Astounding Science Fiction (UK Edition) — page 36: what you’re looking at

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

34 we'll buy, and this time end up by having control.’ When he starts to run the market down, you buy at Terra.” Minutes later, the message hit the Terra market, and Kingman’s agent started to unload. The stock started off at six hundred and nine, and it soon dropped to five-forty. It hovered there, and then took another gradual slide to four-seventy. Then a mes- sage came through the regular beam station which Walt intercepted, decoded with Ter- ran Electric’s own code book, and read as follows: “TI. C. Preferred coming in fast. Shall we wait?” Walt chuckled and spoke into the driver modulator. “Kingman,” he said, “some wiseacre is still buying. I. C. Preferred is running at seven-ninety! What now?” In the Venus Equilateral radio, he said: “Don, I just fixed him.” . From Venus, Wes said: “You sure did. He’s just giving orders to drop some more stock. This is too dirty to be funny, but Kingman asked for it. I know him. He’s got this set up so that no one can do a thing on this market program without orders from him. Too bad we can’t with- hold the Northern Landing quotations from him.” The Lunar Beam brought forth another message intended for Kingman’s inter- ceptor at Luna. “I. C. Preferred is dropping like a plummet. When can we buy?” Walt smiled and said into Kingman’s set- up: “Kingman! I. C. Preferred is now at eight hundred and seventy!” Not many minutes later, Wes said: “That was foul, Walt. He’s just given orders to run the market down at any cost.” “O.K.,” said Walt. “But he’s going to go nuts when the Northern Landing Exchange starts down without ever getting to that mythical nine hundred.” “Let him wonder. Meanwhile, fellows, Jet’s run ourselves a slide on VWonen Electric. Sell the works!” Terran Electric started down just as I. C. Preferred took its third drop. It passed three hundred, and started down the two hun- dred numbers. Walt shook his head and said to Kingman: “Kingman, we’re getting results now. She’s dropped back again— to six hundred and three.’ Then he said: “Kingman, someone is playing hob with T. E. Preferred. She’s up to two hundred and. fifty-one.” To Don, Walt said: “Good thing that ASTOUNDING SCIENCE-FICTION Kingman has that Sinese Chimphony for a bit of good music, or he’d recognize my voice.” “Which way will he jump?” laughed Don. “That was a slick bit of Kingman- baiting, Walt, in spite of your voice.” “Kingman’s taking it hard,” said Wes. “He says to drop some of his own stock so that they can use the money to manipu- late the I. C. stuff.” “O.K.,”’ said Jim Baler. This looks like a good time to think about buying some of Kingman’s stuff. Right?” “Wait until his sales hit bottom,” Don. “Walt, tip us off.” “O.K. What now?” “Wait a bit and see.” _ Terran Electric went down some more, and then Jim said: “Now?” “Now,” answered Don. “You too, Wes.”’ “Me too?” asked Walt. ““You continue to sell!” “Oh-oh,” said Wes. “Kingman is wild. He wants to know what’s the matter with the market.” “Tell him that your end is all right, and that I. C. Preferred is still going down, but steady.” “O.K.,” said Walt. The hours went by, and Kingman be- came more and more frantic. I. C. Pre- ferred would be reported at five hundred, but the Northern Landing Exchange said two-ten. Meanwhile, Terran Electric— “Oh, lovely,” said Don. “Beautiful. We’ve got us a reciprocating market now, better than Kingman’s. When she’s up at Terra, they're down at Canalopsis and Northern Landing—and vice versa. Keep it pumping, boys, and we'll get enough money to buy Kingman out.” The vacillating market went on, and Don’s gang continued to rock the Terran Electric stock. Then as the market was about to close for the day, Don said: “Sell "em short!” Terran Electric stock appeared on the market in great quantities. Its value dropped down and down and down, and Kingman, appraised of the fall by Walt, who magnified it by not less than two to one, apparently got frantic again, for he said: “We’re running short. Drop your Terran stock to bolster the I. C. job!” “Oh, lovely,” said Don. “You said that.” “T repeat it. Look, fellows, gather ali said Ccomicbookks.c©