Astounding Science Fiction Stories: An Anthology of 350 Scifi Stories Volume 2 (Halcyon Classics)

by Various

  For a moment Dirk felt an almost irresistible impulse to hurl himself on the Lodorian and slay him.

  He managed to maintain his control, however, and only regarded Zitlan with disdain as the latter turned and went on his way.

  In another moment the plane, containing Stanton and the Lodorians, was high up in the darkness.

  Dirk glanced at the great clock that gleamed atop of the beacon-tower on the Metropole Landing Field.

  The hour was close to twelve-thirty A. M.

  * * * * *

  A moment of silence on the terrace followed the departure of the plane that bore the Lodorians back to their craft.

  For an hour the clouds had been gathering in the sky and now a fine, cold rain commenced to fall.

  A peal of thunder echoed above them after a sharp flash of lightning had streaked across the black night above them.

  A servant appeared from the entrance to the apartment and pressed a button close to the door.

  Protective plates of glass noiselessly enveloped the terrace, sheltering those upon it from the inclement weather.

  "It is well," remarked Fragoni, breaking the silence, "that we were found by a leader like Teuxical. Our tribute will not be unbearable, and he will bestow many benefits upon us."

  "But surely," protested Dirk, "you do not intend to surrender without a struggle! Nothing but disaster," he asserted earnestly, "will come upon the earth if you do. Teuxical may be honest and just but, after all, he neither is immortal nor all-powerful, and something may happen to him at any moment. And there are those like Zitlan who would turn the world over to ravage and rape, and then convert it into a blazing pyre, if they had their way. These vandals," he insisted, "must be slain one and all, or, mark my words, our world will be laid waste."

  * * * * *

  Dirk spoke with such a sense of conviction that his words held his listeners spellbound.

  "Who is Teuxical," he asked, "but the vassal of a monarch whose corsairs, very apparently, are carrying on a war of conquest in the universe? It will be disastrous, I say, to place any dependence in the good will of this one Lodorian. If he, or any of his men, return to that far-off planet where they dwell word will be carried there of the existence of our world. But who can say that Teuxical ever will return here again? It may be the whim of his ruler to refuse his request, or any one of a thousand other events might arise to thwart his desire to live among us. No," concluded Dirk passionately, "it never will do to let that great engine of destruction rise into the skies again!"

  "He is right!" asserted Steinholt positively. "It will be far better to annihilate these raiders, if such a thing can be accomplished!"

  Lazarre was rather inclined to take sides with Fragoni.

  "But how," he demanded, "can such destruction be brought about? We know nothing of the capabilities of that monster that is lying down there in the Sound. It is undoubtedly equipped with the deadliest of devices and they all will be turned upon us if we fail in an effort to destroy the thing and those who have come from space upon it. If there was a way to smite them suddenly, to bring death to the Lodorians and to those swarming, mindless, murderous minions who act in obedience to them, I would favor doing it.

  "But, as it is," he concluded, "it seems like inviting disaster even to think of such an attempt, much less to try it."

  "It can be done, though," asserted Dirk, "or there is at least a fighting chance of accomplishing it. The electrosceotan--" He paused, and looked questioningly at Steinholt. "The top of that monster is open and...."

  * * * * *

  The Teuton furrowed his brow and considered the proposition for a moment.

  "Yes," he said, nodding his head, "it might be done." Again he silently gave the subject his thought. "It is well worth trying," he asserted with an air of decision. "But we will have to make haste," he warned, "if the thing is to be done before the flight to The Hague."

  "So be it," said Fragoni. "We will apply ourselves to the task at hand. I, too," he confessed, "had rather see these vandals destroyed like so much vermin rather than have them carry the news of the existence of this earth back into those strange worlds in the depth of space. I will only regret the passing of Teuxical, who could have taught us much wisdom. And now," he continued briskly, "I will place myself under your orders, Dirk. You are the one who suggested this plan and upon you will fall the responsibility of executing it. And, if it succeeds," he added, "the glory will be yours."

  "I care little for the glory," replied Dirk, "but I gladly accept the duties and the responsibilities. These," he said to Fragoni, "are my instructions to you. Inasmuch as Teuxical and his captains will return here at about four o'clock in the morning to convey us back to their craft, it will be necessary to have this building emptied of its inhabitants by that time. Let all of those who dwell here depart from it, a few at a time, so as not to excite suspicion. Inga, above all others, must leave and retreat to a place of safety. Then, as the hour approaches for the arrival of the Lodorians, we will escape by plane from one of the rear terraces. They will land in search of us and--well, then they will feel the force of our power."

  "I will follow your orders explicitly," promised Fragoni. "I wonder," he added, "where Stanton is? He should be advised of what we are going to attempt."

  "He will return in due time," replied Dirk. "And, if not, it will be the worse for him. Lazarre will remain here with you," he then told Fragoni, "and Steinholt and I will now go about our part of the task at hand."

  * * * * *

  Dirk, followed by Steinholt, hurried across the terrace and, leaving the shelter of its quartzite plates, sought the landing stage.

  The rain still was falling and the heavens were congested with dark and heavy clouds.

  Dirk, selecting one of the smaller planes, entered the cabin and Steinholt, following after him, closed the door and threw on the lights.

  Swiftly they shot straight up into the air, Dirk ignoring all of the rules of flight in his haste to be under way. Once in the westbound lane, he headed his plane toward Manhattan and threw his rheostat wide open. In a few minutes they were skimming over the great city and past the three-thousand-foot steel tower of the Worldwide Broadcasting Station.

  For fifteen minutes more he kept the plane on a straight course and then, bringing it to a quick stop, he let it drop like a plummet toward the earth.

  It landed, among many other planes, on the transparent, quartzite roof of a vast building and, looking down into the interior, they could see several rows of great dynamos. Some of them were turning, and the humming that they made could be heard plainly.

  * * * * *

  Dirk and Steinholt ran rapidly across the roof until they came to a superstructure, which they entered. There was a shaft inside. Dirk pressed a button, and an elevator shot up and stopped at the door, which automatically flashed open.

  He closed it after he and his companion had entered the cage and, dropping rapidly downward, they came to a stop in a lighted chamber that was far below the surface of the ground.

  A stoop-shouldered old man greeted them, an expression of surprise on his face.

  "Gentlemen!" he exclaimed. "What is--"

  "Power, Gaeble!" commanded Steinholt tensely. "Power! Let every dynamo run its swiftest. To-night we have to use for the electrosceotan!"

  "But I thought it was peace that those from the stars desired," said the old electrician. "Through my radiovisor I heard--"

  "That was sent out," explained Steinholt, "to relieve the fears of the people and to keep them in order."

  Swiftly the distorted figure of the old man sped to a great switchboard, where he pressed button after button.

  The very ground commenced to vibrate around them and the massive structure seemed to be alive with straining power.

  Then Steinholt, going to a corner of the intricate board, adjusted a few levers, while his gnomelike companion watched him carefully.

  "And now, Gaeble," the scientist said impressively, "these are
your orders. At precisely the hour of four o'clock in the morning make one connection with this switch."

  * * * * *

  He indicated, with a stubby finger, the lever to be operated.

  "Keep the circuit closed for just four seconds," he added slowly, "and then break it. Do you understand, Gaeble?" he demanded.

  "I do," replied the old man.

  "Then," continued Steinholt, "after you break that connection you quickly will close this next circuit. Keep it closed for four seconds and then, after opening it for one second, close it again for four seconds. Repeat the procedure twice more, Gaeble, after that, and then await my further instructions. Is everything clear?" he asked.

  "It is, sir," the old man replied. "I will follow your orders implicitly."

  "There is one thing more," Steinholt said. "Get the Worldwide Tower on the televisor and warn them of what is to happen."

  "I will do that immediately," Gaeble replied.

  Dirk and Steinholt shot up to the roof again and the building over which they walked seemed to be quivering with life.

  They could see that all of the mammoth dynamos beneath them were revolving and the humming which they had heard before had changed into an ugly, vibrant roar.

  * * * * *

  Again they took flight and, reaching Manhattan, they continued north and east to the shore of Long Island Sound.

  Long before the old East River had been filled in and the space which it had occupied reclaimed for building purposes. All indications of its former bed had been obliterated by mammoth terraced structures.

  When they reached their destination on the shore of the Sound a small submarine, which Dirk had ordered by radio, was awaiting them.

  "Submerge and proceed up the Sound," Dirk ordered the officer, "and take us directly under the craft of the Lodorians."

  In a few minutes they were skimming over the surface of the water and, when a sufficient depth had been gained, the tiny boat disappeared beneath the rain-rippled sea.

  Dirk sat at a port and watched the aquatic life as it was illuminated by the powerful aquamarine searchlights.

  Progress under the water was comparatively slow, as mankind had made but little progress in underwater navigation. Air liners long before had almost superseded travel by land and sea and the abolition of warfare had swept all of the old navies from the ocean.

  It was more than an hour before the officer in charge of the boat announced that the mammoth hull of the monster that was lying on the Sound was visible directly above them.

  Both Dirk and Steinholt donned diving apparatus, and the former carefully adjusted the mechanism that was contained in a metallic box about two feet square.

  * * * * *

  Then they stepped up into a chamber in the conning tower of the boat and, after a door slipped shut beneath them, water slowly commenced to pour into the compartment.

  When it was full a sliding door that was in front of them slowly opened and they passed out onto the deck of the underwater craft.

  Steinholt had been provided with some welding apparatus and, in a few minutes, the box which Dirk had carried was attached securely to the bottom of the craft of the Lodorians.

  They then reentered the submarine by reversing the process which had attended their exit. Very soon they were in the cabin of the boat again.

  "If everything goes well," said Dirk, "those damned Lodorians will never know what struck them."

  "I only hope," said Steinholt, "that we don't destroy that leviathan altogether. We might solve the secret of it and then we, too, could ride out into the heart of the universe."

  "It is impossible to imagine what will happen," Dirk replied, "until after we launch our attack."

  Both of the men were silent during the return trip of the small undersea craft, which emerged at its dock a little before three-thirty in the morning.

  "We'll have to hurry," urged Dirk nervously, "because we will need a little time to make preparations after we get back to Fragoni's."

  They entered their plane and Dirk shot it swiftly up into the night, following the red shaft of light that rose almost directly from the point at which they had made their landing.

  * * * * *

  Then, having reached the eastbound level, he headed straight in the direction of the palace of Fragoni.

  Dirk cast a glance at the great city that lay far beneath him. High up into the heavens it tossed the fulgurant fires that betokened its wealth and power. And, down among those myriad lights, millions and millions of people were restless under the danger that menaced them. It was only a matter of moments now before their fate, and the fate of their great metropolis, would be decided. By dawn they would be free forever from the threat of subjugation and slavery or else they, and all that they had toiled and striven for, would be the veriest dust of dying embers.

  And whatever befell them likewise would befall the rest of the world and every living thing that moved upon it.

  Dirk was high above Fragoni's when he stopped the forward flight of the plane and, dropping it rapidly through the misty night, brought up easily on the landing stage. The other planes which had been there when he and Steinholt had taken their departure were gone and Dirk felt a sense of relief when he observed this. Inga, then, must have departed with the other occupants of the colossal structure. Things were going according to the plan that he had conceived. He stepped out of the cabin, followed by Steinholt, and proceeded hastily along the terrace and turned the corner into the garden.

  Then he came to an abrupt halt because there, before him, was Zitlan, with one of the deadly ray-tubes of the Lodorians in his hand.

  * * * * *

  Dirk knew immediately that something unexpected had happened and that he was in the power of one who not only hated him but who had an unholy desire for Inga.

  He realized, too, that any show of resistance would be nothing short of suicide, for he was well aware of the deadliness of the strange weapon with which he and Steinholt were being menaced by the gloating Lodorian.

  "One false move and you die!" warned Zitlan. "Come forward, now, and join those two others over whom Anteucan and Huazibar are watching."

  Dirk and Steinholt promptly obeyed the command of Zitlan and walked over to where Fragoni and Lazarre were being guarded by two of the conquerors.

  The rain had ceased to fall, but the skies were dark and overcast with heavy clouds. There was an occasional flash of lightning, and thunder rolled and echoed through the night.

  The terrace, however, was brightly illuminated and every detail of the scene around him was visible to Dirk.

  He saw Stanton, on another part of the terrace, standing among some Lodorians he had not seen before. Stanton, apparently, was not being treated as a prisoner and Dirk wondered, rather vaguely, why this was.

  "What happened?" Dirk asked Fragoni quietly.

  "According to what I have heard," the latter replied, "Zitlan murdered his father in a fit of rage, and has taken over the command of the ship. Many of the Lodorians are his adherents and even those who do not favor him are so terrified that they will be obedient to his wishes."

  "And Inga?" questioned Dirk.

  "She is inside the apartment," said Fragoni, a note of desperation in his voice. "Zitlan surprised us completely and he and his men had us covered before we realized that Teuxical was not among them."

  * * * * *

  Zitlan, in the meantime, had entered the suite of Fragoni and he now came out, Inga walking before him.

  She was silent and proudly erect but there was a pallor in her face that indicated her realization of the danger that she was threatened with.

  When Dirk saw her she gave him a brave smile, which he answered with a glance of reassurance.

  He could see the great clock in the Metropole Tower, and he noticed, with a feeling of grave apprehension, that it was twenty minutes to four o'clock.

  There were only a few minutes more in which to make a desperate and apparently a hopeless effort to
save Inga, his friends and himself from a catastrophe which he had been instrumental in contriving.

  Then Zitlan stood before him, haughty and arrogant, his lowering countenance ugly with hatred.

  "So, dog," he said, "you who dared to defy Zitlan now stand before him a captive!"

  Neither Dirk nor any one of the three others who were guarded with him replied to the utterance.

  "You and that woman of yours," continued the Lodorian insolently, "both are my prisoners to do with as I please. Your fate," he continued, "I already have planned for you and I assure you that it will not be as pleasurable as the one to which she is destined. You will find that Tigana, on which you and those with you will be cast, is a world of terror such as you never could dream of. Even the monsters which crawl through the deliriums of the mind are not as horrible as those which infest the mad and haunted world of which I speak."

  * * * * *

  He paused a moment, a cruel smile on his face, as if he wished the full import of his words to sear themselves into the minds of the doomed men.

  "But the woman," he added, "will return to Lodore with me and be the queen of all women. And soon," he said savagely, "she may be queen of all Lodore, of the worlds which pay tribute to Lodore, and of other worlds which I will conquer and ravage. My father stood in my way and he died at my own hands. So will others perish who thwart my ambition, and I will become supreme in the universe!"

  A feeling of reckless fury possessed Dirk as he listened to the words of Zitlan and he felt an almost irresistible desire to drive a fist square between the mad, glittering eyes of the Lodorian.

  He glanced at the great clock, however, and he saw that the time to act had not yet come. At the last moment he would make one desperate attempt to frustrate the evil designs of Zitlan. If it failed--well, all would be lost. But it was a far better thing to die resisting the despicable Zitlan and his minions than it would be to live and to know that, without a struggle, he had abandoned to degradation the girl he loved.