those clouds?"
"No," she admitted; "though there have been plenty of expeditions thattried, and never came back."
"That of course doesn't prove anything. Mind you," he added. "I didn'tsay there was native life existing on Jupiter. I merely said therewere intelligent beings operating that illumination."
"Who could it be then?"
"We'll find out when we get down there."
* * * * *
The very calmness of his matter-of-fact statement brought her backabruptly to their precarious situation.
"But, great heavens, we'll smash and be killed. Can't we dosomething?"
"We'll not smash." Grant said positively. "Though very likely we shallbe killed. As for doing something, we can only wait and take ourchances, if the gentry who are hauling us in will only give us anopportunity. You know," he added with a fine inconsecutiveness, "Idon't even know your name."
She bubbled with sudden laughter. "Nona--Nona Gail. I was on my way toCallisto, to meet my father," she explained. "He's an engineer, doingsome construction work for Interspace Products. But now that I've toldyou all, what and who may you be?"
He was frank. There was now no need for concealment. "GrantPemberton, an unimportant unit of the Interplanetary Secret Service."
"Then you knew that the trip would be dangerous," she challenged.
"Yes."
"Why did you come?"
"It is part of my duties."
There was silence between them. He turned to stare out of the quartzport-hole again. Jupiter was perceptibly nearer; an enormous, convexglobe that blotted out half the heavens. They were being drawn at afrightful velocity toward the mysterious pulsating point, now blindingin its brilliance.
They both saw it simultaneously: a space-suited figure, far out in thedepths of interstellar space, caught up in a sudden flare of orangeillumination. The strange figure seemed to whirl around, straightenup, and shoot at breakneck speed headlong for Jupiter. Behind it, andin a direct line with the winking flame in the Great Spot, anotherspace denizen glowed luridly, startlingly, out of the blacknessbeyond, whirled, and shot down the long invisible path.
Nona cried out: "Grant, tell me quickly, what are they; what ispulling them?"
Even as she spoke, more and more figures were blazoned in that orangeray, until a long file of beings were catapulting in a single straightline past the space-ship, outdistancing it until they became faintspecks in the distance.
* * * * *
Pemberton's hand was upon her shoulder, his eyes literally blazingthrough the goggles, while his voice shouted in her ears. "Come withme: We haven't a second to lose."
"But," she gasped, "you haven't told me--"
"No time," he interrupted, and, shoving her in front of him, he rushedher through corridor after corridor until they came to the air-lockof the liner.
"If only we have time," he groaned, and cursed himself for a bunglingfool for not having surmised the maneuver earlier.
Just as he had expected, the great lock was open. The ship was assilent as the grave. There was no air anywhere, only the unutterablycold airlessness of space. Without pausing in his headlong rush, hepushed the bewildered girl through the open port, out into theoverwhelming, intangible blackness. Nona's smothered cry of fear cameto him as the next instant he stepped forward and left the solidfooting to float in sudden weightlessness in a vast sea ofnothingness.
The girl reached out and caught his arm convulsively. Even through thefabric of their suits he could feel her trembling. Pemberton had takengood care to retain a hold on the edge of the open air-lock. The twoswung unsteadily.
"What is the reason for this?" Grant sensed, rather, than heard, thetremor in her voice. She was making a desperate effort to controlherself. "We'll be lost--out here in space."
"Don't worry," he said soothingly. "I'll explain in due course. In themeantime you'll have to trust me. Did you see where that invisible rayheld when it illumined the last Ganymedan?"
"Ganymedan?" she echoed in surprise. "What makes you think--"
"Never mind that. Did you?" he insisted.
"Yes," she admitted, "it was about over there." She indicated the spotwith an outthrust arm. "About a hundred yards, I should judge."
"Exactly," he agreed. "Well, young lady, our lives, and far more,depend upon our reaching that exact line in space immediately."
"I don't know what you are talking about, but even so, how can wemake it? I'm not a rocket."
"It's difficult, I admit, but we must. Now hold on tight to my arm,and press your feet firmly against the wall of the ship." She obeyed.
"Now when I count three, shove off violently, and pray that we'regoing straight. Are you game?"
She stiffened; then, very slowly, "All right; start counting."
"Good girl," Grant said approvingly. "One--two--th-r-ee-ee!"
They flexed their legs in perfect unison. And shoved off.
* * * * *
Out into the blackness of space they shot, lost to all sense ofmotion: yet the hull of the space-flier, dimly gleaming in the thinlight of the far off sun, retreated from them with terrifyingswiftness.
They were alone in space! It was an uncanny, a horribly helplesssensation. All about them was infinity, a vast void out of whichpeered at them the cold, unwinking stars. They were like swimmers inmid-ocean, without even the buoyant feel of the salt water to comfortthem.
Nona's grip on Grant's arm was agonizing in its intensity.
"Scared?" Grant queried.
"A--a little," she admitted; "but don't bother about me. I'm allright."
She could be depended upon to keep up her end, Grant thoughtadmiringly.
On and on they floated in the welter of space. And still there was noray, nothing but unrelieved blackness. Pemberton was somewhat worried.Had the saving ray been quenched at the source? Were they too late? Ifso, they were doomed to a frightful obliterating fall to the surfaceof the planet, or worse still, they were destined to swing endlesslyin space. Already the liner was far away, out of their grasp, evenhad they desired to return.
His breath was coming in quick gasps now. "Scared?" he once more askedthe silent figure beside him.
"Frightfully--but carry on. We'll get there, wherever it is."
Her gay determination strengthened him wonderfully. On and on theyfloated.
Suddenly the dim, dark bulk of the girl caught the uncanny orangelight. The next instant the creatoid fabric of his own suit caught it,too.
"Thank God," he cried joyously. "It's still on. Just relax, Nona, theray will take care of us now."
He felt a powerful tug at his body, he was whirled completely around,and then there was a steady pull. He was being catapulted down the rayto the mysterious point of brilliance in the Great Red Spot. The girlwas right beside him. The space-liner was passed with a smooth rush,and soon receded to a dwindling speck.
* * * * *
"Now will you explain?" asked Nona impatiently, after she had caughther breath in sudden relief.
Grant stretched luxuriously before he began.
"Certainly. There's nothing for us now to do but wait until we getpulled down to Jupiter, and that'll take some time. I hope we looklike Ganymedans."
"Will you get on with your story!" she cried.
He obeyed. He started from the beginning and went right up to the timewhen he had so rudely thrust her out into space.
"You see," he explained. "I had put the puzzle together a bit, butthere were still pieces missing. For instance, those chaps down thereknow that every space-liner is equipped with emergency space-suits.Why pull the ship down with live men on board? That would naturallymean a fight, and we have no mean weapons, what with disintegratorray-projectors and explosive electro-bullets." Then, again, for somereason, there were Ganymedans on board. They would very likely bewhiffed out in the melee. The ship might be destroyed also, and theyevidently
are very careful about getting the ship down intact. Thelittle meteor holes can easily be plugged up, and the liner made asgood as new. At least that was my guess.
"I was trying to puzzle it out, rather hopelessly," he continued,"when I saw the ray out in space pick up those floating figures. Thatwas the last little piece in the jigsaw.
"The Ganymedans evidently had to leave the ship because, as itapproaches the planet, something will be done to kill off anyunfortunates who are still alive, waiting their chance to fight theinvisible enemy. Possibly a penetrating lethal gas that will be forcedinto the interior. So
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