Chapter Seven -The Red Badge of Treachery!

AS THE DIABOLICAL DEVICES OF MEDICAL DEATH descended downward towards the faces of Dixie and Coogan, two deafening shots rang out!!!  Dixie breathed a sigh of relief as bullets blew the robotic torture surgeons to bits. Someone had stepped into the laboratory, and although she couldn't see that person, she knew who it must be.  After all, he'd saved her life, and Coogan's too.  Surely, now she would be safe, able to escape the creepy clutches of Doctor Warlock . . .

"Thanks, Mister Gunn," she said, straining against her leather restraints. "Jeepers, you cut it close!"

"Am not Mister Gunn," growled a thickly accented, guttural voice.  A tall figure suddenly stood over Dixie.  It was the figure of a powerfully built man (though not quite as powerful as Mister Gunn), one with a devilishly handsome countenance (though not quite as devilishly handsome as Mister Gunn).  A thick black bushy beard covered the man's lantern jaw.  He wore black gloves, black combat boots and a red jumpsuit with the tiny golden insignia of a hammer and sickle etched right into the chest.

The man pulled a dagger out of the jumpsuit.  Four quick slashes later, Dixie was free.

"Gosh," Dixie said as she got up, "thanks . . . but who are you?"  She smoothed out the wrinkles of her lemon yellow cocktail dress.  "I'd like to know the name of the man who rescued me."

"Official name is Soviet Spy Number Four," the man said dramatically.  His dagger flashed through the air once more, and Coogan's bonds also fell away.  "The world fears me as . . . Vladimir Karkaz."

"Karkaz?"  Puzzled, Dixie thought hard about the strange name.  "Oh, I know who you are," she said, her face brightening, "you're the Russian version of Mister Gunn!"

"No, no!"  Karkaz's eyes blazed with rage.  His dagger disappeared.  A massive pistol appeared in the Russian spy's hand instead, which instantly pointed at Dixie.  "Mister Gunn is version of me!  Am Soviet original! Mister Gunn is cheap capitalist copy of me!"

"Sure," Dixie said with a shrug of her cute shoulders.  "Does this mean I'm your prisoner?"

"Umm . . . yes," said Karkaz.  He eyed Dixie uncertainly.  "Why you ask?"

"No reason.  I'm just getting used to it, that's all."  She walked over to Coogan, who was finally starting to stir.  "You want the good news or the bad news?" she asked Coogan.

Coogan looked up at Dixie.  He gave her a wan smile.  "Good . . . first," he said through gritted teeth.

"We're no longer alien prisoners," Dixie said brightly.

"And . . . the bad?"

"We're Russian prisoners," Dixie said brightly.

"Terrific," said Coogan.  He closed his eyes wearily.  "Just help me crawl to the Commie prison cell, sweetheart.  I'll help you escape in a couple of hours, when I'm feeling better."

"Okay," Dixie said, idly twirling long strands of her blonde hair between her fingers, "but I don't think we're going to a cell just yet.  We're probably going to be looking for the proto-analyzer first."  She jerked a thumb over at Karkaz.  "The Russian spy over there followed me and Mister Gunn from Earth in his invisible spaceship.  He probably wants the analyzer, too."

"What . . ?" Karkaz asked.  He looked as though he'd been slapped in the head with a sledgehammer.  "How did you . . ."

"Oh, you're not that clever," Dixie said with a bored sigh.  "Our ship's computer caught a strange signal right after blastoff.  Strange signals mean invisible spaceship, I learned that at the Top Secret Government Spy Academy for Girls in San Juahistan, California.  The only other countries with invisible spaceships besides the United States are England and Russia. And why else would you be following us unless you wanted the proto-analyzer?"  Dixie rolled her pretty eyes.  "Gosh, you must think I'm mighty stupid or something."

"Shut up!"  Karkaz waved his pistol angrily at Dixie.  "You may be cute girl, but you talk much too much."

"You really think I'm cute?" Dixie asked Karkaz breathlessly.  She leaned over slightly to adjust her sheer black stockings, giving Karkaz an amazing view of her ample cleavage.  "Like, wow. That's awfully nice of you to say."

"Uh . . ." Karkaz's pistol dropped towards the floor.  As did his bearded jaw.

"Gee, you're dumb," said Dixie.  Quick as a cat, she suddenly flung a handful of red dust towards Karkaz.  Karkaz leapt backwards, but too late - he still breathed in a good faceful of the powder.  Red particles coated the Russian's beard like a blanket.  The Soviet spy toppled to the floor with a mighty crash, snoring even before he hit the ground.

"Knockout powder," Dixie said to Coogan.  She helped the tired spaceship pilot to his feet.  "It'll only last for a few minutes, but . . ."

". . . we should be able to get back to the Scorpio Two by then," finished Coogan.  He gave Dixie a serious look.  "You're pretty resourceful, you know that?"

"Thanks," Dixie said with a grin.  "I'm no Mister Gunn, but I try."

Dixie and Coogan slowly made it past the snoring body of Karkaz, heading back up towards the cavern entrance, hoping to make it out alive, and silently praying for the safety of one Mister Gunn . . .

Previous episode: The Sinister Laboratory of Doctor Warlock!
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