pushed Sar against the enormous bulk of a tree trunk and shoved him hard into the bark with a blow to the chest. Sar cried out in pain. Brod’s blue face looked startled. His little yellow eyes glittered.
He reached out and as Zarkov watched in horror he tore the cap from Sar’s head and dashed it and the yellow feather to the ground. Sar’s hair was long and brown and soft.
Quickly Brod reached out and ripped the tunic apart. Underneath the tunic Sar wore a thin body stocking of plyoweave.
Brod grinned and uttered a leering chuckle.
Under the loose tunic, Sar was utterly feminine in shape.
“A girl!” Zarkov cried in surprise.
Captain Slan’s eyes gleamed as he surveyed the face and body.
“A beautiful catch for the emperor’s harem,” he gurgled in delight. “Perhaps the emperor will excuse us if she arrives in a slightly used condition.”
Lieutenant Brod roared his approval.
Captain Slan shoved Zarkov against the tree trunk and moved over to Sar. He reached out and ripped the tunic from her shoulders.
Then he grabbed the thin sheath of plyoweave at the throat.
CHAPTER 16
U nderneath the protection of a giant maidenhair fern, Kial and Lari faced each other. Kial was angry, Lari frightened.
“What are we going to do?” Lari asked in a trembling voice.
“How do I know what we’re going to do?” asked Kial. “You bungled the whole thing!”
“Bungled?” Lari yelped, very hurt. “That second Flash Gordon came out of nowhere.”
“You had the drop on him,” Kial said accusingly. “You could have zapped him.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You didn’t zap him. You let him get to us and disarm us.”
“I didn’t let him disarm us. I was trying to hit him, then he had me. You had the blaster pistol. Why didn’t you use it?”
“Because, dummy, you were in the way. I couldn’t kill him without killing you.” Kial stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Come to think of it, I suppose that would have been the best thing to do.”
Lari pouted. “Come on, Kial. Think of something. We can’t report back to Ming XIII and tell him what happened.”
Kial shook. “Absolutely not! Let’s think hard, Lari, Let’s put our minds to it and—”
“I’ve got it!” exclaimed Lari. “Let’s give Flash and Dale the time belts and send them five centuries back in time.”
“Dummy, they’d be as mobile as we are now. And we’d be stuck here.”
“I’d rather be stuck here than go back to the future and Ming XIII.”
Kial nodded. “Of course, there’s that point.”
“How about this? We move the neutraiizer ray ahead of the two of them, on the road to Arboria, and zap them as they pass.”
There was a pause. “No,” replied Kial, after deep thought.
“Why not?”
“Because they’d see us from Arboria. Flash and Dale are just about to Arboria right now. Probably in sight of it on the superway.”
“So?”
“They’ve got guards on the city walls. They’d see us and that would ruin everything. Then the palace would be alerted to trouble and Prince Barin would go underground.”
“What’s Prince Barin got to do with it?”
Kial snapped his fingers. “Wake up, dummy. That’s the mission Orto and Lanl are assigned to.”
“What mission?”
“The assassination of Prince Barin.”
“I didn’t know that,” replied Lari, wide-eyed.
“You just don’t listen, dummy.”
“If only we could move the city, we could ambush them and not be seen from the city.”
Kial blinked. “What did you say?”
“I said, if only we could move the city . . .”
“How could we move the city?” Kial stared, “Wait a minute! If we can go back into time far enough, before the city was built, we could change the plans and move the city’s location. That’s what you mean, isn’t it?”
“It is?” Lari asked blankly.
Kial’s eyes narrowed. “No good. That’s too tough. Look. It’s the roadway—that’s the key. If we go back in time and move the
He reached out and as Zarkov watched in horror he tore the cap from Sar’s head and dashed it and the yellow feather to the ground. Sar’s hair was long and brown and soft.
Quickly Brod reached out and ripped the tunic apart. Underneath the tunic Sar wore a thin body stocking of plyoweave.
Brod grinned and uttered a leering chuckle.
Under the loose tunic, Sar was utterly feminine in shape.
“A girl!” Zarkov cried in surprise.
Captain Slan’s eyes gleamed as he surveyed the face and body.
“A beautiful catch for the emperor’s harem,” he gurgled in delight. “Perhaps the emperor will excuse us if she arrives in a slightly used condition.”
Lieutenant Brod roared his approval.
Captain Slan shoved Zarkov against the tree trunk and moved over to Sar. He reached out and ripped the tunic from her shoulders.
Then he grabbed the thin sheath of plyoweave at the throat.
CHAPTER 16
U nderneath the protection of a giant maidenhair fern, Kial and Lari faced each other. Kial was angry, Lari frightened.
“What are we going to do?” Lari asked in a trembling voice.
“How do I know what we’re going to do?” asked Kial. “You bungled the whole thing!”
“Bungled?” Lari yelped, very hurt. “That second Flash Gordon came out of nowhere.”
“You had the drop on him,” Kial said accusingly. “You could have zapped him.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You didn’t zap him. You let him get to us and disarm us.”
“I didn’t let him disarm us. I was trying to hit him, then he had me. You had the blaster pistol. Why didn’t you use it?”
“Because, dummy, you were in the way. I couldn’t kill him without killing you.” Kial stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Come to think of it, I suppose that would have been the best thing to do.”
Lari pouted. “Come on, Kial. Think of something. We can’t report back to Ming XIII and tell him what happened.”
Kial shook. “Absolutely not! Let’s think hard, Lari, Let’s put our minds to it and—”
“I’ve got it!” exclaimed Lari. “Let’s give Flash and Dale the time belts and send them five centuries back in time.”
“Dummy, they’d be as mobile as we are now. And we’d be stuck here.”
“I’d rather be stuck here than go back to the future and Ming XIII.”
Kial nodded. “Of course, there’s that point.”
“How about this? We move the neutraiizer ray ahead of the two of them, on the road to Arboria, and zap them as they pass.”
There was a pause. “No,” replied Kial, after deep thought.
“Why not?”
“Because they’d see us from Arboria. Flash and Dale are just about to Arboria right now. Probably in sight of it on the superway.”
“So?”
“They’ve got guards on the city walls. They’d see us and that would ruin everything. Then the palace would be alerted to trouble and Prince Barin would go underground.”
“What’s Prince Barin got to do with it?”
Kial snapped his fingers. “Wake up, dummy. That’s the mission Orto and Lanl are assigned to.”
“What mission?”
“The assassination of Prince Barin.”
“I didn’t know that,” replied Lari, wide-eyed.
“You just don’t listen, dummy.”
“If only we could move the city, we could ambush them and not be seen from the city.”
Kial blinked. “What did you say?”
“I said, if only we could move the city . . .”
“How could we move the city?” Kial stared, “Wait a minute! If we can go back into time far enough, before the city was built, we could change the plans and move the city’s location. That’s what you mean, isn’t it?”
“It is?” Lari asked blankly.
Kial’s eyes narrowed. “No good. That’s too tough. Look. It’s the roadway—that’s the key. If we go back in time and move the
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