United States or Wallis and Futuna ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Certainly this strange globe was capable of holding a small army at least. Jeter shrugged. Eyer answered it with an eloquent gesture and the two fell in with those who had come to meet them. "How about our plane?" said Jeter. "You need concern yourself with it no longer," replied one. "Its final disposal is in the hands of Sitsumi and The Three." A cold chill ran along Jeter's spine.
"It's just as well," said Jeter in a far-away voice, "they haven't a chance anyway!" "I know," replied Hadley. "God, Jeter, isn't there something we can do?" "I hope to find something," said Jeter. "But just now I'm afraid we are helpless." The Vandercook building continued to rise.
It seems that the shall we say enemy? is concentrating only on old buildings." "Perhaps they wish to preserve the new ones," said Jeter quietly. "What? Why?" "For their own use, perhaps; who knows? Keep me informed of every eventuality. If the center of force which seems to be causing all this havoc shifts in any direction, advise us at once." "All right, Jeter."
They seemed to think Jeter had taken leave of his senses, and yet all had seen the Vandercook building perform the utterly impossible. Hadley nodded. "What do you want with the filers and others at your laboratory?" "To listen to the details of construction of our space ship. Eyer will hold a couple of classes to explain everything.
"Yes," said Jeter, "I know you are the rumored inventor of a substance which is invisible because light rays are bent around it instead of passing through, yet the result is as though they actually passed through. I judge that the shell, or skin, of this stratosphere ship is composed of this substance, whose formula of construction is your secret.
The three Chinese could not answer, according to advices from Peking, because they could not be located. Jeter called the publisher of the leading newspaper for a conference. "Strange that you should have called just now," said the publisher, "for I was on the point of calling you and Eyer and inviting you to a conference to be held this evening at my office in Manhattan."
The whole conference followed at the heels of Hadley, Jeter and Eyer. They reached the roof at top speed. They were first conscious of the cries of despair, of disbelief, of horror which rose from the street canyons below them. But they forgot these the next instant at what they saw.
The faces of the two partners were dead white, but their eyes were fearless. They had come aloft to give their lives if need be. They wouldn't try to get them back now. Besides, what use was there? Jeter paused for a moment in thought. Then he began to examine some of their weapons.
A search of the sky above Manhattan failed to disclose any visible substance from which the light beam might emanate. That seemed to indicate some unbelievable height. Yet, Kress must have reached that base. Else why had he been destroyed and sent back to Jeter and Eyer as a challenge? Jeter's mind went back to Kress.
They seem good to me. Now get back to your ship and leave everything to me. Suppose you do encounter some intelligence in the stratosphere? How will you combat it, especially if it proves inimical which to-night's horror would seem to prove?" Jeter shrugged. "We'll take such armament as we have. We have several drums of a deadly volatile gas.