"Edmond Hamilton - Calling Captain Future" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hamilton Edmond)

In a few minutes Otho's queer flesh became soft and lay them in here. That will give me a chance to get into
putty-like тАУ all except his hands, which he had been their ship and get Joan and Kansu Kane out."
careful to leave unchanged. Now he began to mold the "It sounds dangerous for you!" Otho protested.
flesh of his own body into new outlines, like a sculptor "Why couldn't we have had a squad of the Planet Police
working on himself! here to seize these mysterious devils when they come?"
His legs he molded into thin, stilt-like ones similar "The Legion would resist and Joan would probably
to the Martian's. He expanded his chest. And finally he be killed," Curt retorted. "And I'm counting on getting a
molded his face into an exact replica, feature for fea- lead to Doctor Zarro from what she's learned."
ture, of Gatola's face. "And you are sort of anxious about this Police girl
anyway, aren't you?" Otho asked slyly.
Curt gave him a cuff that sent the laughing android
spinning.
"This isn't any time for your damned nonsense. Get
over to that telescope and try to act as though you knew
something about astronomy."
"What do you mean, 'act'?" Otho hissed indignantly.
"I know more about other worlds than the old men who
sit in these places and peer at them. I don't study astron-
omy тАУ I live it!"
Chuckling, Curt hastened back out of the shadowy
observatory .He crouched down in the shadow, loosen-
ing his proton-pistol in its holster, and waited. Time
passed slowly. But Captain Future had learned patience
from Grag the robot, who could sit for a week without
moving his metal limbs. The red-haired scientific wiz-
ard remained concealed, watching and waiting.
Presently Phobos set. The night became pitch dark,
except for the thin rays of the great hosts of stars shin-
ing down upon the age-old deserts. A little wind
moaned through the night.
Curt noticed a small black object circling high
against the stars. At first, he thought it was a Martian
Captain Future
owl. Then his super-keen hearing caught the dim throb-
bing of muffled rocket- tubes.
Then his flesh hardened, grew rubbery and firm
"The Legion of Doom ship!" he muttered. "Coming
again, retaining the new outlines. Rapidly Otho stained
for Gatola тАУ"
himself with red dye from his make-up pouch. And
Otho finally stood, an exact replica of Gatola, as though
N OW the ship was swooping down in a wide spiral
an uncanny twin.
toward the observatory, swinging down out of the
"All done, Chief," Otho reported to Captain Future,
stars without lights and with its rocket-tubes almost
speaking in an accurate reproduction of the Martian's
silent, a black, phantom craft тАУ its attached space boats
voice.
and grim batteries of atom-guns vaguely outlined. It