Last week as you Recall,
"YOU!" Dr. Smith said,
 |
| -=fig. 354: the next world leader=- |
"Nice cape."
"Thank you, doctor." Said Von TipRău, with no recognition of the sarcasm. "It befits ze next ruler of the Vorld, don't you think?"
"TipRău, you'll never be the ruler of anything."
"You are wrong, doctor, for I am ze ruler of zis vorld, zis hellish little vorld. When I come here, zis vas de beautiful shining city on ze hill. Now gaze upon the putrid ruins of my empire. Bah!" He spat.
"Von TipRău, I'm tired, hatless, homeless, and covered in tar. Now, return the colours of my people or else."
Von TipRău glared at Dr. Smith like only an arch villain can, "Vhy? Vhat vill you do about it?"
Dr. Smith had to admit, he was at a loss for plans.
"Now, doctor, vitness my rise to power vonce again!"
Dr. Smith was escorted quite rudely outside, Where the nefarious machinations of Von TipRău's crazed mind were waiting.
 |
| -=fig. 355: a familiar device of diabolical purpose=- |
"It's The Giant red Machine! But it was destroyed!"
"In Fact, it vasn't, doctor Smith. I merely teleported you and your friends avay from it, I'm surprised you didn't notice." Dr. Smith was about to dish out a snappy response, when a cannonball whizzed though the air, to strike the earth inches from Von TipRău.
"Vhat!"
It was Capt. Brown and Ron in a commandeered MMM, "James!" Shouted Dr. Smith overjoyed at his friend's return. "Hey Zachary! We'll be down in a minute, Ron, keep firing." Alas, Ron, while enthusiastic, was not a very accurate shot, and many cannonballs failed to meet their mark. One of the cannonballs, by sheer dumb luck, struck Dr. Smith's guards, But before Dr. Smith could get away, his doppelgänger, without looking, pulled a gun to his head. "Don't even think about it." He said. Von TipRău took the opportunity in this commotion to sneak away to the controls of the Giant red Ray machine.
"Mwah! Ha Ha! When I flip this switch, the whole of my plans will be complete! I shall Finally rule ze vorld!"
Dr. Smith just looked at him, "What is your plan? All you can do, really, is create holes in reality with that thing, dangerous, yes, but not world-domination ready material."
"Holes? You zink holes were ze plan? Ze Holes are a side-effect! Zis, Zis is da plan!" What that he made a sharp ninety-degree turn and fired at Capt. Brown and Ron.
"In Fact, it vasn't, doctor Smith. I merely teleported you and your friends avay from it, I'm surprised you didn't notice." Dr. Smith was about to dish out a snappy response, when a cannonball whizzed though the air, to strike the earth inches from Von TipRău.
"Vhat!"
 |
| -=fig. 356: the cavalry=- |
"Mwah! Ha Ha! When I flip this switch, the whole of my plans will be complete! I shall Finally rule ze vorld!"
Dr. Smith just looked at him, "What is your plan? All you can do, really, is create holes in reality with that thing, dangerous, yes, but not world-domination ready material."
"Holes? You zink holes were ze plan? Ze Holes are a side-effect! Zis, Zis is da plan!" What that he made a sharp ninety-degree turn and fired at Capt. Brown and Ron.
 |
| -=fig. 357: over-saturation=- |
Capt. Brown and Ron were instantly vaporized. "Vith such Power, your vorld vill bow unt mine vill be reborn! I shall be the ruler of all!"Dr. Smith was shocked at the sudden death of his only friend, and Ron, his distant anscestor. Strangely Dr. Smith hadn't died, but he hadn't time to ponder that as Von TipRău was rambling on about something. "…And with zis machine, the tar will be fought back from it's death grip on my planet, and I'll be the ruler of something vorth ruling!"
"Come now Von TipRău, call off your goon. If you let me go I'll give you a fair fight."
"Zat is exactly vhat I"m afraid of Dr. Smith, I've been in a fair fight vith you, and I lost. No! I shall be keeping you vhere you are zank you." Von TipRău then proceded to busy himself in the levers and switches that are required when you operate a giant multi-coloured laser.
A soft click, like that of the firing mechanism of a small-caliber revolver being readied for action.
Dr. Smith looked over his shoulder, "Jeeves!" he said.
"Good afternoon sir, I noticed my reinforcements hadn't turned out as I hoped so I took matters 'into my own hands,' if you will. Mr. Doppelgänger, I firmly suggest a modicum of movement if you would like to retain whatever gray-matter you have left, sir. Also, I would recommend that for your own well-being you keep your hands where I can see them and drop your weapon, if you please." Doppelgänger did so. "Thanks Jeeves." Dr. Smith said, with relief, "Keep him covered." "Very good sir."
Dr. Smith, freed of all death-related restrictions, looked around fervently.
What he was looking for was a master control panel, of which there is always at least one. Especially in places such as this.
He spotted it.
He pulled as many levers as possible, but nothing happened. Then he had an idea. All of the colours of legopolis were stored in a glass chamber. A glass chamber that last time he was here, was a teleporter. Now if he could just… Ah. There it is. L…E…G…O…P…O…
"No it's probably just a prerecorded message. Press those, would you?"
"All of them?"
"All of them. Then make sure you know where Mr. Daveu is." Over his shoulder he yelled: "JEEVES, IS DOPPELGÄNGER STILL OUT THERE?"
"I assume so sir, but I believe he is deceased."
"What makes you say that?"
"The way he collapsed into thousands of tiny squares. Sir."
Dr. Smith uttered a fairly strong expletive. "Well, No time to worry about that now. Tell me when the colours powering the machine disappear."
"Very good Sir." a second later, "They're gone. Sir."
"Good. James, Have you found Mr. Daveu?"
"Right here with me Zachary."
"We only have time for one shot so stand clear of wherever the machine is pointing."
"ONE MINUTE."
"59 SECONDS"
"Are we all ready?"
"Well–"
"8 SECONDS."
"Good! Jump through, quick."
They jumped through, just as a world exploded.
Dr. Smith dusted himself off. "well, that was certantly enthralling. James," he turned and shook Capt. Brown's hand. "Thank you for the help. I appreciate it. Mr. Daveu, we'll get you back to the late 1800's as soon as I get myself cleaned up, Jeeves will make you a pot of tea. Jeeves? Make him a pot of tea." Nobody heard him as they were too engaged by the colours falling from the sky. Dr. Smith noticed them, but being a scientist at heart he merely registered them as a prior mistake. "Yeah, I think I got the height wrong. James, don't let anybody handle these clolours without gloves, once they seep into the ground they should be fine, but until then they highly toxic and will over-saturate your…Can anybody hear me? "
It really was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The colors tumbled through the sky like giant multi-coloured snowflakes. Everything they touched sprang back to life, and like the first snowflakes of winter, they drew a crowd. Everyone wanted to touch one, but Dr. Smith warned them off. He shouldn't have bothered as the colours were only dangerous when contained in the colour-sponges the monoids brought with them. Those sponges had burned up during teleportation, and without sponges the colours drifted freely. Once they had dissipated Legopolis basked in its new glory for moment, then settled down. "Well," Said Dr. Smith, "That was interesting. Jeeves, I believe a pot of tea is in order."
"Come now Von TipRău, call off your goon. If you let me go I'll give you a fair fight."
"Zat is exactly vhat I"m afraid of Dr. Smith, I've been in a fair fight vith you, and I lost. No! I shall be keeping you vhere you are zank you." Von TipRău then proceded to busy himself in the levers and switches that are required when you operate a giant multi-coloured laser.
A soft click, like that of the firing mechanism of a small-caliber revolver being readied for action.
 | |
| -=fig. 358: jeeves to the rescue=- |
"Good afternoon sir, I noticed my reinforcements hadn't turned out as I hoped so I took matters 'into my own hands,' if you will. Mr. Doppelgänger, I firmly suggest a modicum of movement if you would like to retain whatever gray-matter you have left, sir. Also, I would recommend that for your own well-being you keep your hands where I can see them and drop your weapon, if you please." Doppelgänger did so. "Thanks Jeeves." Dr. Smith said, with relief, "Keep him covered." "Very good sir."
Dr. Smith, freed of all death-related restrictions, looked around fervently.
What he was looking for was a master control panel, of which there is always at least one. Especially in places such as this.
He spotted it.
 |
| -=fig. 358: master control=- |
-=-
A humming started up in the background, not a tune, but more the sound a huge piece of machinery would make. Von TipRău, preoccupied as he was with setting his giant laser to 'World Domination' didn't notice. In fact, he was so involved that he didn't notice the brown figure sneaking up behind him. What he did notice, though, was the sharp blow to the head. "That's for nearly exploding me." Capt. Brown said. "Zachary! Where are you?"
"James?" Dr. Smith's face lit up. "You didn't die!"
" 'course not. Ron's O.K. too, the blast just missed us, did a number on that flying thing with the cannon though."
"What happened to Von TipRău?"
"A sudden and inexplicable sharp blow to the back of the head." Dr. Smith nodded approvingly. "I'm surprised no monoids tried to stop me, actually." They both looked around. There were no monoids, anywhere. They were just gone.
"James. Where did you leave TipRău?"
"Right where he fell, the floor of the cockpit of the giant red laser."
"I'll give you two to one odds that his body is missing."
It was.
"We won't find any MMM's in the harbor, and I just bet he left some sort of–" at that very moment a voice came out over the loudspeaker: "THIS PLANET VILL SELF-DESTRUCT IN TWELVE MINUTES. SO LONG, HEROES. I VILL BE BACK, COUNT ON IT. ELEVEN MINUTES."
"Hey," said Capt. Brown, "does that mean that he's still here someplace?""No it's probably just a prerecorded message. Press those, would you?"
"All of them?"
"All of them. Then make sure you know where Mr. Daveu is." Over his shoulder he yelled: "JEEVES, IS DOPPELGÄNGER STILL OUT THERE?"
"I assume so sir, but I believe he is deceased."
"What makes you say that?"
"The way he collapsed into thousands of tiny squares. Sir."
Dr. Smith uttered a fairly strong expletive. "Well, No time to worry about that now. Tell me when the colours powering the machine disappear."
"Very good Sir." a second later, "They're gone. Sir."
"Good. James, Have you found Mr. Daveu?"
"Right here with me Zachary."
"We only have time for one shot so stand clear of wherever the machine is pointing."
"ONE MINUTE."
"59 SECONDS"
 |
| -=fig. 359: 11 seconds=- |
"Are we all ready?"
"Well–"
"8 SECONDS."
"Good! Jump through, quick."
They jumped through, just as a world exploded.
 |
| -=fig. 360: the end of the black planet=- |
Dr. Smith dusted himself off. "well, that was certantly enthralling. James," he turned and shook Capt. Brown's hand. "Thank you for the help. I appreciate it. Mr. Daveu, we'll get you back to the late 1800's as soon as I get myself cleaned up, Jeeves will make you a pot of tea. Jeeves? Make him a pot of tea." Nobody heard him as they were too engaged by the colours falling from the sky. Dr. Smith noticed them, but being a scientist at heart he merely registered them as a prior mistake. "Yeah, I think I got the height wrong. James, don't let anybody handle these clolours without gloves, once they seep into the ground they should be fine, but until then they highly toxic and will over-saturate your…Can anybody hear me? "
It really was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
 | |
| -=fig. 361: like snowflakes=- |
The colors tumbled through the sky like giant multi-coloured snowflakes. Everything they touched sprang back to life, and like the first snowflakes of winter, they drew a crowd. Everyone wanted to touch one, but Dr. Smith warned them off. He shouldn't have bothered as the colours were only dangerous when contained in the colour-sponges the monoids brought with them. Those sponges had burned up during teleportation, and without sponges the colours drifted freely. Once they had dissipated Legopolis basked in its new glory for moment, then settled down. "Well," Said Dr. Smith, "That was interesting. Jeeves, I believe a pot of tea is in order."
-=Best Regards=-
•
