Wonder of the Worlds
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“Who’d you say you were?” the cowboy asked. “Tesla. Colonel Cody knows who I am.” “Tesla, eh? Jest a minute,” the cowboy said, going through the gate. “Make it quick,” Tesla said. “It’s urgent. And if you don’t make it quick, you won’t have a job in five minutes.”
At that comment, the cowboy smirked, f lipped his cigarette on the ground, and said, “Wait here.” Tesla waited for the cowboy to shut the gate, and then tried to go in behind him, but the gate had locked.
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Tesla watched the f licker of the light as he moved the tin box back and forth. The location of the crystal seemed to be moving around beyond the gate only a few tens of yards away. Tesla looked both directions along the length of the fence in front of him. In one direction the fence ran all the way to the wall of the arena; in the other it ran to the street entrance. Tesla looked at the top of the fence and thought of climbing it. Just as he was preparing to do so, the gate opened, and the cow- boy came out. “This way, Mr. Tesla,” the cowboy said.
Tesla went through the gate. The cowboy closed the gate behind them, and said, “This way.” Tesla followed the cowboy into the campground of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. Ahead, on a carpet of circus-sweet tanbark, lay several acres of canvas tents and Indian tepees. The place immediately struck Tesla as an emblem, a symbol, a hieroglyph of peace. Here, stretching before him lay the tents of two peoples who had fought a series of bloody wars. Now, the wars had ceased and these same peoples lived side by side, if not in friendship, certainly in complete unanimity of commercial purpose. How strange and unreal, Tesla thought. Why had these people fought in the first place? What stirred them to battle? And now the Indians, after their people had been bloodied, crushed, and decimated, stood around their tents chewing tobacco, eating Crackerjack from the box, and playing horseshoes. The cowboy and Tesla approached a tent surrounded by a garden of f lowers. Standing in the door of the tent was Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley.
“Mr. Tesla!” Buffalo Bill said. “Such a delight to see you again! It’s my pleasure to introduce you to Miss Annie Oakley.” “Miss Oakley,” Tesla said, bowing.
“Mr. Tesla,” Annie Oakley said with a curtsy. “I’m sorry I didn’t see you when you came to the show the other day.” “You were magnificent, Miss Oakley,” Tesla said. “Colonel Cody, I am afraid I must be abrupt. A piece of very valuable property has been stolen from me. An extremely rare jewel. I have traced the thief here to your camp.” “My camp?” Buffalo Bill asked. “Surely you don’t think one of my people is the thief?” “No,” Tesla said. “I have no reason to think that. I believe, however, that the thief has come here to escape my pursuit. I request permission to search your camp.” “What does your man look like?” Buffalo Bill asked. “He was dressed in black, had a beard, and wore dark spectacles.” “We’ve seen no one like that, have we Annie?” Annie Oakley shook her head. “I would’ve remembered somebody like that.”
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“Pete,” Buffalo Bill said, “go with Mr. Tesla and help him turn the camp inside out.” “Yes, sir,” Pete said.
“If it is just the same,” Tesla said, “I prefer to do this by myself.”
“As you wish,” Buffalo Bill said. “Good luck. And if you find your man, come on back when you’re finished and see the show. I’ll put you up in a box.” “I shall do that,” Tesla said, starting off. Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley watched Tesla march off toward a line of Indian tepees.
“He shore looks mad,” Annie Oakley said. “He shore does,” Buffalo Bill replied with a smile.
Tesla passed the Indian tepees without looking inside any of them. He kept up his march straight through the Indian camp. The light bulb on the tin box was telling him to go straight ahead. In the arena, Buffalo Bill’s Cowboy Band struck up the “Star-Spangled Banner.” The notes rose up into the air, crashed, and rose again, filling the campground with their struggle, crisis, and triumph. Tesla passed out of the Indian camp, and through the camp of the U.S. Army, the French Army, and the German Army. He stopped in front of the tents of the Russian Army. A troop of Cossacks were mounting their horses, getting ready for the big opening parade which presented the “Grand Review of the Rough Riders of the World.” These Cossacks were fur capped, bearded, and armed to the teeth. Tesla ran his eye over their bearded faces. Just then, thundering behind Tesla came what seemed to be the cavalry of half the industrial world—the United States, the French, and the Germans. They swept around the campgrounds and toward a big open gate leading to the arena, their f lags flying and trumpets blasting. The Cossacks raised their rifles in the air and started off in the equestrian train. Bearded face after bearded face whizzed by in front of Tesla, all distinctly Russian faces, broad-cheeked and steely-eyed. A cloud of dust rose up, obscur- ing the scene. The last of the Cossacks came charging by, three cavalrymen spurring their horses to top speed. The first one glared at Tesla as he passed. The second one looked straight ahead. The third one was looking the other way—Tesla could only see the back of his fur cap. “Hey, you!” Tesla shouted.
The last Cossack rode forward, keeping his head turned away.
Tesla took off running alongside the Cossack, and shouted again, “Hey, you! Turn around!” The Cossack’s head turned. He was wearing bottle glass spectacles.
Tesla reached out and tried to grab the dark- spectacled rider’s boot. The rider reined his horse around in a tight circle, and then brought the horse up
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on its hind legs, with its front legs kicking out. Tesla jumped back. The horse came down, spun about, and horse and rider charged forward and galloped through the open gate that led into the arena.
Tesla looked about. Buffalo Bill approached on horseback holding the reins of a second horse that trotted beside him. “Mount up, Mr. Tesla,” Buffalo Bill said, holding out the reins of the second horse. Tesla took the reins and mounted the horse, and Buffalo Bill and Tesla urged their horses into a gallop and through the gate to the arena.
The cavalries of the world were charging around the arena leaving behind them a great cloud of dust. Twelve thousand people in the grandstand cheered the horsemen. As Buffalo Bill entered the arena, the crowd of twelve thousand leapt to their feet. Buffalo Bill charged forward to the center of the arena, while Tesla broke into a fast gallop after the last rider of the Cossack troop. Tesla came up behind the dark-spectacled rider, got even with him, swung one leg over so that he was riding side-saddle, and then leapt on to the back of the dark-spectacled rider’s horse. Tesla reached around, grabbed the reins of the horse with one hand and the rider’s beard with the other, and the beard came off in Tesla’s hand! Then the dark-spectacled rider punched Tesla in the ribs with his elbow, trying to knock Tesla off the horse. Tesla didn’t budge, but the horse started to panic, and broke ranks with the other riders. Then the horse began to buck and kick. Tesla and the dark-spectacled rider were thrown into the air and landed on the ground. The horse ran off and out of the arena. Tesla lay on the ground, the wind knocked out of him. He took two deep breaths, got his lungs inflated, and stood up. The dark-spectacled rider was no longer dark- spectacled. In the fall from the horse, those bottle glass spectacles had flown through the air and landed several yards away from the rider. Now the rider covered his face with his forearm as he stumbled to his feet. The cowboy named Pete came running up. “Are you all right, Mr. Tesla?” Pete asked. Tesla nodded.
The rider dressed as a Cossack shielded the sun from his eyes with his hand and began running toward the gate. “Stop him!” Tesla shouted.
Pete and Tesla started off in pursuit of the man dressed as a Cossack.
The crowd of twelve thousand did not notice the altercation out in the arena. It occurred as Buffalo Bill sat astride his horse and the cavalry of the world’s armies came thundering by behind him. A few people may have no- ticed Tesla, Pete, and the other man run out of the arena, but it meant nothing to them. They did not realize that when Tesla and the Cossack imposter fell to
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Tesla and Pete came through the gate but the man who was dressed as a Cossack was nowhere to be seen. Pete continued in a run toward the Russian camp, but Tesla stopped and took out his little tin box. The man who had stolen the crystal was up ahead to the left beyond the Russian tents. Tesla ran forward, passed around the tents, and came to another board fence at the back side of the camp. He approached the fence and saw where a hole had been chopped through it. An axe lay on the ground. Pete came running up. “Damn his worthless hide!” Pete said. “Thanks for your help,” Tesla said to Pete. “I’ll take it from here.” Tesla went through the hole in the fence.
Once through the fence, Tesla spied the Cossack imposter running down the street. The imposter turned a corner and disappeared from sight. Tesla went after him, turned the same corner, and saw the imposter going into the door of a warehouse. Tesla got to the warehouse, opened its door and went in. A f light of stairs to the right led up into darkness. Tesla went up the stairs to a second f loor, looked out, and saw that the whole floor was empty. The flight of stairs continued on up to the roof. Tesla went on up, went through the door at the end of the stair way, and emerged on the roof. The imposter stood at the rooftop’s edge; he raised his revolver and aimed it at Tesla, and Tesla jumped back inside the door. Tesla heard the report of the revolver and saw the inside of the door split open from the passage of a bullet. The imposter jumped from the edge of the roof and across a narrow alley to a neighboring rooftop. Tesla came out and saw the imposter go through another rooftop door and down into the neighboring building. Tesla jumped across to the other rooftop, landed on it, and went through the same door that the imposter had just entered. Tesla went down the stairs and entered the f loor of a warehouse filled with barrels. He removed his little tin box. The light bulb on its top showed that the man had gone down to the ground f loor and possibly out of the building. Tesla went on down the stairs. On the ground f loor a man wearing a shop apron turned around and said, “Hey, what are you fellows doing in here?” “Did the other man go out?” Tesla asked. “Yes, he went out!” the man in the shop apron said.
Tesla went out the door and saw the imposter run down the street and turn a corner to the left.
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Tesla got to the same corner and saw the imposter running away under a railroad bridge and to the neighborhood on the other side. There, on the other side, the imposter turned right into an alleyway. Tesla went after him, reached the alleyway and turned. The imposter was running toward the end of that block. Beyond that block was a street, and beyond the street, another high board fence.
The imposter reached the fence, jumped, caught its top edge, pulled him- self up and over it, and went down on the other side. Tesla reached the fence and jumped, caught the top edge of the boards, and pulled himself up to the top. He saw the imposter running between two wooden buildings. Tesla dropped to the ground and continued his pursuit. Tesla and the imposter had just entered the Midway Plaisance. Up ahead several men stood around the fair’s Captive Balloon. The Balloon was fully inf lated with hydrogen and fitted with its passenger gondola. Two men were just about to get into the basket to test it when the imposter approached in a run with his revolver drawn. “Back!” the imposter shouted, “Back! Or I shoot!”
The men working with the Balloon stood their ground too dumbfounded to move. The imposter fired his revolver and the men dropped back. “Are you crazy?” roared one of the balloon workers. The imposter climbed into the Balloon’s passenger gondola. Tesla approached in a run.
The imposter leveled his revolver at Tesla and pulled the trigger. The ham- mer clicked; his revolver was out of bullets. The imposter tossed his revolver aside, brought out a big knife and cut one of the ropes that held the Balloon to the ground. The Balloon workers came forward, but the imposter held up his knife and growled, “Back! Back! I kill!” The Balloon workers fell back. The imposter slashed through the second rope that held the Balloon fast. The gondola began to lift off the ground. The Balloon workers rushed forward again, but the imposter swung out with his knife, driving them back again. The gondola was up in the air five feet from the ground. Tesla reached the gondola and grabbed hold of its side as it rose in the air—seven feet—ten feet— fourteen feet—twenty feet. The Balloon workers looked up to see Tesla dangling from the side of the Captive Balloon as it continued to rise in the air over the Midway Plaisance— forty feet—fifty feet—sixty feet— The Balloon now began to move to the east, blown by a brisk wind, and as it rose in the air, it picked up speed very rapidly. From the ground, people everywhere began looking up. The crowds at the Wild West arena could see the Captive Balloon moving up over the distant
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domes of the World’s Fair. Those out on the street a block or so closer could make out the silhouette of a man in the passenger gondola, and the silhouette of another man hanging on the gondola’s outside edge, his feet dangling in the air.
In the rapid ascent of the balloon the imposter could not sense the imbal- ance of weight on the gondola created by Tesla hanging on the outside. So Tesla was able to pull himself over the side of the basket as the imposter stood looking out the other side with his back to Tesla. Just as Tesla managed to get inside, the imposter turned around. The two men stood looking at each other. Below them, the gondola barely cleared one of the towers of the Electrical Exhibition Building. Then the imposter lunged forward with his knife slashing the air. Tesla grabbed and twisted the imposter’s arm which held the knife; the knife f lew up from the imposter’s hand and out over the side of the gondola. Tesla shoved, and the imposter fell back against the ropes. Then the two men rushed each other. The imposter grabbed Tesla by the throat. Tesla gripped the imposter’s wrists, trying to pull the imposter’s hands away. The imposter kept his grip. Tesla reached up and gouged at the imposter’s face. The pink, papery skin of the imposter’s face gave way and peeled off; it was nothing but a mask of rubber and glue. Beneath that the imposter’s real skin was revealed to be a deathly white! Tesla tore away the rest of the mask, completely exposing the imposter’s face and head—a bald head, a hairless head with the skin so pale, pinkish-white that it might have been that of a circus clown’s. Tesla looked into the squinting eyes of the imposter, and saw that his irises were a pale pink, the pupils—almost imperceptible dots. Tesla was not looking into the eyes of a man—they were the eyes of some kind of inhuman monster. “What are you?” Tesla gasped.
“He who kills you,” the imposter said.
Down below in the streets near the Midway Plaisance crowds gathered here and there. They were watching the Captive Balloon moving through the sky and the silhouette of two men struggling with each other in the Balloon’s gondola. The crowd grew quiet as one silhouette in the gondola seemed to over- power the other. One black figure rose up over the edge of the gondola and fell to its outside edge. The silhouette’s legs could be clearly seen dangling in the air. The Captive Balloon drifted behind the domes and towers of the World’s Fair. The people below in the streets lost sight of the two struggling silhouettes in the gondola. Now only a few workers on the fairgrounds and on the roof- tops of the exhibit buildings watched as the Captive Balloon drifted out over Lake Michigan, ascending rapidly through the blue sky.
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To the workers watching from the rooftops of the exhibit buildings the silhouettes on the gondola now seemed to be struggling with a fury. The sil- houette on the outside held on by one arm. The one on the inside tottered on the gondola’s edge. The Captive Balloon was now far out over Lake Michigan, perhaps a thousand feet in the sky. The silh
ouettes on the gondola could hardly be seen by the workers on the rooftops of the fair’s exhibit buildings.
Then—a worker on the rooftop of an exhibit building thought he saw one of the silhouettes on the gondola fall off—straight down toward the lake.
Nikola Tesla was holding to the side of the gondola, his hands in a cold sweat. The imposter had tried to kick Tesla’s hands free of their grip on the basket’s ropes. But Tesla had reached out and pulled the imposter’s boot with a sudden tug, sending his white-faced assailant down over the side and out into space. Tesla had clung to the gondola in cringing expectation of the death- f lash from the exploding crystal. But there was no f lash. Tesla looked down and saw the imposter f loating in mid-air some two hundred feet below. The imposter was enveloped in a shimmering sphere of white light, and he seemed to waver like a heat mirage in the desert. Tesla could see that the white light came from a beam shining from above, and his glance followed the beam up to its source near the zenith of the sky. The beam was coming from a little black speck, a little black cylinder. Tesla looked back down. The imposter, now white-faced and bald, was slowly rising up in the air enveloped in the beam of shimmering light; then he ascended faster; he passed by where Tesla hung on the Captive Balloon’s gondola and kept going straight on up into the sky. Tesla looked up. The imposter was shrinking away toward the little black cylinder at the zenith; he shrank until he was only a point that faded away and disappeared. A moment passed while the little black cylinder hovered at the sky’s zenith. After another moment, the little black cylinder moved away slightly to the north and faded into the blue of the sky.