And Then the Town Took Off

e elevation of Superior, Ohio, as a Fortean phenomenon

day. Most of the hea

Tak

Lives U

ng Com

o namesake to come back down. The Superiors in Nebraska, Wyoming, Arizona a

nding that the state of Ohio return forthwi

m went up from one cen

the Home Secretary for assurances that all

quare miles of hole that Superior had left behind

rter of a million dollars for exclusive rights to advertising space on its bottom, or

uperior and registered a series of complaints by telephone, starting with the Interstate Commerce Commission and the railroad brotherh

or was an experiment connected with the United States earth satellite progr

e of the more intricate mazes in the Pentagon Building. Neither wore a

at Sergeant Cort was on that tra

No doubt

s the item

e and at the other end. He couldn't

known keys

's that,

e brief case and use the

to use it? I though

use it to more advantage than any theoretical u

m off in a helicopter or drop hi

ho he is. We'll assign him there for the duration and ha

year round. He was a bachelor. He had been a fighter pilot in World War II and his conversation was peppered with Air Force slang, much of it out of dat

He was momentarily at a loss. His inquiries about Jen Jervis had elicited no satisfaction from the ICC, the FBI, or the CIA. He was

ng around in light planes, admittedly doing some good, but by and large nothing to excite

d-flying outfit that zoomed into the wild blue yonder on week ends and holidays, engines aroar, propellers aglint,

ter the Royal Air Force. Thus Bobby Thebold, by virtue of his war record, his

ss Riley! Get the airport. Have them rev up Charger. Tell them I'll be the

eaming, paintless aluminum. Actually it was an unarmed photo-reconnaissance version of the famous war horse of the Pacifi

P's midwestern headquarters in C

ou can; this is an emergency. We'll rendezvous north of Columbus-I'll give you the exact grid in half an hour, when I'm airborne. Can do? Good-o! ETA? Eleven-twen

the limp leather fondly, and put them in a dispatch case. He gave a soft salute to the door behind whic

we're coming

t Bobby the Bold and Charger

ly detached himsel

s that?"

d be a bit more gallant. Even 'How was that?

I heard a voice. Didn

it with some pique-I was totally

tryside, from the edge to th

an I can bear. I have to go now. There's an eleven o'cloc

d, looked suspiciously at the brief case dangling from his wrist, shook his he

d. "It's just that everything is so crazy and nobody seems to be taking it seriously. A

ld her arm, mollified. "You've

l never sh

t let's do. We'll go see Ed Clark, the editor of the Sen

an ordinary store front whose windows displayed various ancient stand-up cardboard posters calling attention to a church supper, a

lis led Don to the rear where a tall skinny

said. "What's that you're set

re you this fine

upra? I want you to meet

nd Clark looked curio

zzler," Alis said, "and he's

uch with them soon. I guess you'd know, Mr. Clark-is there any communication at all out of tow

hone lines are cut, of course. There is a radio station in town, WCAV, operated from the campus, but it'

doing anythin

job printing. The job is for a jeweler in Ladenburg. I don't know how I'll deliver it, but no

tern Union doing, for instance? And the trucking companies? And the factories? You have two factories, I

aid. "I'd better get back to school. Look

ing and accepting outgoing messages contingent on restoration of service. The sink factory made a shipment two days ago and won't have another ready till next week, so they

ll chew it once in a

e's a washroom out back, with a razor and some mysterious running

its source later. Do you think Professor Garet a

en airborne less than twelve hours. I guess the answers will

ake off his coat or shirt, but he'd managed. He was drying his face when the voice came

lone now?"

, Don sa

case so we won't be overheard. Th

s,

s of plastic. There's a flat plastic key next

help of a razor blade, had done as he was

package, open the package and put t

e with two appendages, one a disk of perforated hard rubber the size of a half dollar,

magine its value in the field. It's a pilot model you were bringing back from the

astic, Captain-if y

to fit over your shoulder-either one, as you choose. Arrange the perforated disk so it's at the base

had been well designed and its components went into place as if they had been built to his meas

one, sir,

r off. From now on, when you speak to me, or whoever's at th

on whispered. "I'

ld people you wouldn't want overhearing at your end.

he put his shirt,

your lips, for occasions when you might have to transmit to u

Don said und

ard t

, but it is

or State Bank on McEntee Street. Show them your credentials from Riggs National and ask them to keep your bri

s,

re an ordinary curiosity-seeker, all you can about Cavalier Institute. You've

tle romantic interlude with Alis must have been eavesdro

constantly. That's th

won't have any privacy? There'l

te life is still your own and no one will criticiz

gre

his for now. We mustn't excite Clark's suspicions. Go back to him now and carry on. You

He went back to the printshop,