"Only a few minutes more time," said Kingston. "Instead of our landing back home again, we must use a standard line and walk a few squares. I—look!"
"Heaven!" breathed Maddox.
The laboratory site was, naturally, vacant.
"I didn't think it possible," said Maddox.
"But where did he take it?" wondered Kingston.
"Who knows?" said Maddox, spreading his hands.
"We can find out but it will take time. My guess is Earth Two somewhere. He'd be a fool to stay here where he can be found easily."
"It wouldn't be too easy if Bronson has hashed up the keyed tuning circuit," grunted Maddox angrily. "Confound it, that reduces the problem to one of searching two worlds for the right mass of elements."
Kingston shook his head. "We're about ready," he said. "Give us another week or so and we can eliminate all opposition." His face hardened. "In fact, we can start to spread the atomic fire on Earth Two at any time."
They turned back to the standard transmission building and returned to Washington. There was nothing they could do without the laboratory and there were other, well-equipped laboratories in Washington. Actually, so far as the operations in the space-resonant bands were concerned, location meant very little. It had been merely convenient to locate in Maddox's place.