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

proved wrong once by Doctor Zarro. What if they were to avert it!"
wrong again? The answer to that meant life or death for "I believe now you're right," his neighbor rancher
the System. agreed troubledly. "We'll have to force the Government
to turn over all power to Doctor Zarro!"

M ORE and more people were proclaiming that

I
they believed Doctor Zarro's warnings. And the N front of the great tower that housed the System
mysterious prophet's followers, his Legion of Doom, Government, in the city of New York on Earth, a
had appeared throughout the System. They all wore a vast crowd was demonstrating this night.
black, disklike emblem on their sleeves and carried a "The President тАУ and Council тАУ must resign тАУ and
similar emblem on the bows of their space cruisers. yield their power тАУ to Doctor Zarro тАУ and the Legion тАУ
They sped through the spaceways of the alarmed Sys- till the danger is past!" the crowd was shouting in uni-
tem, mysterious couriers of the enigmatic Doctor. son.
"Doctor Zarro always broadcasts at this time," the James Carthew, the President of the System Govern-
rancher's wife was saying. "Let's see if he's on tonight." ment, stood at the window of his office, looking down
They switched on the televisor. Minutes later, the at the surging, terrorized throng. His secretary waited
impressive figure of the doctor crowded on the screen. anxiously beside him.
"People of the System, your scientists have told you "This can't go on," Carthew said tightly as he looked
there was no danger," he shouted. "But where are those down at the swaying crowd being held back by police.
scientists now? Where is Robert Jons, the Mercurian "A little more of this, and they'll overturn the Govern-
astronomer who ridiculed my warnings? Where is Hen- ment by force."
ry Gellimer, the astrophysicist who denounced me as a His fist clenched.
faker? Why have the great .scientists' who laughed at "This Doctor Zarro is a cunning plotter playing upon
my warnings disappeared? the fears of the System to attain dictatorial power! He's
"Those scientists have escaped from the Solar Sys- the most diabolically ingenious schemer that has ever
tem to avoid being trapped by the coming catastrophe!" threatened this Government!"
Doctor Zarro thundered. "They have fled with their North Bonnel, the young secretary, shook his head
families, going outside the System in space ships to in troubled doubt.
wait until the catastrophe is over, and then they will re- "But, sir," he reminded, "Doctor Zarro did foretell
turn to whatever worlds are spared. They are saving the coming of the dark star, when our greatest scientists
themselves, while you billions of people who believed with the most powerful telescopes could not even see
in them will perish!" it."
As the dark prophet vanished from the screen, the "I know, and I can't understand that," Carthew ad-
Earthman rancher and his friends, stunned, looked at mitted. "But that doesn't change the fact that we're up
each other. against a devilish scheme to usurp power over the
"If those scientists have really fled from the System, whole System. There can't be any real danger in that ap-
that proves that Doctor Zarro is right!" cried the ranch- proaching dark star when it has such a ridiculously low
er. mass. The public only thinks there is danger, and Doc-
"We don't know yet that it's really happened тАУ Doc- tor Zarro is fanning their fears higher every hour."
tor Zarro may be lying about it," said the clerk worried- The door of the office burst open. The man who en-
ly. tered wore a dark uniform with silver stars on the
"Here's a Government bulletin!" shoulders. He was Halk Anders, commander of the
The harassed face of a System Government official Planet Police.
on a System-wide hookup appeared in the screen, for "Sir, I have to report," he told the President breath-
the Government was now following each of Doctor lessly as he saluted, "that those crowds are getting out
Zarro's broadcasts with reassuring statements. This of hand. We can hardly hold them out of this building
statement was not reassuring. now. I've had calls from headquarters on the other plan-
"People of the System, it is true that many of our ets, and the people there are rioting too, calling for