Read Online Flash Gordon 4 - The Time Trap of Ming XIII by Alex Raymond - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Alex Raymond
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its side like a dead thing.
Zarkov fought the wheel. The flailing syndrome!
No response.
Tiny yellow puffs of smoke curled out of the end of the console. Zarkov could smell burning plyoplast.
The hydrogen fission cell must be out of control! If it burned through the lead sheathe, he’d be radiated.
The airscout turned over on its back, as if sensing its own imminent death.
Zarkov slammed against the ceiling. The airscout flipped back again. Then, with a tremendous crash, it hit.
CHAPTER 10
“W ell, here we are,” said Kial, “but where are we?”
Lari shook his head. “Don’t ask me, Kial.”
“I’m not, stupid! I’m just saying it.”
“Then say what you mean,” Lari retorted.
They were in a part of the forest kingdom that resembled every other part. There were primitive palm trees, giant cinnamon ferns, arrested conifers, and strange creeping vines that twisted among all the other growth.
“Where’s the superway?” Lari asked suddenly.
“Dummy, that’s what I’ve been trying to figure out for five minutes.”
They had come through time and space as soon as they had activated their belt packs. However, in their haste to remove themselves from the vicinity of the Spaceport Inn, Kial had apparently miscalculated slightly either on their timing or on their siting. Whatever, they were now in a part of the forest kingdom that did not remotely resemble any part that they had seen before.
“Can’t we get back to the Tempendulum by setting our time packs?” Lari asked tremulously.
“No! We’d get back to the proper time, but we’d be no nearer the Tempendulum. I marked my digital grids correctly. Something has probably gone wrong with the space pack. It’s off.”
“What do we do now?” Lari asked timidly.
“How do I know?” Kial asked growlingly.
“You’re supposed to know. You’re smarter.”
“Who says?”
“You always say.”
“Then it’s true.” Kial shook his head. “Well, we could always walk in a straight line. Eventually we’d cross the superway.” He snapped his fingers as his eyes lighted up. “That’s it?”
“What? Walk forever?”
“No! We described a straight line across the forest kingdom from east to west. Since the superway from the spaceport to Arboria proper runs north and south, we’re bound to intersect the superway somewhere.”
“But how do we do it without walking?”
“With our space-travel packs, dummy. Now, look, we’ll set our grids to a point one mile to the east of us. We make that flight, check out the area, and then go another mile east.”
“But what if the superway lies to the west?”
“When we get to the end of the forest, we’ll come back, dummy.”
“It seems—”
“Set your grids, and shut up!”
They found the superway in thirty-five minutes. In the middle of the pavement, they looked up and down and wondered exactly where they were in relation to Flash and Dale.
“Well,” said Kial decisively, “let’s go south. Then, if we don’t find the wrecked jetcar, we’ll come back the other way.”
“All right,” said Lari. “I’m tired, though, Kial. Have you got anything to eat or drink?”
“You should have filled up on steaming mead last night instead of all that hanky-panky,” snorted Kial. “I’ve got a kelp energy bar, if you’re interested.”
“I’d eat anything,” said Lari. “Even an algae sand on rye.”
They munched on the kelp energy bars and then began the hopscotching pattern down the superway.
Suddenly Kial held up his hand. “Shh!”
“What is it?” Lari asked softly.
“Quiet! I can’t hear if you talk.”
“Why didn’t you tell me not to, then?”
They listened.
Trees seemed to be crashing to the ground in the distance. There was a great deal of shuddering of the earth’s surface under the superway. Then there was an ominous silence.
“What made that noise?” Lari asked, his face covered with perspiration.
“How do I know?” snapped Kial. “But we’ve
Zarkov fought the wheel. The flailing syndrome!
No response.
Tiny yellow puffs of smoke curled out of the end of the console. Zarkov could smell burning plyoplast.
The hydrogen fission cell must be out of control! If it burned through the lead sheathe, he’d be radiated.
The airscout turned over on its back, as if sensing its own imminent death.
Zarkov slammed against the ceiling. The airscout flipped back again. Then, with a tremendous crash, it hit.
CHAPTER 10
“W ell, here we are,” said Kial, “but where are we?”
Lari shook his head. “Don’t ask me, Kial.”
“I’m not, stupid! I’m just saying it.”
“Then say what you mean,” Lari retorted.
They were in a part of the forest kingdom that resembled every other part. There were primitive palm trees, giant cinnamon ferns, arrested conifers, and strange creeping vines that twisted among all the other growth.
“Where’s the superway?” Lari asked suddenly.
“Dummy, that’s what I’ve been trying to figure out for five minutes.”
They had come through time and space as soon as they had activated their belt packs. However, in their haste to remove themselves from the vicinity of the Spaceport Inn, Kial had apparently miscalculated slightly either on their timing or on their siting. Whatever, they were now in a part of the forest kingdom that did not remotely resemble any part that they had seen before.
“Can’t we get back to the Tempendulum by setting our time packs?” Lari asked tremulously.
“No! We’d get back to the proper time, but we’d be no nearer the Tempendulum. I marked my digital grids correctly. Something has probably gone wrong with the space pack. It’s off.”
“What do we do now?” Lari asked timidly.
“How do I know?” Kial asked growlingly.
“You’re supposed to know. You’re smarter.”
“Who says?”
“You always say.”
“Then it’s true.” Kial shook his head. “Well, we could always walk in a straight line. Eventually we’d cross the superway.” He snapped his fingers as his eyes lighted up. “That’s it?”
“What? Walk forever?”
“No! We described a straight line across the forest kingdom from east to west. Since the superway from the spaceport to Arboria proper runs north and south, we’re bound to intersect the superway somewhere.”
“But how do we do it without walking?”
“With our space-travel packs, dummy. Now, look, we’ll set our grids to a point one mile to the east of us. We make that flight, check out the area, and then go another mile east.”
“But what if the superway lies to the west?”
“When we get to the end of the forest, we’ll come back, dummy.”
“It seems—”
“Set your grids, and shut up!”
They found the superway in thirty-five minutes. In the middle of the pavement, they looked up and down and wondered exactly where they were in relation to Flash and Dale.
“Well,” said Kial decisively, “let’s go south. Then, if we don’t find the wrecked jetcar, we’ll come back the other way.”
“All right,” said Lari. “I’m tired, though, Kial. Have you got anything to eat or drink?”
“You should have filled up on steaming mead last night instead of all that hanky-panky,” snorted Kial. “I’ve got a kelp energy bar, if you’re interested.”
“I’d eat anything,” said Lari. “Even an algae sand on rye.”
They munched on the kelp energy bars and then began the hopscotching pattern down the superway.
Suddenly Kial held up his hand. “Shh!”
“What is it?” Lari asked softly.
“Quiet! I can’t hear if you talk.”
“Why didn’t you tell me not to, then?”
They listened.
Trees seemed to be crashing to the ground in the distance. There was a great deal of shuddering of the earth’s surface under the superway. Then there was an ominous silence.
“What made that noise?” Lari asked, his face covered with perspiration.
“How do I know?” snapped Kial. “But we’ve
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