"Edmond Hamilton - Captain Future 25 - Moon of the Unforgotten" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hamilton Edmond)

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MOON of the
UNFORGOTTEN
A Captain Future Novelet By Edmond HAMILTON
Curt Newton and Otho plumb the perilous secrets of the Jovian Moon Europa--where
Ezra Gurney, friend of the Futuremen, has fallen prey to a mystic cult !
CHAPTER I
The Second Life
The machines hummed and whispered
and a man's life changed. He was an old
man, with an old man's burden of
weariness and sorrow. But now that burden
dropped from him and his years dropped
from him and he was young again.
He felt the hot blood burst along his
veins and the singing excitement in his
nerves, the pulse and throb of long-
forgotten youth. For youth was his once
more and once more a whole universe of
adventure lured and beckoned, far-off
worlds calling and calling to him.
And Ezra Gurney, he who had been old,
shouted a glad young cry that was answer
to that call.
*****
A message went to Earth's Moon,
flashing across the millions of empty
miles. It went by a secret wave-frequency
that only a half-dozen people knew.
Back across the empty leagues of the
void, in reply to that urgent summons,
came a ship, driving hard for Europa,
moon of Jupiter. There was a man in the
small ship and one who had been a man
and two who were manlike but who were
not truly human.
The ship came down toward the dark
side of Europa with the rush of a shooting
star and landed in the rigidly restricted
Patrol area of Europolis spaceport. The
four came out of it and looked around in
the magnificent glow of Jupiter. Then they
heard the light running steps and the urgent
voice.
"Curt !" And again, with a desperate
gladness, "Curt, I knew you'd hurry !"
Curt Newton took the girl's tense
outstretched hands in his own. He thought
for a moment she was going to weep and