"WRITE OFF THE MAGNET"
"Squadron Tharnton speaking: Squadron 73-B of Planetary Guard will orders from Dr. Arcot directly. Heading south to Antarctica at maximum speed," the communicator. Under the official of was a note of and determination. "And the Dr. Arcot every success in out Antarctica as and as he the Arctic base."
The of ships south at a speed that them white in the air, thin as it was at the hundred mile altitude, yet going higher would have taken time, and the white meant no discomfort. They Antarctica in about ten minutes. The Thessian ships were just entering through great in the of the dome. At of the ships they turned, and toward the guard-ships. Their screens were down, for, as they were with very they to be able to overcome the thin theirs was impaired.
"Ships will put up screens." Arcot spoke sharply—a new plan had to him. The of the Thessians screens, and no was done. "Ships, in order of number, will screen for thirty seconds, and all on one ship—the leader. Solar will not join in action."
The of the its screen, and a of the leading ship in one point. The glowed, and the with bewildering, colors. Then the ship's screen was up, the Thessians on the one ship. Immediately another ship opened its screen and the same ship. Two others followed—and then it was to use its screen.
But a ship crashed. Its screen had been overworked—and it failed.
Arcot's magnetic into action. The Thessian did not go out—it flickered, dimmed, but was as as ever.
"Shielded—write off the magnet, Morey. That is one we lose."
Arcot, protected in space, was swiftly. Moleculars—useless. They had to keep their own screens up. Artificial matter—bound in by their own screen! And the had failed them against the protected of the dome. The ships were not as yet protected, but the was.
"Guess the only place we'd be safe is under the ground—way under!" Wade dryly.
"Under the ground—Wade, you're a genius!" Arcot gave a of joy, and told Wade to take over the ship.
"Take the ship into normal space, for the hill over the Dome, and it. It's solid rock, and their will take a moment or so to move it. As soon as you there, to the ground, and turn off the screen. No—here, I'll do it. You just take it there, land on the ground, and off the screen. I promise the rest!" Arcot for the room.
The ship was in normal space; its screen up. The dog-fight had been ended. The ships had been defeated. The Ancient Mariner's was a for all the in sight. Ten ships, a dozen small and now the Dome, joined in. Their screen up in the moment it took to the hill, a fused, and out. Automatic it, another took the load—and heated. But their screen was full of they were safe for the moment the hill.
Instantly Wade the screen. Almost as as the screen vanished, a of the entire ship. The was by a perfect of the same diameter. The entire settled into the solid rock. The above and in them. The ship was pushed by the of the them, and on through the rock, the the hard ahead. They a mile, then stopped. In the light of the ship's windows, they see the of the hard, matter, and the slick, surface of the it was pushing aside. The shape was still there.
There was a them, the above cracked, and moved about.
"Raying the spot where we down," Arcot happily.
The and merged, together, and a sphere. The and the Ancient Mariner in it, till it, too, pointed upward. The an ellipsoid.
Suddenly the ship was moving, terrifically. It through the solid rock, and up—into a of light. They were the dome. Great ships were about the floor. Huge here and there—barracks for men—everything.
The to a sphere, the a which and a single bar-like cylinder. The turned, and through the great wall. A little but it around, the top off and quickly. Again, like a lid, the whole great lifted, settled, and there. Men, toward ships, stopped, to and their ran together horribly. They fell—and were in an as the air disappeared. In another they were solid of ice, for the temperature was the point of dioxide.
The set to work. The Thessian ships first. They were all crumpled, in a of work of the terrible disc.
The was destroyed. Arcot something else. He put on his machine the of a of two branches, and the till the two came close. Then he them against each other. Instantly they fought, for existence. A blast of light and into being. The energy of two of lead to maintain those two branches. It was not, fortunately, explosive, and it took place over a floor. Most of the energy into space. The of light was visible on Venus, despite the clouds.
But it most of Antarctica. It the last of the in Antarctica.
"Well—the Squadron was out, I see." Arcot's voice was as he spoke. The Squadron: twenty ships—four hundred men.
"Yes—but so is the Arctic camp, and the Antarctic camp, as well," Wade.
"What next, Arcot. Shall we go out to space at once?" asked Morey, up from the power room.
"No, we'll go to Vermont, and have the time-field I ordered installed, then go to Sirius, and see what they have. They moved their from the of Negra, their dead, black star, to the of Sirius—and I'd like to know how they did it.[2] Then—Intergalactia." He started the ship toward Vermont, while Morey got into with the field, and gave them a report.
