Fantastic Adventures Sampler by Fantastic Adventures

Author:Fantastic Adventures [Fantastic Adventures]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: _noisfdb, Magazine
Publisher: pulpgen.com
Published: 1943-06-01T05:00:00+00:00

TENSELY, he followed the next tabulations. By the time seventeen judges had been heard from, Miss Mercury was only two ahead of Miss Terrestrial on second-choice votes. Abruptly, then, the character of the voting changed. Miss Terrestrial began to appear as first choice. Immediately followed a succession of first-choice votes for Miss Mercury. The tabulation of fifty- three votes gave Miss Terrestrial twenty first choice votes, Miss Mercury fourteen.

Lane’s muscles grew taut.

“Somebody’s got it in for Mary,” whimpered Pendergast at his elbow. “If she gets the cup, sure as fate those Mercurians will—”

Ignoring him, Lane leaped into action. Brushing his partner aside, he sped down the long corridor to the tube entrances leading to the judges’ boxes. As he sprang into the cage of the tube-car leading to the Callistan box, an attendant ran up breathlessly.

“That tube is out of order, Mr. Lane,” he explained. “Must have been jammed purposely. I’ve got a crew working in there.”

Lane paused, his mind reviewing the possibilities. He darted into a “prop” room and seized the first object that looked like a weapon— a long-shafted Venusian trident. With this in hand, he stepped into a stage trap-door projector and touched the stud which released its mechanism.

In his rash haste, Lane narrowly missed death. As the platform catapulted him upon the stage, his left shoulder received a smashing blow from the side of a massive float. A few inches closer and he would have been horribly crushed.

Regaining his balance, Lane stumbled toward the judges’ boxes.

Members of the audience, both of the Coliseum and those additional millions viewing the spectacle by television, were startled at seeing a disheveled member of the terrestrial race sprinting frantically across the broad stage expanse, waving a six-foot trident.

As he ran, Lane caught the announcement, “First-choice votes now stand, Miss Terrestrial, twenty-seven, Miss Mercury, twenty-one.”

The figures spurred him to greater effort. His whole energies were concentrated upon reaching the Callistan box from which unquestionably emanated the hypnotic control that was piling up this calamitous vote for Mary.

The box was separated from the stage by nearly a twenty-foot span, and artificial gravity within the dome of Luna City was nearly at earth intensity.

Summoning all his strength, Lane gathered himself for the leap. The astonished audience saw him leave the stage in a perfect takeoff, apparently bent on self-destruction.

He landed with crashing impact against the turret-like structure. The trident pierced the unsubstantial wall, and his grasp upon it prevented him from falling. One hand grasped at the ledge.

Though taken by surprise, the spider-man occupying the stand moved with lightning speed.

Two arms lashed out to grip the earth-man by the neck, while another pair disengaged his fingers from the ledge.

Gasping, Lane released the trident shaft and caught at the strangling arms which were clutched around his throat.

The strength seemed to drain from his dangling body; the world went black. Then, with the fury of desperation, he gave a convulsive jerk.

The cruel grip on his throat relaxed; the arms went limp. His despairing wrench must have broken the tough but slender bones.

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