coursed down into them the way
it does into an antlion pit, the funnel-shaped holes quickly grew larger until one
touched another, encircling the trio like the footprints of some unseen giant.
-
II
-
Son of a bitch . . . Don’t seem like this freakin’ sand viper aims to let us out of
here alive,” Pluto VIII said, the laughter strong in his voice. Sometimes a bit of
cheer came to him in the midst of utter despair, but that had nothing to do with Pluto
VIII’s laugh, still full of confidence and hope.
But how on earth could they get themselves out of this mess? It didn’t look like even
D, with all his awesome skill, could get out of these preposterously large antlion
pits. Especially since he wasn’t alone. His traveling companion had a young woman
strapped to his back, and, since she was suffering from extreme radiation poisoning,
time was of the essence.
“Hey, what do we do?” Pluto VIII asked, looking extremely interested in the answer.
“Close your eyes and duck!” came the harsh reply.
Pluto VIII didn’t have the faintest idea what was going on, but the instant he complied
the whole world filled with white light. Under the pillar of light stretching down
to the bottom of the colossal funnel, grains of sand grew super-hot, bubbled, and
cooled almost instantly into a glassy plain reflecting the moon. The pillar of light
silently stretched to the sky time and again, and, as D squinted ever so slightly
at this mixing of light and darkness, his face was at times starkly lit, at other
times deep in shadow. It seemed to go on for ages, but it couldn’t have taken more
than a few seconds. Aside from the dim, white depressions gleaming like water, the
moonlit plain was just as it’d been before—deathly still.
“Looks like an atomic blast blew the hell out the sand viper holes—melted ’em and
turned ’em to glass. Who the hell could’ve done that?” Pluto VIII asked, and then
he once again followed D’s gaze. He might’ve been well informed, but a gasp of wonder
escaped from him nonetheless.
A black shadow that seemed both circular and oblong clung to the central part of the
distant mountain range. It wasn’t on the mountain’s rocky walls. The shadowy shape
was crossing the mountain peaks. Not only that, but, as it slowly moved forward, it
was clearly coming lower as well. Taking the distance into consideration, it must’ve
been moving at a speed of twelve or thirteen miles per hour at least. It was round,
and about two miles in diameter.
“So, we have them to thank then?” Pluto VIII asked.
D gave a negligible nod. “Good thing there’s still a mobile town around equipped with
a Prometheus cannon. Incredible marksmanship, too. Our saviors got here right on schedule.”
“Well, thank heaven for that. I just hope the mayor ain’t the kind of guy who’ll expect
us to return the favor. Let’s go,” said the biker. “I don’t feel like waiting around
for the town to get here!”
The bike’s boosters roared and the thud of iron-shod hooves on earth echoed across
the plain. After they’d run at full speed for a good ten minutes, the huge black shape
floated up over the crest of a hill before them like a cloud. The bottom was covered
with spheres constructed of iron and wood, as well as with pipes. The white smoke
erupting from the latter indicated that compressed air was one of the types of energy
driving the cloud forward. And yet, how much thrust would be necessary just to move
this thing an inch? After all, this massive structure that made the earth tremble
as it came over the slope and slowly slid down it was a whole town. Even knowing that,
even seeing it up close, it was no easy task to comprehend something so awesome. The
town must’ve covered more than two square miles. On top of a massive circular base
some thirty feet high, buildings of wood, plastic, and iron were clustered together.
Between
it does into an antlion pit, the funnel-shaped holes quickly grew larger until one
touched another, encircling the trio like the footprints of some unseen giant.
-
II
-
Son of a bitch . . . Don’t seem like this freakin’ sand viper aims to let us out of
here alive,” Pluto VIII said, the laughter strong in his voice. Sometimes a bit of
cheer came to him in the midst of utter despair, but that had nothing to do with Pluto
VIII’s laugh, still full of confidence and hope.
But how on earth could they get themselves out of this mess? It didn’t look like even
D, with all his awesome skill, could get out of these preposterously large antlion
pits. Especially since he wasn’t alone. His traveling companion had a young woman
strapped to his back, and, since she was suffering from extreme radiation poisoning,
time was of the essence.
“Hey, what do we do?” Pluto VIII asked, looking extremely interested in the answer.
“Close your eyes and duck!” came the harsh reply.
Pluto VIII didn’t have the faintest idea what was going on, but the instant he complied
the whole world filled with white light. Under the pillar of light stretching down
to the bottom of the colossal funnel, grains of sand grew super-hot, bubbled, and
cooled almost instantly into a glassy plain reflecting the moon. The pillar of light
silently stretched to the sky time and again, and, as D squinted ever so slightly
at this mixing of light and darkness, his face was at times starkly lit, at other
times deep in shadow. It seemed to go on for ages, but it couldn’t have taken more
than a few seconds. Aside from the dim, white depressions gleaming like water, the
moonlit plain was just as it’d been before—deathly still.
“Looks like an atomic blast blew the hell out the sand viper holes—melted ’em and
turned ’em to glass. Who the hell could’ve done that?” Pluto VIII asked, and then
he once again followed D’s gaze. He might’ve been well informed, but a gasp of wonder
escaped from him nonetheless.
A black shadow that seemed both circular and oblong clung to the central part of the
distant mountain range. It wasn’t on the mountain’s rocky walls. The shadowy shape
was crossing the mountain peaks. Not only that, but, as it slowly moved forward, it
was clearly coming lower as well. Taking the distance into consideration, it must’ve
been moving at a speed of twelve or thirteen miles per hour at least. It was round,
and about two miles in diameter.
“So, we have them to thank then?” Pluto VIII asked.
D gave a negligible nod. “Good thing there’s still a mobile town around equipped with
a Prometheus cannon. Incredible marksmanship, too. Our saviors got here right on schedule.”
“Well, thank heaven for that. I just hope the mayor ain’t the kind of guy who’ll expect
us to return the favor. Let’s go,” said the biker. “I don’t feel like waiting around
for the town to get here!”
The bike’s boosters roared and the thud of iron-shod hooves on earth echoed across
the plain. After they’d run at full speed for a good ten minutes, the huge black shape
floated up over the crest of a hill before them like a cloud. The bottom was covered
with spheres constructed of iron and wood, as well as with pipes. The white smoke
erupting from the latter indicated that compressed air was one of the types of energy
driving the cloud forward. And yet, how much thrust would be necessary just to move
this thing an inch? After all, this massive structure that made the earth tremble
as it came over the slope and slowly slid down it was a whole town. Even knowing that,
even seeing it up close, it was no easy task to comprehend something so awesome. The
town must’ve covered more than two square miles. On top of a massive circular base
some thirty feet high, buildings of wood, plastic, and iron were clustered together.
Between
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