by Unknown
Astounding Stories
October 1930
The Project Gutenberg EBook of Astounding Stories of Super-Science,October, 1930, by Various
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Title: Astounding Stories of Super-Science, October, 1930
Author: Various
Release Date: September 1, 2009 [EBook #29882]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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Stolen Brains
By Captain S. P. Meek
[Sidenote: Dr. Bird, scientific sleuth extraordinary, goes after asinister stealer of brains.]
"I hope, Carnes," said Dr. Bird, "that we get good fishing."
"Good fishing? Will you please tell me what you are talking about?"
"I am talking about fishing, old dear. Have you seen the eveningpaper?"
"No. What's that got to do with it?"
Dr. Bird tossed across the table a copy of the Washington Postfolded so as to bring uppermost an item on page three. Carnes saw hispicture staring at him from the center of the page.
"What the dickens?" he exclaimed as he bent over the sheet. Withgrowing astonishment he read that Operative Carnes of the UnitedStates Secret Service had collapsed at his desk that afternoon and hadbeen rushed to Walter Reed Hospital where the trouble had beendiagnosed as a nervous breakdown caused by overwork. There followed aguarded statement from Admiral Clay, the President's personalphysician, who had been called into conference by the armyauthorities.
The Admiral stated that the Chief of the Washington District was in noimmediate danger but that a prolonged rest was necessary. The papergave a glowing tribute to the detective's life and work and statedthat he had been given sick leave for an indefinite period and that hewas leaving at once for the fishing lodge of his friend, Dr. Bird ofthe Bureau of Standards, at Squapan Lake, Maine. Dr. Bird, the articleconcluded, would accompany and care for his stricken friend. Carneslaid aside the paper with a gasp.
* * * * *
"Do you know what all this means?" Carnes demanded.
"It means, Carnsey, old dear, that the fishing at Squapan Lake shouldbe good right now and that I feel the need of accurate information onthe subject. I didn't want to go alone, so I engineered this outrageon the government and am taking you along for company. For the love ofMike, look sick from now on until we are clear of Washington. We leaveto-night. I already have our tickets and reservations and all you haveto do is to collect your tackle and pack your bags for a month or twoin the woods and meet me at the Pennsy station at six to-night."
"And yet there are some people who say there is no Santa Claus," musedCarnes. "If I had really broken down from overwork, I would probablyhave had my pay docked for the time I was absent, but a man withofficial pull in this man's government wants to go fishing and presto!the wheels move and the way is clear. Doctor, I'll meet you asdirected."
"Good enough," said Dr. Bird. "By the way, Carnes," he went on as theoperative opened the door, "bring your pistol."
Carnes whirled about at the words.
"Are we going on a case?" he asked.
"That remains to be seen," replied the Doctor enigmatically. "At allevents, bring your pistol. In answer to any questions, we are goingfishing. In point of fact, we are--with ourselves as bait. If you havea little time to spare this afternoon you might drop around to theoffice of the Post and get them to show you all the amnesia casesthey have had stories on during the past three months. They will beinteresting reading. No more questions now, old dear, we'll have lotsof time to talk things over while we are in the Maine woods."
* * * * *
Late the next evening they left the Bangor and Aroostook train atMesardis and found a Ford truck waiting for them. Over a rough trailthey were driven for fifteen miles, winding up at a log cabin whichthe Doctor announced was his. The truck deposited their belongings andjounced away and Dr. Bird led the way to the cabin, which proved to beunlocked. He pushed open the door and entered, followed by Carnes. Theoperative glanced at the occupants of the cabin and started back insurprise.
Seated at a table were two figures. The smaller of the two had hisback to the entrance but the larger one was facing them. He rose asthey entered and Carnes rubbed his eyes and reeled weakly against thewall. Before him stood a replica of Dr. Bird. There was the same sixfeet two of bone and muscle, the same beetling brows and the samecraggy chin and high forehead surmounted by a shock of unruly blackhair. In face and figure the stranger was a replica of the famousscientist until he glanced at their hands. Dr. Bird's hands were longand slim with tapering fingers, the hands of a thinker and an artistdespite the acid stains which disfigured them but could not hidetheir beauty. The hands of his double were stained as were Dr. Bird's,but they were short and thick and bespoke more the man of action thanthe man of thought.
The second figure arose and faced them and again Carnes received ashock. While the likeness was not so, striking, there was no doubtthat the second man would have readily passed for Carnes himself in adim light or at a little distance. Dr. Bird burst into laughter at thedetective's puzzled face.
"Carnes," he said, "shake yourself together and then shake hands withMajor Trowbridge of the Coast Artillery Corps. It has been said bysome people that we favor one another."
"I'm glad to meet you, Major," said Carnes. "The resemblance ispositively uncanny. But for your hands, I would have trouble tellingyou two apart."
* * * * *
The Major glanced down at his stubby fingers.
"It is unfortunate but it can't be helped," he said. "Dr. Bird, thisis Corporal Askins of my command. He is not as good a second to Mr.Carnes as I am to you but you said it was less important."
"The likeness is plenty good enough," replied the Doctor. "He willprobably not be subjected to as close a scrutiny as you will. Did youhave any trouble in getting here unobserved?"
"None at all, Doctor. Lieutenant Maynard found a good landing fieldwithin a half mile of here, as you said he would, and he has hisDouglass camouflaged and is standing by. When do you expect trouble?"
"I have no idea. It may come to-night or it may come later. PersonallyI hope that it comes later so that we can get in a few days of fishingbefore anything happens."
"What do you expect to happen, Doctor?" demanded Carnes. "Every time Ihave asked you anything you told me to wait until we were in theMaine woods and we are there now. I read up everything that I couldfind on amnesia victims during the past three months but it didn'tthrow much light on the matter to me."
"How many cases did you find, Carnes?"
"Sixteen. There may have been lots more but I couldn't find any othersin the Post records. Of course, unless the victim were a local man,or of some prominence, it wouldn't appear."
"You got most of them at that. Did any points of similarity strike youas you read them?"
"None except that all were prominent men and all of them mentalworkers of high caliber. That didn't appear peculiar because it is theman of high mentality who is most apt to crack."
"Undoubtedly. There were some points of similarity which you missed.Where did the attacks take place?"
"Why, one was at--Thunder, Doctor! I did miss something. Every case,as nearly as I can recall, happened at some summer camp or otherresort where they were on vacation."
"Correct. One other point. At what time of day did they occur?"
"In the mor
ning, as well as I can remember. That point didn'tregister."
"They were all discovered in the morning, Carnes, which means that theactual loss of memory occurred during the night. Further, every casehas happened within a circle with a diameter of three hundred miles.We are near the northern edge of that circle."
* * * * *
Carnes checked up on his memory rapidly.
"You're right, Doctor," he cried. "Do you think--?"
"Once in a while," replied Dr. Bird dryly, "I think enough to know thefutility of guesses hazarded without complete data. We are now locatedwithin the limits of the amnesia belt and we are here to find out whatdid happen, if anything, and not to make wild guesses about it. Youhave the tent set up for us, Major?"
"Yes, Doctor, about thirty yards from the cabin and hidden so wellthat you could pass it a dozen times a day without suspecting itsexistence. The gas masks and other equipment which you sent to FortBanks are in it."
"In that case we had better dispense with your company as soon as wehave eaten a bite, and retire to it. On second thought, we will eat init. Carnes, we will go to our downy couches at once and leave oursubstitutes in possession of the cabin. I trust, gentlemen, thatthings come out all right and that you are in no danger."
Major Trowbridge shrugged his heavy shoulders.
"It is as the gods will," he said sententiously. "It is merely amatter of duty to me, you know, and thank God, I have no family tomourn if anything does go wrong. Neither has Corporal Askins."
"Well, good luck at any rate. Will you guide Carnes to the tent andthen return here and I'll join him?"
* * * * *
Huddled in the tiny concealed tent, Dr. Bird handed Carnes a haversackon a web strap.
"This is a gas mask," he said. "Put it on your neck and keep it readyfor instant use. I have one on and one of us must wear a maskcontinually while we are here. We'll change off every hour. If the gasused is lethane, as I suspect, we should be able to detect it beforeits gets too concentrated, but some other gas might be used and wemust take no chances. Now look here."
With the aid of a flash-light he showed Carnes a piece of apparatuswhich had been set up in the tent. It consisted of two telescopicbarrels, one fitted with an eye-piece and the other, which was at awide angle to the first, with an objective glass. Between the two wasa covered round disc from which projected a short tube fitted with aprotecting lens. This tube was parallel to the telescopic barrelcontaining the objective lens.
"This is a new thing which I have developed and it is getting itsfirst practical test to-night," he said. "It is a gas detector. Itworks on the principle of the spectroscope with modifications. Fromthis projector goes out a beam of invisible light and the reflectionsare gathered and thrown through a prism of the eye-piece. While aspectroscope requires that the substance which it examines beincandescent and throw out visible light rays in order to show thetypical spectral lines, this device catches the invisible ultra-violeton a fluorescent screen and analyzes it spectroscopically. Whoever hasthe mask on must continually search the sky with it and look for thethree bright lines which characterize lethane, one at 230, one at 240and the third at 670 on the illuminated scale. If you see any brightlines in those regions or any other lines that are not continuallypresent, call my attention to it at once. I'll watch for the firsthour."
* * * * *
At the end of an hour Dr. Bird removed his mask with a sigh of reliefand Carnes took his place at the spectroscope. For half an hour hemoved the glass about and then spoke in a guarded tone.
"I don't see any of the lines you told me to look for," he said, "butin the southwest I get wide band at 310 and two lines at about 520."
Dr. Bird advanced toward the instrument but before he reached it,Carnes gave an exclamation.
"There they are, Doctor!" he cried.
Dr. Bird sniffed the air. A faint sweetish odor became apparent and hereached for his gas mask. Slowly his hands drooped and Carnes graspedhim and drew the mask over his face. Dr. Bird rallied slightly andfeebly drew a bottle from his pocket and sniffed it. In anotherinstant he was shouldering Carnes aside and staring through thespectroscope. Carnes watched him for an instant and then low whirringnoise attracted his attention and he looked up. Silently he caughtthe Doctor's arm in a viselike grip and pointed.
Hovering above the cabin was a silvery globe, faintly luminous in themoonlight. From its top rose a faint cloud of vapor which circledaround the globe and descended toward the earth. The globe hoveredlike a giant humming bird above the cabin and Carnes barely stifled anexclamation. The door of the cabin opened and Major Trowbridge,walking stiffly and like a man in a dream, appeared. Slowly headvanced for ten yards and stood motionless. The globe moved over himand the bottom unfolded like a lily. Two long arms shot silently downand grasped the motionless figure and drew him up into the heart ofthe globe. The petals refolded, and silently as a dream the globe shotupward and disappeared.
"Gad! They lost no time!" commented Dr. Bird. "Come on, Carnes, runfor your life, or rather, for Trowbridge's life. No, you idiot, leaveyour gas mask on. I'll take the spectroscope; it'll be all we need."
Followed by the panting Carnes, Dr. Bird sped through the night alongan almost invisible path. For half a mile he kept up a headlong paceuntil Carnes could feel his heart pounding as though it would bursthis ribs. The pair debouched from the trees into a glade a few acresin extent and Dr. Bird paused and whistled softly. An answeringwhistle came from a few yards away and a figure rose in the darknessas they approached.
"Maynard?" called Dr. Bird. "Good enough! I was afraid that you mightnot have kept your gas mask on."
"My orders were to keep it on, sir," replied the lieutenant in muffledtones through his mask, "but my mechanician did not obey orders. Hepassed out cold without any warning about fifteen minutes ago."
"Where's your ship?"
"Right over here, sir."
"We'll take off at once. Your craft is equipped with a Birdsilencer?"
"Yes, sir."
"Come on, Carnes, we're going to follow that globe. Take the frontcockpit alone, Maynard; Carnes and I will get in the rear pit with thespec and guide you. You can take of your gas mask at an elevation of athousand feet. You have pack 'chutes, haven't you?"
"In the rear pit, Doctor."
"Put one on, Carnes, and climb in. I've got to get this spec set upbefore he gets too high."
The Douglass equipped with the Bird silencer, took the air noiselesslyand rapidly gained elevation under the urging of the pilot. Dr. Birdclamped the gas-detecting spectroscope on the front of his cockpit andpeered through it.
"Southwest, at about a thousand more elevation," he directed.
"Right!" replied the pilot as he turned the nose of his plane in theindicated direction and began to climb. For an hour and a half theplane flew noiselessly through the night.
"Bald Mountain," said the pilot, pointing. "The Canadian Border isonly a few miles away."
"If they've crossed the Border, we're sunk," replied the doctor. "Thetrail leads straight ahead."
* * * * *
For a few minutes they continued their flight toward the CanadianBorder and then Dr. Bird spoke.
"Swing south," he directed, "and drop a thousand feet and come back."
The pilot executed the maneuver and Dr. Bird peered over the edge ofthe plane and directed the spectroscope toward the ground.
"Half a mile east," he said, "and drop another thousand. Carnes, getready to jump when I give the word."
"Oh, Lord!" groaned Carnes as he fumbled for the rip cord of hisparachute, "suppose this thing doesn't open?"
"They'll slide you between two barn doors for a coffin and bury youthat way," said Dr. Bird grimly. "You know your orders, Maynard?"
"Yes, sir. When you drop, I am to land at the nearest town--it will beLowell--and get in touch with the Commandant of the Portsmouth NavyYard if possible. If I get him, I am to tell him my location and waitfor the arrival of reenforcements. If I fail
to get him on thetelephone, I am to deliver a sealed packet which I carry to thenearest United States Marshal. When reenforcements arrive, either fromthe Navy Yard or from the Marshal, I am to guide them toward the spotwhere I dropped you and remain, as nearly as I can judge, two milesaway until I get a further signal or orders from you."
"That is right. We'll be over the edge in another minute. Are youready, Carnes?"
"Oh, yes, I'm ready, Doctor, if I have to risk my precious life inthis contraption."
"Then jump!"
* * * * *
Side by side, Carnes and the doctor dropped toward the ground. TheDouglass flew silently away into the night. Carnes found that thesensation of falling was not an unpleasant one as soon as he gotaccustomed to it. There was little sensation of motion, and it was notuntil a sharp whisper from Dr. Bird called it to his attention that herealized that he was almost to the ground. He bent his legs as he hadbeen instructed and landed without any great jar. As he rose he sawthat Dr. Bird was already on his feet and was eagerly searching theground with the spectroscope which he had brought with him in thejump.
"Fold your parachute, Carnes, and we'll stow them away under a rockwhere they can't be seen. We won't use them again."
Carnes did so and deposited the silk bundle beside the doctor's, andthey covered them with rocks until they would be invisible from theair.
"Follow me," said the doctor as he strode carefully forward, stoppingnow and then to take a sight with the spectroscope. Carnes followedhim as he made his way up a small hill which blocked the way. A hissfrom Dr. Bird stopped him.
Dr. Bird had dropped flat on the ground, and Carnes, on all fours,crawled forward to join him. He smothered an exclamation as he lookedover the crest of the hill. Before him, sitting in a hollow in theground, was the huge globe which had spirited away Major Trowbridge.
