"Edmond Hamilton - Moon of the Unforgotten" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hamilton Edmond)

watching her intently with his lens-like greatest ever known—the proud Old
eyes as he glided silently along on the pale Empire that once had held two galaxies.
traction beams that were his equivalent of To Curt Newton, who had followed the
limbs. shadow of that glory far back toward its
“If I knew where I wouldn’t hide it from source, the very stones of these ruins spoke
you,” she said with an undertone of of cosmic tragedy, of the agelong night
irritation. that succeeded the blazing highest noon of
In the next breath she said contritely, human splendor.
“I'm sorry. Waiting here has got me down. The functional gleaming Patrol building
There’s something about Europa—it's so brought his mind back to the present. Joan
old and cruel and somehow patient...” took them into a small office. From a
Otho said wryly, “You need a double locked file she drew a neat folder of papers
hooker of something strong and cheering.” and placed it on the desk.
His green slightly-tilted eyes were “Ezra and I,” she said, “were called into
compassionate beneath their habitual irony. this case some time ago. The Planet Police
Grag, the towering manlike giant who had been handling it as a routine matter
bore in his metal frame the strength of an until some peculiar angles turned up that
army and an artificial intelligence equal to required the attention of Section Three.
the human, rumbled a question in his deep “People had been disappearing. Not
booming voice. But Curt Newton only only people from Earth but other planets as


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well—and nearly all of them older people. arrived here had simply dropped out of
In each case when they vanished, they took sight. The Europans themselves refused to
most of their wealth with them. talk to us. But Ezra wouldn’t give up and
“Planet Police discovered that all these finally got a lead. He found that the
missing persons without exception had missing folk had hired native mounts at an
come to Europa. And here in Europolis inn called the Three Red Moons and had
their trails ended.” ridden out of the city.
Simon Wright asked in his toneless “Ezra planned to follow that lead out
voice, “Did they leave no clue as to why into the hills. He made me wait here—he
they came to this particular moon ?” said he had to have a contact here. I waited
“A few of them did,” answered Joan. “A many days before Ezra got in touch with
few of them before they left talked a little me through our micro-wave audio. He
of something called the Second Life. That spoke briefly to me and switched off—and
was all—just the name. But they seemed I've never heard from him since.”
so eager and excited about it that it was “His message ?”asked Curt tensely.
remembered.” Joan took out a slip of paper. “I wrote it
She continued, “Since they were nearly down word for word.”
all aging people it seems obvious that the Curt read aloud. “Listen carefully, Joan
Second Life they were hoping for was ! I' m all right—safe, well and happy. But
some form of rejuvenation. A form of I'm not coming back, not for a while. Now
rejuvenation that must be illegal in nature this is an order, Joan—drop the
or it wouldn't be carried on secretly.” investigation, and go back to Earth. I'll
Curt nodded. “That sounds reasonable follow you later !”
enough. 'The Second Life'—the term is a That was all.
new one to me. However, Jupiter and its Otho said sharply, “He was forced to
moons retained the civilization and make that call !”
science of the Old Empire long after the “No.” Joan shook her head. “We have a