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Stories from the Verse
Con Version
Chapter 223: Brown 363
Table of Contents
Previous chapter: Cooper 71
Derek wondered whether wandering around on the top of the spaceship breaking off antennae was a waste of his time. All indications were that this would be the top side of the ship when it was in orbit, and that meant that these antennae were here to detect signals from beyond that altitude, signals from space. His first reaction was that there would be none, because in his home world there had been no evidence of life outside Earth’s biosphere; but then, he remembered that they had captured a villain who was from another planet, Saturn, if memory served (as improbable as that seemed). However, this equipment, whatever its purpose, would have nothing to do with attacking the earth or receiving communications from it. He was on the wrong side of the ship.
Hopefully the control fins he had mangled would cause more problems.
He wondered whether there was some way he could damage the underside, but then, hovering was something that girls could do that boys could never really manage. He was, for the moment, stumped.
His attention was grabbed by the appearance of a flying man. It took only a moment to identify him as The Eagle, so he waited as his ally came in for a smooth landing.
“What news?” Derek asked. The Eagle obliged.
“William Tell, Truth, and Vashti managed to take out the Blackmask Gang and capture Lady Nightmare; she’s in custody along with Sewer Savage, under the watchful eye of Sockajawea. I think the girls are going to stay there to make sure there isn’t any trouble; Nightmare apparently has the ability to put illusions in other people’s minds, and the girls have found a way to counter this. Mister Justice finished freeing the dogs and led the Shamblers down to the river to wash and pray. He was planning to go from there to the computer building, to see what he could do to scuttle the launch from there.”
Derek nodded, and relaxed. There was a vector toward the fence where they had entered, and another toward--wait, it suddenly wasn’t there anymore.
“We just lost Mister Justice,” Derek said. It was the logical conclusion.
“How do you know?” The Eagle replied.
“It’s a verser thing,” he explained. “If we relax, we can feel each other. I could feel someone in the direction of the fence, and someone else in the direction of the computer building, and suddenly that second vector was interrupted, and isn’t there anymore.”
“Shouldn’t you feel two people toward the fence--Truth and Vashti?”
“Think of it like looking at planets in the sky when they align. When they get close enough, they seem to merge into one, even though they’re all light-minutes apart from each other. I can sense the line that points to them, but although maybe there are two lines they are so close to each other I can’t distinguish them. Also, I can’t tell which is who, or how many there are, only that someone is that direction.”
The Eagle nodded. “That makes sense. The lights of a distant city tend to become a single bright spot on the horizon, but become individual beacons when I get closer.”
“Exactly,” Derek confirmed, then, “wait; I think we have company.”
He heard him before he saw him, the slamming of doors and the shouting of orders: Mordenslice had arrived.
“What do we do?” The Eagle asked. Derek pondered for a moment before answering.
“I think I’d better face him. He killed Brian, and Mister Justice had that potent sword and had been training with one of the world’s greatest duelists. If he kills me, I’ll go fight in some other universe; if he kills you, well, I hope the King will have mercy on your soul, but the universes will be deprived of an important hero.”
“I can help,” The Eagle objected.
“Yes, you can. Evacuate the hangar. I’ve a feeling that Mordenslice is going to launch without regard for the lives of his minions here.”
As if on cue, the roof made a loud crunching noise followed by squeaks and squeals as the metal plates slid and parted to create an opening above them. Immediately after that a gangplank dropped from the side of the ship, and the not-so-good Doctor began strolling up to an unseen entrance in the underside.
“I’ve got to go,” Derek said. “So do you.” With that, he leapt outward, glided past the edge of the ship, and dropped into a deadfall from which he caught himself inches above the sloped gangplank below. As he began rushing up the ramp he realized that he was too tall for the door or the corridors beyond, and he downsized to being Derek. When he was a few feet from the top there was an abrupt jerk which almost threw him off his feet, as the ramp began rising; and as an inner door began sliding closed he did a diving roll through the doorway.
Rising to his feet, he checked his gear. He had his chain, now loose around his waist which he tightened, his belt with both knives and his belt pack of darts, and in his pockets one of the repulsor knives and his bow and quiver of drugged arrows.
As to the old stories that have long been here:
