"Here's my proposition," Steel said, smiling. "Instead of rewarding
me--if I get The Bear--I want Vita-Heat to go into partnership with me.
A sort of partnership in philanthropy. As my reward, I want Vita-Heat
to go to work in the upper levels."
Hampton Stahl adjusted a long cigarette into a silver holder. "I must
say, this is--"
"It shouldn't run into much," Steel continued. "You'd be using your
own material and labor at cost prices. It would just be a matter of
installing enough vita-lamps up there for people to live by--there's
only one to a street corner up there now."
"But--a million dollars!"
"Mr. Stahl," Steel said, "your company's already lost five million and,
the way I see it, you're going to lose a lot more if The Bear isn't
stopped. I think this partnership business of mine is pretty sound. We
both have good reason to want The Bear brought to justice."
Suddenly a cunning look came into Stahl's eyes. "Just what makes you so
anxious to get The Bear, Mr. Steel?"
For a moment, Steel hesitated. But he couldn't forget that picture in
his mind--Floyd, lying in that deserted building, cornered, hunted
down like a mad dog. Sure it was justice--but what had made him a mad
dog! His smile faded. "All right," he said quietly, "I'll tell you why
I want to get The Bear. It's the same reason I want to get _you_, Mr.
Stahl--or your money rather. Those poor souls in the upper levels have
two enemies--the gangsters and the big corporations. The gangsters find
a young kid up there, give him a gun and make a criminal out of him.
And your corporations force him into a career of crime just as much as
the gangsters do. You own the tenements. You make those people live
in conditions that are so bad you won't even go up there and look at
them. You pay $2.00 a day in your mercury mines while you get $4.00 a
day rent for your vita-lamps." Steel had to hang on to his temper. "If
the upper levels are given a _chance_ to live decently, they will live
decently!"
Stahl's thick lips curled in amusement. "A pretty speech, Mr. Steel.
I admire your philosophy." He sank back in his chair, toying with his
silver cigarette holder. "But business, you know, is business...."
Steel stared at him, wondering what was holding him back. He wasn't a
member of the Force anymore. Reach across that desk and push his fat
face in! Instead, he said, "Okay, I guess that's all then. I'll have to
do what I can with just the reward money."
As he stood up an intercom box on Stahl's desk buzzed urgently. Stahl's
plump finger touched a button.
"_Mr. Stahl!_" a voice shrieked from the box. "_A gang of masked
men--they just held up the radium vault in the bank downstairs again!_"
The pink color drained from Stahl's fat cheeks. His thick lips fell
open.
Steel's hand darted into his coat pocket and came out with his gun. He
started for the door. "Come on!" he said. "If that's The Bear it's the
second time he's struck today!"
* * * * *
It was. Sticking in the vaults lead wall was a gleaming white ice
bear's claw. That was all--except the chattering crowd, a small army of
Stahl's embarrassed guards, and Miss Lois Harmon who had seen the whole
thing.
A masked gloved man had suddenly appeared at the teller's cage and at
each alarm button--they'd seemed to know the layout perfectly, she told
Steel. There were seven of them; four held pistols on the crowd while
the other three emptied the contents of the vault into leadex bags.
Then they'd marched out, stepped into a waiting tunnel car and streaked
into the upper level tunnel. The girl's green eyes were bright with
excitement. She seemed to be enjoying this like a telemovie.
"It was wonderful! I only wish they'd kidnapped me and taken me with
them."
Steel looked at her with open disgust. Poor bored little rich girl--he
felt like turning her across his knee and spanking that $200 girdle.
"It was just sheer luck somebody wasn't killed here," he said. "Now you
stick around. I hope the police lock you up as a material witness."
The cop on the corner had called the station and the squad was on the
way. The gun in Steel's hand was all the authority he needed however.
He cleared the crowd away from the vault and walked in. Hampton Stahl
followed him, wringing his pudgy hands. "The second time today!" he
moaned. "They're trying to ruin me!"
The vault was perfectly safe from radiation now. It was empty, every
drawer cleaned out. Steel braced his knee against the wall and pulled
out the claw. "We've never found fingerprints on one of these yet." The
claw was about eight inches long, white with a faint tinge of pink. He
looked at it thoughtfully for a moment. Suddenly he held it up to the
light and examined it carefully. He glanced from the claw to Stahl.
Then he reached out, dropped the claw in the fat man's vest pocket.
"Well," he said, "have you changed your mind about my proposition now?"
Stahl lifted the thing from his pocket as if it were a spider and threw
it on a table. "Anything," he murmured, "They may try to kill me next!"
"Fine!" Steel grinned at him. "But since you were so slow making up
your mind, I want an additional clause in my contract now--a little
life insurance policy with the upper levels as the beneficiary. You pay
off if I get The Bear or if The Bear gets me."
Stahl looked at him in silence. It was hard to tell whom he was
cursing, The Bear or Steel. "What makes you think you can even find The
Bear's hideout?"
Steel picked up the claw again. "I just noticed there is a tinge of
pink in this thing," he said, "and it's only eight inches long. This
claw came from an ice-bear cub that was born only a few months ago and
the only place they're born this time of the year is near that warm
comet crater up on the surface near the Jersey Ruins." He dropped the
claw back on the table. "Now, if you won't let anyone know I'm working
for you," he said, "I'm going up there on a little hunting trip...."