Noel M. Loomis 24 min read

Under a cosmic-ray lamp, the President of the Western Hemisphere is tuned up until his reflexes will be faster than light, though his stern chief of staff doubts speed matters more than loyalty.

Noel M. Loomis's 1946 story opens on militarized future statecraft, building a post-apocalyptic military-SF tale of leaders, power, and mistrust. Sharp, atmospheric golden-age SF. Read it for a story where enhanced reflexes and raw authority collide over the fate of seven hundred million people.

In its time

Published in 1946, during the 1940s, the golden age begins.

Reading it

24 min read (a short story, a single idea, delivered and gone).