The World Beyond

by Ray Cummings

  CHAPTER V

  _Combat of Titans_

  "Aura, you think you know where Groff may have gone--those times he wentout into the hills?"

  "Yes. I think so. Lee--that giant, I think now I understand what musthave happened."

  The giant shape of Franklin, a mile or two from them, had stood for amoment and then had receded, vanished momentarily as he moved backwardbehind the hills. Lee and Aura, stunned, still stood beside the littlerocky path. Lee's mind was a turmoil of confusion, with only theknowledge that he must do something now, quickly. There were no weaponshere in this peaceful little realm. Four or five of these madmenvillains--what need had they of weapons? The monstrous power of size.The thought of it struck at Lee with a chill that seemed turning hisblood to ice. The monster that Franklin had become--with a size likethat he could scatter death with his naked hands.

  * * * * *

  "I remember now," Aura was gasping. "There was a time when yourgrandfather was working on his science. Groff was helping him then. Yourgrandfather taught Groff much."

  "Working at what?"

  "It was never said. Then your grandfather gave it up--he had decided itwould not be wise here."

  * * * * *

  Some individual apparatus, with the size-change principle of thespace-globe? And Groff had gotten the secret. An abnormality here--Groffwith the power of evil latent within him, tempted by this opportunity.What could he have hoped to accomplish? Of what use to him would it beto devastate this little realm? Bitter irony swept Lee. Of what use wasvast personal power to anyone? Those madmen of Earth's history, withtheir lust for conquest--of what use could the conquest be to them? Andyet they had plunged on.

  He realized that with Groff there could have been a wider field ofconquest. Groff had heard much of Earth. With the power of size here, hecould master this realm; then seize the space-globe. Go with it toEarth. Why, in a gigantic size there, he and a few villainous companionscould master the Earth-world. A mad dream indeed, but Lee knew it was alustful possibility matched by many in Earth's history.

  And then Franklin had come here. Franklin, with his knowledge of Earthwhich Groff would need. Franklin, with his inherent feeling ofinferiority--his groping desire for the strength and power of size. Whatan opportunity for Franklin!

  Lee heard himself saying out of the turmoil of his thoughts: "Then,Aura--out there in the hills they've got some apparatus, of course,which--"

  His words were stricken away. From somewhere in the glowing dimness nearat hand there was a groan. A gasping, choking groan; and the sound ofsomething falling.

  "Lee--over there--" Aura's whispered words were drab with horror.

  * * * * *

  A figure which had been staggering among the rocks near them, hadfallen. They rushed to it. Vivian! She was trying to drag herselfforward. Her hair, streaming down in a sodden mass, was matted withblood. Her pallid face was blood-smeared. Her neck and throat were awelter of crimson horror. Beside her on the ground lay a strange-lookingapparatus of grids and wires--a metal belt--a skeleton helmet.... Shewas gripping it with a blood-smeared hand, dragging it with her.

  "Vivian--Vivian--"

  "Oh--you, Lee? Thank Gawd I got to you--"

  Her elbows gave way; her head and shoulders sank to the rock. Faintlygasping, with blood-foam at her livid lips, she lay motionless. But herglazing eyes gazed up at Lee, and she was trying to smile.

  "I went with them--that damned Franklin--he thought I was as bad ashim--" Her faint words were barely audible as he bent down to her. "Justwant to tell you, Lee--you're perfectly swell--I guess I fell for you,didn't I? That's over now--just wanted you to know it anyway. There'sone of the damned mechanisms they've got--"

  "Where are they, Vivian?"

  "A cave, not very far from here--down that little ravine--justahead--they're in there--four or five of them, getting ready to--" Bloodwas rattling in her throat, choking her. She tried, horribly, to cough.And then she gasped:

  "I stole this mechanism. He--Franklin--he caught me--slashed me. Hethought I was dead, I guess--but--when he had gone, I got thismechanism--trying to get to you--"

  Her choking, rattling breath again gave out. For a moment she lay with aparoxysm of death twitching her. And then, very faintly she gasped:

  "Sort of nice--I was able to do one good thing--anyhow. I'm glad ofthat--"

  The paroxysm ended in a moment. Her white lips were still trying tosmile as the light went out of her eyes and she was gone. Trembling, Leestood up, with the mute, white-faced Aura clinging to him. It was fairlyobvious how the weird mechanism should be adjusted--anklets, theskeleton helmet of electrodes, the belt around his waist, with itsgrids, tiny dials and curved battery box. In a moment he stood with thewires strung from his head, to wrist, ankles and waist. There seemed butone little control switch that would slide over a metal arc of intensitycontacts.

  "Oh, Lee--what--what are you going to do--?" Aura stood white withterror.

  "She said--four or five of them in a cave near here--perhaps theyhaven't yet gotten large--"

  * * * * *

  Down in a little ravine Lee found himself running forward in theluminous darkness. He called back, "Aura--you stay where you are--youhide, until it's over--"

  Then, in the turmoil of his mind, there was no thought of the girl.There was only the vision of old Anthony lying back there sohelpless--his burning eyes bitter with this thing which had so horriblycome to his little realm. To meet force with force was the only answer.

  It was not Lee's plan to increase his size for a moment now. By doingthat, almost at once he would be discovered. And perhaps there werestill four or five of the murderers, still not giants, in a cave nearby.

  The dim rocky ravine, heavy with shadows, led downward. He came to atunnel opening, advancing more cautiously now. And then, as he turned anangle ahead of him, down a little subterranean declivity a luminous cavewas visible. Groff's hideout. At one of its entrances here Lee stood foran instant gasping. The five men were here--Groff and four of hisvillainous companions.

  The five bodies lay strewn--horribly mangled. And the wreckage of theirsize-change mechanisms was strewn among them.

  So obvious, what had happened! Franklin had been the first to get large.And at once he had turned on them. Franklin, the weakling who dared nothave any rivalry! And now Franklin was outside, out in the hills, araging, murderous monster. For a moment, in the grisly shambles of thelittle cave Lee stood transfixed. Then his hand was fumbling at hisbelt. He shoved the small switch-lever.

  There was a shock--a humming--a reeling of his senses. It was akin towhat he had felt on the space-globe, but stronger, more intense now. Foran instant he staggered, confused. The wires strung on him were glowing;he could feel their heat. Weird luminous opalescence streamed fromthem--it bathed him--strange electrolite radiance that permeated everyminute fibre of his being.

  With his head steadying, Lee suddenly was aware of movement all abouthim. The dim outlines of the cave-room were shrinking with a creeping,crawling movement. Cave-walls and roof all shrinking, dwindling, drawingdown upon him. Under his feet the rocky ground seemed hitching forward.

  This little cave! In a moment while he stood shocked into immobility,the cave was a tiny cell. Down by his feet the gruesome mangled corpseswere the size of children. The cave-roof bumped his head. He must getout of here! The realization stabbed him. Why, in another moment or twothese dark walls would close upon him! Then with instant changingviewpoint he saw the true actuality. He was a growing giant, crouchinghere underground--a giant who would be crushed, mangled by his ownmonstrous growth.

  * * * * *

  Lee turned, staggered into the little tunnel, shoved his way out. Thewalls pressed him; they seemed in a moment to close after him as hegained the outer glowing darkness.... There was only a narrow slit inthe dwindling cliff to mark the tun
nel entrance. Lee had the wits tocrouch in a fairly open space as he stared at the dwindling trees, thelittle hills, all shrinking. Franklin must be around here somewhere.Franklin doubtless would see him in a moment.

  And then as Lee rose up, Franklin saw him. Lee put a hand on one of thelittle hills at his waist, vaulted it so that he faced Franklin withwhat seemed no more than a hundred feet between them. For that secondFranklin was transfixed. Amazement swept his face. His muttering wasaudible:

  "Why--why--what's this--"

  An adversary had come to challenge his power. As Lee boundedforward, on Franklin's face while he stood transfixed, there waswonderment--disappointment--sudden instinctive fear--and then wild rage.He stooped; seized a boulder, hurled it at the oncoming Lee. It missed;and then Lee was on him, seizing him.

  Franklin's body had not been enlarging, but as he saw Lee coming, hishand had flung his switch. They gripped each other now, swaying, lockedtogether, staggering. Franklin still was more than head and shouldersabove Lee. His huge arms, with amazing power in them, bent Lee backward.He stumbled, went down with Franklin on him. "Got you! Damn you," hesaid.

  * * * * *

  His giant hands gripped Lee's throat, but Lee was aware that his ownbody was enlarging faster than Franklin's, upon which the size-currenthad only now started to act. If Lee could only resist--just a little bitlonger! His groping hands beside him on the ground seized a rock.Monstrous strangling fingers were at this throat--his breath was gone,his head roaring. Then he was aware that he had seized a rock and struckit up into Franklin's face. For a second the hands at Lee's throatrelaxed. He gulped in air, desperately broke free and staggered to hisfeet.

  But Franklin was up as quickly. The tiny forest trees crackled underLee's tread as again he hurled himself viciously on his antagonist....

  * * * * *

  At the head of the distant ravine, the numbed Aura crouched alone,staring out at the hills with mute horror--staring at the two monstrousgiants slugging it out. Franklin was the larger. She saw Lee rise up,and with a hand on one of the hills, vault over it. Giants that loomedagainst the sky as they fronted each other and then crashed together,went down.

  Lee was underneath! Dear God--

  Two monstrous bodies--Lee was lying with a ridge of crags under hisshoulders.... Franklin's voice was a blurred roar of triumph in thedistance. Then she saw Lee's groping hand come up with a monstrous fiftyfoot boulder. He crashed it home.

  They were up again. Their giant staggering lunges had carried them fivemiles from her. They were almost the size of fighting titans. Theblurred distant shapes of them were silhouettes against the glow of thesky. The forest out there was crackling under their tread ... a blurredroar of breaking, mangled trees....

  It was just a few seconds while Aura stared, but each second was aneternity of horror. Then one of the monstrous figures was toppling. Agreat boulder had crashed on Franklin's head; he had broken loose,staggering while Lee jumped backward and crouched.

  For just a second the towering shape of the stricken Franklin loomed upin the sky. And then it fell crashing forward. A swift-flowing streamwas there, and the body fell across it--blocking the water which dammedup, then turned aside and went roaring off through the mangled forest.

  * * * * *

  Lee, again in his former size, sat at old Anthony's bedside, with Aurabehind him. The news of the combat out there against the sky had come toAnthony--the excitement of it, too much for his faltering old heart....

  "But you will be all right, grandfather. The thing is over now."

  "Yes. All right--of course, Lee. Just a visitor here--and you will takemy place--"

  He lay now--as old Anna Green had been that night--just on the brink."Lee, listen to me--those mechanisms--the space-globe--Lee, I realizenow there is no possibility that we could help Earth--and surely itcould only bring us evil here. What we have found here--don't you see,back on Earth each man must create it for himself. Within himself: Hecould do that, if he chose. And so you--you must disconnectus--forever--"

  "Yes, grandfather--"

  "And I--guess that is all--"

  For some time he seemed to hover on the brink, while Lee and Aura,sitting hand in hand, silently watched him. And then he was gone.

  * * * * *

  The last of the mechanisms irrevocably was smashed. The little line ofvacuums and tubes of the space-globe's mechanisms went up into a burstof opalescent light under Lee's grim smashing blows.

  Then silently he went outside and joined Aura. Behind them, down thedeclivity toward the village, the people were gathering. He was silent,his heart pounding with emotion, as he faced them from a littleeminence--faced them and heard their shouts, and saw their arms go up towelcome him.

  Slowly he and Aura walked down the slope toward his waiting people. Andwith her by his side, her hand in his, Lee Anthony knew then that he hadfound fulfillment--the attainment of that which is within every man'sheart--man's heritage--those things for which he must never cease tostrive.

  THE END

  Transcriber's Note

  Minor corrections of spelling and punctuation have been made withoutcomment. Variations in spelling, capitalization, and hyphenation havebeen retained to match the original document.