The Hormone Menace by Eando Binder Read online

  Thrilling Wonder Stories, August, 1936

  CHAPTER I

  light a match, he fumbled on the ground in the

  The Giants

  pitch darkness for a bulky bundle heavily

  wrapped in oilskin which he unleashed from

  the parachute straps. With it under one arm, he

  INGING its way down from the

  felt around his middle.

  clouds, a snub-nosed Boske leveled

  “Food

  pellets—flashlight—

  W at two thousand altitude. It was a ammunition— automatic—okay.”

  hell-dark night, no moon or stars, and, below,

  He was not far, apparently, from his

  a few twinkling lights marked a habited spot

  destination, for he could see a glow of hidden

  in the general desolation of that region. The

  lights beyond a rise of the ground. The

  airplane, its motor purring almost noiselessly,

  parachute would occasion suspicion when

  crawled, along warily, it seemed.

  found the next day. But Wistert expected to be

  When it was almost directly over the

  safely away before the night had passed. If

  cluster of lights a figure dived from its rear

  not—well, such was fate. Topping the rise, the

  cockpit and disappeared, falling rapidly. The

  spy saw, not a quartet of a mile away, a large

  quiet little Boske went on steadily. A mile

  brick building from whose windows lights

  farther its purring deepened and the airplane

  glowed. A lone building in a boulder-strewn,

  rose, disappearing into the heavy cloud-bank.

  uncultivated region in the heart of the Allied

  James Wistert, secret operative S-23

  States of Europe. What purpose did it serve?

  United North America, extricated himself What mysterious connection did it have with from his parachute harness and stood erect to

  the terrific war going on between Europe and

  breathe deep of the air over enemy land.

  America?

  “Well,” he mused, “here I am. Hope

  When the building loomed close,

  the rest is as easy.”

  Wistert stopped in the shadow of a large rock.

  He knew it wouldn’t be. Not daring to

  He undid his package, and draped about

  Thrilling Wonder Stories

  2

  himself a hooded suit of a peculiar crinkly

  the tar road, coming to a stop thirty feet away.

  material. It seemed made of metallic fiber, and

  Two figures stepped from the car and

  a half-dozen insulated wires ran from various

  approached.

  parts of it to a heavy, flat, rubberized case

  Wistart’s «yes grew big as the

  which he strapped to his chest. The suit foremost figure was revealed in the light over covered him completely from head to foot. It

  the door. Baron Laiglon, ordnance chief of the

  had two small glass-shielded peepholes for his

  North African sector! The mysterious building

  eyes, and its hem dragged on the ground.

  took on a new significance in the American’s

  Snapping a small switch at the side of

  mind.

  the case on his chest, the spy felt a tingling

  The guard now knocked on the door,

  sensation. But that was all. Somehow, he had

  and stood aside. It was opportunity knocking

  expected more. They had assured him back at

  for Wistert. He followed the two men in like

  headquarters that, wearing the suit, he was

  their shadows’ shadow; fate was still with

  invisible to others except for a faint, indistinct him. Beyond the door he quickly edged to one

  halo. Such a thing did not seem possible, but

  wall of a corridor as the two officers strode

  in these remarkable days of the late twentieth

  ahead.

  century anything could happen. This

  Careful not to scrape his shoes on the

  Invisibility Cloak was one of the enemy’s

  hardwood floor, the spy followed down the

  inventions. The one he was wearing was the

  hallway, which seemed to stretch

  only one his country ever confiscated. That

  interminably. Finally the two officers paused

  alone bespoke the importance of his present

  before a great steel door.

  mission.

  The baron’s companion stood before a

  Anxious to test the thing—but Ronaldson scanning disc and pressed the apprehensive at the same time—Wistert button below it. There was a click of relays, stepped from the rock’s shadow and strode

  the interplay of photoelectric beams, and then

  warily toward the large brick” building.

  the steel portal rolled aside like a dinner plate.

  Perhaps it was fortunate that the two officers

  THE side he approached was unbroken by

  were speaking as they stepped beyond the

  even a single doorway. Rounding the corner,

  threshold; else they might have heard the

  the spy muffled a gasp as a uniformed man

  hurried tread of their invisible follower as he

  shouldering a rifle came toward him. squeezed through with them. The ponderous Instinctively his gauntleted hand dove for his

  steel valve rolled back into place.

  automatic; then he relaxed sheepishly. For the

  The one man spoke a few low words to

  soldier passed not ten feet away, staring the guard standing at attention—he who had straight at him. Yet not at him, but through

  scanned the transmitted image and opened the

  him!

  seal upon seeing who it was—and then

  His nerves somewhat shaken, Wistert

  motioned for the baron to follow. Like a

  followed the wall. Under the first doorway he

  ghost, Wistert slipped along in their wake.

  reached stood another guard. The spy paused.

  A staircase led below at the end of this

  To enter this portal he must open the door and

  new corridor. Wistert paused at the bottom to

  shove past the guard.

  see the two officers enter an elevator car,

  Wistert thought of a dozen and one

  which immediately descended. The spy stared

  plans in the space of a minute. The dilemma

  around, surprised. There were no less than ten

  was still unsolved when he stiffened suddenly

  elevator shafts opening upon the room. From

  at the sound of a motor. The guard came to

  the opposite side led half a dozen large

  attention as a big black sedan whined down

  corridors. What lay below this mysterious

  The Hormone Menace

  3

  brick-building?

  descended with reinforcements which came

  The spy became aware of a steady

  from the various hallways.

  vibration in the floor, as of ponderous

  The spy suddenly knew what made

  machinery. Speculatively he eyed the sentinel

  these workers so queer in appearance. It was

  leaning against the wa
ll. Perhaps; if the guard

  their facial expressions. Almost as though they

  were out of the way, Wistert might get on an

  were prototypes, their visages reflected an

  elevator himself, for they were automatic.

  extreme dreaminess. Wistert discounted drugs;

  Prepared to take the risk involved, he

  it was something deeper, more basic—

  was about to step forward when one of the

  something in their very natures. Their eyes

  elevators came up. As its grillwork door was

  held strange lights.

  pulled aside, a dozen men stepped out. The

  Then this shifting of men ended, and

  spy gasped.

  the elevators came up and went down with

  Those men were giants! Each was another series of groups. These men, also eight feet tall and built proportionately. Their

  normal in size, seemed extremely nervous.

  faces were brutish in cast, thick-lipped. They

  Their stride was jerky and the muscles of their

  were, obviously witless creatures, mere faces twitched uncontrollably. Yet it was not mountains of strength. Dressed in baggy the type of nervousness associated with jumpers of denim, they trudged forward hysteria; it was more the sensitiveness of silently and awkwardly, followed by two energetic, high-strung personalities.

  guards who had ready pistols and barked

  What was the solution of this mystery?

  sharply in tones of command. Like a herd of

  Why this change of shift of workers who were

  driven oxen, the giants turned into a corridor.

  so alike in their own group, so greatly

  Hardly had this group disappeared than

  different in different groups? The key to this,

  a similar group of giants came from one of the

  Wistert realized, would be priceless

  corridors and entered the elevator which had

  information to American headquarters.

  first disgorged its human load. Thereafter, Wistert’s one aim then was to go below eight more elevator loads came up and an

  himself and see just what these pitifully

  equivalent number went down.

  slavelike creatures were made to do.

  Wistert noticed that those who came

  up were grimy and looked tired and hungry,

  while the giant men who were taken below

  CHAPTER II

  were clean and fresh-looking. The spy could

  The Invisible Cloak

  come to only one conclusion—that it was

  change of shift. Some great project was going

  on below that sapped the strength of eight-foot

  “MON DIEU!” exclaimed Baron Laiglon,

  men so that they had to be replaced speaking French, the official language of the periodically with fresher forces.

  Allied States of Europe. “What is the meaning

  of all this?”

  AT last the interchange of giant men was over.

  He swept an arm around to include the

  The first elevator came up again, but from it

  immense workshop filled with industrious

  this time stepped men who, though normal in

  humans. Beyond pillared arches he could see

  size, were distinctly odd in some way. They

  other large chambers; and he understood that

  too were silent and tired-looking, and obeyed

  there were three more sub-levels of a similar

  the guards’ orders mutely, turning into one of

  nature. It was strange to find all this beneath a the corridors. One after the other the elevators

  plain brick building in semi-desert land.

  arose, emptied their loads of weary men, and

  His companion, Director Bergmann,

  Thrilling Wonder Stories

  4

  chuckled at his astonishment. “You are Bergmann, as long as I’m here on my first surprised, baron?” He spoke French with the

  visit, tell me how you have made such

  guttural accent of a German. “But where did

  marvelous military and scientific strides in so

  you think our great military inventions came

  short a time. I have seen many men working

  from?”

  industriously—queer men, deformed

  “Oh, I knew, of course, M. Bergmann,

  physically—or mentally, perhaps?”

  that this place existed. That it had been

  “Ah, a shrewd guess, baron,” said the

  established ten years in advance—in director. “Yes, these men are all deformed—

  anticipation of the great European-American

  except, of course, my own personnel, who are

  struggle for world supremacy. But because of

  ordinary menials and soldiers. But they are

  the utter secrecy with which it was done, none

  deformed, baron, to a purpose! Perhaps you

  but the highest officials knew just where it

  know little of the science of biology. It has

  was, and what it was expected to accomplish.”

  been my life work. I shall explain what I have

  “Naturally,” said the director, “secrecy

  accomplished; you shall then judge whether it

  was paramount, lest the American espionage

  is the work of genius or not.”

  get wind of it.”

  “Of course,” agreed the baron. He THE director rubbed his hands as he began: “I laughed. “M. Bergmann, if America but was early in life fascinated by the study of the suspected that this place existed! They would

  mysteries of human nature—especially in its

  undoubtedly withdraw half their aerial forces

  attributes of intelligence. What essentially was

  from the very Nile sector to attack and bomb

  intelligence—or intellect? I was very soon

  this cozy nest of yours.”

  brought face to face with the gland question.

  The director cooed gleefully. “No Each human is controlled and governed to a doubt, baron, not a tiny doubt! For from this

  great extent by ten glands of internal

  place are turned out in quantity the Invisibility secretion. These small organs manufacture

  Cloak, the Radio-Wave Absorption Screen,

  certain powerful chemicals, called hormones,

  and the Super-Sonic Gun—to mention only

  which react in the blood-stream and make the

  three of the inventions which have beaten individual what he is—mentally and back powerful America.”

  physically!

  “Beaten her back!” said the baron

  “You have heard of diabetes and its

  scornfully. “These inventions have turned the

  cure by insulin. Insulin is the hormone

  tide of the war! Yes, it is so. Beginning within

  produced by the pancreatic gland, situated

  a month, Europe will take the offensive, near the stomach. Perhaps you have heard of whereas for three years we have been on the

  cretinism, and its eradication by the feeding of

  defensive. Our first drive—” He clipped his

  thyroxin, which is the hormone product of the

  words and peered uneasily around.

  thyroid gland in the neck. Diabetics, cretins—

  The director smiled. “What do you as well as abnormally tall people, intellectual fear—spies? Not here!”

  people, sensitive people—are the result of

  “I had the uncomfortable feeling for a

  over-active, or under-active; glands.

  moment that we were being watched,”

  “It came to me that miraculous things

  admitted the ba
ron.

  might be done through these glands. I made

  “Ach, no spies here!” said the director.

  endless experiments with animals. But

  “Nevertheless—” The baron did not

  animals could not satisfy me; I wanted human

  take up the topic he had dropped, still uneasy.

  animals as my control subjects!”

  Instead, he waved his hand again to include

  The baron involuntarily shuddered and

  the bee-hive industry surrounding them. “M.

  turned his eyes away from the beady, fanatic

  The Hormone Menace

  5

  ones of the director.

  keeping with their great stature, they were fed

  “My chance came ten years ago,” went

  also adrenal-cortex hormone. They are the

  on the scientist. “Military officials were simplest of my transmutations.

  pleading for advanced armament with which

  “Think now of the men in the second

  to wage war against powerful America, who

  chamber who do the mechanical work: fitting

  was slowly but surely gaining dominance in

  gears, running machines, and such. They have

  Africa and Asia, having it already in South

  been overfed on the hormone of the

  America. I laid down my plans—promised

  adrenal-cortex to give them strength and

  great inventions. And all I would ask for were

  determination, and on adrenal-medulla to give

  condemned criminals from the jails, the them a great capacity for work. They work flotsam of life. That, and a free license to use

  sixteen hours of every day without tiring; each

  them as laboratory subjects!

  is worth three ordinary men for his work.

  “My petition was granted, in the

  desperate hope, no doubt, that I might know

  “THOSE men who work at the super-sonic

  what I was saying. They are not sorry—the

  testing apparatus—they are infinitely sensitive

  members of the Governing Council-that they