RICK RAIDER #2 
THE SEARCH FOR THE ETERNAL FLAME 

(c) 1980, 1999 by Mike DeBaptiste, all rights reserved 
special thanks to TED MARKLEY, technical advisor 


Chapter One: ALIEN INVADERS 

	"This game is totally nitro," Charlie Connors said excitedly. "Rick, there's another alien Grogg fighter coming on the screen. Frag that sucker!" 
	"Hurry, Rick!" pretty Sally Anderson urged from behind. "If you don't destroy that ship, it'll blast yours instead." 
	Rick Raider sat tensely in front of the computer in the den of the Raider home. His eyes were glued to the monitor screen where a supersonic chase through space involving two spaceships was being depicted. Rick was controlling one of the ships with a joystick. The other was an enemy ship just coming out from behind a protective force field. 
	"All right, eat red death, sucker!" Rick laughed, unleashing his hyperblaster. "It's curtains for you, buddy." 
	The roar of missile fire blared from the speakers as tiny rockets of flame shot from Rick's spaceship. They smashed into the enemy craft and there was a loud explosion as it disintegrated into a ball of fire. Color filled the screen as the debris floated into nothingness. 
	Sally grinned. "Ultra! Fragmented he is!" 
	"Too cool," Charlie agreed with a hoot. "Man, the graphics and sound effects on this game are the bomb!" 
	"Star Death is one of the hottest computer games on the market right now," Rick told his friends. "I downloaded it from the Internet last night. It sure is a challenge." 
	"I think all the computer games are really challenging," Sally said. "Even the simpler ones. It takes a lot of practice to play them well." 
	"They're fun too," Charlie agreed, nudging Rick's shoulder. "Come on, let me have a turn." 
	Rick checked his wrist watch. "We don't have time. Comp Sci class begins in twenty minutes. We have to leave for campus." 
	Charlie groaned, but a moment later his eyes lit up. "Hey, why don't we bring the game CD with us? Maybe we can play it in class. Professor Manning likes to show the class new games." 
	Rick nodded. "Good idea. It's so awesome the professor should really dig it." Rick had burned a copy on his CD-WRITER, and he pulled the disc from the drive. 
	"Isn't it amazing?" Sally said. "All the information for the game is stored on that disc. I'll never really understand computers and how they work. It's all so incredible." 
	"Totally," Charlie agreed. "And even more incredible, wouldn't it be something if some of these aliens we're always playing against actually came to Earth?" 
	Rick pressed the CD into its plastic case and pushed back his chair. "It sure would," he said as he stood up. "And if we're lucky, Charlie, they'll take you back home with them." 
	Sally groaned. "Rick! How could wish such a dire fate on those Groggs?" 
	Charlie made a face at them. "Go on, laugh all you want. I sure wouldn't mind going to outer space. Things have been pretty boring around here lately. It's time for some serious excitement." 
	Rick nodded his head, knowing what Charlie meant. Life had seemed pretty dull the last couple months since they'd gotten home from Canada where they'd had a really rip-roarin' adventure on the old Yukon gold trail. 
	He grinned at his friend. "If you're hoping for an adventure in outer space, dude, you'd better forget it. No Groggs are going to land here in Lake City and take you away with them." 
	A serious expression had crossed Sally's face, and the fingertips of one hand flew up to her forehead as her mouth dropped open suddenly. "Fellas, listen up a minute." 
	"What's wrong?" Rick asked, as Sally shivered and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. 
	There was an apprehensive look in her eyes, but she managed a tremulous smile. "You're gonna think I'm crazy, but I just remembered this. Last night a strange humming noise woke me up. It was coming from outside and I got out of bed to check it out. It was some kind of craft, flying low over the hills behind our houses, as if the pilot was looking for a place to land. I watched for a couple minutes, but just figured it must be an airplane flying low because of atmospheric conditions or something. I was so sleepy, I just shrugged it off and crawled back into bed." 
	"The sky was perfectly clear last night," Charlie said. "If the craft was flying low, it's because it was looking for a place to land." He looked at Sally for a moment. "Yow! Maybe you saw a UFO. And if it landed, there might be aliens out there in the hills right now. Maybe creatures like the Groggs." 
	The three friends all lived on the same road on the outskirts of Lake City. Behind their homes stretched a vast area of hills and forests known as the Kirtland Hills. The hills ran north to the high cliff-like shores of Lake Erie. 
	Rick Raider was not one to jump to conclusions. "Yah, right. I'm sure you'd love it, Connors, if aliens were out in the hills. But it was probably just a small airplane that needed to make an emergency landing." 
	Sally shook back her long blonde hair. "I don't know, Rick. It was pretty strange looking, now that I think of it. Nothing like an airplane. It was cigar-shaped and glowed, with rows of flashing lights all over it. I've never seen anything like it." 
	"Sure you weren't dreaming?" Rick asked. 
	"No way. It really happened. If I hadn't been so beat from studying all night, I would've called you right there and then to tell you about it." 
	"Don't worry, I believe you," Charlie said. He grinned teasingly. "You don't have enough imagination to think something like that up on your own." 
	Sally made a fist and went to punch him. "Ha! You have no idea the imagination I have when it comes to you!" 
	Charlie grabbed her arm. "Chill out, I'm just kidding. I believe you, and I think we ought to go up into the hills and investigate. Right now." 
	Rick started to laugh. "Sheez! You really are hungry for some excitement, aren't you?" 
	"Hungry?" Charlie rolled his eyes at the ceiling. "I'm starving, man. I'm suffering serious adventure-deprivation!" 
	"But, Rick, it's possible," Sally went on in determined tones. "Lots of people have seen UFO's, and many scientists believe there might be people living on other planets who have the technology to travel in space." 
	Rick sighed. "All right, I give. You two are letting your imaginations run wild. We can go look for the UFO after classes." 
	"Cool!" Charlie clapped Rick on the back. "If that ship landed in the hills, we'll find it." 
	Sally returned to her usual humor. "And when we do, Bozo, I will definitely ask the aliens to take you home with them." 
	"Okay by me." Charlie was not one to be bested. "It'd beat going to school in Lake City. I'm ready and willing to go to outer space." 
	"You're already pretty far out," Rick gibed, as they gathered their school books from the desk. 
	Sally winked at Rick. "Tell me about it. If he gets any farther, he'll be gone!" 
	Laughing, they left the den and hurried down the hall to the kitchen where the aroma of freshly baked cookies was thick in the air. 
	"Mmmmmm!" Sally's nose twitched as she sniffed. 
	Charlie's eyes darted around the room. "Something smells totally sublime in here." 
	"Well, here you are at long last," said Rick's Aunt Bea, who was standing in front of the oven. "I didn't think you were ever going to stop playing with that computer. It sounded like the entire trilogy of Star Wars was going on in that den!" 
	Rick smiled. His aunt was a sweet and jovial woman, almost always in a pleasant mood. 
	"I was showing Charlie and Sally how to play the new Star Death game," he told her. "It's about space wars." 
	"Humphh!" Aunt Bea wiped her hands on her apron. "We paid all that money for a computer and what do you do with it? Play games!" 
	"You know it's good for other things too," Rick chided her. "It's so easy to type letters and keep files with the word processor, and what about the program for your household accounts?" 
	"Which is all but Greek to me," she snorted. "I'm lucky I can turn the darn thing on. And I don't need a computer to take care of household accounts, thank you. I've been getting along fine all these years without one." 
	"You'll see, Aunty," Rick winked at her. "When you learn the program, you'll love it. And, besides, I'll teach you how to e-mail Robert Redford." 
	Aunt Bea's eyes widened at that. "Well," she sighed, "that would be putting the computer to good use! And now that you've fought all those aliens, why don't you replenish your energy with some chocolate chip cookies?" 
	She pointed to a platter on the kitchen table that was heaped with freshly made cookies. 
	Charlie crossed the room to the table where his eyes had been lingering the last minute. "You don't have to ask me twice, Miss Raider." 
	Aunt Bea's eyebrows arched in amusement. "Charlie, one never has to ask you twice when the question is in regard to food." 
	Charlie chuckled and helped himself to a handful of the cookies, biting into one and putting the others into the pocket of his baggy jeans. Rick and Sally each took one of the cookies and nibbled on them as they went into the hall. 
	"Delicious!" Rick told his aunt. "As usual." 
	"Wait a minute!" Aunt Bea opened one of the cupboards and took out some lunch bags. "Don't think you and Sally are getting away with just one cookie each. I have another whole batch baking in the oven." 
	Rick groaned as they pulled their jackets on. "But you know we don't like to eat a lot of sweets." 
	"Nonsense!" Aunt Bea crossed to the hall and handed each one of them a bag into which she had put several cookies. "I don't want you to starve to death at school. All that studying takes a lot of energy." 
	She patted Charlie on the back, adding. "At least Charlie knows what's good for him." 
	The Connors boy beamed. "I sure do. I'll eat anything you bake, anytime!" 
	Aunt Bea's eyes lit up. "You will? In that case I'll make some brownies after the next batch of cookies are done. Stop by after classes and you can have some." 
	Charlie grinned happily. "Gotcha! I'll be here." 
	"I don't know how you stay so slim," Sally said to Rick as they left the house. "Your aunt won't take No for an answer when it comes to food." 
	"My kind of woman," Charlie said. "What do you think I hang around here for?" 
	"For the food?" Sally gibed as they climbed into Rick's sporty black pickup truck. "And we thought it was to visit Rick." 
	"No way. I come here to eat!" 
	Rick smirked. "Then you'd better stay away for a while, dude. You've been chunkin' up a little lately." 
	"Who me?" Charlie swelled out his chest and struck a muscleman pose. "You gotta be kidding. Look at this great bod!" 
	"Oh, for sure," Sally laughed, rolling her eyes heavenward as Rick backed out onto the road. "No wonder you've started wearing those baggy hip-hop duds." 
	Charlie screwed his mouth at her. "Please. If I wear tight clothes, the girls at school can't keep their hands off me." 
	Sally snickered. "Right, 'cause they want to grab you and toss you out the window!" 
	Rick grinned as he drove to the freeway, listening to the endless banter bewteen the two. The three of them had grown up together since childhood on the dead-end road on the outskirts of town. Rick didn't remember life before Charlie and Sally were in it, and he couldn't imagine it without them. Ever since he could remember, the three of them had teased each other mercilessly. 
	Several minutes later they arrived downtown at Lake University. The campus was the hub of the college town of Lake City, which was located on the south shore of Lake Erie in the midwest, about fifty miles east of Cleveland. There were many beautiful old buildings on the campus and as many, if not more, modern ones. Students strolled in the early spring sunshine, and others sat on the lawns and benches studying or talking with friends. Rick pulled into the parking lot by the ultramodern Science Center, and he and his friends jumped out of the truck. 
	"We'd better hurry," he said as they ran up the steps. "It's one minute to class time and Professor Manning doesn't like us to be late." 
	They rushed into the building and climbed the stairs to the second floor, arriving at the classroom just in time. But Professor Manning wasn't there and the other students were milling around talking to one another as they awaited him. 
	"Where's the prof?" Charlie asked, since it was highly unusual for Professor Manning to be late for class. 
	But no one was able to answer the question and, nodding hello to fellow students, they went to their seats at one of the tables. Each of the long tables in the classroom had several personal computers on them. 
	Their friend Debbie Ross was sitting at the table. She greeted them excitedly. "Hey, have you heard the news? Everyone on campus is talking about it." 
	Sally shook her head. "No, we just got here. What's up?" 
	"It's about the UFO," Debbie said. "Quite a few people claim to have seen it last night. I saw it too." 
	"No kidding?" Rick sat down next to Debbie. "Sally saw a strange craft hovering over the Kirtland Hills last night. It must be the same one." 
	"What did it look like, Debbie?" Sally wanted to know. 
	Charlie was all ears, an excited expression on his good-looking face. 
	"It was long and looked like a cigar," Debbie answered. "And it glowed. There were flashing lights all over it. I went out on the front porch late last night before going to bed, and I saw it flying over the lake. I called my mom and she saw it too." 
	Debbie and her mother lived in a big house set on the cliffs overlooking Lake Erie. Rick and his friends had been there many times since having gotten to know them. 
	"That's the very same craft I saw," Sally said. "Wow, this is pretty exciting." 
	Charlie leaned on the table, his eyes glaring at Rick. "See! I told you. Aliens landed out there in the hills last night." 
	Debbie could see how excited he was. "You really think so?' 
	Charlie nodded. "Totally. We ought to be out there right now checking it out." 
	"What do you think, Rick?" Debbie asked. 
	Rick shrugged his broad shoulders. "Who knows? Charlie could be right." 
	"I wonder if the newspaper has an account of the UFO sighting," Sally said. "I didn't see this morning's edition." 
	Neither had the others, and Debbie suggested they check the morning news online. 
	"Good idea," Rick agreed, and he switched on the computer in front of him. 
	The computer was networked with the University's computer system and, in turn, he'd be able to access the Internet for the Lake City Press website. Rick booted up the computer and typed the password to access the network. The computer beeped and an error message appeared on the screen. 
	"Yow! Not this again," Rick groaned. "It says 'Password Not Valid'." 
	"You could have typed it in wrong," Charlie told him. "Try again." 
	Rick again typed the password, being careful to do it correctly. A series of asterisks showed up in the password field and he clicked on the little OK box below it. Again the computer beeped and the error message popped up. 
	"The University's computer system must be down," Sally suggested, drumming her nails impatiently on the table top. "It happens now and then, you know." 
	Before any of the others could respond, the classroom door opened and Professor Manning rushed in. The young man was visibly distressed and he hurriedly called the class to order. The students went to their seats and Charlie and Sally sat down alongside Rick and Debbie. 
	"Something unexpected has come up," the professor announced, "and I will not be here for class this morning." 
	Charlie nudged Rick. "Great! We can play Star Death while he's gone." 
	"Shhh!" Rick kicked Charlie under the table. 
	Professor Manning continued. "I want you to work on your current assignments, paying particular attention to the database management routines of the software you are studying for household accounts." 
	He pointed to a table at the back of the room that had several computers on it. "You'll have to take turns using the old computers connected to the Internet through the telephone modems. Don't even try using the ones connected to the University's network and T-1 lines. The system's down." 
	He looked over to the table where Rick and his friends were seated. "Rick Raider, I want you to come with me. Take your books along for you won't be returning here." 
	Rick was surprised at the request. He nodded, grabbed his books and bag of cookies, and got to his feet. Sally and Debbie looked at him curiously, obviously wondering why the professor was taking him out of class. But Charlie wasn't interested in that. He had something more important on his mind. 
	"The game CD! Give it to me, will ya?" he hissed. "I don't want to work on my program. We'll party down fraggin' the Groggs." 
	"All right!" Rick slipped Charlie the CD case as the professor hurried to the door. Rick followed, trying to suppress a grin. He knew the whole class would soon be in an uproar battling aliens with Charlie. 
	"Come along, Rick." Professor Manning walked out into the hall and urged Rick to follow. "We have to meet Professor Blaine in the faculty lounge." 
	Professor John Blaine was the head of the Science Department, a very eccentric elderly man whom the students called by the nickname 'old Einstein'. Arriving at the lounge, Professor Manning opened the door and ushered Rick inside. There was no one in the room but Professor Blaine, and he was pacing across the carpet in an agitated manner. 
	"Ah, Rick Raider! Just the person I wanted to see!" 
	Rick had absolutely no idea why the man wanted to see him. His brow creased in consternation. "What is it I can do for you, Professor Blaine?" 
	"We must contact InterTell immediately," the elderly man said. "I know your father is an agent because he's done security work for us in the past. I'm hoping you'll go down to the headquarters with Professor Manning and me." 
	Rick's dad, Randolph Raider, was a top-gun agent with the government's InterTell Intelligence Agency, an organization specializing in undercover espionage the world over. What the professor didn't know is that Rick worked for InterTell, too, on a work/study program. He was one of only a handful of students throughout the nation being groomed for the agency's future. 
	"Of course I'll go with you," Rick returned, wondering why in the world the two professors wanted to contact InterTell. "I believe Dad is down at headquarters now. What's wrong?" 
	"Ah!" Professor Blaine threw his hands into the air. "Everything is wrong! Tell him, Professor Manning." 
	"The University's computer system is malfunctioning," the younger man said. "We can't figure out what's wrong with it. It's failing to respond to any of our attempts to direct or control it. It happened sometime during the night, but there's no sign of anyone having tampered with it." 
	Rick frowned. "Did you check out the entire system?" 
	"Yes, we checked the operating system software and reloaded the hard discs from mag tape, but nothing helped. At first we thought it was hardware failure, but all the internal diagnostics check the system out okay." 
	Rick's eyes widened. The computer was acting as if it had a mind of its own. "But how could such a thing happen?" 
	"We don't know," Professor Manning said. "And there's more. We contacted the newspaper offices a few minutes ago, and the very same thing has happened to their computer!" 
	"What?" Rick looked at the two professors. "Talk about a coincidence. This sure is strange." 
	" I have a theory, Rick," Professor Blaine said, beginning to pace the floor again. "Last night a UFO was sighted over Lake City. I saw it myself as I was leaving the campus after a late meeting. It was around eleven-thirty. It came from the lakefront, passed overhead, and it hovered over the Science Center for several minutes. Then it shot away southeast of town in the direction of the Kirtland Hills. I called the television station on my cell phone to report the UFO. I was told that the object had been picked up by their weather radar." 
	Rick nodded. "I heard about the UFO. But what does it have to do with the malfunctioning computers?" 
	"Everything!" shouted the eccentric professor. "I believe the craft was an alien ship and, by some means, its occupants caused our computer and the one at Lake City Press to malfunction. Both systems had extensive data on the forthcoming NASA space travel conference to be held here in Lake City next month. The data is gone, Rick. Vanished! The malfunctioning will make it impossible to hold the conferences!" 
	Rick's mouth dropped open and for a moment he couldn't think of anything to say. "But .......can't you get some back-up tapes," he finally asked, "or download the necessary data from the NASA computers?" 
	"We could," Professor Blaine replied. "But it took a lot of string-pulling to get the data the first time, and NASA will have a fit if we can't explain the malfunction. Besides, there is a system hardware/software problem somewhere. Even if we could reload the data into the computers, it seems the same thing would happen again." 
	Rick let out a low whistle. It all seemed so incredible. 
	"And you think aliens in a UFO are behind this?" he asked. 
	"Yes!" 
	"I agree with Professor Blaine," Professor Manning said. He looked very worried. "This appears to be a sabotage effort by an advanced intelligence that knows even more about computers than we do. It may be the first step in some kind of alien invasion!" 
	Rick was dumfounded. He felt his heart begin to thud in his chest. Could it be that Charlie was right and that Lake City was soon to be the target of invaders from space? 
	"Wait a minute," he said. "Couldn't it be another country, an enemy nation, sending their spies to steal computer data?" 
	Professor Blaine spoke in proud tones. "Lake University is foremost in computer technology and development. We were one of the first major links in the Internet and are always on the cutting edge, continually in contact with the leading developers in the industry." 
	He gazed intently at Rick. "No one on this planet knows how to wipe out data from a computer through the air. It's not a skill we have developed yet!" 
	Rick felt a sickening sensation in the pit of his stomach. 
	"Come on, let's go," he said to the two professors, gesturing for them to follow him. "My truck's out in the parking lot. We'd better get down to Dad's office. This is a job for InterTell!" 


Chapter Two: THE SPACESHIP 

	Twenty minutes later, Rick and the two professors were sitting in Randolph Raider's office in the Lake City headquarters of the InterTell Intelligence Agency. 
	Professor Blaine had told Mr. Raider about the malfunctioning of the two computer systems and his theory that it might have been caused by the occupants of the UFO which had been sighted the night before. Rick's father had listened attentively and he now drummed his fingers on the top of his desk as he thoughtfully looked at the two professors. 
	"InterTell is aware of the UFO," he said at length. "As you may know, there have been some recent sightings reported along the lakefront between Lake City and Cleveland. This one, however, was different because so many people saw it. Among the many reports was one from a coast guard patrol boat crew who spotted the object over the lake. It was also picked up on their radar." 
	"It was up there, all right," Professor Blaine said. "It hovered right over the Science Center. The University's computer system is housed in there." 
	"Sally saw it too, Dad," Rick told him. "It was flying over the hills behind our houses." 
	Mr. Raider nodded. "Yes, there's no doubt an Unidentified Flying Object was in the vicinity last night. That much we know for sure. But we don't know if there's a connection between the UFO and the malfunctioning computers." 
	"Professor Manning," he continued, "you are the computer expert. Do you think it's possible for a computer to be short-circuited by a transmission from an overhead craft?" 
	The young professor nodded eagerly. "Yes, I do. As you know, computer systems hook into each other via the telephone lines and cable systems, as well as by satellite radio communications. The University's computer and the newspaper's computer connect to the Internet through dedicated lines and, in the same manner, anyone who has a computer at home can access the Internet through telephone modems or cable lines, even cell phones. I believe that a civilization more advanced than ours could probably do the same thing through alpha particles focused and directed through the air. We know alpha particles can change computer memory cells randomly. An advanced intelligence might be able to control such modifications and changes at will." 
	"That sounds probable," Rick agreed. "You know darn well if they can come to Earth from another planet that their technology is highly advanced compared to ours. If a UFO is to blame, perhaps its occupants are spies and they wanted to find out exactly what scientific knowledge is to be discussed at the NASA conference." 
	"Alien spies!" Professor Blaine muttered nervously. "Exactly! The theme of the conference is to be Quantae space travel, a new theory being researched by NASA that would enable man to travel vast distances in space in short periods of time by warping space. Perhaps the aliens transmitted the data from our computers to their ship's computer, and then did something to make our computers malfunction so we won't be able to use this important information ourselves." 
	"You really mustn't jump to such conclusions, Professor," Mr. Raider advised., looking at the man gravely. "Going along with your theory that the aliens stole the scientific data from our computers, doesn't it seem to you that it'd be information they already have, since they were able to travel through space to come to Earth? Why would they want information they already have, and how would they know we have it?" 
	"You pose a good question, Randolph," said Professor Blaine, leaning forward in his chair. "It's most probable that they know all about Quantae space travel, but maybe they don't want us to develop the skill! And there are many ways they could have learned we are working on it. For instance, communications concerning the conferences have been sent around the world via the Laser Communications satellite that your own organization, InterTell, has put into orbit through the contract with NASA's space shuttle program. An alien ship traveling near our planet could easily monitor such communications, which could be the reason behind all the recent UFO sightings along the lake shore." 
	Mr. Raider looked very thoughtful as he sat back in his chair. "Very well, your reasoning is quite logical and this matter definitely requires looking into. You made the right decision coming here to InterTell, and I'm very pleased you have the trust to confide in Rick. But I must ask you not to make your suspicions known to anyone else." 
	The two professors agreed, and Mr. Raider asked them to wait in the lobby for Rick, as he wished to speak to his son alone. 
	"What do you think, Dad?" Rick asked when the professors had left the office. 
	"It's entirely possible that their suspicions are correct. Recent events in the area corroborate with the theory. In this day and age we cannot rule out the possibility of alien beings from other worlds coming to Earth. On the other hand, there may be no connection at all between the UFO and the malfunctioning computers. The first step is to have our experts check out the systems and see if there's been any foul play. I'll send crews over to the Science Center and the newspaper immediately." 
	Rick nodded sagely. "If there's been any sabotage, InterTell will find it, that's for sure. But old Einstein ....I mean Professor Blaine.........he's convinced we're going to be invaded. Seeing the UFO last night must have frightened him. He sure is a character, isn't he?" 
	"I'll say," his dad agreed. "He reminds me of some of the profs from my college days . What do you think of all this, Rick?" 
	"I'm not sure, Dad." Rick shrugged his broad shoulders and frowned. "It's pretty logical there might be a connection between the UFO and the strange computer responses, but then it sounds too much like science fiction, like Star Trek. I guess I'd have to see a spaceship to really believe in it." 
	Randolph Raider smiled at his son. "That's because you tend to be practical. Not like your buddy Charlie." 
	Rick laughed. "Charlie is convinced we're being invaded too. He wants to search for the UFO in the Kirtland Hills. We're going to look for it after classes." 
	"If you find it, don't go on board." Mr. Raider was chuckling, but then his face suddenly grew serious. "Well, I guess it could be there, you know. There has been a lot of strange activity in the area lately, and this could be part of it. If a craft did land, the hills are the perfect spot. It's so secluded up there. Take along the encryptive transceiver and call me if you do see anything unusual." 
	The encryptive transceiver was a new communications device in use by InterTell that transmitted messages in code. Rick had been given one by the agency as a reward for helping to rescue the captives of the lost Yukon expedition as recounted in DANGER ON THE GOLD TRAIL. 
	Rick's dad had been one of the missing persons imprisoned in the dreadful dungeons of the secret underground city of Ophir. One of InterTell's top agents, Mr. Raider was often away for long periods of time on top secret missions. Rick had grown up under the guidance of his Aunt Bea, his father's sister, who had lived with them since the death of Rick's mother when he was a little boy. 
	Now nineteen, Rick was tall and good-looking, with wavy black hair and dark eyes to match. He was athletic, intelligent, mature, and one of the top students in his class at Lake University. He was also enrolled in the work/study program with InterTell, and often helped his dad research his cases. 
	Charlie Connors was Rick's best friend and constant companion. He was a little shorter than Rick, but huskier, with brown eyes and curly brown hair. He lived on a farm down the road from Rick and his good looks and impulsive personality made him a very popular fellow in town. Sally, who thought Rick could no wrong, lived next door to the Raiders with her parents, Professor and Mrs. Anderson. The pretty green-eyed blonde was always with the boys and they were an inseparable trio. 
	Now, as Rick sat with his dad in the InterTell office, he wondered if he and his friends were on the threshold of something big. As Charlie had said earlier, it was definitely time for some serious excitement. 
	"I'll be sure to take the transceiver with me," he told his dad. "And if we do come across the UFO, I sure don't intend to board it!" 
	"Please don't, son. InterTell can do just about anything. But if you get captured by aliens and taken to outer space, there's no way we'll be able to rescue you." 
	Rick got up from his chair and gave his father the lunchbag containing Aunt Bea's cookies. "Here's a little snack for you. Aunt Bea insisted I take them, but I won't eat them all." 
	"I was wondering what you had in the bag." Mr. Raider looked inside and pulled out a cookie. "Ah, my favorite. Chocolate chips, eh? Your aunt must be baking up a storm again. " 
	"She sure is. She's going to make brownies too." Rick snickered. "You and I are going to have to move out of the house if she doesn't calm down with the food. Otherwise we'll gain a hundred pounds each. Or maybe she could get a job. That way she won't be cooking all day." 
	Mr. Raider laughed. "Your aunt would bop you one if she heard you suggest she should get a job. No, we'll just have to put up with it and keep inviting Charlie over to finish off the leftovers." 
	"Right. Wild horses couldn't keep him away." Rick walked over to the door. "I'll see you tonight." 
	Mr. Raider stood up from his chair. "Assure your professor pals that InterTell will be on the job immediately." 
	"I sure will. So long, Dad." 
	Rick met the two professors in the lobby and he gave them his father's assurances. Professor Manning was looking forward to working with the InterTell crew, but Professor Blaine did not seem to be convinced it would do any good. Rick felt sorry for the man and he knew that the UFO hovering over the Science Center late at night had frightened him. 
	They returned to the University campus and, throughout the rest of the day, Rick couldn't get his mind off the mystery of the UFO and the malfunctioning computers. It was almost impossible for him to concentrate on his studies. He said nothing to Charlie and Sally about the matter and, when they were walking back to his truck after classes, neither of them could control their curiosity any longer. 
	"All right, spill the beans," Charlie demanded. "Don't go pulling your James Bond Junior routine on us and keeping secrets. What's up?" 
	"Right," Sally agreed. "Why did Professor Manning take you out of class and where were you all that time?" 
	As he drove home, Rick told them about the malfunctioning computers and the two professors' theory that the UFO was to blame. "Dad says there's been a lot of UFO activity along the lakefront again," he added. "So there really could be a chance this is the real thing." 
	Charlie smacked the dashboard with his fist. "Groovy baby! I knew it. Old Einstein must be right. The aliens are on a spying mission to find out what we know about space travel. And I thought those stories about the sightings by the Perry nuclear plant were just hogwash. They may have been spying on us for quite a while." 
	Sally looked at Charlie. "I hope spying is all they have in mind. If they can steal the computer data and then screw up our computers, imagine what else they'd be capable of doing!" 
	Charlie gaped back at her. "Hey, pretty radical. What if they're preparing to attack?" 
	"You two better chill," Rick advised, as he pulled off the freeway. "Sounds like you're writing an X-Files script. Stop jumping to conclusions. We really have no idea what's going on yet. And don't breathe a word of this to anyone. If the news leaks out it could start a panic." 
	They arrived at the Raider home, anxious to go up into the hills and search for the UFO. Rick pulled into the drive and stopped behind Aunt Bea's car, which was parked by the side door. The back passenger-side door of the big luxurious Town Car had been left open, and Rick closed it on their way into the house. 
	"Aunt Bea must have gone grocery shopping," he said. "Sometimes she forgets to close the door after carrying the bags inside." 
	"Do I smell something good or what?." Charlie sniffed the air as they walked up the steps into the hall. "Nothing like the aroma of freshly baked brownies." 
	As they stepped into the kitchen, the first thing they saw was Aunt Bea. Still wearing her jacket, she was sitting at the table next to several grocery bags. She was rapidly fanning herself with a magazine, a frightened look on her face. 
	"Oh, Rick!" she cried. "Good heavens!" 
	"Aunt Bea1 What's wrong?" 
	She fanned the magazine faster. "I just had the most frightful experience of my life! I must be seeing things!" 
	They hurried to her side and Sally placed her hand on Aunt Bea's shoulder. "What happened, Miss Raider?" 
	Aunt Bea's voice was trembling. "I...I was carrying my grocery bags into the house. On one of my trips back out to the car, I carried out a box of cookies and brownies I was going to take down to the Connors' farm." She fanned even more rapidly, the frightened expression growing more intense. "I placed the box on the hood of the car and took one of the grocery bags from the back seat and carried it inside. On my way out to get the last bag from the car, I saw the most ... the most incredible thing! Good thing I stayed in the hall!" 
	Rick frowned. "What did you see? Tell us, Aunt Bea?" 
	"A man was standing by the car, sniffing at the box of cookies and brownies." 
	"A man?" Rick repeated. "Who was he?" 
	"I don't know. He picked up the box, walked around and pulled the remaining grocery bag out, and then ran across the backyard and into the woods!" 
	"You mean someone stole my cookies and brownies?" Charlie asked. 
	"Yes!" Aunt Bea screeched. "And the bag that contained all the ingredients to make more!" 
	"Now try to calm down, Aunty," Rick said. "He was probably just a hobo looking for something to eat. You know that vagrants sometimes wander around in the hills." 
	"A hobo, my foot!" Aunt Bea shrilled. "The man was wearing a tunic and sandals. Like Hercules!" 
	"What?" Rick looked at Charlie and Sally. 
	"Yes, a tunic and sandals. And he wore a cloak of furs around his shoulders and held a strange looking gun in one hand." Aunt Bea stopped fanning and slapped the magazine on the table. "I think I'm going crazy!" 
	"Uh oh," Sally uttered, exchanging glances with the boys. 
	They were each thinking the very same thing. Could the strange man have been one of the aliens from the UFO? 
	Charlie was astonished. "Did he look human?" he couldn't help blurting. 
	Aunt Bea's eyes popped at him. She clutched her bosom. "Of course he looked human. What do you mean?" 
	"Charlie, keep your big mouth shut," Rick hissed. 
	Aunt Bea shot up from the chair. "Rick, what's going on? Do you know something? Oh, I'd be so happy to know I'm not nuts!" 
	"You're not going crazy, Aunt Bea," Rick assured her. "Something is definitely going on, but we can't tell you. Charlie, take Aunt Bea down to your house in my truck," he ordered. "Stop next door and get Mrs. Anderson too. Tell her to drop whatever she's doing and go with you. Tell your dad to call the police and have them send a squad car out to your house. Aunt Bea can tell the police what she saw. Sally, you go home. I want both of you to change into hiking clothes and meet me in the backyard in ten minutes." 
	"Rick!" Aunt Bea screeched. "What is going on?" 
	"No time for questions now." He tossed his keys to Charlie and was on his way across the room. "Just go along with Charlie and we'll tell you about it later." 
	Rick ran upstairs to his bedroom and quickly changed into old jeans, a sweatshirt, and hiking boots. He slipped his jacket back on and picked up the phone in the hall. He dialed InterTell to talk to his dad, but he was told that Mr. Raider had left the offices to keep an appointment. He told the agent on the line about the strange man and that he might possibly be from a UFO up in the hills. Next he dialed his father's cell phone number, but there was no answer except for the voice mail prompt. He hurriedly left the news about the intruder and that he and his friends were going up into the hills to look for the UFO. 
	Then he ran down to the den and over to a cabinet built into the book shelves. He opened the door and pulled out the small leather case holding the encryptive transceiver. Slipping it into his jacket pocket, Rick left the room. 
	After locking up the house, he went into the backyard to wait for Charlie and Sally. Hoping the thief might have left a clue behind, he searched the ground. But there was nothing to be found. Impatiently, Rick locked the doors of Aunt Bea's car, and then Charlie pulled the pickup into the drive. 
	"All right, I'm ready to get that alien dude," Charlie muttered, jumping out of the truck and tossing Rick the keys. 
	"Just cool it, Connors," Rick warned him. "The man had a gun. And who knows what kind! We've got to be careful. And quiet." 
	Charlie was unperturbed. "Are you insinuating I can't keep my big mouth shut?" 
	"You can't." Rick grinned at him. "Nobody has to insinuate about it. It's a fact, Jack." 
	Charlie grunted. "Okay, I'll put a zipper on it." His excited eyes scanned the hills. "This could turn out to be real serious, huh?" 
	"You better believe it. Aliens from space are nothing to joke about. Playing with them on a computer game is a lot different than the real thing." 
	Sally came running over and they started off toward the woods. "My mom was pretty shook up," she said. "But she went off with Aunt Bea and Charlie like a good girl." 
	"And my dad called the police," Charlie added as they entered the thick trees that led up to the hills. "Man, they're going to think Aunt Bea is loony when she tells them a man dressed like Hercules stole her groceries." 
	"They sure will," Rick agreed. "But we can't let them know we think aliens are in the neighborhood." 
	Sally nodded. "Really. They'd be terrified." 
	They followed the trail that led up into the Kirtland Hills. New spring leaves were just beginning to show on the trees, but the woods still had the stark barren look of winter. A cool breeze blew gently from the north and clouds scudded past the sun, casting moving shadows throughout the forest. 
	Soon the path began to ascend steeply. As they climbed the grade, they looked for footprints of the thief, but the ground was hard and there wasn't a trace of any. 
	"Look!" Rick suddenly pointed in front of them. 
	In the center of the path was a length of string. Sally stooped to pick it up. 
	"It's clean. Like new," she said, showing the boys. "It must have just now been thrown down here." 
	"Aunt Bea always ties string around her pastry boxes," Rick said. "Same as they do in the bakery shops. The thief must've gotten hungry and opened the box." 
	Charlie growled. "Wait'll I get my hands on that sucker! Eating my cookies and brownies. Sheez! Come on, let's get going." 
	They moved on, hurrying deeper into the hills. A few minutes later they reached a fork in the trail. 
	"This path leads to Penitentiary Glen," Rick said, pointing to the left fork. "There's that big field there. Maybe the ship landed in it." 
	Sally nodded eagerly. "You're right. I bet it did. That field is the biggest clearing in all the hills." 
	"We'll soon find out, " Charlie said, leading the way down the path. "We're almost there." 
	Penitentiary Glen was the site of an old prison that had been built in the hills by an old Mormon population in the middle of the 1800's. The old stone fortress had been abandoned for decades now and had fallen into ruin. The grounds were wild and overgrown, and no one ever went there except the hikers who roamed the hills. 
	"There's the old prison," Sally whispered a couple minutes later. She pointed through the trees. 
	They could see the ruins as they crept down the trail toward a row of wildly overgrown shrubberies. They took cover behind them and peered ahead. Directly across from them were the old gardens, profusely overgrown now, leading up to the rear of the old prison. On the other side of the gardens was an open field of long grasses and low shrubs that had once been the exercise area of the inmates. 
	Sally grabbed Rick's arm and pointed to the field. 
	"There it is!" she cried. 
	Charlie was unable to control his excitement. "Freakin' Minnesota!" he let out. "Look at that!" 
	"Talk about awesome," Rick breathed, staring ahead in amazement. "I guess seeing is indeed believing!" 
	In the center of the field was a large cylindrical ship of silver metal. It was dotted with rows of lights that blinked on and off in a rainbow of color. 


Chapter Three: STOWAWAYS 

	The three friends gaped in astonishment at the ship from outer space. The streamlined craft rested on several stilt-like legs and, in the center of the side facing them, there was an open hatch and ramp leading to the ground. 
	Charlie nudged Rick. "How about it, Raider? Do you believe in aliens now?" 
	Rick could feel his heart pounding with excitement. "Totally. Let's get a closer look. We can sneak through the prison ruins." 
	"You bet," Sally agreed. "Gosh, I wish we had a camera!" 
	They crept along the edge of the overgrown shrubberies until they were across the gardens from the crumbling walls. Making sure no one was in sight, they dashed through the open area into a doorway. Inside the old structure, the upper floors and most of the roof had fallen in. Sunlight filtered down through hanging rafters and slit-like windows, casting weird shadows all around them. 
	Sally jumped as a crow croaked up in the rafters. 
	"Yikes!" She looked up, startled. 
	"Get a grip," Charlie needled her. "It's just a bird." 
	"Oh sure. Whatever you say, most fearless one!" 
	Charlie snorted. "Girls! Everything scares them." 
	"Will you two knock it off?" Rick hissed. "If any of the aliens are around, they'll be sure to hear us." 
	They crept through the large room and into the next, crossing the debris-strewn floor to a row of windows on the back wall. The glass had long been gone and the bars had fallen out. They were much closer to the ship now and could see a shadowy corridor just inside the hatch. 
	Rick scanned the clearing. "No one seems to be around." 
	"They must all be out exploring," Charlie suggested. 
	"Someone has to be in the craft," Sally said. "They wouldn't leave it unguarded." 
	Charlie leaned forward out the window. "Let's sneak aboard and check it out." 
	Rick grabbed Charlie's arm to hold him back. "Chill, dude. That would not be a wise move." 
	Sally nodded vigorously, grabbing Charlie's other arm. She knew only too well how impulsive he could be. "We might get caught," she whispered. "They might hurt us." 
	They exchanged glances, each wanting to explore the UFO but knowing it'd be a dangerous and foolhardy thing to do. 
	Charlie groaned, falling back a little, and Rick and Sally loosened their hold on him. Then he shot forward and flung his foot up on the window ledge. "I'm going! You two wait here for me." 
	"Connors, wait!" Rick tried to grab him as Charlie heaved himself out the window. "You can't just go and sneak on that ship!" 
	But Charlie was already running across the gardens toward the field, and he didn't look back. 
	"Darn him! Sally, you stay here," Rick grunted as he climbed out the window to follow. 
	"Not on your life, Rick Raider! I'm coming too!" 
	She followed Rick out the window in pursuit of Charlie, who was now racing across the field to the ship. He paused at the ramp when he turned and saw his friends following. 
	"I knew you couldn't resist it." Charlie grinned at them as they joined him. "Something like this happens only once in a lifetime! It's an actual spaceship from another world!" 
	"You're totally wack," Rick said, but he was unable to keep his eyes away from the little bit of the ship's interior that could be seen. "We don't know anything about these creatures. They could be dangerous." 
	"Yah, right. Like, since when does danger scare us?" Charlie gibed. "Aunt Bea said the spacedude was human-like. He looked like Hercules. How bad can it be? You know darn right you want to go inside as much as I do." 
	"They might be friendly," Sally said hopefully, wanting to explore the ship more than anything. "Maybe all they wanted was the data from the computers. We can just tell them we live in the neighborhood. If we see any of them, that is." 
	"Right." Charlie looked eagerly up the ramp. "After all, these hills are our hangout. They can't land here and expect us to stay away." 
	Rick looked up into the corridor of the ship. Charlie was right. He wanted to check it out as much as they did, if not more. He knew it'd be risky to enter the craft, but like his friends, he just couldn't say No. 
	He shook his head. "What lame excuses. We're just plain crazy. Let's go!" 
	Feeling his heart thudding in his throat, Rick led the way up the ramp. They entered the ship and crept slowly up the corridor toward the bow. Lining the gray metal walls were control panels with glowing displays and other devices, and along the corridor were several arches containing doors of various bright colors. 
	"Cool," Charlie whispered. "Looks like the Starship Enterprise. Maybe we'll see Spock or Captain Kirk." 
	Sally shivered. "Just so we don't see a Klingon!" 
	"I wonder how these doors open," Rick mused. There were no latches or knobs on them, nor any other visible means for opening. 
	Charlie looked around. "Maybe by electronic eye, like at the grocery store." 
	Rick stopped in front of one of the doors and thrust his hand out. Suddenly, with a little swoosh, the door dissolved. 
	Sally jumped, startled, and Charlie let out a low whistle. 
	Rick's eyes widened. "Majorly awesome. It's all gone." 
	The room ahead was a small one, and it was filled with computer equipment. They stepped inside and the door solidified behind them. One entire wall of the room was what appeared to be a massive computer. A number of monitors were running displays of data in Windows-like boxes with menus and icons, and in the center of the unit was a desk that had a large keyboard and monitor on it, and a cordless mouse-like device. 
	"Look at this stuff!" Charlie was so excited he could barely keep his voice down. "A space-age computer! Man, old Einstein would go bananas over this." 
	"He'd flip," Sally agreed, looking over all the panels with their numerous dials, buttons, and devices. "Imagine all the data this unit has, information about outer space that we here on Earth can only guess about." 
	"Hey, check out this language." Rick pointed to one of the monitors. It was running a banner-like printed message. 
	"Looks like Greek to me," Charlie said, watching the strange symbols flash across the screen. 
	Rick walked up to the monitor. "I wonder what the message says?" 
	Below the screen was a round button. Thinking it would cause the message to repeat, Rick pressed it. 
	"Whoa!" he hissed, as a tingling sensation streaked up his arm and rushed up to his head. He jumped back, startled by the unexpected sensation. 
	Sally rushed to his side. "What happened?" 
	"I don't know. It felt like an electric shock." 
	Charlie pointed to the monitor. "Look! I can read it now." 
	They stared at the screen in surprise. The scrolling message was now being repeated in a language similar to English. 
	"Incredible," Rick breathed. "Some of the letters are a little different, but it's English all right. I bet the computer read my brain waves and changed the language to one I can understand." 
	Sally began to read the message: 
	"Attention all Olympian explorer ships! War has broken out on the planet Teutron between the Olympians and the Zaxxons. Decades of political strife have culminated in the kidnapping of Olympian Prince Apollo from a villa on the Elysian Fields by Zaxxon soldiers. It is ordered that all ships return to Teutron and Olympus immediately." 
	Charlie watched the message repeat itself. "Oh, man. Talk about science fiction! We're in an explorer ship from the planet Teutron, and a command is being sent for it to return home because of war. Whaddya think of that!" 
	"It's amazing," Rick said, tingling with excitement. "Especially that they can transmit a message all the way from Teutron to Earth." 
	"This is fascinating!" Sally turned to the boys. "Olympus is the mythical home of the ancient Greek gods. And Apollo is one of the gods, the son of Zeus." 
	Rick nodded. "Right. And the man Aunt Bea saw was wearing a tunic and sandals, same as the Greeks wore." 
	"The Olympians must be a highly advanced civilization similar to the ancient Greeks of Earth," Charlie concluded. "I wonder where the planet Teutron is?" 
	"There's one way to find out." Rick walked over to the desk in the center of the computer. 
	He sat down on the chair and studied the keyboard. It was similar to the one on his home computer, but larger. The top of the keys contained a substance that looked like liquid crystal, and each had a strange symbol shaped within. Beneath the space bar was a round button similar to the one on the monitor that was displaying the command message. 
	"Press that button," Charlie urged. "I bet it's a sensor, like on that monitor. It'll change those symbols to ones we can understand." 
	Rick punched the button and once again the tingling sensation coursed up his arm and to his head. His spine shivered from the effect. As they had expected, the symbols in the keys and those on the monitor rearranged themselves into ones similar to the English language. 
	Rick grinned. "Far out! It read my brain waves again." 
	Charlie smirked. "You needed your brains examined, anyway. Sheez, look at these graphics!" 
	The graphics and icons on the screen had all changed to ones that made sense to the three friends. 
	"And we think Windows 2000 is something," Sally said. "This is like Windows twenty-thousand!" 
	"Wouldn't Bill Gates love to get his hands on this?" Charlie laughed. 
	"Microsoft probably has a similar system on the drawing board right now," Rick tossed back. "Just don't let the Attorney General find out about it!" 
	The three friends laughed eagerly as Rick took hold of the cordless mouse-like device and moved it around. A bright pointed spiral appeared on the screen. 
	"Click on the weird looking question mark icon," Sally suggested. 
	Rick moved the spiral up to the colorful icon and clicked with the first of several buttons on the device. A window suddenly appeared center screen with an empty field in it. Lettering in the brightly designed box stated SEARCH ARISTOTLE. 
	"No way," Charlie said. "This computer from outer space is named 'Aristotle'?" 
	Sally giggled. "Why not? Everything else seems to be ancient Greek. And Aristotle was the famous philosopher. Perfect name for a computer." 
	Rick typed TEUTRON into the field on the search window and clicked the mouse spiral on the little square that said FLY. With a musical bleep another box appeared below with the information he sought. 
	"Teutron is the third planet of six in orbit around the star Lexia in the third quadrant of the galaxy Andromeda," he read. "Yo, can you believe that? This spaceship is from another galaxy!" 
	Charlie was stunned. "It seems impossible. That's so far away!" 
	"Ask Aristotle about Olympus," Sally urged, almost breathless in her excitement. 
	Rick cleared the field and then typed OLYMPUS into it, and clicked the space-age mouse. A moment later he read: 
	"Olympus is one of two continents on the planet Teutron. A peaceful nation, its seat of government is located in the golden city of Olympia in the mountains of the north sector of the continent. The present ruler is King Pallas, the heirs to the throne, his son Apollo and daughter Athena." 
	Sally's eyes widened. "Athena! There's a Greek goddess by that name." 
	Rick cleared the field again and typed another word into it: ZAXXONS. 
	A moment later he said, "Listen to this. The Zaxxons are a barbarian warlike people who inhabit the continent of Zaxxonia, one of the two continents on the planet Teutron." 
	Charlie leaned over Rick's shoulder to look at the text. "The Zaxxons don't sound too cool, eh? But at least the Olympians are peaceful. They must have come to Earth only to spy, not to invade." 
	"Say, that gives me an idea, Connors," Rick said. "If the Olympians did steal the data from the two computers here in Lake City and transmited it into this one, we can find out by asking questions." 
	"Right. Ask the computer something about Lake City, or NASA." 
	Sally nudged Rick. "I got it. Ask Aristotle about Charlie Connors. See if this outer space computer can compute that!" 
	"Real funny," Charlie grunted, squeezing in front of Rick. His fingers hit the keys and he typed CHARLIE CONNORS into the search field, then grabbed the mouse and clicked. 
	"Yow!" he cried a moment later, stepping back in awe. "This freakin' Aristotle knows all about me!" 
	Printed in the reply window was Charlie's name, date of birth, address, his current class schedule at Lake University, and a history of his scholastic records from elementary school upward. 
	"Then it's true," Rick said. "Professor Manning and old Einstein are right. This data is straight out of the University's computer." 
	"There's no other explanation," Sally agreed. "There's no way they'd know about Charlie on Teutron otherwise." 
	Charlie swelled out his chest. "Not! I'm well-known throughout the universe, don't you know?" 
	"Oh, for sure," Sally scoffed. "Famous as a deadly black hole!" 
	Rick pushed back the chair and stood up. "I guess we solved that mystery! It's the Olympians who caused the malfunctioning of the two computer systems. Now we'd better get off this ship before anyone sees us. When we get back to the prison ruins I'll call InterTell with the encryptive transceiver and fill them in." 
	"Won't they be surprised?" Charlie asked. "One of these days they'll wise up and put us on the payroll." 
	They turned to leave when, suddenly, the entire room shook and there was a mighty thrust that sent them sprawling to the floor. 
	Charlie scrambled back to his feet. "Jeez! What was that?" 
	There was a tremor in Sally's voice. "We're moving. The ship must be taking off!" 
	"Man, let's get outta here!" Rick leaped to his feet and pulled Sally up from the floor. 
	But the ship was already moving upward at a brisk speed. It seemed like they were in a room-sized elevator, speeding up to the top of a mighty skyscraper. 
	They raced to the door, but before they could reach it the upward thrust of the ship increased to such a stupendous velocity that they were again thrown to the floor. All three struggled to get up, but the force was impossible to overcome. It was as if they were glued to the floor! 
	"I can't move," Sally gasped, her voice hoarse and weird-sounding. "Rick! Charlie! We're going to outer space!" 
	Charlie let out a low groan. "And we didn't even buy a ticket! The Olympians must have read that command message on another monitor. Now they're going back to Teutron!" 
	"You guessed it, bud." Rick felt totally crushed, as if a heavy weight was pressing his entire body. "And with us aboard!" 
	Struggling against the artificial gravity, he pulled the encryptive transceiver from his jacket pocket. After withdrawing the small radio from its leather case, he pulled out the antenna and keyed it for transmission. 
	"Rick Raider calling InterTell," he groaned, hardly able to speak. "Do you copy?" 
	A few seconds later: "Agent KG010 speaking from Lake City City InterTell. I copy, Rick. Where are you? Your transmission isn't very good." 
	"Dad! You're back in the office! I wish you'd been there earlier. Listen up! We found the UFO at Penitentiary Glen in the Kirtland Hills. We came on board to investigate, but now the ship's taken off. I'm afraid we're bound for outer space!" 
	"Rick! Did I copy correctly? You boarded the UFO and now it's taken off?" 
	"Roger, Dad. We learned this ship is responsible for malfunctioning the two computer systems. It's from the planet Teutron which orbits around the star Lexia in the third quadrant of the galaxy Andromeda. We didn't get off in time, Dad. We're on our way to Teutron!" 
	"Copy not clear, Rick." Mr. Raider's voice was almost drowned out by the crackle of interference. "On ship bound for planet Teutron somewhere in Andromeda galaxy. Is that correct, Rick? .........Rick? I told you not to board the UFO........." 
	His voice sounded like it was a million miles away. Then, the transmission faded. Rick felt a thudding in his heart, an emptiness so vast it shook him to the core. He tried again and again to contact his dad, but there was no response, just dead silence. 
	"Give it up," Charlie grunted at him. "We're probably flying by Mars right now." 
	Rick could scarcely move enough to see Charlie and Sally where they were sprawled out alongside him. "This is a deadly mess we're in now! How are we going to get back to Earth?" 
	But before either of them could attempt a response, the ship's speed increased to such an intense degree that they were left speechless, flattened to the floor. 
	Rick knew that astronauts had to wear pressurized suits to withstand the incredible velocities of space entry, and he feared he and his friends would now perish. His head began to swim and he saw stars in front of his eyes. He could scarcely breathe. There was a buzzing in his head and he thought he was going to pass out at any moment. There was no telling how long the torment lasted. At length, he was able to sit up, his entire body trembling. It seemed like an eternity had passed. 
	"Good night!" he muttered. "Whoever's driving this thing was really maxing it. Are you guys all right?" 
	Charlie slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position. "Barely. Whew! And I was the one who wanted to go to outer space! I thought it was all over for us." 
	"Really," Rick agreed. "I don't know how we survived that. They must have this ship super-pressurized." 
	Sally managed to sit up, looking scared and exhausted. "Oh, no! Our parents! They'll be so worried. What are we going to do?" 
	The ship was now moving almost imperceptibly in a gentle forward motion. Rick slipped the transceiver back in its case and pocketed it. As he looked grimly at Charlie and Sally, he ran his fingers nervously through his dark wavy hair. 
	"There's only one thing we can do," he said, rising to his feet. "We have to ask the Olympians to take us back to Earth." 
	Sally looked at him doubtfully. "Do you think they will? What if they won't? What if they make us prisoners?" 
	Charlie helped her to her feet. "They're peaceful people, remember? Friendly. At least I hope so!" 
	"It's most likely they won't harm us," Rick agreed. "I just hope they'll agree to take us back............" 
	His eyes suddenly widened and riveted to the doorway as a little swoosh cut through the air. 
	Charlie and Sally followed his gaze. Then, Sally jumped back, her hand to her mouth. Charlie gaped ahead with an astonished expression. 
	The door to the room had dissolved and now, standing in the archway, was a creature the likes of which they had never seen before! 


Chapter Four: HELLO ANDROMEDA! 

	Standing in the portal was a man-like creature, tall and slim and pleasant-looking, with an expressive smiling face. He wore a tunic and sandals and resembled a normal man in every way save one. He was made entirely of a plastic-like substance. 
	A shock of blond synthetic hair crowned his head and bushy blond brows arched over his big round blue eyes. 
	Sally moved closer to Rick and grabbed his arm. "What is it?" she whispered nervously. 
	"It's not human, that's for sure," Rick muttered. "I just hope he's friendly." 
	A tentative smile quirked the edges of Charlie's mouth. "He sure looks friendly. I haven't seen a smile like that since the last time I saw a clown." 
	The plastic-like man walked into the room. He grinned broadly and nodded at them, and walked over to a cabinet on the wall opposite the computer. He opened the door and withdrew a small box, taking from it three small rings. After placing the box back on the shelf and closing the door, he walked up to them and indicated that they were to slip the rings on their fingers. He handed one to each of them. 
	"This sure is weird," Sally said, eyeing the creature suspiciously. 
	Rick inspected the ring he'd been given. It was about one eighth of an inch thick and made of dull gray metal with tiny mesh inserts along the perimeter. Shrugging, he slipped it on his ring finger and Charlie and Sally did the same. 
	"There, now you can understand me," the creature said in low digitized masculine voice. "You are wearing sensor rings, invented thousands of years ago by Olympian scientists. The tiny speakers pick up vocal sound waves and the sensory apparatus in the rings scans the wearers' brain waves and translates the spoken word. They were devised to circumvent the problems caused because of the many different languages spoken on Teutron. With the rings, everyone understands each other." 
	"What an excellent device," Rick said, thinking how valuable such a ring would be to InterTell. He noticed the plastic-like man did not wear one himself. "Why don't you have one on?" 
	"I don't need to wear a sensor ring. I have a similar apparatus built into my head." 
	"Are you one of the Olympians?" Charlie asked doubtfully. 
	The creature laughed. "Ask that question in Olympus and they'll think you've been out in the sun all day." 
	Sally smiled. "People already think that of Charlie. If you're not an Olympian, then who are you?" 
	"My name is ABL089 and, as you can see, I'm a robot. The Olympians are humans, the same as you. I live with the Royal Family in their palace in the golden city of Olympia. We Olympian robots are very cheerful creatures and one of us always accompanies a space mission to keep up the morale of the crew." 
	ABL089 stuck out his hand and they each shook it in turn, telling him their names. 
	"Hmmm!" The robot closed his eyes and a whirring noise was heard from the inside of his head. He opened his eyes and grinned. "There! Now I know all about you!" 
	Rick frowned. "What do you mean you know all about us?" 
	"Well, not really everything. But what I do know is all first rate. You are all three excellent students who achieve top honors at your university. You are all nineteen Earth years old and live on the same street too." 
	"How do you know all that?" Charlie demanded. 
	"Well, as you seem to have discovered, for we picked up your radio transmission to Earth on our communications system, we extracted all the data from the two large computer systems in Lake City into Aristotle, our ship's computer. I, in turn, have transmitted the data into my own memory banks, for that is part of my job." 
	Rick's eyes widened. "You mean you can hold all the data this big computer can?" 
	"Just about. I'm a very sophisticated machine, perhaps the most technologically advanced robot in the universe. When I return to Olympus, it will be my job to relate the scientific information we received from your computers to our scientists." 
	Ricks brows were knitted in thought. "ABL089......" 
	"Please!" interupted the robot. "Call me Abey, as my friends do. ABL089 is much too formal. And it takes such a long time to say!" 
	Rick's serious expression eased into a smile. "Sure, Abey. My radio devise transmits in code. How were you able to understand the message?" 
	"Goodness, cryptic code is a thing of milleniums past on Teutron. Our communication systems have the ability to break down and translate any intelligent transmission. Your devise is very primitive compared to the instruments in general use on our planet. We didn't know you were on board, however, until we heard your transmission. Which should not have happened, but things were in a state of emergency." 
	"We didn't mean to stow away," Sally told him. "It was an accident. When we saw the ship sitting there in the field, we couldn't resist coming aboard to explore. We had no idea you were going to take off." 
	"No need to worry," ABL089 said. "You are perfectly safe with us. No one will harm you. We had to leave Earth in a hurry because war has broken out on Teutron between the Olympians and the Zaxxons." 
	Rick nodded. "We know. We read the command message on the computer's communications monitor." 
	The smiling robot nodded. "We figured you had worked the sensory mechanisms on the equipment to find out the information you told your father. That was very clever of you. This war is a dreadful thing and we have to hurry home. The Zaxxons have kidnapped Prince Apollo. I hope he's still alive!" 
	"You mean you think they'd kill him?" Charlie asked. 
	"Yes. The Zaxxons want to conquer Olympus, and because the Prince is the heir to the throne it's possible they might do away with him." 
	"But that's horrible," Sally said. "Princess Athena must be pretty shook up over his disappearance." 
	ABL089 raised his bushy brows. "You found out about the Princess too?" 
	Rick explained how they had worked the computer to find out the information about Teutron. 
	"You young people were certainly busy. I'm impressed you could so easily handle Aristotle. Your operating systems on Earth must be very good ones. Yes, I'm sure Princess Athena is very distressed. She and her brother are very close to each other. You see, they are twins." 
	"Twins?" Charlie repeated. "That's something I never heard of before, a prince and princess who are twins. I'd sure like to meet Princess Athena." 
	"You are sure to have the opportunity," ABL089 told him. "When we land in Olympus, you'll be taken immediately to the Royal Palace." 
	Sally frowned. "Can't you take us back to Earth? Our families are going to be frantic." 
	ABL089 shook his head. "I'm very sorry. There's no way we can turn back now. The ship has already traveled through Quantae space and left your galaxy. We will be approaching Andromeda soon." 
	"What!" Charlie was astonished. "We flew through an entire galaxy already?" 
	"Did you say 'Quantae space'?" Rick asked, before the robot could answer Charlie's question. 
	ABL089 grinned merrily. "Yes, we have traversed your galaxy already. And, yes, I did say Quantae space. It's a mode of travel the scientists on Earth are only now beginning to research." 
	"Yes, we know about it," Rick said. "They plan to hold conferences in Lake City next month about Quantae space travel." 
	ABL089 nodded. "We picked up a transmission concerning these conferences while monitoring a laser communications satellite orbiting Earth. That's what prompted us to visit Lake City several times recently. Yesterday we uploaded the information about the conferences from the two computers. We wanted to know just how much the Earthlings know about Quantae space travel." 
	There was a glint of wonder in Charlie's eyes. "You mean you can upload information just.....just...through the air?" 
	"Certainly," ABL089 confirmed. "Your computers have no alpha-sabotage protection. Don't forget, we're thousands of years ahead of Earth in technology. And believe we should keep it that way. We transmitted self-modifying code into the two computer systems so that they continually reprogram themselves, wiping out the data and rendering the systems useless. The Olympians want to prevent the people of Earth from discovering the key to Quantae space travel." 
	"But why?" Sally said in a grudging voice. "The people of Earth have a right to this knowledge too, especially if they figure it out for themselves." 
	The robot turned to her. "Our observations have proved the Earthlings to be warlike in nature," he said. "Should they be able to travel the galaxies and visit other worlds, they shall want to conquer them. We've observed this same problem with the Zaxxons of Teutron who desire to conquer the Olympians. Although they have fine ships of their own, the Zaxxons do not have the knowledge of Quantae space travel and their explorations are limited to our own solar system, where they have already stirred up quite a lot of trouble. One of the reasons behind the current outbreak of war is because they wish to take the Quantae secret from us." 
	"What exactly is this Quantae method of travel?" Charlie wanted to know. 
	"Hmmm, it's really not something you can readily explain, being based on Quantum physics technology, which is still only theory on your planet." The robot stopped for a moment, looking like he was thinking, then he went on. "To put it simply, you must think of space as not being a continuum, but instead a string of discreet points called Quantae. It's normally assumed that all matter must travel through each Quantae point in space. However, the Olympians have discovered a property of the universe which enables them to travel and communicate by skipping Quantae points, the same as you might skip a series of dotted lines on a piece of paper if you fold the paper and touch dots to each other that are normally far apart." 
	"It's like warping space, isn't it?" Rick asked. 
	"Exactly," ABL089 agreed. "And it enables travel equivalent to excesses of the speed of light." 
	"Far out," Charlie said. "They've been doing that on STAR TREK for years now back on Earth. But it's only a television show. We can't do it in real life." 
	"I'm sure the scientists of your planet will one day discover the secret of this mode of travel," the robot said. "Hopefully they will have overcome their warlike nature by then and be able to travel throughout the universe on missions of peace." 
	"Well, you're wrong," Rick told him, a defiant glint in his dark eyes. "We're ready to prove to the Olympians that all Earthlings are not warlike, and that most of them are peace-loving people like us." 
	"Right on," Charlie agreed. "Tell him about it. The Olympians' opinion of Earthlings seems prejudiced to me." 
	Sally nodded eagerly. "But totally! There are problems on Earth, but most of its people would rather live in peace with each other. And even if they didn't, what right does Teutron have to come and steal ideas from us to retard progress?" 
	ABL089 arched his brows. "You certainly feel fervently about it," he said. "With that kind of spirit, you just might change the Olympians' minds." 
	"They sure need to be changed," Sally harrumphed. 
	Rick's hand closed around the encryptive transceiver in his jacket pocket. He looked at the robot thoughtfully. "Abey, do you think there's some way we can contact Earth from Teutron? I'd sure like to let our families know we're okay." 
	"I'm sure we can figure out a way for you to call home, Rick. Perhaps by means of your radio transceiver and the Quantae transmission rays used to contact our explorer ships. And when the war is over, King Pallas will undoubtedly see to it that a ship is dispatched to take you back to Earth." 
	Sally looked somewhat relieved. "I hope so. Visiting a planet in another galaxy will sure be an awesome experience, but we do have to get back home." 
	"Of course you do," agreed the robot. "But in the meantime, you'll be shown every courtesy in the city of Olympia. I must warn you, though, that our scientists will want to inspect and observe you. After all, you'll be the first Earthlings ever to visit Teutron." 
	"That's pretty way out," Charlie smirked. "Now it's our turn to be aliens." 
	"But there's no question about us being 'invaders'," Sally added, grinning at the boys. 
	"I'm expecting Teutron to be a lot like our planet," Rick said. "In fact, from what we've learned so far, The Olympians seem to be quite similar to the ancient Greek civilization of Earth." 
	"There are many surprising similarities and parallels in the universe," ABL089 told him. "We have no data on Earth's ancient Greeks, but you must tell me about them sometime." 
	"Why don't you try your memory banks?" Charlie suggested. "Aristotle may have sucked up some info on the Greeks from the University computer." 
	"Splendid idea!" The robot closed his eyes and they could hear the whirring in his head. 
	"My word," he said, when his wide blue eyes opened a moment later. "Heaven forfend! Yes, Aristotle did get loads of information about the Greeks, probably from e-books and e-texts at your library. The ancient Greeks are indeed the spitting image of the Olympians, in fact, of all of Teutron. I certainly shall have a great ball musing over this information when I have spare time." 
	He then gestured to the doorway. "Now that we've become acquainted, I'll take you to the crew's lounge. You may want to rest and refresh yourselves before seeing Captain Ion. I know that Quantae space travel can be very exhausting for humans if they are not properly prepared and suited." 
	"Which we certainly were not," Sally said dryly. 
	"Well, you shouldn't have any serious ill effects regardless," ABL089 assured them. "The ship is built with human comfort in mind." 
	But Rick assured the robot that they hadn't suffered any bad effects from the forceful warps through space. As they followed him down the corridor, ABL089 told them there were a total of five crew members on board. In addition to himself there was Captain Ion, his two assistants, and the Quantae-drive engineer. 
	"There were several Olympian explorer ships abroad in your galaxy," he added. "But they should all be on their way back to Teutron now because of the war." 
	He led them through another dissolving door into the crew lounge. There was a large viewscreen on one wall, furniture of a futuristic design about the room, a challenge table, personal-sized computers, and several arcade-style video games. On the far side of the lounge was a complete galley with all the appliances similar to those found on Earth. 
	What immediately caught their attention, however, was a tray on the galley table. It was loaded with brownies and chocolate chip cookies. 
	"Hot dog!" Charlie raced across the room. He grabbed one of the brownies and took a huge bite. "I've been waiting all day for one of these!" 
	Rick laughed as he joined him at the table. "And I'll bet you never dreamed you'd have to leave the galaxy to get one." 
	"Yo, dude. It was worth the trip." Charlie shoved the rest of the brownie in his mouth. "Totally!" 
	ABL089 was puzzled. "I don't understand. What do you mean that you were waiting for these? Officer Polamus found these food samples back on Earth. He said they had been left on the hood of a road vehicle." 
	Charlie smirked. "A likely story. But I don't blame him. One sniff, and who could resist?" 
	Rick explained that his aunt had baked the cookies and brownies and left the box of them on the hood of her car. "On the way back out of the house, she saw your crew member take the box and a bag of her groceries from inside the car." 
	"And he sacred the daylights out of her, too," Sally added. 
	"Oh, dear," the robot murmured. He walked over to a bank of cupboards and opened one. "Here are the items from the bag Officer Polamus brought on board." 
	On the shelf were two boxes of brownie mix, a bag of chocolate morsels, and several other ingredients for baking. ABL089 pointed to the chilling unit. "There were also eggs, butter, and milk. I put them in there." 
	"Don't worry about it, Abey," Rick said. "I'm sure officer Polamus didn't mean to steal. He was out exploring and food samples are something worthwhile to bring back to the ship." 
	Sally grinned with amusement. "Abey, you're the only one I've ever known who smiles when he's worried." 
	The robot chuckled. "I always smile. My face was constructed this way. I can't frown even if I try. And I don't actually worry much for I'm programmed to be relentlessly cheerful." 
	Charlie clapped him on the back. "All right, bud. Why don't you have one of Aunt Bea's brownies? They're the best in the universe." 
	ABL089 looked at the tray. "They certainly do look wonderful. But, unfortunately, I don't eat food." 
	Charlie pretended to be shocked. "No!" 
	"Of course not. I'm a machine, fueled by a power pack." 
	Charlie grimaced. "You don't know what you're missing." 
	The robot shook his head. "You're putting me on, young man. Everyone knows robots don't eat. Even Earthlings!" 
	Grinning, he turned and walked to the door. "I have to brief Captain Ion on my interview with you. He'll expect to see you later. There's plenty of food in the chilling unit, so help yourselves if you're hungry." 
	"You can bet on that," Charlie assured him. 
	"We'll soon be approaching Andromeda," ABL089 added as an afterthought. "The ship will down-drive from Quantae flight before entering the galaxy. But the departure is not as forceful as the entry, so you shouldn't experience any discomfort." 
	"Well, what do you think of that?" Rick asked, after the robot had left the room. "Not too shabby, huh? A life-like synthetic man with a computer in his head far better than anything we have on Earth." 
	"I like him," Sally said. "He's cute, and it's almost like he's human. Abey would sure be a big hit with the kids back home." 
	Charlie bit into another brownie. "We'll be a big hit with the kids back home if the news leaks out that we've gone up into space." 
	"InterTell will keep it a secret," Rick told him. "And when we get back home, we'll have to keep it to ourselves too." 
	"Figures," Charlie grumbled. "Just when you have something really big to brag about, mum's the word." 
	The three friends made themselves at home and were soon eating sandwiches made from bread, meat, and cheese found in the chilling unit. Afterwards, as Charlie and Sally experimented with one of the video games, Rick looked over the controls for the large viewscreen. After pressing the sensor button on the unit, the symbols on the levers and devices changed to ones he understood. He pressed a button now marked FLY, and then one marked FORWARD PROSPECT. 
	"Wow! Check this out." 
	On the screen was a color image of a giant pinwheel of stars, hung in the blackness of space. 
	Charlie and Sally hurried over. 
	"That must be the galaxy Andromeda," Charlie said with a low whistle. "Jeez, look how quickly we're approaching it." 
	Each second the giant galaxy grew larger and larger as the ship rushed rapidly towards it. Sally stared at the screen, a thrill of excitement coursing through her. 
	"Hello, Andromeda!" she said with spirit. "Isn't it fantastic, boys?" 
	Rick and Charlie agreed, mesmerized by the sight of the awesome galaxy they were approaching. 
	Suddenly, the ship's speed slackened as it decelerated from Quantae flight, and they had to fight to keep their balance. Then, a couple seconds later, billions and billions of stars filled the viewscreen, and they were rushing through them at an incredible speed. 
	"Yahoo! Talk about the max," whooped Charlie. "This is it!" 
	"Really," Rick agreed. "We're the first people from Earth ever to enter another galaxy." 
	"Oh, look," Sally cried. "We seem to be zeroing in on that one star. Isn't it beautiful?" 
	"It must be the star Lexia," Rick said, as the glowing orb grew bigger and bigger on the viewscreen. 
	"We must be in its solar system already," Charlie cried, totally enthralled. "And we think three hours from New York to London on the Concorde is fast!" 
	At that very same moment there was sudden shift in the flight of the ship, and a whooping siren blared throughout the room, startling them. The lights flashed and a digitized voice boomed mysteriously from the wall. 
	"Alert! Alert! Zaxxon warships closing in on rear. Alert conditions prevail! Prepare for combat!" 
	"Oh my God!" Sally cried, her hands flying up to her cheeks. "Zaxxons are going to attack the ship!" 
	Rick quickly punched the viewscreen control marked REAR PROSPECT, and the screen's image changed to one showing the stars flying back behind them. Closing in on the rear of the ship were three small spacecraft. 
	Rick groaned. "Talk about Star Death. This is just like the computer game!" 
	"But real!" Charlie gawked at the viewscreen. "And those aren't the Groggs, they're Zaxxons! Captain Ion had better leave those suckers in the dust." 
	"Or shoot them down," Sally said worriedly. 
	"If they don't get us first. Look!" Rick pointed to the screen. "They're shooting at us now!" 
	Streams of fiery light streaked towards them from the attacking warships. 
	"I don't believe this," Charlie moaned. "Looks like we're gonna be the ones to eat red death. And just when we were having such a good time!" 
	There was a mighty blast and the ship shook as if it were going to explode. They were thrown savagely to the floor and the room spun around and around. Rick twisted around to look at the viewscreen and saw that the warships were now far above them as their craft tumbled through space. 
	They sprawled there stunned for about a minute, then the door to the room dissolved and ABL089 stood there clinging to the archway. 
	"Rick! Charlie! Sally!" he cried. "The Captain and his asistants have been injured from the phaser blast. You've got to help me fly the ship and fight the Zaxxons, or else we'll all perish!" 


Chapter Five: ATTACK OF THE ZAXXONS 

	Rick Raider jumped to his feet, steadying himself against the swaying of the Olympian spaceship. 
	"Yo! Let's get going," he called to his friends as he headed to the doorway. 
	Charlie and Sally scrambled up and they rushed across the room as the runaway craft careened through space. 
	"The Zaxxon warships are small and their phasers aren't as powerful as our quasar torpedoes," ABL089 told them as they hurried down the corridor. 
	"Then we stand a chance against them?" Charlie asked breathlessly. 
	"Yes, we can destroy the Zaxxons if we can get the ship under control." 
	Sally used her hands against the wall to keep her balance. "What happened to the crew members?" 
	"They were hurled against the walls and equipment, and injured," the robot said as they arrived at a red door at the corridor's end. He reached out his hand and the door dissolved. "Captain Ion has a wound on his head and I fear his two assistants were further injured by electrical discharge. The blast short-circuited some equipment." 
	"What about the Quantae-drive engineer?" Rick asked. 
	ABL089 shrugged. "He's down in the engine room. I tried to contact him but there was no response. We'll have to check on him later. Right now we've got to get this ship under control!" 
	The control room was directly in the bow of the spacecraft. In front was a large viewscreen showing the stars as the ship plummeted through them. Along the walls were computer stations and equipment, hundreds of lights flashing and blinking. The acrid smell of smoke was in the air. A man was slumped against a counter by one of the stations, and two others were sprawled on the floor in front of a large control desk in the center of the room. All three wore belted tunics of a miltary style. 
	Rick looked around quickly and assessed the situation. He never would've believed that one day he'd be commandeering a spaceship, but he set his jaw firmly and followed ABL089 to the control desk. 
	"Charlie, see if you and Sally can revive these men," he ordered. "Abey, what do we have to do?" 
	The robot sat down in front of the control station. "Just follow my instructions." 
	Rick took the seat next to him and looked over the controls. 
	"The ship is run by the computer, Rick, but now it's out of control." ABL089 pointed to a lever directly in front of him. "I'll pull this lever to reactify computer control. Aristotle will take over again. You have to work those four instruments in front of you to direct our movement while we fight the Zaxxons. I'll control the ship's speed." 
	Rick ran his fingers through his hair. This was like a video game nightmare. The real thing! And millions and billions of miles in outer space. 
	"It's a cinch," he growled. "Let's do it!" 
	ABL089 pulled the lever. Lights flashed up and down the control panel in front of them and the ship slowly returned to a more even flight. As Rick manipulated the controls, he looked up to the viewscreen and saw that they were now flying through the stars in a normal manner. 
	"All systems go," he grinned. "At least the phaser blast didn't do us in." 
	ABL089 nodded. "Not likely, Rick. It would take a lot more than one phaser to destroy this ship." 
	The robot reached over to press a control that changed the viewscreen to rear prospect. The image on the large screen immediately changed to one showing the three enemy warships once again closing in behind them. 
	"Oh brother, here they come again," Charlie muttered from behind. 
	Rick turned to look at him. "What's up with the Captain and his assistants?" 
	"They're totally out, man. All three of them. We dragged them back to the carpeted area by the door. Sally's with them, but they sure need a doctor." Charlie's eyes bugged out at the viewscreen. "Hey, we'd better get away from those Zaxxons!" 
	Rick glanced back up at the screen, his dark eyes hard and cold. "Give this baby some gas, Abey!" 
	The robot increased the speed and Rick guided the ship upward. The Olympian craft streaked high above the Zaxxon ships in a wide arc. 
	"They're coming after us," Charlie growled. "Get behind them, dude! Let's show those Zaxxons a thing or two and blast them right out of space." 
	"That's exactly what we must do, boys," ABL089 said. "Those warships are manned by Zaxxon robots that are programmed to kill or be destroyed." 
	Rick's eyes widened. "You mean we're fighting for our lives against robots?" 
	"Right. But they're not nice ones like me. Nothing will stop them from trying to destroy us." 
	As if to verify his statement, one of the Zaxxon ships flew out ahead of the others and fired a phaser that streaked through space at them. But Rick guided the ship upward, escaping the phaser's path and then, suddenly, he flew off to the left. Again, just as quickly, he shot downward. 
	Charlie urged him on. "Max it, Rick. To the limit!" 
	The warships were no longer behind them, and ABL089 switched the viewscreen to its forward prospect as Rick guided the ship upward again. 
	Sally rushed up to the control desk from behind. "Good going, we're behind them now!" 
	The Zaxxon warships were up ahead of them, flying in formation. 
	"Man the torpedoes!" ABL089 shouted excitedly as he manipulated several controls. 
	Sections of the control panel lit up and a bullseye marker was superimposed over the image on the viewscreen. 
	"Line up the ships in the center of that bullseye," the robot directed, "and we'll torpedo those lousy Zaxxon robots." 
	Sally looked questioningly at them. "Robots?" 
	Charlie explained that robots manned the enemy ships and that they were programmed to kill. 
	Sally placed her hands on ABL089's shoulders. "Whew! I'm glad you're not like them, Abey." 
	The plastic-like man chuckled. "I'd rather have windmills in my head than Zaxxon microchips!" 
	Then Rick guided the ship close in behind the three warships. He worked the controls so that one of the Zaxxon ships was directly in the center of the bullseye. 
	"Charlie, you press that torpedo trigger," ABL089 ordered. "It's that flashing button right in the center of the panel." 
	Charlie eagerly reached between Rick and the robot and slammed the trigger. "Red death for you, buster!" he muttered. 
	A fiery beam shot across the viewscreen and connected with the Zaxxon ship. The small spacecraft exploded in a brilliant flash of light. A moment later all trace of it had disappeared. 
	"Good shot!" ABL089 cheered. "One down and two to go." 
	Rick zeroed in on one of the two remaining ships. The pilot of the craft tried to get away by swooping off into different directions, but Rick followed closely. Soon he had the warship in the dead center of the bullseye. 
	Charlie hit the trigger and the quasar torpedo zoomed ahead. It hit the Zaxxon ship squarely, and the enemy craft exploded. 
	Sally jumped excitedly. "Excellent! One more and we'll be home free." 
	The remaining enemy ship was far on the left of the screen. Rick went after it and ABL089 increased the speed. 
	"Go for it!" Charlie urged. 
	"Just watch me!" Rick followed the erratic flight of the fleeing enemy craft. 
	It swooped up, then off to the left, and then it spiraled downward. They followed it closely, keeping it within the bullseye. 
	"Get ready, Connors," Rick said tensely, beads of perspiration showing on his forehead. "As soon as that craft is in the center of the target, give it the gun." 
	Anxiously, the foursome watched the viewscreen as Rick made every attempt to center the enemy craft in the target. Slowly but surely he did as Charlie held his fist poised above the trigger. 
	"Now!" Rick hissed. 
	"You are SO dead!" Charlie muttered, banging down his fist. 
	Their eyes were glued to the big screen as the torpedo streaked to the center of the bullseye and hit its target square on. The Zaxxon ship burst into an explosion of light. 
	A spontaneous cheer rose up amongst them. 
	"Good fortune!" ABL089 squeaked. "I knew we could do it!" 
	"Awesome flying, dude," Charlie said to Rick as they slapped hands together in a high five. 
	Rick grinned with relief. "Good thing I was playing Star Death last night. Who knew it'd prepare me for today?" 
	"And some people say that playing computer games is a waste of time," Sally harrumphed. "It sure helped save the day for us!" 
	ABL089 switched off the control for the target marker and it disappeared from the screen. Then he turned a series of dials and typed in a code on a row of keys along the top of the panel. The ship dipped and sailed in a wide arc before leveling off again. 
	"There!" He turned to the others. "Now the ship is under automatic computer control and Aristotle will guide us on a course to Teutron. We will arrive there shortly." 
	"We'd better see to the crew," Rick reminded them. "We've got to give them some kind of first aid." 
	ABL089 got up from his seat. "Sally, the boys and I will carry the officers to sick bay. I want you to stay here and keep an eye on the controls." 
	"Gladly," Sally agreed, and he showed her how to change the views on the viewscreen so that she could watch for enemy ships. 
	He pointed to a red lever. "If you see any flying objects out there, pull this lever. It'll set off the sirens and we'll come running." 
	Leaving Sally at the control post, the boys and ABL089 carried the officers down the corridor into sick bay. Captain Ion had come to and he was mumbling groggily. After the men had been placed on elevated bunks, the robot led the boys down to the engine room. 
	Officer Janus, the Quantae-drive engineer, was found sprawled on the floor. His forehead was bleeding where he had banged it on a large pipe after having been knocked off his feet by the phaser blast. After they had carried him up to sick bay, ABL089 examined the officers with an electronic device similar to a small microscope. It was attached to a machine that monitored the bodily functions. 
	"None of them seem to have been seriously injured," he said at length. "You know, sometimes I'm glad I'm not human. The blast threw me too, but it takes more than a hard knock to throw this plastic head of mine out of whack!" 
	He opened a cupboard and withdrew a number of first aid items, including a small vial. He instructed Charlie to clean and dress the head wounds of the Captain and Officer Janus, and to revive them and the other men with the salts in the vial. 
	Captain Ion was mumbing incoherently. ABL089 looked at him. "Charlie, when the Captain is aware of what's going on, give him a full account of the situation. But insist that he stays here and rests with the others. Rick and I will be in the control room. I have to contact the spaceport in Olympia and let them know we'll soon be landing. 
	"Gotcha!" Charlie turned to the bunk the Captain was on and held the vial of salts underneath his nose. 
	Rick followed ABL089 out of the sick bay and they hurried over to the control room. 
	"Everything is A-OK," Sally told them. "No more Zaxxon ships in sight. But I think someone was trying to make radio contact with the ship. Static was coming from the speakers. There was a voice too, but I could barely hear it. I couldn't make out what it was saying." 
	"That's very odd," ABL089 said, raising his bushy brows. "There wouldn't be static if the spaceport was trying to contact us. The Quantae-space waves can reach us clearly anywhere, especially now that we're so close to Teutron." 
	He looked at the viewscreen. It now showed a glowing planet suspended in the black void of space. 
	"Maybe the ship's communication equipment was damaged by the Zaxxon phaser," Rick suggested. "It might not be picking up the signal properly." 
	"That's easy enough to find out." ABL089 walked over to a communications station on the side wall. He manipulated several devices and lights flashed up and down the panel. 
	"Everything is all right," he said. "It's really strange to receive a weak transmission. There must be trouble in Olympia. I'd better contact the spaceport." 
	He picked up a microphone from the panel and was about to turn a dial on the board when a rush of static filled the room. It was followed by a voice. 
	"Explorer ship XZ89, do you copy? Do not contact Olympia spaceport or land your ship there. Danger in Olympia!" 
	Another rush of static followed the message. Then, dead silence. 
	"Uh oh." Rick felt a chill streak up his back. He turned to the robot. "Looks like we're heading into more trouble." 
	ABL089's big eyes looked as if they were about to pop out of his head. "Great Andromeda! That was the voice of Princess Athena!" 
	"The Princess?" Sally repeated, startled. "Oh, what's going on? I hope she's okay!" 
	"Shhh!" Rick warned as the static filled the room again. 
	The voice followed. "Explorer ship XZ89. If you copy, please transfer to laser beam communication. I repeat: transfer to laser beam communication." 
	ABL089 immediately began to work some controls on the panel. "The Princess is contacting us from a laser beam communicator," he said excitedly. "I'm now hooking into the beam coming from her unit so I can transmit to her over it." 
	When the connection to laser communication was complete, he spoke into the microphone. "Princess Athena, this is ABL089 speaking. We are now connected for communication." 
	"Abey!" The excited voice of the Princess now clearly filled the room. "What good fortune that my beam located your ship! Are you safe? I was so worried about you! It's been reported that Zaxxon warships are patroling the quadrant to destroy the returning explorer ships." 
	"We were attacked by three warships upon entering the solar system," ABL089 told her. "The crew's been injured but I was able to regain control of the ship and destroy the Zaxxons with the help of three Earthlings who accidentaly stowed away on our ship." 
	"Earthlings!" came the response of the Princess. "Well, there's nothing to do but to bring them here with you. I'm at my uncle's villa on the Elysian Fields, and you have to land the ship here. The city of Olympia has been occupied by the Zaxxons, and they have stolen the Eternal Flame from the Temple of the Sun!" 
	ABL089 looked at Rick and Sally, his mouth agape. 
	"They stole the Eternal Flame?" he croaked. "But that means there is no longer any hope for the nation of Olympus!" 
	The voice of the Princess was very sad. "You're right, Abey. The war is over and the Zaxxons have conquered our nation. They now rule the entire planet of Teutron!" 


Chapter Six: THE ELYSIAN FIELDS 

	Rick and Sally exchanged worried glances. The war between the Olympians and Zaxxons was over, and the Zaxxons had won it! 
	Even though the robot was still smiling, they knew he was extremely upset. "This is terrible, Princess," he said into the communicator. "Where are the King and Queen? Why are you at your uncle's villa?" 
	"My mother and father are being held captive in the Royal Palace by the Zaxxons," came Princess Athena's reply. "I was lucky enough to escape when the soldiers came, and I rode one of the horses out here to Uncle Orion's villa. But he's gone too! He went to Zaxxonia in search of Apollo." 
	ABL089 looked at Rick and Sally and shook his head in frustration. "What in the name of Andromeda are we going to do?" Then, to Princess Athena, "But don't worry, Princess, I'll soon be with you. And the Earthlings are terrific young people, just like you and Prince Apollo. Together we'll figure out what to do." 
	"I hope so, Abey. I'll be waiting here for you. Lock into my laser beam with your ship's computer for landing guidance. May good fortune be with you!" 
	"And also with you, Princess." ABL089 slipped the microphone back onto the panel and hurried over to the control desk. Rick and Sally watched as he flipped several levers and typed a code on the row of keys. 
	"Now Aristotle is on laser guidance," he said, "and the beam from Princess Athena's unit will guide us to our landing place at the Elysian Fields." 
	Sally anxiously drummed her fingers on the control desk. Her faint smile held a touch of sadness. "The Princess is in a lot of danger. If the Zaxxons have the rest of the Royal Family in captivity, they'll want her too." 
	"Right," Rick readily agreed, his hands on his hips and his face grim. "We've got to think of a way to protect her." 
	"We definitely can't stay at Orion's villa," ABL089 said. "The soldiers will surely look for her there. That's where they found Apollo. We'll have to flee, but I don't know where to!" 
	"Yo, what's up?" Charlie asked as he came into the control room. "Why do we have to flee?" 
	Rick filled him in on the sudden turn of events. 
	Charlie groaned. "Talk about radical! This situation gets worse every minute." He turned to the robot. "But don't worry, Abey. Rick will think of something. He always does." 
	Rick grinned at Charlie's expression of confidence. "I sure hope I can this time. How are the officers?" 
	"They finally all came to. But they're still pretty out of it. I told them what's happened and they agreed to stay in there and rest. But Captain Ion insisted we call him when it's time to land the ship." 
	ABL089 nodded. "I'll let them rest a spell before telling them about the dreadful outcome of the war. It'll be a while yet before we land." 
	Rick was gazing thoughtfully at the glowing planet of Teutron on the viewscreen. "Tell us about the Eternal Flame, Abey. Why is it so terrible that the Zaxxons have stolen it?" 
	"Whoever possesses the Eternal Flame rules the planet," the robot explained. "The Olympians have held it for thousands of years and, because they are peace-loving people, they have allowed the Zaxxons to be free. But now that the Zaxxons possess the Eternal Flame, they'll no doubt turn Olympus into a military state. There will be no freedom for the Olympians!" 
	Sally frowned. "But why is the possession of the Eternal Flame of such great significance that it gives control over the entire planet? It doesn't make sense." 
	"It's the War Law of Teutron," ABL089 said. "You see, thousands of years ago there was a great nuclear war between the two nations of the planet. The Olympians conquered the Zaxxons, who had begun the Great War. But almost every one of the planet's great cities had been destroyed, and millions of lives were lost." 
	"Yow, that's pretty dreadful," Charlie said. "Thousands of people all over Earth are calling for nuclear disarmament. The same thing could happen there!" 
	"It certainly could," the robot agreed. "And for the sake of your people, I hope it doesn't. After the Great War on Teutron, the rulers of both nations met and signed the agreements known as the War Law. It strictly forbids the production or use of any nuclear weapons on the planet, in times of peace or war. At this same meeting, the Eternal Flame, then used for the Annual Games in Olympia, was placed in a golden vessel and given to the Olympian King as a token of victory. It was taken to the new site of the city of Olympia, for the old city had been destroyed by the warheads, and enshrined in the Temple of the Sun. The War Law states that whichever nation possesses the Eternal Flame rules the planet, and throughout the ages this law has been respected and upheld." 
	"A wise decision," Rick said. "It's saved Teutron from another nuclear holocaust." 
	Sally shook her head sadly. "But now the Zaxxons have the Eternal Flame, and with it the rule of the planet." 
	"And the Olympians will no longer live in freedom," ABL089 added. 
	Charlie growled in frustration. "If only there was something we could do!" 
	"There is." 
	Rick had spoken in a low firm voice. The others all looked at him and could tell he was very determined. 
	"When we land on Teutron," he said, his dark eyes narrowed, "we'll go and find this Eternal Flame!" 
	Charlie looked at him with excitement burning his eyes. "Dude! You're right. We'll find the Eternal Flame for the Olympians same as we found the missing Yukon expedition last winter." 
	Sally beamed too, catching their passion. "Totally! And we'll rescue Prince Apollo too. Then the Olympians will be sure to reward us by taking us back to Earth." 
	ABL089 looked pretty astounded. "Do you think you can do all that?" 
	"Of course we can," Rick said. "There's a way to accomplish anything that has to be done. We'll just have to figure it out." 
	Charlie put his arm around the robot's shoulder. "And we'll change the Olympians' opinion of Earthlings too. Completely!" 
	Sally pointed to the viewscreen. "Look, you can see the two continents of Teutron now." 
	On the screen was the image of the planet, its two great continents now clearly defined. In the northern extremities the two masses of land almost touched each other, separated only by a narrow channel of water. Southward, the waters widened into a mighty sea and the lower regions of the continents wrapped around the globe. 
	ABL089 pointed to the left side of the screen. "That's Olympus, and Zaxxonia is on the right. The Elysian Fields are in the northern tip of Olympus, near the channel separating the continents." He pointed to the location of the Elysian Fields and then to the site of the city of Olympia, not far west of it. 
	"There's a place called the Elysian Fields in the mythology of Earth's ancient Greeks," Rick told him. "It's supposed to be a beautiful land where those who lived good lives go after they die." 
	The robot looked fascinated. "Then it's similar to the Elysian Fields of Olympus. Ours is a delightful region populated mostly by retired folks. Unfortunately, we'll have to leave the district as soon as we land. We've got to take the Princess to a place where the Zaxxons can't find her." 
	Sally got up from her seat at the control desk. "Charlie, will you take over? There's something I want to do for the Princess." 
	"Sure." He took the empty seat. "What are you going to do?" 
	"You'll find out later." She smiled mysteriously as she left the control room. 
	Charlie shook his head as he eyed the controls. "Humphh! Girls! They always have to have secrets." 
	As the ship flew towards Teutron, ABL089 and the boys remained at the control station discussing the turn of events on the planet and the courses of action open to them after landing. 
	"Where's the last place the Zaxxons would look for the Princess?" Rick asked. 
	"Why, in Zaxxonia, of course," was ABL089's reply. 
	Rick nodded thoughtfully. "Then that's where we ought to go." 
	Charlie agreed. "Good idea. They'll never think of looking for her in their own country. And I'll bet that's where they've taken the Eternal Flame." 
	"And Prince Apollo too," Rick added. 
	"I think you've got the right idea," ABL089 agreed. "We can escape the Zaxxons and search for Prince Apollo and the Eternal Flame all at the same time." 
	Rick looked up at the viewscreen. "Abey, is there a way we can cross the channel from Olympus to Zaxxonia?" 
	"I'm sure we can find some means of transportation, Rick. Orion owns an airship, the latest model. Perhaps it's still at his villa." 
	"Perfect." Rick crossed his fingers. "It better be there. There's no time to waist once we land. We have to get Princess Athena out of Olympus as fast as possible." 
	When landing time was near, Rick and Charlie went to sick bay to inform the crew. Although still weak from their injuries, Captain Ion and Officer Polamus returned to the control room with the boys. The other two men were unable to resume their responsibilities and had to remain on the bunks. 
	ABL089 told the Captain and his mate about the recent occurrences on Teutron and that the ship would be landing at the Elysian Fields rather than at the Olympia spaceport. The officers took this news with the calm reserve common to military men and proceedings were begun for landing. 
	After entering the atmosphere, the spaceship was soon sailing smoothly over the surface of Teutron. Rick and Charlie watched the viewscreen as the craft flew over a rugged mountain range riddled with glaciers, and then down to a district of rolling hills and orchards. 
	"We're now flying over the Elysian Fields," ABL089 said from his post at the communications panel. "In a few minutes we'll arrive at Orion's villa." 
	Sally came into the control room and greeted the two officers. "We're almost there!" she said excitedly. 
	Charlie eyed her curiously. "What have you been doing?" 
	"I was in the lounge. I baked more brownies and cookies with Aunt Bea's supplies. That spectra-wave oven in the galley is terrific. It works three times as fast as the microwaves we have on earth." 
	Charlie gave her a dirty look. "Thanks for bringing me some to eat. I'm starving." 
	Sally wrinkled her nose at him. "You're always starving. They're for the Princess, anyway. I hope she likes them." 
	"You can count on it that she will," said Officer Polamus, who was sitting with the Captain at the control desk. "I've never tasted anything here on Teutron with that unique flavor in those food samples I found on Earth." 
	"You must mean the chocolate," Rick said. "It comes from the cocoa bean, the seed of the cacao tree that grows in the tropical Americas on Earth." 
	"I'm not aware of any such plant growing on Teutron," Captain Ion told them. "Why don't you check it out, Abey?" 
	The robot nodded and closed his eyes. The others could hear the whirring in his head as he checked his memory banks. When his eyes opened, he said, "I have no data of a similar plant in existence on our planet. There's also no word for 'chocolate' in any of the contemporary Teutronic languages. It must be a commodity particular to Earth." 
	Charlie hooted. "Man, do I ever feel sorry for Teutronites. Life without chocolate! That's what I call deprived." 
	"Well, get yourself prepared," Sally told him. "That's just what we'll be when our supply of cookies and brownies is gone." 
	Rick smiled to himself. Here they were, landing a spaceship on a planet besieged by international war, in a nation now occupied by a barbarian enemy, and they were all talking about chocolate! 
	"Some good might come out of this trip to Teutron after all," he said. "I think Charlie's going to lose those extra pounds he's been carrying around lately." 
	Charlie sneered at him. "Think so, huh? Don't count on it. I'll find something on this planet to eat!" 
	Just then, the spaceship approached a populated area and, chuckling, they all turned to look at the viewscreen. Scattered here and there amongst the rolling fields were large stone villas. Captain Ion guided the ship to an open field behind one of the homes, and then he and Officer Polamus brought the craft down to a gentle landing. 
	"Home at last!" ABL089 croaked happily as he left his post at the communications panel and crossed to the control desk. "Captain, I must report directly to the Princess. I'll take Rick, Charlie and Sally with me." 
	"Certainly." Captain Ion turned to Rick, Charlie and Sally and thanked them for their help in saving the ship and its crew from disaster. "Unfortunately, this is not a good time for you to visit Teutron," he added. "But King Pallas will be informed of the help you've given us and, should Olympus once again rule the planet, he will see to it that you are properly rewarded." 
	"The only reward we want is to be taken back to Earth," Rick said. "Olympus must rule again! That's the bottom line." 
	After leaving the control room, they followed ABL089 to the lounge. The robot took his flight bag from a cupboard and, after adding to its contents the cookies and brownies Sally had baked, they hurried down the corridor and out the lowered ramp. 
	Awaiting them in the field were several servants from Orion's villa. One of them, a tall woman dressed in a simple tunic-like gown, stepped forward to greet them. "Abey! What good fortune that you've safely returned. Are these the Earthlings you told the Princess about?" 
	"Indeed they are," he nodded eagerly, introducing them to the woman whose name was Hestia, the housekeeper at Orion's villa. 
	With an expression of awe she greeted Rick, Charlie and Sally, welcoming them to Teutron. Then she turned and gave orders to the other servants who had been standing there gawking at them. As the servants hurried up the ramp to carry out the orders and attend to the crew, Hestia gestured to follow her. 
	"Come, we must hurry," she said. "Princess Athena has already left the villa. She was afraid to stay any longer in case the Zaxxon soldiers came back looking for her." 
	ABL089 was dismayed. "The Princess isn't here? But where did she go?" 
	As they hurried across the field to the villa, Hestia told them that Princess Athena had gone to Elysia, a nearby resort town, and that she wanted them to meet her there at a club called the New Wave Canteen. 
	"She rode her horse to Elysia," Hestia added. "There are four other stallions in the corral saddled and ready for you." 
	"What about Orion's airship?" the robot asked. "Is it not here?" 
	"No, he flew off in it yesterday to Zaxxonia, the old fool! He went alone to look for Prince Apollo, and we are all worried to death about him." 
	ABL089 groaned as well as his cheerful programming allowed. "Then we'll have to ride the horses. But first we must get some clothes for our friends. They can't travel about our planet in those Earth clothes!" 
	The villa was set into a gently sloping hillside and a series of landscaped terraces led up to the entrance. They hurried up the stone steps and entered the sprawling house. After sending Sally off with Hestia, ABL089 led Rick and Charlie down a marble-floored hall and into a large airy chamber at its end. 
	"This is the room Prince Apollo uses when he visits here," he said as he pulled open a closet door. "Good, some of his clothes are here. You are all three about the same size, so they should fit you. While you boys change, I'll go to the kitchens and pack some supplies." 
	Rick and Charlie pulled off their clothes and piled them on a shelf in the large closet. Charlie burst out laughing as he slipped into one of Prince Apollo's tunics. 
	"Why do they dress like this here?" he asked. 
	Rick grinned, shrugging his shoulders. "I guess no one on this planet has invented jeans and t-shirts yet." 
	" I feel like we're getting in costume for one of those Greek tragedies the Lake University Drama Club puts on," Charlie added. 
	Rick belted the tunic he had pulled on. "We are dressing for a tragedy. The one right here on Teutron. Sheez! I sure hate to think of the Princess out there all alone with the Zaxxons on her trail." 
	Charlie slipped on a pair of sandals and tied the straps that came up to his calves. "Ditto on that, bud. I hope she'll be safe in Elysia till we get there." 
	There was a backpack on the closet floor and they put extra underwear and a couple changes of clothing in it. Rick flung it over his shoulder and they left the room. They met Sally in the entrance hall. She was wearing a simple white tunic-like gown, and she also carried a backpack. 
	"This is Princess Athena's dress," she told them. "Pretty neat, eh? Hestia said that the weather here is almost always warm. You seldom have to wear anything heavier than these light garments." 
	Rick nodded admiringly. "You look pretty ultra," he said. "Just like an Olympian Princess." 
	"I'll say she does," ABL089 agreed as he entered the hall. "With her long golden hair, Sally's almost a double for Princess Athena." 
	The girl's eyes widened. "Yikes! Then I hope the Zaxxons don't see me!" 
	The robot was carrying two backpacks. "I put some supplies in these," he said, handing one to Charlie. "You young people do know how to ride horses, don't you?" 
	Rick assured him they did, having grown up riding the horses at the Connors' farm. As they crossed the marble floor to the door, Hestia came running into the hall. 
	"You've got to hurry," she said. "Zaxxon soldiers are approaching the villa. Their road vehicles are coming down the lane. They've come back again! It was so awful when they were here earlier and took Prince Apollo!" 
	"We're outta here!" Rick said. "Let's go!" 
	"May good fortune be with you!" they heard Hestia cry as they rushed outside. 
	As they ran down the terrace steps and across to the outbuildings, the rumble of the approaching Zaxxon vehicles could be heard. Rick turned to look down the tree-lined lane that led up to the house. 
	"I hope they don't see us riding off on the horses," he shouted. "They won't have any trouble catching us in those space-age trucks of theirs." 
	ABL089 looked at him with wide eyes. "No way, Rick. Those are ground vehicles. They can't fly." 
	"Fly? Well neither do horses," Sally said, as they rounded the corner of a large stone barn. 
	The next moment she stopped dead in her tracks and stared ahead, her eyes wide with astonishment. 
	Charlie, too, came to an abrupt halt. He gawked ahead in surprise. 
	"Raider! Do you see what I see?" he blurted. 
	Rick's grin was almost as wide as ABL089's. "I sure do, buddy. Those Zaxxons won't catch us now!" 
	In a corral directly ahead of them were four white stallions, each with a long flowing mane, and each with a pair of beautiful widespread wings. 
	ABL089 let out a peal of laughter. "I take it the horses on Earth don't fly, eh? Well, you kids are in for the ride of your life. These are four of the fabulous flying Pegasi of Teutron!" 


Chapter Seven: THE FLIGHT OF THE PEGASI 

	Charlie Connors let out a wild whoop. "Flying horses! Groovy baby!" 
	"Well, don't just stand there," Rick urged his two friends. "Let's go for it." 
	Sally blinked her eyes to make sure the winged horses were really there. Then her lips parted in a happy grin. "All right! This girl is ready to fly!" 
	"That's the spirit," ABL089 laughed, as they hurried to the corral and pulled open the gate. "We'll be out of the Zaxxons' reach as soon as we're airbound." 
	"And that can't be soon enough for me," Rick flung back. 
	They ran into the corral and approached the four Pegasi. The big horses tossed their heads and whinnied, pulling at their reins which were tethered to the fence. Their wings beat in anticipation and it was obvious they were eager to be free. 
	Sally turned to ABL089. "What if we fall off once we're up in the air?" 
	"No need to worry. The saddle straps will hold you in place." 
	They each approached one of the horses and strapped their backpacks to the saddles. Then they untied the reins from the rails. 
	Sally stepped into the stirrup. "Aren't you a pretty fellow?" she said in a soothing voice as she grabbed the horn of the saddle. 
	"Oof!" Charlie grunted, as his horse's flapping wing hit him on the head. "This boy is sure rarin' to go." 
	"Stop it now, you bird-witted Pegasus!" ABL089 shouted, pulling at the reins as his horse tried to get away from him. "He's afraid of me. They're not too crazy about robots!" 
	"Hold on, Abey, I'm coming." Rick had already mounted and he rode over to the excited horse and held it steady by the reins as the robot mounted. 
	Grinning, ABL089 settled into the saddle. "You'll just have to get used to me, that's all," he told the horse. And to the others, "Now buckle your safety straps and remember to keep your feet in the stirrups." 
	After they had fastened the straps around their waists and thighs, ABL089 led the way out of the corral and they trotted into the field toward the spaceship. 
	Rick pointed back to the villa. "Look! The soldiers are running across the lawns. And they're shooting!" 
	Ping! Ping! Ping! 
	Fiery laser bolts whizzed through the air as the Zaxxon troops rushed after them. 
	"Ha! They won't get us now." The robot urged his horse on. "Up, up, and away we go!" 
	In unison, the four white stallions leaped into the air, their powerful wings lifting them upward. 
	Charlie whooped at the sensation of flying. "Wahoo! Princess Athena, here we come!" 
	The Pegasi soared swiftly over the spaceship and the four riders waved farewell to the crew members and servants who stood by the ramp looking up at them. 
	Even Rick was excited to the point of being giddy. He burst out laughing. "Talk about doing something surpassing! What a way to travel!" 
	"Beyondo," Charlie agreed, as the flying horses came abreast of each other. "Totally beyondo!" 
	Sally's blond curls were flying in the wind, and the light fabric of her dress was billowing around her. "This is totally awesome. And no one back home will ever believe us if we tell them!" 
	ABL089 grinned merrily. "Easy to handle, aren't they?" 
	"Nothing to it," Rick agreed. "Just give them their head and let them fly." 
	Charlie pointed below. "Look at the Zaxxons down there. Did we give them the slip or what?" 
	The soldiers had stopped running and shooting and were now standing by the spaceship watching the riders make their getaway. Some of them were rounding up the crew members and servants and leading them back to the villa. 
	"We made it just in time," Rick said. "Another minute and we'd have been captured too." 
	"That's what we here on Teutron call 'good fortune'," the robot told them. "It's been with us so far today. Let's hope it sticks around!" 
	The Pegasi flew high up into the sky and the four riders were carried toward a rugged mountain range looming in the distance. Ahead of them, the glowing orb of the sun was beginning to descend toward the peaks of the mountains. 
	"That's our sun, the star Lexia," ABL089 pointed out. "The sunsets of Teutron are beautiful. You'll soon see for yourselves." 
	"Aren't we flying toward the east?" Rick asked ABL089. 
	"Correct. We're headed in the direction of Zaxxonia, which is east of Olympus." 
	Rick looked puzzled. "You mean your sun sets in the east?" 
	"Right. Teutron revolves in a westerly direction, the opposite of how your planet earth revolves. Our sun rises in the west and sets in the east. But I've been on planets that have two or more suns, and they often rise and set at different compass points. You could go batty trying to figure it out!" 
	As the sun lowered, twilight settled upon the land. A few stars began to twinkle in the sky and a bright moon rose over the mountains ahead. 
	"Look, fellas," Sally called out. "There's a moon." 
	"And there's another." Charlie pointed to the north where a where a similar but larger orb was visible. 
	"Teutron has two moons, eh?" Rick queried. 
	"Three," ABL089 said. "Look behind you." 
	They turned to look. Over the western horizon of mountain ranges hovered another golden moon, much larger than the other two. There were a number of silver rings around it. 
	"That's Urania, our ringed moon," ABL089 told them. "It's the largest of Teutron's moons. The one north of us is Triton and the one ahead, the smallest, is Ceres." 
	Charlie nodded approvingly. "I sure can dig that. Three moons are better than one. But you must have some weird tides on this planet!" 
	ABL089 laughed. "Tides are the least of our troubles. You young people have no idea what a plain and ordinary planet your Earth is." 
	Rick stroked the flowing main of the stallion he rode. "I think we're beginning to see what you mean, Abey." 
	"Oh, look at the sky," Sally said in awed tones as she pointed ahead. 
	The sun was now touching the topmost peaks of the mountain range. Fiery rays streaked up into the sky and painted the heavens with vivid and unusual hues of orange, red, and purple. 
	Charlie looked solemn. "Gosh all Connecticut. It's beautiful." 
	Rick nodded in agreement. "And I thought the sunsets over Lake Erie were something." 
	"The colors are so intense," Sally added. "Oh.........look!" 
	At that moment, a small airship shot over the crest of the mountains, flying toward them at a lightning speed! 
	ABL089 leaned forward in the saddle. "Heaven forfend! That's a Zaxxon airfighter! The soldiers back at the villa must have radioed about our escape. A ship has been sent after us!" 
	Rick's eyes narrowed, worried. "Will they try and shoot us down, Abey?" 
	"Most certainly, Rick. The airfighters are manned by Zaxxon robots, same as the space warships." 
	"Figures," Charlie muttered angrily. "And this time we have nothing to fight them with!" 
	Sally looked from one to the other. "What are we going to do?" 
	Rick watched the onrushing airfighter, his fists clenched so tightly that the reins seemed to be cutting into his palms. He knew the craft's mission was to destroy them, and his mind was racing to come up with a plan to escape that fate. 
	Then he said, "Abey, you and Sally fly down to the ground and ride into that forest in the foothills. Charlie and I are going to lead that airfighter on a wild goose chase." 
	"All right!" Charlie agreed. "We'll see just how fancy these Pegasi can fly!" 
	"But Rick," Sally argued. "We can't just leave you...." 
	"Get going," he interupted. "There's no time to talk about it. That ship is almost on top of us!" 
	Sally gave him a desparate look then, none too soon, she and ABL089 flew downward. At the same time, Rick and Charlie flew high into the sky as the airfighter closed in on them at a furious speed. 
	"Unghh!" Charlie got the breath knocked out of him by the speed his horse was flying. "Whew! These winged wonders just might outfly that airfighter," he shouted. 
	"Don't count on it," Rick flung back. "We've got to outsmart those robot pilots. That's the only way to win this one!" 
	The airfighter, which was the size of a small jet, shot underneath them and then streaked up into the sky to turn around. 
	"To the mountains," Rick yelled. "Follow me!" 
	The boys urged the stallions onward but the horses balked, pawing at the air and whinnying in fright because of the roaring flying ship. 
	"Chill out, Pegasus!" Rick shouted at his horse. "If you don't come through now, we're both done for." 
	Charlie gritted his teeth, struggling with his mount. "What a bummer," he groaned. "Can you believe this? Having to fight a mega-jet with flying horses?" 
	"You bet I believe it," Rick muttered. "That's exactly what we gotta do!" 
	He regained control of his horse and the flying stallion sped forward. Charlie's followed and, below them, the boys could see the other two Pegasi galloping into the forest. 
	"Good. At least Sally and Abey will be safe." Rick slapped his horse's flanks to urge it on. "Let's ditch those Zaxxons!" 
	Side by side the two white stallions raced through the sky toward the rugged peaks, the airfighter streaking down at them from above. 
	"We've got to fly in and out of those peaks," Rick yelled. "Try and make the airfighter crash into one of them." 
	Charlie nodded. "Gladly. And I don't mean maybe!" 
	The screaming Zaxxon craft descended upon them. The boys leaned forward in the saddles as the horses whickered in fright. 
	Ping! Ping! Ping! 
	Laser bolts screeched at them from the airfighter's guns. 
	Crouching low, Rick shuddered as he looked over his shoulder. "Let's split up. Now!" he roared. 
	They both pulled forcefully at the reins, their efforts none too soon. As they flew off in opposite directions, the airfighter thundered between them. Had they not parted, it would have blasted into them and knocked them from the sky. 
	Rick smiled grimly as the jet-like craft streaked by and arced up high above. His fighting spirit had kicked in and was riding high now, and he knew he'd use every last one of his abilities to get out of this jam alive. He watched as Charlie reached the nearest mountain top and began to circle around it. He urged his horse in that direction as the attacking fighter sped down at Charlie, firing a flurry of laser bolts at him. 
	"Hold on, bud! I'm coming!" 
	Rick zigzagged a course over the ridges and canyons of the mountains, which whizzed below him in a blur. He flew high over the peak Charlie was circling, offering himself as a target to the robot pilots in the ship. They started to fire at him and, instead of turning to flee, Rick flew his steed directly at the oncoming craft. Again he zigzagged the horse from side to side to avoid the barrage of death-weilding bolts. 
	"Good going, boy!" Rick enthused, stroking the horse's mane. "What I wouldn't give to take you back to Earth with me!" 
	But Rick had misjudged the airfighter's speed. Suddenly, the Zaxxon craft seemed to be right on top of him! 
	"Uh oh!" He pulled frantically on the reins. 
	The Pegasus screeched in protest, beating its wings furiously. But Rick pulled the reins even harder, too hard, and the horse flew upwards and then upside down in a giant cartwheel. Rick grabbed at the flinging mass of the horse's mane as he felt himself falling. But the safety straps tightened, holding him in place, and he had a momentary glimpse of the entire world upside down. 
	"Yaaaaiiiiiiii!" Rick bellowed, his eyes widened in terror. 
	He had pulled way too hard on the reins and hadn't let up in time. Now he and the horse were spiraling down upon the nose of the airfighter! 
	Rick could see the two Zaxxon robots in the cockpit gaping up at him as he and the horse shot toward them in what seemed an inevitable crash. But the powerful stallion, sensing the impending disaster, rallied all its strength and, with a great beating of wings and pawing of hoofs, it fought against the downward plunge.Then it steaked up into the sky like a thunderbolt, whinnying a throaty scream and missing the nose of the airfighter by inches. 
	"Yowwwwww!" cried Rick, holding fast to the whipping white mane. 
	The rush of wind was so powerful that he couldn't breathe, and he was tossed to and fro like a helpless puppet. 
	Charlie watched anxiously from below. "Duuuude! Hold on, man!" 
	But he had to tear his eyes from Rick's plight. The airfighter was now bearing down upon him and his horse, bombarding them again with a rapid succession of fire. Charlie worked the reins, leading his mount around the mountain to its far side. The airfighter followed, forcing him to fly out into the open where there was no protection from the gunfire. 
	"We haven't got a chance!" he groaned, the airfighter swinging around to follow. 
	Ping! Ping! Ping! 
	The laser fire screeched by, barely missing him. Charlie crouched down, hugging the horse's neck. His eyes were glued hopefully on the next mountain top ahead. Suddenly, from seemingly nowhere, Rick was at his side, grinning determinedly as he crouched forward in the saddle. 
	"Rick!" Charlie cried. "I thought you were done for!" 
	"Not a chance!" Rick ducked a laser bolt that screamed closely overhead. "Come on, let's lead that grody airfighter on a snake dance right into that mountain." 
	Charlie nodded vigorously. "Right to its freakin' end!" And they began to fly in a zigzag path as the airfighter closed in. 
	The blood pounded in their veins as the gunfire surrounded them. The Pegasi whinnied in terror, but Rick and Charlie were beyond fear now. Their flight was a matter of life and death, and their only thought was to destroy the Zaxxon airfighter. 
	Ping! Ping! Ping! 
	"OUCH!" Charlie screamed and grabbed his shoulder. 
	Rick turned to look at him. Charlie's tunic was burning where the laser bolt had hit his shoulder. Trying to grab at the painful area, Charlie lost his balance and was flung back and forth in the saddle. 
	"You all right?" Rick cried out. 
	"It's okay! It's okay!" Charlie regained his balance and tightened his hold on the reins. "O and likewise K! It just nicked me. Jeez, does my shoulder ever burn." 
	Rick looked back at the mountain ahead of them. "All right, stay cool. And don't pull away until the last second!" 
	The mountain top seemed to be rushing at them. Rick looked over his shoulder. The airfighter would be upon them any moment. He looked back up ahead. The ragged rock of the mountain was only yards away. 
	"Down!" Rick bellowed. "Now!" 
	The two winged horses plunged down as if to fly directly into the side of the mountain. The airfighter dipped to follow, bombarding them with laser fire. 
	"Now up!" Rick roared, pulling up and back on the reins. 
	Charlie did the same and the two Pegasi wildly pawed at the air and beat their wings, then shot upward, soaring over the crest of the peak. 
	But not the Zaxxon craft. Having been tricked into taking the downward plunge, the pilots in the ship didn't have time to turn back up. The airfighter crashed into the mountainside in a booming fiery explosion that lit up the twilight skies. 
	"Way to go!" Charlie raised a clenched fist into the air as he and Rick flew their mounts high over the flaming wreckage. "Man, that was.....that was........" 
	Rick started to laugh. "That was just too much, Connors. Even you can't think of a word to describe it!" 
	He looked down at the wreckage, a sense of relief washing over him. 
	Charlie's voice was unusually humbled. "We were really lucky, you know." 
	Rick nodded. "Yeah, I know. It's that good fortune we've been hearing about, dude. It sure as Helsinki has been with us today!" 


Chapter Eight: THE NEW WAVE CANTEEN 

	"That was some great trick flying, Rick," Sally said, as she finished dressing the wound on Charlie's shoulder. She arched a brow at Rick. "Where did you learn to do a cartwheel on a horse? Certainly not at the Connors' farm?" 
	Charlie grunted. "Oh sure. If Rick can do that on one of my horses, I'll eat my hat." 
	The boys had flown down to the ground and met with Sally and ABL089 in the forest. They now stood alongside a woodland stream while the Pegasi refreshed themselves with the sparkling water. 
	The robot laughed in a high-pitched tone. "Eat your hat? Of all things! You Earthlings sure have a colorful vocabulary." 
	"Yours isn't exactly what I'd call dull," Rick told him. 
	"That's because I'm programmed to say cheery and uplifting things," ABL089 said. "I am definitely one of the most pleasant creatures in the universe." 
	"You sure have the Zaxxon robots beat by a long shot," Rick told him. "When I pulled too hard on the reins and forced my horse into that cartwheel, I could see right at them in the cockpit of the airfighter. Let me tell you, they didn't look very nice." 
	"Zaxxon robots don't have a decent microchip in their heads," ABL089 harrumphed, trying unsuccessfully to look angry. 
	"Well, yours is obviously filled with the best ones ever made," Sally told him. "You are just plain totally fab!" 
	"Fab?" ABL089 creased his brow. "That I don't compute. Sometimes I have the hardest time understanding what is obviously your trendy teen slang. Especially Charlie!' 
	Sally laughed as she threaded a needle to mend the shoulder of Charlie's tunic. "Fab is short for fabulous. You are totally fabulous, Abey." 
	"Well, thank you. That, I certainly can compute!" 
	"And don't worry about understanding Charlie, " Rick said. "Sally and I don't understand him half the time. Only God knows where he gets some of his lingo from." 
	Charlie grimaced from the pain in his shoulder, but nevertheless he grinned at the robot. "I get it from everywhere. Don't think I haven't been taking mental notes here on Teutron. I can't wait to lay 'Great Andromeda!' on the kids back home." 
	Sally finished mending the tunic and tied the stitch. "I guess you'll live, Charlie, just in case we ever do get back home. It was only a surface wound. Try to look at it this way - you're the only Earthling ever to be wounded by laser gunfire. You can lay that on the kids back home too." 
	Charlie smirked. "Like they'd believe me. I can just see me like, 'Oh what's up, gang? See this wound? I got it from a laser bolt while Rick and I were fighting a robot-piloted jet on a planet in outer space'." 
	Rick burst out laughing. "While riding flying horses!" he added. 
	Sally too started to laugh. "Right. You can't forget the flying horses!" 
	Charlie hooted, convulsed with laughter. "That's the best part!" 
	Rick leaned against a tree, tears of merriment ebbing in his eyes. "It's almost as funny as Aunt Bea seeing her cookies and brownies stolen by a man dressed liked Hercules!" 
	Charlie doubled over. He could hardly get his words out. "And then we found them on a freakin' SPACESHIP!" 
	Sally plopped down onto the ground, giggling uncontrollably. "And then I baked more. MORE! On a spaceship!" 
	"Right!" Rick managed to keep the comical thread going, even though his stomach ached from laughing. "Yes. MORE cookies and brownies! For a princess from another galaxy! So she can taste chocolate!" 
	Charlie, too, leaned against a tree, tears now streaming down his cheeks. "Right! Because this crazy planet doesn't have any! Of all the frick-frackin' planets in the universe, we have to come to one without....without....." 
	"Without ...... CHOCOLATE!" Sally finished for him with a screech. 
	She sat on the ground, laughing uncontrollably, as Rick and Charlie leaned against the trees doing the same. 
	ABL089 looked from Rick to Charlie to Sally and back again, his big eyes bulging in wonder. "Andromeda be praised!" he uttered. "I have never seen humans find so much to laugh about in such a stressful situation!" 
	"Stressful?" Rick repeated, and he and Charlie and Sally began to laugh even harder. 
	"Us? Stressed?" Charlie hooted, sliding his back down the trunk of the tree to sit on the ground. "What for? I mean, like all we have to do is find a kidnapped prince and the Eternal Flame stolen by a barbarian enemey on this totally weird planet six gazillion miles from home. Pooh! It's a piece of cake, man." 
	"Four hundred gazillion miles, "ABL089 said, his expression as serious as he could make it. "Earth is four hundred gazillion miles from Teutron." 
	The three friends stopped laughing. They looked at the robot with opened mouths. 
	"That far?" Rick asked. 
	ABL089 nodded his head. 
	"Awesome," Sally breathed. 
	Charlie looked astounded. "I didn't even know there really was such a number as 'gazillion'." 
	The robot nodded. "I don't know about your language, but the way it's being translated to me by my sensor apparatus matches a number in the Olympian language. Of course, it's a very high number, trillions and trillions and quadrillions. But when you are talking space travel, the numbers do get high, kids." 
	"Gosh," Sally sighed, pushing herself up from the ground. "I guess we really are far from home. Our families must really be worried about us." 
	Rick pushed himself away from the tree and put his arm around her shoulder. "Let's not think about that," he said quickly. "We're in a tough situation, but we've been having too good a time to ruin it now. The only way we can get back home is by finding the Eternal Flame and returning it to the Olympians." 
	"Then let's get the show on the road!" Charlie got back up on his feet and and stretched out the arm of his wounded shoulder. "Good as new! Let's get going. We have a date to keep with a princess!" 
	Sally arched an inquisitive brow at him as she put away the first aid and sewing articles into her backpack. "Hmmm! You seem to be pretty anxious to meet Princess Athena." 
	"You bet. I'm going to show her just how cool us guys from Earth can be." 
	Sally giggled anew as she strapped the backpack to her saddle. "Yah, right. Mr. Cool. Don't get too close to her or she may start to shiver!" 
	Charlie just shook his head as the others started to laugh. "Girls!" he snorted, mounting his horse. "You can't live with 'em and you can't live without 'em! Sheez!" 
	The others mounted their stallions and soon they were trotting down the path through the darkening forest. When they reached the grasslands at the edge of the woods, the Pegasi galloped out and took off up into the sky. 
	As they flew over the flaming wreckage of the airfighter, Rick said, "I hope they don't send any more ships after us!" 
	ABL089 readily agreed. "It'd be terrible to have to go through that again!" 
	"No instant replay for me," Charlie muttered. "I hope we travel the rest of the way in friendly skies!" 
	The rest of their flight to Elysia went by without incident. The popular resort was located on the channel of water that separated Olympus from Zaxxonia. As they approached, they could see the twinkling lights of the town below. 
	"That channel is named the Strait of Neptune," ABL089 said, pointing ahead to the waters. "Although you can navigate easily enough within a few miles of shore, it's very treacherous to go too far out or try to cross it completely in a boat. The waters are usually calm along this coast, but violent wind storms from the north often batter the coast of Zaxxonia across the way. The lands there are known as the Windy Regions." 
	"I'm really surprised it's still so warm now that night has come," Sally said. "Isn't it odd to have such a warm climate this far north?" 
	"The star Lexia is one of great magnitude," the robot explained. "Teutron is an extremely warm planet because of its proximity to its sun. Our equatorial regions are insufferably hot and, for the most, uninhabited by man. But the further regions of both hemispheres normally have pleasant weather, warm days and nights. The crew of the spaceship complained that it was cold on Earth. They had to wear furs outside." 
	Charlie laughed. "Lucky you didn't land in Lake City during the winter. They would've frozen to death." 
	ABL089 shook his head. "Not likely, Charlie. The crew are prepared for all types of weather. They even have special suits to wear in hostile atmospeheres. There may be extremities of weather on Earth, but it's still a hospitable planet compared to others I've been to." 
	"I'd like to hear about your adventures sometime," Rick said, as they began to guide the winged horses downward. 
	"I've had a great many, Rick, but something tells me that what lies ahead of us now will be the greatest adventure of them all!" 
	The Pegasi glided down to a gentle landing in the open grasslands just west of Elysia. With the robot in the lead, the party trotted to the edge of the resort town. 
	"We have to be very careful," ABL089 warned. "The Zaxxon soldiers may be looking for us." 
	As they approached a road lined with cottage-like vacation homes, Rick asked, "What are we going to do with the horses?" 
	"There's a public corral down this road," the robot answered. "We can tether them there. I'm sure that's where the Princess quartered hers." 
	The stallions trotted onto the dusty road and then, at a slow walk, the party made their way into town. 
	Sally looked up and down the road. "This place looks like the resort towns by the Lake Erie islands." 
	"It sure does," Charlie agreed. "If it weren't for the way these people dress, you'd think this was a vacation spot in the USA." 
	Rick watched the Olympians strolling along the road. They looked just like the humans on Earth and represented different races and ethnic groups. They all wore the tunic-like garments and, although they seemed to be enjoying themselves, there was a quiet and subdued atmosphere about the place. He was sure it wasn't always that way. 
	ABL089 pointed ahead. "Look, Zaxxon soldiers." 
	Two members of the Zaxxon militia stood at the intersection they were approaching. The soldiers wore black metal breastplates over their tunics, metal cuffs at their wrists, and matching helmets. Both carried guns that resembled large pistols, and they watched the passing pedestrians with suspicious eyes. 
	"They look like Greek or Roman soldiers," Charlie whispered. 
	"The armour is a special metal that protects them from the laser bolts," ABL089 told them. "The Olympian soldiers wear similar uniforms, but their armour is white." 
	Rick grinned. "I expected as much. On Earth, the good guys always wear white." 
	Sally was getting nervous. "I hope they don't stop us. What if they're on the lookout for us?" 
	"Just cross your fingers and hope they aren't," the robot said, leading his horse ahead of the others as one of the soldiers stepped out into the road. 
	"Halt!" the Zaxxon commanded, leveling his gun at the four riders. "Where are you bound for?" 
	ABL089 replied in his most cheerful tones. "We just rode in from the farm country to the south. I'm taking my young friends, in whose service I'm bonded, to the local teen club for the evening." 
	The second soldier stepped out onto the road and approached the horses. His face was barely visible under the visor of the helmet, but they could see him looking at them suspiciously. 
	"I didn't know Olympian farmers could afford to own a sonicor robot," he said, gesturing with his gun to ABL089. 
	For a moment Rick was totally perplexed. He didn't know what 'sonicor' meant, but of course he knew ABL089 was as high-tech as a robot could be and obviously worth a fortune. He took a deep breath, knowing the others were waiting for him to say something. 
	Rick gave the Zaxxon his best smile. "My father is a scientist, not a farmer, although we do live on a large farm that is worked by tenants. He was instrumental in some of the latest sonicor advancements and this robot is one of his working models. We don't get the chance to party much down in the farm country, so we're looking forward to having some fun at the canteen." 
	The soldiers both stepped back, giving ABL089 the once-over again. Then they both looked at the young friends with contempt. 
	"Ha! Go ahead and enjoy yourself while you can," said theone who had questioned about ABL089. "That lousy canteen will be closed down soon anyway. Those places are nothing but trouble!" 
	He waved them on, and both soldiers stepped back to let the riders pass. 
	"Remember the curfew," one of them warned as they rode on. "Teenagers are not allowed on the streets after midnight now that we Zaxxons are in command!" 
	"That was a great thing to say, Rick," ABL089 praised when they were out of earshot. "One would think you knew all about the sonicor robots and their makers." 
	"I didn't know what else to say. Obviously it sounded good to the soldiers." 
	"Of course it did. Although my kind have been around for ages, there have been new developments in the recent years that have made us even better." 
	"What does 'sonicor' mean? "Sally asked. 
	"It's the flesh-like plastic substance that covers my frame and gives me a somewhat human look." 
	Charlie grinned at the robot. "So, how old are you, sonicor dude?" 
	ABL089 seemed amost embarrassed for a moment. Then he laughed. "I was constructed about 200 Teutron years ago, and they are just about the same as your Earth years. And I get regular updates, of course, when they are available." He lowered his voice. "And I have always been in the service of the Royal Family." 
	Sally smiled warmly at him. "Then you have known them all for generations! And the Prince and Princess since they were born." 
	"Ah yes," he smiled proudly. "I was their guardian and tutor. Of all the royals I've known, Apollo and Athena are my very favorites!" 
	"All the more reason for us to save them from the Zaxxons," Rick muttered. "At least the news of our escape from Orion's villa hasn't spread this far east yet. Otherwise those guards would've been looking for four riders on white horses." 
	Charlie growled. "Let's hope we can get the Princess out of town before the news does get here." 
	Sally sighed. "This Zaxxon takeover is outrageous. They even plan to close down the teenagers' club. I'd have a fit if anyone closed down our Videodrome in Lake City!" 
	ABL089 shook his head. "The nation will be a military state. The Olympians will be under the suveillance of the Zaxxons wherever they go." 
	"Like in some of our countries on Earth," Rick said, anger surfacing in his voice. "It's totally wrong that the people of any nation should have to live like that." 
	With this disheartening thought in mind, they reached the public corral and rode the horses inside. There were several other Pegasi hitched to the rails. One particularly large horse was brown, two were gray, and another, whose hide was black, was spotted with white markings. Other than the wings, they all seemed to be the very same as the horses on Earth. 
	ABL089 led them over to a big white stallion similar to their own. "This is Starfire, Princess Athena's horse," he whispered. "At least we know she arrived here safely." 
	Starfire snorted and pawed at the ground at sight of the other four stallions he obviously knew. He beat his wings and whinnied. 
	Sally grinned. "He's happy to see his friends," she said as they dismounted. 
	After hitching the horses to the rails, ABL089 called over an attendant and gave him some coin to feed and water the stallions. Then they left the corral and joined the other pedestrians on the road, conversing in low tones as they made their way towards the center of town. A pair of Zaxxon soldiers were stationed at almost every intersection, and Rick and his friends kept as far away from them as possible. 
	They soon reached the town's main street and stepped onto the wooden sidewalks lining the storefronts. Across the street were a public park and beach, and several docks where pleasure boats were moored. People milled about the area in a quiet manner and a number of boats were out on the channel, the water reflecting their colorful lights. 
	"Hey, I'm hungry," Charlie groaned as they passed a restaurant. "We were between galaxies the last time I ate!" 
	"Shhh! Keep it down." Rick gestured to a pair of Zaxxon soldiers who were approaching them. "Don't let them hear we've been in outer space!" 
	The soldiers eyed them coolly as they passed, and when they were out of earshot Charlie said, "I'd sure like to send them to outer space! I'm developing a mega dislike for Zaxxons." 
	"As are the rest of the people in Olympus!" ABL089 agreed. 
	Rick pointed to the window of the shop they were passing. "Check this out, Charlie." 
	Charlie stopped in his tracks. The shop was a bakery, and there was a fine array of cakes, pies, and other pastries in the window. And they all looked exceptionally delicious to him. 
	"Come on, Charlie," Sally urged. "We really don't have time to think about food now." 
	He moaned. "Give me a break, huh? Can't I just run in and buy something? Give me some money, Abey." 
	But before the robot could answer, Rick had grabbed Charlie's arm and pulled him along. "Later," he laughed. "Besides, none of that stuff has chocolate in it, remember?" 
	Charlie scowled. "So what? I don't have to have it. When in Olympus, I can eat as the Olympians do!" 
	Suddenly, they became aware of loud rock n' roll music blaring out onto the street from a nearby doorway. 
	Sally grabbed the boys by the arms. "Listen to that. It sounds just like the music at home!" 
	Charlie snapped his fingers to the beat. "Pretty decent. Let's stop in and catch some tunes." 
	ABL089 stopped and pointed to the sign above the doorway. "We certainly will. That's the New Wave Canteen. We're supposed to meet the Princess in there." 
	"Excellent!" Rick stepped ahead eagerly. "Let's go. I hope she's still here." 
	A group of teenagers were standing around the entrance to the club and they moved aside to make way for Rick and his companions. The full force of the loud music hit them as they entered the canteen. The place was packed with young people who were sitting at tables, milling around the aisles, and dancing out on the floor. A band was playing on the stage, strobelights flashed, and videos were being projected onto several large wall screens. 
	Rick looked around through the crowd. "I guess this is where the action is." 
	"It certainly is jumping," ABL089 agreed. 
	"You're tellin' me?" Charlie put in. "This place is nitro!" 
	Rick led the way through the noisy crowd. Sally kept glancing at the stage to look at the band's singer. His bleached blond hair was short and spiked and streaked with vivid shades of blue and red, and his tunic was of a purple and black zigzagged pattern. On his feet were a pair of silver boots with wings at the heels, and on his left arm was a black arm band with white lettering. Many of the others in the club were dressed in the same colorful manner, and most of them wore similar arm bands. 
	"What does the lettering on the arm bands say?" Rick asked ABL089. 
	"'Free Olympus!'" he answered. "I see the young people have already taken up the cause. Good for them!" 
	Sally grinned. "That'll show the Zaxxons!" 
	A girl walked up and handed each of them one of the arm bands. "Wear them for the cause," she said fervently. "We have to let the Zaxxons know we're not afraid of them!" 
	"Right on!" Charlie agreed, slipping the band onto his arm. 
	Rick pulled on the arm band the girl had given him and he watched as she helped ABL089 put on his. Around her neck she wore several colorful scarfs, and painted on her face were moons and stars, ringed planets and comets, and winged horses flying amongst them. Her hair was short and spikey, and streaked with every color of the rainbow. 
	"And don't let anyone take this arm band off you, Abey," the girl whispered. 
	"What? Heaven forfend! How do you know my name?" the robot asked, his eyes bugging out at her. 
	The girl grinned. "Why shouldn't I? After all, you belong to me!" 
	ABL089 cocked his head and arched his brows, his eyes even bigger as he gawked at her. A moment later he squealed shrilly and grabbed the girl's hands. 
	"By the rings of Urania! It's you, Princess. I never would have known you in that wild get-up. What have you done to your hair?" 
	"Shhh! It's a wig. Don't talk so loud. We mustn't let anyone know my identity." 
	"But I'm so excited!" the robot went on. "These are my friends from Earth I told you about." 
	He introduced them to the Princess and they eagerly shook hands with her. 
	"It's such a relief to know you're safe," Sally said. "We sure were worried about you!" 
	"Good fortune has been with me," the Princess said with a friendly smile, "the same as it has been with you. It's so exciting to meet people from another world! I wish things weren't so bad here on Teutron. I could show you all the beautiful sights of our planet." 
	"Don't worry about that," Rick said. "We're here to help you escape. That's what matters now." 
	"But I don't know what to do," Princess Athena confessed, her smile fading. "I have nowhere to go and no one to turn to." 
	"You have us," Charlie told her. "And you can bet all the stars in this galaxy that we'll get you out of this." 
	The smile she gave Charlie caused a sudden weakening in his knees. 
	"He's right," ABL089 told her. "These kids have a plan. Let's go sit at that empty table by the wall and we'll tell you about it." 
	The Princess agreed, and they made their way through the crowd to the table. When they were seated, Rick told the Princess of their plan to flee to Zaxxonia and search there for her brother and the Eternal Flame. 
	"But it sounds so dangerous!" she said anxiously. "Why should you risk your lives for my people?" 
	"We're in danger here on Teutron ourselves," Sally told her. "We too have nowhere to go and no one to turn to." 
	"Right," Charlie agreed. "A little more danger won't matter. And if we succeed, then your father could dispatch a ship to take us back home." 
	Rick told the Princess about the airfighter that had attacked them on their way to Elysia. "The Zaxxons are already on the lookout for us. We're in the same boat as you. They've probably learned by now that we're from another planet, and they'll want to apprehend us." 
	The Princess looked sharply at Rick and Charlie. "You guys actually fought an airfighter with the Pegasi and won?" 
	Both Rick and Charlie nodded. 
	Princess Athena began to laugh. "Holy Urania! Wait till Apollo hears about this. He thinks he's the best rider on the planet!" Then her mood suddenly became more serious. "If we can find Apollo, that is. I agree I'd be safer in Zaxxonia. They'd never dream of looking for me there. But it's such a large country with so many strange and dangerous regions. And I have no idea where to look for Apollo and the Eternal Flame. If only there were some way to contact my uncle. He's already there and he might have some idea where to search." 
	"I've got it!" ABL089 banged his fist on the table. "What about the oracle Medusa? She dwells in the Windy Regions of Zaxxonia , almost directly across the Strait of Neptune from here." 
	"Abey, that's a wonderful idea!" To the others, the Princess explained. "The oracle Medusa is an ancient sorceress who knows all and sees all. If anyone can tell us where Apollo and the Eternal Flame are, she's the one." 
	"A sorceress?" Charlie asked in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding." 
	"Not at all," ABL089 said. "Medusa is for real. And it's told that if her wrath is aroused she can fling thunderbolts from her fingertips that can turn one into stone." 
	Sally shuddered. "We'll have to be sure not to make her angry!" 
	Rick grinned and slid a look at Charlie. "And that means you, bud. No mouthing off. If you get turned to stone......" 
	Rick never finished what he was saying, for at that very moment there was a disturbance at the entrance to the canteen. Everyone turned to look in that direction. Suddenly, several Zaxxon soldiers swaggered into the room, and by their behavior it was apparent that they were looking for someone. 
	Charlie groaned. "Look who just blew in. They must be looking for you, Princess." 
	A frightened look crossed Princess Athena's face, but Rick grabbed her hand and quickly took charge of the situation. 
	"Let's get up and dance," he said. "That way we'll blend into the crowd. Abey, you hide under the table. You're the only robot in the place!" 
	"An excellent idea!" ABL089 squirmed under the table as the others pushed back their chairs. 
	The four young people hurried onto the dance floor and began gyrating to the driving beat of the rock n' roll music while the singer belted out a powerful rap about freedom. 
	"Boogie down!" Charlie laughed, spinning around. 
	Rick nudged him in the side. "Cool it, huh? We don't want those soldiers to notice us." 
	"I'm afraid they already have," Princess Athena cried. "Look!" 
	Rick turned to see two of the Zaxxon soldiers pushing their way towards them through the other dancers. Their eyes were riveted on Sally, and they had grim expressions on their faces. 
	When the soldiers reached them a moment later, one of them grabbed Sally roughly by the shoulder and spun her around. Startled, she shrank back in alarm. 
	"Here she is!" the Zaxxon boomed. "I'd know her anywhere. We've found Princess Athena at last!" 


Chapter Nine: ON TO ZAXXONIA 

	"Let me go!" Sally cried, fire in her eyes as she tried to squirm from the Zaxxon soldier's grasp. "You're hurting me!" 
	"Get your freakin' hands off her!" Blazingly angry, Rick pushed his way between Sally and the soldier. "You have the wrong girl. She is not Princess Athena!" 
	The band had suddenly stopped playing and every eye in the room was on Rick as he glared angrily at the enemy soldier. 
	"Don't tell me my business, sonny." The big Zaxxon gave Rick a withering look and shoved him aside. "I know the Princess of Olympus when I see her!" 
	"You'd better take a chill pill, Bozo," Charlie fumed. "You can't do that to my bud!" With that, he leaped through the air and crashed into the soldier, knocking him to the floor. Charlie and Sally both toppled onto the stupefied Zaxxon as Rick gaped wide-eyed at them. 
	The next moment, the entire club was in an uproar. The young Olympians, angered by the presence of the enemy soldiers in their canteen, surged forward. Shouts and cries echoed throughout the room, tables and chairs were overturned, and the Zaxxon soldiers were pummeled by a flurry of flying fists. 
	"Free Olympus!" angry voices cried out. 
	"Down with the Zaxxons!" The singer on stage shouted through the microphone. "Olympus rules! Fight for the cause!" 
	Rick found himself in the middle of the brawl. He hurried to pull Sally up from the floor . The soldier she and Charlie had fallen on sqirmed away from the group of kids pounding on him and whipped out his gun from its sheath on his side. 
	"Watch out, Connors!" Rick shouted to Charlie who had rolled off the Zaxxon and onto the floor. Then he leaped over Charlie and kicked the laser gun from the soldier's hand. It went flying into the crowd and slid across the floor. 
	Rick hurried back and grabbed Sally's hand. "Let's get outta here!" 
	Charlie had jumped to his feet. "You said it, man. Let's split. This place has gone wild!" 
	Charlie grabbed Princess Athena, who had been watching the melee with a stunned expression, and he pulled her along. Rick led the way as they shoved through the crowd. At the edge of the dance floor they found ABL089, who was bobbing up and down in a frenzy. 
	"Good fortune!" the robot squealed. "The young people of Olympus are really giving it to those Zaxxons!" 
	Charlie's chest swelled. "You bet, after Rick Raider and Company shows them how!" 
	"And while they're keeping the Zaxxons busy," Rick added, his eyes darting around the room, "we'd better hit the road." 
	Princess Athena pointed ahead. "There's a back door down that hall by the bathrooms. We can slip out that way." 
	"Great!" Charlie dashed along with the others as they hurried to the hall through the maze of overturned tables. "I have to stop at the men's room for a quick visit." 
	Rick grabbed his friend's arm and pulled him along. "No time for that, buster. We gotta get out of here!" 
	Charlie fumed. "Sheez! You guys are too much. You won't let me eat. I can't even go to the bathroom. Interplanetary travel is rough enough without having to deny bodily functions!" 
	Sally threw an amused glance at him. "Don't worry, in Zaxxonia we'll find you a nice McDonald's or Burger King with comfortable rest rooms." 
	Charlie mumbled something along the lines of "Don't I wish!" as they ran out the back entrance and found themselves in an alley that ran behind the establishments of the town's main street. 
	"Whew," Sally shuddered as they hurried along the alley. "That was a close call. Can you believe that soldier actually thought I'm the Princess of Olympus?" 
	Princess Athena chuckled. "Well, you are wearing my clothes, I noticed. And we do look quite a bit alike. I'll remove this wig and make-up when we get to Zaxxonia, and you'll see." 
	She untied one of the scarfs around her neck and handed it to Sally. "Here, put this on to cover your hair so the soldiers on the street won't mistake you for me." 
	Sally tied the scarf on. "They didn't on our way into town. But after what happened in the canteen, I feel like I need a disguise too." 
	Charlie rolled his eyes heavenward and shook his head. "Humphh! Hang around with girls and there's always gonna be trouble." 
	Princess Athena looked at him and giggled. "Well, I see the guys on Earth are the same as those here on Teutron." 
	Sally nodded. "Charlie loves to tease, but it's his darn fault we're in this predicament. He was the one who couldn't resist exploring the spaceship back on Earth." 
	"I don't recall having to twist your arm to get you to join me," Charlie shot back. 
	Rick had only been half listening to the conversation for his mind was on what lay ahead of them. As they reached the side street, he said, "Knock it off, eh? We all should have known better. In fact, my dad warned me not to go on the ship. But we did, and we're here now. And we've got to make the best of it." 
	ABL089 nodded vigorously. "Right. It's on to Zaxxonia for now." 
	"And the oracle Medusa," the Princess said. 
	Charlie grinned. "She's one character I can't wait to see. We sure could use a little of her magic right now. Like maybe some chow and a toilet." 
	Rick let out a low chuckle. "C'mon, Connors. This is an adventure. You read all the Hardy Boys books when we were kids. All those adventures they had - did they ever stop to go to the bathroom?" 
	Charlie frowned. "Not that I remember." 
	"Come to think of it," Sally put in, "Nancy Drew never went to the bathroom either." She turned to Charlie with a teasing smile. "If they didn't have to go, either do you." 
	Charlie snorted. "You have fiction confused with real life. This is real! Even though it's getting to the point where we just gotta be dreaming!" 
	"Tell me about it," Rick couldn't help but agree. 
	"You guys!" Princess Athena laughed. "You three are really funny." 
	"They're just about as whacky as can be," ABL089 agreed. He patted Charlie on the back. "One of the benefits of being a robot is that I don't have to worry about bathrooms. But there are public restrooms in this park we're approaching, and you young people can avail yourselves of them. There doesn't seem to be any Zaxxon soldiers right here." 
	"Cool!" Charlie was off in a dash for the small memorial park on the corner ahead. 
	Rick and the girls made use of the restrooms too while ABL089 stood guard in the park in front of an old war memorial that looked like a Grecian ruin. 
	"This is a memorial from The Great War," Princess Athena told them moments later when they reconvened outside. "As you can see, it's falling into ruin. The names of all the Elysians who perished in the war were engraved on the marble walls, but the centuries have worn them away. Every town in Olympus has a similar memorial, but they are very old now." 
	"But, just like on Earth, there's still war here," Sally said sadly. 
	"And we're right smack dab in the middle of it," Rick reminded them. "Let's book." 
	They moved on, trying to keep within the shadows as they made their way through town. In this manner they avoided the soldiers who were patroling the streets and they arrived at the public corral without any further trouble. The horses, rested and refreshed, were very excited to see them. 
	"We'd better take off right here," Rick said as they mounted the Pegasi. "I don't want to chance riding by any of the soldiers. We're a lot more noticeable on these horses than on foot." 
	"No problem," Princess Athena told him, guiding her big white stallion into the center of the corral. "Just follow me!" 
	"Up, Starfire!" she commanded, pulling on the reins. 
	The horse tossed its head and whinnied, flapping its powerful wings. The other horses followed suit and seconds later all five Pegasi ascended into the night sky. The mighty beating of wings thundered in the riders' ears as they flew in formation high over the resort town. 
	"Is it a long flight from here to Zaxxonia?" Rick shouted to ABL089. 
	"Not very long. We should be there in about an hour." He urged his horse ahead to take over the lead from the Princess. "My sensory apparatus will guide us to the Windy Regions. The only problem we might encounter is stormy weather over the strait. Let's hope we don't!" 
	The others heartily agreed, and the land below soon disappeared as the Pegasi flew over the waters of the Strait of Neptune, the lights of Elysia dropping behind them. 
	"Hey," Charlie started to laugh. "To Zaxxonia or bust!" 
	Sally pulled the scarf from her head and let her blonde curls blow in the wind. "Right! To rescue Prince Apollo and get back the Eternal Flame." 
	"Freedom for Olympus!" the Princess joined in, caught up in the excitement of the moment. 
	"On that you can compute," ABL089 agreed. "And may good fortune be with us!" 
	Rick looked down at the dark waters below, a thrilling sensation of adventure coursing through him. He had little idea of what might lay ahead of them, but his every nerve was tingling at the thought of what was to come. But then, as his eyes moved upwards to gaze at the glittering night sky, the excitement of the moment seemed to fade. 
	The big moon Urania had risen high above them and its silver rings sparkled like ice. Billions and billions of stars twinkled overhead, and Rick knew that somewhere out there in that eternal void spun the Milky Way galaxy, and deep within it the planet Earth. 
	He frowned, knowing that the only way he and his friends could ever return home to Earth was through the successful accomplishment of the perilous quest they were now undertaking. Prince Apollo and the Eternal Flame must be found, and Olympus must be freed from the oppressive hand of the Zaxxons! 
	Rick forced a smile, refusing to allow himself to be overcome by the feeling that their quest was an impossible one. He told himself they'd do it, one way or another. He knew that where there's a will, there's a way. And his will was sure as heck working to the mega max! 
	"Awesome, isn't it," Sally said, pointing up to the heavens. 
	"Yes, it's breathtaking," agreed the Princess. "I never tire of gazing at the stars. My Uncle Orion used to practice astronomy before his retirement. I often visited him at the observatory in Olympia, and he'd let me view the heavens through the big telescopes. I'm really worried about him now. He went to Zaxxonia all alone! I wish he'd taken someone along." 
	"Orion is quite capable of taking care of himself," ABL089 told her. "You needn't worry about him." 
	Princess Athena frowned. "But he's an old man now, Abey. His powers aren't as strong as they used to be." 
	Rick turned to her. "His powers? What do you mean?" 
	"My uncle is a wizard." 
	"What?" Charlie looked across the horses at her. "A wizard?" 
	"Yes. Is that so surprising?" 
	Charlie shrugged. "Well......like, yes! Sorceresses and now wizards. We don't have characters like that on Earth." 
	Princess Athena looked surprised. "Really? You don't?" 
	Rick nodded. "It's true, Princess. But legends tell that at one time there were wizards, sorcerers, and other workers of magic on our planet. But that was ages ago. Magic no longer exists on Earth and few people believe it ever did." 
	"Well it certainly must have existed at one time," the Princess said. She gestured up to the heavens. "Look at the stars. Just imagine the great power that keeps it all working in such exact perfection. The universe itself is magic, and magic has survived on Teutron throughout the ages because the people of the planet have continued to believe in it." 
	She thrust her hand beneath the neckline of her tunic and withdrew a golden amulet which hung around her neck on a beautiful gold chain. The amulet was the size of a large coin and in its center was a glowing red stone. 
	"My Uncle Orion gave this to me," she said. "The stone in the center is a rubiand, a magical stone that exerts a force strong enough to keep me safe from most dangers I might encounter. But it can't protect me from humans. It doesn't have that power. That's why I have to flee the Zaxxons. The amulet can't keep me safe from them." 
	Rick, Charlie, and Sally stared in awe at the magical amulet. The rubiand in its center glowed brightly, reflecting the starlight. 
	Charlie whistled. "Groovy! I'd like one of those for myself. Where can I find a rubiand?" 
	Princess Athena laughed. "They are nowhere to be found, Charlie. The rubiands are gems of great magical power that have been handed down through the ages by wizards and magicians. They can make the stones do almost anything! Even harm other people. My uncle gave Apollo an amulet just like this one, and my brother and I are the only two people outside the Brotherhood of Magic to possess rubiands." 
	Sally smiled happily. "Well I feel much safer knowing we have some kind of magic on our side." 
	ABL089 chuckled. "You Earthlings have your own kind of magic. And it hasn't failed to help us throughout the day." 
	"And it better not," Rick added grimly. "I have a sneaky suspicion that we just ain't seen nothin' yet!" 

						******** 

	With the waters of the Strait of Neptune rolling far below them, the five riders covered the distance between the two continents of the planet Teutron. To their advantage, the weather remained calm. No treacherous storms stirred in the heights above the strait, and soon the dark shadow of land loomed on the horizon. 
	"Land ahoy!" Charlie shouted. 
	The Princess pointed ahead. "There's Zaxxonia!" 
	"Are those the Windy Regions we're approaching?" Rick asked, looking at the great range of mountains along the shore. 
	ABL089 nodded. "Indeed they are. My sensory apparatus tells me that we're directly on course. Those mountains are known as the Howling Hills, and within them is the sanctuary of the oracle Medusa." 
	"How will we find her?" Charlie wanted to know. "Those mountains cover a lot of territory." 
	The robot turned to look at him. "When we land, I'll speak to the Groks. They know where the oracle dwells." 
	Rick grinned expectantly. "Oh no. Who or what are the Groks?" 
	"They are subhuman creatures who inhabit the Windy Regions," Princess Athena explained. "They somewhat resemble men, but are covered with shaggy fur. They are very hostile in nature and ugly to look at." 
	"Great," Charlie muttered. "And we thought the Zaxxon robots were gross!" 
	"What if they try to harm us?" Sally asked. 
	"My amulet will protect us, Sally. It works real good on animals and subhumans. And Abey can talk to them. He knows all forms of communication in use on Teutron." 
	Rick gave Charlie a knowing look. Things were just going to get weirder and weirder, and a lot more dangerous, as they followed their quest. "These Groks sound pretty gruesome," he said to the Princess. "Get that amulet ready. It sounds like we're going to need it!" 
	Several minutes later, the waters of the strait gave way and they flew over the shore of Zaxxonia. ABL089 led them to the foothills of the mountain range. Below, the land was dark with forest, and here and there could be seen the glow of fires. 
	"Those must be the campfires of the Groks," the Princess noted. "Where shall we land, Abey?" 
	Just then, as they neared the first big mountain, great gusts of wind buffeted against them. The Pegasi whinnied in alarm and beat their wings wildly. 
	"We may as well land right here," ABL089 shouted. "The winds are booming tonight over the Howling Hills. Follow me!" 
	The horses needed little urging to fly down to the ground, and soon the party had landed in the dark murky forest. They hitched the horses to low-growing trees, unstrapped the backpacks from the saddles and slipped them over their shoulders, and then crept through the gloom towards the light of a nearby campfire. The winds howled all around them and the tall dark trees swayed menacingly. 
	Sally shivered. "What a spooky place!" 
	"It's weird all right," Rick agreed. 
	"Like, it's okay to visit," Charlie gibed, "but I sure wouldn't want to live here!" 
	"Well, we won't stay long," ABL089 promised. "Just long enough to speak with the oracle and find out what we need to know." 
	Princess Athena pulled out her amulet and held it up in her hand. "This should be an experience. I've never seen a Grok before. Just pictures. They can't put them in the zoos because they're subhuman, not animals. Take a deep breath, everybody." 
	Moments later, they arrived at the clearing around the campfire. 
	"Get a load of those characters," Rick whispered. 
	Hunched around the fire were a number of man-like creatures with long shaggy fur covering their bodies. Their faces were ugly, like those of gorillas, but even moreso, and their beady eyes reflected the dancing flames of the fire. The Groks were of various sizes, and the community was apparently composed of several families. 
	"Far out," breathed Charlie. "They look like the Big Foot." 
	"Eeew! They give me the creeps," Sally shuddered. 
	"They aren't very nice," the Princess warned, holding the amulet out like a shield. "This will charm them somewhat, but we must still be cautious." 
	"Here goes nothing," ABL089 said in his relentlessly cheerful voice, and he led the others out of the trees and into the clearing. 
	Startled by the unexpected intruders, the Groks jumped to their feet, many of them shrieking in fright. As the little ones clung to their mothers, several of the large males rushed forward, grunting in low guttural tones. 
	"The natives are restless tonight," Charlie muttered, as ABL089 pressed forward. "Imagine the irony of them screaming at the sight of us." 
	The robot raised his hand in salutation and emitted a series of grunts sounding similar to those of the Groks. At the same time, Princess Athena raised her amulet high with an unwavering steady hand. The rubiand in its center reflected the flames and glowed like fire. 
	The advancing Groks stopped. The wild expressions on their faces changed to placid ones, as if they had been mesmerized. 
	One of them, apparently the leader, stepped forward and clumsily raised his hand in imitation of ABL089. 
	Sally giggled nervously. She whispered, "Monkey see, monkey do!" 
	The hulking Grok towered over ABL089, and the robot stepped back a pace as the creature spoke to him in a series of grunts. ABL089 responded readily, smiling at the Grok while speaking to him in the primitive method of communication. The others could not understand what was being said , for their sensor rings could not translate this subhuman speech. 
	Again the shaggy beast spoke, and when he was finished ABL089 turned around. 
	"I explained our mission to this fellow," he said, "and he agreed to show us the trail that leads up into the Howling Hills and the oracle Medusa's sanctuary." 
	"Excellent," said Rick. "Let's get going." 
	The Grok turned and gestured to the forest on the other side of the campfire. As they followed him across the clearing, Princess Athena kept the golden amulet held high and the other Groks all stepped back, gaping at the intruders as they passed. 
	The leader of the Groks led them into the woods and through the underbrush until they arrived at a well-trodden path. He pointed ahead, grunting vigorously, and then looked at the five friends with wide curious eyes. Then he turned quickly and dashed back into the trees towards his camp. 
	"Weird sort of fellow, isn't he?" Charlie muttered, as they started up the path. 
	"He definitely wasn't my cup of tea,"said Sally. "I don't think they'd let him sing with the Back Street Boys!" 
	Rick laughed. "I have the feeling we would have been his supper if it weren't for Princess Athena's amulet." 
	"Speaking of supper........" Charlie drawled. 
	"Let's not," Rick quickly returned. "We'll have plenty of time to eat after we see the oracle." 
	"The Grok was afraid of Medusa," ABL089 told them. "He said she dwells near a waterfall some distance up into the hills, and that we must be careful along this trail. There are many dangerous beasts in these woods." 
	"Figures." Charlie looked warily into the shadows. "You'd better keep that amulet held high, Princess." 
	"I intend to," was her quick reply. "I've read about the dangers of the Howling Hills, and they are of the worst kind." 
	With this troubling thought in mind, the party hurried along the trail. As they climbed into the higher regions, the winds howled even more mournfully and, if it were not for the big moon Urania lighting the trail, they would have been caught in a terrifying darkness. 
	From deep in the forest came roars akin to those of lions and tigers, and now and then they heard a movement close by in the underbrush. Once they spotted a gleaming pair of eyes but, whatever it was, the beast turned and fled when the Princess pointed the amulet in its direction. 
	At length, they came to a point in the trail where a stream rushed alongside it. Ahead could be heard the roar of falling waters. 
	"I hear a waterfall," ABL089 said excitedly. "We must be approaching the oracle's sanctuary." 
	"There it is." Rick pointed ahead as they rounded a bend in the trail that led into a small narrow canyon. 
	A hush seemed to fall as they walked through the narrow entry. On the far wall of the canyon a torrent of water rushed over a rocky crag down into a large pool. The moonlight silvered the misty waters and reflected on the rock of the canyon walls. It was a beautiful place, peaceful and quiet.The howling winds could scarcely be heard in the confines of the canyon. 
	They hurried towards the pool of water, anticipating the sight of the oracle Medusa. 
	"What do you have to do?" Charlie asked. "Call out her name or something?" 
	At that same moment, before anyone could even answer, the water in the center of the pool heaved up into the air as if by magic. Suddenly, the giant head of a lizard-like beast shot up above the surface, water gushing from its fang-lined mouth. 
	"What in the world.....!!" Rick blurted, as he and the others shrank back in terror. 
	"Great Andromeda!" Princess Athena cried. "It's a Gilasaurus!" 
	The mammoth reptile saw them. With a mighty roar it stood up on its hind legs, and its long tail slashed the air like a giant whip. 
	The next moment the gruesome beast was thundering towards them! 


Chapter Ten: THE ORACLE MEDUSA 

	Splash! Crash! Boom! 
	The Gilasaurus stormed through the pool, the earth shaking all around them. 
	Sally grabbed Rick's arm. "It's going to attack us!" 
	Rick turned to the Princess. "The amulet! Aim it at that thing before it's on top of us!" 
	Princess Athena's hand trembled as she raised the magical amulet in front of her. But it seemed to have no effect on the beast, for it lumbered on, its long tongue darting in and out of the fang-lined mouth. It reached the edge of the pool and heaved itself onto the bank. Then, in all its fury, with a great roaring and slashing of its tail, the Gilasaurus thundered towards them. 
	Charlie was totally astounded. "For cryin' out loud, it's Godzilla!" 
	Princess Athena pulled the amulet from around her neck and held it at arm's length towards the creature. The giant reptile stopped and, for a moment, it eyed them warily. But any magic the amulet had exerted was brief, for the next moment the Gilasaurus roared again and surged forward. 
	"The amulet isn't powerful enough," ABL089 screeched. "What are we going to do?" 
	"We gotta get outta here!" Rick shouted. "Let's go!" 
	"I'm already gone!" Charlie grabbed Princess Athena by the hand and turned to flee. 
	But, before any of them could move, an ear-splitting crash of thunder shook the entire canyon. Then, just as suddenly, a crackling noise resounded around them. A flurry of lightning bolts streaked through the air from the vicinity of the waterfall. 
	The sizzling bolts struck the Gilasaurus and it reared up, bellowing in outrage as the sparking electrons coursed through its monstrous body. A blinding light completely surrounded the writhing reptile. 
	Then again, so suddenly it was almost unbelievable, there was utter silence. The Gilasaurus stood petrified and unmoving. The vivid light surrounding it faded to a soft glow. 
	Charlie's mouth dropped open. "Holy dinosaurs! It's been turned to stone!" 
	Rick gaped at the petrified beast. "Incredible!" 
	"Totally," Sally agreed, her voice trembling. "But what happened?" 
	"Oh .... look!" Princess Athena pointed across the pool. 
	The waterfall had parted and now, on a ledge halfway up the cliff, a woman stood between the two torrents of foaming spray. 
	"The oracle Medusa!" Rick breathed. 
	"Yes! It is she!" ABL089 squeaked. 
	The others were speechless as they gazed at the ancient sorceress. Never had they seen anyone like her before. She was very beautiful, dressed in a loose-fitting silver garment that fluttered around her in the breeze, and she looked at them with eyes that glowed like those of a beast in the night. 
	Crowning her head was a cluster of hissing snakes which coiled and writhed in every direction! 
	The oracle addressed them in a harsh voice. "Intruders upon my sanctuary! Why have you come here?" 
	ABL089 lurched forward, bowing awkwardly. 
	"You're most powerful Highness," he croaked, his big blue eyes bulging. "We have come to ask a great favor. We ..........." 
	"Silence!" Medusa's voice echoed throughout the canyon. "Do you dare tell ME why you have come? I who know everything that has been, and all that is yet to be?" 
	ABL089's mouth dropped. "But you ......." 
	"Enough!" Sparks emitted from the oracle's outstretched fingers. "Do not arouse my wrath, or I shall turn you all to stone as I have done to the beast!" 
	They glanced apprehensively at the petrified monster, but the menacing words of the sorceress did not intimidate Rick and his friends. 
	Charlie frowned at her impatiently and was on the verge of flinging an angry retort when Rick grabbed him by the arm to silence him. They exchanged glances and Charlie bit his lip, keeping his mouth shut. 
	Then Rick stepped forward. "We have come in peace," he said. "You know what we seek and also that you are the only one who can give it to us." 
	Medusa's voice lessened in its harshness. "You are a fearless young man," she said to him, "and you and your companions are not frightened by me and my powers. I truly admire courage, especially in those so young, and also your insight that I will not use my powers to harm those who come to me in peace and goodwill." 
	She then bestowed a dazzling smile upon them, and Sally sighed aloud in relief. 
	"Step forward," Medusa requested, her voice soft and melodious now, "the other two of you who have come from the planet Earth." 
	Without hesitation, Charlie and Sally stepped up abreast of Rick. 
	"You are three strangers in a strange land," the sorceress said to them, "far away from your home and with little hope of ever returning there. Yet you are willing to risk your lives for the freedom of this planet's people. The Zaxxons now know of your presence here on Teutron, and they are alarmed. They fear you may have strange powers." 
	Medusa smiled again. "They have reason to be afraid, for even I cannot give you greater powers than you already have, those of your unyielding faith and courage." 
	She turned her head to gaze upon ABL089. "You, mechanical man! You have the great advantage over mortal men of having been programmed to think and act in a positive and constructive manner. You are noble and brave because that is how you were made to be. To you, also, there is nothing I can give." 
	Medusa focused her attention on the Princess. 
	"And you, Princess Athena of Olympus. Your brother has been kidnapped, your parents have been taken captive, and your nation has been conqured by the enemy. Yet, in the face of all this, you have retained your faith and courage and it equals that of the Earthlings and your robot servant." 
	"So you see," she continued, now addressing them all, "there is nothing I can give you for you already have that which is most important, the faith and courage to succeed in your quest." 
	"You have come here to ask me where Prince Apollo and the Eternal Flame have been taken, but that I will not tell you. The great deeds of man are done by his own will and actions, by the magic which he himself creates. You must achieve your goal on your own. To impart my knowledge to you would be wrong. The freedom of the people of this planet are at stake, and that freedom must be won by deed, not by the magic of an oracle." 
	The five friends exchanged glances, but their expressions were not ones of disappointment. They were smiling, for they understood the truth and wisdom of Medusa's words: there is no easy way in which to accomplish a difficult deed. It must be achieved through faith and courage, and the strength to persevere until the goal is won. 
	As they looked back to Medusa, the cascading waters surrounding her turned into a rainbow of vivid color, and the writhing snakes upon her head changed into long golden tresses which fluttered gently in the breeze. 
	The beautiful sorceress now bestowed upon them a benevolent smile and said, "Good fortune will be with you!" 
	The next moment she was gone. The waters tumbled over the crag as they had before, and it was as if Medusa had never been there at all. 
	Sally blinked. "She's gone!" 
	"And so is the Gilasaurus!" Charlie exclaimed. 
	The others looked to the spot where the stone beast had stood. Now, there was nothing there. 
	"It was all like a test," Rick said, a knowing look in his eyes. "Medusa knew all along that we were coming to see her. She wanted to test our courage and so she made the Gilasaurus appear." 
	"And by turning it to stone, she showed us how great her powers are," Sally added. 
	"Right," Princess Athena agreed. "But when she threatened to use her powers on us, we were not afraid." 
	"You better believe we weren't," Charlie grunted. "We're totally cool, brave enough even to face being turned to stone." 
	ABL089 nodded. "And if we can face that, it's not likely anything will stop us from succeeding in our quest." 
	"Medusa said that good fortune will be with us," the Princess reminded them. "I trust her. I believe we'll find the way to my brother and the Eternal Flame." 
	Rick smiled confidently now. "We'll find them. We'll just have to figure out where they are. Like Medusa said, we must peresevere until the end." 
	"Well, gang, I think old Medusa is one for the books," Charlie said with a big grin. "She's way to the max. And now, if you don't mind, I wanna eat! I must be getting really tired. My backpack suddenly seems totally heavy." 
	"Good idea," Rick agreed. He glanced around the small canyon. "We may as well camp here for the night. Medusa would never let anything happen to us in her own sanctuary." 
	ABL089 nodded. "You can compute on that! We'll build a fire by the pool, and I'll keep watch while you sleep." 
	Several minutes later, after having gathered up twigs and branches from the edge of the woods along the canyon walls, a cheerful fire was blazing and the weary travelers were seated around it. 
	"I'm afraid you won't like the rations I brought along," ABL089 said to Charlie as he unzipped his backpack. "They are tablets of condensed food and, although thoroughly nourishing, I doubt they will satisfy your hunger." 
	Sally chuckled. "That'd be nothing new. Charlie's hunger is never satisfied." 
	Charlie groaned when he saw the packets of tablets and other food supplements the robot withdrew from his backpack. "What grody stuff, man. They look like vitamins." 
	ABL089 shrugged his shoulders and pulled out a metal cannister. "I also have the brownies and cookies Sally baked aboard the spaceship." 
	Charlie brightened. "That's better. But what I need now is real food. Mass quantities of it." 
	Rick grinned at him. "We'll just have to go hungry a little, Connors. Unless you want to go out the canyon and bag us one of those Zaxxonian lions to roast." 
	"No way," Charlie demured, throwing himself down on his backpack, using it as a pillow. "What I need now are some burgers and fries. And I'd give my left big toe for a cafe mocha." 
	"Sounds good to me," Princess Athena agreed, smiling mischievously. "Shall we go to the nearest fast food restaurant, Charlie?" 
	"Oh sure. And where's that, may I ask?" 
	But Charlie didn't hear Princess Athena's reply, which was the Zaxxon city of Troy, a day's journey by Pegasi from the Windy Regions. Nor did he hear the others' laughter at this remark, for a familiar aroma had caught his attention and he was sniffing animatedly at his backpack. 
	"What in the world are you doing, Charlie?" Sally asked, as they watched him sniffing like a hungry hyena. 
	"Wahoo!" he suddenly whooped, squirming around and unzipping the backpack. 
	As the others watched curiously, Charlie thrust his hands inside the backpack and pulled out two large paper bags. 
	There was a crazed look in his eyes as he blurted out, "Man! Nitro! Burgers and fries!" 
	The aromas coming at them from the bags were unmistakable to the other young people, and they surged upon Charlie as one, crowding around him as he pulled cardboard containers out of the bags that held hamburgers, cheeseburgers, onion rings and french fries. 
	"My god!" Sally cried, totally amazed. "The bags and containers even have golden arches on them!" 
	"Yow, look at this!" Charlie had just pulled out paper cups obviously cointaining hot beverages. He pulled the lid off one and took a sip. 
	"Man, oh man! Totally cool wild! It's cafe mocha!" 
	Rick sat back on his feet, astounded at what he was seeing. Then, suddenly, he realized what had happened. 
	"Charlie, it was Medusa," he said. "Medusa put this food into your backpack." 
	Charlie nodded, slurping down the cafe mocha, and he turned to the waterfall, raising a clenched fist into the air. "Way to go, Medusa baby!" 
	ABL089 leaned forward curiously. "Do you really think she did it?" 
	"Well I sure didn't." Charlie unwrapped a cheeseburger and bit into it. "Yo! Just like at home. This stuff is great. You can throw that condensed food away, Abey!" 
	"Delicious," Sally agreed, sampling a hamburger. "Hey, this is a real treat." 
	"And these fries are awesome," Rick added, eagerly devouring a handful. 
	"I guess Medusa did give us something after all," Princess Athena said. "And what we needed the most, too. A good meal!" 
	"Yeah, she's one oracle who really knows her stuff," Charlie said fervently. 
	The four teenagers devoured the food given to them by the oracle as ABL089 watched, amazed at their hearty appetites. Afterwards, they passed around the brownies and chocolate chip cookies and washed them down with the cafe mocha from the bags with the golden arches. 
	Princess Athena was pleased that Sally had baked the cookies and brownies for her. "Mmmm! I'm sure chocolate flavoring would become a favorite here on Teutron," she said, after Sally had explained the recipes to her. "But I've never heard of such a thing as cocoa beans growing on our planet." 
	Charlie, satiated and happy, stretched out on the ground. "Well at least you have burgers and fries. Knowing that, it won't be so bad if I have to spend the rest of my life here." 
	Sally's brow knit in thought. "Medusa made the cafe mocha, obviously knowing Charlie liked it. But would she know about chocolate if it doesn't exist on Teutron?" 
	"Good question, " ABL089 countered. "Maybe it does exist here somewhere, or else she was able to read Charlie's mind so well that she could make the stuff out of her own magic." 
	Charlie laughed. "My mind's an open book for any gal who wants to feed me!" 
	But then his face grew serious, and he looked at the others questioningly. "So what are we gonna do about finding Prince Apollo and the Eternal Flame? Where do we go from here?" 
	Rick shrugged. "That's the big question, dude. Princess, where do you think the Zaxxons would hide your brother and the flame?" 
	The Olympian Princess folded her hands under her chin, looking very pensive and thoughtful. "Perhaps Troy?" she suggested. "It's the capital city of Zaxxonia, and it's not terribly far from here." 
	ABL089 disagreed. "They might take Prince Apollo to the capital, but I think they would hide the Eternal Flame in a secret place no one knows about, far away from the crowded cities. After all, everyone knew it was in the Temple of the Sun in Olympia, and that made it easy for the Zaxxons to steal it." 
	Rick nodded. "I agree with that, Abey. But something tells me they would hide the Prince and the Eternal Flame in the same place, so I guess we can rule out Troy." 
	Sally made a face. "Troy, Olympus, the Elysian Fields, the Pegasi, even an oracle named Medusa like the gorgon in Greek mythology. There are so many parallels on Teutron to the ancient Greek civilization on Earth! The next thing we'll hear is that there's a Labyrinth in which a Minotaur roams." 
	The Princess blinked, and ABL089 looked at Sally with arched brows. 
	"There is a Labyrinth on Teutron," he said. 
	Sally's eyes widened. "Really? This is too much! Is it for real, or just a myth like the one on Earth?" 
	"It really exists," the Princess said, as Rick and Charlie hunched forward in interest. "It's located in Zaxxonia, to the south of here in the Blasted Lands. Within the labyrinth lives a beast called the Minotaurus. It is said to be half man and half bull." 
	"Incredible," Charlie said. "It's the same story as the Labyrinth in Greek mythology." 
	Rick could feel a chill tingling up his spine. His intuition told him that they had hit on something. 
	"You said it's in a place called the Blasted Lands?" he asked the Princess. 
	"Yes, far southeast of these Windy Regions. The Blasted Lands were once known as Halcyon, a lovely tropical district where the barbarous Zaxxons lived in great walled cities. But that was ages ago, before the Great War. The bombs destroyed Halcyon and its cities, leaving it a ravaged land of steaming craters and fetid swamps. Now it's inhabited only by jungle creatures. Some of the most horrible beasts known to man live there, and they have taken over the land." 
	Rick's voice had an urgent ring to it. "Do you know the location of the Labyrinth?" 
	"Yes, it's right outside the ancient city of Crete," the Princess replied. "It's said that the Labyrinth was not destroyed by the bombs, but no one really knows for sure. No one goes into the Blasted Lands anymore. Not even the Zaxxons. It's too dangerous." 
	"What are you thinking, Rick?" Sally asked, noticing the intense expression on his face. 
	"The Labyrinth, Sally. That's it! What better place to hide something of such great importance as the Eternal Flame? An endless maze of caves guarded by a terrible beast." 
	"Dude! You're right," Charlie agreed. "No one goes to the Blasted Lands because it's so dangerous there. But I'll bet some Zaxxon soldiers did recently. And I'll bet all the burgers and fries Medusa could whip up that they brought Prince Apollo and the Eternal Flame with them to hide in the Labyrinth!" 
	"Good fortune! I think you boys have hit it right on the old button," ABL089 said excitedly. 
	"It's the perfect place," Princess Athena said with great enthusiasm. "But it never would've occurred to me. Oh, thank you, Sally, for thinking of it!" 
	"Then we'll go there in the morning," Rick said decisively. "Abey, do you know how to get to this ancient city of Crete?" 
	"Just the general direction, Rick. That part of Zaxxonia is so ancient and uninhabited it's not mapped any longer. But my sensory apparatus will guide us. We'll find it, one way or another." 
	"Excellent!" Rick stretched his long frame out on the ground. "And now, gang, it's time to get some sleep. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow." 
	"Talk about a big day," Sally laughed, resting against her backback. "I've never in my life done so much in one day." 
	"For sure," Charlie agreed. "Home was never like this." 
	"Home.........," Princess Athena sighed, gazing up at the ringed moon Urania. 
	The four young people each had their own pleasant thoughts of home as they drifted off into exhausted deep sleep. ABL089, his sensory apparatus tuned to high frequency, grinned happily as his big eyes surveyed the canyon. 
	"By the rings of Urania!" he smirked in low tones. "This is all sorts of fun. In fact, I'm having a maximum good time!" 


Chapter Eleven: IN THE BLASTED LANDS 

	When Rick awoke at dawn a hazy mist was swirling up from the water of the pool , and the canyon was suffused with a pink glow. ABL089 and the girls were gone, and Rick sat up with a start, looking around worriedly. 
	He was somewhat relieved to see the robot at the edge of the woods, picking fruit from a low growing tree. 
	"Abey, where are the girls?" he called. 
	"Good morning, Rick," ABL089 shouted to him. " Sally and the Princess went over to the waterfall to freshen up. Wake Charlie up and we'll have breakfast." 
	Rick rubbed the sleep from his eyes and turned to Charlie who was still sound asleep, his arms hugging his backpack as if it were a teddy bear. 
	Rick shook Charlie's shoulder. "Rise and shine, Connors!" 
	He opened one eye and looked at Rick disdainfully. "Lay off. After what we went through yesterday, I need a ton more ZZZZZ's!" 
	Rick shook him again, grinning. "Get movin', bud. We've got the old ball on the five yard line. One more play to the Blasted Lands and we'll score." 
	Charlie snorted. "Run the ball yourself. I'm sleepin'." 
	Rick grinned as he got to his feet. "Then we'll just go on without you." 
	"Oh no you won't!" Charlie shot up, stretching out his arms and yawning. "Think I'm going to stay in this loony place without the Princess' amulet? No way. Besides, you wouldn't last an hour without me. Hey, ......wow!" 
	His eyes, and Rick's too, had fastened on the girls who were returning from the waterfall. Princess Athena had cleansed the make-up from her face and removed the wig she'd worn the night before. Long golden curls now fell to her shoulders. The boys were pleased to see she was a very pretty girl who looked enough like Sally to be her sister. 
	"She sure is nice," Charlie whispered, wide awake now as he jumped to his feet. 
	"That's the fastest I ever saw you wake up," Rick said. "Wait till I tell Sally. She'll be jealous." 
	Charlie looked indignant. "Sally knows I think she's a hot babe." Then he smirked. "I just never tell her!" 
	"Good morning, boys," the Princess greeted, as she and Sally arrived at the campfire. "Did you sleep well?" 
	"Like a log," Charlie was quick to reply. "And you, Princess?" 
	"I slept very well, thank you. Abey said that the night passed without any disturbance. Medusa's sanctuary is a safe refuge in this land of dangers." 
	"Good day! Good Day!" ABL089 joined them, carrying an armful of fruit. "Shall we eat and then be on our way?" 
	The others agreed, and the boys then went over to the waterfall where they bathed in a shallow pool behind the screen of falling water. 
	"This is the life," Rick said, slipping back into his tunic. "Even the top InterTell agents never had a case like this. Not on another planet! Beats going to school, doesn't it?" 
	"Completely," Charlie agreed, strapping his sandals back on. "This is some mondo adventure. The folks back home won't believe it when they hear about the things we've run into on Teutron." 
	"No doubt. And I'm sure there's much more to come," Rick added, as they set off around the waterfall to return to camp. "Who knows what lies ahead?" 
	ABL089 and the girls had washed the fruit, and they all sat down to eat. Charlie grimaced as he chewed one of the condensed food tablets the robot insisted they eat. 
	"Yuck! It tastes like chalk. I need some brownies to wash it down." 
	They ate the fruit and the remaining chocolate chip cookies and brownies. After finishing the meager meal, they doused the campfire, cleaned up the area, and started back down to the camp of the Groks. 
	The howling winds of the night before had died down and, in the morning sunlight, the woods did not seem as dangerous and forbidding as they had in the dark. The only animal noises to be heard were the happy chirpings of the birds. 
	"Now to face the Groks again," Rick muttered, as they left the trail and struck off through the underbrush. 
	Princess Athena held the amulet in front of her as they stepped into the clearing, and the Groks once again became mesmerized. ABL089 spoke briefly to the leader, and then they crossed the clearing, the Groks watching them and grunting amongst themselves. 
	The Pegasi whinnied and pawed at the ground excitedly as their masters approached. The horses had rested well during the night and fed on the grasses growing around the trees. Eager to be free again, they beat their wings in anticipation. 
	"The horses are as anxious to get away from here as we are," said ABL089, as they strapped their backpacks to the saddles. 
	"I don't know," Charlie muttered as they mounted. "From what you told us about the Blasted Lands, we may soon be wishing we were back in this funky old place." 
	Several minutes later, after having ridden the horses to a clearing and taken off, the travelers were soaring high over the Howling Hills in a southerly direction. To the west was the Strait of Neptune, the blue waters sparkling in the bright morning sun, and to the east was the great expanse of the continent of Zaxxonia. 
	ABL089 looked at the sun, now rising high in the western sky. He closed his eyes and the others heard the familiar whirring noise from inside his head. 
	"We're on course now," he said after opening his eyes, "and we should arrive in the Blasted Lands about midday." 
	"I guess we don't have to worry about getting lost with you around," Charlie told him. "I'd sure like to have a compass and mapping system in my head." 
	Sally let out a peal of laughter. "Since your head is so empty, Charlie, there's plenty of room for them." 
	"Aw, take off, will ya?" Charlie flashed her one of his nastiest looks. "If I had Medusa's powers, I'd turn you to stone!" 
	"Great Andromeda!" ABL089 croaked. "Sometimes one would never know you two are friends." 
	Rick grinned. "They tease each other all the time, Abey. You'll get used to it." 
	Princess Athena smiled at Charlie. "I don't think you're empty-headed at all," she said. "In fact, I think you're one of the coolest guys I've ver known." 
	Charlie's eyes lit up. "Hey..., groovy!" 
	"And when we return to the city of Olympia with my brother and the Eternal Flame," the Princess went on, "I'm going to have a Royal Ball before you return to Earth. You can be my escort, Charlie." 
	"All right!" Charlie enthused, grinning proudly. He looked across to Sally with a smug expression. "See that? Some girls have really good taste, and the Princess is one of them!" 
	Sally shrugged her shoulders. "I suppose I wouldn't mind having you escort me to a ball if I knew you were going to leave the planet afterwards." 
	The others laughed at this remark, but Charlie just rolled his eyes and shook his head, as if to say, "I just can't win!" 
	As the winged horses bore their riders over the rugged terrain, Rick, Charlie and Sally told the Princess and ABL089 some of the fables and myths about royalty popular on Earth. 
	"Oh, that's a good one," Princess Athena said, after Rick had finished telling her the fable about the prince who had been turned into a frog. "I must tell it to Apollo. He'll really enjoy it." 
	"What's your brother like?" Sally asked her. 
	"Apollo's a terrific guy, an excellent student and athlete. He's studying ancient history at the University, and he's won several medals at the Annual Games. We're twins, you know, but we don't look anything alike. Apollo has dark eyes and black hair like Rick, and he's about the same height and build." 
	Sally grinned, stealing a glance at Rick. "Then I'm sure I'll like him." 
	"Prince Apollo is also quite fearless," added ABL089. "If I know him, he's enjoying his kidnapping as if it were an adventure." 
	The Princess frowned. "I hope he's all right, Abey. I hate to think of him in the clutches of Egron the Terrible." 
	"Egron the Terrible?" Rick repeated. "Who is he?" 
	"He's the King of Zaxxonia," the Princess said. "It was Egron the Terrible who led the Zaxxon militia into Olympia in a surprise attack on the Temple of the Sun. His men stole the Eternal Flame and then moved on to occupy the Royal Palace and take my parents captive. I was out near the stables when they came. And it's a good thing! I was able to saddle Starfire and escape." 
	"Egron the Terrible is an enemy of the worst kind," ABL089 said gravely. "Since he became King several years ago, his goal has been to conquer Olympus and learn the secrets of Quantae space travel. I have no doubt he'll have our scientists tortured until they tell him what he wants to know." 
	"Then he'll lead the Zaxxons into outer space to conquer other worlds," Sally reasoned. "I sure hope we don't run into him. He sounds totally bad to the bone." 
	"No need to worry about that," said the Princess. "He's probably at his palace in Troy celebrating victory over the Olympians. We can be sure that the King of Zaxxonia will not be in the Blasted Lands." 
	Rick pointed ahead. "Look, over there. An airship!" 
	Some distance ahead, a lone airship could be seen flying towards the horizon. 
	"I wonder if that's my Uncle Orion's ship," the Princess said excitedly. 
	ABL089 leaned forward in his saddle and peered ahead. "I don't think so. That's a much larger craft than your uncle's. It's either a commercial airliner on its way to the cities of the far south, or a Zaxxon military ship." 
	"Just so its pilot doesn't spot us," Charlie said. "I'm not in the mood to be chased by an airship again!" 
	The craft, however, kept to its southerly course and was soon lost to sight in the vast distances towards the horizon. As they flew on, the terrain below began to change to one of verdant jungle riddled with swamps and marshes from which foul smelling mists and fumes rose high into the air. 
	In many areas the results of the devastation of the Great War were clearly evident. Massive craters yawned below where the jungle had been blasted away, and steamy vapors oozed from their depths. The ruins of ancient cities could be seen; the crumbled buildings, viaducts, and upheaved roads laying waste in the hot sun. 
	"I can see why these are called the Blasted Lands," Sally said, voicing their thoughts. "The nuclear warheads really destroyed this place." 
	The Princess agreed. "When this land was known as Halcyon it was a tropical paradise. Now it's nothing but a monument to the horrors of war." 
	"Could one of those ruined cities down there be Crete?" Rick asked. 
	ABL089 shook his head. "No, the city of Crete is located on the shores of a great inland sea. We should be approching the sea soon, I hope, for we now seem to be in the heart of the Blasted Lands." 
	It was not long after that when Rick spotted the blue glimmer of water to the east. They flew the horses in that direction, over a range of low mountains that had been blasted into ruin thousands of years before. At length, the hills rolled down to the shoreline of the inland sea. It was so vast that they couldn't see the opposite shore. 
	"It looks like Lake Erie," Rick said, his eyes sweeping up the shoreline. "Hey, look over there. The ruins of a walled city!" 
	A short distance up the shoreline was a large area free of the jungle growth. Within it were the fallen ruins of numerous buildings, and surrounding them were the remnants of a large encircling wall. 
	"It must be Crete!" Princess Athena said excitedly. "Oh, I hope we'll find Apollo there!" 
	"Don't worry," Rick said with a fierce determination. "If he's there, we'll find him." 
	They flew down to the tree tops and soon landed in a clearing on the banks of a foul smelling stream. Steam rose from the water, and it was hot and humid in the tropical forest. 
	"Ugh," Charlie grunted, after they had hitched the horses to branches of the trees. "This is so not cool. It's like the Florida Everglades, and then some!" 
	"It certainly is hot," Sally agreed. "Abey, you were right when you said Teutron is a warm planet." 
	The robot chuckled. "I don't feel the heat at all. That's one of the benefits of not being made of flesh and bone." 
	Princess Athena held her amulet in front of her as they pushed their way through the undergrowth, but no dangers beset them and they soon arrived at the crumbling wall surrounding the ruined city. 
	With Rick leading the way, they scouted along the wall until they came upon an aperture large enough for them to climb through. Rick peered through the crack at the ruins ahead. A dead silence hung over the old city. 
	"The coast is clear," he whispered. 
	"Press on, dude," Charlie urged, and Rick squirmed through the jagged opening in the wall. 
	The others followed and they emerged into a debris-strewn open area. A hundred feet ahead were the ruins of scores of buildings, and beyond them spread the blue waters of the inland sea. 
	Sally shivered as they crossed the clearing. "It's weird here. I feel like we're being watched." 
	"Don't be so paranoid," Charlie needled her. He looked around boldly. "It seems to me that this old burg is deserted." 
	Just then, there came a shrill cackling laugh from the ruins up ahead. 
	The Princess gasped. "What was that?" 
	Once again a chilling shriek of laughter cut the silence. 
	"Someone is here!" Sally said, looking around furtively. 
	"Someone or something," Rick muttered. "And it sure doesn't sound inviting." 
	"There!" ABL089 pointed ahead to a low stone hut. "It's an old woman. No, two old women!" 
	The others' eyes riveted upon the hut. In the doorway were two hunched forms swathed in dark flowing garments. One of then pointed a bony hand at them, and again the high-pitched cackle resounded through the air. 
	Charlie gulped. "What are they, witches or something?" 
	"Now you're the one who's being paranoid," Rick gibed. "Come on, they're just two old ladies. Let's ask them if this is Crete." 
	"Oh sure." Charlie shook his head as they wound their way through the debris. "Just two old ladies. Humphh! Nothing on this crazy planet is that simple. They probably specialize in eating Earthlings!" 
	"Who are you? Who are you?" cried one of the women as the group approached them. 
	Rick was just about to answer when his mouth dropped open in surprise. The two women were like none he had ever seen. Their faces, shrouded by black shawls, were hideous to look upon. The aged, wrinkled skin was a putrid shade of gray. 
	Even more incredulous was the fact that the one who had spoken to them had only one eye, the other socket in her face only an empty indentation. The other hag had no eyes at all. Both sockets in her face were empty! 
	"Ooh, gross!" Sally cried, shrinking back in revulsion. 
	"Who are you? Who are you?" the crone with the eye repeated, stepping out of the doorway and squinting at them. 
	The other followed her. "Sister! Sister! Let me see them. Give me the eye!" 
	"Oh, all right!" the old woman grumbled. In a quick movement, she pulled the eye from her head and handed it to the other who placed it into one of her own empty sockets. 
	"By the rings of Urania!" the Princess exclaimed. "Abey, these are the Gray Sisters of Halcyon, the ones who were given eternal life by the ancient wizard Hypno." 
	"You're right, Princess," the robot agreed. "Hypno took three of their eyes so that he would have five of his own to mesmerize men with. In exchange, he gave the sisters eternal life, but they had to live with only the one eye to use between themselves. And I thought the story to be only a myth!" 
	"I hear you! I hear you!" cackled the old hag who now had the eye. She squinted at them. "Ha! We even outlived old Hypno. At least we think we did. He never comes around here anymore. No one ever comes to Halcyon since the days of the Great War." 
	"There's just us and the jungle creatures," added the other old crone. "Give me back the eye, Sister. I want to see them again!" 
	"But you just gave it to me. You never let me keep the eye. You always want it for yourself!" 
	"Oh, man. Totally beyondo," Charlie groaned, watching the bickering women. "Talk about far out." 
	Rick Raider shook his head in disbelief. For a moment he wondered if the intense heat was causing him to see things. The Gray Sisters of Halcyon seemed too fantastic to be true. But then he reminded himself that almost everything on this planet seemed and was too fantastic to be true. 
	He cleared his throat to get the women's attention, and then he said, "Please! You must help us! Is this the old city of Crete?" 
	"Crete?" croaked the hag with the eye, pushing away her sister who was trying to grab it from her. "This isn't Crete. You are in the old city of Halcyon." 
	"Halcyon?" Rick repeated. "But then where is Crete?" 
	"I'll tell you!" cried the other woman. "Make her give me the eye and I'll tell you." 
	Rick frowned impatiently. Addressing the sister who now had the eye, he requested that she give it to the other. 
	"Oh, all right," she relented bitterly. "The first time in hundreds of years that someone comes to town, and I can't even look at them!" 
	She took the eye from its socket and handed it begrudgingly to her sister who eagerly placed it in her own head and said: 
	"There now, I can see you! I hate to talk to someone when I can't see them. Not that we get to talk to anyone around here anymore. This eternal life crap is really boring! Now about Crete. Yes, I do believe it's further down the shore to the south. Isn't that right, Sister?" 
	"I don't remember," the other one pouted. "I haven't been there since I was a little girl. And that was a long, long time ago." 
	"You're just being stubborn," her sister reproved. "You remember as well as I do." 
	She turned back to Rick and said, "Crete is about a half day's journey by foot through the jungle. Our father used to take us there every summer to attend the Annual Games. Those were the days! Halcyon was a wonderful land before the Great War. Not like now, with only this constant silence and the horrible jungle beasts......" 
	The old gray hag stopped speaking. A low rumbling sound, like that of thunder, was coming from the other side of the ruins. They all turned in that direction, and a cloud of dust could be seen billowing over the tops of the ruined buildings. 
	"Sister!" cried the crone with the eye. "Eeek! The Centaurs are coming!" 
	"The Centaurs!" the other one wailed. "Oh, let's hide. I hate those horrid beasts!" 
	The Gray Sisters turned and rushed into their hut, and the old wooden door slammed behind them. The sound of a bar being shoved into place could be heard by the others. 
	Princess Athena took her amulet in hand, as they all gazed at the approaching billowing dust cloud. 
	"We must run," she said. "The Centaurs are vicious creatures, and half human. I don't know how well the amulet will protect us from them." 
	The rumbling noise grew louder. 
	Rick pointed to the wall. "Come on, let's get back into the jungle!" 
	They raced back towards the stone wall, but before they could reach safety a large herd of galloping beasts thundered from the ruins emitting wild shrieks and cries. 
	The Centaurs had bodies of large horses, and torsos and heads of men. Their faces were ugly, with slanted eyes and fang-lined mouths, and long shaggy hair covered their heads, chests, and arms. 
	"Shoot! We can't make it," Charlie fumed as the creatures surrounded them. 
	The Centaurs shrieked and cried, panting heavily, and leered at the humans and the robot with fiendish expressions. 
	"Oh my God! They're so disgusting," Sally cried, stepping back inbetween Rick and Charlie. 
	"Stay close together," Rick said tersely, putting an arm around Sally and pulling ABL089 next to him. His pulse quickened. "Try the amulet, Princess!" 
	With a trembling hand, Princess Athena raised the amulet high. Slowly, the Centaurs stopped their advance. Their gleaming eyes began to take on a mesmerized look. 
	Sally sighed in relief. "It's working!" 
	Charlie shook his fist at the beasts. "Get lost you creeps. Sheez! And I thought those Groks were ugly customers." 
	"Cut it out, Connors," Rick hissed. "Let the amulet take care of them." 
	And then, from above, there suddenly came a series of loud piercing shrieks. As one, the five friends and the Centaurs looked up to the sky. Descending upon them in a wild rampage was a monstrous flying creature with a large hooked beak and outstretched claws. 
	ABL089's eyes looked about to pop out. 
	"It's a Harpy!" he cried. 
	Charlie groaned and hit his forehead with the palm of his hand. "This is slam dunk crazy! What next?" 
	Then, all pandemonium broke loose. The Centaurs, frightened by the flying beast with its giant flapping wings, began to shriek in terror. Some of them reared up and pawed at the air in panic. Then they turned and fled, galloping thunderously away through the ruins. 
	"Into the jungle!" Rick cried, the huge bird-creature almost ontop of them, its claws stretched out in anticipation. 
	They raced to the wall, Rick taking up the rear. He could feel the stirring of the air caused by the furious beating of the Harpy's wings. 
	"Hurry!" he urged as the others squirmed through the crack in the wall. 
	Rick was just about to fling himself into the aperture when he felt the vice-like grip of huge claws wrap around his body. 
	"Unnngh!" he grunted, feeling as if the life was being squeezed out of him. 
	He heard Sally scream, and he saw Charlie's horrified expression, and Abey's ever-smiling face with its now bulging eyes. The Princess flung her arm out to him, the amulet in her hand, its rubiand glittering in the sunlight. 
	But it was too late. The giant bird was winging back up to the sky with Rick in its grasp. 
	The ground rushed away from him at an incredible speed, and Rick saw his friends gaping up at him in horror. 


Chapter Twelve: THE AMULET OF APOLLO 

	Rick Raider clung to the talons of the Harpy as it winged its way high into the sky. He could hear his friends shouting down below. They had run back into the clearing and were calling out to him, gesturing frantically. But he knew it was useless to even try to answer back; the distance between them was increasing every second. In anguish, he looked away from them and up to the giant bird. 
	Blue-green feathers covered the creature's body and white ones outlined the edges of the big powerful wings. The long neck twisted as the bird flew, and the hooked beak opened and closed as it squawked shrilly. 
	Rick gulped, his heart pounding. He wondered what his fate would be in the clutches of the frightful monster. 
	For a moment, the Harpy hovered over the ruined city, squawking noisily, and then it turned towards the south and started to fly along the shoreline of the inland sea. 
	Rick gasped for air, scarcely able to breathe, so strong was the grip of the claws around him. He fought the feeling of total panic which was threatening to overtake him, and he closed his eyes, waiting for the thudding of his heart to ease. He wondered what the bird would do next. 
	He groaned aloud, knowing the Harpy would take him to its nest. 
	"This big canary wants to have me for supper!" 
	The sound of Rick's words flew away in the rush of the wind. He shuddered at the thought of what was to come. He knew he had to escape, but there didn't seem to be a way. Even if he could somehow squirm from the iron grip of the claws, he'd only fall to his death below. 
	"It's impossible!" he growled in desperation. 
	But then a surge of hope welled up from deep within him. He remembered what he'd told his father that dark night last winter in the Yukon when they had met unexpectedly in the deep snows of Bonanza Valley - that he and Charlie had already been doing the impossible and sure as heck intended to keep on doing it! 
	"Never say die, Rick Raider," he shouted, his dark eyes narrow slits as he angrily watched the bird above him. "Sometimes the only thing to do IS the impossible!" 
	He scowled at the Harpy defiantly, ready for whatever was to follow. He knew he'd give it his best shot to escape the fate the creature had in store for him. He knew there just had to be a way he could escape! 
	Rick shielded his eyes against the glare of the sun as he was carried down the shoreline. He squinted, hoping to catch a glimpse of the ancient city of Crete. He consoled himself that they were at least flying in the right direction. 
	"If I do get away from this crazy bird, at least I'll be close to where I want to be!" 
	It was several minutes later, after having covered a distance of a few miles, that they came upon a ridge of mountainous cliffs looming high above the waters of the sea. Rick grew even more anxious as the Harpy turned and flew towards them. He knew his end would soon be near if fate wasn't on his side. One more glance at the big hooked beak told him that nothing short of a miracle could save him. 
	"Man, oh man, do I ever need good fortune now!" 
	The rocky cliffs rushed to meet him. Rick saw a large nest on the very top of a pinnacle-like peak that jutted out into the water, three sides of which fell straight down to the sea. 
	"Good night! Even if I can escape, how the Helsinki can I get down from there?" 
	The giant Harpy approached the nest, beating its wings in a fury to check its downward plunge. For a brief moment it hovered over the nest, and then the vice-like grip of the claws loosened and Rick fell from the bird's grasp. He landed in the nest with a thud, sprawled on the twigs and branches. The Harpy squawked and screeched above him, blocking out the sun as it eyed Rick hungrily. Slowly, the bird descended, opening its claws to perch on the rim of the nest. 
	His body shaking from pumping adrenalin, Rick scrambled to his feet and looked wildly around him. In front of the nest and on both sides, the cliff fell precipitously to the sea. Behind him the decline was not so steep. He knew he could get down it if only he had the chance! 
	"I've got to make a dash for it!" 
	The Harpy perched onto the nest. The long neck descended and the big head with its huge eyes and beak closed in on Rick. 
	He reached behind and gripped the rim of the nest. His heart hammered in his ears as the Harpy's beak opened. Rick turned slowly, trembling, yet determined to make an attempt to escape, no matter how futile it might be. 
	Then, just as he was about to fling himself out of the nest, a glittering gold object in the twigs below him caught his eye. He stared at it dumbfounded, not believing what he saw. And then, with a wild shout of triumph, he thrust his hand into the tangle of twigs and branches. He grabbed the object at the same moment the Harpy surged to attack. 
	"Yo!!!" Rick shouted, grinning savagely as he thrust the golden object towards the attacking bird. "Not so fast, you freakin' fowl!" 
	He held in his hand a golden amulet, identical to the one Princess Athena wore! 
	The Harpy screeched maniacally, and there was a sudden furious beating of wings. The long neck jerked back and the big head flew up as Rick inched forward, holding the amulet with its glowing red rubiand in front of him. 
	"You asked for it, baby," he spat at the frightened creature. "You sure messed with the wrong dude, Mr. Bird!" 
	The Harpy sprang from the nest and flapped around above it, screeching in alarm. In a flash, Rick slipped the gold link chain around his neck and jumped from the nest. He began to scramble down the grade behind it, but the enraged bird followed. 
	The Harpy swooped at him, its mighty talons extended. Clinging to a jagged rock, Rick grabbed the amulet and held it up towards the bird. The Harpy shrieked again, beating its wings as it backed off again in fright. 
	Rick knew it was frightened by the amulet, but it was too powerful a creature to be mesmerized. He braced for a touch and go battle all the way down the mountainside. It wasn't going to be easy descending the rock-strewn grade while being attacked by an enraged giant bird! 
	"Keep on keeping on," Rick Raider told himself. "When the going gets tough, you better just get tougher!" 
	Slipping and sliding, he plummeted down, grabbing onto rocks and boulders for support as he used the amulet to ward off the attacking Harpy. Then, suddenly, when he had climbed about a quarter of the way down, another Harpy appeared on the scene, streaking down from the sky. 
	Rick gaped at it, astonished. 
	"Not another one!" 
	But his great chagrin at seeing the second Harpy ceased immediately. The big bird, having spotted the one attacking Rick, swooped down upon it to steal its prey. 
	Rick shrank behind a rock formation as the two awesome creatures clashed above him. There was a furious beating of wings and a clamor of shrill squawks and screeches as they fought with beak and claw. A flurry of feathers fell upon Rick as he watched the savage birds battle. Suddenly, in a quick rapid movement, the second Harpy fastened its beak on the neck of its foe and bit into it with all its might. 
	The bitten bird squealed in agony. Its wings stopped beating and it began to fall. But as it tumbled down, it hooked its claws onto its attacker, pulling the other down with it. Both monstrous birds crashed against the side of the pinnacle-like peak. Then, tumbling over and over each other, they plummeted down to the frothing waters below. 
	Rick watched the Harpies crash into the sea, his mouth agape. Then he let out a wild laugh and thrust a clenched fist into the air. 
	"Awwwrrright! That was exactamundo what I needed!" 
	He turned and hastened down the cliff and ran into the dark jungle. He leaned against the trunk of a tall vine-covered tree to rest, panting heavily, totally elated that he'd been able to escape the fate to which only minutes ago he had seemed doomed. 
	"Now if I only knew what happened to my friends," he muttered. "Did they go back to the horses and fly on to Crete?" 
	Rick was sure he was near the old city now and that he could get there on foot through the jungle. And he hoped he'd find his friends there. He knew they'd be worried sick about him, but he also knew that wouldn't stop them from continuing the search for Prince Apollo and the Eternal Flame. 
	He pulled the amulet from around his neck and looked at it. The golden talisman with its glowing rubiand was the exact same size and design as the one worn by Princess Athena. He knew it had to be Prince Apollo's amulet! The one his wizard uncle had given him. That meant the Prince had indeed been taken to the Blasted Lands, just as they'd suspected. But how did the amulet get into the Harpy's nest? And where was Prince Apollo now? 
	Rick's eyes narrowed with worry. Had the Prince escaped from the Zaxxons and then somehow lost his amulet? Was he safe now, or had he become a victim of the very same monstrous Harpy? 
	He ran his fingers through his hair, tense and anxious and wishing he knew the answers to these questions. Then, as he was about to put the amulet back around his neck, he sensed a movement above. Startled, he looked up and saw a large snake coiled around the branch directly above him. As he shrank back in surprise, the serpent uncoiled and its big head shot down with bared fangs and darting tongue. 
	But just as quickly as the snake had moved, so did Rick. He squirmed back around the tree and thrust forward his hand holding the amulet. 
	The slithering reptile hissed and jerked back. Rick held his ground, training the rubiand at the snake's glassy eyes. A moment later, the serpent ceased its writhing and hung motionless from the branch, as if in a trance. 
	Rick looked around warily. "I'd better keep moving," he told himself. "This is one dangerous place!" 
	He moved on, pushing his way through the hot and humid overgrown jungle. He slipped the amulet back round his neck and held it in front of him so that any creature he might encounter would be affected by its power. Soon he came upon a trail and started to follow it, hoping it would lead to the ancient city of Crete. 
	At one point along the trail, Rick spotted a large gray and black striped cat in the undergrowth. It was the size of a tiger and snarled at Rick with bared fangs. He pointed the amulet at the saber-toothed beast and the cat backed away, growling menacingly. Then it turned and fled into the jungle. 
	Insects buzzed around him as Rick hurried along, and the cries of a myriad of birds shattered the stillness of the tropical forest. The trail skirted the edge of a large crater from which oozed foul smelling gases that cast a dull haze over the area. Rick quickened his pace, coughing from the stench, and when he reached the other side of the crater the trail led him to the shore of a large swamp. 
	Steam rose from the oily water and ghost-like spindly trees reached to the sky. Rick peered across the hazy marsh to the opposite shore where there was a high ridge of jagged cliffs. 
	Suddenly, a jet-like roar shattered the air and, from behind the ridge of cliffs, a large airship shot up into the sky. 
	"That must be a Zaxxon military craft," Rick told himself excitedly. He bet it was the same one they had seen flying south that morning. Crete surely must be on the other side of those cliffs! Why else would the Zaxxons come out to this godforsaken place? 
	He watched the airship soar high into the sky and turn to the north. Seconds later, it was out of sight. 
	"Excellent!" Grinning excitedly, Rick hurried down the trail. He knew he was on the right track. If he was still alive, Prince Apollo had to be around somewhere, and the ancient city of Crete and the Labyrinth were right ahead. And the Zaxxons had been there to hide the Eternal Flame! The oracle Medusa was right. They would succeed in their quest. If only he could find his friends, everything would work out perfectly. 
	The trail twisted through the swamp until it reached the base of the cliffs. There, a narrow pass led through the mountain. Rick hurried through it and at the end the trail dipped steeply, leading down to a narrow belt of the jungle forest. On the other side of this verdant strip was a large walled city, strewn with the debris of the age-old nuclear destruction, and beyond the city sparkled the blue waters of the familiar inland sea. 
	Rick raced down the hill. "Cool! It's Crete. Now to find the Labyrinth and the Eternal Flame." 
	Using the utmost caution, he crept through the belt of jungle growth to the ruined wall that had once protected the city. He was sure the Zaxxons had left soldiers behind to guard the Labyrinth, and he didn't want to chance being captured by them. 
	Reaching the wall, he crept along it until he came to an opening large enough to squeeze through. 
	Suddenly, he heard voices. 
	Rick peered through the opening. Ahead were a cluster of old stone buildings, all of them decaying in ruin. Behind them, in a wide open area that undoubtedly once served as an athletic field, was a large airship similar to the one he had seen taking off when he was in the swamp. In front of the ruined buildings were several Zaxxon soldiers sitting on stone slabs and fallen columns as they ate their lunch. 
	"I never saw Egron so furious," one of them was saying. "When we arrived here this morning with the Eternal Flame and learned that Prince Apollo had escaped, the King got so mad I thought he was going to have the men executed for allowing it to happen." 
	"Those guys are lucky Egron spared their lives," another soldier said. "They got off easy being sent back to Troy to be imprisoned." 
	"Sure, and thanks to them it's us who have to stay here and guard the Labyrinth," grumbled another. "I don't like this place! I hear that jungle out there is filled with terrible beasts." 
	"Aw, it's not so bad here," one of the other soldiers put in. "Once the King goes back to Troy we'll be able to take it easy. Guarding the Labyrinth will be a snap. The Olympians will never think of coming here to look for the Eternal Flame." 
	"But we have to find Prince Apollo," another of them added. "We'll have to go out into the jungle to search for him as soon as the squad out there now returns. I hate to think of trudging around in that creepy place." 
	The others grumbled in agreement as Rick watched, encouraged by what he'd just heard. 
	Prince Apollo had been taken to Crete by a troop of soldiers the day before, and then he had escaped. Egron the Terrible, and the soldiers here now, had arrived this morning with the Eternal Flame. Having learned of Prince Apollo's escape, the King had sent the other soldiers back to Troy on the airship that had just taken off a short time ago. Then Egron had his men begin to search the jungle for Prince Apollo. 
	A sudden thought came to Rick. 
	"There are other soldiers out here right now! I'd better take cover while I figure out my plan of action." 
	But just then, Rick heard a crunching sound behind him. He whirled around and pressed against the wall, his hand reaching up to grab the magical amulet. 
	But it wasn't one of the jungle beasts he faced this time. Standing several yards ahead of him, on either side of one of the large trees, were two Zaxxon soldiers. Their laser guns were aimed at him and the men had triumphant expressions on their faces. 
	One of them stepped forward. As he did so, he laughed in a booming manner. "By the rings of Urania! It's just who we're looking for. Well, you can be sure you won't escape this time, Prince Apollo!" 


Chapter Thirteen: EGRON THE TERRIBLE 

	Rick's fists clenched in anger as the two soldiers approached him. He'd been caught, and was he ever mad about it. This would really screw things up! 
	"Now don't have a cow," he told himself. "It's a real bummer, but somehow I'll get out of this one too!" 
	With a quick movement, as if he was scratching his neck, he slipped the golden amulet beneath his tunic. He didn't want anyone to see it and take it away from him. 
	"So, it's the little lost Prince, eh?" jeered the soldier who had already spoken, looking Rick up and down. 
	"I see you found your way back to town," laughed the other. "Is the jungle too scary for you?" 
	Rick watched the men with narrowed eyes. A daring plan began to form in his mind. It was obvious they thought he was Prince Apollo, and so he would pretend to be him, hoping that by playing the part it would offer him an opportunity to escape. He knew that the soldiers who had come to Crete with the Prince had all been sent back to Troy. Since none of the soldiers here now had actually seen Prince Apollo, Rick hoped to carry off the deception. 
	He stepped forward boldly. 
	"I'm not afraid of the jungle. As you can see, I carry no weapon. You dudes are the ones who need laser guns to protect you!" 
	For a moment the two soldiers were speechless. Then their anger at his remark became obvious. 
	"So you're a wise guy, huh?" one of them spat out. He grabbed Rick roughly by the arm. 
	"What's this?" He looked at the arm band Rick wore. "I can read Olympian. It says 'Free Olympus!' Ha! Olympus won't ever be free again now that we Zaxxons have taken over." 
	Rick squirmed and pulled himself free of the soldier's grasp. "Keep your lousy hands off me! I'm the Prince of Olympus. You may take me prisoner, but you may not treat me like a common criminal." 
	Rick's tone of authority cowed the soldier. The Zaxxon stepped back a pace, his bravado fading as he faced the young man he thought to be a royal Prince. 
	The other soldier gestured to the wall with his gun. "Enter the city through that crack," he said gruffly. "And don't make any smart moves. You may be the son of a King, but I won't fail to wound you if you try to escape." 
	Rick turned to the wall, a sudden smile quirking his lips. His ruse was working! And, he had to admit, it was pretty cool to talk so boldly like that to a couple of really tough soldiers who had laser guns! 
	He crawled through the aperture with the soldiers following. When he stepped out on the other side, the soldiers there saw him and jumped to their feet. 
	"It's the Prince!" one of them cried. 
	"Good fortune!" said another. "He's been captured." 
	"Yeah, we got him all right, you boneheads," said one of the soldiers behind Rick. "He was spying on you, not twenty feet away." 
	"Well, he sure won't get away this time," one of the group said, well aware of the fate of the soldiers who had made the mistake of letting Prince Apollo escape. 
	The others forgot their lunch and surrounded Rick. One of them turned away and ran off through the ruins towards the airship. 
	Rick looked around at the men. He felt confident and wasn't afraid, knowing he held a certain power over them as long as they believed him to be the Prince of Olympus. And he was eager to play that role for all it was worth. 
	"What have you done with the Eternal Flame?" he demanded. 
	One of the Zaxxons laughed. "It's in the Labyrinth. Same place you'll soon be!" 
	"With the Minotaurus to guard you," said another. "Wait till you see that beast. You'll wish you could change your royal blood for that of a Grok, just to get out of there." 
	"But you'll never get out," yet another added with a grunt. "No one will ever be able to get in to rescue you!" 
	Rick folded his arms across his broad chest and stared at the men unflinchingly. They were trying to scare him, and he knew they were right. It was nightmare predicament he'd soon be in, and he didn't know how much power Prince Apollo's amulet would have over the Minotaurus, for the beast was supposed to be half human. He kept hoping he'd find a way to escape before he was put into the Labyrinth. 
	"There he is!" came a voice from the ruins. 
	Rick looked in that direction and saw the soldier who had run to the airship returning. Along with him was a tall husky man wearing a black tunic, black armor, and a long black cape. He did not wear a helmet and his long dark hair hung to his shoulders. A thick beard covered his angular face and bushy brows arched over dark gleaming eyes. 
	Rick knew the man could be no other than the King of Zaxxonia, Egron the Terrible. Humor quelled his anger for a moment and he thought, "Sheez! Who does this guy think he is, Darth Vader?" 
	The soldiers stepped aside respectfully as their King approached. He walked up to Rick with a swagger and looked him over disdainfully. But Rick was perceptive enough to see the man's expression alter slightly when his examination proved Rick was not a young man to be discounted. 
	Egron the Terrible stroked his beard. "You look different, Apollo. But then I haven't seen a recent photograph of you., and you are quickly becoming a young man. I don't have time to read those tabloids that splatter you all over their covers as the latest heartthrob." The man laughed. "Isn't it a pity that the handsome Prince of so many young girls' dreams is going to have to spend the rest of his life in the Labyrinth under the hungry eyes of the Minotaurus?" 
	Rick looked up at the hulking man. "You'll never get away with this!" 
	"This and more!" boomed the King. "I rule all of Teutron now, and when I learn the secrets of Quantae space travel from your scientists I'll roam the galaxies and conquer other worlds. No one will stop me! Not you, and not your sister and her alien friends!" 
	"My sister?" Rick said, feigning ignorance. "Alien friends?" 
	"An Olympian explorer ship landed at your Uncle Orion's villa," the King told him. "We learned from the servants that three Earthlings were aboard it. They got away, along with your sister's robot, before my men could capture them. We believe they teamed up with Princess Athena in a rock n' roll club in Elysia. But they'll be captured. Don't you worry. Right now my militia is searching for them throughout Olympus." 
	Rick wondered how the barbarian King would feel if he knew the Princess and her companions were right here in the Blasted Lands, and that he was talking to one of the alien Earthlings right now. 
	"The Earthlings will help to free Olympus," Rick told him. "We have been observing their people for millenniums. They have powers you know nothing about." 
	Egron the Terrible looked uncertain for a moment. Then, "Bah! I'll capture the invaders from Earth, and one day go on to conquer their planet. And you'll spend your days in the Labyrinth, never to escape. Not with the Minotaurus chained to the entrance of the chamber you'll be imprisoned in!" 
	The King turned to his soldiers and angrily commanded, "Put him in the underground cell for now. We'll take him to the Labyrinth later, after the Minotaurus has been fed. Ha! We wouldn't want the beast to go hungry and try to eat the Prince, would we?" 
	He flung Rick a malicious look and then, with a grunt and a dramatic sweep of his cape, he stalked back towards the airship. 
	"What a jerk," Rick thought as he watched him walk away. "Man, good thing Charlie's not here. He would've jumped on that dude's bones in a minute and we'd be dead meat!" 
	The soldiers then surrounded Rick and he was led up to an old stone hut that was still standing and had not been completely ruined in the passing of the ages. The door was pulled open and three of the men accompanied him inside. 
	The entrance was lit by a lantern hanging on the decaying wall. One of the soldiers pulled it down and he led the way down a damp crumbling stairway. Rick went along reluctantly, knowing there was no way he could get away now with the Zaxxons guarding him. 
	The stairway led deep underground and at its end was a tunnel-like corridor. It was cool in the deep passage, and damp, and Rick could hear boisterous voices from up ahead in the darkness. The soldiers and Rick followed the tunnel to its end where there was a large cavern lit by several wall torches. There were four other Zaxxon soldiers in the center of the cavern, squatting down on the floor and playing a dice-like game. 
	The soldiers jumped to their feet in surprise, the light from the wall torches flickering over their swarthy faces. 
	"By the rings of Urania!" one cried, his eyes resting on Rick. "You've captured the Prince!" 
	"Yes, and he is not to escape this time," said the Zaxxon who had led Rick and the other two soldiers down to the cavern. "The King wants him kept down here in the cell for now. We will take him to the Labyrinth later." 
	"There's no way out of here except through this chamber," said one of the four soldiers who had been stationed in the cave, "and you can bet the moons of Teutron that he won't get past us!" 
	His three companions laughed heartily. One of them walked up to Rick and grabbed him roughly by the arm. 
	"Come with me, Prince," the Zaxxon said in scathing tones. 
	Rick pushed him away, freeing his arm from the man's grasp. The soldier gaped at him in surprise. 
	"I will come with you," Rick told him, "but keep your hands to yourself!" 
	The soldier looked at him contemptuously, but made no attempt to touch him again. He gestured to his three companions and they surrounded Rick. The other three soldiers bid their comrades farewell and left the chamber to go back outside. 
	The four men led Rick to the far side of the cavern where there was an iron door in the stone wall. One of the soldiers slid back the bar that locked it, and he pulled open the heavy door which led into a dark cell. 
	They gestured for Rick to walk inside and he did, then the door was slammed shut behind him. He clenched his fists in frustration as the bar was slid back into place. He could hear the Zaxxon soldiers laughing out in the cavernous chamber. 
	"Blast it!" Rick whirled around and beat his fists on the door. "Now I'm really in a mess. How the frick-frack am I gonna get outta here?" 
	A sudden voice behind him said, "There's no way out, son. Don't waste your strength beating on a door that won't open." 
	Rick spun around. He hadn't known someone else was in the cell. Because his eyes were not yet accustomed to the darkness, he couldn't see who had spoken. 
	"Where are you?" Rick asked, backing up against the door. 
	"Back here in the corner." 
	It was man's voice, and Rick squinted, trying to see in the pitch darkness of the cell. He heard the shuffling of feet as the person approached him. 
	"You'll get used to the dark in a minute or two," the man said. "What are you doing here? Who are you?" 
	Rick had no idea who the other person was, nor if he could be trusted. So he answered, "I was kidnapped by the Zaxxons. I am Apollo, Prince of Olympus." 
	To Rick's surprise, his cell-mate began to laugh. 
	"Sure! And I'm Egron the Terrible, King of Zaxxonia," the man returned. 
	Rick could see him now as his eyes accustomed to the dark. He was an elderly man of medium height, a pleasant looking fellow with a balding head. He was smiling in an amused manner. 
	"You don't believe me," Rick said. "Why?" 
	"I know what the Prince looks like. You may resemble him a little, but you can't fool me. So you're an Olympian, eh? I can tell by that arm band you're wearing. What in the name of Andromeda are you doing here in Crete?" 
	Rick frowned. He did not want to answer the man's questions as long as he didn't know who he was. Instead, he asked: 
	"Who are you? And what are you doing here?" 
	The man stepped closer, and then he sighed and shook his head. 
	"That's not important, son," he said. "I'm just an old man who's run out of tricks." 
	His amused expression had faded and he now looked very sad. He leaned against the cell wall and made a feeble attempt to smile. 
	Rick figured the man wasn't going to tell him anything and he began to look around the cell, absentmindedly pulling out the amulet from beneath his tunic and turning it in his hand. He could see clearly now and there was nothing in the dank cell except the old man and himself, not even a piece of wood to use as a weapon. 
	He knew he was stuck in there for the time being. There was absolutely no way out. Maybe when they took him to the Labyrinth he'd be able to escape. If Prince Apollo could get away from the Zaxxons, so could he! 
	Rick looked at the amulet in his hand. The rubiand in its center gave off a smouldering red glow. 
	"If only I knew how to work some magic with this thing!" he thought. 
	With a futile gesture, he let the amulet drop. It dangled against his chest. 
	"Great Andromeda! Where did you get that amulet?" 
	The old man's unexpected question startled Rick. 
	"I ... why, it's mine!" he answered. 
	The stranger pushed himself from the wall and rushed to Rick's side. 
	"I don't know who you are, son," he said, "but I do know who that amulet belongs to. And it's not you. Point it at the door!" 
	"What?" Rick gaped at the old man. 
	"Point it at the door, I said!" 
	The urgency in the stranger's voice impelled Rick to obey his command. He took the amulet in his hand and pointed it at the cell door. 
	Rick watched, bewildered, as the man stared intently at the magical amulet. Moments later, the red glow of the rubiand intensified and it began to burn like fire. Then, suddenly, a stream of vivid red light streaked like lightning from the rubiand to the iron door. Rick's hand began to tremble. 
	"Keep your hand steady!" the stranger commanded. "It won't hurt you. When the door opens, aim the beam at the soldiers." 
	"Yes, Sir!" Rick's flesh began to crawl as he heard the bar on the other side of the door begin to slide out of place. 
	The next instant, the iron door flew open with such a force that it banged against the stone wall in the cavern with a loud thunderous roar. 
	The four soldiers, crouched down on the floor at their dice game, jumped up in shocked surprise. 
	Rick immediately pointed the amulet at them. The fiery beam shot across the chamber and, one by one, as it hit them, the soldiers crumpled to the floor. 
	"That ought to keep them out cold for a while," the old man cackled. "Come on, let's get out of here!" 
	They ran out of the cell and crossed the cavern, not even casting a glance at the four Zaxxons splayed out on the floor. Rick was surprised at how agile the old man was. 
	Suddenly, it all made sense to him. "You've got to be Uncle Orion!" he said, as they neared the foot of the stairway. 
	"That's what my niece and nephew call me," the man replied, eyeing Rick curiously. "But how do you know that? You sure are full of surprises, young man." 
	Rick grabbed one of the wall torches and they hurried up the stairs. 
	"My name is Rick Raider," he told Orion, "and I come from the planet Earth in the Milky Way galaxy." 
	"Earth!" Orion exclaimed. "We've been observing your planet for thousands of years. A couple of our explorer ships never returned, and we've wondered throughout the ages if the crews colonized the planet. How in the world did you get to Teutron, and here to the Blasted Lands?" 
	Rick quickly explained his presence on the planet to the aging wizard, and the adventures that had brought him and his friends to the Blasted Lands. 
	"I hope the Princess and the others are safe," he added. "We were separated in the old city of Halcyon when a Harpy grabbed me and took me to its nest on a mountaintop. It was gruesome! That's where I found Prince Apollo's amulet. Good thing, too. That bird was ready to eat me!" 
	"But what happened to Apollo?" Orion wanted to know. 
	"All I know is that he escaped from the Zaxxons. He must have fled into the jungle. I don't know how he lost his amulet, or how it ended up in the Harpy's nest." 
	They had reached the top of the stairway, and they paused so Orion could catch his breath. 
	"Oh gosh," he sighed. "I hope my nephew is alive and well. I came here to Crete in hopes of finding him, but the soldiers captured me this morning just outside the wall. They don't know who I am, but since no one except the odd adventurer lives in this region they were suspicious of me and put me in the cell." 
	"Why did you come to Crete?" Rick asked. "What made you think that the Zaxxons would bring Prince Apollo here?" 
	"My nephew was visiting at my villa when he was kidnapped. We'd been up late that night discussing astronomy and ancient history. One of the things we talked about was the Labyrinth here in old Crete. The next day, as I flew into Zaxxonia in search of Apollo, it dawned on me that the Labyrinth would be the perfect place to confine him. So I came directly here." 
	"It was a good guess," Rick commended. "And now the Zaxxons have brought the Eternal Flame here too. We've got to get into the Labyrinth and get it back!" 
	Orion chuckled. "With a little magic, we should be able to do it. I'm really glad you have that amulet!" 
	"But you're a wizard," Rick said. "Don't you have one of your own?" 
	"I'm only a mortal man who dabbled in magic and wizardry," Orion disclaimed. "I'm not like the ancient ones whose powers are so great as to sustain them throughout time. When I retired from the Brotherhood of Magic, I had my rubiand cut into two stones. Each was mounted on a golden amulet. I gave them to Apollo and Athena so that they would have some protection in times of danger." 
	"But you can make the rubiand do things it can't do on its own," Rick said. "Like what it did down there in the cavern." 
	Orion smiled at him. "Yes, I still have some abilities that can be enhanced by the magical stone." 
	"Then let's see if you can get us past the rest of the soldiers," Rick urged. "There's quite a few of them out there, and Egron the Terrible too!" 
	Rick held up the amulet and once again Orion's intent gaze caused the fiery beam to emanate from the rubiand. The force of the beam pushed open the door, and its ray knocked the two soldiers on the other side to the ground. 
	"There's no one else around," Rick whispered, as he and Orion stepped outside. "We're in luck. The other soldiers must have gone to the Labyrinth to feed the Minotaurus, and Egron is probably in his ship. Let's sneak through the ruins and try to find another break in the wall." 
	They crept past the stricken soldiers and through the crumbling ruins, keeping out of sight of the airship on the field behind them. After crossing a good part of the ruined city, they entered an old viaduct that had once carried water from the inland sea into the town. 
	"This seems to lead to the shore on the south side of the city," Rick noted as they hurried through the gloom. 
	"Good, my airship is in a small clearing in the jungle not far from the south wall," Orion told him. "We can rest there and have a meal before going on to the Labyrinth." 
	"Do you know where it's at?" Rick asked. 
	"Yes, its entrance is in the north wall of the city. I landed my ship on the opposite side of town so it wouldn't be seen by soldiers guarding the Labyrinth." 
	Water dripped from the viaduct roof and the damp ground squished beneath their feet. Rodents scurried in the shadows and the weird cries of birds echoed in the dark gloom. Soon they could see the waters of the inland sea ahead, and they hurried out of the viaduct's end onto the sandy shore. The sea was calm and a misty haze hung over the horizon. 
	The wall of the city had originally extended out into the water, but what was left of it now was only a crumbling mass of ruins. Rick spotted a break in the wall and he and Orion crossed the sand and crawled through the aperture to the jungle beyond. They found a path that followed the shoreline, and they hurried along it through the tropical forest. 
	Several minutes later they came upon the clearing in which stood Orion's airship. The craft somewhat resembled an Air Force jet, but it was much larger. The rear of the ship was high and the body tapered to the front to a needle-nosed bow. The wings angled back and upward, and the ship rested on the ground on its underside. 
	Rick let out a whistle of admiration. "Nice ship, Orion. Your flying machines here on Teutron are eons ahead of those we have on Earth. How did you man this craft alone, and how did you land it in this tiny clearing?" 
	"The ship is run by its computer, Rick. A crew isn't necessary. And it's an anti-gravity vessel, capable of going straight up and down. It was no problem to land in this clearing." 
	"Earth is sure going to seem old-fashioned after being here on Teutron," Rick laughed. Then he added, "But it will definitely seem much safer!" 
	Orion nodded sagely as they crossed the clearing. "There are many incredible dangers on this planet, and in your short visit here, you have already faced a great many of them." 
	They walked to the rear deck of the craft. On the left side was a panel that had several rows of security keys on it. Orion typed in a code on the keys and half of the rear panel slid silently up. After they stepped inside the hatch, the panel slid noiselessly down behind them. 
	"Is this a cargo hold?" Rick asked, looking around the large chamber they had just stepped into. 
	"It can be used for that," Orion replied. "I've never really transported much, but many times I've carried the horses in here. It's always fun to take the Pegasi along on excursions." 
	They crossed the hold to a door that slid into the wall as they approached it, and Orion led Rick into a corridor off which were several doors. 
	"It feels great to have escaped those soldiers," Rick said. "I'd rather be nibbled to death by Harpies than to be captured by the Zaxxons again!" 
	Orion chuckled at that remark, but the next moment both he and Rick were startled out of their wits when a gruff voice behind them said: 
	"All right, you two. Stick your hands up in the air. This is the end of the road for you!" 


Chapter Fourteen: INTO THE LABYRINTH 

	"Hunhh!?" 
	Rick Raider whirled around, his hands flying involuntarily into the air. He could not have been more surprised by the site that met his eyes. 
	Charlie Connors was standing at the end of the corridor, a laser gun in his hand. 
	"Charlie!" 
	"Rick!" 
	The next moment Charlie had leaped down the corridor and was hugging Rick in his arms. Orion looked on, totally perplexed. 
	"Rick! I thought I'd never see you again!" Charlie was ecstatic. He planted a big wet kiss in the middle of Rick's forehead. 
	"Connors! You don't have to kiss me!" 
	"Man, when that crazy bird took you away, I thought it was curtains for you, bud." Charlie pushed Rick back at arm's length and gaped at him. "That bird didn't eat you? I shoulda known! One taste of you and it'd spit you right out, eh?" 
	Before Rick could even say a word, the door at the bow end of the corridor slid open and he heard Sally's voice say: 
	"Charlie, what's going on .........?" 
	Then, all pandemonium broke loose. 
	"Rick!!" Sally screamed, running into the corridor. 
	She was followed by Princess Athena and ABL089, and for several minutes there was complete chaos as everyone shouted and laughed and hugged in reunion. Only when their great elation had somewhat ebbed was Princess Athena able to introduce her Uncle Orion to Charlie and Sally. Then Rick told how he had escaped from the Harpy, only to end up being captured by the Zaxxons. 
	Sally had her arms around Rick's waist as if she'd never let him go. She smiled in relief and happiness as he finished telling how he and Orion had escaped from the underground cell. 
	"That's twice your magic has saved Rick from danger today," she said to the old wizard. "First when Rick used the amulet to escape from the Harpy, and then again when you used your powers to escape from the Zaxxons." 
	"Yeah, you are the max, Wiz," Charlie said, slapping Orion jovially on the back. 
	"You can compute on that," ABL089 agreed. "Didn't I tell you, Princess, that your uncle could still take care of himself?" 
	Princess Athena nodded. "You were right, Abey. None of us would still be here if it weren't for your magic, Uncle Orion." 
	"Well, I'm lucky to be here too," the man said, looking amusedly at Charlie. "It's a good thing you didn't shoot at Rick and me when we came aboard, young fellow." 
	"Say, I'm sorry if I scared you guys." Charlie picked up the laser gun that had dropped to the floor during the excitement. "But I didn't know it was you. I'd just found this gun on the rack in that little store room down the hall. When I came out there were two strangers walking toward the bow. I thought you were Zaxxons!" 
	"I had two laser guns," Orion told them. "I took one with me when I went into the jungle. The Zaxxons took it away when they captured me." 
	"Well, at least we have this one," Charlie said. "We can take it along to the Labyrinth. That Minotaurus may be a dangerous beast, but I think this will keep him quiet while we get the Eternal Flame." 
	"What I want to know," said Rick, "is how you guys found this ship. What happened after I got that unexpected airlift from Halcyon?" 
	"We went right back to the horses," Sally told him. "We hoped to follow, but by the time we got into the air you and the Harpy were out of sight. Oh, we were so upset! That bird sure could fly." 
	"You're telling me?" Rick muttered, shuddering at the memory. 
	"Then we followed the coastline," ABL089 put in. "We must have just missed that fight between the two Harpies when you got away, for we had to pass that very spot. Finally we came upon the city of Crete and circled wide around it so no one would see us on the Pegasi." 
	"Just as we were about to land," Charlie added to the story, "we saw an airship take off. It must have been the one transporting the soldiers who'd let Prince Apollo escape back to Troy." 
	"After we landed, we tethered the horses and then struck off through the jungle to the city," Princess Athena said. "We came upon this clearing almost immediately. When we saw the airship, I knew right away it was my uncle's." 
	"But how did you get on board?" Rick asked, remembering the security code Orion had typed on the keys to open the hatch. 
	The Princess smiled. "That was easy. I've taken many a journey on this ship and know the entrance code." 
	Rick looked grimly at his friends. "I guess that explains it all. Except what happened to Prince Apollo." 
	"I wonder how he lost his amulet?" the Princess said worriedly. 
	Rick looked around at the concerned faces. "I know what you're all thinking, that the Harpy ate him. But there was no sign of anything like that having happened in the nest." 
	"Right," Charlie quickly agreed. "You'd have seeen some sign. A piece of clothing. A ... well, something!" 
	'Exactly," was Rick's response. "There was nothing in the nest except the amulet. I don't know how it got there, but I really believe Prince Apollo was not a victim of that bird, and that he's alive and well." 
	"Don't worry. We'll find him." Charlie put his arm around Princess Athena's shoulder and gave her an encouraging squeeze. "We know just about everything else we need to know, and we'll solve the mystery of the Prince too!" 
	Rick nodded emphatically. "He has got to be around here somewhere." 
	"Perhaps he learned that the King was bringing the Eternal Flame to Crete," ABL089 suggested. "The soldiers must have talked about it." 
	"Right," Sally agreed. "Then after he escaped, the Prince might have waited for the Zaxxons to put the flame into the Labyrinth. He might be in there right now, looking for it." 
	"Then we'd better get going," Charlie suggested. "If he's in the Labyrinth without the amulet to protect him, he's in some real danger." 
	"It's best if we wait for nightfall before entering the Labyrinth," Orion said. "Let's go into the galley now and have something to eat, and decide our plan of action." 
	Everyone in agreement, they filed into the galley which was off the main corridor. While the girls and Charlie prepared a light snack from Orion's food supplies, the old wizard showed Rick the cockpit in the ship's bow. 
	"I'll let you fly her once we're back in Olympus," Orion told him. "If you handled the explorer spaceship as well as you did, you'll have no trouble with this vessel." 
	"Thanks, I'd like that," Rick said as he looked over the controls. "I'm really learning how to fly on this planet. Ships, and horses too." 
	While they ate, plans were made to enter the Labyrinth. It was decided that ABL089 would remain on the ship with Sally and the Princess, and that he'd keep the laser gun for protection. Rick, Charlie, and Orion would go to the Labyrinth, and they would take both of the magical amulets with them. 
	"There will be guards outside the entrance to the caves," Orion said. "I'll use one of the amulets to knock them out, and then I'll remain there to guard the opening while Rick and Charlie go inside to find the Eternal Flame. You boys will have the other amulet. I will intensify the power of its rubiand so you'll have sufficient protection once you're inside the maze." 
	"But what if they get lost?" Princess Athena asked. "Rick and Charlie might lose their way and never get out." 
	"I think the Zaxxons will have a direct route to the chamber in which the Eternal Flame is held," said ABL089. "And it will probably be lit by lanterns or torches." 
	"But it won't be a good idea for us to follow that route," Charlie put in. "There'll probably be soldiers stationed along it. We can't take that chance." 
	"Right," Rick quickly agreed. "We'll have to stray from a direct route and find our own way to the Eternal Flame. Say, is there a ball of thread on the ship?" 
	"There's some thread in my backpack," Sally said. "The one I used to mend Charlie's tunic when he was wounded by the laser bolt. But it won't be long enough, Rick. It's only a small role." 
	Orion looked perplexed. "Why do you want a ball of thread?" 
	"There's a legend about the mythical Labyrinth on Earth," Rick explained. "As the story goes, Theseus, a young Greek prince, took it upon himself to go in the Labyrinth and kill the Minotaur that lived in it. He took a ball of thread with him and tied the end to a rock at the entrance. As he wandered through the maze of caves in search of the Minotaur's den, he unraveled the thread behind him. Theseus found the beast and slayed it, and then he followed the thread back to the entrance of the Labyrinth." 
	"Theseus was a smart fellow," ABL089 said. "All we need now is a large quantity of thread." 
	Orion stood up. "Hmmm! I don't have that much thread aboard the ship, but I do have something you can use instead." 
	He crossed the room to a cupboard and, after opening the door, he withdrew a sack from one of the shelves. When he placed it on the table, the others stared at it, mystified. 
	"What's in it, Uncle Orion?" Princess Athena asked. 
	"Some kind of beans." Orion loosened the drawstring and reached into the sack. A moment later he dumped a handful of small bean-like seeds onto the table. 
	Rick picked one up and turned it around in his hand. Then he smelled it. "Hey, Charlie, check these out. They're cocoa beans." 
	"No, you're jivin' me!" Charlie picked up one of the beans and smelled it. Then his eyes lit up and he bit into the bean. His features contorted, but he started laughing. "Bitter without sugar, but it's cocoa all right. Where did you get these, Orion?" 
	"In the jungle, not far from here. I explored a little this morning before I went into Crete. I came upon a grove of small evergreens with these beans growing on them. I liked the unusual aroma, so I picked a sackfull. I thought perhaps they could be used to brew a beverage." 
	"That's exactly what we do with them on Earth," Sally said. "Princess, these are similar to the beans the chocolate flavor is derived from. They do grow on Teutron!" 
	"Right here in the Blasted Lands," the Princess added. She shook her head. "It really is a shame. So much has been forgotten about this region throughout the ages since the Great War." 
	ABL089 agreed. "My memory banks are sorely lacking in data about this old land of Halcyon. But," he reminded them, "the oracle Medusa knew. She knew about the cocoa beans here in the Blasted Lands and was able to make Charlie his chocolate coffee drink!" 
	Charlie looked at peace. "So there is chocolate on Teutron after all! With that and burgers and fries, I guess I can live the rest of my days here if we never get back to Earth." 
	"But these beans aren't going to be used for chocolate," Rick said. He picked up the beans from the table and put them back in the sack. He drew the drawstring closed. "These are going to be our 'ball of thread'. We'll drop them behind us in the Labyrinth and follow them back out after we get the Eternal Flame." 
	"Then we're all set," Charlie said excitedly. "All we need is a flashlight. Do you have one, Orion?" 
	"Yes, there is a laser-light in the storeroom where you found the gun." 
	Rick got to his feet. "Then let's get going. The sun should be setting soon. By the time we circle the city to the north wall, it'll be dark." 
	"You'd better ride the horses," Princess Athena suggested. "The jungle is full of dangerous creatures, and they all come out at night." 
	"You're right," her uncle agreed. "We'll take three of the Pegasi with us, and bring the other two into the hold. That way they'll be safe when night falls." 
	Everyone mobilized into action. The Princess pulled off her amulet and gave it to her uncle. Charlie tied the sack of beans to the belt of his tunic. Then they left the galley and hurried down to the cargo hold. Orion retrieved the laser-light in the store room and Princess Athena pulled a lever on a control panel to open the hatch. They walked out into the clearing, ABL089 holding the laser gun in hand. 
	The sun had begun to set and a reddish glow suffused the skies as they hurried into the jungle forest to the spot where the Pegasi had been tethered. They unhitched the stallions from the trees and led them back into the clearing. Two of them were put into the cargo hold of the airship. When that was done, Rick, Charlie and Orion mounted the other three winged horses. This time Rick rode Starfire, Princess Athena's mighty stallion. 
	An undercurrent of excitement and anticipation ran through the group of friends. 
	Princess Athena looked at the riders anxiously. "May good fortune be with you!" 
	"Bring back the Eternal Flame!" ABL089's smile was at its broadest. "All of Olympus will be in your debt forever." 
	"We won't fail." Rick Raider's tone was one of confidence. 
	Charlie ran his fingers back through his curly hair and grinned at the girls and the robot. "There's no stopping us now. We got the Wiz with us!" 
	Orion chuckled. "This task will surely put my powers to the test. Abey, keep your eyes on the Princess and Sally. And if the Zaxxons should raid the ship, take off into the skies." 
	"I certainly will," the robot agreed. "But I'm sure we'll be safe and sound until you return." 
	He and the girls stepped back as the riders urged the Pegasi to take off. The three mighty horses winged their way up to the tree tops and, with Rick in the lead on Starfire, they flew westward far behind the ancient city of Crete. 
	The jungle below looked sinister and mysterious in the early evening gloom, and several times they heard loud roars and cries rise up from the dense tropical forests. After circling wide around the ruined city, they again headed south, now flying along the coastline. Below them were mountainous cliffs and the crashing waves of the inland sea. 
	"Watch out for Harpies!" Rick warned. "That one who got me had its nest down in those cliffs." 
	"Just let one of thos big canaries try and bother us now," Charlie shot back. "We'll let Orion turn it into fried chicken!" 
	"Kentucky style," Rick agreed. "Man, I'd sure like to see that." 
	Orion laughed. "We've got more than enough to handle as it is without running into one of those awful creatures." 
	Several minutes later they approached the north wall of the city. After landing some distance away from it, they hitched the horses and struck off through the darkening jungle. Rick used the laser-light to light their way. The device was similar to a flashlight and emitted a powerful yellow glow. 
	Soon they came upon a trail and followed it behind the cliffs until it wound its way through them and ended on the shore of the inland sea. A brisk wind was blowing in off the water and waves crashed up onto the sandy beach. The crumbling north wall of the city stood several yards ahead of them. 
	"We're here," Rick whispered. "Now we've got to get to the other side of the wall and find the entrance to the Labyrinth. Orion, you'd better power-up the rubiands now. The Zaxxons could be around anywhere." 
	"You bet," the old wizard agreed. "This time I'll give them everything they can hold." 
	As Rick and Charlie watched, Orion worked his powerful gaze to intensify first the stone of one amulet and then that of the other. When he was done, he kept Princess Athena's amulet and gave Prince Apollo's back to Rick. The two rubiands burned like fire and emitted the smouldering power beams. 
	"Be careful where you aim that beam," Orion warned Rick. "Don't hurt yourself with it." 
	"How long will the power last?" Rick asked, handing the laser-light to Charlie so that he himself could carry the amulet. 
	"About a half hour," Orion replied. "Hopefully, that will be enough time for you to find the Eternal Flame and carry it back out. If you're not out by then, I'll power this one up again and come in after you." 
	"Sounds good to me," Rick said, his heart beginning to pound with excitement. 
	"Totally," Charlie agreed. "Let's do it!" 
	They hurried across the strand of beach to the wall and scouted along it until they found a crack through which they could enter the city. As soon as they were on the other side, Charlie switched off the laser-light and they crept through the darkness with the power beams from the magical amulets lighting their way. 
	They had gone about a hundred yards when Charlie hissed, "Look up ahead. There's a bonfire. It must be the entrance to the Labyrinth!" 
	"We'll approach cautiously and take the soldiers by surprise," Orion whispered. "Just let them have it with the power beam, Rick." 
	"You bet I will," he shot back with a grin, as they moved quietly on. 
	The trio approached the bonfire and crept behind the crumbled ruins of a building. From there they could plainly see the clearing. In the center of it was the fire, and several soldiers sat around it, talking and laughing in subdued tones. Beyond them was a cave-like opening in the stone wall at the base of a high cliff, flanked on each side by a large statue of a grotesque beast that was half bull and half man. Burning wall torches lit up the cave, and Rick and his companions could see into it for some distance. 
	"Remember," Orion said as they moved to attack. "I'll be standing guard out here in case more soldiers come. Good fortune!" 
	The boys leaped into action. Charlie ran off several yards towards the wall. He turned on the laser-light, aimed it at the soldiers, and shouted: 
	"Hey, you meatheads!" 
	The next instant, he turned off the beam and scurried back to the ruins. 
	Taken totally by surprise, the Zaxxon soldiers jumped to their feet, gaping in the direction where they had seen the light beam and heard the unexpected call. Before they could draw their laser guns and fire, Rick and Orion zapped each one of them with the rubiands' power beams. The soldiers crumpled to the ground. 
	"Yahoo! Out like a light, every one of them," Charlie said as Rick joined him. "Now to get that Eternal Flame!" 
	Rick laughed as they raced across the clearing. "Get your beans ready, Connors. It's time for you to play Theseus!" 
	Rick and Charlie ran past the statues at the entrance and into the Labyrinth. It was well-lighted by the burning wall torches and they slowed their pace as they crept along. Charlie tossed the cocoa-like beans behind them. 
	The cave sloped downwards and twisted and turned in a monotonous manner. Off it branched countless other caves, all of them dark and uninviting. 
	"Spooky," Charlie said, craning his neck around. "This is as weird as the Ophirian underground in the Yukon last winter." 
	"No kidding," Rick agreed. "I wonder if all our adventures will end up in a maze of caves?" 
	Charlie laughed. "Only if we're really lucky!" 
	Just then, they heard voices coming from around the bend ahead of them. 
	Rick hissed. "Come on, someone's up ahead. We'll have to go into one of these caves." 
	He ducked into the nearest one and Charlie followed close on his heels. 
	"Must be more soldiers," said Rick, "on their way out to the bonfire. We'll let Orion take care of them. I don't want to chance it having the Zaxxons find out we're in here." 
	"You and me both." Charlie switched on the laser-light. Then he groaned. "Cripes! We should've gotten one of those soldiers' laser-guns outside!" 
	Rick grunted. "Darn! We sure could use one. But, hey, sometimes you can't think of everything." 
	They crept along the dark passage, following its twists and turns. Charlie continued to drop beans behind him as he aimed the laser-light ahead. Rick held the amulet, its power beam shooting far ahead of them. After a while, they could see a dim glow in the distance. 
	"It must be the main route again," Charlie whispered. "We're getting closer to the Minotaurus's den." 
	Rick held the amulet firmly in his hand. "This may be the chamber we're looking for. Let's go!" 
	They hurried down the passage and we're just about to enter the lighted cave when they heard loud boisterous voices. 
	"More Zaxxons," Rick breathed, pressing against the earthen wall. "Look." 
	Charlie peered into the other cave. It was a large underground chamber lit by lanterns and wall torches. In the center, a dozen soldiers were sitting around a pit in which hunks of meat were being cooked on a revolving spit over a fire. 
	"They sure aren't taking any chances in guarding the Eternal Flame, are they?" Charlie muttered. "Why don't we just mow them down with the amulet beam?" 
	Rick disagreed. "We can't. What if they come to and we're still in here? They'll scour this place looking for us." 
	"Right," Charlie conceded, wishing they didn't have to be so careful. "We've got to be real sneak-thieves in stealing the Eternal Flame from the Zaxxons." 
	The boys turned and retraced their steps, following the trail of beans until another cave branched off the one they were in. They turned into this passage and followed it for what seemed an eternity. It twisted and turned deep underground and the air became close and musty. Breathing was difficult. 
	"Dude, I'm getting that claustrophobia in here," Charlie complained. "This cave's going nowhere. Let's try another." 
	"May as well," Rick agreed, and they turned into the first branching cave. After following it for a couple minutes, the boys noticed that the air wasn't so stuffy any longer, and a light cool breeze seemed to be flowing at them. 
	Charlie nudged Rick in the side. "This must lead into a larger cavern. Feel that cool breeze?" 
	"I sure do. I've got my fingers crossed that the Eternal Flame is just up........" 
	Charlie interupted him. "There's a light ahead. Awwwriight! I think this time we're in the money." 
	Excited now, the boys hastened down the passage. As they approached its end, the air grew increasingly cooler and they both breathed in huge gulps of it. Charlie switched off the laser-light, and through the arched end of the cave they could see a well-lit underground cavern with large stalactites and stalagmites growing from floor to ceiling. 
	Rick held Charlie back as they neared the entrance to the cavern. 
	"Don't go running in there, bud. We'd better check it out first." 
	Charlie slowed down and the two boys stealthily crept into the chamber behind a cluster of stalagmites growing up from the floor. As they did, a hideous roar filled the cavern, followed by the terrified cry of a human. 
	Rick and Charlie stared ahead, shocked into horror at what they saw. 
	In the middle of the chamber stood a huge beast, its torso and head that of a man. Its eyes were bloody red, its face hairy and savage, and two curved horns topped the man-like head. Its long four-legged body was that of a bull, covered with matted and dirty shaggy fur. Broken link chains dangled from its huge muscular arms and four strong legs. 
	The beast held in his hands a squirming boy of their own age, who looked up at the hideous, leering face of his captor in terror. 
	"The Minotaurus," breathed Charlie. "It got loose!" 
	"And that's got to be Prince Apollo!" Rick hissed. 
	The ugly beast heard them and turned towards them with an ear-splitting roar. As the Minotaurus moved, the boys could see what until now had been hidden behind it - a beautiful marble altar upon which, in a glowing golden vessel topped with a crystal-like dome, burned the missing Eternal Flame. 


Chapter Fifteen: THE ETERNAL FLAME 

	Snarling furiously, the gruesome Minotaurus charged at Rick and Charlie, dragging along the terrified and helpless Prince Apollo. 
	For a moment, Rick and Charlie were paralyzed at the sight of the frightful beast. It leered at them with a fiendish expression, and saliva dripped from its foul mouth. The horns atop its shaggy-haired head reflected the flickering light of the burning torches. 
	Then Charlie came to life and blurted, "Whoa! Talk about totally gross. Zap that ugly sucker with the amulet!" 
	Rick needed no further urging. He stepped forward and, with a steady hand, he raised the amulet so that the power beam struck the Minotaurus directly in the face. The creature jerked back, howling in rage, and, as its hands flew up to its face, Prince Apollo fell to the floor. 
	Rick did not relent in his attack. He stepped forward again and blasted the Minotaurus with the power beam. The beast fell backward and then rolled onto its side, roaring in agony. 
	Rick shouted, "Prince Apollo! Grab the Eternal Flame and we'll get out of here!" 
	The Prince looked at the Minotaurus as it struggled to get back up on all four legs, and then he looked at Rick and Charlie, his expression bewildered and dazed. 
	Rick aimed the amulet at the beast again, but the power beam was weakening and it scarcely reached the creature. 
	"Darn it!" he cried. "It's losing power. Man, I wish we had a laser-gun!" 
	The Prince was still on the floor, caught in a daze. 
	"Come on, Apollo!" Charlie yelled, running towards him. "Snap out of it, dude. Get the flame and let's scram!" 
	Prince Apollo, finally regaining his senses, scrambled to his feet. He ran back to the marble altar and clutched the golden vessel just as the Minotaurus, again on all fours, snorted furiously and charged at him. 
	Rick raced to the altar, aiming the amulet at the beast. The weakening beam from the rubiand hit square on and the human-like bull fell back with a bellowing roar. The Prince leaped from the altar, the golden vessel in his hands. 
	"All right!" Rick enthused, as Prince Apollo joined him and Charlie. "We gotta hurry. The amulet's losing power." 
	The Prince's expression was one of total confusion. His dark eyes looked first at Rick and Charlie, and then at the amulet as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. But Rick grabbed his arm and pulled him along as he and Charlie turned to flee. The Minotaurus, raging ferociously behind them, once again pulled itself up on all fours. 
	"We made a trail with these beans," Charlie told the Prince as he pulled the sack from his belt. He turned around and flung it at the dazed beast. "Take that, you big ox!" 
	The sack hit the Minotaurus square in the face. The infuriated creature snorted, pawed at the ground, and charged again. 
	The three boys fled. 
	"Sure this is the right tunnel?" Rick asked Charlie as they rushed into a passageway. 
	Charlie had switched on the laser-light and he aimed it at the floor. "It sure is. There's the trail of beans." 
	"Good fortune!" gasped Prince Apollo, finally finding his voice as they hurried on. "I thought it was all over for me! That thing was just about to kill me. The Zaxxons were crazy to think they could keep it chained. Hey, who are you guys anyway?" 
	"Never mind about that now," Rick said. "We've got to get out of here. We'll tell you everything later." 
	"But you're wearing my clothes," the Prince insisted. "And you have my amulet! Where did you get it?" 
	"In a Harpy's nest," Rick shot back. 
	"Holy Urania!" the Prince hissed. "That's where I lost it. You mean that crazy bird got you too?" 
	But before Rick could answer, they heard the raging bellows of the Minotaurus closing in. Charlie flashed the laser-light back, and they could see the creature not far behind them. 
	"That thing doesn't give up easily, eh?" Charlie muttered, as Rick fell behind ready to use the amulet. "I'll bet that sucker eats front-end loaders for lunch." 
	"Right now it's more interested in us!" Prince Apollo said grimly. 
	The Minotaurus had regained some strength and was quickly approaching them as they arrived at the long winding tunnel that went deep underground. Following the trail of beans, the boys hurried along it, hoping that the Minotaurus would continue on in the other tunnel. 
	However, their hopes were quickly quashed. The creature turned and followed them, and Rick was forced to aim the amulet at it as it neared. He sneered angrily at the beast: 
	"Let's not get up close and personal, .... baby!" 
	The power remaining in the beam was enough to give the Minotaurus a resounding blow, knocking it backwards. It stumbled, almost falling on its side, and clutched at the cave wall with its big hands for support. It was in this manner, giving the beast crippling blow after blow, that the trio made their way through the long twisting tunnel. 
	"Jeez! This is like having a freight train roaring down upon you," Charlie muttered, looking over his shoulder at the creature. 
	"A freight train?" Prince Apollo repeated. "We haven't had trains on Teutron in seventeen hundred years. Where in the Andromeda are you guys from?" 
	Rick laughed. "Would you believe Earth?" 
	"Earth! But that's in the Milky Way galaxy. You got to be kidding!" 
	"Would we kid the Prince of Olympus?" Charlie returned. "One of your explorer ships landed on our planet, right by where we live. We sneaked aboard to investigate, and then it took off, homeward bound because of the war. Your sister's robot was on it." 
	"Abey?" the Prince asked in surprise. 
	"Yes, he's waiting out there for us," Charlie said. "And our friend Sally, and the Princess and your uncle, too." 
	"My sister? And Uncle Orion?" 
	"Right! The gang's all here," Rick told him. "We've been looking all over Zaxxonia for you, Prince Apollo." 
	"Look here, the tunnel's ending," Charlie cut in. "The one up ahead leads into the chamber where the soldiers were eating." 
	Rick had a sudden idea. He looked back at the lumbering beast not far behind. "Let's run this wild Minotaurus right in there," he said. "That ought to shake up those lousy Zaxxons." 
	"Right on," Charlie smirked gleefully. "Just follow us, Prince, and don't let that flame blow out!" 
	"Don't worry about that. The dome protects it, and it burns with a special chemical that nothing can extinguish." 
	With the Minotaurus only yards behind them, the boys turned into the tunnel and ran directly down it, then into the large cavern where the soldiers were. They pressed against the cavern walls, trying to hide behind clusters of stalactites and stalagmites even though they knew they'd been seen by the soldiers. 
	But it didn't matter. By the time the Zaxxons had jumped to their feet in surprise, the angry ferocious creature had thundered into the chamber in all its fury. 
	"Great Andromeda!" one of the startled soldiers cried out. 
	The Minotaurus, spotting the dozen or so men who were gaping up at it in astonishment, emitted an awesome roar and charged at them. 
	"It's loose!" another of the soldiers cried. "The Minotaurus broke its chains!" 
	But the boys scarcely heard the outcry. They had immediately slipped back into the tunnel and were racing along, relieved to be free of the monstrous creature. 
	"Hot dog! We're just about home free," Charlie shouted. "That ought to keep those soldiers busy for a while." 
	Rick looked over his shoulder and was happy to see that the beast was not behind them now. The diversion had worked. The temptation of so many victims had proved irresistable to the Minotaurus, and the screams and shouts of the men and the creature's roars could be heard from behind them. 
	The tunnel ended at the torch-lit main route, and the boys hurriedly followed the trail of beans to the Labyrinth's entrance. There they met Orion, who was just running inside. When the old wizard saw his nephew and the vessel containing the Eternal Flame, he let out a joyous cry. 
	"Thank the ancient ones! You are safe, Apollo, and you have the Eternal Flame!" 
	"Thanks to these two guys," the Prince said, grasping his uncle's hand in greeting. "I thought good fortune had forever deserted me, and then they showed up out of nowhere." 
	"Just like magic," Charlie grinned. "Yo, anything can happen on the planet Teutron, Prince Apollo." 
	"Ditto on that," Rick agreed. "And the best thing that can happen now is that we get back to the ship and return the Eternal Flame to the city of Olympia where it belongs." 
	"The coast is clear out there," Orion said. "I would have come to your aid sooner but more soldiers showed up. I had to take care of them with the amulet." 
	Suddenly, from behind them in the Labyrinth, there came the sounds of a great commotion. The furious roaring of the Minotaurus could be heard, and also the shouting of soldiers and the firing of laser guns. 
	"The Minotaurus is chasing the soldiers this way," Prince Apollo said. 
	"Ugh! Haven't they killed it yet?" Charlie made a twisted face. "If I have to see that thing one more time, I'll barf!" 
	"Then let's get going," Rick urged. "As far as this Labyrinth is concerned, we're history!" 
	As they ran out into the clearing, the boys could see a score of the Zaxxon soldiers laying unconscious around the bonfire. Charlie quickly ran over to the closest one. 
	"I just gotta have one of these babies," he said, stooping down and pulling the man's laser gun from its holster. "Who knows what we might run into next?" 
	Then with him in the lead, they crept along the crumbling wall towards the beach, the laser-light guiding their way. Arriving at the break in the wall through which they had entered the city, they scrambled through and hurried into the cover of the dark jungle. Then they followed the path leading through the cliffs and out once again into the deep tropical forest. 
	When they reached the horses, the three Pegasi were in a state of great agitation. They whinnied and pawed nervously at the ground. 
	"An animal must have been about to attack them," Orion suggested. "It seems we got here just in time." 
	A vicious growl came from the nearby trees and Rick whirled around, the amulet in his hand. 
	"It must have been a Tigron," Prince Apollo said as they heard the beast crash away through the underbrush. 
	"Well, it's gone now." Charlie was busy trying to calm down the horses. "Come on, these winged wonders are ready to fly." 
	They unhitched the Pegasi and mounted, Prince Apollo climbing up onto Starfire behind Rick. 
	"You'll have to hold onto me," Rick told him as he strapped himself into the saddle. "There's no way to strap you on." 
	The Prince adjusted the vessel containing the Eternal Flame in the crook of his arm, and he held onto Rick with the other. "Don't worry, I've ridden these horses bareback. I won't fall off." 
	"Bareback?" Charlie marveled. "Whew! Even I'm not crazy enough to try that." 
	The eager horses were airbound almost instantly. Up over the dark jungle they flew, into the star-fired evening sky. Above them glowed the big moon Urania with its silver rings, and the two lesser moons, Ceres and Triton, hovered above the horizons on either side of them. 
	The riders guided their horses westward, so that they could fly around the back of the old ruined city. 
	"Yo, Connors!" Rick shouted, looking over at his friend. "We did it! We found the Prince and the Eternal Flame too." 
	"Just like the oracle Medusa said we would!" Charlie tossed back. 
	"Medusa?" Prince Apollo asked. "Don't tell me you guys went to see HER." 
	Rick laughed, turning to look at him. "Oh brother, do we ever have a story to tell you!" 
	"She ain't a half-bad babe," Charlie joked. "Good cook, too." 
	Prince Apollo looked from Charlie to Rick and then back again. "You guys really have me confused. Do you know what they're talking about, Uncle Orion?" 
	"I sure do," the old-timer chuckled. "And when the media gets hold of their story, it'll be headlines throughout Olympus. Zaxxonia too. These boys are really going to make some news!" 
	"And I'll be right there on the front page with those headlines," Rick declared, "demanding a spaceship to take us back to Earth. We have to go home!" 
	"But you fellows have to stay a while," Prince Apollo said. "There will be great celebrations in Olympia. You've got to stick around........" 
	He was interupted by Orion, who pointed behind them and shouted, "Look! Soldiers on horses. The Zaxxons have spotted us!" 
	The boys turned to look. Flying up from the athletic field of the old city were several Pegasi with Zaxxon soldiers in the saddles. 
	"The horses must have been in the King's airship," Rick said. 
	Charlie groaned. "And just when I thought we had scored our final goal!" 
	Ping! Ping! Ping! 
	Laser bolts streaked across the sky from the guns of the approaching soldiers. 
	Rick urged his mount on. "Charlie, do you know how to use that gun?" 
	"You bet I do!" Charlie laughed, turning to look back with the laser gun in hand. 
	"They're only trying to scare us," Prince Apollo said in an anxious tone. "They wouldn't dare shoot us and take the chance of the Eternal Flame being destroyed." 
	"Exactly," Orion agreed. "To destroy the Eternal Flame is the greatest of crimes, punishable by death. Even Egron the Terrible dare not do it. His own people would turn against him." 
	Ping! Ping! Ping! 
	Charlie ducked as a fiery bolt came much too close for comfort. "I hear what you're saying, Wiz. But I still think we ought to fight back!" 
	"You know what, Charlie. I think you're right!" 
	Leaning forward in the saddle, Orion once again intensified the power of Princess Athena's amulet as fiery laser bolts whizzed overhead. Then he let his horse fall behind the other two, and Charlie followed suit. Clutching the pommel of the saddle with one hand, Orion turned and aimed the rubiand's power beam at the oncoming soldiers. 
	"Don't hit the horses!" Prince Apollo warned. 
	The old wizard harrumphed. "Are you forgetting who taught you how to ride and shoot?" 
	No one had ever taught Charlie how to ride and shoot, but that wasn't going to stop him now. He watched as Orion expertly fell several of the Zaxxons with the power beam, rendering them unconscious. The stricken soldiers slumped in their saddles, the safety straps holding them on. Their frightened horses slowed in their headlong flight and turned back toward the ruined city. 
	Charlie aimed the laser gun and rapidly fired, over and over again, aiming just above the heads of the soldiers. The fiery bolts caused the men to slump in the saddles, and their horses whinnied in terror. He hit one Zaxxon in the shoulder and the fellow let out a yell and dropped his gun. it went tumbling down through space. 
	"Good going, Connors!" Rick cheered him on. "There's only a few of them left." 
	The remaining soldiers now all crouched low in the saddle, hiding behind the Pegasi's massive necks. 
	"They're on to us now, blast them!" Orion looked back angrily. "They know we don't want to hurt the horses." 
	Just then, a loud roar came from down below, and the big Zaxxon airship shot up from the clearing amidst the ruins below. 
	"Uncle, it's the King's airship," Prince Apollo shouted. "He knows we have the Eternal Flame and he means to get it back!" 
	The large aircraft circled and then began to fly in their direction, the roar of its engines filling the night sky. Rick and Charlie exchanged grim expressions as their excited horses whickered in fright. 
	"This is so not funny," Charlie growled, struggling with his reins. "Soldiers shooting at us, and now a jumbo jet on our tail!" 
	"Tell me about it," Rick muttered. "Hold on, Apollo. It's time for some fancy flying!" 
	Rick worked the reins and his horse flew up at a steep angle as the Prince held on frantically. The other two horses followed and Orion and Charlie, turning precariously in their saddles, took another shot at the pursuing soldiers with their weapons. 
	Then, to their increasing amazement, another loud roar filled the skies, and a smaller ship flew into the air from the jungle south of the city. 
	Rick shouted to Orion, "That's your ship. Abey's taken off!" 
	"He must have spotted us and the Zaxxons on the quadar screen," the old wizard returned excitedly. 
	"Awwwrriight, Abey!" Charlie muttered anxiously. "Sock it to these Zaxxons!" 
	With the soldiers flying close behind them and Egron the Terrible's airship roaring down upon them, the four riders watched breathlessly as Orion's sleek vessel approached. 
	A torpedo beam shot towards it from the Zaxxon ship, but Orion's craft suddenly leaped straight up into the air, avoiding the torpedo's path. The fiery beam streaked below it. 
	Rick Raider gaped in surprise. "Fantastic! Man, I never saw a ship do that!" 
	"It's an anti-gravity vessel," Prince Apollo told him. "It can do just about anything." 
	Orion's ship skipped across the sky like a pebble over water, avoiding a barrage of torpedoes from the Zaxxon ship. In a matter of seconds it had closed in on them and swerved sharply in front of the riders. Then, suddenly, it stopped in mid-air. The hatch on the rear deck opened and the lit-up cargo hold of the ship loomed straight ahead of them, a most welcome refuge of safety in the middle of the sky. 
	"Most excellent!" Rick shouted with excitement. "Come on, guys. Let's get in there!" 
	The three riders leaned low in the saddle and urged their horses on, as Prince Apollo clung to Rick, the Eternal Flame cradled in his arm. 
	The Zaxxon soldiers shouted and fired their guns, and the King's airship shot overhead, a volley of fire descending from it. But these last minute attempts to frighten and waylay them were too late, and Rick and his companions flew into the cargo hold of Orion's ship. 
	As the Pegasi landed, whinnying in fright and beating their wings wildly to stop, fiery laser bolts whizzed into the hold, crashing against the walls in showers of sparks. 
	"Somebody close that darn door!" Charlie cried, tossed in the saddle by his frightened horse. 
	Princess Athena, who was standing by the control panel, pushed the lever and the door slid down into place. Laser gunfire could be heard slamming into the rear deck. She smiled excitedly at the boys and her uncle and then turned to the microphone on the panel. 
	"Everyone's aboard, Abey! Make way for Olympia!" 
	It was Sally's voice that responded from the cockpit. "A-OK, Princess. We're on our way!" 
	There was sudden thrust of power and the airship shot forward. 
	Prince Apollo jumped to the floor and proudly showed his sister the golden vessel. She hugged him dearly and took the vessel from his hands, looking at it in wonder. "Oh, Apollo! I knew good fortune would be with you. You are safe and sound, and you have recovered the Eternal Flame!" 
	"Thanks to our friends from Earth." The Prince gestured to Rick and Charlie. "I was just about to die at the hands of the Minotaurus when they came to the rescue." 
	"It looks like our mission is accomplished," Charlie laughed happily as he unfastened his saddle straps. "Now if we can only make it out of Zaxxonia without Egron the Terrible shooting us down." 
	"He wouldn't dare," the Princess said confidently. "To destroy our ship would destroy the Eternal Flame, and even he wouldn't attempt that." 
	"Absolutely correct," Orion agreed. "He may follow us to the sea, but he won't attack." 
	Rick dismounted, and then looked at the Eternal Flame in wonder. "It's hard to imagine that it's held in such esteem." 
	"It is sacred," Princess Athena said, holding it up for him to see better. "It is the light that has saved our planet from destruction, and our peoples from extinction. There is nothing in all of Teutron more revered." 
	"Sheez!" Charlie tossed his leg up and slid from the saddle. "We sure need something like that on Earth to keep us in line. The only eternal flame we have is one for the Olympic sports games." 
	"Did you say 'Olympic'?" Prince Apollo asked. 
	Rick and Charlie looked at each other and burst into laughter. 
	"Man, do we ever have a lot of stuff to tell you, Apollo," Charlie said, clapping him on the back. "It seems a long, long time ago a ship from your planet landed on our planet ..... and stayed! And ....." 
	Charlie's voice trailed off and he winked at Rick. 
	Rick ran his fingers through his hair and grinned. "So does this mean we turned the tables on the Zaxxons and won the war?" 
	"Right-o!" Came Abey's voice from the wall speakers. "Freedom for Olympus!" 
	Those in the cargo hold let out a triumphant cheer, and Sally and Abey joined them in the merry making through the speakers. But soon the happy crew were back to work and Rick and Charlie helped Orion soothe the excited horses and then lead them to the far side of the hold where the other two were quartered. Then they joined the Prince and Princess. 
	Orion, who had modified the power beam of Princess Athena's amulet upon landing in the ship, placed the golden chain around her neck. "Let's hope we never have to use this again to fight for the freedom of our people," he said. 
	"Nor this one." Rick pulled off the other amulet and placed it around Prince Apollo's neck. He grinned at the young heir to the throne of Olympus. "I gladly give this back to you. I found out what it's like to be a Prince today and, believe me, it's not all it's cracked up to be!" 
	"Really," Charlie agreed. "After these last two days, I'm ready again for the simple life of the common man." 
	"Don't believe him." Rick laughed. "By tomorrow morning he'll be looking for something exciting to do." 
	The Princess handed the Eternal Flame back to her brother and took Rick and Charlie by hand. "Good! There will be plenty of excitement in Olympus when we return. You can count on that. Now let's go up to the cockpit and share our good fortune with Sally and Abey!" 


Chapter Sixteen: RETURN TO EARTH 

	"This is a fantastic party, Princess Athena," Rick Raider said, as he led his friends out onto a terrace off the ballroom of the Royal Palace. "I've never been to a Royal Ball before." 
	"We've never had one quite like this, Rick. It's the most festive occassion the city of Olympia has ever seen." 
	For two days, the city and the entire nation of Olympus had been celebrating the victory over the Zaxxons and the return of the Eternal Flame to the Temple of the Sun. There had been parties, parades, and civil ceremonies along the avenues and in the stadiums and arenas. Although the role played by Rick, Charlie, and Sally had not been made known to the public for security reasons, they had been present at all the important events. 
	Now, along with Princess Athena and ABL089, the three friends from Earth crossed the terrace to the stone balustrade to watch the sun as it set behind the snow-capped mountains to the east. The Princess and Sally both looked beautiful in pastel formal gowns of a distinctly Grecian style, and the boys and ABL089 were handsome and commanding in tunics with a decided military look. 
	"Now I understand why Olympia is called 'the golden city'," Sally said, gazing at the skyline of the modern metropolis. "The setting sun turns all the buildings to gold." 
	Charlie watched the cluster of skyscrapers as they refelected the burning rays of the sun. "It sure is beautiful here. A whole lot different than being in the Blasted Lands." 
	ABL089 agreed eagerly. "Right you are, my boy. And Olympia is a very safe place to be. The city has a very low crime rate and, of course, there are no Harpies around here to come give you an unexpected lift." 
	Rick shuddered as he leaned against the rail. "Ugh! I will never forget that. Isn't it something how the same Harpy had abducted Prince Apollo earlier that day?" 
	"That was one hungry bird," Charlie said. "But fortunately it didn't get to eat either one of you. And finding the Prince's amulet in the Harpy's nest sure came in handy." 
	"Handy?" Rick laughed. "It saved my life!" 
	"My brother's amulet played such an important part in the adventure," the Princess said. "The two soldiers who took him down to the underground cell saw it around his neck and began to fight over it when they realized the stone was a rubiand. They were so busy fighting to see who'd get the stone that Apollo was able to escape." 
	"A lucky break for him," Sally said. "But imagine how terrified he must've been when the Harpy swooped down upon him on the edge of the jungle and carried him off." 
	Rick nodded. "I know the feeling well. And it was my lucky break when the Prince dropped his amulet in the nest while trying to fight off the bird." 
	"But good fortune was still with him," the Princess reminded them. "When Egron the Terrible's airship flew over the cliffs on its way into Crete, it scared the Harpy away. Apollo was able to escape, although he forgot about his amulet in his haste to get away." 
	"And he had to spend all day in the jungle without any protection," Charlie added. "I wouldn't want to have been in his shoes. Cripes, he went into the Labyrinth through that hidden entrance without any kind of weapon. What a dude!" 
	"He was determined to get the Eternal Flame," ABL089 said. "And smart enough to figure out there had to be another entrance to the Labyrinth. It took him a while to find it, but he did. Not even the Zaxxons knew about it." 
	"That was really clever of him," Rick agreed. "We never even thought about the possibility of a back door to the Labyrinth. And we should've, after our experiences last winter up in the Yukon." 
	"Tell me about it." Charlie shrugged his shoulders. "There was that secret entrance to the Ophirian underground. We should have figured there'd be one to the Labyrinth." 
	"That might have taken us days to find," ABL089 pointed out. "Don't berate yourselves, boys, for the ideas you didn't get. You had so many great ones that worked just fine!" 
	"Right," Sally added in support. "Everything worked out just as perfectly as possible, and none of us got hurt. That's what counts." 
	Princess Athena frowned as she looked at her three fond friends. "It really isn't fair, though. Apollo and I are being acclaimed the heroes and getting all that media coverage, but none of this would have happened if it weren't for you. If you hadn't come to Teutron, Apollo would be dead now and the Zaxxons would rule Olympus forever." 
	Rick shrugged this off with a wave of his hand. "Your government has to cover up our being here. They can't let the public know that there are aliens on the planet. Our government at home would do the same thing and keep the aliens a secret." 
	Charlie laughed. "And there are plenty of people who think they already have!" 
	"But you should be rewarded," the Princess persisted. 
	"We've been given all the reward we need," Sally told her. "We're being taken back to Earth tonight, and your father the King agreed to give us the formula to break the self-modifying code that the explorer ship transmitted into the two computers in our hometown." 
	Charlie let out a hoot. "Won't Old Einstein and Professor Manning be surprised when we show up with the code to fix the malfunctioning computers?" 
	"You bet they will," Rick affirmed. "And now NASA will be able to hold the Quantae space conferences in Lake City as planned without any problems." 
	Princess Athena smiled hopefully. "Someday the people from your planet will be able to travel throughout the universe. They will be welcome to visit Teutron. You three have certainly changed the Olympian government's opinions of Earthlings. Earth must be a wonderful place!" 
	Rick grinned. "It sure is. And Abey knows exactly where to land, anytime you and your brother want to visit us." 
	"Where is your brother?" Sally asked. "I haven't seen Prince Apollo since we finished eating dinner." 
	The Princess smiled mysteriously. She looked over to the mountains where the sun had just descended behind the rugged peaks. Then she gestured towards the ballroom. 
	"Apollo and Uncle Orion have been preparing a surprise for you," she said. "It's time to go now. They told me to take you to the north tower of the palace after sunset." 
	Intrigued by Princess Athena's mysterious manner, the three friends followed her and ABL089 across the terrace and through the crowded ballroom. 
	"What kind of surprise?" Charlie asked, unable to hold back his curiosity as they walked down a lofty marble hall towards the north tower. 
	Princess Athena put a finger to her lips. "I swore to secrecy, Charlie, so I can't tell you. But you'll soon find out." 
	Arriving at the tower, they entered an elevator which quickly took them to the top floor. When the doors opened, they stepped out into a circular room filled with communications equipment. In the center of the room were Orion and Prince Apollo, intently working on a large machine that resembled a radio transmitter. They turned to look as the others approached. 
	The Prince grinned mischievously. "We're all set. Have we got a surprise for you!" 
	"What's up?" Rick asked, looking curiously at the large transmitter. 
	On the face of it were a monitor screen, a digital clock, rows of keys, levers, glowing devices, and a speaker. The top of the machine was cone-shaped, and above it was a large skylight in the tower roof. 
	Orion chuckled. "Abey told us you had wanted to call home. So we fixed up our Quantae Laser Communicator to do just that." 
	"Call home?"Sally looked at Rick and Charlie excitedly. "Really?" 
	"Correct," Orion replied, his eyes twinkling with good humor. 
	He moved aside and pointed to a shelf underneath a row of dials. Rick was surprised to see his encryptive transceiver there. Their belongings had been sent to the palace from Orion's villa, and he had put the small radio device in a drawer in the room he and Charlie were sharing. 
	The back of the transceiver had been screwed off, and a number of wires were connected from its insides to terminals on the large transmitter. 
	"As you can see," Prince Apollo said, "we took your radio from your room and have connected it to the laser communicator. This transmitter sends a laser beam through Quantae space. You'll be able to communicate with Earth over it." 
	Charlie's brow furrowed. "But only InterTell will be able to undersatnd the message the transceiver sends. How will they be able to receive it?" 
	Rick snapped his fingers. "Of course! The laser communications satellite they put into orbit together with NASA!" 
	"Right you are," ABL089 chirped. "Remember, we monitored the satellite on the explorer ship while orbiting Earth. That's how we learned about the conferences to be held in Lake City and that those two computer systems held the important data." 
	Orion looked up through the skylight. "The galaxies are in the correct orientation this evening. The transmission beam will travel from Andromeda to the Milky Way galaxy where it will be intercepted by the satellite orbiting Earth. Then the satellite will transmit the message to the equipment in the InterTell Agency's headquarters." 
	Rick shook his head back and forth. "Incredible! It doesn't seem possible to send a voice message that far." 
	"But we do it all the time," Princess Athena reminded him. "We communicate with our ships through Quantae space whenever they are abroad." 
	"This I gotta see," Charlie said eagerly. "Yo, talk about a long distance call!" 
	Sally laughed and squeezed Rick's arm. "Your dad will sure be surprised to hear your voice." 
	"You bet. I hope he's in the office." 
	"Let's find out," Prince Apollo said. 
	He turned to the machine and flipped a switch, increasing its power. The monitor on the front panel began to glow and a wave of dotted lines surged back and forth across it. The Prince typed in a code on the keys, turned several dials, and then a bright red beam of light began to emanate from the cone-like peak atop the transmitter. 
	Orion pressed a switch and the skylight in the roof slid silently open. The laser beam shot up into the darkening sky. 
	"This monitor denotes the intensity of the Quantae transmission beam." Orion pointed to the screen showing the surging wave of lines. "Prince Apollo is increasing the power of the beam with those instruments." 
	As the Prince worked the dials and devices, the laser beam overhead intensified until it appeared to be solid, like a frozen shaft of red ice pulsating with power. 
	Orion kept his eyes on the digital clock, the seconds ticking away. Suddenly, the entire clock unit began to glow bright red, and the old wizard said, "The laser beam is now penetrating your galaxy, Rick. Pick up your radio and try to make contact." 
	"Good luck!" the Princess whispered, as Rick picked up the transceiver. 
	"He'll need it," Charlie muttered doubtfully. "For that beam to find the laser satellite orbiting Earth is like trying to find a needle in a haystack." 
	ABL089 nudged Charlie in the side. "It'll work, all right. You forget our technology is far superior to that on your planet. Remember how Princess Athena contacted the explorer ship with a laser communicator from Orion's villa?" 
	Charlie nodded. "I guess you're right. Come on, Rick. See if you can call home." 
	Rick keyed the transceiver. "Rick Raider calling InterTell," he spoke into it. "Can you copy, InterTell?" 
	A crackling noise emitted from the speaker on the large transmitter. Rick keyed the radio and spoke again, and again the only response was the crackling sound. 
	Prince Apollo turned a dial which slowly began to swivel the powerful laser beam above them. 
	"Keep on talking," he told Rick. "It's just a matter of the beam being aimed in the proper direction." 
	Rick continued calling as the others eagerly awaited a response. 
	Sally giggled. "It's not that different from placing a long distance call on Earth. Sometimes you have to wait forever." 
	And then: 
	"Rick! Rick! I copy you loud and clear! This is agent KG010 at Lake City InterTell. Where are you? Do you copy?" 
	The voice had come from the laser communicator's speaker and they all gaped at it, startled. Then an instantaneous cheer rose up among them. 
	Charlie shouted, "Yahoo! It's Mr. Raider!" 
	"Dad! I copy perfectly," Rick said in a tremulous voice. "Charlie and Sally are with me, and we're safe and sound. We're on the planet Teutron in the neighboring galaxy Andromeda." 
	"What!" came the incredulous reply. "We've been worried sick about you kids. You're actually calling from a planet in another galaxy?" 
	"Yes, Dad. Two of our friends here, a wizard and a Prince, rigged up the encryptive transceiver with a Quantae laser beam communicator. It's transmitting the beam to you via the NASA laser communications satellite." 
	"That's phenomenal, Rick," Randolph Raider returned. "Did you say a wizard and a Prince?" 
	"Right. And we've seen an oracle, monsters, and you-name-it on this planet. We've made some great friends and helped their nation to win a war." 
	"Win a war? Did I copy that correctly?" 
	Rick grinned happily. "You sure did, Dad. We'll tell you all about it when we get home." 
	"Home! Are you coming home, son?" 
	"Yes, the King has arranged for a ship to take us back to Earth tonight." 
	They could hear Mr. Raider laughing. "Rick, it all sounds too incredible to be true. I can't tell you how relieved I am to hear from you. Give my thanks to your friends for enabling you to call me. I'll phone Aunt Bea right now to tell her the good news. And the Andersons and the Connors, too." 
	"Okay, Dad. We'll be seeing you soon. Rick Raider on the planet Teutron, over and out." 
	"Agent KG010 at Lake City InterTell, planet Earth, roger and out!" 
	Smiling excitedly, Rick placed the transceiver back on the shelf. 
	"Thanks a million," he said to his Olympian friends. "That was totally excellent. Now the folks at home know we're all right, and that we'll soon be back." 
	Sally sighed. "What a relief for them. They must have really been worried." 
	Charlie grinned. "Knowing we're going to make another long space journey, they'll still be worrying." 
	"Right you are," Orion agreed. "But just knowing you're alive and well will bring them a great deal of peace of mind." 
	"Like the peace of mind you've brought to all of us here in Olympus," the Princess added. She gave Rick and Charlie each a quick kiss on the cheek, and then hugged Sally. 
	"I dread to think of what would have happened to us all if you young people hadn't come along," Orion said. 
	"We wouldn't be here tonight, safe and sound in the Royal Palace," ABL089 declared. "Andromeda be praised. On that you can compute!" 
	"And I would've been Minotaurus chow," Prince Apollo laughed, placing his arms around Rick and Charlie. He winked at Sally. "Sure you don't want to stay with us any longer? We can show you all of Teutron. You know, there are some regions in the southern hemisphere almost as weird as the Blasted Lands." 
	Sally shook her head. "No way! We've seen enough of Teutron for now. Besides, we have to get back home for school." 
	"School!" Princess Athena looked startled. "I forgot all about that, Apollo. We have to return to classes at the University tomorrow." 
	The Prince's face lit up with an amused expression. "Just wait till I tell my Ancient History professor that the Labyrinth has a secret entrance. I know more about ancient Crete now than he does!" 
	"And more than he'd ever want to," Rick added. "He should count your adventure in Crete as a field trip, and give you the top grade in the class." 
	After Orion had turned off the Quantae laser communicator and closed the skylight, they all turned to go back downstairs to the Royal Ball. The Princess took Charlie's hand in hers. 
	As they crossed the room to the elevator, Sally looked at Charlie with a sly grin. 
	"Well," she said to him, "how does it feel to be the escort of a Princess for a night?" 
	"It's great, Sally. The same as always." 
	"The same as always?" she repeated. 
	Charlie winked at her. "Sure. Don't I escort you all over the place back home on Earth?" 
	Sally gaped at him for a moment as Rick and the others laughed. 
	"Well, how do you like that?" Sally sighed. "We had to come all the way to another galaxy for me to get a real compliment from Charlie Connors." 
	Charlie grabbed Rick by the arm. "Of course, I have to play second fiddle to dork boy here. But it's worth it just to be around you all the time!" 
	Sally looked at Charlie and then at Rick, and there was a glow of wonder in her sparkling green eyes. 
	"Neither of you ever have to play second fiddle to each other or anyone .... anywhere," she blurted. "You're both Number Ones! I'm the luckiest girl on Earth ... no, in the whole universe ... just to be the girl who's always stuck right in the middle of both of you!" 

	***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** 

	It was in the dark hours of early morning when the Olympian explorer ship XZ89 landed at Penitentiary Glen in the Kirtland Hills on the outskirts of Lake City, Ohio. Soon after it was resting on the ground, the hatch opened and Rick, Charlie, and Sally, wearing their own clothes and the Olympian arm bands, walked down to the ground. 
	Penitentiary Glen was deserted, and they looked around the familiar spot with smiling faces. 
	"It's so good to be home!" Sally whispered. 
	"And we don't have to worry about Groks or Harpies or any other kind of crazy beast in these woods," Charlie added. 
	"Nothing more dangerous than the deer and coyotes," Rick agreed. 
	"Still, I'd like to have one of those rubiands," Charlie said. "InterTell would give us jobs in a minute if we had one of those." 
	Rick shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, who knows? Maybe they'll make us agents now after the great job we just did for them. We have the code to fix the malfunctioning computers, and NASA can come to town and hold the conferences." 
	They turned around and looked up the ramp. ABL089 stood there, looking down at them with a big grin. Their expressions saddened as they waved to him. 
	"Goodbye, Abey," Sally called to him. "I know we'll miss you the most." 
	For a brief moment it seemed to them that the robot was frowning. But perhaps it was only because of the moving shadows caused by the clouds scudding across the moon. 
	When he spoke, ABL089's smile was as wide as usual, almost from ear to ear. 
	"Farewell, my fab friends. I hope we meet again someday. May good fortune always be with you!" 
	The ramp slowly began to move up and the three friends stepped back, watching the hatch as it closed. Then they turned and, without speaking, hurried across the clearing to the old prison. 
	When they reached the ruins, they turned back to look. A low rumble filled the air and the Olympian spaceship ascended slowly up into the sky. Several moments later, with a mighty thrust of power, it shot up into the heavens. 
	Three pairs of eyes followed it until it could no longer be seen. 
	"Awesome," Charlie sighed. 
	"Totally," Sally agreed. "The last time that ship took off from here, we were on it!" 
	Rick Raider tore his eyes away from the star-filled sky. He put an arm around each of his friends. 
	"Come on," he said huskily. "If we keep looking up there, we'll want to go back." 
	"Right," Sally quickly agreed. "Let's go home!" 
	"Hold on a minute." Charlie grinned, raising his left hand in the air and making a fist. 
	Rick and Sally both smiled and did likewise. Then, as one, they clinked together the sensor rings they still wore on their fingers. 
	"Groovy baby!" Charlie whooped. "Do we ever have a freakin' secret!" 
	And with that, the three friends started down the path through the hills, laughing happily. 
	"I know it! I just know it!" Charlie started to moan before they had gone fifty feet. "Tomorrow I'm going to be so totally bored!" 
	"Oh no." Rick feigned a painful expression. "Here we go again. Connors is going to slip right back into terminal adventure-deprivation! What are we gonna do about that, Sally Anderson?" 
	"Gosh almighty, Rick Raider. I guess we're just gonna have to come up with another exciting adventure. A super adventure! Whaddya think, eh?" 
	And Sally was one hundred percent right. Before long, little did she know, she and the boys were to become involved in a mysterious adventure right at home in Lake City when a search for missing students would lead them into a strange murky world of PERIL IN THE FORBIDDEN REALMS. 


						THE END