Read Online Captain Future 08 - The Lost World of Time (Fall 1941) by Edmond Hamilton - Free Book Online Page A
Book: Captain Future 08 - The Lost World of Time (Fall 1941) by Edmond Hamilton
Read Free Book Online
Authors: Edmond Hamilton
Tags: Sci Fi & Fantasy
Ads: Link
Comet for possible future use.
"A ship comes!" Ahla gasped suddenly, pointing upward.
Otho heard the startling sound of a space ships' rocket-tubes. A black, pencil-shaped craft was dropping toward them from the blue heavens.
"We must hide!" Ahla cried, grasping his wrist frightenedly. "No one knows who comes in the strange ships, or what their errand is."
"We can't get out of the quarry in time," Otho said calmly. "And, anyway, I think it must be Katainians in that ship. I want to talk to them."
AHLA was pale with dread, but she made no move to leave him. As he had said, they could not in any case have got out of the deep quarry in time, for the pencil-shaped black craft was already thundering down into the quarry with all brake tubes blasting. It came to rest a hundred yards from them.
A dozen queer-looking men emerged hastily. They were white-skinned, dark haired, much like Ahla's people, but they were taller, thinner and bonier. They wore silken white jackets and trousers and carried implements that looked like power-tools for excavation. Each man, Otho saw, wore on his back a cumbersome apparatus of coils and batteries. The android's scientifically trained eyes fathomed instantly that the apparatus was a crude form of gravitation equalizer.
"So they're from a planet of different size and gravitation than this," Otho mused. "Katain's a much smaller world. That must be where they're from."
As the newcomers glimpsed Otho and Ahla, a cry of wonder went up from them. Then they slowly advanced on the android and the girl. Cautiously the tall leader of the strangers surveyed Otho. He appeared to find the android far more puzzling than Ahla.
"Who are you?" he demanded, speaking in a tongue strongly similar to that of Ahla's people. "You are not one of the savage natives of this world."
Otho had learned Ahla's language well. Though this newcomer spoke in slightly different phrases and some words were different, the android could get the drift without too much trouble.
"I come from the far future," he announced. "Are you from Katain?"
"From Katain?" repeated the leader. His brows drew together in a frown of suspicion. "Why do you ask? Are you friends or enemies of Katain?"
"We're friends of Katain, of course," Otho replied emphatically.
He was totally unprepared for what followed. Hardly had the words left his lips when there was a harsh cry from the leader of the strangers.
"Seize them!"
The tall white men leaped forward. Before the astounded Otho could get his proton pistol out, he was borne down by a rush of charging men. His fists flailed with unhuman speed, sending his attackers tumbling. But others had got behind and were holding him. Despite his most furious writhings, he was pinned by a score of hands until tough thongs of leather were brought from the space ship and tied around his ankles and wrists.
Then the spluttering android was jerked to his feet. He saw that Ahla had been similarly seized and bound.
"By the flat-faced devils of Saturn, this is a swell way to treat a fellow who's come from the future to help you cursed Katainians!" he raged.
"Be silent, spy!" growled the towering captain of Otho's captors. "You Katainians are our deadly enemies, as well you know."
"Colliding comets!" swore Otho. "What kind of mess have I got into?" Another of the tall strangers had come out of the ship. An older man, he looked at the two prisoners and then turned to the towering captain. "Who are these people, Grako?"
"Spies of Katain, Lord Thoh," the hulking captain answered deferentially. "They seem to be disguised, but they admitted they were friends of Katain, though the man tried to tell us he came from the future."
Grako burst into laughter at the preposterousness of the idea, but Thoh, the elderly man, did not laugh. He glared at Otho.
"How many of you Katainians are on this planet?" he demanded. "What did that devil Zikal send you here for?"
"Zikal?" repeated Otho, mystified. "I never heard of
"A ship comes!" Ahla gasped suddenly, pointing upward.
Otho heard the startling sound of a space ships' rocket-tubes. A black, pencil-shaped craft was dropping toward them from the blue heavens.
"We must hide!" Ahla cried, grasping his wrist frightenedly. "No one knows who comes in the strange ships, or what their errand is."
"We can't get out of the quarry in time," Otho said calmly. "And, anyway, I think it must be Katainians in that ship. I want to talk to them."
AHLA was pale with dread, but she made no move to leave him. As he had said, they could not in any case have got out of the deep quarry in time, for the pencil-shaped black craft was already thundering down into the quarry with all brake tubes blasting. It came to rest a hundred yards from them.
A dozen queer-looking men emerged hastily. They were white-skinned, dark haired, much like Ahla's people, but they were taller, thinner and bonier. They wore silken white jackets and trousers and carried implements that looked like power-tools for excavation. Each man, Otho saw, wore on his back a cumbersome apparatus of coils and batteries. The android's scientifically trained eyes fathomed instantly that the apparatus was a crude form of gravitation equalizer.
"So they're from a planet of different size and gravitation than this," Otho mused. "Katain's a much smaller world. That must be where they're from."
As the newcomers glimpsed Otho and Ahla, a cry of wonder went up from them. Then they slowly advanced on the android and the girl. Cautiously the tall leader of the strangers surveyed Otho. He appeared to find the android far more puzzling than Ahla.
"Who are you?" he demanded, speaking in a tongue strongly similar to that of Ahla's people. "You are not one of the savage natives of this world."
Otho had learned Ahla's language well. Though this newcomer spoke in slightly different phrases and some words were different, the android could get the drift without too much trouble.
"I come from the far future," he announced. "Are you from Katain?"
"From Katain?" repeated the leader. His brows drew together in a frown of suspicion. "Why do you ask? Are you friends or enemies of Katain?"
"We're friends of Katain, of course," Otho replied emphatically.
He was totally unprepared for what followed. Hardly had the words left his lips when there was a harsh cry from the leader of the strangers.
"Seize them!"
The tall white men leaped forward. Before the astounded Otho could get his proton pistol out, he was borne down by a rush of charging men. His fists flailed with unhuman speed, sending his attackers tumbling. But others had got behind and were holding him. Despite his most furious writhings, he was pinned by a score of hands until tough thongs of leather were brought from the space ship and tied around his ankles and wrists.
Then the spluttering android was jerked to his feet. He saw that Ahla had been similarly seized and bound.
"By the flat-faced devils of Saturn, this is a swell way to treat a fellow who's come from the future to help you cursed Katainians!" he raged.
"Be silent, spy!" growled the towering captain of Otho's captors. "You Katainians are our deadly enemies, as well you know."
"Colliding comets!" swore Otho. "What kind of mess have I got into?" Another of the tall strangers had come out of the ship. An older man, he looked at the two prisoners and then turned to the towering captain. "Who are these people, Grako?"
"Spies of Katain, Lord Thoh," the hulking captain answered deferentially. "They seem to be disguised, but they admitted they were friends of Katain, though the man tried to tell us he came from the future."
Grako burst into laughter at the preposterousness of the idea, but Thoh, the elderly man, did not laugh. He glared at Otho.
"How many of you Katainians are on this planet?" he demanded. "What did that devil Zikal send you here for?"
"Zikal?" repeated Otho, mystified. "I never heard of
Similar Books
