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diff --git a/old/61798-8.txt b/old/61798-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 6a5ae02..0000000 --- a/old/61798-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1146 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Venus Has Green Eyes, by Carl Selwyn - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll -have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using -this ebook. - - - -Title: Venus Has Green Eyes - -Author: Carl Selwyn - -Release Date: April 10, 2020 [EBook #61798] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK VENUS HAS GREEN EYES *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - VENUS HAS GREEN EYES - - By CARL SELWYN - - Space-trotting Flip Miller was prisoner - of the lovely, cruel Venusian queen. It - looked like star's end for the stubborn-jawed - young Earthling until he remembered that - women are women--on Earth or on Venus! - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Planet Stories Fall 1940. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -Charlie Mead, trapper, and Flip Miller, ex-prospector, started a -forty-day drunk. Charlie just liked the idea. Flip had reasons. - -"In a few hours it'll be wetter'n a swamp duck's gullet," said Charlie, -grinning behind his whiskers. "And darker'n West Pluto!" Charlie -had been trapping otters here for five years and accepted the long -nights as resignedly as the mud, the eternal fog and the heat. He -poured another glass of _loku_, squinted at its blue sparkle in the -tube-light. The gray mists swirled through the open door and the raw -wind whistled through the rusty holes in the wall. - -Flip leaned back against the bundles of fur and held up four fingers. - -"To hell with the following," he counted, "I.M.C., radios, fuel -tanks, and this soggy planet of yours, Venus!" - - * * * * * - -Noted for his wild-goose chases and wilder ideas, Flip Miller was -always running into trouble. In fact it was just two months ago that -the Space Patrol found him marooned on Pallas. He had one pint of air -left when they found him, said he fell out of his plane while looking -for diamonds. The Patrol took him to Mars. There, he immediately got -in a poker game and made a fortune--and immediately got in another and -lost it all. That is, all except a doubtful map of a Venusian xanite -mine which nobody else would accept as stakes. Which was his reason for -being here, if Flip ever needed a sane reason for being anywhere. - -For once however his screwball ventures panned out. - -"And I've been here all these years without knowing a billion dollars -was in my back yard," said Charlie who considered the matter very -funny. "Leastwise it was a billion till--" - -"Shut up, you blinking old veedle-chaser," said Flip. People always -laughed at his misfortunes. Maybe it was because he did too.... - -Charlie's island was in the middle of the Black Swamp. The mine was -a few hundred miles east. Fused with asphalt and deep in the mire, -thousands of miles from nowhere, it was small wonder it had lain there -unvisited since its original discovery. The map had passed through the -hands of sundry dissolute, short-lived sourdoughs till the location -became as dubious as other bar-room talk. It was Flip's luck that the -map eventually got around to him. He was probably the only man in the -system who would have believed in it. - -Filled with quick visions, he'd figured his treasure up on the spot. It -would cost about fifty dollars a ton to get it out of the swamp, smelt -the asphalt and ship the ore to Earth. On Earth xanite ore was worth -over a thousand dollars a ton. - -Then the fates ran amuck. - -His plane's fuel tank sprang a leak. Flip lost every drop of the -reserve that was to carry him back to the mainland. The mainland was -25,000 miles away. Then his sending set blew a transformer and he -couldn't radio for help. Last, while trying to ascertain his position -on the receiving set, he heard that I.M.C.--Interstellar Metallurgical -Company--had just opened a gigantic xanite deposit on Mars. The Market -quoted xanite now at twenty dollars a ton. Venusian xanite suddenly -wasn't worth swamp water. - -"It shore is too bad," continued Charlie with smiling sympathy. - -"You probably wished it on me," said Flip, "so you could have company -on this mildewed damn island." - -That was the one blessing in his barrage by malevolent fates--he'd -glided to Charlie's island and the old fellow, one of many of his kind -in the Venusian swamps, had placed his metal shack, his canned beans -and his _loku_ at Flip's disposal. To all of which he was doomed till -the supply ship came around after the rains--forty days ahead. - -"I wish one of your pirates would show up," mused Flip. "I might could -bum a ride out of here." - -"Don't wish that, boy," said Charlie with quick seriousness. "I've been -pretty lucky so far but I told you about the fellow who used to be -here--he's buried out yonder in the mud. These here Venusian pirates're -about the meanest critters you find anywheres." - -"They come around during the nights, huh." - -"Yeah, when the season's catch is ready for packing. They kill the -fellow and take his pelts. You quit talking about pirates, boy. They'd -just as soon skin you as an otter." - -"Say! What about this female pirate I heard about on the mainland?" - -"Captain Vixen? I never seen her--never knew nobody that had. She -don't come out here and the natives won't talk about her. But you can -bet your Sunday space-togs she's behind this swamp raiding--she runs -everything on the mainland, about ruined the big industries there. -Supposed to be a native queen back in the hills; hates foreigners. They -say she's nursed scorpions and killed men with her fingernails." - -"Pretty tough date, huh." - -And now the twilight was coming on, it was starting to rain--and soon -it would be blackness and constant rain for forty dreary days. - -"Oh, hell," yawned Flip. "And I didn't bring my bathing suit." He -joined Charlie in a drink. - - * * * * * - -The thirty-eighth century Haliburton and the Black Swamp Bacchus were -doing nicely with the sixteenth verse of _Lulu Drank Loku on Pluto_ -when one of the more technical gestures necessary to the famous ditty -caused the bottle to be overturned. - -"Now look what you've done," said Flip. "We've got only enough left for -thirty-nine days." - -"Sho shorry," said Charlie. - -Flip felt in his shirt pocket for a cigarette and found the ill-starred -map which had brought him here. The lines were blurred with sweat but -he could still make out the circle designating the mainland port, the -crow's feet designating the swamp, the large X in the upper left where -the xanite was. He didn't need the map any more; for the location was -stark in his mind. In fact he wished he could forget it. - -"Ah, well," he said. He opened the tube-light, held the map over the -hissing jet. It turned brown, then black and he crumbled the ashes in -his fingers. "I sometimes wonder what'll happen to me next...." - -He heard something above the wind at the door; probably a stray veedle, -one of the mud-mice which infested the swamp. Then he noticed Charlie's -eyes. They were very big and slowly his mouth fell open. He's gone -_loku_ loco, thought Flip. Charlie was staring past him, over his -shoulder. Flip whirled around. - -A woman stood in the door. - -Flip dropped his glass. Behind the woman stood three men. The woman -said something in Venusian. Flip couldn't understand and there was a -dumb pause as he stared with eyes that grew wider. The woman wore -hip-high swamp boots, two guns on her belt, a filmy shirt open at the -throat. Her hair, uncovered and flowing, was golden, vaporous as the -mist. Flip heard Charlie replying in the native language. The woman -stepped into the room. Eyes flicking into every corner, the three men -followed her. In the hand of each was an .03 pistol. - -She halted before them and Flip rose from his chair like a ghost. -Charlie sat very still. His face was pale, eyes narrow. - -"Sit down." It was a command and Flip sank back down helplessly. In his -amazement he'd probably have done anything she said. She spoke English, -in the liquid tones of a native. And she was Venusian, in all its -ancient connotation. Her eyes met Flip's evenly, calmly. Her eyes were -emerald green. - -"You are Flip Miller," she said. "You have a map. Give it to me." She -held out her hand, as if refusal to her easy words was unthinkable. -Flip found his voice. - -"Who--?" he began. Her eyes were cold, commanding; his ego rebelled and -he stood up quickly. With a swift hand, one of the men pushed him back -down. Flip came up again with fists balled. A pistol was jabbed in his -side. - -"Jupiter's jumpers!" cried Flip. "What is this?" - -"Captain Vixen...." breathed Charlie. - - * * * * * - -The .03 gun was persuasive and Flip sat down. The man was huge, -ugly with a welted blue scar across his cheek. He stepped back and -stood with feet wide apart, the gun pointed at Flip's chest. Another -stationed himself at the door, the other stood behind Charlie. The -woman leaned against the table, crossed her legs. - -"The map?" she said and produced a cigarette. Bravado was the word for -Flip, naturally or _à la loku_, and forgetting his anger he struck a -match for her. She ignored him, lit the cigarette herself. Without -changing his expression, Flip thumped the burning match toward the man -with the gun. - -"So you're Captain Vixen," he said, meeting her gaze. "Perhaps I should -ask for your autograph." - -"I should brand it on your mouth, Earthman. But the map, please?" - -She wasn't beautiful, thought Flip; her eyes were too far apart, -her lips too large--sensual. And her green eyes, her eyebrows long -and slanting, her firm lithe sleekness--they were more feline than -feminine. Which was dangerously feminine, thought Flip, and perhaps she -was beautiful. - -"Captain Vixen, the Legend does you an injustice," he observed. "The -complexion! Like swamp lilies in the mist...." Then he laughed, for -lovely women weren't danger to Flip Miller. Quite on the contrary. "Now -what's all this about a map? My xanite mine?" - -"Fool, did you think your arrival on Venus was not made known to -me--and your purpose here?" - -"You followed me to get that map!" Flip threw back his head with mirth. -Charlie made shushing noises. But it was too funny, Flip thought. -Didn't she know the mine was worthless? She must! But she had come out -here after him in person. Perhaps she didn't know the bottom had fallen -out of the xanite market. - -The woman motioned to the man with the scar. "Search him," she said, -smoke curling from her lips. The fellow came forward, reached out a -hairy hand. Flip slapped it aside, annoyed. - -"Oh, drop the mask, Viki, and let's be friends," he said. "And I don't -like the company you keep." - -"Oh, Lord!" groaned Charlie. The man looked at the woman, waited for -orders. - -"I said search him," she repeated. - -The man holstered his gun, snatched at Flip's collar. The shirt ripped -and Flip's fist came up as he rose. _Spat!_ The man staggered backward, -hit the wall and slid to the floor. In the same second Flip hurled his -chair at the man in the doorway. The woman was between him and the -other fellow's gun, which probably saved him. He saw Charlie get to his -feet as he whirled upon the woman--to find her pistol only inches from -his belly. - -Charlie turned upon the man behind him and was struck in the face by a -gun barrel. He fell across a pile of fur, was struggling up when the -heavy man deliberately placed a foot upon his wrist. Flip heard the -bone snap. - -He ground his teeth in rage, started to lunge at the man and felt the -woman's gun press into his ribs. She had not moved from the table and -her face was calm as ever. She had merely changed the cigarette to her -left hand. - -Fingering their bruises, the men Flip had dealt with came up. The other -had his gun leveled on Charlie. Flip saw the little trapper get slowly -to his feet, holding his limp arm. His face was very white. It was then -that Flip became quite sober to the situation. Suddenly he forgot this -woman's beauty, and what had been admiration turned to burning hate. - -He told her so. - -"For the last time," she said, "I'm asking for that map." Her eyes were -green ice and her hand did not waver on the gun. - -"I burned the map." - -"Then you will tell me the location." - -"I will tell you nothing." - -"Perhaps we can change your mind," she said. "Bring a rope, Thorg." - - * * * * * - -After being thoroughly searched, they were pushed through the door. -Charlie didn't say anything and Flip knew his wrist must be agony. - -Twilight had come, the long twilight of Venus which precedes the longer -night, and the mist was wet with drizzling rain. Visibility was poor; -Flip could see only a few yards ahead. The sun, never seen on this dank -planet, was now below the horizon leaving a dull gray afterglow--like -false dawn on Earth. He did not know where they were going nor what -mad torture the woman had conceived. He knew only that hate flamed in -his chest and her white throat in his hands would be a great pleasure. -Never before had Flip desired to harm a woman. But never before had he -seen one like this. - -They passed a trim strato-plane, vague in the fog, and Flip discovered -how the pirates managed to land so noiselessly. On their craft's -power jets were the slim serpentine coils of Doxim silencers, exhaust -mufflers banned for years by Interstellar Law. If only a veedle would -crawl in one of those tubes, he thought; it might blow up the ship. - -Slashing through the rain at Charlie's side, the threatening guns -close behind, Flip was jerked from his heated musings by an .03 shot. -He whirled around, saw smoke curling from the pistol in the woman's -hand. A dead veedle, an exceptionally small mud-mouse, lay at her feet. -Lordy, thought Flip as he was pushed on; the woman was heartless, -mercilessly cruel for the sport of it.... - -The edge of the little island halted them. Here the rock fell away for -several feet to the sickening ooze. Covering half of Venus, it was the -Black Swamp which stretched off in the dismal fog. - -"Tie a rope around his neck and throw him over," came the woman's -impassive voice. "He will become quite loquacious before he sinks...." - -So this was it. Flip looked at Charlie and Charlie looked at the swamp. -Flip followed his gaze and the dark viscous mire rippled in a passing -breeze, hissed against the rock and sucked hungrily like a live thing -waiting to feed. The swamps were bottomless. - -The man Thorg, the one who had broken Charlie's wrist, threw a loop -over Flip's head, pulled it tight about his neck. - -Flip fingered the rope and stared at the woman. Would she really do -this? And would he talk? No! Damned if he would! He'd sink first. But -the mine was worthless. Why not tell her where it was? But he had no -reason to expect a lesser fate if he did. Besides it was a matter of -honor now--and he knew one way to enhance that honor. - -"Hold the rope when you shove him in," said the woman, her eyes mere -slits against the mist. "Let him sink slowly." The other two men had -their guns trained upon Flip. He met Thorg's beady eyes. - -"Son of a veedle!" Flip said in his face. Suddenly he swooped down and -upward with one long arm. The man was shoved forward, to the brink of -the rock. He tottered there a long second, waving his arms frantically. -Flip sprang toward the woman. Flame burst around him, he wasn't hit. -He heard Thorg scream. He crashed into the woman as he heard a splash, -more screams. Then there was silence and he was struggling on the -wet-rock, the woman fighting like a tiger. - -Flip found her gun hand, wrenched the weapon from her. He got to his -knees. The two men stood before him, one holding his gun on Charlie. -They couldn't fire at Flip for fear of hitting the woman. Flip started -to blast them, then turned the pistol upon their Captain Vixen beside -him. - -"Drop your guns or I'll kill her," he said. He leveled his pistol, got -to his feet and backed away from the group. "Take their guns, Charlie," -he grinned. "We're not licked yet." - -"No?" said the woman. - -His eyes flicked to her. She had a pistol in her hand. Flip had his -sights dead upon her. Damn, he thought; he'd forgotten she carried two -guns. They stared at each other--stalemated. The very wind was still. - -"I've never killed a woman--" Flip said. - -"I've never killed a man," she said quietly, "before." For the first -time she smiled. Flip's gun was suddenly jerked away, fire streaked -toward him, he heard the crash. - -She had shot the gun from his hand. - - * * * * * - -He stood there, helpless and dumb. Captain Vixen lit a cigarette, her -gun still ready. She looked at him a long moment. - -"Well," she said, green eyes never leaving his, "what are we waiting -for?" She motioned to the man with the scar. "Take the end of the rope, -Voss. Our Earthian friend hasn't tasted the mud yet, you know." - -Charlie hadn't said anything. A gun at his back, his white mustache -ruffled by the wind, he stood silently watching Flip, holding his -broken arm. The choice was up to Flip. - -"Look at the mud, Flip Miller," said the woman. "There is not even a -ripple where Thorg went down. He went quickly. You shall dip slowly, -that the conceit of your tongue and the rashness of your mind may be -reflected upon with regret." Flip glanced over the rock's edge. There -was only the quiet, waiting mire; no trace of Thorg's body. - -"Vixen--" he began. He never finished for Voss pushed him over with -both hands. - -The black surface of the mud rushed up at him. Arms flailing off -balance, he hit on his side with a heavy splash. He heard Charlie's -yell from above. He raised his head from the mud, tried to brush the -stuff from his eyes. A soft and clinging pressure was warm against his -legs, his waist. Through the mud in his eyes, he saw the dark flat -plain of the swamp stretching away into the mist. Turning, he saw the -perpendicular rock wall of the island rising above him. The hot ooze -crawled up to his chest and in his nostrils was the fetid smell of the -swamp, dank with the warm breath of ancient decay. - -The mud crawled higher. He struck out with his hands against it, -struggled to pull himself upward but a grim suction tugged at his feet -and legs, slowly drew his body downward. Then his wrists were caught in -the irresistible pull. He couldn't move his arms. Looking down, he saw -the black mire high on his chest. As he watched, fascinated, the mire -rose higher. It was at his shoulders. - -Keen and swift, panic struck like a knife in his belly and his arms -strained, every muscle in his body trembled with mad flight. But he -couldn't move and the mud climbed to his throat. This is _it_, he -thought, and pictures paraded through his mind, irrelevant flashes. He -saw faces, dim in the mist above him, blurred with water and the mud -in his eyes. He shook his head violently, the faces cleared. There was -choking pain in his throat. The faces were of three men, and a woman. - -It was Vixen, looking down from the rock above. His head was strained -back and upward against the rope, tight on his throat. He had stopped -sinking. - -"Have you found your tongue?" It was the woman's voice. "Where is the -mine? Speak! Tell me or you sink!" - -Flip stared at her and could say nothing. He was smothered with the -noose on his neck. His eyes burned with the pain, with red hatred of -the woman. - -"Let him down slowly." Her voice again. Flip stared up at her with mute -passion. - -The mud caressed his chin, repulsive and warm. Slowly, he felt it creep -higher, moist against the back of his head. - -"Speak, fool! Where is the mine?" - -He stared up at her with bulging eyes, couldn't speak. Her words were -meaningless. He felt only the pain in his throat, the pressure of the -mire against his body. He knew only that he hated the voice that spoke -and that his body was weak with that hatred. The mud crawled into his -ears and the voice stopped. The mud rose to his lips. He could taste -the thick salty warmth of it. He closed his mouth tightly but the taste -remained. The mud bubbled at his nostrils. He couldn't breathe. He saw -the vast flat plain of black become level with his eyes. - -The mud covered his eyes. - - * * * * * - -The air was good and he gulped at it. He was lying on the rock. He felt -his throat, wiped his face and saw somebody standing over him in the -rain. The man had a scar across his cheek. - -"Try the other one." It was the woman's voice. "Perhaps the muddy -Earthian will talk to save his friend if not himself." - -Flip sat up and stared at them, gathering his wits. Charlie had a rope -about his neck. The man Voss held a pistol at his back. Charlie grinned -at him. - -"Proud of you, boy," he said. His right arm dangled at his side. -Failing the first time, Flip's scene was to be repeated with a new -performer. - -"No," said Flip. "No! Charlie doesn't know where the mine is--he had -nothing to do with this." - -"No matter," said the woman. "Perhaps seeing him in the mud will affect -your obstinacy." - -"That mine's worthless," Flip said. "It's no good any more. Since -I.M.C.--" - -"I know," she replied. - -"Hush, Flip," said Charlie. "There's more going on than we know about. -Don't tell her. I'm an old man and--" - -"Throw him in," said the woman impatiently. - -Flip got to his feet, ignoring the gun in his face. Voss picked up the -end of the rope around Charlie's neck. - -"Stop," said Flip. "I'll tell you." He couldn't let Charlie go through -with this. It wasn't his problem and he had a broken wrist already. - -"Be quiet," said Charlie. "I don't--" - -"Talk," the woman told Flip. The mine must mean a lot to her, Flip -thought. Why? He was positive about the present market price. Could the -radio report have been wrong? No. Not in a quotation affecting five -planets. - -"What do you want with that mine?" Flip stalled. "You know the market -price." - -"Your questions are unhealthy, Earthman. Tell me the mine's location or -your friend goes in the swamp--without a rope." - -Flip told her. He didn't lie. He gave the exact Venusio-magnetic -direction he'd taken to find it. But he was sure of one thing--that -there was more here than he knew. The radio report must have been -wrong.... - -"You shouldn't of told her, Flip," said Charlie. - -"Your life will be short if he lied," said the woman. She glanced up at -the fog. It was a shade darker than when they had come and the rain was -stronger. The mist was thickening and it was much cooler, Flip noticed. - -"Come," said the woman, "we must prove his words while there is light." -She turned, walked up the rock toward the ship. "Tie them in the -cabin," she ordered over her shoulder. "If he lied, we shall return. -If he spoke truth--they have only to free themselves before they -starve...." - - * * * * * - -When the men left, Flip immediately tried the rope. Pulling with all -his strength, he couldn't slacken it and, with the pain in his arm, -there was little Charlie could do. - -"Lordy!!" said Flip. "What now?" - -"We're lucky to be alive," said Charlie. "Captain Vixen must have taken -a fancy to you." - -Flip strained at his ropes with the thought of her. Venusian women were -the beauties of the Universe and this woman had surpassed them all, but -in her dull beauty, thought Flip, there was nothing feminine. She had -no heart. She had but one emotion--the pursuit of her goal. - -"It gets pretty chilly during the nights," said Charlie happily. "We'll -get pneumonia before we starve." - -Flip looked helplessly about the room. They were bound to their chairs -and the ropes looped through holes in the wall. There was no way Flip -could get to Charlie and perhaps untie him. The house was of metal and -through the rusty walls and the open door came the increasing chill of -night. Captain Vixen's men had made them "comfortable," left them to -the whistling wind. - -There was a draft on Flip's neck and he turned to see the rust had -eaten away a small crack behind him. Just another thing, he thought. -He was still caked with mud. Then he almost turned over his chair with -excitement. He craned his neck, saw where the rope binding him was -looped through the wall. They were two small holes, rusty as the rest. - -"Charlie," he said hoarsely, "these dumb Venusians! They've tied us to -a _knife blade_!" - -"What?" - -"The holes they put the rope through! Look at the edges!" He began -see-sawing back and forth with his chair. The rope rubbed against the -rusty edges as he did so. "Maybe I can make it in time. It's been only -a few minutes and they've got to warm up the ship." - -"You mean you're going to face them again. Saints o' Saturn! Leave well -enough alone, boy!" - -Flip kept at his work. If he could get this part of the rope cut the -rest would be simple. "And let 'em get that mine? Hell no! There's -something about that xanite I don't understand and I'm going to find -out what. I'd like a nice long chat with Miss Vixen too." - -Charlie gave up trying to dissuade him and Flip kept sawing. With the -mufflers, he couldn't hear the ship leave but he was sure they hadn't -gone yet. Those high-power planes took a lot of warming up, especially -with Moxims. What to do when he got there? Flip Miller's mind never -strayed far from the present. - -The rope broke. It was a matter of minutes before he was free. - -"Try the same thing, Charlie," Flip said at the door. "You wouldn't be -much good out there with a busted wrist and I'll be back before long." - -"Maybe," said Charlie doubtfully as Flip streaked out into the rain. - - * * * * * - -The ship loomed before him in the mist and Flip halted, some degree of -sanity entering the elation of his escape. He couldn't see through the -fogged windows, but there were three skillful guns inside and he was -unarmed. They had taken all the guns from the shack when they left. -Besides, the ship's door was closed and a strato-plane's hull is solid -metal. Though he considered it, he couldn't just go up and knock. - -The rise-rockets were idling. A pink glow appeared at each blast but -there was only a soft hissing with the mufflers. The power jets hadn't -started; they were geared with a synchronized heat progression which -ignited them only when the proper temperature was reached. - -A veedle scampered across Flip's foot and he jumped. If a veedle -crawled into one of those muffler tubes it would explode, he remembered -thinking when he first saw the ship. Flip snapped his fingers. If a -veedle could cause it, why not he? With mud! He could fill a power -jet and when the ignition started, it would burst like a clogged gun -barrel. They couldn't leave. Perfect! - -Keeping well below the windows, he approached the ship. The power jets, -as usual, were outside and forward of the glowing rise-rockets so he -could work in safety. That is, unless the jets started while he was -near them. But he would never know it if they did. - -Flip scooped up a handful of mud, stuffed it into the five-inch -opening. It was like pouring water in a veedle hole but he kept at -it, and heat from the smaller tubes blistering his hands. He could -hear people moving about inside the plane. Finally he packed one more -handful to make sure, grinning to himself. - -The door in the side of the ship suddenly opened. - -Flip dropped down beside the hull. It was the big fellow with the -scarred cheek. He jumped down, walked toward the rear of the ship where -Flip was. Making a take-off inspection, Flip decided. What should he -do? He could make a break across the rocks, lose himself in the mist. -No--they'd track him down, get Charlie again too. Well, there was one -thing to do then. - -The man was silhouetted against the open door as he walked forward. In -the heavy mist, he couldn't see Flip yet. Crouched on hands and toes, -Flip sank lower. The muscles in his knees tensed. The man came on. Flip -shot toward him, hands outstretched. - -His fingers found the thick throat, squeezed with all their might as -the force of his spring carried them both to the ground. Flip landed on -top, kept his hold on the man's neck. The fellow brought up his hands, -plucked frantically at Flip's wrists but he made only soft gurgling -sounds and soon his hands fell away. Flip turned him loose. He wasn't -dead; a little out of breath. Flip took his pistol from its holster. -To keep him quiet a while longer, he slugged a finishing touch on his -chin. - -With a grin at this aesthetic work, he got to his feet. He had a gun -now. But it was still two against one--he'd learned to count the -woman--and they were inside. It would be risky entering the ship. -Better wait till somebody else came out. They'd be out looking for this -fellow soon enough. The door was still open. - -Flip dragged the unconscious man under the rounded hull. Eyes on the -door, he crouched down beside him to wait. - -Suddenly he remembered the mud he'd stuffed in the power jet. Wow! If -that thing exploded with him near it--! He leaped up, stuck the gun -in his belt. He reached down to drag the man away too. As he turned, -something jabbed hard in his side. - -"So you haven't had enough, Earthman?" It was the other fellow, Voss. -He must have come out the other side, circled around the back. - -The rockets were glowing cherry red now. The power jets would ignite -any moment. - - * * * * * - -"Get away!" cried Flip. "I clogged a tube! It'll explode--" - -"No more of your tricks, Earthman," said Voss. He yanked Flip's gun -from his belt, stuck both of them in Flip's belly. - -"You fool, we'll be blown to bits." - -"Shut up," said Voss, eyeing his comrade lying beside the ship. He -poked him with the toe of his boot. The man groaned, moved slightly. - -Flip saw bubbles ooze from the jet he'd stopped up. It was a matter of -seconds. - -Ignoring the gun, Flip hit Voss in the face. The man staggered back. -Flip whirled to run. As he turned, the mist exploded red. Something -crashed into him. An ear-splitting roar. - -His head hit the rock and he was stunned for a moment. Something large -and heavy lay across him. It was quiet in the mist and the rain was -cool. It was a man's body across him. Something hot and sticky seeped -through his clothes. - -Flip shoved the man aside, sat up. He looked at the man's face. It was -Voss. The back of his head was gone. His shoulders were a crimson mass -and his back and legs were shredded. - -Flip got to his feet. He was covered with blood too but could find only -slight cuts. Voss had received the full force of the explosion and his -body had protected him. - -"Are all Earthians so lucky?" said a voice. - -Flip looked up. The woman, Captain Vixen, was standing before him in -the rain. One hand was on her hip. The other held a pistol. - -Flip stared at her a long time and neither spoke. - -"Lady," he said finally, "must this game go on forever?" - -"Not for you," she replied. - - * * * * * - -"Earthman," said the woman, "in the hills, I am Queen. On the mainland, -I am Terror. In the swamps, I am Death. Whatever defies me on this--my -planet--dies. It needs be so, for the resources of Venus have been -plunder to the Universe. Imperialism ruled until my father, king before -me, died fighting it. You, Earthman, are a symbol of those that killed -him, those that drove my people to poverty--until I came. I am a symbol -of the Venus that _was_--and, as I live, shall be again. You understand -now why you die...." - -Flip looked at the woman and the rain molded her hair into golden -ringlets, the wind shaped her body in the sheer lines of an ancient -goddess. The mist softened the chill beauty of her face and her green -eyes were misty in the deepening twilight. - -The wind was keen and Flip shivered. - -"You are the coldest woman I ever knew," he said. - -"And you are the coolest man." - -"Since I am to die," said Flip, "you may tell me why you wanted that -worthless mine." - -"The xanite is worthless--" She paused. "The asphalt mixed with it is -pitchblende. It was a secret of my father's that the lost Swamp Mine -holds enough _radium_ to buy the Universe--to return Venus to her -rightful place again." - -She raised the pistol, took aim at his chest. Her hand was without a -tremor. - -"At the swamps," said Flip, "you said you'd never killed a man." - -"I spoke truth. Now I am alone--I must." - -Flip heard a splash. A veedle scurried across the woman's boots. She -screamed. The mud-mouse streaked off into the mist. The woman's arms -dropped to her sides. Her eyes were wide. For a fleeting second, the -epitome of womankind was on her face. And the warmth of irrational -helplessness. Then quickly it was gone, the mask returned. She jerked -up her gun and fired. The shot went over Flip's head as he dived. His -lunge knocked her down. He snatched the pistol from her hand, hurled it -into the mist. - -Pinning her arms to the ground, Flip sat upon her and laughed. - -"You're a woman," he gritted, "you're a woman--afraid of a mouse!" She -struggled violently to free herself. "You're a woman, forced into a -deadly legend--a persecution complex. You're beautiful...." - -He bent, kissed her full upon the lips. - -She freed one arm, slapped him across the face. He didn't feel it. -There were tears in her emerald green eyes. Flip threw back his head, -roared his laughter to the wind. - -He'd forgotten Captain Vixen carried two guns. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Venus Has Green Eyes, by Carl Selwyn - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK VENUS HAS GREEN EYES *** - -***** This file should be named 61798-8.txt or 61798-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/1/7/9/61798/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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