The Early Asimov. Volume 2

Henry's chest deflated with an audible gasp. He frowned. 'Very funny - And I on my best behavior, too.' He drifted away, brooded sulkily awhile, and then addressed the trees in a distant manner, 'Which reminds me that tomorrow is Daphne's birthday. I've promised her a present.'

'Get her a reducing belt,' came the quick retort. 'Fat thing!'

'Who's fat? Daphne? Oh - I wouldn't say so.' He considered matters carefully, one thoughtful eye upon the young girl at his side. 'Now my description of her would be - shall we say - "pleasingly plump," or, maybe, "comfortably upholstered." '

'She's fat,' Irene's voice was suddenly a hiss, and something very like a frown wrinkled her lovely face, 'and her eyes are green.' She swung on ahead, chin high, and superbly conscious of her own little figure.

Henry hastened his steps and caught up, 'Of course, I prefer skinny girls any day.'

Irene whirled on him and her little fists clenched, 'I'm not skinny, you incredibly stupid ape.'

'But Irene, who said I meant you?' His voice was solemn, but his eyes were laughing.

The girl reddened to the ears and turned away, lower lip trembling. The smile faded from Henry's eyes and was replaced by a look of concern. His arm shot out hesitantly and slipped about her shoulder.

'Angry, Irene?'

The smile that lit her face of a sudden was as brilliant as the. sparkling sheen of her silvery hair in the bright sun,

'No,' she said.

Their eyes met and, for a moment, Henry hesitated - and found that he who hesitates is lost; for with a sudden twist and a smothered laugh, Irene was free once more.

Pointing through a break in the trees, she cried, 'Look, a lake!' and was off at a run.

Henry scowled, muttered something under his breath and ran after.

The scene was truly Earthly. A rapids-broken stream wound its way through banks of slender-trunked trees and then spread into a placid lake some miles in width. The brooding quiet was unbroken save by the muffled beat that issued from the throat-bags of the frilled lizards that nested in the upper reaches of the trees.

The two Tweenies - boy and girl - stood hand in hand upon the bank and drank in the beauty of the scene.

Then there was a muffled splash near by and Irene shrank into the encircling arms of her companion.

'What's the matter?'

'N-nothing. Something moved in the water, I think.'

'Oh, imagination, Irene.'

'No. I did see something. It came up and - oh, goodness, Henry, don't squeeze so tightly -'

She almost lost her balance as Henry suddenly dropped her altogether and jerked at his Tonite gun.

Immediately before them, a dripping green head lifted out of the water and regarded them out of wide-set, staring goggle-eyes. Its broad lipless mouth opened and closed rapidly, but not a sound issued forth.

Max Scanlon stared thoughtfully at the rugged foot-hills ahead and clasped his hands behind his back.

'You think so, do you?'

'Certainly, Dad,' insisted Arthur, enthusiastically. 'If we burrow under these piles of granite, all Earth couldn't get at us. It wouldn't take two months to form the entire cavern, with our unlimited power.'

'Hmph! It will require care!'

'It will get it!'

'Mountainous regions are quake regions.'

'We can rig up enough stat-rays to hold up all Venus, quakes or no quakes.'

'Stat-rays eat up energy wholesale, and a breakdown that will leave us energyless would mean the end.'

'We can hook up five separate power-houses - as foolproof as we can make them. All five won't break down at once.'

The old Tweenie smiled. 'All right, son. I see you've got it planned thoroughly. Go ahead! Start whenever you want -and remember, it's all up to you.'

'Good! Let's get back to the ships.' They picked their way gingerly down the rocky slope.

'You know, Arthur,' said Max, stopping suddenly, 'I've been thinking about those stat-beams.'

'Yes?' Arthur offered his arm, and the two resumed their walk.

'It's occurred to me that if we could make them two-dimensional in extent and curve them, we'd have the perfect defense, as long as our energy lasted - a stat-field.'

'You need four-dimensional radiation for that, Dad - nice to think about but can't be done.'

'Oh, is that so? Well, listen to this -'

What Arthur was to listen to remained hidden, however -for that day at least. A piercing shout ahead jerked both their heads upward. Up towards them came the bounding form of Henry Scanlon, and following him, at a goodly distance and a much more leisurely pace, came Irene.

'Say, Dad, I had a devil of a time finding you. Where were you?'

'Right here, son. Where were you?'

'Oh, just around. Listen, Dad. You know those amphibians the explorers talk about as inhabiting the highland lakes of Venus, don't you? Well, we've located them, lots of them, a regular convoy of them. Haven't we, Irene?"

Irene paused to catch her breath and nodded her head, 'They're the cutest things, Mr. Scanlon. All green.' She wrinkled her nose laughingly.

Arthur and his father exchanged glances of doubt. The former shrugged. 'Are you sure you haven't been seeing things? I remember once, Henry, when you sighted a meteor in space, scared us all to death, and then had it turn out to be your own reflection in the port glass.'

Henry, painfully aware of Irene's snicker, thrust out a belligerent lower lip, 'Say, Art, I guess you're looking for a shove in the face. And I'm old enough to give it to you, too.'

'Whoa there, quiet down,' came the peremptory voice of the elder Scanlon, 'and you, Arthur, had better learn to respect your younger brother's dignity. Now here, Henry, all Arthur meant was that these amphibians are as shy as rabbits. No one's ever caught more than a glimpse of them.'

'Well, we have, Dad. Lots of them. I guess they were attracted by Irene. No one can resist her.'

'I know you can't,' and Arthur laughed loudly.

Henry stiffened once more, but his father stepped between. 'Grow up, you two. Let's go and see these amphibians.'

'This is amazing," exclaimed Max Scanlon. 'Why, they're as friendly as children, I can't understand it.'

Arthur shook his head, 'Neither can I, Dad. In fifty years, no explorer has ever gotten a good look at one, and here they arc - thick as flies.'

Henry was throwing pebbles into the lake. 'Watch this, all of you.'

A pebble curved its way into the water, and as it splashed six green forms turned a back somersault and slid smoothly below the surface. With no time for a breath between, one was up again and the pebble arced back to fall at Henry's feet.

The amphibians were crowding closer in ever increasing numbers now, approaching the very edge of the lake, where they grasped at the coarse reeds on the bank and stared goggle-eyed at the Tweenies. Their muscular webbed legs could, be seen below the surface of the water, moving back and forth with lazy grace. Without cessation, the lipless mouths opened and closed in a queer, uneven rhythm.

'I think they're talking, Mr. Scanlon,' said Irene, suddenly.

'It's quite possible,' agreed the old Tweenie, thoughtfully. "Their brain-cases are fairly large, and they may possess considerable intelligence. If their voice boxes and ears are tuned to sound waves of higher or lower range than our own, we would be unable to hear them - and that might very well explain their Boundlessness.'

'They're probably discussing us as busily as we are them,' said Arthur.

'Yes, and wondering what sort of freaks we are,' added Irene.

Henry said nothing. He was approaching the edge of the lake with cautious steps. The ground grew muddy beneath his feet, and the reeds thick. The group of amphibians nearest turned anxious eyes toward him, and one or two loosened their hold and slipped silently away.

But the nearest held his ground. His wide mouth was clamped tight; his eyes were wary - but he did not move.