Part 4 (1/2)

And Thorn, reeling on his feet and unarmed and alone, turned and went staggering up a hillside toward the rocket-s.h.i.+p's position. He could only expect to be killed. He could not even hope for anything more than to ensure that Sylva, also, die mercifully. Behind him he left an unarmed nation awaiting devastation, with a mighty air fleet speeding toward it at six hundred miles an hour.

As he went, though, some strength came to him. The fury of his toil forced him to breathe deeply, cleansing his lungs of the stupefying gas which, because it was visible as a vapor, had been carried in the rocket-s.h.i.+p. A visible gas was, of course, more consistent with the early pretense that the rocket-s.h.i.+p bore invaders from another planet.

And Thorn became drenched with sweat, which aided in the excretion of the poisonous stuff. His brain cleared, and he recognized despair and discounted it and began to plan grimly to make the most of an infinitesimal chance. The chance was simply that Kreynborg had ransacked his pockets and ignored a little forked stick.

Scrambling up a steep hillside with his face hardened into granite, Thorn drew that from his pocket again. Crossing a hill-top, he stripped off his coat.

He traveled at the highest speed he could maintain, though it seemed painfully deliberate. An hour after he had started, he was picking up small round pebbles wherever he saw them in his path. By the time the tall, bulbous tower was in sight he had picked up probably sixty such pebbles, but no more than ten of them remained in his pockets. They, though, were smooth and round and even, perhaps an inch in diameter, and all very nearly the same size. And he carried a club in his hand.

He went down the last slope openly. The television lenses on the tower would have picked him out in any case, if Kreynborg had repaired the screen. He went boldly up to the rocket-s.h.i.+p.

”Kreynborg!” he called. ”Kreynborg!”

He felt himself being surveyed. A door came open. Kreynborg stood chuckling at him with a pocket-gun in his hand.

”Ha! Just in time, my friend! I haff been fery busy. Der Com-Pub fleet is just due to pa.s.s in refiew abofe der welcoming United Nations combat-squadrons. I haff been gifing them last-minute information and a.s.surance that der domes of force are solid and can hold forefer. I haff a few minutes to spare, which I had intended to defote to der fair Sylva. But--what do you wish?”

”I'm offering you a bribe,” said Thorn, his face a mask. ”A billion dollars and immunity to cut off the outer dome of force.”

Kreynborg grinned at him.

”It is too late. Besides being a traitor, I would be a.s.sa.s.sinated instantly. Also, I shall be Commissar for North America anyhow.”

”Two billion,” said Thorn without expression.

”No,” said Kreynborg amusedly. ”Throw away der club. I shall amuse myself with you, Thorn Hardt. You shall watch der progress of romance between me and Sylva. Throw away der club!”

The pocket-gun came up. Thorn threw away the club.

”What do you want, if two billion's not enough?”

”Amus.e.m.e.nt,” said Kreynborg jovially. ”I shall be bored in this inner dome, waiting for der air fleet to starfe. I wish amus.e.m.e.nt. And I shall get it. Come inside!”

He backed away from the door, his gun trained on Thorn. And Thorn saw that the continuous-fire stud was down. He walked composedly into the red room in which he had once awakened. Sylva gave a little choked cry at sight of him. She was standing, desperately defiant, on the other side of the induction-screen area on the floor. There was a scorched place on the floor where Thorn had shorted that screen and the bar of metal had grown red-hot. Kreynborg threw the switch and motioned Thorn to her.

”I do not bother to search you for weapons,” he said dryly. ”I did it so short a time ago. And you had only a club....”

Thorn walked stiffly beside Sylva. She put out a shaking hand and touched him. Kreynborg threw the switch back again.

”Der screen is on,” he chuckled. ”Console each other, children. I am glad you came, Thorn Hardt. We watch der grand refiew of der Com-Pub fleet. Then I turn a little infention of mine upon you. It is a heat-ray of fery limited range. It will be my method of wooing der fair Sylva. When she sees you in torment, she kisses me sweetly for der prifilege of stopping der heat-ray. I count upon you, my friend, to plead with her to grant me der most extraf.a.gant of concessions, when der heat-ray is searing der flesh from your bones. I feel that she is soft-hearted enough to oblige you. Yes?”

He touched a b.u.t.ton and the repaired television-screen lighted up.

All the dome of mountains and sky was visible in it. There were dancing motes in sight, which were aircraft.

”I haff remofed all metal-work from that side of der room,” added Kreynborg comfortably, ”so I can dare to turn my back. You cannot short der induction-screen again. That was clefer. But you face a scientist, Thorn Hardt. You haff lost.”

A sudden surge of flying craft appeared on the television screen. The grounded fleet of the United Nations was taking to the air again. In the narrow, two-mile strip between the two domes of force it swirled up and up.... Kreynborg frowned.