ntil we know what
we're in for. You'll have to contain yourself in patience. What did you
want with me?"

"Only to tell you of another strange news dispatch. It gives no details.
It merely tells of strange activity around Lake Baikal, beyond the Gobi
Desert. Queer noises at night, mysterious cordons of Eurasians to keep
all investigators back, strange losses of livestock, foodstuffs...."

Jeter severed connection. There was little need to listen further to
something which he couldn't explain yet, in any case.

Eyer, at the controls, banked the plane at right angles and flew on. In
shortly less than a minute he banked again.

* * * * *

In five minutes he turned to Jeter with a queer expression on his face.

"Well," he said, "what's to do about it? What is it? It seems to be some
solid substance approximately a quarter mile square. But it can't be
true! A solid substance just hanging in the air at ninety thousand feet!
It's beyond all imagining!"

"What man can imagine, man can do," replied Jeter. "A great newspaper
editor said that, and we're going to discover now just how true it is."

"What's our next move?"

For a long time the partners, stared into each other's eyes. Each knew
exactly what the other thought, exactly what he would propose as a
course of action. Jeter heaved a sigh and nodded his head.

"We're as much in the power of the enemy here as we would be there, or
anywhere else. We can't discover anything from here. Set the wheels
down!"

"We can't tell anything about the condition of the surface of that
stuff. We may crack up."

Jeter had to grin.

"Sounds strange, cracking up at ninety thousand feet, doesn't it? Well,
hoist your helicopter vanes and drift down as straight as you can--but
be sure and keep your motor idling."

Again they exchanged long looks.

"O.K.," said Eyer, as quietly as he would have answered the same order
at Roosevelt Field. "Here we go!"

He pressed a button and the helicopters, set into the surface of the
single sturdy wing, snapped up their shafts and began to spin,
effectually slowing the forward motion of the plane. Eyer fish-tailed
her with his rudder to help cut down speed.

"We can't see the surface of the thing at all, Lucian," said Eyer. "I'll
simply have to feel for it."

"Well, you've done that before, too. We can manage all right."

Down they dropped. The updraft was now a cushion directly under them.
And then their