fence, Trent's eyes pierced the darkness and hesaw a jagged tear in the metal mesh of the fence. A tear that stood ashigh as a man, a hole through which a man could have entered.
The Great Dane bounded toward that hole and Trent followed the dogthrough it. He felt the animal pause momentarily and he nearly stumbledover a body lying on the ground at his feet just inside the fence.
His heart stood still for a moment and the girl's name sped to his lips.But he never uttered the word. For he suddenly saw that it was the bodyof a guard. A body whose torn throat lay red and gory in death.
And then the Great Dane let a howl of anger out on the night wind, andthe beast leaped forward again, Trent running behind it.
And ahead of them, Trent saw a great looming shape in the darkness, andas his eyes fell upon it, a despairing terror gripped him.
It was the second rocket! Standing in its cradle, silent in the night, ashaft of metal that looked skyward.
And a realization of what the monster had in mind struck him. He knewnow where they were headed. He knew why the monster had torn the fence,why a guard had been killed where he stood.
And as if the thought had been a prelude, he saw the rocket loom beforethem as the Great Dane bounded around its base.
And he saw the metal stairway leading up to the middle of the giantprojectile.
And at the top of those stairs, going into the now open rocket chamber,was the monster, holding the unconscious girl in its arms.
The Great Dane saw the creature in the same instant. And a terrible howlof rage welled from its throat. It gave a lunge forward then that brokeTrent's grip from the leash he held. And the dog was free.
* * * * *
The monster turned in the same moment and saw them. A roar of felineanger left its throat as the huge dog leaped up the steps toward theplatform above.
The monster dropped the girl's body on the narrow platform and backedtoward the opening of the rocket chamber.
Then the Great Dane reached the platform and poised itself for a leap.
Trent was dashing forward toward the stairs as the dog's body flewthrough the air. He saw the flashing jaws of the animal snap at thethroat of the monster, as its heavy body smashed against it.
Then the arms of the creature were tearing at the dog as it was forcedback into the rocket chamber.
Trent's feet flew up the stairs, his breath a tortured gasp in histhroat. He saw the girl stir on the platform, as consciousness returnedto her.
"Joan!"
Her name sped from his lips as he reached the top step. Then his handsclosed around the girl's shoulders, lifting her to her feet.
The snarl of the Great Dane reached his ears from the rocket chamber,and the answering roar of rage from the monster as they fought. His eyessaw the vague, terrible shadows of them, heard the snapping jaws of thedog, and the raking claws.
And then he was dragging the girl down the steps.
They reached the ground and Trent pulled her away from the rocket, felther come to life in his arms, heard the sob on her lips.
But his head turned away from her and he stared anxiously up at the openrocket chamber.
He heard the bodies of the monster and the dog slam against the innerside of the chamber, and then he saw the door of the rocket close. Heknew that the automatic mechanism must have been touched in the battle.
And even as the thought ran through his mind he heard a sudden roar offlaming sound. The night lit up in a sheet of brilliant light and a waveof flame spread out from the base of the rocket.
Trent pulled the girl away from that blinding sheet of exploding energy,and his eyes stared in grim fascination as they ran.
He saw the rocket shudder in its cradle and then lift slowly. It was asif time had turned back and he were watching an identical scene that hadhappened earlier that day.
Only it wasn't the same scene. It was now a scene of horror. For he knewthat the monster and the dog were in that rocket. The rocket that wouldshoot skyward in moments, even as its companion had done. Would reachinto the outer fringes of the Earth's atmosphere where the cosmic rayswould envelop it, would react upon the animals inside it.
And a terrible dread spread through Trent at the thought. For if thefirst change had been terrible enough, what would happen now?
And as he thought, he saw the rocket lift slowly from its cradle andgather speed as it shot upward into the night.
* * * * *
The blinding light of the exploding rocket fuel lit the proving groundslike a huge beacon of incandescence, and Trent was aware of shouts aheadof him, and running feet.
Then he was surrounded by men from the project, and he caught the glintof alert weapons and uniforms.
He felt arms grab him and the girl and heard questions pounding at him.
But then he saw a face he knew. And he tore away from the arms of theguards and shouted.
"Dr. Mathieson! Listen to me!"
The scientist stepped up to him and Trent gripped his arm in the fadinglight of the vanishing rocket.
"What's happened here?" the scientist demanded. "Aren't you one of thenewsmen--"
Trent interrupted him. He poured out a string of words. Words that toldwhat had happened. And as he talked he saw the eyes of the scientistwiden in disbelief. And he heard the guards grow silent around him. Feltevery ear listening with awe to his words.
And when he had finished there was a long moment of silence. And thenJoan Drake moved tremblingly up beside Trent and she spoke:
"It's true, doctor! Every word Fred said is true!"
And one of the guards broke in:
"The word just came in from post four. The fence was torn to pieces--andGiddings has been murdered--just as they said!"
Then the silence again. And the face of Mathieson was grim as Trentbroke through the quiet:
"--Doctor--that monster who was Gaddon--he's up there now! When thecosmic rays change him and the dog and the chamber is released ..."
The scientist shook his head slowly, a look of awe in his eyes.
"It won't release, Trent," he said.
Fred Trent looked at him questioningly.
"Gaddon must have forgotten one thing," the scientist continued. "Thatrocket was also an experimental project. But not for the same purpose.It was to test a new type of explosive ..."
Mathieson's voice trailed off and silence closed over the small groupthen.
There was no need to say anything further. There was only the tension ofwaiting, the tension that showed in every eye.
And the girl moved closer to Trent, her body trembling against his.
They waited. The seconds passed like moments in eternity. Slowly theymarched by, one by one. And then a minute. And the tension grew.
They heard it then. Off in the distance. Out in the waste of the opendesert land. A thundering sound. An explosion that rolled in a wave ofsound.
And with it a flash of brilliant light. Light that seared through thenight in a terrible wave. And with it the thunder of the explosivewarhead.
And then silence.
After a long moment the voice of Mathieson came through the quiet nightwind.
"... It's over. Gaddon is--dead. Poor fool, he fumbled with the tools ofcreation, tools that man is not ready to wield ..."
And Trent heard one of the soldiers gasp, "What a story! _What_ astory!"
But he knew, as he held the girl against him, felt her body relax besidehis, that it was a story he didn't want to write.
He wanted only to forget ...
Transcriber's Note:
This etext was produced from _Amazing Stories_ April 1949. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed. Minor spelling and typographical errors have been corrected without note.
Thank you for reading books on BookFrom.Net Share this book with friends s">