THE TRANS-GALACTIC TWINS
An Amazing Novel by
GEORGE O. SMITH
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Thrilling Wonder Stories June 1948.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
CHAPTER I
Broken Power Line
Barry Williams emerged from the YMCA entrance, his head still damp fromhis swim in the pool. Outside, the heat of the August afternoon waslike the torrid waves of heat from a furnace. The stagnant air wassoggy and the sun still glared upon the street into shimmering waves,making the sidewalk burn the soles of the feet right through the solesof the shoes.
One of the loungers on the YMCA steps looked up and nodded. "Hot, ain'tit?" he said.
Williams nodded. "Hotter than," he answered grimly. "Almost better tobe at work."
The other man agreed. "At least, at work you can get your mind off ofit," he added finally.
Barry's cheer faded. "We've still got that problem."
"Not finished yet?"
"Nope," said Barry. "The Star Lady stands there, sort ofchamping at the bit to take off into interstellar space—but there's noone to put on the bridle."
"Better keep her there," said the other man. "No sense in taking off ifyou are almost certain to burn up in space."
"We'll lick it," said Barry. "Some day. I hope it is within mylifetime. I'm slated to go, you know."
"I don't know whether you're lucky or not," said the lounger on thesteps. "It's mostly a matter of opinion, I guess. Your meat, Barry, ismy poison." At which the lounger's eye caught sight of a pleasant girlin a printed silk. She kept his attention for moments.
"Nice," he said as she passed out of sight.
Barry nodded.
The lounger looked up in astonishment. "Yet you'd leave gals such asshe?" he said. "Barry, are you sure you want to go off into space for acouple of years?"
Barry lifted one eyebrow, looking back at the now empty corner asthough the corner had been somehow altered by her passage near to it.
"Uh-huh," he said absently.
Slowly Barry left the YMCA and continued on down the street. Thelounger on the steps turned to a half-dozing companion and said:
"Old Books begins to sound human."
His companion stirred. "They all fall sooner or later," he saidlaconically.
"I wonder what's the matter with him."
"Look, sport, there's men and there's men. Barry never really gotinterested in women. You are. Ergo, neither of you see eye to eye onthe subject. I predict that eventually you'll both end up married,reasonably happy, and raise families."
"Morbid thought."
"Well, you have too many irons in the fire to settle to one, andBarry has too few to know. But don't think that because he doesn't gooverboard at the rustle of a skirt that he might not have what ittakes."
They both looked down the street at the retreating figure.
Barry was walking with a long stride, his mind working on the problemof keeping the atomic engines from consuming themselves once theyreached the critical level of output. That danger point was onlytwelve percent or so above the output required to drive th