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,