Trapped on Venus by Carl Conrad Read Free Book Online Page A

Scott,” Marty noted, controlling himself. His voice
had calmed, partly from fear, partly from amazement, but his heart still raced
with an ever-increasing rhythm.
      “...Or, maybe they’re
just trying to communicate with us,” Scott replied, seeming almost hypnotized
by the monstrous curl and roll of the creature. He took another step forward.
      “Hold it, Scott! Stop!
Stop!” He stopped, and Marty breathed a sigh of relief. “Let’s not take any
unnecessary chances. Let’s toss them something instead. We don’t have to get
killed to find out if they’re hostile. Try throwing them your extractor. If
they react, then we’ll know their intentions. But, if one of us goes, Scott,
the other one will be next. Be careful. It takes two men to fly that ship. I
don’t want to try it alone.”
      “Roger,” Scott
answered. He knew Marty was right.
      Scott removed the
extractor from the belt of his suit and swung it several times like a pendulum
before releasing it. With a full extension of his arm, he tossed it into the
middle pool, watching it tumble through the air, end over end. The looming
creature in the center ravenously smothered it as if recovering a loose fumble,
then slowly oozed to its normal size. That was the last they saw of the
extractor.
      “What now, Scott?”
There was depression in Marty’s voice. He glanced down at his oxygen indicator.
“We’ve only got twelve and a half minutes left. We can’t wait. We’ve got to get
back to the ship!”
      “I know, Marty. I
know...”

Chapter 6 – Trying To Communicate
      Scott was aware of the
time. He knew how urgent it was that they return to the ship, but he was also
overwhelmed by the idea of making contact with the creatures. If only they
could establish contact, communicate in some way, make them understand that
they were friendly, that they didn’t want to harm them, it would be the most
dramatic event in the history of mankind. Think of it – actually
communicating with another, completely different form of life! But, how? How
could they get through to them? They didn’t know if the creatures were friendly
or hostile, if they were even intelligent! Perhaps this was some form of
natural quagmire, something like quicksand on Earth, just a lifeless pit of
sludge spelling doom for anyone trapped in it. Or, the creatures could be
mindless, unthinking, insatiable sponges, feeling no more than the pangs of
their stomachs, seeking no more than growth and nourishment.
      If only they knew what
was going on in those pools. If they could just understand how, and if, the
creatures communicated. But, Venus was so much different from Earth, so alien
and unpredictable. After millions of years of evolution, humans were finally
beginning to understand the workings of their own planet – its uses and dangers
– and now, were these two astronauts expected to fathom the mysteries of yet
another world in the scope of twelve minutes... or perish?
      But, this was so
strange, so infinitely different from Earth, that Scott felt fatigue and
frustration at the same time. There was so much he didn’t know, so much still
to learn. Earth wasn’t the only way things could be arranged. There had to be
as many varieties of life in the universe as there were stars in the sky, or
grains of sand on the beach – so many different ways to organize things, to
harmonize, to arrange and rearrange them – yet, there was so little time to
understand even these creatures.
      What can we do? Scott thought. We have to get
back to the ship. But, should we fight them, try to battle our way back? They
may be even more intelligent than we are and retaliate if we attack. But, if
they don’t let us pass, we’ll suffocate out here!
      Scott looked over at
Marty, seeing him still intently focused on the pools. Both knew that they had
to find an answer and find it fast!
      “What do you suppose
made them surface in the first place, Marty? Do you think
    they were curious,