Captain Future 06 - Star Trail to Glory (Spring 1941) Read Online Free Page A
Author: Edmond Hamilton
Tags: Sci Fi & Fantasy
me, Otho, and then Grag would spank me."
FOR a moment there was a little silence. All four had been swept back in memory to past years. The Brain could remember when he had been Doctor Simon Wright, famous scientist of an Earth university, a colleague of the brilliant Roger Newton. And he remembered how danger had come to Roger Newton. Unscrupulous men coveted Newton's scientific secrets.
He could remember how he and Newton and the latter's young wife had fled from Earth, seeking refuge on the barren Moon.
Here they had built the underground laboratory-home, and here Roger Newton's little son Curtis had been born. And here Newton and the Brain had continued their great scientific experiment of creating artificial, intelligent, living beings. Grag the robot had been their first creation. And Otho the synthetic man was their second.
But the unscrupulous plotters who coveted Roger Newton's scientific secrets had followed them to the Moon. They had killed Newton and his wife and were themselves killed by Grag and Otho. Little Curtis Newton, a helpless infant, had been left in the lonely Moon-home in the care of the Brain, the robot and the android.
Strange guardians for a human child though they were, they had given Curtis Newton an education such as no boy ever received before. The Brain's vast scientific knowledge, the tremendous physical strength of giant Grag, and the speed and agility of Otho, all were transmitted to the growing youth. Small wonder that Curt Newton had reached maturity as a man with superhuman capabilities — a man of tomorrow!
Curt had dedicated himself to unrelenting war against such criminals as had destroyed his parents. He had offered his services to the President of the System Government. He had called himself Captain Future because he felt he was fighting for the future of the System's peoples against would-be exploiters and oppressors. And time after time, Captain Future and his three loyal, unhuman Futuremen had, by scientific mastery and sheer daring, beaten down dark super-criminals and plotters, Otho broke the silence. The android was always the most restless of them, and he had something in mind which he broached to Curt in a cunningly casual tone.
"Say, Chief, I thought I'd take the Comet around to those chasms on the other side of the Moon, for another load of beryllium ore."
"We don't really need any more beryllium now," Curt stated. "You just want to get off on another jaunt over in those chasms. Suppose you crashed in one of them while fooling around."
"Yes, suppose you crashed," Grag boomed loudly to Otho. "Then the Comet would be wrecked! Of course, if your neck were broken, that would be all to the good, but we mustn't risk the ship."
"Why, you walking junk-heap — " Otho began to explode.
Curt saw that the eternal argument between the android and the robot was about to begin.
"All right, Otho, get going if you want to," he said hastily.
"Thanks, Chief. I'll deal with this cast-iron museum piece when I get back." The android started for the door. He stopped to pick up a small, gray, bearlike animal with beady eyes and a sharp snout that was sniffing at a scrap of metal by the door. "Guess I'll take Oog along with me. He likes to get out once in awhile, too."
"That's not your pet Oog!" Grag bellowed indignantly, stalking forward. "It's Eek, my pet."
"Your brain is rusting," Otho retorted. "This is Oog."
Grag angrily tore the little animal from his grasp.
"Do you think I can't see? You just thought you'd take Eek with you and drop him in a chasm, because you don't like him —"
Grag stopped suddenly. The little gray, snouted animal he had snatched away had suddenly changed its appearance. Its shape and color shifted bewilderingly, and abruptly it was a completely different animal. It was now a fat, doughy, white little beast, with shapeless legs and big, solemn eyes.
“WHY, it is Oog!" Grag blurted, amazed. He dropped the little animal angrily, "I won't stand
FOR a moment there was a little silence. All four had been swept back in memory to past years. The Brain could remember when he had been Doctor Simon Wright, famous scientist of an Earth university, a colleague of the brilliant Roger Newton. And he remembered how danger had come to Roger Newton. Unscrupulous men coveted Newton's scientific secrets.
He could remember how he and Newton and the latter's young wife had fled from Earth, seeking refuge on the barren Moon.
Here they had built the underground laboratory-home, and here Roger Newton's little son Curtis had been born. And here Newton and the Brain had continued their great scientific experiment of creating artificial, intelligent, living beings. Grag the robot had been their first creation. And Otho the synthetic man was their second.
But the unscrupulous plotters who coveted Roger Newton's scientific secrets had followed them to the Moon. They had killed Newton and his wife and were themselves killed by Grag and Otho. Little Curtis Newton, a helpless infant, had been left in the lonely Moon-home in the care of the Brain, the robot and the android.
Strange guardians for a human child though they were, they had given Curtis Newton an education such as no boy ever received before. The Brain's vast scientific knowledge, the tremendous physical strength of giant Grag, and the speed and agility of Otho, all were transmitted to the growing youth. Small wonder that Curt Newton had reached maturity as a man with superhuman capabilities — a man of tomorrow!
Curt had dedicated himself to unrelenting war against such criminals as had destroyed his parents. He had offered his services to the President of the System Government. He had called himself Captain Future because he felt he was fighting for the future of the System's peoples against would-be exploiters and oppressors. And time after time, Captain Future and his three loyal, unhuman Futuremen had, by scientific mastery and sheer daring, beaten down dark super-criminals and plotters, Otho broke the silence. The android was always the most restless of them, and he had something in mind which he broached to Curt in a cunningly casual tone.
"Say, Chief, I thought I'd take the Comet around to those chasms on the other side of the Moon, for another load of beryllium ore."
"We don't really need any more beryllium now," Curt stated. "You just want to get off on another jaunt over in those chasms. Suppose you crashed in one of them while fooling around."
"Yes, suppose you crashed," Grag boomed loudly to Otho. "Then the Comet would be wrecked! Of course, if your neck were broken, that would be all to the good, but we mustn't risk the ship."
"Why, you walking junk-heap — " Otho began to explode.
Curt saw that the eternal argument between the android and the robot was about to begin.
"All right, Otho, get going if you want to," he said hastily.
"Thanks, Chief. I'll deal with this cast-iron museum piece when I get back." The android started for the door. He stopped to pick up a small, gray, bearlike animal with beady eyes and a sharp snout that was sniffing at a scrap of metal by the door. "Guess I'll take Oog along with me. He likes to get out once in awhile, too."
"That's not your pet Oog!" Grag bellowed indignantly, stalking forward. "It's Eek, my pet."
"Your brain is rusting," Otho retorted. "This is Oog."
Grag angrily tore the little animal from his grasp.
"Do you think I can't see? You just thought you'd take Eek with you and drop him in a chasm, because you don't like him —"
Grag stopped suddenly. The little gray, snouted animal he had snatched away had suddenly changed its appearance. Its shape and color shifted bewilderingly, and abruptly it was a completely different animal. It was now a fat, doughy, white little beast, with shapeless legs and big, solemn eyes.
“WHY, it is Oog!" Grag blurted, amazed. He dropped the little animal angrily, "I won't stand
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