Astounding Science Fiction (British Edition), April 1944 — page 29: what you’re looking at

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

THE BEAST have done any good,” he confessed slowly. “That car was armor plated, a regular battle tank if I ever saw one.” The knob-jawed chap was rubbing his chin ruefully. “I’m afraid Hoskins, you’ve got the wrong slant on a peacetime United States. We came, automobiles and all, by the fastest big plane transport in the world, landed on the highway just outside of the town. But itll be another hour at least before fighter planes are tuned up and ready for flight.” The man’s deep voice quickened. “The important thing is, we didn’t wait for them, and you’re alive. Man, quick, tell me, what do you know? Why did they want to silence you? Here’s my identification: Cree Lipton. F.B.I. Now tell me.” Hoskins stared at him wryly, he said finally: “I know that there’s a superengine in existence.” “Yes, yes’—Lipton frowned at him—‘“we know that, too, now. But what else? What did Pendrake tell you?” Hoskins drew a deep breath. “I know nothing else,” he said. “Eh!” Then slowly the shock faded from the F.B.I. agent’s face. “I see. We actually know more than you do. We’ve discovered that seventeen leading atomic scientists and their families have been murdered or are missing. It all happened about eight months ago, and the crimes were so thinly spread out over the country that only a few scien- tific journals commented on the deaths. In addition we’ve had this experience in every raid we’ve made—” He took an envelope from his pocket, drew out a newspaper clipping and handed it to Hoskins, who read: FIRE GUTS FIFTIETH STREET TOWERS Sept. 2nd—The strange turreted towers, formerly occupied by the Cyrus Lambton Back- to-the-Land Project, more recently by the head offices of the trucking firm of Fred Birdman, was completely destroyed at noon today by a fire of undetermined origin. The twin towers, which were located at— ~ “Birdman has vanished utterly,” Lipton said. “The question therefore is, what now?” Hoskins scarcely heard. He stood staring sardonically at the sign which had an- nounced the LETSTOP meeting. In the scramble it had somehow been knocked loose, and lay now face down in the dirt. | Where it belonged, he thought grimly. The stocky man sighed with relief. Just 27 what he had expected he couldn’t define exactly, but certainly not this—not this philosophical attitude on the part of the leader. Even the smoldering eyes seemed calmer, less feverish. “It is the fortune of war, Herr Birdman,” the tall man shrugged. “The enemy acted with admirable speed and decision, and he now knows that some American scientists invented an atomic engine, and operated spaceships from the very centers of their cities. He knows, too, that the co-called de- feated Nazis now have the engine and are putting it to nefarious uses, There is a psy- chological value to us of such knowledge. It will revive the bolder spirits among our good German people to new hope. The young men will grow up expecting, waiting to be called. Meanwhile, safe in space, we shall develop until we are ready to strike.” He frowned thoughtfully at the floor. “There are certain precautions we must take here on Earth, beginning with the removal of doubtful elements. Particularly, we must be prepared for new restrictions in the Reich itself. I shall appoint a co-ordinating com- mittee. “As for the situation on the Moon, one of the engineers in Factory L, Herr Steulp- nagle, to be exact—” “A good worker for the Cause,” Birdman nodded. ) “Precisely,” said the other coldly. “He has now requested permission to marry Mrs. Pendrake, and as you are leaving today for the Moon, I want you to instruct Mrs. Pen- drake to prepare for marriage in a month’s time. “As for Pendrake himself, we must not assume that he is dead. His trail from the shattered plane wing led to a cave in the crater. A cursory investigation showed that he was still alive at a depth of one mile, but that he was burying himself at intervals, and therefore had only discovered the auxiliary heating mechanism attached to the flashlight and not the main switch. “To make sure of him, I think we must now be prepared to organize a military cam- paign against the cave dwellers; we have tolerated their depredations long enough—” V. PENDRAKE wakened to the sound of a melodi- ous humming. It was somewhere off to his left, but for a moment the delicious weak- ness of his every nerve and muscle, the odd physical pleasure of just lying on something comiclooks.c©