Chapter 18 Shanks

Doc Savage's metallic features remained impassive as he and giant Renny Renwick, hidden in the small cave, silently watched the plane burn. There was nothing they could do about the blaze. The fuselage of the plane, being made of metal, would survive the inferno, but the interior of the ship would be completely gutted--cockpit, passenger compartment, sleeping berths, and laboratory--where the bronze man had striven to combat the effects of the "stone death"--would be destroyed. The flames, reflecting in Doc's eyes, gave the golden orbs a molten quality. Minutes passed, during which Medusa's men left the area. The two men watched as the cold white light of the gunsels' flashlights disappeared over the hill. "We'll try the other side of the island," Doc suggested, seemingly undisturbed by the destruction of his plane. The big engineer nodded. He knew Doc Savage probably already had some kind of plan in mind. The bronze man did all sorts of small things which usually seemed insignificant at the time, but sometimes paid off with big results. These could resemble miracles, to one unaccustommed to Doc's methods. The bronze man and his aide left the refuge of the tiny cave. The two giants stayed off the paths as they skirted the area they knew to be held by Medusa. Doc and Renny had no knowledge of the extent of the diabolic mastermind's control of the island. The bronze man was aware of the number of men who had been present in San Francisco, discovered as a result of his masquerade as "Little Joe Blosser". About half of these remained active at the moment. The two unknowns were: How many were in the gang that Doc did not know about? And, would the gunsels that Doc and Renny had disabled recover before the two could counterattack? It seemed imperative that the bronze man and his aide strike before morning. The longer they waited, the more chance Medusa would have to use the captive Johnny Littlejohn and Lucky Loo against them, as well. The beam of the infra-ray lantern splayed out dispassionately over the landscape of the small island. There was an eerieness to the vision bestowed by the weird goggles that took some getting used to, but both Doc and Renny had used the goggles and lantern many times, from the beginning of the bronze man's career, and were well-accustommed to the starkness of the view. Came a thrashing. Doc motioned, with one bronze hand, to Renny to take cover. From around a small hill came a throng of men, carrying flashlights and guns. They numbered a half dozen or so. The bronze man recognized natty Shanks, his clothing not quite so dapper, in the lead. Thistles had torn long gashes in his trousers, which were smudged with mud in places. The thrashing noise was cause by men beating bushes with long sticks. This was as thorough a search as Doc had ever witnessed. The bronze man "threw" his voice near big Renny, speaking in Mayan. "Use your super-firer only if necessary. Try to take them quietly. You'll know when." Ventriloquism was one of the many skills Doc Savage had acquired during his twenty years of training, studying it under the tutelage of the Great Lander. The big-fisted engineer, not possessing the talent of ventriloquism, did not reply. Surprise would have to carry the day. Shanks and his band came nearer. Doc had aimed the beam of the lantern a few feet in the direction of Medusa's men, highlighting a broad, clear spot where the path levelled off. Shortly, Shanks and his gunsels entered the beam. Doc Savage threw a small metallic object into the group of men. It bounced once, coming to rest between two of the gunsels. The thing spurted black smoke that resembled the ink from an octopus, completely enveloping the men in a few seconds. The flashlight beams disappeared, blotted out by the thick smoke. "They're behind us," yelled a voice. Big Renny contrarily frowned in delight. He knew the voice came from Doc Savage. The big-fisted engineer sprang to his feet, rushed into the throng of men, and began battering away at them, unencumbered by the thick smoke. The beam of the infra-ray lantern sliced right through the black, ropy stuff. One by one, Medusa's men went down under Renny's skilled ham-sized fists. He'd had extensive training in his youth as a boxer at the insistence of his father, and could have made his living in the ring, had he so desired. On the other side of the group, the bronze man faded into the smoke like a wraith and disabled his opponents by twisting sensitive nerves near their necks, paralyzing them, when possible. Others, in the growing recklessness of the melee, Doc had to knock out by more conventional methods, using fists and feet. Sounds of great impactand graons of pain permeated the cloud. Doc was a bronze cyclone. The bronze man suddenly realized Shanks was not in the group. Peering about, he found the dapper man outside the diminishing cloud of smoke, watching the black melange of men and smoke. Shanks had undoubtedly guessed what was happening and retreated to safety, biding his time, waiting for an opportune moment to strike. Doc Savage didn't give him that opportunity. The bronze man circled around, came at natty Shanks from his side. He saw Doc and raised his arm. The bronze man's fist shot out, landing on Shanks's jaw with a loud "crack". The dapper killer slumped to the ground. Doc bent over him, raised the natty man's jacket and shirt sleeve. A stiletto knife in sheath was attached to Shanks's forearm, giving him the "Popeye the Sailor Man" look. The stiletto was spring-mounted--it would shoot out of its sheath into Shanks's hand in the blink of an eye. An opponent would probably not even be aware Shanks was armed--until it was too late. The set-up was quick, silent and lethal. It had undoubtedly killed the two men in the hangar at Mills Field. Doc removed a glass-walled gas grenade from a padded pocket in his vest, and broke it under Shanks's nose. The dapper killer breathed in the vapors. He would remain unconscious for hours. Renny hauled the others out of the cloud of smoke--nearly gone by now--and the bronze man repeated this action on all of the captives. With a little luck, Doc or one of his aides would be back for them before they awoke in the morning. Doc Savage and big-fisted Renny continued their trek to the far side of the island. A distant flickering was the first sign of life they found. The flickering--a fire--was colorless. Vision using the infra-ray goggles was strictly black-or-white, with numerous shadings of gray. There was no color in the beam of the infraray lantern. Once the small fire came into focus, thatch huts surrounding it became apparent. It was a native village. Doc Savage halted abruptly. His engineer aide, close behind, almost stumbled into the bronze man. Doc's eyes roved the village. "No sign of Medusa or his men," he told Renny. "Maybe they can help us," the big engineer rumbled in a voice that was as close to a whisper as he could come. "Perhaps," the bronze man answered. "They will have food, of course. But I wouldn't like to involve them in our affair with Medusa." Big Renny Renwick silently nodded his agreement. Doc began walking toward the village, purposefully making the normal sounds of a man walking, so as not to surprise the villagers, which might turn them against the two. As Doc Savage had planned, villagers were out by the fire, watching for intruders, by the time Doc and Renny came into view of the men of the small village. The natives--about two dozen in number--were dark-skinned, and held spears. They talked among themselves, speaking the Polynesian dialect peculiar to this island. "What are they saying, Doc?" rumbled the big engineer. Renny saw Doc's bronze features tighten slightly as he listened to the native jabber. "They are saying," Doc translated grimly, "that the Stone God will reward them greatly for capturing the two men he has been looking for."

The Stone Death Written By: Jeff Deischer Dedicated to "Kenneth Robeson X" for his encouragement. The Stone Man is a work of fan fiction. Doc Savage is © Conde Nast Back to: Top of Page Index Page Home Page