Moreover, the United States would provide counter weapons for other nations.  In no more than months every continent and nation on earth would be equipped to defy any alien landing that might take place.  The world would be able to defend itself.  It would be equipped to do so.  And this was the resolve of the United States because the world could not exist half free and half enslaved by creatures from a distant planet.  The news poured out from all sources.  The alien weapon was understood and now could be defied.  Soon all the world would be provided with counter weapons.  It was necessary for all the world to be prepared and prepared it would be.

This was the information which made all the world rejoice, though not yet at ease because aliens still occupied a tiny part of the earth.  But all the world was eager for confirmation of the news it had just received.

Lockley had no such soothing anticipations.  He shook with fury because what he saw before him was so appalling as to be almost unbelievable.

It was not dark in the space he looked down upon.  There were bright floodlights placed here and there to drench a large area with light.  There were few figures in sight.  But what the floodlights showed made Lockley quiver with hatred.

The floodlights were of typically human type.  There were vehicles parked on a level grassy space.  They were of human manufacture.  There was no space ship in the lake, but there was a three-stage rocket set up, ready for firing.  It was of the kind used by humans to put artificial satellites into orbit.  Lockley even knew its designation, and that it used the new solid fuels for propulsion.

In the lair of the creatures from outer space there was nothing from outer space.  There was nothing in view which was alien or unearthly or extra-terrestrial.  And Lockley made inarticulate growling sounds because he saw with absolute clarity and certainty that there never had been anything from outer space at this spot.

There were no monsters.  There never had been.  And the truth was more horribly enraging than the deception had been.

Because this could mean the death of the world.  This was an attempt to fight the last war on earth in disguise.  Humans had posed as non-human beings so that America would fight against phantoms while its great military rival pretended to help and actually stabbed from behind.

It was completely logical, of course.  An admitted attack by terror beams in the form of death rays would involve retaliation by America.  Against a human enemy great, roaring missiles could circle earth to plunge down upon that enemy’s cities to turn them and their inhabitants into incandescent gas.  An attack known to be by humans and upon humans must touch off the world’s last war in which every living thing might die.  No conceivable success at the beginning could prevent full retaliation.  But if the attack were believed to be from space, then American weapons and valor would be spent against creatures which were no more than ghosts.