Air Wonder Stories, May 1930 — page 50: what you’re looking at

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

AIR WONDER STORIES ~ “As for my power, you are beginning to feel-that, now. You Seem to be growing heavier. A great weight ts pressing upon you, That weight will increase until you are powerless, seem- ingly chained to the ground.. This will be true of everyone - within a radius of five hundred feet of this room. For an ene ~ tire hour you'll be at my mercy, defenseless as the tiniest infant, “But no harmawill befall you; it is not wy purpose to injure yon snless. it is _absolitely necessary.” The thundering words ceased. R Harwood is Defiant HILE the voice had been speaking, everyone in the room had been motionless, silent. Now that it had seemingly fitished, I attempted to turn’to Vachell. I could not!: I was powerless to move! The words of the voice were true; a great. eich seemed- to -be pressing upon me, crushing me against the seat. I could do naught but look directly. ahead. President Harwood was still standing in the same position he had held when the purple haze had spread across the room. That haze, I noticed now, seemed to be growing more intense — with every passing second. Harwood strove to speak then, but only a formless mumble came from his lips, I ttied to move ~ my jaws, They were-clamped together in a viselike grip. For an entire hour a deathlike silence, and an equally death- like absence of motion gripped us, And for a similar period of time, we learned later, consternation and terror clittched the heart of every individual within a radius of five hundred feet _____ of the Conference Room, Althought the-complete loss of con- ie 5 trol over our bodies was anything but:pleasant to us, who knew - _ its source, it was absolutely terrifying to those. who knew noth- ing about it. Men, walking along the street, were stopped short in mid- stride, as though turned to stone. The army planes circling over head within the designated. radius, dropped to the earth like plummets, Fortunately, none of the aviators were seriously ~ __ injured. Machines that had been darting through the streets, had their flight arrested with a-sudden snapping jolt ‘that jarred the bodies of the drivers painfully. If it had not been for the increased weight:on the drivers themselves,-they would: certainly have been thrown through their windshields. Finally, that interminable, nerve-racking hour: passed, Like a stiddenly released spring, the invisible cords that held ‘us snapped; the;purple haze that mantled the room disappeared. o¢ Then the mighty voice roared its final remark, 5 “You have heard nvy warning and command; felt my power; ~ now heed.” While our minds strove to comprehend the full significance of all that had occurred, and we tried to restore blood: circu- fation' and freedom of movement to our cramped musclés, Har- wood spoke. His-voice was determined. “Gentlemen,” he said firmly, “we will pay no attention’ to the warning we have heard. The nations of the world cannot afford to obey the commands of an tinknown: dictator, regardless of __ what power he may possess. We will-meet again in the Union Hall; at the time we decided upon, and tnite our governments, “And now, gentlemen,” he added wearily, “the meeting is adjourned.” When I joined Vachell outside, I noticed a particularly thoughtful expression on his face. His brows were knitted in a thoughtful frown. I was ‘about to refer to. his meditative air, when President Harwood called to us from his car parked’ along the curb. We turned toward him, and crossing the pave- ment, entered: the machine. j E had-hardly seated ourselves when the President spoke to Vachell, “Leo,” he asked, “what is your opinion-of my. final action in the meeting? Do you think I’ followed the right course, or—” “Absolutely! You did the only thing that you could do-under the circumstances. We can’t submit to the dictation of one man.” 7 ie et —s “One man?” Harwood questioned. “Yes, one’ man! Unless I am very badly mistaken, the mys- terious- dictator ‘is none other ‘than Alexis Demetriovich, He is probably the cleverest and most resourceful scientist\I have ever met; and he has a motive for doing -what the voice has done,” Then he related the gist of what had accurred in the cabin in the Alleghenies almost a year before. “My reason for thinking it is Demetriovich,” he concluded, “fs the way in which he said, ‘But you'll never do it!’ His first and last statement in the argument in the mountains was almost that very exclamation; and immediately after he said that this afternoon, this suspicion entered my mind. The longer T think of it, the more certain I become.” “Well, if that is true,”. Harwood responded, “it simplifies matters a great deal, We need have no fear of any nation re- volting:and starting a war.” “T fail to see where it simplifies anything, for we are still as helpless as we were before, We haven't even a vague idea concerning the source of his power. In fact, we know nothing about his-activities except that which he wants us to know. “About the only. thing for us to do, is to continue with our plans-as though the menace of the Russian didn't exist, except that we strive to defend ourselves in every way we possibly can. I propose that you have ten: or twelve of the world’s_greatest scientists present at the time when the Union Pact is signed, so that we may: do all that wé:can to-combat his power. He is attempting to control us through thé use of science; science, alone, will be able to fight against him. “And in the meantime; I suggest that you have the country scoured for any information that may be secured about the actions-of Demetriovich during the past year,” The President nodded thoughtfully, “It shall be done,” he said, For some time, now, the car had been parked before the building that held: the bachelor apartments in which we lived; we stepped ov, then, and; after a final word to Harwood, en- tered the house. The machine moved rapidly up the street. CHAPTER IIT The Russian’s Power HE 24t of May, 1968, was the date set for the union | of the nations. It was exactly one year after they de- cided to unite, Vachell and I sat near the front of the small conference room on that memorable day, with the group of eleven. world- famous scientists. Before us, on the wide. platform sat the Presidents of the United States, England, France and Germany, the world’s greatest executives. Behind us, occupying several rows of seats, were the representatives of all nations, The room, only a small chamber off the main auditorium, was nearly Because of the threat of Demetriovich, that roomful of men were the only beings on the island. It had been ‘decided that, to-prevent any possible interference of the Russian, they would be. the ‘only ones allowed to land. After: the signing of the Declaration of World Union, ‘they. intended perinitting - the landing of the great host. of planes of all descriptions that had gathered ‘around the island. Every precaution had been taken to insure the meeting against interruption. A fleet of armored vessels: surrounded the great Union Star, and airplanes, like a swarm of bees, circled through the air above the island. Still, the little gathering in the Union Hall was rather un- easy. We somehow felt that our efforts were so futile, s0 p “sf We feared that they would prove ineffectual against the p of the Russian, And so it was. We had hardly taken our places, when an interruption came. The great, thundering voice that we had