"Edmond Hamilton - Captain Future 24 - Pardon My Nerves" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hamilton Edmond)

roving, winning the nickname of Captain
Future, he naturally leaned more on me
than on the others. Many a time my
resourcefulness saved the day when his
recklessness had got us into trouble. In fact
I've seldom let him go anywhere without
me.
But on the particular day when this
business of the Machs really started I was
on my own.
We had come to Earth so that Curt
might consult a certain bureau of the Solar
System Government. That gave me a
chance I'd been waiting for and I took it.
I said, "I'd like to go into New York
while you're holding your conference here
at Government Center, Curt."
He stared at me. "Whatever for, Grag ?"
"He probably wants to get his rivets
tightened," put in Otho.
That's Otho's way of showing his petty
jealousy of me--always playing upon the
fact that I'm made of metal. I simply
ignored him with calm dignity, as I always
do.
"Just a little private business," I told
Curt. "I won't be long."
He said, "Well, you'll startle the people
a little but everyone knows about Grag the
Futureman so I guess they won't be too
surprised. Go ahead, but be back by ten for
we're going back to the Moon then."
I left them and went to the tubeway
station. It was a rush-hour and the tube-
cars were crowded.
I created a mild sensation in the station.
Naturally, everyone had heard of me and
of the things I had done, with the help of
Curt and the others. I heard them
whispering my name in the train.
However I was too engrossed in my
own thoughts to pay attention to them.
The errand upon which I was going was a
serious one.
I hadn't told Curt about it lest he worry.
But the fact is that I was concerned about
my health.
Of course Otho would have laughed and
sneered, "How can a metal man seven feet
high get sick ?"