The Complete Novels (Jerry eBooks) by Don Wilcox

Author:Don Wilcox [Wilcox, Don]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jerry eBooks
Published: 2015-02-08T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER VII

The incoming Venus Express was an hour late. The space observers at the Venus port had seen the explosion and had tried for days to communicate with the earth. No luck. A rumor of alarm began to spread. At the hour for the departure of the Express, last-minute passenger cancellations were still coming in.

Now, as George Hurley made radio contact with the approaching ship, it reported only eight passengers.

George’s courtesy messages were eagerly received. After several minutes of excited exchanges of news about the great disaster, the Express took the location of the Banrab Valley as a make-shift landing field. George gave a relieved sigh and headed down toward the stratosphere.

Anna Pantella was at his shoulder.

“You did it perfectly, Big Boy. You’re smart, aren’t you?”

“Any pilot would have done it. Everything for the common good at a time like this. Which reminds me, we’d better get back.”

“You haven’t told me about your theories.”

“What theories?”

“On what made the earth explode.”

George eased his touch on the throttle. “Well, one theory is that it was all a freak of nature. Something that’s been in the cards for billions of years. It’s been all this time coming, and finally—well it got here. All at once.”

“What got here?”

“The big blow-up.”

“But why? What kind of something was it?”

George tossed his head with an air of superior knowledge. “You wouldn’t understand if I told you. It’s all mixed up with astronomy.”

“I know all about astronomy,” Anna Pantella declared.

“I mean the mathematics would get too deep for you. You wouldn’t follow.”

“Mathematics is my specialty,” she said lightly. “I’m a regular walking calculator.”

“Well—ah—to begin with—” George had begun to perspire. He glanced at his watch. “Great guns! We’ve got to get back. The Express will arrive and find nobody home. We’ve got to get there ahead of them.”

“Why?” Anna asked. “You gave them the location. I want to spin around the earth to see the sights before we go back.”

“Nothing doing.”

“Just once, please . . . please, Big Boy.”

The touch of her fingers on his arm made him writhe with anger.

“What’s the matter?” she asked. “Am I poison or. something? I’ve never been considered exactly repulsive. In fact, my class voted me the most popular girl. Maybe you’re afraid of girls. Is that it?”

George Hurley set his jaw. “I’ve already told you how it is.”

“You’re sure touchy.”

“Maybe so. But if the Venus Express arrives ahead of us, and those folks see you and me get out of this ship together—right away they’ll get ideas.”

They flew into the earth’s atmosphere. The ship had coasted gracefully into its air cruising speed of 810 m.p.h. It skimmed through patches of sun-edged clouds and leaped over mountains of steam that oozed up from ugly breaks in the earth’s crust.

The ever-changing scenes were fascinating, George had to admit. He swung wide over what had been the continent of North America, taking advantage of the afternoon sunshine. He wouldn’t mention to Anna that darkness would make a landing on Africa difficult for the next eight hours.

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