Read Online Captain Future 07 - The Magician of Mars (Summer 1941) by Edmond Hamilton - Free Book Online Page B

those endless depths.”
    The young officer was referring to the labyrinthine caverns which honeycombed the mass of Uranus to unguessable depths — the most extensive caves in any of the nine worlds. But Grag did not understand.
    “If no one’s ever been able to reach the radite down there in the caves, how do you know it’s there?” the big robot demanded.
    “Radite is so powerfully radioactive that its emanations affect sensitive instruments at a great distance,” the officer explained. “Such instruments show a rich radite deposit far underground, north of here.”
    “And no attempt’s ever been made to get at that deposit?” Captain Future demanded.
    “Plenty of attempts were made at first, but all failed,” he was told. “You see, the only way to that deep-buried deposit would be through the great caverns. And the ferocious cave-creatures and the People of Darkness who inhabit that maze of lightless spaces, attack any intruder. After many attempts, all efforts to reach the deep deposit were abandoned.”
    Captain Future’s gray eyes had a startled gleam in them. He turned to the Brain who hovered beside him.
    “Simon, suppose Ul Quorn has reached that radite deposit down there? Suppose Quorn’s secret base is down in the great caves?”
    “I believe you’ve hit it, lad,” muttered the Brain. “Quorn must have a large mass of radite fuel if he’s to enter the other universe in a larger ship. And that buried deposit in the deep caves is the only place where he could get it. Probably he’s building his new ship down there!”
    “That’s a goofy theory,” Otho objected. “How would Quorn and his band get down into that cave, if nobody has ever managed to reach it?”
    “Quorn could enter the cave easily,” Curt retorted. “He’d simply switch his little ship into the other universe, travel to a point in it corresponding to the location of the cave in our universe, and then switch back across the dimensional gulf. Then his ship would be inside the cavern!”
    “Well, we can do the same thing as soon as we fit up the Comet with dimension-thrust apparatus!” Otho exclaimed triumphantly.
    “That’s not soon enough,” snapped Captain Future. “It’ll take days to build a dimension-thrust mechanism capable of shifting the Comet into the other universe. By that time, Quorn will probably have his new ship built and will be gone into the other universe for the treasure.”
     
    CURT’S face lengthened.
    “And I think that treasure is something that will give Quorn great powers once he gets it. He wouldn’t be after it so keenly if it weren’t so. We may not be able to cope with Quorn if he secures the mysterious treasure!”
    Otho scratched his head.
    “That’s right. But I don’t see what we can do but take the chance. We have to take time to fit up the Comet.”
    “We don’t all have to,” Curt declared. His eyes gleamed with purpose. “Simon, you could build the dimension-thruster, couldn’t you?”
    “Yes, I could,” answered the Brain. “I have a full record of our experiments on the subject, in our microfilm reference library.”
    “Good!” Curt exclaimed. “I’m going to leave you and Otho here to build the machine. Meanwhile, I’m going with Grag to try to penetrate directly to Quorn’s cavern base, and make sure he doesn’t get away. Grag and I will attempt to go down through the caves to that radite cavern.”
    The young Venusian officer made strenuous protests. “Don’t try it, Captain Future! Nobody has ever succeeded in getting past the creatures in those deeper caves!”
    “We’ll have a few wrinkles most of the explorers didn’t have,” Curt retorted. “We’ve got to make it. As soon as you have the Comet fitted, Simon, you and Otho can follow us by the fifth-dimension short-cut.”
    “Say, do you think you’re going to leave me here while you take Grag off on a jaunt?” cried Otho rebelliously. “Not much!”
    Curt saw mutiny brewing. He had his