A GREEN CLOUD CAME

by ROBERT W. LOWNDES

[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Comet January 41. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]

Her fingers lightly caressed a button on the long table as she half-turned toward him. At this moment, she was glad they still wore the semi-barbaric accoutrements donned for last night's festivities, commemorating the conclusion of the final war—weird, fantastic trappings, selected more for adornment than for approximations of ancient military dress—for he would not notice that she was trembling. When at last she spoke, her voice was steady.

"Please go now, quickly."

His hand made as if to clasp her arm, then dropped to his side. For an instant he stood there, words welling to his lips, then, with a half shrug he turned away. She did not move as he strode toward the doorway, glanced out the window; her back was a picture of composure.

"Natalla!" It was not a command, or yet a call, but a cry of astonishment blended with horror. Gone was her carefully built-up poise as she whirled, then gasped as she saw the look in his eyes. Swiftly she hurried toward the window, but he stood in front of her, blocking her view.

"What is it, Eric?"

"Don't look," he gasped. For a moment she felt fear coursing through her, fear that at this moment he would wilt, give way to terror. She bit her lips, telling herself she couldn't endure the sight of it. But, an instant later, the panic had left him; she could see rugged determination flowing back into his being. Almost faint with thankfulness for the strength of him, she relaxed against his body, permitted him to lead her across the room to a sofa.

"Do you remember Greer?" His voice was analytically thoughtful. "He was the little astronomer who made those startlingly radical predictions about a year ago. Remember how we all checked his data? No one could find anything of the sort, even though we checked and re-checked a dozen times. The conclusion was the only one that could be drawn under such circumstances; Greer was suffering from delusions. So he was cured by the psychiatry department."

Her nose wrinkled in concentration. "Greer? Wasn't he the one who claimed to have discovered a sort of gaseous cloud in space? Our system was 

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