CHAPTER II
THE SPHERES
When the sentry faced the captain again, he stared into the mouthof a service pistol.
"Sorry," said the officer, "but I've got to get inside." CaptainTaylor turned to Masters. "Keep him covered. I'll be back unlessthe bomb goes off."
"The bomb," whispered Norden, fearfully, "should have exploded. Iwas double-crossed. They sent me here to get caught! The dirty--"
"Watch Norden, and you might keep your eye on Funky, here,"Taylor said, pointing to the slobbering man who had dropped tohis knees at the sight of the orange sphere. "I'm going inside."
The captain moved through the gate. The silence was uncanny.Since the war began this factory had never been idle. Thousandsof cannon made; contracts for countless more! But now quiet, savefor an undescribable, whispering overtone that seemed to permeatethe air.
Something glowed in the semi-darkness ahead like a pile of hotashes on the ground.
Taylor entered the long forge room. A white hot splinter of metalhung from the crane. There were a dozen heaps of the glowingashes scattered about the room, but no sign of life.
He moved on into the finishing room, where the long tubes ofhowitzers and field pieces lay in various stages of construction.Still there was silence.
The whispering grew louder, like a breeze stirring dry cornstalks.
The silence suddenly was broken by a scream. Then another. Therewas a sound of running footsteps.
Taylor dropped behind a lathe.
Through the door came an orange glow. Sharply outlined againstthe eerie light ran a human figure, a man in overalls, carrying ahammer. On the fellow's face was frozen fear. He halted, turnedand looked behind him.
The darkness vanished as through the doorway floated a huge,orange sphere of light.
"Stop! Go back! I mean you no harm!" screamed the workman.
The ball of orange fire floated on toward him. The man's armraised. He hurled the hammer straight at the sphere.
The missile rang, bounced back and fell to the sandy floor.
A small flicker of flame wafted over the surface of the sphere.Then it lashed out like a whip toward the trembling man. Hisentire body glowed like a torch, then crumpled to the floor in aheap of ashes.
* * * * *
Scarcely daring to breathe, the captain watched the sphere floatover the ashes of its victim for a moment; then, apparentlysatisfied that the man no longer lived, floated back through thedoorway.
Taylor took a deep breath. It might be well if the bomb wouldexplode, but he knew now it had been silenced.
In an insulated panel on the wall were the remains of an electricswitchboard. The copper switches were fused, the wires burnedthrough. The huge cables that brought the electric current to theswitchboard lay molten on the floor.
The bomb probably was electrical and undoubtedly had been fusedlike the switchboard.
The captain had one objective now, to get out of the plant beforethe orange spheres discovered him. He didn't know what he faced,but something told him that it had never faced mankind before. Hehad no weapon to combat the sphere.
Taylor reached the forge room again. He stepped over moreglowing piles of ashes.
Then his ears caught a crescendo of the whispering that he hadheard before. He looked behind him. In the doorway was an orangeglow. The sphere was coming--looking for him!
Behind the forge was a machine which had been used to operate thecrane. Beyond it was stygian darkness. He might hide there.
The captain slipped toward the machine. Every bit of electricalwiring on the controls had been fused.
The room grew lighter, the whispering louder and then, throughthe doorway, floated the dazzling sphere.
Something gripped Taylor's shoulder muscles. A mild electricalshock coursed through his body, as if an invisible feeler hadpassed over him.
The sphere halted, changed its direction and floated slowlytoward the captain.
Instinctively, Taylor backed into the corner behind the machine.He dropped to his hands and knees and was free of the invisiblefeeler! Again the orange sphere halted, as if trying to relocateits victim.
Taylor rounded a pillar which supported the track for the crane.His fingers struck an accumulation of rubbish that had beentossed into the corner. He started to push it out of the way,when the floor beneath it moved. It was a trap door!
A gasp of surprise came from Taylor's lips. He had a chance. Butthe sound gave him away. The electrical feeler touched him again.The shock jerked at his muscles and the sphere started floatingnearer.
The trap door swung back. Taylor's right boot touched the toprung of the ladder. He moved his left boot down to the next rung.Each movement seemed to take ages and every exertion of hismuscles was agony as the electrical shock gripped him withincreasing intensity.
He forced his body down into the opening. He saw the flameflickering over the surface of the sphere as the thing preparedto strike.
The sphere seemed to pulse briefly as he released his grasp onthe rim of the opening and shoved himself downward into the hole.He dropped several feet.
Above him a brilliant flash of fire lit the opening.
The sphere itself hovered above the hole.