The Mutant's Brother (ss) by Fritz Leiber

Author:Fritz Leiber [Leiber, Fritz]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Sci-Fi Short Story
Publisher: Astounding Science Fiction
Published: 1943-08-03T00:00:00+00:00

At that instant Greer’s mind darkened with the cloudy telepathic warning that there were minds inimical to himself within his range of control.

From the archway, and from a similar archway across the street, narrow beams of white light struck him like dazzling spears. That such beams traced the course along which police bullets would follow, Greer knew. But the telepathic warning had given him the split second he needed. Before fingers could press triggers, the minds which the fingers obeyed were under his control.

Yet something whipped past his ear with a faint, high-pitched squeal. A gout of momentary incandescence blossomed from the pavement beyond him as an explosive bullet struck. From a roof perhaps a hundred yards away a lone searchbeam was seeking him out, inexorably determining the path of a second shot.

Once again, as at the station, it seemed to Greer that everything was going slow-motion except his thoughts. His mind reached out to overpower that of the police gunman. But, as he feared, the distance was too great. The lone seachbeam seemed to crawl as it swung in on him. Yet its crawl was airjet speed compared to anything he could get out of his muscles. The gunman would get at least twTo more shots before he could reach cover. Perhaps three. There was only one thing to do.

Almost before he realized it, the searchbeams of the police under his control swung away from him, scattered, reconverged on a high, tiny figure silhouetted against the massed black tubing of a sun-heater. As one, their guns spoke. The lone searchbeam careened wildly. There was a nerve-racking pause. Then the sickening hollow smack of- a body hitting pavement.

A spasm of revulsion went through

Greer. It was murder he had commanded. The man on the roof hadn’t had a chance.

Yet even as he fought that reaction of self-loathing, even as he strained to maintain control of the police, he realized that it was hot alone the impulse of self-preservation which had motivated him.

There was a job to be done, a job that only be could do. There was a monster at large in Steelton, and Steel-ton must be ridded of that monster.

‘‘Not only Steelton. The whole world.

In one dizzy instant, his fears and suspicions crystallized. Only loyalty to his unknown brother, and an aching desire for the companionship of his own kind, could have blinded him to the obvious truth.

Why had his brother summoned him to Steelton, without even warning him of the deadly danger to which he would be exposed? For one reason, and one alone—so that Greer Canarvon would be killed. So that Steelton would think that Robert Carstairs had been killed. So that his twin would be free to exploit his power without suspicion— with more caution and sublety, no doubt, but with infinitely greater danger to mankind.

It was not so much hate that filled Greer, as a cold and unswerving determination. Already he had made his plan. The police under his control were escorting him to their monocar.

His thoughts were coming with a machine-like rapidity.

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