Mercury (Planet) -- Fiction; Mystery fiction; Science fiction; Short stories
The navigator started toward the buildings at the far end of the
airstrip. He wore a light linen suit that looked more like an
eighteenth century houri's costume than anything an inter-planetary
explorer might wear. It was belted around the waist and again at the
ankles, and thin enough to reveal the athletic supporter which was
his only undergarment. He carried the receiver-transmitter over one
shoulder and held the X pistol, with its brightly focussed target
scope, ready in his hand. He had slid some "Uneasy" pills from a Mars
kit under the strap of his wristwatch. They were a great help in
combating nausea during the first few hours on the light planet. The
UN labs were working on a special kit for use on Primus, but in the
meantime the Mars kit seemed to be a satisfactory substitute. The
reduced gravitational pull of the smaller planets worked strange tricks
on a man's insides and most explorers resorted freely to the pills,
which they had nicknamed "Uneasy."
"There's a vegetable growth of some kind in the cracks along the
airstrip here," Lerner's voice came steadily over the loud speaker.
"Don't touch it with your bare skin," Grimes said quickly. "They
probably haven't used the airstrip since the last expedition from
Terra. Is there any odor rising from it?"
He watched the young navigator dip into a semi-crouch. "Nothing that I
can detect, sir."
"All right, go on. Go inside the UN building and see if it's empty. If
there's anybody there, come out immediately. Keep talking all the time
you're inside. I want a word picture of everything you see."
As Lerner approached the buildings about a half mile away, Grimes
switched from a direct view to the television screen that maintained a
life-size close-up. He felt a momentary urge to organize a small force
and lead it up to the navigator's position. What kept him back? That
was the way he had planned it before the tape had gone to work on him.
What were Manson and the others thinking now?
"The photo-electric cell is still operating the door," Lerner said. "I
don't see anybody around."
The television camera still showed the front of the building. There was
no window through which it could scan the inside.
"Look around carefully and don't move until you're sure of yourself,"
Grimes ordered. "According to the reports, you should be in a lobby
surrounded by glass-walled offices. Is that the picture?"
"That is correct, sir. I don't see any signs of anybody. Wait...." The
voice stopped for a minute. Captain Grimes leaned forward tensely. Then
Lerner began to speak again, hesitantly.
"I see ... I see a costume hanging ... hanging in one of the offices.
There might be somebody there ... probably just wearing shorts or
something. I don't feel so good...."
"Get out of there quick," Grimes shouted.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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