Parr came to Earth as the advance guard for
an invasion. His mission: to see that every
person received a package that was being mailed—
SPECIAL DELIVERY
By Kris Neville
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy
January 1952
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
CHAPTER I
A cannonade of shell fire met the silver listening post as it zippedacross the moonlit desert. It twisted erratically, trying to dodge.Then a radar controlled gun chuckled to itself, and the listening postfaltered in flight, slipped air, plunged sandward.
In the Advanceship, far above and to the west, one of the Knougspressed a button and the listening post exploded in a white flare.
Afterwards, no fragments could be found. The newspapers said the usualthing. The government issued the usual profession of disbelief—andfinally even the gunner became convinced of the usual explanation: hehad tried to pot Venus.
While on the Advanceship the Knougs continued to prepare for D-Day.
CHAPTER II
Three days later, on D-Day minus thirty, the Advanceship began to moveeastward, seeding down advancemen toward strategic centers in NorthAmerica.
Towns with big post offices.
And then on over the Atlantic toward other continents.
Parr was the first advanceman to land. The coat tails of hisconservative double breasted suit fluttered gently as he fell; air,streaming by, fretted his hair. Except for the anti-grav pack strappedto his back, he could easily have been mistaken in a more probablesetting for an Earthman.
Minutes later his feet touched the ground with scarcely a jolt.He peeled out of the anti-grav pack, pushed the button on itsdisintegrator time fuse and dropped the pack. He lit a cigar and blewsmoke toward the cold bright stars.
He walked from the weedy lot to the nearest bus stop. No one elsewas waiting. Darkness had concealed his descent. He sat down, staredstolidly at the darkened filling station on the opposite corner.
When he was halfway through the cigar the Los Angeles Red Bus came byand he stood up, boarded it, fumbled in his pocket for change.
"Thirty cents, buddy," the driver said.
Still holding the cigar, Parr counted out two dimes and two nickles. Hetried to hand the driver the coins, which were excellent imitations, aswas his suit, his cigar, and all the rest of the Earth articles.
"Put it in the box, buddy."
Parr obeyed.
"Hey," the driver said as Parr turned. "Your check." The driver heldout a strip of red paper.
Parr took it.
"No smokin' on the bus, buddy."
Parr dropped the cigar and mashed it out. He shuffled down the aisle,sank into a seat and half closed his eyes.
Furtively, then, he began to study the occupants—his firstnear-at-hand contact with the natives. At the same time he tried toform a mental liaison with some of the other advancemen.
For a moment he thought he had one to the east, but there was a hazyswirl of interdiction that erased all contact.
Abandoning further attempts he tried to search out the frequencies ofthe minds about him. Once he managed to touch a series of thoughtsinnocently concerned with household details and with an overtone ofmild and nameless anxiety. Aside from that he received nothing exceptthe din of electronic impressions at the extreme lower end of his