John Russell Fearn Omnibus

by John Russell Fearn

  Doone looked puzzled. “Just how?” he asked, thinking.

  “Well, it is generally known that cosmic radiation falls on earth in considerable quantities from a source in space unknown. Consider its powers of destruction! Every second it breaks up twenty atoms in every cubic inch of atmosphere, millions of atoms in each of our bodies. It is also admitted that this radiation, falling on germ plasm, may produce the spasmodic biological variations which determine evolution… In other words, instead of the gradual breakdown of our bodies under cosmic waves, the breakdown has ceased. Complete anabolism reigns instead and, so to speak, time and evolution have halted insofar that we are not actually aging while no disintegration of our bodies is occurring.”

  Doone was silent for a long time after the girl had finished, then he asked slowly,

  “But why has this happened? What could produce such an effect?”

  The girl shook her head. “That goes beyond me, Mr. Doone. I only know the effects, not the cause…”

  She turned aside, meditating, went over to the bench. Doone joined her, waited for her to speak.

  “I realize one thing very clearly,” she said slowly, “and that is the terrible danger which threatens through the absence of natural death. Take even a small instance—say, oysters or sea urchins. They produce millions of eggs annually. If all those eggs are destined to reach maturity our seas will be clogged from end to end within a year! Everything that lives is doomed to increase at top speed! Plants, trees, even lowly bacteria, human beings…If this condition continues for even six months the earth will be crammed with living things of varied sorts from end to end. In a year there will not be room for everything. Seas overloaded, lands crammed tight…”

  “High explosives can still destroy,” Doone reminded her.

  “True—on animals, bacteria and plants. But what of human beings? After all, every one of them has a right to live. That we shall stoop to wholesale massacre is unthinkable.”

  “Then what can we do?” he demanded helplessly. “We have only earth to move about in—nothing more.”

  “We have outer space—other worlds.”

  Doone laughed shortly. “Forgive me, Miss Milford, but isn’t that rather a wild dream? Space travel isn’t practical. You may remember Brandon Hurst’s mighty effort to reach the moon about four years ago? He failed utterly—was lost in space.”

  The girl slowly nodded. “Yes, I remember him. He invented the first supposedly practical rocket ship and aimed for the moon, taking his wife and daughter with him. That’s right, isn’t it?”

  “Yes—but he never landed on the moon: that’s the point I’m trying to make. The failure of his invention proves space travel to be impracticable.”

  “Yes…” Janice reflected for a while, said presently, “I had a great admiration for Brandon Hurst. He was a scientist in a million. At that time, unfortunately, I was not sufficiently well known to be connected with him, otherwise I’d have offered to go with him—”

  She broke off, made a little gesture. “I’m afraid this isn’t getting us anywhere, Mr. Doone! The problem we have to solve is a method of space travel far more effective than that of Brandon Hurst. Unless this cosmic ray blockade breaks down very quickly we will be overwhelmed by a rampage of growth. Space travel is the only way out…”

  “As co-President,” Doone said slowly, “I could of course give orders that all marriage must cease. If not marriage, then at least children. Birth must stop until matters equalize.”

  “Your orders will only apply to America,” the girl remarked. “Other countries may not agree with the idea, despite its logic. Even if it did become a world order it still would not stop human nature having its fling. Children will go on being born in spite of whatever orders there are…No, Mr. Doone, exodus from earth to other worlds is the only course open at the moment.”

  “Another thing!” Doone exclaimed suddenly. “If this cosmic ray failure is universal, or at any rate limited to our particular system, the trouble will be the same on any world, Life of any sort on other planets must be deathless and multiplying, even as it is here.”

  Janice shrugged. “With the possible exception of Mars and Venus, I am quite convinced that all the other worlds are totally dead,” she said quietly. “No life has ever been on their surfaces, probably there never will be—unless we put it there. The cosmic ray failure will make no difference to them. If we can conquer space we will move some thousands of Earthlings to the world of our choice—a world where there is at present no life—and once we have established them there your system of controlling birth from the very beginning can be brought into effect.

  “You will have a new and fixed community to control—new laws. That will be very different to interpolating new laws into the present order of things. That law will stand until cosmic rays return—if they ever do. We must thin out the people of Earth—divide the population over two or more worlds if possible, then take the necessary steps to prevent birth and destroy all other growing things as fast as they appear. A ceaseless war against nature, and a truce can only come when cosmic rays return.” |

  Doone nodded slowly and smiled. “You’ve got the right idea, all right. You even talk as though the secret of perfect space travel is just around the corner. I wish I could believe that.”

  “Perhaps you can…” She smiled at him mysteriously. “I may be wrong, of course, but I think if Brandon Hurst could manage what he did—badly though he finished up—I can do likewise. Without egotism, my knowledge of science equals his.”

  “I’m the first to admit it…” Doone fell silent, looking at the girl’s lovely face, then presently his gaze dropped to her slender white hand resting on the bench. His brows knitted a little. “Odd, isn’t it,” he murmured, “that with everybody else turning brown and thick-skinned you retain a smooth, satiny perfection of appearance? It’s puzzled me a lot.”

  “Has it?” She seemed almost amused. “Well, of course, the brownness and thickening of skin is caused by cellular increase. Skin is somewhat reflective of light: a deeper epidermis produces less light reflection and a consequent dull brownness akin to that produced by ultraviolet. As to me…Well, I’m the inventor of all manner of drugs and medicines, as you know. One particular formula keeps my skin as I like it to be. Just the same, I’m as tough as anybody else. See…”

  She reached forward and took a sharp, glittering knife from its rack. Calmly she sliced the vicious blade across her extended white palm. Doone winced involuntarily, expected a welling up of blood, so fragile and dainty did that palm appear. But nothing happened. Not even a mark. He took the knife and ran the blade across his own hand, but as he had expected its toughened state prevented any injury. But the difference between his hand and the girl’s was about the same as between leather and tissue paper. He looked up suddenly to meet the calm scrutiny of her blue eyes.

  “I guess you’re a good deal tougher than you look,” he murmured, handing the knife back.

  “Yes…” She nodded slowly, added bitterly, “So Abel Dodd found out when he had me tortured—”

  She stopped suddenly, surprisingly so, switched the subject with an obvious haste.

  “I think the only thing to do is to try and locate Brandon Hurst’s plans for his original space ship,” she said rapidly. “Then I’ll try and improve on them. That’s where you come in. Use your authority to make it possible for all data on Hurst’s work to be submitted to me without delay. There will be records of his work with the patent offices, I expect. Secondly, I want all first class astronomers to make a detailed study of the planets. I will do likewise and see how far my observations check with theirs. That can be done?”

  “Immediately,” Doone promised, and turned to go. Then with a hesitant movement he turned back again, shook the girl’s hand gently. “I—er—I’ve enjoyed every minute of this,” he murmured. “It’s such a pity we’re faced with such worldwide issues, otherwise perhaps…” He broke off, shrugged. “Forget it! I’ll notify you
the moment I get results.”

  He released her hand, turned to the door. But as he left the laboratory he was haunted by a curious remembrance—something the girl had said that somehow did not fit into the general scheme of things, a statement at variance with truth. What it was he could not for the life of him recall.

  Only one fact remained predominant before him. For all the curious air that hung about Janice Milford, she was not a woman, but absolutely the woman.

  CHAPTER IV

  Nature Gone Mad

  Doone lost no time in putting the girl’s demands into effect. The patent offices were immediately tooth-combed, all newspaper files and scientific journals containing the vaguest hints of Brandon Hurst’s spaceship, together with color photographs of the inventor, his wife, and daughter were gradually produced, to be immediately rushed to the girl.

  A week passed and she made no observations—a week in which the trouble in the deathless world grew to alarming proportions. The oceans, even as the girl had predicted, were already becoming difficult to navigate.

  Algae, seaweed, together with multi-millions of small sea creatures, were multiplying with such terrific rapidity that they got entangled in ships’ screws, impeded the passage of passenger and commercial sea traffic. Prices for foodstuffs began to soar through the very difficulty in obtaining them—and when it arrived half of it was rotten through the festering increase of bacterial basis.

  In the air a tremendous increase in bird life began to harass pilots: the skies were thick with flying life of all types…And down on the earth vegetation crawled along at a steady, inevitable pace, snaking its way so rapidly into buildings that armies of men, specially employed for the job, found it traveled far quicker than knives and burnings could destroy it. Parks overflowed with bursting masses of green, aided by the summer heat. Grass sprang up through solid roads. Windows smashed under inquisitive tendrils. Utterly bewildered, mankind found himself blundering around in a world where Nature had utterly gone mad.

  Doone was thankful when at last Janice visiphoned him to come over to her laboratory. He found her as cool and collected as ever, with still that hint of mystery about her steady eyes.

  “Well, found anything?” he questioned eagerly, the moment he was shown into her presence. “Matters are getting to a pretty desperate pitch even in this short time…Still, I’ve held off issuing any special orders until I had your observations.”

  “Just as well, perhaps,” she smiled. “I’ve got the reports of the various astronomers, together with their spectroscopic and other tests of the planets, density, atmospheric records, and so on—a pretty complete mass of data which checks exactly with my own notes…But more of that later. What chiefly concerns us right now is that I believe I can improve on Brandon Hurst’s space traveling formula far enough to produce foolproof effects.”

  “You can!” Doone gazed at her in wonderment. “Say, where do you get your knowledge from?” he breathed.

  “I guess that doesn’t really matter, does it? Now, see here.”

  Moving to the bench she pointed to the blueprints lying flattened upon it—faultlessly drawn blueprints exact to the last detail. In silence Doone listened to her as her long index finger traced across the prints to explain her meaning.

  “These plans are my own, based on the original idea of Brandon Hurst’s plans at the patent office. He used a rather clumsy system of rocket control which demanded a large generating plant and a great amount of space for fueling chambers. That maybe is why he failed in his attempts…I shall use a similar method, but with a far greater degree of certainty. I shall use atomic power.”

  “The secret Abel Dodd tried to extract from you?”

  “The very same. You see, a beam of power derived from smashing atoms generates a terrific recoil kick. For instance, you know how even an ordinary cannon hurls itself backward after each shot? Yet an ordinary gun is just a peashooter compared to atomic force blast. The recoil is correspondingly higher. Therefore, by firing atomic force blasts instead of ordinary rocket explosive I believe I can drive a vessel across space with tremendous speed, great safety, and surprisingly low fuel consumption. A cube of steel three inches square will be quite sufficient to drive a good sized vessel to Pluto and back again. Remember that once the actual gravitational fields of the planets are overcome it is all plain coasting. Between planets one can achieve perpetual motion: space of course offers no resistance—or if there is any it is quite immeasurable.”

  “And you are really sure you can manage it?”

  “Quite sure. Reports from independent engineers prove the idea to be sound. The only thing I have not divulged is the method of obtaining atomic force—nor do I intend to. There are too many power-lusting fools in the world to turn that secret loose. The fact remains, I can do it by a system of gradually built up pressures and heat inside a small matrix…What I shall need, Mr. Doone, is a Government grant of unlimited finance to construct one hundred large sized space machines immediately. I’m leaving it to you and Marden to conscript factories for the purpose. I’ll supply the plans and nominate the engineers.”

  “With matters so urgent there won’t be any opposition,” Doone replied quickly.

  “If there is, crush it,” the girl said, her lips tightening for a moment. “We can’t afford to have slip ups at this time. I underestimated the ravages created by stopped cosmic rays. And now to these other observations.”

  She picked up a wad of notes fastened with a wire clip. “Does it surprise you to know,” she asked slowly, “that the best possible planet for migration is Saturn?”

  “Saturn!” Doone echoed, staring. “I’ll say it surprises me! The vast distance for one thing—it’s uncertain surface for another. I should have thought Venus—”

  The blonde head shook firmly. “No, not Venus. It has both internal warmth and great nearness to the sun. The heat would overcome earth beings with great rapidity. Besides, according to the new 400-inch reflector at Mount Wilson its surface is probably 75 per cent liquid mud, with hot oceans. Utterly useless— But in Saturn, strange to say, we have a unique planet. For one thing its huge size will make for plenty of room: for another, exhaustive tests reveal that some 50 per cent of its surface is passably solid, and 50 per cent of a planet 75,000 miles in diameter is a good deal. Other details are that the atmosphere, originally believed to contain hydrogen and nitrogen only also contains a considerable amount of oxygen, enough for earth beings anyway. Sunlight, though only one hundredth of Earth’s, is still sufficiently strong enough to produce a fair degree of light, together with very necessary ultra violet radiation. The day lasts about ten hours, roughly half an earthly one, and the night will be well illumined by the rings and ten moons. Even gravity will be no handicap because Saturn’s density is two-thirds that of water and surface gravitation is therefore about one-fifth greater than earth’s. Any human being, any object, will therefore only gain one pound in five…Again, unlike Jupiter, Saturn is warm. His distance from the sun is counterbalanced by considerable internal heat which should give a general average of around 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit…”

  “I see,” Doone said thoughtfully. “I don’t pretend to know how you can be so certain, but if the reports all check I suppose it’s O.K.”

  “Quite,” the girl said decisively. “The only difficulty as I see it will be in navigating through the asteroid belt and Saturn’s rings. However, I think that can be mathematically worked out ahead for the pilots to understand.”

  “Suppose,” Doone mused, “nobody agrees to the idea of being hurled to another world? What then?”

  “I rather think that plenty will agree. You cannot order them to go, of course. Call for volunteers. There are quite enough venturesome spirits in every walk of life to answer the call. It doesn’t worry me.”

  “Well, we can but try. Now, if I put the factory conscription order into force immediately how long will it take you to produce the hundred machines?”

  Janice considered for a m
oment, finally answered, “Working night and day in relief shifts the first batch of twenty-five machines can be produced in a month. I’ll see to that. Each ship will hold about thirty people, including crew. A first class scientist will go with each vessel so that all details as regards landing and so forth can be attended to. Engineers will be given plans for the erection of temporary cities until proper cities can be erected. Later, of course, when the migration is over, you will go and take control, put your ideas into effect.”

  Doone nodded slowly. “And you?”

  “I shall be one of the last. I shall have to remain to the end to supervise the ships.”

  They both became silent for a moment, regarding each other. Then Doone spoke again, quietly.

  “You’re a most amazing woman, Miss Milford. You know, with my control of men and your bewildering scientific knowledge we could—”

  “You’ll arrange everything, then?” she broke in, almost curtly. “I’ll keep you in touch with my part of the business.”

  The plain dismissal made Doone smile wryly. Quietly he shook hands, went out with the vision of that perfect face and its blue eyes hovering before him.

  CHAPTER V

  Suspicion

  The general conscription order of men and materials was by no means welcomed—but it had to be obeyed. Fortunately, the obvious evidences of distress stalking the world forced most men and women to the realization that Doone and Marden were doing what they considered was the best for them.