Slaves of Mercury

ather

l so that they could not be seen by a casual gl

ot of them," G

y answered grimly. "Ha

said simply. There

eping out of the blue flood of illumination. The shapes, or rather segments of shapes

Very carefully Hilary protruded his head around the vita-crystal, and ducked back almost i

had drawn Hilary's attention was a gigantic gleaming metallic sphere set up prominently in the center of the room. Protruding from it at all angles were great quartz tubes, th

, nodded once to Grim. The two Earthmen st

he busy confusion of the laboratory. The Mercutians, scattered as they were, whirled

guttural oaths, but every ha

mous sounding of the cursers, rig

t switches regulate

The gray warts were gigantic, hiding whatever sembla

ned to a cinder in the

ary said sharply. "I'll take c

inger on trigger. The Cor, fear staring out of his lidless eyes, back

reamed, as the relentless weapon a

st the trigger. "If you value your worthless hide, you'd better talk, and talk fast. What

ray soil of Mercury I'll tell you the truth." His arm

of the Mercutians, tired of keeping his arms high extended, had attempted to rest his h

e. Hilary heard Grim's warning cry, tried to pivot back again. But Grim beat him to it. The dynol pistol exploded sharply; the flaming pellet

lary's head, shivered the opposite wall into molten fragments. He ducked behind a table and fired. A Mercutian threw up his hands, staggered and pitched forward heavily.

d air, bringing the very walls down about them. It could not last long. Already Hilary had a nasty burn across one shoulder; there was a streak of red across Grim's forehead as he hid behind the panel of t

r had completed his sentence before he died. Hilary would have chanced a sudden rush forward to reverse it, to bring on a deluge of rain a

his head back, just in time. A ray streaked past his ear

heavy, tables in front of them as shields. He was almos

r might possibly win through. But the machine! He set his teeth hard. If he could not change the weather,

ttered to the floor and the arm jerked back, accompanied by a howl of anguish. Hilary smiled grimly, took careful aim at the metal sphere of

, pierced them through and through. Before his very eyes, the quartz seemed to run and melt around the holes, to seal them tigh

r it now. Small chance to make it, too. Then he heard Grim's deep

nd the edge of the crystal slide. A half dozen rays leaped viciously, for it

s a dull explosion and the whole machine disintegrated into a smother of flying fragments. The

burst, he was running across the room, bending low. Fragments wh

on the slide button. It closed with a snap beh

whom they had left securely bound, was gone. The Earthmen looked at each other, a great fear in their eyes. In on

f Joan and Wat. High overhead hovered a great burnished diskoid. Long streamlined Mercu

ion's arm. "They've been

hide his own misgivings. "They just t

is the gu

. After all he had gone through, to have Joan snatched away from him at t

ft them alone," he accu

of that. You did exactly the pr

There was the noise of padding feet up the

ulder, shook him vigorously. "

lethargy into which he ha

is a way.

oughed and fell forward. Other gray warty faces, furious, thrust from behind their dying comrade. But Hilary was in the lift, pressing the button

to the Pullman Building. It was deserted, deathly still. Th

here and there the grotesque huge bulk of a Mercutian who had failed to hear the warning signal. The bodi

?" Grim gasped, his b

Hilary said bitterly. He looked upward. High

cloudless sky, seemed to cast a sinister shado

the heat while I was a captive up in the Robbins Bui

ld eyes were hard flames now. His face was set in great

h my bare hands-shred him into little b

nt of weapons, the sight of massed ranks. A Mer

et's get out of h

possible they kept their eyes away from the sickening sights, the poor burned bodies of their fellow

ly know where. Every step he took though, seemed to lead him farther away from her. His glazed eye searched the shin

argued. If the fools he had left in charge hadn't thrown their men recklessly on New York against his ins