"Maxwell Grant - The Shadow - 332 - Go Mad" - читать интересную книгу автора (Grant Maxwell)

Shadow--Go Mad!
by Maxwell Grant

As originally published by BELMONT BOOKS, September 1966.




X-2 + humanity = minus one world

The Shadow discovered this negative answer to an evil-
inspired equation, but could even he fight the X-2, the
ultimate weapon?

X-2 could make a good man kill--X-2 could influence a
man's mind, control his brain, his very actions. X-2 could
supply an army of fearless, undefeatable maddened killers
instantaneously. X-2 could robotize the masses. X-2 could
even make the Shadow go mad!

Could X-2 be stopped?
2


1

The Pantheon Theater is on Forty-ninth Street in New York City. It is a normal legitimate
theater where the great actors perform on a lighted stage. This night the play was Shakespeare's
Macbeth, the actor was the great Patrick McBride. It was the 112th night of the successful run,
the third time in his career that McBride had performed Macbeth to the cheers of the critics and
the attentive silence of the audience.
McBride had outdone himself this night, the audience as silent and motionless as if paralyzed
as the play drew to its tragic end. There was a slight movement, a readiness to cheer the great
actor, as the end approached. MacBeth, beaten but still undefeated, faced MacDuff for the final
fight.
"Lay on MacDuff, and damned be he who first cries 'Hold, enough!' "
The defiant words echoed through the theater.
Patrick McBride, proud and strong as MacBeth, drew his sword and faced the actor playing
MacDuff.
The actor playing MacDuff attacked. The two actors crossed swords and parried for some
seconds. The audience, fascinated, watched the carefully rehearsed fight. Both actors fought and
parried ferociously with their carefully blunted and edgeless weapons.
Then, without warning, the actor playing MacDuff suddenly seemed to stiffen, to brush his
eyes, and, with no hesitation, drew his dagger, stepped to Patrick McBride, and stabbed him to
death as the audience began to scream.

The giant Soviet jet touched down at London Airport. The knot of welcoming diplomats and
members of Government stepped through the drizzle of rain toward where the giant plane would
taxi to a stop.
The roaring of the jet engines grew louder.