"Leave your mask on," insisted Peter pointing weapon at the senior officer.
Hank and Linda pointed their weapons at the two remaining guards. The guards and the junior officer were frightened, but the senior officer didn't seem the least bit worried.
"I'm glad you've decided to reveal yourselves," the senior officer. "but this doesn't change anything. Drop your weapons, all of you. If you don't, I'll kill her. Tell the Ruler what he wants to know and he might let you live."
While he was talking, the senior officer turn his eyes away from X to face Peter. He realized his mistake a split second too late. As soon as the senior officer turned his eyes away from him X dove to the floor, picked up his weapon, and fired hitting the senior off ice in the center of his chest. The officer limply released his grip on Lisa and dropped to thc floor. The junior officer tried to run, but X shot him in the back less than a second after hitting his first target.
"We surrender! We surrender!" screamed one of the remaining guards.
"I'm glad you feel that way," said X. "but I'm afraid we're still going to have to stun you to make sure you don't run for help after we leave."
Hank and Linda stunned the two remaining guards.
"How long will that hold them?" inquired X.
"Anywhere from four to six hours," replied Hank. "I used the strongest stun setting."
"Me too," added Linda.
"That should be more than enough time," agreed X. "I know where the Ruler's attack fleet is hidden. I'll need one of you to accompany me. The rest of you should leave here as soon as possible. You've done all that you can do."
"Not quite," argued Peter. "This laboratory is being used to create a new weapon. One that will more than double their destructive power."
"After I leave I want you to sabotage the prototype and destroy all the blueprints for this weapon that you can find," commanded X. "Now who is coming with me?"
"I will," volunteered Hank. "I have the most experience with explosives."
"Let's go," ordered X. "Thanks, Peter."
"No problem," smiled Peter. "After all the times you've save our necks I never thought I'd have to save yours."
X and Hank left the room leaving Peter, Linda, and Lisa to search for anything they could find related to the new weapon. Linda began dismantling the prototype piece by piece. She didn't understand how it was put together, but even a child with a sledgehammer could take it apart. In five minutes it was an indistinguishable pile of junk.
While Linda destroyed the prototype, Peter and Lisa took all the papers they could find whether they had anything to do with the weapon or not, and placed them in a large pile on the floor. When that was done, they took their weapons and disintegrated the entire pile, being careful not to active the sprinkler system, until it was nothing but ashes.
As soon as they were finished they quickly headed back to the entrance hoping they hadn't been discovered. They were about halfway to the entrance when an alarm sounded.
"Trouble," whispered Peter.
TIME : 10:30 P.M. (22:30)
PLACE : Near the Ruler's attack fleet
While Peter, Linda, and Lisa were trying to escape, X and Hank headed deeper into the Ruler's main base looking for the hidden location of the Ruler's attack fleet. X led the way with Hank following close behind keeping a sharp eye out for trouble.
Suddenly an alarm sounded and red lights began flashing above them. Hank prepared to face whoever was approaching but there was no one in sight. He turned to X inquisitively.
"Someone must have entered the laboratory and discovered the stunned guards," X explained. "They've sounded the alarm but they still don't know where we are."
"I hope Peter, Linda, and Lisa are outside by now," sighed Hank.
"So do I, but worrying about them isn't going to help them any," reasoned X. "They have their job and we have ours. We should be less than five minutes away from the Ruler's attack fleet. Take cover!"
X and Hank hid inside a small room with the door wide open. Since X wasn't wearing a disguise they had no chance of bluffing their way past whoever was approaching. All they could do was hide and hope they hadn't been discovered.
Hank wanted to close the door but X stopped him.
"That door might have been left open for a reason," X told him. "If we close the door we might call attention to ourselves Stay behind me. I'll protect you. I can only hear four of them. It's nothing we can't handle."
Soon Hank could hear the footsteps too. They were clearly headed in their direction. As the footsteps grew louder a number of voices could be heard over the constant buzzing of the alarm. The voices grew louder until the group was on the other side of the door. Individual words could not be distinguished over the noise of the alarm, but the general tone of the conversation was casual.
Hank held his breath not daring to make a sound. X readied his phaser just in case they decided to peek inside. Slowly the sound of the voices began to fade. At the same time the roar of the alarm stopped but the red lights continued to flash.
X waited another thirty seconds before continuing to the attack fleet. Hank followed at X's new and quicker hoping they wouldn't run into any more of the Ruler's soldiers.
TIME : 10:35 P.M. (22:35)
PLACE : The exit
In spite of the alarm, Peter, Linda, and Lisa had managed to reach the exit without incident. Only two guards remained between them and freedom. They were the same guards that had let them in without checking their identification less than an hour ago.
The three of them walked past the guards hoping they wouldn't think their leaving was anything unusual.
"Stop!" commanded one of the guards. "Why are you leaving this base without permission?"
"The Ruler wants us to search for the owners of the ship that landed near this base," responded Peter. "They might not have entered the base yet."
"Why didn't inform us of his decision?" the guard wondered. "Besides, we know the spies are inside the base. They broke into one of our laboratories and destroyed some important papers."
The two guards reached for their weapon, but Peter, Linda, and Lisa saw what they were planning and drew their weapons first. The guards were stunned before they had a chance to warn the Ruler.
"We'd better get of here," warned Peter activating his jetpack.
The three of them flew at top speed at a height of about twenty meters. The base's automatic weapons were activated, but a human target was much smaller than a ship and much harder to hit. Shots were fired all around them, but they kept flying at top speed. It wouldn't be long before they were out of range. One of the shot hit Peter but his armor absorbed most of the blast.
"The shots have stopped!" exclaimed Lisa.
"We're still not out of danger," insisted Peter. "They've probably alerted the guards. When we try to return to our ship, they'll be waiting for us."
"Then we can't return to our ship," declared Linda. "Let's ask the old couple. They probably have another ship hidden somewhere."
"We've already placed them in danger once," Peter reminded her. "I don't think we have the right to place them in danger again."
"That's why they've stayed on Altair 7 instead of going someplace where it's safe," argued Linda. "Their lives are always in danger whether we see them again or not."
"We'll give them a try," conceded Peter. "but I don't think they could hide anything as large as a ship."
"Even if they don't, it will be a good place to wait for X and Hank," Linda remarked.
TIME : 10:37 (22:37)
PLACE : The Ruler's attack fleet
"This is it," whispered X as the passage opened up to reveal an enormous room filled with all kinds of ships of various sizes, shapes, colors, and descriptions.
"Where are the explosives?" inquired Hank.
X handed Hank a small amount of explosives.
"This isn't even enough to destroy one of the larger ships," complained Hank.
"It's a different kind of explosive than the kind your use to," explained X. "The amount you have in your hand is powerful enough to destroy the entire fleet. It's heat activated. When the surrounding temperature reaches 800 C it destroys everything within 500 meters of it."
"How are you going to activate it?" wondered Hank.
"I'm going to place it inside the exhaust pipe of one of the ships and set the engine on the lowest setting," answered X. "That should give us plenty of time to escape. You place the explosive in the exhaust pipe and I'll break into the ship and activate the engine."
"How about that one over there?" asked Hank pointing to one of the larger ship.
"Too hard to break into," X replied. "I'm looking for a smaller ship near the center of the attack fleet. Follow me and try to keep a ship between you and the other exits. We're not alone. I can hear somebody breathing."
Hank followed X into the maze of ships. Occasionally X would tell him to stop, crouch, and remain perfectly still, but the trouble always passed. At last they reached a small fighter in the center of the room. X silently picked the lock.
"Place the explosive in the exhaust pipe," commanded X. By the time he said it, Hank had already done it.
"Stay clear!" warned X. "I'm turning on the engine."
X and Hank hurried back to the exit, but the sound of the engine had attracted some attention. Once again X told Hank to crouch and remain perfectly still.
"What about the explosive?" gasped Hank.
"We have plenty of time to get out of here," X assured him. "I fixed the engine so it can't be turned off without difficulty. If they can't figure out what I've done, this room will explode in ten to fifteen minutes."
"What if they do figure out what you've done?" demanded Hank.
"Then we'll have to leave with the information we have," said X.
The sound of footsteps approaching from several different directions.
"Freeze!" ordered one of the Ruler's guards.
About seven more guards were behind him. In the opposite direction five more guards were approaching. They were surrounded.
Copyright MCMXCII, MCMXCIX
