Collected Fiction (1940-1963)

by William P. McGivern

  “Change course immediately and prepare ship for landing on Luna!”

  CHAPTER III

  A COMPLETE silence followed the captain’s order, broken only by the operator’s quiet voice as he repeated the instructions into a battery of communication tubes that faced him from the control panel.

  The velocity of the Astra had by this time carried them past the great city that had been revealed for an instant on the visi-screen. But already Phillip could feel the swinging list of the ship as it began a great arc to circle Luna and come in for a landing.

  “Captain Malcolm,” he said worriedly, “shouldn’t we flash Earth that we’re changing our course.”

  “Time enough for that when we land,” Captain Malcolm said crisply.

  Phillip’s eyes were troubled.

  “Are you sure it’s wise to land?” he asked. “After all, we have an important job to do on Mars and this interruption may cost us several valuable days.”

  Captain Malcolm’s eyes were burning brightly as he watched the course of the Astra changing on the chart recorder.

  “What is our work on Mars compared to this discovery?” he said excitedly.

  Simar cleared his throat gently.

  “Permit me to say, Captain, that I agree with you completely. Luna has always been considered uninhabited. The man who proves otherwise will live forever in the respect of scientists in every quarter of the earth.

  “Yes, yes,” Captain Malcolm said tensely. “We’ve got to land. We must.”

  Phillip glanced at the captain with troubled eyes.

  Malcolm was not the type to become so completely exhilarated and excited about anything. He was a casual, deliberate scientist and the plaudits of the mob had never been a factor in his scientific explorations. Now he seemed to be changing type completely, as if his brief glance of the city of Luna had upset his orderly, methodical attitude.

  “Another thing,” Phillip said, “we can’t be sure of the reception we’ll receive if that city is inhabited. The people might not be friendly to an invasion of their privacy.”

  Simar turned slightly toward Phillip and his flat, expressionless features were blankly polite.

  “An excellent point, Mr. Evans,” he said. “You are quite right to be apprehensive of the danger. But don’t you think the potential importance of Captain Malcolm’s discovery counterbalances any risk we may be taking.”

  “I certainly do,” Nada Connors said warmly. “I don’t think we should let anything prevent us from visiting that city. No risk will be too great. I, for one, am not afraid.”

  Simar smiled at her.

  “Very gallantly spoken, Miss Connors,” he said. “I don’t think Mr. Evans is afraid, either. He is, I should say, only cautious.”

  “We’ll all be taking the same chance,” Nada said, turning to Phillip. “That should certainly ease any fears you might have.”

  PHILLLIP stared at the girl with narrowing eyes and a slow flush burned his cheeks.

  “There’s no point in discussing the matter,” he said shortly. “We are going to land, that’s that. With your extensive experience in void exploration, Miss Connors,” he said with deliberate, icy sarcasm, “you undoubtedly will be familiar with any sort of trouble that might arise. And if we encounter unfriendly inhabitants, I shall look forward eagerly to the spectacle of your routing them with a sharpened hair pin.” He turned from the girl and snapped an order to the operator of the main control panel. “Order the crew to stand by for landing party. And tell them to be armed.” He glanced then at the fore visi-screen, which was mirroring the dead surface of Luna as they came in at high speed for a landing. “Reduce speed,” he ordered curtly. “Set off fore repulsion rockets and lower landing gear.”

  Captain Malcolm turned from the visi-screen and nodded approvingly. “Good boy, Phil,” he said.

  Phillip turned and strode toward the elatube. Nada followed him and caught his arm.

  “I was just being fresh a minute ago and Pm sorry.” She smiled ruefully. “I seem to be making a career out of apologizing to you. I know you don’t like me, but it might be more pleasant for both of us if we’d stop hitting in the clinches.”

  Phillip studied her small intense face for a moment.

  “Sure,” he said. “Let’s forget it.” He stepped into the elatube and closed the door. His words, curtly spoken, had been like a slap in the face to the girl. He shrugged as the car started downward. Her crack about his being afraid to make a landing hadn’t been easy to take.

  When he reached the main level of the ship he found several of the crew waiting at the main hatch for the Astra to land.

  He noted that they were all armed with ray tubes. They all looked at him inquiringly.

  “What’s up?” one of them asked.

  “We’ll know in a minute,” Phillip answered noncommittally.

  A few seconds later he felt the Astra bump lightly on the surface of the moon.

  “I don’t think we’ll need oxygen helmets,” Phillip said. “We’re in one of the depressions of the Lunar surface and there should be sufficient atmosphere.”

  He stepped to the door and snapped the switch that controlled it. It slid open with the hissing sputter of releasing air.

  PHILLIP stepped through the doorway and dropped to the hard, flaky surface of the small satellite. His eyes swept about for several seconds and a tight worried line formed about his mouth.

  There was nothing in sight except the dead craters of the moon and the vast, unbroken expanse of shale and rubble stretching to the horizon.

  There was no trace of the mighty city they had seen for a flashing instant on the visi-screen.

  Several of the crew had dropped down beside him and they were glancing about carefully, their hands close to their weapons.

  Captain Malcolm and Simar stepped out of the ship together. Captain Malcolm swept the horizon with puzzled eyes.

  “Where is it?” he asked.

  “Possibly we overshot it,” Phillip said.

  The captain shook his head.

  “Impossible! I checked our position when we sighted it on the visi-screen and we returned to that exact position. We can’t be more than a few hundred yards off, one way or the other.”

  From where they were standing a great, desolate valley spread before them, surrounded on three sides by bleak, towering mountains.

  Simar, Phillip noticed, was staring hungrily at the great depression and his face was lighted with the same proud expression that he had noticed when they first sighted the city of the towering spires.

  “What’s your guess, Phillip?” Captain Malcolm asked.

  Phillip shrugged. “Possibly our instruments are off and we’ve landed miles from the city. Or maybe we were all suffering from an optical disturbance and didn’t see a city at all, but some weird distortion that resembled a city.”

  “I can’t believe that,” Captain Malcolm, shaking his head emphatically.

  “I agree with you,” Simar said gravely. “We actually saw a city, there’s no doubt of that. I think Mr. Evans may be close to the truth when he suggested that our instruments might be off a fraction. That would be enough to place us miles from the spot where we originally saw the city. The only solution is to search the area until we find it.”

  “But that may take weeks,” Phillip protested.

  “What does time matter,” Captain Malcolm said irritably. “We must find that city. Don’t you realize how important this thing is?”

  “Frankly, I don’t,” Phillip said. “We can communicate with Earth, advising them of our discovery and they can send dozens of ships here to investigate. It isn’t essential that we waste time here looking for a phantom city, when we should be on our way to Mars. And this search may take so long that circumstances on Mars will have changed and we won’t be able to make the explorations we planned.”

  Captain Malcolm turned suddenly on Phillip and his eyes were blazing.

  “Why are you opposed to finding this city
?” he asked. His voice was quivering with a rage, that was as bewildering to Phillip as it was sudden. “What are your real reasons? I am commander of this expedition and my authority is complete. I say we will remain on Luna until we have found the city we saw in our visi-screen, and that is final.”

  PHILLIP checked the angry retort that was trembling on his lips. The captain seemed to be a different person as he stood glaring at him, and Phillip’s concern for the man outweighed his anger.

  “As you say,” he said quietly. Captain Malcolm coughed and laid a hand on Phillip’s shoulder.

  “Sorry I had to speak brusquely, son,” he said, “but this thing is important.”

  “I think I have a suggestion which might help,” Simar said. “Our chief problem is finding this city as quickly as possible so we will not take too much time from the important work we must do on Mars. I have done considerable experimentation with a machine that locates metals and minerals that are above the ground. We used the machine in Asia to determine the exact location of cities and found it very successful. The machine has never been used practically, for its uses would be limited to warfare and we have fortunately had no wars on Earth for many centuries.” He smiled at Captain Malcolm. “If you think it worthwhile I could build a small replica of my machine in a matter of hours and we could locate the city with it very quickly.”

  “I think it definitely worthwhile,” Captain Malcolm said enthusiastically.

  “Thank you,” Simar said.

  “I wish you’d get to work on it immediately. I’ll send a few scouting expeditions out to search the immediate neighborhood, just in case the city is within a few miles of us. And if they don’t find it, well use your machine tomorrow. Do you think you can have it ready by that time?”

  “Certainly,” Simar said. “I will need to use the ship’s laboratory for several hours.”

  “I’ll arrange that,” Captain Malcolm said; “and if you need any supplies I’ll give you the necessary requisitions.”

  “That will be excellent,” Simar said, inclining his head slightly. “I will get to work immediately.”

  He walked up the portable steps which had been lowered from the hatch and disappeared into the interior of the ship.

  Captain Malcolm followed him with his eyes.

  “He’s a stimulating fellow,” he observed. “I can’t remember when I’ve been so impressed by a man.”

  “He is very interesting,” Phillip said thoughtfully. “I’m going to enjoy finding out more about him.”

  He left Captain Malcolm and walked slowly up the stairs to the ship.

  CHAPTER IV

  HE MET Nada Connors in the corridor that led to the hatchway.

  “What happened?” she asked.

  “Nothing,” Phillip said. “We must have been a little off our course. There’s no city in sight.”

  “What are we going to do now?”

  “Send out searching party in the immediate vicinity,” Phillip answered. “If they don’t find anything, Simar is building some sort of a machine that may do the trick.”

  “When are the searching parties starting?” Nada asked.

  “As soon as the captain gets them organized and gives each of them a definite territory to cover. But I’m leaving right away, by myself.”

  “Could I go with you?” Nada asked. “I promise I won’t be any bother.” She went on hurriedly as Phillip didn’t answer, an embarrassed flush staining her cheeks. “I know you don’t think I’ll be any help, but I’m an excellent shot and I never get lost. Please take me with you.”

  Phillip looked down into her eager, anxious face and the edge of ice around his heart began to melt.

  “Okay,” he said. “Get yourself a ray gun and oxygen helmet. We’re leaving right away.”

  “I won’t be a minute,” Nada cried. She turned and stared quickly down the corridor, but she stopped at the door and looked back at him, smiling. “Thanks a million times,” she said and disappeared through the door.

  THEY left the ship ten minutes later and Phillip headed directly down into the great depression that stretched for miles from the site where the Astra had landed. The ground was rocky and uneven, covered with a thin filmy shale dust that slipped treacherously beneath their leather boots.

  “Watch yourself,” Phillip said over his shoulder to Nada. “You won’t do us much good with a broken leg.”

  They walked for a half hour and by that time they were out of sight of the Astra, descending deeper and deeper into the great hollow formed by the three towering mountain peaks.

  Phillip called a halt when they reached a great flat boulder and they both sat down gratefully. The atmosphere was heavy and dense and breathing was a laborious job. But they hadn’t used their oxygen belts.

  Nada leaned back on the palms of her hands and swept her eyes slowly over the vast, spreading valley that now appeared covered with a white mist which was actually the thick, settling atmosphere of the tiny satellite collecting in the basin of the depression. Phillip glanced at her profile.

  “Do you find it interesting?”

  “Yes,” she answered slowly. Her slender, arched eyebrows drew together in a frown and she looked at him anxiously. “You’ll think I’m silly,” she said, “but there’s something here, an intangible presence, that is.” She smiled apologetically and said, “I was going to say frightening, but that’s ridiculous.”

  “Maybe,” Phillip said. He glanced out over the valley and he noticed that the misty atmosphere seemed to be thickening, drifting toward them in slow, deliberate waves. And he had the sudden, peculiar sensation that something was plucking at his mind with long, soft fingers. He shook his head irritably.

  “I don’t like the place any more than you do,” he said decisively. “Possibly we’re both just superstitious but I think we’d better get back to the ship.”

  He stood up and helped the girl to her feet and they started back up the long slope that led to the ship. Phillip stumbled over a hard, rocky object a few feet from the boulders on which they had rested, and he bent down automatically and picked it up.

  The dense swirling atmosphere was pressing so closely on them now that he could hardly see what he held in his hand. But he waited until a faint breeze moved the heavy cloying air, then he glanced down and his heart began to beat with sudden excitement.

  For the object in his hand was shale-encrusted piece of metal, broken and corroded, but still recognizable as a small, delicately shaped urn.

  He called Nada to his side and showed her the piece of metal. She took it in her hands and studied it closely.

  “It looks like processed steel,” she said. Her voice was incredulous.

  “That’s just what is it,” Phillip said, “and it was shaped by an intelligent hand.”

  A DOZEN thoughts were racing through his mind. This piece of steel, produced by a forge and shaped by a mold, was evidence of an advanced civilization governed by rational life of a high order of intelligence. But how had it gotten here? Was it a relic of some civilization that had existed thousands of years ago on this small satellite of Earth?

  That thought was not quite as preposterous as it would have seemed to him twenty-four hours before; for he had seen the image of a great city on this moon through the Astra’s visi-screen.

  He dropped the piece of metal into his pocket.

  “Let’s not say anything about this for a while,” he said to Nada.

  “Whatever you say,” she said. Her voice seemed strangely weak to him and he noticed that her face was white and drawn. He looked at her anxiously.

  “How do you feel?” he asked.

  She put a hand to her forehead.

  “All right,” she said. She shook her head slowly. “Physically there’s nothing wrong with me, but my head feels as if it were going to split open. It—it’s like a hand were squeezing my brain down to the size of a marble.”

  Phillip put an arm about her waist. “Lean against me,” he said. “We’ll be out of
here in a few minutes.”

  He started up the slope, his lungs laboring with the effort of practically carrying the girl. There was a tight line of worry about his mouth. He was feeling again the sensation of tiny fingers plucking at his brain, drawing from it all strength and power of thought and decision. He wondered if the girl’s sensation were similar.

  He realized then that the sensation had disappeared when he had been concentrating on the problem of the urn-shaped piece of metal he had found. Whatever influence was sapping his mind, it was powerless apparently when his brain was focused completely on something else.

  He glanced down at the girl. Her eyes seemed to be glazing and her lips were parted slightly, as she breathed the heavy, murky atmosphere into her laboring lungs.

  “Nada!” he said sharply.

  The girl shook her head weakly and put a hand to her forehead.

  “I can barely hear you,” she said, and her voice was only a feeble whisper in his ears.

  “Nada!” he cried. He knew he had to snap the girl out of the fogged, comatose condition she was drifting into. He had to shock her, force her mind to concentrate its focus on something that would break the effect of the trance-like spell that was gripping her brain. “Nada!” he cried. “Listen to me!” He saw a momentary flicker of consciousness in her eyes.

  “You’ve got to think!” he snapped. “We’re in danger. Unless you snap out of it neither of us will have a chance.” He forced a bitterly, jeering sarcastic note into his voice and said, “I told you this would happen. You’re just a liability on this trip. You can’t carry your own weight. I hope you’re convinced now that I wasn’t just talking to hear myself talk.”

  NADA twisted against his arm and faced him, angry color in her cheeks. Her eyes were glinting like bright blue diamonds.

  Phillip felt a happy surge of relief. The rage the girl felt had cleared her mind and driven away fog-like vapors that had been plucking at her consciousness.