Presenting the transcription feature, Superman! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman! Yes, it's Superman, strange visitor from the planet Krypton, who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. Superman, who can leap tall buildings at a single bound, race a speeding bullet to its target, bend steel in his bare hands, and who, disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, fights a never-ending battle for truth and justice! And now to our story. Well, it looked for a while as if Dr. Deutsch and his gang of spies were going to succeed in their attempt to deliver the Grayson submarine into the hands of a foreign power. The finest undersea boat in the world was well into the Atlantic, but not too far away for Superman. The mighty visitor from the planet Krypton found the submarine and returned it safely to the naval base, with its captain and crew unharmed. Dr. Deutsch and his accomplice, Hans, were taken prisoner. And then, just as they were about to face punishment for their crimes, not the least of which was the murder of the submarine's designer, Walter Grayson, they managed to break loose. Dr. Deutsch and Hans are free once more to work their evil against peace and freedom. Where will they strike first? At the moment, they are speeding away from the naval base in a stolen car. Pastor Hans, Pastor, by this time they know we have escaped the thereafter. Yeah, Herr Doctor, but these roads are dangerous. There are too many curves. You see? Don't worry, Hans. This car was built to travel at high speed. It is an official car. How did it happen to be ready for our escape? It did not happen, Hans. It was arranged. You will learn in this business, if you live long enough, never to cross to lock. Who arranged it, Herr Doctor? We have a very good friend at the naval base. A very good friend. Don't ask me who it is. There are some things even you cannot know. Yeah, Herr Doctor. Now, I'm right at the next crossroad, up ahead. Where are we going, Herr Doctor? Back to the old hideout. That's the ocean road. But we can't do that. We will no doubt be watching for us. Turn, you fool! Don't ever do that again, Hans. Remember, I give orders. You obey. Yeah, Herr Doctor, but I told you... You are not supposed to think. Go faster. May I ask a question, Herr Doctor? What is it? Why are we going back to that house on the cliff? In the first case, Hans, we are not going back to the house. But where are we going? Slow down. Now, look along the shoreline of the cove. Have we had the Grayson submarine anchored? Yeah. You see that small shack almost hidden in the woods near the shore? Yeah. Yeah, I see it. That is where we are going. Stupid police will have the house on the cliff guarded, of course. But they will never think to look in the shack. But what is in the shack, Herr Doctor? You will see. Turn in this dirt road. I do not like this, Herr Doctor. We are too close to danger. Whether or not you like it is of small importance. Have you forgotten that you took the oath to work on the master plan? Have you forgotten that those who took the oath swear that they will make the master plan succeed or die in the attempt? No. No, I have not forgotten. The Grayson submarine was nothing. It is the master plan that counts. The plan to rule the world. Stop the car. We will walk the rest of the day. What are we going to do with the car? I will show you. Get out. Close the door. Turn the front wheels toward the water. Now, get behind here with me and push. The car will roll into the water, Herr Doctor. To be precise, Hans, into 30 feet of water. But what will we do without a car? Leave that to me. Now. One, two, three. Rolling. Push. Let it go. It's fast, Herr Doctor. Yeah. The inside is already filled up. Now only the top shows. Yeah, Hans. Now she is gone. Not even a bubble. You will never find it down there. You are quite right. The sea hides many things. Now, Hans, I will show you why we have come to this shack. Look over there. What do you see? The line of telephone poles. Yes. Marching like soldiers over the hill, eh? Then suddenly, halfway down the hill, the poles stop. Why, Herr Doctor? Because from that point on, the telephone wires go underground through a cable. And that cable, Hans, is directly under the shed. And where do you think those telephone wires come from? I do not know, Herr Doctor. From the naval base, Hans. From the naval base. Ah, I am beginning to understand. We will listen in. Precisely, Hans. We, how do you say it, will tap the wires. We will hear all the conversations. We will see nothing, but we will hear everything. Wunderbar, Herr Doctor. Wunderbar. Wait until you have seen what's inside the shack. You will be amazed. Come, Hans, down this path. No one will possibly suspect this abandoned shack. There are thousands like it all over America. Ah, here we are. Notice how the lock on the door has been hidden. See? It is behind this board. Excellent, Herr Doctor. Now I unlock the door. Herr Doctor, like a laboratory. Yes. A complete laboratory. Over there, a powerful shortwave sending and receiving set. In that corner, a dark room for developing important photographs we may find it necessary to take. But look over here. Ja? This trap door leads to a deep cellar. Help me lift it. Ja. Follow me down the ladder, Hans. Ja. Where is that light switch? Ah, here it is. Wunderbar. A telephone switchboard. Yes. When we have found the cable, we will tap the wires into the switchboard. Then, Hans, not only can we listen here, but we can transfer the calls if we wish. The company are wasting precious time. Here are two spades. We must dig for that cable. Come now. Unfortunately, Hans, we were unable to deliver the grace in submarine. But as I say, that is a small matter. The important thing is the master plan. Ja. Master plan. There are people, Hans, who may be in our way. This newspaper reporter, Clark Kent, possibly his editor, or even that labor. We must be careful. Ja, Herr Doctor. No matter what, Hans, no matter if it means death, the master plan cannot be fair. Dig, Hans. Dig. As the two enemies of peace dig for the buried telephone cable that may be a source of important confidential information, Clark Kent and Commander Leeds, head of the naval base, are engaged in conversation in the latter's office when the phone rings. Excuse me, Kent. Commander Leeds speaking. Yes? Good. Send him right over. Lewis, the secret service man assigned to the base, will be here in a few minutes. Well, how can he help us, Commander? Deutsch and his henchmen are gone. It's up to the police to find them. I know, but there's more to this than appears on the surface. Deutsch isn't just a run-of-the-mill spy. He must have an organization behind him. Otherwise, how would he dare try anything like kidnapping the Grayson submarine by encircling it with a huge steel net and dragging it to a hidden cove? It was daring, all right. And clever. Did you read the report on that house they were operating from? Yes. They had a 5,000-horsepower motor fed from a dynamo. That's what they used to pull the cable that was attached to the submarine net. They're clever, Kent. Hello. Come in, Lewis. Commander. Take hands with Clark Kent. Glad to know you, Mr. Kent. How do you do? Well, Lewis, what have you learned? Very little, Commander Leeds. I questioned the man who was bringing them from the submarine to the detention pen. He claims he was struck from behind. How did they manage to get a car, Mr. Lewis? Yes, an official car with a key in the ignition. Now, we haven't checked that through yet, but I wouldn't worry about them if I were you, Commander. We'll nail them sooner or later. But in the meantime, I've got to answer for that escape. You say you questioned the yard officer and he claimed someone struck him from behind? Yes, sir. Who was that someone? I suppose we can assume it was either Deutsch or Hans. We can't assume things, Kent. What about it, Lewis? Well, I don't know, sir, but don't worry ahead about it. Within 24 hours, we'll have them back in the detention pen. Men like that can do a lot of damage in 24 hours. It just occurred to me, Commander. Who ordered them taken to the detention pen? It was my understanding you were going to question them first. That's right. Who did order it? Lewis, do you know? I thought you issued the order, sir. I said I did not. Perhaps it was Captain Denning. No, I'm sure the yard officer told me Commander Leeds had issued the order. And I tell you I didn't. Well, there's one easy way to find out. Ask the yard officer. I left him in the infirmary getting a scalp wound patched up. What's his name? Ensign Carter. I'll find out who issued that order if it's the last thing I do. Commander Leeds speaking. Locate Ensign Carter, yard officer. Have him report to my office at once. Try the infirmary first. Of course, you may have forgotten having given the order, Commander. After all, there was a lot of excitement when the Grayson sub came in. I don't forget things like that, Kent. And anyway, it couldn't have been a verbal order. All detention orders must be made out on a specified form and signed by an officer. What difference does it make who issued the order? It may not make any difference to you, Lewis. You're a civilian government employee. You can't appreciate the necessity of maintaining strict supervision of the armed forces. That must be the yard officer now. Come in! At ease, Ensign. Close the door. How do you feel? Not too bad, sir. Outside of a headache. You may have a chair. Thank you, sir. I have a few questions I'd like to ask you, Mr. Carter. I'll try not to keep you too long since you've gone through quite an ordeal. That's quite all right, sir. Tell me, Mr. Carter, who delivered the two prisoners to you for transportation to the detention pen? Lieutenant Evans, sir. He was aboard the submarine and delivered both men handcuffed. Are you sure they were handcuffed? Why, yes. Just a minute, Kent. We'll come to that later. You know, of course, Mr. Carter, that incarceration in the detention pen cannot be made without a written order signed by an executive officer. I know that, sir. Oh, you do? Then who signed the order for the two prisoners? Why, you did, sir. What? I told you. Now, hold on. Ensign, do you mean to sit there and tell me that I signed an order to remove those men from the submarine to the detention cell? Yes, sir. Where is the order? I have it here in my pocket, sir. This is it. Let me see that. Well, I'll be... Kent, I would have sworn I never issued this, but that's my signature, all right. May I see it a moment, Commander? There's no doubt about it. I must be getting old, suffering from lapse of memory. What are you doing, Kent? Looking at it through a magnifying glass. Oh, it's my signature. There's no doubt about it. I'm afraid I'll have to disagree with you, Commander Leeds. This is a tracing of your signature. Mr. Lewis, take a look at it. Kent, are you trying to tell me... You've guessed it, Commander. There's a traitor right here at the naval base. Someone who forged your signature to free those two foreign agents. Possibly one of your own men. Is Clark Kent right? Was Commander Leeds' signature forged on the detention order? If it was, who is the traitor? And how long can he work hand-in-hand with Dr. Deutsch and his gang before being exposed? Don't forget, tune in again for the next thrilling episode with Superman. It's a plane. It's Superman. Superman is a copyrighted feature appearing in Action Comics magazine.
