Air Wonder Stories, August 1929 — page 81: what you’re looking at

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

ww - is remaining in hiding for some reason. You-know that only Riel was_on the liner at the time it was held up, so your friend is undoubtediy still in the city.” Suddenly the scene went dark and, looking over at his host, Wallace saw him removing his head-set and followed suit. set and’ followed suit. “That man is from the offices of Scotland Yard. I’ve had reasons to trail him on one or two occasions before, A very clever man but, in comparison with my brain and power, he-is but a school boy. 1, alone, ) all-human beings, am entitled to the word clever, as I shall presently prove. Once I have the plans of the Light Wave Receiver-in my hands, I will be ruler of the earth. Your friend of the detective force shall bring them to me for I know that-he-has them.” “Why do you put so much value-in- the receiver? You may be unable to decipher the code, because the language is unknown to us.” “There you. are mistaken again,” his host corrected, “for the language is very similar to French, which I can read and speak very. well.” “You ate only guessing, for there is no way that we can find out the language.” “T have. obtained a recorded strip of pulsations re- ceived by this device, and by changing the pulsations into electro-magnetic impulses, I amplified them. Then changing the amplified: pulsations into sound waves through the voice-producer, I recorded the sound: and have it to study at my leisure.” “Then you have been able to read the message?” “Yes, all but a few words which are somewhat con- fused. But it is not difficult to guess the meaning of them. Having transformed the message to French, I translated it then into English. So when I get the Light Wave Receiver, I will be able to connect up my system so that the message will be automatically re- ceived, changed to electrical impulses, amplified and recorded in French. which is the language that is being used. By means of the device, I will learn many of the secrets of the super-intelligent planet that is send- ing the messages, for it is undoubtedly the work of another planet. Finally, by adding their knowledge to my own, I may not only be ruler of the earth, but the, master of the solar system, Only the possession of the plans is needed for accomplishing my purpose. But f will get them, for what I want, I have the power to get. I will-sit.as ruler of the earth, while I pre- pare for my conquest of the solar system.” The eyes of the master mind shone with fierce light as he warmed up to his talk. “We. will now. get the combination of Riel’s Triple Wave Wireless Set, so that I can send him the message privately.” * ’ Noticing the surprised look on the face of his pris- oner, the old man continued : “You no doubt are wondering how I can-read the dials of Riel’s wireless set which is protected from my, tay by a magnetic field.” “That is what.I was wondering about.” “Then put your mask on again-and I will show you how helpless. your friend is against me. You will see how utterly useless it is for him to hold out, and especially to try to bring about my. downfall.” The ray was soon on again and with little trouble Jolsen had focussed the scene on the headquatters of Scotland Yard. A moment later the scene was ad- justed so that they were looking into a single room. he details of the room stood out quite plainly, with THE PLANET'S AIR MASTER 175 the exception of oné corner that produced a sort of orange-colored glow. But. whether it was the fault of the vision set or was caused by a bright lamp in the corner of the room, Wallace was unable to-tell. There was no-one in the room at the time, but the desk was littered with papers, indicating that someone had been there recently. “Do you notice the glowing spot in the corner?” Jolsen asked through the phone circuit. Then, with- out waiting for a reply, continued, “That is where the Triple Wave Wireless Receiver is. That glow is caused by the magnetic field deflecting-my ray. It is a good barrier at that distance, for I cannot produce suf- ficient pressure to break it down. But if that field was within two hundred miles of me, it would be use- less, for I could break through it with ease. Riel’s other protecting field also would be of no use to him at close range.” “Then your attempt to read the combination of the triple circuit receiver is useless?” Wallace said tri- umphantly. Ignoring him, the old man shifted the ray again, and they were soon looking into the basement of the build- ing, the switchboard that controlled the lights and power of the building appearing before their eyes. For a moment, the wizard surveyed the scene and again changed the ray, shifting it around the room until he brought it to rest in one corner where a workman sat teading a paper. “This man is the maintenance electrician for the building,” he informed his guest. “Now you are about to see how I give orders to the world and how quick and faithful it does my bidding.” A few more buttons and dials moved beneath the man’s fingers, The man in the scene looked up from his paper and scratched his head in deep thought and finally deciding something he rose and approached the switchboard. Quickly Jolsen brought ‘the board up close in the scetie as the man stopped! in. front-of the panels, and looked: over the different breakers and trips. Again the fingers of Jolsen moved a dial and the next instant the man-in the scene tripped the larg- est circuit-breaker on the board. Instantly the scene changed and that of the office was seen again, the glow in the cotner was now gofe and the cabinet. of the wireless set could be seen ona table, and a device that Wallace judged was the recording device was resting on the receiver. Another moment and the wizard had a close view of the set, so close that the dials could be seen and the settings read with ease, Tt was but a few seconds until the old man had copied the dial readings, and then suddenly the glow in the corner returned. CHAPTER VI A Message FTER shutting off the ray, Jolsen removed his mask and Wallace did likewise. “You see I have the combination,” remarked the wizard, with a smile, “and it was very little trouble.” “You used your telepathy ray?” asked Wallace. “Yes, you see the power that is used to produce the field-around the wireless set is taken from the lighting circuits, and to-remove the field, all that I had to do was to turn off the power. That I did by putting thoughts into the brain of the electrician to that effect. Controlled by the thoughts that took possession of his mind, he went over to the board and tripped the main breaker, throwing the power-off the whole build-