Lion, Tiger, Bear | 295 to a mirror shine; a framed photo of Hitler scowled down at him. The seat was equally polished. Hmm, manufactured by the VW works, Wolfsburg, patent #334562. Push lever down. He wiped, flushed, and a rush of freezing compressed nitrogen and vinegar followed. Jesus, thats gotta be a first. Klemperer banged on the door. Hurry up in there, I have the need. Hope your puny balls can stand it. Is this, uh, astro-thingy connected to thatTellus gizmo? asked Bea, pointing to the planispheric astrolabe device just below and in front of the main panel; it was a megalithic yard in diameter with numerous celestial coordinates, strange numbers, astrological symbols, and directional arrows engraved upon it. It was infinitely more complex than any astrolabe shed ever seen, and was made of the same exotic materials as the Tellus. Three perfect amethyst crystals were secured in the center of the concentric circle globe, glowing subtly but steadily with a slight hum. Schafer sat next to her. It functions in cooperation with the analog computer, though Im told by Baumann here its still somewhat of an enigma to us as to exactly how it functions. Concentric circles move as we move, the arrows giving direction, but its overkill. The entire propulsion system is intimately linked to it with cables of twisted copper and gold, the insulation some kind of green crystalline matrix fabric, beautiful. The Luftwaffe engineers grafted it on as a connected unit. Everything the ancients made is harmonious and stunning to behold. Facing them, Baumann said: Who cares how, Ernst? Were lucky it all works still. The Bear flies effortlessly and fast, with little G-forces. A pilots dream. Lands straight down from high altitude on a pfennig. Outruns anything, even at only fifty-two percent of its potential power. These idiots are only using bits and pieces, and they dont know what theyre doing, thought Bea. Theyre toying with science they barely understand. Gerlach puffed as he came up the stairs with his two assistants behind. Ill see.. .that you get a hundred. He pointed. See up there? The three ballistic glass domes around the cockpit section are Viktors design when he was tinkering with Schaubergers design? asked Bernie. Gerlach shot him an arrogant look and shrugged. Who else in the Vril Prop Shop understands torsion physics, vortex compression, and unified electromagnetic fields? The SchmuckI call him Schmuck you knowput a thin coating of powdered