"How are you feeling?" asked Detrina. "You look a little pale."
"I'm feeling fine," insisted Mac. "but the savages won't after I get through with them. I'll make sure they never bother anyone again."
TIME : 9:30 P.M. (21:30)
PLACE : The edge of the city
The communicator had been fixed. They had been given more food than they could possibly eat at one sitting. Everything had been running smoothly. The only problem was the strange movements of Mac and the inhabitants of the city.
They tried to talk to Mac but Mac was keeping to himself most of the time and he refused to talk to them alone. When Mac did talk to them, he talked about stopping the savages before they killed anybody else.
At last it was dark enough for them to go after the savages. With X leading the way they would have no trouble tracking the savages to their hideout. Norvic and Helsa wished them luck on their journey.
"I have decided to stay here," Mac informed the others. "Someone has to stay and guard the city "
The others were shocked. Mac had been the one most eager to find the savages. It was unlike him to change his mind so abruptly. Only X remained calm.
"It probably is best for someone to stay behind," agreed X. "Someone has to keep Shawn informed what we're doing."
"We'll keep an eye on him," Norvic assured him. "Good bye."
Mac, Norvic, and Helsa returned to the city.
"Why did you let Mac stay in the city?" questioned Peter.
"Until we know what happened to him we can't be sure if we can trust him," X answered grimly. "That might not even be the real Mac. I'd recommend finding the savages like they want us to do. They may be able to answer some of our questions."
X led the way into the darkness. It was so dark that, with the exception of X who had remarkable night time vision, they could only see the person directly in front of them. X would stop frequently to make sure no one had gotten lost.
"I see a light up ahead," X told the others.
"Can you tell what kind of light it is?" wondered Peter.
"It appears to be a campfire," said X. "You'll see it in a few seconds."
Peter could see a clearing in the woods. Three or four shadows were seated around a flickering light. The shadows were human in shape and didn't appear very threatening. They had no idea they were being watched.
"Let's take a closer look at them," whispered X.
Four people were huddled around the fire. They were wrapped in thin, gray, hooded clothing which appeared to be ineffective against the cold. All four of them were shivering trying to keep warm. One of them though he heard something and turned to face the approaching. Hank instinctively removed his phaser.
"Put your weapon away," commanded X. "They are unarmed."
The one who had spotted them told his friends about the strangers. All four of them sat there staring at them unspeaking, unmoving. X decided to make the first move. He stepped out into the clearing. The others did likewise.
"Greetings," smiled X. "We mean you no harm."
"You are not from the city!" shouted the one who had first spotted them in genuine surprise. "And you are not one of us. Who are you and where did you come from?"
"We are from M.W.G.D.," X told them. "We came here in response to your distress call. They said they were attacked by savages. I assume you are the savages."
"If that is what you want to call us," the hooded figure replied. "We prefer to call ourselves the resistance and we did not attack the city."
"Then why did they tell us you attacked them?" wondered Hank.
"They had two reasons," the hooded figure began. "First, they wanted you to find us. Their attempts to find us have been unsuccessful. We are a threat to them. They won't rest until we're destroyed. Second, they wanted to enslave you. Austragon tricked us into coming here. He said he wanted to start a new colony on a small isolated planet, but his real purpose was to brainwash us into worshipping him as a god."
"He has a strange pulsating diamond that has a strange hypnotic effect on anyone who touches it. By the time we found out, he had brainwashed half the colony into serving him. Those of us who remained fled to the woods. They have been trying to hunt us down ever since. Every once in a while they capture one of us. No one ever escapes. We can only hope we'll never be caught."
"Kobie had a similar diamond back on Mars," remembered Peter. "When we smashed the diamond Kobie lost most of his powers."
"The diamonds are similar," agreed X. "only instead of giving its controller the power to create illusions, it gives its controller the power to hypnotize."
"We were in a similar situation six years ago," Peter recalled. "The way we got out of it was by destroying the diamond. If you destroy the diamond Austragon, or whoever is controlling the diamond will loose his powers and the others will be free."
"We have tried to destroy the diamond many times," the hooded figure continued. "and every time we have failed. The diamond is protected inside a gigantic vault. Anyone who enters the vault falls into Austragon's power. This planet is doomed. Go back while you still have the chance."
"One of our friends, Mac, is still inside the city," explained Lisa. "He was taken to see Austragon and has been acting strangely ever since. We can't desert are friends. It's part of our code. I'm sure you understand. That's why you haven't left."
"True," admitted the hooded figure. "The people in the city need our help and we won't leave until they are free from Austragon's control. As long as we're in this together we might as well work together. I'll take you to see the leader of the resistance. He'll be glad to see some fresh new face."
"Hold it! How do we know we can trust you?" demanded Linda. "The people in the city deceive us. How do we know you're not doing the same?"
"I can understand your fear," sympathized the hooded figure. "We were not sure if we could trust you until explained why you came here. They must have told you horrible stories about us brutally attacking them. All of them are lies. We don't want to hurt anybody. All we want to do is destroyed the diamond. What can we do for you in return for your help?"
"We want our friend back," insisted Linda. "We're going after him with or without you."
"It won't be very easy," he warned. "If your friend touched the diamond as you suspect, he will obey the will of Austragon to the best of his ability. He may even attack you if he knows you have joined forces with us. In their eyes you are now savages just like us. Even if you do get him outside the city he will still obey the will of Austragon. There is no known cure for his condition."
"Are you going to help us or not?" demanded Linda.
The four hooded figures began talking among themselves. They couldn't understand what they were saying but it was clear they didn't agree. The four of them debated intensely.
"We'll help you," conceded the hooded figure. "but it's against my better judgement. The three of them will help you rescue Mac. I will return to our leader. You can go with whoever you want but I'd prefer that most of you come with me."
Hank and Linda decided to go after Mac. The others followed the hooded figured who had done all the talking. He told them his name was Abar and he was one of the first people to realize what was going on inside the city and one of the last people to flee. He thought he could defeat Austragon and free the others all by himself. A mistake that almost cost him his freedom.
"Austragon has slowly become more and more powerful," grumbled Abar. "Until recently he wouldn't dare contact an outsider. We have been trying to call for help for years but Austragon and his army of zombies won't allow it. He use to be afraid of the rest of the galaxy. Now he wants to take on anyone who dares to oppose him no matter where they live."
"He couldn't possibly be powerful enough to conquer the entire galaxy," gasped Detrina.
"I don't think he's quite that crazy, yet," stated Abar. "but I do think he wants to extend his empire beyond Austragon's atmosphere."
"We work for M.W.G.D.," Peter told him. "If all he wants to do is expand his empire, he could have picked a less powerful opponent."
"We don't know what his motives are," X reminded him. "M.W.G.D. might be an important stepping stone in his quest for galactic domination."
"If so, why did he wait so long to start?" questioned Peter. "He has been satisfied with just one city for years. Why the sudden change?"
"That is what we have to find out," declared X.
Abar led them to a small cave. The entrance was just big enough for them to enter one at a time. Eventually the cave opened up revealing a large room dimly lit by small lights on the walls and ceiling.
"Zenald," shouted Abar. "I've brought you some visitors. They are not part of the original colony."
Abar's voice echoed throughout the cave slowly fading into nothingness. All was silent. Slowly a large group approached wearing the same thin, gray clothing. Their hoods were down so they could see the wide variety of people who were united by a common cause. At the front of the group was a man in his late sixties whose face was covered with scars. In spite of his horrible looking face, he had a warm, inviting smile that even a small child would find pleasing.
"I am Zenald, the leader of the resistance," he said. "You are welcome guests. We don't have much, but what we have is yours."
"How many people are in the resistance?" inquired X.
"Once there were over two thousand of us," Zenald began. "but over the years we have dwindled down to five hundred. We use to enter the city frequently. Now we are mostly concern with our own survival. Our forces grow weaker every day. I was about to give up hope until you came."
"Would you be willing to use everyone you have left in one final attempts to destroy the diamond?" considered X. "They won't be expecting us to come in such numbers, but if we fail we won't get another chance."
"Compared to sitting here and waiting for them to pick us off one by one, it sounds like a great idea," stated Zenald. "We may only get one chance but one chance is better than none."
X and Zenald started planning their strategy.
TIME : 10:15 P.M. (22:15)
PLACE : Inside the city
Hank, Linda, and the three hooded figures carefully searched the city for any sign of Mac. Several times they thought they spotted him but it turned out to be somebody else. It was hard to keep their distance and still get close enough to see who is was.
"They don't seem to be reacting to our presence," Hank remarked. "I know they've spotted us."
"Maybe they think we're brainwashed colonists just like they are," suggested Linda.
"One of them was looking straight at me," argued Hank. "They know we're not one of them."
They continued to search even more cautiously than before. After several more false alarms they encountered the real Mac. He was alone facing the opposite direction.
"Mac," whispered Hank. "follow me. We have to leave the city. It's not safe here."
"The savages are attacking!" Mac shouted at the top of his lungs. "Run for your lives!"
Suddenly they found themselves surrounded by armed guards wearing a uniform typically worn by those who worked for the Ruler. In the distance they could see a large black figure with a purple visor covering his face. Mac appeared indifferent to the sudden turn of events.
"We meet again," smirked the Ruler. "I will be glad to have your help."
"Why would we help you," Hank cried defiantly. "You're not likely to return the favor.
"You won't have a choice," boasted the Ruler. "In a few minutes you will be just like your friend."
The guards forced them into the vault and locked them inside. They closed their eyes and tried to stay in the far corner, but they could see the pulsating light created by the diamond. They opened their eyes and stared at the diamond not daring to speak or move. The three hooded figures removed their hoods and walked over to touch the diamond. They were now the enemies of the savages.
Hank and Linda were still trying to resist. Their experience on Mars had helped to increase their resistance. They had to block all hypnotic suggestions from their minds.
Unfortunately the diamond in front of them was much more powerful than the one on Mars. Hank and Linda moved toward the diamond fighting until the very end.
The Ruler waited another fifteen minutes and the opened the door.
"I am Austragon, your leader. You will do whatever I tell you to do," commanded the Ruler. "You will contact Shawn and tell him you need him to come to the city immediately. When he arrives, I want you to bring him to me. Do you understand."
"Yes," said Hank and Linda in perfect unison.
A small part of them still resisted the Ruler, but their will wasn't strong enough to resist the Ruler's orders. Hank, Linda, and Mac walked over to the communicator. The others joined the other inhabitants of city in their constant preparations to defend themselves against the savages.
"Shawn, we have made an important discovery on the planet," reported Mac. "We need you to meet us as soon as you possibly can. It's very important."
"The savages might destroy it unless you take it back to M.W.G.D. Headquarters," added Linda.
"I have received your message," replied Shawn. "I'm on my way."
"If I can control Shawn, I'll be able to control all of M.W.G.D.," bragged the Ruler. "If I control M.W.G.D., the other planets will loose their unity. If the other planets loose their unity, I can conquer them one at a time until I control the entire galaxy. I will become invincible!"
Copyright MCMXCII, MCMXCIX
