Isaac Asimov - Lucky Starr And The Oceanf Of Venus

Evans said wearily, "And we're really heading back for Aphrodite now, Lucky? No mistake?"

"We're heading back unless the instruments are lying, and I don't think they are," said Lucky. "When we do get back and we can spare the time, we'll all of us get a little medical attention."

"Sleep!" insisted Bigman. "That's all I want. Just two days of solid sleep."

"You'll get that, too," said Lucky.

But Evans, more than the other two, was haunted by the experience. It showed quite plainly in the way he huddled in his own arms and slouched, almost cowered, in his chair. He said, "Aren't they interfering with us in any way at all any more?" There was the lightest emphasis on the word they.

"I can't guarantee that," said Lucky, "but the worst of the affair is over in a way. I reached the space station."

"You're sure? There's no mistake?"

"None at all. They even relayed me to Earth and I spoke to Conway directly. That part is settled."

"Then it's all settled," crowed Bigman joyously. "Earth is prepared. It knows the truth about the V-frogs."

Lucky smiled, but offered no comment.

Bigman said, "Just one thing, Lucky. Tell me what happened. How did you break their hold? Sands of Mars! What did you do?"

Lucky said, "Nothing that I ought not to have thought of long hi advance and saved us all a great deal of needless trouble. The voice told us that all they needed in life was to live and to think. You recall that, Bigman? It said later on that we had no way of threatening them and no way of bribing them? It was only at the last moment that I realized you and I knew better."

" I know better?" said Bigman blankly.

"Certainly you do. You found out two minutes after you saw your first V-frog, that life and thought is not all they need. I told you on the way to the surface that Venusian plants stored oxygen so that Venusian animals got their oxygen from their food and didn't have to breathe. In fact, I said, they probably get too much oxygen and that's why they're so fond of low-oxygen food like hydrocarbons. Like axle grease, for instance. Don't you remember?"

Bigman's eyes were widening. "Sure."

"Just think how they must crave hydrocarbon. It must be like the craving of a child for candy."

Bigman said once again, "Sure."

"Now the V-frogs had us under mental control, but to maintain us under such control, they had to concentrate. What I had to do was distract them, at least to distract those that were nearest the ship, and whose power over us was strongest. So I threw out the obvious thing."

"But what? Don't play cute, Lucky."

"I threw out an open jar of petroleum jelly, which I got out of the medicine cabinet. It's pure hydrocarbon, of much higher grade than the axle grease. They couldn't resist. Even with so much at stake, they couldn't resist. Those nearest to the jar dived for it. Others farther away were in mental rapport, and their minds turned instantly to hydrocarbon. They lost control of us, and I was able to put through the call. That was all."

"Well, then," said Evans, "we're through with them."

"If it comes to that," said Lucky, "I'm not at all certain. There are a few things…"

He turned away, frowning, his lips clamped shut, as though he had already spoken too much.

The dome glimmered gorgeously outside the port, and Bigman felt his heart lift at the sight. He had eaten, even napped a bit, and his ebullient spirits bubbled as ever now. Lou Evans had recovered considerably from his own despondency. Only Lucky had not lost his look of wariness.

Bigman said, "I tell you the V-frogs are demoralized, Lucky. Look here, we've come back through a hundred miles of ocean, nearly, and they haven't touched us once. Well, have they?"

Lucky said, "Right now, I'm wondering why we don't get an answer from the dome."

Evans frowned in his turn. "They shouldn't take this long."

Bigman looked from one to the other. "You don't think anything can be wrong inside the city, do you?"

Lucky waved his hand for silence. A voice came in over the receiver, low and rapid.

"Identification, please."

Lucky said, "This is the Council-chartered subship Hilda, out of Aphrodite, returning to Aphrodite. David Starr in charge and speaking."

"You will have to wait."

"For what reason, please?"

"The locks are all in operation in the moment."

Evans frowned and muttered, "That's impossible, Lucky."

Lucky said, "When will one be free? Give me its location, and direct me to its vicinity by ultrasignal."

"You will have to wait."

The connection remained open, but the man at the other end spoke no more.

Bigman said indignantly, "Get Councilman Morriss, Lucky. That'll get some action."

Evans said hesitantly, "Morriss thinks I'm a traitor. Do you suppose he could have decided that you've thrown in with me, Lucky?"

"If so," said Lucky, "he'd be anxious to get us into the city. No, it's my thought that the man we've been speaking to is under mental control."

Evans said, "To stop us from getting in? Are you serious?"

"I'm serious."

"There's no way they can stop us from getting hi in

the long run unless they…" Evans paled and moved

to the porthole in two rapid strides. "Lucky, you're right! They're bringing a cannon blaster to bear! They're going to blow us out of the water!"

Bigman was at the porthole, too. There was no mistake about it. A section of the dome had moved to one side, and through it, somewhat unreal as seen through water, was a squat tube.

Bigman watched the muzzle lower and center upon, them, with fascinated horror. The Hilda was unarmed. It could never gain velocity fast enough to escape being blasted. There seemed no way out of instant death.

But even as Bigman felt his stomach constrict at the prospect of imminent destruction, he could hear Lucky's even voice speaking forcefully into the transmitter:

"Subship Hilda arriving with cargo of petroleum… Subship Hilda arriving with cargo of petroleum… Subship Hilda arriving with cargo of petroleum… Subship Hilda … "

An agitated voice broke through from the other end. "Clement Heber at lock control at this end. What is wrong? Repeat. What is wrong? Clement Heber…"

Bigman yelled, "They're withdrawing the blaster, Lucky."

Lucky let out his breath in a puff, but only in that way did he show any sign of tension. He said into the transmitter, "Subship Hilda reporting for entrance to Aphrodite. Please assign lock. Repeat. Please assign lock."

"You may have lock number fifteen. Follow directional signal. There seems to be some confusion here."

Lucky rose and said to Evans, "Lou, take the controls and get the ship into the city as fast as you can." He motioned Bigman to follow him to the other room.

"What-what…" Bigman spluttered like a leaky

popgun.

Lucky sighed and said, "I thought the V-frogs would try to arrange to have us kept out, so I was all set with the petroleum trick. But I didn't think things would get so bad they would point a cannon at us. That made it really tough. I wasn't as sure as all that that the petroleum notion would work."

"But how did it?"

"Hydrocarbon again. Petroleum is hydrocarbon. My word came over the open radio and the V-frogs who had the dome guards under control were distracted."

"How come they knew what petroleum was?"

"I pictured it in my mind, Bigman, with every bit of imagination I had. They can read minds when you sharpen the mental pictures by speaking, you know.

"But never mind all that." His voice dropped to a whisper. "If they're ready to blow us out of the ocean, if they're ready for something as crudely violent as that, they're desperate; and we're desperate, too. We've got to bring this to an end right away, and we've got to do the right thing. One mistake at this stage could be fatal."'