Captain Future 16 - Magic Moon (Winter 1944) by Edmond Hamilton Page A

know.
    One of the sea-men answered hastily, his voice coming muffledly to them as sound-waves through the water.
    “What’s he talking about?” Jeff Lewis asked.
    Captain Future understood. The seaman was excitedly warning them that some of his people had recently sighted a “swallower” in this polyp forest. “Swallowers” were the most dreaded monsters of this world.
    The two sea-men rode ahead on their ursals, and when the company of humans emerged from the polyp forest at the edge of the submarine city, they were greeted by hundreds of the sea-folk.
    Fantastic undersea metropolis it seemed even to Captain Future, who had seen these submarine cities before. And to the eyes of the others, the scene was incredible.
    The massed cubical buildings of the city had been constructed of heavy black stone quarried from the ocean floor. The windows and roofs of the structures were closed by metal bars, to prevent the incursion of the more dangerous sea creatures.
    Rocketing through the grotesque streets in swimming swarms came the sea-folk-men, women, little children. They whirled and dived excitedly all around the humans, who in their heavy sea-suits seemed stiff and clumsy by comparison. And many of the sea-folk rode tame ursals.
    “Set up the cameras here, Lo,” ordered Jeff Lewis. “Get those krypton spotlights going. We’ll make our first scenes here.”
    The swarming, friendly sea-folk recoiled a little when the powerful krypton lights, powered by compact batteries, were switched on. Their beams streamed through the dusky waters to illuminate the weird city.
    “Carson — Chan Carson!” called the producer. “Take your place over here. Turn on the automaton, Jim. Carson, you walk beside it.”
    At that order, Jim Willard touched one of the dummy switches on Grag’s back, and immediately Grag started walking stiffly forward through the waters like the automaton he was supposed to be. Curt Newton kept beside him, tramping unsteadily toward the black city.
    The sea-folk, not comprehending that the scene was make-believe, swarmed eagerly toward Curt Newton and Grag. It made a striking scene.
    “That’s swell,” Jeff Lewis exclaimed eagerly. “Pretend to be greeting them, Carson.”
     
    CURT NEWTON obeyed. But Grag, stalking stiffly on through the swarming sea-people, walked straight into one of the big, tame ursals.
    The dinosaur-like creature reared alarmedly at sight of the approaching robot. Its snaky head darted forth and grasped Grag’s metal arm. Grag swung a stiff blow with the other arm that knocked the ursal back from him. The creature darted away through the water.
    “Fine,” exulted Lewis. “That little scene was accidental but it’ll be a knockout. Turn the automaton off, Jim.
    “Now, Carson, the next scene shows you going out of the city into the forest,” the director continued. “You’ve rested and the friendly sea-folk have told you about a sunken spaceship in the polyp-forest. You think maybe you can use it to get away in, so you’re going to hunt for it.”
    Captain Future, listening, perceived the chance he had been waiting for the chance to get away and slip back secretly to the Perseus.
    He obeyed Lewis’ directions, and as the cameras ground he tramped back out from the city toward the polyp-forest. He moved now without the dragging heaviness. Curious sea-folk swam with him as he went.
    In a moment, Newton was inside the dense polyp-forest and out of sight of the city and telepicture company. At once, Captain Future plunged through the submarine forest in the direction of the distant ship!
    Lewis’ order rang from the telaudio receiver inside his helmet. “Carson, come on back out of there.”
    Curt Newton answered with a wail of terror. “I’m lost,” he said. “I got turned around in here and I don’t know which way you are.”
    “The helpless fool,” he heard Jeff Lewis exclaim angrily. “Jim, take a couple of men and go in and find him.”
    Capture Future plunged on