There was a panic in Wall Street when the news came of the surrender of Los Angeles. Edna had been left in charge of the office in New York and thru the secret Pocket Radio, kept in communication with Walter and Robert. She was conducting a campaign in the stock market for them and had made a fortune on the short side of the market. Business was bad, and the whole country was in a state of turmoil.
After the white flags were floated over the ruins of Los Angeles, days went by and there were no more attacks by the enemy, nor was any word received from enemy headquarters. The American patrol planes around Los Angeles reported occasionally seeing the enemy planes scouting over the city at great heights, evidently taking observation as to what was going on. This mysterious action on the part of the enemy was a source of worry to the commanding officers of the United States. The people all over the country were in a state of anxiety, wondering where the enemy would strike next. The Infantry and Cavalry were restlessly waiting orders to go into action along the Rio Grande.
On the night of August 1st, the enemy planes crossed the Rio Grande and dropped bombs all along from Brownsville to El Paso, destroying property and killing more than a hundred thousand men among the Infantry and Cavalry. The enemy planes were again flying very high. The anti-craft guns and the attack by our planes did very little damage, only bringing down five of the enemy planes along the entire lines, while more than 200 of the American airplanes were destroyed by bombs dropping on them from above. General Marshall in his report to General Pearson next day said: "Hell turned loose in the sky last night from Brownsville to El Paso. Our loss was terrific and the enemy's loss was very small. There is but one hope and that is to get more and better airplanes. We must get planes that will rise to a height where they can reach the enemy and make the fight in the air."
Captain Robert Gordon was still stationed near Los Angeles and when news came of the terrible loss of life along the Rio Grande, his mind turned to "Marie the Angel of Mercy,"—his great plane secretly stored away in the Adirondack Mountains for use in just such an emergency as this. He knew what the "Demon of Death" could do and the sleeping gas invented by Captain Kennelworth. He thought of going to General Pearson, telling him of his discoveries and offering them to the United States to put into immediate use, but after meditating over the matter decided that they would only call him a fool and refuse to listen to him as they had before, because he was too young. However, he asked General Pearson for orders to permit him to go on a scouting expedition over Mexico and up and down the Rio Grande to see if he could learn anything of value.
On the morning of August 3rd, Captain Robert Gordon traveled across Arizona and New Mexico and as he neared El Paso saw the largest airship that he had ever seen before slowly drifting over El Paso. It was a giant plane and Robert knew that it was either a mother ship or one of the enemy's great bombing planes which had been so high that he had never been able to see them before. He began circling it at a great distance, watching to see what this monster of the air was going to do. Finally, it slowed down and came to a complete standstill. He saw that it could anchor in the air and knew that the enemy had another discovery that would beat what the Americans had. Waiting for awhile, he saw what seemed to be an observation platform emerge from the side of the plane. An officer appeared on it with some instruments. Captain Gordon thought that they were either taking photographs or making observations over El Paso for some purpose. Fortunately, he had started out on a bombing plane and had plenty of bombs on board. Decided that he had but one life to give for his country and that he would rise as high as he could, sail swiftly over this monster and drop his bombs. When he got as close over it as he could gauge, he released the automatic control and started dropping bombs one after another. The first bomb made a hit and struck the ship near the middle, which was lucky, tearing a terrific hole in it. He knew from the way it acted that it was badly disabled. Now was the time to get in his effective work. Dropping lower, he let go more bombs, this time striking the giant ship both in the front and rear. It started to fall rapidly and he followed it down and got close enough to see that there were still men on board alive so he let go more bombs and in a few minutes there was nothing but a wreck of the greatest dreadnought of death which had ever floated over American soil.
Before venturing to land Captain Gordon ascended to a great height, circled the sky to see if there were any more enemy ships in sight which might endanger his life. Finding the air clear, he immediately radioed the news with his Pocket-Radio to Captain Kennelworth who was then stationed at San Diego. The news was quickly flashed to General Pearson's headquarters. On examination they found that the giant ship was a mother ship more than 600 feet long, bearing the name of "Tokyo J-1" and that it carried 25 bombing planes of the most modern type with collapsible wings and equipped with powerful searchlights carrying bombs and poisonous gases. It was estimated that more than 100 officers and aviators were aboard the airship when it fell. All were killed but two. They were badly wounded with broken limbs and were taken prisoners. There were found to be three of the enemy's planes that were not damaged badly. Captain Gordon and Captain Kennelworth tested these planes after they were put back in working order and found that they were high altitude planes and could rise higher than any of the planes used by the United States. This was a great victory because it would enable the American inventors to find out how these planes were built and they could also be used against the enemy.
News of this great victory was sent to the President of the United States. He ordered General Pearson to decorate Captain Gordon with the Cross of Aviation and convey to him the gratitude of the people of the United States and the President's sincere personal appreciation. The afternoon newspapers in every large city in the United States carried in big headlines "GIANT MOTHER SHIP CAPTURED BY DARING YOUNG AVIATOR, CAPTAIN ROBERT GORDON." The people thruout the United States breathed a sigh of relief; felt that the tide was at last turning and that now some way would be found to destroy more of the enemy's giant ships.
When General Pearson called Captain Gordon before him, he was very modest and meek because he remembered the severe reprimand before when he disobeyed orders and brought down the Japanese plane near San Diego. This time he had acted on instructions from General Pearson and was very happy to have rendered a great service to his country. As the General read the message from the President, tears came into his eyes. He thanked his commanding officer and said that he hoped he might have many more opportunities to render service to his beloved country. At that time his thoughts turned to Marie and he wondered where she might be and if she knew what was happening. He was especially happy because he had brought this enemy ship down in the State in which he was born and that State of which he was very proud. Captain Kennelworth came to congratulate him and said: "Robert, old pal, I am very proud of you and your great achievement. The Lone Star State of Texas which was distinguished by its brave sons at the Battle of the Alamo, has again been distinguished by one of her favorite sons, and Mexico as well as Spain and Japan will be made to realize that the Texans never surrender."
After the night attack and the great destruction along the Rio Grande, the American forces waited anxiously and in peril for another attack. Days went by without any sign from the enemy. Los Angeles had not been molested and the mystery was deepening as to what were the enemy's plans and the next move they would make. General Pearson had ordered one of the planes from the "Tokyo J-1" sent to the Major Electric Company in the East where they could experiment with it and make some planes like it or better ones. He gave one of the planes to Captain Gordon and the other to Captain Kennelworth to be put into service. Captain Gordon asked that they be permitted to go into Mexico, locate the enemy's headquarters and try to destroy more of their ships, but the General refused to grant this request, saying that he would not risk the lives of such valuable men or risk losing the ships which might prove very valuable when the enemy again made an attack.