Avon Fantasy Reader No. 13 — page 43: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

“Yes,” I said, forming the words. with difficulty. “Give orders to ascend at emergency speed!” For once my first officer hesitated. He glanced at the attraction meter and then turned to me again, wondering. “At this height, sir, emergency speed will mean dangerous head of the surface; perhaps—” “I want it white hot, Mr. Barry. She is built to stand it. Emergency speed, please—immediately! “Right, sir!” he oa briskly, and gave the order. I felt my weight increase as the order was obeyed; gradually the familiar, uncomfortable feeling left me. Silently, Barry and I watched the big surface temperature gauge as it started to move. The heat inside became uncom- fortable, grew intense. The sweat poured from us. In the operating room, forward, I could see the man casting quick, wondering glances up at us through the heavy glass partition that lay between. The thick, stubby red hand of the surface temperature gauge moved slow- ly but steadily towards the heavy red line that marked the temperature at which the outer shell of our hull would become incandescent. The hand was within three or four degrees of that mark when I gave Barry the order to arrest our motion. When he had given the order, I turned to him and motioned towards the television disc. “Look,” I said. He looked, and when at last he tore his face away from the hood, he seemed ten years older. “What is it?” he asked in a choked whisper. * ‘Why—they’ re being wiped out; the whole of that world— “True. And some of the seeds of that terrible death might have drifted upward, and found a lodging place upon the surface of our ship. That is why I ordered the emergency speed while we were still within the atmos- pheric envelope, Barry. To burn away that contamination, if it existed. Now . we are safe, unless—” I pressed the attention button to the station of the chief of the ray oper- ators. “Your report,” I ordered. : 7 “Nine ships disintegrated, sir,” he replied instantly. “Five before the city was destroyed; four later.” : “You are certain that none escaped?” “Positive, sir.” “Very good.” I turned to Barry, smiling. | “Point her nose for Zenia, Mr. Barry,” I said. “As soon as it is feasible, resume emergency speed. There are some very anxious gentlemen there awaiting our report, and I dare not convey it except in person.’ “Yes, sir!” said Barry crisply. This, then, is the history of the Forgotten Planet. On the charts of the Universe it appears as an unnamed world. No ship is permitted to pass Al : _(eeoyanyicel voy) (@ KS 2 Nocturne ¢ For Heaven’ ] Ci EO gs | seer ogy Oe (E(0) -- “3 M3 “ veg v* spilt tality 3 n's Sake. > 4 Kind ot Love * Autumn Marty Roebbinc.- pee 8.2525 mucn - Inis Ule House Jo Stafford: Make love tn Mn e EW.