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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..2686cb7 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #63518 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/63518) diff --git a/old/63518-h.zip b/old/63518-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 919206d..0000000 --- a/old/63518-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/63518-h/63518-h.htm b/old/63518-h/63518-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 41ac3a2..0000000 --- a/old/63518-h/63518-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2260 +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 Vandals of the Void, by Robert Wilson. - </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;} - -/* Images */ -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - -.caption p -{ - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0; - margin: 0.25em 0; -} - -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 { text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; } -.ph1 { font-size: medium; margin: .83em auto; } - - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Vandals of the Void, by Robert Wilson - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere 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/license - - -Title: Vandals of the Void - -Author: Robert Wilson - -Release Date: October 21, 2020 [EBook #63518] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK VANDALS OF THE VOID *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>Vandals of the Void</h1> - -<h2>By ROBERT WILSON</h2> - -<p>The Void had spawned these hell-creatures<br /> -of destruction, had sown them deep within<br /> -Earth's soil. And now Earth was reaping a<br /> -whirlwind of death—weapons futile against<br /> -the immortal conquerors from another space.</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Planet Stories Spring 1945.<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>Art Douglas saw one of the very first of them, found and brought in by -two drivers from the huge steel burrowing worm which was at that time -conducting the sub-crust explorations many miles below the rolling -Kansas prairies. Why the men should have brought the discovery to -an organization such as the Interplanetary Research Institute, was -something not quite clear to Art. They must have known, he reflected -bitterly, how utterly bogged down the Institute was, how close to -absolute disintegration, from inability to work or progress, and the -resultant effect on the morale of the highly trained scientists who -made up its staff.</p> - -<p>But the weird organism which lay before him on the laboratory bench -dispelled all such thoughts immediately. His imaginative, yet -scientific brain leaped to meet the challenge and the Interplanetary -Research Institute became only a workshop full of tools, ready for his -use.</p> - -<p>It was only natural that he should first assume that the -creature-plants were probably native to the level at which they had -been found, and that this was their natural environment. How terribly -wrong this was to prove! Of the terrible menace in the thing before -him, Douglas could not dream; although he could plainly see its -potentialities. For it had been found boring through solid rock.</p> - -<p>It seemed to have been designed for just that. Its form was that of -spiral screw, about a foot long, tapering from a diameter of about an -inch at one end, to four inches at the other. In color it was a dull -blue-black, the surface fine textured and smooth, and steely hard. -Its strength was of steel also, for it was constantly whipping about, -trying to fasten its three needle sharp jaws, which were located at the -smaller end, in anything it might find. One of the men who brought it -had suffered a frightful gash in the forearm before they had learned -that this could be avoided by picking it up at the larger end. The -creature could not quite achieve the feat of bending itself double.</p> - -<p>Art found that once it had hooked those fierce jaws into anything, it -started boring and could not be torn loose. However, it would bore -<i>only upward</i>! When laid on a flat table, it merely writhed about, -looking for some object above it. He held a thick piece of board over -it. The head had bored through in a few seconds, but when he turned -the board over, it backed out hastily, and flopped to the table again, -where it resumed its endless searching, searching for something, -anything overhead, in which it could fasten its tenuous grip.</p> - -<p>Art called and had a huge two ton block of granite brought in by the -overhead crane. In its lower side he ordered some workmen to chip a -cavity, a little larger than the creature on the table. The thing was -dropped on the floor, and the block carefully lowered over it, so that -it was imprisoned in the cavity. Art had a hunch that it would have -made little difference to the creature whether it was allowed the -cavity, or merely had the block dropped on it. A little shudder ran -through him at the thought of such unearthly strength. He decided to go -to lunch, before he got too deeply involved.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Passing through the outer office, he met Elene Moor, lovely secretary -to Doctor Theller, Chief Director of the Institute and his immediate -superior. He had known Elene in college before securing this position, -and he remembered the sudden elation he had felt when he discovered -that he would be working near the girl for whom he had felt such a -hopeless yearning in school. She had been so popular, so surrounded by -young men whose zest for life, talent for fun, and supply of ready cash -had utterly overwhelmed him. Now, after five years of Interplanetary, -such a dull apathy had settled over him that even Elene's golden -loveliness failed to stir him.</p> - -<p>"Might as well lunch with me, Elene," he said, seeing that she was -about to leave. "I have an interesting topic of conversation for the -first time in ages, it seems. In fact, I'm very anxious to tell you -about it."</p> - -<p>She looked at him closely. Something certainly had aroused his -interest. His keen blue eyes were alight, and his rugged frame seemed -to be invested with a nervous energy which had long been dormant. -Elene was glad; he almost looked like the Art she had loved, and had -such hopes for, when he had first come to the Institute. But his -fine intellect had seemingly withered, stultified by the impossible -situation which existed at Interplanetary in the year 2186. Several -centuries of scientific struggling had finally produced a mode of -interplanetary travel. In 2135, successful landings and safe returns -had been made to and from Mars. A year later, Venus was also reached. -But fifty-one years had produced little knowledge of any value; -progress was at a standstill. Certainly the Martians had been found -to be a highly developed and scientific race. They were peaceful and -friendly. But they were also very wise. They were acquainted with -the history of man on Earth as far back as the time of Christ. Their -astronomical instruments made it possible to see plainly events there, -under the proper conditions. With the coming of wireless, they had -been able to intercept any and all signals they chose. They knew about -all they needed or wanted to know about Earth. That was what made -them so wary. For they had seen the torture of the early Christians, -and the cruel subjugation of the known world by the Romans. They had -seen in turn, the overrunning of Rome by the barbarian hordes. They -had known Attila the Hun. They had witnessed the Spanish Inquisition. -They had seen the slaughter of the aborigines in the new world, their -gradual extinction by the white colonists. They had known Napoleon, -and most monstrous and horrible of all, Hitler. They had finally seen -the Great Gas War, which had so decimated the ranks of mankind, that -it had been necessary to set up the International Peace Council, which -established peace by the only method which mankind seemed to be able to -understand—force.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It was rather simple. The laws were very strict: briefly, the -manufacture, transporting, or even possession of any kind of murder -weapon, other than what might be carried by a man for his personal -defense, was considered sufficient evidence of intent to kill, and -carried a death penalty. The agents and inspectors of the Council were -everywhere, entering any machine shop or factory at will, constantly -checking all sources of raw material, making almost impossible any -secret manufacture of any type of armament.</p> - -<p>But even this could not convince the canny Martians—for they knew that -thousands of years of barbarism were covered only by a thin veneer. -At any time, man's innate desire to conquer, pillage, and exterminate -another race might break through. The Martians well knew the age-old -tactics of infiltration used by colonists of Earth. Consequently, only -a few scheduled rocket trips per year were permitted. The personnel of -each expedition was restricted to a few scientists, who were carefully -investigated. They were allowed to study the language, customs, and -art of Mars. But scientific achievements and secrets were taboo. No -Earthman was permitted to roam at will on Mars—the knowledge they -acquired there was given them by an interviewing committee of high -ranking Martians, whose ability to sidestep a direct question was -uncanny.</p> - -<p>Of course, there were a few political hotheads on Earth who advocated -building a huge fleet of rocket ships, powered with disintegrators, -and sending an expedition to subdue the red planet. Naturally, this -merely served to corroborate the bad opinion of Earth held by the -superscientists of Mars. A few men, such as Doctor Theller and Art, -knew what awful disasters such a move would bring. Not only did -the Martians have weapons which made the terribly effective, but -uncontrollable, atomic disintegrator look like a clumsy toy, but they -could also throw up a force field around their entire planet, at an -unknown height, against which any invading ship would smash into -blazing fragments.</p> - -<p>True, there was Venus. Venus, the Jungle Planet. There were two -environments of Venus—water and jungle. Both were filled with a -teeming growth of nightmarish monsters, among which had been found -no intelligent beings. The creatures of Venus were born, fought and -ate one another, bred and died. That was all. The whole thing was one -vast aquarium. Most of the species had been classified during the ten -years following the first landing. There had been many expeditions at -first. But gradually they tapered off. Attempts at colonization were -given up as hopeless. The climate was sultry and oppressive, but worst -of all was the fact that practically all of the vegetation of Venus -was poisonous to humans. Any food crops introduced from Earth were -strangled by the lush native vegetation, which grew at an incredible -rate. Venus had no economic value. Minerals there were, but the expense -of freighting them back to Earth by rocket ship made mining impractical.</p> - -<p>As Elene mulled over these gloomy thoughts, she and Art had covered the -short distance from the office to the tube that led to Food Center. As -they entered, she saw that he also was preoccupied. In good time, he -would tell her what had aroused his sudden enthusiasm. An empty car -came by. A photoelectric cell registered their presence in the tube. It -stopped, Art dropped a token in a slot in its side, and the door slid -silently open. As they entered, Art grinned and said:</p> - -<p>"They're junking these cars next year. Seems they have developed a new -model. They were losing money on these—they waste a lot of time. They -always stop for you whether you want a car or not; perhaps you're just -waiting to meet someone, or just got off a car."</p> - -<p>"I hardly see what they can do about that," laughed Elene. "Telepathic -communication between man and a machine is something considered pretty -far in the future."</p> - -<p>"They still use the photo cell," answered Art, "but now it registers a -complete picture of you. By a system of hand signals the prospective -passenger will be able to indicate whether he wants a car, where he -is going, et cetera. Even the control panel, which we now set for our -destination, will be eliminated."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Soon they were seated in the one huge cafeteria which served the entire -city of Washington. Various levels were frequented by different classes -of citizens, and Art and Elene chose a quiet one, usually patronized by -scientific and medical students. Their meal was ordered by dialing from -a numbered menu and arrived automatically in a few seconds, piping hot.</p> - -<p>Once they were settled, Art began to tell the girl of the weird thing -that had been brought him.</p> - -<p>"I've had no time at all to work on it, of course," he began, "but -this much I can almost say for sure—this thing is not an organism -like anything else on Earth's crust. Its life processes do not depend -on oxidation. It's not composed, as we are, principally of hydrogen, -oxygen, and carbon. Carbon, perhaps, yes; that might give it some of -its hardness—but it's inert, not involved in any chemical action. The -thing neither breathes nor eats!"</p> - -<p>"Please, Art, start at the beginning—you haven't told me what it looks -like, or anything!"</p> - -<p>"O.K., O.K.," he grinned, and obligingly did so, concluding with, "It's -not much, maybe—hasn't anything to do with planetary research, but -it's a job—something to keep me busy. That's hard enough to find, -these days."</p> - -<p>"Art," she said quickly, "it seems to me that there's plenty to do now, -as never before; so much untapped knowledge right at our fingertips—"</p> - -<p>"I don't see how you can say that," he interrupted bitterly. "I -wouldn't exactly call Mars at our fingertips."</p> - -<p>"Why Mars? It's always Mars, Mars. You don't have to go there. Find out -the secrets they know for yourself. Just because you're stymied that -doesn't mean you can't go ahead yourself. A young man with initiative -could—"</p> - -<p>"So I haven't any initiative!" he flared. "Well, how about yourself? -After all, a woman now is as good as a man, you know—with modern -advantages, physical strength and endurance aren't so important. A -woman with enough courage and will power can do as much as any man."</p> - -<p>"Yes, Art, but a woman is still a woman. All the scientific progress in -the world can't change that—she still plays the passive role. Woman -would cease to be feminine otherwise. That was proved way back in the -twentieth century."</p> - -<p>"I suppose you're right," he muttered. It had set him thinking. Was -he losing his manhood? The human race didn't have so much need for -expansion any more. Only greed and craving for adventure would set a -man exploring now. And he had neither. Or had he? He thought of the -daydreams he sometimes had—of roaming through the primitive jungles -of Venus, searching perhaps for a trace of a near human, intelligent -civilization, blasting his way through hordes of threatening monsters. -But all that was silly; he was a trained man, and it would be very -foolish to risk such a brain as his in that hotbed of violence.</p> - -<p>Still, what good was that precious brain doing anyone at -Interplanetary? The shortage of radium prevented their going ahead with -the program of experiments which Dr. Theller had mapped out. The idea -of wasting their dwindling supply in a roundabout process of learning -what the Martians could so easily tell them, had turned the staff of -the Institute into a pack of frustrated malcontents.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The Earth easily supported its population of ten billion. Masterpieces -of engineering had irrigated and made fertile practically all of the -Earth's surface, except around the poles. There was no need to grow -crops, anyway, other than that fresh natural foods were more palatable. -Enough food for a hundred billion people could be manufactured -synthetically from the sun's rays. There was no need, say, for -colonizing Venus, but such a project would certainly provide an outlet -for the energies of a bored young scientist.</p> - -<p>Art still sulked as they returned to the laboratory, but the idea had -been planted in his mind, and the more he thought, the nearer he came -to admitting that Elene was right. Little did he dream that he would -soon be so busy that looking for thrills would be the least of his -worries.</p> - -<p>A white faced attendant met them at the front door of the laboratory.</p> - -<p>"Dr. Douglas! That thing—we can't control it—it's—" Art ran to the -room where he had left the creature. The granite block was where he -had left it, but had a neat round hole in its top. Then he looked at -the opposite wall of the room. It was a crumbling ruin. The wormlike -animal had evidently wriggled its way to the plastocrete wall where it -had started boring. As the wall was only five or six inches thick, it -had kept emerging from one side or another, dropping to the floor, and -starting all over again. The attendants, not knowing how to pick it up, -had left it alone after suffering several gashes. They were afraid to -handle it too roughly, for fear of damaging it. Art smiled grimly at -this. He picked the thing up, threw it on the table. He decided that he -would dissect the specimen here and now, find the secret of its mighty -strength. But at that moment Dr. Theller came in.</p> - -<p>"Well, Art, I hope you've thoroughly familiarized yourself with that -creature because—"</p> - -<p>"To tell you the truth, Dr. Theller, I don't know a darn thing about -it!" retorted Art cheerfully.</p> - -<p>"You're going to learn, Art—and mighty soon! I'm going to send you out -to Los Angeles. Something catastrophic is happening out there. I can't -get anything very clear over the televisor—I see confused pictures of -buildings crashing, utter panic everywhere. All the accounts I've heard -are garbled—but creatures like this seem to have something to do with -it!</p> - -<p>"Find out what you can, do what you can, then report back. Of course, -the city has no defenses, other than the police force, and they are -armed only with shock guns." It was true—war was non-existent; -defensive armament was unnecessary. Everything was fireproof, making a -fire department likewise unnecessary.</p> - -<p>Art took off in his strato flier from the roof of the laboratory, -climbing rapidly until he reached the thin isothermal layer, ten miles -up. Then he leveled off, and accelerated slowly to a speed of over one -thousand mph. At this rate, he would be able to reach Los Angeles in -not over two and a half hours. The time dragged as Art tried to picture -the disaster that had overtaken the West Coast city, and just how it -could have been caused by animals like the one he had seen.</p> - -<p>Art always disliked riding the strato layer. Too far below him were -the rich, rolling prairies, the mountains covered with mighty timber -trees and lush greenery. There was no desert, no wasteland. Any land -not level enough to grow crops, or occupied by cities, was covered by -thick forest. The only exceptions were the higher peaks of the Rockies, -brilliant white patches against the green carpet. It was a beautiful -old planet, this Mother Earth.</p> - -<p>Far ahead and to his right, Art finally glimpsed the sparkle of -sunlight of the Inland Sea. Once there had been a ghastly blazing hot -desert there, called Death Valley, Art remembered from his school -geography. Two centuries ago, engineers had dug a tunnel and let the -water of the Pacific in, thereby giving the surrounding desert land -a much moister climate. Such a primitive measure would not have been -necessary in modern times. Distilled sea water could be piped anywhere, -in any desired amount, for irrigation.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">II</p> - -<p>The sighting of the Inland Sea was a signal to start decelerating. The -Los Angeles zone signal appeared, a red light on his control panel. The -L.A. beam picked him up, swung him gently to the left, and brought him -in automatically.</p> - -<p>Below him he saw swarms of family fliers, all coming from the city. -As he dropped down he found the traffic system entirely disorganized. -Outgoing fliers were filling the incoming lanes. After narrowly missing -sudden death several times, Art savagely dialed traffic center. The -televisor screen lit up—but instead of a picture of the control -officer seated at his switchboard, Art saw only an empty chair. It -was only then that he realized the extent of the panic that gripped -Los Angeles—for the control officer was sworn to remain at his post -through the direst emergencies.</p> - -<p>Now he was over the city—the vast terraced, pyramidical structures -of the metropolitan area, each a mile square at the base, with a -narrow rim of landing strip around each level. But as he descended -lower he saw that they were no longer structures, but ruins. Even as -he watched, they were crumbling and caving in on themselves. Some of -them were already mere vast heaps of rubble. Projecting his helicopter -propellers, he dropped down and hovered over one of them. Everywhere -the broken plastoglass was covered with writhing, squirming duplicates -of the creature back in his laboratory.</p> - -<p>Art fished out his code book, found the wave length of Los Angeles -Police Commissioner Horne, and rapidly dialled it. The strained and -perspiring face of the Commissioner appeared, sitting at the controls -of his ship as he vainly tried to straighten out the evacuating traffic.</p> - -<p>"Douglas of the Institute reporting, Commissioner."</p> - -<p>"Hope you brought some disintegrators!" barked the chief. "They're the -only thing that will touch these beasts. The shock ray has no effect -whatsoever on them. An electron torch will burn them, but that's no -good—you can't go about killing them one by one. There are billions of -them—they're everywhere!"</p> - -<p>"Possibly you'd better describe the situation from the beginning for my -benefit, Commissioner," Art interposed.</p> - -<p>"What!" roared Horne. "Theller gave me to understand that you had had -experience with these things, and understood them. Now you tell me—"</p> - -<p>"Easy, Commissioner. I've seen one of these things before for a few -minutes, and that's all. You asked for help and Dr. Theller sent me -out here in good faith to do what I can." This served to quiet the -policeman somewhat, for he merely grunted, "O.K., meet me at the top -level of the Administration group; that's the silver one, the only one -that still has a top level. You'll have to find it. We had to move out -the traffic control—that section of the building's ready to go any -minute now."</p> - -<p>A dull grinding roar rose from everywhere below Art as he crossed -the city. Clouds of dust billowed up as the huge pyramids fell in -upon themselves piece by piece. He saw now the grimly effective way -in which the creatures did their job. As long as there was one piece -left standing on another, they would bore and chew until it was reduced -to fragments. Blind instinct, rather than malice, seemed to impel -them. But the effect was equally devastating. Art saw scores of people -wiped out by falling wreckage when the rapidly shuttling overloaded -fliers failed to remove them in time. He saw one man, trapped amidst a -mass of the writhing horrors, make a sudden dash for freedom, and go -down screaming in agony as dozens of savage jaws instantly fastened -themselves in his flesh. Art shuddered. Something had to be done to -stop this carnage.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>By the time he sighted the commissioner's flier atop the silver pyramid -of the Civic Center, he had evolved the rudiments of a plan.</p> - -<p>He wasted no time on amenities as he met the police chief, but came to -the point immediately. "Here's my idea of it, Horne. Los Angeles as -a city is doomed. But I think we can save most of the people who are -still here."</p> - -<p>"How about those disintegrators?" cut in Horne. The disintegrator, -being still in the experimental stage, was dynamite in the hands of the -untrained. The terrific atomic explosions it set up were uncontrollable -and unpredictable. Only the most highly respected and trusted -scientists were even allowed to handle one. Horne nursed an idea that -all his patrolmen should have been issued one to pack on their hips, -and that if they had, this would never have happened.</p> - -<p>"I have a couple with me. We can use them, but we'll have to be -extremely careful. My main proposal is to get to San Francisco, Los -Vegas, and all the other principal cities around here organized. Have -them send millions of civilian fliers. Did you ever hear of the battle -of Dunkirk in World War II? The British saved their army to fight again -another day, just in that manner."</p> - -<p>"Do you suppose I haven't thought of that?" snapped the chief. "I've -already asked them. They're afraid to come. Only a few ships have -trickled in."</p> - -<p>"We've got to convince them that it's safe for a flier," insisted -Art. "Show them on the televisor—send your patrolmen out to -explain—anything!"</p> - -<p>"All right," agreed Horne. "We'll try it. But I don't believe we can -get them all out in time even so. Do you know that there are ten -million people out in the poorer residential section, very few of -whom own a flier, who depend on the public surface cars for their -transportation? Central Power is dead—not a car moves in the city. My -patrolmen have been out in La Brea six hours, trying to find an avenue -of escape, through which they can lead those people out on foot. Every -time they run into a new growth of these—these damnable monsters, and -have to start all over again."</p> - -<p>"That's where we'll use our disintegrators," explained Art. "We'll -blast a path through which we can lead these people to safety." Art -got on the televisor and contacted the government broadcasting center -in San Francisco. "Do you have a news broadcast on now?" he asked. The -girl clerk answered in the affirmative.</p> - -<p>"Please put me on," Art begged. "I'm from Interplanetary Research. -Here's my badge. This is a serious emergency. The lives of millions -of people are hanging in the balance. You must put me on the air!" A -moment later, the news broadcast which was even then picturing the -catastrophe in billions of homes all over the world, was abruptly cut -off, and Art's face appeared in its stead.</p> - -<p>"Fellow citizens, you all know the desperate situation here in Los -Angeles—but do you know that you can save a life, perhaps a dozen? -There are ten million people here who face a terrible death unless they -are picked up immediately. Hop in your fliers and get right down here! -There is no danger for a ship which hovers a little above the ground. -<i>Do not try to land!</i> The Los Angeles Traffic Patrol will guide you to -proper zones. Please hurry. Thank you." Art snapped off the switch and -turned to the chief. "Now, let's try to make some kind of map of the -already devastated areas. We'll have to check in some manner to be sure -there are no living people left in them, then blast our path through -with the disintegrators."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Horne readily assented to this plan, and dispatched a number of -patrolmen to examine closely the ruined sections. All vicinities which -had been taken over entirely by the destroyers, were to be marked by -dropping tiny smoke bombs which would send up a dense column of smoke. -As the commissioner and Art entered the latter's flier and took off, -Art explained the difficulties of using a disintegrator.</p> - -<p>"The atomic disintegration of a lump of matter the size of your fist -sets off an explosion strong enough to blow one of these big buildings -to small fragments. You can imagine what would happen to yourself and -the surrounding country if you merely turned a disintegrator beam on -the ground, or against a building near you. We tone down the effect -somewhat by causing these pistols which I have here, to project a ray -about the diameter of a hair from your head. Not only that, but the -ray is immediately cut off, lasting only for the duration of one wave -length. Even so, the firing of one is a plenty tricky business."</p> - -<p>In an hour's time the air patrolmen had laid out a winding, serpentine -trail over ten miles long through the bristling mounds of debris. A -warning broadcast was sent directing all citizens within sight of the -smoke to get underground, lie low, and plug their ears.</p> - -<p>"Here we go," said Art, stationing himself at a tiny port in the rear -of his flier. "Zoom down over that first signal—as soon as you've -passed over it, kick her up again at a slight angle." Horne obeyed. -They passed the target; nothing happened. He was beginning to wonder -what Art was waiting for, when a half mile past the smoke column, Art -fired. The resulting concussion surprised even Art. He felt the ship -lurch as it was thrown like a huge projectile high above the city. He -grinned as he watched Horne, cursing and fighting until he had the -bucking ship under control.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1.jpg" alt=""/> - <div class="caption"> - <p><i>The disintegrator blasted, and hell exploded on the ground.</i></p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"Let's take a look," he said, sobering at once. He had an uneasy -feeling concerning the way in which the grounded population was taking -the shock. But his fears were not realized—the stranded folk nearest -the explosion cheered and gave the ancient thumbs-up sign, as they -skimmed low above the rooftops. Evidently most of the force of the -explosion had expended itself upward.</p> - -<p>"Get below—here we come again!" shouted Art through an open port.</p> - -<p>The sun was descending beyond the blue Pacific, but they went on with -their work of continually blasting, blasting, far into the night. -Clouds of private fliers began to appear from neighboring California -and other southwest cities. Art's desperate appeal had had its effect. -By midnight, people were beginning to stumble through the string of -smoking craters that had been made for them, toward the untouched -open fields and groves to the north. By four o'clock, they were -stringing out on the many roads and streets which left the city in that -direction. Busses and private cars had been summoned, and were picking -them up, to scatter them through neighboring cities where they might -find accommodations.</p> - -<p>Art and Horne, bruised and stunned from continual concussion and -buffeting, exhausted from lack of sleep, looked at each other.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Guess that's it," said Art. "You'll have to keep the men along the -trail with their electron rays, to keep those devils from closing in -at the edges." They had found that a line of men armed with these -short-range weapons, could kill enough of the creatures to keep them -from spreading. The electron ray generated enough sheer heat to melt -metal, which was necessary to destroy the organisms.</p> - -<p>"The city should be cleared by noon," Art went on. "I'd advise you -to destroy the whole works immediately. I'll leave you one of the -disintegrators. But be careful. Make sure all the wounded are out."</p> - -<p>"Are you leaving already?" asked Horne, surprised. "How come?"</p> - -<p>"Just heard from Dr. Theller," Art answered wearily. "It seems I'm -wanted in Detroit. Same thing is happening there."</p> - -<p>"No!" gasped Horne. "In Detroit! What do you suppose is the connection?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know," Art replied. "I only wish I had time to work this out, -to get some of these things in the lab and analyze them—it would help -so much to know what we're fighting."</p> - -<p>Art decided he would stop at the laboratory on the way back, and see -if Dr. Theller had been able to find out anything of the nature of the -specimen he had left behind. As he entered, he saw that the place was -strangely deserted. Dr. Theller and Elene he found in the former's -office, however.</p> - -<p>"I counted on your stopping in," said the Institute head as Art came -in. "Things are in pretty serious shape all over. You did a great job -in Los Angeles. Now I'm going to ask you to repeat that performance—"</p> - -<p>"Detroit?" Art interrupted.</p> - -<p>"No—I've already sent several good men there. You don't realize how -this thing has spread. In the last hour, Singapore, Cairo and Athens -have all called us. London, in fact, the whole of southeastern England, -is stricken. The British Foundation has some fine men, however; they -think they'll be able to handle it."</p> - -<p>"Dr. Theller, must he leave at once?" asked Elene, with an anxious look -at Art's weary face.</p> - -<p>"I'll be all right, Elene," Art assured her. "A hot shower, hot drink, -and a transfusion of supervitalized plasma, and I'll never know I -missed a night's sleep. I've been eating a food tablet every now and -then, so I'm not at all hungry."</p> - -<p>"All right, Art, you get fixed up—then you're off for Cairo. I'll have -the commissary issue you some more disintegrators. I wouldn't ask you -to do this, but every minute counts. I'm thinking of taking off for -Athens and leaving Elene in charge, myself."</p> - -<p>"Oh, I almost forgot to ask you, Dr. Theller, have you examined the -specimen here yet?"</p> - -<p>A chagrined look came over the scientist's face.</p> - -<p>"Well, I hate to admit this, Art, but the thing escaped in the -confusion. Don't see how it could have gotten very far away. I'll have -some of the men look around the grounds for it."</p> - -<p>Art shook his head slowly as he went out. Such incompetency seemed -unlike the aged savant, but he guessed that inactivity had taken its -toll of the old man.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">III</p> - -<p>The week following was a long, hideous nightmare, during which Art flew -from city to city, fighting the ghastly scourge which was cropping -up more and more rapidly, all over the globe. Vladivostok, Berlin, -Cuba—he could hardly remember them all. He was glad he could not -sleep, because he knew his dreams would be tortured by visions of men -and women being cut to ribbons by millions of rending jaws. It was -dreadfully apparent to Art what was happening. The creatures appeared -in a particular area almost simultaneously. Every bit of life was wiped -out, except for perhaps a few small shrubs and grasses. Huge trees, -buildings, even mountains, all came crashing down. All sources of food -supply were wiped out. The creatures could be cleared from the ground -by disintegration, but more soon came to take their place.</p> - -<p>Art flew back to the laboratory in Washington from Manchuria, scene of -his latest struggle, shortcutting across the polar cap. He noted with -sick dismay that even the ice fields were beginning to bristle with -black stubble.</p> - -<p>Arriving in Washington, Art landed at the Institute. He searched -hurriedly for Dr. Theller, but was unable to find him Elene, however, -appeared.</p> - -<p>"Art! I'm so glad to see you safe! Tell me—is it really as terrible as -it looks over the televisor?"</p> - -<p>"Ever so much worse," Art answered grimly. "We've got to do something, -and quick. I know the Martians could help us. Has Dr. Theller appealed -to them?"</p> - -<p>"Didn't you know?" she asked, wide eyed. "We haven't had any contact -with Mars all week. Two ships were scheduled to arrive from there, and -haven't been heard from."</p> - -<p>Art whistled softly. "Guess I've been missing quite a bit of news -lately!"</p> - -<p>"That's not all," Elene continued. "You know Denny was out on Venus -with a crew. He sent in some kind of wire to Dr. Theller about -discovering some ancient ruins, traces of a lost civilization, and -saying that he was heading back. That was over a week ago—he was due -in day before yesterday. I've tried repeatedly to contact him on the -way, with no success. Dr. Theller certainly behaves strangely—I don't -know—he—"</p> - -<p>Art wasn't listening. He was thinking of Denny—the bronzed, -hard-bitten space pilot, who had always represented to him all the -glamour of the far flung outposts. And been just a darn good friend, -too. The perils of Venus were many and varied—but on the other hand, -he had the utmost confidence in Denny's ability to take care of his -space ship and crew through almost any situation.</p> - -<p>"Art, I'm beginning to have a dreadful feeling that somehow this is -all tied in together," said Elene hesitantly. "I've been wanting to -talk it over with you for ever so long. This plague of subterranean -monsters—communications with Mars cut off—Denny out there somewhere, -cut off, too—"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Perhaps there's not so much cause for concern over Denny," Art put -in soothingly. "After all, any sort of trivial accident might have -occurred which would delay him this long."</p> - -<p>"Yes, Art, but I feel that even though the creatures don't seem to have -much intelligence, there is some kind of horrible plan behind the whole -thing, and that the stopping of traffic with the other planets is part -of that plan."</p> - -<p>"That is quite a theory, Elene, my dear," came a patronizing voice from -behind, "but it's quite possible that I and my colleagues may be able -to work out a solution without the aid of my secretary." Dr. Theller -had entered the room unnoticed. Elene flushed, and was on the verge of -making an equally caustic retort, but bit back the words.</p> - -<p>"As far as Denny is concerned," the doctor went on, "he has been going -out there for a good many years now; unless I miss my guess, the space -madness is creeping in on his brain. That story of finding remains of -a lost civilization—that's really pretty steep, you know. It's well -known that the evolution of fauna on Venus has not, and will not, -progress to the point of producing reasoning, speaking beings for -millions of years."</p> - -<p>"I can't believe that of Denny!" flashed Art. "Space madness attacks -those who can't stand the solitude, exposure and utter loneliness of -that awful void. You know that Denny always laughed at those things. He -was iron. And I don't believe he's getting old, either. The last time I -saw him, he was in his prime."</p> - -<p>A hot argument was averted only by the flashing of signals at one side -of the room, which announced a televisor communication. Elene was -nearest and flipped the switch. The face of a middle-aged man, tense -with suppressed excitement, appeared on the screen. He scanned their -faces closely. It was Haight, of the British Foundation.</p> - -<p>"Theller—Douglas—all of you!" he blurted. "Listen! I've -just found—oh, but what fools we were not to see! Those -organisms—they're—but I can't possibly tell you over the air. I'll -be there as fast as a strato-ship can take me. I'm bursting to tell -someone. There's not a soul here in the lab; it's very late. Expect me -in three hours, at the most." The screen went black.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Art and Elene were on the roof of the laboratory, enjoying the soft -summer evening, and talking over this new turn of events. The city -was quiet around them. New hope seemed to blaze within them with the -brilliance of the countless stars overhead. Perhaps Haight's discovery -meant the turning of the tide in this losing struggle in which they had -been participating. Art felt that he could relax for the first time -since that heartbreaking week had begun. As his fatigue fell away, he -felt a great longing come over him. How near he had come to losing this -lovely woman by his side. All those years of dull routine in the lab, -near her every day, yet doing nothing about it! But Art had changed -to a man of action, through sheer necessity, and he wore his new -personality with heady exuberance. He took the girl in his arms.</p> - -<p>"Darling, life is very good," he murmured. "I don't want us to die. I -don't want to be pushed off this lovable old earth of ours by an alien -form of life. And it's chiefly because of you. But we're not going to -let that happen, are we? We're going to fight until every last hideous, -ugly one of them is gone."</p> - -<p>"Yes, sweet," she sighed contentedly, "And Art, please—when it's all -over—let's not just sink back into the old way of life again. I think -our love will be able to stand even that test from now on—but let's -not put it to that test. Can't we get out of Interplanetary, travel, -open up new worlds, just anything like that?"</p> - -<p>"I have a hunch that from now on we're going to require plenty of -danger in our everyday life," he laughed. "After we're married—"</p> - -<p>A shrill whine interrupted them, and they broke apart. Far out in the -midnight sky, hours had slipped away like so many minutes, and Haight -was arriving. He had been hurling his ship along at a reckless speed -and was braking only at the last minute. Now they could see the dark -shape arching down toward the laboratory. Suddenly it seemed to stop, -to poise in midair. Then it dissolved into a blinding white flash. -The deafening roar of the explosion came seconds later. Art and Elene -looked at each other in mute horror and despair, amid a great silence -broken only by tiny, distant sounds as the fragments of Haight and his -ship rained down gently on the city of Washington.</p> - -<p>"We'll keep fighting," Art finally said in a dull voice.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">IV</p> - -<p>Beneath Art's flier swept the tumbled mountains of Ozark Park. Once -there had been people who lived there and actually eked a living from -cultivating those steep and stony hillsides. Long ago that had been -given up as impractical and unnecessary, however, and the whole region -had been turned into one vast national forest. It was covered from one -end to another with mighty timber, stocked in profusion with all kinds -of wild game. That is, it had been covered the last time Art saw it. -Now, the great trees lay tumbled about like so many match sticks, their -great roots gnawed away by blind, mindless creatures. There was not a -green thing in sight. A pall of smoke hung low overhead—great fires -were raging everywhere in the dry stuff. Man had no time to protect the -trees, when his own cities were being destroyed.</p> - -<p>Art had just left Mexico City, and was headed for Chicago. There he -intended to introduce an experiment with which he had had some degree -of success elsewhere. He had constructed an ark of thick plastocrete, -into which the passengers could be hermetically sealed. Oxygen and food -were synthetically manufactured, enabling them to live without danger -from the unknown poison in the water. But in his heart, he knew that -this was a poor device, that there must be some simpler, more direct -solution. After the death of Haight, he had wanted to take one of the -Institute's ships, and blast off for Mars. He was sure that the savants -of that age-old planet could help. But Dr. Theller had been strongly -against this, in fact refused to permit it.</p> - -<p>As he sped over the ruined forest, a grim look came over Art's face. He -had not seen Elene since the night of Haight's death, four days ago. -Since then he had been in the thick of the fight, as before. Elene had -been suspicious that the death of the British scientist had been no -accident, and had promised to investigate and keep in touch with him. -Her lovely face had appeared several times in his televisor screen, -during the first two days, although she had nothing to report except -that she loved him. But two more days had passed without a word. Art -could raise nobody at the laboratory. He frowned, and thought that he -had better have a look there, before he went on to Chicago.</p> - -<p>Something caught his eye, below and ahead. There was a patch of -untouched forest, a little canyon that had not as yet been invaded by -the monsters that were ruining the surrounding country. There the huge -trees still waved, calm and unmolested. But there was something else, -something sharp and bright that had captured his attention. Yes, there -it was again—a tiny fleck of sky blue. The same sky blue with which -his ship, like all the fliers of the Interplanetary Institute, were -painted!</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He swung around, and came down in a tight spiral. As he levelled -off, he saw a tiny figure, standing at the side of the wrecked ship. -It waved frantically, and no doubt shouted. Art settled gently in a -thicket of vining maple, and clambered stiffly out of his ship, as the -marooned pilot came running toward him. Great Glorious Galaxies! It was -Elene!</p> - -<p>"Oh, Art, I don't know how you found me, but I'm so glad it's you, -darling," she sobbed in his arms.</p> - -<p>"Elene, I wasn't looking for you—didn't even know you were lost!" he -exclaimed. "It's a miracle that I stumbled on you like this."</p> - -<p>"But didn't Dr. Theller—no—of course he wouldn't—"</p> - -<p>"How did you ever happen to crash <i>here</i>?"</p> - -<p>"Dr. Theller sent me with Paul Hedrik, that new boy, you remember, -the nice blond one—to check casualty lists in San Francisco. We were -crossing the Park, at about thirty thousand, when we ran out of rocket -fuel. Well, that wasn't so serious, we could easily make a long glide, -and if we could find a place safe from these—worms—we could make a -helicopter landing. But Paul saw this little canyon dead ahead. It was -the only safe looking place for miles. That meant we had to come in at -a steep angle. He licked in the braking jets, hoping there would be a -little fuel left in the lines. There was. One of the jets was plugged -or something—it exploded back into the cockpit. Paul was killed -instantly. I was stunned. The ship was out of control, but I finally -came to and managed to make a crash landing somehow."</p> - -<p>"Where's Paul's body?" Art asked.</p> - -<p>"Still in there." She pointed to the wrecked flier. "My televisor was -smashed. I couldn't stand the thought of sleeping in there. I made a -little camp over there by the creek. It was awfully cold, even though I -built a fire. But I wasn't frightened—I had my friends—"</p> - -<p>"Your friends!" exclaimed Art. "Who—"</p> - -<p>"Don't you see them?" she asked, pointing. And he did see what the -gloom of the forest had at first hidden from his unaccustomed eyes. The -leafy corridors were swarming with creatures. Deer, oppossum, raccoon, -bear, even a puma or two, all were gathered there in dumb resignation. -They knew with unerring instinct that they were trapped, that there was -no escape from this tiny island. They made no attempt to molest each -other, or the humans who such a short time ago had been their deadly -enemies. They drank occasionally from the little creek, but they did -not eat.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"You see, I couldn't be lonely," she continued. "It could even have -been fun, if I hadn't known that those millions of horrible little jaws -were out there in the dark, gnawing, gnawing. You can even hear them. -You can hear the big trees crashing down, all day, all night."</p> - -<p>"Easy, honey—it's all over now. We're going to get out of here. We'll -get Paul's body, and—"</p> - -<p>"But Art, don't you see what this means? If Paul hadn't forgotten to -fill the fuel tank, it we had had a full tank, we'd have been blown to -atoms when that jet exploded—it was only an accident that I escaped. -But that plugged jet was no <i>accident</i>—that was deliberate. Don't -you think it is strange that Dr. Theller shouldn't let you know when -I have been lost for two days? And that he was the only one besides -us who knew about Haight's discovery, and his coming to Washington, -and that the same accident happened to Haight? And what happened to -Denny? I tell you, there are all sorts of things about Dr. Theller -that are beginning to add up. From the very first he's occupied only a -passive role in this battle, done nothing whatever to help. He let that -specimen get away the first day, and has never had another in there for -analysis."</p> - -<p>"What!" exclaimed Art. "No—Elene—it can't be. You don't know what -you're saying!"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">V</p> - -<p>"On the contrary, the young lady is quite right," came a deep bass -voice from behind him. Art whirled in sudden panic, reaching for his -electron gun. But what he saw froze him to immobility. A tall, gaunt -figure, its ebony skin decked with a harness of white plastic, in which -were set countless glossy black stones. The head narrow and acquiline -to the extreme, with huge, haunting black eyes. A Martian! And one of -the Greater Ring of scientists who governed the red planet, judging by -the trappings.</p> - -<p>"You do not recognize me," chuckled the deep voice. "Why, I remember -you well. You came to Mars with Dr. Theller, let me see, June last -year, and November the year before, I believe it would be, according to -your calendar. They say we all look alike to Earthmen—but surely you -know Klalmar-lan. I was on the Committee both times."</p> - -<p>"Of course I do," beamed Art, holding out his hand. "You had me a bit -rattled there for a minute. But you can't imagine how glad we are to -see you. Elene, meet Klalmar-lan. This is Miss Moor, my fiancee."</p> - -<p>"Klalmar-lan," said Elene, "as Art has already told you, we are -immensely relieved to see you. We hope that you can help us rid our -planet of this scourge. Unless you do, the human race and every form of -animal life on Earth is doomed."</p> - -<p>"I have the means of accomplishing that," he answered gravely. "For -how else do you suppose this tiny refuge has remained here, other than -through my doing?" They stood in amazement as he went on. "Furthermore, -I am rather ashamed of you, Art, for letting so many things which -should have been obvious to a man of your calibre, slip by you. But I -guess Theller did a pretty good job of covering up."</p> - -<p>"How do you happen to be here in such an out of the way spot?" asked -Art.</p> - -<p>"I had to have a hideout on Earth from which I could steal out and make -a few observations," the Martian explained. "And it's a good thing I -did, from what I hear. I arrived here from Venus yesterday morning, -about five—"</p> - -<p>"Only a few hours before we crashed!" exclaimed Elene.</p> - -<p>"Yes—the forest in this vicinity was just beginning to be attacked. I -landed on the side hill above here, and blanketed this canyon with a -choker ray. I didn't want to make it too noticeable—"</p> - -<p>"Wait," Art interrupted, "how about this choker ray—that's the whole -thing—that's what we want to know!"</p> - -<p>"I'll get to that," rebuked Klalmar-lan. "Anyway, I saw this ship -crash—but knowing it was one of Theller's, I had to be careful about -offering assistance. I have been watching Miss Moor and wondering if I -should have to protect her from all this vicious looking fauna which -you have here in such profusion. But I didn't dare trust her until -I heard her talk to you. My object was to contact some trustworthy -person here on Earth. Now that I've found you, I think we'd better -take off for Venus immediately. My ship is right up the hill above us. -Incidentally, I have a surprise there—an old friend of yours."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Mystified, the couple followed him through thick underbrush to the -space ship. They entered behind him and froze in astonishment. There, -lying on a bunk, white and still and swathed in bandages, was Denny!</p> - -<p>"Don't be alarmed," Klalmar-lan reassured them. "I've got him under a -neural anesthetic. He's suffered a bad radium burn, but I think he'll -be all right. Should recover consciousness in a couple of hours." -Klalmar-lan was at the controls, and they were rising rapidly. The -little spot of green was visible through the rear port, falling away -behind them.</p> - -<p>"I first met Denny on Venus, where I had been sent to watch for the -coming of Ghlak-Ileth, or Hell-worms, as we call them; for they -are no new experience to us Martians. Some three thousand Earth -years ago, they turned our once beautiful planet into a red desert, -almost exterminating our race. Three thousand years before that, our -astronomers had watched as uninhabited Mercury gave up its treasure. -According to all our calculations, Venus should have been next. When -I talked to Denny in his jungle camp, he informed me that he had -discovered remains of an ancient civilization on Venus.</p> - -<p>"I knew then that something was terribly wrong with our theory—for we -had always considered Venus a very young planet, whose evolution of -life had not even produced a mammalian form, and would not for millions -of years. Now it seemed more plausible that at a remote age Venus was -inhabited by intelligent beings, perhaps more highly developed than -we on Earth or Mars, and that some great catastrophe wiped them out, -leaving survivors, the ancestors of the present day fauna.</p> - -<p>"The answer," he went on, "was plain—the Ghlak-Ileth had already been -to Venus! In all probability, Earth would suffer the effect of the next -raid! Denny had started for Earth with his crew. I hurried to my ship -and followed him. About two hours out, my mass detector indicated the -presence of matter about ten thousand miles ahead, but moving <i>toward</i> -me. In a little while I saw it, approaching headon. A huge blob of a -ship, gleaming like quicksilver, shaped like a great flat-bellied slug. -The Ghosts of Outer Space had come again!"</p> - -<p>"Hold it!" cried Art. "This is getting beyond me. Who are these—"</p> - -<p>"We call them Ghosts, or Voornizar, because they bear little -resemblance to anything mortal, although they are terribly real. They -are the masters, the creators of these Hell-worms, whom they planted -countless eons ago on the planets of our Solar System. The impelling -energy of these Ghlak-Ileth, as with their masters, and in fact all the -machinery they use, is the disintegration of radium, of which they are -partially composed. They devour it for food.</p> - -<p>"We believe that the Voornizar originate in some planetary system -far beyond the awful void which surrounds our solar family. Long -ago, they found their radium supply disappearing, and were forced to -wander in search of new deposits. They developed the Ghlak-Ileth in -their laboratories to do the work of removing the radium. They were -probably planted as tiny eggs or spores, each with an infinitesimal bit -of radium to furnish life energy. When the creatures hatched, their -instinct was to dig downward. As they went, they fed on radium and -other elements.</p> - -<p>"Thus, ever growing and multiplying, they remained, finally absorbing -every bit of radium in the planet. After a fixed period, they became -imbued with the impulse to return to the surface. There they were -collected by the Voornizar, who returned at exactly the proper time, -to extract the radium for their own use. The period of three thousand -years is, we believe, the time necessary for a round trip from here -to the habitat of the Voornizar. However, it may be only the period -between meals—for time means nothing to them—nor do heat, cold or -lack of atmosphere affect them."</p> - -<p>"How can we possibly combat such a menace?" asked Elene hopelessly.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"This time we Martians are ready," Klalmar-lan told them. "Before, we -were forced to resort to pitiful devices such as lead lined boats, -which shut out the deadly emanations of the <i>radon</i> gas which seeped -to the surface from the Ghlak-Ileth on the sea bottoms. But now we -have developed a weapon—the choker ray, harmless to organisms like -ourselves, but able instantly to halt any sort of disintegration, -particularly radio-activity. It will stop the Voornizar instantly.</p> - -<p>"As soon as I recognized this Voornizar ship, I let her have the -choker beam. She immediately lost headway, began to drift. I came -alongside and boarded her, being careful to put on a space suit, for -the Voornizar require no atmosphere, and would not be likely to have -the ship's interior conditioned. I found what I expected. There was not -a living creature, or moving piece of machinery aboard. I had heard the -fearsome Ghosts described many times, but these were the first I had -seen. Their silvery, amorphous bodies are said to glow with a blinding -white effulgence, but in death, these had turned to a dull leaden -hue. There were hundreds of them in the great ship, which seemed to -me mostly occupied by machinery with which to attract and grapple the -radium worms, and holds in which to store them.</p> - -<p>"On an upper deck, I found a row of small staterooms, which I thought -wise to investigate. And well that I did, for my former presumption -that nothing lived on the ship was not quite correct. That was one who -<i>barely</i> lived—"</p> - -<p>"Barely is the word, my friend," came a weak voice from the bunk, "I -don't know what you did to those devils, but you sure stopped them in -their tracks."</p> - -<p>Denny had recovered consciousness. The trio hurried to his side.</p> - -<p>"So they couldn't quite kill you?" Art grinned down at the space pilot.</p> - -<p>"Weren't trying!" replied Denny briefly. "They seemed interested in -the discoveries I'd made on Venus. Had the nicest ways of getting -information; simple, too. All they had to do was touch my skin and I -got a radium burn."</p> - -<p>"You must have passed out just after I used the ray on them," -Klalmar-lan commented. "But how did they get you in the first place?"</p> - -<p>"Just slipped up behind us, showing a friendly signal, and slapped -some kind of paralysis ray on us—went through the permirium hull and -everything. They came aboard—but only took me off. The rest of the -crew they left lying there, paralyzed. Then they just swung away a -few miles and disintegrated the whole works. That was pretty tough to -take—some of those boys had been to hell and back with me."</p> - -<p>"They paid for that massacre," growled Klalmar-lan. "But that was only -one of their countless thousands, perhaps millions of ships. I believe -that they have a huge base on Venus, from which they are preparing to -swoop down on Earth when the Ghlak-Ileth are ready. We will have to -locate that base. Then we will radio the Martian Fleet. We have half a -million ships, armed with choker rays and disintegrators. Long have we -prepared to seize the treasure of Venus, and at the same time revenge -ourselves on our ancient enemy. Speaking for the Greater Ring," and -he drew himself up proudly, "I can promise you that we will fight as -fiercely to save your race from extinction, though there be no gain, if -it will in some measure alleviate the great wrong we have done you in -leaving you unwarned and unprepared."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Thank you, Klalmar-lan," answered Denny simply. "However, I've got to -warn you—there's something rotten on our side of it. Those <i>Things</i> -spoke English—and had a pretty fair knowledge of Earth science and -Earth affairs."</p> - -<p>"Yes, we know where the rotten spot is located," replied Klalmar-lan. -"He's been building up a machinery against us for some time, unknown -to some of you who worked nearest him. Got away with several of our -secrets, too—the force field, for one—"</p> - -<p>"The force field!" ejaculated Art. "That's how he got Haight! Remember -that night, Elene?"</p> - -<p>"Of course," she cried. "Haight had found the secret of the Ghlak-Ileth -and their high radium content."</p> - -<p>"Yes," agreed Klalmar-lan, "and that secret Dr. Theller knew he must -suppress at all costs. The force field he no doubt projected as a beam -through some hidden port in the laboratory roof. Playing it about like -an invisible searchlight, he met the incoming flier with a barrier as -effective as a stone wall."</p> - -<p>"The Voornizar must have contacted him long ago, and made some kind -of deal—probably offered him all the radium he could use," mused -Art. "I would guess that he planned to establish a new laboratory -on Venus—that's why he was so interested in that city you found, -Denny—interested enough to discredit your story on Earth, and order -you held by the Voornizar!"</p> - -<p>"And to go a step farther," interjected Klalmar-lan, "I will wager that -we find the Voornizar's base not so far from that city."</p> - -<p>"What ghastly treachery!" gasped Elene. "To betray his own Mother Earth -to annihilation. Already millions have died—"</p> - -<p>Art, watching her, saw her freeze in silence. He tried to glance at the -others, but his eyeballs would not move in their sockets. He tried to -move; his whole body was gripped in a rigid paralysis! There was utter -silence and stillness in the hurtling ship. Art's thoughts were racing. -What fools they had been, flocking around Denny's bunk when he came -to. They had totally neglected to watch the control panel, where the -mass detector would have warned them of an approaching ship. Now they -had been surprised and seized with the same deadly paralysis that had -trapped Denny before.</p> - -<p>The air lock swung inward. None of the four were surprised to see Dr. -Theller step through the port, keeping a careful distance between -himself and the two grotesque monstrosities who followed him. Theller -was without space suit or arms. Art stared with horrified fascination -at the two Voornizar. The dazzling, white hot radiance that ceaselessly -flowed from them made it difficult to identify their form. They seemed -to have none; yet they could take any shape. Fundamentally, they -were a tube about a foot in diameter and some seven feet high. They -had a slit-like mouth near the top, and a huge crystalline eye which -surmounted their exact top. They seemed to favor a bilateral form, -although the number of pairs of arms appeared indeterminate. But as -Art watched, above each slit mouth appeared a huge beak nose and above -this, deep, staring sightless hollows. A horrible caricature of a human -face! Demoniac laughter came from the lipless mouth of one!</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"So you pitiful Martians had a weapon that would stop the Voornizar!" -it boomed. "You fool, did you not know that we are immortal? Only when -we lack radium can one of us die—and then, he only suspends animation -until sustenance can be brought. I know not the principle of the thing -you fashioned, although its effect is to halt radio-activity. Think -ye that would kill us?" The thing's laughter roared. "We merely lay -inert—waiting only for the next contact with a living Voornizar or -any bit of active radium, to set our life process in motion once more. -Think ye that you can fight a million mighty ships with such a harmless -weapon?</p> - -<p>"Had you known that the transport you captured carried me, Dwalbuth, -mighty Shan of the Voornizar, you might not have so carelessly left us -drifting in space, to be found and revived by Dr. Theller."</p> - -<p>"Before we release you from the paralysis," spoke up Theller, "I want -to tell you that resistance is futile. These people can project, from -that single eye, a ray of any frequency, ranging from ultraviolet to -infra-red, and would have no trouble in burning you to a crisp in a -fraction of a second. Also, as Pilot Denny has reason to know, their -slightest touch will cause a severe burn." He searched Denny, still -lying on the bunk, found nothing. He removed Art and Elene's electron -pistols. From Klalmar-lan's belt he took the choker ray gun, gave it a -contemptuous glance, and flung it squarely in Klalmar-lan's face, just -as Dwalbuth flicked a bluish light from a tiny torch over the four, -releasing them from the paralysis. Klalmar-lan caught the gun, staring -down at it with dumb despair and sick disappointment written all over -his handsome ebony face.</p> - -<p>"We'll put them in my ship," said Theller, motioning them toward -the lock. Denny rose and hobbled painfully along with them. "The -Earth people I can use for helpers, if I can educate them to the -practicability of such a course; the Martian I will destroy, after I -have wrung from him a few of the secrets I need for my conquest of his -planet."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">VI</p> - -<p>"I assure you that these are the most comfortable accommodations to -be found anywhere on Venus," commented Denny sardonically as he gazed -around the dank cell in which the four found themselves imprisoned. -"Speaking from experience, I mean that."</p> - -<p>"This is your city, then, of which you spoke?" queried the Martian.</p> - -<p>"Yes. I spent very little time in exploring it, however, as I was -due to report back and was in a hurry. I do know that it's mostly -underground, and of almost inconceivable antiquity, however. Of the -nature of its former inhabitants, their language, or the name of the -city, I could learn nothing."</p> - -<p>"My guess that the Voornizar's base was in, or somewhere near this city -was correct," asserted Klalmar-lan, dropping his voice. He glanced at -the guard looming outside the heavily barred metal door, and beckoned -them to a far, gloomy corner of the dungeon. The Earth people were -startled to hear a chuckle of fiendish glee. It came from the Martian! -He was swinging his ray pistol by the trigger guard, shaking in nearly -inaudible mirth.</p> - -<p>"By the Two Moons! What ego!" he hissed, lapsing into his native -tongue, which the others understood to some extent. "They have such -contempt for my poor Martian brainchild, they do not even take it from -me!"</p> - -<p>"Well, it's practically useless, as near as I can see, against any -number of the creatures," shrugged Elene. "I suppose we could knock -out the guard, but the lock on the door is still impossible. The next -Voornizar who comes along would revive him, and we'd only be in for -more restrictions."</p> - -<p>"Ah, but you do not understand. Watch." A lizard-like reptile had run -down the slimy wall, paused at the bottom. Klalmar-lan aimed the gun at -it, pressed the trigger. Nothing happened. "That was the choker ray. -Now, observe—I move this little catch here, press the button again." -There was a little frying sound. A puff of vapor rose above the lizard, -and it shrank instantly to a blackened lump. The Earthians stared in -amazement.</p> - -<p>Art finally found voice. "How did you do it?"</p> - -<p>"Simple—a disintegrator. Result, the disintegration is only begun, -when it is cut off. No explosion. Only a few elements in the victim -begin to go, but the molecular structure is broken down nevertheless. I -can set it for any degree I want.</p> - -<p>"Dwalbuth called me a fool, but it is he who is stupid in his conceit. -Immortal! Bah! There is nothing that cannot be disintegrated."</p> - -<p>"Then I move; we get out of here, right now!" whispered Art vehemently. -"People are dying on Earth, every minute."</p> - -<p>"Right," agreed Denny. "Let's go." He limped to the door. "Say, guard—"</p> - -<p>Standing behind him, the gun hidden, Klalmar-lan poured the rays over -the Voornizar, through Denny, door and all. The creature slumped -heavily to the floor, its fiery luminescence fading to a dull leaden -gray. Klalmar-lan stepped forward, turned up his disintegrator, and -impassively played the beam over the Thing on the floor, until nothing -remained but a heap of blackened slag. Then he went to work on the -lock. In a moment they were free. Art kicked the ashes of the guard -into a dark, obscure corner of the cell.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"We've got to find our way to the upper level, get to a televisor -someway," panted Klalmar-lan, as they hurried up the inclined -passageway.</p> - -<p>"Don't know if I can remember all the twists and turns we followed when -they brought us down or not," Denny puzzled. "How about you, Art?" Art -shook his head doubtfully.</p> - -<p>"You intend to bring the Martian fleet here—that is, if you can -contact them?" Elene inquired of Klalmar-lan.</p> - -<p>"No—not here—to Earth! While they are neutralizing the Ghlak-Ileth -there, we must in some way hold off the menace here."</p> - -<p>"You're right," Art agreed. "The fleet can't fight off a million -Voornizar ships and kill the Ghlak-Ileth, too. And it's imperative that -they get to Earth with no delay."</p> - -<p>Through pitch black corridors, twisting, climbing, dropping again, the -party groped their way. Art had a tiny torch, which he risked flashing -on occasionally, but this helped little. All hope of retracing their -steps was soon abandoned. The lower levels of the ancient city had been -a veritable labyrinth. Realizing that they were hopelessly lost, they -stopped to take stock of the situation. Leaning against a dank, moss -grown wall, Art felt something slimy brush his leg. He flashed on his -light, and his sanity reeled. He saw a great, rat-like figure, the size -of man on his knees! The eye in its humanoid face were closed against -the light—its teeth were bared in the snarl of a cornered rat. Then it -scuttled away clumsily. Great God! It was a man shambling on his knees, -naked and unclean!</p> - -<p>Art heard a little moan of horror—Elene had turned away, her face in -her hands.</p> - -<p>"Did you see it, Klalmar-lan?" he muttered hoarsely to the Martian.</p> - -<p>"Yes, my friend," was the sad reply. "I believe we have witnessed all -that is left of the glory that was Venus. A skulking creature of the -sewers—creeping on its knees." He shuddered. "They nearly did that to -us once—and they will do it to Earth, if we do not find a way out of -here soon."</p> - -<p>There was a metallic rattle, far down the corridor, and a livid, -glowing stab of light appeared. It was a Voornizar, running—the empty -cell had been found.</p> - -<p>"It's all right," hissed Art, "he can't possibly see us. Here we have -the advantage." Klalmar-lan grimly drew his ray gun, but Art halted -him. "Wait—I've got a plan. You stick here. Keep out of sight. The -rest of us will give ourselves up. We'll try to get him to take us to -Dwalbuth or Theller. Then you follow. See?"</p> - -<p>Klalmar-lan nodded silently, stepped back into the shadows. Grasping -Elene and Denny by the hand, Art ran toward the Voornizar, shouting.</p> - -<p>"Get us out of this horrible place before we go mad!" he croaked. Elene -managed a sob or two. The Voornizar grinned evilly at their panic, then -peered behind them.</p> - -<p>"Where is the Martian?" he snarled.</p> - -<p>"We got separated in the dark some time ago—never could locate him -again," Art answered.</p> - -<p>"We'll find him; he can't go far," rasped the creature. "Meanwhile, I -will take you to Dwalbuth, who will see that you suffer adequately for -this attempt at escape. In the absence of the Earthman, who wants to -preserve you as his assistants, our Mighty Shan will dispose of you as -he sees fit."</p> - -<p>The guard carried a powerful torch, and had no trouble in finding -the way out of the pits. They entered a level which had evidently -been the quarters of the well-to-do class of ancients. There were -many furnishings and decorations, most of which were badly faded -and deteriorated. Hosts of Voornizar were hurrying about on various -errands. Dwalbuth had evidently established headquarters here, from -which he superintended the preparation of the huge radium fleet. How -Klalmar-lan would ever follow them through this swarming hive was -beyond Art.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The guard led them to a huge room where Dwalbuth was snarling orders to -a group of his lieutenants. On sighting the Earthmen, he dismissed his -henchmen.</p> - -<p>"Perhaps," he began, "I have not made it clear to you just how -insignificant you, and your form of life, is in our scheme of things. -We have wiped out many races stronger than you, on a score of planets, -in my time. We are strong, immortal; you are weak, you suffer pain -easily. Do not try my patience with any more escape attempts. And you -had better tell me what you have done with that guard." There was -only silence. He screamed, "<i>What did you do with that guard?</i>" A -great three-toed claw, or hand, shot out, stopped an inch from Elene's -terror-stricken face.</p> - -<p>"I have heard that your men consider you beautiful to look upon," -sneered Dwalbuth, "I will change that face to a seared mask if you do -not tell me, immediately." Then Art leaped. He threw himself on the -arm with its grasping claw, bore it down. White hot, burning agony -shot through his hands and arms. Then, miraculously, it stopped. -Dwalbuth was sagging to the floor. But there came a vicious crackling -as the guard whirled to train his heat ray on them. Then he, too, -collapsed. Klalmar-lan stood in the door, grinning as he switched on -his disintegrator.</p> - -<p>"Fasten this door the best you can," he commanded, "while I finish off -these two. Hate to take the time, but we can't risk their recovering." -This done, he stepped to the televisor, dialled his commander-in-chief -in the Greater Ring's Martian stronghold. In a few terse words, he -explained the situation and sent the fleet hurtling toward Earth. By -this time, a great pounding had begun at the door. But the Earthians -had not been idle—they had been searching frantically for an exit. And -Elene had found one, a tiny passageway behind a once secret, but now -half-rotted-away panel. They scrambled into it, crawled for a short -way. Then the tunnel debouched into a larger corridor in which they -could stand up and run. Luckily, it was crooked, and winding; for they -heard the angry snap and hiss of searching heat rays not far behind.</p> - -<p>"Watch this," said Klalmar-lan, turning his disintegrator up higher. A -Voornizar appeared around a corner, and exploded with a muffled roar.</p> - -<p>"Don't get the mixture too rich!" laughed Art as the fragments showered -around them. "Say, Klalmar-lan, how in blazes did you get through that -mob to follow us?"</p> - -<p>"Easy," grinned the black man. "When you came out on that level, I was -lurking close behind. There was nothing for me to do but fall right in -with you. If you had looked around, you'd have seen me right at your -elbow. Of course, when you came to the door of Dwalbuth's staff room, -I dropped out, and just stood outside the door, acting the part of a -bored prisoner, until the fun started."</p> - -<p>Art chuckled at the Martian's audacity. The sounds of pursuit were -getting fainter behind them. The Voornizar were learning new respect -for their once despised captives.</p> - -<p>The tunnel now narrowed down to a width which made it passable by one -person only, and ran perfectly straight. The party formed in single -file, Klalmar-lan bringing up the rear. Denny led, with Art's flash, as -Art was nursing scorched hands and arms.</p> - -<p>"They'll be getting after us with that paralysis ray directly," Art -worried. "What do you say to blocking the tunnel? We can surely depend -on its emerging somewhere."</p> - -<p>"The War Gods help us if <i>they</i> know where it comes out! But I think -you've got an idea there," agreed Klalmar-lan, turning his ray on the -roof of the tunnel a good distance behind them. It crumbled, slowly at -first, then gave way with a roar, the fragments of rock and masonry -completely choking the aperture. Klalmar-lan did not stop until he had -filled the passage for a good hundred feet.</p> - -<p>"We can get back through there, if we have to, by using this gun, but -the Voornizar will have to dig or bore their way. Their disintegrators -are like yours of Earth—uncontrolled. They are useful out in space -for destroying an enemy space ship at a distance, but one blast under -ground here would set off enough thermal energy to blow this whole city -off the green face of Venus."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Denny was crouching on the floor. "Look at this!" he exclaimed. His -tiny flash revealed fresh marks in the damp sand which covered the -floor at that point. They were blurred, and had no resemblance to human -footprints.</p> - -<p>"At least one Voornizar passed this way," commented Klalmar-lan, "but -my guess is that Dwalbuth made these tracks, and was the only one who -knew the secret of this passage."</p> - -<p>"It's a sure thing it's leading us to some place of -importance—Dwalbuth didn't take this walk for the fresh air," Denny -contributed.</p> - -<p>The tunnel's length seemed interminable, although Art estimated they -had not covered over four or five Earth miles. They found a tiny spring -of pure water trickling down the moss-shrouded stone wall, and drank -gratefully. Their lunch consisted of a few food tablets which Art had -been carrying.</p> - -<p>At last a dim glow of light appeared ahead. Advancing warily, they -found the passage ran squarely into a plate metal barrier, which leaned -away from them at a slight angle. About head height, there was a small -ragged hole burned into it, through which came the light they had seen. -Denny applied his eyes to this.</p> - -<p>"Smokin' Mercury!" he exclaimed, sotto voice. "Get a load of this, -Art!" Art looked. The sight was awesome. Far below, and stretching -into the dim distance, was a vast cavern. As far as the eye could see, -its floor was covered with huge silvery shapes—the mighty cruisers of -the Voornizar. Their close-packed ranks seemed to stretch for miles -into the darkness. The only light was the luminescence of the ships -themselves. The great domed roof was shrouded with gloom. The vantage -point from which Art looked seemed to be located high in the curved -side, and the metal barricade against which the tunnel ended was -actually the shell of the Gargantuan cavity.</p> - -<p>Klalmar-lan then had a quick glance, then turned to them, elated.</p> - -<p>"This is it! We've stumbled on the main pool. There must be nearly a -million ships down there."</p> - -<p>Elene was looking now—she was unable to see any egress through which -the ships could be trundled to the surface. Doubtless there was a ramp -or elevator of some sort, probably on the far side beyond their range -of vision. Many Voornizar were moving among the great hulks, servicing -them, effecting minor repairs.</p> - -<p>"We are now probably well outside the city proper," continued -Klalmar-lan. "Apparently this was once a great assembly hall, where -huge mass meetings or possibly some kind of sporting events, were held. -Some ancient king, wishing to spy upon the doings of his subjects -unobserved, caused this passageway to be dug and the peekhole to be -cut. Dwalbuth, in turn, utilized it for somewhat the same purpose."</p> - -<p>"Looks like the work of a twentieth-century acetylene torch," laughed -Denny.</p> - -<p>"That might afford an excellent clue as to the comparative development -of their civilization," agreed Klalmar-lan gravely. "But enough -theorizing. We must utterly destroy all these ships. Wait here."</p> - -<p>They watched as he moved back through the tunnel a short distance. He -trained his pistol on the wall. Rapidly a hole began to appear.</p> - -<p>"It can't be far to the surface," he told them. "I'm going to burn a -tunnel upward at a steep angle. Keep a good watch in both directions." -Just then Art, his eye glued to the opening, saw that something was -amiss below. The Voornizar were running about excitedly. Faintly he -heard their discordant shouting, and the crackle of heat rays. Then he -saw, skimming and swerving above the rows of giant ships, a familiar -sight! Klalmar-lan's own spaceship, in which they had originally -embarked from Earth! Wildly, it plunged toward Art, then swung -erratically away and headed in a steep climb for the top of the dome. -Several small patrol fliers appeared, racing in pursuit. Searchlights -lanced through the blackness, illuminating the heretofore invisible -ceiling, which was apparently just what the pilot of Klalmar-lan's -ship hoped for. A passing searchlight beam revealed for an instant a -round, jagged hole in the center of the room; the little rocket ship -shot through it like an escaping minnow. The hole had evidently been -newly made by the Voornizar for the passage of their smaller and more -maneuverable craft, a half dozen of which now flashed through in -pursuit.</p> - -<p>Art turned and related what he had seen.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"That was Theller, or I'm not a broken down space eater," growled -Denny, "Here, let me spell you on that excavation work a while, -Klalmar-lan." Klalmar-lan had a tough job—it was getting more -difficult as the hole progressed. Hot gobbets of molten lava came -splashing down from time to time, preventing him from entering the -hole and following up his work. Acrid, choking fumes began to fill -the tunnel, but Klalmar-lan refused to let Denny or Art take over, on -account of their burned hands. It was two hours before daylight began -to show, fifty feet above.</p> - -<p>"Now, while those rocks are cooling sufficiently for us to crawl -out, I'll show you what my plan is," said Klalmar-lan. "Has anyone -a chrono?" Elene slipped one from her wrist, handed it to him. -Quickly, he slipped it out of its case, began removing various parts. -He attached it to the trigger ring of his pistol, made a delicate -adjustment. Then he set the gun to full disintegrator. He rigged it so -that the muzzle pointed through the peep-hole, aimed at the ships below.</p> - -<p>"We've got six hours to get out of here and put plenty of miles between -us and this place," he informed them. Hurriedly they scrambled up the -chimney he had made. The rock had cooled rapidly, as it was pouring -rain above, and water ran down in little rivulets. The four of them -were drenched by the time they reached the surface. The rain was -beating down in such a torrent that they could hardly get their breath. -It was warm, like a tepid shower. It was difficult to see more than a -few feet, but it was evident that they were in thick jungle.</p> - -<p>"Let's head West," shouted Denny. "There's a bay that runs in here, -toward the city. We came in that way before, from the sea. Shouldn't -be far from here. If we can get on the open beach, it'll be lots -better going than this damned jungle." With this they had to agree, -and no time was lost in plunging into the jungle in the direction he -had indicated. The four were now weaponless, and would have fallen -easy prey to any one of a dozen varieties of carnivorous monsters -who habitually roamed the forest. But the creatures evidently did -not consider the rain conducive to good hunting, and so they were -unmolested. Two hours of exhausting struggle brought them out on the -beach, which had not been over a mile away.</p> - -<p>"Now we can make time," said Denny. "This narrow strip of beach will -take us almost straight away from the space port for about twenty -miles."</p> - -<p>"We'll do our best to cover it in the four hours we have left," Art -chuckled. They set out at a rapid clip, keeping a wary eye on both -jungle and sea, from either of which might spring sudden death at -any moment. The rain stopped, but lead-colored clouds still swirled -overhead, for Venus was eternally overcast. Plenty of drinking water -was to be found in the hollows of huge leaves—but the need for food -was becoming keen with all of them. Still, they did not dare tarry long -enough to find sustenance.</p> - -<p>"There are a few species of fish in these waters which I know to be -edible," explained Denny. "When it's safe to stop, we can catch a few."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"You may stop right now!" commanded a harsh voice from behind them. -They whirled—there, in the fringe of the jungle, his gray hair awry, -his eyes glittering with desperation, stood Doctor Theller, covering -them with the wide mouth of an electronic pistol.</p> - -<p>"You—the Martian—I need your services. Come along—there's no time to -lose. The rest of you come, too." There was nothing to do but trudge -ahead of him through the jungle in the direction he indicated. There, -as they had expected, lay Klalmar-lan's ship.</p> - -<p>"You are having a little trouble with my ship?" inquired the Martian -insolently, winking at his comrades.</p> - -<p>"Yes, damn you—and you're going to fix it!" snarled the scientist. -"It was necessary for me to fly through a narrow opening—I grazed the -edge slightly. Two of the starboard main propulsion jets were sheared -away. I had no trouble losing my pursuers in the mist, but when I cut -in the main jets to leave the atmosphere, I merely looped about in -crazy trajectories. The right adjustment of the firing pattern would -compensate for this, but I could not find it. On one of my own ships, -yes, but this confounded Martian oddity is beyond my understanding. I -had to drop down here, and attempt to trace out the connections from -the firing panel. This I have been unable to do. You will do it for me!"</p> - -<p>"Apparently you no longer occupy your former position of esteem with -the Voornizar," mocked Art.</p> - -<p>"Get in the ship!" snapped Theller, glancing sharply at them. "You, -Klalmar-lan, pilot the ship. Set the course for Mars."</p> - -<p>"Mars!"</p> - -<p>"Yes. We will land in a remote area, where we will pose as refugees -from Earth. That is, all of us except Klalmar-lan, of whom I will -dispose before reaching there. I am not beaten yet. I have friends -there, and with the secrets I have learned of the Martian weapons and -defenses, I will be able to build anew."</p> - -<p>Art stepped forward, ignoring the threatening gun muzzle. "Doctor -Theller, it strikes me that you are in no position to dictate terms -to us. You are in as great a danger as we, how great a danger, you do -not even dream. Only Klalmar-lan can pilot this crippled ship. This he -can, and will, refuse to do. Now here are our terms. We will take you -to Mars alive, where we will turn you over to the authorities." Art was -loath to reveal as yet that they could set their course for Earth and -arrive there in perfect safety. "You do not dare kill any of us."</p> - -<p>"Don't I?" sneered the scientist. "Watch me. If Klalmar-lan does not -get into that pilot seat before I count ten, I will blast Elene to a -cinder. Then I will kill you, Art. Then Denny. When only Klalmar-lan is -left, I will destroy him by inches, burning away a hand or foot at a -time." The electronic pistol swung toward Elene and he began counting. -White-faced, Art motioned despairingly to Klalmar-lan. The Martian's -black eyes were obsidian as he silently strapped himself in the seat. -The rest followed, Doctor Theller last, his pistol covering them. -Suddenly there was a sickening lurch, a numbing crash, and blackening -oblivion.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">VII</p> - -<p>Through a dull, throbbing ache, Art began to wonder where he was. -His body seemed first to be spinning in a vast void, and yet again -seemed to be pinned against a hard cold surface. He felt repeated -small shocks, as of missiles striking him. From a distance a voice -was calling insistently. Rubbing sticky blood from his eyes, he saw a -greater flat expanse stretching away above him. Then his eyes focused. -It was the deck of the flier! And there at its far end sat Klalmar-lan -in the pilot seat! He was looking over his shoulder, calling, "Art! -Art! Get that ray pistol! Quickly!" Art looked about him sluggishly. -He saw the gun lying only a few feet from his face. But beyond it, -there was a crawling figure—a mad ravening thing whose clawlike hand -was even now extended to grasp the weapon! Art tried to move—he -could not budge. Something was pinning him down—the body of Denny. -He heaved desperately, but the man seemed to weigh tons. The truth of -the situation came to Art. The ship was still within the gravity of -Venus, and accelerating at a rate far beyond that of normal flight. The -inexorable force of the acceleration was pressing the four passengers -against the rear panel of the ship. Klalmar-lan could not leave his -pilot's seat, for he would never be able to return! And even then, -Theller's hand was closing on the grip of the pistol. The rocket ship -spun on its longitudinal axis like a giant gyroscope. Art felt himself -thrown from wall to wall, battered and bruised, but miraculously -retaining consciousness. He was free now, of the encumbrance. The -whirling stopped, and he drew himself painfully to a sitting position. -He looked wildly around for the gun. It was nowhere to be seen; but -Theller, pulling a long, bodkin-like dagger from his boot, was close -upon him. The dagger was raised for the plunge into Art's unprotected -heart, but there came a low hum from the front of the ship. Theller -collapsed, his muscles constricted into taut bands of agony by the -shock ray.</p> - -<p>And Art's pain-wracked body once more found the peace of oblivion.</p> - -<p>Sounds of laughter and conversation finally woke him again. Relaxed -and refreshed, he knew that he had slept long. He sat up in the bunk. -He was swathed in bandages, and medications had eased the pain of -his bruises and burns. Elene and Denny, also heavily bandaged, were -watching him smilingly. Klalmar-lan came toward him from the pilot's -seat.</p> - -<p>"You're a fine pilot!" roared Art, in mock fury. "That was about the -worst take-off I have ever seen!" Klalmar-lan ruefully had to admit -that it was pretty bad.</p> - -<p>"I had to do it, though, Art," he said. "It was our only chance. I -watched out of the corner of my eye. As soon as you were in, I threw -on the main jets, full power, thinking to leave Theller behind, but -I didn't time it quite right. He had managed to get in first. Of -course, you were all thrown heavily against the rear panel, which, -being padded, prevented serious injury. Naturally, we all blacked out -for a time from the acceleration. We had passed through the cloud -layer before I myself regained consciousness. Just in time to see the -most beautiful sight! The rear mirrograph showed the whole thing. The -clouds, which extend a full six miles above Venus' surface, parted like -a puff of smoke, and a huge flower of white flame, miles in diameter, -sprang up at us.</p> - -<p>"The concussion boosted our speed at a terrific rate. But I discovered -that at least three Voornizar fighters had been scattered far enough -to avoid destruction, and were now speeding in savage pursuit. When I -saw Theller coming to, and crawling after that gun, I didn't know what -to do for a moment. I couldn't leave the cockpit and expect to return -without neutralizing our tremendous acceleration, which meant leveling -off, in which case our pursuers would be on us instantly.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus3.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"I shouted at you, threw pieces of my harness, anything to rouse you. -You finally woke, but Theller practically had the pistol by that time. -I spun the ship over a couple of times, which was cruel punishment -for all of you, but necessary. Well, I thought all was over when I -saw Theller about to knife you. But spinning the ship had dislodged -something from under the seat which Theller had evidently fastened -there previously—a shock ray pistol. I paralyzed him with that. In a -few hours we were out of Venus' gravity, and I was able to leave the -controls and revive the four of you." He strode to a bunk where Theller -lay, securely bound.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"And now, I think you'd better tell me what happened to those two -Martian ships which disappeared enroute to Earth. At the time, knowing -of the secrets you had stolen from us, but nothing of your connection -with Voornizar, we were forced to regard it as an act of war on the -part of Earth, and cut off communications until we could investigate it -in our own way. Now it is obvious that you gave their schedule to the -Voornizar and had them intercepted."</p> - -<p>"They disintegrated every trace of both of them!" shrieked the -murderer. "And I'm glad, glad, do you hear? I'd like to destroy -everything Martian! If my plan had gone right, some day I would have -brought you black devils to your knees. Knowing that I cannot do that, -I only want death."</p> - -<p>"That wish you shall have—for on Mars a death sentence awaits you," -Klalmar-lan answered grimly.</p> - -<p>"On Mars?" asked Art swiftly. "But Klalmar-lan, Elene and I must get to -Earth. Even though the danger is over, we are badly needed for the work -of rebuilding and reorganizing. And—besides—we, well, hang it all, we -want to find someone to marry us."</p> - -<p>"Don't worry, my friends," Klalmar-lan assured them. "You shall go to -Earth. In about two hours we will meet a Martian patrol which left Mars -for Venus at the same time the fleet left for Earth. I will transfer -to their ship with my prisoner, leaving you mine. I hope you will not -object to my taking an Earthian to Mars for trial—but my only motive -is to save the trouble of a trial when you will want to be devoting -your efforts to more important work."</p> - -<p>"He's right," agreed Denny, "and here's another thing. Don't worry -about getting back to Earth to get married. Have you forgotten that I'm -a full commander, with the right to marry any couple aboard a ship in -space?"</p> - -<p>Art and Elene hadn't forgotten.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: Original text had 2 Section IV headings. Section -headings renumbered to correct.]</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Vandals of the Void, by Robert Wilson - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK VANDALS OF THE VOID *** - -***** This file should be named 63518-h.htm or 63518-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/3/5/1/63518/ - -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 public domain print editions 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/license - - -Title: Vandals of the Void - -Author: Robert Wilson - -Release Date: October 21, 2020 [EBook #63518] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK VANDALS OF THE VOID *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - Vandals of the Void - - By ROBERT WILSON - - The Void had spawned these hell-creatures - of destruction, had sown them deep within - Earth's soil. And now Earth was reaping a - whirlwind of death--weapons futile against - the immortal conquerors from another space. - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Planet Stories Spring 1945. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -Art Douglas saw one of the very first of them, found and brought in by -two drivers from the huge steel burrowing worm which was at that time -conducting the sub-crust explorations many miles below the rolling -Kansas prairies. Why the men should have brought the discovery to -an organization such as the Interplanetary Research Institute, was -something not quite clear to Art. They must have known, he reflected -bitterly, how utterly bogged down the Institute was, how close to -absolute disintegration, from inability to work or progress, and the -resultant effect on the morale of the highly trained scientists who -made up its staff. - -But the weird organism which lay before him on the laboratory bench -dispelled all such thoughts immediately. His imaginative, yet -scientific brain leaped to meet the challenge and the Interplanetary -Research Institute became only a workshop full of tools, ready for his -use. - -It was only natural that he should first assume that the -creature-plants were probably native to the level at which they had -been found, and that this was their natural environment. How terribly -wrong this was to prove! Of the terrible menace in the thing before -him, Douglas could not dream; although he could plainly see its -potentialities. For it had been found boring through solid rock. - -It seemed to have been designed for just that. Its form was that of -spiral screw, about a foot long, tapering from a diameter of about an -inch at one end, to four inches at the other. In color it was a dull -blue-black, the surface fine textured and smooth, and steely hard. -Its strength was of steel also, for it was constantly whipping about, -trying to fasten its three needle sharp jaws, which were located at the -smaller end, in anything it might find. One of the men who brought it -had suffered a frightful gash in the forearm before they had learned -that this could be avoided by picking it up at the larger end. The -creature could not quite achieve the feat of bending itself double. - -Art found that once it had hooked those fierce jaws into anything, it -started boring and could not be torn loose. However, it would bore -_only upward_! When laid on a flat table, it merely writhed about, -looking for some object above it. He held a thick piece of board over -it. The head had bored through in a few seconds, but when he turned -the board over, it backed out hastily, and flopped to the table again, -where it resumed its endless searching, searching for something, -anything overhead, in which it could fasten its tenuous grip. - -Art called and had a huge two ton block of granite brought in by the -overhead crane. In its lower side he ordered some workmen to chip a -cavity, a little larger than the creature on the table. The thing was -dropped on the floor, and the block carefully lowered over it, so that -it was imprisoned in the cavity. Art had a hunch that it would have -made little difference to the creature whether it was allowed the -cavity, or merely had the block dropped on it. A little shudder ran -through him at the thought of such unearthly strength. He decided to go -to lunch, before he got too deeply involved. - - * * * * * - -Passing through the outer office, he met Elene Moor, lovely secretary -to Doctor Theller, Chief Director of the Institute and his immediate -superior. He had known Elene in college before securing this position, -and he remembered the sudden elation he had felt when he discovered -that he would be working near the girl for whom he had felt such a -hopeless yearning in school. She had been so popular, so surrounded by -young men whose zest for life, talent for fun, and supply of ready cash -had utterly overwhelmed him. Now, after five years of Interplanetary, -such a dull apathy had settled over him that even Elene's golden -loveliness failed to stir him. - -"Might as well lunch with me, Elene," he said, seeing that she was -about to leave. "I have an interesting topic of conversation for the -first time in ages, it seems. In fact, I'm very anxious to tell you -about it." - -She looked at him closely. Something certainly had aroused his -interest. His keen blue eyes were alight, and his rugged frame seemed -to be invested with a nervous energy which had long been dormant. -Elene was glad; he almost looked like the Art she had loved, and had -such hopes for, when he had first come to the Institute. But his -fine intellect had seemingly withered, stultified by the impossible -situation which existed at Interplanetary in the year 2186. Several -centuries of scientific struggling had finally produced a mode of -interplanetary travel. In 2135, successful landings and safe returns -had been made to and from Mars. A year later, Venus was also reached. -But fifty-one years had produced little knowledge of any value; -progress was at a standstill. Certainly the Martians had been found -to be a highly developed and scientific race. They were peaceful and -friendly. But they were also very wise. They were acquainted with -the history of man on Earth as far back as the time of Christ. Their -astronomical instruments made it possible to see plainly events there, -under the proper conditions. With the coming of wireless, they had -been able to intercept any and all signals they chose. They knew about -all they needed or wanted to know about Earth. That was what made -them so wary. For they had seen the torture of the early Christians, -and the cruel subjugation of the known world by the Romans. They had -seen in turn, the overrunning of Rome by the barbarian hordes. They -had known Attila the Hun. They had witnessed the Spanish Inquisition. -They had seen the slaughter of the aborigines in the new world, their -gradual extinction by the white colonists. They had known Napoleon, -and most monstrous and horrible of all, Hitler. They had finally seen -the Great Gas War, which had so decimated the ranks of mankind, that -it had been necessary to set up the International Peace Council, which -established peace by the only method which mankind seemed to be able to -understand--force. - - * * * * * - -It was rather simple. The laws were very strict: briefly, the -manufacture, transporting, or even possession of any kind of murder -weapon, other than what might be carried by a man for his personal -defense, was considered sufficient evidence of intent to kill, and -carried a death penalty. The agents and inspectors of the Council were -everywhere, entering any machine shop or factory at will, constantly -checking all sources of raw material, making almost impossible any -secret manufacture of any type of armament. - -But even this could not convince the canny Martians--for they knew that -thousands of years of barbarism were covered only by a thin veneer. -At any time, man's innate desire to conquer, pillage, and exterminate -another race might break through. The Martians well knew the age-old -tactics of infiltration used by colonists of Earth. Consequently, only -a few scheduled rocket trips per year were permitted. The personnel of -each expedition was restricted to a few scientists, who were carefully -investigated. They were allowed to study the language, customs, and -art of Mars. But scientific achievements and secrets were taboo. No -Earthman was permitted to roam at will on Mars--the knowledge they -acquired there was given them by an interviewing committee of high -ranking Martians, whose ability to sidestep a direct question was -uncanny. - -Of course, there were a few political hotheads on Earth who advocated -building a huge fleet of rocket ships, powered with disintegrators, -and sending an expedition to subdue the red planet. Naturally, this -merely served to corroborate the bad opinion of Earth held by the -superscientists of Mars. A few men, such as Doctor Theller and Art, -knew what awful disasters such a move would bring. Not only did -the Martians have weapons which made the terribly effective, but -uncontrollable, atomic disintegrator look like a clumsy toy, but they -could also throw up a force field around their entire planet, at an -unknown height, against which any invading ship would smash into -blazing fragments. - -True, there was Venus. Venus, the Jungle Planet. There were two -environments of Venus--water and jungle. Both were filled with a -teeming growth of nightmarish monsters, among which had been found -no intelligent beings. The creatures of Venus were born, fought and -ate one another, bred and died. That was all. The whole thing was one -vast aquarium. Most of the species had been classified during the ten -years following the first landing. There had been many expeditions at -first. But gradually they tapered off. Attempts at colonization were -given up as hopeless. The climate was sultry and oppressive, but worst -of all was the fact that practically all of the vegetation of Venus -was poisonous to humans. Any food crops introduced from Earth were -strangled by the lush native vegetation, which grew at an incredible -rate. Venus had no economic value. Minerals there were, but the expense -of freighting them back to Earth by rocket ship made mining impractical. - -As Elene mulled over these gloomy thoughts, she and Art had covered the -short distance from the office to the tube that led to Food Center. As -they entered, she saw that he also was preoccupied. In good time, he -would tell her what had aroused his sudden enthusiasm. An empty car -came by. A photoelectric cell registered their presence in the tube. It -stopped, Art dropped a token in a slot in its side, and the door slid -silently open. As they entered, Art grinned and said: - -"They're junking these cars next year. Seems they have developed a new -model. They were losing money on these--they waste a lot of time. They -always stop for you whether you want a car or not; perhaps you're just -waiting to meet someone, or just got off a car." - -"I hardly see what they can do about that," laughed Elene. "Telepathic -communication between man and a machine is something considered pretty -far in the future." - -"They still use the photo cell," answered Art, "but now it registers a -complete picture of you. By a system of hand signals the prospective -passenger will be able to indicate whether he wants a car, where he -is going, et cetera. Even the control panel, which we now set for our -destination, will be eliminated." - - * * * * * - -Soon they were seated in the one huge cafeteria which served the entire -city of Washington. Various levels were frequented by different classes -of citizens, and Art and Elene chose a quiet one, usually patronized by -scientific and medical students. Their meal was ordered by dialing from -a numbered menu and arrived automatically in a few seconds, piping hot. - -Once they were settled, Art began to tell the girl of the weird thing -that had been brought him. - -"I've had no time at all to work on it, of course," he began, "but -this much I can almost say for sure--this thing is not an organism -like anything else on Earth's crust. Its life processes do not depend -on oxidation. It's not composed, as we are, principally of hydrogen, -oxygen, and carbon. Carbon, perhaps, yes; that might give it some of -its hardness--but it's inert, not involved in any chemical action. The -thing neither breathes nor eats!" - -"Please, Art, start at the beginning--you haven't told me what it looks -like, or anything!" - -"O.K., O.K.," he grinned, and obligingly did so, concluding with, "It's -not much, maybe--hasn't anything to do with planetary research, but -it's a job--something to keep me busy. That's hard enough to find, -these days." - -"Art," she said quickly, "it seems to me that there's plenty to do now, -as never before; so much untapped knowledge right at our fingertips--" - -"I don't see how you can say that," he interrupted bitterly. "I -wouldn't exactly call Mars at our fingertips." - -"Why Mars? It's always Mars, Mars. You don't have to go there. Find out -the secrets they know for yourself. Just because you're stymied that -doesn't mean you can't go ahead yourself. A young man with initiative -could--" - -"So I haven't any initiative!" he flared. "Well, how about yourself? -After all, a woman now is as good as a man, you know--with modern -advantages, physical strength and endurance aren't so important. A -woman with enough courage and will power can do as much as any man." - -"Yes, Art, but a woman is still a woman. All the scientific progress in -the world can't change that--she still plays the passive role. Woman -would cease to be feminine otherwise. That was proved way back in the -twentieth century." - -"I suppose you're right," he muttered. It had set him thinking. Was -he losing his manhood? The human race didn't have so much need for -expansion any more. Only greed and craving for adventure would set a -man exploring now. And he had neither. Or had he? He thought of the -daydreams he sometimes had--of roaming through the primitive jungles -of Venus, searching perhaps for a trace of a near human, intelligent -civilization, blasting his way through hordes of threatening monsters. -But all that was silly; he was a trained man, and it would be very -foolish to risk such a brain as his in that hotbed of violence. - -Still, what good was that precious brain doing anyone at -Interplanetary? The shortage of radium prevented their going ahead with -the program of experiments which Dr. Theller had mapped out. The idea -of wasting their dwindling supply in a roundabout process of learning -what the Martians could so easily tell them, had turned the staff of -the Institute into a pack of frustrated malcontents. - - * * * * * - -The Earth easily supported its population of ten billion. Masterpieces -of engineering had irrigated and made fertile practically all of the -Earth's surface, except around the poles. There was no need to grow -crops, anyway, other than that fresh natural foods were more palatable. -Enough food for a hundred billion people could be manufactured -synthetically from the sun's rays. There was no need, say, for -colonizing Venus, but such a project would certainly provide an outlet -for the energies of a bored young scientist. - -Art still sulked as they returned to the laboratory, but the idea had -been planted in his mind, and the more he thought, the nearer he came -to admitting that Elene was right. Little did he dream that he would -soon be so busy that looking for thrills would be the least of his -worries. - -A white faced attendant met them at the front door of the laboratory. - -"Dr. Douglas! That thing--we can't control it--it's--" Art ran to the -room where he had left the creature. The granite block was where he -had left it, but had a neat round hole in its top. Then he looked at -the opposite wall of the room. It was a crumbling ruin. The wormlike -animal had evidently wriggled its way to the plastocrete wall where it -had started boring. As the wall was only five or six inches thick, it -had kept emerging from one side or another, dropping to the floor, and -starting all over again. The attendants, not knowing how to pick it up, -had left it alone after suffering several gashes. They were afraid to -handle it too roughly, for fear of damaging it. Art smiled grimly at -this. He picked the thing up, threw it on the table. He decided that he -would dissect the specimen here and now, find the secret of its mighty -strength. But at that moment Dr. Theller came in. - -"Well, Art, I hope you've thoroughly familiarized yourself with that -creature because--" - -"To tell you the truth, Dr. Theller, I don't know a darn thing about -it!" retorted Art cheerfully. - -"You're going to learn, Art--and mighty soon! I'm going to send you out -to Los Angeles. Something catastrophic is happening out there. I can't -get anything very clear over the televisor--I see confused pictures of -buildings crashing, utter panic everywhere. All the accounts I've heard -are garbled--but creatures like this seem to have something to do with -it! - -"Find out what you can, do what you can, then report back. Of course, -the city has no defenses, other than the police force, and they are -armed only with shock guns." It was true--war was non-existent; -defensive armament was unnecessary. Everything was fireproof, making a -fire department likewise unnecessary. - -Art took off in his strato flier from the roof of the laboratory, -climbing rapidly until he reached the thin isothermal layer, ten miles -up. Then he leveled off, and accelerated slowly to a speed of over one -thousand mph. At this rate, he would be able to reach Los Angeles in -not over two and a half hours. The time dragged as Art tried to picture -the disaster that had overtaken the West Coast city, and just how it -could have been caused by animals like the one he had seen. - -Art always disliked riding the strato layer. Too far below him were -the rich, rolling prairies, the mountains covered with mighty timber -trees and lush greenery. There was no desert, no wasteland. Any land -not level enough to grow crops, or occupied by cities, was covered by -thick forest. The only exceptions were the higher peaks of the Rockies, -brilliant white patches against the green carpet. It was a beautiful -old planet, this Mother Earth. - -Far ahead and to his right, Art finally glimpsed the sparkle of -sunlight of the Inland Sea. Once there had been a ghastly blazing hot -desert there, called Death Valley, Art remembered from his school -geography. Two centuries ago, engineers had dug a tunnel and let the -water of the Pacific in, thereby giving the surrounding desert land -a much moister climate. Such a primitive measure would not have been -necessary in modern times. Distilled sea water could be piped anywhere, -in any desired amount, for irrigation. - - - II - -The sighting of the Inland Sea was a signal to start decelerating. The -Los Angeles zone signal appeared, a red light on his control panel. The -L.A. beam picked him up, swung him gently to the left, and brought him -in automatically. - -Below him he saw swarms of family fliers, all coming from the city. -As he dropped down he found the traffic system entirely disorganized. -Outgoing fliers were filling the incoming lanes. After narrowly missing -sudden death several times, Art savagely dialed traffic center. The -televisor screen lit up--but instead of a picture of the control -officer seated at his switchboard, Art saw only an empty chair. It -was only then that he realized the extent of the panic that gripped -Los Angeles--for the control officer was sworn to remain at his post -through the direst emergencies. - -Now he was over the city--the vast terraced, pyramidical structures -of the metropolitan area, each a mile square at the base, with a -narrow rim of landing strip around each level. But as he descended -lower he saw that they were no longer structures, but ruins. Even as -he watched, they were crumbling and caving in on themselves. Some of -them were already mere vast heaps of rubble. Projecting his helicopter -propellers, he dropped down and hovered over one of them. Everywhere -the broken plastoglass was covered with writhing, squirming duplicates -of the creature back in his laboratory. - -Art fished out his code book, found the wave length of Los Angeles -Police Commissioner Horne, and rapidly dialled it. The strained and -perspiring face of the Commissioner appeared, sitting at the controls -of his ship as he vainly tried to straighten out the evacuating traffic. - -"Douglas of the Institute reporting, Commissioner." - -"Hope you brought some disintegrators!" barked the chief. "They're the -only thing that will touch these beasts. The shock ray has no effect -whatsoever on them. An electron torch will burn them, but that's no -good--you can't go about killing them one by one. There are billions of -them--they're everywhere!" - -"Possibly you'd better describe the situation from the beginning for my -benefit, Commissioner," Art interposed. - -"What!" roared Horne. "Theller gave me to understand that you had had -experience with these things, and understood them. Now you tell me--" - -"Easy, Commissioner. I've seen one of these things before for a few -minutes, and that's all. You asked for help and Dr. Theller sent me -out here in good faith to do what I can." This served to quiet the -policeman somewhat, for he merely grunted, "O.K., meet me at the top -level of the Administration group; that's the silver one, the only one -that still has a top level. You'll have to find it. We had to move out -the traffic control--that section of the building's ready to go any -minute now." - -A dull grinding roar rose from everywhere below Art as he crossed -the city. Clouds of dust billowed up as the huge pyramids fell in -upon themselves piece by piece. He saw now the grimly effective way -in which the creatures did their job. As long as there was one piece -left standing on another, they would bore and chew until it was reduced -to fragments. Blind instinct, rather than malice, seemed to impel -them. But the effect was equally devastating. Art saw scores of people -wiped out by falling wreckage when the rapidly shuttling overloaded -fliers failed to remove them in time. He saw one man, trapped amidst a -mass of the writhing horrors, make a sudden dash for freedom, and go -down screaming in agony as dozens of savage jaws instantly fastened -themselves in his flesh. Art shuddered. Something had to be done to -stop this carnage. - - * * * * * - -By the time he sighted the commissioner's flier atop the silver pyramid -of the Civic Center, he had evolved the rudiments of a plan. - -He wasted no time on amenities as he met the police chief, but came to -the point immediately. "Here's my idea of it, Horne. Los Angeles as -a city is doomed. But I think we can save most of the people who are -still here." - -"How about those disintegrators?" cut in Horne. The disintegrator, -being still in the experimental stage, was dynamite in the hands of the -untrained. The terrific atomic explosions it set up were uncontrollable -and unpredictable. Only the most highly respected and trusted -scientists were even allowed to handle one. Horne nursed an idea that -all his patrolmen should have been issued one to pack on their hips, -and that if they had, this would never have happened. - -"I have a couple with me. We can use them, but we'll have to be -extremely careful. My main proposal is to get to San Francisco, Los -Vegas, and all the other principal cities around here organized. Have -them send millions of civilian fliers. Did you ever hear of the battle -of Dunkirk in World War II? The British saved their army to fight again -another day, just in that manner." - -"Do you suppose I haven't thought of that?" snapped the chief. "I've -already asked them. They're afraid to come. Only a few ships have -trickled in." - -"We've got to convince them that it's safe for a flier," insisted -Art. "Show them on the televisor--send your patrolmen out to -explain--anything!" - -"All right," agreed Horne. "We'll try it. But I don't believe we can -get them all out in time even so. Do you know that there are ten -million people out in the poorer residential section, very few of -whom own a flier, who depend on the public surface cars for their -transportation? Central Power is dead--not a car moves in the city. My -patrolmen have been out in La Brea six hours, trying to find an avenue -of escape, through which they can lead those people out on foot. Every -time they run into a new growth of these--these damnable monsters, and -have to start all over again." - -"That's where we'll use our disintegrators," explained Art. "We'll -blast a path through which we can lead these people to safety." Art -got on the televisor and contacted the government broadcasting center -in San Francisco. "Do you have a news broadcast on now?" he asked. The -girl clerk answered in the affirmative. - -"Please put me on," Art begged. "I'm from Interplanetary Research. -Here's my badge. This is a serious emergency. The lives of millions -of people are hanging in the balance. You must put me on the air!" A -moment later, the news broadcast which was even then picturing the -catastrophe in billions of homes all over the world, was abruptly cut -off, and Art's face appeared in its stead. - -"Fellow citizens, you all know the desperate situation here in Los -Angeles--but do you know that you can save a life, perhaps a dozen? -There are ten million people here who face a terrible death unless they -are picked up immediately. Hop in your fliers and get right down here! -There is no danger for a ship which hovers a little above the ground. -_Do not try to land!_ The Los Angeles Traffic Patrol will guide you to -proper zones. Please hurry. Thank you." Art snapped off the switch and -turned to the chief. "Now, let's try to make some kind of map of the -already devastated areas. We'll have to check in some manner to be sure -there are no living people left in them, then blast our path through -with the disintegrators." - - * * * * * - -Horne readily assented to this plan, and dispatched a number of -patrolmen to examine closely the ruined sections. All vicinities which -had been taken over entirely by the destroyers, were to be marked by -dropping tiny smoke bombs which would send up a dense column of smoke. -As the commissioner and Art entered the latter's flier and took off, -Art explained the difficulties of using a disintegrator. - -"The atomic disintegration of a lump of matter the size of your fist -sets off an explosion strong enough to blow one of these big buildings -to small fragments. You can imagine what would happen to yourself and -the surrounding country if you merely turned a disintegrator beam on -the ground, or against a building near you. We tone down the effect -somewhat by causing these pistols which I have here, to project a ray -about the diameter of a hair from your head. Not only that, but the -ray is immediately cut off, lasting only for the duration of one wave -length. Even so, the firing of one is a plenty tricky business." - -In an hour's time the air patrolmen had laid out a winding, serpentine -trail over ten miles long through the bristling mounds of debris. A -warning broadcast was sent directing all citizens within sight of the -smoke to get underground, lie low, and plug their ears. - -"Here we go," said Art, stationing himself at a tiny port in the rear -of his flier. "Zoom down over that first signal--as soon as you've -passed over it, kick her up again at a slight angle." Horne obeyed. -They passed the target; nothing happened. He was beginning to wonder -what Art was waiting for, when a half mile past the smoke column, Art -fired. The resulting concussion surprised even Art. He felt the ship -lurch as it was thrown like a huge projectile high above the city. He -grinned as he watched Horne, cursing and fighting until he had the -bucking ship under control. - -[Illustration: _The disintegrator blasted, and hell exploded on the -ground._] - -"Let's take a look," he said, sobering at once. He had an uneasy -feeling concerning the way in which the grounded population was taking -the shock. But his fears were not realized--the stranded folk nearest -the explosion cheered and gave the ancient thumbs-up sign, as they -skimmed low above the rooftops. Evidently most of the force of the -explosion had expended itself upward. - -"Get below--here we come again!" shouted Art through an open port. - -The sun was descending beyond the blue Pacific, but they went on with -their work of continually blasting, blasting, far into the night. -Clouds of private fliers began to appear from neighboring California -and other southwest cities. Art's desperate appeal had had its effect. -By midnight, people were beginning to stumble through the string of -smoking craters that had been made for them, toward the untouched -open fields and groves to the north. By four o'clock, they were -stringing out on the many roads and streets which left the city in that -direction. Busses and private cars had been summoned, and were picking -them up, to scatter them through neighboring cities where they might -find accommodations. - -Art and Horne, bruised and stunned from continual concussion and -buffeting, exhausted from lack of sleep, looked at each other. - - * * * * * - -"Guess that's it," said Art. "You'll have to keep the men along the -trail with their electron rays, to keep those devils from closing in -at the edges." They had found that a line of men armed with these -short-range weapons, could kill enough of the creatures to keep them -from spreading. The electron ray generated enough sheer heat to melt -metal, which was necessary to destroy the organisms. - -"The city should be cleared by noon," Art went on. "I'd advise you -to destroy the whole works immediately. I'll leave you one of the -disintegrators. But be careful. Make sure all the wounded are out." - -"Are you leaving already?" asked Horne, surprised. "How come?" - -"Just heard from Dr. Theller," Art answered wearily. "It seems I'm -wanted in Detroit. Same thing is happening there." - -"No!" gasped Horne. "In Detroit! What do you suppose is the connection?" - -"I don't know," Art replied. "I only wish I had time to work this out, -to get some of these things in the lab and analyze them--it would help -so much to know what we're fighting." - -Art decided he would stop at the laboratory on the way back, and see -if Dr. Theller had been able to find out anything of the nature of the -specimen he had left behind. As he entered, he saw that the place was -strangely deserted. Dr. Theller and Elene he found in the former's -office, however. - -"I counted on your stopping in," said the Institute head as Art came -in. "Things are in pretty serious shape all over. You did a great job -in Los Angeles. Now I'm going to ask you to repeat that performance--" - -"Detroit?" Art interrupted. - -"No--I've already sent several good men there. You don't realize how -this thing has spread. In the last hour, Singapore, Cairo and Athens -have all called us. London, in fact, the whole of southeastern England, -is stricken. The British Foundation has some fine men, however; they -think they'll be able to handle it." - -"Dr. Theller, must he leave at once?" asked Elene, with an anxious look -at Art's weary face. - -"I'll be all right, Elene," Art assured her. "A hot shower, hot drink, -and a transfusion of supervitalized plasma, and I'll never know I -missed a night's sleep. I've been eating a food tablet every now and -then, so I'm not at all hungry." - -"All right, Art, you get fixed up--then you're off for Cairo. I'll have -the commissary issue you some more disintegrators. I wouldn't ask you -to do this, but every minute counts. I'm thinking of taking off for -Athens and leaving Elene in charge, myself." - -"Oh, I almost forgot to ask you, Dr. Theller, have you examined the -specimen here yet?" - -A chagrined look came over the scientist's face. - -"Well, I hate to admit this, Art, but the thing escaped in the -confusion. Don't see how it could have gotten very far away. I'll have -some of the men look around the grounds for it." - -Art shook his head slowly as he went out. Such incompetency seemed -unlike the aged savant, but he guessed that inactivity had taken its -toll of the old man. - - - III - -The week following was a long, hideous nightmare, during which Art flew -from city to city, fighting the ghastly scourge which was cropping -up more and more rapidly, all over the globe. Vladivostok, Berlin, -Cuba--he could hardly remember them all. He was glad he could not -sleep, because he knew his dreams would be tortured by visions of men -and women being cut to ribbons by millions of rending jaws. It was -dreadfully apparent to Art what was happening. The creatures appeared -in a particular area almost simultaneously. Every bit of life was wiped -out, except for perhaps a few small shrubs and grasses. Huge trees, -buildings, even mountains, all came crashing down. All sources of food -supply were wiped out. The creatures could be cleared from the ground -by disintegration, but more soon came to take their place. - -Art flew back to the laboratory in Washington from Manchuria, scene of -his latest struggle, shortcutting across the polar cap. He noted with -sick dismay that even the ice fields were beginning to bristle with -black stubble. - -Arriving in Washington, Art landed at the Institute. He searched -hurriedly for Dr. Theller, but was unable to find him Elene, however, -appeared. - -"Art! I'm so glad to see you safe! Tell me--is it really as terrible as -it looks over the televisor?" - -"Ever so much worse," Art answered grimly. "We've got to do something, -and quick. I know the Martians could help us. Has Dr. Theller appealed -to them?" - -"Didn't you know?" she asked, wide eyed. "We haven't had any contact -with Mars all week. Two ships were scheduled to arrive from there, and -haven't been heard from." - -Art whistled softly. "Guess I've been missing quite a bit of news -lately!" - -"That's not all," Elene continued. "You know Denny was out on Venus -with a crew. He sent in some kind of wire to Dr. Theller about -discovering some ancient ruins, traces of a lost civilization, and -saying that he was heading back. That was over a week ago--he was due -in day before yesterday. I've tried repeatedly to contact him on the -way, with no success. Dr. Theller certainly behaves strangely--I don't -know--he--" - -Art wasn't listening. He was thinking of Denny--the bronzed, -hard-bitten space pilot, who had always represented to him all the -glamour of the far flung outposts. And been just a darn good friend, -too. The perils of Venus were many and varied--but on the other hand, -he had the utmost confidence in Denny's ability to take care of his -space ship and crew through almost any situation. - -"Art, I'm beginning to have a dreadful feeling that somehow this is -all tied in together," said Elene hesitantly. "I've been wanting to -talk it over with you for ever so long. This plague of subterranean -monsters--communications with Mars cut off--Denny out there somewhere, -cut off, too--" - - * * * * * - -"Perhaps there's not so much cause for concern over Denny," Art put -in soothingly. "After all, any sort of trivial accident might have -occurred which would delay him this long." - -"Yes, Art, but I feel that even though the creatures don't seem to have -much intelligence, there is some kind of horrible plan behind the whole -thing, and that the stopping of traffic with the other planets is part -of that plan." - -"That is quite a theory, Elene, my dear," came a patronizing voice from -behind, "but it's quite possible that I and my colleagues may be able -to work out a solution without the aid of my secretary." Dr. Theller -had entered the room unnoticed. Elene flushed, and was on the verge of -making an equally caustic retort, but bit back the words. - -"As far as Denny is concerned," the doctor went on, "he has been going -out there for a good many years now; unless I miss my guess, the space -madness is creeping in on his brain. That story of finding remains of -a lost civilization--that's really pretty steep, you know. It's well -known that the evolution of fauna on Venus has not, and will not, -progress to the point of producing reasoning, speaking beings for -millions of years." - -"I can't believe that of Denny!" flashed Art. "Space madness attacks -those who can't stand the solitude, exposure and utter loneliness of -that awful void. You know that Denny always laughed at those things. He -was iron. And I don't believe he's getting old, either. The last time I -saw him, he was in his prime." - -A hot argument was averted only by the flashing of signals at one side -of the room, which announced a televisor communication. Elene was -nearest and flipped the switch. The face of a middle-aged man, tense -with suppressed excitement, appeared on the screen. He scanned their -faces closely. It was Haight, of the British Foundation. - -"Theller--Douglas--all of you!" he blurted. "Listen! I've -just found--oh, but what fools we were not to see! Those -organisms--they're--but I can't possibly tell you over the air. I'll -be there as fast as a strato-ship can take me. I'm bursting to tell -someone. There's not a soul here in the lab; it's very late. Expect me -in three hours, at the most." The screen went black. - - * * * * * - -Art and Elene were on the roof of the laboratory, enjoying the soft -summer evening, and talking over this new turn of events. The city -was quiet around them. New hope seemed to blaze within them with the -brilliance of the countless stars overhead. Perhaps Haight's discovery -meant the turning of the tide in this losing struggle in which they had -been participating. Art felt that he could relax for the first time -since that heartbreaking week had begun. As his fatigue fell away, he -felt a great longing come over him. How near he had come to losing this -lovely woman by his side. All those years of dull routine in the lab, -near her every day, yet doing nothing about it! But Art had changed -to a man of action, through sheer necessity, and he wore his new -personality with heady exuberance. He took the girl in his arms. - -"Darling, life is very good," he murmured. "I don't want us to die. I -don't want to be pushed off this lovable old earth of ours by an alien -form of life. And it's chiefly because of you. But we're not going to -let that happen, are we? We're going to fight until every last hideous, -ugly one of them is gone." - -"Yes, sweet," she sighed contentedly, "And Art, please--when it's all -over--let's not just sink back into the old way of life again. I think -our love will be able to stand even that test from now on--but let's -not put it to that test. Can't we get out of Interplanetary, travel, -open up new worlds, just anything like that?" - -"I have a hunch that from now on we're going to require plenty of -danger in our everyday life," he laughed. "After we're married--" - -A shrill whine interrupted them, and they broke apart. Far out in the -midnight sky, hours had slipped away like so many minutes, and Haight -was arriving. He had been hurling his ship along at a reckless speed -and was braking only at the last minute. Now they could see the dark -shape arching down toward the laboratory. Suddenly it seemed to stop, -to poise in midair. Then it dissolved into a blinding white flash. -The deafening roar of the explosion came seconds later. Art and Elene -looked at each other in mute horror and despair, amid a great silence -broken only by tiny, distant sounds as the fragments of Haight and his -ship rained down gently on the city of Washington. - -"We'll keep fighting," Art finally said in a dull voice. - - - IV - -Beneath Art's flier swept the tumbled mountains of Ozark Park. Once -there had been people who lived there and actually eked a living from -cultivating those steep and stony hillsides. Long ago that had been -given up as impractical and unnecessary, however, and the whole region -had been turned into one vast national forest. It was covered from one -end to another with mighty timber, stocked in profusion with all kinds -of wild game. That is, it had been covered the last time Art saw it. -Now, the great trees lay tumbled about like so many match sticks, their -great roots gnawed away by blind, mindless creatures. There was not a -green thing in sight. A pall of smoke hung low overhead--great fires -were raging everywhere in the dry stuff. Man had no time to protect the -trees, when his own cities were being destroyed. - -Art had just left Mexico City, and was headed for Chicago. There he -intended to introduce an experiment with which he had had some degree -of success elsewhere. He had constructed an ark of thick plastocrete, -into which the passengers could be hermetically sealed. Oxygen and food -were synthetically manufactured, enabling them to live without danger -from the unknown poison in the water. But in his heart, he knew that -this was a poor device, that there must be some simpler, more direct -solution. After the death of Haight, he had wanted to take one of the -Institute's ships, and blast off for Mars. He was sure that the savants -of that age-old planet could help. But Dr. Theller had been strongly -against this, in fact refused to permit it. - -As he sped over the ruined forest, a grim look came over Art's face. He -had not seen Elene since the night of Haight's death, four days ago. -Since then he had been in the thick of the fight, as before. Elene had -been suspicious that the death of the British scientist had been no -accident, and had promised to investigate and keep in touch with him. -Her lovely face had appeared several times in his televisor screen, -during the first two days, although she had nothing to report except -that she loved him. But two more days had passed without a word. Art -could raise nobody at the laboratory. He frowned, and thought that he -had better have a look there, before he went on to Chicago. - -Something caught his eye, below and ahead. There was a patch of -untouched forest, a little canyon that had not as yet been invaded by -the monsters that were ruining the surrounding country. There the huge -trees still waved, calm and unmolested. But there was something else, -something sharp and bright that had captured his attention. Yes, there -it was again--a tiny fleck of sky blue. The same sky blue with which -his ship, like all the fliers of the Interplanetary Institute, were -painted! - - * * * * * - -He swung around, and came down in a tight spiral. As he levelled -off, he saw a tiny figure, standing at the side of the wrecked ship. -It waved frantically, and no doubt shouted. Art settled gently in a -thicket of vining maple, and clambered stiffly out of his ship, as the -marooned pilot came running toward him. Great Glorious Galaxies! It was -Elene! - -"Oh, Art, I don't know how you found me, but I'm so glad it's you, -darling," she sobbed in his arms. - -"Elene, I wasn't looking for you--didn't even know you were lost!" he -exclaimed. "It's a miracle that I stumbled on you like this." - -"But didn't Dr. Theller--no--of course he wouldn't--" - -"How did you ever happen to crash _here_?" - -"Dr. Theller sent me with Paul Hedrik, that new boy, you remember, -the nice blond one--to check casualty lists in San Francisco. We were -crossing the Park, at about thirty thousand, when we ran out of rocket -fuel. Well, that wasn't so serious, we could easily make a long glide, -and if we could find a place safe from these--worms--we could make a -helicopter landing. But Paul saw this little canyon dead ahead. It was -the only safe looking place for miles. That meant we had to come in at -a steep angle. He licked in the braking jets, hoping there would be a -little fuel left in the lines. There was. One of the jets was plugged -or something--it exploded back into the cockpit. Paul was killed -instantly. I was stunned. The ship was out of control, but I finally -came to and managed to make a crash landing somehow." - -"Where's Paul's body?" Art asked. - -"Still in there." She pointed to the wrecked flier. "My televisor was -smashed. I couldn't stand the thought of sleeping in there. I made a -little camp over there by the creek. It was awfully cold, even though I -built a fire. But I wasn't frightened--I had my friends--" - -"Your friends!" exclaimed Art. "Who--" - -"Don't you see them?" she asked, pointing. And he did see what the -gloom of the forest had at first hidden from his unaccustomed eyes. The -leafy corridors were swarming with creatures. Deer, oppossum, raccoon, -bear, even a puma or two, all were gathered there in dumb resignation. -They knew with unerring instinct that they were trapped, that there was -no escape from this tiny island. They made no attempt to molest each -other, or the humans who such a short time ago had been their deadly -enemies. They drank occasionally from the little creek, but they did -not eat. - -"You see, I couldn't be lonely," she continued. "It could even have -been fun, if I hadn't known that those millions of horrible little jaws -were out there in the dark, gnawing, gnawing. You can even hear them. -You can hear the big trees crashing down, all day, all night." - -"Easy, honey--it's all over now. We're going to get out of here. We'll -get Paul's body, and--" - -"But Art, don't you see what this means? If Paul hadn't forgotten to -fill the fuel tank, it we had had a full tank, we'd have been blown to -atoms when that jet exploded--it was only an accident that I escaped. -But that plugged jet was no _accident_--that was deliberate. Don't -you think it is strange that Dr. Theller shouldn't let you know when -I have been lost for two days? And that he was the only one besides -us who knew about Haight's discovery, and his coming to Washington, -and that the same accident happened to Haight? And what happened to -Denny? I tell you, there are all sorts of things about Dr. Theller -that are beginning to add up. From the very first he's occupied only a -passive role in this battle, done nothing whatever to help. He let that -specimen get away the first day, and has never had another in there for -analysis." - -"What!" exclaimed Art. "No--Elene--it can't be. You don't know what -you're saying!" - - - V - -"On the contrary, the young lady is quite right," came a deep bass -voice from behind him. Art whirled in sudden panic, reaching for his -electron gun. But what he saw froze him to immobility. A tall, gaunt -figure, its ebony skin decked with a harness of white plastic, in which -were set countless glossy black stones. The head narrow and acquiline -to the extreme, with huge, haunting black eyes. A Martian! And one of -the Greater Ring of scientists who governed the red planet, judging by -the trappings. - -"You do not recognize me," chuckled the deep voice. "Why, I remember -you well. You came to Mars with Dr. Theller, let me see, June last -year, and November the year before, I believe it would be, according to -your calendar. They say we all look alike to Earthmen--but surely you -know Klalmar-lan. I was on the Committee both times." - -"Of course I do," beamed Art, holding out his hand. "You had me a bit -rattled there for a minute. But you can't imagine how glad we are to -see you. Elene, meet Klalmar-lan. This is Miss Moor, my fiancee." - -"Klalmar-lan," said Elene, "as Art has already told you, we are -immensely relieved to see you. We hope that you can help us rid our -planet of this scourge. Unless you do, the human race and every form of -animal life on Earth is doomed." - -"I have the means of accomplishing that," he answered gravely. "For -how else do you suppose this tiny refuge has remained here, other than -through my doing?" They stood in amazement as he went on. "Furthermore, -I am rather ashamed of you, Art, for letting so many things which -should have been obvious to a man of your calibre, slip by you. But I -guess Theller did a pretty good job of covering up." - -"How do you happen to be here in such an out of the way spot?" asked -Art. - -"I had to have a hideout on Earth from which I could steal out and make -a few observations," the Martian explained. "And it's a good thing I -did, from what I hear. I arrived here from Venus yesterday morning, -about five--" - -"Only a few hours before we crashed!" exclaimed Elene. - -"Yes--the forest in this vicinity was just beginning to be attacked. I -landed on the side hill above here, and blanketed this canyon with a -choker ray. I didn't want to make it too noticeable--" - -"Wait," Art interrupted, "how about this choker ray--that's the whole -thing--that's what we want to know!" - -"I'll get to that," rebuked Klalmar-lan. "Anyway, I saw this ship -crash--but knowing it was one of Theller's, I had to be careful about -offering assistance. I have been watching Miss Moor and wondering if I -should have to protect her from all this vicious looking fauna which -you have here in such profusion. But I didn't dare trust her until -I heard her talk to you. My object was to contact some trustworthy -person here on Earth. Now that I've found you, I think we'd better -take off for Venus immediately. My ship is right up the hill above us. -Incidentally, I have a surprise there--an old friend of yours." - - * * * * * - -Mystified, the couple followed him through thick underbrush to the -space ship. They entered behind him and froze in astonishment. There, -lying on a bunk, white and still and swathed in bandages, was Denny! - -"Don't be alarmed," Klalmar-lan reassured them. "I've got him under a -neural anesthetic. He's suffered a bad radium burn, but I think he'll -be all right. Should recover consciousness in a couple of hours." -Klalmar-lan was at the controls, and they were rising rapidly. The -little spot of green was visible through the rear port, falling away -behind them. - -"I first met Denny on Venus, where I had been sent to watch for the -coming of Ghlak-Ileth, or Hell-worms, as we call them; for they -are no new experience to us Martians. Some three thousand Earth -years ago, they turned our once beautiful planet into a red desert, -almost exterminating our race. Three thousand years before that, our -astronomers had watched as uninhabited Mercury gave up its treasure. -According to all our calculations, Venus should have been next. When -I talked to Denny in his jungle camp, he informed me that he had -discovered remains of an ancient civilization on Venus. - -"I knew then that something was terribly wrong with our theory--for we -had always considered Venus a very young planet, whose evolution of -life had not even produced a mammalian form, and would not for millions -of years. Now it seemed more plausible that at a remote age Venus was -inhabited by intelligent beings, perhaps more highly developed than -we on Earth or Mars, and that some great catastrophe wiped them out, -leaving survivors, the ancestors of the present day fauna. - -"The answer," he went on, "was plain--the Ghlak-Ileth had already been -to Venus! In all probability, Earth would suffer the effect of the next -raid! Denny had started for Earth with his crew. I hurried to my ship -and followed him. About two hours out, my mass detector indicated the -presence of matter about ten thousand miles ahead, but moving _toward_ -me. In a little while I saw it, approaching headon. A huge blob of a -ship, gleaming like quicksilver, shaped like a great flat-bellied slug. -The Ghosts of Outer Space had come again!" - -"Hold it!" cried Art. "This is getting beyond me. Who are these--" - -"We call them Ghosts, or Voornizar, because they bear little -resemblance to anything mortal, although they are terribly real. They -are the masters, the creators of these Hell-worms, whom they planted -countless eons ago on the planets of our Solar System. The impelling -energy of these Ghlak-Ileth, as with their masters, and in fact all the -machinery they use, is the disintegration of radium, of which they are -partially composed. They devour it for food. - -"We believe that the Voornizar originate in some planetary system -far beyond the awful void which surrounds our solar family. Long -ago, they found their radium supply disappearing, and were forced to -wander in search of new deposits. They developed the Ghlak-Ileth in -their laboratories to do the work of removing the radium. They were -probably planted as tiny eggs or spores, each with an infinitesimal bit -of radium to furnish life energy. When the creatures hatched, their -instinct was to dig downward. As they went, they fed on radium and -other elements. - -"Thus, ever growing and multiplying, they remained, finally absorbing -every bit of radium in the planet. After a fixed period, they became -imbued with the impulse to return to the surface. There they were -collected by the Voornizar, who returned at exactly the proper time, -to extract the radium for their own use. The period of three thousand -years is, we believe, the time necessary for a round trip from here -to the habitat of the Voornizar. However, it may be only the period -between meals--for time means nothing to them--nor do heat, cold or -lack of atmosphere affect them." - -"How can we possibly combat such a menace?" asked Elene hopelessly. - - * * * * * - -"This time we Martians are ready," Klalmar-lan told them. "Before, we -were forced to resort to pitiful devices such as lead lined boats, -which shut out the deadly emanations of the _radon_ gas which seeped -to the surface from the Ghlak-Ileth on the sea bottoms. But now we -have developed a weapon--the choker ray, harmless to organisms like -ourselves, but able instantly to halt any sort of disintegration, -particularly radio-activity. It will stop the Voornizar instantly. - -"As soon as I recognized this Voornizar ship, I let her have the -choker beam. She immediately lost headway, began to drift. I came -alongside and boarded her, being careful to put on a space suit, for -the Voornizar require no atmosphere, and would not be likely to have -the ship's interior conditioned. I found what I expected. There was not -a living creature, or moving piece of machinery aboard. I had heard the -fearsome Ghosts described many times, but these were the first I had -seen. Their silvery, amorphous bodies are said to glow with a blinding -white effulgence, but in death, these had turned to a dull leaden -hue. There were hundreds of them in the great ship, which seemed to -me mostly occupied by machinery with which to attract and grapple the -radium worms, and holds in which to store them. - -"On an upper deck, I found a row of small staterooms, which I thought -wise to investigate. And well that I did, for my former presumption -that nothing lived on the ship was not quite correct. That was one who -_barely_ lived--" - -"Barely is the word, my friend," came a weak voice from the bunk, "I -don't know what you did to those devils, but you sure stopped them in -their tracks." - -Denny had recovered consciousness. The trio hurried to his side. - -"So they couldn't quite kill you?" Art grinned down at the space pilot. - -"Weren't trying!" replied Denny briefly. "They seemed interested in -the discoveries I'd made on Venus. Had the nicest ways of getting -information; simple, too. All they had to do was touch my skin and I -got a radium burn." - -"You must have passed out just after I used the ray on them," -Klalmar-lan commented. "But how did they get you in the first place?" - -"Just slipped up behind us, showing a friendly signal, and slapped -some kind of paralysis ray on us--went through the permirium hull and -everything. They came aboard--but only took me off. The rest of the -crew they left lying there, paralyzed. Then they just swung away a -few miles and disintegrated the whole works. That was pretty tough to -take--some of those boys had been to hell and back with me." - -"They paid for that massacre," growled Klalmar-lan. "But that was only -one of their countless thousands, perhaps millions of ships. I believe -that they have a huge base on Venus, from which they are preparing to -swoop down on Earth when the Ghlak-Ileth are ready. We will have to -locate that base. Then we will radio the Martian Fleet. We have half a -million ships, armed with choker rays and disintegrators. Long have we -prepared to seize the treasure of Venus, and at the same time revenge -ourselves on our ancient enemy. Speaking for the Greater Ring," and -he drew himself up proudly, "I can promise you that we will fight as -fiercely to save your race from extinction, though there be no gain, if -it will in some measure alleviate the great wrong we have done you in -leaving you unwarned and unprepared." - - * * * * * - -"Thank you, Klalmar-lan," answered Denny simply. "However, I've got to -warn you--there's something rotten on our side of it. Those _Things_ -spoke English--and had a pretty fair knowledge of Earth science and -Earth affairs." - -"Yes, we know where the rotten spot is located," replied Klalmar-lan. -"He's been building up a machinery against us for some time, unknown -to some of you who worked nearest him. Got away with several of our -secrets, too--the force field, for one--" - -"The force field!" ejaculated Art. "That's how he got Haight! Remember -that night, Elene?" - -"Of course," she cried. "Haight had found the secret of the Ghlak-Ileth -and their high radium content." - -"Yes," agreed Klalmar-lan, "and that secret Dr. Theller knew he must -suppress at all costs. The force field he no doubt projected as a beam -through some hidden port in the laboratory roof. Playing it about like -an invisible searchlight, he met the incoming flier with a barrier as -effective as a stone wall." - -"The Voornizar must have contacted him long ago, and made some kind -of deal--probably offered him all the radium he could use," mused -Art. "I would guess that he planned to establish a new laboratory -on Venus--that's why he was so interested in that city you found, -Denny--interested enough to discredit your story on Earth, and order -you held by the Voornizar!" - -"And to go a step farther," interjected Klalmar-lan, "I will wager that -we find the Voornizar's base not so far from that city." - -"What ghastly treachery!" gasped Elene. "To betray his own Mother Earth -to annihilation. Already millions have died--" - -Art, watching her, saw her freeze in silence. He tried to glance at the -others, but his eyeballs would not move in their sockets. He tried to -move; his whole body was gripped in a rigid paralysis! There was utter -silence and stillness in the hurtling ship. Art's thoughts were racing. -What fools they had been, flocking around Denny's bunk when he came -to. They had totally neglected to watch the control panel, where the -mass detector would have warned them of an approaching ship. Now they -had been surprised and seized with the same deadly paralysis that had -trapped Denny before. - -The air lock swung inward. None of the four were surprised to see Dr. -Theller step through the port, keeping a careful distance between -himself and the two grotesque monstrosities who followed him. Theller -was without space suit or arms. Art stared with horrified fascination -at the two Voornizar. The dazzling, white hot radiance that ceaselessly -flowed from them made it difficult to identify their form. They seemed -to have none; yet they could take any shape. Fundamentally, they -were a tube about a foot in diameter and some seven feet high. They -had a slit-like mouth near the top, and a huge crystalline eye which -surmounted their exact top. They seemed to favor a bilateral form, -although the number of pairs of arms appeared indeterminate. But as -Art watched, above each slit mouth appeared a huge beak nose and above -this, deep, staring sightless hollows. A horrible caricature of a human -face! Demoniac laughter came from the lipless mouth of one! - - * * * * * - -"So you pitiful Martians had a weapon that would stop the Voornizar!" -it boomed. "You fool, did you not know that we are immortal? Only when -we lack radium can one of us die--and then, he only suspends animation -until sustenance can be brought. I know not the principle of the thing -you fashioned, although its effect is to halt radio-activity. Think -ye that would kill us?" The thing's laughter roared. "We merely lay -inert--waiting only for the next contact with a living Voornizar or -any bit of active radium, to set our life process in motion once more. -Think ye that you can fight a million mighty ships with such a harmless -weapon? - -"Had you known that the transport you captured carried me, Dwalbuth, -mighty Shan of the Voornizar, you might not have so carelessly left us -drifting in space, to be found and revived by Dr. Theller." - -"Before we release you from the paralysis," spoke up Theller, "I want -to tell you that resistance is futile. These people can project, from -that single eye, a ray of any frequency, ranging from ultraviolet to -infra-red, and would have no trouble in burning you to a crisp in a -fraction of a second. Also, as Pilot Denny has reason to know, their -slightest touch will cause a severe burn." He searched Denny, still -lying on the bunk, found nothing. He removed Art and Elene's electron -pistols. From Klalmar-lan's belt he took the choker ray gun, gave it a -contemptuous glance, and flung it squarely in Klalmar-lan's face, just -as Dwalbuth flicked a bluish light from a tiny torch over the four, -releasing them from the paralysis. Klalmar-lan caught the gun, staring -down at it with dumb despair and sick disappointment written all over -his handsome ebony face. - -"We'll put them in my ship," said Theller, motioning them toward -the lock. Denny rose and hobbled painfully along with them. "The -Earth people I can use for helpers, if I can educate them to the -practicability of such a course; the Martian I will destroy, after I -have wrung from him a few of the secrets I need for my conquest of his -planet." - - - VI - -"I assure you that these are the most comfortable accommodations to -be found anywhere on Venus," commented Denny sardonically as he gazed -around the dank cell in which the four found themselves imprisoned. -"Speaking from experience, I mean that." - -"This is your city, then, of which you spoke?" queried the Martian. - -"Yes. I spent very little time in exploring it, however, as I was -due to report back and was in a hurry. I do know that it's mostly -underground, and of almost inconceivable antiquity, however. Of the -nature of its former inhabitants, their language, or the name of the -city, I could learn nothing." - -"My guess that the Voornizar's base was in, or somewhere near this city -was correct," asserted Klalmar-lan, dropping his voice. He glanced at -the guard looming outside the heavily barred metal door, and beckoned -them to a far, gloomy corner of the dungeon. The Earth people were -startled to hear a chuckle of fiendish glee. It came from the Martian! -He was swinging his ray pistol by the trigger guard, shaking in nearly -inaudible mirth. - -"By the Two Moons! What ego!" he hissed, lapsing into his native -tongue, which the others understood to some extent. "They have such -contempt for my poor Martian brainchild, they do not even take it from -me!" - -"Well, it's practically useless, as near as I can see, against any -number of the creatures," shrugged Elene. "I suppose we could knock -out the guard, but the lock on the door is still impossible. The next -Voornizar who comes along would revive him, and we'd only be in for -more restrictions." - -"Ah, but you do not understand. Watch." A lizard-like reptile had run -down the slimy wall, paused at the bottom. Klalmar-lan aimed the gun at -it, pressed the trigger. Nothing happened. "That was the choker ray. -Now, observe--I move this little catch here, press the button again." -There was a little frying sound. A puff of vapor rose above the lizard, -and it shrank instantly to a blackened lump. The Earthians stared in -amazement. - -Art finally found voice. "How did you do it?" - -"Simple--a disintegrator. Result, the disintegration is only begun, -when it is cut off. No explosion. Only a few elements in the victim -begin to go, but the molecular structure is broken down nevertheless. I -can set it for any degree I want. - -"Dwalbuth called me a fool, but it is he who is stupid in his conceit. -Immortal! Bah! There is nothing that cannot be disintegrated." - -"Then I move; we get out of here, right now!" whispered Art vehemently. -"People are dying on Earth, every minute." - -"Right," agreed Denny. "Let's go." He limped to the door. "Say, guard--" - -Standing behind him, the gun hidden, Klalmar-lan poured the rays over -the Voornizar, through Denny, door and all. The creature slumped -heavily to the floor, its fiery luminescence fading to a dull leaden -gray. Klalmar-lan stepped forward, turned up his disintegrator, and -impassively played the beam over the Thing on the floor, until nothing -remained but a heap of blackened slag. Then he went to work on the -lock. In a moment they were free. Art kicked the ashes of the guard -into a dark, obscure corner of the cell. - - * * * * * - -"We've got to find our way to the upper level, get to a televisor -someway," panted Klalmar-lan, as they hurried up the inclined -passageway. - -"Don't know if I can remember all the twists and turns we followed when -they brought us down or not," Denny puzzled. "How about you, Art?" Art -shook his head doubtfully. - -"You intend to bring the Martian fleet here--that is, if you can -contact them?" Elene inquired of Klalmar-lan. - -"No--not here--to Earth! While they are neutralizing the Ghlak-Ileth -there, we must in some way hold off the menace here." - -"You're right," Art agreed. "The fleet can't fight off a million -Voornizar ships and kill the Ghlak-Ileth, too. And it's imperative that -they get to Earth with no delay." - -Through pitch black corridors, twisting, climbing, dropping again, the -party groped their way. Art had a tiny torch, which he risked flashing -on occasionally, but this helped little. All hope of retracing their -steps was soon abandoned. The lower levels of the ancient city had been -a veritable labyrinth. Realizing that they were hopelessly lost, they -stopped to take stock of the situation. Leaning against a dank, moss -grown wall, Art felt something slimy brush his leg. He flashed on his -light, and his sanity reeled. He saw a great, rat-like figure, the size -of man on his knees! The eye in its humanoid face were closed against -the light--its teeth were bared in the snarl of a cornered rat. Then it -scuttled away clumsily. Great God! It was a man shambling on his knees, -naked and unclean! - -Art heard a little moan of horror--Elene had turned away, her face in -her hands. - -"Did you see it, Klalmar-lan?" he muttered hoarsely to the Martian. - -"Yes, my friend," was the sad reply. "I believe we have witnessed all -that is left of the glory that was Venus. A skulking creature of the -sewers--creeping on its knees." He shuddered. "They nearly did that to -us once--and they will do it to Earth, if we do not find a way out of -here soon." - -There was a metallic rattle, far down the corridor, and a livid, -glowing stab of light appeared. It was a Voornizar, running--the empty -cell had been found. - -"It's all right," hissed Art, "he can't possibly see us. Here we have -the advantage." Klalmar-lan grimly drew his ray gun, but Art halted -him. "Wait--I've got a plan. You stick here. Keep out of sight. The -rest of us will give ourselves up. We'll try to get him to take us to -Dwalbuth or Theller. Then you follow. See?" - -Klalmar-lan nodded silently, stepped back into the shadows. Grasping -Elene and Denny by the hand, Art ran toward the Voornizar, shouting. - -"Get us out of this horrible place before we go mad!" he croaked. Elene -managed a sob or two. The Voornizar grinned evilly at their panic, then -peered behind them. - -"Where is the Martian?" he snarled. - -"We got separated in the dark some time ago--never could locate him -again," Art answered. - -"We'll find him; he can't go far," rasped the creature. "Meanwhile, I -will take you to Dwalbuth, who will see that you suffer adequately for -this attempt at escape. In the absence of the Earthman, who wants to -preserve you as his assistants, our Mighty Shan will dispose of you as -he sees fit." - -The guard carried a powerful torch, and had no trouble in finding -the way out of the pits. They entered a level which had evidently -been the quarters of the well-to-do class of ancients. There were -many furnishings and decorations, most of which were badly faded -and deteriorated. Hosts of Voornizar were hurrying about on various -errands. Dwalbuth had evidently established headquarters here, from -which he superintended the preparation of the huge radium fleet. How -Klalmar-lan would ever follow them through this swarming hive was -beyond Art. - - * * * * * - -The guard led them to a huge room where Dwalbuth was snarling orders to -a group of his lieutenants. On sighting the Earthmen, he dismissed his -henchmen. - -"Perhaps," he began, "I have not made it clear to you just how -insignificant you, and your form of life, is in our scheme of things. -We have wiped out many races stronger than you, on a score of planets, -in my time. We are strong, immortal; you are weak, you suffer pain -easily. Do not try my patience with any more escape attempts. And you -had better tell me what you have done with that guard." There was -only silence. He screamed, "_What did you do with that guard?_" A -great three-toed claw, or hand, shot out, stopped an inch from Elene's -terror-stricken face. - -"I have heard that your men consider you beautiful to look upon," -sneered Dwalbuth, "I will change that face to a seared mask if you do -not tell me, immediately." Then Art leaped. He threw himself on the -arm with its grasping claw, bore it down. White hot, burning agony -shot through his hands and arms. Then, miraculously, it stopped. -Dwalbuth was sagging to the floor. But there came a vicious crackling -as the guard whirled to train his heat ray on them. Then he, too, -collapsed. Klalmar-lan stood in the door, grinning as he switched on -his disintegrator. - -"Fasten this door the best you can," he commanded, "while I finish off -these two. Hate to take the time, but we can't risk their recovering." -This done, he stepped to the televisor, dialled his commander-in-chief -in the Greater Ring's Martian stronghold. In a few terse words, he -explained the situation and sent the fleet hurtling toward Earth. By -this time, a great pounding had begun at the door. But the Earthians -had not been idle--they had been searching frantically for an exit. And -Elene had found one, a tiny passageway behind a once secret, but now -half-rotted-away panel. They scrambled into it, crawled for a short -way. Then the tunnel debouched into a larger corridor in which they -could stand up and run. Luckily, it was crooked, and winding; for they -heard the angry snap and hiss of searching heat rays not far behind. - -"Watch this," said Klalmar-lan, turning his disintegrator up higher. A -Voornizar appeared around a corner, and exploded with a muffled roar. - -"Don't get the mixture too rich!" laughed Art as the fragments showered -around them. "Say, Klalmar-lan, how in blazes did you get through that -mob to follow us?" - -"Easy," grinned the black man. "When you came out on that level, I was -lurking close behind. There was nothing for me to do but fall right in -with you. If you had looked around, you'd have seen me right at your -elbow. Of course, when you came to the door of Dwalbuth's staff room, -I dropped out, and just stood outside the door, acting the part of a -bored prisoner, until the fun started." - -Art chuckled at the Martian's audacity. The sounds of pursuit were -getting fainter behind them. The Voornizar were learning new respect -for their once despised captives. - -The tunnel now narrowed down to a width which made it passable by one -person only, and ran perfectly straight. The party formed in single -file, Klalmar-lan bringing up the rear. Denny led, with Art's flash, as -Art was nursing scorched hands and arms. - -"They'll be getting after us with that paralysis ray directly," Art -worried. "What do you say to blocking the tunnel? We can surely depend -on its emerging somewhere." - -"The War Gods help us if _they_ know where it comes out! But I think -you've got an idea there," agreed Klalmar-lan, turning his ray on the -roof of the tunnel a good distance behind them. It crumbled, slowly at -first, then gave way with a roar, the fragments of rock and masonry -completely choking the aperture. Klalmar-lan did not stop until he had -filled the passage for a good hundred feet. - -"We can get back through there, if we have to, by using this gun, but -the Voornizar will have to dig or bore their way. Their disintegrators -are like yours of Earth--uncontrolled. They are useful out in space -for destroying an enemy space ship at a distance, but one blast under -ground here would set off enough thermal energy to blow this whole city -off the green face of Venus." - - * * * * * - -Denny was crouching on the floor. "Look at this!" he exclaimed. His -tiny flash revealed fresh marks in the damp sand which covered the -floor at that point. They were blurred, and had no resemblance to human -footprints. - -"At least one Voornizar passed this way," commented Klalmar-lan, "but -my guess is that Dwalbuth made these tracks, and was the only one who -knew the secret of this passage." - -"It's a sure thing it's leading us to some place of -importance--Dwalbuth didn't take this walk for the fresh air," Denny -contributed. - -The tunnel's length seemed interminable, although Art estimated they -had not covered over four or five Earth miles. They found a tiny spring -of pure water trickling down the moss-shrouded stone wall, and drank -gratefully. Their lunch consisted of a few food tablets which Art had -been carrying. - -At last a dim glow of light appeared ahead. Advancing warily, they -found the passage ran squarely into a plate metal barrier, which leaned -away from them at a slight angle. About head height, there was a small -ragged hole burned into it, through which came the light they had seen. -Denny applied his eyes to this. - -"Smokin' Mercury!" he exclaimed, sotto voice. "Get a load of this, -Art!" Art looked. The sight was awesome. Far below, and stretching -into the dim distance, was a vast cavern. As far as the eye could see, -its floor was covered with huge silvery shapes--the mighty cruisers of -the Voornizar. Their close-packed ranks seemed to stretch for miles -into the darkness. The only light was the luminescence of the ships -themselves. The great domed roof was shrouded with gloom. The vantage -point from which Art looked seemed to be located high in the curved -side, and the metal barricade against which the tunnel ended was -actually the shell of the Gargantuan cavity. - -Klalmar-lan then had a quick glance, then turned to them, elated. - -"This is it! We've stumbled on the main pool. There must be nearly a -million ships down there." - -Elene was looking now--she was unable to see any egress through which -the ships could be trundled to the surface. Doubtless there was a ramp -or elevator of some sort, probably on the far side beyond their range -of vision. Many Voornizar were moving among the great hulks, servicing -them, effecting minor repairs. - -"We are now probably well outside the city proper," continued -Klalmar-lan. "Apparently this was once a great assembly hall, where -huge mass meetings or possibly some kind of sporting events, were held. -Some ancient king, wishing to spy upon the doings of his subjects -unobserved, caused this passageway to be dug and the peekhole to be -cut. Dwalbuth, in turn, utilized it for somewhat the same purpose." - -"Looks like the work of a twentieth-century acetylene torch," laughed -Denny. - -"That might afford an excellent clue as to the comparative development -of their civilization," agreed Klalmar-lan gravely. "But enough -theorizing. We must utterly destroy all these ships. Wait here." - -They watched as he moved back through the tunnel a short distance. He -trained his pistol on the wall. Rapidly a hole began to appear. - -"It can't be far to the surface," he told them. "I'm going to burn a -tunnel upward at a steep angle. Keep a good watch in both directions." -Just then Art, his eye glued to the opening, saw that something was -amiss below. The Voornizar were running about excitedly. Faintly he -heard their discordant shouting, and the crackle of heat rays. Then he -saw, skimming and swerving above the rows of giant ships, a familiar -sight! Klalmar-lan's own spaceship, in which they had originally -embarked from Earth! Wildly, it plunged toward Art, then swung -erratically away and headed in a steep climb for the top of the dome. -Several small patrol fliers appeared, racing in pursuit. Searchlights -lanced through the blackness, illuminating the heretofore invisible -ceiling, which was apparently just what the pilot of Klalmar-lan's -ship hoped for. A passing searchlight beam revealed for an instant a -round, jagged hole in the center of the room; the little rocket ship -shot through it like an escaping minnow. The hole had evidently been -newly made by the Voornizar for the passage of their smaller and more -maneuverable craft, a half dozen of which now flashed through in -pursuit. - -Art turned and related what he had seen. - - * * * * * - -"That was Theller, or I'm not a broken down space eater," growled -Denny, "Here, let me spell you on that excavation work a while, -Klalmar-lan." Klalmar-lan had a tough job--it was getting more -difficult as the hole progressed. Hot gobbets of molten lava came -splashing down from time to time, preventing him from entering the -hole and following up his work. Acrid, choking fumes began to fill -the tunnel, but Klalmar-lan refused to let Denny or Art take over, on -account of their burned hands. It was two hours before daylight began -to show, fifty feet above. - -"Now, while those rocks are cooling sufficiently for us to crawl -out, I'll show you what my plan is," said Klalmar-lan. "Has anyone -a chrono?" Elene slipped one from her wrist, handed it to him. -Quickly, he slipped it out of its case, began removing various parts. -He attached it to the trigger ring of his pistol, made a delicate -adjustment. Then he set the gun to full disintegrator. He rigged it so -that the muzzle pointed through the peep-hole, aimed at the ships below. - -"We've got six hours to get out of here and put plenty of miles between -us and this place," he informed them. Hurriedly they scrambled up the -chimney he had made. The rock had cooled rapidly, as it was pouring -rain above, and water ran down in little rivulets. The four of them -were drenched by the time they reached the surface. The rain was -beating down in such a torrent that they could hardly get their breath. -It was warm, like a tepid shower. It was difficult to see more than a -few feet, but it was evident that they were in thick jungle. - -"Let's head West," shouted Denny. "There's a bay that runs in here, -toward the city. We came in that way before, from the sea. Shouldn't -be far from here. If we can get on the open beach, it'll be lots -better going than this damned jungle." With this they had to agree, -and no time was lost in plunging into the jungle in the direction he -had indicated. The four were now weaponless, and would have fallen -easy prey to any one of a dozen varieties of carnivorous monsters -who habitually roamed the forest. But the creatures evidently did -not consider the rain conducive to good hunting, and so they were -unmolested. Two hours of exhausting struggle brought them out on the -beach, which had not been over a mile away. - -"Now we can make time," said Denny. "This narrow strip of beach will -take us almost straight away from the space port for about twenty -miles." - -"We'll do our best to cover it in the four hours we have left," Art -chuckled. They set out at a rapid clip, keeping a wary eye on both -jungle and sea, from either of which might spring sudden death at -any moment. The rain stopped, but lead-colored clouds still swirled -overhead, for Venus was eternally overcast. Plenty of drinking water -was to be found in the hollows of huge leaves--but the need for food -was becoming keen with all of them. Still, they did not dare tarry long -enough to find sustenance. - -"There are a few species of fish in these waters which I know to be -edible," explained Denny. "When it's safe to stop, we can catch a few." - - * * * * * - -"You may stop right now!" commanded a harsh voice from behind them. -They whirled--there, in the fringe of the jungle, his gray hair awry, -his eyes glittering with desperation, stood Doctor Theller, covering -them with the wide mouth of an electronic pistol. - -"You--the Martian--I need your services. Come along--there's no time to -lose. The rest of you come, too." There was nothing to do but trudge -ahead of him through the jungle in the direction he indicated. There, -as they had expected, lay Klalmar-lan's ship. - -"You are having a little trouble with my ship?" inquired the Martian -insolently, winking at his comrades. - -"Yes, damn you--and you're going to fix it!" snarled the scientist. -"It was necessary for me to fly through a narrow opening--I grazed the -edge slightly. Two of the starboard main propulsion jets were sheared -away. I had no trouble losing my pursuers in the mist, but when I cut -in the main jets to leave the atmosphere, I merely looped about in -crazy trajectories. The right adjustment of the firing pattern would -compensate for this, but I could not find it. On one of my own ships, -yes, but this confounded Martian oddity is beyond my understanding. I -had to drop down here, and attempt to trace out the connections from -the firing panel. This I have been unable to do. You will do it for me!" - -"Apparently you no longer occupy your former position of esteem with -the Voornizar," mocked Art. - -"Get in the ship!" snapped Theller, glancing sharply at them. "You, -Klalmar-lan, pilot the ship. Set the course for Mars." - -"Mars!" - -"Yes. We will land in a remote area, where we will pose as refugees -from Earth. That is, all of us except Klalmar-lan, of whom I will -dispose before reaching there. I am not beaten yet. I have friends -there, and with the secrets I have learned of the Martian weapons and -defenses, I will be able to build anew." - -Art stepped forward, ignoring the threatening gun muzzle. "Doctor -Theller, it strikes me that you are in no position to dictate terms -to us. You are in as great a danger as we, how great a danger, you do -not even dream. Only Klalmar-lan can pilot this crippled ship. This he -can, and will, refuse to do. Now here are our terms. We will take you -to Mars alive, where we will turn you over to the authorities." Art was -loath to reveal as yet that they could set their course for Earth and -arrive there in perfect safety. "You do not dare kill any of us." - -"Don't I?" sneered the scientist. "Watch me. If Klalmar-lan does not -get into that pilot seat before I count ten, I will blast Elene to a -cinder. Then I will kill you, Art. Then Denny. When only Klalmar-lan is -left, I will destroy him by inches, burning away a hand or foot at a -time." The electronic pistol swung toward Elene and he began counting. -White-faced, Art motioned despairingly to Klalmar-lan. The Martian's -black eyes were obsidian as he silently strapped himself in the seat. -The rest followed, Doctor Theller last, his pistol covering them. -Suddenly there was a sickening lurch, a numbing crash, and blackening -oblivion. - - - VII - -Through a dull, throbbing ache, Art began to wonder where he was. -His body seemed first to be spinning in a vast void, and yet again -seemed to be pinned against a hard cold surface. He felt repeated -small shocks, as of missiles striking him. From a distance a voice -was calling insistently. Rubbing sticky blood from his eyes, he saw a -greater flat expanse stretching away above him. Then his eyes focused. -It was the deck of the flier! And there at its far end sat Klalmar-lan -in the pilot seat! He was looking over his shoulder, calling, "Art! -Art! Get that ray pistol! Quickly!" Art looked about him sluggishly. -He saw the gun lying only a few feet from his face. But beyond it, -there was a crawling figure--a mad ravening thing whose clawlike hand -was even now extended to grasp the weapon! Art tried to move--he -could not budge. Something was pinning him down--the body of Denny. -He heaved desperately, but the man seemed to weigh tons. The truth of -the situation came to Art. The ship was still within the gravity of -Venus, and accelerating at a rate far beyond that of normal flight. The -inexorable force of the acceleration was pressing the four passengers -against the rear panel of the ship. Klalmar-lan could not leave his -pilot's seat, for he would never be able to return! And even then, -Theller's hand was closing on the grip of the pistol. The rocket ship -spun on its longitudinal axis like a giant gyroscope. Art felt himself -thrown from wall to wall, battered and bruised, but miraculously -retaining consciousness. He was free now, of the encumbrance. The -whirling stopped, and he drew himself painfully to a sitting position. -He looked wildly around for the gun. It was nowhere to be seen; but -Theller, pulling a long, bodkin-like dagger from his boot, was close -upon him. The dagger was raised for the plunge into Art's unprotected -heart, but there came a low hum from the front of the ship. Theller -collapsed, his muscles constricted into taut bands of agony by the -shock ray. - -And Art's pain-wracked body once more found the peace of oblivion. - -Sounds of laughter and conversation finally woke him again. Relaxed -and refreshed, he knew that he had slept long. He sat up in the bunk. -He was swathed in bandages, and medications had eased the pain of -his bruises and burns. Elene and Denny, also heavily bandaged, were -watching him smilingly. Klalmar-lan came toward him from the pilot's -seat. - -"You're a fine pilot!" roared Art, in mock fury. "That was about the -worst take-off I have ever seen!" Klalmar-lan ruefully had to admit -that it was pretty bad. - -"I had to do it, though, Art," he said. "It was our only chance. I -watched out of the corner of my eye. As soon as you were in, I threw -on the main jets, full power, thinking to leave Theller behind, but -I didn't time it quite right. He had managed to get in first. Of -course, you were all thrown heavily against the rear panel, which, -being padded, prevented serious injury. Naturally, we all blacked out -for a time from the acceleration. We had passed through the cloud -layer before I myself regained consciousness. Just in time to see the -most beautiful sight! The rear mirrograph showed the whole thing. The -clouds, which extend a full six miles above Venus' surface, parted like -a puff of smoke, and a huge flower of white flame, miles in diameter, -sprang up at us. - -"The concussion boosted our speed at a terrific rate. But I discovered -that at least three Voornizar fighters had been scattered far enough -to avoid destruction, and were now speeding in savage pursuit. When I -saw Theller coming to, and crawling after that gun, I didn't know what -to do for a moment. I couldn't leave the cockpit and expect to return -without neutralizing our tremendous acceleration, which meant leveling -off, in which case our pursuers would be on us instantly. - -"I shouted at you, threw pieces of my harness, anything to rouse you. -You finally woke, but Theller practically had the pistol by that time. -I spun the ship over a couple of times, which was cruel punishment -for all of you, but necessary. Well, I thought all was over when I -saw Theller about to knife you. But spinning the ship had dislodged -something from under the seat which Theller had evidently fastened -there previously--a shock ray pistol. I paralyzed him with that. In a -few hours we were out of Venus' gravity, and I was able to leave the -controls and revive the four of you." He strode to a bunk where Theller -lay, securely bound. - - * * * * * - -"And now, I think you'd better tell me what happened to those two -Martian ships which disappeared enroute to Earth. At the time, knowing -of the secrets you had stolen from us, but nothing of your connection -with Voornizar, we were forced to regard it as an act of war on the -part of Earth, and cut off communications until we could investigate it -in our own way. Now it is obvious that you gave their schedule to the -Voornizar and had them intercepted." - -"They disintegrated every trace of both of them!" shrieked the -murderer. "And I'm glad, glad, do you hear? I'd like to destroy -everything Martian! If my plan had gone right, some day I would have -brought you black devils to your knees. Knowing that I cannot do that, -I only want death." - -"That wish you shall have--for on Mars a death sentence awaits you," -Klalmar-lan answered grimly. - -"On Mars?" asked Art swiftly. "But Klalmar-lan, Elene and I must get to -Earth. Even though the danger is over, we are badly needed for the work -of rebuilding and reorganizing. And--besides--we, well, hang it all, we -want to find someone to marry us." - -"Don't worry, my friends," Klalmar-lan assured them. "You shall go to -Earth. In about two hours we will meet a Martian patrol which left Mars -for Venus at the same time the fleet left for Earth. I will transfer -to their ship with my prisoner, leaving you mine. I hope you will not -object to my taking an Earthian to Mars for trial--but my only motive -is to save the trouble of a trial when you will want to be devoting -your efforts to more important work." - -"He's right," agreed Denny, "and here's another thing. Don't worry -about getting back to Earth to get married. Have you forgotten that I'm -a full commander, with the right to marry any couple aboard a ship in -space?" - -Art and Elene hadn't forgotten. - - * * * * * - -[Transcriber's Note: Original text had 2 Section IV headings. 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