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Authors: Kenneth Robeson
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Old Man Guptill’s castle. His eyes glowed in that peculiar way they did at times.
When they neared the rear of the place, Mac said, “There comes Smitty, from over thata way.”
The giant was moving stealthily toward the back of the silent castle. His big feet touched the stones of a pathway that twisted toward a rear staircase. High cactus and joshua trees lined the path. Smitty could approach quite close to the castle and still stay in the shelter of the trees and their shadows.
“I do believe the lad’s going to walk right in.”
“Smitty knows better, he’ll wait outside.”
They saw the big man take three more steps forward. Then he was hidden from them by a huge cactus.
An instant later, there was a tremendous explosion on the path. Orange fire erupted up into the black of the night as shattered rock spun away.
“Smitty,” said Mac, starting to run.
CHAPTER XVI
Message Sent . . .
The walls were filled with large oil paintings, fairly good copies of 19th-century Impressionist works. With a glass of brandy in his hand, Danker seated himself in a velvet chair. “I would like to see Dr. Hamblin,” he said.
The other man in the large underground room was young, a very fair blond in a very tight white suit. “I’ll fetch him for you, Herr Danker.”
“Stop using those old-country words, Kurt.”
Kurt blushed. “I thought, Herr . . . I mean, when we are alone, I thought—”
“There is absolutely no need for you to think, Kurt,” Danker told him. “Follow orders well, that’s all you must worry about.”
“Yes, Herr . . . yes, sir.” He clicked his heels and bowed out of the room.
“Idiots,” murmured Danker as he sniffed and then sipped his brandy. “A mission so important, and they burden me, for the most part, with idiots. Oh, and those fools I hired, my auxilliary troops. Captured by the Avenger, dragged to jail. It’s a wonder . . . Ah, good evening, Dr. Hamblin.”
Jennifer’s uncle gave equal emphasis to each word. “Good . . . evening . . . Mr. . . . Danker.”
“Sit down opposite me, Doctor, if you will.”
“Yes . . . I . . . will.”
“You may leave us, Kurt.”
“Very good, Herr . . . sir.” The heels clicked together once more, and the blond young man was gone.
“Now tell me, Dr. Hamblin, how are you feeling?”
“I . . . am . . . fine.”
“It gratifies me to hear that,” said the thin, dark Danker. “Frankly, and I’m sure you, as a man of science, will appreciate this, the drugs we are using to control you are quite new and, therefore, have not been as thoroughly tested as one might hope for. Well, this war . . . we must sometimes cut corners.”
“I . . . am . . . fine.”
“Very good. Did you recognize that girl this afternoon, Doctor?”
“She . . . is . . . my . . . niece.”
“Yes, exactly. It does not bother you to see her here, to know she is our prisoner?”
“It . . . does . . . not . . . bother . . . me.”
“I am most glad to hear that.” Danker set his brandy glass on an end table, rose up, and walked to a white cabinet that stood beneath an imitation Renoir. “Well, then, Doctor, if you will oblige me by rolling up your sleeve, I will give you your evening injection and then you—”
“Herr Danker, come at once!” Kurt had burst back into the room. “Herr Dirks wishes it!”
Leaving the cabinet open, Danker crossed to the doorway. “What is it?”
“A radio, the prisoners have a sending set,” said Kurt, breathing through his mouth. “Herr Dirks just noticed it when he looked through the spy hole to—”
“Fools, I have none but fools on my staff!” cried Danker. “Remain here with Dr. Hamblin.” He ran down the corridor.
“Do you hear me, Richard? This is Cole. They’ve got us underneath the Manzana Oasis. Some kind of bomb shelter sort of set up. Richard, are you there?”
Only silence came out of the belt-buckle radio.
“Repeating the message, Richard. This is Cole. Nellie and I and Jennifer
When they neared the rear of the place, Mac said, “There comes Smitty, from over thata way.”
The giant was moving stealthily toward the back of the silent castle. His big feet touched the stones of a pathway that twisted toward a rear staircase. High cactus and joshua trees lined the path. Smitty could approach quite close to the castle and still stay in the shelter of the trees and their shadows.
“I do believe the lad’s going to walk right in.”
“Smitty knows better, he’ll wait outside.”
They saw the big man take three more steps forward. Then he was hidden from them by a huge cactus.
An instant later, there was a tremendous explosion on the path. Orange fire erupted up into the black of the night as shattered rock spun away.
“Smitty,” said Mac, starting to run.
CHAPTER XVI
Message Sent . . .
The walls were filled with large oil paintings, fairly good copies of 19th-century Impressionist works. With a glass of brandy in his hand, Danker seated himself in a velvet chair. “I would like to see Dr. Hamblin,” he said.
The other man in the large underground room was young, a very fair blond in a very tight white suit. “I’ll fetch him for you, Herr Danker.”
“Stop using those old-country words, Kurt.”
Kurt blushed. “I thought, Herr . . . I mean, when we are alone, I thought—”
“There is absolutely no need for you to think, Kurt,” Danker told him. “Follow orders well, that’s all you must worry about.”
“Yes, Herr . . . yes, sir.” He clicked his heels and bowed out of the room.
“Idiots,” murmured Danker as he sniffed and then sipped his brandy. “A mission so important, and they burden me, for the most part, with idiots. Oh, and those fools I hired, my auxilliary troops. Captured by the Avenger, dragged to jail. It’s a wonder . . . Ah, good evening, Dr. Hamblin.”
Jennifer’s uncle gave equal emphasis to each word. “Good . . . evening . . . Mr. . . . Danker.”
“Sit down opposite me, Doctor, if you will.”
“Yes . . . I . . . will.”
“You may leave us, Kurt.”
“Very good, Herr . . . sir.” The heels clicked together once more, and the blond young man was gone.
“Now tell me, Dr. Hamblin, how are you feeling?”
“I . . . am . . . fine.”
“It gratifies me to hear that,” said the thin, dark Danker. “Frankly, and I’m sure you, as a man of science, will appreciate this, the drugs we are using to control you are quite new and, therefore, have not been as thoroughly tested as one might hope for. Well, this war . . . we must sometimes cut corners.”
“I . . . am . . . fine.”
“Very good. Did you recognize that girl this afternoon, Doctor?”
“She . . . is . . . my . . . niece.”
“Yes, exactly. It does not bother you to see her here, to know she is our prisoner?”
“It . . . does . . . not . . . bother . . . me.”
“I am most glad to hear that.” Danker set his brandy glass on an end table, rose up, and walked to a white cabinet that stood beneath an imitation Renoir. “Well, then, Doctor, if you will oblige me by rolling up your sleeve, I will give you your evening injection and then you—”
“Herr Danker, come at once!” Kurt had burst back into the room. “Herr Dirks wishes it!”
Leaving the cabinet open, Danker crossed to the doorway. “What is it?”
“A radio, the prisoners have a sending set,” said Kurt, breathing through his mouth. “Herr Dirks just noticed it when he looked through the spy hole to—”
“Fools, I have none but fools on my staff!” cried Danker. “Remain here with Dr. Hamblin.” He ran down the corridor.
“Do you hear me, Richard? This is Cole. They’ve got us underneath the Manzana Oasis. Some kind of bomb shelter sort of set up. Richard, are you there?”
Only silence came out of the belt-buckle radio.
“Repeating the message, Richard. This is Cole. Nellie and I and Jennifer
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