Slaves of Ijax

by John Russell Fearn

  “At least you are a man of initiative,” Shaw commented, with a chuckle.

  “He came out of Time,” Lanning added. “From seven centuries ago.”

  “Indeed? Tell me about it,” Shaw invited. “I’m a good listener, my friend.”

  Peter did as requested, though grudgingly. At the end of the story, Shaw smiled.

  “I can see I should have paid more attention to your predicted arrival, only I was too busy with other things. However, it is of no consequence now. We have a good deal to discuss, I fancy, but we’ll do it over a meal, if you don’t mind synthetic food?”

  Shaw turned aside and with his two colleagues began the preparation of a meal with one of the many machines by the cavern wall. Finally the food thus created was brought to the table in the cavern centre where, Peter noticed, the rock floor was absent and metal plating lay instead.

  During the meal Shaw passed no comments, seeming to be content with summing his captives up—but when it was over and a light synthetic wine had been drunk he sat back in his chair.

  “This is my home,” he said, waving a hand to the cavern in general. “And for the home of an exile it is not a bad one. The natural cavern seals in the air emitted by those tanks over there—which I create chemically—and ventilation is also provided. You will notice that the gravity is identical to Earth’s despite the Moon having only a sixth of Earth’s gravitational power. These plates in the floor, correctly magnetized, are the explanation.”

  “Frankly,” Lanning said coldly, “I am not a bit interested in your scientific sidelines. What I want to know is how you mastered everybody on Earth through Ijax. What is there peculiar to the Moon which enables you to do it?”

  Shaw grinned good humouredly. “So we come to it, eh? Well, I must go back a bit. When I knew my effort to dominate the world was doomed to failure, and I foresaw a time when the law would get me, I turned my attention to the only thing I had left—vengeance! Vengeance on those who had beaten me! So I made preparations for my future. You will remember that I said space had became a deathtrap?”

  “With that faked oscillograph?” Lanning asked. “Yes, I found out about that.”

  “I thought you might, finally. I said space had became a deathtrap to make my suggestion of space-death for criminals sound practicable, and to have this lunar base vacant for my occupation. The idea was adopted by the Governing Council, as you know. These two men here, underlings of mine when on Earth, fell to the law before me. They were fired into space. I knew they could only land on the Moon here. I was ready in advance. Before they were sent into space I fitted into the nose of each coffin-rocket that was to carry them a small force-beam instrument. By using it they cushioned their fall and landed here in safety, using the spacesuits prescribed by law—which law, by the way, I was instrumental in having passed.”

  “There was ample food left behind here by the departed research teams, and during that time I fired of several test rockets, so-called, each one loaded with machine tools and ordinary scientific equipment and fitted with self-recoiling devices which saved them smashing up upon landing here. My two colleagues, having prior instructions from me, came to the abandoned base here in this cavern. Then they had to await the day when I too would be captured and fired into space to join them. They kept on the lookout for me and with force beams—for of course I could not interfere with my own coffin-rocket—gave me a comfortable landing. Understand?”

  “An excellent example of skilled organization,” Lanning commented. “Well, go on.”

  “I made these elaborate preparations because I was quite determined on the form my vengeance should take,” Shaw resumed, after another sip of wine. “I had known for a long time of the strange action of lunar rays upon moondust, and I had also known that these lunar rays—or more correctly radiations—are unique in that they carry hypnotic power, or to put it more simply they can carry the impulses of a brain across space for two hundred and forty thousand mites. A normal radio wave will not carry them....

  “These lunar rays are in a new category altogether, and they do affect the brains of human brains and animals quite a deal. I saw quite clearly that at the source of these radiations—on the Moon here—I could perhaps sway all the peoples of Earth through hypnosis particularly as the brains of the people at home are so receptive in these days through years of culture.”

  “Knowing that,” Alza put in, “why did you concentrate purely on revenge? When you were on Earth, you tried to dominate everybody with the idea of making people slaves to a kind of scientific empire of your devising. With power of hypnosis in your hands, why didn’t you force that on the people from the Moon here?”

  “Because, Miss Holmes. I was sensible enough to realize that I’d have to come to Earth to found a scientific empire—and if I did that, the hypnotic power which can be sent from the Moon here would obviously not be available.”

  “Uh-huh,” the girl assented, resting her chin on her hand. “Then what?”

  “Well, I realized that one man in particular must be able to receive this hypnosis without recourse to the apparatus used in the Ijaxes. One man who must become the leader....”

  “Myself?” Lanning questioned grimly.

  “Whom better?” Shaw gave a shrug. “The chance was one I made for myself. I contrived an accident, operated, fitted a plate in your brain, and—”

  “We know all about that!” Lanning snapped. “But what of Barnet the sculptor? Was there a plate in his skull?”

  “Er—no,” Shaw replied smiling. “Barnet has a naturally sensitive brain, a fact which I discovered during our friendship. Unknown to him, when my plans were made, I tried hypnosis of the ordinary variety upon him and he responded perfectly. I also discovered that at full Moon his brain undergoes a queer aberration. He is not alone in having such a brain. Psychology records are full of such cases. Anyway, I knew he would be an ideal subject for hypnosis over a distance, and the matter was made doubly easy by my knowing his name.”

  “Then, as you had expected, the law caught up with you and you came here to start your campaign of revenge?” Peter asked, his arms folded on the table and his eyes fixed on the deceptively genial scientist.

  “Just so, Mr. Curzon. When I arrived I made a careful analysis of these strange lunar radiations and found that they are transmitted at the Moon’s fullest phase only—two days before full, at full, and for two days afterwards; days in Earth time, of course. In other words.” Shaw continued, speaking deliberately now, “when the sun is at the zenith curve in the lunar sky. The radiations emanate from the crater of Tycho, Copernicus, Ptolemy, and others. No astronomer has ever explained them—these ‘bright streaks and ray’ as they are childishly called, and neither could I until I got here, though I guessed that they had something to do with the radiations prevalent at and near full Moon....

  “Actually the floors of these craters from which the ray and streaks emanate are of metallic powder, so finely condensed it forms a mirror-like sheen which accounts for the visible streaks and rays at full Moon. This powder reflects a radiation from the sun—a radiation in the seventh octave.”

  “Seventh octave!” Lanning exclaimed, starting. “Is not that a radiation of energy towards which the sun is moving? An evolutionary state that the sun will finally reach?”

  “It is,” Shaw acknowledged calmly. “Ages ago the sun reached its present energy output. But it is an unstable star and the seventh octave radiation is, as it were, the next energy state into which the sun will evolve, maybe a billion years in the future. On Earth we don’t get radiation full force from the sun because the atmosphere—and the Earth’s magnetic field—shields it, but we do get it from the Moon because the reflective mineral alters the wavelength of the radiation sufficiently to enable it to penetrate Earth’s ionic layer, just in the same way as we can alter a current of electricity by including a resistance in the circuit....

  “So you see, a radiation of unusual properties which is blocked when coming from the
sun direct is reflected instead from the Moon, only operating at near and full Moon when the sun is directly overhead in the lunar sky and so forms the exact angle necessary....”

  “In a way,” Lanning mused, “a mineral substance with the inherent power to alter the sun’s seventh octave radiation? Well, it sounds logical enough, even as tourmaline crystal will polarize light-waves.... But I would remind you that the streaks and rays can be seen in earthshine sometimes.”

  “Reflection only, carrying no radiation,” Shaw explained. “Only Earth’s own light is involved, not the sun’s.”

  “How is it that the seventh octave doesn’t drive us crazy out in space, where no atmosphere is?” Peter asked.

  “Because the reinforced metal sheathing of spacecraft prevents it,” Shaw answered him, showing a sour contempt for his lack of scientific knowledge. “Anyway, the peculiar property of this seventh octave radiation is that it excites, in every case, chemical change. Hence it reacts on moondust, for one thing; it creates chemical stimulus in a brain for another. Need I remind you that psychologists are agreed the reactions of the brain, like those of the body, are basically chemical? The radiation affects certain plants too—the astrumia polynicus for one, which blooms only in the full Moonlight and is to be found in Central America. Apart from these things, the radiation acts as a carrier wave and will carry brain impulses across space at the speed of light.”

  “And do these impulses lose their power and dissipate as they go?” Lanning inquired.

  “Unfortunately, yes: that is natural law. To make the impulses strong enough I fitted up an amplifying device and connected it through the underworld galleries here to the floor of Tycho, the biggest reflective crater near here. Impulses from my brain, thus amplified, are transmitted up to the crater and thence by natural seventh octave radiation to Earth.... When I realized what could be done—just as I had thought it always could be—I sent a straight hypnotic command to Barnet and told him to build a Temple to his own design, and to follow it up with others.... Here on the Moon I can receive Earth’s radio and television broadcasts quite clearly, and it was by listening to news broadcasts that I knew I had succeeded with Barnet.

  “I followed it up with the idea for the Ijaxes and after that I linked up with you, Lanning, affecting the metal plate in your brain so strongly every four weeks —the only time I could transmit—that in the intervening time you remained in a post-hypnotic state until full Moon came round again.... I realized, though, that the great mass of people could never be controlled this way: the only thing for it was a series of amplifiers to increase my thought-impulses ten thousand fold and affect the brains of all the world, via Ijaxes. I transmitted the amplifier plans to you, Lanning, and the remainder—by sheer publicity proclaiming the power of Ijax—did the trick. The masses are very gullible if yon handle them properly.... As for my intention, you know it—to destroy civilization with atomic explosive connected to moondust. Two and a half years to build Grand Tower and the rest of the time to dig and fill the channels. Neat—don’t you think?”

  “I take it that in the four weeks between transmissions, all people on the great Task were ruled by post-hypnotic state until the time came round again?” Peter questioned.

  “Excepting certain cases where the individual will was strong enough to break free,” Shaw replied. “I gather that you broke free, Miss Holmes?”

  Alza nodded silently.

  “Naturally, when the Task did not work out as I had planned I ordered that the miscreants be found,” Shaw finished. “The rest you know. As things stand now nothing can save the world from total destruction at two days before the next full Moon. By this time the cover you placed over the Tower top will have been removed.”

  “And you think we’re going to sit here and let you get away with it?” asked slowly.

  “I know you are, Mr. Curzon, because I have everything and you have nothing,” Shaw answered, spreading his hands. Then he nodded to the instruments against the walls. “There are weapons of destruction there as well as weapons of science. If I have to kill you, I shall—but I would much prefer to look at the situation like civilized people. Earth has exiled you three, even as it exiled me and my two colleagues. What does it matter to you what happens to the peoples of the Earth?”

  “Supposing you succeeded,” said Peter grimly. “You get your revenge and blow Earth to bits. What then? Do you propose to spend the rest of your life stuck in this cavern?”

  “By no means. Contrary to your belief, the Earth will not be ‘blown to bits’. Nothing less than collision with another similar-sized planet could accomplish that! Certainly there will be worldwide tremors, and possibly some new—or reactivated—volcanoes. And civilization will be destroyed by the atomic blast: no major city will be left standing. Millions—perhaps billions—will die, but inevitably there will be survivors here and there, especially in remoter areas. They will be shocked and cowed, and easily controlled. When I return to Earth, no one will know I was responsible. I will be hailed as Earth’s saviour, as I build the world anew—but it will be Anton Shaw’s world, with myself as supreme head. To that end I have built a small space machine in these last few months—atomic-powered. Most of it was cannibalized from the original projectiles which brought us here. It is in the next cavern, poised ready under an old volcanic shaft, which is open to the void. I shall start for Earth when my mission against humanity is accomplished, and any volcanic upheavals have settled down. Of course,” Shaw added reflectively, “things are different now. Since you, Mr. Curzon—and you, Mist Holmes, are here, a young man and woman, survivors on Earth may not be needed after all.”

  Peter jumped to his feet. “What kind of depraved talk do you call that?” He bunched his fists and moved towards Shaw menacingly.

  “Don’t excite yourself,” Shaw said dryly, raising his gun hand. His two colleagues also levelled their weapons. “The biological possibilities are there, you must admit.”

  Peter sat down again with a grim face, and Alza glanced at him with faint colour in her cheeks. Then at length Peter spoke again.

  “Nothing but necessity will make me throw in my lot with you, Shaw, and if I see a chance to slit your throat while you’re not looking, I’ll take it.... In the meantime do you mind if I look at some of your apparatus?”

  “Not at all, providing you merely look,” Shaw responded—but he took good care to keep his eye on Peter as he prowled around. Altogether he spent close on an hour inspecting this or that piece of equipment or switchboard. Over the radio apparatus he hovered for quite a time, then at last he came back lo the table.

  “Satisfied?” Shaw asked him cynically.

  “Insofar as I understand the stuff, yes.... Matter of fact I’m too tired to concentrate much. I think I’ll get a sleep.”

  “You can make do with that corner of the cavern over there—all three of you.” Shaw nodded to a distant spot where blankets were piled up. “And one or other of us here”—he indicated his two colleagues—“will remain awake just in case you get...ideas!”

  “Nice of you,” Peter, growled.

  “I’ll also tell you something else,” Shaw added, as Lanning and Alza got to their feet. “On the Moon time will seem to pass with extreme rapidity. A lunar day of fourteen Earth days seems much less when on the Moon here. It is caused, I think, by our old factor, Relativity. Smaller size, smaller surroundings, an entire change in mental outlook. I am telling you this so that you may know that the time to the next full Moon is about twenty-eight days hence, but as the time appears to pass here it will be here sooner than you think.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  FAST ACTION

  With a frown Peter turned aside, went over to the blankets, and settled in them. Presently the girl and Lanning, stumbling a little in the lighter gravity as they left the area of the metal plates near the table, came over too and lay down, the girl in the middle.

  “Don’t know why you should feel tired,” Alza murmured. “I can’t say I
do particularly. That meal revived me a lot.”

  Peter turned to her as she lay on her back with her hands behind her head. Lanning was turned towards them both, sideways.

  “I’m not tired,” Peter murmured, his eyes on Shaw and his two colleagues in the distance of the cavern as they talked among themselves at the table. “It’s just that this seemed to be the only way in which I could get the chance to talk privately.... I’ve been doing some thinking.”

  “About what?” Lanning inquired.

  “I’ve been wondering if we could overpower Shaw and those two pals of his somehow and then, when it is two days before full Moon speak through the transmitter to Earth in Shaw’s place—only I’ve just realized it can’t be done! When that seventh octave radiation carries our orders it will also excite the moondust and the world will be blasted before we can get any communication through.”

  “Only too true,” Lanning agreed moodily. “I had thought of that myself, as a matter of fact.”

  “So the only other thing is the radio transmitter,” Peter went on urgently. “I had a good look at it. If we could get a message through to Earth and tell somebody—say President Valroy—where we are and what is in store for Earth, we might get him to put the lid back on the Tower. It’s our last and only chance.”

  “A radio message would scarcely do,” Lanning answered, after some thought, “For the very good reason that the people would not take orders from you or me. Ijax has them in too firm a grip. The only way we might get a hearing would be to return to Earth. The very surprise of coming back from apparently certain death would prove that if we survived then so must Anton Shaw have done. The Governing Council would be unable to do anything to us because by law we cannot have the same sentence passed on us twice for the same offence. I wonder if Shaw ever thought of that? Perhaps he did, but prefers his vengeance scheme just the same.”