Captain Future 27 - Birthplace of Creation (May 1951) by Edmond Hamilton Read Free Book Online Page A

“There’s a few of them on this asteroid and they’ve got tame because I never hurt them. And are they pests! They fool me a dozen times a day with their tricks.”
     
    METEOR-MIMICS ARE RARE
    Captain Future was interested. “I’ve heard of meteor-mimics, but this is the first I’ve seen. They’re a rare species, living only on a few of the smaller asteroids.”
    “How the devil does the critter accomplish those changes?” Otho wanted to know.
    “They’re one of the strangest species of System life known,” Curt Newton said. “These meteor-mimics have all their vital organs in a compact core at the center of their bodies. The rest of the body is merely a mass of loosely organized cells whose structure the creature can almost instantly shift by an effort of will. Undoubtedly, they evolved this perfect camouflage-capacity as a method of defense.”
    Otho’s enthusiasm kindled. “Say, this is just the mascot I’ve been looking for! One that will be able to give Eek the licking of his life.”
    Captain Future grinned. “It’s certainly appropriate as a pet for a disguise-expert like yourself. But I’m not so sure it can thrash Eek.”
    “Of course it can — when it can change itself into any kind of creature it desires!” Otho pointed out. He chortled. “Is Grag going to get the shock of his life! This will kill him.”
     
    HERMIT COMPLAINS OF PESTS
    The hermit made no objection to giving up the meteor-mimic. “Wish you could take them all,” he growled. “Every time I turn around the little pests fool me by looking like something else.”
    Nor was it hard for Otho to make friends with the little animal. Oog, as he decided on the spot to name his pet, was the friendliest beast alive. In ten minutes, he was snuggling contentedly in Otho’s arm.
    As they went to the ship to rejoin Grag and Simon Wright, Otho could not contain his elation.
    “For all these months, I’ve been listening to Grag’s boasting about that miserable moon-pup. Wait till he sees Oog clean up the floor with Eek.”
    “Eek has got wicked teeth and claws,” Captain Future reminded Otho. “I wouldn’t be too sure about how this scrap will turn out.”
    “Oog can grow teeth and claws better than Eek’s,” Otho retorted. “What’s more, Eek is the biggest coward alive, scared of his own shadow. He won’t have a chance.”
    When they rejoined the others in the Comet, Grag stared scornfully at Otho’s new acquisition.
    “That heap of dough for a pet?” scoffed Grag. “Why, it’s the stupidest-looking beast I ever saw in my life.”
    “Stupid, is it?” said Otho. “Just watch this.”
     
    OOG PLAYS A TRICK
    He put Oog down beside a mass of books on Simon’s desk, and then clapped his hands sharply to startle the meteor-mimic. Instantly, Oog changed into another book, perfectly camouflaging himself.
    Otho stroked him to reassure him, and he changed back to his normal shape. The android looked proudly at Grag.
    “It’s disgusting!” Grag said emphatically. “It gives me the creeps to see it twist and change like that. I hope you’re not really going to take it along with us.”
    “Not only is it going along with me,” Otho replied, “but I want to warn you to keep Eek out of its way. I’d sort of hate to see it make a punching-bag out of that poor, dim-witted little moon-pup.”
    Grag rose to the challenge as expected. “That thing make a punching-bag of Eek?” he boomed angrily. “Why, you’re space-struck! Eek would tear that bag of dough wide open.”
    “We’ll soon see,” Otho affirmed. “Bring out your little pest, if you want to watch him take a thrashing.”
     
    THEY PREPARE FOR WAR
    Grag wrathfully agreed. He went into the cyc-room and soon stalked back with the moon-pup in his grasp.
    Eek was chewing a scrap of silver and looking very contented with the world. Then the moon-pup’s beady eyes fell on Oog, and he stared fixedly.
    They put the two small animals down on the floor, while Captain