CHAPTER XI
_To the Rescue_
"Why should we run?" the voice of Sitsumi suddenly rang out in thecontrol room. "Must we admit in the very beginning of our revolutionthat we are vulnerable? Must we confess the fears to which all humanityis heir? We had not thought ourselves liable to attack, but there stillis a way to destroy these upstarts. To your places, everyone! We shallfight these winged upstarts and destroy them!"
The denizens of the space ship were at their stations. Jeter and Eyercould imagine the minions of Sitsumi and the Three, below the floor ofthe white globe, standing-to on platforms about the unseen engines whichgave life and movability to this ship of the stratosphere. How manythere were of them there was no way of knowing. They had guessed twohundred. There might have been a thousand. It scarcely mattered.
Sitsumi's face was set in a firm mask. He, of all the "lords of thestratosphere," seemed to possess endless courage. His example fired thethree.
"What do you plan?" asked Wang Li.
Jeter and Eyer listened with all their ears.
"We have only one weapon in this unexpected emergency," said Sitsumiquietly. "We cannot direct the ray upward or laterally: it is not soconstructed. But we can attack with the space ship itself! And rememberthat so long as our outer rind remains intact and hard we are invisibleto attackers."
Jeter and Eyer exchanged glances.
"If only we could find the way to break or soften that outer rind," saidJeter.
"What can we do?" asked Eyer. "If it is impervious to the cold of theseheights; if it is so strong that it is impervious to the tremendouspressure inside the globe--which must be kept at a certain degree tomaintain human life--what can we do? We tried bullets. We might as wellhave used peas and pea-shooters. If our friends try bombs they willstill be unsuccessful. If only we could somehow open up the outer rindor soften it, so that our friends could see the inner globe and reach itwith their bombs!"
Jeter's face was now dead white. His eyes were aglow with excitement.
"Tema," he whispered, "Tema, that's their vulnerability! That's whatthey fear! They're scared that the outer rind may be broken--which wouldspell destruction to the space ship and everybody in it."
"Including us," replied Eyer, "but, anyway--well, what's the odds? We'reonly two--and with this thing destroyed the nightmare will end. Ofcourse there should be some way to raid the Lake Baikal area and destroyany other ships in the making, besides ferreting out the secret of theinvisible substance and the elements of the gravity inverter. If wesomehow survive, and this ship is destroyed, that's the next thing todo."
Jeter nodded and signaled Eyer to cease whispering.
* * * * *
They devoted their attention now to the six planes. They were coming upin battle formation. They were in plain view and through the telescopesit could be seen that each was armed with bombs of some kind. Uselessagainst the invisible space ship as matters now stood; but what wouldthose bombs do to the inner globe?
It still lacked several hours of the time allowed in the ultimatum toJeter and Eyer of Sitsumi and the Three, when the six planes leveled offwithin a couple of miles of the space ship. They knew about where thestratosphere had swallowed up Jeter and Eyer. Now they were castingabout for a sign, like bloodhounds seeking the spoor of an enemy.
Jeter and Eyer held their breaths as they watched. Now and again theystole glances at Sitsumi and the Three, who were watching the six planeswith the intensity of eagles preparing to dive.
Naka stepped up close to Jeter.
"When the time comes," he said menacingly, "and it appears that we maybe in difficulties with the fools who think to thwart Sitsumi and theThree and rescue you, it shall give me great pleasure to destroy youwith your own automatic."
"Pleasant fellow," said Eyer. "Shall I smash him, Lucian?"
Jeter shook his head.
"Our friends out there will look after that, Tema," he said in a naturaltone of voice. "I'll bet you two to one they get this ship within anhour. Not that a bet will mean anything, as they'll get us, too!"
"Your friends," said Naka, "will be destroyed. They will not even begiven the opportunity you were given. Sitsumi and the Three will wastebut little time on them!"
"What," said Jeter calmly "is Sitsumi's hurry? Why is he scared?"
"Scared?" Naka seemed on the point of hitting Jeter for the blasphemy."Scared? He fears nothing. We'll down your friends long before theirmotors--"
Sitsumi suddenly turned and looked at Naka. The look in Sitsumi's eyeswas murderous, Naka went dead white.
"I think your master believes you talk too much, Naka," said Jeter, butJeter's eyes were gleaming, too.
As soon as Sitsumi had turned back to his station Jeter's lips began tomove.
"See?" he said. "It isn't their machine guns these people fear. It isn'ttheir bombs--it's their motors! I wonder why...."
* * * * *
By now the six planes were flying abreast, in battle formation, almostabove the space ship, at perhaps a thousand feet greater elevation. Astrange humming sound was traveling through the space ship. The wholeinner globe was vibrating, shaking--and vibration was a menace to glassor crystal!
"We've got the answer!" said Jeter. "The outer rind, while capable ofbeing softened--in sections at least, with safety--for special reasons,such as happened when we were 'swallowed,' can be hardened to the pointof disruption. It can be shattered, Tema, by vibration! That's why thespace ship keeps far above the roar of cities! The humming of countlessautomobile engines might shatter the rind! God, I hope this is theanswer!"
In his mind's eye Eyer could picture it--the outer rind "freezing"solid, and cracking with the thunderous report of snapping ice on aforest lake. No wonder Sitsumi and the Three must destroy the sixplanes.
"Now!" yelled Sitsumi. "Shift positions! The space ship will be hurleddirectly at the formation of planes! Wang Li, to the beam controls!"
Wang Li sprang to the table, pressed a button. The humming sound in thespace ship grew to mighty proportions. The trembling increased.
Jeter and Eyer kept their eyes glued to the six planes above. Withouttilting their noses the six planes seemed to plunge straight down towardthe surface of the space ship. Thus the two knew that the space ship wasin motion--itself being bodily hurled, as its only present weapon ofoffense, against the earthling attackers.
A split second--
One of the planes struck the surface solidly and crashed. Instantly itswheels and its motor were caught in the outer rind.
The other five ships scattered wildly, escaping the collision by somesixth sense, or through pure chance.
"Poor devil!" said Jeter. "But his buddies can see his plane and knowthat it marks the spot where they could conveniently drop their bombs."
Eyer was on the point of nodding when Sitsumi shouted.
"Quickly, Wang Li! Spin the outer shell before the enemy uses thewrecked plane as an aiming point!"
* * * * *
A whirring sound. The plane whirled around as though it were twirled onthe end of a string. To the five other pilots it must have seemed thatthe plane had struck some invisible obstruction, been smashed, and nowwas whirling away to destruction after a strange, incomprehensiblehesitation in the heart of the stratosphere.
"Quickly, you fool!" shouted Sitsumi at Wang Li. "You're napping! Youshould have got all those planes! And you should have spun the outerglobe instantly, before the remaining enemy had a chance to find out ourlocation."
"I can move away a half mile," suggested Wang Li.
"We've got to silence those motors, fool!" yelled Sitsumi. "You knowvery well that we can't run. Charge them again, and take care this timethat you crash into the middle of their formation."
"They're scattered over too great an area. I should wait for them toreform."
"Fool! Fool! Don't you think I know the weakness in my own invention?The proper vibration
will destroy us! If the rind is softened we becomevisible. We dare not wait for them to reform! Attack each planeseparately if necessary, and at top speed!"
Jeter began to speak rapidly out of the corner of his mouth. Even Naka'sattention was fastened on the five planes and Wang Li's efforts todestroy them.
"Gag Naka!" said Jeter. "The keys! In some way we've got to get to ourplane. It's barely possible. If we can start the motor.... Hurry! Now,while the whole outfit is watching our friends out there!"
Eyer rose and reached for Naka with his right hand.
He dared not miss his lunge. He did not. His huge hand fastened in thethroat of their keeper. Nobody--neither Sitsumi nor the Three--turned asNaka gasped and struggled. Eyer pulled the man back over the table and,his neck thus within reach of both hands, snapped it as he would havebroken the neck of a chicken.
Jeter was already searching the body for the keys. He found them.
Their leg irons were just falling free when Sitsumi turned. Eyer wasfeeling for the automatics in Naka's belt.
"We won't need them!" yelled Jeter. "There isn't time. Let's go!"
Jeter was away at top speed, almost pulling Eyer off his feet becausetheir hands were still fastened together with the handcuffs.
They were outside on the floor level.
And through many doors denizens of the lower control room, hurried outby the commands of Sitsumi, were racing to head them off. But nothingcould stop them. One man got in their way and Eyer's right fist caved inhis face with one deadly, devastating blow. They had now reached thestairs.
* * * * *
The space ship was being hurled at the five remaining planes. Even asthe two men reached the stairs and started up, another of the dauntlessrescuers paid with his life for his courage. Several bombs exploded ashis plane struck the space ship, but they caused no damage whatever. Thehard outer rind seemed to be impervious to the explosions. Obviously noexplosive could destroy the space ship.
"Quickly, Tema," said Jeter. "The rind can be shattered by vibration,and we've got to do it somehow."
"And after that?" panted Eyer.
"Our friends out there can then see the inner globe. They'll drop bombs.They'll smash in the globe and--"
"I know," said Eyer. "Its inhabitants, including us, will start off inall directions through the stratosphere, with great speed, and probablyin many pieces."
Jeter laughed. Eyer laughed with him. They didn't fear death, for nowthey felt they were on the verge of destroying this monster of space.
Their pursuers were following them closely.
Jeter frantically tried to unfasten the handcuffs as they ran. He didn'tmanage it until the door was almost reached. He left one cuff danglingon his right wrist.
Then, they were through the door.
"Now, Tema," shouted Jeter, "if you believe in God--if you havefaith--pray for strength to move this plane!"
"Where?"
"So that its wheels and nose go through this open door! Then it won'ttravel forward when we start the motor--and our pursuers won't be ableto get through to stop us."
"You think of everything, don't you?" There was a grin on Eyer's face.But his eyes were stern. He wasn't belittling their deadly danger. Andthere was also a chance that Jeter's vibration idea was wrong.
"Those four planes," panted Jeter, as the two tried to get their planein motion toward the door, "cause, from a distance, through thin air, aslight vibration, varying with their distance from the globe; our planemotor racing and actually in contact with the globe, can set up atremendous vibration by its great motor speed. If we can vibrate theglobe up to its shattering point there's a chance!"
"We can't pull her, Lucian," said Eyer. "I'll do a Horatius at the door.You get in, start the motor, taxi her until the wheels go through. I'llkeep the crowd back."
"Right!"
Jeter went through the doors into the plane. In a few seconds thepropeller kicked over, hesitated, kicked again. Then the motor coughed,coughed again, and broke into a steady roaring.
CHAPTER XII
_High Chaos_
The plane moved forward. Its tail swung around. Its wheels headed forthe door. They dropped through, into the faces of the foremost pursuers,all of whom were thus effectually blocked off.
The plane was held as in a vise. The propeller vanished in a blur asJeter let the motor out. It was humming an even, steady note. The doorscame open again.
Jeter came out, his eyes glowing.
"We haven't the chance of the proverbial celluloid dog chasing theasbestos cat," he shouted to be heard above the roar of the motor. "Butgrab your high altitude suit, oxygen container, and parachute, and let'sget as far away from this plane as we can. Who knows? When the end comeswe may get a break at that!"
They ran until the bulge of the inner globe all but hid the plane fromthem. They could see only the top wing. They did not go farther becausethey wished to make sure that the enemy did not dislodge the plane andnullify all their work.
"They won't be able to," said Jeter, "for that motor is pulling againstthe wheels and holding them so tight against the side of that door thata hundred men couldn't budge the plane. But we can't take chances."
Quickly the partners slipped into their suits, adjusted their oxygentanks and parachutes. Then Jeter slipped back the elastic sleeve of hissuit and motioned Eyer to do the same. The manacles were brought intoview again. They looked at each other. Eyer grinned and held out hisleft hand. Jeter snapped the second cuff to Eyer's wrist.
The act was significant.
Whatever happened to them, would happen to both in equal measure. It wasa gesture which needed no words. If they were slain when theirfriends--if their theory was correct--finally saw the space ship, theywould die together. If by some miracle they were hurled into outer spaceand lived to use their parachutes--well, the discomfort was a smallprice to pay to stay together.
Now they devoted all their attention to their own situation. Four planesstill spun warily above the space ship. Wang Li was patently trying withall his might to get all four of them before the Jeter-Eyer plane, byshattering the rind, disclosed the inner core to the bombs of theremaining planes.
"Lucian!" said the fingers of Eyer. "Can you tell whether anything ishappening to the rind?"
Jeter hesitated for a long time. There was a distinct and almostnauseating vibration throughout all the space ship. And was there notsomething happening to the rind over a wide area, directly above theJeter-Eyer plane?
They could fancy the snapping of ice on a forest lake in mid-winter.
They couldn't hear, in their suits. They could only feel. But all atonce the outer rind, above their plane, vanished. At the same instantthe plane itself, propeller still spinning, rose swiftly up through thehole in the rind. The air inside the globe was going out in a greatrush.
The partners looked at each other. At that moment the four planesswooped over the space ship....
* * * * *
Jeter and Eyer knew that the inner globe had at last become visible, forfrom the bellies of the four planes dropped bomb after bomb. They fellinto the great aperture. Jeter and Eyer flung themselves flat. But thebombs had worked sufficient havoc. They had removed all protection fromthe low-pressure stratosphere. The air inside the space ship went outwith a rush. Jeter and Eyer, hearing nothing, though they knew that theexplosions must have been cataclysmic, were picked up and whirled towardthat opening, like chips spun toward the heart of a whirlpool.
But for their space suits they would have been destroyed in the outrushof air. Out of the inner globe came men that flew, sprawled out,somersaulting up and out of apertures made by the crashing bombs.Ludicrous they looked. Blood streamed from their mouths. Their faceswere set in masks of agony. There were Sitsumi and, one after another,the Three.
Then fastened together by the cuffs, the partners were being whirledover and over, out into space. Their last signals to each other hadbeen:
> "Even if you're already dead, pull the ripcord ring of your chute!"
Crushed, buffeted, they still retained consciousness. They soughtthrough the spinning stratosphere for their rescuers. Thousands of feetbelow--or was it above?--they saw them. Yes, below, for they looked atthe tops of the planes. Their upward flight had been dizzying. Theywaited until their upward flight ceased.
Then, as they started the long fall to Earth, they pulled their ringsand waited for their chutes to flower above them.
Soon they were floating downward. Side by side they rode. Above themtheir parachutes were like two umbrellas, pressed almost too closelytogether.
They looked about them, seeking the space ship.
The devastation of its outer rind had been complete, for they now couldsee the inner globe, and it too was like--well, like merely part of aneggshell.
The doomed space ship--gyroscope still keeping the ray pointedEarthward--describing an erratic course, was shooting farther upwardinto the stratosphere, propelled by the ghastly ray which, now no longercontrolled by Wang Li, drove the space ship madly through the outercold.
Far below the partners many things were falling: broken furnishings ofmad dreamers' stratosphere laboratories, parts of strange machines,whirling, somersaulting things that had once been men.
The partners looked at each other.
The same thought was in the mind of each, as the four remaining planescame in toward them to convoy them down--that when the lords of thestratosphere finally reached the far Earth, only God would know whichwas Sitsumi and who were the Three.
* * * * *
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