"Edmond Hamilton - The Three Planeteers" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hamilton Edmond)

Venusian wine or brown Earth whisky. In the booths around the walls, many more men sprawled,
somnolent, sleepy faces relaxed under the pale violet rays of the brain-soothing happiness vibrations."

Thorn's lean figure shouldered through the noisy, crowded tables, the bald-pated Venusian and the
towering Mercurian following closely. They were half-way across the crowded place toward the back
door, when there was a rush of feet through the front entrance.

Thorn twisted his head. Two men in the white uniform of the Earth Police had just burst in. With them
was the grizzled non-com. The latter instantly pointed at Thorn and his two companions.

"There they are!тАЭ he yelled. тАЬThe Three Planeteers!"

For a moment, the noisy throng in the place was petrified. Even that motley, hard-bitten crowd was
frozen by the sudden declaration that there in their midst stood the three half-legendary interplanetary
outlaws.

Then the foremost of the two policemen, drawing his atom pistol, yelled to Thorn.

"Stand where you are!"
Thorn's pistol was already in his hand, as was the big Mercurian's.

"The lights, Gunner!тАЭ Thorn cried.

At the same moment, Thorn shot up toward the ceiling with the quickness of a wolf's snap.

The pellets from his and the Mercurian's pistols hit the big cluster of krypton lights in the ceiling. The flare
of white proton fire from the exploding pellets was followed by an abrupt extinguishing of the lights. The
place was plunged into darkness, except for the faint blue glow of the тАЬhappiness vibrationтАЭ booths.

Scores of voices yelled in the darkness, and shadowy figures surged forward in a melee of reeling,
clutching shapes. Some shouted for lights, others to guard the door. Everyone in the room had suddenly
remembered the big reward for the capture of the Planeteers.

"This way,тАЭ chuckled Sual Av's throaty voice in the darkness. The Venusian was stolidly clearing a path
through the crowd.

Men sought to hold the three in the darkness, cried out that they were escaping. Gunner Welk's huge fists
thudded down in resounding blows, while Thorn struck with the heavy barrel of his atom-pistol.

Suddenly Sual Av was pulling them out of a shadowy riot, through a door. They stumbled out into an
unlighted alley. As they did so, they heard the whiz and roar of rocketcars racing up to the front entrance
of the Club of Weary Spacemen.

"Police,тАЭ grunted Gunner Welk. тАЬThey'll be around here in a minute."

"Come on!тАЭ cried Thorn, starting down the dark alley in a run. тАЬWe're all right now if we keep clear of
spy-plates."

"Yes,тАЭ came the Venusian's chuckle as he ran beside them. тАЬThe last place they'll look for the Planeteers
is the mansion of the Chairman!"