“ Now You See Them” by Mace Draper
If ever there were two opposites in looks and manner these two
men were; yet the best of friends they were willing to die at a moments notice
to save the other. Both were sitting inside an old beat up looking 1968 Cutlass
Oldsmobile that had a bumper sticker on the back which read: “ Don’t Laugh, It
Runs.”
The Cutlass was
parked near a high metal chain link fence surrounding an ominous looking
factory. One man, if you could call him that, resembled an Orangutan. Every bit
as wide as he was tall, his arms could dangle below his knees while standing.
His tiny brown eyes and low forehead hardly fit the description of a man with
any brains; yet at one time, he had been one of the leading chemists in the
U.S. Even his thick red hair covering his arms, legs, and trunk gave the
impression of a jungle beast.
His voice was his most
startling characteristic, a high tiny quality not unlike some teenage kid who
had yet to reach puberty. At the moment, this curious voice was addressing the
other man who was behind the wheel of the Oldsmobile. It was part of an
argument they were in which it never stopped unless they were separated.
“I tell ya, this is
the only way we’ll catch him with the goods is to follow him. Shadow ‘em till
he slips.”
The other fellow, who was slender of build, handsome for his years and dressed in a suit that made him look like some high executive of a corporation, replied patiently.
“Doc specifically said
to gather information on this guy because he’s under suspicion of embezzling
his company over twenty million dollars in the last six months. Now that
doesn’t mean for us to do the leg work ourselves. Doc’s right Monk; were
getting too old for this. How you talked me into it, I’ll never know.”
Purposely leaning over
close enough that the other man could smell his bad breath, the apish one
explained.
“ That was simple Ham. You still love the excitement as much as
I do.”
The driver looked
around and threw up his hands.
“ Yes, but in the middle of the night? In this God-awful place?
Do you realize I could touch something around here that could possibly ruin my
suit?”
The apish Monk was in
the process of making an ugly face and mentioning something not so nice about
his partner’s attire; when Ham suddenly said in
Page 2
a hushed excited tone,” Look, I believe our quarry’s making his
move.”
Monk followed Ham’s intense gaze,” Well, well. So the mouse has
come out to play.”
A petite sized man
with little hair on his head and dressed in an old brown sport coat and
trousers silently slipped out a side door by a delivery dock area. He had a
large brief case tucked under one arm; and a small automatic revolver in his
other hand.
Ham whispered,” I
wonder how he’ll go, by land or sea?”
Monk had every intension of answering his friend with some kind
of wisecrack, but forgot it all in an instant and Ham forgot the question. Just
in front of the embezzler, there was a tremendous rush of air, which seem to be
sucked into an area ten feet above the ground.
Then a sound not
unlike a clap of thunder, assailed Monk and Ham’s ears. Their target they had been
observing immediately turned and began running in the opposite direction as if
the devil himself was chasing him. A split second later there was a wondrous
bright light and heat that engulfed everything around the factory yard. Ham and
Monk tried to shield their eyes from the light with their arms and hands, but
was little help against the torrid heat.
Monk yelled,” Hey, like who turned on the brights?”
Seconds ticked by and
all was transformed into white intense blinding light. Then, there was that
phantom thunder sound again and as suddenly as the flash of light had appeared;
it faded into oblivion. When the night air cleared, Monk and Ham were gone;
their Oldsmobile sit apparently abandoned by its owners. All that remained was
what was in the factory yard. A small burnt, smoldering skeleton with a few
pieces of flesh still clinging to it lying face down on the practically
untouched grassy surface. All was silent except for the dogs throughout the
city that were howling at the top of their lungs.
Nearby, an old drunk had witnessed most of
that unbelievable event and it’s strange and terrible results. He staggered
after that toward an alley dumpster and proceeded to be very sick into the
foul-smelling container.
Later that morning, on
the eighty-fourth floor of one of Manhattan’s tallest
skyscrapers; a rather large man dressed in a distinguished three-piece
suit
stepped off an elevator and into a wood paneled hallway. This
giant was so perfectly developed that the only way you could tell his true size
was he dwarfed the teenager who was following right behind him. And the teenage
boy was every bit of six feet tall.
At one end of the hall
was a large wooden door with fine bronze lettering etched into it, which read:
“SAVAGE INDUSTRIES”. This giant of a man was about to enter the door when he
quickly whirled around to face his pursuer. Despite the fact this teenager knew
who he was, his mouth still fell open in astonishment; for he suddenly found
himself face to face with the one he had carefully tailed all the way from the
first floor lobby.
The bronze hue of this
man’s skin and his gold-flecked eyes that seemed to swirl constantly; was
startling even for those that saw him often. To those that did have something
to do with him everyday; this man was usually addressed as “ Doc” or “ Clark”.
The rest of the world knew him as
“ Clark Savage Jr.” or “Doc Savage” an adventurer and defender
of justice.
He was especially known
for his rebirth. This wasn’t the first time he had had a career such as this.
The first time started in 1932 and ended rather abruptly at the end of the year
1949. Mysteriously frozen at the North Pole in a state very similar to
suspended animation; he was miraculously revived in 1989 more than forty years
later.
It took some time for
Doc Savage to get back on his feet again. There were the tremendous changes
that had taken place around him since the last time he had roamed this world.
All that was behind him and his mind was beginning to be more at ease with his
unusual situation.
The bronze man spoke
first in a most commanding voice with a hint of irritation,” Yes? May I help
you? It must be pretty important to follow me this far.”
The boy could only
stammer out an answer,” I-I only wanted t-to give y-you a morning paper. I
recognize you Mr. Savage and thought you might be interested in what’s on the
front page.”
The giant he called Savage smiled at him pleasantly,” Oh, is
that all.”
A bronze hand flashed
out and grabbed the rolled up newspaper from the teenage boy’s hand so fast
that it was almost impossible to follow. There were several large headlines on
the front page of the paper, which the man of bronze quickly scanned. What he
observed was so startling that he quickly looked up to ask what was the meaning
of such a joke as this.
“Hey, what did…”
Instead he just got a
glimpse of the teenager entering the elevator down the hallway. A joke it was
not. He made a mental note to thank him in some special way as he opened the
door and entered. If one was to have kept a careful eye on the door upon
opening it and entering; one might have witnessed the magical transformation of
the lettering from reading: “ SAVAGE INDUSTRIES” to “DR. CLARK SAVAGE JR.
INVESTIGATIONS”. It was a trick made
possible by a two dimensional photograph applied to a sign in such a way that
when the door is closed it reads one title, but when it is opened; it read
still another.
The room he entered
was a spacious combination living and reception room. Almost everything in it
was either off white or bronze in color, including the front reception desk,
couch, and the panel walls. Even the plush carpet that ran throughout the area
was a light shade of bronze. Only one thing clashed with it all, a gorgeous
sandy-haired woman in her mid-thirties sitting behind the reception desk trying
her hardest not to look bored. She wore a low cut bright red dress that clung
to her in a way that it left no curve hidden.
She hadn’t noticed Doc
Savage enter until; standing by the front door he read more of the article he
was so interested in, and unconsciously made a low whistle. They both looked up
at the same time.
The bored blonde
smiled brightly and said,” Thanks.”
Savage puzzled inquired,” Thanks? Thanks for what?”
The woman in red replied,” That’s the first deceit thing anyone
has said to me all week.” She stood up as the bronze man approached her desk.
“ Nancy, if you would
stay out of trouble for one hour, I bet you would see a change in other’s
attitude towards you.”
The blonde named Nancy
folded her arms and replied,” Ha Ha, very funny. While we’re at it, where have
you been all night?”
“ Oh, I stayed at an
apartment I have around the corner. I decided I needed sleep and a fresh change
of clothes. What are you doing behind Marlyn’s desk?”
Nancy tried to look as innocent as possible,” I’m just helping
out. She asked me to hold the fort while she ran some urgent business.”
“Don’t you believe it
for a second, Doc.”
Neither Doc Savage nor
Nancy had said those words. A slender well dressed man about the same age as
the blonde stood just inside a doorway toward the back and to the side of the
reception room.
“ Ok Nick, what is going on?” asked the man of bronze.
A slender woman in her
late thirties with long black hair, which was a bit disheveled; stormed through
the back doorway nearly knocking the thin man down. She stopped even with Nancy
and answered in an agitated voice.
“ She tricked me into a closet and then locked me in just to be
here to greet you first.”
Nancy looked aghast,
but the ploy didn’t convince the man of bronze. He sighed,” Nancy, sometimes
you can be so childish. You know by now how I am about relationships.”
Nancy looked hurt and
defeated,” You mean you believe these two?”
His face was expressionless as he replied,” I do.”
The woman with the long black hair spoke up before Nancy could
carry anything further.
“ Something interesting in the paper today?”
Doc Savage approached his three friends as he spoke,” Yes, it
would appear Monk and Ham have come up missing as of this morning.”
Everyone was startled, but Nancy was hit hardest of all. She
asked Doc Savage desperately,” Does it say that in there?”
“ No”, Doc Savage replied,” But they did find a half burnt out
automobile that fits the description of Monk’s and they also found the burnt
skeleton remains of the man I sent them to stake out.”
“ Looks bad Doc.” Nick commented.
The man of bronze
addressed the dark haired woman beside Nancy,” Marlyn, I’ll need your abilities
to help with an interview at the police station that Nancy is going to set up
for me this afternoon; since she wants to be the receptionist so bad.”
Marlyn held back her
laughter as best she could while Nancy began to protest,” What?! Now look here
Mr. Clark Savage Jr….”
Clark Savage ignored Nancy’s protests as he addressed Nick,”
Nick, have you seen Billy?”
“ Not a sign of him.”
Doc Savage paused a moment in thought before he continued.
“ This may have more at stake than I thought. I want you to
contact as many in our organization as possible. Do it in person whenever you
can, we can’t take any chances over the phones.”
Marlyn voiced her concern, which was rare. There really had to
be
something to it; for her to be concerned.
“ Doc, I’m worried about Monk and Ham too. I haven’t felt any
trace of their presence for the last twelve hours.”
Doc did not comment,
nor did anyone else there. No one could think of anything to say that might
have helped explain this chilling mystery.
The three who Doc
Savage had divulged this mystery to; were some of his closest friends and
associates all belonging to his investigation organization. The blonde Nancy
was by far the most aggressive and the most stimulating woman Doc Savage had
ever met. She wore clothes ever bit as flashy as her father Monk Mayfair, with
one exception. At least she tried to make the clothes match.
She had a natural
animal magnetism about her that drove the ordinary men mad; yet her most
striking feature was her bright green eyes. Nancy was a black belt in karate
and other forms of the martial arts. She was also a crack shot with almost
every kind of pistol and rifle made.
Marlyn on the other
hand, was her telepathic abilities and in some instances mind over matter
talent. There was no question she had them; for in more than one occasion she
had already shown those remarkable abilities, which has helped to get their
skins out of a desperate situation or two.
Nick, Ham’s only son; with
the exception of Doc Savage was the true scientist of this organization. His
tenuous frame was deceiving for he had been at one time an Olympic gold
medallist in boxing. He was the most innovative person that Savage had ever had
the pleasure to know.
Marlyn turned to Nancy
and commented,” Since you two were so close I thought maybe you might have seen
Billy recently.”
Fuming, Nancy
replied,” We haven’t been close as you might think. He goes his way and I go
mine.”
“ Yes, of course.”
“ What he does with his time is strictly…”
“ I think we get the picture Nancy,” Nick interrupted.
Nancy turned to Savage still fuming and asked,” Well, who in the
hell are you wanting to rap with in a jail cell anyway?”
Doc Savage paused then
explained,” Fred Burton, the one man right now that might have witnessed what
caused Monk and Ham’s disappearance and the burning death of another man.”
“Have the cops got anything out of him so far?” asked Nancy.
“ Nothing that makes any sense. Apparently, ever since he was
sobered up; he hasn’t spoken a word.”
“ You think you can get him to spill anything?” Nick asked.
The man of bronze
looked down at the carpeted floor,” I hope so. He’s are only lead.”
Marlyn moved closer to
Savage and her mind seemed to be intently working on something as she asked
him,” Did he ramble on about anything while he was drunk?”
Again Savage hesitated
then reluctantly answered,” Yes, the article did mention something he said
about a big ball of light.”
Now it was Nick’s turn
to whistle.
“What a mess.”
At the same time in
another location located on the other side of Manhattan, near the water on the
wharf; one man was commenting to another,” What a mess.”
The other man he spoke to, a black man in his twenties asked,”
Say what?”
The man continued as he turned toward him,” I just don’t like
it. It smells. I think it was a mistake of our boss man to take these two.”
“ Why? You scared or something?”
“ Nah, just cautious.”
“ Look. You take care of your part of it, and I’ll take care of
mine. The boss will take care of the rest.”
The other man stared
out at the bay and tried to explain,” It’s…sometimes it gets to me. This is all
so very big!”
“ Think of the billions involved. The power man.” The black man
rubbed his hands together.
“ Yeah, now that you put it that way; it does sound sweet.”
“ You know it’s gonna be worth it. Besides, you know what
happens when someone crosses the boss man…”
“ What if someone slips and this Savage dude finds out things?”
“ Then we’ll have to off him too.”
The black man took a
turn at staring across the bay,” Somehow Nat, I think I’ll not rest easy until
I see that chump six feet under.”
“Ah come on Tyrone, don’t be a fool. You worry too much man.”
“I worry too much?” Tyrone punched his friend and comrade-in-arms
in the shoulder,”HoHo. That’s a good one, homeboy. We gotta get back.”
Colonel John Renwick
“Renny” to his friends had recently taken up with a hobby, which was building
and flying model aircraft. As a world famous engineer, the experience in design
and construction helped him in producing
unique flying models; almost as real as the real thing.
He was flying one from
the top of his penthouse. It was located on a skyscraper down the street from
Doc Savage’s headquarters; a few minutes past noon that same day. He laughed
out loud with his booming voice as his rocket propelled aircraft looped a large
loop high above and then swooped down in a power dive that scared the wits out
of a poor sunbather on top of a lower building across the street. The bikini
clad teenage girl screamed and ran inside a door leading to the staircase of
that building.
It pulled up sharply
at the last instant and Renny had the lightning quick craft ready for another
loop, when a large ball of light appeared suddenly inches from it; causing the
little model to dash itself to pieces against the eerie light. Renny stared in
utter disbelief as the ball of light slowly metamorphosed into a large smooth
sphere; at least one hundred feet in diameter. It hovered right above him,
emitting a low humming sound.
He could only mutter,” Holy cow!”
Renny suddenly got the
shakes and almost overwhelming nauseating feeling. For a man over six feet tall
and able to knock out panels out of wood doors with his large bucket size
fists; he didn’t feel so big now. In fact, he felt small and weak. A half
minute later, a small door opened briefly toward the bottom of the floating
sphere and a small metal cylinder dropped in front of the big man’s feet. As he
stared dumfounded down at the cylinder; there was a bright flash and a booming
sound that echoed across the city.
Following that for an
instant, the heat was terrific that flashed down in waves upon Renny. At the
same time, he was almost sucked upward off his feet causing him to stumble. He
nearly fell off the edge of the roof to the streets below.
When Renny was finally able to look; the sphere had apparently
disappeared into thin air. Something snapped in Renny’s head then. He laughed
hysterically as he grabbed up the cylinder shaped object and ran for a ladder
to descend into his penthouse apartment on the floor below.
Fifteen minutes later,
Doc Savage and Marlyn entered a special high-speed elevator that only Doc and
his closest associates used. It was sound proof and thickly carpeted with a
light bronze carpet across the walls and floor. One other special item was it
was controlled strictly by the sound of your voice as soon as you turned it on
by punching in a certain code into a key control panel inside.
Doc Savage’s voice and
some of his closest aides voices were recognized
by the elevator’s computer to allow it to function. Doc Savage
punched in
his code and there was a small beep. Then he instructed out loud
to the elevator the destination he wanted.
“Basement level 3, seal code red e m niner niner zero. Count
down at departure, then seal as instructed.”
The elevator quietly
descended to its destination in less than a minute. They entered a basement
like no other on Earth. Automobiles of all descriptions were parked neatly
along three of the four walls in that vast basement. Motorcycles, three and
four wheelers were among the collection.
One side was devoid of
any vehicles and that was because two large metal doors made up most of the
space along that wall, directly opposite of the elevator nearly two hundred
feet away. They stopped halfway as Marlyn remarked,” Come on Doc, I sense you
are holding something back here.”
Savage leaned against
a rotten antique roadster touring car and seemed a bit on edge.
” Sometimes, your telepathic powers can get on one’s nerves. I
am as of this moment stumped as to what happened last night.”
Marlyn placed her hands on her hips,” You may have fooled
everyone up there all these years, but remember I can read thoughts at times.”
“ I do, all too well miss Roberts. You must understand I have
only some sketchy theories. We may know more after we interview this witness.”
“ If he really was a witness. Now which car are we…”
She suddenly stiffened
and threw herself at the bronze man before her as she shouted a warning knowing
well that she wouldn’t be able to move him with her body without help.
“ Look out! They’re going to shoot.”
Doc Savage didn’t need
a bigger hint. They both hit the pavement behind the old roadster. This move
proved to be a lifesaver for both Marlyn and Doc Savage, as a hail of lead hit
part of the roadster and floor where they had just been standing. Bullets that
hit the body of the old car ricocheted harmlessly away; for it was well bullet
proofed. The gunfire was from a revolver and a machine gun pistol called an
Uzi. Roar from the gunfire was amplified three times as loud in that large
basement.
As Marlyn and Doc
Savage lay side-by-side dodging bullets from behind that vehicle; she leaned over
and yelled in his ear.
“ Where would you be if it weren’t for my abilities?”
“ Probably a lot saner. Now since you don’t seem to have the
ability to turn
their bullets back on them yet; I think I’ll try to do something
about this
situation in a way I know.”
Marlyn searched for
her small revolver that she usually carried hidden on her person when she
spotted it by a tire of the roadster. She was barely able to stretch enough to
reach it and grab it quickly; before several bullets hit in a pattern into the
pavement nearby.
“ Phew, I’ll cover ya Doc…”
When Marlyn turned
back to instruct Doc Savage what she thought they should do, she found he was
no longer with her.
“ Guess I shouldn’t
be surprised.” She said to no one in particular. Then she quickly positioned
herself behind the front fender of the old roadster, and aimed her gun around
the corner; in the direction of the gunfire.
She yelled out to Savage,” I’ll cover ya Doc.”
There followed a howl of pain and then silence. The shooting had
already stopped. Marlyn concerned, yelled,” Doc are you alright?”
A second later, she
felt a tap on her shoulder which made her practically jump out of her skin. It
was Doc Savage bigger than life squatting down beside her. He seemed totally
calm as he spoke to her.
“ Its unnecessary Marlyn. There were three of them. One was
unarmed which concerns me some. He carried only a small case which was empty.”
Marlyn with her mouth hung open, could only manage a, ”Yeah.”
Savage continued,” He
might have rigged up some of our vehicles perhaps all of them with bombs. I
think it would be wise if we rode a cab.”
As they stood up to
leave, Marlyn could only shake her head and say once again that all
encompassing word,” Yeah.”
As Savage and Marlyn
approached within several blocks of the police station; they could tell
something important was going on up ahead. Several police and emergency
vehicles flew by their taxi they were riding.
Marlyn watched them speed by and asked the man of bronze,” Hey,
what gives?”
Savage acted as though
he hadn’t heard Marlyn’s question; instead he leaned forward and passed a
twenty dollar bill to the cab driver explaining”, Please follow these emergency
vehicles as close as you can until we are
within a block of the police station.”
Marlyn asked about how
Doc Savage knew they were going to the police
station and again she was ignored. The cabby glanced back at his
two passengers in the back seat.
“ Uh, its against the law to chase ‘em you know. Hold it! I
recognize you two.”
Doc and Marlyn exchanged knowing glances as the cabby
continued,” You’re that Savage guy and you are…you’re oh! You’re Miss Marlyn
Roberts. This is great! I’ve heard all about your adventures and they were
dope! Wait tell I tell my friends about this. They’ll never believe it. No sir!
Doc leaned closer,”
That’s fine, could you follow them then?”
“ Hey sure Mr. Savage. It’ll be a pleasure. Hold on!”
Marlyn muttered,” Uh
oh” under her breath as the cab began to weave dangerously through the noon
hour traffic. Several times the taxi cabby found it necessary to drive upon the
sidewalk for half a block or so. Soon, the cab came to a screeching halt in
front of a telephone building a block from their destination. Marlyn suppressed
a desire to knock Savage and the cabby on their heads; as they piled out of the
cab and onto the sidewalk.
After Doc Savage paid
the cabby his fare and had left out of ear shot, the cabby said to himself out
loud,” Boy! Wait till I tell ‘em I helped Doc Savage on a case. They really
won’t believe that. Damn. I wish I’d thought about getting their
autographs.”
The man of bronze
asked Marlyn without turning or slowing down his stride,” What is dope?”
“ Means great.”
“ Hmm.”
As they made their way toward the police station, Marlyn noticed
Doc Savage whispering into a small device on his wrist just below his
wristwatch.
“ What are you doing Clark?”
“ I’ve called our headquarters with this small communication
device similar to a walkie talkie.”
“ And?”
“I’ve informed Nick to
check the basement equipment for bombs and the like. I think we mat be too
late,”
Marlyn followed his
gaze that was fixed on the police station half a block away. Several fire
trucks, ambulances, and police cars were parked in front of what was left of
the police station. The front of the building had little damage, but thick gray
smoke was rolling out from the back. There were
people running everywhere trying to find survivors that they
could help to safety. Several paramedics were desperately working on an old
fellow lying in the middle of the street. They were in no danger of traffic
since the police were cordoning both ends of that city block. Doc and Marlyn
approached the paramedics working on the old victim and the man of bronze
exclaimed,” I think that is the old gentleman they picked up the other night. I
could barely recognize him; he is so badly burned.”
Then he asked a
paramedic who was a young man just out of college, yet wise for his years,”
Will he make it?”
When the young
paramedic slowly shook his head no, the man of bronze continued,” I’m Clark
Savage Jr. and this is my assistant Marlyn Roberts. Could it be possible for us
to talk to him for a second?”
The paramedic said,”
Ok, but you had better make it fast sir. He doesn’t have long.”
Doc asked as he kneeled beside the dying wreck of a man,” Does
he have any family?”
“ Yes, somewhere in Virginia.”
“ Contact me when you find out the exact location and how
they’re related. This man didn’t deserve to die.”
The paramedic was
touched and could barely reply,” Yes sir, we sure will.”
The bronze man
carefully watched the old man’s face. His eyes had been closed most of the
time; but soon they opened to stare full into Doc Savage’s hypnotic swirling
golden eyes. Savage used his eyes hypnotic effect and his calm monotone voice
to try to hypnotize the dying victim. Both paramedics were amazed to find that
within a few minutes the old drunk’s breathing relaxed and he seemed to forget
his pain temporarily.
Then before Savage
could ask a question, the dying man grabbed him by the shirt and with some
difficulty, pulled himself to a sitting position. His face was only inches away
when he spoke to Doc Savage.
“ That light…they took those two guys.” He stopped there while
he coughed and then shook all over with spasms. Soon, he was able to continue.
” Those two guys were taken into the light!”
He groaned and Doc
Savage cautioned him to relax, but he only shook his head and continued to
talk.
“No listen. Then they came to kill me.”
There was an irony quality to his laugh, which was suddenly cut
short with
another fit of coughing.
“Never felt so important..uh.”
Savage slowing lowered
the lifeless form of the old man to the wet pavement. When he arose, Marlyn
asked Savage a question.
“ Make any sense?”
“ No, not a whole lot.”
“ Wait, there’s somebody by the burning building that looks
familiar Doc. Maybe he saw something too.”
Without a word, Doc
Savage turned toward the burning police station and the crowd that was
beginning to form. Then he started walking in long strides toward the crowd; as
Marlyn had to run to keep up with him. In a matter of seconds, the bronze giant
silently and swiftly made his way through the crowd; like a fine running back
of football would-be tacklers. To most of the crowd he was only a blur; except
for one odd looking fellow standing to the front and right of the oncoming man
of bronze.
He looked like he
could pass for a dwarf standing only four feet high or so. This odd little man
seemed to have enjoyed the fire immensely, for he had a terrible grin on his
troll like face. Then he spied Doc Savage plunging through the ever growing mob
of people; his expression turned to pure loathing.
Nearer to the burning
police station and tangle of fire hoses stood a line of New York city’s finest
to keep the crowd back. Behind them stood a police captain who was stamping his
foot and ordering the crowd through a megaphone to keep back. Doc Savage
managed to slip through to the front of the crowd to get a better look. Marlyn
was beside him in a flash and immediately recognized the police captain.
“ Doc, that’s…”
“ Sergeant McGregor, I know.”
“ Only he’s a captain now.”
Marlyn, please stay
here. I need to have a little chat with him.”
Then Savage strolled briskly toward McGregor. Marlyn was right
on the giant’s heels. Doc glanced over his shoulder and continued on his way.
When McGregor spotted Savage, his mouth fell open in complete surprise, but
only for a moment. Then he grinning from ear to ear, he yelled Doc Savage’s
direction.
“ Well, well; and to
what do I owe the pleasure of your company Mr. Savage? Do you know something
about this mess?”
“ I was hoping you would know something.”
“ All I know is out of the blue some damn bright ball of light
appears and starts firing a kind of heat ray or something at our own station.
Can you imagine that? I think they were after that old drunk Fred Burton and
that’s unofficial of course.”
“ But why burn up the whole station?” asked Marlyn.
“ Guess to try to cover up who they were really after, I don’t
know. This whole town’s gone bloomin’ crazy!”
Doc Savage began to
take a step toward McGregor as he spoke,” Describe to me in further detail what
you saw.”
McGregor waved Marlyn
and Savage back,” Whoa right there lad. Take another step and I’ll have my men
arrest you. Do me a favor and stay out of this. We have enough gun play in this
town without you and your private army blowing away half of it.”
Marlyn whispered to
Doc,” He’s not kidding, Clark. I sense it clearly.”
Doc Savage gradually backed away as he shouted to the red faced
Irish police captain.” Ok. Thanks for your help. At least I have something to
go on.”
“What? What did you say?”
Marlyn pulled at Doc’s arm,” Uh oh, now you’ve done it! Let’s
get the hell out of here while we can.”
“ Ok.”
Suddenly, the man of
bronze spotted the evil looking little man backing out through the crowd. Marlyn
couldn’t believe how easily Savage slipped out of her grasp, not did she have
time to think about it. Doc Savage gave chase after the little man; plowing
through the crowd as if they weren’t there.
While McGregor threw
his pipe down to the pavement in sheer fury; Marlyn desperately chased after
the bronze man who looked more like a blur in the crowd. The midget of a man
was out of the crowd by then and laughed tauntingly after the pursuing man of
bronze.
By the time Savage had
pushed his way through to the other side of the crowd; his quarry was already
rounding the corner to the nearest entrance of an alley in hasty retreat. Or
was it hasty?
Doc Savage slowed to a
stop as he reached the corner. Gradually, he peered into the alleyway. What he
saw made him quickly duck behind the
safety of the corner of the building. He caught Marlyn around
the waist just
in time, as she was about to run past him. He pulled her bodily
back to safety.
Marlyn had only manage
to get out the words,” What in the…” When there was a tremendous brilliant
flash of light and heat, which flooded the alley beyond. The hair on Doc
Savage’s arms was singed a bit but neither was affected otherwise. There
immediately followed a deep booming sound like a sonic boom would make from a
jet plane-flying close.
When Doc thought it
was safe to look, he and Marlyn stepped out into the alley. Their quarry was
gone. The only way by foot would have been through their way. There could have
been no way to reach the fire escape in that short of time.
“ How did he do that?” Marlyn asked in awe.
Savage didn’t answer because he had none to give. He was deep in
thought as Marlyn remarked.
“ The whole damn alley’s been burned like it was in an oven or
something; yet the buildings are untouched. Now that is weird.”
Suddenly Doc Savage’s
wristwatch communicator began beeping and he quickly pressed a small button on
the side to activate the device.
“ Yes, Doc here.”
A desperate voice of a man they both recognized answered through
the tiny speaker of Doc’s communicator.
“Doc, its Billy. Something’s wrong. I’m outside of Renny’s
apartment and he won’t let me in. He sounds like he’s gone nuts in there Doc. I
just thought I’d drop in on him and see about his new toy he was bragging about
the other day. He keeps telling me to go away and leave him alone. Then he
starts throwing things around and laughing kind of crazy like.”
Suddenly, they heard a
loud crash as of wood splintering. There was static and then a second or two
later they heard Billy’s voice once again.
“ Hurry Doc! Renny is punching through the door. He says he’s
going to get me for what I did whatever that was. Uh oh! Here he comes.”
Then there were noises
of a struggle and the communication device cut off. Savage desperately tried to
contact Billy again, but with no luck. He tried his headquarters, but no one
answered.
“ What’s going on? Where is Nancy?”
“ I don’t know Marlyn. Let’s try that phone across the street.”
Doc Savage dodged the
mid afternoon traffic both auto and pedestrian and when he was on the other
side; he seized the phone off the hook and quickly
dialed his headquarters’ number. After at least five rings he
hung up. Doc kept a level head and decided on a course of action. By that time,
Marlyn had finally made it across the busy street.
“We’ll have to split
up here. You go see about Nancy and I’ll see if I can handle Renny’s dilemma. I
will give you a call at Renny’s place when and if we calm down him.”
Marlyn looked extremely troubled as she gazed into Doc Savage’s
eyes.
“ Ok. Sounds like a good plan. You don’t suppose all these weird
incidents are related do you?”
Doc Savage acted as if he hadn’t heard her question and
cautioned her.
“ Don’t take any chances. Here, you can take my machine pistol
with you for added protection.”
Doc Savage pulled out
from under his vest of his suit a rather awesome looking miniature machine
pistol that he had developed long ago in a past that seemed from another
lifetime. It wasn’t as light as an Uzi machine pistol, but could fire as fast
and it also had the capability of holding a special kind of explosive and smoke
bullets.
“ Why you bastard!”
Marlyn angrily exclaimed,” You had that with you all the time! Back at the
garage you…”
Marlyn became speechless with anger, yet Doc ignored it.
“ Please Marlyn, we don’t have time to lose.”
Savage hailed a cab and left Marlyn to boil with indignation.
“ Of all the obstinate male chauvinists I’ve ever met, he takes
first prize.”
Soon, she found a cab
among the tangle of traffic and was off to their headquarters. At that point
she had toyed with the idea of changing the doors locks at their headquarters
and needless to say it was a great temptation.
In a cab on the way to
Renny’s apartment, Doc Savage made a call on his wrist communicator. The cab
driver almost had a wreck; while he craned his neck to see who or what this
mysterious bronze man was talking to. It didn’t take long to reach Renny’s apartment,
and it took even less effort to find Renny’s door in the hallway on the top
floor of his building; because what was left of the door lay mostly in the
hallway.
When Doc Savage ran
inside the doorway, the first thing he saw was Billy
having Renny lying down on a couch with a wet rag across his
forehead.
Billy was hovering over him, but whirled around at the sound of
Savage’s voice.
“ How is he Billy; better or worse?”
Billy an
anthropologist in his mid-thirties, who always looked very much like a teenager
that hadn’t reached maturity, seemed shaken by Renny’s condition.
“ He’s delirious and
pretty much out of it for now. When I got here he had plenty of energy. Found
his remote control, but I couldn’t find his latest toy airplane. What’s this
all about Doc?”
“ I’m beginning to get an idea…”
A warm spot on his
wrist on his left arm warned Doc just in time.” Wait Billy! Don’t touch him.”
“ What now?”
Doc Savage undid a
button to his shirtsleeve and rolled it back to reveal a button sized disk
attached to the underside of his shirt button. The disk was a miniature
sophisticated radiation detector; which gave off heat whenever it detects
contamination above human safety levels. Doc explained to Billy his warning.
“ Radiation is coming from the couch. We must assume the worse
in that; somehow Renny had been exposed to radiation of some kind. I must
admit, I don’t recognize the symptoms. This is a new one to me. ”
“ What do we do with him?”
“ We’ll have to take him to my lab as soon as possible.”
“ And how do you suppose we’re going to accomplish that when
we’re not suppose to touch him?”
“ We’ll use a mattress and a sheet from his bedding.”
“ Oh, that might work.”
“You’ll have to be examined too. You have already touched him.”
Billy’s face was
gloomy before, but it got even gloomier with that bit of bad news. The two
carried the mattress and sheet into the other room where Renny was. Then the
two lowered Renny from the couch to the mattress and sheet lying on the floor.
Billy had on one of his latest and most up to date in-fad suits; yet when it
came to a choice of a friend being saved and possibly ruining his clothes, he
would pick his friend every time.
Billy asked,” Have you seen my father today?”
“ No, but I called Johnny earlier. He’ll meet us at our
headquarters later.”
“ I don’t know Doc. I think he’s getting too old for this any
more. After all,
he’s the oldest of this group.”
“ I’ve been meaning to have a talk to him about that. Is Renny’s
car parked nearby?”
“ Yeah, in the garage building next door.”
“ We’ll use his car. It may be a little hard to explain his
condition and why we’re not taking him to a hospital.”
“ You’re right. Didn’t think of that. Hey, what’s this?”
As both men were
lifting the ends of the sheet and mattress like a stretcher, a cylinder shaped
object three inches long and an inch wide fell out of one of Renny’s large
sized fists. Billy picked it up to examine it.
Billy commented,” I might as well open it; I’m exposed already.”
“ It may not be as seriously contaminated as Renny’s body.”
“ How’s that?”
Savage acted as if he hadn’t heard Billy. “ Wait, lets take it
back to the lab too. I have a hunch about it.”
Soon, they were on
their way to the penthouse headquarters of Doc Savage. They both sat in the
front seats, while Renny lay motionless in the back. Billy wondered to himself
if the man of bronze was losing his hearing.
Marlyn couldn’t reach
Nancy by phone or communicator and this disturbed her greatly. Often under
stress, she would talk to herself to reason things out. This time she was
talking to herself plenty.
“ I hope she didn’t go off on some hair brained scheme of her
own.”
Marlyn entered the
eighty-four-story building hoping that Nancy might have trekked down to eat at
the restaurant adjoining the lobby. She found that hardly anyone was seated in
the restaurant and only two men in a heated argument were seated in the lobby
area. She was headed for the special elevator Doc had placed in the building a
few months ago; when she got the sudden feeling that something was wrong, out
of place somehow.
The desk clerk nearby
who’s name was Tom kinder and was a good friend of Marlyn’s was moving his eyes
back and forth as if to motion to her that heated argument the two square jawed
men were having was only an elaborate act. Just as Marlyn began to hurry for
the elevator; the men stopped their act and started to move briskly in her
direction. It was a race for the elevator most would have been terrified at the
aspect.
Tom yelled,” Watch out
Marlyn.”
She only had seconds
to reach the elevator doors, call the elevator and get aboard. Luck was with
her. The elevator doors popped open a second after
She hit the button was able to quickly enter. As the doors
closed she turned, smiled and waved saying to the two goons,” Bye bye.”
One of the frustrated
men, a black man was the first to reach the elevator and he immediately hit the
button. However, he was too late, for the elevator had already lurched upward
at a fantastic rate of speed. He kicked the doors saying,” Damn!”
The other was cooler
headed and assured him,” Hey, that’s ok Tyrone, we’ll take the regular service
elevator and ride it as far as we can; then take the stairs the rest of the
way.”
The black man chuckled,”
Yeah, you are right on Nat. Besides, where could the chick go?”
Tom thinking the two men were reporters yelled,” You two leave
her alone. She looks like she’s already had a rough day.”
The black man named
Tyrone whipped out his flat automatic and pointed it squarely at Tom’s head,”
And you’re going to have an even worse day; if you don’t shut up and lay down
on the floor over there…now!”
Tom was a rough
individual that Doc Savage had employed a few months before straight from his
upstate New York hospital. At one time, he had been a criminal himself. After a
small brain operation performed by Doc Savage and several months of special
treatments and training he had become a model citizen. Even though he had kept
his tough character that he had before; he knew when someone had the drop on
him. He moved his arms and slowly reached for the floor.
Tyrone’s hands were as
steady as a rock. The slightest move would have been that clerk’s last.
“ Now that’s better,” said Tyrone, “ You just stay put man and
you’ll be alright.”
The other elevator
arrived and the two piled in. After the elevator started again, the clerk
jumped up and grabbed the nearest phone on his desk. As he quickly dialed he
said to himself,” Come on Nick, Nancy. Somebody answer.”
The first thing Monk was aware of was a
roaring sound and then the sound of a door closing. It took a moment for his
vision to clear and when it did he found he was propped up in a sitting
position against a smooth curved metallic wall. Ham was slumped over on his
side beside him. Both of them had their hands and feet tied and they were also
gagged. A sinister looking individual dressed in army fatigues and a cap to
match sat facing them six
feet away. The fatigues were a camouflaged light blue and gray
instead of the usual green that Monk was use to.
The sight of Ham lying
in a most undignified manner, and their guard wearing the most ridiculous
colors for fatigues he’d ever seen; made Monk shake with laughter which got
louder with every passing second. This aggravated their guard to some extent.
Monk could tell that the man was on edge and threatening by the tone of his
voice.
“ What’s so funny dumb ass? You think this uniform’s funny
looking? You ought to take a look in the mirror sometime. Oh, by the way, we’ll
be picking your daughter up soon.”
The guard licked his
lips and continued,” And am I ever gonna have a good time with her!”
He laughed and was so
busy taunting the prisoner; he didn’t notice Monk had drawn up his legs until
it was too late. Monk kicked his antagonist full in the face with both feet.
There was a crunch sound and the guard did a back flip landing five feet away
out cold.
Ham had awakened and
his eyes were as big as quarters. He tried to say something from behind his
gag, but it only came out as muffled noise. Men in the same blue and gray
uniforms came at them from all directions. Just before the first ones reached
Monk, he had snapped his bonds and had Ham’s bonds almost undone. The first man
to arrive was a burly dark haired fellow over six feet tall. Monk saw him
coming and punched him so hard in the midriff; that it knocked the air out of
him and sent him sailing back to crash into another attacker.
Ham got the rest of
his bonds loose by then and removed his gag. He noticed right away that Monk in
his excitement had not removed his gag as of yet.
“ That’s a good boy Monk; keep your gag on and we’ll all be
thankful.”
Monk quickly ripped
the gag away and laughed,” At least now we have something to fight, something
we can see.”
“ Yes, but what in heavens’ name is going on?” Ham asked as he
doubled his fists in preparation for the fight forthcoming.
“ I haven’t the foggiest.”
“ Correction, the fogginess is in your head.”
One uniformed thug
tried to hit Monk with a small club. Monk grabbed on of his arms and twisted it
behind him so far; that it snapped from the tremendous pressure that was
applied. The man fell to the metallic floor
screaming and withering around in pain.
“ Too bad I don’t have my sword came with me.” Ham commented as
fully half a dozen men closed in on them forcing their backs closer to the
metal wall.
“ It’s a cinch they want us alive, cause they’d pulled knives or
guns on us by now.” Monk observed out loud.
“ Very astute of you, Monk, Ham said. Then he cleared his throat
and addressed their attackers much to their surprise.
“ Gentlemen, there must be a misunderstanding somehow. Perhaps
if we could talk to your boss this whole mess could be straightened out in a
sensible manner.”
One of the uglier
goons snorted,” Get this dude. He thinks he’s in a fancy courtroom or
something.”
Several guards chuckled knowingly and then they continued to
close in. For a moment it was so quiet, that all Monk could hear was the soft
hum of electrical machinery and foot falls behind their assailants. Then Monk
heard a strange but familiar voice give a command.
“ Alright, this has gone far enough!”
Grumbling and cursing
the guards slowly backed away; but remained alert as the voice continued,”
Please forgive the rough treatment. We couldn’t let you two get away after what
you had witnessed. Especially when we found you to be two of Doc Savage’s
original assistants. That just wouldn’t do. Tisk Tisk.”
The lighting in the
room they were in was a dim violet light; so Monk couldn’t tell much of this
new arrival’s features. All he could see was an outline of a man in the shadows
and the faint glow of a cigarette burning on what looked to be a solid gold
holder stem.
The man in the shadows
continued to explain as he moved closer to Monk and Ham,” Besides I need you
two alive to capture your friend of bronze. I can hardly wait to see the
expression on his face when he finds out who has you two and what I have in
store for him.”
“ There won’t be any expression on his face. He rarely shows
expressions,” retorted Ham.
The leader took a step
closer enough that some of the light revealed his features. It revealed an
interesting face; very long and the skin was dark brown, no doubt from being
exposed to tropical sun below the equator. His wavy hair was so blonde it
looked white and his light gray eyes had an
intensity to them, almost feverish. The most striking feature
was his height, at least five inches taller than Doc Savage. This combination
made it impossible to forget. The instant he stepped out of the shadows, Ham
recognized him.
” You are supposed to be dead. It can’t be!”
Monk who hadn’t recognized this strange individual right away
turned to Ham and said,” Huh?”
Ham continued to stare as he voiced his thoughts out loud; his
voice had a doomed quality to it.
” John Sunlight.”
The startled Monk
turned his head to peer at this individual that had confronted them.” Awh,
that’s impossible. I think you might have gone off the deep end this time,
Ham.”
The one Ham called John Sunlight had a fowl expression on his
face, which quickly changed to delight when he observed their perplexity.
“ It is possible and it can be.” Commented the strange looking
man.
“ How did you survive and how did you keep from aging after all
these years?” Ham asked growing uneasier with every passing moment.
John Sunlight
laughed,” Come sit with me and I’ll explain the whole thing. After all, no one
is ever going to hear the story I am about to reveal to you unless I so wish
it.”
“ You want to bet?” Monk threatened.
“ Wait, let us see what he has to say.” Ham cautioned.
Monk protested but
finally gave in still unsure of the validity of what he was hearing.
“ Good! Follow me,” John Sunlight instructed. The others left to
do their various tasks when they were sure that the danger to their boss had
passed. John led the pair of captives to a row of futuristic reclining chairs
bolted to the metal floor against one wall. Monk noticed that there appeared to
be only this round shaped room. It meant one thing to Monk and that was they
were now in some kind of vehicle. In the middle of the room was a large
pedestal with a dark red dome covering the top. There were various other
equipment, control panels and the like; but nothing even as complex looking as
the panel that they stood before now.
“ Please gentlemen, do sit while I strive to explain to you my
glorious and I must say rather miraculous return.”
As Monk sat he
couldn’t help commenting,” This ought to be good.”
John Sunlight ignored
monk’s remark and in his most theatrical tone he began his story. If you
remember almost fifty years ago you men left me for dead. By a stroke of bad
luck, one of my weapons backfired and I was gravely wounded. Somehow, I dragged
myself out and escaped to the jungles of Brazil. Even though I escaped from
you, as it turned out; it looked like I wasn’t going to escape death. I found
due to exposure to radiation, I had a matter of weeks to live. I became weaker
by the day. I made the most important decision of my life.
With the help of a few
of my most loyal followers that were left; I had myself placed in a special
suspended animation sealed container. Placed in a freezer if you will. Up until
two years ago, I was all but forgotten. My few followers that were left had
died off or had lost interest. My container remained in a concrete vault in the
middle of the jungle, until one day a scientist and his party looking for
artifacts accidentally discovered my presence.
A friend of this
scientist also a scientist; after much labor revived me. Ironically the very
process used to suspend my person and the process this scientist used to free
me; completely restored my health. Still, the shock of waking fifty years later
with so much changed almost did me in. After traveling around the world for a
year, I began to formulate a plan. This scientist that had restored me gave me
an idea.”
“ You mean this craft
we’re in now don’t you?” interjected Ham.
“ Why yes, he had developed teleportation, but didn’t have a
workable design of a craft that could be used to make his theory work. That’s
where I came in because I did have one.”
“ Yeah, I thought this design looked familiar.” Monk commented
with growing anger in his voice.
“ By Jove, this was a design of Savage’s craft he had thought of
developing just before World War II got in full swing. It was to be a high
atmosphere craft for high altitude bombing and eventually space exploration.”
Ham dismally stated.
“ Just one of the many secrets I uh, acquired from Clark
Savage’s Artic retreat, the Fortress of Solitude. I had to modify some things,
like this craft was to withstand the tremendous strain that would be imposed on
it from the process of teleportation.”
Monk yelled,” Why you S.O.B.! You’re still using Doc’s designs
you stole years ago. There’s only one way your type will ever learn, and that
is the hard way!”
Then in one leap, he
was upon John Sunlight with fists flying, yet even with his great speed,
agility and strength; he couldn’t touch the mastermind. John easily blocked his
blows with a speed that Ham had up until then seen only in one individual, Doc
Savage. Ham had thought of stopping the fight quick; but he no longer had his
sword cane. And he knew it was sheer folly to fight someone that fast as he
was. Seconds later, Mr. Sunlight landed a blow on Monk that sent him flying
over his chair to land rather ungracefully onto the metal floor.
Johnny laughed and
then more menacing explained,” if either of you try that again or try any act
of sabotage on this ship; your friends at your penthouse headquarters will
surely die.”
Monk rubbing his jaw and head asked,” What do you mean scum?”
Ham helped Monk to his
feet replying,” I think he means he’s acquired some other hostages.”
Monk glared at John
who only laughed and confirmed Ham’s suspicions,” At this moment a trap has
sprung and my men have now your friends Nancy, Nick and Marlyn.”
“ Hell! I don’t believe it.” Monk yelled in desperation.
Johnny Sunlight only
smiled and flipped a switch on a control panel in front of him. He spoke toward
a microphone,” Phoenix one to Phoenix two reply.”
A voice from a small
speaker implanted in the panel replied,” This is Phoenix two group, Phoenix
one. We have the drop on the one called Nick and the Wildcat named Nancy. Nat
and Tyrone are here. Marlyn chick has given us the slip so far. She seems to
know our every next move. Think she might have exited onto another floor below
us somewhere. Perhaps they have a secret room or rooms on another floor that
they use in just such an occasion as this.”
Sunlight cursed and
ordered,” Forget her. This should be enough hostages to keep everyone off our
backs for a while.”
“ Do you want us to question this wildcat about Marlyn and her
whereabouts? She’s been giving us hell here.”
“ No, we have enough hostages I said. Have someone sit on her
and gag her. Then signal Phoenix two to pick you up there and return to base.”
You could tell the
relief in the other’s voice as he signed off,’ Will do. See you there, over.”
“ You have another craft.” Ham stated more than asked.
John Sunlight turned
toward them ignoring Ham’s statement completely,
“ Do you know that even as I speak your Mr. Savage is stumbling
into a
trap, and I am about to rob one of the largest banks in the
world?”
“ Big deal.” Monk snorted.
“ Exactly. You see, I’ve contacted New York’s finest ahead of
time and informed them of the location and time of day that it will be robbed.’
“ Why would you do that Mr. Sunlight?” Ham asked.
“ It’s a test of sorts. A test of strength. I don’t want the
bank’s money Mr. Brooks, I want to demonstrate these teleporting globes’
abilities to my bidders.”
Ham stood up in anguish,” You mean bidders as in other
countries?”
“ Yes, to the highest hostile country bidder. They pay a lot
more than any friendly country would be willing to fork over.”
“ You’ll never succeed you know.” Stated Ham.
Monk who had sunk
further and further into a gloomy disposition since his futile attempt at lashing
out at sunlight, suddenly changed the subject,” Where the hell are we now?”
John Sunlight motioned
to several guards nearby as he replied,” We are now at my base of operations
under a lake in upstate New York, where all of you shall be treated as my
honorary guests rather than hostages. Just as long as you behave yourselves.”
“ One more question before we are jerked somewhere else,” Monk
asked,” Why did it take so long to get here from New York City?”
John Sunlight
answered,” I had to make a side trip or two and for some reason we haven’t been
able to comprehend; we have trouble teleporting through water. Takes a few
minutes. So now if you will excuse me, I have some matters to attend to. I hope
to see all of you together by dinner time.”
As monk and ham were
lead away by four guards, they could hear the mastermind John Sunlight burst
out loud with an uncontrollable fit of laughter. His high pitched laugh was
mercifully cut off by the sliding doors of the Phoenix One teleportation craft,
as they made their way into the bowels of the under lake base.
Within a block from
Doc’s headquarters, Doc Savage received an urgent call from Tom Kinder over his
wrist communicator in Renny’s car. Billy Littlejohn was driving Renny’s car and
he flinched when he heard the voice from Doc’s communicator.
“ Mr. Savage, Mr. Savage, please come in.”
Doc Savage quickly answered,” What’s going on Tom?”
“ Thank goodness I reached you. Two thugs followed Marlyn to
your
headquarters. There may be others waiting for her up there.”
“ Don’t worry about marlin, she can take care of herself. It’s
the others I worry about. Just stay put.”
“ You got it. Those two thugs were the most cold blooded I’ve
ever seen.”
“ By the way, have you seen William Littlejohn lately?”
“ No, not since yesterday.”
Savage paused for a
second in deep thought then before he could give instructions to the lobby
clerk; he heard Tom exclaim,” Wait! There’s Mr. Littlejohn now.”
“ Tell him to wait downstairs for us. It is not safe to go up
there alone. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Doc Savage turned the communicator off not waiting for Tom’s
reply. “ Step on it Billy.”
Billy got Renny’s
automobile to accelerate to the maximum speed allowed in a crowded Manhattan
city street. They rounded the corner just in time to see several armed men
running into the front entrance of Doc Savage’s skyscraper. One hundred feet
from the building, Savage instructed Billy to pull over and let him out.
“ Now, stay with Renny and park the car somewhere near where you
can see the entrance. I’ll motion you it’s clear.”
Billy protested but fell on deaf ears. Something caught Savage’s
eye above them. Billy leaned out his window to gawk at the sky above them. A
brilliant ball of white light appeared out of nowhere near Savage’s skyscraper
and was slowly floating toward the top west side.
“ What in the hell is that?”
When no one had
answered, Billy glanced over to the other side of Renny’s automobile; but Doc
Savage had already left in a flash of speed few humans could match.
Johnny otherwise known
as William Littlejohn was ever bit of six feet one inches and was so thin that
some acquaintances have called him bean pole and could have sworn he was even
taller. He was the eldest of the aides to Doc Savage. He was also full of
long-winded words. Long words flowed from him like a dictionary unless he was
excited or angry. His hair was streaked with gray and he still wore his monocle
when he could remember to. His eye damage he had suffered during World War I.
Doc Savage had later restored the eyesight with a transplant surgery; but he
always tried to wear it because he thought it made him look distinguished,
sophisticated. So
it was easy for Tom to recognize Johnny when he entered the
lobby. There wasn’t anyone like him that he knew of. One of a kind. They were
the best of friends even with the great age difference. Tom was only in his
forties, while Johnny was in his early seventies, an age difference indeed. How
Johnny was able to stay so young looking for his age and so full of energy was
a mystery to Tom that he would probably never understand. Johnny hailed Tom.
“ Good afternoon Tom and what pretentious wisdom do you have to
offer today? I don’t mean to be pleonastic or to be accused of verbosity; but I
must obtain any information having to do with the latest predicament. You know
me, I’m as annivorous as ever for any information.”
Tom never got a chance
to answer. There was a muffled explosion from behind Johnny, and then a small
red hole appeared in Tom’s forehead. His eyes rolled up and then he went down
backwards to the floor like a felled tree. Johnny whirled around in time to see
a small dwarf like man armed with an automatic with a silencer attached;
running straight for him. Three men in business suits accompanied the little
guy.
“ Stay where you are Mr. Littlejohn or you will be next.” The
dwarf character yelled threateningly.
Johnny didn’t wait to
find out what was to happen next; for he dived over a couch by him and pulled
out a sleek looking machine pistol. But before another shot was fired, a bronze
whirlwind of fists dispensed one of the dwarf’s henchmen in a split second. It
was Doc savage that appeared as if from nowhere. The second man tried to kick
this new threat in the head, but hit a lobby sign instead. The man of bronze
quickly placed a thumb on a certain area of the henchmen’s neck and he slumped
to the floor paralyzed completely for a good several minutes. If Doc Savage had
wanted to he could have applied just the right pressure to make the effect last
several hours.
The dwarf squawked in
panic and tried to make a break for the elevator only to be tripped and sent
sprawled on the lobby carpet by Johnny’s foot. Then he placed the same foot on
the little man’s back to hold him down.
Doc asked,” You alright Johnny?”
“ I am in excellent condition. I am interminably alleviated that
you arrived in time.” Johnny answered.
“ What about Tom?”
“ Unfortunately he is dead. I shall miss him. I believe this
Worm’s
responsible for his untimely death.”
The dwarf man turned
his head and looked up in hatred suggesting to Johnny in a rather weird voice,”
Go to hell!”
Then as Johnny
proceeded to pick the odd little character off the floor, it began to punch,
kick and shout a string of obscenities toward him. The dwarf man found out very
fast that Johnny was pretty strong for his age, yet he was giving Johnny a lot
of trouble. Doc Savage came to his rescue by placing two fingers on the little
man’s neck; therefore completely paralyzing him except for his power of speech.
Their little prisoner continued to curse and spit at them.
Doc savage examined
Tom’s body and found no pulse as he expected. Afterwards, he commented to
Johnny.
“ The little guy’s an excellent shot. If only he had been off
his aim by a hair, I might have saved him. I’m sorry Johnny.”
“ It is ok Doc,
there’s nothing you could have done. I’d like nothing better then to stuff this
squirt down a disposal, but he might have valuable information. Right now, we
don’t have time to think about it.”
“ Then let’s go get Renny and maybe its not too late to save the
others at my headquarters upstairs.” the man of bronze suggested.
They found Renny still
lying nearly unconscious in the back of his car. Billy was nowhere to be found.
“ Damn, now where’s my son off to?” Johnny asked.
“ Not sure,” Doc answered.” We’ll look for him later. Right now
let’s take care of the business at hand.”
Savage carefully
lifted Renny and helped him up and into the building as if he were drunk.
Johnny called the police in the meantime and explained to them that an
attempted robbery took place there, but was foiled at the cost of Tom’s life.
Then they carried the cursing dwarf man and Renny to the special high-speed
elevator of Doc Savage’s. After the elevator quietly started on its way, Johnny
mentioned the obvious.
“ I wish you had paralyzed this idiot’s voice.”
“ I’m afraid he’s not quite an idiot, Johnny,” Doc grimly
commented,” This is Eric Wolfgang, an East German scientist who was thought to
have defected to the west years ago.”
“ I did you fool, but for reasons I just happen to have not
mentioned to your authorities.” Eric blurted out in a surprisingly deep voice
with a heavy
German accent,” I’ve made friends on this side of the world and they
will
put you six feet under.” He then added a suggestive finger
gesture at Savage and Johnny.
Johnny felt like
choking him, but only remarked,” Before he was unintelligible, now he can’t
seem to stop expressing his antagonistic verbalism. Very inimical and grotesque
little man.”
The little dwarf man
exploded into another string of obscenities.
“ I have been attempting to use direct hypnosis on Eric for the
last few moments, explained Doc Savage.
“ Well, I’ll be supermalgated! It would seem it isn’t working so
good.” Johnny remarked in surprise.
Seconds later their
elevator slowed to a halt and the doors slid open. Doc immediately sensed
something, a curious odor penetrating the hallway.
“ What is that smell Doc?” Johnny asked as he drug the
chattering dwarf out of the elevator.
Doc Savage carefully
maneuvered Renny to sit down on the thickly carpeted floor with his prisoner’s
back resting against the wall by the elevator. Then he answered Johnny’s
question.
“ I think someone’s been tampering with our laboratory. Drop the
little guy and help me a moment.”
Johnny did as
instructed and had a huge urge to kick the dwarf man right in the head to make
sure he stayed out of action. Then he realized the little guy was already
paralyzed from hypnosis as it was. Johnny followed Doc Savage at a run and
found that he could hardly keep up with his friend. As they approached the door
to their headquarters; they could see smoke rolling out from under it.
“ It is a very malodorous smell of a malicious nature that is
literally permeating this hallway and perhaps our abode.” Johnny observed.
The man of bronze
didn’t wait to unlock the door to his apartment. He simply threw his 260-pound
frame shoulder first into it. It didn’t crack the door, but it did bust out the
frame surrounding it. Together Doc and Johnny shoved once more against the
heavy door and it fell in frame and all.
Nancy couldn’t believe
how easy the three thugs had surprised her and Nick. She had just started to
leave out the door to do a little investigating of
her own, when Nick began arguing with her about leaving. When
she turned
in the open doorway to give him a piece of her mind; someone hit
her on the head a glancing blow with a small club. It wasn’t enough to knock
her out. It was only meant to daze her. Nick went for his gun in his coat, but
a voice made him freeze in mid-draw.
“ Try it and the chick gets her throat opened.”
Three men pushed their
way through with Nancy in front of them. One held her up with a switchblade to
her throat near the jugular vein.
“ What’s this all about boys?” asked Nick cautiously, “ Nancy,
are you in trouble again?”
One of the thugs who
was the shortest and had coal black hair combed straight back laughed and
responded,” Yeah, you could say that. Now, nice and easy man, I want you to
pull your piece out with two fingers and throw it over to us.”
Nick quickly did as
the shorter thug asked and the gun, a flat automatic; landed not more than a
foot away from the nearest thug.
The short thug continued,” Nice. Now get away from the desk and
lay down over next to the wall….Now man! Move it!”
While Nick complied,
one of the men made the mistake of passing a little too close to Nancy whom
they had thought to be harmless; since she had no weapon on her. As he passed
by, Nancy suddenly kicked his feet out from under him and then kicked him in
the head knocking him out cold. The other two thugs pointed their guns toward
her and the shorter one screamed at her,” Stop it! Stop it bitch!”
He shook with rage as
he continued,” You try that or anything else again and I’ll off ya. You
understand?”
Nancy started yelling at them that if she ever got a chance, she
would get them, which prompted the shorter thug to walk right up to her and
slap her down to the floor. He placed the gun to her forehead and held it there
for at least ten seconds before he reluctantly pulled it back.
He then quietly
asked,” You have a death wish or somethin’? One more stunt and you’ll get your
wish.”
The other thug asked,” Why don’t we just off her now and take
Nick and that Marlyn chick when she gets here?”
“ Cause the boss wants at least two hostages and we can’t depend
on Marlyn showing up soon. Tie them both up and see about Giff will you? I’ve
got to answer my little radio.”
Ten minutes later,
Tyrone and Nat arrived and the shorter thug who was
apparently their leader called up Phoenix Two. A few minutes
more and everyone in the penthouse was showered by a brilliant white light that
radiated from outside near the edge of the patio. Everyone crowded around the
back glass doors leading to the patio, including Nancy who was shoved over
there by Gliff. He had regained consciousness a minute before in a rather
violent disposition.
Quickly the radiated
light dimmed to an orange glow. Then it disappeared to reveal a metal sphere
exactly like the one Renny had witnessed earlier. This time it was floating
only several feet from the penthouse patio’s edge. Seconds later, a hatch twice
the size of a regular sized door opened sinking into the bowels of the floating
sphere. A ramp slid out to touch the patio floor below and several feet ahead.
Then the leader of the
thugs yelled,” Alright Tyrone, start phase two and then meet us in the Phoenix
Two.”
Tyrone laughed,” Ok, that ought to stop Savage.”
The leader grinned,” Yeah, just don’t be too slow about it.
Wouldn’t be right to get caught in it.”
Tyrone ran off down a
hall leading to Savage’s laboratory and storage rooms. He was back within a
couple of minutes. He ran up the ramp of the sphere looking pleased with
himself. After he was inside he commented to Nat standing near the hatchway,”
Man is that Savage guy in for a surprise.”
Nat slapped him on the back and someone
shouted,” Hey, everyone. Take a seat, we’re engaging now.”
As the sun began to
sink behind the skyline of Manhattan, the large sphere’s ramp slid in and the
hatch slid closed. Suddenly it was a brilliant ball of light again. Heat from
the ball of light blistered the paint off the walls on the sides of the
penthouse that faced the sphere’s teleportation process.
It was then that the
front door of the headquarters fell in. Savage ran into the apartment reception
room just in time to catch a glimpse of that brilliant specter in the sky and
then with a resounding boom, it vanished right before his golden eyes.
Johnny was right
behind him,” Did you see that?” he asked Savage.
“ Yes.”
And then without another word, Doc Savage rushed down the same
hall that Tyrone had so recently traveled through. Smoke was filling up the
penthouse apartment quickly. Johnny held his breath and slid open the back
sliding glass doors to let the smoke escape and to let air in. There was an
acid taste
in the air also.
Savage entered his
laboratory through a front entrance. The front entrance consisted of a
specially designed airlock system, made up of two sets of bulletproof glass
doors. The inner set were forced wide open and the outer set of doors were open
a crack. A blue haze was rising inside the lab to mix with the smoke. Savage
didn’t notice that important fact until it was almost too late.
He touched the glass
with the intention of forcing them open since he found that the automatic door
opener wasn’t operating. Suddenly he felt as if his fingers were on fire. He
quickly backed away from the entrance and fled back down the hallway.
Johnny looked up to
see the man of bronze running back into the reception room. There was an
urgency in his voice that Johnny rarely heard as he gave instructions.
“ Hit the button to the suction fans and the sprinklers to the
main lab now!”
As Johnny reached
behind the desk and pressed several buttons on a control panel; the man of
bronze rushed out of the apartment. He found Renny was still lying against the
hallway wall looking paler then ever. Then he noticed that the little dwarf man
was gone. Doc Savage examined the elevator and found it had not been used since
they arrived at their headquarters minutes before. Johnny had been right behind
Doc Savage in leaving the apartment for the main hallway.
“ Now how did that whelp manage the vanishing act Doc?” Johnny
asked excitedly when he noticed that the dwarf was gone.
“ It should have been impossible to come out of a paralyzing
hold that soon.” answered Savage clearly troubled by the incident.
“ Help me with Renny. We better start with his treatments right
away.”
With Johnny’s help
they carried Renny on a blanket to a couch in the reception room. Savage
checked the laboratory and found it in pretty much of a mess. Everything was
soaked but with the fans still on; most of it would dry soon. After opening the
airlock and leaving it open he walked back into the reception room to help
Johnny with Renny.
Savage and Johnny
again picked up Renny and carried him into the lab where he was carefully
placed on an examination table. Doc Savage checked the room using a small black
box with a digital reader on top. He made a
sweep of the room holding it out in front of him with his long
muscular arm
extended out as far as possible. When he was satisfied, he
placed the device
on a shelf and took out another. The long blue box with a thin
red rod extended out the front.
“ And now for Renny.” explained Savage.
It made a ticking
sound, which increased in volume as he waved it, closer to Renny’s unconscious
body. Then placing several fingers to Renny’s neck, Doc Savage checked his
pulse.
“ Has his languid state become more alarming?” Johnny asked.
None of the concern
could be read on Doc Savage’s face, but his voice gave it away enough to worry
Johnny even more.
Savage could only answer,” Let’s get him the required injection
for starters and then we’ll see from there.”
He placed a hand on his oldest aides shoulder and smiled at him
adding,” Don’t worry Johnny, Renny’s as tough as they come. He’ll pull
through.”
Johnny decided to get
his friend’s sickness off his mind, looked the lab over a moment as Doc Savage
worked quickly on Renny. He found several very toxic chemicals spilled together
in such a way that it would cause a deadly gas and an acid residue that would
be deadly to the touch. Yet, all it’s effects could be washed away with water.
When he returned to
stand by Savage he stated,” Very ingenious of our saboteurs to mix chemicals
who’s evidence would be washed away by simple H20.”
Doc Savage held up a
small match box and replied,” Not ingenious enough. He dropped this on his way
out I think.” Doc threw the box to Johnny. He read the front of the matchbox.
Inscribed in silver lettering it read the logo: “ Plug into Trent Electronics.
2003 W. 5th St. Manhattan, New York 88237.
Johnny grinned at his boss and long time friend,” I think I know
our next stop.”
“ First, let’s examine this cylinder that Renny had in his hand
when you found him. Then we’ll see where we go next.” Savage stated.
Doc Savage pulled the
shinny cylinder from his pants pocket and turned it over and over in his hands
to examine it closely. Johnny moved closer as the man of bronze finally found a
way to open what appeared to be a container for messages. A small stud
protruded a thousandth of an inch from one of the ends were pulled away from
each other with a twist of the wrist; the cylinder pulled apart into two hollow
halves. Inside was a small blue piece of blank paper four inches by five inches
when unrolled.
Page 34
“ There must be a written communication on it somehow. The old
glow in ultraviolet light technique?” Johnny asked all consumed with excitement
to the point that he put away his monocle so that nothing could interfere with
his eyesight.
Doc Savage didn’t
answer instead he let his actions speak for him, by taking the sheet of the
blue paper to a specially designed darkroom he had over in one corner of his
fantastic laboratory. After they were both inside with the door closed behind
them; Savage flipped on two ultraviolet lights which shown down from the
ceiling. Then he placed the cylinder’s paper on a specially constructed table
with a glass top. Both men then donned strange looking red lenses goggles. They
examined the paper once more; but this time under a different light. White
lettering all aglow appeared immediately across the light exposed surface of
the blue paper. It read: SOMETHING TO DO WITH TELEPORTATION VEHICLE GOING TO
HAPPEN SOON. MIGHT BE BANK ROBBERY. THEY HAVE US IN THEIR UNDERGROUND BASE
UNDER LAKE NEWCOMB UPSTATE. JOHN
SUNLIGHT INVOLVED. YOU HAVE TO STOP HIM. DON”T WORRY ABOUT US. M & H
Doc Savage grabbed the
paper and crunched it up into a tight ball. Then he threw it against the corner
nearby.
“ Doc, how can that be? Sunlight’s been dead for over forty
years hasn’t he?” Johnny asked in horror and desperation.
Savage replied grimly,” Apparently that isn’t the case.”
While Savage was in
deep thought for a while, Johnny explained as he left the dark room,” I’ll go
up front and make sure no one sneaks up on us this time. Maybe I’ll find
something to drink around here. I think I need one.”
Doc Savage stirred long enough to reply,”
That’s fine, just make sure you’ve got your weapon and also be sure the airlock
is shut tight behind you.”
” Ok Doc.”
Then he slowly made
his way to the front thinking all the while that this couldn’t be happening. It
was like a flashback of the old nightmare. Someone yelling in the hall brought
him back to reality. Johnny ran as best he could toward the front doorway
because he had recognized one of the voices.
“ Billy, is that you out there?” Johnny shouted as he crossed
the middle of the reception room. Just as Johnny reached the doorway, Billy
stuck his head
Page 35
in and said,” So here you are Pops. Good, we’re going to need
all the help we can get.”
“ Where in the hell have you been son?”
Billy stepped in to answer,” You probably won’t believe it, but
I got curious about a ball of light I saw. Believing Renny was safe enough out
of sight in his car, I slipped in our building through the front and found Tom
dead as a doornail. That’s when Marlyn got off the elevator.”
Marlyn chose that time
to run in between them out of breath interrupting their conversation only to
add to what Billy was explaining to his father,” And that’s when the cops
arrived too. Guess who was in the lead?”
A voice further inside
the reception room spoke up making everyone practically jump out of their
skins.” That could only have been Captain Mc Gregor.”
Marlyn smiled as she
found Doc Savage was the speaker in question.
“ Doc, I am sure glad to see you. Everyone’s after us. The whole
town has gone crazy.” Marlyn said first with relief then alarm,” When the
Captain started to ask us questions at least a dozen tough looking creeps
busted in with guns blazing. Most of the cops were shot down after a brief gun
battle, yet Captain McGregor I think escaped out the back. I didn’t have time
to warn them of the attack, but I did manage to make them miss us long enough
to make it to the elevator.”
“ I don’t need your telepathic powers to predict where those men
are headed now.” Said Savage,” They are on their way here and that German
doctor leading them will be in no mood to talk.”
Johnny commented,” A most disquieting thought. May I suggest we
vacate these premises with great haste.”
Billy agreed,” I think that’s an awesome idea Pops.”
Doc Savage looked at
everyone,” First, let us get this door back up so that will slow them down a
bit. While you three pack what is necessary in weapons and supplies; I will rig
something up that’ll slow them up a bit.”
Billy laughed,” I think I know what that means.”
As they started to
place the door back in position, Marlyn looked at Doc Savage thoughtfully and
wondered to herself how he had known it had been a German Doctor that had been
leading this latest attack.
Doctor Eric Wolfgang
was mad enough to be on the border of insanity when he found that they couldn’t
get the speed elevator to operate for them.
When they found that the other elevator would only hold eight
out of a
Page 36
dozen men and it stopped several floors from reaching the top to
Doc Savage’s apartment; the Doctor was ready to tear his hair out. They took to
the stairwell after someone busted the door lock off. When Eric and his men
reached Doc Savage’s floor they found no resistance, reaching the man of
bronze’s door within seconds.
Eric Wolfgang motioned
to a rather large brute of a man named Drege to hit the propped up door with
his shoulder. He did and to his surprise, it easily fell in. His momentum sent
him tumbling into the room and he fell over a couch. In all their excitement
they never noticed that Drege had never bothered to get up off the floor.
All seven men stormed
the penthouse with the Doctor leading the way. One by one his thugs fell over
as if they had gone to sleep on their feet. It didn’t take long for their
leader to see that they had tripped some kind of sleeping gas trap.
Realizing this, he
quickly raced for the glass doors beyond with the hope of reaching fresh air.
It was a reasonable intelligent move, one that is expected of a genius who thinks
fast on his feet. After all, he was closer to the floor than his men. He just
didn’t take in to account, that the glass doors were locked and drowsiness set
in before he could make another move to safety. Finally, his eyes closed and
his little fingers made squeaking sounds as his body slid down the glassy
surface of the sliding doors.
He snored loudly as
Doc Savage and his group entered the reception room a few moments later from
the laboratory. Everyone wore miniature gas masks even Renny when Savage and
Billy were carrying him between them on a blanket stretcher.
Johnny peered at the
bodies lying all over the reception room asking, “Your antiseptic gas bobby
trap worked great Doc. Are we going to dispose of these ruffians the usual
way?”
“ Yes, I’ve called already. The moving van will be here with our
men from the upstate Hospital soon.”
Marlyn spoke up, “ Oh yeah, the place you have where you operate
on a criminal’s brain to correct the portion of it that causes most of their
type of antisocial attitudes. And I suppose that is where they’ll end up.”
As they filed out of
the front entrance, Doc added,” Not all of them. The police can handle all but
Doctor Eric Wolfgang. He is a special case and may not even need to go to our
hospital upstate or to the police.”
“ Treatment of a Physiological nature I presume.” Quipped Johnny
while
Page 37
trying to adjust his monocle out of habit.
Doc Savage suddenly
stopped and motioned with his finger to his mouth for everyone to be quiet.
After a moment they could clearly hear footsteps echoing in the stairwell by
the elevator shaft.
Billy whispered,” More of them?”
Doc nodded an
affirmative. He quickly sat his side of the stretcher down and reached in his
vest pocket to pull out several thin glass globes with a clear liquid inside.
He handed them to Johnny and instructed him,” Throw these gas ones down the
stairwell now.”
Johnny knew that no
matter whom it was coming up those stairs, Doc Savage wasn’t about to take any
chances. When Johnny reached the doorway of the stairwell, he threw them as
hard as he could down the stairs.
After a few seconds he heard someone groan loudly and also the
sound someone would make falling down a couple of the steps. Since he had
donned a gas mask and still had it on, he was able to check on whom it was that
he had taken by surprise. Soon, he joined the others confirming Savage’s
suspicions.
Johnny told Savage,”
That was the rest of them. They’re out like the proverbial lights.”
“ Ok Marlyn, grab the elevator then help Johnny with the
supplies we will take.”
Marlyn did her share
without a word of complaint. She was glad just to be alive. The special
elevator dropped at an incredible rate of speed. There was just enough time for
Savage to lay out his plans to his s.
“ Father and son will team up and travel upstate to lake Newcomb
and see what you can find out there. Monk and Ham are alive, but the longer it
takes to rescue them, the worse the chance that they’ll still be alive when we
find them. It looks like Nancy and Nick have been kidnapped too. I can’t
impress on you enough their situation is critical also.”
“ Don’t you fret Doc. We’ll try like hell to find them.” Billy
tried to assure the man of bronze.
“ Just try to keep in mind not to take on John Sunlight’s entire
army trying to get them out.” Doc warned Johnny and Billy.
Everyone laughed
knowing very well that no one would do such a thing unless Doc Savage was
involved also. It was probably suicide anyway. The laughter froze as Marlyn
suddenly closed her eyes and exclaimed out loud,
“Wait!”
Page 38
She paused then
continued,” Nancy and Nick are on their way to Sunlight’s stronghold. Nancy is
trying to let me know this and about something very important…” She hesitated
then frowned as if puzzled about what she was sensing.
“ What is it Marlyn?” asked Johnny concerned by Marlyn’s
reaction, but also fascinated by the way she used telepathy to pick up on
thoughts so far away. After a moment, she opened her eyes as the elevator came
to a stop and the doors automatically opened.
She seemed deeply
disturbed as she explained,” It was something about a trap and the rest was
blocked by a stronger mind than Nancy’s. I think it was John Sunlight’s.
That was a sobering
thought to everyone there as they left the elevator to find themselves in
Savage’s basement garage. Though it was evening it was impossible to tell since
there were no windows around. It looked the same as it had when Savage and
Marlyn had been there that morning.
Doc Savage explained
to Billy and Johnny that the girls had been experimenting around with thought
communication for some time.
“ We’ve been successful at short distances. This is the first
time we’ve tried it at a distance as great as this. This Sunlight character
must know some of this science to be able to block her thoughts as effectively
as he did.” Marlyn explained,” We really should hurry Doc. That madman’s going
to make his move soon. He’ll use his hostages to keep us clear of him or
destroy us all.”
Doc Savage seemed
unaffected by this news as he continued to explain his plans,” Ok, marlin and I
shall pay a night visit to Trent Carol Electronics while Johnny, you and Billy
will take one of the hover jets and drop off Renny first to the upstate
Hospital. Then you two can head for Sunlight’s stronghold.”
“ What are we going to use for transportation, Doc?” Marlyn
asked who still seemed shaken by the incredible message she had received a
moment ago.
“ We’ll take the mercury vehicle. It is armored with a new
light-weight armor plating.” Doc stated.
They wished each other
luck and departed for their separate destinations. As the man of bronze
expertly drove up the concrete ramp that led to the surface; Marlyn voiced her
thoughts to him.
“ I don’t like this at all, Doc. We didn’t even bother to stop
and pick up a gun or two. You know, like as in defense for one’s own self from
bodily harm.”
Page 39
Savage patiently
explained to marlin,” I try to avoid carrying one on my person if at all
possible. I did bring us some against my better judgment. They’re in the
suitcase in back.”
Marlyn remained quiet
for a time immersed in deep thought as Doc drove the sporty looking Mercury
through the secret entrance of his garage basement to a city street above. The
door disguised cleverly to look like part of the skyscraper’s wall was already
open as they drove through rather quickly. As soon as they were outside, the
secret wall door slid to close off the entrance.
A light spring shower
had moved into the city making the night a bit chilly compared to what it had
been so many nights before. Eventually Doc Savage had to turn on his car heater
for Marlyn’s sake. The quiet in the Mercury was finally broken when they were
almost upon the electronics building. Marlyn asked Doc a question that she
really didn’t expect to receive an answer.
“ Think they’ll hit a bank or whatever soon?”
“ Yes, and I think I have an idea where,” Doc answered dryly,” I
just wish I could see what it is I’m suppose to be fighting.”
Marlyn raised an eyebrow at his unexpected emotional answer and
sighed.
“ Yeah, I think I know how you feel. It’s like now you see them,
now you don’t.”
When they pulled up to
an old gated driveway leading to the electronics building located a hundred
yards beyond. A high fence topped with barbed wire surround the electronics
company area. Normally the front gate was locked in the evening, but this night
it was slightly ajar and unguarded.
“ Looks abandoned to me.” Marlyn whispered.
“ So it does. Marlyn, you stay here in case there’s any
trouble.” Instructed the man of bronze.
Marlyn started to
protest, but Savage silenced her by saying, “ Drive our car to a spot out of
sight yet in a position to where you will still be able to see what is going on
around the grounds.”
When she didn’t answer
right away Doc Savage looked at her in concern and asked,” Marlyn, is that
clear?”
Marlyn reluctantly
answered as he quietly slipped out of the Mercury,” Yeah it is crystal clear.
Just be careful and would you at least take a gun with you?”
“ No.” Doc Savage replied as he quickly closed the car door
shut.
Page 40
By the time Marlyn had
slid over into the driver’s seat to tell him how stubborn she thought he was;
Savage had vanished into the rainy night air. He had become just another phantom
amongst the shadows of the night.
Altogether five guards dressed in gray and blue-green uniforms
accompanied Monk and Ham to their new living quarters that they had prepared
for them. The guards were all new faces that had not been on the craft with
them. On the way there, they walked through a large tunnel twelve feet in
height and ten feet in width; carved out of pure stone. They could only guess
what the length had been. It seemed almost the equivalent to two city blocks
before there was a split in the tunnel.
As they approached the
split, the guards behind them shoved Ham and Monk savagely toward the tunnel to
the right. Observing that there was only one guard in front of them and four
behind, Ham saw that moment as an opportunity to try an escape. Ham in the
character of a great stunt actor, pretended to trip. He fell against the back
of the lead guard knocking him flat on his face. In one move he had the guard’s
45 automatic pistol in his hand and he pointed it directly at the surprised
guards.
“ Alright, drop your
weapons and put your hands on your heads.”
Ham instructed,” Now, head for the wall to your left and turn to
face it.”
Grumbling, the four
guards complied while Monk picked up the dazed guard off the floor by his belt
with one arm and he wasn’t very gentle when he let him down by the other
guards. One guard a little braver than the rest, spoke.
“ You guys will never get out of here alive.”
Monk faked a look of shock.
“ Oooh, he’s probably right Ham. Maybe we ought to shoot all
these clowns here and now. We don’t have much to lose anyway, since our only
way out those what-you-ma-call-its have split.”
Ham grinned,” I think
for once we’re in agreement ole chap.”
Both aides acted as if they were about to pull the trigger on
their weapons to slaughter the five helpless men; when one of the guards began
to tremble with fright. Suddenly, he blurted out some very valuable information
to his captors.
Page 41
“ Wait! I-I know of another way out of here.”
One of the guards tried to kick the one that was giving in, but
Monk slapped him in the ear with the side of his pistol he had confiscated,
temporarily stunning him.
Monk turned toward the
informant and said in a threatening tone,” Well, tell us you dummy. Don’t just
stand there!”
“ The tunnel to the left eventually leads to another split and
if you take another left you’ll come to the old original entrance that had once
been the entrance to an old gold mine. It leads up through a mountain. It’s
been blocked and camouflaged, but if…”
The talkative guard
never got to finish. There was an eerie thud sound and suddenly a large knife
handle was sticking in his scrawny neck. Emitting gurgling sounds he slumped to
the tunnel floor, dead before he hit. Then monk and Ham were tackled by at
least a dozen men and clubbed senseless. The four who had been temporary
hostages swore and kicked the two aides’ bodies for several minutes before a
thin man with a long scar down the side of his face spoke up.
“ Alright, that’s enough. Throw them in a cell, tie em up and if
you have to, sit on em. Can’t have this stuff happening again or Sunlight’s
gonna get mad, and you know what happens when he gets mad.”
That put everyone in
an even worse mood. Monk and Ham were literally thrown into their cell, which
looked ore like a fifteen foot by eight-foot hole in the rock complete with
steel bars blocking the mouth of it. Sunlight’s men had tied the two prisoners
up and gagged them, but soon after the guards left they had worked the ropes
and gags off. First thing monk said after he pulled his gag off from his wide
mouth was,” I think we’re having a run of bad luck.”
Ham retorted as he
looked their cell over,” Well, you ape freak wonder, if you would pay attention
once and a while you’d know that our luck’s going to change for the better.”
“ What are you talking about shyster?”
Ham moved up close to
Monk and whispered,” We’ll have to talk this way because I wouldn’t be
surprised if the walls have ears.”
“ Ok then, what’s the latest?”
“ While we waited to land in this God forsaken place, I found a
disposal chute of some kind that led to the outside. I made up a hidden message
note and shoved it in that chute.”
Page 42
“ So, you know that it probably doesn’t open to the outside
until they are not teleporting.”
“ That’s just it by Jove! Remember for a brief moment they had
mechanical difficulties. Remember they had to shut teleportation down and hover
over the city for a few seconds?”
Monk’s face brightened and he wasn’t quite so gloomy.
“ Yeah, I remember! So you shoved it through then?”
“ Exactly, and I had the presence of mind to place the note in
an empty container they had lying around.”
“ Then there is a chance that someone took the message to doc.
Ham!”
Monk slapped Ham on the back hard enough it sent him sprawling
to the cell’s floor,” You are a genius!”
Ham looked at what had
once been his expensive Italian hand –made suit and uttered a mournful groan.
Monk ignored Ham’s despair and began throwing small rocks at what looked to be
a small microphone wedged in a corner near where the bars met the ceiling. Two
guards walking by their cell threw rocks at Monk and made faces at him until
they became bored and moved on. Monk was in the mood to crack some heads by
then; while Ham was wondering if he could possibly hang his partner with his
own belt.
Both prisoners
eventually took a catnap to try to retain some energy. It was obvious that
their captors had no real plans to feed them. Several hours later, they were
awaken by a resounding boom that echoed and shook the tunnels and all cells of
the underground, under lake complex. Monk and Ham moved close to the bars in
hopes of finding out what was happening. Guards ran back and forth in their tunnel.
A large body of heavily armed men at one time marched by headed in the
direction where the phoenix One had landed.
“ Wonder what’s up?” Monk asked Ham.
“ Looks like something big. Sure wish Doc would hurry or that we
could find a way out of here now.”
“ Why don’t you just ask for a court order to have us released
on our own reconnaissance while you’re at it?”
Ham was about to ask
Monk if he had been learning new words from Johnny lately; when they saw Nick
and Nancy shoved into a cell across the hall. Nick’s hands and feet were tied,
but Nancy was wrapped like a mummy with tape and cord. One of the guards
commented about Nancy and the other two guards laughed, but Monk couldn’t quite
make out what he had said.
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Then Monk made what he later admitted a big mistake.
He shouted to the guards,” You touch her and I’ll break ya in
half.”
The one who had made
the comment about Nancy turned halfway to see who had yelled and Monk
recognized him to be the scar-faced leader he had seen earlier.
Scar-face shouted
back,” Why old man, is this your daughter? Na, can’t be. She’s too beautiful to
be a daughter of an ape!”
Ham stated to laugh,
but froze in shock as he watched the two other guards untie Nancy’s legs; rip
her dress and underwear off. Then they pulled her legs open. Scar face smiled
at Monk whose knuckles had turned white from holding onto the bars so tight.
Then Scar face dropped his pants and mounted his helpless victim.
Nick yelled,” No! “
and tried to crawl toward Nancy only to be kicked savagely in the ribs,
knocking the wind out of him. Seconds later, Nancy awoke and tried to scream,
but it only sounded like a muffled buzz from under the gag she still wore.
Monk could only stare
in rage and shock. He began to shake the bars violently until suddenly by some
miracle two of the bars pulled away from the ceiling a fraction of an inch.
Monk and Ham both peered up at the ceiling. Monk grunted with the strain as he
pushed with all his might at the same two bars. Then he pulled back again and
slowly they bent inward until there was just enough room for Monk to squeeze
his bulky frame through.
His rage was so great
that he didn’t even roar as he customarily would.
He made not a sound as
he rushed Scar face from behind; and cleared the distance between him and his
pray in three long strides.
Monk’s right arm was
around Scar face’s neck and pulling him backwards so quickly that the motion
literally lifted him off of Nancy’s body. Scar face gagged and his face turned
gray as Monk applied more pressure on his neck. With his hands free, Scar face
tried freeing a large hunting knife from its scabbard. Unfortunately for his
sake, since Nancy’s legs were not tied up she was able to kick him right
between the legs.
Scar face yelled out in
pain, but monk never let go. Instead, he lifted him now by two hands about the
neck off the floor. One of the guards tried to help Scar face, but Nick tripped
him up and he fell head long into the cell wall knocking him out cold. The
other made his getaway and ran down the tunnel yelling for help. Ham had
managed to squeeze out of the prison by then and had tried to give chase after
the remaining guard, but he had too
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good of a head start on him.
Finally convinced that
Scar face had little if any fight remaining in him; Monk slammed his victim
down to the cell floor face first. Then while Ham yelled at Monk to stop, he
straddled Scar face’s back. In one swift move, he grabbed Scar face by the hair
and pulled his head back. With the would be Rapist’s own hunting knife, he
slashed his throat open from ear to ear. Nick had untied Nancy’s ropes and gag
by then; and had to go over in a corner to be sick. Nick turned away from the
brutal scene in shock as Ham pulled Monk to his feet.
He asked him quietly,”
Monk, do you know what you have done?”
Monk sobbing, shook his head yes. Ham, in a rare display of the
real friendship that has spanned over all those years placed his hands on
Monk’s broad shoulders.
“ They could very well get you for murder for that one monk, but
due to the circumstances involved; no one can really blame you. Anyway, we’ll
keep it a secret just between the four of us. Right Nancy?”
Nancy could only nod
in agreement then her eyes filled with tears and she ran to hug Monk.”
“ Oh Dad, I’m so happy to see you!”
Monk held his daughter
while she cried softly. Without another word spoken to the two, Ham and Nick
gathered what weapons were at hand. At length Nick thanked his father.
“ For what?” Ham asked.
“ For being here when we needed you the most.”
They left the prison
cell area jut in time because as they listened from further up the tunnel’ they
could hear shouts of alarm and the sounds of pursuit quickly approaching.
“ What do you suggest we do next Monk?” Nancy asked quite on
edge.
Monk looked about as they started to trot down the tunnel the
opposite direction they had been. Then Monk remembered what one guard had said
when questioned.
“ Remember Ham? One of the men we questioned told us about an
old gold mine that was another entrance into this stronghold. Only thing is I
didn’t find out whether we can really get out that way or whether it is
blocked.”
Ham replied,” Well, do
you think you know the way?”
To Ham the under lake stronghold was beginning to look more like
a maze of tunnels.
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“ I think so.” Monk replied.
“ Then may I suggest we move our tails now. They’re almost upon
us.” Nancy suggested showing signs of recovering some from her ordeal. Then
they heard shouting down the tunnel. They had been discovered. They realized it
would be only seconds before more guards would be on to them.
Starting from Doc
Savage’s garage basement to a warehouse type building along the Hudson River is
a tunnel with an electric track that runs from one end to the other. A bullet
shaped car which can hold up to eight passengers is used sometimes on that
track traveling at speeds exceeding 80 miles per hour. Doc Savage and his aides
use that tunnel to get to his warehouse or headquarters in a hurry. It was one
of those times when Johnny and Billy needed to do just that. The father and son
team had only traveled a few seconds in that underground craft when Johnny
turned to Billy who was controlling it.
“ I’m telling you now son, without prevarication I still have
misconceptions of this new tunnel bullet contraption.”
“ What’s to fret over Pops?”
Johnny pretended to
peer out of his Monocle and replied,” Quit calling me Pops! Just because I’m in
my early 70’s doesn’t give you the right to address my person in such an
ineloquent manner.”
“ You are in your late 70’s Pops.”
“ Be that as it may, I don’t like the way we just rocket our way
through the Terra Firma and granite. Certainly this is a prodigious machine,
but do we have to get there so blasted fast?”
Billy asked his father
while he turned his attention once again to the control panel before him, which
had stopped flashing yellow and was now flashing a reddish hue.
“ Say what Pops?”
Johnny sighed,” Ah
Billy my boy, sometimes you can be so ingratiating. Why is that panel flashing
red now?”
“ It means we’re almost there. It is warning of our impending
stop.”
“ Ah, soon we will be in the interpenetration stage into the
warehouse.”
Billy observed the
tunnel lights were passing overhead more slowly as he absentmindedly asked,”
What was that?”
“ I said..”
Johnny was interrupted
by the abrupt lurch of their bullet car as it stopped
inside their destination, Doc Savage’s warehouse storage
facility. His
Page 46
storage facility was indeed the size of a large warehouse for it
needed to be. Inside was a collection of old and new traveling machines the
likes of which only a few have ever seen. There were several cars and vans, but
mostly boats and airships of every description.
Both men piled out of
the bullet car and carried Renny with them. They made their way through a pair
of large steel doors, which had slid open as they approached. Lights throughout
the storage facility automatically switched on row by row. They placed their
load down carefully on the concrete floor.
Johnny stretching
remarked,” I still can’t get over how fantastic this place really is. You have
an old propeller driven Bi-plane over here, and an old cargo plane over there.
There’s a small submarine over in that corner and a deep water diving bell
resting by it. Hey boy, I remember that old Gyrocopter from way back when!
Gosh, and I still haven’t been in his new jet helicopter.”
Billy yawned,” Come on, we don’t have much of the night left you
big kid you.”
Johnny realized
suddenly how carried away he had been,” So, where have you got the hover
fighters parked now?”
Billy pointed to the
other side of the building facing the bay.
“ Just over there, ready to go.”
“ Can you put it on autopilot Son, I think I’ll take a cat nap
while on the way. I need some rehabilitating respite.”
“ Doubt it. We’ll be at the Hospital in…oh twenty minutes at the
outside. Then another fifteen minutes will see us at lake Newcomb.” Billy
explained.
“ Simply brilliantly wonderful.”
The sky was clearing
rapidly above the Sertaina Trading Company warehouse. Winds began to blow the
clouds revealing a full moon every once and a while. When it did the lunar glow
reflected off the glossy black surface of a modernistic super sonic jet
fighter, which hovered at least several hundred feet over the warehouse
momentarily and then with a muffled boom it shot forward rapidly in a
northwesterly direction. As it flew silently across the island city of
Manhattan, it picked up speed and altitude, as quickly as perhaps a shooting star
would have. Soon, it had disappeared beyond the city’s skyline. Few witnessed
the takeoff from the city that never slept.
Page 47
The Trent Carol
Electronics sign on the front gate was old and faded. It looked to Doc Savage
as if the place hadn’t been used in several years, but one can never be too
careful. After entering the dilapidated gate missing much of it’s paint’ the
man of bronze veered quickly to the left and took advantage of shrubbery that
grew in a nice neat row all along the front of the dark building. He crouched
low and ran along the shrubbery observing each opening such as windows or doors
until finally halfway down the warehouse he found what he was looking for. He
observed a window almost seven feet from ground level boarded up and the glass
pane missing.
The gentle rain
showers had stopped and Doc Savage could hear the insect sounds of the night;
but little else. Not a sound emitted from that dark warehouse. Not a sign of
life animal or human presented itself. The full moon began to show here and
there through the passing clouds. The man of bronze waited until the moon had
once again disappeared behind the clouds, then he made a rush for the warehouse
wall and the window above. When he was just below the window he leapt straight
up and with his fingertips he barely caught the window ledge. With a tremendous
show of strength he pulled himself up and was son standing on the thin ledge
while he held onto the window frame and the boards that were covering it.
Little effort was needed to pull several boards loose and throwing them into
the shrubbery below and behind him. It was a tight squeeze, but he made it
through and silently dropped down to the concrete floor inside.
It just so happen
that Doc Savage had entered a large lab within the warehouse, filled with
electronic equipment and containers of very dangerous chemicals. Everything was
spotless. The floor, the long lab tables and lab utensils were all spotlessly
clean. He tried the light switch along the front wall of the lab, but nothing
happened. There was probably a blown fuse somewhere Savage surmised, because he
observed that a walk-in refrigerator unit located to his right was still
running.
Curiosity got the best
of him and he approached the unit, carefully watching the entrance door and the
window he had entered from. Inside he found a grim scene.
Several bodies were lying face down in the middle of the unit’s
floor. The floor was red with the blood of the victims. Savage stepped inside
and examined the bodies more closely. Three had been and two had been women all
dressed in lab smocks. All were very dead. It looked like all the victims
had been shot in the back of the head and then deposited in the
unit in a neat
Page 48
row several hours before. So the outside had been a ruse to look
as if it hadn’t been used in a while when really it had been recently.
After exiting the
unit and closing the door, he noticed a faint odor of something burning. The
man of bronze burst through the lab door and entered an area beyond. The rest
looked a lot like any other warehouse with equipment and supplies stacked to
the ceiling in row after row of large shelves. He began to make his way as fast
as he could down one aisle at a trot because a thought just occurred to him
that made his gut draw up into a knot of fear. The man of bronze rarely shown
any emotion; but inside he felt fear. That burning odor had seemed familiar
from the start, but it took several minutes before he recognized it for what it
meant. He ran to the other side of the warehouse winding through aisle after
aisle of equipment both large and small. Several times he stumbled across a
body of some warehouse worker who had become victims of either stabbing or
gunfire. He found not one survivor among the six bodies that he had discovered.
When he reached the
opposite side of the building he found that someone had added a portable
building extension which made into a fairly good sized machine shop. By then,
smoke began to filter out of the vents which confirmed Doc Savage’s dreadful
theory that he had hoped against hope had been wrong. The warehouse apparently
had a basement filled with flammable chemicals that were now on fire. Any
moment the main warehouse area and lab walls would heat up just so much then
all would explode in a gigantic firestorm with him trapped inside.
He had no more stepped
inside the shop with its lathes, drill presses, dust and shavings; when the
first explosions rumbled through the warehouse’s structure. Doc Savage thought
if only he could make it to the back of the shop, he would stand a chance. Not
much of one, but still a small chance.
The smoke and heat was
unbearable and it was even getting hard to see. His lungs felt on fire, and
breathing was becoming more of an effort. Suddenly, the world exploded and the
concussion threw the man of bronze twenty feet into one of the sheet metal
walls, as if a humongous hand had swept him aside. Somehow, Savage remained
conscious and he pulled himself up in time to see a wall of flame barreling down
on him at what seemed like a hundred miles an hour.
Marlyn had reluctantly
parked the Mercury behind a closed Service Station; and then she returned to
watch and wait for Doc Savage behind a stack of
Page 49
chemical barrels. Something just didn’t feel right about that
warehouse.
Nancy mentioned a trap before she was cut off, could this be it?
Then Marlyn realized that it must be and that Doc Savage knew it. So why did he
go in anyway? The more she thought about it; the more questions kept popping up.
A few minutes later, she noticed the smoke and ran toward the gate yelling a
warning.
She made it to the
gate when suddenly, there was several small explosions followed by a thunderous
one that knocked her backward to the ground. The blow to her head and back
dazed her and she watched in helpless terror as most of the warehouse
disappeared into a huge ball of fire. Flame and debris was sent hundreds of
yards in all directions. The roof split in several places and collapsed into
the raging inferno. The heat was so intense that it blistered Marlyn’s left arm
and the left side of her face. Yet, she didn’t feel it as she pulled herself
up. Half in shock and grief; she desperately wandered around the warehouse
grounds searching for any trace of Doc Savage. She called to him with her voice
and with her mind, but there was no answer. She couldn’t sense him. Nothing.
Finally, as Ambulances
and fire trucks arrived on the scene; she slipped away into the darkness before
anyone could observe her presence. When she was back inside the parked Mercury,
she leaned her head forward to touch the steering wheel and cried for the loss
of what she thought to be the greatest human being she’d ever known. Finally,
she raised her head and started the car. In her eyes now was a burning hatred.
Murder was in her mind
and in her heart. She knew that revenge on the man who caused this terrible
loss; was the only thing that would quell it.
She knew that sooner or later John Sunlight would be at his
stronghold under that upper New York Lake. And it’s there she would be waiting
for him. She put the car in gear and started first for her apartment not far
from Savage’s headquarters; where she could attend to her wounds and stock up
on the things she would need for the task ahead.
As she drove along a
thought occurred to her that if she was feeling the way she was; how would
Nancy react when she found out that Doc savage was killed. She shivered
involuntarily and decided against telling her as long as possible.
“ Besides, Mr. Sunlight’s mine!” she spoke out loud to herself
as if she was
Page 50
making a proclamation to the world.
It was dawn before
Marlyn was able to leave her apartment and take the old highway that would
eventually lead her to lake Newcomb and the unknown dangers that lay waiting
for her.
Billy was right to the
minute on his calculation. They did arrive at the Hospital grounds in twenty
minutes. Calling up ahead had paid off for a special medical team was out on
the front grounds waiting for them as their sleek craft landed vertically. The
nurses and orderlies waiting rushed Renny by stretcher to the radiation
treatment lab wing while Johnny and Billy took a moment to have a cup of coffee
before they continued their journey. In the Hospital cafeteria, Doc Savage’s
two aides sat together in silence reflecting on a great many things.
With a visible sigh of
regret, Billy mentioned the obvious. “We know that it will be impossible to see
Renny until there’s some kind of improvement.”
Johnny only bobbed his head up and down in agreement saying,” Uh
huh.”
“ So I guess we ought to hit the dusty trail once again.”
“ I could have prognosticated that superfluous announcement. We
certainly can not dawdle around this establishment when our comrades are most
likely in deep distress.”
As they rose to leave,
Billy commented,” Pops I believe you are getting worse as you get older.”
“ On the contrary son, I’m more intelligible and less capricious
than in my younger years.”
“ Can the words would you, Pops? I just had to have a father who
thinks he’s a dictionary…”
“ Lucky you.”
“ What is this? You have to have the last word or somethin’?”
“ Of course.”
Billy made a growling
noise as he exited the cafeteria door and entered a hall leading to the front
lobby and main entrance. Johnny was last to leave and he called out to Billy
ahead of him.
“ Are you feeling well Sonny?”
Billy didn’t lose a step as he answered over his shoulder,” Just
swell.”
Chapter
VII “The Demonstration”
About the same time
that Johnny and Billy reached the lake area in their
Page 51
aircraft, another flying craft of a completely different nature
appeared quite suddenly above Manhattan First National Bank. The gigantic shinning
metal sphere hovered several hundred feet above the building without a sound.
Moments later, there was another flash of light and another sphere appeared
above the city and then another after that.
Even though it was
six-thirty in the morning; this phenomenon still caused quite a stir. Soon a
crowd began to form on the sidewalks that ran along the block where the
Manhattan First National Bank was located. Finally, someone called the police
and after they arrived, someone must had to push the crowd back across the
street and set up road blocks on either end of that city block. Someone in the
crowd yelled at the police.
“ What are you gonna do, shoot your popguns at the UFOs?”
S.W.A.T. teams began
to arrive and snipers position themselves on every available rooftop around the
bank. Authorities had already seen these spheres in action and were taking no
chances. Many of the police had donned special fireproof suits as a precaution.
Captain McGregor was there across the street from the bank behind his unmarked
car pointing his revolver toward the middle-floating sphere. Chief of Police
Randy E. Callahan a white headed man in his early fifties still as vigorous as
he had been in his prime, was standing beside his captain.
Captain McGregor was
trying to explain a point to his chief while their eyes never left the hovering
spheres.
“ I’m a tellin’ ya Randy, this Savage fella has a big part in
all this. I can smell it. We just arrested part of a rival gang that he
ambushed in his crazy penthouse headquarters. They were questioned and we found
out that the one that was leading them got away.”
“ Come off it Captain!”
“Every time those Spheres appeared either Doc Savage’s lads or
Doc Savage himself was close by. What of all their mysterious comings and goings.
Half of his people has disappeared and now the Spheres are here to terrorize
the city again.”
“ Captain, you are babbling. Besides, that’s still no proof. I
just got word he might have come to an untimely end earlier this morning.
Warehouse on 5th street blew up and a witness saw someone fitting
his description entered that building a minute before the blasts and firestorm
that completely destroyed it
all.”
Page 52
“ Ah hell, that’s just a diversion, a cover to clear his name of
any wrong doing sir. Aye, he’s a sly one that Savage gentleman. I’ll wager my
bottom dollar that…Ho! Something’s going down.”
“ I’d say that the Spheres certainly are. Get on the horn and
tell the men be ready to move in on my word. Make sure the S.W.A.T. snipers
hold their ground at all costs.”
“ Yes Chief. Now we got ya Mr. Savage.”
Chief of police Randy
E. Callahan rolled his eyes and said more to himself than anyone,” Just wish
the National Guard could have made it here before this. I could use helicopter
gun ships about now.”
The three spheres were
dropping and dropping fast. The center one continued to drop even as it reached
the Bank’s flat roof; while the other two stopped only several feet from
hitting the top. Steel nor brick could stop the plummeting center metal vehicle
which caused ceiling to collapse onto the floor and floor onto ceiling until it
all reached ground level where it finally came to dusty rest.
The resting spot was
only several yards from the main bank vault. Alarms sounded everywhere throughout
the partially destroyed building, while the sprinkler system triggered by the
heat emanating from the fallen sphere; soaked everything on the first floor
including an unlucky watch dog. It whined in fright and confusion and
immediately left the premises as fast as its legs could carry it as soon as the
police were able to open the front door.
A hatch fell open
simultaneously on each Sphere. Heavily armed men began pouring out of the
Spheres onto the roof and inside the ground floor below. This small army was
curiously dressed in bright gold and red uniforms, which glistened as if made
of some lightweight woven metal. They wore red bulletproof helmet with visors
to protect their heads. There was one that didn’t wear any uniform whatsoever
who lead the assault on the ground floor of the bank. That particular fellow
was John Sunlight. It was pretty obvious that he did wear a bulletproof vest.
Several bullets meant for his heart only bounced harmlessly away.
At point blank range
John Sunlight, his men and a large detachment of police led by Captain McGregor
rushed into the ground floor with guns blazing. Unfortunately for the first
rushing detachment of police; they were clearly out numbered and outgunned by
the Sphere’s assault forces. Still,
several of John’s men were eliminated before they were able to
mow down
Page 53
the first wave of New York’s finest. Captain McGregor was
wounded in the leg, yet found his way to a door leading to a side exit.
All hell broke loose
outside as well. S.W.A.T. snipers along with a small army of New York policemen
opened fire with everything they had in their arsenal including machineguns of
various types. They opened fire from every window, doorway and rooftop, from
every building surrounding the bank under siege that they could get into.
Captain McGregor nevertheless took a deep breath and made a mad dash for the
nearest squad car parked across the street. As soon as he got on the other side
of the bullet-riddled vehicle, he borrowed a patrolman’s walkie-talkie and
radioed his chief.
“ This is McGregor. Are you there Chief? Come in. Come in.”
A wary voice blared
over the radio’s speaker,” This is Chief Callahan speaking. Is that you
Captain?”
“ Aye, it is, and I want to tell ya now Randy me lad, we can’t
stop ‘em this way. But they’re not wearing any gas masks. Want to make a little
wager we can gas them?”
“ Sounds good and I’ll give the order to try just that. By the
way, you don’t sound good, over.”
“ Oh, I’ll be alright. Just a nick, chief. Really a wee one. I’ll
still be able to drink anyone in Jerry’s bar under the table by tomorrow.”
“ How’s it look in there?”
“ It is a massacre and they’re probably breakin’ into the vault
by now, over.”
“ I’ll send somebody over to look at your leg.”
“ Nah, it’s a scratch. I’m staying in this to the end. Over.”
“ No you are not.”
“ Yes I am.”
“ You are not.”
“ I am to.”
The argument might
have gone on all afternoon except for a big commotion that had started within
the bank. The vault had indeed been forced open and John and his men had robbed
it clean. In minutes they were hastily retreating with their loot all they
could carry back to their Sphere.
Those of John
Sunlight’s army that were on the roof giving tremendous cover fire, began a
concerted retreat to the two Spheres above. Several times
the police charged across the rooftops and from all sides of the
bank from
the streets below; only to be driven back by the hail of lead
and exploding
Page 54
shrapnel from grenades. No one seemed to notice the furtive
figure leap from one roof over to the bank roof amidst one of the police
counter attacks.
A good-sized thug dressed on one of John Sunlight’s army
uniforms of gold and red. He was hiding behind an air-conditioning unit on the
bank roof; taking pot shots at snipers across the street.
He never saw the giant
figure slip up behind him. He never knew what hit him as a large sinewy hand
clamped around his mouth and fingers as strong as steel kneaded nerve endings
on the neck causing instant paralysis throughout his body.
The large man dragged
his victim’s body further behind the init. Moments later, he slipped in among a
crowd of thugs returning to one of those fantastic Spheres and blended right in
despite being a head taller then the rest.
One man was standing
by a Sphere trying to un-jam his machinegun. He noticed a giant of a man in the
line of men returning to the Sphere’s hatchway. The giant looked part South
American with coal black hair, dark tanned skin, and a thin black mustache. He
carefully watched the tall one whose suit didn’t quite fit in places; walk by
and enter the hatchway finally concluded that the man was probably one of the
new recruits they had hired the week before.
When he finally un
jammed his gun, he found he was the last one in and after a quick look out, he
pressed a button inside to close the hatch door. In a few seconds they would be
on their way and they would all be rich beyond their wildest dreams. That was
his last thoughts. Silent as a cat, the giant closed in on him and with a
precise tap to the jaw, he was knocked unconscious. Quietly he stuffed him in a
storage compartment.
The giant roamed
through the sphere’s insides as if observing it for the first time. The
Sphere’s was lighted by low indirect lighting and the light from viewing
screens along the control panels located in several areas around the circular
room. It was virtually impossible to investigate everything in that single
circular room which made up the entire internal makeup of the floating Sphere
he stood in. The reason was obvious. It was so crowded inside with armed
uniformed men that the giant could hardly move around to any part of the Sphere
without taking some time.
If one observed
carefully, they would have noticed that the giant seemed to be preoccupied
looking for someone more than something. After a few minutes, he apparently
gave up and sat in the last of the empty chairs.
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One of Sunlight’s
lieutenants a young black man medium built who was working with some kind of
slide controls and odd glowing switches; shouted to the group within. In order
to hear better, some of the men took off their helmets.
“ Hey, pipe down. Alright. Men we’ve just pulled off one of the
biggest bank robberies in the state’s history.”
Everyone clapped and cheered until the lieutenant raised his
hand to quiet the crowd before he continued,” But that’s a drop in the bucket
compared to what we’ll be paid for these machines. I’m sure today our observers
our guests got a good look at what these babies can do. If we sell ‘em, we’ll
all be filthy rich!” His last words he raised his voice to emphasize their
importance.
There was a loud cheer
from every voice within that Sphere’s walls, except for the silent giant.
Someone from a control panel leaned over and whispered into the lieutenant’s
ear and he waved once more for silence.
When the noise died
down he announced,” Ok, our arrival time is in thirty seconds. When you leave
the Phoenix III go directly to auditorium 1-B for new instructions. Also the
boss wants to talk to everyone. I wouldn’t be surprised if we might get the pay
off tonight.”
Many of the group
cheered again and someone cracked a joke about getting out into the fresh air
for a change away from being cooped up with a bunch of bad smelling jerks.
Somehow, seconds later, the silent giant had maneuvered his way close to the
hatch door ready to be one of the first to leave. As soon as the Sphere
appeared in a large room within the under lake stronghold; the hatch door
opened and the giant leaped out of it quickly to land on the dirt floor beyond
and below. The lighting there wasn’t good and perhaps that had something to do
with the fact that no one noticed his quick exit.
Before the first of
the passengers of the Sphere Phoenix III had exited the hatchway; the silent
giant had disappeared into a storage room off to the side. Perspiring, he
leaned back against the storage room wall and let out a sigh of relief. So far
his luck was holding. He had infiltrated an organization few if any could have
accomplished.
From the first, when the daring bank robbery began several men
from a unknown number of notorious foreign countries had watched the whole
escapade with long-range binoculars from a couple of blocks
away. All wore
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business suits except one and he was dressed to look more the
part of the military dictator that he was, complete with all the medals and
decorations hanging on his chest. Stone faced they watched the assault and
robbery including the desperate battle the police waged to no avail.
One of the Oriental
gentlemen smiled contently as he witnessed the Sphere that that had fallen
through the center of the bank finally took its leave. With a brilliant flash
of golden light, which shone through every hole and window in the half demolished
building and an echoing boom, it disappeared as if into thin air. The other two
Spheres displaying an even more blinding light shortly followed. A police
helicopter was vaporized in mid-air because it happened to fly too close to the
departing Spheres. A large fire burned out of control in the center of what
once had been one of New York’s finest banks.
There was complete
confusion in the streets below as ambulances arrived and departed with wounded
and dead. Sirens wailed across town mixing with those of fire trucks that were
arriving much too slowly because of all the backed up traffic, mobs of people
and the debris that lay all over the streets around the destructed area. New
York City lost a lot that day.
The foreign observers
seemed satisfied and signaled their various bodyguards and assistants with a
wave that they were through. The military man left by helicopter which had been
parked on the same roof, while the others left through an entrance door leading
to the top floor of that building. These were thorough men for when they had
departed; they left not a trace that they had ever been there.
Billy set the sleek black jet down behind some hills several
miles west of lake Newcomb. Johnny and Billy cast their headsets off and broke
out the weapons from a specially concealed compartment further back in the
hovercraft. Both chose machine pistols that Doc Savage had designed years ago.
Recently they had been improved enough as of late that they rarely jammed as
some of the larger machine guns had in the past. Another feature had been
improved as of late and that with a specially designed attachment; they could
fire a variety assortment of high explosive, smoke, and gas shells
almost as fast as ordinary ammunition. In addition to these
guns, attachments
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and ammunition, Billy thought it best to bring along a small
brown package. As they exited their hovercraft, Johnny asked Billy a question.
“ I have an aversion to ask, but I must.”
“ Yeah?”
“ What in the hell’s that, lunch?”
“ Detonation material that can be manipulated into any form right?”
“ Yes, except this is five times as powerful as the regular
variety. We may need this later.”
“ That’s very possible, but I have some apprehension in using
said material because of the unstable properties of the Earth’s crust around
this expanse.”
“ Ah, you worry too much old timer.”
“ I liked it better when you called me Pops.”
Billy could only give
Johnny a silly grin and ask,” Well, where to from here? You know this area
better than I.”
Johnny grabbed his monocle and bent down starring at some stone
formations before him. Pointing the opposite direction, he was examining, he
answered,” This way.”
Billy looked up at the clear blue sky and muttered,” I just had
to have a kook for a father.”
As they stealthily made their way toward the lake Newcomb,
Johnny exclaimed,” I heard that. Sometimes my spontaneous response is to
question your immutability too.”
“ Shh, you’re giving me a headache.”
Lake Newcomb area is
heavily wooded with the exception of scattered spots here and there around the
entire lake’s shore. In a clearing not far from the large mountain nearest to
the lake; the two aides discovered an abandoned farmhouse and barn. The area
around there and the lake had apparently been bought up by the John Sunlight
organization. Billy thought he spied movement on the side of the mountain
facing the farm. Since the barn was closest to the mountain, they made for it
first and soon Johnny and Billy were taking turns staring through high powered
binoculars to try to catch a glimpse of movement again or of anything that
could give them a clue as to how to get into the under lake fortress of John
Sunlight’s.
After a quarter of an
hour, Billy who was staring through the glasses exclaimed pointing,” There it
is again. I think it’s road on the side of that
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mountain, but where it leads to, is anybody’s guess.”
He gave the glasses to
his father who brought them up briefly to his eyes only to bring them back down
quickly, visibly shocked. He turned to Billy in alarm.
“ I think I just saw a pair of binoculars looking our way from a
tree not very far up the mountain!”
“ Damn, they have sentries. I should have known.” After a pause
he continued, thinking as quick as possible,” We better blow here as fast as we
can.”
“ You’re right son, they’ll have a patrol over here son.”
“ Let’s hope they’re not sure what’s here. That might buy us
time.”
Without another word,
they abandoned the barn and ran into the trees at the bottom of the mountain.
After a few moments they stopped for a breather behind several large bushes.
Billy asked,” Think we better find out what was traveling on
that road?”
“ By all means, you don’t need my permission to do so. I’ll just
wait here and catch my breath.”
Billy caught his arm saying,” Oh no you don’t. I’m not going up
there alone. I’m no Doc Savage.”
“ Well, you won’t get any argument from me on that point Billy.”
“ You’re no inimitable being yourself.”
“ Well, I’ll be damned. You said a word I can understand.”
“ Shhh, I heard something.”
They waited behind the
bushes quietly. Every muscle was tense ready to go into action in an instant.
After a full minute, they heard the sound again only much closer. It was the
sound someone or something makes when crashing through the brush and small
trees on the run. Soon their fear was justified as five men and one woman
dressed in camouflaged uniforms crashed out of the woods and headed at a run
toward the farm below. Each was armed with high-powered rifles and automatic
pistols. One had a walkie-talkie radio to his ear and was constantly listening
in on something that he couldn’t quite be made out by Johnny and Billy. When
they were far enough away that Billy knew they couldn’t possibly be overheard;
he informed his father that there must be another patrol somewhere around close
that was reporting in to the group that had just missed them.
“ Then we must be extra deliberative in our movements toward our
next
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destination and remain polygenetic at all costs, agreed?”
Billy began to hike up the wooded mountain with his father as he
replied,
“Yeah, and we better remain calm and collected too.”
“ That’s what I said Sonny.”
“ Oh.”
They weaved their way
back and forth through the trees and several times they detoured around large
boulders some as large as houses. Twenty minutes later, they found the road,
which had been recently graveled and led apparently around to the other side of
the mountain. They strolled up the road at an even pace keeping to the outside
in case they needed to head for the cover of trees in a hurry.
As they approached the
other side which faced lake Newcomb; Johnny quietly voiced his thoughts,”
Reminds me so much of the area around my home in Canada. Under different
circumstances; I think I’d like to have spent some time hunting and fishing
here. Wouldn’t you?”
“ Yeah…Hey, there’s the lake!”
Suddenly they had a
prefect view of the lake and the area around it. Lake Newcomb was a beautiful
dark shade of blue and with little wind around it. Johnny placed the set of
binoculars to his eyes and spotted several fish jump up out of the water to
fall back in with a loud splash.
“ Lord. The fish are prodigals in that lake. Observed Johnny who
was practically drooling.”
“ Anything else going on around here?”
“ No, wait! Looks like this road eventually runs down there and
yes, to several old shacks near an abandoned drilling rig of some type.”
“ Anything else? Wait, let me see too.”
Johnny reluctantly
handed over the glasses and Billy took a look-see. He moved the glasses from
left to right and back stopping suddenly.
“ looks like the area around those shacks are crawling with
guards. Can’t get in that way for sure.” Exclaimed Billy.
Johnny turned and wondered across the road to study some plant
life and then the rock layers exposed along the side of the mountain where they
had blasted their way through to make that road. Billy chewed on some beef
jerky as he continued to study the lake through his glasses. He was hoping
against hope that the situation would change down by the lake making the guards
leave long enough for them to look around that area up close.
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Somewhere down there was a way into the under lake headquarters
of John Sunlight’s. He could feel it in his bones. Perhaps a diversion like his
plastics exploding somewhere. With his luck only the patrol would investigate.
They certainly didn’t have time to wait for the cover of darkness; his friends
would be dead and the Spheres might be long gone by then. Time was running out
for his friends inside, and he felt helpless. So what else was new?
Suddenly he heard a
shout of surprise from his father and he whirled around to see Johnny waving to
him to come over to where he stood. Billy was thinking that his old man had
found some rare planet or some rock. It was something he wanted to show Billy
but, it wasn’t a rock or plant. Instead a piece of metal shone through where it
had been exposed along that part of the mountain that was mostly made up of
loosened earth and rock.
“ What is it Pops?”
“ I don’t know, but you will get no lamentation from my person
and it may be a valuable find.”
They hadn’t brought
shovels or tools with them, so they used their hands to dig away and remove the
dirk and rock that covered whatever it was. As they hurriedly dug; Johnny
commented, “ There must have been a lot of precipitation around this location
lately causing a portion of the mountain that had covered this metal surface to
wash away. Come on Billy, don’t dig in such a haphazardly fashion. Let us work
our way upward first.”
The metal surface
grew larger and still larger until they had uncovered what appeared to Billy to
be a pair pf large metal doors that when opened would make a doorway twelve
foot wide and at least eight foot tall. They couldn’t reach any higher than
that, so it could have been taller still. They stepped back and examined the
over all shape of what they had unearthed.
“ Well I’m flabbergasted,” Johnny exclaimed. Johnny was excited,
but Billy was absolutely dumbfounded.
“ It would seem we have found an old opening of some kind. Could
this be a way to the lake stronghold? Can you imagine what the odds were of us
finding something like that?”
“ Meager at best.” Johnny slid his hands over the entire surface
of the cool metal doors and asked Billy,” Have you noticed there doesn’t appear
to be a way to open them?”
Billy smiled,” Oh yes there is.” He reached into a bag he had
carried with
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him and pulled out a gray slab of plastic explosives,” This
ought to do the trick.”
Johnny nervously
looked up and down the road nearby; then grabbing his son’s arm he said in a
very serious tone,” If you use that then you better hope this is indeed an entrance
to it and we better be prepared to move in fast. Because that stuff will have
the whole place down around our ears in two minutes.”
Billy could only grin again at his nervous father,” No sweat.”
Before Billy could
plant the explosives they had to scamper and hide behind some trees off the
road once. Three vehicles tore down the road on their way to the lake Newcomb
area. One was an old Cadillac with several military types inside. The other two
were late model limousines, one black, one silver. Their windows were tinted so
it was impossible to tell who were inside. At that point, Johnny and Billy
could have cared less just as long as they weren’t discovered.
Before the dust had
settled form the passing caravan of automobiles; Billy was near the doors
planting his explosives and a timer. Johnny with machine pistol in hand stood a
tense watch.
“ Who do you suppose those people were?” Billy asked without
looking up from what he was busy doing.
Johnny looked in the direction the three cars had gone,” My
assumption is that they are bidders from the other nations, estranged ones at
best.”
“ Then they probably witnessed whatever Mr. Sunlight pulled
today. Some demonstration. Possibly dozens were killed and they thought nothing
of it. Well, this ought to make em’ think again. We’re ready Pops!”
“ Then let’s depart to safer grounds shall we?”
Yeah, we better make tracks and fast.”
Chapter IX “ Battle at Newcomb
Stronghold”
Alarms were sounding
off all through the tunnels in the under lake stronghold. The prisoners had
escaped and John Sunlight was cursing his men and the escapees. Mr. Sunlight
had just discovered the grisly scene where the prisoners had escaped. He turned
to one of his new lieutenants, a man by the name of Brody who was in his early
twenties and almost as short as the dwarf Wolfgang giving instructions,” Take
some men and take the
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elevator to the shack entrance and make sure our guests who will
be arriving soon, are given a warm reception. Have them placed in the prearranged
bidding room where I’ll take their bids very soon. Reassure them that
everything’s under control. I’ll be there just as soon as I take care of some
unfinished business.”
Brody laughed and
replied,” I sure will and please knock off that bitch Nancy Mayfair for me
would you? She’s a loudmouthed pain in the ass.”
Expression on Sunlight’s face darkened considerably.
“ They have all been a pain, but it will be the last time they
ever were.”
Brody left and Johnny
Sunlight turned to his other lieutenants, the black man named Tyrone, and Nat a
psycho in his own right.
“ Have either of you heard any reports of anyone else
approaching this place? Anything at all?”
Tyrone leaned back against the wall as if bored,” Like I told ya
man, not a sign.”
Nat had very little to add,” Oh there’s been reports of some of
our men getting glimpses of something here or there, but all of those turned
out to be false alarms so far.”
Sunlight looked down
toward the dirt floor a moment in reflection and then,” Double the patrols
anyway. I expect at least to others of Doc Savage’s group to try something. We
don’t need anyone screwing up the deal. Now that we are so close. I want you
both to personally lead some of these patrols while I deal with our escapees.
You see, the way they’re headed leads to nowhere.”
Tyrone and Nat laughed
and hurried on their way to the only elevator in the entire stronghold. It was
located only several rooms down from where the Spheres arrived and departed.
Soon, Sunlight had
over two dozen heavily armed men following him along the tunnel headed straight
for what they were sure was the trapped escapees. One of the men asked Sunlight
if they were to be taken alive, and he had an instant reply.
“ Are you kidding? I don’t want even a trace of them left,
understand?”
“ Uh, sure, No problem.”
Monk was standing at
that moment staring at a caved-in portion of the tunnel which blocked their way
completely. Nancy, Ham and Nick were behind by a dozen yards. He shouted back
their way, “ Kids, we have a
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problem. The damned thing’s blocked.”
“ I’m not really
surprised.” It was Nick, who reached Monk’s side first,
“ Looks like tons of debris.”
Ham was next with Nancy trailing right behind him. He jabbed
Monk’s side harder than was necessary and pointed toward the ceiling where some
metal wall or door was exposed toward the top of that landslide of rubble.
“ Well ape man, you got us close anyway, I’ve got to hand you
that. Hey! That looks like some kind of door or doors.”
“ You mean to the outside?” Nancy asked.
“ No, to the sky. Of course it’s to the outside. What else could
it be?” Ham replied in frustration.
Nancy’s shoulders visibly sunk and she turned around to leave
with the others feeling defeated and without hope. Looking down at the floor
she asked Monk and the rest of the gang,” What do we do now smart guys? Got a
spare crow bar in one of your pockets somewhere?”
Monk who was still
facing the cave-in rubble with his hands on his hips, didn’t answer her,
instead he shouted to the obstacle before him,” Blast it!”
Then the world exploded in his face. Several tons of rock, earth
and what had once been the double metal doors blew inward down the tunnel with
terrific force. Monk was thrown head over heels and bounced off the wall and
another; before landing rather roughly on his back onto the dirt floor further
down the tunnel.
Still, he wasn’t
knocked unconscious and after a moment, he blinked his eyes and sat up trying
to regain the wind that had temporarily been squeezed out of his lungs.
Nick, Nancy and Ham
had been knocked off their feet again. Nick had to help Ham stay on his feet
because he was a little shaky. Dust filled the tunnel and made everyone choke
and cough. Monk’s face was bloodied from shrapnel and he was temporarily
blinded. You could hardily see a thing in the thick dust anyway. Nancy hailed
her father.
“ Father, are you alright?”
“ I-I think so Nancy. What about you guys?”
Ham weakly replied which Monk could barely hear,” Could be
better.”
Thick dust gave way to
sunlight for the debris and the metal doors had been blasted away from the old
mine entrance. Monk had to squint his eyes to see until his eyes cleared and
had got use to the sunlight and dust. Before
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the dust had settled Johnny and Billy cautiously approached the
blasted
entrance. It took a moment before they recognized Monk because
of the terrible condition of his face and clothes. Monk, blinded temporarily by
the sunlight only recognized his two friends when he heard Johnny speak up.
“ I did have some animadversion about this particular operation
before its performance had actually occurred. Monk, is that really you?”
Monk grinned from ear
to bloodied ear,” Johnny? Billy? Boy, are you a sight for sore eyes, and I mean
sore.” He moaned, stretched and slowly rose to his feet.
Billy spoke as they both approached Monk,” Yeah it’s me. Looks
like we got here just in time.”
“ Yeah, well why did you have to blow up in my face for?” Monk
asked.
“ Probably to improve your looks oaf.” It was Ham who had spoken
only a few feet behind his broad shouldered friend.
“ We thought to rescue Monk. You were just in the wrong place at
the wrong time. ” Billy commented.
Ham got in front of Monk and gazed into his face adding,” Didn’t
seem to have worked, I couldn’t have imagine you could look any uglier, but I
was wrong.”
Monk pretended to
ignore Ham’s comments, but he also pretended to have tripped. With one
outstretched hand as if to catch himself;
he shoved Ham to the floor to land rather rudely on his back.
Before anyone could
move, Nancy stepped in between the two,” That’s enough. Nobody has time for
this. You two act more like children everyday.”
Nick placed a hand on Monk’s shoulder,” She’s right you know. We
all need to pull together right now.”
Billy and Johnny
helped Ham regain his feet.
“ You two can settle your differences after all of this is over
as you usually do, ok?” Johnny pleaded more to Monk than Ham.
“ Ah pipe down. I only tripped that’s all. Sorry about that
Ham.” Monk finally apologized.
Nancy hugged them both Ham and her father as Ham muttered, “ I’m
sorry too Monk ole boy. No hard feelings, for now.
Monk checked himself and let it slide without comment. That is
when they heard a very familiar laugh echo eerily throughout the tunnel
directly behind
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them. The unexpected laughter froze them in their tracks. When
the laughter died down, a familiar voice only a few yards away spoke to them in
a sarcastic tone.
“ Ah, how touching. Kiss and making up is better I always say.”
Everyone turned in
time to watch the tall figure of John Sunlight step out of the shadows along
with fully two-dozen uniformed guards with guns nervously trained in their
direction. Nancy stamped her foot and blurted out loud,” Oh Hell! The party
pooper.”
John Sunlight smiled nastily,” Nancy, I haven’t had the pleasure
before, but I must say I think you are simply delightful.”
Nancy placed her hands
on her hips,” So you are the sicko behind all this crap. I know someone that
can stop you dead in your evil tracks.”
Several of Sunlight’s
men chuckled nastily as John Sunlight replied,” Oh my dear, didn’t you know?”
John Sunlight could
see the puzzled look on Nancy’s face and he continued,” I guess not. News does
travel slowly in a cell doesn’t it? Such a tragic thing. It would appear while
your friend Doc Savage was doing some investigating in a warehouse on Fifth
Street last night; a mysterious fire broke loose burning the place to the
ground. Apparently he died in the inferno. They’ve found a number of bodies
burned beyond recognition and authorities believe one of them must be the late
Doc Savage. I’m sorry that a man of that caliber had to go, but he messed with
my business and life once too often. He paid the ultimate price for his
interference.”
The bit about the
authorities thinking that the man of bronze had died or not was an exaggeration
since they hadn’t even known he had been there; yet it had its desired effect.
Nancy hung her head in despair knowing then why Marlyn hadn’t attempted to
contact her lately. She must have known and what effect it might have on the
others. And now this man more monster than man, was using their friend’s death
to try to break them.
Johnny and Billy tried
to raise their machine pistols, but were stopped cold when they each had the
unpleasant experience of a cold steel rifle barrel touching the back of each of
their heads. Billy turned enough that he could see behind him at least a dozen
guards with their weapons trained on Johnny and himself.
John Sunlight enjoyed
every minute of what was happening yet he still noticed the two stopped trying
to leave and his voice rose as he addressed
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them.
“ Do come in Johnny, Billy. Join this little party. It will be
your last I assure you.”
Monk had recovered
from the shock of hearing about Savage’s death and with a guttural sound he
tried to rush John Sunlight. It took Ham, Nick and Nancy to hold him back. As
they held him struggling to get free; Ham whispered,” Don’t try it, they’ll cut
you down before you get within six feet of him.”
Monk finally stopped struggling and Nancy held him crying. Ham
whirled around to face Mr. Sunlight and several nervous gunmen.
“ I hope you’re satisfied you fiend! You’ve finally got us on
our knees like you always wanted to. So what now?”
“ Now, the gentlemen representing certain countries should be
arriving any time to try to bid for my teleporting Spheres. I should get an
excellent price for them and their secrets. And now that Doc Savage is out of
the picture, I have no further use for you people.”
Turning to his men he
instructs them,” Line them up against the wall and shoot them. Then return to
the main building above where the bidding will get under way soon. I think
we’ll be leaving this place for good tonight, rich men!”
He spread his long arms out from him for effect. There were
whoops of joy from his men. One of the thugs commented out loud.
“ That is great! I’m sure sick of being underground all the time
or stuffed in a metal ball.” Many of the other men acknowledged that opinion.
Billy muttered,” I think I’m gonna be sick.”
Sunlight addressed
Savage’s group for the last time,” I bid you goodbye and perhaps we shall meet
again in the next life. Of course, you shall get there before I. In the next
life people, in the next life.” His high-pitched laughter sent chills through
Nancy as he turned to leave. That is when they heard the first explosions and
felt the tunnels shake and rattle. John Sunlight’s face fell and he said to
himself,” Damn. Savage. I should have known he’d escape somehow.”
Suddenly he turned to
one of his men and with one hand he grabbed the unfortunate fellow by the front
of his uniform. In a deadly tone that one could not miss the meaning, he told him,”
Don’t let them leave here alive. I’ll take care of the other problem. We’ll
still meet as planned, but have
Page 67
some men get the Phoenix I ready to leave. Just in case.”
“ In case of what? The unfortunate fellow managed to speak out.
“ Never mind, just do it!”
“ Right! Ok!”
Sunlight picked out
five of his best men to follow him and they quickly left in the general
direction of where the explosions seem to be coming from. Another still larger
explosion rocked the entire under lake stronghold. The madman and his men were
temporarily knocked off their feet. Alarms sounded off everywhere raising such
clamor that one could hardly hear each other speak. Uniformed men and women
were running everywhere; some trying to find the source of the explosions.
Others had panicked and were trying to find a way out any way they could.
John Sunlight yelled
to one of his men as they turned down a tunnel leading still another direction.
“ I think I know exactly where those explosions are coming
from.”
He grinned and said under his breath,” We got you now, you
bastard!”
Eric Wolfgang had been
waiting in the main Auditorium for over a half hour and was already losing his
patients.
“ Where is that crazy man? I haven’t all day.” Eric asked a big
young guard with long blond hair standing by the entrance.
“ He’ll be here anytime now, sir.” The young guard replied.
With the first
explosions, the dwarf man knew there was something wrong and yelled at his
nervous guard,” Well, find out what it is then report back to me.”
“ Yes sir, I’ll be right back as quick as I can.” The guard
replied.
Then as he was almost out the door, he added,” Oh, stay put and
lock the door behind me.” He drew his pistol out of his holster and vanished
from view.
Eric Wolfgang said to
himself as he exited the Auditorium at a run,” Stay put and lock the door, Ha!
Idiot! Sure I will dog. I’m getting out of here while the getting is good, ya!”
Cursing, he ran toward John Sunlight’s room office several doors down. He
checked his luger pistol before he quietly slipped through the door leading
into the madman’s room.
John Sunlight and his
men reached the main lab located almost on the opposite side of the stronghold
from where they started, only to find the door blown off and the place a complete
shambles. A small fire in one corner was throwing out a volatile vapor. The air
inside was filed with light gray smog
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making it extremely hard to see a few feet in front of you.
Sunlight signaled his
men to enter and spread out. He entered last pointing a large machine pistol
straight in front of him. After a few paces he lost sight of several of his
men. Seconds later, he heard a gasp and something falling to the floor. His men
lost their nerve and began firing wildly throughout the demolished lab. He
yelled for quiet and his men immediately held their fire.
“ Savage.” Sunlight yelled,” I know you’re in here. I know you
are still alive. You might have fooled the cops, my men and even your friends;
but you can’t fool me. Oh no I’m not that easily fooled, mister.” He stopped
long enough to signal to one of his cohorts to hug the wall and follow it
around to the right.
“ You know it is a shame that we must meet once again and part
this way. We are alike you and me in many ways, strong, powerful and of an
order of intelligence hard for our fellow humans to even comprehend.”
Sunlight heard a
strangled cry to the right and he decided to gamble a bit as he addressed his
adversary once again.
“ How did you do it? Through a window? Door?”
When there was no answer he began slowly backing toward the only
doorway out and continued,” Did you slip aboard one of my Spheres during my
brilliant assault on that bank? Is that how you infiltrated my stronghold?”
John Sunlight grabbed
the only one of his men he could still see and instructed him,” Since Savage
wants to destroy our laboratory so bad, help him out with your incendiary
grenades. Throw them as far as you can toward the back of the lab five seconds
from now.” With those instructions he addressed Savage once more.
“ Your times run out Mr. Savage and now I bid you farewell and
may you finally rot in hell!”
Sunlight did not wait
around for an answer. He fled quickly down the tunnel, in the direction of his
office and living quarters room and the hugh Sphere room beyond. He heard the
thud of the incendiary grenades, but didn’t flinch or turn around as he ran on.
It might have been
better for him if he had. The man he had to deal the deathblow for him, saw a
tall man in one of their uniforms appear out of the smoke. He realized too late
that this man wasn’t one of them. It might have been the bronze skin and
swirling golden-flecked eyes that told him that
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much. In panic he threw the grenade he had in his hand point
blank at this approaching menace. With speed hard to imagine; the man of bronze
dodged the tossed grenade and it exploded harmlessly deep within the shattered
lab. This didn’t even slow his stride and the young man only had time to draw
his dagger and lunge for the bronze man’s head since he reasoned that he was
probably wearing a bulletproof vest. His dagger struck at empty air as the big
man dodged once again; but this time he struck back with a tremendous right
cross to the jaw. The blow sent the youth out into the hallway behind him where
he landed like an old pile of rags. The bronze man checked his pulse and seemed
satisfied. He knew what his hands were capable of doing if he were to use them
in an emergency. The young guard was only unconscious. He removed the uniform and
the black wig he had been wearing.
Earlier he had removed
most of his brown makeup he had needed to descize the hue of his face and hands. With the descize
gone Doc Savage felt more like himself. The descize served its purpose well.
Without it he wouldn’t have accomplished the feat of infiltrating Sunlight’s
stronghold like he had. Doc Savage peered in all directions, but Sunlight was
nowhere in sight. The man of bronze knew that the stronghold’s tunnels network
was built like the spokes of a wagon wheel running in all directions with the
room that the Spheres landed as the center.
Doc Savage took the
first tunnel because it looked as if the tracks in the dirt in that tunnel he
followed were Sunlight’s tracks. Characteristics a person’s shoe tracks differ
from one another like tire tracks or fingerprints.
Each individual were different in minute detail few people could
distinguish as Doc Savage could. In this particular tunnel some of the lights
overhead had been shot out. Savage almost stepped on a body lying in the middle
of the darkened tunnel before he saw it.
It was laying face
down, but was still stirring. Gently Savage rolled the body over to reveal the
East German scientist Eric Wolfgang. He was shot twice in the chest and the
whole front of his shirt and pants were soaked with blood. His eyes were
closed, but opened when he realized someone must have turned him over. After a
moment, he must have realized who was kneeling over him because he tried to
talk. Instead he coughed and wheezed
finally he spit out some blood.
“ Don’t talk. Look into my eyes and nod yes or no when I ask you
a
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question.” Savage in a hypnotic voice instructed the dying
dwarf. The little man stared into Savage’s swirling eyes and finally nodded an
affirmative.
“ Did John Sunlight do this?” Savage asked.
The dwarf nodded his head violently up and down for yes.
“ Did he head for the Spheres?”
Again the answer was yes, but then Eric grabbed a hold of
Savage’s arm and drew him near. He could no longer hold his tongue, and in a
weak voice he informed Savage,” He has double crossed me the Bastard, and he’s
not going to stop there.”
He stopped in a fit of coughing. The man of bronze tried to
reason with him but the wounded midget was stubborn.
“ Don’t talk anymore. You’ll only make it worse.”
“ No, it’s too late…I am finished. I must tell you that John
Sunlight plans to have those representatives from other countries bid for its
secrets. Whoever buys it, he will double cross and get the money, machines and
secrets all. With those things he will start his new Empire to spread over the
entire globe if he can. Stop him Savage I’ve lost my taste for all this.”
He went into
convulsions for a moment then he continued,” I only was in for the money, not
to appease a mad man. Only you have a chance to do it. Stop him before…” The
dwarf scientist shuddered and laid still, his arms dropped to his sides.
Doc Savage closed the dead man’s eyes with his fingers and then
rose to his feet. He stared down the tunnel leading to the Spheres and knew
that he had to stop him no matter what the cost.
Johnny and his son
were herded together with their friends and were about to be lined up against
the wall for what they knew was the final count. Suddenly, Monk leaned close to
Ham’s ear and whispered,” Pass it around if you can, get ready to make a break
for it. I’ve got a plan.”
Ham rolled his eyes,” Oh no he’s got a plan.”
Monk maneuvered between
two guards as they approached the tunnel rock wall. Then he started to stare up
toward the ceiling, and then he yelled as if startled,” What in the hell’s
that?”
Almost everyone craned their necks to get a look up, fooled
temporarily by Monk’s simple deception. In that instant Monk grabbed the guards
on either side of him by their necks and brought their heads violently
together. Their
heads bounced off each other so hard it sent them reeling into
other guards
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knocking them off balance as well. The scene for a moment
reminded Ham of a row of dominos falling, like one big chain reaction.
All hell broke loose.
Sunlight’s thugs couldn’t use their guns without running the risk of shooting
their own; so they tried to subdue their captives by sheer numbers. After all,
they outnumbered them five to one. It proved to be a fatal mistake. Ham dodged
a fist flying his way and got in a punch of his own into a guard’s rib cage and
then an uppercut to the jaw, which laid out his assailant cold.
Ham yelled at Monk,”
Have you seen my cane anywhere?”
“ How the hell should I know? Maybe you swallowed it when you
opened your mouth once too often.” Monk bellowed back and gave Ham a big silly
grin which he almost had wiped off his face rather rudely when a guard barely
missed hitting his head with a large plank of wood. This unfortunate fellow suddenly
found that he had a misshaped jaw. The shock of pain that hit him drove the
thug to his knees and he proceeded to be sick. Ham yelled out to Monk,” Ah that
was just a lucky punch!”
Ham was too busy to
continue, for as one went down, two would take his place. Billy was wounded in
the arm by a knife welding bearded man and would have been knifed seriously if
it hadn’t been for someone looping a wire around his assailants neck and
chocking him until he turned gray in the face and stopped breathing. Nick let
go of the wire and let his victim fall face first to the floor.
“ Nick! Thanks man. I owe you one.” Billy exclaimed ever so
relieved that his friend had rescued him when he did.
“ Come on Billy, let’s get them.” Nick said excited by the heat
of battle.
Above the clamor of
battle and yelling, Monk could be heard bellowing, roaring at the top of his
lungs. He loves it most when he’s in the thick of battle. In his situation he
looked more like a battling ape than a human. Half a dozen guards had surrounded
him, but were making little progress. Every time a guard would rush him; he
would either end up sailing head over heels into the wall beside them or lay
out onto the floor with his jaw reshaped of his neck snapped. There was so much
blood on the floor that it mixed with the dirt and formed a slimy slippery mud
substance, which made treacherous footing. Monk slipped and fell quite rudely
on his backside.
Three men and one
tall tough looking woman immediately fell upon him swinging small clubs and their
fists as fast as they could. He could only
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cover his face with his big arms and curse his luck. In a couple
of seconds it would be all over for him. Then the attack dropped off and he
braved a peek to see what had happened.
What happened was Nick
and Billy had started pulling assailants off him one by one by the uniform,
neck or whatever they could grab and then punching them unconscious. The woman
proved to be the worst for as Billy lifted her to her feet; she bit down on his
arm and then tried to kick him between the legs. Instead, she got a kick in the
buttocks by Monk who had regained his own footing. He was one mad fellow. The
female lay clutching her behind in pain and cursing them all in language that
burned even Monk’s ears.
“ Well. If that wasn’t a kick in the pants.” Johnny said almost
out of breath. All three laughed at the remark until Billy suddenly exclaimed,”
Look. They’re going to rush us!”
It was true; most of
the surviving guards who were not busy fighting hand to hand, had amassed on
one side of the area near the very wall their captives were to have been
executed. Many of them had picked up knives and several had even recovered
guns. It looked like this time they wouldn’t
Be a bit hesitant about
using them, even if it meant killing some of their own in the process. After a
terrible row of cursing and threatening gestures; they seemed to have made a
decision and rushed together in a concerted effort to rid themselves of this
nuisance. There were at least twenty of them, three to one odds. The odds were
getting better.
“ People, I think we just ran out of luck!” Ham said ominously.
“ The hell we have.” They heard Nancy growl and everyone’s heads
turned to see what she was talking about. Somehow she had found one submachine
gun belonging to a guard. Before they or the thugs could make a move, she had
raised it and squeezed the trigger on automatic. Five, then ten of John
Sunlight’s men did a weird jerky sort of dance as their bodies were riddled
with bullets, and then they slumped to the floor. The other guards scattered in
all directions for cover or to escape the slaughter altogether.
After a brief gun
battle with Doc’s aides, the surviving guards surrendered. With set jaw, Nancy
led the prisoners to a large Auditorium. It was with great difficulty that Monk
and Ham were able to prevent her from executing the prisoners then and there.
Nancy stood there shaking with anger as she
quietly protested,” But these people killed Clark Savage.”
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Monk placed an arm around
his daughter’s shoulders and reasoned,” Maybe so, but killing them is not gonna
bring him back. Know what I mean?”
Monk could feel Nancy’s shoulders slump as she finally replied,”
Yeah, you’re right of course.”
“ You know I’m right and besides we don’t take a life unless we
have no choice, remember? That’s the code Doc lives, I mean lived by and that’s
the one we stick by too from now on. Right?”
Nancy swallowed hard
and shook her head in the affirmative.
“ Now let’s go get those bastards!” yelled Monk.
Billy whooped with joy and everyone rushed out the doorway, with
Ham being the last to leave shook his head baffled.
“ That guy gives me a headache worse than a jackhammer.” Ham
reflected.
Ham caught up with
them and convinced his friends that they should head for the edge of the lake
where Sunlight’s meeting with the representatives was to take place.
“ I think it best to leave this stronghold by way of the blasted
area that Johnny and Billy had entered from. That way we can avoid the
wandering around through the tunnels and save some precious time.” Ham
suggested.
“ That is an excellent strategy my dear colleague, but let me
stay by the road somewhere around; because of my age I seem to wear out easily
and I dare say I might lose my placidity at an awkward moment and complicate
what is already a complex situation.” Explained Johnny rather reluctantly.
Ham held out his hands
toward Johnny who was trying his hardest to stand on his own, not without his
every muscle aching.
“ Ok, Ok! Just keep low and Billy let him use your binoculars to
watch for anyone that might sneak up on us.”
Billy said,” Sure thing.” Then he handed Johnny the glasses.
Ham added,” And Johnny?”
“ Yeah Ham?”
“ Signal us with two short bursts from your machine pistol if
you spot any trouble.”
“ Don’t worry Ham, I shall not let you down. I wish you all
success.”
Nancy jammed another clip into her submachine gun while trying
to make a point to Johnny,” Luck’s not gonna have much to do with this. Come
on, let’s get a move on.”
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I-It’s hard to believe, I mean that Clark is gone.”
Nancy swallowed hard and her eyes got watery for a moment. She
had to stop and wipe away the tears from her face. As she did so Nick tried to
comfort her.
“ It’s not your fault you know and by the way; that madman
character acted as if he wasn’t so sure he was dead after all. Remember the
explosions?”
Nancy’s face brightened,” Hey! You are right. Who could have set
off those explosions but Doc?”
It was then that they
were rudely interrupted by a familiar booming sound that echoed across the
lake, giving birds of all kinds a scare and sending them flying in all
directions. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound to find one of the
large metal Spheres hovering several feet above the area where several shacks
were standing and a number of expensive official looking automobiles were
parked nearby.
Monk growled,” That’s
got to be him folks. What say we crash this party fellas?”
Everyone cheered except Nancy who asked,” Fellas?”
Monk groaned,” Ok, and ladies. Give me a break.”
Ham laughed,” Better include apes too.”
Monk once more growled,” Don’t push it shyster.”
They fanned out and at
a trot they wound their way through the forest in the direction of the lake
rendezvous. It was darker in that forest and they could feel the evening air
grow cooler way before they reached Sunlight and his guests. They stopped to
catch their breath behind some bushes where the forest ended and a small grassy
clearing began. Beyond the grass was the lake shore area and of course the
shacks. Even from where they were, they could tell the meeting had already
commenced.
Chapter X
“ Flight to the finish”
When John Sunlight and
several henchmen had entered the Sphere room, they immediately noticed that a
tremendous explosion had destroyed Phoenix Sphere III.
“ Damn him! Sunlight cursed,” Apparently, the lab wasn’t the
first place he
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hit. No matter, we’ll take Phoenix I to show our friends above.
Jerry?”
A slight built man he had addressed stepped up closer to
Sunlight,” Yes sir?”
“ Sabotage Phoenix II so that no one can follow. Make sure you
do a good job of it.”
“ But, I thought you said Savage’s finished.”
“ Shut up and do as I say or you’ll get nothing out of this, but
a hole between your eyes.”
Jerry shivered because he knew Sunlight enough to know that what
he said usually he meant.
“ Sure Boss man.”
Jerry ran off to
Phoenix II whose hatch was already left open and he entered it. Sunlight and
two others opened the hatch to Phoenix I and walked up the ramp leading inside.
John Sunlight left the hatch open because at that angle he could observe
whether his man did the job or not. A minute later, Jerry burst into view and
ran down the ramp to the floor below.
Sunlight called to him as he approached the remaining
Teleporting Sphere,” Is it disabled?”
Jerry called back with a wide grin,” You bet, it’s a mess. Let’s
get out of here.”
Sunlight said,” Right.” And slammed the hatch door shut in
Jerry’s face. Jerry screamed
at the madman half in terror, half in rage to let him in., but to no avail.
Jerry knowing very well what was about to happen to him; turned around quickly
and ran for the nearest exit. He only transversed a couple of yards when there
was a tremendous flash of light where the Phoenix I had been. The light
swallowed up Jerry in an instant. The booming sound that accompanies the
teleportation of a Sphere followed and then the light was gone.
There was a smoking
empty spot where the Sphere had been seconds before. One object was left lying
sprawled on the floor of the launch room. It was the blackened skeleton remains
of Jerry, another victim of the madman Sunlight’s greed.
John Sunlight at the
main controls, watched through a screen monitor outside the ship as the Sphere
Phoenix I suddenly appeared above a shore of the lake area where was to
rendezvous with the representatives. He laughed with pure joy as he caught
sight of more of his men and the representatives waiting patiently for him by
one of the shacks near the same shore he was
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hovering. In seconds the Sphere cooled off and John Sunlight
instructed the two thugs that had accompanied him, to open the hatch and go
inform his men and guests that he would be out to greet them in a second. After
they had exited the Phoenix I he slipped a flat automatic pistol behind him
tucked into his belt. Then he slipped on a small jacket for the sun was about
to set on the horizon and the air was turning chilly. He looked around to make
sure he had the supplies he needed, and then he was ready. Taking long strides,
Sunlight left the safety of his Sphere to stroll down the ramp with an air of
confidence to what he had always known to be his destiny of greatness as it
should be.
Tyrone, Nat, and
twenty of his best men were anxiously waiting for John Sunlight’s entrance. He
addressed them first.
“ People, our moment is at hand. Some of you guard the vehicle a
while the rest the perimeter around the shack four, where I will have my talk
with the representatives. If all goes well, we will leave this place tonight,
rich men!”
Many of his men whooped and hollered with joy. Some shook their
weapons above their heads and shouted,” Alright!”
John Sunlight pulled
Nat and Tyrone to his side and discussed something with them and pointed to the
Phoenix I. You couldn’t hear what their boss told them above the clamor, but by
Nat and Tyrone’s reactions, it must have been something devious. The two
killers left in the direction of the Phoenix I while John Sunlight continued to
address his men. His voice carried as well as the best orators, which added an
even more dramatic effect to his speech. Still most of his men listened more
out of greed than any political loyalty that they might have had.
“ This will be a history making event. The road to riches and
untold power begins here today.” Sunlight continued his speech,” You may leave
after this transaction is finished or you may continue to follow me and help
stat an empire the likes of which the world has never known. That I leave up to
you. All I have to say is this. It’ll be tough finding replacements for people
such as yourselves, I will always be proud to lead you no matter where we are.
Now, to your positions. I think we’ve kept our guests waiting long enough.”
The small crowd
cheered and John Sunlight had an evil smile appear on his long face. Wile his
small army position themselves, the madman and two guards approached a large
shack with a door marked in black lettering the
word “Four”.
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Two bodyguards in business
suits blocked the door entrance, but stepped aside as Sunlight’s party
approached them. Sunlight was almost a head taller than anyone there, but that
wasn’t the real reason the bodyguards feared him. It was the look in his eyes.
The look of mad obsession. Inside the shack a variety of characters were
waiting for Sunlight. Two men were obviously from the Middle East with the
flowing robes and head coverings that they wore proudly. The pair stood near
the entrance patiently waiting while an oriental man in his fifties sat at one
end of several card tables that had been set up end to end for the occasion. A
blond haired middle-aged man in a military uniform quietly stood in a corner
observing every move John Sunlight made. His eyes were as cold as ice. As soon
as John Sunlight entered, the oriental stood and bowed low to him as he spoke.
“ After observing your wonderful machines in action; it will be
a very high honor to purchase them and the secret to their process of
teleportation.”
Mr. Sunlight smiled
and bowed in return, then he said,” Gentlemen, you may start the bidding. Now
we shall see who wants the Phoenix Spheres the most. Do I hear three-hundred
million?”
No one flinched at the opening amount suggested. Instead. One of
the Middle Eastern men held up four fingers in the air and nodded. John liked
the way this was starting.
Doc Savage made it a
point to look for his friends. He found the prison cells in one hall and they
were all empty. The man of bronze searched in several other areas before he
decided he was running out of time. Next door to the Sphere room was a
combination generator boiler room, where the bronze giant planted magnetized
plastic explosive time bombs. They looked like small matchboxes with a digital
counter window on the front of each. He carefully placed the explosives one on
several generators each time pressing a small button twice to activate the time
counter. Also he placed one on the large boiler nearby. Finally, he left for
the Sphere room. He could only hope that he was right in his assumption that
his friends had escaped the stronghold somehow.
When he first entered
the Sphere room his hopes faltered, but then he realized that his quarry would
not dare leave without meeting and finalizing some kind of transaction with
whoever he was suppose to meet above his under lake stronghold.
He raced up the
remaining Sphere’s ramp and entered the Sphere called
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Phoenix II. After a few
initial tests he found that though they had sabotaged the craft, they had done
a rush job on it. Therefore Phoenix II was still able to run. But only a short
time. It would be difficult for one to run the teleportation machine alone, but
he had no choice. This was the only way to get up above fast enough to stop
whatever was happening up there. Knowing his aides as he did he knew they would
be in the thick of things and could very well be in great danger at this
moment. Of course if he were to stay or try to escape another way he would be
in even greater danger still. In ten minutes John Sunlight’s under lake
stronghold would be buried under tons of rock, silt, and water and it would
take more than ten minutes to escape any other way. This way would take seconds
or he would be vaporized if something went wrong. Some choices.
Savage sat in a chair
in front of the main control panel with his hand poised over a lever. In any
case he would know soon. He pulled the lever down and the next instant every
light inside dimmed considerably. Then everything began to shake violently. All
the view screens on the panels shut off so it was impossible to tell whether he
had made it or not. His ears were filled with a roaring sound and he felt
queasy. The shaking became worse and worse and small chunks of the walls around
him began to disappear. He waited no longer. The man of bronze knew that his
Sphere was breaking up and if he didn’t evacuate it right then he would cease
to exist also. He leapt to the hatchway and pulled open the hatch door in an
instant. One look told him to hold his breath. The Sphere had somehow appeared
twenty feet above the lake not far from the very shore where Sunlight was
holding his auction.
He leapt clear of the
doomed Phoenix II Sphere and accomplished a prefect head first dive into the
cold waters in a way that it made very little splash; and therefore making it
harder for those on shore to notice him. Doc Savage sank at least a dozen feet
under the water before pointing himself upward to swim back to the surface of
the lake.
When he broke surface
of the lake, it just so happen that he surfaced facing the shore and could tell
right away that no one even noticed his dive or the appearance of his Sphere.
Then there was a deafening explosion above him. Without a glance upward he knew
what had transpired and he quickly dived under the cold waters of the lake, to
escape any debris that should fall his way. Stripping off his torn shirt and
trousers; he swam as fast as he could for the shore underwater in only his
specially designed swimming trunks. He
Page 79
dared not break the surface of the water until he hit land.
Savage estimated he
was thirty yards off shore and very little time to swim it in; for his
explosives were set to go off within minutes from then. He noted with great
disappointment, that his watch communicator was missing. Savage cut through the
water like a seal, yet he imagined that he still didn’t have enough time. What
was worse, he could now see bullets hitting the surface of the water all around
him. Somehow, John Sunlight’s men had spotted him and were trying to cut him
down in the water. He immediately veered to the left and tried to swim ashore
further down, but they began throwing grenades into the water.
With each explosion
they threatened to destroy him by their concussions as they exploded in the
churning waters. His ears rang and it was only a matter of time when he would
either be caught in a grenade explosion or be forced to surface and shot by
Sunlight’s men. Then when he felt he was at his last strength, the barrage
stopped and he surfaced soon after. The camp was under attack and suddenly
Sunlight’s people were too busy to bother or had forgotten him as he silently
slipped out of the water. Two thugs remained standing near the edge of the
water with their backs to him.. They were firing their weapons in the direction
of the mountain. Many others were firing in the same direction. All hell had
broken loose; with men running in all directions for any cover they could find,
a rock, a tree, or a car. Then he heard the familiar sound of machine pistols
firing from a distance and then he knew that his friends were still alive and
kicking. They were trying to pull off the impossible.
Silently he leapt into
the air and hit the two guards squarely with his body knocking them face first
to the sandy beach. With his mighty arms wrapped around one guard and his legs
around another, he choked them into unconsciousness within seconds of contact.
Jumping to his feet like a jungle cat, Doc Savage ran for a large shack, which
he knew, had to be the meeting place between John Sunlight and the foreign
representatives.
A rather brute of a
fellow of middle-eastern decent jumped out at him along the way from behind one
of the smaller shacks nearby. This assailant had one of those large daggers of
his region that one never drew unless there is to be the spilling of blood; and
he had it already swinging down with terrible force toward the man of bronze’s
head. Doc Savage dodged the
deadly blow and then jumped straight up performing a perfect
roundhouse
Page 80
kick to the unlucky fellow’s chin. The blow was so great that
the brute spun around several times, and hit face first into the shack’s wall.
Savage didn’t stop to
see the results, but he was pretty sure that blows of that nature usually put a
man out for quite a while. Besides others of Sunlight’s men were beginning to
notice him and train their sights on the man of bronze. Several bullets came
close to hitting Savage. In fact, just as he reached the larger shack, a bullet
grazed his left leg.
Ignoring the sting the bullet had made he
entered the shack and found it empty. He turned around just in time to see why
there hadn’t been a soul there. Most of the representatives had retreated to
their vehicles and were driving like mad toward the lone road leading out as
fast as possible. Not far behind stood a tall figure that was unmistakable in
appearance. Even from one hundred yards away he could hear him curse the
retreating frightened representatives while he fired short bursts from an Uzi
machine pistol at them in frustration and anger. Doc could tell that were
already out of range, but it didn’t matter to Sunlight. After the Uzi ran out
of ammo he simply drew a 45 automatic and emptied it’s clip at the retreating
vehicles too.
It was at that moment
that two men jumped him from one side knocking his large frame heavily to the
ground. The force of the landing and their combined weight almost knocked the
breath out of him. A stiletto knife plunged toward his chest only to bounce off
harmlessly off his bulletproof vest. He didn’t realize it then, but the two
that were desperately trying to hold him down were Tyrone and Nat, Sunlight’s
two favorite killer lieutenants. The black one was the strongest and was trying
to choke Savage with one hand while trying to gouge his left eye out with the
other. Nat, the white killer had rose to his feet and was kicking at the man of
bronze ribs.
Tyrone had managed to
position himself on top of the man of bronze and he began to laugh madly as he
continued to try to throttle him.
Nat yelled,” Kill that son of a bitch, Tyrone!”
Tyrone tried to reply, but was interrupted when he felt
something warm and wet soaking his uniform in front. He glanced down to find to
his horror, blood spewing from an opening in his throat where a bullet had
pierced through and through.
He tried to say
something, but only gagged on his blood.
Savage pushed him off
as Tyrone ‘s eyes rolled up into the back of his head
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and in his last thrones of death he still was trying to scream.
Nat tried to face the man of bronze one on one, face to face; but quickly found
he had a broken jaw and fainted from the shock.
The bronze giant stood
there and smiled as Nancy, Monk, Billy and Ham approached him on the run.
“ Doc, you’re alive!” Nancy yelled.
Doc Savage could only reply,” Yeah, last time I looked I was.”
Monk laughed,” You sure are a sight for sore eyes even though
you look like you’ve gone through a meat grinder.”
Nancy threw out her arms and as she hugged Doc Savage’s hugh
frame, she cried with relief and joy. Monk grabbed one of the man of bronze’s
arms and shook it.
“ Doc, think you’re up to mopping this mess up?” asked Monk.
Doc suddenly pulled away from Nancy and her father,” You guys
can handle that. Have you seen John Sunlight sneaking around here lately?”
“ no not a sign of him, but I knew he’d have to be here
somewhere. He just couldn’t have disappeared into thin air.” Replied Billy
rather puzzled.
Suddenly, Doc slammed
his right fist into the palm of his left.
“ That’s it! He exclaimed to no one in particular. “ I should
have realized that before.”
Then the man of bronze with blinding speed whirled around and
ran toward the lake beach area where the other Sphere rested. As he appeared in
Phoenix II he had had a brief glimpse of the other Sphere parked in the sands
nearby. Billy looked at Nancy and asked her,” What’d I say?”
“ I don’t know Billy.” Nancy exclaimed,” But I think we better
follow him don’t you?”
Monk checked his machine pistol, looked up at his daughter and
smiled,” I second that.”
Ham who had mysteriously acquired his sword cane, looked around
the battle scene,” I quite agree, the others can handle this mess.”
The three ran as fast as their legs could carry them and were
about to catch up to the bronze man, when he yelled over his shoulder.
“ Don’t follow, I’ll take care of this. This area will become
very unstable in a minute. I’ve planted explosives in the heart of the
stronghold which should be-.”
He was cut off as a
low rumbling started deep under their feet and grew
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with each passing second. The ground began to shake violently
and a shack that hid the elevator leading to Sunlight’s stronghold collapsed,
and was swallowed up by the rumbling ground. Doc Savage was knocked off his
feet landing on his back as he reached within twenty yards of the Sphere called
Phoenix I.
Trees were swaying
back and forth and what was left of the madman’s army ran off toward the forest
to save their necks. That was the last straw; all the flight had gone out of
them. As a large force of police vehicles and S.W.A.T. vans began to arrive on
the scene, they were more than willing to surrender.
The violent tremors
had stopped almost as quickly as they had begun, and large whirlpools were
forming in the lake. The lake water drained through cracks in the earth and
poured into the stronghold tunnels below effectively sealing its secrets
forever. A large crack had opened in the ground between where Monk, Ham, Billy,
and Nancy stood; and where Doc Savage and the Sphere was located. Savage
noticed as he rose to his feet that by some miracle the Phoenix I was
relatively undamaged. Suddenly Monk yelled out to Savage,”
Look out Doc!”
Doc Savage turned to
his left in time to see a large figure of a man baring down on him with a fire
ax in one hand and a small brief case in the other. The bizarre figure was John
Sunlight and he was half crazed with fear and hatred. Salvia ran down from the
corner of his mouth. He had a nasty wound on his right leg, which bled
profusely. Sunlight stopped several feet from the man of bronze and glared at
him.
Finally he spoke in a
high-pitched voice to his archenemy, “ You’re the one that’s responsible for
all this. Just stand still a moment so that I can cut you in two and you will
no longer be in my way. I can still get away with a considerable amount of
money and the Phoenix One despite all your efforts.”
It was Doc Savage’s
turn to talk,” One question before you uh, go. How did you stay so young as if
it were only yesterday; when we had met last and not some forty years ago? ”
John raised the ax higher laughing hysterically,” You fool,
don’t you see? Years ago when I broke into your North Pole Fortress of Solitude
and stole many of your secret invention plans; I also acquired your formula
using a certain rare plant which combined made an eternal youth solution.
Granted it
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wasn’t perfect, but it was enough for our purposes. Your own
colleagues used it much later and that is why they remained fairly young
looking and strong for their age.”
“ Ah, I should have guess as much as far as your well being. Doc
pondered as he braced himself for the attack that was sure to follow their
conversation.
“ And now, I have little else to say to you except, Goodbye. It
has been interesting.”
The ax-toting madman
swung his ax down with astonishing speed, but only grazed Doc Savage’s
shoulders. The man of bronze had astonishing speed of his own. Before Sunlight
could bring the ax up once more, Savage swung his right fist punching him a
little above the stomach area just hard enough to temporarily knock the wind
out of him. Sunlight dropped the brief case as he fell over. The man of bronze
closed in to finish him while he was on his back, but Sunlight was a good actor
and wasn’t as hurt or out of commission as it seemed. He swiftly kicked Doc’s
legs out from under him and now it was the bronze man’s turn to be on his back.
John found his ax. Monk and the others were desperately trying to find a way
over to where Doc Savage lay in order to help; but they knew it wound be too
late. They shouted warnings to Doc Savage, but he didn’t hear their cries.
The madman picked up
his ax and he quickly advanced on a stunned bronze giant. Monk nor the others
could find their weapons right away; and a wide crack in the ground separated
them from reaching their friend in time. Sunlight’s laughter echoed across the
now shrunken lake as he closed in with ax upraised.
Next there was an
echo of a single shot fired across the lake. The madman’s laughter was cut off
and he gazed down in total disbelief at a large ragged hole that had appeared
in his chest. A large caliber bullet had entered his back and had exited out
the front. There was another shot and another the last of which sent Sunlight
flying forward several feet from the concussion. He fell face first not a foot
from Doc Savage. His legs jerked once then he lay still.
Savage was dazed but
mostly unscathed. Then he heard a voice as he lay there trying to shake the
cobwebs out of his brain. It was Marlyn’s voice, but there was a deadly
difference in its tone as she screamed at what now appeared to be a very dead
madman.
“ That’s for killing Doc Savage you bastard! You let him fry
like you would
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millions of us, but you won’t ever again. I hop you rot in
hell.”
Then Doc Savage caught
sight of Marlyn standing not far from Monk and the rest of his gang. She was
pointing a large caliber rifle rather shakily at Sunlight’s body. She pulled
the trigger again, but her shot went wide and hit some sand further along the
beach.
Monk rushed in on her
and grabbed the gun out of her hands, before she could pull the trigger once
more. Monk breathed a sigh of relief,” Hey girl, you almost saved Doc and
killed him in the same breath! Whew, women!”
Nancy approached Marlyn and hugged her saying,” God, you gave me
a scare.”
Marlyn stared straight
ahead toward Doc Savage who was slowly rising to his feet. She said in total
disbelief,” My God! He’s alive.”
Nancy shook her head and in a scolding tone exclaimed,” If you
had bothered to use your telepathic abilities and contacted me; you’d known it
already. What am I going to do with you?”
Then they heard
Savage’s commanding voice carry to them from across the giant crack in the ground
forcing the two to turn to hear exactly what he was saying.
“ I said I’m sorry that I made you go through what you did
lately, but I had to trick Sunlight into thinking I was dead to infiltrate his
organization. I knew I’d have to face him one on one someday. I want to thank
you for saving my life. It’s a good thing you intervened when you did, as it
turned out he was more than a match for me.”
Monk yelled,” Oh shut up and come over here. I’m tired of all
this yelling.”
“ Oh Doc, I’m glad you are ok after all. Marlyn shouted.
Doc Savage smiled and replied,” So am I.”
The man of bronze
began to look for a way around the crack in the ground. The police had rounded
up what was left of John Sunlight’s gang. With nothing left to do, the police
made their way toward where Monk, Nancy, Ham, Billy and Marlyn stood curiosity
getting the better of them.
Ham greatly relieved
that everyone was alive and accounted for, commented to Doc Savage,” By Jove,
we really thought you were a goner for a while until the fireworks started.
Then we knew of only one person in the whole world that could have pulled that
kind of stunt off.”
Then Monk noticed
something that alarmed him greatly. Pointing in the direction where Sunlight’s
body had lain, he exclaimed,” Look, he’s gone.”
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Doc Savage whirled around knowing not what to expect only to
find that indeed John Sunlight’s body had disappeared. Something told him, call
it a hunch; to look further toward the lake’s beach where the Phoenix I lay. He
looked just in time to see Sunlight half bent over stumbling up the ramp and
falling through inside the open hatchway of the Sphere. The others had
witnessed the same incredible scene and Nancy screamed,” God, he’s gonna get
away yet!”
The Sphere started to glow faintly and instantly it rose a few
feet off the sand.
Monk yelled as he ran toward Doc Savage and the floating
Sphere,” I’ll stop that fiend!”
Doc realized something
that everyone had missed and he yelled an urgent warning,” No, stay where you
are and lie face down now!”
No one questioned a warning from the man of bronze. Everyone
including the police within earshot obeyed immediately. Savage risked a glance
and saw that the Sphere had not left as of yet, and it was giving off a rather
odd greenish glow. Savage turned his head to the sandy ground and then there
was a brilliant flash of light more brilliant than any that even a Sphere would
usually produce by teleportation. The flash and the booming sound seemed to
last forever.
Every second that
ticked by the booming sound increased in volume and as soon more of a roar.
Above the roar, incredibly someone was screaming on and on. The screams became
inhuman sounding before they were finally cut off. Just as soon as the
screaming stopped, so did the blinding flash.
Seconds later Doc
Savage risked another peak and found that the Sphere Phoenix I had vanished.
This time though it had left a crater. Doc’s friends and a large contingent of
state troopers mixed with local police arrived about then. Doc Savage and the
others rose to their feet shaken, scorched, but basically intact.
Marlyn watched the man
of bronze make his way around the torn earth and decided to follow. The crack
was some four hundred yards long small in comparison to others caused by earthquakes
in the past. Still, it took a number of minutes just to get around to the other
side where the crater was located.
Curious, Savage and
Marlyn inspected the insides of the crater. Marlyn’s
eyes grew wide with terror and she placed both hands over her
mouth. Then
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she turned away feeling nauseated and weak. Savage caught her as
she stumbled and almost fell into the scorched crater of death.
Doc Savage had a
protective arm around her as he ventured another look. The heat inside the crater
was terrific. Down in the bottom lay burnt skeleton remains still smoking.
Still facing away from that ghastly scene, Marlyn asked,” Could t-that be…?”
“ Johnny Sunlight?” Savage said more than asked.
Marlyn closed her eyes and shook her head the affirmative.
“ Yes, it’s a good assumption that it is. We’ll know for sure
upon closer examination.” Doc Savage replied.
Doc Savage then turned
painfully and helped her back to their friends.” Come on Marlyn, it’s all
over.”
Once Marlyn stopped along the way and looked up into the eyes of
the man of bronze quietly explaining,” I’m sorry Doc. It is just well, when I
saw him and thought you were dead, I snapped. I simply snapped. All I could
think of…” Her sentence trailed off and she began to cry again softly on his
shoulder. She looked up at him after a moment,” Promise me you will never do
that sort of thing again.”
Doc Savage looked
perplexed and very uncomfortable. He hugged her a moment longer and explained,”
Marlyn, you know when you got mixed up with us what we might be facing everyday
of our lives. I’ll tell you now that at first I was really reluctant to let you
girls in. Before, with the exception of Patricia my cousin, I had never let
women into my life at any level; because I knew eventually someday, evil people
would use that against me.”
“ I knew how my mother was and how she forced her way into your
adventures from time to time.”
“ Yes, that’s why I did my best to keep her out of this mess.
Sunlight almost killed her the last time we met. Sometimes, emotions can be a
person’s downfall.”
“ Doc, how on Earth did you escape that inferno in the
warehouse?”
That brought a rare
smile to the man of bronze’s face,” There was a metal shop attached to the
warehouse. I happen to be in that area when the firestorm started to engulf the
whole place. It just so happen that the metal shop’s walls were prefabricated
and I was able to bust a hole large enough to get out in time.”
“ Why couldn’t I sense that?”
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“ Emotions controlled all your senses at the time. It seemed an
impossibility that anyone could have survived, and so you believed your eyes.
From then on you never used your telepathy again. It almost cost your life and
your friends lives. We were lucky.” Doc Savage turned his head and looked at
the crater,” Others were not. Don’t let it get you down marlin. You did great
under the circumstances. Come on, let’s get out of here.”
Marlyn nodded and
wiped away the tears as they walked back together. Everyone was overjoyed to
see them in one piece. Nancy was hugging them both when Ham spotted someone
walking their way.
“ Uh oh people, we’ve got trouble.”
Everyone turned to see
Captain McGregor and several state troopers approaching the man of bronze. The
troopers stayed back a few feet, but the Captain kept coming until he was face
to face with Doc Savage. A quiet tense moment prevailed then suddenly Captain
McGregor in a gruff voice addressed the man of bronze.
“ Mr. Savage.” Then he raised his arm and held out his big
hand,” I want to shake your hand lad. That was a job well done and I was wrong
about you. Can you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?”
Doc Savage shook his
hand and returned the compliment, in the old language of the Irish that only
the Captain could understand. The Captain astonished, grinned a wide grin
speechless until they stopped shaking hands.
“ You helped us stop one of the greatest threats to our town and
country there ever was and as sure as my name is what it is; I’m gonna make
sure you are reinstated with a police commission at the very least.”
“ Thank you, Captain McGregor.” Doc Savage replied touched by
the Captains offer.
Everyone was stunned
and Johnny best voiced it, ”Well call me a lunatic, but I think I’ve seen it
all now.”
Doc, his aides and the Captain, remained together in a close
group silently reflecting on recent events and how it affected their lives;
while facing the west observing what little light was left in the sky. Soon,
there were only the stars and the full moon to light their way back. Slowly one
by one; they dispersed and began to start the long walk back to their various
vehicles. As Monk started to leave he took one last look at the western horizon
and quietly remarked,” Huh. Sunlight’s gone.”
A voice from the dark
that was unmistakably Ham’s said,” Come on
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Monk. What are you doing out there anyway? Baying at the moon?”
Monk turned and faded
into the night with thoughts of giving his friend a good thrashing. Doc Savage,
a bronze giant of a man with his fists on his hips, silently watched the last
of his friends leave. He stood there alone for a while reflecting how proud he
was to work with fine people, that he could truly call friends. And also how
lucky they had been, this time.
The End
