to rhythm and vibration. The post-pituitary
consented. Eh, baron?”
extract gives them that over-developed sense,
The Frenchman nodded, but a fine which in us ordinary mortals is displayed sweat had beaded his forehead.
when we keep time to music with a tapping
The scientist went on, his voice eager:
foot, or beat a drum in a certain cadence.
“Then began my monumental work. I
“Then, the workers at the electrical
performed a great series of experiments with
apparatus are hyper-sensitive to even the
my gland-products, on my human guinea pigs.
magnetic field of a small helix. They
Before five years had passed, I began to see
substitute for galvanometric meters quite well,
some glimmerings of success. I was beginning
and have the added faculty of being able to
to bring order out of chaos, simplicity out of
reason, which a meter does not. They
complexity. And these indefatigable, eliminate hours of rechecking and testing super-clever workers of mine”—he swept a
because they feel differences in potential and quick arm-around to include the hundreds of
make immediate corrections.
men in denim—“are my symbols of success!”
“But the core of the work that is going
The baron nodded, but his soul felt
on in this humanized workshop is shaped in
sick within him. Human beings—criminals, it
my scientific laboratory. In the third sub-level
was true, but still human beings—
are my prize gland-men. Some are fed with
experimented upon like rabbits, by a cold,
the thymus hormone, to give them the eidetist heartless scientific genius. Yet—the baron perceptions, or the ability to photograph on sighed reflectively—it was serving a purpose.
their minds what they see and hear, and refer
It had brought the Allied States of Europe
to those things hours later without the slightest within reach of its goal as the world, power.
loss of memory. They are storehouses of
“To leave generalities and explain valuable knowledge—human reference books.
more fully,” continued the director. “You have
“Others are fed with the pineal
seen the eight-foot giants who do all the heavy
hormone to give them psychic and
labor in these workshops. They were ordinary
super-normal perceptions. Such men can see
men who were fed an excess of the ultra-violet light, and even radio waves! They pre-pituitary hormone. This gland substance
can telepathize their thoughts, and read those
promotes bone and tissue growth-beyond the
of the eidetist-sensitive; and they can perceive
normal. To give them added strength in the answer to a mathematical problem before
Thrilling Wonder Stories
6
it is finished! To explain fully would involve
His hands clutched for empty air in the corner
technicalities not understandable to the just behind the director. To the latter’s layman.
amazement, the baron did not crash his head
“But my greatest results have been against the wall, as he feared, but struck with the thyroid-hormone. This substance something and rolled to the floor. His body increases the rare quality of imagination!
miraculously raised; at the same time, his chin
Most of these criminal minds are too coarse
bobbed back with a jerk and a welt appeared
for the use, but some few have responded
below his lip.”
admirably to thyroid feeding. They are my
The baron’s own powerful fists raised
right-hand men in my scientific work. With
and beat downward, to fall upon something
their help I have been enabled to invent the
just off the floor with the sound of bone on
dozen and one important things which come
flesh. Too stupefied to cry out, the director
from this place—including the great edged back a step and watched the strange Super-Sonic Gun.
scene. Suddenly there was a sharp snap, and
“One gland-man in particular is my
immediately a cloaked figure appeared under
pet. He responded splendidly to three hormone
the baron. The officer leaped back, leveling a
feedings—the pineal, thymus, and thyroid. As
pistol with menacing intent.
a result he is a peculiar super-genius in certain
“Ach! An Invisibility Cloak he had—”
lines, with a photographic mind, three extra
“So, a spy!” panted the baron. “Keep
‘senses’ like the ‘sixth sense’, and a virile,
your hands up, American dog, if you do not
leaping imagination that amazes even me. wish to die on the spot!”
Furthermore, I have had his parathyroid
James Wistert, facing the menacing
glands removed surgically, which makes him
pistol, cursed bitterly to himself. To have got
hyper-sensitive to all stimuli, as the so far and then to be trapped like a child!
parathyroid-hormone is the only ‘checking’
“You see, M. Bergmann,” said the
hormone in the human body. And whenever
baron, keeping his sharp eye on the American,
he fags and becomes enervated, I feed him
“that I was right about feeling eyes on me. I
insulin, which tones up his blood happened to glimpse, as I peered around, a instantaneously, as it does for diabetes. It was
faint human outline in that corner near us.”
he that conceived of a pseudo-magnetic field
“One of the slight defects of the
of force to bend light rays around and past
Invisibility Cloak,” said the director as though
obstructing molecules in solid matter. That
apologizing. “It can be corrected—”
resulted in the Invisibility Cloak.”
The baron interrupted. “Let us get bur
The baron twisted uneasily around at
prisoner to a suitable place—a room from
the mention of the Invisibility Cloak. He still
which he cannot escape. This will bear
had that indefinable feeling of being spied
investigation.”
upon by invisible eyes. The Americans had no
“A spy!” screamed the director,
Invisibility Cloaks—or weren’t supposed to
suddenly cognizant that his sanctum had been
have any—but suppose they did—
invaded by the enemy. “Shoot him! Kill
“Ach! Are you listening to me, Baron
him—”
Laiglon, or searching for ghosts?” growled the
“A death he deserves and which awaits
director, peeved that his words had so little
him. But for the present we must try to find
effect on the military man.
his accomplice, if any. Call your guards.”
The director hastened to comply,
THE baron turned slightly as though to shouting loudly. As though from nowhere, answer. Instead, he suddenly leaped sideward.
uniformed men appeared, all heavily armed.
The Hormone Menace
7
“You will give me your gun, exceptional gland-man!” His tones hardened.
monsieur?” said the baron politely.
“This place and its secret m
ust never get to
For a mad moment Wistert thought of
American headquarters. I wish to inform you,
shooting it out. Then he shook that thought
Monsieur Spy, that, in accordance with a
from his mind. The difference between a spy
time-honored custom, you will be shot at
and a soldier was just ability to see when the
sunrise!”
odds were too great. He parted the overlapped
There was a scraping of shoes and the
slit in the cloak at his hip and pulled out his
flashlight beam swung away. “Sunrise will be
automatic, handing it over silently.
here in one hour, verdammte Amerikaner! ”
At the point of the baron’s gun,
And with these words of harsh
Wistert doffed his now-useless cloak. The farewell ringing in his ears, Wistert was left baron had been clever in ripping loose a wire,
alone.
instead of merely snapping the switch. It had
One hour to live! If only he could die
rendered the cloak useless, and had knowing the information he had would be automatically cut off Wistert’s chance of passed on. Priceless information! Possessing escape. After some discussion the guards were
it, America could gather her mighty air fleets
given orders and Wistert was conducted below
and hordes of ground tanks, and penetrate to
to the lowermost level, and locked in a musty,
this spot—blast it from the earth.
cement-lined room bare of even a chair.
Wistert tried his last hope, a forlorn
one indeed. Putting one finger in his mouth,
he rubbed vigorously the side of the tooth in
CHAPTER III
front of his first lower molar. It was an
Y-44
artificial hollow tooth, of white amber,
containing a minute apparatus which
responded to the static electricity produced by
AN hour later the American spy was friction on its outside, radiating a faint etheric thoroughly disgusted. The silence and emanation. It was like a broadcasting radio; darkness were getting on his nerves. Suddenly
any fellow American spy within range—one
he heard footsteps. The heavy wooden door
hundred feet—would, feel an ache in his jaw.
creaked open. At the same time a glaring
A forlorn hope, for Wistert had tried it
beam of light crawled questingly along the
several times already during this night. He
wall.
wondered, as he rubbed diligently, what had
The flashlight beam centered on him,
happened to Y-44, who had been assigned to
blinding him for a moment.
this place a month before.
“Ach, there he is, the verdammte
Wistert almost bit his finger as his
Amerikaner! ”
lower jaw suddenly began to ache. Lord, could
“Monsieur?” came Baron Laiglon’s it be possible, or was this some hallucination?
deep voice right after, although Wistert In another moment he knew better, and with couldn’t see him. “Your name, monsieur?”
beating heart he crept stealthily to the door.
“Suppose you guess,” responded There was a small barred opening in it, and to Wistert laconically.
this he put his ear.
The baron smiled, and then his voice
He heard the faintest of footsteps, and
became suddenly malicious. “He is intelligent,
then a whispering voice hissed into his ear:
else he would not be a spy,” he said to the
“This is Y-44. Stand back; I’ll open the door.”
director. “He would make an excellent subject
Wistert’s heart was in his mouth as the
for you, monsieur. Perhaps he would be an key grated noisily. Then the ponderous door
Thrilling Wonder Stories
8
opened.” He heard the panting of the I won’t need a Cloak because I’ve been newcomer, then his voice, a low whisper:
recently, transferred to the lowest level, and
“Sorry I couldn’t get here sooner. the guards know me.”
Knew you were here an hour ago—when you
The two spies—only one visible to
were captured. First chance I had—”
unwary eyes—crept noiselessly down the
“I’m S-23,” said Wistert eagerly. “I
hallway outside the room that had been
thought, though, that you’d been caught long
Wistert’s prison, in a darkness broken only by
ago. H.Q. thought so too.”
a few faint beams of light from a barred
“It’s a long story,” returned Y-44. “I
opening in a door at the corridor’s end.
tried undercover stuff, you see—got in here as
“This used to be a section of
a menial, or general servitor. Forged papers,
storerooms,” informed Y-44 in a whisper.
cock-and-bull life history, and all that. But
“Unused now, though. See that door? Right
believe it or not, it took me till three days ago outside of it stands a guard. I got past him
to find out anything important. I worked wearing the Invisibility Cloak, while he was upstairs; never got past the steel door to get
pacing up and down. I think—”
down here.”
“Yes, I know,” returned Wistert
“Well, now that we both know what
grimly. “You walk out—talk to him For a
we do, we’d better busy ourselves getting it
second; I’ll do the rest.”
out where it will do some good. Damn
Y-44 listened at the barred opening till
Bergmann and his gland-men! Can’t tell what
the guard’s footsteps came close; then he
they’ll cook up next, to America’s almighty
pulled open the door, stepping out.
surprise. That Super-onic Gun alone—”
“Halt! Who’s there?” challenged the
“But there’s something worse on the
guard, whipping put his pistol.
way!” interrupted Y-44. “Heard of
“It’s, I, Dobran,” said Y-44 in perfect
Bergmann’s prize gland-man?”
French. “Put up your gun, fool. Would you
“The one with thyroid, pineal, and I
shoot one who wears the service-blue?”
don’t know what-all, who dug up the idea of
The guard stared suspiciously. “What
Invisibility?”
are you doing in there—how did you get in
“Yeah. Well, he’s working right now
there, anyway? Mon dieu! ” His eyes sparkled on controlled Atomic Power, if you know any
dangerously. “Is it possible that you were
physics. He’s getting places too; he has a
attempting to aid the pris— uh! ”
vortex core—as they call it—of live energy in
The guard instinctively reached for his
a lead-screened box. They’re adapting it to
throat, dropping his gun, as something
long-range transmission. If it works it will
clamped- viciously about his windpipe.
disintegrate airships at a hundred miles!”
“Of course I was,” grinned Y-44, as
invisible fingers choked the breath from the
“YE gods! We’ve got to get away. We’ve just
guard’s throat. Wistert lowered the body only
got to! Any suggestions?”
>
when assured the man would never again call
“I’ve got your Invisibility Cloak—took
a challenge.
it along when I stole the key to this room from
“In there,” pointed Y-44, and Wistert
Bergmann’s office. Clipped back the ripped
dragged the corpse into the dark hallway they
wire-and it’s as good as gold.”
had just come from. “You did a quick job of
“Why, you’re the goods!” exclaimed
it, S-23.”
Wistert joyfully.
“I would willingly do a dozen more of
“Ought to be,” sniffed the other. “I’m
such quick jobs, if it assured us of escape,”
not Y-44 for nothing. Put it on and follow me.
said Wistert grimly. “Now, what’s the
The Hormone Menace
9
layout?”
gland-men—under orders—higher—type—do
“We’re in the third sub-level,” not require guards—”
informed Y-44, “the lowermost, in which are
Wistert was amazed at the
contained all the scientific laboratories. Since
ramifications of the huge laboratory, and at
our chances of going up through the whole
the astounding things spread about in what
place are practically nil, I suggest we try for
seemed disorderly array. Denim-clad
the freight depot of this underground factory.
gland-men—human machines—seemed
It, too, is a sub-surface department, for everywhere, but they offered no resistance; purposes of secrecy; the freight-planes are most were so intent on their work that they did taxied under-ground and unloaded there. not look up.
There is a corridor connection to the depot