Poisoned Air Read online

which the eruditedoctor did not possess.

  * * * * *

  The boat lay motionless for several minutes. Nervously the doctorglanced at his wrist watch. He barely stifled a cry of amazement. Fromthe face of the luminous dial, long streamers of faintlyphosphorescent light were streaming. He whirled to meet an attack fromthe rear but he was too late. Even as he turned the muzzle of a pistolpressed into his back and a voice spoke behind him.

  "Drop that pistol, Doctor, or I'll be under the unpleasant necessityof making a hole in you."

  Reluctantly, Dr. Bird dropped his pistol and the voice went on.

  "Really, I hardly expected to catch you by surprise, Doctor. I thoughtyou were clever enough to realize that our boat would be equipped withan ultra-violet searchlight. However, even the best minds must restsometimes, and yours is due for a nice long rest. In fact, I mightalmost prophesy that it will be a permanent rest."

  Dr. Bird shivered despite himself at the cold mercilessness of therailing voice behind him. The accents were ones which he did notrecognize. His captor chuckled for a few moments and then called outin Russian. The boat came into the shore and eight figures climbedout. Two of them bore a small chest which they set down on the wharf.One of the figures picked up the doctor's automatic and his captorstepped in front. A flashlight gleamed for an instant and Dr. Birdstarted in surprise. The men wore no masks but only a plate of glasswhich protected their cheeks and eyes. Fastened to the neck of eachone, below the chin, was a long tube which gleamed like glass. Theywore heavy knapsacks strapped to their backs from which wires ran toeach end of the bars.

  "Those protectors make your enveloping head-mask look rather clumsy,don't they, Doctor?" said his captor mockingly. "It's too bad youdidn't think of them first. It must be such a blow to your pride tothink that anyone had invented something better than yours. Really,that mask of yours worries me. Remove it!"

  * * * * *

  At his words two of the men stepped forward and tore the doctor's maskroughly from his head. The mocking voice went on.

  "In view of the fact that you have only a few hours of life left, Dr.Bird, it will give me pleasure to let you know how thoroughly you havebeen defeated. You may not know me by sight, although my name may notbe unfamiliar. I am Peter Denberg."

  He turned the flashlight for an instant on his own face, and Dr. Birdgazed at him keenly.

  "I'll know you the next time I see you," he muttered, half to himself.

  "The next time you see me will be in the hereafter, if there be such athing," laughed the Russian. "The sweetest blow of all is now aboutto fall. We expected you to be here and came prepared to capture you.Had we not known that the arch enemy of the people would be hereto-night, we would have struck at a point miles away. Do you know whobetrayed you? It was one we placed in your laboratory for the verypurpose which she served."

  He turned on the light again and it picked out of the darkness anotherface, a long oval face with startlingly red lips and dark oval eyeswhich glowed as with an internal flame. As the face became visible,the red lips drew back, exposing strong white teeth and the words wereliterally spat out.

  "Swine!" she hissed. "Bourgeois! Did you think you could bribe me withyour gifts to tolerate your vileness? I have brought about yourdownfall and death, Dr. Bird. I, Feodrovna Androvitch! Now will Iavenge my brother's death at your hands!"

  She sprang forward and spat full in the doctor's face. Dr. Bird fellback for an instant under the ferocity of her attack and long nailsripped the skin from his face. Denberg stepped forward and caught herwrists.

  "Gently, sister," he warned. Feodrovna struggled for an instant butgave way to the powerful muscles of the communist leader. "There is noneed for anything of that sort," he went on. "In a few moments we willopen the chest which we have and then you will enjoy the amazingspectacle of the man who has temporarily checked the plans of ourleader a dozen times, gasping for breath like a fish out of water.Start your protectors."

  * * * * *

  Each of the Russians closed a switch on the knapsack which he wore.From the bars below their chins came a dull violet glow which madetheir faces stand out eerily in the darkness. The flashlight wascentered on the box which Dr. Bird could see was made of lead,soldered into a solid mass. At a word from Denberg, one of theRussians stepped forward with a long knife in his hand and started tocut open the box.

  With a sudden effort, Dr. Bird shook himself loose from the two menwho were holding him and sprang forward. Denberg turned to meet himand the doctor's fist shot out like a piston rod. Full on theRussian's chin it landed and he went down like a poled ox. Two of theRussians closed with him but the two were no match for Dr. Bird'senormous strength, fighting as he was for his life. He hurled one awayand swung with all of his strength at the other. His blow struckglancingly, and while the Russian spun away under the blow, he did notfall. A man caught at him from the rear and Dr. Bird whirled, but ashe did so, two men seized his arms from behind. Mightily the doctorstrove but others flung themselves on him. He straightened up with asuperhuman effort and then from an unexpected source came help.

  One of the men holding him gave a choking gasp and reeled sideways.Dr. Bird felt his neck deluged with liquid and the smell of hot bloodrose sickeningly on the air. He shook himself loose again and smotewith all of his strength at his nearest opponent. His blow landed fairbut at the same instant an iron bar fell across his arm and it droppedlimp and helpless. Again a knife flashed in the darkness and a howl ofpain came from the Russian who felt it bite home.

  "We are attacked!" cried one of them. They whirled about, theirflashlights cutting paths through the thickening fog. With her backto the crippled doctor's Feodrovna Androvitch held aloft a bloodyknife.

  Something seemed to catch Dr. Bird by the throat and shut off hisbreath. From a gash which had been cut in the lead box, a heavy grayfog was rising and enveloping everything in its deadening blanket. Thefog penetrated into the doctor's lungs and an intolerable pain, asthough hot irons were searing the tissues, tore him. He tried tocough, but the sound could not force its way through his stiffeninglips. Darkness closed in on him and he swayed. He was dimly consciousthat the Russians were swarming about Feodrovna, knives and clubs intheir hands. Then through the night came an ear-splitting crack and aflash of orange flame. One of the Russians toppled and fell forward,knocking the weakened doctor down as he did so. Again came a flash anda report, and to the doctor's fading senses came a sound of shouts andpounding feet. Over his head another flash split the fog and thendarkness swarmed in and with a sigh of pain, Dr. Bird let his headfall forward on his chest.

  * * * * *

  He recovered consciousness slowly and looked about him. He was in awhite bed in a strange, yet somehow familiar, place with a ray oflight of almost intolerable brilliance boring its way into his brain.He tried to raise his hand and found himself curiously weak. With agreat effort he raised his hand until he could see it and let it fallwith a cry which came from his lips only as a feeble murmur. His handwas thin almost to the point of emaciation. Blue veins stood out onthe back and his long, slim, mobile fingers, the fingers of an artistand dreamer, were mere claws, with the skin drawn tight over thebones.

  A man in a white uniform bent over him. "Drink this, Doctor," came insoothing tones.

  He was too weak to protest and he managed to sip the drink through aglass tube. Slowly he felt himself sinking through vast unexploredreaches of darkness.

  How long he lay there he did not know but when he again opened hiseyes the light was no longer over him. He strove to speak and a huskywhisper came from his lips. A tall woman in white hastened forward andbent over him.

  "Where am I?" he asked with difficulty.

  "You're in the hospital at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Doctor," said thenurse. "Everything is all right and you're doing splendidly. Justdon't excite yourself and you'll get well in no time. Captain Murdockwil
l be here in a few minutes."

  "How long have I been here?" he asked.

  "Oh, quite a while, Doctor. Now don't ask any more questions. You mustrest and get well and strong, you know."

  Strength seemed to be surging slowly back into the doctor's wastedframe. His voice came clearer and stronger.

  "How long have I been here?" he demanded.

  * * * * *

  The nurse hesitated, but her face suddenly cleared as Captain Murdockentered the ward.

  "Oh, Captain," she cried, "come here and take care of your patient. Hewon't keep quiet."

  "Out of his head again?" asked Captain Murdock as he hastened forward.

  "No more than you are," came in a husky whisper from Dr. Bird's lips.

  Captain Murdock looked quickly down and smiled in relief. "You'lllive, Dr. Bird," he said. "Just take it easy for a few days and thenyou can talk all you want to."

  "I'll talk now," came in stronger tones from the doctor's lips. "Howlong have I been here?"

  Captain Murdock hesitated, but a glance at the doctor's flushed facewarned him that it was better to give in than to fight him.

  "You were brought in here two weeks ago yesterday," he said. "It wastouch and go for a while, and, but for the treatment you devised, youwould have been a goner. We fed you X-rays until I was afraid we wouldburn you up, but they did the business. It will cheer you up to learnthat every man who got your treatment is either well or on the highroad to recovery."

  "The plague?" asked the doctor faintly.

  "Oh, that's all over, thanks to you. It reached the post that nightbut under the influence of the daylight blue bulbs you had installed,it lost most of its virulence. We had a lot of sore throats in themorning but there wasn't a man dangerously sick. It all faded when thesun hit it."

  An orderly entered and spoke in an undertone to Captain Murdock. Thesurgeon hesitated for a moment, his eyes on Dr. Bird, and then nodded.

  "Bring him in," he said quietly.

  * * * * *

  A small, unobtrusively dressed man entered the room and stepped to thebedside. Dr. Bird's face lighted up in one of its rare smiles and hestrove to raise his hand in greeting.

  "Carnesy, old dear, I'm glad to see you got out all right," hewhispered. "I was afraid your mask wouldn't hold up after the troubleyou had with it. Tell me what happened that night."

  Carnes glanced at Captain Murdock, who nodded.

  "I went down to the narrows and watched, Doctor, and when the Russianboat passed, I started to make my way back to you. The tide had comein and I had to make quite a detour to get to you. I got there alittle later than I liked but still in time to do some good. You weredown and Miss Andrews was standing over you with a bloody knife in herhand, fighting like a wildcat. I started shooting and ran in yellingas loud as I could. I managed to plug three of them and I guess theythought I was a dozen men. I tried to make enough noise for that many.The rest took to their heels and Miss Andrews and I rigged one oftheir protectors over your face and dragged you to the scooter. Therest was plain sailing. We brought you in and Captain Murdock did therest. That's all there was to it. If I hadn't been so slow, I couldhave driven them off before they opened that box and saved you all ofthis."

  "Thelma?" asked the doctor faintly.

  "Oh, she's none the worse, Doctor. I want to apologize to you for thepoor opinion I had of your judgment. That girl wasn't recognized; sherecognized Denberg on the streets of Washington and deliberately puther head into the lion's mouth by declaring herself. She got theirwhole plan and went along to try to checkmate them. If she hadn'tstarted knifing when she did, the devils meant to hold your headdirectly over that box and it would have been just too bad."

  "What was in the box?"

  * * * * *

  "She found that out. It was some kind of a microbe that Saranoffdeveloped in a Belgian laboratory which does something to the oxygenof the air. You'll have to get Dr. Burgess to explain that to youlater; he has some of the bugs shut up for you to play with when youget back on the job. When we found that you were knocked out, Davisgot him to come down from Washington to take charge. He has beenrunning ray machines over the swamps for two weeks and says that everytrace of the bugs are gone except those he has in the laboratory."

  "Saranoff has more."

  "No, he hasn't, thanks to Miss Andrews. Every day they started a freshcolony, leaving one lot back to start the next brood with. She tippedus off where they were kept and Bolton and Haggerty raided and got thelot and turned them over to Dr. Burgess."

  "That's enough for to-day, Mr. Carnes," interrupted Captain Murdock."You can see Dr. Bird to-morrow, but he has had enough excitement forto-day."

  As Carnes took his leave, the nurse spoke to Captain Murdock. Helooked carefully at Dr. Bird and nodded.

  "For one minute. No longer!" he said.

  The nurse stepped to the door. Into the room came a slim young womanof remarkable beauty, her eyes glowing as with an internal light. Herparting lips of startling redness showed strong white teeth. Her eyesgrew misty as she leaned over the doctor's bed. Dr. Bird blinked for amoment and his face grew stern.

  "Miss Andrews," he said in a husky whisper, "Mr. Carnes has told mewhat you did. In my service, success does not excuse disobedience. Ithank you for your services which may have saved my life and which mayhave put me in worse danger. In any event, please remember two things.Unless you can learn to entirely suppress your emotions and learn thatI will tolerate nothing but implicit obedience, your usefulness to mewill be at an end and I will no longer need you."

  The happiness faded from the girl's face as if by magic and anexpression of absolute immobility took its place. Her eyes looked asthough a curtain had been drawn over them.

  "Yes, Doctor," she said in a toneless voice as she turned and left theroom.

  * * * * *