When the tiny, disklike ray again appeared, it was close beside the outer portico of the queer edifice. Its
gleam moved blinking through the darkness. The Shadow was circling Professor Urlich's domain.
After a complete, stealthy tour of inspection, the flashing light stopped near the front of the building. Its
rays shone upon the double door that barred entrance. The light ran along the base of the portico, and
shone on plates of metal.
Probing beams searched the space beneath the extending roof and flashed upon metal strips, placed
beneath the sheltering projection.
A low, soft laugh came from hidden lips. An eerie whisper seemed to float through the spaces of the
portico — the iron-posted cloister which The Shadow had not entered. The light went out. The Shadow,
completely veiled by darkness, knew that some trap awaited any who might enter that inviting shelter.
What was the menace? That, The Shadow intended to learn.
Guided by amazing intuition, warned by his knowledge of the master plotter's power, the phantom of the
night cautiously avoided the luring trap.
Another investigator would surely have advanced to the wall within the portico; would surely have gone
to examine the double door that afforded entrance to the building. The Shadow did not do so.
Instead, the weird visitor withdrew a dozen paces from the building. With keen eyes, The Shadow
studied the dim projection of the portico roof.
That outer rim was approximately ten feet above the ground; perhaps a trifle less. The Shadow's
perceiving gaze picked a spot midway between two iron posts.
A rapid stride; a series of long, swift steps: The Shadow sprang upward with a mighty leap. His powerful
hands caught the projecting edge of the portico roof. The black cloak swished as The Shadow's form
swung back and forth like a pendulum.
Had the grasp failed, The Shadow would have landed upon the metal flooring of the portico. Instead, he
dangled from a spot that was free from the signal-equipped zone.
The Shadow's form moved upward as the powerful hands retained their hold. Gradually, The Shadow
gained the roof above the portico.
A LOW, circular wall lay ahead — a rising circle that indicated the top of the first story. The Shadow
raised himself above that tier, and continued to a higher surface — the outer wall of the laboratory floor.
The tall shape worked its way up this obstacle. The fingers within the black gloves clutched the top. A
few moments later, the form of The Shadow was silhouetted by the glow that came through the skylights.
The master of darkness was poised upon the edge of the second roof.
To reach the third floor — its walls looming with darkened windows, The Shadow must cross the wide
space that held the skylights. There were heavy braces in between; yet they were hardly broad enough to
allow the passage of a form without a betraying patch of darkness.
This offered small worry to so weird a prowler as The Shadow; nevertheless, it caused the black-garbed
visitor to pause in search of an alternative.
A low laugh was scarcely audible. The Shadow had found a plan. With catlike stride, balanced upon the
very edge of the circular roof, The Shadow began to travel around the building.
His objective was a break in that series of skylights. One blocked sheet of glass was all that he needed. It
was at the rear of the building that The Shadow found the spot he wanted. There, a metal-sheeted space
appeared in place of a skylight.
The Shadow paused. There was no haste in his action. He had come here directly from the episode at
Thomas Jocelyn's. It had required but short investigation to learn that a Professor Folcroft Urlich lived at
this spot on Long Island. The uncommonness of the name had enabled The Shadow to choose the logical
destination.
In one brief call to Burbank, The Shadow had gained no knowledge of Cliff Marsland's disappearance.
In his report, Cliff had assured Burbank that all was well. He had been ordered off duty. Hence The
Shadow had yet to learn that two of his henchmen lay prisoners within these walls.
Clyde Burke, instead of watching and informing Burbank of Cliff Marsland's capture, had also bungled.
His precipitous attack had been an impulse.
Soon, Burbank would know that ill had befallen Clyde Burke, because of the agent's failure to report.
But when would Burbank again gain communication with The Shadow?
It seemed to matter nothing at this moment; for The Shadow was at the den of the monster who had
captured his men. Straight ahead lay a path to those third-story windows; from there, the course lay
down the spiral into the laboratory. The Shadow was a rescuer at hand!
THEN, a chance discovery by The Shadow changed all course of action. The metal-sheathed frame
which broke the row of skylights trembled slightly beneath the pressure of The Shadow's touch. The
black-clad form moved slowly backward. Firm hands worked with the barrier. They found it loose.
A blocking slab with weakened fastenings. This could be turned to good use by The Shadow! It formed
a new and unexpected mode of entry into the second story of the circular building. Handling the sheathed
portion of roof as though it were a trapdoor, The Shadow slowly pried it upward.
Powerful strength, applied with superb skill, caused the barrier to yield noiselessly. An opening gained,
The Shadow lay along the edge of the roof and peered into the space beneath.
The tiny rays of the flashlight broke the darkness. The Shadow was gazing down at the spiral staircase
within the hollow cylinder — the route that led from the laboratory to the floor below.
The barrier raised still farther. The lithe form of The Shadow slipped through the space, and dropped
noiselessly to the spiral staircase. The flashlight glimmered toward the door that led into the
laboratory — the door at the head of the stairs.
Before entering that room, The Shadow had another purpose. His object was to explore the downward
path; to gain full knowledge of this stairway's purpose.
With the light beaming upon each succeeding step, The Shadow continued toward the ground. He
stopped as he discovered the sliding door on the floor below. A brief inspection enabled him to open it.
The Shadow peered into the dim circular corridor that followed the interior contour of the first floor. The
Shadow closed the door as he noted the metal flooring of the corridor.
The steps still led downward. The Shadow reached the bottom. He found the final door and opened it.
His discerning eyes beheld the dim, high-vaulted pit. They studied the huge, glittering machine that stood
in the center of this great chamber. The Shadow looked toward the balcony that surrounded the pit.
A hollow laugh, chilling in its vague tones, sounded through the silence of that deserted room. The broken
air waves caught the echoes which reverberated with a demoniacal cry from the walls where the balcony
circled.
The Shadow's gaze turned toward the metal floor. Here was the same danger that he had sensed before.
Then the master's eye perceived the row of unlighted incandescents upon the huge machine. Red, green,
and white, those bulbs had differing significance.
