Read Online Captain Future 10 - Outlaws of the Moon (Spring 1942) by Edmond Hamilton - Free Book Online

men,” jeered his employer contemptuously. “No wonder that — “.
    Wissler’s terrified exclamation interrupted.
    “What’s that?”
    A dark figure was entering the wrecked building from behind them. The unsteadiness of Wissler’s light as it flashed toward the intruder was evidence of the scientist’s state of nerves.
    He sighed with relief. It was a space-suited man who was approaching. They recognized Gil Strike’s hawk face inside the helmet.
    “What’s wrong? More trouble with the men?” King asked sharply.
    Strike’s voice was excited and exultant.
    “No, not that. We just got a flash from the Planet Patrol. They spotted Captain Future landing on the Moon. They’ve got him and the Futuremen trapped in the mountains southeast of here!”
     

     
Chapter 7: Moon Dog Gorge
     
    CURT NEWTON had taken extreme precautions to avoid observation as the Comet approached the Moon. He kept on the dark side of the satellite, running up its space-shadow to increase his chance of slipping past vigilant, patrolling cruisers.
    Curt believed that the hunt for him would have somewhat slackened by now. But there were always Planet Patrol cruisers near the Moon. The so-called Lunar Squadron, while it had no base on the satellite, used it as center of the sector in which they watched earthbound shipping.
    Luck seemed to favor the Futuremen. They followed the shadow right to the surface of the Moon without sighting a Patrol cruiser. Captain Future now steered around the satellite, toward the brilliant Sea of Glass that lay south of Great North Chasm. The Comet was soon out of the shadow, flying over white pumice desert glaring in the Sun.
    “I’m heading for a certain gorge north of the Sea of Glass,” Curt told his three comrades gathered in the control room. “If you remember, we explored a little of it two years ago. There was a fissure there that seemed to lead deeply down into the Moon.”
    The three nodded in recollection.
    In no time at all, it seemed, the Comet had left the desert behind and was flying over tall, jagged mountains, the extreme northeastern spurs of the mighty Thompson Range. It was a wilderness of sharp white pinnacles that menaced the passing ship like bared fangs. Miles ahead glittered the blinding Sea of Glass, over which they must pass.
    Suddenly out of the star-dusted black void, four grim cruisers screamed down like shooting stars toward the Comet .
    “Patrol cruisers!” yelled Otho. “They kept a telescopic check on the Moon —”
    “Captain Future, ahoy!” rang a stentorian voice from the televisor at the same instant, on an all-wave transmission. “Planet Patrol speaking! Land and surrender instantly or we’ll gun you down!”
    “You’ll gun nobody down!” flared Otho, flame leaping into his eyes as he jumped for the proton-cannon breech. “By the Sun, I’ll —”
    “No, get away from that gun!” Captain Future ordered sharply.
    The stentorian command thundered from the televisor.
    “Unless you land instantly, we’ll open fire! You can’t possibly break free!”
    “They’re right!” yelled Grag in alarm. “They’ve got us ‘pinned’ by their altitude, Chief. We’ll have to fight our way out this time!”
    Curt had already recognized the discouraging nature of their predicament. They had been flying very low over the towering lunar mountains. The four Patrol cruisers had swiftly spread out to “pin” them. They could not rise from the satellite now without meeting murderous fire.
    Realizing this in a flash, and resolved not to turn his own guns against the Patrol, Captain Future took the only chance open of escape. He jammed the cyclotron pedal down, flung the space stick to the right and a little forward.
    The Comet screamed down between the lunar pinnacles as though bent on suicide. Curt flung it right between towering peaks and precipices at high speed. It took the split second timing of a great pilot to brush so closely past the jagged stone scarps and