ema," said Jeter softly, "even to
me."

Eyer grinned.

"Who knows?" he said. "It may all be just the very latest thing in
aerial attack. If so, what country or coalition of countries harbor
designs against our good Uncle Sam? Japan? China?"

"How do you explain the Vandercook incident? The bridge thing? The rise
and fall of the other skyscrapers?"

"Some substance or ray capable of being controlled and directed. It
creates a field, of any size desired, in which gravitation is--well,
shall we say erased? Then any solid which is thus made weightless could
be lifted by the two good hands of a strong man, or even of a weak one.
How does that check with your guessing?"

Jeter shook his head ruefully.

"I've arrived at the same conclusions as yourself, Tema," he said. "I
know we're all guessing. I know we're probably climbing off the Earth on
a wild-goose chase from which we haven't a chance of returning alive. I
know we're a pair of fools to think of matching a few drums of gas and a
bunch of popguns against the equipment of an enemy capable of moving
mountains--but what else is there to do?"

"Nothing," said Eyer cheerfully, "and I've got a feeling that you and I
will manage to acquit ourselves with credit."

The radiophone buzzer sounded.

Hadley was speaking.

"One of the very latest types of battle-wagons," he said, "was steaming
this way from the open sea outside the Narrows, ordered here to stand by
in case of need, by the Navy Department. She was armed to the minute
with the very latest ordnance. She carried a full crew...."

* * * * *

Hadley paused. Jeter could hear him take a deep breath, like a diver
preparing to plunge into icy water. Jeter's spine tingled. He felt he
guessed in advance what was to come.

Hadley went on.

The world seemed to spin dizzily as Jeter listened. Out of all the
madness only one thing loomed which served for the moment to keep Jeter
sane. That was the altimeter, which registered twenty-five thousand
feet.

"The battle-wagon--the _U.S.S. Hueber_--was yanked bodily out of the
water. It was taken aloft so quickly that it was just a blur. At least
this was the way the skipper of a Norwegian steamer, a mile away from
the _Hueber_, described it. The warship simply vanished into the night
sky. The exact time was given by the Norwegian. Five minutes before
midnight. At that moment nothing was happening in New York City--nothing
new, that is."