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Updated: May 31, 2025
We'll truss up his most Mercutian Magnificence No you don't," Hilary said harshly; "keep your hands in front of you and don't move." The Viceroy was stealthily reaching for the sun-tube dangling from his belt. He jerked his hand back, a cold sweat beading his forehead. Hilary's finger had compressed on the trigger; the slightest extra pressure meant flaming death.
"No," they answered unanimously; "we go together or not at all." Hilary did not try to argue. He would have replied himself in exactly the same terms. He looked longingly at the abandoned flier of the gray-faced Mercutian, lying cold and still within the house. "If only we could operate the ship," he said. Then, characteristically, he dismissed the vain longing and bent to the business in hand.
Wat's tube, the one he had wrested from the dead guard on the conveyor, was being slowly raised. The Mercutian saw it, shifted the inanimate girl in front of himself, and backed stealthily toward the splintered door. "Don't shoot," Hilary cried sharply. "You'll kill Joan." Wat lowered the tube disgustedly. Hilary groaned aloud. If only he had had one more bullet.
I heard a splintering crash; something struck me violently on the shoulder; then blackness. Professor Newland and his family were living in seclusion in their Florida home at the time the Mercutian invaders landed in Wyoming.
Through the splintered slide he saw the Mercutian climbing into his flier, but a great crystal column of the portico intervened. Nevertheless, while Wat fumbled for the button that released the slide, he took a chance. Every split second was precious now. He aimed the weapon, pressed the spring. A white dazzling ray darted fanwise from the orifice.
During these days and nights preceding the 20th the light-rockets had been fired with increasing frequency, but none was observed to carry over six or eight miles. By this time the burned area for a circle of ten miles all around the Mercutian camp was entirely depopulated, and no additional destruction was reported.
What's to prevent us from hopping to another platform? There is no other Mercutian in sight." "No, but there were plenty of Earthmen who saw us." "They won't tell." "Oh, won't they?" Grim shook his head quietly. "You don't realize what has happened. Their spirit has been crushed until they are actually slavish in soul as well as in body. They fought bravely enough on the first invasion.
The next instant the blackness of the night was split by a sizzling flame. It crisped the poor fellow to a cinder, and sheared the head of my comrade clean off. I caught the body, pulled it back into the dugout, but it was too late. "I knew what had happened, sir. Some damned Mercutian flying patrol had spotted us with their search beam.
"That's better," Hilary approved. "You shall pay for this," howled the Mercutian, finding voice again. "You shall suffer a hundred deaths in one." "Softly," Hilary grinned. "Just a little while ago you were very anxious to meet me. Now that I'm here you don't seem overmuch pleased." Joan was rummaging frantically in the open chest. The Viceroy started, his unlidded pink eyes opened wider.
Slowly, very slowly, he pressed the button to release the slide. It slid open at a barely perceptible rate. As the slender crack widened, Hilary, looked in, taking care to keep his body to one side. In the Hands of the Mercutians A Mercutian was lolling in a reclining chair, his gray, warty face turned half away from Hilary.
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