CHAPTER III
Hekki's Proposal
When Shelby reached his apartment, he immediately donned his laboratorysmock and set to work. But he had scarcely finished mounting a tiny coilof wire within the hand-grip of his weapon, when the view-phone bellrang insistently.
The inventor pulled off his smock and threw it over the materials on hiswork bench, so that the person at the other end of the view-phoneconnection, whoever it was, would not be able to see them. Then hesnapped the television and audio switches. The mists in the view-platecleared, and there before him, as real as though he were actually in theroom, sat Hekalu Selba. The Martian's eyes gleamed with suppressedexcitement.
"Mr. Shelby," he was saying, "it may seem strange that I should becalling you so soon, but I have something simply colossal to talk overwith you. You must come up to my place immediately! I realize that youmay be very busy, but this _is_ important!" And he added, "It's nothingto discuss over the view-phone. Will you come?--please!"
Shelby was about to make a cold reply, but he checked himself. Anintense curiosity gripped him.
"All right, Akar Hekalu," he said. "I'll be there." The switchesclicked.
Hastily Austin changed to his street clothes, and then gathered togetherthe material for his weapon and placed them in the wall safe. Only onething he selected from the jumble of apparatus--a tiny pinkish crystal,without which it was impossible to produce the Atomic Ray. This hesecreted in a hollow button on his sleeve.
For a long moment he stared at his automatic, which lay on his workbench. "Better take you along," he muttered at length, "--may need you."
A wizened black-clad man whom Shelby surmised was the slave Alka, methim at the entrance on the landing platform of a quaint Martian toweratop a huge apartment building, and ushered him into an elevator. He waswhisked rapidly downward, and emerged into the central light-well whichpierced the structure from top to bottom. The barbaric tapestries uponthe walls of this tall cylindrical chamber, the tiling of the floor,which consisted of squares and circles and spear points of variouscolored stone, fitted artfully together, giving an effect of pleasantdisorder. And most of all, the smell of strange incense in the air, toldShelby that he had dropped into a little bit of old Pagar or Mars.Evidently the Prince of Selba was master of the entire tower, which, initself, was by no means small.
Alka led the way down a short passage, and admitted the Earthman to alarge sumptuously furnished room, one end of which was softlyilluminated by a quaintly beautiful floor lamp. The farther end of theroom was in complete darkness. The Pagarian architects had made itimitate the interior of a natural cavern, for where the light approachedthe gloom, two glassy stalactites gleamed with a scintillant elfinlight.
Shelby had but a moment to take note of his surroundings--the darkhangings woven with silver threads, the embossed shield and spear of anancient Martian warrior mounted on the wall--before Hekalu entered. Theyoung man saw at once that the noble had lost his air of bored languorwhich he had noticed about him at the time of their first meeting. Hiseyes flashed with excitement and his movements were quick and cat-like.
"I see that you have come quickly, Mr. Shelby," said the Martian, "and Iam glad. Won't you sit down?"
With scarcely a pause he continued: "I have great wealth, my friend, andwhile your means do not seem to be small, I believe that it would bevery convenient to you to have them supplemented. Suppose I gave yousay, ten times as many jewels as are in the tray over on that stand?"Shelby looked in the direction the Martian indicated. He saw a flatshallow container of considerable size. At its center squatted arepulsive thing about eight inches high, carved from a clear crystallinesubstance from which there flashed countless points of icy, wickedfire--a huge diamond!
Heaped around it were hundreds of magnificent red _tabalti_, most prizedof all gems. An expert appraiser had recently told Shelby that in twoworlds only thirteen of them were known to exist. And now he was beingoffered all these stones by one who hinted that he was willing to givehim ten times as many--an utterly staggering fortune!
Hekalu's words fairly dumbfounded Shelby, but they grated upon his senseof pride as well. Nevertheless, his face gave no hint of what passedthrough his mind. An angry reply, he decided, was out of place.
"Naturally, Akar Hekalu, you want something in return for your amazinggenerosity," he said coolly. "Of course, I could not accept your offerunder any other circumstances."
The Martian nodded. "I have it from a reliable source, Mr. Shelby, thatyou are the inventor of a terrible weapon--an atomic ray which might bedangerous in the hands of unworthy persons. Turn the weapon over to meas well as all information concerning its operation and construction,and promise to say not a word more about the weapon to anyone, and Iwill give you the jewels at once."
A flash of surprise passed across Shelby's face but he quickly maskedit. So this was it! But how was it that the noble had learned of hisinvention? Could it be that Janice Darell was playing a doublehand?--his Jan. He dismissed the idea as preposterous and utterlydisloyal.
* * * * *
The Earthman rose to his feet and addressed the Martian coldly. "If Ihave such a device I believe that I can place it in better hands thanyours."
Hekalu Selba's face gave no hint of anger; in fact he seemed at thepoint of laughing. "You have done as I expected you would. Your refusalshows me how patriotic you are and gratifies me very much, Mr. Shelby,"he said blandly. "You are as a man of Earth should be. However, there isanother side to the question. I have certain plans and to have you atlarge might endanger their fulfillment. Therefore I must ask you toaccompany me on a little trip. That weapon of yours will be well takencare of. Now, kindly raise your hands high above your head." The Martianwas pointing a bejeweled automatic straight at the chest of his visitor."You are being covered from two other points in this room so try not tocause any misunderstanding," he added.
Shelby saw the wisdom of obeying the order for he felt quite certainthat Hekalu Selba and his minions would not hesitate to shoot him down.What a colossal idiot he had been! He had sensed a trap when the noblehad called him over the view-phone and yet he had taken no sensibleprecautions!
Hekki was searching him now. His long fingers were moving deftly frompocket to pocket. They closed upon his automatic and drew it forth."Ah," the Martian breathed, "it's as I thought. You have brought asouvenir. A most worthy precaution. And, now that you are no longer in aposition to cause any trouble," he continued sneeringly, "I may as welltell you about my ambition--Oh, it is simple enough; men have thought ofit before but none had the nerve or ability to put it over. Briefly itis this--to become Master of both Earth and Mars! My friends are waitingfor me out there beyond the Red Planet--waiting for their commander. Andthere is another little hope--there is a certain beautiful flower ofyour race--" Here he stopped to allow his captive to imagine the rest.
A hard light came into Austin Shelby's eyes. It was the only outwardindication of the sudden tornado of emotions and thoughts that swirledin his mind. This man sought to enforce his will upon the planets! Thequestion of whether he was capable of realizing this tremendous dream ornot, the Earthman did not pause to debate.
Fifty years before, Saranov had attempted it, and as a result a score ofgreat cities became shambles. Certainly the present foe of mankind wasmore powerful than Saranov. The monstrous associate of Hekalu and theflitting specks of light far beyond Mars seemed to bear out thenobleman's boast. And if he somehow got possession of the Atomic Ray!And Jan--What was he going to do to Jan! Certainly it was she to whom hehad referred! It was this last idea which hammered on Shelby's brainhardest of all. A little fiend within him seemed to shriek. "Escape!Send your weapon to the War Office! Kill Selba if you can, foreverything is at stake!" Escape, yes, but how?
"Place your wrists together behind your back now," Hekalu was saying. "Ihave a pair of magnificent manacles--careful. Do not make an abruptmovement."
A crazy idea had come into the Earthm
an's mind. He did not expect hisplan to work but it was all he could do. With an air of one resigned tohis fate, he obeyed the order. He felt the Martian fumbling with themanacles. He was evidently using only one hand. The other presumablystill held the automatic leveled at Shelby's back. But it was useless tothink of such things.
A slim finger touched the young engineer's wrist. He caught it, twistedit back at the same time, then, summoning all the quickness and force hecould muster, he ducked low and hurled himself backward straight intothe Martian. There was a loud report. A hot pain seared into the fleshyfolds beneath Austin's left shoulder blade. Those hidden in the darknessat the farther end of the room did not dare to fire for fear of injuringtheir master. Now Shelby was grappling with Hekalu. He gripped the handthat held the automatic.
Two more reports--ineffective, and then the two fell clawing and in aheap on the floor. The shaded lamp was upset and its illumination globeswere broken. There was darkness. Shelby heard the shuffle of runningfeet coming across the marble pavement of the chamber. Help for Hekalu!He'd have to hurry. But the Martian noble, racially much frailer thanthe people of Earth, was no match for the athletic Shelby. In a momenthe was pinned, unable to move. The Earthman tore his weapon from him andthrust its muzzle against his recent opponent's chest. Before he firedhe saw the Martian's bold smile; whatever failings Hekalu Selba had,cowardice was not among them.
On the heels of the gun's report Shelby darted from the room and downthe short hallway which led back to the central light-well of the Selbaestablishment. If he could only somehow reach his plane! He gripped thedoorknob and shoved fiercely, but the stout metal panels were immovable.He might have known that the outer door would be locked! Oh, what anunutterable ass he had been!
Now what? A hoarse cry of triumph caused him to turn. Alka was racingtoward him with leveled pistol. A spray of projectiles spread towardShelby but the slave's aim was bad and none of them took effect. A splitsecond later Alka pitched to the floor with a bullet through his brain.
* * * * *
But there was another to be reckoned with--one who waddled along rapidlyon short powerful legs. Its arms were long and black and more powerfullymuscled than a gorilla's. One hand brandished a metal knob-stick, andthe other, a long-barreled pistol of Martian design. Silvery armor setwith jewels that glittered wickedly in the dim light of the hallwaycrossed the creature's breast. Its head was bulbous, and its face, setdeep in plates of shining black chitin-like armor, consisted only of twoenormous eyes and a lipless mouth. No nose at all! The horror Shelby hadseen on the liner!
The Earthman fired at the monster. The first bullet clinked harmlesslyon his opponent's breast-plate. The second thudded full force upon itsskull, but apparently the hard smooth skin of the creature was too toughto allow projectiles hurled from a pistol to penetrate it for it did noreal damage--only infuriated the monster. Black hard lids droppedprotectingly over its eyes, and its mouth worked convulsively. Itquickened its pace and brought its own pistol into play.
Shelby had made a hasty survey of the hall and had noted the stairwaybeside the door he had tried to open. He darted up this, ducking lowbehind the stone railing to avoid his weird pursuer's bullets. Perhapsin the chambers above he could find a means of escape. He was leaving atrail of blood on the marble steps, and his wound pained him terribly.He felt sick and weak.
When he had reached the top of the stairs, the unknown horror wasalready halfway up. It had returned its pistol to its holster.Apparently it had been so maddened by Shelby's shots, that only tearingits quarry to pieces could satisfy its lust for vengeance. And the thingwas gaining rapidly!
But the Earthman gritted his teeth and kept doggedly on. He fought backthe nauseous giddiness that was creeping upon him. He'd have to escape.Oh God! There was too much at stake--the world and Jan--what washappening to Jan? True, he had killed Selba, but certainly the Martianhad minions--men who could carry on without him. He could scarcely havebuilt up all his plans single-handed!
Four flights of steps Shelby and his pursuer ascended. Was there a wayof reaching the roof and the plane in this direction? And if there were,could the Earthman reach it before the long arms of the thing so closebehind wrapped themselves about him? Such an event, Shelby knew couldnot mean anything less than failure, and possibly immediate death. Thefiend behind did not cry out or order him to halt. In fact it made novocal sound at all. Not even its breathing, which should have been heavyand labored, was audible. Only the hurried shuffle of its unshod feet.Its silent relentlessness was nerve-wracking.
The engineer saw before him at the top of the stair a small doorway, andbeyond it a spiral runway leading upward. The light grillwork gate stoodinvitingly open. Catching the grill with one hand as he rushed throughthe door, Shelby sought to slam it shut and latch it. He almost hadsucceeded, and then a huge hand closed upon the bars. One jerk, and aquick grab with the other immense paw and the strange flight and pursuitwould be at an end.
But the jerk was delayed. Shelby fired his last round. It did themonster little harm, even though the distance between the two was butfour feet. Nevertheless it caused the armored horror to leap back astep, and the moment thus provided was sufficient.
As Shelby stumbled up the dark spiral he heard the thing below tearingat the closed grill. He knew that it could not delay the thing for long.He had just reached the trapdoor at the top of the long climb, when amuffled ripping crash echoed up dimly from far beneath him. The gate wasdown!
Feverishly he struggled with the heavy trap. Normally it would not havebeen difficult for him to lift the rectangle of aluminum alloy; butwounded as he was, forcing his numbing limbs to obey him required almostsuper-human effort. When he had at last succeeded in hoisting it on itshinges, he could again hear the soft padding of hurrying feet.
The engineer found himself in a large room, one wall of which wascurved, conforming to the outer contour of the cylindrical tower.Scattered illumination globes gave a dim light to the place. The roomwas evidently a storehouse for Hekalu's laboratory supplies. Complexmechanisms stood about, evidently waiting to be installed. There werehundreds of metal drums presumably containing chemicals. There werebolts of heavy fabric and stacks of ingots neatly corded. Set in theceiling of the chamber were several circular windows through the heavyglass of which bright stars shone. Directly above was the roof, and buta few paces distant, the landing stage!
Escape seemed tantalizingly near, but with sinking heart, Shelby notedthat there was no easy means of ascent to the roof. He'd have to try tosmash one of those windows. But the monster hurrying up the spiralclaimed his immediate attention.
Deeply thankful for the peculiar eccentricities of Martian architecture,he hurriedly proceeded to pile ingots on the closed trapdoor. Each ofthese ingots weighed well over a hundred and fifty pounds. Fortunatelyfor the wounded Earthman, the distance he had to carry them was only afew feet.
The Revolt of the Star Men Page 3