Slaves of Mercury

napping

lls, the door itself. But Hilary shot no more than a cursory glance around; he had left the slide slightly ajar; he was listening intently. The gun was in hi

ce of a Mercutian f

es came in here.

htened me out of my wits. I screamed and they

tian was

sign of a struggle he

ack way," the girl

." He said no more, but the pause w

lie to the

re issued a flood of throaty consonants to which the other grunted once. Then the listeners hear

ian said suddenly:

an asked, a b

hly. "Because you lied. Yo

n's sudden sharp

gnificent,"

ain-a hard cruel laugh.

, but we can break down the door. I warned Artok not to permit the use of the lead curtains, but he has a soft streak. He listened to the women's pleadings

, pleased with hi

e house. Only my dying mother is here. She is bedded upstairs. The

ll take a look at that dyin

girl panted. "She w

does it ma

struggle, a sharp cry,

e head of the stairs with automatic extended. The monster Mercutian

tian spun half around with the force of the tearing bullet. The deadly beam from his weapon slithered over the wall, searing a great molten gash in the

ked, and fell backward with a crash to the bottom of

floor, a hoarse throaty cry. Hilary tore down the ste

ing her into the crook of a huge arm. He shot a startled glance at th

no explosion. Hilary cursed and threw himself down. He had forgotten

on the conveyor, was being slowly raised. The Mercutian saw it, shifted the inan

ary cried sharply.

llet. There was enough of the gigantic body exposed to offer an excellent target to a

e stairs. He laughed unpleasantly as he backed through th

r pretty Earth maiden with me. In five minutes I

or. The crouching Earthmen heard

stal column of the portico intervened. Nevertheless, while Wat fumbled for the button that released the slide, he took a chance. Every split second was precious now. He aimed the weapon, pressed the spring. A

ckingly down at him. Hilary raised his weapon, then lowered it with a groan. The flier was well within range yet, but if he aimed the terrible beam at it, there wo

as he watched the flier become a faint blac

eart." His gruff voi

ead. The Earth, the universe itself, were

he promised to wait for my return. She kept

arts of the revolters if they persisted. Many of the men surrendered. I was one of those who refused. When the revolt was over, smothered in flame from the

cks again." His eyes were steely blue now. Hilary pressed hi

und here, I'll be on my way. That Mercutian hyena will be back

mind. This was his Earth, his and Grim's and Wat's, and of millions of other normal human beings. The Mercutians were interlopers, brutal conquerors. He would devote his now otherwise meaningless life to driving them off the planet, wiping them out

magnitude of the job, of its practical hopelessness. But that does not mean that you two have to throw away your lives also. I am a marked man, without any identification tag. You on the other hand, can

f a man and an undersized bantam. Yet some electric spark of sy

ose shrilly, as it always did when he was la

haven't we consciences of our own? Are we quitters, yellow-bellie

he air. It barely reached under Grim's nose. The big

we are not," h

to Hilary t

ocean, into space. And what's more, we'll rescue your girl too." He stopped to catch his breath. Grim was noddin

ight be accomplished. Very quietly, without heroics, the three men shook hands. Nothing more, yet they

racing smoothness. In minute

hiding place at once,"

re is none," he spoke slowly. "Their

d," Hilary

ead," he

meantime. I have my space flier up in the Ramapos. If it hasn't been discov

" Wat

nveyors, o

an guards will be patrolling them. You have

wo go on along," he suggested. "Find i

nanimously; "we go to

ctly the same terms. He looked longingly at the abandoned flier o

ld operate the

d bent to the business in hand. "That means we'll have to

le wood a quarter of a mile away, the horizon that was Great New York showed silhoue