Part 6 (2/2)
”No,” Smedley answered vehemently. ”You don't understand. It's much worse than that. It's the Nucleotron!”
Dee Dee gasped. ”The Nucleotron? But that means-”
Smedley nodded, confirming her worst fears. ”The slime monster is gone!”
A red light began to blink above Smedley's desk. Somewhere in the distance Roger could hear the wail of sirens. ”It's nearing critical ma.s.s!” Dr. Davenport ran down the hall. ”Quick, Roger! If we don't do something soon, it's going to blow us all to Kingdom Come!”
^ ^ 6 ^ ^
”dread destination!”
”Bark bark! Yip yip arf!”
The dog's barking somehow rose over the gunfire.
”Yip bark! Arf yip bark!”
The shooting stopped.
Delores wondered if she should risk a look. She and her fellows had all taken refuge behind the large oak table that Zabana, with his jungle-bred reflexes, had tipped to one side in the same instant that the first shot was fired. So far, the wood had taken the brunt of the a.s.sault, and Doc had pulled his six-shooters from his deep suitcoat pockets, ready to pay back the villains in kind.
”You'll”-Doctor Dread's voice hesitated menacingly-”suffer for this!”
Doc peeked around the table's edge, guns at the ready.
”Well, I'll be doggone!” he exclaimed instead.
”Bark yip! Bark yip growl!” the dog replied.
Doc grinned down at his allies. ”You all should take a look at this. It's plumb amusin'.”
Delores cautiously peered out from behind the barricade, ever alert for treachery. Her mouth fell open. She had never expected this.
Everyone, all hundred of Dread's lackeys, seemed frozen in place. And all of them watched the drama unfolding at the very center of the room. There, flat on his back, was Doctor Dread, with a white German shepherd standing on his chest.
”Yip yip bark!” the dog remarked, its voice somewhat m.u.f.fled since its teeth had already pierced the material on Dread's snakeskin cowl-the same teeth that were now a fraction of an inch from the villain's neck!
”This is your last chance!” Dread declared one last time. ”Before you are”-his hesitation sounded more uncertain than usual-”subtracted!”
The German shepherd only growled in response. Delores frowned. Where had she seen that dog before?
”All right, now!” a voice called in merrily through the now open door. ”What's all the ruckus?”
”Yip yip!” the dog replied. ”Bark bark yip!”
”Why,” said the voice from the door, ”it almost sounds like the little fella's talkin'.” A rotund, white-haired police officer with a twinkle in his eye stepped into the bar.
”Officer O'Clanrahan!” Big Louie shouted.
”The very same, boyo,” the policeman acknowledged, broadly winking at one and all.
”And I've brought my special helper along, too.”
The shepherd wagged his tail as the policeman approached.
”That Dwight the Wonder Dog!” Zabana exclaimed in astonishment.
”Right you are, big fella,” O'Clanrahan agreed. ”Everybody knows Dwight the Wonder Dog.”
They did? Delores frowned again. Then why didn't she? Maybe she had been spending too much time in Hero School. Still, even she had thought the dog looked familiar.
”Yip bark arf!” Dwight agreed as O'Clanrahan leaned down to scratch him behind the ears.
But the shepherd had relaxed his vigilance. It was only for a fraction of a second, but it was a fraction too much. Dread s.h.i.+fted and rolled, and Dwight lost his footing. The dog had to scamper back half a dozen feet as Dread scrambled to his feet, and Officer O'Clanrahan found himself staring into the business end of Big Bertha's roscoe.
”Faith and begorrah!” the policeman whispered.
”Yip yip arf!” Dwight barked apologetically. ”Yip yip yip!”
”Yeah, boy,” Louie replied. ”It just might work.”
Doctor Dread laughed, a sound to chill both flesh and bone. ”Things seem to have- changed, don't they?” He glanced around at his hundred mobsters. ”Now, who do you suppose we should-erase first?”
The dog and Officer O'Clanrahan neatly split the largest number of votes. But Big Bertha had other ideas.
”Kill her.” She waved her gat at Delores. ”She's the ringleader. Without her, the others are lost.”
”Such language!” Dread reprimanded. ”Still, there is a certain-logic in proposing Delores'-removal.”
That's when Big Louie screamed.
Dwight jumped up onto his hind legs.
”He's walking backwards!” one of the gang members observed as the dog approached the leering Dread.The shepherd whined suddenly and flopped to the ground.
”He's rolling over,” another gangster commented.
”Fools!” Dread began. ”Don't you-”
But, before the villain could even hesitate meaningfully, Dwight had rolled over on his back, all four paws in the air and head to one side.
”He's playing dead!” one of the evil band exclaimed.
”Oh, how lifelike!” another enthused.
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