genius was passed on to me! And I have completed his work.»
I felt suddenly cold. «Completed? You mean that’s what all this is?»
«It is. Heat and light from the immense power of the volcano.»
«Very commendable,» I said levelly. «I presume you intend to help the world?»
Unmann chuckled. «Yes — to understand its mistakes.»
I sighed. «I imagine you intend to hold civilization to ransom or something equally dreary.»
Venus rose and held out his arms wide, so that the velvet hung down from his marble-white flesh like the wings of a monstrous bird. «We stand in the ruins of a once-teeming city. A city destroyed by the might of the great volcano, by the wrath of the very earth herself! But consider for a moment, Signor Box, the geology of this great country. From north to south, she is encircled by a ring of fire, a network of volcanoes erupting like sores on her beautiful form. Etna, Stromboli, Ischia, Vulcano»
«Campi Flegri! Cimino! Vulsini!» chimed in Unmann.
«And greatest of all,» cried Venus breathlessly. «Vesuvius!»
I blinked. Thought a little. Thought a little more. «What are you saying?»
«An immense explosive device placed within her very bowels…» whispered Venus. «A weapon of such incalculable power that the world will shudder at the very thought of it!»
«And when the bomb goes off…» I cried, appalled, «a chain reaction!»
«A stupendous river of fire will erupt,» crowed Venus. «Tearing apart the rock, consuming the seas, plunging this kingdom into oblivion for ever!»
«My God!»
«You’re out of your bloody mind!» cried Charlie.
«But what do you gain from such an act?» I demanded. «The destruction of your entire country? Centuries of culture?»
Venus’s eyes grew brighter yet. «I owe this country nothing! It was the arena for my father’s dissolution and ruin. I only know that I must show those traitors that Maxwell Morraine was the greatest scientist the world has ever seen! They, and all this sordid land, shall perish in the flames of my vengeance.»
I shot a wild glance at Unmann. «And you want this too?»
«I want what Venus wants,» said the young man simply.
«And you’d condone the destruction of all Italy, the deaths of millions, just to slake your thirst for retribution?»
«Why not?» He shrugged.
«I must inform you that I cannot permit that.»
Unmann laughed. «It seems to me, Lucifer Box, that you have very little say in the matter.»
Venus crossed to the great round table and pressed an ivory button on the machinery that had been clamped on to it. There was a loud squawking sound and within seconds four huge, helmeted thugs had slipped silently into the room.
I was rapidly searched and my precious revolver confiscated. I found myself pinioned with my arms behind my back by Venus’s creatures, Charlie likewise and, together, we were «escorted» from the bath house.
My question remained unanswered. I caught one more glimpse of Venus’s scowling face and then we were being pushed out into another of the grey corridors.
Charlie seemed to be in something of a state of shock. «Bloody hell,» he muttered. «If I’d only known her fella was
«Well, you certainly missed out on a rare frolic, Charlie boy, but you mustn’t get sentimental. Remember it was he who tried to drown you in the sewer. And God alone knows what he means for us now.»
The helmeted thugs pushed us on until we came to a set of doors, incongruously shiny in the blank grey walls. One of them wrenched back the grille that covered them and I realized that some kind of elementary lift had been constructed. For a horrible moment, I thought they meant to do us in there and then by hurling us into the empty shaft but, no, there were brass doors behind the grille and, at the touch of a button they squealed open.
The tiny cabinet beyond could scarcely contain us, but all four thugs duly squeezed inside, their meaty hands clasped tightly about our arms.
One of them rotated a handle and the lift began to judder downwards; the temperature constantly rising and the sound of clanking, grinding machinery beginning to throb from all around.
Finally, the lift shuddered to a halt. There was a pause and then the doors sprang open into a dismal tunnel. The very air seemed heavy with steam as though we had entered an atmosphere only fit for the Titans to breathe.
A jab in the back told me to get moving. As we walked I saw that one whole side of this tunnel had been panelled with crystal as though to provide a viewing platform and I strained to peer through it. Such was the quantity of steam that had built up, however, the crystal window was totally fogged. What devilry lay beyond?
«Chin up, Charlie,» I called.
«Will do, sir,» he responded with more cheeriness than I expect he was feeling. «You reckon these gorillas speak English?»
«I’m rather relying on them not to,» I said, casting a quick look and grin at my captors. Their only response was another shove in the small of the back.
«Got any ideas?»
«Well,» I sighed. «It’s a very pretty mess. We are dealing with a lunatic. There’s no way to reason with him because he wants nothing but destruction.» I pulled up suddenly. «Hello, what’s this?»
We had approached another lift inset in the blank wall. The doors were open and two more of the helmeted zombies were engaged in curious activity within. The lift cabinet itself appeared to have been halted one floor below so that the two men actually stood on its roof. One was holding the thick, oily chains from which it was suspended whilst his fellow busily sawed away at them.
«What’re they up to?» hissed Charlie.
«I don’t understand it,» I whispered. «They seem to be cutting off all escape routes. Including their own. If he keeps sawing like that…»
But perhaps these zombified husks had no concept of personal mortality any more. I tried to see more but was shoved onwards. I just glimpsed a series of metal rungs sunk into the lift-shaft, glinting in the sallow electric light and extending towards the surface.
We had reached the end of our frog-marching and stopped outside the door of some kind of cell. One of the thugs jerked his thumb at Charlie and, when he failed to move, the others grabbed him and began to haul him away.
«Charlie!» I cried. «You fiends! Get your ruddy hands off him!»
I was then bundled unceremoniously into the total blackness of the cell. The clang of the door behind me was like the Last Trump.
I sank to the floor and wiped the streaming sweat from my face. How far below the ground I was I could not tell but the heat was almost unbearable. And all the time came the constant
I crawled over to the wall and blindly examined the structure of my confinement. There was no hope of escape. The walls were of solid rock and the floor, though softer, was hardly less impenetrable. I could only wait until they came for me and then attempt to flee. If they came at all. Perhaps they meant me to boil alive in here as the great volcano erupted!
I was left alone in the pitch-black cell for perhaps an hour and my head was nodding on my breast in the stuffy darkness when, at last, there came footsteps. The light from the corridor flooded the cell and I shielded my eyes as the door swung open and Venus stood before me, his swarthy face wet with perspiration, his dark eyes shining malevolently.
«Very sorry to have kept you, Signor Box,» he said with palms outstretched. «But now all is prepared.»
«All
«I wish you to see my little project. I would not have you die in ignorance.»
«Not today, thank you,» I cried cheerfully and turned my back on him.
«It is important to me that you appreciate the sheer scale of my achievement,» insisted the deadly
