Читать книгу World in Reverse - John Russell Fearn - Страница 6

CHAPTER TWO

BACKWARDS LIFE

Motionless, Abna kept his attention on the chronometer, marking the disappearing seconds of the five minutes he had fixed. As the fourth minute was reached, he glanced at the three in their pressure beds.

“I don’t know exactly what will happen when the Probability Machine operates,” he said, “but from my own experience I’ll guarantee that it won’t be pleasant—so steel yourselves.”

Fifteen seconds later the Probability Machine took over, and the four were instantly aware of the fact.… It was a distressing, anguishing experience, this turning aside into a new space, yet in many ways it was identical to the sensation the four had experienced many times in the past—a twisting and turning of body, nerve, and mentality, a sense of enormous extension and strain as atoms and molecules were torn out of their normal tracks and reformed.… Then, at last, a dead calm.

Slowly the Amazon got control of herself again, levered herself out of the pressure couch, and crossed over to where Abna was gazing through the observation window. He was breathing heavily as the result of his experiences.

“That’s the planet—over there,” he said.

Then Viona and Mexone came over to the window and joined Abna and the Amazon in gazing outside. The mystery world with its clouds of vapors was perhaps fifteen million miles away, as large as a rather small moon seen from Earth.

“Have you noticed, Dad, that that planet isn’t an isolated one?” Viona asked. “It’s one of six planets—a complete system. And that blue-white star for a sun.”

“I had no time to notice things like that,” Abna responded. “It doesn’t particularly matter now. I do know that planet is our main objective.”

So, presently, moving at high velocity, they reached the outer edge of the planet’s atmosphere. Abna leveled the Ultra out so as to be parallel with the cloud belts, and thus began a swift circumnavigation of the globe, slackening speed and dropping lower all the time…until finally the Ultra was beneath the cloud banks and skimming over a flat plain, mainly composed of sand with outcroppings of vegetation and rock here and there.

“Not very impressive,” the Amazon commented, staring below. “The sort of thing one might see if one happened to glimpse the Sahara on first visiting Earth.”

“There’s something over there, on the edge of the desert,” Viona said quickly, gazing into distance. “I may be crazy, but it looks to me like a town.”

“We can do two things,” Abna said. “One is land in this jungle and go back on foot to the town: the other is to take a chance, circle around, and go back to the town in the Ultra. But it won’t be easy to find a landing ground large enough.… Take your choice.”

“I suggest we land in the jungle,” the Amazon said. “It’s easier to approach a strange race when we haven’t the Ultra with us. Its size seems to overawe them.”

“Besides,” Viona added, “we want to see what sort of vegetation this planet’s got.”

The issue decided, Abna concentrated his attention on bringing the vessel to rest—a none-too-easy task with no sign of a clearing. Also, he was fast losing height. Finally he had to take a chance, and the result was that the multi-ton mass crashed through the topmost branches of the trees, tore down vegetation and creepers in its path, and finally alighted with considerable force in the carpeting undergrowth.

Lying somewhat upended, with a trail of destruction pointing back to the sky, the Ultra became still, and the throb of its power plant abruptly ceased. Abna turned from the control board and grinned.

“Sorry,” he apologized. “Only thing I could do. Luckily for us, the Ultra is a darned sight tougher than the trees.”

The Amazon opened her mouth to speak, but no words came. Instead she looked through the rear observation window in amazement. Forgetful of everything else, she hurried to it and gazed outside.

“By all that’s extraordinary!” she exclaimed finally, and somewhat puzzled, the others came to her side.

“What is?” Abna asked curiously.

“Look!” She pointed in the direction they had come. “We smashed trees and branches down as we tore through them: I distinctly remember that. Yet now there isn’t anything to show where we came!”

They stood in silence for a moment or two, trying to weigh up the unusual situation; then Abna, who had been gazing absently outside at some of the lower growths, suddenly gave a start. He went closer to the window and peered intently.

“Either I’m crazy,” he said finally, “or these bushes outside here—the low-down ones—are growing backwards!”

The leaves were visibly curling up slowly into sticky projections, and then decreasing into obvious buds. The actual stems of the bushes, too, were gradually shrinking in length and seemingly withdrawing into the main stem.

“Now do you believe me?” Abna asked the Amazon dryly. “I know it’s against all scientific or any other law, but it’s happening. Backwards life!”

“I believe it because I see it,” the Amazon answered. “But I certainly want to know more about it. Let’s see what the external conditions are like.”

She examined instruments giving readings on the exterior conditions, and made a quick analysis of the air sample, which she extracted in an ampule. The results were satisfactory.

“Oxygen, hydrogen, krypton, and nitrogen,” she announced. “In quantities quite suitable for our type of life. Temperature around seventy degrees Fahrenheit, so that’s no hardship.”

“Before long,” Abna said, operating the control that opened the airlock, “I fancy that somebody will come looking for us. We must have been seen as we crossed that town—and since the Ultra is not the kind of object seen every day, I imagine we’ll have a visitation. We’d better be well armed and ready.”

The Amazon inspected the instrument and weapon belt about her waist and then relaxed again, satisfied. Abna, Viona and Mexone checked their own weapons, and then they were ready.… Once outside in the mild, soft atmosphere Abna switched over the concealed locking switch that closed the airlock and made the ship impregnable from the outside. Then he led the way to the nearest bushes.

They exhibited the same peculiarity as that seen from the window. They were definitely growing backwards. Another unusual thing was that there was nothing dead anywhere. No broken and decayed branches, no sear and yellow grass—not even a smashed blade of it at the edges of the Ultra’s enormous weight. Everywhere a newness, a fresh greenness—and a fantastic vision of branches everywhere shrinking with the slowness of a thread of mercury exposed to gradual cold.

There was something else, too, decidedly less positive, which the four could all feel. It was a sensation of growing irritation—even anger—out of all proportion to the circumstances. None of them had anything to be angry about, even less to be angry with each other, and yet they were. Each and every one of them.

Suddenly Abna halted. With a raised hand he made the others halt, too. They looked at him, unreasonable resentment smoldering in their eyes.

“Well, what now?” the Amazon demanded. “What have we stopped for?”

“To get ourselves straight,” Abna said, plainly having something of a struggle to master himself. “If the plants can grow backwards, then it is logical to assume that love—or at any rate, affection—can take the inverse form of hatred and irritation.”

The others were silent, grasping at the truth of the statement.

“You’re right,” the Amazon said, keeping a hold on herself. “Even so, it is going to be almost impossible to keep a constant grip on the emotions. We’lI have to think of another way of exploring.”

“The trouble didn’t affect us inside the ship,” Viona commented. “If that’s any guide to what is happening.”

“I believe it is,” Abna said, thinking. “The Ultra is always shielded by a repulsive shell, electrical in basis, which stops any dangerous radiations from penetrating. So this emotional disturbance is produced by electrical means. Something must be affecting our brains.”

“In that case we want insulated helmets,” the Amazon said. “Hadn’t we better return to the Ultra and manufacture some?”

Abna answered by striding back along the path they had come. Fortunately, they had traveled no great distance, otherwise the emotional repercussions might have been considerable. And once within the giant vessel they could sense the unbearable irritation relaxing as the mysterious influence, whatever it was, was cut off.

The manufacture of the protective helmets, which fitted in the fashion of skullcaps, was a simple job with the workshop’s infinite resources—then, thus protected, they set off again through the jungle, and no hint of emotional disturbance touched them.

Then suddenly the people of this fantastic world became visible—six of them, dressed in one-piece, lilac-colored tunics. They were human enough in appearance, though rather below average size. The curious thing about them was that they kept their distance from each other. Each one was separated from his neighbor by about six feet. Apparently they were not particularly hostile, for they carried no weapons.

Emerging completely from the forest, they stood staring with round, big-pupiled eyes, an expression of infinite puzzlement on their faces.

“Look harmless enough,” the Amazon murmured, taking her hand away from her proton gun. “See what you can do with them, Abna.”

Abna raised a powerful hand. “Friends,” he said deliberately. “We come as friends.”

The reply from one of them sounded a mere gabble of words, but in a questioning tone. Abna shook his head and sighed.

“Language trouble,” he said, glancing at the Amazon. “We will only get over it by taking them to the Ultra and giving them a session with the Language Instructor.”

“If they’ll come,” the Amazon answered doubtfully.

It was worth a try, anyhow. By signs Abna showed what he wanted, pointing back along the trail, and after a moment the men of this queer planet seemed to comprehend. Quite willingly, but still maintaining their distance from each other, they began to follow as Abna led the way. And they continued to follow through the whole distance, pausing at last to look in silent awe upon the immense mass of the Ultra. Even then they did not converse with each other, maintaining their odd separation.

Abna opened the airlock and led the way into the control room, after which he had some trouble in making the six men understand that they were not in any way in danger. Finally one of them seemed willing to take a chance, and cautiously entered the control room to look about him.

From this beginning Abna went by easy stages, until he had completely secured the man’s confidence—then, with the other men peering in interestedly at the doorway, he went to work with the Language Instructor, a helmet controlled electrically which, when placed on the head, automatically transferred all the knowledge required concerning the English language, as well as the identities of the four Crusaders.

In a matter of ten minutes the transference of knowledge was complete. Abna removed the helmet and smiled down on the little man as he rubbed his forehead in puzzled wonder.

“Everything all right, my friend?” he inquired, smiling.

“Yes. Yes, everything’s all right, even though I do not understand how I am able to speak your language. You are a worker of great scientific marvels.”

“Do you wish me to transfer language to your comrades, so they may understand what is transpiring?”

“That is unnecessary, Abna. I can tell them what you have to tell me. I am the leader. And none of us gives to the other any more than he can help.”

Abna glanced at the Amazon. Both of them were vaguely puzzled by this remarkably selfish outlook.

“From where do you come, Abna?” the little man asked. “We saw your machine cross our town and knew it had fallen somewhere, so we came to look for it. My name is Disi, of the planet Umnol.”

“Greetings,” Abna replied gravely. “We come from a world so far away its distance would be meaningless to you. We are indeed from another space entirely, beyond this one—or perhaps that doesn’t make sense to you?”

“It makes perfect sense,” Disi responded surprisingly. “We have a fair knowledge of science, though not of space travel. Indeed, we hope by science to save ourselves from disaster.”

“Oh?” Immediately Abna was on the alert.

“It is a long story,” the little man said, “but still one which you may care to hear. The wonder of a visit from beings of another world rouses me to a realization of my duties. Would you care to be my guests?”

Abna, though he smiled at the man’s grandiloquent use of his new-found language, nodded politely.

“We would be delighted to accompany you, Disi. There is a lot we wish to learn about you—and on the other hand, there is probably much that you wish to know about us.”