-4b-. everything except Space and ■the desire to annihilate himself — Great and wonderful have heen the machines that set off to dis cover the secrets of the universe, but none have ever returned. Two men, constantly assisted, 6ncouraged,and helpedby one girl, have probed into the mysteries of negative gravity,gravitywhich, as Einstein pointed out in 1940, repels, instead of attracting bodies', which would drive a machine to the furtherest comer of the universe. Deep down, in a gigantic underground workshop,they have perfected the ancient scientist's glimmerings on the subject they have connected gravity with its kindred force ,magnetism,and have evolved a machine for generating this negative gravity. Feverishly the three have woded at their machine, staking everyr ■ thing to make their venture a success, so that they could leave the earth,with its ravaging war, and begin life anew, on a fresh world; on Venus. Above them, omnipotent man was fighting omnipotent man; the earth was rapidly being blown to its destruction.-— Scientists had discovered unimaginable horrors of war,deadly gasSes, whic h can permeate through steel, down into the underground refuge of the civil population; rays which cause the strongest metal to dissociate; dreadnoughts of the skies, which demolish every sur face fortification. ■— The conflict betfreen East and West is turning the world into a desert; is making man extinct. Deep underground the two men and the woman were feverishly putting the finishing touches to their gigantic machine. Long silver lines tapered to a graceful streamlined finish; rovra of observation.windows gleamed from the polished hull of the "Arc". At-last-the space ship was completed. Derek Hardman, the in-- ventor of this metal which would annul the force of magnetism, en-tered the "Arc". The girl, June, followed him into the newly finished hull; she in turn was followed by her brother, Ralph, the Electrician, to "whom credit is chiefly due for having per fected a compact machine for repelling gravity; for providing the foroe which-was to draw themto their new existence on Venus. The dynamos hummed. Everything was ready for departure. Slowly a-nd deliberately Ralph pulled down the switch, which was to change their destinies.. The "Arc" rose gently from its stocks, and floated in mid-air. Carefully Derek negotiated the gigantic ship up tho long tunnel to the surface. Thw clear sky.,
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