Squeeze Play

Chapter1 of Moonbase UFO

Armed with Air Force data about a mysterious heat source on the moon, Kara and Sirtis flew a straight course that would intercept the satellite when it orbited around. Both wore transparent masks that allowed communication in a vacuum. For the moment, Sirtis wore her Krypton garb that was mostly black, save for green shoulder guards and cape, and a gold chest plate. But she also carried a lead suit in case of another kryptonite attack that had almost felled Superman. Reluctantly, he had suggested that Kara allow herself to be captured, since few knew she was immune to kryptonite. They came in range over the vast Mare Imbrium, which served as the left eye of the man in the moon as seen from Earth. Untold eons ago, a small planetoid had crashed there, and in the intervening time, the crater had filled in with silt and sand. This was also where Superman had come under attack.

Kara spoke on a tight beam. "Keep to the heights, Sirtis. I'm going down to draw their fire. We may lose communication at that point."

"I'll put on my lead suit and mark the exact spot where any kind of opening appears."

There was nothing more to say as yet; Kara's task was to find out all she could, and her suspicion already centered on UFOs and their Men in Black allies. Thanks to a hypnotic virus injected by the vampire Sylea, all of them now worked for Kara. But there might still be a rogue element up here on the moon. She flew a looping course as if looking for a way in, which was sure to provoke some anxiety below. That came in the form of a small cannon that popped out of a mountain side some distance away. The beam washed over Kara, who allowed herself a slow-motion fall to the surface, where she stirred up a shower of dust. She kept an eye out for how they planned to retrieve her, since this side of the moon was visible to telescopes on Earth.

Sirtis' voice: "Kara, a transparent hovercraft is headed your way. Two human occupants."

So that was it. Such a tiny object would never be seen from Earth, especially since no one was looking for it. The Air Force didn't want to tip off the intruders that they were onto them. The craft arrived overhead, briefly dimming the sun, and lowered mechanical grapplers. With surprising speed, it turned and headed for the dark side. Kara hoped Sirtis was following high above, since nothing presented at ground level as a landmark. In minutes, they slowed, and a round hatch opened. Small mechanoids stood ready to restore the dust layer as the craft descended.

"Still with me, Sirtis?"

"I can barely hear you, and it's fading fast. But I have the spot marked. As soon as the bots leave, I'll use heat vision to fuse a glass waypoint."

Since Kara was face-down, she couldn't see who the pilots were. They descended down a shaft with molten sides, as if it had been bored out by a heat drill. Once at the bottom, Kara was dropped near the base of the shaft, and the craft flew off down a corridor. There was barely enough light to see by; small globes were set high near the ceiling. Another set of servobots rolled toward her and loaded her on a gurney, which they wheeled along the passage until it met a T junction. They went right, where they entered an automatic door to a holding area, where they left her.

Kara wasn't sure how long to keep up the pretense. The perpetrators wouldn't wait long in any case, since they couldn't risk her suddenly awakening. She used the time to look around what appeared to be a surgical suite. That caused her to sit up; the instruments were tipped with a familiar green mineral. Were these monsters trying to create a super villain?

The door opened to confirm her suspicion about the Men in Black. Two of them entered, holding pistols that undoubtedly fired a kryptonite beam. They wore the ubiquitous black suits and ties, with black hats and shades.

"You people," Kara said, "could use some serious fashion counseling. But first I'd suggest psychiatric help."

The one on the right was first to speak. "We've lost contact with our counterparts on Earth. Explain that."

"Maybe they have standards who they associate with."

"No matter," the man said. "We'll get the information once we apply the kryptonite hypnotic."

"And then I can go?"

He faced his partner. "Quite a sense of humor, this one." He turned to her again. "Whatever you did to our organization, you're going to undo it. That's all you need to know."

Kara crossed her legs. "Come now. In the movies, the villain always has enough confidence to tell the victim how he's going to take over the world." This wasn't looking good. There was no way she was getting near those instruments, whether they could harm her or not. That meant being loose in a facility she knew nothing about. Merely trying to wreck it wouldn't help; they probably had a similar base on Mars. If only she'd thought to bring Sylea along. Then this whole menagerie could be converted. She had indeed discussed that as a backup plan with Sirtis. Would she act on it? Until then, Kara was merely a loose cannon in a facility with all kinds of creeps trying to destroy her. But first, she'd make sure Sirtis got the message.

"I'll be right back, gents, that's a promise. I have to make a quick trip back to the surface." Donning her face mask, Kara stood up, suddenly awash in green beams. She bumped their heads together and stepped over them. Having memorized the course, she flew along the corridor toward the hatch tube. A few bots had already been vectored her way, zapping with their green rays. She hefted one and sent it crashing into others. Cupping the mask protectively, she used her head to smash through the metal hatch at the top of the shaft, surprising a small group of wheeled bots busy restoring the dust layer. One by one, she hurled them down the shaft.

"Sirtis."

"I see you from orbit. What happened?"

"I'm getting nowhere with these clods. Take word back that I'm going to act as a saboteur."

"I'll set out right away. They will no doubt deny you this hatch again, Kara."

"I'll be a monkey wrench until you get back, and hope they don't have something better that kryptonite." Kara flew back down the now airless shaft, finding security doors closed. Unwilling to mark her progress by creating vacuums, she lifted the door in a gush of air, then slid beneath, allowing it to close again. "With any luck, they won't have cameras all over the place."

But they did.

Outskirts of Smallville

Dan and Pete had elected to stay in Outworld. That left Ed still ably supported by the sorceress Zena and wizardress Bonnie. The trio had made the trip in Clark's car. Lois and Jimmy trailed behind with Professor Periwinkle, having gotten a late start. Before springing his guests on Martha Kent, Clark wanted to phone ahead and give her time to prepare. They stopped at a diner/gas station, where they'd get breakfast before heading on. Ed slid in beside Zena, a natural arrangement, since they were paired on Team Dan missions, as were Bonnie with Pete. Clark sat across from them with Bonnie. At first Ed didn't notice how the girls insisted on being on the inside, but that became clear.

"Ooh look," Zena said, reading the flip menu on the juke remote. "Theme from A Summer Place." She put in the dime, punched it up, and relaxing music played.

Bonnie paged through others. "Here's Stuck On You by Elvis, and I'm Sorry, by Brenda Lee. How about North to Alaska by Johnny Horton next?"

Ed looked resigned as the waitress filled their coffee cups. "They think they're on a trip back in time."

"We are," Zena said. "This is exactly our Earth in 1960—without all the super heroes running around." The waitress left with a worried expression.

Clark sampled his coffee. "I don't know. There are those who appreciate us." He scanned the menu. "What's everyone getting?"

"I'm getting the full monte," Ed said. "Eggs, bacon, grits, yada."

"Just don't say yada to the waitress," Bonnie advised. "She's already looking sideways at us." She noticed Ed's smirk. "What's with you, Edward?"

"I'm just wondering how you knew what to do with garters and nylons."

Zena frowned. "Isn't it depressing that we're old enough to know how to use those?" At any rate, the girls had drawn the line at heels, not knowing if they'd have to go into action. After all, kryptonite was worth more than gold to criminals. "So Clark, are you gonna tell your ma how we're in on your secret?"

"I don't see why not. I'll let her know you're from an alternate Earth, so there's no need for me to kill you." All three made sure he said that with a smile.

The food arrived, but it hardly crimped the girls' conversation. Ed and Clark, meanwhile, were all business, shoveling it in. As usual, they had to wait for the ladies to finish. By the time they did, Lois and Jimmy walked in with the professor in tow.

"Did ya see that sign?" Jimmy asked. "Smallville, home of Superman. Nice painting of him too, zooming along."

Lois tossed her bag on a nearby table. "You folks don't have to wait on us. We know the way to the farm."

Clark excused his way past Bonnie so he could sit with the professor. "We'll stay, since I need a word with the professor. First of all, how far down can your detectors reach?"

"About twenty yards. That's far enough away that it wouldn't affect Superman. He could always spot it with X-ray vision, but this is faster."

"So," Jimmy said, "while Miss Lane and I are doing interviews, you guys are all over town using metal detectors? That could take years!"

"Not at all," the professor said. "My calculations are based on the trajectory of the ship the infant arrived in. There will be a cluster of deposits within five miles of the landing."

"It's very strange," Lois said. "Nobody knows who raised him. He just appears in history one day in Metropolis rescuing a guy hanging from a blimp. You'd think whoever it was would want credit for it."

Clark was studying a grid map they planned to use in marking their progress. "I suppose we should start at ground zero—the plaque where they say the ship came down. Professor—could you by any chance build any more detectors?"

"I can, but we wouldn't want them to get in the wrong hands."

Such were the considerations of the unlikely team as they waited for Lois and crew to have their own breakfast. Clark had a nagging sense of trouble; it followed the professor like an albatross.