The Winged Doom by Kenneth Gilbert Read online

  Amazing Stories, October, 1927

  INE hundred miles an hour!

  combustion engines; but now, with electric

  A speed almost half that of a

  motors energized by power-transmitting radio

  Nrifle bullet, yet the torpedo-shaped stations, there seemed scarcely any limit to the plane driving along the upper air-lanes, its fin-rate at which planes could be shot through

  wings out-thrust stiffly, was going that fast.

  space.

  As early as the first quarter of the twentieth

  Up there in the thin, rarefied

  century, airplanes had attained a speed of atmosphere, the cold had almost a brittle, three hundred miles an hour with the old-style

  snapping quality, yet the man who sat in the

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  control-cabin of the plane knew a sense of

  which, once set, held the plane automatically

  comfort and well-being. Air struck the curved

  to its course, he reflected that this might well nose of the machine and swept along the be the last gamble of the many he had taken narrowing body with but little resistance, yet

  with death. Perhaps this was a good way to

  at such tremendous speed, this slight die. He smiled grimly at the thought that if die resistance created heat which was felt within

  he did, he would have at least once more

  the cabin. It was a ghostly flight and a silent

  outwitted old McLaughlin, head of the aerial

  one, except for the nearly inaudible humming

  police. There had to be an end to their feud

  of the powerful motors within the plane’s some day; and this was as good a way as any.

  nose. The whole of the night void, for that

  Within the hour he had made a

  matter, seemed faintly beaded with this same

  laughing-stock of the flying police. Almost

  high-pitched humming, as though the heavens

  under their eyes he had cast his net for spoils, were alive with a mighty swarm of bees. Now

  and the haul had astonished even him. In his

  and then the twilight seemed to deepen at a

  hands had been a military secret beyond

  focal point ahead, and a keen eye could have

  price—no less than the formula for coridium, glimpsed the shadowy outlines of another that new combination of metallic elements plane. The fact was that the atmosphere was

  which had the amazing power of levitation, or

  literally alive with aircraft, all darkened, and nullification of gravity. Possessed of such a

  scarcely to be seen as they fled across the star-secret, one nation might easily dominate the

  pricked sky.

  world. Coridium would scrap every radio-The significant thing of their flight was

  driven aircraft; it could he made to wreck

  that they were bound in one direction—East!

  cities, destroy populations. A fragment of it

  It was the Hour of the Air, and America, after

  placed beneath the greatest skyscraper, or

  helping maintain world peace until late in the

  even a mountain if that could be

  twenty-first century, had sprung aloft to resist accomplished, would send the huge mass

  aerial invasion from across the Atlantic, an

  skyward with all the force of the revolving

  attack that was being made without warning.

  planet behind it. Gravity having been

  And he who was called The Kingbird,

  overcome, earth-dwellers next would be

  erstwhile buccaneer of the air-lanes—

  voyaging to other planets if the terrific power

  cleverest, most daring and most resourceful of

  of coridium could be controlled.

  all the free-booting falcons—had cast his lot

  The formula and the lone placque of

  on the side of law for once, and of his country, coridium in existence—the placque a grayish that the hostile death-cloud rolling up from

  substance sandwiched between two layers of

  overseas might be broken. Swifter even than

  insulating metal, which kept it subdued and

  the police-planes, those gray arbiters of the

  intact—were the cause of this present attack

  air, his small, clean-lined ship was shaming

  by an ambitious and warlike overseas power.

  likewise the military craft, with their American chemists had compounded whizzing, bullet-like flight; and as for the coridium, and under the international pact luxurious private machines and passenger-signed in 1987, America was obliged to share

  carriers, both of which classes had been her secret with the world, that the balance of commandeered, their winging progress military power might be maintained and peace seemed heavy-bodied and sluggish.

  preserved.

  As The Kingbird sat at the levers, his

  And this was what America was

  rather thin and colorless face more pallid than

  planning to do when the placque of coridium

  ever in the guarded light from the gyro-control

  and the more precious formula had been stolen

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  by a secret agent of the predatory foreign

  outdistanced the American flight, and was

  power. To possess itself of the discovery now between the two opposing forces, before other nations could learn the secret, and virtually in No Man’s Sky. Thereupon, he

  at the same time deliver a stunning blow at

  stilled the whirling propellers, and reversed

  America, largest and richest nation on earth—

  them, braking his machine to a stop. At the

  and the most powerful potential enemy, same instant, the helicopters on the wings took therefore—this was the coup decided upon by

  up the task of keeping the machine aloft.

  the hostile power. Upon word being received

  Like the dauntless little feathered flyer

  that the agent had the precious secret, and was

  for which he was named, The Kingbird and

  on his way home with it by airplane, the

  his machine hung motionless in the air—

  hostile war-birds of the overseas power had

  perhaps fourteen thousand feet above the sea.

  taken to the air, and headed for the American

  This was his famous poise, which he used

  shore.

  while watching for prey passing along the air-

  It was sheer chance that The Kingbird

  lanes beneath him.

  should hold up the agent’s plane, and seize the

  Save for the quiet purr of the motors

  coridium and formula. Thereupon, the operating the helicopters, the night void now buccaneer underwent a change. The secret was a place of vast silence. In the gloom agent and the latter’s plane were sent crashing

  ahead nothing could be seen, nor in the rear;

  to destruction. But instead of The Kingbird

  the advance guard of the American flight

  keeping the priceless booty, he swung low

  apparently having stopped at the coast-line to

  over McLaughlin’s headquarters, and dropped

  await the enemy.

  it, with a curt note of defiance. Thereafter, he He twisted a small brass knob on the

  shaped his course to meet the enemy winging

  instrument-boa
rd, and instantly, on the opaque

  across the Atlantic.

  glass screen of the television box before him,

  Freebooter of the skies though he was,

  a panorama of the heavens in a wide arc was

  The Kingbird yet had a peculiar loyalty to the

  revealed. The tele-vision, a device of

  country which had outlawed him. His life,

  harmonized radio and light-waves, had the

  held cheaply enough, and the marvelously-

  faculty of seeming to sift darkness from

  swift machine he possessed, were in that daylight; it intensified the weak vibrations of instant dedicated to the cause of his clan.

  lightwaves, making it possible to see in the

  dark. And what The Kingbird did see,

  YET his plane was unfitted for service as a

  galvanized him into action!

  war-craft; he possessed no weapon save a

  Across the sky ahead, like the wide-

  flash-pistol, which had the power to blind,

  spread wings of some gigantic bird, were

  harmlessly and but temporarily, any human

  moving, nebulous shapes. The enemy! The

  being at which it was aimed. The enemy, he

  watchful outposts on America’s eastern shore,

  surmised, was coming equipped with all the

  by means of long-distance tele-vision, had

  death-dealing devices which a super-

  been right, then, when they suspected that the

  civilization had evolved since the World War

  cloud of planes, rising like the first smoke of a early in the twentieth century. The army threatened world conflagration over Europe, planes of the American flight would doubtless

  had a sinister portent.

  give a good account of themselves, but he and

  The Kingbird’s hands moved swiftly

  his tiny machine could scarcely hope to be

  here and there among the controls, and he shot

  more than sacrificed.

  earthward, for the penalty of his peek by tele-

  He realized now that he had vision was that it revealed him at the instant it

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  had revealed the enemy. As he went into a

  thousands of planes, for the blended drone of

  steep volplane, gliding only on the resistance

  their motors came down to him like the

  of air against the fin-wings, a beam of light

  persistent diapason of a mighty pipe-organ. He

  stabbed the spot in the heavens where he had

  dared not use his television again, for it might been but a moment before.

  betray him to a scout plane winging along at a

  The beam swung back and forth, as

  lower altitude. Yet the enemy planes were not

  though searching for him; and to his ears came

  traveling fast; rather they seemed to keep their a slight, hissing sound, as might be made by

  formation in grenadier-fashion, until they met

  the swishing of a whip. Pale blue was that

  the shock-planes which the Americans had

  light-beam, with a faint yellowish tinge, like

  thrown out ahead of the main wall of the

  harmless, diffused moonlight; yet The defense.

  Kingbird knew it for the terrible death-ray,

  The Kingbird was going to the rear of

  which withered life and substance as though at

  the enemy, yet now he went into a breath-

  the touch of a white-hot flame.

  taking turn, doubling back in a magnificent

  Though his eyes widened a little at

  loop that left him flying upside down, until he

  thought of what would have happened to him

  righted again, and began to climb. Unknown

  if he had remained poised up there a few

  to the foe which was now ahead, he had

  seconds longer, nevertheless rage burned in

  become a pursuer; a swallow chasing a vast

  him at this exhibition of ruthlessness by the

  flock of eagles. Up and still up he went, until

  enemy. The death-ray had long been banned

  he reached the chill level along which the

  by international agreement as being too enemy moved.

  barbarous; yet the enemy was using it. No

  Then he straightened again, and shot

  doubt the hostile planes were equipped with

  ahead. Gradually, the swelling volume of

  other deadly devices more horrible than this.

  sound from the enemy motors began to din

  His plane dropped more swiftly.

  painfully upon his ear-drums, and he knew

  Yet in that rapid descent there came to

  that he was overhauling the grim flight. Far

  him the glimmering of a plan. The foe had

  below him, the Atlantic tossed uneasily; but

  seen him, yet it was doubtful if they would

  he had no thought of it. At last, on the chance

  pause to destroy him; they were passing on to

  that the enemy would be looking ahead and

  engage the American planes waiting above the

  not behind, he flashed on his television for a

  sea-coast. He would strike first; one glorious

  brief glimpse. What he saw, before he allowed

  blow, and then he would have joined the list

  darkness to envelop him protectingly once

  of historic martyrs, which have marked each

  more, was what seemed to be the beaded

  successive generation since the dawn of girdle of a giant—a shape which appeared to mankind.

  stretch from horizon to horizon—being flung

  Therefore he checked abruptly his shoreward upon a well-massed but earthward drop, and planed ahead on an even

  comparatively small phalanx of American

  keel, the flight-motors whining in a high, machines. He readjusted his controls, and his unaccustomed key. If luck was with him, he

  motors whined with a new note, while the

  had already passed out of the arc of television

  shell-like body of his machine became

  by the enemy. A half-minute later he knew

  astonishingly hot under the increased pressure

  that his guess was correct.

  of the air through which it cleaved.

  High over him in the heavens,

  Seconds clicked by, with The Kingbird

  somberly driving toward the American shore,

  praying that the foe would not look back and

  passed the dark fleet. There were many observe him. Closer and closer he came,

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  without slackening speed. Then he saw in the lee of a cabin on the enemy machine, something which crystallized decision.

  and his fingers groped for the knob of a door

  It was an unusually large and broad-

  just before him.

  winged plane well to the rear of the flight. If

  size counted for anything, surely this was an

  WHAT lay on the other side of the door

  important machine, kept well back of the line

  permitted the wildest guess he could make.

  to avoid that first shock of onslaught. For

  Men were there, ready to slay him the instant

  another instant he dared snap on his television, he showed himself, perhaps; yet he dared not

  and he observed that the great machine ahead

  falter.

  rolled slightly as it struck an air-bump too

  As he turned the knob gently and felt

  pronounced for its gyroscopic compensators.

  the lock disengage, he
drew from beneath his

  Likewise the television revealed in that coat the flash-pistol, with its long, oversized momentary roll, that the enemy monster was

  barrel. This was the relatively harmless

  painted a grayish blue on its belly, as a weapon he always carried on his aerial forays.

  camouflage color to blend with the neutral hue

  The Kingbird was no killer; all he desired was

  of the heavens, while its upper side was to insure his own safety through intimidation mottled with vivid designs which would make

  of his victim. Slowly he opened the door an

  it practically invisible to any machine flying

  inch; then suddenly threw back the panel. And

  above it.

  had he conjured himself out of thin air in the

  Darkness came as he snapped off the

  center of the cabin, his appearance could have

  television, but now the swiftly-moving bulk

  been no more startling.

  ahead was visible to the unaided eye. Closer

  There were a dozen men in the

  and closer his little machine swept. Now he

  compartment; officers in all the gorgeousness

  was directly above the foe, and he slowed his

  of gold-braid and showy epaulets, and they

  speed to correspond with that of the other.

  were seated about a carved table secured to

  Then, gently, his lighter craft began

  the deck. Or rather, they had been, for now

  settling. Without shock or jar it touched the

  they were on their feet, staring at him in open-

  sheathed upper-deck of the big plane. A faint

  mouthed amazement. Elderly men for the

  sigh of escaping air as rubber vacuum-cups

  most part, yet with here and there an evident

  fitted to the under side of The Kingbird’s

  young fop. The cabin was perhaps thirty feet

  plane, took hold of the bigger machine, which

  long and twenty feet wide, and at the far end

  continued to drive on through space, all of it a pilot sat at the controls, a watch-officer unconscious of the fact that the small beside him. Ranged along its walls were adversary, like some parasitical insect, was