Slaves of Mercury

sc

ve his feelings. There was fighting to be had outside; Earth slaves to be t

ing already, very likely. The Mercutian glanced back at his bound and gagged prisoners. They were immobile, helpless. He looked guiltily about. The great room was bare, silen

s. He could just see the guard's back, strained over the side. Hilar

recious; the guard might return momentarily. He screwed his face into tremendous contortions,

started on his brow as her face registered blank incomprehension. Just as he was giving up

omposition was polished, affording little friction. With infinite pains the maneuve

the gag in Hilary's mouth, and pushed. It was solidly tied, but it gave a little. Enco

eks, but he did not mind. He was in a fever of apprehension. If only the guard's

oan rolled away. She had accomplished the task Hilary had set her,

oulder. The open tunic give a bit, and he burrowed painfully, Joan watching with growing fascination, until one of the b

se against the shoulder blade,

er and over again. He could not hear if there was any response; h

ld prisoner with Joan, top of Robbins Building. Guarded. Urgent you free us. Ar

g desperately they would hear him in the com

the streets having been cleared of rebels, came softly into the room. Hilary's

spiciously, catching sight of the displac

leasure, and rose. Hilary's heart pounded; the guard had not seen the inconspicuous disk under the tunic. He was in an agony of

of the gag. There would be no further chance to unbind thems

elt it, too. Then something buzzed, intermittently. One long, two short. It seem

button, and sheeted lead curtains rolled swiftly over the vita-crystal roof, darkening the room, cutting off the rays of

perspired; the atmosphere was literally steaming; and in their cramped limbs, the torture was fast becoming unbearable. Only

he leaden shade opened the door and window again. His grin was broadly triumphant. Something clutched at Hilary's heart; he un

pes he had had. Wat and Grim had not heard, or if they did,

ed his head suddenly, jumped up as fast as his lumber

through the room. A well-remembered voice. Hilary would have laughed

med in the doorway was Grim-good old Grim-a long-barreled dynol pistol steady in his hand. From behind him there darted a little figure

the floor as the bantam d

s nimble fingers were making havoc of the knotted bonds, while his nimbler tongue wagged on

eir feet, stamping and pounding their arms to make the sluggi

ed at him, "stop jumping around, and tie u

me around," he proclaimed, but he picked up the wir

recovered

it was humanly possible. But how did you manage to get thro

We came in the V

t yelled Hila

we'd tell them off in hundreds, appoint officers, see that they had arms, or gave them directions where to find the old caches, and hustled them off. Had to shift our quarters continually, because Mercutian fliers would pick us up

myself to the Mo

r be going?" Joa

ered grimly. "There's a certain weather machin

ine?" Grim ec

. For some reason it's very important to them

Surprised, the m

es, ionizing the air and causing rain clouds to form or reversing the process and scattering clouds back into thin air. This was the Master Machine. All over the Earth, at spaced dista

ting, but what is so terri

their fliers, tremendous burning disks that are their space-ships. Sun-sun-everything they have depends upon the sun. Take away t

p heavily; Wat wa

ds, great big woolly ones. Start a rain that'll make the Deluge

nd Wat get into the Vagabond, and wait for us.

Leave me cooped up when the

an was pale b

be a hindrance. I for one would be thinking more of protecting you than fighting. As for you, Wat," he turned to the furious ban

t to put it that

"At the slightest alarm, take off. Don't try to rescue us if we don't return. The Earth cause is mo

n, white-faced, kissed Hilary pa

ned footfalls. Hilary had retrieved his automatic; Grim had his more mode

carefully down the inclined ramp connecting all t

ary whispered. "The rev

t to start anything until I returned. T

heat while he had been captive. There would be v

interior they could see moving shapes, weirdly cut off, crossing their field of vision; bright gleaming machines, segments of tremen