Chapter 11: Tode's Last Gamble

A roar that seemed to rend the heavens followed. Roar upon roar, as the infinite momentum of the disintegrating uranium struck obstacle after obstacle. The Drilgoes vanished, the amphitheatre melted away, walls and roof ... Overhead were the moon and stars.

And proud Atlantis was sinking into the depths of the sea ... Not as a ship sinks, but piecemeal, her walls and towers crumbling and toppling as a child’s sand-castle crumbles under the attack of the lapping waves. Down they crashed, carrying their freight of black, clinging, human ants, while from the sea’s depths a wave, a mile high, rose and battered the fragments to destruction. From the crater of the volcano a huge wave of fire fanned forward, and where fire and water met a cloud of steam rose up.

A boiling chaos in which water and earth and fire were blended, spread over land and sea. And then suddenly it was ended. Where the last island of the Atlantean continent had been, only the ocean was to be seen, placid beneath the stars.

The Atom Smasher was vibrating at tremendous speed. Jim, with one arm round Lucille, faced Tode at the instrument board. Near by sat Parrish, watching him too.

“That took a whole year,” said Tode. “That pretty little scene of destruction we’ve just witnessed. The good old Atom Smasher has been doing some lively stunts, or we’d have been engulfed too. We’re not likely to see anything so pretty in history again, unless we go to watch the destruction of Herculaneum and Pompeii by lava from Vesuvius. But that would be quite tame in comparison with this.”

Tode’s jeering tone grated on Jim’s ears immeasurably.

“I don’t think any of us are craving any more experiments, Tode,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady. “Suppose you take us back to Peconic Bay. We’ll dump the Atom Smasher into the pond, and try to forget that we’ve had anything except a bad nightmare.”

“Don’t trust him, Jim,” whispered Lucille.

Tode heard. “Thank you,” he answered, scowling. “But seriously, Dent, we can’t go back with nothing to show for all our trouble. Those fools tried to betray me, and then the Eye went out. Perhaps I have you to thank for that performance? However, the sensible thing is to let bygones be bygones. But we must make a little excursion. How about picking up a little treasure from the hoards of Solomon or Genghis Khan? A few pounds of precious stones would make a world of difference in our social status when we reach Long Island.”

Jim felt a cold fury permeating him. Tode saw his grim look and laughed malignantly.

“Well, Dent, I’m ready to be frank with you,” he said. “The game’s still in my hands. I want Lucille. I’m willing to take you and Parrish back, provided you agree she shall be mine. I’ll have to trust you, but I shall have means of evening up if you play crooked.”