American Science Fiction #41 — page 32: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

oe better part of a week. There’s only one thing it could be and that’s. what Cis LOOK te eer He picked up a sort of minature torpedo from the work-table, dropped it down the stove-pipe. The thing worked like a trench-mortar, Some spring in the base of the tube sent the rocket flying in a high .arc, to smack the opposite wall and drop to the floor. ‘ Mae “It’s a mobile rocket-launcher,” he said. needlessly. “I'd Jay odds it can be used for atomic warheads.” “Good Lord!” cried the General. ' His mind was in a racing turmoil. The problem with the Nazi V-1 and V-2- weapons during World War Il had been the immobility of their launch- ing platforms. If They had managed to get around it... He thought of an insuperable ob- stacle, said, “But what about back- blast? Don’t tell me they’ve found a metal able to stand up under the heat of launching.” “1 doubt it,” replied MacReedy seriously. “They use this barrel to give her a boost like a trench-mortar shell. My hunch is the rocket doesn’t fire until she’s well off the ground.” “It is accurate?” the General asked, thunderstruck. : “Is a trench-mortar accurate?’ the model-maker countered: body who’s been in Korea.” It was ‘a wallop for the General. Atomic rocket-launchers, | mobile rocket-launchers that could function: as artillery, could outrange the A-gun perhaps by hundreds of miles. And if the missiles thus fired could be guided —he could see no reason why not— the A-gun was already obsolete. He sat down on a packing box and mopped his brow although the cellar was far from hot. He said and _ his voice was unsteady. Thanks, Mac- Reedy, I think maybe you have done “I think so,” said the model-maker. He wasn’t boasting, but he was sure of himself. “You want to take it along with you? It shoud. be quite simple to make. I've got a few improvements over Their supports, 1 think.”.... “If it’s the last, thing I do,” said “Ask any- | THE) FINAL, «FIGURE: the General, rising, “I’m going to see : you get credit for what you’ve done.” MacReedy made a gesture of dis- missal. “Don’t let it bother you, Gen- eral,” he said. “I like my work. May- be you could arrange for me to make some models for the War College.” “Hell, why not the Smithsonian?” said the General. “Why not both? We ought to have a historical ordnance- exhibit- somewhere. And ‘you're the man, no doubt about it.” As he left with the precious model MacReedy asked. “By the way, Gen- eral, what do you want me to work on next?” The General hesitated, then said, “Follow your hunches—logic if you will. Let’s see what the next weapon © after this one is going to be. You've been ahead of us the rest of the way.” “ll see what I can do,” said Mac- Reedy with his quiet smile. “Let me . know how. things come out.” : “That | will,” said the General. Toby walked with him to the car and the General gave him another five dol- lars. He wished he could do some- thing more for both of them; but at tion. : T was almost six months before’ the General got back to the Long Island chalet. Thanks to his now fully- established reputation as an inventive the moment it was out of the ques- — genius, he was able to get a full speed . ahead order on the new-type mobile rocket-launcher: MacReedy’s. improve- ments were valid, and the Department - experts came up with further sim- plifications. By the ti.: they were: ready to go in to production they ac- tually had the yveapon self-propelled, — # were well ahead. of them on mobility, —_ range and accuracy. It promised to be a military revolution. ices Then the General had to make a ie fiying.trip around the world—to visit American military Western Europe, in Italy and Spain, in Africa, Formosa, Japan and Korea. He got back to Washington, a thoroughly. tired man, and walked into. _ both his. promised. third. star. and .the. installations. in. - Chiefship of the Department. Also in-. © to an international situation worse “Comichoolksacoimn 6 OP?) iy ovale