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

time you two have any time on your hands, you start Simon Wright and Grag and Otho had kept that
scrapping with each other, and I'm getting tired of it." promise. They had reared little Curtis Newton to man-
Despite his severity of tone, there was a fond twin- hood. And the Brain, with its wonderful scientific
kle of affection in the gray eyes of the big red-headed knowledge, had so schooled him that he became a wiz-
scientific adventurer, as he surveyed the robot and the ard of scientific ability surpassing his teacher. Grag, the
android and the Brain. robot, strongest of living beings, had fostered his
These were the Futuremen, the loyal trio of com- strength until it was superhuman. And Otho the an-
rades who had fought and sailed around the whole Sys- droid, swiftest and most agile of all creatures, had
tem with him! These three weird comrades of his, un- taught him unmatchable speed and deftness.
human in form yet superhuman in abilities, had stood at Thus Curtis Newton had grown to manhood on the
his side in more than one great struggle out in the solar lonely Moon, with his three unhuman tutors. When he
spaces. And, furthermore, the three had reared Curt had reached manhood, the Brain had told him the story
Newton from babyhood to manhood, in this very cavern of his origin, and had repeated the dying wish of his
home on the Moon. mother that he become champion of the System's peo-
Twenty-five years before, Captain Future's parents ples against those who would oppress them.
had come secretly to the moon. Roger Newton was a "Will you take up this crusade against interplanetary
young Earth biologist who dreamed a great dream. He evil, Curtis?" the Brain had asked. "Will you embark on
hoped to create life тАУ artificial, intelligent living crea- this crusade, this fight for the future of the System?"
tures who could serve mankind. But his work was in Curtis Newton had made his fateful decision, one
danger. Certain ambitious men coveted his scientific that was to change history.
discoveries and tried to steal them. "Yes, Simon тАУ someone has to stand up for the Sys-
Roger Newton had decided to seek refuge on the tem peoples against their exploiters. And, with you
wild, uninhabited Moon. He had sailed secretly in a three helping me, I'll do my best."
small rocket for the Moon. And with him had gone his He had added half-humorously: "Since you say I'll
young wife, Elaine, and his loyal co-worker and assis- be fighting for the future of the System, I think I'll call
tant, Simon Wright тАУ the Brain. myself тАУ Captain Future."
Simon Wright had been a famous, aging scientist As Captain Future, then, Curt had offered his ser-
who was about to die of incurable disease. Newton had vices to the System President in the war against inter-
by brilliant surgery removed Simon's brain and trans- planetary crime. At first doubtful of this strange, red-
ferred it into a special serum-case. Ever since, the Brain headed young man, the President had in a desperate
had been his most loyal friend. emergency called upon his aid.
Newton and his young wife and the Brain had Captain Future and the Futuremen had demonstrated
reached the Moon safely, and had built an underground their power, swiftly, relentlessly. Since then, the Presi-
home beneath Tycho Crater. There, soon after their ar- dent had called him time and again by the agreed sig-
rival, a son was born to the man and woman тАУ a boy nal. And time and again, Curt Newton and his three
whom they named Curtis. And there they began the strange, loyal comrades had gone forth in perilous
work of creating artificial living creatures. struggle.


G C
RAG, the robot, was the first creature created by URT was thinking of all that now, as he faced his
Roger Newton and the Brain. Their second cre- three comrades. "You two are more than human to
ation was not of metal but of synthetic plastic flesh me," he told Grag and Otho impulsively. "So why can't
molded into a manlike android тАУ Otho, the synthetic you quit this continual jealousy about which is the most

7
 Edmond Hamilton тАУ CALLING CAPTAIN FUTURE

human?" mander Anders of the Planet Police, spun around star-
"Otho is too overbearing," Grag boomed, cuddling tledly.