"You're right," she said. "I am one of the conspirators." She half-turned, smiled apologetically at Yargo, and turned back to the Manager. "Only they didn't know."
"Didn't know?" Shevach sneered.
"No, I was working for a man who wasn't a conspirator, but was guiding it. I was his messenger." "Who?" Shevach snarled.
She looked at him, silently. Shevach lifted his face arrogantly. "Keep the name," he rasped. "It doesn't make any difference. Die with it." He started to motion to Gullfin.
"But it does," Anna said softly.
"Oh . . . ?" Shevach observed sardonically.
"I didn't betray the conspiracy by bringing you here. I did it because it was part of my job—to make sure no one remained alive who might stop us . . ."
"Explain that," Shevach rasped, visibly disturbed at her words.
"I was ordered to bring you here for your own execution, even though I would die first."
"Whoever gave that order was a fool. Who was it?"
"Got it." Merryweather's voice cut through the grotto like a sliver of ice. His bony face was searching the girl's—he stepped back, white and shaken.
"Bok," he whispered. "Herman Bok . . ."
Anna pulled herself erect and looked defiandy at him. "Mr. Bok," she said calmly, "and he was no fool."
"Herman Bok . . ." Shevach spoke the name wonderingly, then snapped it out like an epithet. "Herman Bokl Doddering esperl" He spun toward Gullfin.
^Kill them."
"Max . . ." Anna shrieked.
Gullfin's gun came up . . . swung toward him. Krull looked desperately at him, trying to control and shape his mind to do what he had never done.
What Anna said he could dol
Pk, pk, pk—pk could control matter. That was why Bok had guided him to the cavern; he was a latent pk. The submachine gun centered on him; Gullfin's face was a grinning evil mask and his body was tensed for the recoil of the weapon.
Shevach . . . Shevach . .. Kill Shevach and his men.
The thought streamed from Krull's mind; he tried to focus it, point it at the evil visage behind the weapon. A gun crashed and his concentration was broken. Gullfin turned, startled, for a moment lowering the weapon.
Anna was swaying, blood welling from her breast. The Searchmaster stood frozen . . . smoke curled from his gun ... his eyes were frightened.
Krull pushed Anna from his mind and forced himself to concentrate.
Kill Shevach . . . Kill Shevach . . .
Gullfin swung back, bringing the submachine gun to bear. Kill Shevach . . . kill Shevach ...
The gun barrel wavered and he concentrated on the thought, oblivious to everything except Gullfin's hideous face which now seemed to fill the cavern.
Kill Shevach .. . Kill Shevach . ..
The face grew larger in his eyes until nothing seemed to remain but a single gigantic galeful eye; he sped into the eye, along the optic nerve and stared at the greasy gray coils and crevices of Gullfin's brain.
Kill Shevach, he screamed at the brain, kUl, kill, kill . . .
Abruptly Gordon Gullfin stiffened. He spun around. Shevach screamed incoherently, a high falsetto scream like a wounded cat. Menyweather's gun came up. Wham! Wham! Bullets thudded into Gullfm's body. The burly agent staggered backward, yanked back on the trigger and staccato blasts ripped the cavern. Acrid fumes stung Krull's eyes, bringing him back to reality. Shevach was screaming horribly, bending forward with pieces of flesh jumping from the side of his head; he collapsed, gurgling, atop the bodies of the two agents flanking him. Merryweather stood straight and tall, swaying, his eyes rolling wildly; blood gushed from his middle and he slowly bent forward, toppling down across the bodies of Shevach and his men.
The chattering of the gun abruptly stopped. Gullfin stepped back with a bewildered look; his eyes went to Shevach, to Krull, back to Shevach again. The machinegun slipped from his fingers and clattered to the floor. He moved a hand up and rubbed his chest, looked blankly at the blood on his fingers. Krull hesitated, and sprang to Anna's side. He bent down and lifted her head, cradling her in his arms.
"Max . . . look out!"
He twisted his head in alarm. Gullfin, breathing heavily, had yanked an automatic from his belt and was aiming it pointblank at him. He felt death coming and tried to twist aside. Another roar shattered the grotto and Gullfin stumbled, holding the weapon numbly. He tottered, swayed, a glazed expression clouded his eyes and he fell, slowly, a-cross the body of Peter Merryweather. August Cominger stared at the weapon in his hands, let it clatter to the floor.
"I never killed a man before," he said quiedy.
Krull stared thankfully at him, and turned back to Anna. Blood was welling from her breast ' and her eyes were closed; he knew she had already fled the dark cavern. He held her head in his lap and looked up, filled with sorrow, remembering the sadness in her eyes. She had known, had known . . .
He looked at the body of Jonquil, who had hated espers and, unknowingly, had served one faithfully. Martin had been faithful to the conspiracy. Faith . . . faith in man's future.
"The story is written," Ben Yargo said gently. "The story of man on Earth lies behind—ahead is the story of the stars. If we conspired, Krull, it was for the future." He came forward and rested his hands on his shoulder. "Will you join us?"
Krull looked somberly at him; he turned toward Jan. Her hps were parted, expectandy, waiting his answer. There was nothing left on Earth for him—not any more.
"I will," he said steadily. He laid Anna gently on the floor of the grotto and rose, looking down at Martin Jonquil's body. Martin, you were right, he thought.
"Look," Ben Yargo said. He took his arm and walked with him into the deep shadows of the grotto. They came to the end and a door opened; beyond he saw a vast cavern flooded with brilliant blue light, heard the whisper of machines, saw the distant figures of men and women working around the base of a tremendous rocket that reached almost to the ceiling of the cavern. It was thick of girth, monstrous, nestled in a crosspatch of framework set on tracks.
He thought: But they can't get it out.
"We can get it out," Jan whispered, reading his mind. She had come up behind him and slipped her hand in his. "Don't you see, Dad had to remain in office long enough to protect the ship. That's what he didn't know: how or when it could be gotten out. All he knew was that it would happen someday."
"How . . . ?"
"You found out tonight—in Anna's mind . . ." "I don't understand . . ." "Psychokinesis."
He stepped back, awe-struck. Suddenly he felt very humble. This great ship . . . the labor of decades . . . the dreams of men had awaited his coming. He, alone of men, had the fantastic power to move the mountain shielding the rocket from the stars. A lonely feeling swept over him. In that moment he knew how the leader of espers had felt. He looked into the cavern, then he saw them. Children.
A young boy—and a girl.
He looked questioningly at Jan.
"The children of tomorrow," she said quietly.
"Children—of tomorrow?"
"Children, with great talents. We have to save them from the searchers. They will be the new beginning, Max—they and the children of the pioneers."
He felt a sense of wonder. Thank God there had been dreamers—and men of action. He sensed someone at his side and turned. It was the hermit. He saw his eyes for the first time; they were vistas of distance. He looked at Krull and uttered three words: "I knew—look!"
He raised a pointing finger.
Krull lifted his eyes. Across the nose of the rocket he saw its name.
The first spaceship, the Herman Bok, lifted from Earth early in January, 2450 A.D., following inauguration of Mus-tapha Sherif as 91st Prime Thinker of the Empire of Earth
. . . Blak Roko's Post-Atomic Earthman, Venusian Press, 2672 A.D.
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by A. E. van Vogt F-296 (40«:) GULLIVER OF MARS
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by Austin Hall M-119 (45?:) JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH
by Jules Verne F-319 (40«!) CRASHING SUNS
by Edmond Hamilton F-321 (40«:) MAZA OF THE MOON
by Otis Adelbert Kline F-327 (40«:) THE DARK WORLD
by Henry Kuttner F-333 (40«:) ROGUE QUEEN
by L. Sprague de Camp F-343 (40«:) THE EXILE OF TIME
by Ray Cummings F-344 (40«:) THE WELL OF THE WORLDS
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ACE SCIENCE-FICTION BOOKS
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F-34T LORD KALVAN OF OTHERWHEN by H. Beam Piper F-343 THE EXILE OF TIME by Ray Cummings F-344 THE WELL OF THE WORLDS by Henry Kuttner M-123 THE ALTAR ON ASCONEL by John Brunner
and ANDROID AVENGER by Ted White M-125 MONSTERS IN ORBIT by Jack Vance
and THE WORLD BETWEEN by Jack Vance F-345 THE LORD OF DEATH AND THE QUEEN OF LIFE
by Homer Eon Flint F-346 THE-BLACK STAR PASSES by John W. Campbell F-347 THE LAST HOPE OF EARTH by Lan Wright F-350 STAR OF DANGER by Marion Zimmer Bradley F-353 ROGUE DRAGON by Avram Davidson F-354 THE HUNTER OUT OF TIME by Gardner Fox M-127 WE, THE VENUSIANS by John Rackham
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by A. Bertram Chandler
and THE ALTERNATE MARTIANS
by A. Bertram Chandler F-355 THE DEVOLUTIONS by Homer Eon Flint F-356 THE TIME AXIS by Henry Kuttner F-357 YEAR OF THE UNICORN by Andre Norton F-361 THE DAY OF THE STAR CITIES by John Brunner F-364 THE MIGHTIEST MACHINE by John W. Campbell M-131 BEHOLD THE STARS by Kenneth Bulmer
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THE ATOM CONSPIRACY
There shall be no atomic research! That was the basic law upon which the Empire of Earth was founded and on which it had kept the world peaceful and prosperous right up to 2449 A.D.
And then an atomic plot was discovered. Who was behind it? What motivated it? Was the Earth face to face now with the one challenge it feared most?
Max Krull secret agent of the future, was given the case. And that itself was the first mystery he had to solve — because he was apparently no James Bond (up to then), he had to work alone (why?), and he held only an average rating (or so it seemed).
THE ATOM CONSPIRACY is an exciting cloak-and-dagger adventure in the super-scientific future, by the author of THE MISSILE LORDS, BOMBS IN ORBIT, etc.
Jeff Sutton Page 16
