Amazing Stories Magazine August 1938 by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction
Publisher: Amazing Stories Magazine
Published: 2024-12-19T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

Victory

Other figures followed swiftly coming into Leo’s dazed vision in swift succession; figures in the uniform of the French air force, and other figures in the American uniform.

Leo looked at O’Malley in unbelief and a growing anger.

“Wings,” he began, “You dirty traitor…”

“No, my son,” came the clear voice of Andre LeDuc, advancing now past O’Malley. “Don’t say it, because it isn’t true. O’Malley was acting under the personal orders of the President of the United States, and he did a fine job. When his work was finished, he radioed us.

“You see, Mr. Edwards, I knew it would be worse than useless to try to discover your father’s whereabouts from your lips—you and your father are two of a kind—so we evolved this scheme to attain our objective with as much haste as possible. It was urgent that we lose no time in finding your father…”

Leo stood in baffled astonishment as the French Dictator moved past him, commanding the scene, and confronted John Edwards, with his hand extended, Leo forgot O’Malley, and the airmen behind him as a strange scene unfolded before him.

“John Edwards,” said LeDuc in low tones. “I have come to ask your forgiveness, and to ask that once more we resume that friendship, begun at Sorbonne, and so ruthlessly slashed by blind ambition that fateful night in Paris.”

Edwards shook his head dazedly. “But…the blind ray,” he protested. “You have used it against America.”

“No,” said LeDuc. “Not I. I had divided your notes, and half of them were on my person that night. Someone took them…I thought it must have been you…but now I know it was an enemy spy. It must have taken them until now to reconstruct the whole and manufacture the projectors…”

“Andre LeDuc!” exclaimed Edwards hopefully and with emotion, “Do you mean what you have just said…are you lying to me…?”

“No,” came another voice, and another figure came from the cleft and advanced toward the pair. “We have come, John Edwards, to ask you to join with us to turn back the enemy, and the menace of the blind ray.”

“The President!” gasped Leo.

Then he fell silent again as the three men met. For an instant they stood silently, then with tears in his eyes, John Edwards extended his hands and three great men became one in their ideals.

“Wings,” said Leo, facing the grinning air sergeant seated across the little table from him as the giant strato plane winged its way toward Washington,—“That was the finest piece of acting I ever saw. You fooled me completely. And Joe…and Buck! I would never have believed it.”

“You don’t have to believe that.” O’Malley grinned. “Joe didn’t know anything about it. I had to leave a little realism in the game. That was a real punch he took. And Buck, well, he’d pass the whole enemy secret service force if they barged up to him and bluffed it out. But really, Leo, didn’t you think that ‘escape’ was a bit easy?”

Leo shook his head. “No. I was as nervous as a cat on a stove.

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