Brain of Venus by John Russell Fearn

by Monte Herridge

  appeared on Earth, and it radiates mentality.

  Again the trio wrestled desperately

  It’s overcoming the world—”

  with the mental waves, but this time they felt

  The voice trailed down into silence

  more than compulsion. There was a message,

  and ceased. Frantically Jefferson buzzed the

  a distinct message, an impression of thought

  contactor, without success. Bitter-faced, he waves, as though a voice were speaking.

  flung down the receivers and made a brief

  Silent and rigid they listened.

  explanation to his wondering companions.

  “Be warned, before you go too far.

  “Things are getting tough!” whistled

  You are grappling with the brain of Lu Sang, a

  Stanhope. “Vanishing planets, protoplasm! brain that formerly lay in a pitifully What the devil next? What’s it all for, I inadequate earthly body. The time has come wonder?”

  when I have learned all that matter has to tell;

  “This is no time to ask questions,”

  that being so I seek the region of pure thought, Jefferson snorted. “We’ve got to act—fast.

  the thought that exists where matter is not.

  Give me a band with the blast-tubes; we’re

  Originally in the dim beginning there was

  taking some of this moon back to Earth. naught but space; the accident of certain Quickly!”

  crystallizing

  Without another word the three set to

  radiations produced matter—a cancer in the

  work, each performing his part of the task

  midst of an otherwise uniform sea of thought-

  with absolute assurance. Disintegrator blast-

  impressions. With my knowledge it is an easy

  tubes, operated from the base of the ship, set

  matter to produce a radiation capable of

  to work and cut a full square mile of the

  causing atomic collapse through the medium

  apparently solid satellite below. For a time

  of heat, the destruction of matter and its

  that iron grey surface was ripped and torn with

  resolution into apparently empty space.

  shafts of energy, then, as they ceased their

  “Not until space is empty and all life

  activity the magnetizers came into action.

  destroyed can I obtain the real concept of

  Immediately, the mile-square sheet, thought. My mental radiations now are jagged-edged, was torn from its native bed

  disturbing matter life, reducing it to the final and floated into space. In response the space

  stage when it will be a simple matter to

  ship adjusted her position to the new balance

  destroy the living bodies without impairing

  and a blinding segment of Venus appeared

  the minds. These perturbations are caused

  beyond the satellite’s edge.

  entirely by the efforts of the human

  “Full speed ahead,” Jefferson snapped.

  mentalities to escape from their Earthbound

  Brain of Venus

  11

  bodies. In the end they will all escape—that is

  We’re running no space ships now.”

  my aim. So, puny humans, do not attempt to

  Jefferson

  nodded.

  stand in my way. You may struggle as you

  “Send them to me, sir, and at the

  wish, invent all you desire, but your end is

  earliest moment we’ll figure ways and means.

  inevitable.”

  Now, let’s get busy.”

  WITH that the communication ceased, but the

  mental perturbations continued. The three men

  CHAPTER III

  said nothing, and in a manner purely

  The Brain Speaks

  mechanical drove the flier steadily back

  toward Earth.

  When ultimately they gained the IN the days that followed men labored to build landing grounds mechanical devices came into

  a small shed from the material of the Venusian

  operation to take control of the colossal sheet

  moon. It was hard work—cruelly hard—but

  of metal they had brought with them. Gently

  the need for urgency accomplished wonders.

  and carefully it was lowered to the ground,

  And while the men struggled to erect

  then, opening the door, Jefferson found the building on the space grounds, death was himself facing Commandant Bradley.

  stalking in every corner of Earth. From every

  “Thank God you’re back, Jefferson,”

  city came news of the steady death of

  were his first words. “You got my radio populations, of people of weak mental report, of course? I was overcome at the end

  resistance overcome by the onslaughts of the

  by a mental attack. Things have gone much

  Venusian brain. The now vast seas of

  worse while you’ve been away. The protoplasmic matter that also smeared Earth’s protoplasm is everywhere, slowly covering surface were impossible things to fight.

  Earth. The same stuff has also appeared on

  “The stuff isn’t brain matter, sir,”

  Mars and smothered that planet completely.

  Jefferson explained to his worried superior.

  The same thing will happen to Earth. Worst of

  “It’s really unintelligent chemical, but

  all are the disappearing planets. Thank God

  somehow, probably through the medium of

  we have four force-ray projectors. Two of

  electricity, the distant Brain has managed to

  them help to keep Earth steady during the

  excite the atoms of lowly chemicals existing

  shiftings of the balance. What did you find?

  in the very ground into a formation of

  Anything?”

  protoplasm. The stuff has a cellular reflective

  Briefly Jefferson related everything.

  power which enables it to reflect the mental

  “So the only bright spot is our bringing

  outpourings of the Brain with tremendous

  the metal back with us,” he concluded. “It

  amplification, just as a mirror reflects the

  protects us against the Brain’s thought waves.

  sunlight. The Brain is using it, I imagine,

  We can build a shelter of it and work inside

  purely to increase the potency of his thought-

  with peace. It’s our only chance. There must

  range. Since the same thing happened on Mars

  be something that can destroy this infernal

  it seems a logical conclusion. By this means

  Brain—we’ve got to find something. If we

  the Brain has doubled his power, can reach

  don’t all matter will be eliminated and all

  everywhere.”

  mind released to its primordial level before

  “And now?” Bradley asked drearily.

  matter came. How many men can you let me

  “How do we fight it?”

  have, sir?”

  “We still have time,” Jefferson

  “You can have the entire space unit.

  answered grimly. “The shelter is finished.

  Thrilling Wonder Stories

  12

  Inside the hut we are perfectly safe. And the

  reports that told of the protoplasm’s advance

  only way to defeat the Brain is by electricity.

  into Pennsylvania.

  One electric wave can always upset another if

  At six p.m. on the following evening,

  you go
about it properly. Brain-radiations, or

  when the cabling and machine connections

  thought-waves, are electrical in nature. These

  were at last completed, Mars vanished from

  incoming mental waves are in the vicinity of

  the cosmic map. Instantly the two bracing

  one hundred and ninety thousand frequency,

  power-rays, automatically controlled, changed

  working on the new Crookes-Matthew Table.

  their power, adjusting themselves to equal

  Frequencies of that order are far and away in

  pressure and negating what would otherwise

  advance of anything yet produced on Earth,

  have been world-shattering earthquakes.

  and the only way we can get it is by the

  Stanhope, who had been present at the

  electric and almost inexhaustible discharge of

  observatory when the Martian disaster had

  smashing atoms. You see, if we can once

  happened, issued an immediate report.

  achieve a similar number of frequencies and

  direct them at Venus, it seems obvious that

  THERE was nothing particularly unusual

  like will repulse like.

  about the matter, it seemed. The Brain was

  “In other words, the power of the obviously capable of utilizing radiations able Brain will be so heterodyned, or turned aside,

  to cause atomic excitation. Hence the atoms of

  as to cease to have effect. Then, while the

  Mars had been agitated through continuously

  effect is maintained and the Brain is helpless

  rising temperature. Mars, it appeared, had

  we will venture near enough to Venus’ surface

  passed through all the stages of atomic

  to smash it out of existence with large-sized

  destruction. It had glowed red, then white,

  ray-tubes. That cannot be done without the

  then violet as the 6000° C. temperature was

  Brain being temporarily incapacitated. reached. Higher and higher, until tremendous Normally it can turn aside any ray-tube in

  X-rays had poured forth into space; to be

  existence. It is virtually indestructible, unless replaced by gamma rays as the temperature

  under the anaesthesia of frequencies of a like

  soared to millions of degrees. The nuclei of

  power to its own.”

  Mars’ atoms had begun to tremble, and finally

  “Go to it,” the commandant at 2,000,000° had collapsed altogether.

  encouraged. “I hope it works. And remember,

  Mars had passed out in a grand splash

  the protoplasm stuff has reached West of cosmic rays and ceased to be. Why the Virginia and is rapidly moving eastward. It’ll

  furious heat of the collapsing planet had not

  be here any time.”

  blistered Earth to cinders was a mystery. The

  Jefferson nodded. “If we’re quick we

  only explanation, apparently, was that the

  can beat it. I’m going right now to make the

  Brain had its own ways of working, was

  final details.”

  saving Earth for its own particular

  The equipping and hook-up of the experiments.

  directional instruments with the main power

  Jefferson’s jaw squared when he heard

  lines proved a longer job than Jefferson had

  the news. With hardly a word he entered the

  anticipated. Throughout two days and nights

  protective building not an hour afterward,

  men milled and flocked about the job, battling

  accompanied by Stanhope, Bragg, and the

  with both the elements of time and mental

  commandant himself. No sooner was the door

  trouble. With every passing hour the force of

  shut than activity began—the main power

  the Brain was becoming stronger. Jefferson

  house of the United Powerlines being

  fumed and cursed, listened to desperate radio

  constantly in television contact.

  Brain of Venus

  13

  Jefferson moved steadily and

  The three moved to the door and

  resolutely in the midst of the apparatus, gazed

  opened it—but instead of an absence of

  at the distance-gauge. From his calculations,

  mental compulsion, such as they had

  he knew that the main immense transmitter,

  expected, there swept In on them a

  four miles away, was pointed so that its tremendous communication, so intense that outflowing radiations would impinge directly

  they staggered before it.

  on Venus. The remainder of his instruments

  “So, you imagine by the use of

  told him exactly the load being carried, the

  electricity that you can defeat me? You pitiful

  number of frequencies, and countless other

  fools! When will you realize that the

  electrical details, while way back in the electricity you have hurled into space is far laboratories of the Powerline Company the

  from a detriment? Rather it is an advantage! I

  atom-smashing apparatus was at work. Atom-

  discovered that when the satellite passed me

  smashing was not a new art to the scientists,

  and reflected my own radiations. I absorb it

  but the amount of energy called for on this

  into myself, increase my mental range to

  occasion most certainly was. One hundred and

  double because you have doubled the

  ninety-five thousand frequencies! That was frequencies. You notice how strong my power what it was now.

  is? Realize that there is no power that can stop It needed at least twelve atom-my plans. I shall now destroy you in the same

  smashing machines, directed upon three one-

  way I destroyed Mars, by a radiation that will

  ton blocks of copper to produce the desired

  annihilate matter. There remains, of the entire

  load. Desperate scientists worked in the midst

  spatial universe, reckoning, that is, to Alpha

  of terrific heat and light, protected by heavy

  Centauri, only Earth and Mercury to destroy,

  suits and goggled helmets, watching an awe-

  together with a few odd planetoids and moons.

  inspiring display of disruption and Tomorrow at eight in the morning, by Earth annihilation, the result of which was time, Earth shall pass. Remember that. And at transmitted direct to the protective shelter at

  that time those who have not succumbed to

  the space grounds, and then to the transmitter

  mental power will die in the ordinary way.”

  itself.

  The three men heard no more. They

  For two hours, and more, Jefferson

  stepped back into the protective shelter, dazed, labored with the switches and resistances until

  alarmed. Almost mechanically Jefferson gave

  he finally achieved a steady output of one

  the stopping order to the power houses, then

  hundred and ninety-five thousand frequencies.

  he turned a bleak face to the others.

  “That’s the first part, sir,” he

  “It’s impregnable!” he muttered.

  announced quietly to the commandant. “If I’m

  “Instead of electricity stopping it, it’s just used correct, the Brain can’t operate with that force it! Yet there must be a way. And we’ve only

  being hurled at it. Naturally the force will be

  got twelve hours!”

  blocked as
that tiny satellite passes between,

  He stopped and sat down to think,

  but that’s hardly worth reckoning in. The head buried in his hands.

  power will remain on until Stanhope, Bragg

  and I have been to Venus and blown the Brain

  to atoms with the ray-tubes we’ve had fixed

  CHAPTER IV

  aboard our ship. We’ve got to go right away.

  The Last Chance

  You’d better stay here, sir. There’ll be no

  hitch; the power is automatically controlled.

  Come on, you two.”

  AT length Jefferson looked up, his eyes

  Thrilling Wonder Stories

  14

  bright.

  that we can utilize them? Direct one at our

  “There’s only one chance,” he said moon, which is infinitely heavier than the grimly. “It might just work. At eight tomorrow

  Venusian satellite, and the other at the

  the new disruptive radiation will be hurled at

  Venusian satellite itself, the power being just

  Earth. But what is to happen if we deflect the

  sufficient to hold that small body steady and

  radiation and turn it back on Venus?”

  stationary at the exact moment the Brain fires

  “Presumably it would wreck Venus,”

  forth the disruptive power. That will cause the

  Stanhope returned obviously. “Or the Brain

  power to recoil and destroy all Venus at

  might absorb it. First find your deflector.”

  exactly eight o’clock. So far as the calculation That’s simple. This satellite metal, of

  goes, I shall go into space and give radio

  which this shelter is built, evidently reflects all directions to Earth. My instruments will check

  known vibrations and does not absorb any of

  it.”

  them—not even thought-waves. The Brain has

  Bragg smiled cynically.

  proved that. That being so it is a certainty that