They did. The flying group of planes flew lower. Coburn saw a single
light on the ground. It was very tiny, and it vanished rearward with
great speed. Later there was another light, and a dull-red glow in the
sky. Still later, infinitesimal twinklings on the ground at the horizon.
They increased in number but not in size, and the plane swung hugely to
the left, and the lights on the ground formed a visible pattern. And
moonlight--broken by the shadows of clouds--displayed the city and the
Bay of Naples below.
The transport plane landed. The passengers descended. Coburn saw Hallen,
the American colonel, the Greek general, and a Greek colonel. The other
had been left behind to take charge of things in Salonika. Here the
uniforms were American, and naval. There were some Italian police in
view, but most of the men about were American seamen, ostensibly on
shore leave. But Coburn doubted very much if they were as completely
unarmed as men on shore leave usually are.
A man in a cap with much gold braid greeted the American colonel, the
Greek general, and the Greek colonel. He came to Coburn, to whose arm
Janice seemed to cling.
"We're taking you out to the fleet. We've taken care of everything.
Everybody's had pins stuck in him!"
It was very humorous, of course. They moved away from the plane.
Surrounded by white-clad sailors, the party from the plane moved into
the hangar.
Then a voice snapped a startled question, in English. An instant later
it rasped: "Stop or I'll shoot!"
Then there was a bright flash of light. The interior of the hangar was
made vivid by it. It went out. And as it disappeared there were the
sounds of running footsteps. Only they did not run properly. They ran in
great leaps. Impossible leaps. Monstrous leaps. A man might run like
that on the moon, with a lesser gravity. A creature accustomed to much
greater gravity might run like that on Earth. But it would not be human.
It got away.
There was a waiting car. They got into it. They pulled out from the
airport with other cars close before and behind. The cavalcade raced for
the city and the shoreline surrounded by a guard less noisy but no less
effective than the Greek motorcycle troopers.
But the Greek general said something meditative in the dark interior of
the car.
"What's that?" demanded someone authoritatively.
The Greek general said it again, mildly. This latest attempt to seize
them or harm them--if it was that--had been surprisingly inept. It was
strange that creatures able to travel between the stars and put
regiments and tanks out of action should fail so dismally to kill or
kidnap Coburn, if they really wanted to. Could it be that they were not
quite sincere in their efforts?
"That," said the authoritative voice, "is an idea!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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