x
Sun and dust. Sand and rock. Empty blue sky and trickles of sweat.
Sergeant Krax stood at attention in the wall-less tent of burly General Urko at Red Leader One, the temporary command post Urko had just established within the Forbidden Zone to implement one of his periodic---and always futile---attempts to invade the Below World. The general and several high-ranking officers were gathered around a map table, examining the strange object Krax had brought in.
The gorilla sergeant turned to the dusty desert noncom. "Good work, Sergeant....Krax, isn't it?"
"Yes, sir."
"Quick thinking, soldier. Now, if we can just figure out what it really is....."
"Well, sir, when Private Decius found it, he...."
"Yes, thank you and Decius, too."
"Sir, I...."
"That is al, Sergeant Krax. We'll handle it from here."
The dust-covered noncom saluted Urko's back and walked quickly to his jeep. "Get going, Tritor!"
"What's the hurry, sergeant? Let's hang around, have a few laughs, get some cold drinks and...."
"Tritor, move your ass! Get us back to the patrol!"
The driver slammed the jeep into gear and took off. "By the eyes of Grabthar, sergeant, I don't understand why you...."
"Shut up and drive, Private Tritor! Do you want to be around when those officers do what Decius did?"
Tritor gave his sergeant a panicked look. "But didn't you...."
"They wouldn't listen. Now move this piece of crap!"
"Yessir!"
The jeep accelerated swiftly, and Sergeant Krax looked back over the seat at the general's tent, its sides lifted to catch the breeze. He could see Urko and his staff standing around the table, and he waited for the fun to start.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXAuU5srXHC
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9nxxWJqv1S
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT6sWAJOxiA
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKTYg4CwY0j
Captain Sovak turned the strange tool over in his hands, brow furrowed, the lamplight glinting off the metal. “It looks like a screwdriver, yes… but this isn’t ape-forged. The metal’s too refined, the shape too… precise. No craftsape I know could make something like this.”
A colonel looked up, his eyes glittering angrily. "That leaves.....the Underfolk."
"Or the humanoids," said a major standing next to him.
Most of the officers gave the major a pitying look. Colonel Telfar snorted, leaving no confusion about his thoughts regarding the possibility of the humanoid beasts having any scientific or even mechanical ability.
"Major Fotgorn, this is a serious matter," the colonel said haughtily. "Kindly keep ridiculous theories to yourself."
"All right, all right!" General Urko said moodily. His words cut the conversation, and the officers watched their brooding commander with the alertness that comes from close and continuous contact with ruthless power. "The Underfolk never leave the Below World," he mused. "And no humanoid could have built this...." Urko's thick lips set in a hard line. "At least no humanoid from this world!"
The gorilla general struck the map with a gloved fist. The phony screwdriver bounced, but Major Fotgorn caught it.
"Wait a minute!" Urko's eyes flashed. "There is one humanoid we know about who is unusual---Blue Eyes!" Urko's voice shifted to a low growl. "This could be his handiwork. He must be in this area!"
Urko looked around the table of officers. "And if he is, this time---" he struck the table again---"I will have him!"
The screwdriver bounced again and Major Fotgorn quickly put both hands on it to steady the odd tool. His eyes, as well as those of the other officers, were on Urko. No one noticed as Major Fotgorn’s thick fingers inadvertently pressed a recessed stud on the handle—causing a small, smooth black battery to drop from the hollowed shaft of the screwdriver, where it had been concealed behind a false metal cap. It fell to the soft boot-churned sand below and rolled beneath the table.
The faint plop of the battery was covered by General Urko's snarling prophecy.
"The future of the Ape Army depends upon it!"
As the assembled officers snapped to attention, hands to their chests, their shifting feet kicked sand over the power cell, almost totally covering it.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGXhM8VM7zb
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLBxtIU38GQ
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo5CokDf81P
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmzU7R9do7i
Steve and the other castaways—Mark, Fitzhugh, Dan, Betty, and Valerie—clambered out of the collapsed tunnel one by one, pulling themselves over jagged chunks of broken concrete and loose stone. The afternoon sun beat down on them as they scrambled across the shifting slope, boots and hands slipping against the grit. Without exchanging a word, the six broke into a steady trot across the blistering desert flats, heading for the distant ridge where they’d hidden Fitzhugh’s phony screwdriver—each of them thinking the same thing: time was running out.
They stopped short as Betty suddenly cried, “Hey!” and pointed down at the sand. The others clustered around, staring at the set of deep, irregular tracks gouged into the otherwise smooth, windswept surface.
Dan crouched beside them, frowning. “These are from a gorilla patrol vehicle,” he said grimly. “Heavy tread, wide axle—this wasn’t Underfolk.”
Steve rose and scanned the horizon quickly, shielding his eyes against the glare. After a tense moment, he shook his head. “I don’t see anything now. But they were close. Recently.”
Mark examined the tracks most critically. He crouched low, running a hand over the depth of the tire grooves and the scuffed impressions of boots around them. His eyes narrowed as he traced the patterns. “They stopped here, but they weren’t on a sweep,” he mutters. “Just a rest stop.” He straightened and pointed to a small cluster of rocks a few yards away. “There. Bits of a gorilla ration box—crushed, but unmistakable. They took a break, maybe checked their bearings. Then moved on.”
The others exchange uneasy glances. Fitzhugh clears his throat nervously. “Let’s just hope they weren’t looking for what we came to retrieve.”
Valerie stopped first, pointing sharply at a rock halfway down the ridge. “Uh-oh,” she said, her voice tight with alarm. “Look at that—somebody sliced right through this!”
Fitzhugh scrambled forward, slipping slightly on the loose stone. He dropped to his knees at the hollow where the tool had been hidden—now just a tangle of disturbed rocks and grit. His face darkened, eyes blazing. “It’s gone!” he roared. “That was my invention—mine! Do you have any idea what they could do with it? A screwdriver! A simple screwdriver! And now it’s probably in the hands of some hairy brute who thinks it’s a toy!” He slammed a fist against the ground. “This is sabotage, theft, madness!”
"The gorilla patrol found it---had to be them!" Mark who exclaimed, eyes sweeping the disturbed area.
Dan crouched beside him, brow furrowed as he studied the ground. “But how?” he muttered. “We buried it deep, covered every trace. They shouldn't have known where to look…”
Steve shrugged. "I don't know. Accident, maybe. But those apes have the laser."
A heated argument broke out among them as they stood around the empty hiding spot.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqC1AQqPXCG
Steve ran a hand through his hair. “We need a plan—fast.”15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7V4yfqbfac
Betty frowned. “We can’t just stand here.”15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWBpFuuOvi2
Valerie crossed her arms. “Ideas, people!”15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg6eUvzssRy
Mark jabbed a finger at the disturbed earth. “We could try retracing every inch of this ridge—might take hours.”15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9bqb4jqeaZ
Dan stepped forward, peering down the rocky slope toward the desert flats below. His jaw set, he said quietly, “Or… we follow the patrol tracks. They tore past here not long ago. If we can catch up, we might intercept whoever took it.”
Fitzhugh rolled his eyes and folded his arms. “Brilliant. Let’s chase after a gorilla patrol in enemy territory—because that’s sure to keep us safe.”
Dan got up and faced Fitzhugh. "Who said life was going to be easy?"
Fitzhugh’s face turned red, his voice rising with indignation. “Well I certainly didn’t sign up for desert warfare and ape patrols when I boarded a luxury space flight! ‘Easy,’ he says—next you’ll be telling me we should shake their hairy hands and offer them tea!”
ns216.73.216.197da2
