Triplanetary
"Thanks, Conway--I'll remember that, too," Clio replied, as she turned
toward the tiny locker to follow his instructions. "But won't the scouts
and patrols be catching us pretty quick? The operator sent a warning."
"Afraid the ether's empty, as far as we're concerned. They could
neutralize our detector screens, and the scouts' detectors are the same
as ours."
Captain Bradley had stood by in silent astonishment during this
conversation. His eyes had bulged slightly at Costigan's "we're both
wearing 'em," but he had held his peace and as the girl disappeared a
look of dawning comprehension came over his face.
"Oh, I see, sir," he said, respectfully--far more respectfully than he
had ever before addressed a mere first officer. "Meaning that we both
_will be_ wearing them shortly, I assume. 'Service Specials'--but you
didn't specify exactly _what_ Service, did you?"
"Now that you mention it, I don't believe that I did," Costigan grinned.
"That explains several things about you--particularly your recognition
of Vee-Two and your uncanny control and speed of reaction. But aren't
you...."
"No," Costigan interrupted, positively. "This situation is apt to get
altogether too serious to overlook any bets. If we get away, I'll take
them away from her and she'll never know that they aren't routine
equipment in the Triplanetary Service. As for you, I know that you can
and do keep your mouth shut. That's why I'm hanging this junk on you--I
had a lot of stuff in my kit, but I flashed it all with the Standish,
except what I brought in here for us three. Whether you think so or not,
we're in a real jam--our chance of getting away is mightly close to
zero. Now that I've gone this far, I might as well tell you that I don't
believe these birds are pirates at all, in the ordinary sense of the
word. And it may be possible that they're after me, but I don't think
so--we've covered up too...."
He broke off as the girl came back, now to all appearances a small
Triplanetary officer, and the three settled down to a long and eventless
wait. Hour after hour they flew through the ether, but finally there was
a lurching swing and an abrupt increase in their acceleration. After a
short consultation Captain Bradley turned on the visiray set and, with
the beam at its minimum power, peered cautiously downward, in the
direction opposite to that in which he knew the pirate vessel must be.
All three stared into the plate, seeing only an infinity of emptiness,
marked only by the infinitely remote and coldly brilliant stars. While
they stared into space a vast area of the heavens was blotted out and
they saw, faintly illuminated by a peculiar blue luminescence, a vast
ball--a sphere so large and so close that they seemed to be dropping
downward toward it as though it were a world! They came to a
stop--paused, weightless--a vast door slid smoothly aside--they were
drawn _upward_ through an airlock and floated quietly in the air above a
small, but brightly-lighted and orderly city of metallic buildings!
Gently the _Hyperion_ was lowered, to come to rest in the embracing arms
of a regulation landing cradle.
"Well, wherever it is, we're here," remarked Captain Bradley, grimly.
"And now the fireworks start," assented Costigan, with a questioning
glance at the girl.
"Don't mind me," she answered his unspoken question. "I don't believe in
surrendering, either."
"Right," and both men squatted down behind the ether-walls of their
terrific weapons; the girl prone behind them.
They had not long to wait. A group of human beings--men and to all
appearance Americans--appeared unarmed in the little lounge. As soon as
they were well inside the room, Bradley and Costigan released upon them
without compunction the full power of their frightful projectors. From
the reflectors, through the doorway, there tore a concentrated double
beam of pure destruction--but that beam did not reach its goal. Yards
from the men it met a screen of impenetrable density. Instantly the
gunners pressed their triggers and a stream of high-explosive shells
issued from the roaring weapons. But shells, also, were futile. They
struck the shield and vanished--vanished without exploding and without
leaving a trace to show that they had ever existed.
Costigan sprang to his feet, but before he could launch his intended
attack a vast tunnel appeared beside him--an annihilating ray had swept
through the entire width of the liner, cutting instantly a smooth
cylinder of emptiness. Air rushed in to fill the vacuum, and the three
visitors felt themselves seized by invisible forces and drawn into the
tunnel. Through it they floated, up to and over the buildings, finally
slanting downward toward the door of a great high-powered structure.
Doors opened before them and closed behind them, until at last they
stood upright in a room which was evidently the office of a busy
executive. They faced a desk which, in addition to the usual equipment
of the business man, carried a bewilderingly complete switchboard and
instrument panel.
Seated impassively at the desk there was a gray man. Not only was he
dressed entirely in gray, but his heavy hair was gray, his eyes were
gray, and even his tanned skin seemed to give the impression of grayness
in disguise. His overwhelming personality radiated an aura of
grayness--not the gentle gray of the dove, but the resistless, driving
gray of the super-dreadnaught; the hard, inflexible, brittle gray of the
fracture of high-carbon steel.
"Captain Bradley, First Officer Costigan, Miss Marsden," the man spoke
quietly, but crisply. "I had not intended you two men to live so long.
That is a detail, however, which we will pass by for the moment. You may
remove your suits."
Neither officer moved, but both stared back at the speaker
unflinchingly.
"I am not accustomed to repeating instructions," the man at the desk
continued; voice still low and level, but instinct with deadly menace.
"You may choose between removing those suits and dying in them, here and
now."
Costigan moved over to Clio and slowly took off her armor. Then, after a
flashing exchange of glances and a muttered word, the two officers threw
off their suits simultaneously and fired at the same instant; Bradley
with his Lewiston, Costigan with a heavy automatic pistol whose bullets
were explosive shells of tremendous power. But the man in gray,
surrounded by an impenetrable wall of force, only smiled at the
fusillade, tolerantly and maddeningly. Costigan leaped fiercely, only to
be hurled backward as he struck that unyielding, invisible wall. A
vicious beam snapped him back into place, the weapons were snatched
away, and all three captives were held in their former positions.
"I permitted that, as a demonstration of futility," the gray man said,
his hard voice becoming harder, "but I will permit no more foolishness.
Now I will introduce myself. I am known as Roger. You probably have
heard nothing of me yet but you will--if you live. Whether or not you
two live depends solely upon yourselves. Being something of a student of
men, I fear that you will both die shortly. Able and resourceful as you
have just shown yourselves to be, you could be valuable to me, but you
probably will not--in which case you shall, of course, cease to exist.
That, however, in its proper time--you shall be of some slight service
to me in the process of being eliminated. In your case, Miss Marsden, I
find myself undecided between two courses of action; each highly
desirable, but unfortunately mutually exclusive. Your father will be
glad to ransom you at an exceedingly high figure, but, in spite of that
fact, I may decide to keep you for--well, let us say for certain
purposes."
"Yes?" Clio rose magnificently to the occasion. Fear forgotten, her
courageous spirit flashed from her clear, young eyes and emanated from
her slender, rounded young body, erect in defiance. "Since I am a
captive, you can of course do anything you please with me up to a
certain point--but no further, believe me!"
With no sign of having heard her outburst Roger pressed a button and a
tall, comely woman, appeared--a woman of indefinite age and of uncertain
nationality.
"Show Miss Marsden to her apartment," he directed, and as the two women
went out a man came in.
"The cargo is unloaded, sir," the newcomer reported. "The two men and
the five women indicated have been taken to the hospital," was the
report of the man.
"Very well, dispose of the others in the usual fashion." The minion went
out, and Roger continued, emotionlessly:
"Collectively, the other passengers may be worth a million or so, but it
would not be worth while to waste time upon them."
"What are you, anyway?" blazed Costigan, helpless but enraged beyond
caution. "I have heard of mad scientists who tried to destroy the earth,
and of equally mad geniuses who thought themselves Napoleons capable of
conquering even the Solar System. Whichever you are, you should know
that you can't get away with it."
"I am neither. I am, however, a scientist, and I direct many other
scientists. I am not mad. You have undoubtedly noticed several peculiar
features of this place?"
"Yes, particularly the artificial gravity, which has always been
considered impossible, and those screens. An ordinary ether-wall is
opaque in one direction, and doesn't bar matter--yours are transparent
both ways and something more than impenetrable to matter. How do you do
it?"
"You could not understand them if I explained them to you, and they are
merely two of our smaller developments. I have no serious designs upon
the earth nor upon the Solar System, nor have I any desire to rule over,
or to control the destinies of masses of futile and brainless men. I
have, however, certain ends of my own in view. To accomplish my plans I
require hundreds of millions in gold, other hundreds of millions in
platinum and noble metal, and some five kilograms of the bromide of
radium--all of which I shall take from the planets of this Solar System
before I leave it. I shall take them in spite of the puerile efforts of
the fleets of your Triplanetary League.
"This structure, floating in a planetary orbit, was designed by me and
built under my direction. It is protected from meteorites by certain
forces of my devising. It is undetectable and invisible--your detectors
do not touch it and light-waves are bent around it without loss or
distortion. I am discussing these points at such length so that you may
realize exactly your position. As I have intimated, you can be of
assistance to me if you will."
"Now just what could you offer any _man_ to make him join your outfit?"
demanded Costigan, venomously.
"Many things." Roger's cold tone betrayed no emotion, no recognition of
Costigan's open and bitter contempt. "I have under me many men, bound to
me by many ties. Needs, wants, longings and desires differ from man to
man, and I can satisfy practically any of them. Personally, I take
delight in the society of young and beautiful women, and many men have
that same taste; but there are other urges which I have found quite
efficient. Greed, thirst for fame, longing for power, and so on,
including many qualities usually regarded as 'noble.' And what I
promise, I deliver. I demand only loyalty to me, and that only in
certain things and for a relatively short period. In all else, my men do
as they please. In conclusion, I can use you two conveniently, but I do
not need you. Therefore you may choose now between my service and--the
alternative."
"Exactly what is the alternative?"
"We will not go into that. Suffice it to say that it has to do with a
minor research, which is not progressing satisfactorily. It will result
in your extinction, and perhaps I should mention that that extinction