Passing through an arched doorway
from this, level—at the other end. But guards
that led into a long low chamber filled with
are not so numerous down here; we have a
great quartz tubes, Y-44 pulled Wistert behind
good chance.”
a bulwark of bakelite studded with switches
“Lead the way. If it comes to a and buttons, then pointed eloquently at the showdown, this”—Wistert displayed the gun
back of the unsuspecting guard. Without
the guard had dropped to the floor—“will help
compunction Wistert took careful aim and
considerably.” He slipped the weapon beneath
pulled the trigger. Y-44 leaped forward as
his garment so that it too was invisible.
soon as the man fell, jerking his pistol, from
Y-44 led the way along the dimly its holster.
lighted passageways, peering ahead anxiously.
As they started forward, a bell clanged
Wistert, following ghostlike, noticed for the
loudly. Y-44 turned a grave face to Wistert.
first time that his companion’s dark-blue outfit
“The alarm! I’ve been expecting it, yet hoping
covered a rather small1 and slight form. against it. Every guard in the whole place will Beneath the tam, also of service-blue, was a
be on the lookout for us now!”
delicately molded face—almost an effeminate
“How far yet to the depot?”
one. It was hardly the picture Wistert had
“Not far—if we can make it!” Y-44
formed of Y-44, one of America’s most dashed forward recklessly. They plunged into trusted agents. Yet brains were more a corridor, raced around a corner. Two guards important in a spy than brawn, and that Y-44
whirled, guns spitting. Y-44 threw himself
was soon to prove.
flat. Before the enemy could aim again for the
one figure visible to them, lying prone,
“ON your toes,” whispered Y-44, without Wistert’s gun had spoken twice. His deadly slackening pace. “We must skirt the laboratory
aim stretched the men low with bullets in their
section.”
brains.
Wistert gripped his pistol tighter. They
As the two Americans ran past, both
passed doorways from which came the paused to reload their pistols from the guards’
whining of dynamos, crackling of arcs, and
ammunition belts.
other signs of scientific activity.
“Better take along some extras,”
“This way!” said Y-44, leading the admonished Y-44. In another moment they way straight into a laboratory. They threaded
had supplied themselves, Y-44 filling a
their way between towering apparatus pocket, Wistert stuffing the shells in his belt attended by bewilderingly staring gland-men
pouch.
in denim.
No more guards appeared for a time,
“No guards in this section,” explained
and the two spies raced down a narrow
Y-44, increasing the pace to half run. “These
corridor. Back of them the clanging of the
Thrilling Wonder Stories
10
alarm system died away.
Something akin to interest came into
“We’re in Bergmann’s personal the gland-man’s face. A vague emotion was laboratory section,” panted Y-44. “Don’t think
working through his somnolent nervous
they’ll look for us here for a while. Now—”
system—drugged by Bergmann to kill all
Wistert brought up his gun as a figure
personal initiative. Wistert, impatient at the
appeared suddenly from a side corridor.
strange delay, began to wonder what Y-44 had
“No-” Y-44 struck his gun aside. in mind.
“That’s him—Bergmann’s prize gland-man,
“We tried to kill Bergmann,” went on
the inventor of the Invisibility Cloak!”
Y-44, “because he wishes to subjugate all the
“What’s he doing here?” demanded world, and make them all gland-men—make Wistert. “Looking for us too?”
them slaves, as you are!”
“No. He often wanders around the
The gland-man pondered this.
corridors—when in deep thought with his Presently he spoke: “Slave? But I am a great gland-impregnated mind. He’s privileged.”
scientist. I am a super-mind!”
He stepped forward eagerly. “I want to
“But Bergmann is your master!” cried
talk to him.”
the spy. “You do as he tells you. You must, or
“Good heavens, now?” spluttered he would kill you. You are a slave!”
Wistert. “When every second—”
The travesty of a rage glared suddenly
Y-44 turned on him almost fiercely.
from the gland-man’s eyes. An instinct that
“I’ve planned this for days! I wanted to come
Bergmann had almost eradicated worked in
here, to meet him! Your coming to this place
the doped mind•—manifested itself in
and getting me in a mess almost spoiled it, but
clenching fists—man’s instinct against
I’m going through with it. If you’re eager to
personal slavery.
get out, go up the steps at the end of this
“Come,” said Y-44 then. “Must you be
hallway, and turn to the right. It leads to the
a slave, you who have made a vortex of living
freight depot.”
Atomic Power?”
But Wistert did not take the hint;
A strange look came into the
instead he followed Y-44, who approached the
gland-man’s eyes.
gland-man standing apathetically in the
“Must you bow to his will?”—the
middle of the corridor.
strange look deepened—“when you have
“MORVAINE!” said Y-44, standing inestimable power in your hands!”—the eyes directly in front of the gland-man. “Do you
widened—“You can show Bergmann who is
hear the loud clanging of the alarm bells?”
master and slave!”—a deep anger flared—
The gland-man looked at the spy “You can in one moment defeat him”—an coldly, as though brought down from some
eager light now—“by releasing your
Olympian height of thought. “Alarm bell? super-powerful vortex, immediately!”
That noise! Yes, I hear it.”
Y-44 watched the gland-man’s face
“It is ringing for us,” continued Y-44,
like a hawk. Had the play on subconscious
speaking slowly and distinctly. “They want to
emotions and instincts succeeded in arousing
capture us—Bergmann and his men.”
in that human thinking machine a desire for
A frown came over the gland-man’s
revenge against Bergmann?
brooding face. “Bergmann is—”
“Come,” said the gland-man suddenly.
“Yes, he wants to kill us! Do you
“We shall go to my laboratory—and release
know why? Because we are his enemies. We
the vortex!”
tried to kill Bergmann and now he wants to
kill us.”
The Hormone Menace
11
CHAPTER IV
expect us to try it. He may be a scientific
The Vortex
genius, but I don’t credit him with much sense
<
br /> of strategy. He no doubt has his main forces
combing the upper levels for us.”
SAYING this, he turned about, heading for an
With quick movements, Wistert
open door down the hall. Y-44 made as suddenly doffed his Invisibility Cloak, though to follow, but two strong, invisible
extending it toward the other. “I have a
hands held him back.
premonition, though, that we’re going to fall
“No you don’t,” said Wistert. “You’re
into the arms of a bunch of guards outside.
coming with me! Let Morvaine do what he
That Baron Laiglon is a wise old buzzard. It’s
will, but-you and I are getting out.”
your turn how to be protected by this thing.”
“No, no! I must go with him; he will
“No! I have never worn one; I
forget! Everything depends on this! Let me
would—would stumble! You—”
go—”
“This is no time to argue,” said
Wistert wasted no further words but
Wistert. “Put it on.” He looked Y-44 in the
picked the other up bodily, and ran, for the
face with an odd smile. “Besides, what kind of
stairs that led to the freight depot. As he a man would I be, letting you take the greatest gained the top, he heard the murmur of voices
risk?”
behind them. He set Y-44 down.
Y-44 started. “What do you mean?”
“Coming? Or would you like to plow
Wistert’s smile became a grin. “Do
through a few guards? You’ve done a great
you remember, Y-44, when I shot that guard?.
piece of work, Y-44. But whether it succeeds
I heard something resembling a scream from
or not, it is up to you and me to carry on the
you in the excitement. And, in circumstances
way we should—escape and contact H.Q.”
like that, men do not scream!”
Together, then, they ran along.
Y-44 stared for a moment, eyes
Pounding feet sounded behind them. They dilating. “All right,” she said finally, “I am a gained a door which opened out into an woman. But I insist on taking my share of the immense drome with great unloading risks.” Pulling open the grillwork door, she platforms and derricks.
dashed out, pistol in hand.
“This way, quick!”
“You little fool!” said Wistert
Wistert followed Y-44, who ran admiringly as he followed.
toward a huge opening at one end of the
drome, toward an auxiliary lift, designed for
Y-44 ran to a door and opened it cautiously.
human freight. Automatic machinery raised
Wistert peered through, to see a giant chamber
the cage at the swing of a lever. Before it had
whose one side was open to the night air. Here
risen ten feet, a dozen guards came scurrying
it was where the giant commercial craft,
from the drome, guns belching. The two spies
loaded with supplies, were taxied to the great
threw themselves flat to the metal flooring of
freight lift to be lowered and unloaded in
the cage, returning the fire effectively.
secrecy.
In another moment, as the elevator
“We can’t escape on foot,” whispered.
rose steadily, they were secure from gunfire
Y-44. “We must gain the open air and then
below.
look for a motor-car; or, better, an airplane. If
“We’re safe enough now,” said Y-44
luck is with us, we may find a big Stutgart
panting. “Outside we’ll have to take our outside, waiting to be taken in at daylight, to chances again. You see, I took this way of
be unloaded. Think you and I could handle
getting out because Bergmann would not one?”
Thrilling Wonder Stories
12
“Lead me to it,” grunted Wistert.
hide a trembling lip. Wistert expressed a
Y-44 took a deep breath and stepped
strange desire to take her in his arms and
from the small ante-chamber. The great room
comfort her. Then Y-44 whirled around, face
beyond was empty, and but faintly illuminated
set grimly.
by a few overhead lights. Two hundred yards
“I say let’s give the baron his money’s
away lay freedom.
worth!”
The two spies hugged the wall, making
There was no chance to employ
their way toward the large portal to the subterfuge or design. It was an open stretch outside. They were in a precarious position,
from their position to the portal. There was not
exposed to gunfire from three directions. a stick or stone to use as temporary protection.
Wistert did not breathe easily till they had
It was obvious suicide. Already the first
gone halfway and gained the welcome greyings of dawn were lighting up the huge protection of a bulwark which stood there to
open chamber.
break the back-wash of powerful airplane
propellers.
THEY dashed out together, eyes grimly set to
Wistert leaped ahead of Y-44 spot the enemy when he would reveal himself.
suddenly, and was the first to step from behind
Before they had advanced twenty feet, dark
the concealing partition. There was a sharp
figures loomed against the pale sky, limned
pop and bullet whined past his ear. He jerked
clearly in the doorway. A volley of shots rang
back with an exclamation.
out, and bullets whined by their ears. Sobbing
“Tough luck,” said Y-44, biting her lip
in a deadly rage, Wistert sped forward,
at this unexpected opposition. “How many are
withholding his fire till he could make more
there, can you see?”
effective use of it. Y-44 fell a little behind.
Wistert was already peering cautiously
Another volley of shots, and by some
around the bulwark. “Can’t make it out, but—
miracle the two spies were untouched. A tall,
” He clipped off his words to bring up his
broad-shouldered figure leaped forward to
right hand. At the sound of his shot there was
meet them. The guards in back, fearing to hit
a short scream from the direction of the open
the officer, were forced to cease firing. When
doorway.
no more than a hundred feet separated them,
Wistert turned hard eyes on his Wistert and the baron stopped short as though companion. “We’ve got to make a rush for
at a signal, firing.
it—our only chance!”
Wistert’s pistol barked three times.
“Let’s go, S-23!”
Something tore at his left shoulder and jerked
Wistert gripped her extended hand, him half around. But his eyes lighted up as he looking down into her eyes. As they were
saw the enemy officer crumple and fall
about to dash headlong in a wild fight for
forward.
freedom, a ringing voice reverberated through
“Good work!” cried Y-44, dashing
the place, coming from ahead.
past him straight for the massed guards.
“Messieurs Spies! You are trapped! I
Wistert started forward again; he saw
&
nbsp; await you here with ten guards—here at the
the opposing guards again bringing up their
door which is your only escape!”
guns, taking deadly aim. Wistert was not
The two besieged spies looked at one
conscious of the cause, but suddenly he
another in dismay.
noticed that something strange had happened.
“What do you say, Y-44?” asked The guards were swaying as though caught in Wistert quietly.
a twisting’ wind. Their guns fell from shaking
The other turned away suddenly to hands; they seemed to be frightened.
The Hormone Menace
13
Wistert became aware then that he motors revved to high speed, and the great himself was staggering forward drunkenly. It
ship plunged along the ground. In a few
seemed as though the ground were heaving
minutes they were climbing.
under him. He felt a hand on his shoulder;
Then they looked back and down at the
then an eager voice shouted into his ear:
place they had left. It was a smoking ruin.
“At last! I’ve been hoping and praying
“Were we the only two to get out
for it! Come on, S-23, now’s our chance.”
alive?” Wistert asked wonderingly.
Wistert followed Y-44 just as a terrific
“It’s a miracle that we got out!” cried
rending and grinding noise tore the air to
Y-44. “Those guards a hundred feet away
shreds. He saw walls tumbling, ceilings were crushed. It was like an earthquake, more cracking; the floor seemed to squirm as than anything else. Of course, down below it though alive. It was like a nightmare in slow
The Hormone Menace by Eando Binder Page 3