constant battle withmyself to maintain the disinterested relationship necessary tocontinuing with these people without complication.
Both Nat and Helene Brown used to come to see me wrestle whenever Ihad a match in Washington. Whether I won or lost we would go out anddrink beer together. I would sometimes bring another girl along. Moreand more I started to feel like a real native American. A couple ofclose friends, Excellency, did a lot for your humble servant.
Three days ago I was riding along Connecticut Avenue in my new car.When I stopped for a light, I saw a familiar face in the crowdcrossing the street. It was the tall heavy man, the F.B.I. agent whohad tracked me down and tried to capture me in the theatre the nightof the big battle. I could sense the mass of metal carried under hisleft arm.
He was hurrying along with another man. When I saw who it was my bloodfroze in my veins. It was my neighbor, Nat Brown. He also had a massof metal under his left arm.
It was clear to me then that, in spite of my precautions, the F.B.I.had spotted me weeks ago. How, I do not know. Nat Brown was theirsurveillance agent.
I drove home immediately to finish this letter and get it off to you.I may not be alive tomorrow. The launching apparatus is concealed in atool shed about a half a mile behind the house. I am going to put downmy recommendations and get this off immediately--before it's too late.
* * * * *
As I see it, Excellency, there are only four courses available to us:
(1) A chemical or other isolation of the female principle, followed by an attempt to synthesize it at home to see what its effect would be on our women. This might save us. Unfortunately I have yet been unable to isolate what causes the female principle here; so this is not a possibility yet.
(2) Kidnap some of their women. This would be delightful fun for Your Excellency and a few others; but it would not solve the main problem. Transportation difficulties would make it impossible to get enough of them. Also, if the basic element which creates the "female principle" is lacking because of some soil or other deficiency at home, their women would soon become like ours. All of our trouble would go for nothing, and our doom would continue to approach.
(3) Conquer them, kill the men, take their women, and live with the women here. This, in my opinion, should not be attempted for the following reasons. Americans are extraordinarily efficient in warfare. They have atomic and hydrogen weapons, and they know how to use them. They are very warlike, although they constantly deny it. Some of their other weapons are fully equal to ours, in some respects, superior. Our communications would be far too long to enable us to prevail. This should be attempted only if the fourth alternative fails; and even then only after long expensive preparation. Also, there is distinct danger if we disclose ourselves by attacking them. They may find a way to attack us, and cause considerable damage. As things are now, with our vanishing birth rate, we can't afford to lose people in a war.
(4) The fourth alternative is to breed their race out of existence by planting our blood here--in other words, an invasion from within. This will depend upon our two races being inter-fertile. I am almost certain that they are. If I can stay alive for seven months longer I will give you a definite report. I will carry on the experiment as swiftly as possible.
Since these people have such a short life span our descendants willlive hundreds of years longer than theirs. The present race willslowly be bred out due to the infirmities of its men. Our men andtheir women will create a race superior to both.
If I can find a way to escape from the F.B.I., and establish myselfonce more in safety I will try to justify Your Excellency's confidencein your humble servant.
* * * * *
I put the letter down on my desk. It certainly told most of the story.It needed only a final paragraph. Then I sat down at the typewriterand added it:
I am closing now, Your Excellency. Tomorrow will be the transmissiondate for this letter. I may not communicate with you again for sometime, but please understand, Excellency, that I am your humble anddevoted servant and have tried to carry on in strict accordance withyour wishes.
I put the letter into an envelope and put it in my pocket. Then I gotinto my car and drove down through the city to the northwest wing ofthe Department of Justice Building. The elevator girl smiled. "Haven'tseen you for a long time, Nat. Don't you work for the F.B.I. anymore?"
I smiled back at her, "The Chief has had me up to a lot of out-of-towndevilment."
I passed Jack and Tex in the hall, and we waved to each other. Theywanted to talk, but I was in too much of a hurry. "The Chief wantsme," I said, without slowing down.
When I reached the Chief's office Mrs. Sperling gave me a broad grin."Hello, Nat. The Chief's been waiting for you."
I went down the little corridor into the Chief's room. He was sittingat his desk looking grim and tense. On the wall behind him was a hugemap of the United States. It had clumps of vari-colored pins all overit. His deep voice boomed across the room.
"Hello, Nat. How is the Chief of the Venusian Desk?"
"Well, if you want to know the truth, Chief, I'm pretty god damnedrelieved. Some jobs are fun. But my hair has been standing on end somuch since you gave me this job that it's going to need about ayear's rest. No man wants his hair to have a nervous breakdown."
The Chief looked at me fondly. "Well, I can't say you carried yourmission out quietly. It practically blew me out of bed, and I live atleast ten miles away."
"Joe did a hell of a good job with the TNT," I said. "How the hell heever got twenty tons of it down in the basement in three hours I'llnever find out."
A slight frown came over the Chief's face. "Are you sure our Venusianfriend was there?"
"Absolutely."
"How--absolutely?"
"I called him on the telephone. When he answered I pressed the button.I heard the explosion over the wire, half a second before itpractically tore down my own house. When I got over there a big crowdwas collecting." I took a deep breath. "Not much for them to look at,though--just a big black smoking hole in the ground."
"And our inter-planetary friend?"
"Well, I don't know about his soul, Chief, but his body isn't aroundanywhere. I guess it just turned into steam with the rest of thehouse. A lot of women are going to be sad as hell."
I saw the Chief's fists clenched on the desk. He was still taut fromthe strain of the last few hours. Finally he reached for the silvercigarette box on his desk. His fingers jerked crazily as he put acigarette in his mouth. He passed the box to me. I took one andstarted fumbling in my pockets for a match. The Chief snapped open thetop of his big desk lighter, and held it over to me. I put thecigarette into the flame and drew deeply. The flame was at least threeinches high. The Chief leaned forward, his eyes riveted on me. Therewas a queer, expectant look on his face. I stared back at him,puzzled. Finally he snapped the lighter shut, and turned to the wall."It's all right, boys," he said.
* * * * *
A door with grille-work along the front opened up. I saw Joe Evans andTom Hardy and Jim Reid standing there with tommy guns, pointed rightat my head.
The Chief laughed at my expression of bewilderment.
"I wasn't taking any chances, Nat. You can't afford to in a situationlike this. No matter how sure you are, you can't gamble the wholefuture of your own world. I wanted to be damned certain that youreally were Nat Brown, and not His Excellency's humble servant fromthe planet Venus. If you had flinched so much as one eyelash, Nat,when I held that lighter up to your face, three tommy guns would haveopened up on you--all at one and the same time."
I felt suddenly limp. I uttered a long audible whistle of relief.
The Chief's voice was low and solemn. "Think what we've escaped,Nat--think how close he came to getting loose on our world!"
I took t
he letter out and threw it on his desk. "After you read this,Chief, you'll appreciate it a little more. The last paragraph is mine.I picked up the letter while the boys were loading the TNT down in thebasement."
While the Chief was reading the letter I got up and looked at the mapof the United States behind him. Each of the colored pinheads hadnames printed on them. Grouped around Silver Springs, Maryland, weretwo pins. One was labeled "Chief." The other was labeled "Nat Brown."I turned to the Chief. "I wish you would do one thing for me."
"I'll do anything for you."
"Instead of calling us 'Chief' and 'Nat Brown,' call us 'Excellency'and 'Your Humble Servant.'"
The Chief chuckled. "There has never been any humor on that board, andby God,