In the manager’s office of Marvin’s department store, located there in the Harbour East area of the city, a very unusual scene was playing out that day. Oh, it all started prosaically enough, with the manager and owner, a certain Mr. Marvin -- a man in his late forties with reddish-brown hair and a spray-on tan -- seated behind his desk in his business suit eating his lunch. None the less, this was soon to give way to a most bizarre circumstance, forsooth an obscene and grotesque happening beyond any and all sane imagining.
“Mr. Marvin,” came the voice of his secretary on the desk speaker. “There is someone here to see you.”
Probably just another customer complaint, thought Marvin. Still, one must not disappoint the public.
“All right,” he replied, setting aside the remains of his meal. “Send them in.”
Then walked through the door the most insanely voluptuous female Mr. Marvin had ever seen (and he, a wealthy man who had done some travelling, had seen quite a lot of them). She was a teenager with long raven hair and luminous blue-green eyes. Her skin was very pale and her mouth like unto an inviting scarlet gash. The black miniskirt and red bikini-like crop top she wore did nothing to conceal the dangerous aspects of her perfect figure.
Mr. Marvin started to stand up, but then realised it would make his sudden erection far too obvious.
“So, what can I do for you,” he said, “Miss… ?”
“Wingus,” purred the girl. “Stacy Wingus. I just wanted to talk to you about your store.”
As she spoke, Stacy Wingus strutted back behind Marvin’s desk and pushed his chair out and away from it. He did not offer any type of resistance.
“Well, we do aim to please our customers, Miss Wingus,” gasped Mr. Marvin as the young girl reached down to unzip his trousers.
“Mmm-hmm,” replied Stacy whilst she took off her top. “I want to be pleased by you, Mr. Marvin -- and I want to please you.”
Stacy Wingus licked her lips and pulled up her skirt, then spreading her legs and straddling Marvin as he sat in his chair.
Marvin did not last long, and before he could recover from his climax, Stacy Wingus reached over and touched the back of his neck, the technique she utilised instantly snapping his spine.
The girl stood up as the dead body of Mr. Marvin slumped down into the chair. She then reached into a pocket of her skirt and retrieved a small communications device.
“Father, it is done,” she said into it.
“Excellent work, Anastasia,” said the man’s voice over the communicator. “Now nothing shall stand in our way, and I -- Don Wingus -- shall become the master of Earth!” …
My name is RUMANOS -- DOCTOR DANIEL RUMANOS, Extraterrestrial Espionage Agent and Intergalactic Man of Mystery. Even though I have the physical appearance of an human being, I am in fact several thousands of years old and do carry within my blood the vastly superior genes of the legendary Aeternusians or “Watchers” of the Daemon-Star ALGOL. Originating ninety-three light years from Earth, we are the most intellectually advanced race in all of the known galaxies, whose technology is so sophisticated it often appears to be “magic” and “miraculous” to lesser beings.
Whilst most Algolites tend to keep to themselves, preferring to live in elitist seclusion from the rest of the Universe and thus merely observing the goings-on of the myriad races of the vast reaches around them, I am an Operative for a secret organisation known as the KOSMIKOS or Cosmic Intervention Department, tasked with maintaining peace and order throughout the farthest reaches of Space and Time. You know, “plausible deniability”, and all of that sort of thing. It is our ongoing mission to defend the weak, the unfortunate, and the innocent from those who would harm or exploit them.
Currently assigned to Earth, I protect its people (both upon their own planet and across the eternal void) from the hideous manipulations of the arch-villain known as Magister Don Wingus, along with his dangerously-seductive daughter Anastasia, and his occult terrorist organisation Spectral Paranormal; as well as from alien invasions, mad scientists, mutated monstrosities, power-crazed dictators, and indeed all manner of menace. Assisted by my friends -- the incomparably beautiful Miss Millie Drake, and our catlike robot known as Kit-10 -- I am the living icon of Algol on this world. I am a Knight of the Eternal Spires. I am the professor of the impossible, the purveyor of Pure Mystery, the saviour of the Cosmos, and the sword of justice from the planet Daemonia. I am the cosmic crusader. I am the stellar swashbuckler.
These are my memoirs. This is my story.
I am -- THE DAEMON-STAR!!! …
“Daniel,” said Millie Drake, “are you sure the detected power trace was actually Martian?”
“Quite certain, love,” I replied, “and from a technology found on ancient Mars at that; from the humanoid civilisation that existed on that planet nearly a billion years before any mammalian life developed here on Earth.”
We had come to the shopping district of the Harbour East neighbourhood of the City, on that warm and humidly overcast day, in response to the alien power trace we had detected from our downtown headquarters. I was clad in my usual finery, including a frilled poet shirt, purple velvet suit, jungle boots, panama hat, sunspecs, and one of my favourite opera capes.
Millie Drake is an exceedingly beautiful young lady, petite and perfect with luxurious chestnut hair, sun-kissed skin, enchanting blue-violet eyes, and a sensuously-wide mouth. The tight, short, powder blue dress she wore only served to highlight the soft curves of her slender, barely-pubescent figure.
Also with us was Kit-10, our mobile personal computer that resembles nothing more or less than a small mechanical cat.
“Kit-10,” I said, “are your systems reading the power trace near by?”
“Affirmative, s--,” replied the robot in her simulated yet pleasantly feminine voice. “Detecting an emanation of ancient Martian type technology from the interior of the structure one city block distant.”
(It should be noted here that Kit-10, along with her other feline characteristics, is completely possessed of the inability to openly show respect to anyone. In actuality, the closest she ever comes to it is by addressing me with a slight “s--” sound -- for “sir” -- and Millie Drake by “m--” -- for “ma’am”.)
“That’s Marvin’s department store!” wondered Millie. “What would old Martian technology be doing there?”
“One shudders to think,” I pondered. “Especially considering the particular type of Martian technology this must be.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, according to certain historical records that the Kosmikos has obtained, the humanoid Martian tech of that era was based upon a type of psyche-sensitive diamonds mined from the planet’s interior, hmmm? There were many of them of different usages depending upon their colouration. The greatest of them was the great Black Diamond worn by the ancient King of Mars. Its psychic essence caused the monarch to be obeyed by his constituents in all things, using a technique only known to the royal family, this then only being countered by the several white diamonds which were utilised by the Martian Parliament, which neutralised the effect of the Black Diamond -- the very term ‘Black Diamond’ had even become a title of the seemingly supernaturally powered ‘Wizard-King’ of Mars himself -- so that they could assure that the government was run fairly and impartially for the good of all.”
“So what happened to the diamonds?” enquire Millie Drake. “I mean when the human civilisation finally ended there.”
“During the later days of human dominance on Mars,” I explained, “when the wars with the burgeoning insectoid population began, the psychic diamonds were hidden away for safekeeping and to prevent them from possibly falling into enemy hands -- or claws I should say! Later, when the humanoid Martians decided to flee the planet, it was found that the diamonds had vanished -- perhaps stolen by someone not knowing their true usage and then sold for profit elsewhere in the galaxy.”
By now Millie, Kit-10 and I had arrived just outside of Marvin’s. Amidst the sound of traffic and other noises, we did not consciously notice a strange chattering sound that was coming from above us.
“So, Daniel,” said Millie, “do you think someone has found some of these Martian diamonds?”
“I fear it is even worse than that, my dear,” I told her. “You see, after all this time, the only one of them that could still have retained its power is the Black Diamond itself, and even that could only be reactivated by someone who knows what the object actually is and -- someone with a very powerful mind!”
“Oh my gosh!” exclaimed the girl. “You don’t think it could be… ?”
“It is better not to speculate until we have all the facts, Mills,” I counselled. “We need to investigate the department store in order to ascertain if…”
The sound of Millie’s scream then interrupted me. She had seen it just before it reached me. She had seen the small but strong apelike creature that jumped down from the lamppost and landed on my shoulders, then wrapping its legs and arms tightly around my throat!
I knew what the thing was from its odour and the grotesque chattering noise it made. It was one of a tribe of dwarfish creatures found in the remotest jungles of the Philippines, in an area where the native population had long ago interbred with vestiges of Homo erectus and other prehistoric proto-human types. It was brown-skinned and with a face of horrid simian visage, its body covered with coarse black hair.
The creature was incredibly strong for its size, and I knew I had to vanquish it quickly, before it could shut off my breathing long enough to render me unconscious. I realised the lamppost was still directly behind me and suddenly jumped backwards to-wards it, ramming the ape-man into it, a process I completed thrice before the thing’s grip on my throat loosened enough for me to reach up and grasp it, then throwing the simian creature onto the pavement.
“Kit-10!” I called.
The robotic cat sent a shot of her nose-laser directly at the apish monstrosity, knocking it out completely.
“Daniel, are you all right?!” cried Millie as she flew into my arms.
“Yes, I am fine now, love,” I replied.
We looked down at the crumpled form of the hideous creature lying on the sidewalk.
“Daniel… that thing…” shuddered Millie Drake. “Isn’t it a… ?”
“Yes,” I replied, “a type of creature often utilised as security by agents of Spectral Paranormal. It is then indeed that occult terrorist organisation that has somehow found the Black Diamond of Mars.”
“Oh my goodness!” exclaimed the young lady. “We need to do something about that right away!”
“Quite so,” I agreed. “Let us now investigate this Marvin’s department store, hmmm?”
We entered the shop and walked onto the first floor sales area. Whilst we passed the security station, and unnoticed by us at the time, the guard -- a large plebeian type whose name-tag said “Brian” -- eyed Millie with a look of unbridled lust.
I reached into a pocket of my jacket and retrieved a device resembling a large writing pen -- actually an highly-advanced scientific instrument that I then utilised to scan the area.
“The transonic turnscrew should be able to better pinpoint exactly where we can find the Black Diamond,” I said. “Ah, according to the resultant readings, it appears to be on the fifth floor.”
We entered the lift and took it up to the fifth storey of the building. It opened onto the menswear department. A few costumers were browsing around as we walked out across the sales floor.
“Now,” I said, again activating the transonic, “if we can just find the object’s exact location, I should be able to…”
Suddenly, a ray of finely-focused light hit the transonic, sending it flying from my hand to land underneath a display of colourful Hawaiian shirts.
“Daniel!” cried Millie Drake with a sound of horror in her voice. “Look! Look who it is!”
I looked up and beheld a man holding a sleek ray-gun in his hand, from which he had fired the shot at me. Standing beside him was a voluptuous teenage girl with raven hair, clad in a black miniskirt, spike heels, and a barely existent red crop-top.
The man was apparently of middle years, his countenance still showing signs of handsome distinction despite being marred with the marks of seeming lifetimes of extreme ungodly wickedness. His hair was long and dark, and his face decorated with a thin moustache and goatee. Most of all, his pale eyes shone with an absolute hypnotic glare. He was wearing a black business suit, with a badge declaring him as “Mr. Marvin, Owner and Manager” -- and a lapel pin that was actually a large diamond of ebon hue, a jewel that seemed to positively pulse with ancient darksome powers. It was the ancient Black Diamond of Mars itself!
Of, course, I recognised this individual immediately. I recognised him not as the store owner he was pretending to be, but in stead as my oldest and most bitter enemy, the renegade Algolite who has become the most evil and perverse criminal in all of Time and Space.
“Greetings, Rumanos,” he said, his voice tinged with absolutely unmitigated madness. “We have been expecting you.”
“Don Wingus,” I spat his name. “I should have known. So you did escape from Leprosarium. You and your daughter Anastasia here. You have disguised yourself as the owner of this department store in order to further whatever nefarious purpose you have concocted, hmmm? Your own hypnotic abilities will prevent the employees from even noticing the difference. The original Mr. Marvin has been murdered, I take it.”
“Oh of course, Rumanos, of course,” chuckled the villain, “but I assure you he quite enjoyed the experience.”
“I can imagine,” I said, guessing the method he had used and glancing at his daughter, who smiled a seductive grin back at me.
“But why Marvin’s department store, hmmm?” I questioned.
“Given the human obsession with commerce and capitalism,” replied Wingus, “it quite amused me to utilise this establishment as my base of operations.”
“And that is actually the Black Diamond of Mars?” I queried, indicating his lapel pin.
“Indeed it is,” he replied. “I acquired it from a black market dealer on Regulus Five, and I have perfect knowledge of the secrets of its usage. It is already causing me to be invulnerable to any kind of firearm or similar weapon. It will make me irresistible to the people of Earth, and I shall now become their supreme ruler. Then I shall augment their Space programs, soon developing the technology to issue forth with a fleet of interstellar warships I shall use to conquer the galaxy!”
“Wingus, that is insane!” I countered. “You know we cannot allow this outrage.”
“You can do nothing, Rumanos. Your meddling is at an end. I now have the power of --- The Black Diamond!!”
With this pronouncement, the energy that had been emanating from the ebon jewel suddenly increased, and a darksome halo of power surrounded Don Wingus. He pocketed his now-unnecessary ray-gun and raised his hands in triumph.
“The power of the Black Diamond of Mars is mine!” he exulted. “I shall now be the ruler of all!!” …
Meanwhile and unbeknownst to us, Brian the hillbilly security guard had crept up the side stairway. One sight of young Millie Drake had caused him to formulate his own perverse plan.
“I’m gonna have that little girl,” he muttered to himself whilst completing his climbing of the stairs. “I’m gonna take her and make her mine. I’m gonna take her in my pickup truck to my trailer in Parkville and do whatever I want to her.” …
“Do you hear me, Rumanos?” shouted Don Wingus amidst peaks of mad laughter. “The power of the Martian Black Diamond is mine, and I shall now use it to become dictator of the entire Milky Way Galaxy!”
“Wingus, you ungodly fiend!” I countered. “You cannot know the facts about the Black Diamond, or what horrible things may result from its usage.”
“You are wrong as ever, Rumanos! I am in complete control and shall now assert myself as ruler of all! I am Black Diamond -- the Wizard-King!!”
I looked over at Kit-10 and noticed that the powers emanating from the Martian jewel had now drained her power systems. Sadly, the little robot cat was not going to be of any more use to us on this assignment.
“Daniel,” said Millie Drake, “do you feel that? It’s getting difficult to move.”
“Yes,” I affirmed. “It is a side-effect of our close proximity to the powers emanating from the Black Diamond. The same thing that has effected poor Kit-10. We must attempt to break away or it will only become worse.”
Nevertheless, whilst Millie and I struggle to beak free of the oncoming paralysis caused by the Martian jewel, a further horror was approaching. For, at that very moment, the trailer trash security guard known as Brian had reached the area. He did not even consciously notice the oddities of the situation, so great were the powers of savage lust over his low level of intellect. Totally unaffected by the alien energies, he reached out his grubby hands and grabbed Miss Millie Drake, then dragging her away with him across the sales floor.
I heard Millie scream and managed to turn just enough to see what was happening. I beheld Brian the hillbilly security guard abducting the beautiful young lady.
“I’m gonna have you, little girl,” he muttered with a perverse chuckle. “You are so young and little, and I’m gonna have you good.”
I then looked back and saw Don Wingus, with his daughter, now fully transfigured by the awesome and extraordinary powers of the Black Diamond of Mars, with the swirling ebony energies flowing and spinning in all directions, along with a sound as of eldritch chanting to hoary deities of obscene darkling terror.
“It is mine!” shouted the villain in ecstatic joy. “The power of ancient Mars is mine, and now I shall take Earth -- and indeed the entire galaxy -- as my rightful due!”
Do you understand the supreme and total horror, in truth the complete and ultimate terror of this grotesque and unhallowed situation, my dear friends and most loyal readers? The Algolite criminal known to eternal infamy as Magister Don Wingus was now master of the power of the Black Diamond of Mars -- a power that he intended to utilise in order to assert his fascist domination of the entire galaxy. At the same time, my beloved Millie Drake was being abducted by the filthy security guard known as Brian, who intended to rape her -- and I, paralysed by the swirling energies of the alien jewel, was unable to save her!! …
Nevertheless, young Miss Millie Drake is not as helpless as the would-be rapist redneck had assumed. Recovering from her initial shock -- and from the paralysis that had been caused by close proximity to the Black Diamond -- just before he stepped into the elevator to the store’s underground parking garage, she began to struggle.
“Oh no, little girl,” said Brian. “You’re not gettin’ away from me. I’m gonna have you!” …
I fought hard against the paralysis caused by the Martian jewel. I closed my eyes and thought deeply of my love for Miss Millie Drake, that beautiful young lady who has become my companion and friend and so much more. I thought of her and managed to break free. It was slow at first, but soon I was leaving the area of the Black Diamond power and rushing to help the girl. …
By now, Millie Drake had managed to somewhat break free of Brian’s grasp and, with a quick Daemonian jujitsu technique, had flipped him over to land flat on the floor.
Just then, I arrived on the scene. I then grabbed the would-be abductor and, holding him by the throat, threw him through a near by window. He fell to his death on the unyielding pavement five stories below.
“Rapist rent-a-cop,” said I. “Are you all right, Millie?”
“Yes, I’m fine now,” the girl assured me. “But… the Black Diamond! What can we do about it?”
“Worry not,” I replied. “It has been prepared for, and now that we are free of the jewel’s influence…"
I ran over to the Hawaiian shirts display, and then I reached out and quickly retrieved the transonic turnscrew from where it had fallen. I then lifted the device and, activating a certain setting, aimed it directly at the Black Diamond. A stream of white light then came forth from the transonic, and shot directly to-wards the black effulgence of the alien jewel.
The results were quick and devastating. The energy that had surrounded Don Wingus soon seemed to just implode upon him.
“What!” he screamed in sudden terror. “What have you done, Rumanos?! What have you done?”
“The Kosmikos has known about the Black Diamond for some time, Wingus,” I explained. “The secrets of the white diamonds that countered its effects are also known to us, and my transonic has been programmed with their type of frequency waves.”
Then, with one final bellow of outrage and terror, Don Wingus, along with his daughter Stacy, vanished amidst the darksome energies he had evoked.
Pocketing the transonic device, I then walked over and found the now-deactivated Black Diamond on the floor where it had fallen at the disappearance of Don Wingus. I picked up the alien jewel and secreted it securely inside my jacket.
“We will take this to add to the collection of alien artefacts back at headquarters,” I said, “from whence it shall do no further harm.”
“Kit-10, are you okay?” enquired Millie.
“Of course, m--,” replied the little tin cat. “My systems have reasserted themselves now that the energy drain is cleared.”
“Quite right,” I said. “Quite right. I see that all has returned to normal here at Marvin’s department store, hmmm? The real Mr. Marvin’s heirs will have to be informed of his death. It will likely just be reported as ‘natural causes’.”
“What about Don Wingus and his daughter?” enquired Millie Drake. “Do you think they were really destroyed by the Martian energies, or will we have to deal with them again?”
“Only time will tell about that, hmmm?” I pondered. “However, since the possibility of their survival exists, we are fortunate to know that we should always be prepared for it -- and you know what else?”
“What do you mean, Daniel?” asked the girl.
“We are also fortunate that Harbour East is only a few blocks south of Little Italy, hmmm?” I smiled. “We can now go to Caesar’s Den and enjoy some excellent spaghetti!”
***** DANIEL RUMANOS AND MILLIE DRAKE SHALL RETURN
