Beyond The Thunder, Page 2

What aboutskyports, observatories, the fleet base on the Moon? Did they try to geta triangulation?"

  "I can see why Cranly wanted you here," Vargas said, smiling faintly.His own people had been the last to join the Unified Council. He hadheld out to the last, had demanded and received concessions, but he wasconsidered one of the Council's ablest men.

  "Naturally there were attempts at fixing the source of the flash," hecontinued. "Had those attempts met with success the fleet would alreadybe on its way."

  "I don't get it," Case said bluntly. "If they attempted triangulation,they must have got it."

  "Precisely," Cranly interjected. "They got it. The source of the flashwas an _empty space_ between Mars and Venus!"

  * * * * *

  Case was rocked back on his heels by Cranly's disclosure. This was_something_. An enemy who loosed his blasts out of unoccupied space, whocould cut into the Council's own line at will!

  "What about a fast moving asteroid? That could have been gone before itwas observed."

  "Not a chance," Cranly said.

  And Cranly should know. So should the rest. Every one of them was incharge of a department of the Earth's services. But there was thatemphasis on Mars and Venus. Strogoff interrupted that line of thought.

  "I say we might as well give in." Even his thick mustache drooped indespondency. "Why have millions more killed?"

  "Never!" Osborn thundered.

  "I should hesitate to admit defeat," Vargas shrugged. "But how can wedefend ourselves?"

  Outside the chambers, in the corridor, Cranly gripped his friend'sshoulder hard. "That's been going on for an hour," he said, "this onefor, and that one against."

  "And meanwhile the fleet can't do a thing," Cranly added.

  "Exactly. Whoever blasted New York is doing it from an invisible base.That's my guess. It's an invader from space. My job will be to stay hereand keep the Council from giving up. Your job is to find the base."

  "Are you sure the attack was from space?"

  "Positive."

  "Well," Case mused, "I've found uncharted planets, even discovered acity on Mars that the experts said didn't exist. Maybe I can get beyondthe thunder, through a hole in the sky."

  * * * * *

  It was night, and that was a good break. Cranly had been sure he couldhold the Council together another twelve hours. Even through a secondattack. Fine. For a job like this, Case thought, twelve hours of nightwere better than twenty of daylight.

  He grabbed an aero-cab for the skyport. The pilot looked twice at thesilver tab, finally nodded. Case had a few minutes with his thoughts.He'd wanted to talk to Karin, but Cranly had turned thumbs down.

  "You can talk to her if and when you get back," he'd said. Fine stufffor a guy who was supposed to be enjoying a honeymoon.

  "Hey!" the pilot blurted, cutting into Case's thoughts. He pointed outthe window.

  Case saw a red streak cut through the sky toward them. A rocket ship,and moving fast. It flashed closer. No mistake about this, it was aimingright for them. They were a couple of dead ducks.

  "Look out," Case said.

  His big hands flung the pilot out of his seat. Case took over thecontrols. A whoosh of fire swept past the cabin, missed them as Casesent the ship into a dive.

  "Break out the glider chutes," he called back over his shoulder.

  Luckily, the pilot didn't try to argue. He was too scared. He snapped achute around his own shoulders, fought his way forward and got the otherone around Case. Another blast cut past the cabin, then another. Therocket ship was using all guns now. They were over the Potomac, thenover a wooded area.

  "We'll jump at a hundred feet," Case yelled.

  A streak of flame caught the cab's right edge, and Case told himselfthey'd be lucky to jump at all. The little craft was almost out ofcontrol. His pretended spin was turning into the real thing. Keeping hiseyes glued on the plummeting altimeter, he got his left foot up andkicked out the side window. A flash melted the dial and singed hissleeve. One-fifty.

  "Go!" Case barked.

  The pilot's heels vanished out the window and Case banked sharply to theright and flung himself out of the seat. Hard earth of a clearing lookedlike it was going to smack him right in the face.

  The chute billowed out as he hit the ground, and hepulled hard at the cords to get his footing]

  Then the small chute billowed and pulled out glider wings. Case pulledcords and dropped leftward. The cab hit the ground to his right, therocket ship on its tail for a final blast. He saw that, and then got hishands in front of him and hit the ground in a rolling fall.

  * * * * *

  The pilot was a still shape near him in the gloom. Case got out of thechute and ran to him, slid expert hands over the man, and felt the messypulp that had once been a face. The pilot hadn't known how to fallproperly.

  Case took a quick look upward. His trick hadn't worked. The rocket wasmaking a tight curve for a landing. Smart operators; they weren't takingany chances. Case cursed them, whoever they were, even as he dug hissilver identification plate out of his pocket and slid it into the deadpilot's flying jacket.

  Then he ran. Maybe he'd fool them. Maybe he wouldn't. They'd probablytake a few minutes to think it over. He skipped around a bush and heardvoices and the pound of running feet behind him.

  * * * * *

  So Cranly was wrong. This wasn't strictly a space job. There was atie-up on Earth, and the tie-up had to be on the very inside of theSupreme Council! Nobody else knew Case Damon was in on this deal. Heought to head back and warn Cranly.

  No, that wasn't right. He had to trust Cranly to handle his end. Onlynine hours now till the next blast, and if he took time out to reachCranly he wouldn't ever make it. Besides, his stunt might have worked.Why tip them off he was still alive?

  Brilliant headlights came up the road and Case stepped out onto thehighway. The lights came on at two hundred miles an hour, caught him andmade him blink. Then there was the hiss of automatic brakes.

  "Hey!" a man yelled "What if those brakes hadn't worked?"

  Case jerked the car door open and saw that the man was alone. A youngfellow, and plenty frightened at sight of Case's torn clothes andscratched and dirty face.

  "Don't take your hands off that wheel," Case said sharply. "Head forWashington skyport and keep your foot on the floor all the way."

  The young fellow's hand fell away from the dash compartment. He gulped,nodded, and threw the car into gear. He got his foot all the way downand kept it there. They took a sweeping curve at full speed.

  Washington was a dot of light, then a haze, a glare. All departmentsworking overtime tonight, Case thought. They hurtled toward the city,smack toward Pennsylvania Avenue.

  "Slow down," Case said. "I don't want to be picked up."

  * * * * *

  The young fellow slowed down. He must be thinking he's got a desperatecharacter next to him, Case mused. If he only knew how desperate! Theskyport was less than a mile away now.

  "Take the side road around to where the hangars are," Case directed.

  The young fellow took the side road. They swept past the main gate,along the ten-mile fence, slid without lights now behind the row ofhangars. The hangars looked like rows of cigars standing on end, theships inside them pointing up and ready to go.

  "This is where we get out," Case said. He shoved the driver out of thedoor and followed him. His fist came up in a short arc and crackedagainst a jaw-bone.

  "Sorry," Case told the inert figure. "I just can't take any chances."

  He dumped the unconscious man beside the road and then went back to thecar. Wheeling it around so it pointed back toward the main gate, he leftthe motor whirring and stepped out. One hand depressed the acceleratorbutton, the other held the motor release.

  When he jumped clear, the car spurted. With lights off in the darknessthe automatic brake
wouldn't work. A hundred yards down the car slowed,swerved, hit a concrete abutment. Quite a crash, Case thought. Thatought to turn a few heads the wrong way for a while.

  He was at the high fence in a flash. His fingers searched for and foundcrevices. Those fingers were strong as steel. They hauled Case Damonupward and over the top. He grinned into the darkness.

  Men were running from the hangars toward the site of the crash. With noincoming traffic slated, the control tower had swung all lights thatway. Somewhere a crash siren sang its song.

  Case dropped completely relaxed. His feet hit first as he fell forward.His hands hit next, then his head was down between his shoulders and hewas rolling forward onto the