Page:Amazing Stories Volume 21 Number 06.djvu/112

112 in the center of the mech gave a view of successive coils reaching in, each coil a little smaller than the other to the bottom of the inward cone. She switched on the power and from the big orifice came a strong bass hum—a pulsing of power that streamed from the opening in a visible flow of power.

"What is it?" asked Lane. "It looks something like a cyclotron."

"This cyclotron you speak of; what is that?"

"It is a device they use to speed up an electric particle. There are several kinds, depending on the kind of particle they want to speed up. They bombard matter with it: it becomes more radioactive. It was used in developing the atom bomb."

"This, then," Saba smiled, "is a 'cyclotron-in-reverse.' This is used to slow down the flow of certain kinds of particles until the body can catch and hold them. It makes the energy that is always about us available to the body by slowing down the speeds at which the parts of energy travel. Each coil is creator of a magnetic field which attracts, catches and slows the flight of the bits of energy until as it emerges it is a slow flood of the stuff from which all matter is synthesized by nature—and the body of the person in the flow takes in the energy just as we take food in through the mouth. It prepares energy for the absorption by that kind of matter which our body is made of. At least, such was the explanation Eemeeshee gave me as he pointed out the uses to which I was to put this machine and others like it. It is to be used to make our warriors strong and smart and able to learn quickly what they must learn to defeat this horrible enemy who has attacked us."

ANE put out his hand, immersed it in the flow of energy from the orifice. His hand seemed to swell, to feel strong. The lassitude of relaxation went out of it—strength pulsed within his fingers and flowed up his arm. His whole body felt invigorated just from the immersion of his hand.

Saba watched him.

"Put your head in, if you want really to note the effects. It makes the brain immensely more active. And the effect continues long afterward. It is like charging a battery, a battery of life energy, with life energy."

Lane stooped, dipped his head momentarily into the pulsing flow of strange electricray. Through his mind flashed a picture of vast plans for the Red Legion, of great conquests of just such valuable secrets of the old machines of the caves, and of vast conquests and growth for the Red Legion. As he removed his head, these pictures died slowly out, but his mind remained sharper, clearer, he knew he was vastly more alive.

"Did he show you anything else?" this new and sharper Lane asked Saba, his eyes glittering now with energy and enthusiasm. This machine for invigorating his men had heartened him.

Saba led him toward another great machine, somewhat similar in appearance but with a greatly more complicated keyboard of control dials.

"Yes. He showed me this, saying: 'If you need monetary metals, you can make them with this.' It is a similar appearing machine—the same cone of great coils reaching inward, but its use is certainly vastly different. It also slows up the particles that circulate always about us, makes of them a concentrated flow; but it has atunements that regulate what kind of particle is slowed. Watch and you will see why. Have you some base metal?"

Lane searched his pockets, found only a fifty cent piece, some pennies and a nickel.

Saba took the pennies and the nickel from him and placed them on a sliding tray before the mouth of the power cone, slid the tray into the center of the orifice. She pulled the activating lever.

The hum rose and rose in pitch, and as Lane watched Saba adjusted the dial to a marking.

"See, Eonee, this marking is a symbol that means gold. There is a mark for each element you want to produce, though these markings can only be used for materials heavier in the atomic table than the material you place in the flow."

Presently she withdrew the tray, picked up the coins and handed them to Lane. Lane looked at them, hefted them. They had increased greatly in weight, changed to a red gold in color. He took his knife, cut one of the coins. It was pure gold.

"Transmutation!" ejaculated Lane. "Here we have the means to finance an army, an empire. Eemeeshee should get angry oftener; God knows what we might not learn from him of these wonders. With