“The Jinn?” wondered Millie Drake. “You mean the things from Middle Eastern legend?”
“Quite so,” I replied. “In reality, they are non-corporeal beings from one of the mysterious inner planets of the Alpha Centauri system, hmmm? Having lost their physical existence when their world was caught in the crossfire of the last Galactic War, they became wraithlike wanderers through the Cosmos, some of them finding their way to Earth and becoming the very Jinn or Genies of Arabian lore.”
We were at our secret headquarters, located as it is within the golden trapezoidal rooftop of a certain downtown skyscraper; and containing, in addition to our electronic equipment, a plethora of weird and bizarre artefacts that we have collected in our storied career as investigators of the unknown.
I was clad in my usual finery, including a frilled poet shirt, purple velvet suit, jungle boots, and my Seal of Solomon necklace. My panama hat and opera cape hung from a near by hallstand.
My companion, known as Miss Millie Drake, is an exceedingly beautiful young lady; petite and perfect with luxurious chestnut hair, enchanting violet eyes, and a sun-kissed complexion. The cherry coloured dress she wore only served to highlight her slender figure.
Also with us was Kit-10, our mobile personal computer that resembles nothing more or less than a mechanical housecat.
“So the type of energy associated with the Jinn has been detected in the City?” enquired Millie.
“Indeed so, my dear Mills,” I affirmed. “Our scanners have detected it in the area, but its exact location and intensity have thus far remained elusive. We need to…”
“Transmission being received, s--,” suddenly interrupted Kit-10 in her simulated yet pleasantly-feminine voice. “It is a current television broadcast relating to the Jinn situation.”
(It must be noted here that Kit-10, in addition to her other feline traits, is entirely incapable of openly showing respect to anyone. In fact, 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”.)
“Put it on the main view screen,” I said.
A video feed then appeared on the large central screen I had indicated. It was a local news broadcast.
“This is Emily Marsden,” said the young woman reporter. “We are here today at Times Square with Palestinian activist Habib Hassan, who has promised to let us in on his discovery of how to bring peace to the Middle East, specifically the War in Gaza. Mr. Hassan?”
“Yes, and thank you for having me on your show,” said the dark man, clad in a business suit and a turban. “I have come here today to show how we can achieve freedom for Palestine against the Jewish aggressors!”
“Umm, wait a minute,” said Marsden. “I thought you were…”
Hassan then, with a sweep of his arm, simply swatted the newswoman out of the way. She fell unconscious on the pavement as he continued to address the camera.
“It is today that I, the honourable Habib Hassan,” he opined, “shall reveal the power that I have achieved by the spiritual methods of the Holy Prophets; for I have contacted the mighty forces of the Jinn, and I shall use them to destroy our enemies, the two adversaries of Palestine -- the accursed Israel and America!”
With this, a bizarre grey mist began to envelope the young Palestinian, as he then started to levitate directly up off the ground!
Watching the broadcast, Millie Drake spoke, “Goodness, Daniel! He needs to be stopped! We should get over there right away!”
“Quite so, love,” I agreed whilst fetching my hat and cloak from the stand. “If this Hassan person has let the powers of the Jinn possess him, then this -- coupled with his horrid anti-Semitic agenda -- may put the entire planet in peril! Millie, Kit-10, we must make haste!” …
My name is Doctor Daniel Rumanos, and I carry the heritage of the legendary Watchers of Algol, whose technology appears as magic. I protect Earth from all manner of menace. I am -- The Daemon-Star! …
A short time later, Millie, Kit-10, and I arrived at Times Square in my specially-modified canary-yellow Edwardian roadster, affectionately known as “Lizzie”. We parked the car and began to walk across the area. A small crowd of spectators had gathered to look at the strange Palestinian terrorist known as Habib Hassan. He was hovering a few metres above the ground, levitating with the flashing grey powers around him.
I first approached Emily Marsden, helping the young woman up from where she had fallen. She was now just regaining consciousness, but seemed unhurt.
“Ms. Marsden,” I said, “I am Doctor Rumanos, and my diagnosis is that you should run away from here.”
The newscaster immediately took my advice, leaving the area along with her frightened camera crew.
I then reached into my pocket and retrieved the transonic mezuzah. I began to lift it to-wards the hovering figure of Habib Hassan.
“Now,” I said, “let us see if he can…”
“Oh my gosh!” exclaimed Millie Drake. “Daniel, look out!”
I looked to see what had so alarmed my companion, and beheld an horror indeed. For at that very moment, coming down from above us, was a shape as if from out of nightmare. It was an huge phantasmagorical thing, grey in colour and accompanied by an eldritch moaning sound like unto that of the mourning of a thousand dead.
“By the Daemonian Spires!” I swore. “A Jinn!”
Then, before we could further react, the horrible phantasm reached us. As it touched my being, the transonic went flying from my hand, to clatter to the ground out of my reach!
Then the ghostly form vanished from sight as quickly as it had appeared.
“What happened to it?” queried Millie Drake.
“Kit-10?” I asked.
“Accessing, s--,” replied the robot. “Form was simply an echo of the forces that Habib Hassan is generating. Far greater danger only exists from the powers directed immediately from him.”
“Of course,” I pondered. “The Jinn are from another world, and are bodiless at that. They need Hassan’s input in order to interact with us. Unfortunately, they seem to have him completely brainwashed to do their bidding.”
“But what is the goal of these Jinn?” questioned Millie.
“Conquest, my dear,” I informed. “They have gone too long in their non-corporeal form, and now only seek to conquer other worlds -- worlds like Earth, filled with organic bodies they can possess!”
As I spoke, we saw Hassan approaching us, floating as he was across Times Square.
“You and your Jewish magic are no match for me!” he screeched, his voice a thing of ungodly hatred incarnate. “I am Habib Hassan, and I wield the power of the Jinn against all who support the accursed Israel!”
“Kit-10,” I said. “Blast him.”
With this, the robotic cat shot several burst of her nose laser directly at Hassan, but it was to no avail. The ghastly grey light deflected it all harmlessly to the ground.
“Do you see what I mean, Jew wizard?” cackled Habib Hassan. “Your Talmudic automaton cannot harm me, for the Jinn give me power over all! It is power that I shall now use to destroy you! I shall destroy you -- for the glory of Palestine!”
With this pronouncement, a grotesque surge of the darksome Jinn energy suddenly burst forth from the levitating figure of Habib Hassan. I came forth with an howling fury of myriads of the phantasmal alien beings. It headed directly for Millie Drake, Kit-10, and me -- then hitting us with a powerful gust of force beyond hurricane speed, sending us sprawling on the Times Square pavement!
Can you understand the abject horror in this? Can you comprehend the unspeakable terror, in truth the unnameable dread of the situation in which we at that time found ourselves? There we were, the lovely Millie Drake, the robotic Kit-10, and me -- Doctor Daniel Rumanos. There we were, facing the horrid Palestinian terrorist known to eternal infamy as Habib Hassan and the terrifying Jinn power possessing him. There we were, as this same eldritch energy now surged to-wards us -- energy that Hassan intended to utilise in his bid for the total destruction of all that is good and true!
“For the glory of Palestine!” repeated the terrible terrorist. “For the glory of Palestine I will now bring your destruction, Jewish magician, along with your infidel allies!”
From within the preternatural maelstrom, I stood up from where I had fallen and helped Millie to her feet. We looked and saw that Kit-10 was near by and seemed unharmed. The grey Jinn energy continued to swirl threateningly around us, along with the horrid howling moaning sound.
Then, I glanced at the ground and realized that I had fallen near unto where the transonic had previously landed. I quickly reached down and pick up the device, programming a certain setting and aiming it directly to-wards Hassan.
When the programming from my transonic hit him, Habib Hassan began to shudder and shake, and the terrifying Jinn power suddenly reversed its course and barrelled directly back at him.
“What have you done, Israeli warlock?” he screamed. “How have you done this to me?!”
“You have failed, Hassan,” I told him, “I have seen the future, and let me assure you -- Palestine will never be!”
Then, after Hassan gave one final shriek of fear, the Jinn power suddenly shot upwards through the sky, taking him with it to vanish far up above the clouds.
“Putz,” said I.
All was suddenly quiet, there at Times Square in New York City on that bizarrely fateful day. The horror had gone.
“Are you all right, Mills?” I enquired concernedly whilst returning the transonic mezuzah to my pocket. “Kit-10?”
“I’m fine now, Daniel,” replied the young lady.
“All systems functioning normally, s--,” added the mechanical kitten.
“Excellent to hear, my good friends,” I said. “Fortunately, I was able to access the 'spellcasting' power of the transonic device against the Jinn, and reversed their magical course against our foe. Habib Hassan has been taken with the Jinn with which he had already bonded his essence. If he somehow manages to survive the acceleration though the atmosphere, he will then die in the depths of Outer Space as they journey onwards in eternal wandering.”
“His hatred of Israel was so sad,” said Millie. “It was like something he was sick with. Was it because of the influence of the Jinn?”
“Quite so, my love,” I agreed, “and it is a sickness we see so much of these days. Did you know that the land of Israel was an Algolite outpost in Earth’s prehistoric times? Interesting, hmmm? That is something that shall become increasingly important in the years to come.”
We heard numerous sirens as the local police now headed to-wards the scene in response to the reported disturbance. What was left of the crowd, those who had not already fled in fear, began to disperse.
“They shall find nothing now,” I said as my friends and I returned to the car, “but none the less we should make our exit to avoid any unnecessary explanations. Let us stop along the way back to headquarters and pick up something for dinner, hmmm?”
“From a kosher food place?” enquired Millie with a smile.
“Of course, my dear,” I assured her as we sped away in our colourful and specially-modified vehicle. “Of course.”
***** DANIEL RUMANOS AND MILLIE DRAKE SHALL RETURN
