Captain Tex Bradford and Elaine Raleigh, the Euclidean Girl Submarine Commander who has joined the Gregory party, have been flying four hours in the stolen Euclidean rocket plane, trying to reach the location of Euclidia before their fuel gives out. Just outside Los Angeles Harbor, a small passenger vessel chartered by Mrs. Gregory has put to sea, heading for the same location, but expecting to require between five and six days to reach the Captain and Elaine. On board with Mrs. Gregory are Joan, Jerry, and their faithful friends of previous cruisers. Our story today leaves them 4,000 miles behind, however, and we join Elaine and Captain Tex Bradford in the Euclidean rocket plane. How's the fuel holding out Elaine? It is nearly exhausted Captain Bradford. Think we can make it? I am checking our position. We've got 25,000 feet of altitude to help us. I believe we will need it. It is foolish to waste our last bit of fuel if we may glide down and save it. Well, why save it? We may need it later. There won't be enough left to take us anywhere. No, but there may be sufficient to keep us from drifting anywhere. Yeah, sure. I guess I'm getting old. No one person can think of everything. You seem to do a pretty good job of it. Thank you. Found out where we are? We are within gliding distance of Euclidia. Okay, cut your power and let's go down. I am doing so. I just had another pleasant thought to add to our troubles. If it concerns something we can do nothing about. It is not wise to worry about it. We can't do anything about this, but I can't help worrying about it either. What is it? We're not going to have fuel enough left to take us very far from where we land, is that right? Correct. And what happens to us if we find the G-47 and his Euclideans are swarming all over the water waiting for us? That is indeed an unpleasant thought. However, you must have thought of that before this. Yes, I have. But it looks a little different when you're looking at it from back home and when you're drifting down into it. I hope we will find the submarine locks of Euclidia helpless as we left them. If you were right about how long they'd stay bottled up in there, we're okay. It will be only a short time until we know. How fast are we falling? 5,000 feet a minute. Gee, that's falling pretty fast. Can we check it when we get ready? I have tested my helium tanks. We have sufficient gas to inflate the shell and land gently. How will we be able to tell what the Euclideans are doing? The instant we land, I will be able to give you a full report on that. Well, how if you don't mind telling me? I have directional radio beam receivers in this plane. They will register the slightest metallic disturbance. If we encounter none within a reasonable distance of the underwater city, we may be sure the Euclideans are not operating outside the confines of the city. Hmm, you seem to have covered everything. How's the altitude? 18,000 feet. Hmm, lost 7,000 feet already. Precisely. How about radioing to Mrs. Gregory's boat and finding out what they're doing? I would not recommend that as yet. I suppose it would be better to wait until we're sure about those Euclideans. That is my opinion. G-47 and his scientists would make a desperate attempt to escape with at least a chosen few of the Euclideans. Yeah, and he might succeed. He would succeed very easily if he wanted to take only his chief scientists. They'd use the same surface lock we escaped from, I suppose. Exactly. But they wouldn't take any boat. No way of getting away from that position. Not for any great distance, to be sure. But they have life rafts which could be inflated and float them for some time. I'd hate to be playing around among the sharks in a rubber lifeboat for very long. Those boats are not rubber. They are made of very thin copper. They do not tear easily. And the Euclidean's ray guns would discourage the sharks for some time. Hmm, nice quarry we're getting into. It does present difficulties. However, I believe we will overcome them. Is that right? 11,000 feet? Yes. Falling more than 5,000 a minute then. I think not. Have you anything strong enough to study that water through at this altitude? Naturally. That slender copper tube set into the panel before you pulled the tube downward. Like this? Ouch! Yes, Captain. That is correct. Maybe, but I don't like my telescopes hitting me in the head. Its length is greater than you would expect. You may now look downward through it. Hmm. Don't you have to aim at it anything? That is a reflecting telescope with a lens perfected on Euclidean. You will be able to sweep a mild section of ocean surface clearly from this altitude. Which is, uh... 8,000 feet. Hmm. Anything I can do about the particular part of the ocean I might want to look at? Not with that instrument. It is, however, perhaps the most effective thing you could use at this time. The focal center of that telescope is synchronized automatically with the center of our landing area. And if we change course or angle of descent, your scope will change with us. Hmm. Good enough for me. Our landing area is exactly what I want to be looking at. The graduated scale on the shaft may aid you in focusing. Yes, I'm trying it, but there doesn't seem to be... Yes. Hold everything in lane. What do you see? Take a look. You know more about what to expect than I do. I suggest you don't go down any lower until you do take a look. I'm stabilizing at this altitude. We are now 5,000 feet. Well, hurry up and look. I am. And I see what you saw. That, Captain Bradford, is a Euclidean life raft with several persons aboard. Which does what to us? That remains to be seen. Would they have a radio on that thing? Undoubtedly. Then if we radio Mrs. Gregory's boat, they'll hear it down there? Probably. Just the same, I've got an idea and I'm going to try it out. You are in command, Captain. Have those Euclideans any way of knowing that we're almost out of fuel? No. If we had not carried an excess load to Los Angeles and flown at excess speed coming back, we should have fuel for several hundred miles. Good. Now I'm going to try something. And no matter how crazy it sounds, don't interrupt until I'm through. Proceed, Captain. The transmitter is ready for you. Bradford to Gregory boat. Bradford to Gregory boat. QRS. If you are getting me, make it snappy. We haven't any time to waste. This is emergent. Hall is answering. Can you hear me clearly, Jerry? Swell, go ahead. We are over Euclidia. From the looks of things on the water, some of them are trying to escape. We are going down and drop some of my solvent on their raft. Naturally, they can't hold out long. If they came out of where we think they did, they'll have to jump for their lives and dive down into that airlock again. Have you got that much of it? Not at all. What do we do? Just keep coming as fast as you can. We'll set down over that lock and anchor the solvent around Euclidia where it will do the most good. I just want you to know our plans so you understand that we'll be on the water and saving our radio power if you don't hear for some time. Okay. I'll tell Mrs. Gregory. Everything's fine here and we're getting 21 knots out of this old tub. Good work, kid. Now keep your chin up. We'll be seeing you. That's all. Cut the transmitter. I have done so. Well, how about it? It was an excellent idea, Captain. Now we shall see if the Euclideans are taking it seriously. Well, if they didn't hear it, we'll have to do it over again. Would Jerry understand? You bet he would. That boy doesn't ask any questions until he knows the meeting's open. There is some activity in the life raft below. Are they getting ready to leave it? I cannot be sure, but it looks as if they are indeed putting on their helmets. Then we'd better get down there to make this attack of ours look as real as we can. Agreed. We descend. How quick can we get down there? Allowing for time to circle as we descend, keeping that point under the axis of our circle, we should land in 120 seconds. And can they all get back into that lock in two minutes? Hardly. Not and deflate the raft. Good. That's what I want, that raft. See just how fast you can get down to them. If they abandon that raft, we may find supplies under. It will do us a lot of good during the next six days. Correct, Captain. We will descend as rapidly as possible. And if our bluff doesn't work, if G-47 has nerve to stay on top of the water and see this thing through, well, we haven't a chance in the world of beating him. I believe we have. This plane will afford us much more protection than an open raft, and we can easily extinguish their lives with our heavy ray guns. Oh, none of that, Elaine. You don't seem to get the idea that in our world we don't go around killing people. Either we'll take these Euclidean prisoners one of these days, or they'll take us again. Yours is a strange world, Captain, but I realize that you are right. However, it's mighty poor satisfaction to be right if you lose out. I think you will not lose, Captain Bradford. What do you see now? You watch through the scope. I will maneuver for a landing. Yep, yep. They're leaving the raft. And they're getting off fast. Say, they won't have time to take it with them? That is well. Drop down there just as fast as you can. We'll grab it. I would suggest not rushing into a landing in that exact spot, Captain Bradford. But I'd like to get their pervasions off their raft. Precisely. And G-47 knows that beyond a doubt, or at least suspects that you want the raft. But we're running out of fuel. We have run out. All gone? There is no more fuel. And we'll have to land right on that spot if we're going to make sure they stay down under. I will have enough compressed helium to use for surface maneuvers for several days, I believe. And I advise against landing near that raft. But why? They can't hurt us. Now look, the last man is going over the side of that raft now. They can't have anything on but those temporary diving helmets. And they haven't any choice but to get back into that lock. Nevertheless, with your permission, I will land at least 100 yards from that raft. Well, I can't see any reason for it, but I know you must have one. I have. And in a very few seconds, I will show you an active demonstration of my reason. What are you going to do? I am gliding toward that raft, exactly as if I expected to land there. But at the last second, I will elevate the nose of this plane and attempt to glide beyond the raft, passing over it at an elevation of about 50 feet. And then? I am not sure, but I would suggest that you brace yourself firmly in that seat. Ah, I begin to get the idea. They're not going to leave that raft helpless for us to pick up so easily. That is my thought. Brace yourself tightly. I will now glide above the raft, and we will see what G-47 has left for us. What do you think now, Captain? I think that's about as close to getting blown to bits as I ever want to come. It was indeed too near for comfort. I will now land as gently as possible, though you might preserve your position of self-protection, as I do not want to waste our helium in landing perfectly. Well, save the gas. Go ahead and smack the water as hard as this ship will stand. After the tossing around that explosion gave us, I can stand anything. Brace yourself. We will now land. Okay. We are now stabilized on the surface of the water. How far from that airlock? Approximately 200 yards from the spot at which the raft was blown up. Good. Now I suggest you use a little of the gas to get back directly over that airlock. Then we'll take steps to bottle the Euclideans up good and tight. Very well. Do you hear any of those magnetic bombs? Several. All right. Use a couple of them to hold that airlock shut, and we'll save my solvent until we actually have to use it. Agreed. I will release the bomb when we are over the lock. One such charge will paralyze the lock for two hours. Good. And after I'm sure those fellows can't get at me, I'll dive down there and fix some of the solvent to the lock gate. Then we'll be safe indefinitely. Excellent. Well, Captain Bradford, it looks as if you are in command of the city of Euclidia at last. We are directly over the lock. The city is powerless.
