the metal monster-第33节

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The　clamor　had　grown　stupendous；　destroyinglike　armored　Gods　roaring　at　sword　play　in　a　hundred　Valhallas；　like　the　war　drums　of　battling　universe；　like　the　smitings　of　warring　suns。

And　all　the　City　was　throbbing；　beating　with　a　gigantic　pulse　of　lifewas　fed　and　drunken　with　life。　I　felt　that　pulsing　become　my　own；　I　echoed　to　it；　throbbed　in　unison。　I　saw　Drake　outlined　in　flame；　that　around　me　a　radiant　nimbus　was　growing。

I　thought　I　saw　Norhala　floating；　clothed　in　shouting；　flailing　fires。　I　strove　to　call　out　to　her。　By　me　slipped　the　body　of　Drake；　lay　flaming　at　my　feet　upon　the　narrow　ledge。

There　was　a　roaring　within　my　headlouder；　far　louder；　than　that　which　beat　against　my　ears。　Something　was　drawing　me　forth；　drawing　me　out　of　my　body　into　unimaginable　depths　of　blackness。　Something　was　hurling　me　out　into　those　cold　depths　of　space　that　alone　could　darken　the　fires　that　encircled　methe　fires　of　which　I　was　becoming　a　part。

I　felt　myself　leap　outwardoutward　and　outward　intooblivion。





CHAPTER　XXI

PHANTASMAGORIA　METALLIOUE。

Wearily　I　opened　my　eyes。　Stiffly；　painfully；　I　stirred。　High　above　me　was　the　tremendous　circle　of　sky；　ringed　with　the　hosts　of　feeding　shields。　But　the　shields　were　now　wanly　gleaming　and　the　sky　was　the　sky　of　night。

Night？　How　long　had　I　lain　here？　And　where　was　Drake？　I　struggled　to　rise。

〃Steady；　old　man；〃　his　voice　came　from　beside　me。　〃Steadyand　quiet。　How　are　you　feeling？〃

〃Badly　battered；〃　I　groaned。　〃What　happened？〃

〃We　weren't　used　to　the　show；〃　he　said。　〃We　got　all　fed　up　at　the　orgy。　Too　much　magnetismwe　had　a　sudden　and　violent　attack　of　electrical　indigestion。　Sh…hlook　ahead　of　you。〃

Gingerly　I　turned。　I　had　been　lying；　I　now　saw；　head　toward　and　prone　at　the　base　of　one　of　the　crater's　walls。　As　my　gaze　swept　away　I　noted　with　a　curious　relief　that　the　tiny　eye…points　were　no　longer　sparkling　with　their　enigmatic　life；　that　they　were　dulled　and　dim　once　more。

Before　me；　glimmering　pallidly；　bristled　the　mount　of　the　Cones。　Around　its　crystal　base　glittered　immense　egg…shaped　diamond　incandescences。　They　were　both　rayless　and　strangelylightless；　they　threw　no　shadows　nor　did　their　lambency　lessen　the　dimness。　Beside　each　of　these　curious　luminosities　stood　one　of　the　sullen…fired；　cruciform　shapesthe　Things　that　now　I　knew　for　the　opened　cubes。

They　were　smaller　than　the　Keeper；　indeed　less　than　half　his　height。　They　were　ranged　in　an　almost　unbroken　crescent　around　the　visible　arc　of　the　immense　pedestaland　now　I　saw　that　the　lights　were　a　few　feet　closer　to　that　pedestal　than　they。　Egg…shaped　as　I　have　said；　the　wider　end　was　undermost；　resting　in　a　broad　cup　upheld　by　a　slender　pedicle　silvery…gray　and　metallic。

〃They're　building　out　the　base；〃　whispered　Drake。　〃The　Cones　got　so　big　they　have　to　give　them　more　room。〃

〃Magnetism；〃　I　whispered　in　return。　〃Electricitythey　drew　down　from　the　sun　spot。　And　it　was　more　than　that　I　saw　the　Cones　grow　under　it。　It　fed　them　as　it　fed　the　Hordesbut　the　Cones　grew。　It　was　as　though　the　shields　and　the　Cones　turned　pure　energy　into　substance。〃

〃And　if　we　hadn't　been　pretty　thoroughly　magnetized　to　start　with　it　would　have　done　for　us；〃　he　said。

We　watched　the　operation　going　on　in　front　of　us。　The　cross　shapes　had　bent；　hinging　above　the　transverse　arms。　They　bowed　in　absolute　unison　as　at　some　signal。　Down　from　the　horizontal　plane　of　each　whipped　the　long　and　writhing　tentacles。

At　the　foot　of　every　one　I　could　now　perceive　a　heap　of　some　faintly　glistening　material。　The　tendrils　coiled　among　this；　then　drew　up　something　that　looked　like　a　thick　rod　of　crystal。　The　bent　planes　straightened；　simultaneously　they　thrust　the　crystalline　bars　toward　the　incandescences。

There　came　a　curious；　brittle　hissing。　The　ends　of　the　rods　began　to　dissolve　into　dazzling；　diamond　rain；　atomically　minute；　that　passing　through　the　egg…shaped　lights　poured　upon　the　periphery　of　the　pedestal。　Rapidly　the　bars　melted。　Heat　there　must　be　in　these　lights；　terrific　heatyet　the　Keeper's　workers　seemed　impervious　to　it。

As　the　ends　of　the　bars　radiated　into　the　annealing　mist　I　saw　the　tentacles　creep　closer　and　ever　closer　to　the　rayless　flame　through　which　the　mist　flew。　And　at　the　last；　as　the　ultimate　atoms　drove　through；　the　holding　tendrils　were　thrust　almost　within　it；　touched　it；　certainly。

A　score　of　times　they　repeated　this　process　while　we　watched。　Unaware　of　us　they　seemed；　orif　aware；　then　indifferent。　More　rapid　became　their　movements；　the　glassy　ingots　streaming　through　the　floating　braziers　with　hardly　a　pause　in　their　passing。　Abruptly；　as　though　switched；　the　incandescences　lessened　into　candle…points；　instantly；　as　at　a　signal；　the　crescent　of　crosses　closed　into　a　crescent　of　cubes。

Motionless　they　stood；　huge　blocks　blackened　against　the　dim　glowing　of　the　conessentient　monoliths；　a　Druid　curve；　an　arc　of　a　metal　Stonehenge。　And　as　at　dusk　and　dawn　the　great　menhirs　of　Stonehenge　fill　with　a　mysterious；　granitic　life；　seem　to　be　praying　priests　of　stone；　so　about　these　gathered　hierophantic　illusion。


They　quivered；　the　slender　pedicles　cupping；　the　waned　lights　swayed；　the　lights　lifted　and　soared；　upright；　to　their　backs。

Two　by　two　with　measured　pace；　solemnly　the　cubes　glided　off　into　the　encircling　darkness。　As　they　swept　away　there　streamed　behind　them　other　scores　not　until　then　visible　to　us；　joining　pair　by　pair　from　hidden　arcs。

Into　the　secret　shadows　they　flowed；　two　by　two；　each　bearing　over　it　the　slim　shaft　holding　the　serene　flame。

Grotesquely　were　they　like　a　column　of　monks　marching　with　dimmed　flambeau　of　their　worship。　Angled　metal　monks　of　some　god　of　metal；　carrying　tapers　of　electric　fire；　withdrawing　slowly　from　a　Holy　of　Holies　whose　metallically　divine　Occupant　knew　nothing　of　man　nor　cared　to　know。

Grotesqueyes。　But　would　that　I　had　the　power　to　crystallize　in　words　the　underlying；　alien　terror　every　movement　of　the　Metal　Monster　when　disintegrate；　its　every　manifestation　when　combined；　evoked；　the　incredulous；　amazed　lurking　always　close　behind　the　threshold　of　the　mind；　the　never　lifting；　thin…shuddering　shadow。

Smaller；　dimmer　waned　the　lightsthey　were　gone。

We　crouched；　motionless。　Nothing　stirred；　there　was　no　sound。　Without　speaking　we　arose；　crept　together　over　the　smooth　floor　toward　the　cones。

As　we　crossed　I　saw　that　the　pave；　like　the　walls；　was　built　of　the　bodies　of　the　Metal　People；　and；　like　the　walls；　they　were　dormant；　filmed　eyes　oblivious　to　our　passing。　Closer　we　creptwere　only　a　scant　score　of　rods　from　that　colossal　mechanism。　I　noted　that　the　crystal　foundation　was　set　low；　was　not　more　than　four　feet　above　the　floor。　The　sturdy；　dwarfed　pilasters　supporting　it　thrust　up　in　crowded　copses；　merging　through　distance　into　apparent　solidity。

Now；　too；　I　realized；　as　I　had　not　when　looking　down　from　above；　how　stupendous　the　structure　rising　from　the　crystal　foundation　was。

I　began　to　wonder　how　so　thin　a　support　could　bear　the　mount　bristling　above　itthen　remembered　what　it　was　that　at　first　had　flown　from　them；　shrinking　them；　and　at　last　had　fed　and　swelled　them。

Light！　Weightless　magnetic　ions；　swarms　of　electric　ions；　the　misty　breath　of　the　infinite　energy　breathing　upon；　condensing　upon；　them。　Could　it　be　that　the　Cones　for　all　their　apparent　mass　had　little；　if　any；　weight？　Like　ringed　Saturn；　thousands　of　times　Earth's　bulk；　flaunting　itself　in　the　Heavensyet　if　transported　to　our　world　so　light　that　rings　and　all　it　would　float　like　a　bubble　upon　our　oceans。　The　Cones　towered　above　meclose；　so　close。

The　Cones　were　weightless。　How　I　knew　I　cannot　say　but　now；　almost　touching　them；　I　did　know。　Nebulous；　yet　solid；　were　they；　compact；　yet　tenuous；　dense　and　unsubstantial。

Again　the　thought　came　to　methey　were　force　made　visible；　energy　made　concentrate　into　matter。

We　skirted；　seeking　for　the　tablet　over　which　the　Keeper　had　hovered；　the　mechanism　which；　under　his　tentacles；　had　shifted　the　circling　shields；　thrust　the　spear　of　green　fire　into　the　side　of　the　wounded　sun。　Hesitantly　I　touched　the　crystal　base；　the　edge　was　warm；　but　whether　this　warmth　came　from　the　dazzling　rain　which　we　had　just　watched　build　it　outward　or　whether　it　was　a　property　inherent　with　the　substance　itself　I　do　not　know。

Certainly　there　was　no　mark　upon　it　to　show　where　the　molten　mists　had　fallen。　It　was　diamond　hard　and　smooth。　The　nearest　cones　were　but　a　scant　nine　feet　from　its　rim。

Suddenly　we　saw　the　tablet；　stood　beside　it。　The　shape　of　a　great　T；　glimmering　with　a　faint　and　limpid　violet　phosphorescence；　it　might　have　been；　in　shape　and　size；　the　palely　shining　shadow　of　the　Keeper。　It　was　a　foot　above　the　floor；　and　had　apparently　no　connection　with　the　cones。

It　was　made　of　thousands　of　close…packed　tiny　octagonal　rods　the　tops　of　some　of　which　were　cupped；　of　others　pointed；　none　was　more　than　half　an　inch　in　width。　There　was　about　it　a　suggestion　of　wedded　crystal　and　metalas　about　its　burden　was　the　suggestion　of　mated　energy　and　matter。

The　rods　were　movable；　they　formed　a　keyboard　unimaginably　complex；　a　keyboard　whose　infinite　combinations　were　like　a　Fourth　Dimensional　chess