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The ceiling of the amphitheater pierced, the beam expired; and down into that assembly hall there dropped two canisters of Vee-Two; to crash and to fill its atmosphere with imperceptible death. Then the beam flashed on again, this time at maximum power, and with it Costigan burned away half of the gigantic building.
But ahead of him there was wafted a breath of dread Vee-Two, and where that breath went, went also unconsciousness an unconsciousness which would deepen gradually into permanent oblivion save for the prompt intervention of one who possessed, not only the necessary antidote, but the equally important knowledge of exactly how to use it.
Exhaling or inhaling, their air-passages had snapped as that dread "Vee-Two" was heard, and they had literally jumped into their armored suits of space flushing them out with volume after volume of unquestionable air; holding their breath to the last possible second, until their straining lungs could endure no more.
'Service Specials' but you didn't specify exactly what Service, did you?" "Now that you mention it, I don't believe that I did," Costigan grinned. "That explains several things about you particularly your recognition of Vee-Two and your uncanny control and speed of reaction. But aren't you...." "No," Costigan interrupted, positively.
Then I finally managed to separate oxygen and nitrogen, after trying hard all of one day; and when they thought they saw that I didn't know anything about either one of them or what to do with them after I had them, they gave me up in disgust as a plain dumb ape and haven't paid any attention to me since. So I've got me plenty of kilograms of liquid Vee-Two, all ready to touch off.
Simultaneously a speaker roared forth its message of a ship in dire peril. "Sector alarm! N. A. T. Hyperion gassed with Vee-Two. Nothing detectable in space, but...."
Carefully he transferred to the vessel the motley assortment of containers of Vee-Two, and after a quick check-up to make sure that he had overlooked nothing, he shot his craft straight up into the air. Then only did he close his ultra-wave circuits and speak. "Clio, Bradley I got away clean, without a bit of trouble. Now I'm coming after you, Clio."
"What was it?" the shaken girl asked. "I think that I remember your saying 'Vee-Two gas. That's forbidden! Anyway, I owe you my life, Conway, and I'll never forget it never. Thanks but the others how about all the rest of us?" "It was Vee-Two, and it is forbidden," Costigan replied grimly, eyes fast upon the flashing plate, whose point of projection was now deep in the bowels of the vessel.
"Control room!" he gasped then, and every speaker throughout the great cruiser of the void blared out the warning as he forced his already evacuated lungs to absolute emptiness. "Vee-Two Gas! Get tight!"
But there's a sure antidote we all carry it in a lock-box in our armor and we all know how to use it, because crooks all use Vee-Two and so we're always expecting it. But since the air will be pure again in half an hour we'll be able to revive the others easily enough if we can get by with whatever is going to happen next. There's the bird that did it, right in the air-room!
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