Chapter Five
The Challengers of the Unknown watched cautiously from a distance as a dark, grotesque hand clawed its way out of the packed ground. They heard groans as the thing pushed itself with a great deal of effort out of the grave.
Finally, the thing stood before the four men. It was too dark to see the thing clearly, but it was larger than a normal man and glistened from the distant lights of the Challs' flying craft. It stood without acknowledging the others' presence and waited as if gaining strength. The Challs could not know at this point what its intentions were.
Ace broke the silence. "Hello... uh... do you speak English?"
"Of course it doesn't speak English, Ace," interrupted Prof, "it's probably not even from this planet." He held an energy detector in his hand and found that the thing before him matched the energy signature which he had detected as it entered Earth's atmosphere and disappeared in this area.
"Deeeee... deeeee... eyyyye..." the thing croaked in a rumbling sound, almost a voice.
"Izzat your name? Didi-eye?" asked Rocky.
For the first time, the thing seemed to become aware of the others. He looked up at them.
"Careful, guys," Ace said quietly, motioning them back.
"Reeeeeeee... vennnnnnnnggge..."
"That's it," said Red, grabbing his gun.
"Oh... my... God..." gasped Prof. "Red, no!!" Prof Haley pushed Red's arm away before he could shoot.
"What th--?!" exclaimed Red. "What did you go and do that for?"
"I can't believe it..." said Ace suddenly, looking into the thing's eyes.
"You see it too?" asked Prof.
"See what?" asked Red.
"Don't you recognize 'im?" said Rocky. "It-it looks like..."
Prof motioned for the others to be quiet. Then he took a step towards the thing and said, "Doctor Holland? Doctor Alec Holland?"
A glimmer of recognition registered in the thing's eyes. "Yessss..."
"Swamp Thing?" said a shocked Red Ryan. "I thought he was d--"
"Shh!" Prof interrupted.
"Do you remember us, Dr. Holland?" said Ace. "We're the Challengers of the Unknown. We were... once your friends."
The Swamp Thing looked at him with red eyes. Finally he spoke in his slow, halting way, "Yes, I ... remember..."
"What happened, Dr. Holland?" asked Prof as he took a tentatively closer inspection of the creature who was once their ally. "What is your last memory?"
"I was... running... towards A-Abby... we kissed... embraced... then... then... confusion... fire... pain... I heard Abby... screaming... I was trapped... in my body... there... was no place... to go... but there..." he slowly lifted a large arm and pointed to the starry sky above.
"We saw what happened," said Rocky, "on TV. Sorry, pal."
"My thoughts... were... only on... revenge... upon those who... did this... to me... to... us..." The Swamp Thing paused, and his eyes darted around. "Where... is... where is... Abby...?"
"'Abby'?" muttered Red. "Your woman?"
"Right," said Rocky. "Remember that court case? She was there when... when they firebombed our pal, here."
"We'll bring you back to your woman, Dr. Holland," said Ace. "You have our word on that."
The Challengers of the Unknown watched cautiously from a distance as a dark, grotesque hand clawed its way out of the packed ground. They heard groans as the thing pushed itself with a great deal of effort out of the grave.
Finally, the thing stood before the four men. It was too dark to see the thing clearly, but it was larger than a normal man and glistened from the distant lights of the Challs' flying craft. It stood without acknowledging the others' presence and waited as if gaining strength. The Challs could not know at this point what its intentions were.
Ace broke the silence. "Hello... uh... do you speak English?"
"Of course it doesn't speak English, Ace," interrupted Prof, "it's probably not even from this planet." He held an energy detector in his hand and found that the thing before him matched the energy signature which he had detected as it entered Earth's atmosphere and disappeared in this area.
"Deeeee... deeeee... eyyyye..." the thing croaked in a rumbling sound, almost a voice.
"Izzat your name? Didi-eye?" asked Rocky.
For the first time, the thing seemed to become aware of the others. He looked up at them.
"Careful, guys," Ace said quietly, motioning them back.
"Reeeeeeee... vennnnnnnnggge..."
"That's it," said Red, grabbing his gun.
"Oh... my... God..." gasped Prof. "Red, no!!" Prof Haley pushed Red's arm away before he could shoot.
"What th--?!" exclaimed Red. "What did you go and do that for?"
"I can't believe it..." said Ace suddenly, looking into the thing's eyes.
"You see it too?" asked Prof.
"See what?" asked Red.
"Don't you recognize 'im?" said Rocky. "It-it looks like..."
Prof motioned for the others to be quiet. Then he took a step towards the thing and said, "Doctor Holland? Doctor Alec Holland?"
A glimmer of recognition registered in the thing's eyes. "Yessss..."
"Swamp Thing?" said a shocked Red Ryan. "I thought he was d--"
"Shh!" Prof interrupted.
"Do you remember us, Dr. Holland?" said Ace. "We're the Challengers of the Unknown. We were... once your friends."
The Swamp Thing looked at him with red eyes. Finally he spoke in his slow, halting way, "Yes, I ... remember..."
"What happened, Dr. Holland?" asked Prof as he took a tentatively closer inspection of the creature who was once their ally. "What is your last memory?"
"I was... running... towards A-Abby... we kissed... embraced... then... then... confusion... fire... pain... I heard Abby... screaming... I was trapped... in my body... there... was no place... to go... but there..." he slowly lifted a large arm and pointed to the starry sky above.
"We saw what happened," said Rocky, "on TV. Sorry, pal."
"My thoughts... were... only on... revenge... upon those who... did this... to me... to... us..." The Swamp Thing paused, and his eyes darted around. "Where... is... where is... Abby...?"
"'Abby'?" muttered Red. "Your woman?"
"Right," said Rocky. "Remember that court case? She was there when... when they firebombed our pal, here."
"We'll bring you back to your woman, Dr. Holland," said Ace. "You have our word on that."
