Golden Age of Science Fiction Vol XIII

by Various

  She nodded and, frowning slightly, bent over the dials.

  At that moment there came a heavy knock on the apartment door.

  "Who's that?" gasped Manthis, his face turning grey.

  "Probably Solinski," replied Jack, feeling his spine crawl as he remembered the moldy Russian. "Fine time he chose for a visit."

  "Shall I let him in?"

  "Don't see what else there is to do."

  "Good evening," cried their guest as Manthis opened the door. "Ah, Dr. Manthis, I believe. I have heard so much about your work." His hoarse yet ringing voice made the little man start violently and caused June to shake her head in annoyance as the sound interfered with the humming of the vagrant wave. "Sorry I could not come earlier." Solinski advanced into the laboratory, giving the effect of driving the chemist before him. "Trying to revive one of the sufferers, I see. May God aid you in this noble work."

  * * * * *

  He spread the tails of his long coat and sat down. As he talked his eyes flashed about the room, taking in every detail and at last fastening on June's fresh beauty like those of a vampire. "Not," he boomed as he lighted a cigarette, "not that I believe it possible--"

  Catching an agonized glance from Jane, Jack interrupted:

  "You'll have to speak softly, sir. This is ticklish work."

  "I beg your pardon." The Russian lowered his voice so that it squeaked piercingly like a rusty hinge. He wrung his hands audibly.

  "Perhaps we'd better move into the living room," suggested the doctor, hovering in the background. "There we can talk without interrupting."

  Their guest unfolded joint by joint like a collapsible rule.

  "Of course, if you think I'm spying," he grated.

  "Not at all," protested Jack, although he longed to strike the brute across the face. "It's just that voices of certain pitches interfere. Surely you have seen radio operators go all to pieces when spoken to."

  Ungraciously Solinski allowed himself to be ushered into the outer room. Once there he disposed his lean form on another chair, unctuously refused a highball, and, forgetting his momentary anger, soon was deep in a scientific discussion of the problems involved in revivifying the world.

  He mentioned the nearby radio station but declared that he had been unable to locate it despite a careful search. Dismissing this he turned to other topics, displaying a vast knowledge of all departments of scientific achievement and, despite his depressing personality, holding his bearer's attention so closely they forgot the passage of time until the clock struck ten.

  "Time for daily injection," said the doctor. "Do you use Andrev's solution too, sir?"

  "Naturally," replied the other, lighting one cigarette from the butt of another.

  Manthis hurried into the laboratory. A few moments later he reappeared in the doorway and called to Jack in an agitated voice. As the younger man joined him he closed the door and turned a white face to him.

  "The drug is almost gone," Manthis said. "Didn't you obtain a new supply?"

  * * * * *

  "We--I forgot it," admitted Jack, feeling his own face grow pale. "The shock of running across Solinski at the laboratory upset me."

  "Well, that's all right, then. It gave me a turn, but we have plenty of time." The doctor laughed shakily. "Run down to the nearest drug store. There should be a supply there. Better take a flashlight."

  He pushed open the door, then shrank back. Leaning against the jamb was the Russian. His manner had changed subtly. His thin lips spread from ear to ear in a wolfish grin. His fingers clicked like castanets.

  "Ah," he purred. "So you have used up the last of your solution?"

  "What's that to you?" The doctor was gripped by cold unreasoning fear.

  "Only that you will be unable to obtain more. Since my first meeting with your daughter I have had my men collect all the Cannabis Indica in the city."

  "Your men!" Manthis was thunderstruck.

  "Certainly, you old fool. Do you think I'm a bungling theorist like yourself? Who do you think is operating that short-wave station? I am. Who do you think put the world to sleep? I did. Who do you think will wake it? I will."

  Solinski's figure appeared to expand. He took deep drafts from his cigarette. The smoke seemed to impel some terrific force into his gaunt frame.

  "So it was your voice I heard!" cried Manthis bitterly. "And those awful tales about you were true. A hashish smoker! A person whose mind is rotting, in control of the world!" He seemed about to leap at the other, and his chubby figure, in that attitude, would have seemed ludicrous if it had not been tragic. "It shall not be!" he shouted.

  "Now see here, Doctor"--Solinski assumed a friendly tone--"you're making a grave mistake. I have something to offer better than you ever dreamed of."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Just this. How would you like to be assistant to the King of the World?"

  * * * * *

  "Crazy already," sneered the doctor, squinting up at his tormentor.

  "Crazy or not, when the world awakes I will be its king."

  "Why, damn you, I thought you were an anarchist and wanted to do away with kings and governments," sputtered the little man.

  Solinski burst into a gale of fiendish laughter.

  "An anarchist is merely a capitalist without money or power," he quoted.

  "What do you want of us?" demanded Manthis, playing for time.

  "Very simple. This: I intend soon to begin awakening those who will serve me, first in New York and then throughout the world. When I have a skeleton government built up, I will withdraw the wave and allow the people to revive. Clever, isn't it? Especially for such a madman as you think me." He snapped his fingers and leered cunningly at them.

  The doctor choked but Jack's hand on his arm steadied him.

  "You have a very beautiful daughter," resumed their diabolical visitant.

  "Leave my daughter's name out of this," cried Manthis, recoiling.

  "Not at all. Her charm and ability have greatly impressed me--so impressed me that I have decided to make her my queen."

  "You scum of the gutter. You filthy beast. I'd die before I'd be a party to such a thing!" The doctor was beside himself.

  "I consider myself justified," replied the other, taking great delight in baiting his foe. "The world was never able to govern itself. We anarchists have bided our time, although overshadowed by communists, Fascists and such ridiculous experimenters. Now comes our turn. I shall be the viceroy of God. Under my rule and that of Queen June the world shall become a second heaven."

  He rolled his eyes upward at those words. As he did so, Jack, who had been awaiting just such an opportunity, struck him on the jaw.

  * * * * *

  The blow would have felled an ox but Solinski merely staggered back a step and snarled. Before Baron could renew the attack he jerked an automatic from beneath his coat and leaped to the hall door.

  "You I shall kill," he grinned evilly. "But not now. First you must taste the horror of sinking into the long sleep. You have no more drug, nor can you obtain any. Those pitiful storage batteries will be exhausted by the time you have aroused the child. So you must sleep unless you have the courage to kill yourself. Doctor, I deeply regret that this has occurred, but you see that I must let you and June sleep too. When I have need of you I will recall you. That is all. Farewell. May God pity you, Baron. I will not."

  He sprang through the door and, the tails of his black coat flapping like the wings of a gigantic bat, vanished down the stairs.

  Manthis slammed the door and locked it, then leaned weakly against the panels and wiped his round face. His hands shook pitifully.

  "This then is the end," he whispered hoarsely.

  "Is there none of the drug left?" Jack shook him out of his lethargy.

  "Enough for a half portion for all of us," sighed the doctor. "But what use of that? Better we poisoned ourselves now and escaped that demon."

  "Nonsense. A half portion means twelve hours of life
. In that time I can rig up the big transmitter. Perhaps there is still time to revive New York. Solinski won't know we have a generator until we turn on the power. Quick. Poor June must be nearly frightened to death at our shouting."

  * * * * *

  But they found the girl sitting tense and jubilant at the controls.

  "Father! Jack!" she cried as the door opened. "It's working. I saw her move. That means we may be able to revive the world!" Her face was streaked with tears.

  "Her heart's beating," whispered the doctor, feeling the child's pulse. "Slow but steady. She'll regain consciousness any moment now."

  "No time to wait." Disregarding June's cry of protest Jack stripped off the electrodes. "We must get the big machine working."

  "But the little thing will die again," cried June, throwing herself on her knees beside the tot. "I didn't think you could be so cruel."

  "Solinski has cut off our drug supply," explained Manthis gently. "He's operating the other station. Don't blame Jack. We must work fast."

  "You mean that Russian is responsible for all this?"

  "Yes, child. But maybe we can defeat him yet. Don't lose courage. Now I must go and prepare what's left of the drug. We're overdue for it now."

  Meanwhile Jack was busy running leads from the generator room, connecting banks of tubes, stringing an aerial on the terrace.

  "Twelve hours! Twelve hours!" he muttered. "Just time to make it if the doctor's calculations are correct. June, hand me those pliers, but be careful of the wires. I haven't time to insulate them. When we start the dynamo they'll be carrying twelve thousand volts."

  "But won't Solinski and his men come back and kill us?" For the first time the full weight of despair descended upon her brave spirit.

  "Probably. Does your father have a revolver?"

  "I--I think so."

  "Find out." Jack connected a loading coil with deft fingers. "Then go down to a sporting goods store and get some ammunition. If there are any shotguns in the place bring two back with plenty of buckshot shells. I don't think we're being watched yet, but if you're attacked, run for it."

  Noting she looked hurt at his abruptness, he kissed her quickly.

  "Sorry, darling. Every second counts. Run along, like a good girl."

  She smiled for the first time in a long while and patted his hand.

  * * * * *

  When she returned, two shotguns and several boxes of shells held like wood in her bent arms, the generator was sparkling merrily. The gasoline engine barked steadily and the vacuum tubes glowed green.

  Manthis came in at that moment and injected all the remaining drug as Jack gave crisp orders. Automatically the engineer had taken command.

  "I'll get things going and handle the dials until Solinski sends his rats down on us. June, you watch the street door. Run up at the first sign of an attack. After that you'll take my place and hold it, no matter what happens, until we succeed or are killed. The doctor and I will go downstairs when you come up, and hold them off or retreat slowly. Thank heaven we can command both the front and rear stairways from the halls. Now doctor, watch the circuit breaker. I'm going to throw on full power."

  As he advanced the rheostat the tubes glowed brighter, bathing the room in unearthly light. Jack adjusted his headset, and smiled up at June. She kissed him bravely before hurrying to her dangerous post.

  Once more he sat listening to that whining, fluctuating wave. The engineer's thoughts wavered between speculations on the future, fond memories of June and impatience with the dragging hours. Would nothing ever happen? Through the earphones now came a jangling, agonized whine, as if the two antagonistic waves were endowed with life and actually struggling in the ether.

  From time to time his glance wandered to the child, who, having obtained a head start through her preliminary treatment, now was stirring fretfully.

  Slowly the time plodded by. Jack smoked cigarette after cigarette in an effort to fight off the drowsiness which loaded his eyelids with lead.

  It must have been three o'clock when a whimper from the divan apprised them that the child at last had awakened.

  "Where's mama?" She blinked into the glare. "I've lost my mama."

  "There, there, honey," soothed the doctor, stopping his pacing up and down the room and picking her up. "Your mama had to go away for awhile. She'll be back any minute. Let's go find a drink of water. And I've something for you to play with too." Gently he carried her into June's bedroom.

  Soon he reappeared and patted Jack on the shoulder.

  "Our first victory," he said in a broken voice. "She's in perfect condition and sleeping naturally now. I gave her one of June's old dolls to play with." He sighed and collapsed into the nearest chair. "I'm almost dead with the strain of it. Do you think there's a chance?"

  "Three more hours should turn the trick. I don't understand why Solinski--"

  The crash of a shotgun, coming faint but clear from the street below, brought him up short. The shot was answered by a volley of rifle fire.

  * * * * *

  Jack almost lost the wave in his excitement, but regained it with a desperate twist of the wrist. No time for nerves now. He must be calm!

  "Go down and hold them until June can get back to relieve me," he ordered. "Hurry. They may rush her any moment."

  The doctor seemed ten years younger as he thrust a revolver into his pocket, snatched a shotgun from behind the door and ran out.

  The commotion had awakened the child, who started whimpering, adding further to Jack's distractions. Yet he managed, in spite of ghastly mental pictures of June being torn to pieces by her attackers, to keep his hands steady.

  A few minutes later she slipped into the room and laid her cold cheek against his before taking her place at the instruments.

  "It's all right," she added. "I don't think they'll attack in the dark. There are five of them. I'm sure I wounded or killed one. They weren't expecting a guard. I left the gun with father. He's behind the cashier's desk." Then, all her courage evaporating, she turned an appealing, little girl face toward her lover. "Don't let yourself be killed, Jack. I'd die too."

  "June, you're wonderful," he whispered. "I didn't know there was a girl alive as brave as you. Good-by. No matter what happens, keep the wave in tune." He kissed her tenderly, trying not to think he had done so for the last time, and hurried out.

  The stairs were black as the inside of a tomb. Once he stumbled over the body of a charwoman and came near falling headlong.

  "Nothing's happened since that first volley," whispered Manthis when Jack slipped into the cage. "They're holding off for dawn. Look!" his voice wavered. "Was that a face at the window?" He fired wildly. Glass tinkled.

  "Easy," warned Baron. "Don't waste ammunition. Besides, if you get this place full of smoke they'll jump us."

  * * * * *

  Dawn was painting the windows gray when the assault began. Their first warning came when a small object was tossed into the lobby. It exploded in a cloud of white vapor.

  "Tear gas," yelled Jack. "Back to the stairs." They ran for cover, weeping and choking.

  Then began a slow retreat up the stairways, Jack guarding the front and Manthis the back passages. At first it was a simple matter for their enemies to toss tear bombs through the fire doors, then, protected by respirators, capture another floor. But as the light increased this became more and more hazardous. Twice a spray of buckshot laid a Solinski man low.

  "He hasn't many men available," called Jack as the attack slackened. "But watch out. His time's about up. Hey, look at that woman!" A white-uniformed maid, whom he remembered having seen lying in the same spot every time he climbed the stairs, had stirred weakly, as though about to wake.

  It was their glance at the sleeping form which undid them. When they looked up both fire doors were open and helmeted figures were emerging from them.

  The shotguns roared. Two of their attackers collapsed, but the others came on. Before there was time for another shot they were a
t close quarters. Standing back to back, Manthis and Jack clubbed their guns and held their ground.

  The fact that Solinski and his men wore respirators handicapped them immensely, so that the two defenders kept a cleared circle about them.

  One of the attackers, more daring than the rest, leaped forward to engage the engineer. He collapsed with a crushed skull.

  Then, when victory seemed in their grasp, luck turned. At Jack's next blow the stock of his weapon parted from the barrel, leaving him almost defenseless. At the same time Manthis slipped and collapsed from a knife thrust.

  * * * * *

  Jack was left alone to face three enemies and would have been killed within the minute had not Solinski, recalling the little time he had left to stop the interfering wave, deserted his comrades and sprinted for the laboratory.

  The seeming defection of their chief threw the other two attackers into momentary confusion. Before they could recover, Jack knocked one out with the gun barrel, then came a flying tackle at the other.

  But he had caught a tartar. His remaining enemy was a gigantic Negro. Recovering from his surprise the latter lifted high a glittering knife to finish his disarmed foe. Jack snatched at the uplifted arm--missed!

  A revolver cracked. The hooded Negro staggered, then crashed forward.

  "Remembered my pistol just in time," gasped the doctor from the floor. "Don't bother about me. I'm all right. Stop Solinski, for God's sake."

  Although his lungs seemed bursting Baron turned and flew up the stairs. Being familiar with every turn, he gained on the Russian and caught sight of the dreadful black coat-tails as his enemy burst through to the twentieth floor. The locked door of the apartment baffled him only a moment. Stepping back, Solinski hurled his giant frame against the panels. They splintered and crashed inward. But the delay allowed Jack to catch up.

  He leaped on the Russian's back. Locked together they reeled into the living room. For a fleeting moment Jack saw June sitting rigidly at the instruments. Her eyes were starting from their sockets but her hands were steady.

  "I warned you to kill yourself," Solinski's voice rose in a screaming whisper through the respirator. "Now I will do it." Displaying the strength of madness he hurled Jack from him. Losing all control of his limbs, the younger man flew across the room and demolished the divan in his fall. But the thought of what Solinski would do to June brought him back to the attack.