The Shadow Girl by Ray Cummings

"Why, Ed! With this thing we can rock the city -- bring death -- "

"Death! Yes. But, Alan -- "

"Death to them all! To Turber! If we can catch his aero before he can get to it we can kill them all!"

"But, Alan! " I was trying to say. "What about Nanette?"

He echoed: "Nanette? " Here was a tangible death for her in this weapon Lea had brought. Death for Nanette as well as destruction of the Turberites which was being planned here now. We would see it; we, indeed, might very well be chosen to accomplish it. And we stared wordlessly at each other and knew that it was inevitable.

It was about 1 A. M. of the night of June 13-14, 2445 A. D. Momentous night of history! Culmination of the Battle of Great New York! We sat, Alan and I, in a corner of one of the rooms of the Hudson Machine Shops, watching Lea with the corps of engineers who had been summoned to assemble her weapon.

These electronic experts recognized it; not in its working form, but in its principle. An electronic beam, with the harmless aspect of a spreading searchlight ray. Like most scientific devices of importance, its practical working mechanism was complicated, with a basic scientific principle of the utmost simplicity. It carried -- this harmless-looking beam of light -- vibrations both etheric and atmospheric. They were communicable -- as are all vibrations.

Harmless of aspect, this bronzed projector! I would have said, with a casual glance, that it was a searchlight of my own time. I have seen many like it. But it had a focussing grid of wires across its face instead of a lens. Wires of a metal no one could name. A focussing and firing mechanism; and insulated wires leading to a cylindrical tank, long as a man -- the battery, in which was stored some unnamable electronic force.

Alan and I examined the apparatus as Lea showed how it should be assembled. Within the projector was an elaborate mechanism of tiny disks and thin metallic tongues, which in operation would whirl and vibrate. There were condensing coils; and bulbs of vacuum with laceworks of filament -- lights to cast the beam. I saw that the light would pass through an intricate magnifying system of prisms -- condensed finally to a focal point where a whirling mirror-disk cast it loose through the projecting grid of wires.

Tremendous latent energy in this harmless-looking white light! A cold light -- with a latent power diabolic. Falling upon a distant object -- touching anything of material substance -- the energy of its vibrations was loosed.

"If that touches a building," Alan exclaimed, "this building, for instance -- why, these walls in a moment would be trembling -- quivering, shaking until presently they would fall -- "

The principle was known even in my own age. This cold, white light, with its inconceivably rapid vibrations, would in a moment set up similar vibrations in anything it rested upon! Nothing of material substance could for more than a moment hold its form under the lash of such inconceivable trembling! With this beam we could rock the city -- smash through its roof -- bring death to every living thing upon which we could get the light!

The whole apparatus was carefully insulated. It would not operate here because of the world aerial power. The insulation was to protect it now.

It could not be operated with this insulation. If we removed it, our power would instantly destroy the filaments and coils, and in a moment or two detonate the battery. The world-power would have to be shut off during its operation.

There had been a consultation of the world governments fifteen minutes ago when in code our city government had asked that the world power be discontinued. We now had the decision. At the Trinight Hour -- three hours after Midnight this night -- the huge Scotland plant would go dead for sixty minutes. No more time than that could be given us. Most of the air-liners -- and all the civic lighting and ventilating and traffic systems -- had emergency batteries for sixty minutes. Beyond that limit the whole world would go into disaster.

Sixty minutes, beginning two hours from now! It gave plenty of time to assemble the apparatus and mount it in a swift ship. Lea was to be beside the man who would be chosen to control the projector.

Now Alan and I sat whispering, for upon us had come the realization that this would mean Nanette's death.

I said: "But Nanette -- this is death for Nanette!"

"Edward!"

An audible answer! A microscopic aerial voice here in the workshop room-corner! Alan heard it also. And it came again: