Read Online The Incredible Melting Man by Phil Smith - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Phil Smith
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suit, hungrily.
Judy gradually became aware of a movement behind the Venetian blinds. Someone outside was waving, strange clawing movements in the air as if trying to fend off an assailant. It must be Ted, she thought, trying to attract her attention. He’d forgotten his key.
She hurried to the front door. Through the frosted glass she made out a dark shape waiting to be let in. She fumbled with the key in her drowsy state, and the movements behind the glass became more and more frenzied.
She opened the door and it was the General. He wasn’t looking at her but was staring in horror beyond the door. A strange gasping sound came from the darkness. She stepped out to see what it was but the General pushed her back inside.
“Lock the door again, for God’s sake!” he shouted.
As the door slammed she heard a grunt of pain come from the General. A larger, darker shape had moved in front of the glass, a huge distended arm like a claw raised above its head. It brought it down again and again on the shape that was the General until the sounds of pain were silenced.
She dashed to the phone. Her fingers trembled so much she could hardly dial the number. Her husband answered.
“Something’s outside,” she gasped. “It’s got the General. I think it’s—”
Ted didn’t let her finish. “Lock yourself in the bathroom,” he cried. “I’m on my way.”
As she crept past the front door to the foot of the stairs, the sound of struggling had subsided. She listened. A strange slobbering sound came to her ears, punctuated by awful pained breathing.
She fled upstairs clutching her stomach in agony.
As the thing slaked its unquenchable thirst another storm raged in the cold twilight of the red planet. At its still centre something grew stronger and wiser, exulting in its new knowledge and the greater strength yet to come.
SEVEN
T HE CELLS swam through the solution with incredible speed. A tendril of cytoplasm stretched out in front like an arm, probing hungrily. It seemed to know where the red cells were by instinct, and when the snaking tendril touched a corpuscle, like lightning the body of the cell surrounded it. It was ingested in a moment. Before their eyes they watched the blood cell melt as the invisible enzymes attacked. Then the huge nucleus convulsed as it absorbed the new protoplasm. It had grown perceptibly and the alien cell was off again on its insatiable quest for more food.
“My God!” cried Ted Nelson as he watched the process Loring had filmed. “Are you sure you’ve got the speed right?”
Loring nodded. “Quite sure,” he replied calmly.
“But it’s incredible,” went on the doctor. “I’ve never seen anything as voracious. It’s frightening. You say it’s from the hand?”
Again Loring nodded, reaching for a plate.
“But this is even more remarkable,” he said. “I haven’t been able to film this, but I’m still trying. It’s on a couple of the photographic plates. Look.”
He handed the plate to his colleague. “Now what do you make of that?”
It was an electron microscope photograph of one of the cells. From the nucleus to the edge of the plate ran a straight line, dark and etched deep into the plate.
The doctor studied it carefully. Loring was sufficient of a skilled cytologist not to have allowed any foreign material on to his slides. The only other explanation was a defective plate. He quizzed his assistant about this.
“Chances of stray gamma radiation doing that are a million to one,” said Loring. The doctor interrupted him.
“Radiation?” he cried. “You mean this is the radiation we’ve been picking up and it’s coming from the nucleus of the alien cell?” He was aghast.
“Somehow the nucleus is emitting short wave radiation,” said Loring. “What kind of radiation, I don’t know. I’ve rushed a plate down to the High Energy Physics lab at Overton to be examined. We should know within a few hours; they’re working on it now.”
“But
Judy gradually became aware of a movement behind the Venetian blinds. Someone outside was waving, strange clawing movements in the air as if trying to fend off an assailant. It must be Ted, she thought, trying to attract her attention. He’d forgotten his key.
She hurried to the front door. Through the frosted glass she made out a dark shape waiting to be let in. She fumbled with the key in her drowsy state, and the movements behind the glass became more and more frenzied.
She opened the door and it was the General. He wasn’t looking at her but was staring in horror beyond the door. A strange gasping sound came from the darkness. She stepped out to see what it was but the General pushed her back inside.
“Lock the door again, for God’s sake!” he shouted.
As the door slammed she heard a grunt of pain come from the General. A larger, darker shape had moved in front of the glass, a huge distended arm like a claw raised above its head. It brought it down again and again on the shape that was the General until the sounds of pain were silenced.
She dashed to the phone. Her fingers trembled so much she could hardly dial the number. Her husband answered.
“Something’s outside,” she gasped. “It’s got the General. I think it’s—”
Ted didn’t let her finish. “Lock yourself in the bathroom,” he cried. “I’m on my way.”
As she crept past the front door to the foot of the stairs, the sound of struggling had subsided. She listened. A strange slobbering sound came to her ears, punctuated by awful pained breathing.
She fled upstairs clutching her stomach in agony.
As the thing slaked its unquenchable thirst another storm raged in the cold twilight of the red planet. At its still centre something grew stronger and wiser, exulting in its new knowledge and the greater strength yet to come.
SEVEN
T HE CELLS swam through the solution with incredible speed. A tendril of cytoplasm stretched out in front like an arm, probing hungrily. It seemed to know where the red cells were by instinct, and when the snaking tendril touched a corpuscle, like lightning the body of the cell surrounded it. It was ingested in a moment. Before their eyes they watched the blood cell melt as the invisible enzymes attacked. Then the huge nucleus convulsed as it absorbed the new protoplasm. It had grown perceptibly and the alien cell was off again on its insatiable quest for more food.
“My God!” cried Ted Nelson as he watched the process Loring had filmed. “Are you sure you’ve got the speed right?”
Loring nodded. “Quite sure,” he replied calmly.
“But it’s incredible,” went on the doctor. “I’ve never seen anything as voracious. It’s frightening. You say it’s from the hand?”
Again Loring nodded, reaching for a plate.
“But this is even more remarkable,” he said. “I haven’t been able to film this, but I’m still trying. It’s on a couple of the photographic plates. Look.”
He handed the plate to his colleague. “Now what do you make of that?”
It was an electron microscope photograph of one of the cells. From the nucleus to the edge of the plate ran a straight line, dark and etched deep into the plate.
The doctor studied it carefully. Loring was sufficient of a skilled cytologist not to have allowed any foreign material on to his slides. The only other explanation was a defective plate. He quizzed his assistant about this.
“Chances of stray gamma radiation doing that are a million to one,” said Loring. The doctor interrupted him.
“Radiation?” he cried. “You mean this is the radiation we’ve been picking up and it’s coming from the nucleus of the alien cell?” He was aghast.
“Somehow the nucleus is emitting short wave radiation,” said Loring. “What kind of radiation, I don’t know. I’ve rushed a plate down to the High Energy Physics lab at Overton to be examined. We should know within a few hours; they’re working on it now.”
“But
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