The Monster Read online

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  The MONSTER

  By S. M. TENNESHAW

  What will cosmic rays do to a living organism? Will they destroy life, or produce immortality? The eminent Dr. Blair Gaddon thought he knew ...

  Fred Trent pulled his coupe into the curb and leaned his head out theopen window beside him.

  "Hi, Joan, need any help?"

  He called to a trim-looking girl in a nurse's uniform. Joan Drake washolding on to a leash with both hands, and her slender body was tuggingagainst the leash as she strained against the pull of a Great Dane onthe other end.

  She looked over her shoulder as Trent called out, her blonde hairglinting in the warm afternoon sunlight. Blue eyes smiled an impishgreeting at him.

  "Hello, Fred. No thanks. Brutus and I get along famously."

  Trent opened the car door and got out. He walked up the sidewalk andstood beside the girl.

  They watched as white-hot flames shot from the base ofthe cradled rocket. There was a tremendous roaring, and then the rocketslowly lifted upward.]

  "Business must be mighty slack for the great gland specialist, StanleyFenwick. Is this all he can find for his pretty nurse to do?"

  The girl sniffed. "Walking Brutus around has its compensations. At leasthe doesn't get fresh--like some people I know."

  Fred grinned as he saw the huge dog suddenly turn on its leash and raiseitself off the ground to stick out a long rapier-like tongue and lickthe girl's cheek before she could move her head away.

  "Down, Brutus! Down!" she called out, half-laughing.

  Trent stepped in and pulled the big animal away from the girl, pattingthe dog's head as he did so.

  "What was that you said about getting fresh?" Trent asked her. "Looks tome like the dog's life is the best around the Fenwick offices."

  "Just don't get any ideas!" Joan Drake shot back.

  "I've already got them," he replied. "Which reminds me, am I seeing youtonight?"

  The girl held a tight grip on the leash and looked at him coyly.

  "Let's see. We'll take in a movie, stop for a bite to eat at Joe'sHamburger Palace, and then drive out to North Butte. You'll park the carand then you'll ask me when I'm going to quit my job and settle downraising a family for you, and I'll say--"

  "You'll say not until I get the biggest scoop in Arizona, a big raise,and a bonus as a down payment on a house," he completed her sentence.

  "There! You see? We might just as well not have our date. In effect,we've had it already."

  He looked at her for a long moment, and when he spoke again his voicehad lost its humorous note.

  "You forgot one very important item. When I ask you that usual question,and after you give your usual answer, I'll take you in my arms and tellyou how much you mean to me, and--"

  "You win," she interrupted him. "I had forgotten about that."

  * * * * *

  The dog started to pull against the leash again and Fred reached out tohelp her hold the big animal in check. Then she looked at him again.

  "What brings you to the outskirts of Tucson? Don't tell me there's a bigstory breaking on the edge of town."

  He shook his head. "Not exactly. I'm on my way to the Rocket ResearchProving Grounds. Just a routine story on the experiment they're going topull off this evening. I've got to interview Mathieson, Gaddon, and afew other scientists on the project."

  The girl laughed. "That's something of a coincidence. Dr. Blair Gaddonis in Dr. Fenwick's office right now."

  Fred Trent's eyebrows raised in surprise.

  "That so? Something wrong with him?"

  "No. He's just having a physical checkup. Seems to be worried about hisheart. Dr. Fenwick didn't need me since it's a routine job, so I tookBrutus for a walk."

  Trent nodded. "That's a bit of luck. I think I'll stick around and giveGaddon a lift out to the Proving Grounds. I wanted to talk to himanyway."

  "In that case," the girl replied, "you can give me a hand putting Brutusback in his kennel. Once he gets out he's something of a problem."

  Fred nodded, taking the leash from her hands and feeling the big dog tugagainst him.

  "Never could figure out why Fenwick wanted a big hound like this. Seemsto me a terrier would be more practical."

  "That's a matter of taste," Joan answered. "Dr. Fenwick is very fond ofBrutus--and so am I for that matter. But tell me something about thisexperiment you're covering."

  They had turned in at a large Spanish type house that Trent knew servedas a combination living quarters and office for the famous glandspecialist. He shrugged.

  "Don't know much about it myself. They're shooting off this new typerocket, a really big affair, loaded with all sorts of instruments. Somesort of experiment with cosmic rays. The rocket will go up to the outerlayers of the Earth's atmosphere, where a clocked mechanism will releasea parachute-attached section containing the instruments. This will floatback to the surface of the Earth.

  "There is one interesting thing about it though. They're also includinga live animal with the instruments. A cat I believe. They want to seewhat effect the cosmic rays will have on a living creature."

  The girl turned a shocked face toward him as they walked up the steps tothe front door of the house. Trent could see a panel in the center ofthe door that opened from the inside, and over it, the sign, _Doctor isin, please ring_.

  "But I think that's positively cruel!" Joan Drake said earnestly."Subjecting an innocent animal to what may be certain death!"

  Fred laughed at her concern. "Hold on, now. You should be the last oneto take such an attitude. Doesn't medical science experiment on animalsto find out about human ailments?"

  "That's different," the girl insisted, opening the door and leading theway into a long hall. "Doctors know what they are doing--but this is asheer waste of life ..."

  * * * * *

  Trent let the dog pull him down the hall toward a door at the end whichhe knew opened on the backyard where the Great Dane was kept.

  "Seems to me it's much the same thing," he answered her. "Scientistswant to explore the mysteries of space, and the only way to do it iswith an animal. Or would you like to make the trip--maybe I can arrangeit? Would make a big story, just the one I've been waiting for."

  "I believe you would at that!" she mocked, opening the rear door."Here, give me the leash."

  Trent handed over the leash to her and watched as she released the hugedog. Brutus flicked out a long tongue once again and caught the girl'scheek in a wet caress before she straightened.

  "Brutus! Now get along with you!"

  The dog took a leisurely bound through the door and into the backyard.Trent glanced through the door at the tall fenced-in yard with the largekennel that might well have served as a small garage. He stood besidethe girl watching the big animal romp for a few moments, then she shutthe door and they turned back down the hall.

  "I'll have to go inside now, Fred," she said. "If you want to wait forGaddon, have a seat. It shouldn't be long."

  She started to turn in at a door marked private, when Fred pulled hergently around and before she could stop him, had kissed her.

  "I was getting mighty jealous of Brutus. Now I feel better."

  "I don't know which of you I prefer," she shot back, then smiled andpulled away from him.

  He watched her open the office door and close it after her.

  * * * * *

  He had lit his second cigarette and gotten halfway through his thirdmagazine on the rack beside the chair when the office door opened again.He heard the pleasant voice of Dr. Stanley Fenwick.

  "If every ma
n had a heart as strong as yours, Blair, we wouldn't needhalf the doctors we have."

  Then he heard the deep, gruff voice of Dr. Blair Gaddon half laugh.

  "Thanks a lot, Fenwick. You've taken a load off my mind. Goodbye, MissDrake."

  He heard Joan reply and then saw Dr. Fenwick usher the physicist outinto the hall.

  Trent rose as the two men approached.

  "Why, hello, Trent," Dr. Fenwick said.

  Trent nodded at the tall, white-coated figure of the famous glandspecialist.

  "Afternoon, doctor."

  Fenwick smiled at him. "Don't tell me you're waiting to see