An Adventure on Eros by J Read online

  Wonder Stories, September, 1931

  Wonder Stories, September, 1931

  ROFESSOR, there’s something

  He had buried his eyes in his hands

  wrong with these controls! and was still leaning upon the spherical wall

  “P They’re fighting back and won’t of the space-sphere for support. My cries respond to my guidance. At present we are for

  eventually aroused him and he lurched

  some unaccountable reason drifting toward forward, his hair awry and his staring eyes Eros!”

  wild.

  The Professor did not answer. I had

  “K Two!” he gasp-ed in a tone full of

  been making swift manipulations upon the

  horror. “K Two! Did you say that the ship has

  levers of the control board for some moments,

  lost control!”

  but our space sphere floated steadily onward,

  I remembered my own trouble and

  with the rocky disc of Eros inflating like a

  turned to the controls.

  balloon as we approached. I was rapidly

  “Yes, sir,” I said. “See for yourself. I

  growing alarmed. “Professor!” I called. can’t imagine what is wrong. Our anti-

  “Professor!”

  gravitational screens should be functioning

  I turned around in my seat and scanned

  perfectly. Is anything the matter?”

  the single room of the tiny bubble which was

  He had seized the controls from me

  our space sphere. Merely a tiny observation

  with a violence unwonted to his usually mild

  sphere. Professor D Four-Ten had enlisted my

  nature, and now stood staring wildly at the

  assistance for a small space excursion of broadening disc of Eros looming close, while several hours. We had embarked from the roof

  the controls responded to his touch with futile of the Earthron University and floated out into lurches which did not in any way affect our

  space with the intention of studying the steady acceleration toward Eros.

  spectric reflection of the earth as seen from

  “My God!” screamed Professor D

  the unobstructed visualization of open space.

  Four-Ten suddenly. His tone was filled with

  As a brilliant student in astrophysics I had

  utter horror. “It’s coming! It’s coming!”

  become Professor D Four-Ten’s favorite. It

  had been for this reason that he had asked me

  HE flung his arms before his face in a

  to accompany him.

  protective gesture, while his fear-tortured

  Through a small transparent spaceport

  features fastened themselves upon some object

  a Giggins telescope to which our spectroscope

  in the broad face of Eros.

  of immense power was attached, stared toward

  “What’s coming?” I cried leaping to

  the earth. But Professor D Four-Ten, who had

  my feet. My words appeared to calm him to

  kept close to the eyepiece since the beginning

  some extent. The placid calmness of

  of our trip, was not there. He had lurched up

  resignation to fate replaced the fire in his eyes.

  against the televisoset, and his eyes were Then with a strange calm, he placed a fatherly strained and horrible. In his hand he clutched a arm about my shoulders.

  small square of blue paper which I instantly

  “K Two,” he said. “Are you afraid to

  recognized as a spacegram.

  die?”

  Something of a contorted horror in his

  For a moment I stared at him. Wildly!

  features were communicated instantly to me.

  Without comprehension! And I read the truth

  Something was vitally wrong, that was sure.

  in his calm old eyes. Courage there—against

  “Professor D. Four-Ten!” I cried in

  death itself! Death! Was I afraid to die?

  alarm, momentarily forgetting the inexplicable

  Visions passed through my

  ailment of our sphere’s controls. “For God’s

  subconscious mind, as they do through any

  sake, sir, what is the matter?”

  man’s brain who suddenly faces death. Half-

  An Adventure on Eros

  3

  formed pictures of my mother, a girl I had

  be, it must be, and I am glad to die with one

  fancied, the Earthron University! And now

  who is not afraid of Fate!”

  Death! It was horrible!

  We gripped hands in that fierce

  “Surely, sir!” I cried, seizing the thin

  manner which expresses so much emotion.

  old arm in my agitated hands. “Surely—not

  “Yes,” cried Professor, his eyes

  that—”

  suddenly with a frantic joy. “Death! We know

  But he interrupted me, took my it will come! And I shall welcome it in this trembling hands from his arms and pushed

  manner—welcome it as a gift from the

  forward the blue square of crinkled paper. I

  Science at whose feet I have placed my life.

  stared at it, swiftly perused it for some

  “But see—it approaches!”

  explanation to the horror.

  I had fallen rather weakly to the

  control desk, but I followed his pointing finger DEC 2012

  out into the broad disc of Eros. A tiny dot was INTERPLANETARY EARTHPORT

  growing in its heart. The Valondine! Charged IMPORTANT STOP DETAIN ALL with static electricity!

  SPACECRAFT LEAVING EARTH WITHIN

  “Don’t you see,” said Professor D

  TWENTY-FOUR HOURS STOP CLOUD Four-Ten. “A simple problem in physics!” For OF STRANGE ELECTRO METEORITES a moment I thought he was crazy. My own BRUSHED PAST EROS CAUSING brain, yet revolving inwardly, could not so VIOLENT ELECTRICAL DISPLAY STOP

  readily accept this calmness. Fears swept me,

  SPACE CRUISER VALONDINE

  regrets, and the love of life. Surely this calm REFUELING AT EROS WITHIN THE old fool was crazy. But his voice droned on HOUR AND LEAVING FOR EARTH

  and on.

  COMMANDER

  “A simple problem in physics. The

  MARSPORT

  cloud of meteorites charged the great lava-

  basalt sphere, which is Eros, to its very full.

  Aeons seemed to pass swiftly as I read

  The Valondine, landing on Eros for refueling, the missive, ages whirled swiftly about the

  became charged. Now it will attract us, sweep

  void, leaving me lifeless in the vortex. I was

  us to our death! The Martian Commander

  dimly aware of D Four-Ten talking, in a realized this and spacegrammed to earth. But monotone which ground slowly but steadily

  it was too late, too late!”

  into my consciousness like the steady rasping

  of a grist mill.

  MY horrified eyes were fastened upon the

  “Eros disturbed by an electrical display

  small dot which had swiftly enlarged to the

  due to a cloud of meteorites! And the space

  miniature outlines of a space cruiser,

  Cruiser Valondine will be charged by contact!

  approaching swiftly. A great object in the

  Don’t you see my boy, a simple problem of

 
vacuum, charged with electricity, attracting,

  static electricity! And even now the cruiser

  attracting...

  Valondine is coming closer—always closer!”

  “You must realize,” said Professor D

  The first coma of realization of death,

  Four-Ten, “that the simplest principles are the the lethargy which had seized me, now passed,

  ones which we must combat the hardest. In

  leaving me weak but possessed of a strange

  your experiments you have seen pithballs

  calmness and resignation to death akin to the

  charged with electricity which attract others

  scientist’s own.

  against the pull of gravity. Very well, that is

  “Sir,” I cried staunchly. “If death must

  exactly what we are now. That great cruiser

  Wonder Stories

  4

  Valondine is a pithball, full of electricity, and creatures with a tiny ring of eyes about the

  we are another, being pulled in by its upper portion of the cylindrical body. A vast attraction!”

  squadron of the creatures were materializing

  “But I don’t want to die!” I shouted

  from a series of what looked like ant mounds,

  suddenly. “I don’t want to die!” I struggled to and they maneuvered swiftly upward.

  arise but his hands pushed me down. Seizing

  “I can’t understand!” murmured

  the controls I futilely endeavored to swing the Professor D Four-Ten in perplexity. “The

  ship about. It was useless. There was a steady

  metal people of Eros have always been so

  vibration of the ship—of accelerating speed!

  peaceful!”

  Swinging swiftly toward the Valondine!

  For almost half a century the Earth-

  Electric sparks were flying from my hands to

  Mars Space Line had maintained a refueling

  the walls of the sphere. My hair was straight

  station on Eros, unhindered by the peaceable

  upright due to the electric condition of our

  metal men, who went their own way quietly.

  sphere, induced by the charged body of the

  Now, however, they looked decidedly vicious

  cruiser.

  and the little eyes in the strange shapes

  “Death!” Professor D Four-Ten was

  changed to angry colors like semaphores.

  whispering it over my shoulder. “Death! With

  Never before had they been known to offer

  science! Magnificent! Glorious. Another battle!

  moment—it will be over!”

  “There is but one thing we can do!”

  Like an avalanche of fate the great

  cried D Four-Ten. “That is to prepare for

  cruiser was now swinging down upon us. So

  battle. Perhaps with our ray disintegrators we

  swiftly did it approach that it appeared to

  can make some headway!”

  inflate, like a balloon, to suddenly fill the

  Now that we faced a tangible danger

  entire vista. And the strange fears and which could be measured with our own emotions which swept me were suddenly capabilities we fell to with a common will.

  brought to their climax, surging and tearing

  The breathless moments just past were

  through my soul as that great charged body

  forgotten, and I swiftly got one of the

  leapt at us.

  disintegration controls ready. I stood at a

  Crash! There was a vivid flash! Our

  control at the front of the sphere near the

  ship lurched, rushed mightily through space;

  pilot’s seat, and the Professor ran to the rear of entered a mad falling arc of acceleration! I

  the sphere where another ray machine was

  was dazed; for a moment I could not believe

  stationed.

  my senses. We had survived!

  As the long flight of metal figures

  “Saved!” ejaculated Professor D Four-

  approached from below, the tentacles from

  Ten delightedly. “Saved! The charge of their middles unwrapped and stretched electricity neutralized by jumping across in a

  forward in anticipation!

  spark! Don’t you see, the rarefied air of this

  “Ready!” called the Professor coolly.

  little planet enabled the surplus electrons of

  “Quite

  ready,” I replied.

  the electric charge to jump through space!

  “Very well,” he ordered. “Wait till

  Saved!”

  they are about a hundred feet below. I will

  “I’m not so sure of that Professor,” I

  give the word and we shall fire. And, by the

  put in, noticing something below the ship. He

  way, I’ve arrived at an explanation for their

  followed my pointing finger. From the rocky

  sudden hostility. You see they are of metal

  surface of the planet below the weird metallic

  and they have become charged with electricity

  inhabitants of Eros were floating upward—

  which affected the planet Eros. Doubtless this

  An Adventure on Eros

  5

  charge affects their irritability! Ready! Then

  suddenly sent hurtling back into space after

  fire!”

  being charged with electricity.

  I pulled the release lever, and stared

  I had a sudden vision as the sphere

  stupidly downward at the metal creatures who

  leaped upward—of metal men being sent

  floated swiftly upward. No ray of destruction

  sprawling as our ship shot up like a bullet

  was forthcoming from the exterior ray nozzle.

  from a gun, and the broad expanse of Eros

  I heard an exclamation from behind.

  became a gigantic disc which filled the sky

  “Wrecked!” cried the Professor. and quickly receded to a small orange as we

  “Hopelessly fused by the spark of electricity

  were flung into space.

  which leaped from the Valondine. ”

  Then I lost consciousness. My body

  Then, working madly at the had been hurled against a transparent space disintegrator, realizing it was out of port in the bottom of the sphere, and my commission, I really knew despair! The bodies

  momentary impressions had thus been gained.

  of dully scintillant metal approached swiftly

  Then a wave of dark oblivion seemed to

  and their tentacles wrapped about our sphere.

  engulf me. Pain shot through my head—and I

  The malevolent eyes glared in at us. Soon the

  knew no more.

  twining metal-sheathed tentacles were wound

  * * * *

  about the ship as more and more of the

  I awoke; opened my eyes. Where was

  creatures added their weight to our vessel.

  I? The remembrance of my recent experiences

  Through the spaceports their thickly twining

  flooded my mentality; I looked about. The

  tentacles were visible, shutting so much light

  pain had completely left my head; and—I was

  out that we were in partial shadow. Then our

  back in the laboratory—back in the

  sphere began once more to sink.

  schoolroom of the astrophysics class of the

  We were being dragged down to Eros,

  Earthron laboratory.

  by a cloud of passing meteorites.

  Dully I felt for my temples; they were

&nbs
p; Our sphere fell swiftly; I could see the

  throbbing! The pads of a headphone came off

  broad rock expanse looming close; saw a great

  into my hands. I turned wondering eyes about

  rock upon which we were landing. The as a step approached.

  tentacles writhed and tugged. Closer and

  The kindly old face of Professor D

  closer! What would they do to us? Never had

  Four-Ten was approaching. He was smiling.

  the metal men of Eros been previously

  “Well, my boy,” he said. “You have

  aroused.

  had your lesson. Are you ready for

  Then we touched the rock!

  recitation?”

  I don’t know which was the more

  “Why,” I gasped. “Why—I thought—

  surprised; the metal men or the Professor and

  for a moment ...”

  myself. Have you ever seen a comb charged

  “I know,” he said understandingly.

  by electricity by rubbing through the hair pick

  “You thought that you were actually living

  up bits of paper. The paper clings a moment,

  those experiences. The Telepadion Instructor

  then leaps away with a snap. That is exactly

  sent artificial nerve irritations to the brain

  what happened to our space sphere. It touched

  through the brush-pad contacts at your temple.

  the surface of Eros. In a moment our space

  By thus actually experiencing—or seeming to

  sphere had been charged with the same charge

  experience your lesson in space navigation it

  of electricity which permeated Eros. Now, it is has branded its theme indelibly into your

  a common fact that like charges repel each

  brain.”

  other. Therefore our space sphere was

  I looked with new respect at the

  Wonder Stories