Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 42 — page 129: what you’re looking at

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

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION no longer reach us. Neither could micro-organisms be used effectively, nor poison gases, although both were constantly being developed. Therefore—stalemate. Unless there was something which could penetrate miles of rock and steel and alloy. And this something could only be a form of energy which was electrical in nature. What the energy could do when it arrived was prob- lematical. But the problem lay in Kermit’s field. Therefore, memory had plucked from the files this wave, deficient in force, but promising possi- hilities of penetration. \ second problem, then: An equation leading to the transformation of electrical energy to kinetic energy. The equation was within the realm of possibility. And yet—— **Let’s see what you’ve got,” Kermit said. Grath handed over a sheaf of papers. Grath was a good man. The calculators were also good. Everything was in order. Except for one thing. Instead of an answer there was an unknown. 128 Kermit grinned wryly. This | was the sort of thing he liked; the challenge that gave some measure of zest to his existence. “All right, Grath. [ll take it for a while.” All desks were chest level. Nobody sat. While Grath busied himself at a calculator, Kermit spread the papers before himself on his desk. He worked backwards, starting with the final result that contained the unknown. On the first two sheets there was nothing of value, only an orderly progression of symbols. But when he came to the third sheet his hand trembled. It was exactly what he might have suspected—the unknown was a part of the original wave equation, but concealed in it. A trickle of perspiration inched down his broad fore- head and into the deep line above his nose. Just then the p.a. speaker broke into a soft chant. It was the usual thing, praise of Father, that was droned at — regular intervals. The natural thing would have been to ignore it. But Kermit had: learned better. Ignored, the chant droned it- self into the unconscious. By ee *, BP eS eS Tene ee me oan Re eae Sane aE Te pety comiclbooks.com ad “. Rd 2 ~ , Se age)