In recent years several posthumous Fearn collections have appeared, but there yet remains a substantial number of Fearn’s early science fiction novelettes that have not so far been reprinted simply because they are now known to be ‘scientifically impossible’ in that they feature Martians and the like, and as such have become fantasy. What was still possible to speculative writers in the past is no longer believable today.
But should such entertaining stories be allowed to slip into oblivion and be entirely forgotten? Cannot such stories, with due allowances made for the time when they were written, still entertain and amuse modern readers willing to suspend their disbelief and simply enjoy these stories in their historical context?
Gathered together for the first time in War of the Scientists are three vintage Fearn novelettes: the title story, “The Granite Angel” and “World Beneath Ice.”
I hope you will agree that they still have the power to astonish and entertain!
CHAPTER I
Trouble in paradise
“Hello, there, Eva! Anything wrong?”
Howard Sykes, young, blond, husky Earth ambassador to Mars, looked up from his desk questioningly.
“I’m not sure, Howard. But I’ve got a funny feeling in my bones that things are distinctly not so hot.”
Eva Wayne was a biologist. She was also twenty-five, had yellow blonde hair and the most attractive blue eyes Howard Sykes had ever seen. Even more than that, she was possessed of a sense of intuition which was often uncanny.
Sykes made a resigned gesture.
“Trouble in paradise! Well, dammit, just what is wrong?”
“Oh, there isn’t anything actually wrong—not yet. But there’s a growing feeling in most of the Zones that their particular Zone must be allowed to dominate all the rest. Each Zone seems to think that its particular function is the most important of the lot!”
“So that’s it!” Howard Sykes slammed his engineer’s fist on his desk. “Might have guessed that something like this would happen. You can’t herd a bunch of geniuses together and expect a harmonious love feast. What more do you know, Eva?”
When the girl was finished with her report, Sykes turned to his personal typewriter and began to pound away at an insistent rate.
Hon. Dudley Baxter, Consultant, World State Federation, New York City, America. Dear Dr. Baxter:—
It is my unpleasant duty to inform you that after our six months’ experiment on this planet, dissension among the six scientific Zones has definitely broken out.
When I undertook to rehabilitate this wasted red planet, it was with high hopes that as ambassador to Mars, the six-Zone colony that I would establish here would be sufficient unto itself, and that my presence as ambassador would be simply to supervise the administration of the Zones.
Now I am informed that our six Zones of scientific activity—physics, astronomy, cosmic engineering, biology, social welfare, and interplanetary eugenics—have each become jealous of the other. It was the World State’s original plan to gather the world’s greatest men and women scientists, fully equip laboratories here for their use, and set them to work on this isolated planet to develop the fruits of their researches—without infringing on each other’s authority.
Each Zone was to have its own task; no task was to be duplicated. Cooperation between the Zones was to be permitted when necessary. It was thought that in twenty years, the independent researches of the six Zones would be integrated into a new world plan which would forever after insure peace and prosperity for all peoples.
That meanwhile, voluntarily isolated here on Mars, no one scientific branch could dominate the other with the inevitable result that one branch of science might take up arms against the other and thus precipitate another World War.
Therefore, since this dissension has now broken out, I must ask you to hold yourself in readiness for all possible trouble, and to prepare for any eventualities which may occur. I will report to you again as soon as I have definitely isolated the cause of the controversy. Howard Sykes, Earth Ambassador.
Finishing, Sykes folded the report in an envelope, summoned a messenger, and gave orders to have his findings space-radioed in secret code to Earth.
He rose to his feet then, perplexed and with an angry frown.
“Dammit, the thing’s fantastic!” he expostulated. “If the chiefs of each Zone start refusing now to get together, we’re worse off than we were before! At least when we started this experiment, nobody was doing any bickering. Come on, Eva! We’re going to get to the bottom of this if I have to lock every overgrown prodigy in a cell!”
As they left his office, Sykes asked the girl: “Where would you suggest we start?”
Eva Wayne’s forehead puckered. “Well, Dr. Hendriks, chief of our biological department, asked Dr. Brown of cosmic engineering to come over for a discussion on a matter of mutual interest. Brown’s retort was that he had no time for biologists! Thus far, he’s been the most outspoken of the dissenters.”
Sykes face was grim. “Dr. Brown it is, then.”
The girl accompanied him down the long, airy passages leading to the cosmic engineering department. Dr. Brown duly appeared from the army of workers when his presence was requested. For some reason his usually amiable round face was set and determined, his dark eyes filled with a stubborn fire.
“I believe, Doctor, that you refused to cooperate with Dr. Hendriks of biology,” Sykes began, straining to keep his reputation as a diplomat intact.
Brown nodded briefly. “I did, yes. I have reasons for believing that my cosmic engineering research is far more important than Hendriks’ specialty. I have neither the time nor the inclination to obey his wishes—and for that matter, I have little time to waste in talking to you, either. Our science is vitally important: biology is not!”
“That’s ridiculous!” Eva cried hotly, flushing. “One science is as necessary as another in the advancement of a world civilization, and you have no right to say otherwise!”
“Just a minute, please!” Howard Sykes’ voice was firm. The tougher a situation got, the more evenly his steel nerves functioned.
“Dr. Brown, how can you—a self-confessed believer in the pooling of ideas—say that your science is more important than another? What’s the reason for it? You surely realize you are undermining the very thing for which we all came to this planet?”
“Circumstances alter cases, Mr. Sykes,” Brown replied ambiguously. “I have my own reasons for thinking that cosmic engineering is more important than biology—and I refuse to cooperate. Now, if you will excuse me—”
He nodded curtly and turned away to his work once more. Sykes stood looking after him for a moment, frowning; then he returned slowly to the main corridor with the puzzled girl at his side. Inwardly he was seething.
“Well, now you know!” Eva said. “Imagine the shock I got! And Dr. Hendriks, too!”
“Damned if I can figure it out!” Sykes stood biting his lip. “Brown was one of our best co-operators when we first came here. Seems to have about-faced completely—Hendriks, you say, is still willing to exchange ideas?”
“Absolutely. No change in him at all; he’s as loyal as ever.”
“Good for him.” Sykes rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I’m going to find out myself how the other Zone chiefs are feeling. You’d better get along back to your job, and if you discover anything else that strikes you as out of place, let me know right away.”
They parted company, the girl to the Biological Zone, while Howard Sykes boarded the swift-moving tube conveyance by which the planet’s various Zones were interlinked. It was a six-hour job for him to check up on all the Zone heads and get their reactions.
The Martian night had arrived by the time he arrived back at his headquarters to ponder results. Eva Wayne, in off-work attire, was waiting for him.
“Anything new?” Sykes asked anxiously, as he caught sight of her in the light from his desk-lamp.
“No—I just thought I might be able to
help you with your results. I’ve nothing else to do right now.”
They sat down together, going over six sets of reactions which Howard Sykes had typed out from hastily scribbled notes. By a process of elimination it took only fifteen minutes to reveal a startling fact—that the heads of the Zones controlling cosmic engineering, astronomy, and physics had suddenly become adamant in their belief that their three specialized sciences were the only ones that mattered.
In loyal contradiction, the other three departments controlling biology, eugenics, and social welfare were each un-changed and willing to exchange ideas as before. To three departments, then, something mysterious had happened. Though willing to talk among themselves, they were definitely against their three Zone neighbors.
“Which means that cosmic engineering, astronomy, and physics are ranged in a solid bloc against the sciences of eugenics, biology, and social welfare,” Sykes muttered. “It just doesn’t make sense! The three obdurate ones are willing to talk among themselves—but not with the other three. What’s it all about? Why?” He stared at the girl’s face anxiously.
Then his fists clenched. “Well, the reason will have to wait. The important thing is, the departments controlling physics, engineering and astronomy are far more able, with their present knowledge and resources, to make an attack than are the other three departments—if matters should arrive at an actual state of war. They have all the forces of destruction ranged on their side. But to what end? Where is the sense in achieving domination?”
“That we don’t know—yet.” Getting to her feet, Eva joined Sykes at the window. “There’s something phony about it all somewhere. Three ordinarily honest and intelligent scientists have gone mulish, and there’s a reason for it. It’s up to us to find out.”
“To me, you mean. I’m the go-between,” Sykes protested.
“We work together,” Eva stated quietly. “We’re on a planet that has an unknown history. We have no means of knowing what really happened to the people who once populated this world. In that might lie the answer to this new complex riddle; the answer may be in the very sand we plowed up and made fertile. Mastering a world for the purposes of colonization and scientific progress was not the whole battle, perhaps. There may be other things.”
“That,” said Howard Sykes grimly, “is what I’m beginning to be afraid of.”
CHAPTER II
Attack on the Zones
It was very clear in the ensuing days, that, far from dropping their adamant, obstinate attitude, the respective heads of the physics, astronomy, and cosmic engineering Zones were, if possible, keeping more closely than ever to themselves and observing a curious pre-arranged secrecy. They held private conferences together, despite the fact that it was against the Zone law originally instituted by Dudley Baxter himself.
Eva Wayne, in a better position than Howard Sykes to see what was going on, had grave misgivings. The course of her work took her many times to the physics and engineering Zones, and while there she saw things which were anything but reassuring. Instead of getting on with their job of research, the engineers were building significant-looking machinery, the physicists were experimenting with new explosives and rays, and the astronomers were making problematical calculations that seemed to have a definite application to the distant Earth.
“Howard, there can be no doubt about it that they are preparing for a battle with the three remaining Zones,” the girl told him, after a week of careful observation. “Don’t ask me why they’re doing it—but anybody can see that there’s an unbearable tension building up between the three Zones willing to cooperate and the three who are obdurate.
“There’ll be trouble at any minute. Against the devices of engineers and physicists we’ll stand no chance in the other Zones. I hear also, though it’s probably a rumor, that Dr. Brown has borrowed some heavy bombing planes from the city airport for a proposed ‘experiment’.”
“He has, eh?” Sykes thumped the desk impatiently. “Can’t stop him doing it, of course, but I wish I knew why he had to do it. There’s no reason—”
The girl shook her head hopelessly. “I didn’t find a thing, either. Our only recourse is for you to get Baxter here before things get completely out of hand. Looks to me as though it’s only a matter of days before the fireworks start going off.”
“I’ll tell Baxter right away,” Sykes nodded grimly, and turned to the radio apparatus.
But before he reached it, he glanced up sharply at a sudden violent concussion. The vast windows of the office rattled in response, and for a moment livid glare flared through the Martian night.
“It’s the Eugenics Zone!” Eva shouted hoarsely. “Look! It’s being attacked by somebody—or something—Howard, they’ve started already!” She wheeled around, her face pale. “Without warning—without even a declaration of hostility.”
Howard Sykes stood staring out of the window, momentarily at a loss. Of the three great Zones clearly visible with their floods of light, the centermost was in the grip of a devastating fire. Just how the thing had been started was not clear.
Obviously the physics department had thought up some new and diabolical method of flame production, since the solid stone edifice of research was itself ablaze. Fissures were visible, too, from which rolled vast masses of smoke. Figures were already dashing for safety—but they did not dash far. As they poured into the adjoining Zone, another shattering blast rent the air. Sykes’ office windows completely shattered under the impact.
Just in time Sykes caught the girl and flung her flat beside him, as razor-edged pieces tinkled and smashed around them. Immediately after, even as they got to their feet, there came the deep bass roar of airplanes.
With a soul-shattering racket, a squadron of heavy bombers thundered overhead and began to add their complement of destruction to the blazing Zones.
“It’s fiendish—diabolical!” Eva raved. “There’s no sense to a thing like this. Howard, I’ve got to get to the biology building. There are special notes there—years of research information. They mustn’t be destroyed!”
He caught her as she swung to the door. “Don’t be a darned little fool!” he shouted, gripping her arm. “What chance do you think you would stand? You’d be killed in a second. Here, sit down!”
Sykes thrust her into a chair by main force, then swung to the radio. To his dismay the apparatus refused to work.
“Dead,” he breathed, glancing up. “It must be their doing! They’ve cut off communication with Earth—with anywhere, for that matter! Just what the hell—”
He stared bitterly through the windows at the blazing inferno. More bombs were dropping now, deliberately aimed at the armies of scientists and research workers running for safety toward the great areas of distant city where lay their homes and apartments. Through the lurid holocaust of flame and destruction, it was clear that hundreds of them were being ruthlessly slaughtered—the scientists of the Biology, Eugenics, and Social Welfare Zones. The other three Zones were left untouched.
Howard Sykes stood in quivering fury, bitterly aware of his own helplessness. Eva joined him again, just in time to see her own Zone explode and start to spurt flame and death. The three Zones which had been willing to follow out the letter and spirit of Dudley Baxter’s plan had ended in carnage and ruin. Somewhere, something was horribly wrong—
Moments later the various emergency units went into action. The air became hideous with the din of clanging bells, as fire engines and ambulances swept into view from the region of the city far down on the horizon. For one brief moment Sykes feared there was to be an air attack on the city also—but the expectation was not realized.
Evidently satisfied with their hellish handiwork, the bombers droned on their way into the darkness, the roar of their engines growing fainter and fainter. There was only one place they could be going—the colony’s airplane base once more, far to the north.
Suddenly Sykes’ office door burst open. It was Dr. Hendriks, chief of biology, who came i
n, blood-spattered and ashen-faced.
“Mr. Sykes—got to see you!” He spoke with obvious effort, reeled as he stood. He was clutching something in one hand.
“Here—” Howard Sykes caught him quickly. Between them he and Eva half carried the scientist to the leather armchair and eased him into it. Hendriks gave a weak nod of acknowledgment. The girl turned instantly to the water carafe and filled up a glass.
“Th—thanks,” Hendriks muttered, sipping it slowly. “That’s better. Those infernal devils!” he went on fiercely. “It was a deliberate attack on us for no reason whatsoever. But—but I think I have the reason. You, Miss Wayne, gave me the clue.”
Eva looked surprised. Hendriks held his chest painfully for a moment, then went on.
“You said one day that it might be in the air—but we proved together that it wasn’t. Remember?” He looked at her from hollow eyes.
“Yes. But what else could—”
“When the explosions happened tonight, one of the young men from the physicists’ Zone was caught. He had set the explosive fuses, I think. They—they brought him to our laboratory. He was abnormal—raving with desire for destruction. He was injured too—bleeding.
“I took a blood sample and examinee it. I found out queer biological reactions; then they started exploding our Zone as well, and I had to run for it. Here’s—here’s the slide from the microscope. You—you take care of it—”
Hendriks suddenly stopped talking and his haggard face froze into gray rigidity. Without a word he toppled forward out of his chair, his clenched right hand opening to release a small oblong box.
“Dr. Hendriks!” Eva sobbed, horrified. “Dr. Hendriks!”
Howard Sykes slipped his hand over the scientist’s heart. He withdrew it instantly, stained red. Eying it, he gave a shudder.
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