The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-04-17
SECRET OF x-9oo
CHAPTER HI

The ofice clock showed 9:02, but Dr. Hale was unaware the thing ex- isted. He was still dictating, walking slowly beside the windows where he could glance out at the night.
 More often, though, he glanced at Carolyn Tyler; somehow her presence here was exalting. A sub { tie, delicate presence. A fragrance.
 He had never quite observed this phenomenon while with Leana { Sormi, his feminine associate in the laboratory, Patently Miss Ty- Ter was somehow set apart among 1 the feminine gender as a supe- rior--
 1 His thoughts snapped back { again to the business at hand. He ' resumed dictating.
 i, "--wherefore 1t seemed advis- able to interrupt the actual lab- oratory work and make this de- tailed report lest some quirk of fate eliminate both Miss Sormi and me from this earth tonight. We are the only two human be- ings who hold this priceless se- cret. Moreover. the public itself is entitled to know what has been accomplished. As to what may be expected from this isotope, which I have tentatively designated x-99e, I will venture this much;
 "One sort of tabulate 1t, please, Miss Tyler One: A five-pound lump of X-9o9, in only 10 to 60 per cent purity, would drive all of Americas ocean liners and na- val vessels for months without refueling, if the power were prop erly harnessed: One pound of the substance is equivalent to 5,000,- GOO pounds of coal or 3,0O0,000 pounds of gasoline. Two, in ex-- uh explosive power It."
 Did you say explosive?" Caro- 'lyn asked.
 "Yes. In explosive power, single pound of x-999 equals ap- proximately 15,000 tons of trini- trotoluene, and"
 "Tonsp pr. Hale? One pound to 1000 tons?"
 Yes, Miss Tyler! It's unbe- lievalSe but truel One pound to 150O0 tons of INIT I know 1t staggers person to think of 1t, but well, the language has no adequate words for this! History has no precedents. With X-999 available, the human race must revise its entire concept of en- ergy and power, as applied to daily living. That is why I don't dare take chances on letting this pre- cious secret be lost now that Leana and have chanced to but must not digress. Put down that the quantity production of X-999 in this laboratory has made pos- sible the"
 He slipped back from his sud- den intense conversation with | Carolyn into his dictation drone, choosing words with meticulous care lest he say neither too much nor too little.
 It was past 10 o'clock before he paused again. This time he was at the window, and stopped | talking for a long moment just to gaze out at the blackness pune tured by distant city lights. It was a natural stopping place in his narrative, Carolyn noted
 She sat back Wearily in her l chair, and tossed her pencil onto her desk.
 T wouldn't want to be inquisi- tive" she began, laconically - pr. Robert Hale was so young look ingl-"But I'm sort of curious to know how scientists get along without eating. My own lunch was 10 hours ago." She flushed with little smile.
 He turned to her, astonishment plainly showing.
 For gosh sakes, Miss Tylerl L. of course! Of course! am so sorry. Please forgive me. And please let me take you to dinner at once Over wonder four blocks is quite a good drive-in. often eat there. My car is"
 "You aren't through the dic- tating," she countered.
 T may work all night. Couldn't possibly sleep this night in any event. Come on, we shall go eat"
 The employer-employe attitude was. by unspoken agreement, left behind, partly because Carolyn was so naturally at ease and self sufficieht toward him. She was not the giddy, sacred person she had been when she started in stenographic work three years ago. she had already risen to a true secretarial job in the bank, and she had jumped at this oddly in- triguing position at the scientific laboratory because it had held even better promise. Tn short, she was a business woman with poise even if she were only g. She could leave work on the desk where 1t belonged and relax when ....AnfHa