THE THOUGHT-MEN OF MERCURY
By R. R. WINTERBOTHAM
Hall and Upjohn had to escape from
that "No-man's-land" on Mercury. But
to form a plan, they had to think—and
their captors could read minds.
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Planet Stories Fall 1942.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
It was neither night nor day, but a sort of nether world of twilight.The huge fern-like plants, flashing phosphorescence under the greencorona light, seemed to close in after Cappy Upjohn and Terry Hall likeprison bars in the windows of a dungeon.
Cappy, who was leading the way, paused and waited for Terry. As thehuge, leonine man turned, his lips curled into a taunting smile.
Terry's eyes moved from side to side, watching the weird shadows,dodging the sweep of the giant ferns as they moved in the wind.
"Scared!" Cappy ridiculed.
"I can't help it!" the younger man said. "This place gives me thecreeps."
Cappy's great laugh echoed above the howl of the winds. "This isMercury. Half day, half night everlastingly. Right here is thebattleground of roasting heat and perpetual cold. A twenty-mile stripof habitable land between two kinds of hell. What the devil did youexpect, Tenderfoot?"
Cappy grunted in disgust, turned and picked his way through the ferns.Terry, his jaw set grimly, followed. Cappy had been through all thisbefore. Twice he'd landed on Venus, and he'd been with the onlyprevious expedition to Mercury. But Terry knew that fear was a humanemotion, and that there were things even Cappy was afraid of.
The wind died a moment. Between an opening in the ferns Terry caught aglimpse of a ghostly face, more simian than an ape's, less human thana man's. At the same time he felt something that was like a breezethrough his brain. A painless stab of thought,
"Cappy—look!" Terry pointed at the face peering through the openingin the ferns, and his hand clawed at the rifle he had slung over hisshoulder. In all respects it was like an old-fashioned gun, but itfired a deadly bullet that was capable of complete annihilation ofwhatever it hit. A single bullet from a flourobeam gun was powerfulenough to wipe out a steel ball ten feet in diameter.
But Terry's hands slipped away from his gun. He recognized his actionas more than fear. It was panic.
Cappy had been too surprised at the sight of the grinning face tonotice Terry's action. Now the youth had control of himself.
"Great guns! This is something new, lad! A living creature on Mercury!"
"I tried to tell you, Cappy!" Terry said. "I've seen 'em. I've felt 'emfor the past hour!"
"Felt 'em? Did they touch you?"
"It's something I can't describe. It's like poking a finger into ourbrains. It doesn't hurt, but it feels uncomfortable. It's like beingwatched by someone you can't see."
Cappy's boldness seemed to tarnish a little. A suggestion of a shudderseemed to pass over the man. He straightened and shook it off.
"Pooh! Imagination, Terry!"
Cappy took a step toward the creature. The eyes seemed to flash.Perhaps it was a reflection from the corona streamers stretching abovethe horizon to the west. Cappy halted as the creature seemed to shrinkaway.
"Hold on!" Cappy called. "Don't go away! We've got to see thatcreature, Terry. Get it back! Can you stop it!"
There was no mistaking that the animal was intelligent. Perhaps it feltthe same emotions that raced through Terry's body.
"L