Out of the Sun by Ben Bova

Author:Ben Bova [Bova, Ben]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter eight

“A laser?” Martin Arnold looked shocked. “That’s crazy.”

Sarko leaned back in his chair and watched his assistant.

“What’s crazy about it?” he asked.

Arnold had just come in to work. He took off his jacket and hung it on the hook behind the office door.

“Lasers aren’t powerful enough to damage a plane. You might just as well shine a flashlight on the Cobra … that would do about as much damage as firing a laser at it. That ‘death ray’ stuff that people have talked about is just a lot of baloney.”

“I know,” Sarko said. “But look at this.”

He took a newspaper clipping from his desk and held it out to Arnold.

“I got it last night,” he said before his assistant could ask.

Arnold crossed the room and took the clipping. As he read it, Sarko kept talking excitedly:

“I had forgotten all about that story. Of course, we’re not in the laser business, so there’s no reason for us to be especially interested in it. But those people at M.I.T. shattered rocks with a laser beam. Cracked them up so that when you tried to touch them, they crumbled into powder.”

Arnold looked up from the clipping. His hand was shaking a little. “But … you don’t think a laser beam would have the same effect on the Cobra’s metals, do you? I mean, those metals are a lot different from rock …”

“It’s the best clue we have,” Sarko answered. “In fact, it’s the only real clue I’ve seen so far. And it ties in with the other points!”

Arnold went back to his desk and sat down. “What do you mean?” he asked softly.

“That medical report about the crewman being flash-blinded. And the tape recording… the last clear word on the tape is ‘Flash.’ Remember?”

“Yes, but …”

“And the movie film that blanked out. A laser beam could’ve caused that, too. It all fits.”

Arnold shook his head. “It’s crazy … wild …”

“Maybe so. But we’re going to follow up on this idea. Fast.”

“How?”

“There’s no laser on the base that’s as powerful as the one the M.I.T. people used. But over at the state university they have one. We’re taking a batch of samples of the Cobra’s metals over there. This morning.”

With a shrug, Arnold said, “Okay, you’re the boss. But if I were you, I wouldn’t go around telling everybody about this idea. It’s pretty wild … and if it doesn’t turn out to be right …”

“I know,” Sarko agreed. “We’ll keep it strictly between the two of us for the time being. We’ll just tell the university people that we’re doing some routine tests.”

They drove out in Arnold’s car later that morning.

The laser was a thick glass tube, and so long that it ran the entire length of the big laboratory room. It was surrounded by electric power generators and other equipment.

If this is what they’re using against the Cobras, I can see why it takes a bomber to carry it, Sarko thought to himself.

“This is one of the most powerful lasers in the country,” the Professor told them as he guided them through his lab.

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