Day of the beasts v1 0, p.8
Day of the Beasts (v1.0), page 8
“Why?”
“Surely that’s obvious from the colonel’s own words. He mentioned worlds where we know it would be impossible for us to live and accordingly where our expeditions have never landed. By his very definition, he rules out these worlds as the place of origin of these creatures. If life as we know it cannot exist on these worlds, then any life which there might possibly be cannot exist on earth.”
He leaned back in his seat with an air of finality. Colonel Denford nodded at the reply, but made no further comment.
“In a sense, we here are to anticipate the kind of official action which the government is going to demand in the very near future,” went on the general heavily. “It’s my opinion that the more we can put on record, official or unofficial, the easier it will be for us when that times comes.”
“If you want me to prove that there is any known place in the solar system where these creatures could have originated, then I’m afraid we can’t,” went on Realmton harshly. He fiddled nervously with his pipe, then placed it between his lips and bit hard on it without lighting it.
General Hartley fixed the other with cold, keen eyes. “If they don’t come from the solar system, then where do they come from?”
The other shrugged resignedly. ’Tram the stars—maybe,” he said half-heartedly.
The general leaned back. There was a look on his face which indicated that this was the reply he had been waiting for;
“Has anyone anything to say on that point?” he asked eventually.
When no one answered, Brad leaned forward, caught the other’s eyes fixed on him and knew that it was his turn to speak.
“Go on, Major Norton,” said the general gently. “I can see that there’s something on your mind.”
Norton cleared his throat. “Very well, General. I’ve been thinking this problem out ever since I first came up against these creatures in the New Mexico desert. Several strange things happened about that time, and I’ve tried to put them into some form of theory.”
“And?”
“I’ve an idea that all of this is somehow tied up with what Dr. Mendel and his team are doing down there at the research establishment.”
“But that’s impossible.” The general stared at him in incredulous amazement. “What possible connection could there be between Mendel’s experiments on the new star-drive and the appearance of these creatures? Kindly explain yourself, Major.”
Brad allowed himself to smile briefly, then said quietly: “As far as I’ve been able to determine, there were no reports of any creatures such as these on the planet before Mendel tried his first test on the new propulsion unit for the starship. There was a tremendous drain of power from the nuclear pile some two miles in the desert.”
“How tremendous?” asked one of the civilian scientists, looking at him curiously.
“Close to five billion electron volts.”
“Five Bev!” There was surprise and disbelief in the other’s hoarse tone.
“I’m quite sure that Dr. Mendel will be only too pleased to substantiate what I’ve said,” went on Brad calmly. “As you all know, he’s working with tremendous energies down there. For the star-drive to be a scientific proposition at all demands the input of these astronomical amounts of energy. At the moment he’s attempting to utilize the energy locked in the nucleus of the atom itself. The energy he draws from the pile is merely the primer.”
“Assuming all that you say is correct,” went on the other smoothly, “where does all this fit in with what’s been happening in New York and a score of other places throughout the continent?”
“That’s where we have to resort to conjecture,” admitted Brad cautiously. “What I’m going to say now is something I can’t possibly prove. All I can do is put it forward as a working theory, to give us something to go on until we have anything else which can be substantiated.”
The general ran the tip of his finger across his cheek. He looked a trifle unhappy, as though, by some strange kind of intuition, he had guessed what was coming. He regarded Brad pensively.
“Go on. What’s your theory?” asked the scientist.
Brad considered his words carefully. “I think we can quite safely rule out the idea that these creatures have their origin in the solar system. All of the evidence would seem to be against that.”
“Agreed,” nodded the other.
“So as I ‘see it, we’re left with only two possibilities.”
“Two?” queried Colonel Denford.
Brad nodded his head slowly. “Either we accept the idea that they come from the stars, which could mean that there was a race out there which had solved the problem of matter teleportation over astronomical distances virtually instantaneously, or we subscribe to the second theory.”
“And that is?”
Brad pursed his lips, then licked them with the tip of his tongue. “This isn’t going to be very easy to explain to scientists such as yourselves,” he said thinly. “It seems obvious to me that these creatures must have evolved on a planet very similar indeed to earth. Their metabolism is such that they can exist here in our atmosphere; they can apparently live on such food as they find here without any ill effects. In other words, they’re quite at home here.”
“So?” The scientist looked at him intently. “Where does that thought lead us?”
“Professor Realmton is of the opinion that these creatures come from the planet of another star, a planet extremely like earth. I think—” He paused dramatically, aware that every pair of eyes in the room was upon him. “In fact, I’m sure that they come not from another planet like earth, but from earth itself.”
“But how?” the other demanded, not understanding. “They come from the earth of another time, from somewhere in the future. Someone—or something—wants to gain control of earth. Or maybe there’s something inherently dangerous in these experiments with the star-drive, and they’re trying to stop them.”
There was no reply; only staring eyes all around the room.
It was the civilian who spoke first, after what seemed an eternity of accusing silence.
“Well, General, you asked for a theory and I suppose you might say that you got one. But I think that, interesting as it was, we ought to get down to serious thinking on this problem. “I’m afraid that all this talk of time travel doesn’t impress me in the least, particularly from a military man.”
He paused, then turned to face Brad directly. “In future, young man, I’d suggest that you leave the scientific ideas to‘men qualified to deal with them and concentrate on military matters.”
Brad flushed under the implied insult in the other’s tone and opened his lips to give a sharp reply. But before he could speak, General Hartley said abruptly: “I think that at this juncture, before we say too much. I ought to remind everyone here that Major Norton is a scientist in his own right, and spent some years working with Professor Meitzner on theories similar to this. I think we can take it that he knows a little of what he’s talking about.”
“Meitzner.” The scientist looked at him with new respect. “I’m sorry, Major. I didn’t realize—”
“That’s quite all right,” said Brad airily. “I realized that such a radical theory would take some swallowing.”
“Is there any way you can prove what you say?”
“None at all, at the moment. But if I’m right, I think there’ll be proof soon enough.”
“What do you mean, Major?” asked the general. He lit his pipe and puffed clouds of smoke into the air, speaking through it.
“Let’s stop kidding ourselves, sir. If “I’m right, then whoever or whatever is at the back of this attempt to destroy us, will come personally to direct operations. We know ourselves, as military men, the extreme difficulties of fighting any kind of battle When we’re several thousand miles away from the front line. It’ll be the same with them. Sooner or later, they’ll come themselves to see how things are progressing. When that happens, we’ve got to be ready.”
Concentration modulated the set of the general’s mouth as he drew deeply on the pipe. Brad thought he could detect there the first subtle symptom of uneasiness, and he knew that he was getting through to Hartley, if not to the others.
“We’re operating within extremely restricted terms of reference, whether we like it or not,” went on Brad slowly. “All the time, we’re fighting on the defensive. So fax, I’ve heard of not a single one of these creatures being destroyed so that we might have a good look at its makeup. The sooner we know a little more about their metabolism, the sooner we can come up with some means of destroying them all.”
Hartley nodded. “I’ve anticipated you a little, Major,” he said softly. “I’ve ordered Dr. Mendel to fly up here as soon as possible. He ought to arrive tomorrow, with any luck, and we can. question him. It’s possible that he may be able to corroborate what you’ve said.”
“I only hope so, sir,” said Brad earnestly, and meant every word of it.
The next morning, Brad made his way down to the canteen on the second floor. Colonel Denford was there as he went in, talking to Realmton. He walked over and joined them as the colonel waved him forward.
“Your friend Mendel should be arriving here in less than an hour,” said Denford casually. “I understand that he’s bringing one of his technical staff with him. Highly irregular, but the general hasn’t made any objection. Funny thing for Mendel to do, though; he always struck me as a man who carried out orders.”
Brad glanced up in surprise, taking the cup of coffee which the waitress handed to him. He sipped it slowly. “Who’s the man he’s bringing with him? Anyone I might know?”
“Perhaps; it’s a man called Breden.”
“Breden! But that’s impossible. There must be some mistake.”
“I don’t think so. I’m positive that was the man the general mentioned. Why—is there anything wrong?”
“It’s more than likely.” In spite of the tight grip he had on himself. Brad felt a little knot of terror form in his stomach, hardening the muscles into a painful ball. “I was down at the research establishment almost a fortnight ago. I picked up snatches of conversation which most of the scientists there thought I hadn’t overheard. But they were enough to tell me quite a lot about this man, Breden.”
“What about him? Why this mystery, Major?”
“The last I heard of him, he was being kept under close observation. Something to do with the tests they were carrying out. Must have driven him into a state of shock. He seemed to be in a coma, although they wouldn’t let me anywhere near him.”
“Men have been known to come out of comas, especially after shock treatment,” said the civilian acidly.
“Perhaps so.” Brad nodded. “On the other hand, there may be a little more to it than meets the eye.”
“Let’s leave that until they arrive, shall we?” said the other coldly. “At the moment, my mind is a little too busy trying to assimilate the theory you put forward yesterday to worry with trifles such as men who have a breakdown and then apparently recover sufficiently to attend this discussion.”
Brad sighed and glanced at Denford. The other’s eyes Were unresponsive, and he had the feeling that the colonel felt the same way about the whole affair.
As the morning progressed, the sense of apprehension in his mind, combined with a certain nameless terror, continued to grow stronger until, by the time Mendel’s plane arrived, touching down under robot control on the airstrip, the feeling had reached cyclopean proportions in his mind. But it didn’t really boil over in his brain until the moment when Mendel walked into the underground conference room with Breden following close on his heels. Then it really hit Brad.
He threw a swift, instinctive glance at Breden. He had never seen the man before, but now he knew with certainty that this was not Breden as he had been, but as he was now that something had taken over control of his body. Something strange and alien and frightening looked out of Breden’s eyes and directed the motions of his limbs, making the body act and speak and behave like Breden.
He sat taut and tight in his chair as the general introduced the two men to the rest of the gathering.
VII
“I hope you don’t mind my bringing along Dr. Breden to this meeting, gentlemen,” said Mendel quietly. He turned his head slowly, looking from one man to the next. As his gaze fell upon Brad, he felt suddenly shocked by what he saw in the other’s face. At the research establishment, Mendel had been concerned, it was true, with the problems facing him in his task, but never had Brad thought it possible for so short a time to have aged a man to such an extent. The other looked almost ten years older than when he had last seen him, and there was a strangely haunted expression on his face and deep in his eyes.
“If Dr. Breden can make any contribution to this problem, than we’re glad to have him here,” said Hartley.
True enough, thought Brad grimly. He could see that the general, too, had noticed this difference in Mendel. He looked puzzled, as if trying to fathom something out, something elusive which refused to be pinned down in his mind. A chill metal clamp tightened abruptly around Brad’s heart, creeping up into his brain, as Breden sat down opposite him and stared him straight in the eye. He made an effort to smile across at the other, but the result was wan. The staring eyes, fixed on him, brought a rush of uneasiness.
Breden spoke, but although it was his voice which spoke, there was nothing of the man’s personality in it. The tone was oddly flat, mechanical and lifeless. It said: “As you probably know, several of these fantastic creatures have appeared in the vicinity of the establishment. They’ve been there for approximately two weeks, as far as we’ve been able to determine, and during that time,
I’ve had the opportunity to study them closely. Possibly Pm the only man in the country who has been able to do that.”
“Study them?” asked the general in genuine astonishment. “But I don’t understand. How could you possibly get close enough to one of them to carry out any study?” The other turned his head. “Quite simple, General Hardey. I killed one of them four days ago. That was the only way. Personally, I’m surprised that you haven’t gotten around to this long ago.”
The general laughed without humor. “That’s more easily said than done, “I’m afraid, Dr. Breden. I’ve had all the units I could spare out to defend the cities which were being attacked, and so far, all we’ve had to show for it has been over a hundred men killed and more than twice that number seriously injured.”
“Yet you managed to kill one, Dr. Breden,” said Brad sofdy, tightly. “Perhaps you’d tell us how you managed it.” He tried to sound casual and laconic, but the harsh breathlessness at the back of his throat made the words come out blurred and desperate.
“Ordinary weapons are useless against them,” went on the other smoothly, “as you’ve probably already discovered. Electricity in sufficiently large doses will stun them and, like most terrestrial creatures, cyanide will finish the job. That’s exactly what I did.”
The man’s eyes remained cold and hard and empty, regarding him with an attenuated, impersonal interest as though trying to probe into his mind and read the thoughts there. After a moment, he permitted himself a thin smile and turned to survey the others seated around the table.
“I’ve communicated all of my findings to Dr. Mendel. As the chief scientist at the establishment, I considered it my duty to give him everything I had found. He insisted that I should come here and place the results of my investigations before you.”
“Well, Dr. Mendel?” said Hartley.
The other moved uneasily in his chair. He had taken out his pipe and was stuffing shreds of tobacco into the bowl, pressing them down with nicotine-stained fingers. He looked distinctly unhappy.
Finally he said: “If Dr. Breden is correct in his findings, then we must revise our theories as to our position in the universe quite drastically, I’m afraid. I realize this is getting a little away from the main point behind this meeting, but I think we ought to get things into perspective and realize the urgency of completing our work.
“There seems little doubt in either of our minds that these creatures have, in some way, been transported here from the stars. The teleportation of matter across large distances simultaneously has been the dream of science for as long as I can remember. It would eliminate completely the necessity for rocketships, or even starships. The entire universe would come within our grasp.”
He paused and lit his pipe. Brad noticed that his fingers were trembling slightly, but whether from suppressed excitement or some other cause, it was impossible to guess.
There was a deep, hushed silence in the room as the other paused to consider his next words. He said: “At first, I must admit that when Dr. Breden came to me and showed me the results of his work, I refused even to consider the possibility of instantaneous travel. It didn’t ring true, didn’t fit in with everything “I’d known all of my life. But then, the star-drive is something completely revolutionary.
“To come to the point, gentlemen, “I’ve examined everything Dr. Breden has done. He has worked out the theory of matter transportation. The mathematics are fantastic, as you’d imagine, but there seems to be no fault in them that I can see.”
Brad watched the other with narrowed eyes, then threw a swift glance toward Breden. Was it his imagination, or had there really been a fleeting look of triumph on the other’s features? It was gone almost before he was aware of it, but he felt sure that he had not been mistaken.
“How can any matter possibly achieve these fantastic velocities without going against Einstein’s theory?” he asked finally, clearing his throat It was Breden who answered him. “I can see that you’re still unconvinced, Major. But suppose we put it this way. Imagine space to be a film of a soap bubble which is expanding at a known rate; and let us suppose that we now take a pin and prick that soap film at any point. Mathematically, we’ll find that the bubble automatically attempts to seal itself, twisting upon itself in the process. That area becomes unstable and distorted and we would find that the pin would come through at a different point from that at which it entered.”
