Flash just stared at the radio, stunned. He slowly looked over his shoulder at the other Defenders. Corrigan sat with his mouth agape. Tracy looked away from the bound and injured Bababu, eyes wide with shock. Templar, The Phantom and The Shadow didn't show much outward emotion. The last two especially, since they wore masks. But Flash had no doubt they were still trying to digest the information.

He was still trying to digest it.

Taking a breath, he replied to Donovan. "I don't get it. We destroyed the transmitter that controlled the robowarriors. How can they still be walking around?"

"I wish I knew, Flash. Once we started getting in touch with other armies and governments around the world, they were telling the same story. The robowarriors were off for an hour or so, then got turned back on."

"Why didn't they just bust them up while they were standing still?" asked Corrigan.

"A lot of the people around them at the time didn't have any explosives or other tools to wreck 'em," answered Donovan. "Plus the radios and telephones still weren't working. They had to use runners to tell their leaders. By the time they found out, those garbage cans were on the move."

Flash made a fist and pounded his right leg. After everything they went through the knock out that transmitter . . .

Dale clutched his arm as Donovan continued. "Ming must've had a back-up transmitter in case something happened to the one on the artificial satellite, sneaky bastard."

"It leaves me to wonder if he has a second transmitter for his anti-radio wave signal," The Shadow suggested.

"If he does, he hasn't turned it on yet. But if we can't get on the horn to each other, well, we'll have our answer."

Donovan paused. "That's your new mission, Defenders. Find this other control signal for the robowarriors and put it out of commission."

"We will," Flash replied. "Defender out."

He leaned back in his chair and exhaled, staring out the cockpit window at the darkened Atlantic Ocean below.

Templar gave voice to what Flash was pondering. "So, any ideas how we're supposed to find this other transmitter?"

"I believe I might have the answer."

Flash looked back at Dr. Zarkov. "Then tell us, Doc. We all need some good news right now."

"We still have the head of the robowarrior we used to track the control signal on the artificial satellite. If I can connect it to a large and powerful antenna, I believe I can trace the signal to its source."

"It will do you no good," blurted Bababu. "You cannot defeat Emperor Ming. You will all die for -"

"Shut your gob." Tracy pointed his ray gun at the general/Mongonoid spy. "Or I'll shut it for you."

Bababu fell silent.

The Phantom turned to Zarkov. "Where can we find such an antenna?"

"The Roswell Rocket Base must have one. They would need a powerful antenna to communicate with their rocketships in outer space."

"Good thing we were already planning to head there," said Flash.

"You will never destroy the transmitter," Bababu spat. "You're defeat is all but assured."

Tracy kicked Bababu in the stomach. "Do you not know what, 'shut your gob' means?"

Flash squeezed the controls tight, keeping the Defender low over the ocean. Just when he thought they had turned the tide. Just when victory seemed in sight, they were right back at square one. The robowarriors continued their march across the world.

And what if we find this second transmitter and knock it out? What if Ming has another? And another? And another?

Flash was convinced if they wanted to end this war, they couldn't do it here on Earth.

XXXXX

Flash stayed over water, going from the Atlantic to the Caribbean, until he reached Texas. He stuck to the prairies and the deserts all the way to Roswell. No Mongonoid rocketships spotted them. The MPs took custody of General Bababu, while some signal corps soldiers took Zarkov to the main antenna four miles from the base. With nothing for the other Defenders to do, Flash suggested they get some sleep.

He wondered if he could even fall asleep. Too many thoughts surged through his mind. How much more death and destruction would the robowarriors cause? What if Zarkov couldn't find the signal? What was happening to Barin, Thun and the rest of his friends on Mongo?

What if something happened to Dale?

He found a cot and laid down. To his surprise, he was asleep in minutes.

His dreams were anything but pleasant. He stood amidst the rubble of some city. He didn't know which. He didn't even know if it was on Earth or Mongo. Everything was blackened ruin. Smoke hung in the air.

He shivered when he saw bodies. Lots of bodies. The Defenders of Freedom. Barin, Thun, Vultan, Aura and so many others whom he'd fought alongside in battles with Ming's forces.

He also saw Dr. Zarkov's body.

And Dale's.

"N-No. No."

He tried to walk over to her, but his legs were frozen.

This couldn't have happened. They couldn't have failed.

He couldn't have failed.

Somewhere in the distance, he heard chanting.

"Hail, Ming! Hail, Ming!"

A mass of beings appeared. Mongonoid soldiers. Lizardmen. Shark people. Robowarriors. All of Ming's loyal servants.

"Hail, Ming! Hail, Ming!"

Above them all, Ming the Merciless sat on his thrown. A wide smile formed on his face.

"No!"

Flash's brain screamed at him to run at Ming, wring his damn neck, put an end to the greatest evil the universe had ever known.

He remained still.

Suddenly, all of Ming's servants turned toward him.

"Destroy Flash Gordon!" hollered Ming. "Destroy him, and ensure my rule of the universe forever!"

They unleashed a deafening war cry and charged him.

Flash watched, helpless, as they drew closer.

He sat bolt upright in his cot. Sweat drenched his taut body.

"Whoa, take it easy, Flash."

He blinked, and saw Dick Tracy standing a few feet from his bed.

"Sorry." Flash mopped his damp brow. "Bad dream."

"Well, this might cheer you up. The Doc said he found the source of the robowarriors' new control signal."

Flash jumped off the cot and followed Tracy. They met up with the other Defenders in the radio room.

"Doc, it's Flash. Dick told me you found the source?"

"I did. The signal is being beamed through several Mongonoid ships orbiting the Earth."

Flash groaned. "Great. So we have to blow up a few dozen ships to stop the robowarriors a second time."

"No. The ships are being used as relays. The main signal I traced to a point between Mars and The Moon."

Flash held his breath for a moment. "You mean . . ."

"Yes. The signal is being transmitted through the space gate. It's coming from Mongo."

TO BE CONTINUED