“Keep all the innocent young girls alive, and take them for yourselves.” (Numbers 31:18) …
Catrine MacGregor was not really certain as to why she had stayed late at school that day. After all, she did not care for it there at Medfield Middle School. Not that she was at all opposed to education -- quite the reverse, actually! -- but, you understand, she had found the school to offer little of that to her. You see, Catrine MacGregor, now age twelve, had been tested some time before and found to possess an IQ of the genius level. At that time, she had been a student at the Roland Park School For Girls, an elite private preparatory academy.
The death of her parents in an automobile accident had put an end to all that, however. They had not left a proper will, and their estate was taken over by the State.
Catrine had then gone to live with her maiden aunt at the latter’s apartment in the Medfield neighbourhood. Unfortunately, upon enrolling at the local public school the girl had found it to be largely made up of blue-collar types, and Catrine MacGregor had immediately found herself lonely and friendless. She had talked with a guidance counsellor about the possibility of skipping a couple of grades. She was, after all, already on a college reading level. However, the possibility was denied her by the system for two reasons.
Firstly, it had been thought that allowing the gifted girl to skip ahead would cause hateful jealousies among others if the story of it reached the media. There was an especial concern that the city’s African-American community would consider it a case of “white privilege”.
Secondly, it was feared that the older boys (not to mention some of the teachers), would “sexualise” the girl; that being the ridiculous liberal-feminist term for the natural attraction a man should feel for a nubile maiden. Indeed, Miss Catrine MacGregor was an exceedingly-beautiful young lady; tall and well-developed for her age, with gorgeous ginger hair, eyes of opalescent azure, and alabaster-white skin. Her wide, sensuous mouth accented the loveliness of her face, and her blue-and-white school uniform could not hide the perfection of her slender, early-pubescent figure.
Suffice to say, Catrine MacGregor’s time at Medfield Middle School had not thus far been a happy one.
Nevertheless, an odd curiosity had overcome young Miss MacGregor that day, and had led her to stay after school, hiding in a disused broom-closet until all the other students and staff had left. She knew her aunt would not be home until late, being at a community-group meeting, and so would not miss her.
Catrine wondered why she had stayed. It was as if she felt something -- a longing, a premonition, a strange desire -- she was not certain as to what. It reminded her of a feeling she had briefly experienced some months before. It had been the night of her first “monthly flowers”, as her aunt so quaintly put it, when Catrine MacGregor had looked up into the night sky and had seen the stars seem to briefly vanish and reappear…
The school hallways were dim, lit only by the late-afternoon sun coming from the high windows as Catrine left the dusty old broom-closet in which she had hidden and began to explore the building. She pulled the tiny electric torch she always carried from her purse and switched it on as she began to descend the stairs into the cellar boiler-room.
It was when she reached the foot of the steps that she heard the sound. It was afar off, seeming to come from untold depths below. It was as a bellowing, as the roar of some huge animal, and Catrine could feel it vibrating the floor beneath her.
The sound was brief, but it had its result. The vibration had caused the door to the cellar to swing shut. The girl knew it would lock immediately and could only be opened (without a key) from the other side. Catrine realised that she was now trapped in the cellar. She felt a wave of panic before she realised that she could easily summon help via her mobile telephone when she was ready. Of course, it would be embarrassing to attempt an explanation of her situation, but not impossible.
But then Catrine checked her phone and found that it had gone black. Its power had completely drained as if from some unexplained influence.
“Be brave of heart, my little Miss MacGregor,” she said to herself, quoting some words her late father had often told her. “Remember, you’re a Scottish girl.”
Catrine then steadied her shaking hand and held the flashlight out before her as she walked to-wards the far end of the cellar. She had noticed a strange aperture, a sort of crack in the wall there. She shined the electric torchlight into it and then stepped back with a start when she noticed the aperture begin to get bigger. It was as if it were a sort of doorway and someone were about to step through it from the opposite side of the wall. Someone -- or someTHING.
It is no insult to little Miss MacGregor’s brave heart to report that she screamed when she beheld what walked though that now-widened crack in the wall. It was the size of a tall man and bipedal, wearing a sort of colourless tunic, but that is where its resemblance to anything human ceased and utter eldritch madness began. The thing thrust its two horridly taloned hands out to-wards the girl as it let forth a sickening hiss from its mouth -- a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth that was part of a head like a crocodilian surmounted by two glowing yellow eyes. Its green, scaly skin glistened terribly in the dim light.
Forsooth, Catrine Macgregor screamed as the Reptilian reached out for her! …
My name is RUMANOS -- DOCTOR DANIEL RUMANOS, Intergalactic Man of Mystery. Even though I have the physical appearance of an human being, I am actually far more. For I do carry within my blood the vastly-superior genes of the mysterious Watchers of the Daemon-Star ALGOL, this extraterrestrial heritage granting me numerous capabilities that appear as “magic” to lesser beings,
Whilst most Algolites live in elitist seclusion from the rest of the Universe, I am an Operative for a secret organisation known as the KOSMIKOS. Assigned to Planet Earth, it is my mission to protect the human race from alien invasion, mad scientists, and indeed all manner of threats.
I am the living icon of the Watchers of Algol upon this world. I am the DAEMON-STAR!
I had been away for a while recently, aiding my old friend President Ubamiff of Jupiter in dealing with a group of neo-fascists that opposed their world’s membership in the League of Planets. These miscreants had threatened a meeting of ambassadors from other worlds of the Solar System with realistic, computer-generated images of a “monster” from ancient Jupiterian mythology known as the Ranwon, even going so far as the attempted murder of the Venusian delegate. Nevertheless, I managed to uncover the conspiracy, which was part of the hideous planetist “Jupiter First” movement, and to save the situation.
Upon returning to Earth, I had immediately had to deal with a threat from a disgusting middle-aged terrestrial woman named Diane Rushen, who resided in the Pennsylvania village of Coventry-At-Waterford. She had become possessed by a creature from Asteroid 175SVW when it had recently passed near to Earth. After a firefight of our respective extraterrestrial energies, I managed to exorcise and destroy the monster. Ms. Rushen, however, did not come out of it well, and is now confined to a charity-run psychiatric hospital where she incessantly shouts out the words “Stalkers! Pedos! Weirdos! Goofballs!”
In addition, I had defeated yet another horrific individual in the hideously-debased town of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia - that grotesque hotbed of Satanism and sundry ungodliness. It was a local restaurateur with an experimental prosthetic leg that had become fused with remnants of the alien cybernetic technology of the Leknii Replicants. He had then used this power to sexually dominate numerous underage girls that he had hired to work as servers in his Southern BBQ joint. The full record of this bizarre case is found in my secret files under the title of “The Unspeakable Perversions of Chef Kenneth Flunkett”.
It was only after this that, from my headquarters in the city, I had noticed a strange energy wave coming from beneath the area of the Medfield neighbourhood. Upon investigating, I had felt this unknown force to be centred at the local middle school, and so had entered the building a short time after the usual academic day had ended.
Clad in my usual silk suit, opera cape, jungle boots, Magen David necklace, and panama hat, I stalked cautiously through the dark hallways of Medfield Middle School -- not knowing what alien horrors I might encounter. Nevertheless, all was quiet, though my Algolitish senses could feel the presence of something -- something very old and elusive and dangerous; something that seemed horridly familiar.
Suddenly, I heard a scream. It was a female voice in obvious mortal terror, and I immediately sprang into action. I burst through the door from which I had heard the cry and ran down the flight of stairs to the school boiler-room. I was just in time to see the Reptilian dragging the struggling girl through the aperture in the wall. I hurried through after them and found myself in a tunnel sloping downwards. I leapt forward and tackled the reptile from behind. It dropped the little girl and I wrestled with the incredibly-strong monstrosity, almost bringing it to the floor when it suddenly broke free and ran with incredible speed away from me into the darkness of the widening tunnel.
I knew I could not yet pursue the creature, as I had to first see to the safety of the young lass.
“It is all right now, love,” said I reassuringly as I helped the lass to her feet. “I am Dr. Daniel Rumanos. What is your name?”
“Catrine MacGregor,” she told me, bravely attempting the hide the trembling of her sweet voice. “What… What was that thing?”
“That was a Reptilian, a descendant of the Lizard-Men who ruled the Empire of Lemuria in the prehistory of your planet.”
“What?” she said incredulously. “You mean that stuff about reptiles ruling the human race is true? Like the things that Englishman writes about? What’s his name? David Icke?”
“Yes, well, he did get some things right, but the general Reptilian threat was subdued long ago. They exist now underground in pockets, most of them having degenerated into savagery. However, it seems like some of their technology may have survived near here. That is what I came to investigate when I heard your screams.”
“But why are these Reptilians so hostile to people?” she enquired.
“Oh, they do feel they have their reasons,” I answered. “They despise the human race and indeed all mammals, seeing them as useful only as, well, food. When they saw that humans were developing civilisation, they tried to wipe them out with plagues. The first time was in ancient Atlantis, which led to many of its people leaving for the planet Neptune. Then they tried again in the Fourteenth Century…”
“You mean bubonic plague? That was intentionally caused by the Reptilians?”
“Indeed it was, and it could have succeeded had not the Kosmikos of Algol intervened. I was finally sent to bring a cure. You have certainly heard of Nostradamus?”
“You mean YOU were Nostradamus?” she asked with a look of wonder in her beautiful sky-blue eyes.
“Yes, well,” I grinned, “I have indeed changed my name, but I do not have to say why, as David Bowie would put it.”
“Were you also David Bowie?”
I thought it best to change the subject and focus on our current situation. The aperture had closed behind us and we were now effectively trapped in the underground tunnel. I could still feel the effects of near by radioactive technology, and it was having a negative influence on my Algolitish powers.
“We need to keep moving, Catrine,” I told her as we walked on, the tunnel growing lofty in height as we descended into the earth. “We should find a way out of these caves. I need to get you to safety and then continue my mission.”
“But I want to see this!” the lovely tweenager exclaimed. “I want to know what’s going one with aliens and all that! Oh please! Life has been so boring for me, you know, in the ‘normal’ world. I can be your assistant and help you fight them! Oh, please… Daniel?”
Nevertheless, before I could respond to the girl’s request, the decision was made for us. I cacophonous bellowing roar suddenly split the silence of the tunnel.
“Holy Flapdoodle!” said Catrine. “That sound! I heard it once before! What is it?”
“Something big,” I said, not even wanting to express what I actually believed it to be, “and now quite close.”
And then, it came. It was rushing up the tunnel directly to-wards us. The girl screamed in utter unimaginable error and swooned into my arms as it approached. It was a gigantic, carnivorous dinosaur of the Jurassic Period. Nearly thirty feet in length, the scaly monster opened its enormous mouth, full of huge razor-sharp teeth as it lunged forward!
It was an Allosaurus!!
That certain prehistoric monstrosities had survived in caves and caverns deep inside the earth was already known to me. Nevertheless, this Allosaurus was far too near the surface for its appearance here to be natural. It had been sent here as a type of defence, a guard, security for its Lizard-Men masters.
I knew my own extraterrestrial powers had been limited by the radiation that I sensed emanating from near by technology, but I nonetheless had to defend myself and, more so, the helpless tween girl. I accordingly sent a bolt of my bright orange and blue energies at the dinosaur.
(This was at a time, I should add, when I was empowered with certain experimental abilities by the Watchers of Algol.)
My blast was indeed not as strong as usual, and only succeeded in causing the huge monstrosity to back up a pace. It was long enough, however, for me to pick up the fainting lass in my arms and begin to retreat away from the horrid creature.
I had only proceeded a few steps when I perceived the sound of a strange electronic tone. At this, the roars of the Allosaurus immediately ceased and I quickly glanced back to see the huge creature now standing transfixed, as if at attention!
I looked around and realised we were surrounded by Reptilian Lizard-Men.
There were six or so of them, and from this group the obvious leader soon emerged. He was slightly smaller than the others, but his head was larger and more developed. He wore a gold sash over the usual tunic of his cohorts. To my horror, this Reptilian spoke to us in perfectly accented tones.
“I am Ykaen of the New Empire,” he said. “We are the rightful rulers of this planet and will soon rise and return to our ancient domination. You humans should not have ventured into our domains and are now our prisoners.”
So indeed some of the Reptilians in this area had indeed retained intellect and technology. However, they apparently had not observed my Algolitish powers and thought me an Earthling. I thought it best, for the moment at least, to not disabuse them of this notion.
However, I had to repress a shudder in my thoughts as to why they were keeping the young girl and myself alive. Perhaps as a bargaining tool, as hostages to use in deals with the governments of the planet; or perhaps for something far worse.
With the Allosaurus walking behind us as docile as a domestic dog, we were taken into a large chamber covered from floor to ceiling with computerised machinery. I recognised it as a remnant of the ancient technology of the Lemurian Reptiles, that horrid prehistoric empire that had enslaved the earliest human beings and used them as pets and as playthings and as servants and as food.
Catrine MacGregor had by now recovered from her swoon, and we were chained back-to-back to a stone pillar near the centre of the room.
The Allosaurus had been ushered into its adjoining kennel.
“You cannot win, Ykaen,” I told the Reptilian. “The human race has developed weapons that can blow you and all your lizard tech sky-high. They will not compliantly bow to you. Things have changed considerably since the days of Lemuria, even since the end of the Empire of Atlantis the people of Earth have come far and…”
“You know of the old times,” hissed the Lizard-Man, “of the history of Reptilian domination on this planet?”
“Well, I… read a lot,” I demurred.
“It matters not, human,“ returned Ykaen. “Soon we will release the contagion, the new strain of Bubonica immeasurably more virulent than that which humans called the ‘Black Death’. It will ravage this world and reduce the human race to a few apelike survivors, therefore restoring them to their original place of servility. It is then that we, the Reptilians, will build our New Empire across this planet and prepare to issue forth and conquer they entire Galaxy!”
“Bubonica?” enquired Catrine. “The black plague? You can’t do that! It’s horrible, it’s…”
“Downright cold-blooded?” I interrupted her. “Do not expect any sympathy from these monsters, love. They have no feelings of warmth or consideration. Only conquest and domination matter to them, that and cold scientific progress if it aids their tactics.”
“It’s just so horrible…” she sobbed.
“Though I care not for his disrespectful attitude, human female,“ said the Reptilian to the girl, “he is essentially correct, and indeed you will play a part in our plans -- as a test subject. Prepare her!”
In quick obedience to Ykaen’s order, two of the other Reptilians unchained the poor wee lass and, held her firmly as their leader approached holding a large syringe.
“No, you fiends!” I shouted. “You bloody Reptilian abominations!!”
“And now, humans,” said the reptile, ignoring my protestations as he prepared to inject the plague into the innocent white flesh of the helpless young girl, “we shall see the destructive power of the New Bubonic Death!!”
Then I heard little Miss Catrine MacGregor scream in total abject terror.
Can you comprehend the horror of this situation, my dear readers? The hideous Reptilian was about to inject a new, horribly-infectious version of the bubonic plague into that innocent girl!
Now, if you think I was going to allow that to happen, you have NOT been paying attention.
Fortunately, even though the radiation of the Lemurian technology was continuing to curtail my Algolitish powers, I do have certain other skills at my disposal. Not the least of these are my amazing abilities as an escape artist, and I had already surreptitiously used the same to loosen the chains with which the reptiles had chained me to the post. It then only took a twist of my wrists to free myself from this bondage.
I dashed over quickly and kicked the syringe from the hand of Ykaen, it having been mere inches from the girl’s flesh. I punched the Reptilian monster in his horrid face, sending him careening over to crash against one of the banks of machinery.
Still moving fast, and having the element of surprise at my advantage, I grabbed the two lizard guards and bashed their heads together, stunning them. Then, wasting no time, I took Catrine MacGregor by the hand and together we ran from that chamber of terrors, through the arched doorway and back to-wards the cavernous passage to the upper world.
On our way out, I heard the evil Ykaen, pushing a button as he lapsed into unconsciousness, and speaking his last three words of command:
“Release the Allosaurus.”
Catrine and I ran down the passageway. A fire had started in the computer room behind us and I began to hear a steadily increasing series of explosions.
“Upsetting the machinery has started a chain-reaction,” I said. “We need to get out of here before this entire Reptilian complex blows up!”
Then another sound was heard, even above the explosions, it was the roaring bellow of a nightmarish prehistoric beast.
“The dinosaur!” screamed Catrine. “It’s loose and heading straight for us!”
And indeed, at that very moment appeared behind us the gigantic, carnivorous Allosaurus, heading quickly in our direction!
By now, distance and the partial destruction of the Reptilian computer-system had lessened their detrimental effect upon my extraterrestrial abilities. I accordingly sent a large burst of my bright orange and blue energies at the great scaly beast. The Allosaurus screeched in pain and skidded backwards upon the floor of the cavern.
Nevertheless, we were not as yet free from danger. The entire Reptilian complex was about to erupt. The girl was weak from horror, so I picked her up in my arms and continued to run up the passageway. We soon came to the wall that bordered the school basement, but the fissure that the reptiles had used as a door was now shut tight.
I glanced behind us. A wave of white-hot fire was blasting up the cavernous passage, destroying all in its wake. There was only one chance of escaping, if indeed my alien powers had recovered enough to accomplish it.
I held the little girl close and concentrated deeply, causing us to teleport through the wall. We were now back in the boiler-room of Medfield Middle School, and I immediately ran up the stairs and into the hallowed hallways of that educational institution -- in order that the young lass and myself might escape its coming destruction!
Sheltering Catrine in my arms, I crashed through the window of one of the empty classrooms. The explosions could be heard from underground, and I knew that by now the wave of fire had blasted through the cellar into the school.
I felt the damsel put her arms around my neck and, as if on impulse, our lips met in a quick but loving kiss.
“Hold on tight,” I told her.
“I will,” she assured me.
I levitated upwards and away from the school, taking us both safely aloft as Medfield Middle was engulfed in an explosion that totally obliterated the building. The blast shone briefly but blazingly against the dark evening sky.
We landed safely in a thicket of grass by the near-by Jones’ Falls. I helped the girl to steady her feet and looked at her. She was indeed exquisitely beautiful, a true nymphet, made for love. Just like Heaven…
(I was later to find out, of course, that she was an earlier form of my wonderful Millie Drake).
“Are the Reptilians all destroyed?” she enquired.
“Indeed so,“ I assured her. “Well, this group of them, anyway. There are certainly other groups of Lemurian Lizard-Men hidden around the world, but they will have to be dealt with if and when it becomes necessary.”
“What about the school?”
“They city will probably say it was just shut down and demolished because of lead paint or something. I will have to continue your education differently anyway, if you are going to be my… assistant.”
At this young Catrine MacGregor squealed with delight, threw her arms around me and gave me an affectionate hug -- accompanied by a far longer and warmer kiss than we had had time for previously.
“Somehow, it’s as if I’ve known you before,” she said. “It feels like… forever.”
“I say, Catrine, all of this has left me feeling rather peckish,” I said, changing the subject. “Care to join me for some pizza? I know a fine place near by.”
“Sounds great, Daniel!” she agreed. “Oh, but won’t we have to tell my aunt something?”
“No worries, love,” I assured her. “You will find that from now on certain rules just do not apply.”
“Yes, I kind of noticed that.”
“It is still a shame about Medfield Middle School though,” I mused. “Although the most valuable thing lost would probably be the shop teacher’s collection of child pornography.”
“Really?” giggled the girl.
“Of course,” I replied. “He kept it under his work bench. Industrial arts instructors are always into young boys, you know.”
“Well, they can have them!” sweet little Catrine MacGregor announced with a revealing smile. “I prefer a more experienced gentleman.”
“I wise choice, my dear,” said I, putting my arm around the lovely young girl as we strolled across the field. “A wise choice indeed.” …
Unknown to me at the time, on that same night a bizarre event was taking place which would lead to consequences that I would have to contend with in the days to come. For in the backroom of a local dive-bar called The Depot Tavern a strange and ungodly ceremony was taking place.
I group of black-robed Satanists were assembled around an altar on which blazed an hideous blue-black glare. The wall behind the altar was adorned with an inverted crucifix, which had been blasphemously coated with spittle, urine, excrement, and sexual secretions by the diabolists.
The horrid cult raised their assembled voices in an unholy chant, swaying in sickeningly ecstatic worship as the room filled with the smoke of incense -- incense made from a grotesque and totally-unlawful weed.
Moreover, above the altar, a thing of unnameable madness was occurring. For, as the Satanic chanting gathered in volume, the smoke began to coalesce into the darksome but seemingly-human figure shrouded in a black hooded vestment robe. From this shape glowed two hypnotic eyes -- two icy grey hypnotic eyes.
“I live!” came the voice as of a man from the figure. “I live and have come back to claim my due place as ruler over this entire Universe! I live!! I am… DON WINGO!!!”
***** DANIEL RUMANOS AND MILLIE DRAKE SHALL RETURN
