Avon Fantasy Reader No. 9 — page 46: what you’re looking at

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

_ ing a single spot midway of its height, returned once more. The cone. _ Shortened, thickened to a globe supported by a thin stem, sent forth the little black fingers yet again, altered its position a bit, then hung motionless. A sort of breathlessness, a nervous and electrical tension began to build up around us. I could feel it, sense its purposeful unease, even at our distance. The whole affair was unreal and horrible. What was this vapor that seemed to move of itself? What controlled it? What was its use—a poison gas, a smoke screen, what? I turned to where Doc had been, but he was gone. Then he appeared again, suddenly, at my side. “Jack, try the resonator,’ he said. “Watch that vapor out there.” I obeyed. The city, the plain, the ship—all vanished in the familiar play of vivid color as I shifted slowly through the vibrations. But that rolling cloud — of gas showed no tint nor faintest color tinge. It remained black, absolutely black. Reversing the controls, I returned. “Doc, what is it?” I asked. “It’s absolutely colorless, but that isn’t all. It seems almost alive.” “It 1s alive, Jack. That is no mere gas-cloud, no radio-controlled weapon. It is a living, intelligent entity like ourselves, like the Atlantides, perhaps superior to us. What are its properties, its powers? I cannot tell, for it is entirely unearthly. But this creature of colorless vapor is the Thing that destroyed Atlantis. It is the unnatural enemy that the last of the Atlantides are combating, that may at last exterminate them. We are powerless to help them, Jack. We can take the offensive, with our resonators, but we have no means of defending ourselves. No, we must watch from a safe place while the Atlantides meet their fate, for it is our duty to live and warn the world that this Thing exists. Science demands it.” “Yes, we must return unharmed, I supposé; we must take no need- less risks. But it is hard to see human beings like ourselves slaughtered by *® a Thing like that, while we stand safely aside, even though we know that 4 any aid would be useless. It is hard always to be the scientist, Doc.” 3 “It is hard, Jack. I know it as well as any. But we have chosen to set : aside personal interests for the good of our race, and we must abide by our choice. A general may not lead his troops, Jack; he must remain in safety, even though they be dying in thousands. But lock, it is going to attack.” The great black sphere on its narrow base had contracted until it was but half its former size. Now it began to spin slowly, ever contracting. A narrow black streamer ran from the base to the thin ring that surrounded the city, a cable for communication and transfer of power, energy. This, too, was growing smaller, moving in, while the globe whirled faster and faster. The tension in the atmosphere grew intolerable. Then of a sudden the strain. broke, the small black globe sprang in an instant to its former size, then dwindled once more, as a ball of scarlet, opalescent flame took form in its heart, and grew until the black globe was gone and the circling ring had waned to a narrow thread. 44 | cComicbooks: com | 7 .