The Hormone Menace by Eando Binder Read online

  to rhythm and vibration. The post-pituitary

  consented. Eh, baron?”

  extract gives them that over-developed sense,

  The Frenchman nodded, but a fine which in us ordinary mortals is displayed sweat had beaded his forehead.

  when we keep time to music with a tapping

  The scientist went on, his voice eager:

  foot, or beat a drum in a certain cadence.

  “Then began my monumental work. I

  “Then, the workers at the electrical

  performed a great series of experiments with

  apparatus are hyper-sensitive to even the

  my gland-products, on my human guinea pigs.

  magnetic field of a small helix. They

  Before five years had passed, I began to see

  substitute for galvanometric meters quite well,

  some glimmerings of success. I was beginning

  and have the added faculty of being able to

  to bring order out of chaos, simplicity out of

  reason, which a meter does not. They

  complexity. And these indefatigable, eliminate hours of rechecking and testing super-clever workers of mine”—he swept a

  because they feel differences in potential and quick arm-around to include the hundreds of

  make immediate corrections.

  men in denim—“are my symbols of success!”

  “But the core of the work that is going

  The baron nodded, but his soul felt

  on in this humanized workshop is shaped in

  sick within him. Human beings—criminals, it

  my scientific laboratory. In the third sub-level

  was true, but still human beings—

  are my prize gland-men. Some are fed with

  experimented upon like rabbits, by a cold,

  the thymus hormone, to give them the eidetist heartless scientific genius. Yet—the baron perceptions, or the ability to photograph on sighed reflectively—it was serving a purpose.

  their minds what they see and hear, and refer

  It had brought the Allied States of Europe

  to those things hours later without the slightest within reach of its goal as the world, power.

  loss of memory. They are storehouses of

  “To leave generalities and explain valuable knowledge—human reference books.

  more fully,” continued the director. “You have

  “Others are fed with the pineal

  seen the eight-foot giants who do all the heavy

  hormone to give them psychic and

  labor in these workshops. They were ordinary

  super-normal perceptions. Such men can see

  men who were fed an excess of the ultra-violet light, and even radio waves! They pre-pituitary hormone. This gland substance

  can telepathize their thoughts, and read those

  promotes bone and tissue growth-beyond the

  of the eidetist-sensitive; and they can perceive

  normal. To give them added strength in the answer to a mathematical problem before

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  6

  it is finished! To explain fully would involve

  His hands clutched for empty air in the corner

  technicalities not understandable to the just behind the director. To the latter’s layman.

  amazement, the baron did not crash his head

  “But my greatest results have been against the wall, as he feared, but struck with the thyroid-hormone. This substance something and rolled to the floor. His body increases the rare quality of imagination!

  miraculously raised; at the same time, his chin

  Most of these criminal minds are too coarse

  bobbed back with a jerk and a welt appeared

  for the use, but some few have responded

  below his lip.”

  admirably to thyroid feeding. They are my

  The baron’s own powerful fists raised

  right-hand men in my scientific work. With

  and beat downward, to fall upon something

  their help I have been enabled to invent the

  just off the floor with the sound of bone on

  dozen and one important things which come

  flesh. Too stupefied to cry out, the director

  from this place—including the great edged back a step and watched the strange Super-Sonic Gun.

  scene. Suddenly there was a sharp snap, and

  “One gland-man in particular is my

  immediately a cloaked figure appeared under

  pet. He responded splendidly to three hormone

  the baron. The officer leaped back, leveling a

  feedings—the pineal, thymus, and thyroid. As

  pistol with menacing intent.

  a result he is a peculiar super-genius in certain

  “Ach! An Invisibility Cloak he had—”

  lines, with a photographic mind, three extra

  “So, a spy!” panted the baron. “Keep

  ‘senses’ like the ‘sixth sense’, and a virile,

  your hands up, American dog, if you do not

  leaping imagination that amazes even me. wish to die on the spot!”

  Furthermore, I have had his parathyroid

  James Wistert, facing the menacing

  glands removed surgically, which makes him

  pistol, cursed bitterly to himself. To have got

  hyper-sensitive to all stimuli, as the so far and then to be trapped like a child!

  parathyroid-hormone is the only ‘checking’

  “You see, M. Bergmann,” said the

  hormone in the human body. And whenever

  baron, keeping his sharp eye on the American,

  he fags and becomes enervated, I feed him

  “that I was right about feeling eyes on me. I

  insulin, which tones up his blood happened to glimpse, as I peered around, a instantaneously, as it does for diabetes. It was

  faint human outline in that corner near us.”

  he that conceived of a pseudo-magnetic field

  “One of the slight defects of the

  of force to bend light rays around and past

  Invisibility Cloak,” said the director as though

  obstructing molecules in solid matter. That

  apologizing. “It can be corrected—”

  resulted in the Invisibility Cloak.”

  The baron interrupted. “Let us get bur

  The baron twisted uneasily around at

  prisoner to a suitable place—a room from

  the mention of the Invisibility Cloak. He still

  which he cannot escape. This will bear

  had that indefinable feeling of being spied

  investigation.”

  upon by invisible eyes. The Americans had no

  “A spy!” screamed the director,

  Invisibility Cloaks—or weren’t supposed to

  suddenly cognizant that his sanctum had been

  have any—but suppose they did—

  invaded by the enemy. “Shoot him! Kill

  “Ach! Are you listening to me, Baron

  him—”

  Laiglon, or searching for ghosts?” growled the

  “A death he deserves and which awaits

  director, peeved that his words had so little

  him. But for the present we must try to find

  effect on the military man.

  his accomplice, if any. Call your guards.”

  The director hastened to comply,

  THE baron turned slightly as though to shouting loudly. As though from nowhere, answer. Instead, he suddenly leaped sideward.

  uniformed men appeared, all heavily armed.

  The Hormone Menace

  7

  “You will give me your gun, exceptional gland-man!” His tones hardened.

  monsieur?” said the baron politely.

  “This place and its secret m
ust never get to

  For a mad moment Wistert thought of

  American headquarters. I wish to inform you,

  shooting it out. Then he shook that thought

  Monsieur Spy, that, in accordance with a

  from his mind. The difference between a spy

  time-honored custom, you will be shot at

  and a soldier was just ability to see when the

  sunrise!”

  odds were too great. He parted the overlapped

  There was a scraping of shoes and the

  slit in the cloak at his hip and pulled out his

  flashlight beam swung away. “Sunrise will be

  automatic, handing it over silently.

  here in one hour, verdammte Amerikaner! ”

  At the point of the baron’s gun,

  And with these words of harsh

  Wistert doffed his now-useless cloak. The farewell ringing in his ears, Wistert was left baron had been clever in ripping loose a wire,

  alone.

  instead of merely snapping the switch. It had

  One hour to live! If only he could die

  rendered the cloak useless, and had knowing the information he had would be automatically cut off Wistert’s chance of passed on. Priceless information! Possessing escape. After some discussion the guards were

  it, America could gather her mighty air fleets

  given orders and Wistert was conducted below

  and hordes of ground tanks, and penetrate to

  to the lowermost level, and locked in a musty,

  this spot—blast it from the earth.

  cement-lined room bare of even a chair.

  Wistert tried his last hope, a forlorn

  one indeed. Putting one finger in his mouth,

  he rubbed vigorously the side of the tooth in

  CHAPTER III

  front of his first lower molar. It was an

  Y-44

  artificial hollow tooth, of white amber,

  containing a minute apparatus which

  responded to the static electricity produced by

  AN hour later the American spy was friction on its outside, radiating a faint etheric thoroughly disgusted. The silence and emanation. It was like a broadcasting radio; darkness were getting on his nerves. Suddenly

  any fellow American spy within range—one

  he heard footsteps. The heavy wooden door

  hundred feet—would, feel an ache in his jaw.

  creaked open. At the same time a glaring

  A forlorn hope, for Wistert had tried it

  beam of light crawled questingly along the

  several times already during this night. He

  wall.

  wondered, as he rubbed diligently, what had

  The flashlight beam centered on him,

  happened to Y-44, who had been assigned to

  blinding him for a moment.

  this place a month before.

  “Ach, there he is, the verdammte

  Wistert almost bit his finger as his

  Amerikaner! ”

  lower jaw suddenly began to ache. Lord, could

  “Monsieur?” came Baron Laiglon’s it be possible, or was this some hallucination?

  deep voice right after, although Wistert In another moment he knew better, and with couldn’t see him. “Your name, monsieur?”

  beating heart he crept stealthily to the door.

  “Suppose you guess,” responded There was a small barred opening in it, and to Wistert laconically.

  this he put his ear.

  The baron smiled, and then his voice

  He heard the faintest of footsteps, and

  became suddenly malicious. “He is intelligent,

  then a whispering voice hissed into his ear:

  else he would not be a spy,” he said to the

  “This is Y-44. Stand back; I’ll open the door.”

  director. “He would make an excellent subject

  Wistert’s heart was in his mouth as the

  for you, monsieur. Perhaps he would be an key grated noisily. Then the ponderous door

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  8

  opened.” He heard the panting of the I won’t need a Cloak because I’ve been newcomer, then his voice, a low whisper:

  recently, transferred to the lowest level, and

  “Sorry I couldn’t get here sooner. the guards know me.”

  Knew you were here an hour ago—when you

  The two spies—only one visible to

  were captured. First chance I had—”

  unwary eyes—crept noiselessly down the

  “I’m S-23,” said Wistert eagerly. “I

  hallway outside the room that had been

  thought, though, that you’d been caught long

  Wistert’s prison, in a darkness broken only by

  ago. H.Q. thought so too.”

  a few faint beams of light from a barred

  “It’s a long story,” returned Y-44. “I

  opening in a door at the corridor’s end.

  tried undercover stuff, you see—got in here as

  “This used to be a section of

  a menial, or general servitor. Forged papers,

  storerooms,” informed Y-44 in a whisper.

  cock-and-bull life history, and all that. But

  “Unused now, though. See that door? Right

  believe it or not, it took me till three days ago outside of it stands a guard. I got past him

  to find out anything important. I worked wearing the Invisibility Cloak, while he was upstairs; never got past the steel door to get

  pacing up and down. I think—”

  down here.”

  “Yes, I know,” returned Wistert

  “Well, now that we both know what

  grimly. “You walk out—talk to him For a

  we do, we’d better busy ourselves getting it

  second; I’ll do the rest.”

  out where it will do some good. Damn

  Y-44 listened at the barred opening till

  Bergmann and his gland-men! Can’t tell what

  the guard’s footsteps came close; then he

  they’ll cook up next, to America’s almighty

  pulled open the door, stepping out.

  surprise. That Super-onic Gun alone—”

  “Halt! Who’s there?” challenged the

  “But there’s something worse on the

  guard, whipping put his pistol.

  way!” interrupted Y-44. “Heard of

  “It’s, I, Dobran,” said Y-44 in perfect

  Bergmann’s prize gland-man?”

  French. “Put up your gun, fool. Would you

  “The one with thyroid, pineal, and I

  shoot one who wears the service-blue?”

  don’t know what-all, who dug up the idea of

  The guard stared suspiciously. “What

  Invisibility?”

  are you doing in there—how did you get in

  “Yeah. Well, he’s working right now

  there, anyway? Mon dieu! ” His eyes sparkled on controlled Atomic Power, if you know any

  dangerously. “Is it possible that you were

  physics. He’s getting places too; he has a

  attempting to aid the pris— uh! ”

  vortex core—as they call it—of live energy in

  The guard instinctively reached for his

  a lead-screened box. They’re adapting it to

  throat, dropping his gun, as something

  long-range transmission. If it works it will

  clamped- viciously about his windpipe.

  disintegrate airships at a hundred miles!”

  “Of course I was,” grinned Y-44, as

  invisible fingers choked the breath from the

  “YE gods! We’ve got to get away. We’ve just

  guard’s throat. Wistert lowered the body only

  got to! Any suggestions?”
>
  when assured the man would never again call

  “I’ve got your Invisibility Cloak—took

  a challenge.

  it along when I stole the key to this room from

  “In there,” pointed Y-44, and Wistert

  Bergmann’s office. Clipped back the ripped

  dragged the corpse into the dark hallway they

  wire-and it’s as good as gold.”

  had just come from. “You did a quick job of

  “Why, you’re the goods!” exclaimed

  it, S-23.”

  Wistert joyfully.

  “I would willingly do a dozen more of

  “Ought to be,” sniffed the other. “I’m

  such quick jobs, if it assured us of escape,”

  not Y-44 for nothing. Put it on and follow me.

  said Wistert grimly. “Now, what’s the

  The Hormone Menace

  9

  layout?”

  gland-men—under orders—higher—type—do

  “We’re in the third sub-level,” not require guards—”

  informed Y-44, “the lowermost, in which are

  Wistert was amazed at the

  contained all the scientific laboratories. Since

  ramifications of the huge laboratory, and at

  our chances of going up through the whole

  the astounding things spread about in what

  place are practically nil, I suggest we try for

  seemed disorderly array. Denim-clad

  the freight depot of this underground factory.

  gland-men—human machines—seemed

  It, too, is a sub-surface department, for everywhere, but they offered no resistance; purposes of secrecy; the freight-planes are most were so intent on their work that they did taxied under-ground and unloaded there. not look up.

  There is a corridor connection to the depot