"MartiansCome" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lowndes Robert W)

"Keep your shirt on, Whit," advised Gary. "It's these skeeters that I can't stand." He slapped viciously at a vampirish insect that settled on his wrist for a drink.

"I'm going to"--began Whitlowe, impatiently snapping in the audio pack.

"Hello!" he called. "Are you going to land? Where are you?"

"About twenty miles up," came the reply.

"We can't see or hear your ships!" stated Whitlowe.

"You will. We're ten miles down now. Excuse me--I have to--" the voice trailed off.

"Why," fretted Whitlowe, "don't they come out into the open? Are they going to bomb New York or something?"

"Cut it out!" growled Gary. "They're on the level and they gave their word. That's enough. Anything else you can set down to newspaper hysteria. They should be in sight any moment now. Calm down!"

They were interrupted by roarings from the audio. "We've landed!" shrilled a voice. "We've landed!" Staring insanely, Whitlowe inspected the swamp area. "No!" he stated flatly. "Not a sign of two thousand ships, each containing one thousand Martians. Not a sign of anything."

From the audio came a cry of terror. "What's the matter?" yelled Gary, snatching the mike. "We're being attackedby monsters! Huge monsters! Send help!" thundered the Director.

"Monsters? Like what?"

"Six legs; twice our height. Wings. Terrible blood-drinking beak!"

"They didn't land on Earth!" gasped Whitlowe.

Gary laughed suddenly. "Yes they did!" he roared. "Look there!" He turned the beam of his flashlight on a little dark clump in the air about a hundred feet away.

"What!" gasped Whitlowe, staring.

It was a turbulent knot of insects, distinguished by bluish flashes of light: Whitlowe lowered the beam to the ground below. There were arrayed the two thousand ships--tiny things, about the size of cigarettes.

"And that," said Gary, "is the Martian race. All bets are off, and, if we wish to save our insignificant but witty friends from the monstrous gnats and mosquitoes that are beseiging them, we'd better rush out some Flit."




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