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diff --git a/old/68233-0.txt b/old/68233-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 255ecb4..0000000 --- a/old/68233-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1188 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The incredible invasion, by George O. -Smith - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The incredible invasion - -Author: George O. Smith - -Release Date: June 4, 2022 [eBook #68233] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net. - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE INCREDIBLE INVASION *** - - - - - - THE INCREDIBLE INVASION - - BY GEORGE O. SMITH - - Illustrated by Ayers - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Astounding Science-Fiction, March 1948. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -Jim Franklen paused a moment before he opened the door of the office. -He stopped to read the black lettering with a surface of pride--he was -a part of it. - -The sign read: - - UNITED NATIONS - WEAPON SECURITY - COUNCIL - - Thomas Winter, President - -Then Franklen opened the door and went in, confidently. He greeted the -man behind the desk, who looked up worriedly from a maze of paper work -and bade Franklen to sit down. - -Winter said: "Trouble, Franklen. Bad trouble." - -Franklen nodded. "I know," he said. "I've been following it. I gather -that the fools are getting worse?" - -Winter agreed with a slight nod of the head and replied: "I can't -imagine what they're up to. Yet they continue to rattle the saber and -make demands. The Central Power is not ignorant of the ramifications -of their acts. Not after we've made point-blank statements. But they -continue to get rougher and bolder, just as though they had the world -in the palm of their hands." - -"They know that they can't win, don't they?" asked Franklen. - -"They should--they've been told, and they have been shown exactly what -will happen, how, and why. The proof is irrevocable, undeniable. Still -they continue." - -"I understand we've been watching them closely." - -Winter smiled bitterly. "I've got so many men watching their separation -plants and their atomic stockpile that even the janitors must find UN -Representatives looking up out of their coffee cups in the morning. -There's no activity there that can be construed as dangerous, even -admitting that we're leaning way over backwards and would be suspicious -of a single gram of missing fissionable matter. Of course, they have -the standard United Nations stockpile; the safety value that all -nations hold against possible aggression. They're also aware that this -quantity is also a fraction of what the rest hold all together." - -Franklen looked at the big flag on the back wall of the office. -"The United Nations," he said bitterly. "With one member slightly -disunited." He turned back to the president of the Weapon Council. -"Have they, by any chance, made secret pacts with other nations?" - -"Not that we can tell," said Winter. "Now don't say that this is -negative evidence and therefore inconclusive. It is admittedly -negative evidence, but so definitely negative that it is conclusive. -The Central Power has been told that if they make a move, they'll be -counter-attacked within the hour." - -Franklen paused in his walking and said: "Look, sir, there's one thing -about the atomic weapon that is seldom considered. I've been thinking -about this for a long time. Frankly, the atomic weapon is a fine -instrument for any country to use--providing it has no intention of -invading for territorial aggrandization." - -"What do you mean?" - -"Cities are where they are because it is economically sound that they -should be there. New York is the largest city in North America only -because it is situated on the one spot where most goods funnel out of -the country. It grew because of that fact--the fact did not follow the -city's growth. In all the world, perhaps Washington, D. C., is the -only city that is where it is because someone said 'we shall place -our city here!' and Washington could function very well if it were -lifted in toto and dropped on the center of Ohio, providing it landed -on some big railroad junction. Boston is a second rate city despite -all the efforts of the city planners only because its harbor is less -efficient than New York's harbor and because Boston is not handily -located geographically for the rest of the country. Even though Boston -is closer to Europe than New York, it is cheaper to ship the goods a -little farther by water, for they've got to be transshipped anyway, -somewhere. For inland cities, both Detroit and Chicago are great -because of their location; if their locations were not good, Chicago -might still be a little tank town called Fort Dearborn, situated on the -South Bank of the Chicago River--which would still be emptying into -Lake Michigan." - -"Granted, but what are you getting at?" asked Winter. - -"Mankind has dropped two bombs in anger so far," said Franklen. "Both -were dropped at the close of a war, to end it. Japan was not invaded -for aggrandization. Therefore, no Americans were required to enter -Hiroshima and try to rebuild it. We don't care too much whether -Nagasaki ever gets rebuilt, though it will, eventually, because of the -necessity of having a city right there." - -"Yes, go on." - - * * * * * - -"The next time we have atomic trouble," said Franklen, "it'll not be -exploded high in the air. It's more likely to emerge right out of the -walls of one of those buildings. That will mean radioactivity in the -area that will render it dangerous to life for some time. In any case, -a totally destroyed New York is not an economic asset." - -"Yes?" - -"And the Central Power knows that we will not use the atomic weapons -until they are used in aggression." - -"No, you're wrong," said Winter. "We have promised them--and -everybody--that at the first outbreak of hostility, the United Nations -Weapon Council will see to it that one of their cities is reduced each -day until the aggression ceases and reparations are made." He banged -a hand into his fist. "It's a harsh promise, my boy, but it must be. -For a border fist fight leads to knives, and knives lead to revolvers, -and they lead to rifles, which lead to artillery. The next step in the -scene is the works, complete and whole." - -Franklen shook his head. "The first step is words," he said positively. -"Then come the fists. We should let 'em have a sample on the first -angry words." - -"Can't. It's entirely possible that a party can be so nasty and quiet -that steps are necessary on the part of the other. The truth must be -investigated." - -"Is that what's been happening?" asked Jim Franklen. - -"At first it looked so," said Winter. "They started by upping tariffs -and getting too rigorous with people coming in. They were told, and -they replied that their country was at present overcrowded. Why, Jim, -the entire pattern is familiar. They've been holding elections and all -the trimmings for years, now, and every election they hold brings more -territory into their hands." - -"That's something that can't be easily judged," admitted Franklen -grudgingly. - -"No, it can't; you're right. In any election there are plenty of -unsatisfied people. We assume that the Central Power is padding the -elections, but we cannot be sure. Well, again they have overrun most -of Europe and now they're looking outward. We've got to do something, -Jim. But we've got to be absolutely right before we move. That's what -makes being right so hard, sometimes. He who is wrong can move without -conscience. Well, it's now being tossed into your hands. See what you -can do, take a carte blanche and see what you can find out." - -Franklen nodded glumly. "I know what you mean," he said. "I'd hate to -be the cause of fifty thousand killed, unless I was dead certain that -my actions would save a million later." - -Winter shook the younger man's hand. "Well, you've been brought into -it," he said, "and you're trained to handle hypothetical problems of -this nature anyway. So, my boy, go out and stop that incipient war for -me!" - - * * * * * - -Jim Franklen remembered that ringing order many times in the following -days. "Go out and stop that war!" was his order, and he was hoping he -could. There was little real saber-rattling, but only a slow spread of -the Central Power's influence that was conducted in a quiet fashion. - -He read the previous reports several times, and analyzed them -carefully. There was one more thing, a direct, personal, man-to-man -warning that could be tried and must be tried before he moved. This act -must also be publicized so that his following moves would be greeted -with the proper attitude. The public must know that his course met with -their approval. - -This brought him to the government of the Central Power, where he was -first stopped by an undersecretary. - -"You may state your business," said the underling with all the -authority of bureaucracy. - -"I'm special representative of the United Nations Weapon Council," said -Franklen, "and request audience with your state head, the Commissario -Hohmann." - -"You may state your business to me," said the underling. - -"I'll state it to Hohmann himself," snapped Franklen quickly. "And -he'll right well see me, too!" - -"I'll inquire," said the undersecretary. - -"You'd better." - -"You understand that the Commissario speaks personally only with -officials of his own rank." - -"That's rank enough," grunted Franklen. "And I can be just as rank as -he is. Now stop caging and make that appointment for me--no later than -tomorrow morning! Rank? Spinach! Where I come from, we elect our rulers -and they'd better do as we want them to, or they don't stay rulers! And -Hohmann can put you in his pipe and smoke it! Or," he added softly, -"shall I order a cordon of United Nations marines out to see that I am -properly escorted into his presence?" - -"That would create an international incident," replied the -undersecretary. - -"Uh-huh," snorted Franklen. "It sure would, wouldn't it?" - -Both he and the underling knew at that point just who would be deemed -responsible for the international incident, and so there was no point -in further argument. The phone was used three times, and ultimately it -was reported that James Franklen would be most welcome in the morning -at eight-thirty--and would he partake of breakfast with Commissario -Hohmann? - -He nodded. After all, Hohmann might not spoil his digestion--Franklen -had a stomach installed by a copper company and felt safe. - - * * * * * - -There was pomp and ceremony as Franklen entered the swanky apartments -of the Commissario Hohmann. He was escorted in by an honor-guard, and -once in the ornate dining room, Franklen came face to face with the -commissario himself. - -Hohmann bowed genially and Franklen returned the pleasantry. He was -seated across a small table from the dictator of the Central Power, and -as he settled in the chair, silver service with a half grapefruit came -from a servitor for each man simultaneously. Hohmann tasted his, smiled -and nodded at it. "Excellent," he said to Franklen. Jim tried his and -was forced to agree. - -"Now," said Hohmann easily, "I've been told that the United Nations do -not approve of certain happenings?" - -"We do not," said Franklen. "We do not intend to interfere with the -usual run of events, but we dislike to see the same pattern coming up -again." - -"Pattern?" asked Hohmann in surprise. His spoon paused in mid-flight as -surprise caught him unawares, but then it continued on, upwards. - -Franklen nodded, and then swallowed. "The pattern should be familiar," -he said. "Small districts lying between larger countries suddenly vote -alliance with your Central Power. A couple of years pass, and another -district still farther out allies itself with you. Commissario Hohmann, -your Central Power has increased its geographic size by a factor of two -to one during the past five years." - -"That I know--and I am also gratified to know that my government has -something to offer these outlying districts." - -"The trouble is," said Franklen pointedly, "that all of these districts -have--or had--a system of voting that lends itself very well to a -long-term carpetbagging system. The residence required before voting in -the maximum case is one year." - -"You accuse me of padding ballot boxes?" demanded Hohmann angrily. - -"Not at all," said Franklen. "Padding a ballot box is illegal, which -you would not condone. No, Commissario Hohmann, you are proceeding -quite legally, but you are, nevertheless, twisting the law to suit your -needs." - -"Nonsense!" - -"We know differently. There was the Phalz District that voted into your -Power two years ago. Its voting population rose markedly for two years -before the election, and dropped shortly afterwards. Strangely, its -drop coincided with the rise of voting population in the Rhehl District -a year later." - -"You approach me with the accusation that people of mine are traveling -from district to district and voting them into my government for -them--and against their wishes?" demanded Hohmann. - -"I wouldn't state whether it was the same people that moved," said -Franklen, "but there is definitely some exchange." - -"My dear young fellow," said Hohmann consolingly, "please do not be -alarmed by some of the problems of the floating population of Central -Europe. That is what happens when cities are decentralized, you know. -And may I remind you that the United Nations were instrumental in -decentralizing the cities of my country some twenty years ago?" - -"You have all the rationalization of the last ruler of Central Europe. -He proceeded legally at first." - -"He proceeded legally until he was forced to move illegally. He was -attacked first, you know." - - * * * * * - -"Look, Hohmann, he who eludes the legal statement by twisting the law -to suit his own illegal end is illegal." - -"That's sophistry." - -"No, it is not. It is a statement of the fact that you are legally -right and morally wrong and you know it. Frankly, you are expanding at -a rate that will bring on a state of war and you know it. Regardless -of your spoken intent, you are expanding illegally and it must cease!" - -"And I assure you that if people decide to join my government, I can -but be gratified and accept them." - -"Even though the populace disagrees?" - -"They voted, didn't they?" asked Hohmann. And seeing Jim Franklen's -answer, even though skeptical, Hohmann added: "And if they want to, -they can as easily vote out again." - -"Oh certainly," snorted Franklen angrily. "The district of one quarter -of a million people vote in all by themselves, but in voting out again -they must submit to a national election. One quarter million versus -some seventy million." - -"Well, the welfare of my country is a national problem, and the welfare -of any part of it is equally a national concern. To secede, any part, -therefore, should convince the entire nation that this course is best. -That is, naturally, very difficult." - -"Impossible," snapped Franklen. - -"Almost impossible," agreed Hohmann, nodding his head slowly in -complete agreement. "Yet for all your distrust of my government and its -supposed aggressive attitude, I assure you that we are humanitarian -to the core, and will go to any lengths to make our people happy. -Unlike the former ruler, who insisted that the individual is second to -the State, I know that the State is the property of the individual. -Unfortunately--or fortunately--there are always differences of opinion. -That makes it difficult to please everybody with any single act. We -try, however, to make the bulk of the people satisfied. I--" - -He was interrupted by the arrival of an aide, who brought him a sheet -of teletyped copy. "Commissario Hohmann," said the aide, "I am sorry to -disturb your breakfast, but this is an important message." - -"Quite all right, Jenks," smiled Hohmann. "Pardon me?" he asked of -Franklen. Then he read, first quietly and then aloud: - -"International News Service representatives in Paris, France, today -told of a serious pandemic sweeping the country. This illness seems to -be some strange combination of mild dysentery complicated with very -mild influenza. It is quite contagious; isolated cases were first noted -three days ago, but the epidemic has been spreading into dangerous -proportions. It is believed that if this pandemic gets worse, the -government may close all places of business and public works." - -When he finished, Hohmann looked up across the table at Jim Franklen. -"Unfortunate," he said sincerely. "Yet one man's meat is another man's -poison. This distressing affair may give me a chance to prove to you -that the Central Power is still a member of the United Nations, and -concerned about the common lot of all mankind." - -"Meaning?" asked Franklen. - -"Meaning that I must leave you for a bit. I intend to muster all forces -that the Central Power owns that can, in any way, be used to combat the -common enemy that is striking at France. I invite you officially to -join and observe." - -"I may take that invitation," said Jim. - -"The Central Power will enter that plague area to take relief and -aid--even though we may ourselves suffer greatly. It is things like -this, James Franklen, that endears us to our immediate neighbors. You -may watch one half of the population of my country turn from their -own problems, and bravely enter France to aid the stricken. Jenks! A -message to Le Presidente Jacques La Croix. 'We stand ready to aid in -every way if your need increases. You have but to request, and we will -answer in the name of humanity! Signed Edvard Hohmann, Commissario of -the Central Power.'" - - * * * * * - -Jim Franklen faced Winter wearily in the latter's office. It was two -weeks later, and Jim was glad to be back, even though his mission was -but half accomplished. - -"I don't know how to stop him," he told the president of the Weapon -Council. "He's like a stock market operator that doles out quarters -to the beggar on the corner and then enters the Curb to squeeze some -small operator out of his life savings. It is admitted--almost--that he -is running a carpetbagging program over there. Then comes this plague -in France. Like a first-class humanitarian, he musters his forces and -they go into that area and take control for two solid weeks while -practically every person in France is flat on his back with this -devil's disease. It would have been easy for him to take over, Winter. -But he sent in doctors and aides, and the like, and the only armed men -he sent were merely small-arm troops. He sent just barely enough of -them to maintain order, which they did and no more. I doubt if there -was a store-window broken or a bottle of milk stolen over and above any -normal interval. Then as the people of France recovered, he gracefully -turned everything back, gave them a written report on his actions, -apologized for whatever minor expenses his aid might have cost--his men -did live off of the country, and that costs, you know--and then marched -out with the bands playing and the people cheering. - -"It gives me to wonder," continued Franklen. "Remember the 'Union--Now' -cries between the United States and Great Britain during the last -fracas? Well, solidarity between France and the Central Power was -never so great before. Hohmann could ask them for the moon, and they'd -present him with a gold tablet, suitably engraved, giving him clear and -unrestricted title. Watch for a first-class alliance, Winter." - -Winter nodded. "I've been watching," he said. "Regardless of how he -does it, and he is a supreme opportunist, it is oppression." - -Franklen grunted. "Even anarchy is oppression for some classes of -people." - -"But you and I both know that he rode into his office initially -on a program of oppressing the minority groups. He's made no great -mass-murder of them as his predecessor did, nor has he collected them -in concentration camps. Yet they are oppressed, for they have little -free life. They are permitted to work only as their superiors dictate, -and for a subsistence wage. They do the rough jobs; they work in -Hohmann's separation plants, do the mining, and the dirty work. Each -is given a card entitling him to secure employment in certain lines. -All of these lines are poorly paid and quite dangerous or dirty. -The wage is so low that the children are forced to forgo schooling -in order to help pay for the family. Regardless of his outward act -of humanitarianism, Hohmann is none the less a tyrant with ideas of -aggrandization. That he is able to take a catastrophe and turn it into -a blessing for himself is deplorable, but it seems to be one of those -unfair tricks of fate to favor the ill-minded, for some unknown reason. -I never knew a stinker that didn't get everything his own way for far -too long for the other's comfort. Eventually, of course, the deal evens -out, but the waiting is often maddeningly long." - -"And we sit here helpless," growled Franklen, "all clutching our atomic -weapons that could wipe out Hohmann and most of his country. And as we -hang on to them, and rub their rounded noses angrily, we watch Hohmann -walk in and take over--we are unsure of our grounds. Bah! Why not -claim it for what it is--aggressive acquisition of territory? Then -let's bomb him and let the world judge for itself." - -Winter shook his head slowly. "And if we do, La Belle Francaise will -rise up and scream 'Oppression'! For France is probably an operating -country today because of Edvard Hohmann. There was once a first-class -criminal, Public Enemy Number One, who, during a period of economic -depression, used some of his ill-gotten gains to set up soup kitchens -for the underfed. You'd hardly convince any one of them that he was -entirely worthy of the electric chair and not much better. That was -when his crimes were known to all. And people said: 'O.K., so he's -killed a bunch of people. They were all criminals, too, and so he saved -the country some expense. And besides, he set up soup kitchens, and so -he's not a bad sort of fellow!' No, Jim, we've got to get evidence of -definite acts of belligerency." - -"Sort of like trying to get evidence against a confidence-man who sells -his victims something that they believe valuable." - -Winter nodded at the simile. - -"More like a druggist who sells opiates indiscriminately. The people -who buy them do so because they find them useful even though they are -dangerous in the long run. But you keep on trying, Jim. The rest of us -will see to it that Hohmann isn't running himself up a stockpile of -atomics all the time that his underground warfare is going on." - - * * * * * - -Jim Franklen left the office and wandered down the hall to the Chief -Physician's office. Shield greeted Franklen cheerfully and asked what -was on the younger man's mind. - -"Nothing much," said Jim. "I was just wondering if you'd isolated the -bug or whatever it was that hit France." - -"We believe so," said Dr. Shield. "We'll know in another couple of -weeks. It seems to be some sort of filterable virus, air-borne for -contagion, and very rugged. Intelligent, too. It apparently knows -enough not to touch diparasulfathiazole." - -"How do these rare illnesses get going?" questioned Jim. - -"In several ways. The Law of Simple Reactions also applies, you -know." And seeing the blank look on Franklen's face, he added: "When -a number of reactions are possible, the one that requires the least -energy will happen first. That's saying that the most likely will -happen first. A few hundred years ago, so many people died of typhoid, -yellow fever, and smallpox that a more complex disease like meningitis -or polio seldom got beyond the normal case frequency. When the more -prevalent--the more likely diseases--were stopped, we could have polio -plagues. It's probably been here for a long time, killing its quota -every year, but never noticed because of other, more devastating -affairs." - -"I think I understand." - -"Why did you ask?" asked the doctor. - -"Well, I was there, you know. It was rather devastating, though it -didn't kill off very many." - -"It isn't that type," said Shield. "Which is another factor in its -not being noticed. The early symptoms are dysentery, not violent, but -definitely weakening. The secondary symptoms are similar to influenza -in a mild form. The whole thing just takes all the energy out of the -system and leaves you weaker than a kitten for about twenty days. After -which you can get up and go again, though somewhat rockily. It's a -one-shot affair, luckily. The body builds up an immunity to the bug, -and once you go through with it, you're safe from then on--though upon -re-exposure, you can act as a carrier." - -"O.K., doctor. I was just wondering because I was rather close to it." - -"You didn't catch it?" - -"Nope. Not yet, anyway." - -"And you were in the plague area?" demanded Dr. Shield. - -"For several days with Commissario Hohmann." - -"Then I'd like a sample of your blood," said the doctor, reaching for -his sterile cabinet. "Maybe you are carrying the normal antibody in -quantity already. I'd like to check it." - -Franklen bared his arm and the doctor extracted thirty or forty CC of -Jim's venous blood. "Thanks," said Dr. Shield. "We'll also see if you -have any other bugs running around loose in here," he smiled, holding -up the vial. - -"O.K., doctor," returned Franklen. "And if you do, just drop 'em a shot -or something to pacify 'em until I get back and can take care of 'em -again." - -They parted on a laugh. And once outside of the doctor's door, Jim -Franklen was met by an official messenger. - - * * * * * - -It was a personally written note from Edvard Hohmann: - - Dear Mr. Franklen: - - This is informal, because I believe that formality between friends - is both stuffy and unreal. Also I count you among my friends - despite the fact that our political beliefs differ. - - However, in an effort to convince you of my sincerity, I am inviting - you to be present as a guest of my party when the Central Power - meets the French Chamber of Deputies. This will occur on August 8th, - which is but a week hence. - - It is to be an auspicious occasion, this meeting. Plans and forms - have been drawn up, a compromise between the democratic government - of France and the autocratic Central Power. We shall show the world - and humanity that a meeting of minds is always possible between men - of high purpose. True, both France and the Central Power must part - with certain factors, but we both believe that departing slightly - from our previous course by will and agreement is far better than - going on as we have, and ultimately arriving at antipodal types of - rule. - - Will you attend? Will you come, even to scoff? For you will remain - to wonder, and the approval of your Council will mean much to all - of us. Be a witness to History in the Making! - - Sincerely, - Edvard Hohmann, - Your friend and Commissario - of the Central Power. - -He stared at the letter, wondering. Hohmann's actions seemed logical -enough; doubtless if he, Jim Franklen, were in Hohmann's shoes, -he'd accept whatever the fates offered and reject whatever trouble -he could. Hohmann's ambitions were normal for any ruler of Central -Europe, and he was not, at least, killing millions. Yet-- - -Franklen smacked his fist into the palm of his hand. He turned into -Winter's office again and said: "I've got it!" - -Winter looked up, wondering. - -"Hohmann is using biological warfare," said Franklen. "It's logical, -it's sensible, and it gets him what he wants, intact. He's soon to be -running France, and not a shot has been fired nor a building damaged. -Were he to strike an unfriendly country--or when he makes his final -break, Hohmann can take over without resistance. No soldier can serve -a weapon when he's prostrate with that combination of dysentery and -influenza." - -"But biological warfare is not considered practical." - -"No?" snorted Franklen. "Well, if used properly, it can be better than -atomics. Why blast a city you hope to add to your list? Why bother? -You have to rebuild it. But if you just move in, you're in and you can -use the same paper and pencils and desks and even the same clerks." - -"May I point out the difficulty of proving such a thing?" asked Winter. - -"In the first place, Dr. Shield told me that the ailment was a -single-time illness. Your own troops can have it in a mild form before -the invasion. Thereafter they are immune. But they are also vicious -carriers, and while they're working among the stricken people, they're -spreading it among those few who haven't caught it yet." - -Winter sighed deeply. "Yes, and even better for Hohmann is the fact -that we can prove nothing. You can make enough germ culture in an -apartment house to innoculate a city--contrasting, the separation -plants of the atomic era. And, Franklen, can you or anybody else make -Hohmann admit that his latest acquisitions happened by any other means -than an Act of God? A pandemic is considered such." - -"I'll get the proof," said Franklen. - -"Just stop Hohmann," said Winter. "Then we can all rest!" - - * * * * * - -Franklen never went to Hohmann's great historic meeting. Three days -before it opened, the same plague struck Mexico, and the United -States sent its doctors and its nurses and its aids to the stricken -neighbor. A good many of them came down with it themselves, but just -as it had run in France, it ran itself out in three long, hot, Mexican -weeks. American wealth was poured in, and American effort and American -efficiency, and Mexico rallied and was grateful. Franklen was a busy -man, during those days, and he spent another week in the area after -the plague was stopped and the populace well on the road to recovery. - -Then he returned to his office, to see Thomas Winter. - -"Warfare--or happenstance?" asked Winter. - -"I'll never know," said Franklen wearily. "Why would they--Winter! You -know something!" - -Winter nodded slowly. He handed Franklen a teletyped page, which -Franklen read aloud: - -"The State of Sonora, Mexico, today voted to secede from Mexico in -favor of joining the United States by a vote of almost three to one. -If this is accepted, Sonora would become the fifty-first State of the -Union. There is some doubt--" - -"Winter--what is this?" - -"A fragment of the International News Service report," replied Winter. -"And here is a text of President Halstead's reply: - -"The United States of America feels gratified that she is deemed so -high by the residents of Sonora, Mexico. An act of this sort, however, -must be made with the full consent of the Mexican Government." - -"So we've got ourselves a Border Incident?" muttered Franklen. - -Winter shook his head. "Worse than that. Here's the topper-offer," and -he handed Franklen a sheet of paper. Franklen read it silently and -then whistled explosively. - -"So the Government of Mexico offers complete annexation of all the -states of Mexico to the United States of America in exchange for -certain provisos and considerations in the way of civil government of -the new territory?" - -Winter nodded. "And from what they tell me of the Mexican demands, the -United States would be imbecilic not to accede to their request." - -Franklen shook his head widely and slowly. "Madness!" he said quietly. -"If we do, we're legally guilty of the same offense as Hohmann. If we -do not, we're fools. How can the pot call the kettle black and still -retain a moral sense of values?" - -"Can't," grumbled Winter. "And we've got ourselves another twenty -million citizens, three quarters of a million square miles, and -something like a total of eighty United States of America!" - -Winter stood up, his face bitter. "United Nations Weapon Council," he -growled. "Preserve the future peace. Stop aggression and territorial -expansion. Hell!" - -He picked up a brass inkwell and hurled it through the door glass. His -secretary peered in, wondering. - - * * * * * - -That was only the beginning. Just the start of a long series of -similar events that came crowding in on one another so fast that it -made one's head spin. Five years passed in this same mad whirl. Five -years of the same crazy pattern. - -And then the Central Power, which was now calling itself the European -Power, faced the United States of The Americas across the Atlantic -Ocean. From Ellsmere Island to Cape Horn lay the United States of -The Americas, and from Spitzbergen to the Cape of Good Hope lay the -European Power, all and both combined. - -And as before, Jim Franklen, now an older but still struggling -Franklen, was still working on the same question; and Thomas Winter, -also older and more resigned, urged Franklen on. - -"Hindsight," said Franklen sourly, "is infinitely superior to -foresight, or at least it is better accomplished." - -Winter nodded. "This is what we might have expected," he said. "Years -and years ago when Hohmann started this last war. Now we're all in -a position where strife might well break out at any moment. And the -question is whether to break out in open strife at once, or wait it -out and hope for the best. We can no longer move leisurely. Hohmann -has seen to it that for every advance he has made, we've made a -greater one. But now he is fresh out of available land to spread out -across, and he's looking at us. We've been dragged and dragged by -his indirectness into this situation, where the United States as it -was is no longer just we folks, but encompasses a myriad of peoples, -types, and governmental ideas. True, Washington is still the seat of -government, but that makes it seem as though we were to blame for our -own expansion." - -"I may be able to help," said Franklen at last. "I think I've got the -answer, finally." - - * * * * * - -He said no more about it, but he was gone, somewhere for three months, -after which he returned long enough to pick up Dr. Shield and fly with -him to Europe. He gained audience with Edvard Hohmann within a few -hours. - -"My American friend," exclaimed Hohmann, taking Franklen's hand. "And -this?" - -"This is Dr. Shield," said Jim. "He's been instrumental in tracking -down some of the many plagues that have hit the world." - -"Perhaps he can tell us where so many different illnesses come from," -said Hohmann, interestedly. "A kind Providence, that offers both -myself and your government the chance, to become great--it is kind, -and I say right that we have prospered--seldom seems in existence at -the proper time." - -"Sometimes illnesses emerge from the common welter of human frailties -only because they have been eclipsed by more common ailments," said -Shield. "There is one other way in which an illness can suddenly -break out. Mutations. If you recall, the photographic industry nearly -went out of business when atomic power came in, because there were -radioactive atoms everywhere--even in the emulsions and the films -themselves. That has been largely abated, but only by special methods. -The world, right now, is bathed in many many more kinds of radiation -than ever before. Where once only alpha particles were, now are -protons and neutrons and both positive and negative electrons, and -gamma from here to there in wave length. Illness comes from bugs, -Commissario Hohmann, and bugs as well as humans can evolve. The -possibilities are limitless, it requires only a diligent search--" - -"Diligent search?" asked Hohmann. "You sound as though you believed -that someone might have been seeking such illnesses." - -"Only academically, perhaps, just as we are," replied Shield. "Just -to know what possible mutations might take place, and perhaps give -us a bit of warning, we have been operating a radiation-biological -laboratory." - -"Indeed?" said Hohmann. - -"Oh yes. And we've come up with some of the most peculiar cultures. -Pure laws of chance, because most mutants die. We've got a violent -one that affects the calcium exchange in the body--your bones, you -know, are in a constant state of equilibrium, the matter changes, new -comes in to replace old going out--so that only the outgoing side is -working. The bones jellify. We've licked that one by antibodies and -partial immunities. But the more recent ones have rather peculiar -effects. One of them strikes the nerves in the semicircular canals of -the ear. During the two months of its run, the patient cannot stand, -or cannot retain any balance at all. He cannot even lift his hands as -he desires, because he ... well, he might think he was standing on his -head, but he can't even accept a delusion as to his position, for all -position-sense is gone, completely. After two months, the average body -recovers, and the patient is well again. We've feared that, and we've -learned how to prevent it. That's a good thing, too, for it strikes -within a few minutes after exposure to any carrier." - -"A rather terrible possibility," smiled Hohmann. "I've always been -proud of my sense of balance." He laughed nervously and stood upon one -foot for a few seconds. - -"We were thinking that it might be well to combine our laboratories," -said Franklen. "We can pool our findings and collectively advance so -that this wave of mutated bugs can be prevented." - -"That is an excellent idea," said Hohmann-- - -At which point he fell flat on his face! - - * * * * * - -The world's stockpiles of atomic weapons is rusting and unused--as -such. Gradually, they are being broken down and the high-grade -fissionables are being taken and used to light the fires of humanity. -Jim Franklen is an old man, no longer an agent of the United Nations, -but just a citizen of United Terra. - -And the rattle of the saber is gone, and the storm of atomic bombs is -no longer expected. - -For the last Global War was fought with weapons that seldom killed, -never maimed, and always left the cities of the world intact for the -next generation. - - - THE END. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE INCREDIBLE INVASION *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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