"053 (B054) - He Could Stop The World (1937-07) - Laurence Donovan" - читать интересную книгу автора (Robeson Kenneth)

Professor Randolph must have been mistaken. He and his companions failed to "stay on top of the world."
IN the weeks which had elapsed since the disappearance of William Harper Littlejohn in the stratosphere ship of Professor Randolph, Doc Savage's companions had been somewhat scattered.
Colonel John Renwick, known as "Renny," the big-fisted engineer, was in Japan on a project that was to make him a wealthy man, although in his own right Renny was a millionaire.
Brigadier General Theodore Marley Brooks, the Beau Brummell of the group, but known as "Ham," was absent from Manhattan. When it came to lawyers, it was doubtful if any were smarter than Ham, and certainly none were better dressed.
With Ham was the ugliest and most likeable personage perhaps of all. He was Andrew Blodgett Mayfair, but because of his resemblance to the apes in the jungle, he was known as "Monk." As for Monk, industrial chemistry owed him many great debts, he being one of the best chemists in the land.
At the present time, Ham and Monk were together in the same city. Ham was attending a convention of the American Bar Association of Lawyers. Monk was at another conference named The World Society of Chemists. Both conferences were in Salt Lake City.
Long Tom was the only one who was with Doc at the present time. He was busy working at Doc's complicated radio system. On his face was a look of gloom. Something like permanent sorrow had come upon Doc and his companions since the apparent fate of Johnny.
Long Tom suddenly stepped back from the complicated system of knobs and dials on Doc's special shortwave radio set. Long Tom's hands jerked loose.
"Great Scott, Doc!" he exploded. "I got something that I wasn't expecting! Now how in thunderation could the juice leak through like that?"
"Perhaps it wasn't the electricity," commented Doc. "I have been noticing the vibration needles for some time. If you will take a look at the television plate, you will observe some shadowy substance."
Doc's televisor was one of his first radio triumphs. He was possibly the first man in the world to make it possible to see the broadcaster of a message. However, this was limited to the special shortwave band employed by his own men and himself.
At this time, a shadow appeared to be moving across the slate-colored glass. For a time it looked as if it were the replica of a man's hand. Then it took on what might have been a human face.
"Throw the switch over to the amateur shortwave band," Doc suddenly directed Long Tom. "Perhaps some enthusiast has come close to our own set-up."
As Long Tom threw the switch over, bringing in what might have been any amateur on his allotted and limited broadcasting wave, a blurred voice mumbled.
"Blub-blub-blubЧ"
it went.
At the same time, the shadow in the televisor became more like a human face. The features, however, were indistinct. They appeared somewhat like a futuristic painting.
"Great Scott!" came from Long Tom, who did not often grow excited. "I thought I heard it say, 'Doc Savage!'"
"You are correct, Long Tom. Perhaps I can clear it up."
The voice cleared only enough for thickly mumbled words to become intelligible. The bronze giant had the world's keenest auditory sense. For years, his ears had been trained by a special scale-sounding instrument of his own devising.
At this time, he could make out words where Long Tom heard only the confused mumbling.
"Doc SavageЧUnion SquareЧeight o'clock tonightЧaffects millionsЧyou will hear laterЧreception will be clearerЧDocЧI will tellЧ"
Whatever the voice out of the mysterious distance would tell was lost in strident static. But throughout the laboratory trilled the sound of surprise, of danger, of concentration. Only when something greatly stirred Doc's emotions was this rare, indefinable trilling to be heard.
"What is it, Doc?" said Long Tom. "I couldn't make head or tail of the voice."
"Long Tom, no radio voice ever came from occult forces, so far as science has ever determined," Doc stated quietly. "But only just now I came to believe Johnny is not dead. He did not perish on Professor Randolph's ship."
Long Tom gulped.
"We shall go to Union Square this evening at eight o'clock," said Doc. "This could be some amateur broadcaster attempting his crude idea of a joke, but I believe it is serious."
IT is said that "anything can happen, and usually does" in Manhattan's Union Square.
Over in one corner of the Square a group with banners held a place. A youth was on a box. His words and the banners indicated this group were backers of one of several forms of social security.
The Square was unusually crowded. More than the customary number of citizens seemed to have been drawn here tonight. Doc's keen ears caught the remark of a woman in a group close by.
"I was on the amateur short wave, an' I heard a funny message to Doc Savage," she was saying. "I hope I do get to see that man, I've heard so much about him."
From the increasing number of people, it seemed that every radio fan on the amateur short-wave band had hurried to Union Square for a possible glimpse of the noted bronze adventurer.
Doc Savage searched the crowd with his flake-gold eyes. In all this milling Manhattan throng he was seeking something which even Long Tom did not suspect.
The banners of the group advocating its form of social security jutted above the heads of a score of persons. More than a hundred others were surrounding this box.
Near Doc and Long Tom a tall, pale-faced old man had taken up his stand. Before him a huge, long telescope was set upon a brass-legged tripod. The telescope pointed directly at one of the brightest stars.
Doc noted this was Jupiter, then in its ascendancy. The night was unusually clear. Jupiter glowed plainly.
Doc was watching, listening to the human movement and muttering of voices throughout the Square. His eyes turned back often to the thin, tall old man with his pointed telescope.
Business either was poor, or the telescope man was making no great effort to gain patronage. The man seemed more interested in the social security meeting.
A young woman was replacing the youth who had been speaking.
Doc Savage said nothing to Long Tom. He remained motionless. Only a score or more persons nearest him looked up and around quickly. Perhaps they imagined some rare, tropical bird had escaped and flown to Union Square.
From Doc was coming the note of sudden concentration, or of possible impending danger. His eyes whipped from the young woman to the old man beside the telescope.
Doc stood motionless, waiting. He was not sure what he was waiting for, but the very good-looking young woman now smiling from the speaker's box a few yards away was well known to him.
And she was Ann Garvin, herself a professor of sociology. This simple fact would not thus have riveted the bronze man to attention. What held him was knowing that Ann Garvin had been betrothed to Professor Homer Randolph up to the time his stratosphere ship had blown itself to bits.
"Be prepared for some quick action," Doc advised Long Tom, in a low tone. "I am not sure just what is about to happen, but I still believe it may have a great deal to do with Johnny."
ANN GARVIN commenced speaking. Her voice was liquidly pleasing. It rang with the sincerity of her belief.
"Not all of us were created for work!" she asserted. "I believe there should be provision made by society for support of all its creative artistsЧ"
The pretty young woman's idea of a workless eraЧpresumably for the class now surrounding herЧelicited ringing cheers. The flamboyant banners were jostled and shaken in encouragement.
"The old man with the telescope apparently is not greatly interested in earning dimes," said Doc to Long Tom.
"Looks more like some photographer trying to get a slant on the woman speaker," commented Long Tom. "Perhaps he has a camera hidden in the telescope."
The tall man beside the telescope had pushed away a woman who had just held out a dime. He was slowly bringing the lense of the telescope lower. The instrument now seemed to point directly at the attractive Ann Garvin.