The many books and papers they had were put into the briefcases, and the four men took the to the landing area on the roof.
"We'll take my car," Morey said. "The of you can just yours here. They'll be safe for a days."
They all in as Morey into the driver's seat and on the power.
They rose slowly, looking them at the traffic of the great city. New York had long since her as routes; they had been by which were used as public landing and ground car routes. Around them of tile. The from them, and the colors of the to together into a great, painting.
The planes, the traffic of the great buildings, and the above, to give a series of changing, that a pattern over the city. The long lines of ships in from Chicago, London, Buenos Aires and San Francisco, and the from across the Pole—from Russia, India, and China, were like black that their way into the city.
Morey cut into a Northbound traffic level, moved into the high-speed lane, and in on the accelerator. He to the traffic pattern for two hundred and fifty miles, until he was well past Boston, then he at the and the ship toward their in Vermont.
Less than forty-five minutes since they had left New York, Morey was the car toward the little that offered them a place for seclusion. Gently, he let the ship into the where the motion ship had been built. Arcot jumped out, saying:
"We're here—unload and going. I think a swim and some sleep is in order we start work on this ship. We can tomorrow." He looked at the clear water of the little lake.
Wade out and pushed Arcot to one side. "All right, out of the way, then, little one, and let a man going." He for the house with the briefcases.
Arcot was six two and close to two hundred, but Wade was another two and a good fifty more. His arms and were on the same plan as those of a gorilla. He had good to call Arcot little.
Morey, though still taller, was not as formed, and only a more than Arcot, while Fuller was a smaller than Arcot.
Due to factors, the size of the being had been for centuries. Only Wade would have been a "big" man by the person, for the man was over six tall.
They most of the afternoon, and in a matches. At wrestling, Wade proved himself not only like a but like one; but Arcot proved that skill was not without times, for he had that if he make the match last more than two minutes, Wade's would an supply and quickly.
That evening, after dinner, Morey Wade in a of chess, with Fuller as an spectator. Arcot, too, was watching, but he was saying nothing.
After minutes of play, Morey stopped and at the board. "Now why'd I make that move? I to move my queen over there to check your king on the red diagonal."
"Yeah," Wade gloomily, "that's what I wanted you to do. I had a sure in three moves."
Arcot quietly.
They play for moves, then it was Wade who that something to be his play.
"I had to queens. I'm I didn't, though; I think this me in a position."
"It sure does," Morey. "I was to clean up on the queen trade. You me, too; you go in for trades. I'm my position is now."
It was. In the next ten moves, Wade the weak points in every attack Morey made; the attack and white was to resign, his king in a position.
Wade his chin. "You know, Morey, I to know why you every move, and I saw every possibility involved."
"Yeah—so I noticed," said Morey with a grin.
"Come on, Morey, let's try a game," said Fuller, into the chair Wade had vacated.
Although matched with Fuller, Morey again to in an time. It almost as if Fuller every move.
"Brother, am I off today," he said, from the table. "Come on, Arcot—let's see you try Wade."
Arcot sat down, and although he had played as as the others, he to clean Wade out lock, stock, and barrel.
"Now what's come over you?" asked Morey in as he saw a very out, a he was than Arcot's game. He had just it out and very proud of it.
Arcot looked at him and smiled. "That's the answer, Morey!"
Morey blinked. "What—what's the answer to what?"
"Yes—I meant it—don't be so surprised—you've it done before. I have—no, not under him, but a more teacher. I it would come in in our explorations."
Morey's more and more as Arcot's continued.
Finally, Arcot to Wade, who was looking at him and Morey in wide-eyed wonder. And this time, it was Wade who talking in a monologue.
"You did?" he said in a voice. "When?" There was a long pause, which Arcot at Wade with such that Fuller to what was happening.
"Well," said Wade, "if you've learned the so thoroughly, try it out. Let's see you project your thoughts! Go ahead!"
Fuller, now what was going on, out laughing. "He has been his thoughts! He hasn't said a word to you!" Then he looked at Arcot. "As a of fact, you've said so little that I don't know how you this stunt—though I'm that you did."
"I three months on Venus a while back," said Arcot, "studying with one of their telepathists. Actually, most of that time was on theory; learning how to do it isn't a difficult proposition. It just takes practice.
"The whole is that has the power; it's a very power in the brain, and most of the animals it to a than do humans. When Man language, it gave his more and permitted a and more type of thinking. The result was that into disuse.
"I'm going to you how to do it it will be if we meet a race. By pictures and concepts, you can with going to the trouble of learning the language.
"After you learn the basics, all you'll need is practice, but watch yourself! Too much can give you the great-granddaddy of all headaches! Okay, now to with ..."
Arcot the of the teaching them the Venerian of telepathy.
They all rose at nine. Arcot got up first, and the others it to his example thereafter. He had a large Tesla into the from the and succeeded in in the to make very effective, though harmless, sparks.
"Come on, boys, the deck! Wade, as chemist, you are to a little coffee and heat-treat a eggs for us. We have work ahead today! Rise and shine!" He didn't off the until he was that each of them had a from his bed.
"Ouch!" Morey. "Okay! Shut it off! I want to my pants! We're all up! You win!"
After breakfast, they all into the room they used as a calculating room. Here they had two different of and of paper and to do their own calculations and graphs.
"To with," said Fuller, "let's decide what shape we want to use. As designer, I'd like to point out that a is the strongest, a to build, and a shape the most aerodynamically. However, we to use it in space, not air.
"And remember, we'll need it more as a home than as a ship the part of the trip."
"We might need an hull," Wade interjected. "It came in on Venus. They're useful in emergencies. What do you think, Arcot?"
"I the shape. Okay, now we've got a hull. How about some to it? Let's those, too. I'll name the first; and can come later.
"First: We must have a powerful mass-energy converter. We use the and use to warm it, and drive the power that way, or we can have a main power unit and warm them all electrically. Now, which one would be the better?"
Morey frowned. "I think we'd be if we didn't on any one plant, but had each as as possible. I'm for the radiators."
"Question," Fuller. "How do these work?"
"They're like a bottle," Arcot explained. "The will be of relux, which will the efficiently, while the one will be of to keep the inside. Between the two we'll a of at two square pressure to the to the motion apparatus. The of the bottle will the generator."
Fuller still looked puzzled. "See here; with this new space drive, why do we have to have the drive at all?"
"To move around near a mass—in the presence of a field," Arcot said. "A to space in such a way that the of light is in its presence. Our drive to or space in the opposite manner. The two would each other out and we'd waste a of power going nowhere. As a of fact, the of the sun is so that we'll have to go out the of Pluto we can use the space drive effectively."
"I catch," said Fuller. "Now to to the generators. I think the power would be if they were from one power source, and just as reliable. Anyway, the motion power is controlled, of necessity, from a single generator, so if one is to go bad, the other is, too."
"Very good reasoning," Morey, "but I'm still for decentralization. I a compromise. We can have the main power unit and the main verticals, which will be the largest, by heaters, and the by electric power units. They'd be just by the field."
"A good idea," said Arcot. "I'm in of the compromise. Okay, Fuller? Okay. Now the next problem is weapons. I we use a and a for the power we'll want in the projectors."
The projector the that motion to take place as wanted. As weapons, they were deadly. If a is into the air all the motion of its in one direction, it a difficult to fight. Or touch the of a ship with the beam; the to zero and is on the stern, with all the speed of its of molecules. The is to that produced by two ships having a head-on at ten miles second.
Anything touched by the is by its own molecules, by its own strength, and by its own toughness. Nothing can it.
"My idea," Arcot on, "was that since the same power is used for the and the drive, we'll have two power-tube banks to it. That way, if one down, we can to the other. We can use at once on the drive, if necessary; the motion will it if we make them of and them with metal beams. The projectors would be able to the power, too, using Dad's new system.
"That will give us more protection, and, at the same time, full power. Since we'll have projectors, the power needed to the ship will be about equal to the power to the projectors.
"And I also we some projectors."
"Why?" Wade. "They're less than the rays. The are irresistible, while the take time to up the target. Sure, they're to with, but no more so than the beam."
"True enough," Arcot agreed, "but the is more spectacular, and we may that a will as much as destruction. Besides, the are more local in effect. If we want to kill an enemy and his captive, we want a that will be where it hits, not for fifty yards around."
"Hold it a second," said Fuller wearily. "Now it's beams. Don't you think you ought to a little to the who's this battlewagon? How did you a beam?"
Arcot grinned. "Simple. We use a small at one end of which is a parabolic filter. Beyond that is a metal lens. The up tremendously, and since there is no to it back, the is out through the metal as a powerful beam."
"Okay, fine," said Fuller. "But stop new on me, will you?"
"I'll try not to," Arcot laughed. "Anyway, let's on to the main power plant. Remember that our is a for energy in space; we are therefore to supply it with energy to store. Just the drive alone will two times ten to the twenty-seventh ergs, or the energy of about two and a of matter. That means a of a of lead wire will have to be into our generators; it would take hours to the coils. We'd have two big to do the job.
"The we can out later. How about it? Any suggestions?"
"Sounds to me," said Morey, and the others agreed.
"Good enough. Now, as as air and water go, we can use the apparatus, Fuller, so you can that in any way you want to."
"We'll need a lab, too," Wade put in. "And a machine shop with of parts—everything we can possibly think of. Remember, we may want to some out in space."
"Right. And I wonder—" Arcot looked thoughtful. "How about the apparatus? It may prove useful, and it won't cost much. Let's put that in, too."
The he mentioned was a high-frequency of power which light to be set up in the of the ship. As a result, the ship transparent, since light easily pass through the molecules.
There was only one difficulty; the ship was invisible, all right, but it a radio and easily be by a radio. However, if the were unknown, it was a very method of disappearing. And, since the was so high, a special was to it up.
"Is that all you need?" asked Fuller.
"Nope," said Arcot, in his chair. "Now comes the kicker. I that we make the of foot-thick metal and line it on the with we want it to be opaque. And we want on the windows. Lux is too transparent; if we came too close to a star, we'd be burned."
Fuller looked almost goggle-eyed. "A—foot—of—lux! Good Lord, Arcot! This ship would a of a tons! That is dense!"
"Sure," Arcot, "but we'll need the protection. With a ship like that, you through a planetoid without the hull. We'll make the about an thick, with a them for protection in a warm atmosphere. And if some did manage to the wall, we wouldn't be left without protection."
"Okay, you're the boss," Fuller said resignedly. "It's going to have to be a big ship, though. I a length of about two hundred and a of around thirty feet. The I'll with aluminum; it'll be and lighter. How about an observatory?"
"Put it in the of the ship," Wade suggested. "We'll one of the Nigran telectroscopes."
"Control room in the bow, of course," Morey in.
"I've got you," Fuller said. "I'll work the thing out and give you a cost and drawings."
"Fine," said Arcot, up. "Meanwhile, the of us will work out our little to Mr. Morey and Dad. Come on, lads, let's to the lab."
