Brigands of the Moon

by Ray Cummings

  XIII

  "Haljan! Yield or I'll fire! Moa, give me the smaller one."

  He had in his hand too large a projector. Its ray would kill me. If hewanted to take me alive, he would not fire. I chanced it.

  "No!" I tried to draw myself beneath the window. An automaticprojector was on the floor where Carter had dropped it. I pulledmyself down. Miko did not fire. I reached the weapon. The bodies ofthe Captain and Johnson had drifted together on the floor in thecenter of the room.

  I hitched myself back to the window. With upraised weapon I gazedcautiously out. Miko had disappeared. The deck within my line ofvision, was empty.

  But was it? Something told me to beware. I clung to the casement,ready upon the instant to shove myself down. There was a movement in ashadow along the deck. Then a figure rose up.

  "Don't fire, Haljan!"

  The sharp command, half appeal, stopped the pressure of my finger. Itwas the tall, lanky Englishman. Sir Arthur Coniston, he as calledhimself. So he too, was one of Miko's band! The light through a domewindow fell full on him.

  "If you fire, Haljan, and kill me--Miko will kill you then, surely."

  From where he had been crouching he could not command my window. Butnow, upon the heels of his placating words, he abruptly shot. Thelow-powered ray, had it struck, would have felled me without killingme. But it went over my head as I dropped. Its aura made my sensesreel.

  Coniston shouted, "Haljan!"

  I did not answer. I wonder if he would dare approach to see if I hadbeen hit. A minute passed. Then another. I thought I heard Miko'svoice on the deck outside. But it was an aerial, microscopic whisperclose beside me.

  "We see you, Haljan. You must yield!"

  Their eavesdropping vibrations, with audible projection, were upon me.I retorted loudly, "Come and get me! You cannot take me alive!"

  I do protest if this action of mine in the chart room may seembravado. I had no wish to die. There was within me a very healthydesire for life. But I felt, by holding out, that some chance mightcome wherewith I might turn events against these brigands. Yet reasontold me it was hopeless. Our loyal members of the crew were killed, nodoubt. Captain Carter and Balch were dead. The lookouts and coursemasters, also. And Blackstone.

  There remained only Dr. Frank and Snap. Their fate I did not yet know.And there was George Prince. He, perhaps, would help me if he could.But, at best, he was a dubious ally.

  "You are very foolish, Haljan," murmured Miko's voice. And then Iheard Coniston:

  "See here, why would not a hundred pounds of gold leaf tempt you? Thecode words which were taken from Johnson--I mean to say, why not tellus where they are?"

  So that was one of the brigands' new difficulties! Snap had taken thecode word sheet that time we sealed the purser in the cage.

  I said, "You'll never find them. And when a police ship sights us,what will you do then?"

  The chances of a police ship were slight indeed, but the brigandsevidently did not know that. I wondered again what had become of Snap.Was he captured or still holding them off?

  I was watching my windows; for at any moment, under the cover of talk,I might be assailed.

  Gravity came suddenly to the room. Miko's voice said: "We mean well byyou, Haljan. There is your normality. Join us. We need you to chartour course."

  "And a hundred pounds of gold leaf," urged Coniston. "Or more. Why,this treasure--"

  I could hear an oath from Miko. And then his ironic voice. "We willnot bother you, Haljan. There is no hurry. You will be hungry in goodtime. And sleepy. Then we will come and get you. And a little acidwill help you to think differently about us...."

  His vibrations died away. The pull of gravity in the room was normal.I was alone in the dim silence, with the bodies of Carter and Johnsonhuddled on the grid. I bent to examine them. Both were dead.

  My isolation was not ruse this time. The outlaws made no furtherattack. Half an hour passed. The deck outside, what I could see of it,was vacant. Balch lay dead close outside the chart room door. Thebodies of Blackstone and the course master had been removed from theturret window. As a forward lookout, one of Miko's men was on duty inthe nearby tower. Hahn was at the turret's controls. The ship wasunder orderly handling, heading back upon a new course. For the Earth?The Moon? It did not seem so.

  I found, in the chart room, a Benson curve light projector which poorCaptain Carter had nearly assembled. I worked on it, trained itthrough my rear window along the empty deck; bent it into the loungearchway. Upon my grid the image of the lounge interior presentlyfocused. The passengers in the lounge were huddled in a group.Disheveled, frightened, with Moa standing watching them. Stewards wereserving them with a meal.

  Upon a bench, bodies were lying. Some were dead. I saw Rance Rankin.Others were evidently only injured. Dr. Frank was moving among them,attending them. Venza was there, unharmed. And I saw the gamblers,Shac and Dud, sitting white-faced, whispering together. And Glutz'slittle beribboned, becurled figure on a stool.

  George Prince was there, standing against the wall, shrouded in hismourning cloak, watching the scene with alert, roving eyes. And by theopposite doorway, the huge towering figure of Miko stood on guard. ButSnap was missing.

  A brief glimpse. Miko saw my Benson light. I could have equipped aheat ray and fired along the curved Benson light into that lounge. ButMiko gave me no time.

  He slid the lounge door closed, and Moa leaped to close the one on myside. My grid showed only the blank deck and door.

  Another interval. I had made plans. Futile plans! I could get into theturret perhaps, and kill Hahn. I had the invisible cloak which Johnsonwas wearing. I took it from his body. Its mechanism could be repaired.Why, with it I could creep about the ship, kill these brigands one byone, perhaps. George Prince would be with me. The brigands who hadbeen posing as the stewards and crew members were unable to navigate;they would obey my orders. There were only Miko, Coniston and Hahn tokill.

  From my window I could gaze up to the radio room. And now, abruptly, Iheard Snap's voice: "No! I tell you--no!"

  And Miko, "Very well, then. We'll try this."

  So Snap was captured but not killed. Relief swept me. He was in theradio room and Miko was with him. But my relief was short-lived. Aftera brief interval, there came a moan from Snap. It floated down thesilence overhead and made me shudder.

  My Benson beam shot into the radio room. It showed me Snap lying thereon the floor. He was bound with wire. His torso had been stripped. Hislivid face was ghastly plain in my light.

  Miko was bending over him. Miko with a heat cylinder no longer than afinger. Its needle beam played upon Snap's naked chest. I could seethe gruesome little trail of smoke rising; and as Snap twisted andjerked, there on his flesh was the red and blistered trail of theviolet ray.

  "Now will you tell?"

  "No!"

  Miko laughed. "No? Then I shall write my name a little deeper...."

  A black sear now--a trail etched in the quivering flesh.

  "Oh!" Snap's face went white as chalk as he pressed his lips together.

  "Or a little acid? This fire-writing does not really hurt? Tell mewhat you did with those code words!"

  "No!"

  In his absorption Miko did not notice my light. Nor did I have the witto try and fire along it. I was trembling. Snap under torture!

  As the beam went deeper. Snap suddenly screamed. But he ended, "No! Iwill send no message for you--"

  It had been only a moment. In the chart room window beside me again afigure appeared! No image. A solid, living person, undisguised by anycloak of invisibility. George Prince had chanced my fire and creptupon me.

  "Haljan! Don't attack me."

  I dropped my light connections. As impulsively I stood up, I sawthrough the window the figure of Coniston on the deck watching theresult of Prince's venture.

  "Haljan--yield."

  Prince no more than whispered it. He stood outside on the deck; thelow window casement touched his waist. He leaned ov
er it.

  "He's torturing Snap! Call out that you will yield."

  The thought had already been in my mind. Another scream from Snapfilled me with horror. I shouted, "Miko! Stop!"

  I rushed to the window and Prince gripped me. "Louder!"

  I called louder: "Miko! Stop!" My upflung voice mingled with Snap'sagony of protest. Then Miko heard me. His head and shoulders showed upthere at the radio room oval.

  "You--Haljan?"

  Prince shouted, "I have made him yield. He will obey you if you stopthat torture."

  I think that poor Snap must have fainted. He was silent. I called,"Stop! I will do what you command."

  Miko jeered, "That is good. A bargain, if you and Dean obey me. Disarmhim, Prince, and bring him out."

  Miko moved back into the radio room. On the deck, Coniston wasadvancing, but cautiously mistrustful of me.

  "Gregg."

  George Prince flung a leg over the casement and leaped lightly intothe dim chart room. His small slender figure stood beside me, clung tome.

  A moment, while we stood there together. No ray was upon us. Conistoncould not see us, nor could he hear our whispers.

  "Gregg."

  A different voice; its throaty, husky quality gone. A soft pleading."Gregg--Gregg, don't you know me? Gregg, dear...."

  Why, what was this? Not George Prince? A masquerader, yet so likeGeorge Prince.

  "Gregg don't you know me?"

  Clinging to me. A soft touch upon my arm. Fingers, clinging. A surgeof warm, tingling current was flowing between us.

  My sweep of instant thoughts. A speck of human Earth dust fallingfree. That was George Prince who had been killed. George Prince'sbody, disguised by the scheming Carter and Dr. Frank, buried in theguise of his sister. And this black-robed figure who was trying tohelp me....

  "Anita! Anita darling--"

  "Gregg, dear one!"

  "Anita!" My arms went around her, my lips pressed hers, and felt hertremulous eager answer.

  The form of Coniston showed at our window. She cast me off. She said,with her throaty swagger of amused, masculinity:

  "I have him, Sir Arthur. He will obey us."

  I sensed her warning glance. She shoved me toward the window. Shesaid ironically, "Have no fear, Haljan. You will not be tortured, youand Dean, if you obey our commands."

  Coniston gripped me. "You fool! You caused us a lot of trouble. Movealong there!"

  He jerked me roughly through the window. Marched me the length of thedeck, out to the stern space, opened the door of my cubby, flung me inand sealed the door upon me.

  "Miko will come presently."

  I stood in the darkness of my tiny room, listening to his retreatingfootsteps. But my mind was not upon him.

  All the universe, in that instant, had changed for me. Anita wasalive!