Dwellers in Darkness: The Golden Amazon Saga, Book Fourteen. John Russell Fearn

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СКАЧАТЬ gravitation would be obvious on our instruments?”

      “Depends on their nearness. We may be too far away for them to affect us, but that wouldn’t prevent us seeing them.”

      The logic was obvious, so Abna made no further comment. Instead he pooled his scientific knowledge with the Amazon’s in the creation of a machine calculated to restore exterior space to its normal condition. And it was a work that involved the most incredible intricacy, the use of computers, and hours of pondering over this or that detail. A meal came and went almost unnoticed, so absorbed were both of them in their cogitations.

      Eight hours later they felt they had a reasonable instrument, which, theoretically at least, promised to do all they hoped.

      “Definitely it should work,” the Amazon said, seating herself with a touch of weariness.

      “Definitely,” Abna agreed, musing. “The one thing I foresee, however, is that the effect may he progressive, and that from the original 100-mile area there may spread an immense tide of neutralization throughout the whole area, much the same as throwing a stone into a small pond produces ripples right to the edge.”

      “It’s possible,” the Amazon admitted. “If so, all the better. We will be able to see farther, and as long as our neutralizer remains in action the effect will be maintained. At the very least we’ll tie able to see 100 miles ahead of us.”

      “Which is not much use for observing planets,” Viona remarked. “We’ll only know there is one when we’re 100 miles from it. And at our present velocity we’d never be able to pull up in time.”

      Abna glanced at her. “That presents no problem. By the time we’ve got this machine finished, our velocity will have slowed to nearly zero. After that as long as power holds out, we can retrace our way at a crawl, and the only real speed we’ll gain is when we’re in the actual gravitational pull of a planet. Since the accumulation of speed will be very gradual—at least at first—we’ll have time to slow down before we actually sight the planet. But I’m gambling that the neutralization effect, once started, will expand way beyond the initial 100-mile radius. Right! Then that’s settled. The next thing to do is get the neutralizer constructed, and in that we can all lend a hand.”

      Twelve hours…twenty-four…thirty-six. And in that time the Ultra had continued to lose speed. The neutralization machine was finished and required only linking to the power plant.

      “I think we’re ready,” the Amazon said, giving the machine a final once-over. “Fortunately, it will operate through the insulation of the Ultra, so there’ll be no need to take it outside. All right, Abna, link it up.”

      Abna nodded, made the necessary connections, and then stood back in satisfaction. Presently the Amazon crossed to the control board and took a grip of the special switch provided for the purpose.

      “Here goes,” she said. “And let’s hope we get light on a dark subject!”

      She closed the switch and a pilot light on the spatial machine lighted immediately, proving at least that power was flowing through as arranged. The quartet moved to the windows and gazed on to the all-too-familiar darkness. Seconds passed into minutes and there was no apparent change.

      “Yet it’s working,” the Amazon said, frowning. “Why, then, do we not get a result?”

      “Possibly because there’s nothing within 100 miles that can show light,” Abna responded. “I shouldn’t worry about it too much. Give it time.”

      Turning, he crossed to the control board and with a final burst from the forward rockets he brought the vessel to a virtual standstill. He gave a troubled glance toward the power plant, then slowly eased the power into the rear rockets. When an infinitesimal but steady acceleration was registering he cut down to keep the thrust constant.

      “We’re going back the way we came, nearly the same route,” he explained, as the others glanced at him. “We’ll inevitably come to that dark area in time, but let’s hope it won’t be dark on this occasion. Incidentally, everything is contingent on the copper holding out—even the neutralizer machine, since it’s powered from the plant. If the copper fails us, we’ll have no lights, power, or anything else. In fact, it will be the finish.”

      The others glanced. There was little more than an orange-sized piece of copper left between the jaws of the power plant’s matrix.

      The hours passed. Sleeping and eating periods went by. The copper still decreased, and the blank void remained—at least until Viona, returning from a rest period, went to the window and stared outside. She was expecting the all-familiar dark, but this time there was something different. There were luminous edges on the face of infinity.

      “Mother! Father! Come and look!”

      Immediately the Amazon and Abna hurried to her side. Mexone, also, who had just come in, drifted across to the non-reflective glass.

      “Stars and nebulae beginning to appear,” the Amazon said tensely. “That can only mean one thing. Our neutralization of the spatial warp has had a progressive effect, just as you theorized, Abna. Definitely the view is becoming clearer with every moment.”

      This was definitely correct. In a matter of minutes, further stars had merged into view, while those already in sight had brightened in intensity. The darkness of the whole area was rapidly being dispelled.

      “At this rate, there ought to be something visible in front,” Abna said abruptly, and turned to the main front observation window. Then he gave a start. Directly in the path of the Ultra, lying some millions of miles away as yet, was the outermost planet of a six-planet system, lighted by an extremely distant green sun.

      “From the look of things,” the Amazon said, as she and the others joined him, “we must have passed very close to that planet straight ahead. Quite possibly it could be the main cause of the darkness. Wonder why?”

      “I don’t know. At the moment I’m interested in something far more vital. That green sun seems to suggest copper—and if it has a copper flame in its spectrum, then it’s logical to think its planets must have it, too. Soon find out.”

      Glad of the chance for some activity at last, he swung the telescopic spectroscope into action and gazed at it intently. The Amazon watched also, and she caught her breath in satisfaction at the intense emerald flame that the spectroscope reproduced.

      “That’s copper, by all the laws we know,” she said, her eyes bright. “In that case, we ought to land on that planet nearest us and see what we can find.”

      Throughout the journey the Amazon was continually making tests, and finally she made an announcement.

      “No air whatever on that planet, which probably explains why everything is so sharp and clear. Apparently no water either. Gravity seems about the same as Earth’s, which is an advantage. Sunlight, what there is of it, is about a tenth of that received on Earth. A desolate, twilight world, yet apparently rich in copper veins if my experiments are correct.”

      Abna nodded briefly. His whole attention now was concentrated on bringing the vessel down without mishap, and this did not prove a difficult task with no hampering atmosphere or adverse conditions. The Ultra finally leveled out, swept between two mighty mountain peaks, and then coasted down to one of the innumerable plateaus. A slight jerk and the journey was over.

      The Amazon, Viona, and Mexone moved СКАЧАТЬ