An Amazing Novelet
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Thrilling Wonder Stories August 1947.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
CHAPTER I
The Theft
The masked man crept down the corridor stealthily. It was quite darkin the hallway but he knew that it was a synthetic darkness, a matterof temporal convenience, for on a spaceship, time is regulated by theTerran daily cycle of twenty-four hours.
On spacecraft the passenger-sections observe a strict twelve-hourdivision between sheer brilliance and utter darkness. He estimatedthat it was a full two hours before light-time, which meant that thosecouples who preferred to sit and hold hands whilst staring at therather over-stable aspect of the sky were by now bedded down and asleep.
Even so the masked man understood that with such it was not the skythat was appealing, and that under such circumstances time was a minorand often disregarded item. So he went carefully just in case he shouldhappen upon such.
He was lucky. There were no couples immersed in one another's dreamsand so the masked man went all the way from the auxiliary spacelocknear the bottom to the "B" deck, just below the rounded hemisphere ofseamless plastiglass that domed the top of the spacecraft.
He entered the corridor that led to the staterooms and, by the dim halllights, found the room he sought. The lock was obviously intended tokeep out only honest men and the door was of the same manufacture. Hetook a tiny fountain-pen-sized implement from a loop in his belt andapplied the business end to the door.
There was neither sound nor light. Silently the thing worked and itcompletely removed a sliver ten-thousandths of an inch wide as he movedthe tiny beam in a careless square around the lock. He grasped the knobin his hand as he completed the cut. That way it would not drop to thefloor and make an unwanted racket.
Shoving the door open gently, he entered and closed it behind him. Hetook a moment to replace the square of aluminum with the lock and,with a couple of quick motions, he welded the square back in place.
An experienced welder would have called the job 'buttering' because thepatch was held by only two minute battens of welded metal. It could bebroken out with a single twist of the hand.
Then, reasonably safe from outside detection—if the steward passed,he would not notice unless he gave each door a careful scrutiny—themasked man took out a tiny flashlight and searched the room quickly.
A tousled head of luxuriant hair half covered the pillowcase but theface beneath it was not visible from the door. The masked man shruggedand turned to the wall compartment where the baggage was stored. Heknew about where to look. He fumbled through three drawers, and finallycame upon a box of some ten cubic inches.
It was not too heavy and the masked man tucked it under one arm andsmiled confidently. His pen-beam he used to weld the call-button toits frame so that it could not be pushed. He used it to weld the lockin a barred position and, again outside, he welded the patch togetherfirmly. The inhabitant was to all intents and purposes a prisoner untilshe could command attention by yelling and beating upon the door.
With the same stealth that he had used in coming this way he returnedto the auxiliary spacelock. He donned the spacesuit he had left thereand looked at the safety-switch that had been welded closed. Heshrugged—no need of opening the switch to close the door upon it.He'd welded the switch shut so that opening the auxiliary lock hadn'tf