than her.”
The hawkman took the blonde girl gently in his arms. He flew up and away with her.
“What about Zumm?” asked Flash, glancing around.
“There he is,” said Jape. “Seems to be unconscious, too.” He went to the side of the slumped clown. “We’ll have you out of there in a minute, Zumm, and—”
“What is it?” said Flash.
“He’s dead,” said Jape. “Neck’s broken.”
Flash looked at the dead clown for a few silent seconds. “Anybody else to set free.”
Squinting, Jape said, “Someone on the floor down there in the shadows. Must be that crippled fellow who was standing by you when we dropped.” Holding on to the seats with two of his hands, Jape went down the slanting floor to the figure of Nord.
“How is he?” called Flash.
Jape touched the blue man with his third hand, then pulled it back streaked with blood. “He’s dead, too.”
“I don’t even know who he was,” said Flash. “But he saved us by giving me these keys.”
“It doesn’t do any good to stand around crying over the dead and gone,” said Booker. “Why doesn’t somebody pay attention to me? I’m badly hurt.”
Flash took a step toward Booker, halted, and took a deep breath. Then he proceeded. He stooped and ran his hands over Booker. “No sign of broken bones,” he said.
“I told you it’s inside that I’m wrecked,” said Booker.
“We’ll find out when we get you outside.”
“I don’t suppose they had a doctor on this train.”
“If they did,” said the returning Huk, “he’s dead now. We seem to be the only survivors.”
“Wrong,” said a rumbling voice from up above.
They all looked up. “Mallox,” said Flash.
“That little bounce we took,” said the strongman, “was just what I needed to smash my cage.” He laughed his growly hooting laugh. “Yes, they put me in a cage, not trusting those little handcuffs for Mallox.” He thrust a massive leg down through the ruined roof. “Stand back and I’ll drop down there. I can help boost everybody out of this thing.”
The car shook when the giant hit the floor.
“We’re free then,” said Huk. “There are no guards to stop us, no trainers to tell us what to do. We’re free.”
“Free of the circus,” said Jape, “but a long way from being free of this planet.”
Flash gestured at a broken window. “What’s out there, Huk?”
“Forest country,” replied the hawkman. “And beyond that the jungle.”
“That’s where we better head then,” said Flash.
“We may have a chance there,” said Jape.
“What about me?” said Booker. “How am I going to travel in the jungle, a guy in my condition?”
“You’ll make it all right,” Flash assured him.
“How do you know that?”
“Because if you don’t, we’ll leave you behind.”
CHAPTER 17
T he hawkman dropped down through the dawn, arms full of gathered weapons. He landed in a clear space between the trees and made his way to the sheltering branches where the others waited. His hands and arms were streaked with soot which the hard-driving rain hadn’t completely washed away. “This should be enough,” he said.
“Six shocksticks, three stunguns, and a blaster rifle,” said Jape, cataloguing the haul as the winged man set the weapons down on the dry ground.
Huk said, “I would settle for fewer weapons and more food.” On an earlier trip to the train which lay twisted and broken a quarter of a mile downhill, he’d found three cartons containing some kind of dry-food rations.
“From what you say,” said Flash, “there’s no chance of retrieving any more supplies.”
The hawkman shuddered. “Everything else is destroyed down there.”
Flash was kneeling beside Narla. He returned to watching the still unconscious girl.
“Do you think she’s seriously hurt?” asked Huk.
“Doesn’t appear to be,” answered Flash with a frown. “Nothing’s broken, and her eyes are okay. So a concussion doesn’t seem likely. But she should have
The hawkman took the blonde girl gently in his arms. He flew up and away with her.
“What about Zumm?” asked Flash, glancing around.
“There he is,” said Jape. “Seems to be unconscious, too.” He went to the side of the slumped clown. “We’ll have you out of there in a minute, Zumm, and—”
“What is it?” said Flash.
“He’s dead,” said Jape. “Neck’s broken.”
Flash looked at the dead clown for a few silent seconds. “Anybody else to set free.”
Squinting, Jape said, “Someone on the floor down there in the shadows. Must be that crippled fellow who was standing by you when we dropped.” Holding on to the seats with two of his hands, Jape went down the slanting floor to the figure of Nord.
“How is he?” called Flash.
Jape touched the blue man with his third hand, then pulled it back streaked with blood. “He’s dead, too.”
“I don’t even know who he was,” said Flash. “But he saved us by giving me these keys.”
“It doesn’t do any good to stand around crying over the dead and gone,” said Booker. “Why doesn’t somebody pay attention to me? I’m badly hurt.”
Flash took a step toward Booker, halted, and took a deep breath. Then he proceeded. He stooped and ran his hands over Booker. “No sign of broken bones,” he said.
“I told you it’s inside that I’m wrecked,” said Booker.
“We’ll find out when we get you outside.”
“I don’t suppose they had a doctor on this train.”
“If they did,” said the returning Huk, “he’s dead now. We seem to be the only survivors.”
“Wrong,” said a rumbling voice from up above.
They all looked up. “Mallox,” said Flash.
“That little bounce we took,” said the strongman, “was just what I needed to smash my cage.” He laughed his growly hooting laugh. “Yes, they put me in a cage, not trusting those little handcuffs for Mallox.” He thrust a massive leg down through the ruined roof. “Stand back and I’ll drop down there. I can help boost everybody out of this thing.”
The car shook when the giant hit the floor.
“We’re free then,” said Huk. “There are no guards to stop us, no trainers to tell us what to do. We’re free.”
“Free of the circus,” said Jape, “but a long way from being free of this planet.”
Flash gestured at a broken window. “What’s out there, Huk?”
“Forest country,” replied the hawkman. “And beyond that the jungle.”
“That’s where we better head then,” said Flash.
“We may have a chance there,” said Jape.
“What about me?” said Booker. “How am I going to travel in the jungle, a guy in my condition?”
“You’ll make it all right,” Flash assured him.
“How do you know that?”
“Because if you don’t, we’ll leave you behind.”
CHAPTER 17
T he hawkman dropped down through the dawn, arms full of gathered weapons. He landed in a clear space between the trees and made his way to the sheltering branches where the others waited. His hands and arms were streaked with soot which the hard-driving rain hadn’t completely washed away. “This should be enough,” he said.
“Six shocksticks, three stunguns, and a blaster rifle,” said Jape, cataloguing the haul as the winged man set the weapons down on the dry ground.
Huk said, “I would settle for fewer weapons and more food.” On an earlier trip to the train which lay twisted and broken a quarter of a mile downhill, he’d found three cartons containing some kind of dry-food rations.
“From what you say,” said Flash, “there’s no chance of retrieving any more supplies.”
The hawkman shuddered. “Everything else is destroyed down there.”
Flash was kneeling beside Narla. He returned to watching the still unconscious girl.
“Do you think she’s seriously hurt?” asked Huk.
“Doesn’t appear to be,” answered Flash with a frown. “Nothing’s broken, and her eyes are okay. So a concussion doesn’t seem likely. But she should have
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