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Astounding Stories of Super-Science, August 1930
·
Various
65
It
was
at
the
thirty-four
mile
level
that
the
real
battle
for
altitude
began.
Norman
kept
the
plane
curving
steadily
upward,
handling
it
with
surpassing
skill
in
the
rarefied
air.
Frost
was
on
its
windows
now
despite
the
heating
mechanism.
Slowly
the
altimeter
needle
crept
to
the
forty
mark.
Norman
kept
the
ship
circling,
its
wings
tilted
slightly,
but
not
climbing,
Earth
a
great
gray
misty
ball
beneath.
"Can't
keep
this
height
long,"
he
jerked.
"If
our
second
satellite
doesn't
show
up
in
minutes
we've
had
a
trip
for
nothing."
"All
seems
mighty
different
up
here,"
was
Hackett's
shouted
comment.
"Easy
enough
to
talk
down
there
about
hopping
onto
the
thing,
but
up
here--hell,
there's
nothing
but
air
and
mighty
little
of
that!"
Norman
grinned.
"There'll
be
more.
If
I'm
right
about
this
thing
we
won't
need
to
hop
it--its
own
atmosphere
will
pick
us
up."
Both
looked
anxious
as
the
motor
sputtered
briefly.
But
in
a
moment
it
was
again
roaring
steadily.
Norman
shook
his
head.
"Maybe
a
fool's
errand
after
all.
No--I'm
still
sure
we're
right!
But
it
seems
that
we
don't
prove
it
this
time."
"Going
down?"
asked
Hackett.
"We'll
have
to,
in
minutes.
Even
with
its
own
air-feed
the
motor
can't
stand
this
height
for--"
Norman
never
finished
the
words.
There
was
a
sound,
a
keen
rising,
rushing
sound
of
immense
power
that
reached
their
ears
over
the
motor's
roar.
Then
in
an
instant
the
universe
seemed
to
go
mad
about
them:
they
saw
the
gray
ball
of
Earth
and
the
sun
above
skyrocketing
around
them
as
the
plane
whirled
madly.
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