sand feet
aloft. And farther behind, unmoving on their six-mile level, were the
light 'copters of the reserve. Dane gazed down that tremendous vista
to the far-off front line, and swore softly. Just his luck to be out
of the scrap: the enemy would never penetrate to these northern
out-skirts of New York.

"Men of the fleet!" General Huntington's voice sounded from his
flagship, the _Washington_. Somehow its gruffness overrode the
mechanical quality of the intra-fleet radio transmission. Almost it
seemed he was there in the tiny cabin. "Reports have at this moment
been received that our attack fleets have been everywhere successful.
Our rocket ships have destroyed Tokyo, Addis Ababa, Odessa, Peiping
and Cape Town, and are now ranging inland through enemy territory."

Even through the double leather of his helmet a roar came to Allan. He
felt his craft vibrate to the exultant cheers of the fleet. His own
mouth was open, and his throat rasping....

"_But_"--the single syllable choked the surge of sound--"London,
Paris, and Berlin have fallen to the enemy." The words thudded in the
pilot's ear-phones. "San Francisco is being attacked. Communication
with New Orleans has failed. The enemy are in sight of Buenos Aires--"
The general broke off, and Allan sensed dully that there was other
news, news that he dared not give the fleet.

The gruff voice changed. "Men of the fleet, New York is in our charge.
The enemy is upon us, the battle is commencing. The issue is in your
hands."

* * * * *

Pat on his last word, a dark cloud spread along the south-eastern
horizon. From the spear-heads of the cone formations great green beams
shot out across the sea. Orange flame flared in answer, all along the
black bank that was the enemy fleet. Where the green beams struck the
orange blinked out, and the blue of sky showed through. And the
American ships were as yet untouched. A great shout rose to Allan's
lips--that they had the range on the enemy, and the attack defeated
before it was well begun.

But was it? Swift as the American rays scythed destruction along the
enemy line, the gaps filled and lethal orange leaped out again. Now
the black cloud was piling up, was rising till it was a towering
curtain against the sky. On it came, like some monstrous tidal wave.
Great rents were torn through it by the stabbing beams of the flying
forts, holes where ships and men had been whiffed into dust by the
hund