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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c50259e --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #63963 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/63963) diff --git a/old/63963-h.zip b/old/63963-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 2127fcc..0000000 --- a/old/63963-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/63963-h/63963-h.htm b/old/63963-h/63963-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index ed35b28..0000000 --- a/old/63963-h/63963-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1009 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=us-ascii" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of Mercy Flight, by Mack Reynolds. - </title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; -} - -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} -hr.tb {width: 45%; margin-left: 27.5%; margin-right: 27.5%;} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.right {text-align: right;} - -/* Images */ -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - -.caption p -{ - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0; - margin: 0.25em 0; -} - -div.titlepage { - text-align: center; - page-break-before: always; - page-break-after: always; -} - -div.titlepage p { - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0em; - font-weight: bold; - line-height: 1.5; - margin-top: 3em; -} - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Mercy Flight, by Mack Reynolds - -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: Mercy Flight - -Author: Mack Reynolds - -Release Date: December 5, 2020 [EBook #63963] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MERCY FLIGHT *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>MERCY FLIGHT</h1> - -<h2>by MACK REYNOLDS</h2> - -<p><i>It was a lesson you learned in the Space-Forces,<br /> -and you learned it good: Out in the lonely void, when<br /> -you get in a jam, you're on your own ... it's you<br /> -against everything and everybody. Anything goes....</i></p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Planet Stories July 1951.<br /> -Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br /> -the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>The phone rang and Ed Kerry wasn't doing anything so he picked it up -and said, "Yeah?"</p> - -<p>He said yeah a few more times, his eyes widening infinitesimally each -time, and finally wound up with, "Okay, Bunny."</p> - -<p>He hung up and said, "That was Bunny, up in Oneonta. She says a guy is -coming in from Luna with a kid for emergency hospitalization, radiation -burns or something."</p> - -<p>Jake was sitting back in his swivel chair, his feet on the desk and his -hands clasped behind his head. He growled, "That's the trouble with -women in this game; they've got no story sense. She phones all the way -from Oneonta on a story that's been run a hundred times. Every time -somebody gets good and sick up on Luna they bring 'em to Earth for -treatment." He shrugged. "Okay, so it's a kid this time. Do up about a -stick of it, Kerry, and we'll put it on page three if you can work it -into a tear-jerker."</p> - -<p>Ed Kerry said, "You didn't let me finish, Jake. Something's wrong with -this guy's radio."</p> - -<p>Somebody on the rewrite desk said, "Something wrong with his radio? -He's gotta have his radio or he can't come in."</p> - -<p>Jake took his feet from the desk and sat up. "What'd' ya mean, -something's wrong with his radio?"</p> - -<p>"Bunny said he's calling for his landing instructions but they can't -get anything back to him. He's just reached <i>Brennschluss</i> and he's -in free fall now; it'll be four days before he gets here. That's the -way they work it—he's supposed to get in touch with the spaceport he -wants to land at, and...."</p> - -<p>"I know how they work it," Jake growled. "See if there's anything on -the last newswire from Luna about him."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Phil Mooney flicked his set on again and repeated carefully, "Calling -Oneonta Spaceport. Phil Mooney Outbound Luna, Calling Oneonta -Spaceport. Come in Oneonta."</p> - -<p><i>Calling Phil Mooney. Calling Phil Mooney. Oneonta Spaceport Calling -Phil Mooney. Come in Mooney.</i></p> - -<p>He cast a quick glance back at the child, strapped carefully in -the metal bunk. She was unconscious now, possibly as a result of -the acceleration in leaving Luna. He'd had to reach a speed of -approximately two miles per second to escape Earth's satellite, and -that had called for more G's acceleration than Lillian's sick body -could bear. His lips thinned back over his teeth; it would be even -worse when they came in for landing and he had to brake against Earth's -gravity.</p> - -<p>He switched on the set again to give it another try. Instructions -were to contact the spaceport at which you planned to land as soon -as possible. There was plenty of time, of course, but the sooner the -better.</p> - -<p>He said, "Calling Oneonta Spaceport. This is Phil Mooney, Luna, Calling -Oneonta. Come in Oneonta."</p> - -<p><i>Calling Phil Mooney. Calling Phil Mooney. Oneonta Spaceport Calling -Phil Mooney. Come in Mooney.</i></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Ed Kerry came back to the city room with a sheet of yellow paper that -he'd torn off the radiotype.</p> - -<p>He said, "Here it is, Jake. This kid—her name is Lillian Marshall—is -the only survivor of an explosion at that nuclear-fission laboratory -they had on the dark side. Her old man and her mother were working -under this Professor Deems; both of them killed."</p> - -<p>His eyes went on scanning the story. "Evidently this Phil Mooney runs -an unscheduled spaceline. Anyway, he blasted off to rush the kid to an -earth hospital."</p> - -<p>Jake took the dispatch and scowled at it. "Kerry," he growled, "see -what we got on this Phil Mooney in the morgue." He rubbed the end of -his nose thoughtfully. "They'll probably pick him up all right when he -gets nearer."</p> - -<p>Somebody on rewrite said, "It doesn't make any difference how far he -is; they should be able to reach him even if he was halfway to Mars. -Something's wrong with his set."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He decided to try one of the other spaceports. As a matter of fact, -it made very little difference at which of them he landed. There'd -be suitable hospital facilities within reasonable distance of any -spaceport. He was three days out now, and, according to spaceways -custom, had to let them know he was coming in. It wasn't like landing -an airplane—they want plenty of time to prepare for a spacecraft's -arrival.</p> - -<p>He said, "Calling New Albuquerque Spaceport. Calling New Albuquerque -Spaceport. Phil Mooney, Luna, Calling New Albuquerque. Please come in -New Albuquerque."</p> - -<p><i>Calling Phil Mooney. Calling Phil Mooney. New Albuquerque Spaceport -Calling Phil Mooney. We are receiving you perfectly. Come in Mooney.</i></p> - -<p>He tried once more.</p> - -<p>"Calling New Albuquerque Spaceport. Calling New Albuquerque Spaceport. -Please come in New Albuquerque. Emergency. Repeat Emergency. Please -come in New Albuquerque."</p> - -<p><i>Calling Phil Mooney. Calling Phil Mooney. We are receiving you -perfectly, Mooney. Come in Mooney.</i></p> - -<p>Kitty Kildare took up her notes and prepared to make her way back to -her own tiny office.</p> - -<p>"I've got it, Jake," she said breathlessly. Kitty was always breathless -over any story carrying more pathos than a basketball score. "My column -tomorrow'll have them melting. Actually, I mean."</p> - -<p>Jake shuddered inwardly after she left.</p> - -<p>Ed Kerry came up and drooped on the edge of the desk.</p> - -<p>"Here's the dope on this Phil Mooney, Jake," he said. "He's about -thirty. Was in the last war and saw action when we had our space-forces -storming New Petrograd. Did some fighting around the satellites, too. -Piloted a one seater, got a couple of medals, but never really made big -news."</p> - -<p>"Got any pix of him?"</p> - -<p>Ed Kelly shook his head. "Like I said, he never really made the big -news. Just one more of these young fellas that saw plenty of action and -when the war was over was too keyed up to settle down to everyday life."</p> - -<p>Jake picked up the thin folder and riffled through the few clippings -there. "What's he doing now?" he growled.</p> - -<p>"Evidently when the war ended he got one of these surplus freighters -and converted it. Name of his company is Mooney Space Service; sounds -impressive, but he's the only one in it. Probably going broke; most -of those guys are—can't make the grade against the competition of -Terra-Luna Spaceways and the other big boys with the scheduled flights."</p> - -<p>The city editor scratched the end of his nose speculatively. "Maybe we -ought to have Jim do up an editorial on these unscheduled spacelines. -Something along the line of how heroic some of these guys are; that -sort of stuff. Do up the idea that they're always ready, fair weather -or foul, to make an emergency trip...."</p> - -<p>Kerry said, "There isn't any weather, <i>fair</i> or <i>foul</i>, in space."</p> - -<p>Jake scowled at him. "You know what I mean, wise guy. Meanwhile, get -some statements from some authorities."</p> - -<p>Ed Kerry said painfully, "What statements from what authorities?"</p> - -<p>The city editor glared at him. "So help me, Ed. I'm going to stick you -on obituaries. <i>Any</i> statements from <i>any</i> authorities. You know damn -well what I mean. Get some doctor to beef about the fact there aren't -suitable hospitalization facilities on Luna. Get some president of one -of these unscheduled spacelines to sound off about what a hero Mooney -is and how much good these unscheduled spacelines are—and that reminds -me of something—"</p> - -<p>He yelled to a tall lanky reporter at the far end of the city room: -"Hey, Ted. Get Bunny on the line up in Oneonta and tell her I said to -look up some of these unscheduled spacelines guys and see if she can -get a photograph of Phil Mooney from them. Maybe he's got some buddies -in Oneonta."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>There was one thing about being in free fall. You had lots of time to -sit and think. Too much time, perhaps.</p> - -<p>You had the time to think it <i>all</i> over. And over and over again.</p> - -<p>There was the war which had torn you from the routine into which life -had settled, from friends and relations and sweethearts, and thrown you -into a one man space-fighter in which you sometimes stayed for weeks on -end without communication with anyone, friend or foe.</p> - -<p>There had probably been no equivalent situation in the history of past -warfare to the one man space-scouts. The nearest thing to them might -have been the flyers of 1914, in the first World War—but, of course, -they were up there alone only for hours at a time, not weeks.</p> - -<p>"You develop self-reliance, men," was the way the colonel had put it. -"You develop self-reliance, or you're sunk.</p> - -<p>"You're in space by yourself, alone. You can't use your radio or -they can locate you. If something happens, some emergency, or some -contact with the enemy, you're on your own. <i>You</i> have to figure it -out; there's no superior officer to do your thinking; you're the whole -works."</p> - -<p>And the colonel had been right, of course. It was a matter of using -your own wits, your own ability. Fighting in a space-scout was the -work of an <i>individual</i>, not of a team. Perhaps it would be different -someday in the future when machines and instruments had been developed -further; but now it was an individualistic game, each man for himself.</p> - -<p>And probably it was because of this training that he, Phil Mooney, -was unable to get back into the crowd after the war had ended. He was -an individualist who rebelled against working not only <i>for</i> but even -<i>with</i> someone else.</p> - -<p>He should have known better. Industry had reached beyond the point -where one man goes out by himself and makes a fortune—or even a -living, he thought wryly. It's the day of the <i>big</i> concerns, of -tremendous trusts and cartels, who didn't even have to bother with the -task of squeezing out tiny competitors like himself. He was out before -he started.</p> - -<p>The <i>Mooney Space Service</i>. He snorted in self deprecation.</p> - -<p>Oh, well.</p> - -<p>He pulled himself erect and made his way to the bunk. The kid was -awake. He grinned down at her and said, "How's it going, Lillian?"</p> - -<p>Her eyes seemed glazed, even worse than they'd been yesterday, but she -tried to smile back at him. "All right," she whispered, her child's -voice so low he could hardly make it out. "Where's mother...."</p> - -<p>Phil Mooney held a finger to his lips. "Maybe you'd better not talk -too much, Lillian. Your mother and father are ... they're all right. -The thing now is to get you to the hospital and make you well again. -Understand?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Kitty Kildare was saying indignantly, "What's this about no insurance -on Luna?"</p> - -<p>"Use your head, Kitty," Jake grunted. "What company'd be crazy enough -to insure anybody working on Luna? By the way, that was a good piece on -Mooney and the Marshall kid."</p> - -<p>"Did you read it?" Kitty Kildare was pleased.</p> - -<p>He shuddered. "No, but the letters have been pouring in. Maybe you -ought to do another. Take it from some other angle this time."</p> - -<p>"That's why I wanted to know about the insurance. Do you realize that -this child, this <i>poor</i>, sick, defenseless child, is penniless? -Actually, I mean. Bad enough that her parents have left her an orphan, -but, Jake, that child is penniless."</p> - -<p>"All right, all right," he told her, "work on that for tomorrow's -column."</p> - -<p>Ed came up with another radiotype report, just as Kitty was leaving. -"This guy Mooney's calling all the other spaceports now, Jake. -Evidently he's getting desperate; he's only two days out. And by the -way, here's a new angle. This guy Harry Marshall, the kid's father, was -a war-time buddy of Phil Mooney; they went to cadet school or something -together."</p> - -<p>Jake growled thoughtfully, "He hasn't got a chance, but it makes a -tremendous story. Get somebody to rig up a set in the radiotype room, -Ed, and we'll see if we can listen in."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>There was a desperate, tense, taut inflection in his voice now.</p> - -<p>"Calling New Albuquerque Spaceport or Oneonta Spaceport. Phil Mooney -calling <i>any</i> Earth spaceport. Phil Mooney Calling Oneonta, New -Albuquerque, Casablanca, Mukden, <i>any</i> Earth spaceport. Emergency. -Emergency. Request landing instructions. Have Lillian Marshall, eight -years old, needing immediate medical care, aboard. Please come in any -Earth Spaceport."</p> - -<p><i>Calling Phil Mooney. New Albuquerque calling Phil Mooney. Ambulance -waiting on grounds. Receiving you perfectly. Come in....</i></p> - -<p><i>Calling Phil Mooney. Casablanca Spaceport Calling Phil....</i></p> - -<p><i>Calling Phil Mooney. Mukden Spaceport Calling....</i></p> - -<p><i>Calling Phil Mooney. Oneonta Spaceport Calling Phil Mooney....</i></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Ed Kerry looked up over the set in the radiotype room at the city -editor. He wet his lips carefully and said, "He's only got one day now. -They've got to pick him up in hours or he's sunk."</p> - -<p>Jake said, "I never did understand how that works. Why can't he land -himself? I know he can't, but why?"</p> - -<p>The reporter shrugged. "I don't quite get it either, but evidently the -whole operation is pretty delicate stuff. They bring him down with -radar, somehow or other. It's not like landing an airplane. Landing a -spacecraft is done from the ground up—not from the spacecraft down. -The pilot has comparatively little to do about it. At least, that's the -way it is with nine ships out of ten."</p> - -<p>The set began to blare again, and they both listened tensely. It was -Phil Mooney.</p> - -<p>"Listen, you guys down there. If you're sitting around playing craps or -something, I'm going to have a few necks to break when I get down."</p> - -<p>The two newspapermen stared at each other over the set. Ed Kerry ran -his tongue over his lips again.</p> - -<p>The strained tone had gone from the voice of the spacepilot now and -had been replaced by one of hopelessness. He said, "I don't know who -I think I'm kidding. I know darn well that something's wrong with my -receiver and I can't find out what it is. Maybe my sender is off too, -for all I know. All I can pick up is some girl singing something about -white roses. White roses, yet! I want landing instructions and I get -white roses."</p> - -<p>Ed Kerry jerked his head up and snapped, "Holy jumping hell, he's able -to pick some commercial station!"</p> - -<p>Jake came to his feet, stuck his neck out of the door and yelled at the -top of his voice, "Phil Mooney is receiving some commercial station! -Some dame singing something about white roses! Check every station in -the city! Find out if any of them are broadcasting some dame singing -about white roses."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p><i>Ladies and gentlemen, we interrupt this program for an emergency -situation. Undoubtedly, you have heard on your newscasts and have read -in your papers of the tragic case of Lillian Marshall, child victim of -an atomic explosion on Luna which orphaned her and necessitated her -immediate flight to an Earth hospital.</i></p> - -<p><i>For the past three days the spacecraft carrying her, piloted by war -hero Phillip Mooney, has been having trouble with its radio. Due to -circumstances surrounding landing of spacecraft, the two have been -given up as lost in spite of the fact that almost hourly it has been -possible to receive messages from Mooney.</i></p> - -<p><i>It is now revealed that he is able to pick up this program on the -Interplanetary Broadcasting System network. We are not sure which of -the nearly two thousand stations of our system he is receiving, but we -will now attempt to reach Phillip Mooney with relayed messages from the -Oneonta Spaceport where expert medical care is awaiting little Lillian -Marshall.</i></p> - -<p><i>Come in Oneonta.</i></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p><i>Calling Phil Mooney. Calling Phil Mooney. Come in, Phil. This is -Oneonta Spaceport, relaying through the Interplanetary Broadcasting -System. Come in, Phil.</i></p> - -<p>"Phil Mooney, calling Oneonta. I'm getting you, Oneonta. Come in, -Oneonta. Over."</p> - -<p><i>Okay, Phil. Now this is it. We should have had you two hours ago, but -we'll make out all right. Your velocity is a little too high. Give it -six more units on your Kingston valves. Get that? Over.</i></p> - -<p>"Got it. Six more units on the Kingstons. Over."</p> - -<p><i>All right now. Switch on your remote control, Phil. We'll take it from -here. Stand by the coordinators....</i></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus.jpg" alt=""/> - <div class="caption"> - <p><i>The little ship bulleted down toward Oneonta Spaceport....</i></p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It was night, but a blaze of lights illuminated the Oneonta Spaceport. -Hundreds of landcars stood on the parking lots, thousands of persons -crowded the wire fence which kept all but port personnel from the field -itself.</p> - -<p>The old space-freighter sank easily to the apron and in seconds the -rocket flames died. A surge of humanity ebbed over the field toward the -craft.</p> - -<p>Phil Mooney opened the pilot-compartment's hatch and stuck his head -out, blinking in surprise at the mob beneath him.</p> - -<p>"I don't know what this is all about," he began, "but I've got a sick -kid aboard. There's supposed to be an ambulance...."</p> - -<p>Police wedged through the crowd, convoying a white-haired, -white-jacketed man. He called up to the spacepilot, "We won't need an -ambulance, Mr. Mooney. I've already made arrangements for facilities -here at the airport for immediate treatment."</p> - -<p>Phil Mooney made his way to the ground and scowled, still obviously -startled by the swelling crowd.</p> - -<p>"Who in <i>kert</i> are you?" he asked.</p> - -<p>The other motioned for two assistants to enter the ship and bring out -the child. "I'm Doctor Kern," he said. "I'll see...."</p> - -<p>"Doctor Adrian Kern, the radiation expert?" The pilot frowned -worriedly. "See here, doctor, the Marshalls were friends of mine, and -I've taken over the care of little Lillian, but I'm—well, I'm afraid I -couldn't afford to pay you ... I mean...."</p> - -<p>The famous doctor smiled at him. "I've been retained by the -Interplanetary Golden Heart, Phil. You needn't worry about my fee. -Besides," and he smiled easily, "I'm not going to accept any fee for -this case. You see, I was listening to Marsha Malloy singing 'Love of -White Roses' when your call came through. I believe it was the most -poignant experience I have ever been through."</p> - -<p>A girl next to the doctor gushed, "I'm Bunny Davis, Mr. Mooney. The -managing editor of our newspaper chain has authorized me to buy your -story for five thousand. If you'll just—"</p> - -<p>Phil Mooney blinked. "I—I—"</p> - -<p>A heavy-set man in a business suit grasped his hand and shook it -with fervor, while flashbulbs went off blindingly. "Phil," he said -huskily, as though moved by deep emotion, "as president of the board of -directors of Terra-Luna Spaceways, I wish to take this opportunity to -offer you a full—"</p> - -<p>"Hey! Give us a smile, Phil," a man on top of a television truck -yelled....</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He was headed back for Luna the next day.</p> - -<p>They'd been indignant, of course. There was Hollywood, and the -television networks, and that Terra-Luna Spaceways guy who wanted to -get in on all the publicity by offering him a vice-presidency. And the -newspaper editors, and the magazine editors, and all the rest of them.</p> - -<p>Approximately a billion persons had been tuned in to the Interplanetary -network when the emergency landing instructions had been broadcast to -him through that system. A billion persons had sat on the edge of -their chairs, tensely, as his ship had been brought in.</p> - -<p>He and little Lillian had received more publicity in the past -twenty-four hours than anyone since Lindbergh.</p> - -<p>And the child would be all right now. Before he'd left, checks totaling -over a quarter of a million had come in for her. Donations from all -over the Earth and from Mars and Venus and even some from the Jupiter -satellites.</p> - -<p>And offers of adoption. Thousands of them, from rich and poor—even -including Marsha Malloy, the video star who'd been singing that song, -"Love of White Roses."</p> - -<p>Yes, Lillian would be all right. He wouldn't have been able to pay for -the medical care she'd needed; but now she had the most capable experts -on Earth at her disposal.</p> - -<p>They had been indignant when he blasted off again for Luna. They'd -wanted to make a hero of him. This leaving on his part they interpreted -as modesty—which, come to think of it, would make him all the more of -a hero.</p> - -<p>Phil Mooney slipped a hand down to his set and flicked it on. He dialed -over a dozen different stations. The news programs were all full of him -and of Lillian. You'd think, to hear them, that he was the noblest, the -most daring, the greatest man since Alexander the Great.</p> - -<p>He grinned wryly. One of the reasons he'd been so anxious to leave -was to get away before somebody thought to check his set to see what -was wrong with it. Why, if anybody had found that it was actually in -perfect shape, they'd probably have lynched him.</p> - -<p>Yeah. The colonel had been right. In the space-forces you learned to be -self-reliant. When you got in a bad spot, you figured it out yourself. -You're on your own; it's you against everything and everybody. Anything -goes.</p> - -<p>His grin broadened. Maybe he wasn't a hero—the way they were all -painting him; but at least Lillian was all right now, and no longer -penniless the way her parents' death had left her.</p> - -<p>—And he wasn't doing so badly himself.</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Mercy Flight, by Mack Reynolds - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MERCY FLIGHT *** - -***** This file should be named 63963-h.htm or 63963-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/3/9/6/63963/ - -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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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: Mercy Flight - -Author: Mack Reynolds - -Release Date: December 5, 2020 [EBook #63963] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MERCY FLIGHT *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - MERCY FLIGHT - - by MACK REYNOLDS - - _It was a lesson you learned in the Space-Forces, - and you learned it good: Out in the lonely void, when - you get in a jam, you're on your own ... it's you - against everything and everybody. Anything goes...._ - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Planet Stories July 1951. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -The phone rang and Ed Kerry wasn't doing anything so he picked it up -and said, "Yeah?" - -He said yeah a few more times, his eyes widening infinitesimally each -time, and finally wound up with, "Okay, Bunny." - -He hung up and said, "That was Bunny, up in Oneonta. She says a guy is -coming in from Luna with a kid for emergency hospitalization, radiation -burns or something." - -Jake was sitting back in his swivel chair, his feet on the desk and his -hands clasped behind his head. He growled, "That's the trouble with -women in this game; they've got no story sense. She phones all the way -from Oneonta on a story that's been run a hundred times. Every time -somebody gets good and sick up on Luna they bring 'em to Earth for -treatment." He shrugged. "Okay, so it's a kid this time. Do up about a -stick of it, Kerry, and we'll put it on page three if you can work it -into a tear-jerker." - -Ed Kerry said, "You didn't let me finish, Jake. Something's wrong with -this guy's radio." - -Somebody on the rewrite desk said, "Something wrong with his radio? -He's gotta have his radio or he can't come in." - -Jake took his feet from the desk and sat up. "What'd' ya mean, -something's wrong with his radio?" - -"Bunny said he's calling for his landing instructions but they can't -get anything back to him. He's just reached _Brennschluss_ and he's -in free fall now; it'll be four days before he gets here. That's the -way they work it--he's supposed to get in touch with the spaceport he -wants to land at, and...." - -"I know how they work it," Jake growled. "See if there's anything on -the last newswire from Luna about him." - - * * * * * - -Phil Mooney flicked his set on again and repeated carefully, "Calling -Oneonta Spaceport. Phil Mooney Outbound Luna, Calling Oneonta -Spaceport. Come in Oneonta." - -_Calling Phil Mooney. Calling Phil Mooney. Oneonta Spaceport Calling -Phil Mooney. Come in Mooney._ - -He cast a quick glance back at the child, strapped carefully in -the metal bunk. She was unconscious now, possibly as a result of -the acceleration in leaving Luna. He'd had to reach a speed of -approximately two miles per second to escape Earth's satellite, and -that had called for more G's acceleration than Lillian's sick body -could bear. His lips thinned back over his teeth; it would be even -worse when they came in for landing and he had to brake against Earth's -gravity. - -He switched on the set again to give it another try. Instructions -were to contact the spaceport at which you planned to land as soon -as possible. There was plenty of time, of course, but the sooner the -better. - -He said, "Calling Oneonta Spaceport. This is Phil Mooney, Luna, Calling -Oneonta. Come in Oneonta." - -_Calling Phil Mooney. Calling Phil Mooney. Oneonta Spaceport Calling -Phil Mooney. Come in Mooney._ - - * * * * * - -Ed Kerry came back to the city room with a sheet of yellow paper that -he'd torn off the radiotype. - -He said, "Here it is, Jake. This kid--her name is Lillian Marshall--is -the only survivor of an explosion at that nuclear-fission laboratory -they had on the dark side. Her old man and her mother were working -under this Professor Deems; both of them killed." - -His eyes went on scanning the story. "Evidently this Phil Mooney runs -an unscheduled spaceline. Anyway, he blasted off to rush the kid to an -earth hospital." - -Jake took the dispatch and scowled at it. "Kerry," he growled, "see -what we got on this Phil Mooney in the morgue." He rubbed the end of -his nose thoughtfully. "They'll probably pick him up all right when he -gets nearer." - -Somebody on rewrite said, "It doesn't make any difference how far he -is; they should be able to reach him even if he was halfway to Mars. -Something's wrong with his set." - - * * * * * - -He decided to try one of the other spaceports. As a matter of fact, -it made very little difference at which of them he landed. There'd -be suitable hospital facilities within reasonable distance of any -spaceport. He was three days out now, and, according to spaceways -custom, had to let them know he was coming in. It wasn't like landing -an airplane--they want plenty of time to prepare for a spacecraft's -arrival. - -He said, "Calling New Albuquerque Spaceport. Calling New Albuquerque -Spaceport. Phil Mooney, Luna, Calling New Albuquerque. Please come in -New Albuquerque." - -_Calling Phil Mooney. Calling Phil Mooney. New Albuquerque Spaceport -Calling Phil Mooney. We are receiving you perfectly. Come in Mooney._ - -He tried once more. - -"Calling New Albuquerque Spaceport. Calling New Albuquerque Spaceport. -Please come in New Albuquerque. Emergency. Repeat Emergency. Please -come in New Albuquerque." - -_Calling Phil Mooney. Calling Phil Mooney. We are receiving you -perfectly, Mooney. Come in Mooney._ - -Kitty Kildare took up her notes and prepared to make her way back to -her own tiny office. - -"I've got it, Jake," she said breathlessly. Kitty was always breathless -over any story carrying more pathos than a basketball score. "My column -tomorrow'll have them melting. Actually, I mean." - -Jake shuddered inwardly after she left. - -Ed Kerry came up and drooped on the edge of the desk. - -"Here's the dope on this Phil Mooney, Jake," he said. "He's about -thirty. Was in the last war and saw action when we had our space-forces -storming New Petrograd. Did some fighting around the satellites, too. -Piloted a one seater, got a couple of medals, but never really made big -news." - -"Got any pix of him?" - -Ed Kelly shook his head. "Like I said, he never really made the big -news. Just one more of these young fellas that saw plenty of action and -when the war was over was too keyed up to settle down to everyday life." - -Jake picked up the thin folder and riffled through the few clippings -there. "What's he doing now?" he growled. - -"Evidently when the war ended he got one of these surplus freighters -and converted it. Name of his company is Mooney Space Service; sounds -impressive, but he's the only one in it. Probably going broke; most -of those guys are--can't make the grade against the competition of -Terra-Luna Spaceways and the other big boys with the scheduled flights." - -The city editor scratched the end of his nose speculatively. "Maybe we -ought to have Jim do up an editorial on these unscheduled spacelines. -Something along the line of how heroic some of these guys are; that -sort of stuff. Do up the idea that they're always ready, fair weather -or foul, to make an emergency trip...." - -Kerry said, "There isn't any weather, _fair_ or _foul_, in space." - -Jake scowled at him. "You know what I mean, wise guy. Meanwhile, get -some statements from some authorities." - -Ed Kerry said painfully, "What statements from what authorities?" - -The city editor glared at him. "So help me, Ed. I'm going to stick you -on obituaries. _Any_ statements from _any_ authorities. You know damn -well what I mean. Get some doctor to beef about the fact there aren't -suitable hospitalization facilities on Luna. Get some president of one -of these unscheduled spacelines to sound off about what a hero Mooney -is and how much good these unscheduled spacelines are--and that reminds -me of something--" - -He yelled to a tall lanky reporter at the far end of the city room: -"Hey, Ted. Get Bunny on the line up in Oneonta and tell her I said to -look up some of these unscheduled spacelines guys and see if she can -get a photograph of Phil Mooney from them. Maybe he's got some buddies -in Oneonta." - - * * * * * - -There was one thing about being in free fall. You had lots of time to -sit and think. Too much time, perhaps. - -You had the time to think it _all_ over. And over and over again. - -There was the war which had torn you from the routine into which life -had settled, from friends and relations and sweethearts, and thrown you -into a one man space-fighter in which you sometimes stayed for weeks on -end without communication with anyone, friend or foe. - -There had probably been no equivalent situation in the history of past -warfare to the one man space-scouts. The nearest thing to them might -have been the flyers of 1914, in the first World War--but, of course, -they were up there alone only for hours at a time, not weeks. - -"You develop self-reliance, men," was the way the colonel had put it. -"You develop self-reliance, or you're sunk. - -"You're in space by yourself, alone. You can't use your radio or -they can locate you. If something happens, some emergency, or some -contact with the enemy, you're on your own. _You_ have to figure it -out; there's no superior officer to do your thinking; you're the whole -works." - -And the colonel had been right, of course. It was a matter of using -your own wits, your own ability. Fighting in a space-scout was the -work of an _individual_, not of a team. Perhaps it would be different -someday in the future when machines and instruments had been developed -further; but now it was an individualistic game, each man for himself. - -And probably it was because of this training that he, Phil Mooney, -was unable to get back into the crowd after the war had ended. He was -an individualist who rebelled against working not only _for_ but even -_with_ someone else. - -He should have known better. Industry had reached beyond the point -where one man goes out by himself and makes a fortune--or even a -living, he thought wryly. It's the day of the _big_ concerns, of -tremendous trusts and cartels, who didn't even have to bother with the -task of squeezing out tiny competitors like himself. He was out before -he started. - -The _Mooney Space Service_. He snorted in self deprecation. - -Oh, well. - -He pulled himself erect and made his way to the bunk. The kid was -awake. He grinned down at her and said, "How's it going, Lillian?" - -Her eyes seemed glazed, even worse than they'd been yesterday, but she -tried to smile back at him. "All right," she whispered, her child's -voice so low he could hardly make it out. "Where's mother...." - -Phil Mooney held a finger to his lips. "Maybe you'd better not talk -too much, Lillian. Your mother and father are ... they're all right. -The thing now is to get you to the hospital and make you well again. -Understand?" - - * * * * * - -Kitty Kildare was saying indignantly, "What's this about no insurance -on Luna?" - -"Use your head, Kitty," Jake grunted. "What company'd be crazy enough -to insure anybody working on Luna? By the way, that was a good piece on -Mooney and the Marshall kid." - -"Did you read it?" Kitty Kildare was pleased. - -He shuddered. "No, but the letters have been pouring in. Maybe you -ought to do another. Take it from some other angle this time." - -"That's why I wanted to know about the insurance. Do you realize that -this child, this _poor_, sick, defenseless child, is penniless? -Actually, I mean. Bad enough that her parents have left her an orphan, -but, Jake, that child is penniless." - -"All right, all right," he told her, "work on that for tomorrow's -column." - -Ed came up with another radiotype report, just as Kitty was leaving. -"This guy Mooney's calling all the other spaceports now, Jake. -Evidently he's getting desperate; he's only two days out. And by the -way, here's a new angle. This guy Harry Marshall, the kid's father, was -a war-time buddy of Phil Mooney; they went to cadet school or something -together." - -Jake growled thoughtfully, "He hasn't got a chance, but it makes a -tremendous story. Get somebody to rig up a set in the radiotype room, -Ed, and we'll see if we can listen in." - - * * * * * - -There was a desperate, tense, taut inflection in his voice now. - -"Calling New Albuquerque Spaceport or Oneonta Spaceport. Phil Mooney -calling _any_ Earth spaceport. Phil Mooney Calling Oneonta, New -Albuquerque, Casablanca, Mukden, _any_ Earth spaceport. Emergency. -Emergency. Request landing instructions. Have Lillian Marshall, eight -years old, needing immediate medical care, aboard. Please come in any -Earth Spaceport." - -_Calling Phil Mooney. New Albuquerque calling Phil Mooney. Ambulance -waiting on grounds. Receiving you perfectly. Come in...._ - -_Calling Phil Mooney. Casablanca Spaceport Calling Phil...._ - -_Calling Phil Mooney. Mukden Spaceport Calling...._ - -_Calling Phil Mooney. Oneonta Spaceport Calling Phil Mooney...._ - - * * * * * - -Ed Kerry looked up over the set in the radiotype room at the city -editor. He wet his lips carefully and said, "He's only got one day now. -They've got to pick him up in hours or he's sunk." - -Jake said, "I never did understand how that works. Why can't he land -himself? I know he can't, but why?" - -The reporter shrugged. "I don't quite get it either, but evidently the -whole operation is pretty delicate stuff. They bring him down with -radar, somehow or other. It's not like landing an airplane. Landing a -spacecraft is done from the ground up--not from the spacecraft down. -The pilot has comparatively little to do about it. At least, that's the -way it is with nine ships out of ten." - -The set began to blare again, and they both listened tensely. It was -Phil Mooney. - -"Listen, you guys down there. If you're sitting around playing craps or -something, I'm going to have a few necks to break when I get down." - -The two newspapermen stared at each other over the set. Ed Kerry ran -his tongue over his lips again. - -The strained tone had gone from the voice of the spacepilot now and -had been replaced by one of hopelessness. He said, "I don't know who -I think I'm kidding. I know darn well that something's wrong with my -receiver and I can't find out what it is. Maybe my sender is off too, -for all I know. All I can pick up is some girl singing something about -white roses. White roses, yet! I want landing instructions and I get -white roses." - -Ed Kerry jerked his head up and snapped, "Holy jumping hell, he's able -to pick some commercial station!" - -Jake came to his feet, stuck his neck out of the door and yelled at the -top of his voice, "Phil Mooney is receiving some commercial station! -Some dame singing something about white roses! Check every station in -the city! Find out if any of them are broadcasting some dame singing -about white roses." - - * * * * * - -_Ladies and gentlemen, we interrupt this program for an emergency -situation. Undoubtedly, you have heard on your newscasts and have read -in your papers of the tragic case of Lillian Marshall, child victim of -an atomic explosion on Luna which orphaned her and necessitated her -immediate flight to an Earth hospital._ - -_For the past three days the spacecraft carrying her, piloted by war -hero Phillip Mooney, has been having trouble with its radio. Due to -circumstances surrounding landing of spacecraft, the two have been -given up as lost in spite of the fact that almost hourly it has been -possible to receive messages from Mooney._ - -_It is now revealed that he is able to pick up this program on the -Interplanetary Broadcasting System network. We are not sure which of -the nearly two thousand stations of our system he is receiving, but we -will now attempt to reach Phillip Mooney with relayed messages from the -Oneonta Spaceport where expert medical care is awaiting little Lillian -Marshall._ - -_Come in Oneonta._ - - * * * * * - -_Calling Phil Mooney. Calling Phil Mooney. Come in, Phil. This is -Oneonta Spaceport, relaying through the Interplanetary Broadcasting -System. Come in, Phil._ - -"Phil Mooney, calling Oneonta. I'm getting you, Oneonta. Come in, -Oneonta. Over." - -_Okay, Phil. Now this is it. We should have had you two hours ago, but -we'll make out all right. Your velocity is a little too high. Give it -six more units on your Kingston valves. Get that? Over._ - -"Got it. Six more units on the Kingstons. Over." - -_All right now. Switch on your remote control, Phil. We'll take it from -here. Stand by the coordinators...._ - -[Illustration: _The little ship bulleted down toward Oneonta -Spaceport...._] - - * * * * * - -It was night, but a blaze of lights illuminated the Oneonta Spaceport. -Hundreds of landcars stood on the parking lots, thousands of persons -crowded the wire fence which kept all but port personnel from the field -itself. - -The old space-freighter sank easily to the apron and in seconds the -rocket flames died. A surge of humanity ebbed over the field toward the -craft. - -Phil Mooney opened the pilot-compartment's hatch and stuck his head -out, blinking in surprise at the mob beneath him. - -"I don't know what this is all about," he began, "but I've got a sick -kid aboard. There's supposed to be an ambulance...." - -Police wedged through the crowd, convoying a white-haired, -white-jacketed man. He called up to the spacepilot, "We won't need an -ambulance, Mr. Mooney. I've already made arrangements for facilities -here at the airport for immediate treatment." - -Phil Mooney made his way to the ground and scowled, still obviously -startled by the swelling crowd. - -"Who in _kert_ are you?" he asked. - -The other motioned for two assistants to enter the ship and bring out -the child. "I'm Doctor Kern," he said. "I'll see...." - -"Doctor Adrian Kern, the radiation expert?" The pilot frowned -worriedly. "See here, doctor, the Marshalls were friends of mine, and -I've taken over the care of little Lillian, but I'm--well, I'm afraid I -couldn't afford to pay you ... I mean...." - -The famous doctor smiled at him. "I've been retained by the -Interplanetary Golden Heart, Phil. You needn't worry about my fee. -Besides," and he smiled easily, "I'm not going to accept any fee for -this case. You see, I was listening to Marsha Malloy singing 'Love of -White Roses' when your call came through. I believe it was the most -poignant experience I have ever been through." - -A girl next to the doctor gushed, "I'm Bunny Davis, Mr. Mooney. The -managing editor of our newspaper chain has authorized me to buy your -story for five thousand. If you'll just--" - -Phil Mooney blinked. "I--I--" - -A heavy-set man in a business suit grasped his hand and shook it -with fervor, while flashbulbs went off blindingly. "Phil," he said -huskily, as though moved by deep emotion, "as president of the board of -directors of Terra-Luna Spaceways, I wish to take this opportunity to -offer you a full--" - -"Hey! Give us a smile, Phil," a man on top of a television truck -yelled.... - - * * * * * - -He was headed back for Luna the next day. - -They'd been indignant, of course. There was Hollywood, and the -television networks, and that Terra-Luna Spaceways guy who wanted to -get in on all the publicity by offering him a vice-presidency. And the -newspaper editors, and the magazine editors, and all the rest of them. - -Approximately a billion persons had been tuned in to the Interplanetary -network when the emergency landing instructions had been broadcast to -him through that system. A billion persons had sat on the edge of -their chairs, tensely, as his ship had been brought in. - -He and little Lillian had received more publicity in the past -twenty-four hours than anyone since Lindbergh. - -And the child would be all right now. Before he'd left, checks totaling -over a quarter of a million had come in for her. Donations from all -over the Earth and from Mars and Venus and even some from the Jupiter -satellites. - -And offers of adoption. Thousands of them, from rich and poor--even -including Marsha Malloy, the video star who'd been singing that song, -"Love of White Roses." - -Yes, Lillian would be all right. He wouldn't have been able to pay for -the medical care she'd needed; but now she had the most capable experts -on Earth at her disposal. - -They had been indignant when he blasted off again for Luna. They'd -wanted to make a hero of him. This leaving on his part they interpreted -as modesty--which, come to think of it, would make him all the more of -a hero. - -Phil Mooney slipped a hand down to his set and flicked it on. He dialed -over a dozen different stations. The news programs were all full of him -and of Lillian. You'd think, to hear them, that he was the noblest, the -most daring, the greatest man since Alexander the Great. - -He grinned wryly. One of the reasons he'd been so anxious to leave -was to get away before somebody thought to check his set to see what -was wrong with it. Why, if anybody had found that it was actually in -perfect shape, they'd probably have lynched him. - -Yeah. The colonel had been right. In the space-forces you learned to be -self-reliant. When you got in a bad spot, you figured it out yourself. -You're on your own; it's you against everything and everybody. Anything -goes. - -His grin broadened. Maybe he wasn't a hero--the way they were all -painting him; but at least Lillian was all right now, and no longer -penniless the way her parents' death had left her. - ---And he wasn't doing so badly himself. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Mercy Flight, by Mack Reynolds - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MERCY FLIGHT *** - -***** This file should be named 63963.txt or 63963.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/3/9/6/63963/ - -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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