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Authors: Franklin W. Dixon
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around to see a tall, bony man hunched over a table littered with papers. He had a long face topped with a cloud of wavy white hair, and there were deep wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.
He leaned forward and studied Joe. "You are not one of them," he stated flatly.
"I'm not?" Joe responded, not sure if that was good or bad. This guy sure didn't look like a terrorist. The tan vest and rust red corduroy shirt he was wearing made him look more like a retired teacher on a fishing trip. Then Joe realized who he was. "Dr. Stavrogin?" he ventured in a hushed voice.
The white-haired man nodded. "And you are?"
Joe held a finger up to his lips and cocked his ear to the door. He didn't hear anything outside and decided he was safe for the moment.
"I'm Joe Hardy," he said as he walked over to the table. He glanced at the array of papers covered with equations, Greek letters, and symbols - none of which he could understand. He looked up at the physicist. "Would you mind telling me what this is all about?"
Stavrogin smiled weakly. "It's a long story."
"That's okay," Joe replied. "I've got plenty of time - I hope."
***
"Almost anybody can make a low-yield fission device," the Gray Man was telling Frank and Gina.
"You mean an atomic bomb," Frank said.
The Gray Man nodded. "The hardest part is getting enough enriched uranium or plutonium to do the job. A hydrogen bomb, on the other hand, is a lot more complicated."
"And a lot more powerful," Frank added.
"That's right," the Gray Man agreed. "Luckily, the technology and the resources required to build them have ensured that only a handful of nations have hydrogen bombs - until now."
"Something tells me this is where Dr. Stavrogin enters the picture," Frank remarked.
"Stavrogin was working on a fusion energy project," the Gray Man continued. "The trick is to produce a controlled fusion reaction without using more energy to contain the reaction than you get in return."
"You're starting to lose me," Gina cut in. "What does fusion energy have to do with hydrogen bombs?"
"I'm getting to that," the Gray Man said. "Stavrogin accidentally stumbled on a simple method for creating an uncontrolled fusion reaction."
"And that's exactly what a hydrogen bomb blast is," Frank explained. "An uncontrolled fusion reaction."
The Gray Man nodded solemnly. "With Stavrogin's equations, the Assassins might be able to make a thermonuclear device of untold destructive power."
"How did the Assassins find out about Stavrogin's discovery?" Frank asked.
"His original research wasn't exactly top secret," the Gray Man answered. "Stavrogin wasn't working on a government weapons project. He was trying to harness fusion energy to generate electric power. We threw a tight security net over the whole project as soon as Stavrogin told us about his findings, but obviously we were too late, and the Assassins learned about Stavrogin's work."
"We have to stop them," Frank said.
"We intend to do just that," the Gray Man responded in a cold, distant voice.
Frank's eyes locked on the perfectly ordinary man. "Wait a minute. What are you going to do?"
The Gray Man sighed and stood up. "I had hoped to find a way to penetrate the Assassins' hideout and get Stavrogin out unharmed. But time is running out. As soon as the terrorists find out what they want to know, they'll vanish.
"I came here to convince you to get far away from here before the fireworks start. I've decided to launch a full-scale raid on the mine."
The words hit Frank like hammer blows. "You can't do that," he insisted, clutching the Gray Man's arm. "The Assassins will kill Joe before your men get anywhere near the mine shaft!"
The Gray Man's response was grim. "I'm sorry, Frank, but we'll have to take that risk."
Chapter 11
"The raid will start just after dark tonight," the Gray Man told Frank and Gina.
Frank glanced at his watch. "Then I still have a few hours to get Joe out myself."
The Gray man shook his head. "I'm sorry. We
He leaned forward and studied Joe. "You are not one of them," he stated flatly.
"I'm not?" Joe responded, not sure if that was good or bad. This guy sure didn't look like a terrorist. The tan vest and rust red corduroy shirt he was wearing made him look more like a retired teacher on a fishing trip. Then Joe realized who he was. "Dr. Stavrogin?" he ventured in a hushed voice.
The white-haired man nodded. "And you are?"
Joe held a finger up to his lips and cocked his ear to the door. He didn't hear anything outside and decided he was safe for the moment.
"I'm Joe Hardy," he said as he walked over to the table. He glanced at the array of papers covered with equations, Greek letters, and symbols - none of which he could understand. He looked up at the physicist. "Would you mind telling me what this is all about?"
Stavrogin smiled weakly. "It's a long story."
"That's okay," Joe replied. "I've got plenty of time - I hope."
***
"Almost anybody can make a low-yield fission device," the Gray Man was telling Frank and Gina.
"You mean an atomic bomb," Frank said.
The Gray Man nodded. "The hardest part is getting enough enriched uranium or plutonium to do the job. A hydrogen bomb, on the other hand, is a lot more complicated."
"And a lot more powerful," Frank added.
"That's right," the Gray Man agreed. "Luckily, the technology and the resources required to build them have ensured that only a handful of nations have hydrogen bombs - until now."
"Something tells me this is where Dr. Stavrogin enters the picture," Frank remarked.
"Stavrogin was working on a fusion energy project," the Gray Man continued. "The trick is to produce a controlled fusion reaction without using more energy to contain the reaction than you get in return."
"You're starting to lose me," Gina cut in. "What does fusion energy have to do with hydrogen bombs?"
"I'm getting to that," the Gray Man said. "Stavrogin accidentally stumbled on a simple method for creating an uncontrolled fusion reaction."
"And that's exactly what a hydrogen bomb blast is," Frank explained. "An uncontrolled fusion reaction."
The Gray Man nodded solemnly. "With Stavrogin's equations, the Assassins might be able to make a thermonuclear device of untold destructive power."
"How did the Assassins find out about Stavrogin's discovery?" Frank asked.
"His original research wasn't exactly top secret," the Gray Man answered. "Stavrogin wasn't working on a government weapons project. He was trying to harness fusion energy to generate electric power. We threw a tight security net over the whole project as soon as Stavrogin told us about his findings, but obviously we were too late, and the Assassins learned about Stavrogin's work."
"We have to stop them," Frank said.
"We intend to do just that," the Gray Man responded in a cold, distant voice.
Frank's eyes locked on the perfectly ordinary man. "Wait a minute. What are you going to do?"
The Gray Man sighed and stood up. "I had hoped to find a way to penetrate the Assassins' hideout and get Stavrogin out unharmed. But time is running out. As soon as the terrorists find out what they want to know, they'll vanish.
"I came here to convince you to get far away from here before the fireworks start. I've decided to launch a full-scale raid on the mine."
The words hit Frank like hammer blows. "You can't do that," he insisted, clutching the Gray Man's arm. "The Assassins will kill Joe before your men get anywhere near the mine shaft!"
The Gray Man's response was grim. "I'm sorry, Frank, but we'll have to take that risk."
Chapter 11
"The raid will start just after dark tonight," the Gray Man told Frank and Gina.
Frank glanced at his watch. "Then I still have a few hours to get Joe out myself."
The Gray man shook his head. "I'm sorry. We
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