out of -the room.</p> - -<p>The commander general turned to his daughter.</p> - -<p>"Nice work, child," he said. "No man will execute Karns, but Limio has -no such limitations. The fool did not even suspect that he was under -a death sentence the minute our scientists found the antidote for the -extract in his veins."</p> - -<p>"It seems such a shame, too," Sandra said. "But after all, I suppose -he's a public enemy."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Marmaduke, at Sandra's party, strutted like a rooster among a dozen of -her close friends. The sight sickened Sandra, but it made her glad at -the same time. There was not another man in the world with conceit. The -gland extract had eliminated man's worst failing.</p> - -<p>When the others left, Sandra turned on her guest of honor.</p> - -<p>"I don't think you were very modest," she said. "In old times a -criminal didn't crow about his crimes, he was ashamed. You acted like a -national hero."</p> - -<p>"After all, I am, am I not?"</p> - -<p>"You didn't need to date up all of my friends!"</p> - -<p>A slow smile crept across Marmaduke's face. He looked nicer even than -he had in Commander General Adstrom's office. There was more color in -his cheeks and he had gained weight. There was a trace of devilishness -in his eyes. Somehow, Sandra felt sorry to find it there. She was part -of the plot to bring about this criminal's execution.</p> - -<p>"So that's it, is it?" Marmaduke asked.</p> - -<p>"What's what?"</p> - -<p>"You're jealous!"</p> - -<p>"You conceited fool!" Sandra said. She did not appear to be angry, and -in fact she was not, for the gland extract had eliminated anger in her -temperament. She was simply stating facts.</p> - -<p>Marmaduke took her in his arms and planted a kiss on her lips. She -tried to break away, but he kissed her again, very firmly. She ceased -resisting and kissed him.</p> - -<p>"After all," said Sandra, "you're the only male left in the world who -has the remotest resemblance to what a man should be. I'll have no part -in this thing. You must not go to The Black Hole!"</p> - -<p>"If you mean you're afraid your father's plan to use Limio as an -executioner will work, you needn't worry."</p> - -<p>"You know—about that?"</p> - -<p>"Of course! I knew when I was brought before Old Monkeyface—pardon, -I mean your father—that the antidote in my veins had been discovered -and that I would be sentenced to death. I was curious as to how he was -going to execute me."</p> - -<p>"Now you know. You can't kill Limio! The monster is invulnerable."</p> - -<p>"Sandra, dear," Marmaduke said, "everyone thinks the gland extract is -foolproof. But look! You're aiding and abetting a criminal, giving me a -chance to escape after warning me that I face death."</p> - -<p>"Oh! I'm a criminal, too."</p> - -<p>"Yes. It seems as though love is an antidote for a lot of things, -including the extract. Of course, my antidote is not a love potion, but -it works just as well as love to overcome the extract. Now all I have -to do is to meet Limio and show he's not invulnerable. I'll do it, too."</p> - -<p>In her mind Sandra doubted, but in her heart she hoped.</p> - -<p>The terrestrial Congress, anxious for law enforcement, commandeered a -laboratory for Marmaduke Karns, who intended to use it to construct -a chemical weapon to use against Limio. Marmaduke argued that if the -human race could be completely subdued by a shot or two of extract, -Limio could be made docile. Commander General Adstrom didn't care -whether Karns was successful or not. If successful, Karns would have -won a pardon from his death sentence; if not, the death penalty would -have been carried out and the laws enforced. Adstrom couldn't lose.</p> - -<p>The work was completed at last. Tank after tank of liquid was stored -aboard the <i>Burnt Atom II</i>, the space ship destined to take Karns into -The Black Hole. The craft was loaded with provisions and fuel and then -it shot into space and beyond the solar system at a speed many times -the velocity of light.</p> - -<p>At the edge of The Black Hole, Karns' radio receiver crackled.</p> - -<p>"Commander General Adstrom calling!"</p> - -<p>This was remarkable. The radio signals had no right to catch up! True, -the signals could be sent through the time dimension and traverse space -at a pace more rapid than light, but this signal from earth shouldn't -have reached Karns for several days.</p> - -<p>"Hello, Adstrom!" spoke Karns.</p> - -<p>"You're under arrest. Halt. You've kidnaped my daughter!"</p> - -<p>"But I haven't got your daughter, sir!" Karns said.</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes, you have!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The four words came, not from the receiver, but from the storeroom of -the space ship. There in the doorway stood Sandra.</p> - -<p>"Sandra!"</p> - -<p>"Aha!" came from Adstrom.</p> - -<p>"I hope you don't mind having a stowaway," said Sandra.</p> - -<p>"I'm training a battery of neutron guns on your ship," Adstrom called. -"Surrender my daughter or I'll fire."</p> - -<p>Karns swung to the microphone. "You won't fire," he said. "You're -primed with too much extract and even if you weren't, you wouldn't want -to destroy your daughter along with the kidnaper." He turned to Sandra. -"There's a lifeboat in the hold. Get in it and take off."</p> - -<p>"You're afraid to take me with you! Haven't you faith in your weapon?"</p> - -<p>"There's always a certain amount of danger."</p> - -<p>"Then I'll share it with you!"</p> - -<p>Karns glanced at the pursuing ship. It was overtaking him. He didn't -dare wait. He touched the controls and nosed into The Black Hole. He -flew toward the shadow of the star that was silhouetted in darkness in -the center of the whirlpool of space.</p> - -<p>"Limio! Limio!" he called into the radio.</p> - -<p>At last a reply came from the monster.</p> - -<p>"Go away, earthman. Go away before I kill you."</p> - -<p>"There's no reason for me to kill you. Why can't terrestrials and you -get along?"</p> - -<p>Limio's answer was simple.</p> - -<p>"If I don't kill you, you'll kill me. It's the law of life. I don't -want to be killed, so I kill you."</p> - -<p>"If you kill me, my atoms will fall to your planet. You'll absorb them -and grow. Other men will come to avenge my death and you'll kill them. -You will eat their atoms and grow some more. Some day you'll be too big -for Chaos. You'll die. By killing me, you kill yourself."</p> - -<p>"If I don't kill you, you'll kill me," Limio repeated.</p> - -<p>"You don't trust me, Limio. Listen. I don't come to kill, I came to -bring peace."</p> - -<p>"You are a fool, man, but I'm not. Go away, while you are in one piece."</p> - -<p>"I offer you a long life and a more exciting one!"</p> - -<p>As he spoke Karns glanced behind him. Adstrom's ship was circling -above, ready to dive. It would try to disable <i>Burnt Atom II</i>, board -the ship and rescue Sandra, and then leave Karns to Limio's mercy.</p> - -<p>"The last earthman to come here talked of progress," Limio said. "You -speak of other gifts. What—"</p> - -<p>"Not a gift, Limio, but a price! We terrestrials wish to buy precious -minerals you guard on Chaos."</p> - -<p>"What has happened of progress on earth?"</p> - -<p>"The minerals represent our ideal of progress."</p> - -<p>"Do the minerals make you grow?"</p> - -<p>"No, Limio."</p> - -<p>"Then there is no progress. Progress is purely a matter of size."</p> - -<p>"But even to you, growth means death and destruction. On our planet we -grow in numbers. When the world is overpopulated, enough people die to -leave it under-populated again. The human race, in a sense, is more -immortal than you, Limio."</p> - -<p>Karns saw Adstrom's ship in a dive. He jerked the controls and sent his -own craft forward out of the way. The action was mistaken by Limio as -an attack. The huge, fifty-mile tentacle shot out toward the <i>Burnt -Atom II</i>. Karns twisted the controls again and dodged, so that the blow -barely missed his ship.</p> - -<p>Adstrom, however, was not so lucky. As he attempted to follow Karns' -maneuver, his craft came directly in line with the piston-like plunge -of the tentacle. He swerved his ship, but he swerved too late. The -tentacle caught Adstrom's ship a glancing blow.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus.jpg" width="285" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>The ship bounced upward out of control. But it was caught by the -gravity of Chaos and it tumbled back, like a falling leaf, toward the -surface of the planet.</p> - -<p>A roar came from Limio.</p> - -<p>Adstrom's ship tumbled close to the ground before the commander fired -the rockets. Even with the fuel blast, he was unsuccessful in keeping -the craft off the ground, but he managed to steer it to a safe landing -on a rocky cliff some distance from the huge body of Limio.</p> - -<p>Sandra screamed as she saw a thousand-foot wave of flesh roll across -the rocky planet toward her father.</p> - -<p>Karns already was nosing his craft down in a dive.</p> - -<p>There were two courses open. He might leave Adstrom to his fate and try -to flee, in which case Limio most certainly would bring him down with -a blow from the tentacle. Or, Karns might try to land, hoping to fool -Limio into thinking he had damaged both craft. Limio might not attack -Karns in belief that Karns was a lame duck.</p> - -<p>Karns chose the second course, not only as the safest, but as a means -of bringing Limio under control. Adstrom did not deserve to be rescued, -perhaps, but after all he was Sandra's father.</p> - -<p>Besides, it was a battle between a monster and man, and Adstrom was on -Karns' side.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The space ship tumbled to the foot of the rocky cliff. As it fell, -Karns gave the tubes just enough fuel to keep the landing bump from -being too severe. As the ship crashed, he opened the cockpit of the -tanks containing the fluid he intended to use upon Limio.</p> - -<p>"Follow me, Sandra!" he called, running toward the locks.</p> - -<p>They leaped from the craft into an atmosphere surprisingly pleasant -and sweet. It was only slightly frosty, but the terrestrials were well -clad.</p> - -<p>They began scrambling up the sides of the cliff. Below they heard the -rumbling of the monster's body.</p> - -<p>Limio roared as his processes splashed into the sweet liquid that -washed the gulleys at the foot of the cliff.</p> - -<p>Sandra screamed as one of the processes struck a rock a few feet from -her.</p> - -<p>"It isn't working!" she cried. "It can't work. The extract simply -prevents crime and individualism. You can't prevent individualism when -there is only one individual in a species; and there can be no crime -without fellow creatures to harm!"</p> - -<p>"Hurry, Sandra!" Karns urged. "Save your breath. It wasn't the extract -I gave him, but the antidote!"</p> - -<p>A huge tentacle raised above the fleeing pair. Sandra closed her eyes. -She couldn't escape this blow.</p> - -<p>The tentacle did not fall. Instead it snapped back to Limio's body, -landing with the crack of a whip.</p> - -<p>Suddenly Limio seemed to writhe in pain. Sparks flew from the -rocks. The planet shook as if it was in the throes of dissolution. -Searchlights from Adstrom's craft flickered down into the valley to -reveal a billowing ocean of flesh struggling with itself, fighting -itself.</p> - -<p>At the top of the cliff Karns and Sandra paused for breath.</p> - -<p>"His mind was in unity, now it is in discord," he said. "His evolution -was different from ours. He grew as one individual, while life on our -planet resolved itself into countless individuals. The antidote served -to separate the individuals of his being for the first time in history. -Every nerve cell in his body now has individuality. Limio is a billion -intellects instead of one."</p> - -<p>"In other words, he is crazy!"</p> - -<p>"Only in the sense that he is one creature. If we look at him as the -whole creation of a world—many creatures—he is not so crazy. He is -simply conservative. He is bound to progress and that progress is going -to be the kind that lasts, because it was won in a struggle."</p> - -<p>"What on earth is progress?" Sandra asked. "It looks to me, if that is -progress, that it's a rather crazy thing—"</p> - -<p>"Progress is simply the settlement of a lot of arguments. Every time -we settle one argument we find another and progress goes on. At home, -progress was blocked by the extract, which made all minds in unison, -blocked all argument, ended criminality, made the whole race one -individual. The antidote which I gave myself preserved progress by -allowing one individual, at least, a different viewpoint. I proved my -individuality by getting thrown in jail. You fell in love and became an -individualist by warning me of a plot to kill me. Progress continued -when your father chased me into The Black Hole—"</p> - -<p>"Hello! Hello out there! Are you all right?" Adstrom's voice boomed -from the locks of his space ship.</p> - -<p>"Perfectly!" Karns replied.</p> - -<p>"Ah! A moment ago I wanted to kill you! Now, strangely enough, I feel -very grateful toward you for—er—saving Sandra. You will be pardoned -of all your crimes."</p> - -<p>"He didn't kidnap me, Father," Sandra explained as they entered the -ship.</p> - -<p>"He has done plenty to the earth! He connected his laboratory with a -food factory so that the antidote he made has been spread all over the -world in food! He's destroyed the unity of the world! He ought to go to -jail, but the jailer's resigned because he had too much to do."</p> - -<p>"Marmaduke has brought progress back to the world, Father!"</p> - -<p>"Progress! Bah! He's turned the world into a turmoil! The whole -population is fighting. The planet's in an uproar. I'll abdicate rather -than rule the mess. Let Marmaduke try to straighten it out!"</p> - -<p>"Sir," Marmaduke said, "it's every man for himself. You've better -qualifications for the office and I can swing some votes your way. You -couldn't swing a barn door mine."</p> - -<p>The damaged ship had been repaired. They soared earthward. Limio, too -busy with his own problems, made no move to stop them. In fact, he -might be disturbed enough now to enter into commercial agreement with -other planets—parts of his brain trading with other creatures at the -expense of other parts. Progress, human style, had come to Chaos.</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Monster That Threatened the -Universe, by R.R. 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Winterbotham - -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: The Monster That Threatened the Universe - -Author: R.R. Winterbotham - -Release Date: April 19, 2020 [EBook #61870] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MONSTER THAT THREATENED *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - THE MONSTER THAT THREATENED THE UNIVERSE - - By R. R. WINTERBOTHAM - - From Chaos a space-consuming creature reached - slimy tentacles toward trembling planets. And - no man of the old fighting breed remained on - effete Earth to battle the invulnerable monster. - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Planet Stories Spring 1941. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -Limio hugged the dying fires of Chaos. He was not cold, for the fires -that burned in the center of the cold star were not dead, only dying. -But they were the source of life to the monster who lived in the depths -of a black hole of space. - -The Black Hole, about thirty degrees from the solar quadrant in the -terrestrial galaxy, was not dark, but twilight to Limio, whose eyes -were sensitive to infra-red radiation. These eyes, hundreds of them -floating on huge cranial bumps that dotted the thousands of miles of -his massive body, caught the ruddy glow of a rocket ship entering The -Black Hole. - -Limio grunted. These iron creatures were hard to crack, but inside -their hulls were juicy tidbits of carbon and oxygen in various -combinations. It had seemed to Limio that these tasty morsels were -alive; that they might even possess intelligence. Of course, it would -be hard to conceive of anything so small having much intelligence, but -Limio had run across strange things in the universe in his millions of -years of existence. - -Limio had come to Chaos a single spore. He had grown into a slimy, -reptilian, nauseating mass, the supreme hideosity in a warp of -creation. His body lacked form, except as a tenuous syrupy blanket -covering a fourth of the surface of Chaos. Here and there in the -skin of this monster were toothed craters ready to devour any carbon -molecule that might fall from space. Food was not important to Limio, -for it only made him grow. The energy of the inner fires of Chaos -supplied the needs of his existence. He ate simply to destroy, for -Limio wanted no competitive form of life on Chaos. Competition might -mean death and Limio loved his immortality. - -The rocket ship drew nearer. Limio saw that it had guns. Limio knew -these guns. Once before he had met a rocket ship equipped with neutron -blasters. Limio had received a hole in his body that had taken a -century to heal. Limio had been unprepared then, but this time he was -ready. - -He tapped the inner fires of energy. A warm glow softened his body. The -network of nerves that formed his brain threw out a web of magnetic -energy. The toothed craters in his skin yawned expectantly. - -The intelligence behind the controls of the ship spotted Chaos. It -circled the dying sun. Searchlights stabbed downward toward the -surface. Limio's sensitive nerves tingled as radio energy lashed out -rhythmically from the craft. It was signaling, probably. - -Suddenly from the surface of the star a long, tenuous arm shot out. It -was fifty miles long and five miles in diameter. It leaped from the -surface with mile a second velocity, aiming a blow at the space ship -that could have pounded it to junk, had it landed. - -But the pilot saw the blow and dodged out of the way. The tentacle -snapped back. Again Limio tingled with radio energy. His brain caught -the rhythm and deciphered the thought: - -"It is a living world. It seems to be a vicious animal. Just now it -attacked--" - -"And I will attack again!" whispered Limio's brain in the same magnetic -rhythm of the impulses that flowed from the ship. - -Again the arm shot out toward the ship's hull. Once more the alert -pilot dodged in time. - -"Who are you?" asked the space ship, in the rhythm Limio had begun to -understand. - -"I am Limio," replied the monster. "Who are you, metal monster?" - -"This ship is the _Burnt Atom_, from earth in the solar system." - -"I have never heard of the solar system, but I have seen others like -you in my time. I have never had trouble destroying one of your kind. -Go away. Leave me alone, or I shall kill you." - -"That is not our policy. We are men. We have principles. Our principles -demand that you be destroyed as a menace to space navigation." - -"Why?" - -"Because you interfere with progress. We know now why ships that enter -The Black Hole never return. We intend to put an end to this wanton and -useless destruction." - -"If you do not go away, I will kill you," said Limio. "But if you -creatures who call yourselves men leave me alone, I will leave you -alone." - -"We can't leave you alone because your principles are not the same as -ours. You stand in the way of progress. You are hideous. You are a -monster. You must be destroyed." - -"You are unbeauteous yourself, but no doubt you are in your early -stages of development. But I do not kill for esthetic reasons. I simply -want to be left alone. Go away." - -"No!" came from the _Burnt Atom_. "There is no room in the universe for -enemies of progress. Besides, our studies reveal that your planet has -rare minerals on its surface." - -Limio studied the assertion. It was evident to him that the -intelligence directing the _Burnt Atom_ had room for progress. There -was nothing wrong in wanting to progress, except that rapid progress -was self-evidently a bad policy. Progress was inevitable, according to -Limio's way of looking at things, but it should be avoided, because -progress would seek one out. Limio's ultimate destruction would be due -to progress. He would grow until Chaos was too small to keep his bodily -processes in operation. Limio could not stop growth, because carbon -molecules and spores fell continually on the surface of Chaos. But he -did not invite food to come to his planet. That was why he asked the -men to go away. - -"Perhaps your idea of progress is different from mine," Limio said. "To -me, progress is synonymous with growth." - -"To us, progress means growth of mind; development of resources; -betterment of human institutions and relationships." - -"Then your idea of progress is nothing at all," Limio said. "I have -seen many forms of life, even some of your own forms, and I have never -seen a mind whose growth was not limited by hereditary conditions -which tend to progress in nature's own way; nature alone can develop -resources--you simply take them away from nature; and if human -relations are governed by this philosophy it is better that the human -race does not progress, although it will in spite of itself. Now that -we understand each other, please go away." - -In reply the yellow flame of a neutron gun streaked from the _Burnt -Atom_. - -But Limio had met men before and he was prepared for the niceties of -their means of destruction. His web-like brain cast off magnetic force -to shield his body. The magnetism swerved the neutrons from their path, -doubled them back on their course until the yellow flame touched the -sides of the space ship itself. - -There was a single explosive puff. The darkness of The Black Hole -returned. - - * * * * * - -Commander General Adstrom, president of the terrestrial Congress, -surveyed the two men who stood in front of him. One was an officer in -uniform, while the other was a pale-faced, poorly dressed person. - -The commander general addressed the officer. - -"Is--is this a--a criminal?" he asked. - -The pale-faced young man watched with evident amusement. - -"The gland extracts have been most effective during the past ten years, -sir," the officer said. "This is the only law violator we've been able -to find." - -Commander General Adstrom shook his head. "We should have known -when to stop with those gland extracts," he declared. "We sought to -destroy criminality and we did. But we also destroyed creativeness, -originality, individuality. I hoped that the gland extract would not -affect everyone. I expected that some individualists would remain and -that we could find him among the criminal classes. But there are no -criminal classes!" - -"This man is a criminal. His name is Marmaduke Karns. Perhaps you -remember the trial not long ago. It was quite a sensation." - -"Marmaduke Karns? The name is familiar." The commander general -appraised the young man. "What crime did he commit?" - -"He synthesized teakwood without a permit, sir." - -"I got thirty days, too!" Marmaduke Karns added proudly. "They treated -me royally in jail. It was the first job the jailer has had in ten -years." - -"Did you take the gland extract?" Commander General asked. - -Marmaduke nodded. - -"There's something funny about that, too, sir," the officer -interrupted. "Karns was given a test in jail and the gland extract was -found in his veins, but there also was a trace of another substance. An -antidote, sir!" - -Marmaduke's face grew paler. The commander general eyed his prisoner -seriously. - -"You know it's a capital offense to take an antidote to the extract?" -the commander general asked. - -"I'm standing on my Constitutional rights," Marmaduke said. "I want a -lawyer." - -"I didn't know there was an antidote," the commander general said. "It -seems that the antidote probably will be, in your case, a great boon to -the universe. Have you got any more of it?" - -"I'm still standing on my Constitutional rights," Marmaduke said. "The -stuff--and I'm not admitting anything--is a secret." - -"You can feel perfectly free to talk," the commander general said. -"Nothing you say will go beyond these walls. Furthermore, one -difficulty we are up against is that of finding an executioner, even if -you were convicted and sentenced to death for manufacturing an antidote -to the extract. There's not a human being on earth who would take -another man's life, even legally." - -"I know," Marmaduke said. "That's why I invented the stuff and took -it. Now I'm in the position of a superman. I've got a monopoly on -originality, individuality and creativeness in the world. If I revealed -my antidote, I'd not have a monopoly." - -"We can still put you in jail," the commander general reminded. - -"The world would beat a pathway to my cell," Marmaduke replied. "I -wouldn't stay in jail long." - - * * * * * - -Commander General Adstrom was confronted with a serious problem. -Marmaduke Karns represented a one-man revolution that could not be -suppressed. The commander general might call out the army, the navy, -the airforce and the spaceforce, but not a human being would kill -Karns, because the gland extract had made it psychologically impossible -for one human being to kill another. As long as Karns were alive, -whether he be in jail or free, Karns was bound to climb to the top of -the heap. - -The commander general played his final trump. - -"I plead with you in the name of human progress," he said, "to thrust -aside your personal ambitions and put your self-bestowed gift of -individuality in the service of mankind!" - -"When you put it that way," Karns said, "I'd be a heel to refuse." - -"Ah!" Commander General Adkins drew a deep sigh. - -Briefly he explained his proposition. He told of the radio reports -received from the _Burnt Atom_ indicating that a creature existed in -the middle of The Black Hole that blocked progress in developing Chaos. - -"There was an interruption of signals and then silence," Adstrom -continued. "We have not heard from the _Burnt Atom_ since and there's -no doubt that this terrible creature, Limio, destroyed the ship. Now -we human beings have learned a few lessons in our millions of years of -existence. One of them is that a rotten place on the world or in the -universe spreads. We must someday come to death grips with Limio and we -believe we can tackle him better now than later on." - -"Why now?" - -"At present he is confined to only one planet--or star, for we -believe Chaos is simply a burnt-out star. As he grows he will become -desperate, just as mankind grew desperate when the earth became -overpopulated. Limio, sooner or later, will find a way to move Chaos -out of The Black Hole. By that time he will be large enough to join -other planets to his own. The eventual conclusion will be that Limio -will absorb every atom of carbon in the universe, including the human -race, and the whole universe will be occupied by a single living -creature." - -"It sounds rather absurd," Marmaduke said. - -"It's not half as absurd as some other theories about the end of the -world and it's just as logical." - -"I suppose you want me to destroy this monster?" - -"We've tried our best weapons against him and failed to hurt him," -the commander general pointed out. "You've got to invent a weapon to -conquer Limio. You're the only man in the world with genius enough to -do it." - -"May I see the reports from the _Burnt Atom_?" - -"The resources of the world are at your command." - -"Then I'll take the job," Marmaduke said. "But when I get back, it's -every man for himself. Either you abdicate, or I'll overthrow you." - -Commander General Adstrom smiled. "I'll abdicate," he said. - -The door of the room opened and a slender figure dressed in slacks -entered. - -"Oh, it's you, Sandra!" Commander General Adstrom said. He turned to -Marmaduke. "This is Sandra, my daughter; Sandra, this is Marmaduke -Karns, the world's foremost public enemy." - -Sandra stepped forward and took the hand of the prisoner in a friendly -clasp. - -"I read about your trial! It was so exciting! I've always wanted to -meet a bad man." - -Marmaduke Karns grinned bashfully. "You're Sandra Adstrom! I've had -your pictures from the rotogravure section pasted all over my cell!" - -It was Sandra's turn to blush. She noted that if Marmaduke had -more color he wouldn't be so bad looking, even if he were a little -underweight. - -"Karns is going to lead an expedition into The Black Hole," Commander -General Adstrom explained. "He's going to invent a weapon to conquer -Limio." - -"Oh!" Sandra caught her breath. "How soon?" - -"Not for a few weeks," Marmaduke explained. "I've got to invent the -weapon first." - -"Oh, then you could drop over to my house for tea," Sandra smiled. -"Some of my friends would like to meet you. Perhaps you could autograph -their copies of the court records of your trial." - -Karns quickly accepted the invitation. The officer showed him out of -the room. - -The commander general turned to his daughter. - -"Nice work, child," he said. "No man will execute Karns, but Limio has -no such limitations. The fool did not even suspect that he was under -a death sentence the minute our scientists found the antidote for the -extract in his veins." - -"It seems such a shame, too," Sandra said. "But after all, I suppose -he's a public enemy." - - * * * * * - -Marmaduke, at Sandra's party, strutted like a rooster among a dozen of -her close friends. The sight sickened Sandra, but it made her glad at -the same time. There was not another man in the world with conceit. The -gland extract had eliminated man's worst failing. - -When the others left, Sandra turned on her guest of honor. - -"I don't think you were very modest," she said. "In old times a -criminal didn't crow about his crimes, he was ashamed. You acted like a -national hero." - -"After all, I am, am I not?" - -"You didn't need to date up all of my friends!" - -A slow smile crept across Marmaduke's face. He looked nicer even than -he had in Commander General Adstrom's office. There was more color in -his cheeks and he had gained weight. There was a trace of devilishness -in his eyes. Somehow, Sandra felt sorry to find it there. She was part -of the plot to bring about this criminal's execution. - -"So that's it, is it?" Marmaduke asked. - -"What's what?" - -"You're jealous!" - -"You conceited fool!" Sandra said. She did not appear to be angry, and -in fact she was not, for the gland extract had eliminated anger in her -temperament. She was simply stating facts. - -Marmaduke took her in his arms and planted a kiss on her lips. She -tried to break away, but he kissed her again, very firmly. She ceased -resisting and kissed him. - -"After all," said Sandra, "you're the only male left in the world who -has the remotest resemblance to what a man should be. I'll have no part -in this thing. You must not go to The Black Hole!" - -"If you mean you're afraid your father's plan to use Limio as an -executioner will work, you needn't worry." - -"You know--about that?" - -"Of course! I knew when I was brought before Old Monkeyface--pardon, -I mean your father--that the antidote in my veins had been discovered -and that I would be sentenced to death. I was curious as to how he was -going to execute me." - -"Now you know. You can't kill Limio! The monster is invulnerable." - -"Sandra, dear," Marmaduke said, "everyone thinks the gland extract is -foolproof. But look! You're aiding and abetting a criminal, giving me a -chance to escape after warning me that I face death." - -"Oh! I'm a criminal, too." - -"Yes. It seems as though love is an antidote for a lot of things, -including the extract. Of course, my antidote is not a love potion, but -it works just as well as love to overcome the extract. Now all I have -to do is to meet Limio and show he's not invulnerable. I'll do it, too." - -In her mind Sandra doubted, but in her heart she hoped. - -The terrestrial Congress, anxious for law enforcement, commandeered a -laboratory for Marmaduke Karns, who intended to use it to construct -a chemical weapon to use against Limio. Marmaduke argued that if the -human race could be completely subdued by a shot or two of extract, -Limio could be made docile. Commander General Adstrom didn't care -whether Karns was successful or not. If successful, Karns would have -won a pardon from his death sentence; if not, the death penalty would -have been carried out and the laws enforced. Adstrom couldn't lose. - -The work was completed at last. Tank after tank of liquid was stored -aboard the _Burnt Atom II_, the space ship destined to take Karns into -The Black Hole. The craft was loaded with provisions and fuel and then -it shot into space and beyond the solar system at a speed many times -the velocity of light. - -At the edge of The Black Hole, Karns' radio receiver crackled. - -"Commander General Adstrom calling!" - -This was remarkable. The radio signals had no right to catch up! True, -the signals could be sent through the time dimension and traverse space -at a pace more rapid than light, but this signal from earth shouldn't -have reached Karns for several days. - -"Hello, Adstrom!" spoke Karns. - -"You're under arrest. Halt. You've kidnaped my daughter!" - -"But I haven't got your daughter, sir!" Karns said. - -"Oh, yes, you have!" - - * * * * * - -The four words came, not from the receiver, but from the storeroom of -the space ship. There in the doorway stood Sandra. - -"Sandra!" - -"Aha!" came from Adstrom. - -"I hope you don't mind having a stowaway," said Sandra. - -"I'm training a battery of neutron guns on your ship," Adstrom called. -"Surrender my daughter or I'll fire." - -Karns swung to the microphone. "You won't fire," he said. "You're -primed with too much extract and even if you weren't, you wouldn't want -to destroy your daughter along with the kidnaper." He turned to Sandra. -"There's a lifeboat in the hold. Get in it and take off." - -"You're afraid to take me with you! Haven't you faith in your weapon?" - -"There's always a certain amount of danger." - -"Then I'll share it with you!" - -Karns glanced at the pursuing ship. It was overtaking him. He didn't -dare wait. He touched the controls and nosed into The Black Hole. He -flew toward the shadow of the star that was silhouetted in darkness in -the center of the whirlpool of space. - -"Limio! Limio!" he called into the radio. - -At last a reply came from the monster. - -"Go away, earthman. Go away before I kill you." - -"There's no reason for me to kill you. Why can't terrestrials and you -get along?" - -Limio's answer was simple. - -"If I don't kill you, you'll kill me. It's the law of life. I don't -want to be killed, so I kill you." - -"If you kill me, my atoms will fall to your planet. You'll absorb them -and grow. Other men will come to avenge my death and you'll kill them. -You will eat their atoms and grow some more. Some day you'll be too big -for Chaos. You'll die. By killing me, you kill yourself." - -"If I don't kill you, you'll kill me," Limio repeated. - -"You don't trust me, Limio. Listen. I don't come to kill, I came to -bring peace." - -"You are a fool, man, but I'm not. Go away, while you are in one piece." - -"I offer you a long life and a more exciting one!" - -As he spoke Karns glanced behind him. Adstrom's ship was circling -above, ready to dive. It would try to disable _Burnt Atom II_, board -the ship and rescue Sandra, and then leave Karns to Limio's mercy. - -"The last earthman to come here talked of progress," Limio said. "You -speak of other gifts. What--" - -"Not a gift, Limio, but a price! We terrestrials wish to buy precious -minerals you guard on Chaos." - -"What has happened of progress on earth?" - -"The minerals represent our ideal of progress." - -"Do the minerals make you grow?" - -"No, Limio." - -"Then there is no progress. Progress is purely a matter of size." - -"But even to you, growth means death and destruction. On our planet we -grow in numbers. When the world is overpopulated, enough people die to -leave it under-populated again. The human race, in a sense, is more -immortal than you, Limio." - -Karns saw Adstrom's ship in a dive. He jerked the controls and sent his -own craft forward out of the way. The action was mistaken by Limio as -an attack. The huge, fifty-mile tentacle shot out toward the _Burnt -Atom II_. Karns twisted the controls again and dodged, so that the blow -barely missed his ship. - -Adstrom, however, was not so lucky. As he attempted to follow Karns' -maneuver, his craft came directly in line with the piston-like plunge -of the tentacle. He swerved his ship, but he swerved too late. The -tentacle caught Adstrom's ship a glancing blow. - -The ship bounced upward out of control. But it was caught by the -gravity of Chaos and it tumbled back, like a falling leaf, toward the -surface of the planet. - -A roar came from Limio. - -Adstrom's ship tumbled close to the ground before the commander fired -the rockets. Even with the fuel blast, he was unsuccessful in keeping -the craft off the ground, but he managed to steer it to a safe landing -on a rocky cliff some distance from the huge body of Limio. - -Sandra screamed as she saw a thousand-foot wave of flesh roll across -the rocky planet toward her father. - -Karns already was nosing his craft down in a dive. - -There were two courses open. He might leave Adstrom to his fate and try -to flee, in which case Limio most certainly would bring him down with -a blow from the tentacle. Or, Karns might try to land, hoping to fool -Limio into thinking he had damaged both craft. Limio might not attack -Karns in belief that Karns was a lame duck. - -Karns chose the second course, not only as the safest, but as a means -of bringing Limio under control. Adstrom did not deserve to be rescued, -perhaps, but after all he was Sandra's father. - -Besides, it was a battle between a monster and man, and Adstrom was on -Karns' side. - - * * * * * - -The space ship tumbled to the foot of the rocky cliff. As it fell, -Karns gave the tubes just enough fuel to keep the landing bump from -being too severe. As the ship crashed, he opened the cockpit of the -tanks containing the fluid he intended to use upon Limio. - -"Follow me, Sandra!" he called, running toward the locks. - -They leaped from the craft into an atmosphere surprisingly pleasant -and sweet. It was only slightly frosty, but the terrestrials were well -clad. - -They began scrambling up the sides of the cliff. Below they heard the -rumbling of the monster's body. - -Limio roared as his processes splashed into the sweet liquid that -washed the gulleys at the foot of the cliff. - -Sandra screamed as one of the processes struck a rock a few feet from -her. - -"It isn't working!" she cried. "It can't work. The extract simply -prevents crime and individualism. You can't prevent individualism when -there is only one individual in a species; and there can be no crime -without fellow creatures to harm!" - -"Hurry, Sandra!" Karns urged. "Save your breath. It wasn't the extract -I gave him, but the antidote!" - -A huge tentacle raised above the fleeing pair. Sandra closed her eyes. -She couldn't escape this blow. - -The tentacle did not fall. Instead it snapped back to Limio's body, -landing with the crack of a whip. - -Suddenly Limio seemed to writhe in pain. Sparks flew from the -rocks. The planet shook as if it was in the throes of dissolution. -Searchlights from Adstrom's craft flickered down into the valley to -reveal a billowing ocean of flesh struggling with itself, fighting -itself. - -At the top of the cliff Karns and Sandra paused for breath. - -"His mind was in unity, now it is in discord," he said. "His evolution -was different from ours. He grew as one individual, while life on our -planet resolved itself into countless individuals. The antidote served -to separate the individuals of his being for the first time in history. -Every nerve cell in his body now has individuality. Limio is a billion -intellects instead of one." - -"In other words, he is crazy!" - -"Only in the sense that he is one creature. If we look at him as the -whole creation of a world--many creatures--he is not so crazy. He is -simply conservative. He is bound to progress and that progress is going -to be the kind that lasts, because it was won in a struggle." - -"What on earth is progress?" Sandra asked. "It looks to me, if that is -progress, that it's a rather crazy thing--" - -"Progress is simply the settlement of a lot of arguments. Every time -we settle one argument we find another and progress goes on. At home, -progress was blocked by the extract, which made all minds in unison, -blocked all argument, ended criminality, made the whole race one -individual. The antidote which I gave myself preserved progress by -allowing one individual, at least, a different viewpoint. I proved my -individuality by getting thrown in jail. You fell in love and became an -individualist by warning me of a plot to kill me. Progress continued -when your father chased me into The Black Hole--" - -"Hello! Hello out there! Are you all right?" Adstrom's voice boomed -from the locks of his space ship. - -"Perfectly!" Karns replied. - -"Ah! A moment ago I wanted to kill you! Now, strangely enough, I feel -very grateful toward you for--er--saving Sandra. You will be pardoned -of all your crimes." - -"He didn't kidnap me, Father," Sandra explained as they entered the -ship. - -"He has done plenty to the earth! He connected his laboratory with a -food factory so that the antidote he made has been spread all over the -world in food! He's destroyed the unity of the world! He ought to go to -jail, but the jailer's resigned because he had too much to do." - -"Marmaduke has brought progress back to the world, Father!" - -"Progress! Bah! He's turned the world into a turmoil! The whole -population is fighting. The planet's in an uproar. I'll abdicate rather -than rule the mess. Let Marmaduke try to straighten it out!" - -"Sir," Marmaduke said, "it's every man for himself. You've better -qualifications for the office and I can swing some votes your way. You -couldn't swing a barn door mine." - -The damaged ship had been repaired. They soared earthward. Limio, too -busy with his own problems, made no move to stop them. In fact, he -might be disturbed enough now to enter into commercial agreement with -other planets--parts of his brain trading with other creatures at the -expense of other parts. Progress, human style, had come to Chaos. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Monster That Threatened the -Universe, by R.R. 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