CHAPTER II
Steel Becomes Interested
Dr. Marc DuQuesne was in his laboratory, engaged in a research uponcertain of the rare metals, particularly in regard to theirelectrochemical properties. He was a striking figure. Well over six feettall, unusually broad-shouldered even for his height, he was plainly aman of enormous physical strength. His thick, slightly wavy hair wasblack. His eyes, only a trifle lighter in shade, were surmounted byheavy black eyebrows which grew together above his aquiline nose.
Scott strolled into the room, finding DuQuesne leaning over a delicateelectrical instrument, his forbidding but handsome face strangelyilluminated by the ghastly glare of his mercury-vapor arcs.
"Hello, Blackie," Scott began. "I thought it was Seaton in here atfirst. A fellow has to see your faces to tell you two apart. Speaking ofSeaton, d'you think that he's quite right?"
"I should say, off-hand, that he was a little out of control last nightand this morning," replied DuQuesne, manipulating connections with hislong, muscular fingers. "I don't think that he's insane, and I don'tbelieve that he dopes--probably overwork and nervous strain. He'll beall right in a day or two."
"I think he's a plain nut, myself. That sure was a wild yarn he sprungon us, wasn't it? His imagination was hitting on all twelve, that'ssure. He seems to believe it himself, though, in spite of making a flatfailure of his demonstration to us this morning. He saved that wastesolution he was working on--what was left of that carboy of platinumresidues after he had recovered all the values, you know--and got themto put it up at auction this noon. He resigned from the Bureau, and heand M. Reynolds Crane, that millionaire friend of his, bid it in for tencents."
"M. Reynolds Crane?" DuQuesne concealed a start of surprise. "Where doeshe come in on this?"
"Oh, they're always together in everything. They've been thicker thanDamon and Pythias for a long time. They play tennis together--they'redoubles champions of the District, you know--and all kinds of things.Wherever you find one of them you'll usually find the other. Anyway,after they got the solution Crane took Seaton in his car, and somebodysaid they went out to Crane's house. Probably trying to humor him. Well,ta-ta; I've got a week's work to do yet today."
As Scott left DuQuesne dropped his work and went to his desk, with a newexpression, half of chagrin, half of admiration, on his face. Picking uphis telephone, he called a number.
"Brookings?" he asked, cautiously. "This is DuQuesne. I must see youimmediately. There's something big started that may as well belong tous.... No, can't say anything over the telephone.... Yes, I'll be rightout."
He left the laboratory and soon was in the private office of the head ofthe Washington or "diplomatic" branch, as it was known in certaincircles, of the great World Steel Corporation. Offices and laboratorieswere maintained in the city, ostensibly for research work, but inreality to be near the center of political activity.
"How do you do, Doctor DuQuesne?" Brookings said as he seated hisvisitor. "You seem excited."
"Not excited, but in a hurry," DuQuesne replied. "The biggest thing inhistory has just broken, and we've got to work fast if we get in on it.Have you any doubts that I always know what I am talking about?"
"No," answered the other in surprise. "Not the slightest. You are widelyknown as an able man. In fact, you have helped this company severaltimes in various deal--er, in various ways."
"Say it. Brookings. 'Deals' is the right word. This one is going to bethe biggest ever. The beauty of it is that it should be easy--one simpleburglary and an equally simple killing--and won't mean wholesale murder,as did that...."
"Oh, no, Doctor, not murder. Unavoidable accidents."
"Why not call things by their right names and save breath, as long aswe're alone? I'm not squeamish. But to get down to business. You knowSeaton, of our division, of course. He has been recovering the variousrare metals from all the residues that have accumulated in the Bureaufor years. After separating out all the known metals he had somethingleft, and thought it was a new element, a metal. In one of his attemptsto get it into the metallic state, a little of its solution fizzed outand over a copper steam bath or tank, which instantly flew out of thewindow like a bullet. It went clear out of sight, out of range of hisbinoculars, just that quick." He snapped his fingers under Brookings'nose. "Now that discovery means such power as the world never dreamedof. In fact, if Seaton hadn't had all the luck in the world right withhim yesterday, he would have blown half of North America off the map.Chemists have known for years that all matter contains enormous storesof intra-atomic energy, but have always considered it 'bound'--that is,incapable of liberation. Seaton has liberated it."
"And that means?"
"That with the process worked out, the Corporation could furnish powerto the entire world, at very little expense."
* * * * *
A look of scornful unbelief passed over Brookings' face.
"Sneer if you like," DuQuesne continued evenly. "Your ignorance doesn'tchange the fact in any particular. Do you know what intra-atomic energyis?"
"I'm afraid that I don't, exactly."
"Well, it's the force that exists between the ultimate component partsof matter, if you can understand that. A child ought to. Call in yourchief chemist and ask him what would happen if somebody would liberatethe intra-atomic energy of one hundred pounds of copper."
"Pardon me, Doctor. I didn't presume to doubt you. I will call him in."
He telephoned a request and soon a man in white appeared. In response tothe question he thought for a moment, then smiled slowly.
"If it were done instantaneously it would probably blow the entire worldinto a vapor, and might force it clear out of its orbit. If it could becontrolled it would furnish millions of horsepower for a long time. Butit can't be done. The energy is bound. Its liberation is animpossibility, in the same class with perpetual motion. Is that all, Mr.Brookings?"
As the chemist left, Brookings turned again to his visitor, with anapologetic air.
"I don't know anything about these things myself, but Chambers, also anable man, says that it is impossible."
"As far as he knows, he is right. I should have said the same thing thismorning. But I do know about these things--they're my business--and Itell you that Seaton has done it."
"This is getting interesting. Did you see it done?"
"No. It was rumored around the Bureau last night that Seaton was goinginsane, that he had wrecked a lot of his apparatus and couldn't explainwhat had happened. This morning he called a lot of us into hislaboratory, told us what I have just told you, and poured some of hissolution on a copper wire. Nothing happened, and he acted as though hedidn't know what to make of it. The foolish way he acted and theapparent impossibility of the whole thing, made everybody think himcrazy. I thought so until I learned this afternoon that Mr. ReynoldsCrane is backing him. Then I knew that he had told us just enough of thetruth to let him get away clean with the solution."
"But suppose the man _is_ crazy?" asked Brookings. "He probably is amonomaniac, really insane on that one thing, from studying it so much."
"Seaton? Yes, he's crazy--like a fox. You never heard of any insanity inCrane's family, though, did you? You know that he never invests a centin anything more risky than Government bonds. You can bet your lastdollar that Seaton showed him the real goods." Then, as a look ofconviction appeared upon the other's face, he continued:
"Don't you understand that the solution was Government property, and hehad to do something to make everybody think it worthless, so that hecould get title to it? That faked demonstration that failed wascertainly a bold stroke--so bold that it was foolhardy. But it worked.It fooled even me, and I am not usually asleep. The only reason he gotaway with it, is, that he has always been such an open-faced talker,always telling everything he knew.
"He certainly played the fox," he continued, with undisguisedadmiration. "Heretofore he has never kept any of his discoveries secretor tried to make any money out
of them, though some of them were worthmillions. He published them as soon as he found them, and somebody elsegot the money. Having that reputation, he worked it to make us think hima nut. He certainly is clever. I take off my hat to him--he's a wonder!"
"And what is your idea? Where do we come in?"
"You come in by getting that solution away from Seaton and Crane, andfurnishing the money to develop the stuff and to build, under mydirection, such a power-plant as the world never saw before."
"Why get that particular solution? Couldn't we buy up some platinumwastes and refine them?"
"Not a chance," replied the scientist. "We have refined platinumresidues for years, and never found anything like that before. It is myidea that the stuff, whatever it is, was present in some particular lotof platinum in considerable quantities as an impurity. Seaton hasn't allof it there is in the world, of course, but the chance of finding anymore of it without knowing exactly what it is or how it reacts isextremely slight. Besides, we must have exclusive control. How could wemake any money out of it if Crane operates a rival company and issatisfied with ten percent profit? No, we must get all of that solution.Seaton and Crane, or Seaton, at least, must be killed, for if he is leftalive he can find more of the stuff and break our monopoly. I want toborrow your strong-arm squad tonight, to go and attend to it."
After a few moments' thought, his face set and expressionless, Brookingssaid:
"No, Doctor. I do not think that the Corporation would care to go into amatter of this kind. It is too flagrant a violation of law, and we canafford to buy it from Seaton after he proves its worth."
* * * * *
"Bah!" snorted DuQuesne. "Don't try that on me, Brookings. You think youcan steal it yourself, and develop it without letting me in on it? Youcan't do it. Do you think I am fool enough to tell you all about it,with facts, figures, and names, if you could get away with it withoutme? Hardly! You can steal the solution, but that's all you can do. Yourchemist or the expert you hire will begin experimenting without Seaton'slucky start, which I have already mentioned, but about which I haven'tgone into any detail. He will have no information whatever, and thefirst attempt to do anything with the stuff will blow him and all thecountry around him for miles into an impalpable powder. You will loseyour chemist, your solution, and all hope of getting the process. Thereare only two men in the United States, or in the world, for that matter,with brains enough and information enough to work it out. One isRichard B. Seaton, the other is Marc C. DuQuesne. Seaton certainly won'thandle it for you. Money can't buy him and Crane, and you know it. Youmust come to me. If you don't believe that now, you will very shortly,after you try it alone."
Brookings, caught in his duplicity and half-convinced of the truth ofDuQuesne's statements, still temporized.
"You're modest, aren't you, Doctor?" he asked, smiling.
"Modest? No," said the other calmly. "Modesty never got anybody anythingbut praise, and I prefer something more substantial. However, I neverexaggerate or make over-statements, as you should know. What I have saidis merely a statement of fact. Also, let me remind you that I am in ahurry. The difficulty of getting hold of that solution is growinggreater every minute, and my price is getting higher every second."
"What is your price at the present second?"
"Ten thousand dollars per month during the experimental work; fivemillion dollars in cash upon the successful operation of the first powerunit, which shall be of not less than ten thousand horsepower; and tenpercent of the profits."
"Oh, come, Doctor, let's be reasonable. You can't mean any such figuresas those."
"I never say anything I don't mean. I have done a lot of dirty work withyou people before, and never got much of anything out of it. You werealways too strong for me; that is, I couldn't force you without exposingmy own crookedness, but now I've got you right where I want you. That'smy price; take it or leave it. If you don't take it now, the first twoof those figures will be doubled when you do come to me. I won't go toanybody else, though others would be glad to get it on my terms, becauseI have a reputation to maintain and you are the only ones who know thatI am crooked. I know that my reputation is safe as long as I work withyou, because I know enough about you to send all you big fellows, cleardown to Perkins, away for life. I also know that that knowledge will notshorten my days, as I am too valuable a man for you to kill, as youdid...."
"Please, Doctor, don't use such language...."
"Why not?" interrupted DuQuesne, in his cold, level voice. "It's alltrue. What do a few lives amount to, as long as they're not yours andmine? As I said, I can trust you, more or less. You can trust me,because you know that I can't send you up without going with you.Therefore, I am going to let you go ahead without me as far as youcan--it won't be far. Do you want me to come in now or later?"
"I'm afraid we can't do business on any such terms as that," saidBrookings, shaking his head. "We can undoubtedly buy the power rightsfrom Seaton for what you ask."
"You don't fool me for a second, Brookings. Go ahead and steal thesolution, but take my advice and give your chemist only a little of it.A very little of that stuff will go a long way, and you will want tohave some left when you have to call me in. Make him experiment withextremely small quantities. I would suggest that he work in the woods atleast a hundred miles from his nearest neighbor, though it mattersnothing to me how many people you kill. That's the only pointer I willgive you--I'm giving it merely to keep you from blowing up the wholecountry," he concluded with a grim smile. "Good-bye."
* * * * *
As the door closed behind the cynical scientist, Brookings took a smallgold instrument, very like a watch, from his pocket. He touched a buttonand held the machine close to his lips.
"Perkins," he said softly, "M. Reynolds Crane has in his house a bottleof solution."
"Yes, sir. Can you describe it?"
"Not exactly. It is greenish yellow in color, and I gather that it is ina small bottle, as there isn't much of the stuff in the world. I don'tknow what it smells or tastes like, and I wouldn't advise experimentingwith it, as it seems to be a violent explosive and is probablypoisonous. Any bottle of solution of that color kept in a particularlysafe place would probably be the one. Let me caution you that this isthe biggest thing you have ever been in, and _it must not fail_. Anyeffort to purchase it would be useless, however large a figure werenamed. But if the bottle were only partly emptied and filled up withwater, I don't believe anyone would notice the difference, at least forsome time, do you?"
"Probably not, sir. Good-bye."
Next morning, shortly after the office opened, Perkins, whose principalcharacteristic was that of absolute noiselessness, glided smoothly intoBrookings' office. Taking a small bottle about half full of agreenish-yellow liquid from his pocket, he furtively placed it undersome papers upon his superior's desk.
"A man found this last night, sir, and thought it might belong to you.He said this was a little less than half of it, but that you could havethe rest of it any time you want it."
"Thank you, Perkins, he was right. It is ours. Here's a letter whichjust came," handing him an envelope, which rustled as Perkins folded itinto a small compass and thrust it into his vest pocket. "Good morning."
As Perkins slid out, Brookings spoke into his telephone, and soonChambers, his chief chemist, appeared.
"Doctor Chambers," Brookings began, showing him the bottle, "I have herea solution which in some way is capable of liberating the intra-atomicenergy of matter, about which I asked you yesterday. It works on copper.I would like to have you work out the process for us, if you will."
"What about the man who discovered the process?" asked Chambers, as hetouched the bottle gingerly.
"He is not available. Surely what one chemist can do, others can? Youwill not have to work alone. You can hire the biggest men in the line tohelp you--expense is no object."
"No, it wouldn't be, if such a process could be worked
out. Let me see,whom can we get? Doctor Seaton is probably the best man in the countryfor such a research, but I don't think that we can get him. I tried toget him to work on the iridium-osmium problem, but he refused."
"We might make an offer big enough to get him."
"No. Don't mention it to him," with a significant look. "He's to knownothing about it."
"Well, then, how about DuQuesne, who was in here yesterday? He'sprobably next to Seaton."
"I took it up with him yesterday. We can't get him, his figures areentirely out of reason. Aren't there any other men in the country whoknow anything? You are a good man, why don't you tackle it yourself?"
"Because I don't know anything about that particular line of research,and I want to keep on living awhile longer," the chemist repliedbluntly. "There are other good men whom I can get, however. VanSchravendyck, of our own laboratory, is nearly as good as either Seatonor DuQuesne. He has done a lot of work on radio-activity and that sortof thing, and I think he would like to work on it."
"All right. Please get it started without delay. Give him about aquarter of the solution and have the rest put in the vault. Be sure thathis laboratory is set up far enough away from everything else to avoidtrouble in case of an explosion, and caution him not to work on too muchcopper at once. I gather that an ounce or so will be plenty."
* * * * *
The chemist went back to his laboratory and sought his first assistant.
"Van," he began, "Mr. Brookings has been listening to some lunatic whoclaims to have solved the mystery of liberating intra-atomic energy."
"That's old stuff," the assistant said, laughing. "That and perpetualmotion are always with us. What did you tell him?"
"I didn't get a chance to tell him anything--he told me. Yesterday, youknow, he asked me what would happen if it could be liberated, and Ianswered truthfully that lots of things would happen, and volunteeredthe information that it was impossible. Just now he called me in, gaveme this bottle of solution, saying that it contained the answer to thepuzzle, and wanted me to work it out. I told him that it was out of myline and that I was afraid of it--which I would be if I thought therewas anything in it--but that it was more or less in your line, and hesaid to put you on it right away. He also said that expense was noobject; to set up an independent laboratory a hundred miles off in thewoods, to be safe in case of an explosion; and to caution you not to usetoo much copper at once--that an _ounce or so_ would be plenty!"
"An ounce! Ten thousand tons of nitroglycerin! I'll say an ounce wouldbe plenty, if the stuff is any good at all, which of course it isn't.Queer, isn't it, how the old man would fall for anything like that? Howdid he explain the failure of the discoverer to develop it himself?"
"He said the discoverer is not available," answered Chambers with alaugh. "I'll bet he isn't available--he's back in St. Elizabeth's againby this time, where he came from. I suggested that we get either Seatonor DuQuesne of Rare Metals to help us on it, and he said that they hadboth refused to touch it, or words to that effect. If those two turneddown a chance to work on a thing as big as this would be, there probablyis nothing in this particular solution that is worth a rap. But whatBrookings says goes, around here, so it's you for the woods. And don'ttake any chances, either--it is conceivable that something mighthappen."
"Sure it might, but it won't. We'll set up that lab near a good troutstream, and I'll have a large and juicy vacation. I'll work on the stuffa little, too--enough to make a good report, at least. I'll analyze it,find out what is in it, deposit it on some copper, shoot an electrolyticcurrent through it, and make a lot of wise motions generally, and have adarn good time besides."