Glimpse by John Russell Fearn

Author:John Russell Fearn
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: science fiction, time travel, the future, pulp, fiction
Publisher: Wildside Press LLC
Published: 2014-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 5

Death in space

Accordingly there came into the life of Jeffrey the seductive Elfa Cross. She was one of the young women who had been saved from the Scourge and, from Saunders’ point of view, had all the essential qualifications to act as an ‘agent.’ She had grace, beauty, and intelligence. She came into Jeffrey’s life—by easily prepared stages—towards the end of 2032 when, the new London completed, the scientists had turned their attention to the resumption of space flight.

An analytical physicist by the name of Denver Cross, who was, for the time being anyway, Elfa’s father, requested that the ruler of the country should visit the space-testing grounds to witness the latest development of an entirely new technology that claimed to have rendered rocket-powered space travel as outdated as the horse and buggy.

To which Jeffrey—now a sombre, stern-faced man feeling the weight of responsibility he carried—promptly responded.

But the moment he first set eyes on Elfa Cross the weight seemed to lift. She was standing by the big window of the main laboratory adjoining the testing ground when he first saw her. In other parts of the big scientific area the experts were gathered, conversing amongst themselves.

“Gracious of you to come. Mr. Collins,” Saunders said. “I am sure you will find it time well spent. This is Dr. Cross and his daughter Elfa.”

Jeffrey nodded, shaking hands perfunctorily with the scientist; then he turned his attention to the girl. Her blue-grey eyes dropped before his intense gaze. The sunlight caught the waves in her thick, honey-coloured hair.

“You will be aware, Mr. Collins,” Cross said, “that before the Third War broke out space travel had been established using dangerous and expensive liquid fuel rockets?”

Jeffrey turned from his contemplation of Elfa. “Yes, of course,” he agreed heavily. “And that system of space travel is no longer being used by any country, including Great Britain—not least because of one of my own edicts,” he added dryly. “The sheer expense of space travel can no longer be justified in these days of post-war austerity—not when the need for the military development of space no longer applies following the world armistice.”

Cross smiled cynically. “Even if any government wanted to revive the old system of space travel, I doubt that they could find sufficient surviving scientists and technicians with the knowledge of rocket technology. The old Space Centres and Missile Bases were targeted and pretty well destroyed in the war.”

“And a good thing, too,” Elfa commented, rather surprisingly. “It was their destruction that hastened the end of the war. Of course,” she added, “we still have a fair number of the old artificial satellites in orbit, which are still being used for world-wide communication purposes, and—”

“And which,” Cross cut in, “are in danger of becoming inoperative before much longer, because we can no longer send space crews to maintain them, nor can we launch new ones.” He smiled complacently. “That is where my revolutionary new system will prove invaluable.”

Jeffrey was interested. “And what, precisely, is this new system? And more particularly, what are the costs of its development? I warn you, Dr.

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