The Winged Doom by Kenneth Gilbert Read online

  mechanical devices which The Kingbird could

  riding with it. The motors of The Kingbird’s

  not at that moment classify, hut which

  plane continued to revolve, for he did not wish

  suggested, in their business-like array, that

  to betray himself just yet by disturbing the

  this was a war-craft.

  equilibrium of the machine below.

  Yet it was not these which claimed

  Out of the control-cabin he climbed,

  The Kingbird’s attention. At the moment of

  and dropped easily over the gunwale to the

  his entrance, the group at the table had been

  roof of the strange craft. He moved silently,

  facing one who sat apart from them; a

  though with precision, for now and then as he

  youngish man, slender and dark, and more

  exposed himself to the rushing air, it seemed

  brilliantly-attired than the others. Young he

  that a fierce gale tore at him, sought to wrench was, though at first glance he seemed middle-him loose. But in a moment he was sheltered

  aged; his hair was wispy and thin on top, and

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  his rather staring eyes were marked with dark

  of the scene, as he stood there, flash-pistol in pouches which told of long dissipation. He

  hand. Masking his own thoughts so that they

  had been speaking when The Kingbird could read no more than he chose to convey, entered; a jest, perhaps, for his mouth was

  he shot at them one command:

  now frozen in a grimace that suggested “Hands

  up!”

  humor. But now he was on his feet with the

  The group saw the weapon The

  rest of them, his full lips and weak chin Kingbird held, and decided that it was that trembling.

  deadly and contraband side-arm, the ray

  As for The Kingbird, he suddenly felt

  pistol. The Heir gasped, and impulsively lifted

  faint as the astounding audacity of the thing he his hands, the others hastily following suit.

  had done smote him. He had captured the

  For the moment, The Kingbird held

  plane of The Heir—the Crown Prince!

  trump cards. Yet at any instant, the radiophone

  Of all that vast and sinister fleet bound

  might give the alarm to other hostile craft. It

  on its mission of destruction, fortune had was an exigency which he had considered in decreed that he should board the one most

  planning this coup, relying upon the

  precious craft of all, the plane carrying the son probability that the delicate microphone

  of The Autocrat, that stern and war-like old

  secured to the roof of the cabin would have

  ruler whose grandest gesture of defiance at

  been switched off, so that idle conversation—

  peace-loving humanity was this flight of thought-transference being used only when death-laden craft!

  speed was necessary—would not be broadcast

  through the ether. A moment later The

  MORE than that. Here, too, was the brains of

  Kingbird knew that his guess had been

  the flotilla. This weakling was in full correct.

  command, although no more than the puppet

  For he saw one of the pilot’s hands

  of the wise old councillors who surrounded

  reach for a black knob on the wall—and The

  him. A heaven-sent opportunity for any Kingbird surmised that it controlled the switch martyr! In one instant, The Kingbird could

  to the radiophone. As the man touched the

  strike a blow that would break the spirit of the switch, The Kingbird’s flash-pistol swung

  old conqueror overseas. Without a qualm, The

  toward him; there was an intense white flare

  Autocrat might see ten thousand of his lasting not more than the thousandth part of a subjects perish in his behalf—yet the kingdom

  second—and the pilot staggered back, hands

  itself was not too great a price to pay for the

  clapped to his eyes. One of the group of

  safety of this shivering youth who was his son.

  officers, furtively reaching with his foot for a World domination would not solace the push-button beneath the table, gave a muffled warlord, if The Heir, pampered wastrel, did

  cry, and dropped to the floor, as that blinding

  not come back alive.

  flare of the flash-pistol came once more.

  No word was spoken; none was

  “G-G-God!” stuttered The Heir in a

  needed, for these high officers were of the

  horrified whisper, his throat working

  intellectual class to which The Kingbird convulsively. But he kept his hands aloft.

  himself belonged, and they scorned speech

  Still The Kingbird held trumps. The

  when thought-transference was so much more

  plane was now pilotless: but its automatic

  rapid in such a critical situation as this. A

  control kept it to its course and speed.

  barrage of hostile, challenging questions was

  Nevertheless, the situation called for swift

  hurled at the interloper who had materialized

  decision. The Kingbird’s eyes roved about the

  from nothingness, yet who was clearly master

  cabin. He saw the gun-carriage mechanism of

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  7

  the death-ray, but he was unfamiliar with its

  The Kingbird jumped involuntarily, as

  operation. True, he might compel one of the

  his taut nerves twanged at the unexpectedness

  prisoners to turn the ray on the enemy ships,

  of it. The voice seemed to come from the roof

  but only a few of the craft could be thus

  of the cabin, where a bell-shaped horn was

  destroyed before the others would discover

  secured. The pilot had succeeded in

  what was happening, and retaliate. Too connecting the radiophone after all! Someone clumsy.

  on another of the enemy ships was calling The

  There were, too, other implements Heir.

  which he did not recognize. Particularly was

  “Silence!” The Kingbird hurled the

  his attention drawn to a row of pear-shaped

  telepathic command at the group. The Heir

  metal containers stowed in racks along the

  had opened his mouth to reply to the call from

  walls. He shot a thought-question at the the radiophone; but he closed his lips again, nearest officer, compelling answer. What he

  resolutely, as the flash-pistol’s muzzle was

  learned was startling.

  fixed ominously upon him.

  Atomic bombs? Outlawed by nations

  “Highness!”

  as the death-ray had been were these fiendish

  contrivances, yet apparently the butchers from

  AGAIN came the voice; conciliating,

  abroad were overlooking no weapon, however

  respectful, yet with a rising inflection that

  horrible, in their determination to conquer the

  indicated mild puzzlement, if not worry. But

  world. Let but one of the innocent-appearing,

  The Kingbird was already firing telepathic

  fragile things be broken, and the object which

  questions and orders at the group in the cabin.

  it touched would vanish. A tall building struck

  “You have an air-raft?” he queried

  by one of these bombs would disintegrate into

  them silently.
Before going into action, a war-

  thin air. Held in leash beneath the thin, craft usually discarded the double-pontoons of metallic skins of these little bombs was a

  thin, toughened aluminum which, charged

  combination of mechanical and chemical with a highly-buoyant gas, were slung on the principles which achieved the goal so underside of a craft as large as this. But they earnestly sought by scientists even as far back

  had kept their air-raft, it seemed, because The

  as the early years of the twentieth century—

  Heir was on board this ship.

  the destruction of atoms; and in a moment of

  “Into it, then!” commanded The

  black anger, The Kingbird knew the impulse

  Kingbird. The group hesitated, looking for

  to crash one of the bombs to the deck, and

  confirmation from their prince. “Quick!” was

  wipe out not only himself, but The Heir and

  the telepathic order, as The Kingbird leveled

  the latter’s officers. Yet that impulse passed as the flash-pistol. The Heir made an inarticulate

  quickly as it had come. A better plan occurred

  sound, and the officers sprang to obey. In the

  to him.

  hands of this desperate stranger, whose eyes

  He would deliver one stupendous, had the chill of ice and whose mental magnificent stroke at the enemy! He would

  processes leaped ahead of theirs, they had

  send this huge plane, laden with atomic become as children.

  bombs, into the midst of the hostile war-craft,

  One of them lifted a trap-door in the

  to wreak what havoc it could. His mind deck, and then all stood back respectfully for formed the words of a command, but before

  The Heir to descend first. As the distraught

  he could convey it, a voice spoke hollowly

  prince sought to do so, The Kingbird gripped

  within the cabin:

  his arm.

  “Highness!”

  “You stay with me!” His words

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  showered the group with a mental barrage.

  the lever controlling the vacuum-cups which

  “His life depends upon your quick obedience,”

  fastened his craft to the doomed ship below.

  The Kingbird told them. He could feel the arm

  A lurch, and the little plane was free.

  of the royal captive shaking. Still, one of the

  The Kingbird, brain and muscles working at

  officers demurred; but it was significant that

  top speed, sent his machine into a volplane.

  he did not utter his complaint aloud.

  Yet as they went down, with the frantic

  “We are above the sea,” said his prisoner literally hanging on for his life, the thoughts. “We shall drown—”

  buccaneer caught a glimpse of a dramatic

  “Highness!”

  thing taking place in the air above.

  The voice again! Suspicion, alarm was

  The enemy planes were striving

  in it. The Kingbird’s features hardened. He

  desperately to escape from the terrible fate

  faced the hesitant officer.

  about to overtake them. There was no time to

  “You dare not take such a chance?” he

  consider what had happened; it was merely

  began. “Very well, then—” The flash-pistol

  apparent that the plane of The Heir was

  was turned full on the face of the crown beyond control and, laden with its atomic prince.

  bombs, was coming at them like an aroused

  But the first of the group had dropped

  demon. Like a flock of birds startled by a

  through the trap-door, and his action broke the

  swooping hawk, they broke formation, darting

  resistance of the others. The Kingbird this way and that.

  slammed down the trapdoor, and an instant

  So skilled were their aviators, that it

  later the big plane jerked upward slightly;

  seemed the purpose would be accomplished;

  there was a muffled cry which ended abruptly,

  but luck deserted them at the last moment.

  and The Kingbird knew that he stood alone

  One side-slipping plane hooked a wing-tip

  with his royal captive.

  into that of a neighbor; and other machines,

  The voice from the radiophone spoke

  driving close behind in the race with death,

  no more, but The Kingbird, peering through

  were forced to change course. Within the

  an observation-port nearest him, saw that a

  space of a second, they became a wildly

  change was taking place in the enemy fleet—

  disordered mass—and the careening plane of

  the ships were slowing down, massing to right

  The Heir struck full in the center of them. The

  and left of the royal plane.

  Kingbird saw an astonishing thing happen.

  With no fear of The Heir, the

  What seemed like a broken cloud

  buccaneer jumped for the controls. The big

  obscured the spot for a moment, and then the

  plane speeded up, overtook the enemy ships,

  air was clear. But where more than two score

  was at the forefront of the immensely long

  great enemy ships had been milling an instant

  line. And when this happened, he jammed the

  before, there was nothing but space. There had

  controls hard over.

  been no flash, no sound of an explosion;

  Instantly the great machine banked nothing more than a single vaporous puff, as sharply, swung half around and, gathering the atomic bombs, jarred by the collision, had speed quickly once more, went charging at

  been set off, consuming everything they had

  right angles at the nearest enemy machine.

  touched. The Kingbird shuddered, suddenly

  The Heir was pawing at The Kingbird in sick at the pit of his stomach.

  sudden terror, but the next moment the sky-

  And now consternation ran the length

  pirate was driving him aft, and out of the

  of the mighty rank. Nearer and nearer, the

  cabin. Up over the gunwale of the small plane

  flight was approaching the American

  they scrambled, and The Kingbird kicked at

  defenders; but for the moment the attackers

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  9

  were numbed by the thought that The Heir

  The Kingbird thrilled at sight of it.

  was gone, and with him a number of the finest

  America had given her military secrets to the

  war-craft. What would The Autocrat, the royal

  world as rapidly as her scientists had perfected father, say and do when he learned of it? Not

  them, yet she was not utterly destitute of

  an officer in that vast armada who did not

  defensive tactics. The Kingbird knew that he

  blanch at thought of it.

  was witnessing a demonstration of the new

  vacuum-grenades, as yet in an experimental

  YET The Heir’s death could be avenged! With

  stage, and not fully developed to a point where

  his own radiophone switched on now, The

  their discovery would be made public. It was

  Kingbird heard commands going from ship to

  known that when shot from magnetic guns at

  ship, as some ranking officer took charge.

  close range, they created a perfect vacuum in a

  Only the sudden
confusion of the enemy, and

  radius of several hundred feet from where they

  his own swift drop earthward had saved The

  exploded. The sudden change from normal air

  Kingbird from discovery.

  pressure to a perfect vacuum, and the ensuing

  Down the long line of the flight, pale

  concussion when the air-envelope collapsed

  beams, like ghostly fingers, crept forth, again, would be fatal to any human being. A groping for victims. He saw one of these plane, relieved suddenly of supporting air-death-rays touch an American machine that

  pressure, would drop—to crumple when it

  was well out in front; saw it crumple, and go

  again struck the wall of air as though it had

  down, glowing at white heat. It seemed that

  smashed on a rock. Heavy detonations that

  his hopes went down with it, for surely there

  came to The Kingbird’s ears, as the air rushed

  could be no withstanding such a terrible force

  again into the vacuum, told him that his guess

  as this.

  was correct.

  Now the two forces were fairly

  Yet there could not be many vacuum-

  engaged. Flickering here and there among the

  grenades on hand; there had not been time to

  American machines went the hostile death-

  manufacture them in quantities. Already, The

  rays; but so close had the opposing squadrons

  Kingbird saw, the fury of the defense was

  come together that occasionally the enemy’s

  waning; once more the tide of battle was

  death-rays caught one of its own craft. But the

  going with the invaders. Yet both sides were

  Americans were not escaping these deadly

  losing planes; wrecked machines were fairly

  shafts of light. Now and then the gloom of the

  raining out of the air, but the Americans were

  heavens would be lightened by the sudden

  vastly outnumbered.

  glow of a stricken plane; and the machine,

  These things he saw during that fearful

  with its crew dead in a heat of more than