
In a tense United Nations office, weapons‑security chief Thomas Winter summons Jim Franklen, a seasoned analyst, to discuss a disturbing escalation. The two men trade weary observations about a renegade nation that refuses to heed the clear warnings of the global community. Their conversation hints at a world teetering on the brink, with secret stockpiles and uneasy surveillance becoming the new normal. The atmosphere is heavy with the weight of responsibility and the fear that a single misstep could trigger catastrophe.
Franklen’s thoughts drift from strategic geography to the unsettling notion of using atomic fire as a tool of conquest. He argues that the bomb’s devastating power could be turned from a deterrent into a weapon of urban invasion, reshaping societies from within. Their dialogue raises uncomfortable questions about morality, deterrence, and the fragile balance that holds the modern world together, setting the stage for a confrontation that could redefine the age of atomic diplomacy.
Language
en
Duration
~38 minutes (36K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
United States: Street & Smith Publications, Incorporated,1948.
Credits
Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net.
Release date
2022-06-04
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1911–1981
A Golden Age science fiction writer with an engineer’s eye for detail, he built stories around communications systems, problem-solving, and life in space. He is especially remembered for the Venus Equilateral tales, which helped give mid-century magazine SF some of its brisk, technical charm.
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