Posted on December 26, 2020February 20, 2024The Thing from the Sea (continued . . .) One evening, the now-familiar menace rose from the river near the great tower in the city of Yannis. Aaaaaagh ! It is the thing from the sea ! One slash of the strange antenna —and the tower was riven ! At almost the same moment, on the distant Isle of Zooth, the lighthouse met the same fate ! News of the two disasters reached the Emperor Trigo. You realise what this means, Peric ? There must be two of these infernal machines —perhaps more ! The possibility had already entered my calculations, Imperial Majesty. Then what are you doing about it ? Before I can devise a means of combating the menace, I need to know the length of the trunk attached to the head of the device. Peric took the Emperor to another part of his laboratory. This high-speed underwater engine should enable a diver to pursue the menace and bring back the information I need. I will need a team of brave volunteers. There will be no shortage of them, Peric. Make as many of your engines as you can ! Janno and his comrades Keren and Roffa were among the first to volunteer. Janno tested the engine. It works, Peric ! Yes. And remember that he is only travelling at half speed ! Not everyone was so keen to meet the monster. In the barracks of the Imperial Guards . . . “Special hazardous duty connected with the undersea menace.” What do you make of that ? Not for me ! Nor me ! But . . . You, Zatti ? Tired of living, Zatti ? I think I shall survive ! Within a few days, teams of four volunteers were ready to leave for selected parts of the coast. And in Janno's party . . . Zatti of the Imperial Guard, sir ! Glad to have you with us, Zatti. The following dawn, the four were at their appointed hiding place. See anything, Janno ? Yes ! One of the things is coming straight at us ! This installment was originally published in Look and Learn issue no. 467 on 26 December 1970.
Posted on December 5, 2020February 20, 2024The Thing from the Sea (continued . . .) News of the disaster was flashed round the Trigan Empire. Trigo and his staff were among the first to inspect the tangled wreckage in the centre of the great bridge. The scientist Peric commented grimly . . . See that massive pillar, Imperial Majesty ? It is severed as cleanly as if it had been sliced by a giant sword. You think ? I think that the same malevolent intelligence that sank the “Daveli” was also responsible for this ! Later. I have come to the conclusion that the instrument of destruction was sea-borne—probably carried in some underwater craft. Find an alien underwater craft armed with a weapon that can cut metal like wax, and you have the answer. Trigo issued his orders. From now until further notice, constant air and underwater patrols will be carried out around the Trigan coastline. Alert the fleets. No man rests till this menace is found—and destroyed. That evening, undersea fighting ships of the Trigan navy began to comb the depths. At dawn, Janno and his crew joined the low-flying patrols off the coast. Suddenly, Roffa gave the alarm. An object has just risen out of the sea—dead ahead. Janno sighted the shape in the water. Stand by to fire projectiles ! And then . . . Ready to fire. No !— Hold it. —It’s one of ours. Before their horrified eyes, the two cleanly severed ends of a Trigan undersea fighting ship hovered on the brink of their final plunge. Janno brought his craft round in a tight turn, and splashed down. Moments later, they were picking up survivors. What happened ? We saw it coming at us . . . There was no escape. And then . . . Aaaaaagh ! There it is again. By all the stars. This installment was originally published in Look and Learn issue no. 464 on 5 December 1970.
Posted on November 28, 2020February 20, 2024The Thing from the Sea (continued . . .) And then—they saw— It ! By all the stars ! . . . Look ! The thing moved with deadly swiftness. It selected Janno as its first victim. Roffa ! Keren ! . . . Help ! Roffa started the engine of their sub- marine craft, and sent it speeding off. The three comrades headed for the surface, leaving their craft to be torn apart by the nightmare of the deep. That could have been us ! They were soon being helped aboard the diving ship. Did you find what you were seeking ? Yes ! We know the Daveli sank, but it could have happened is another matter ! why how That evening, the comrades reported to the Emperor. A hole scored along the underside of the ship's hull, you say ? Yes, uncle ! From stem to stern—not a rent that could have been made by a projecting rock, but one that looked as if it had been cut by some giant mechanical tool ! Trigo turned to Peric. What could have done such a thing, Peric ? No natural phenomenon, that's for sure, and I know of no mechanical device that could have caused such damage to a speeding ship ! What do we do now ? Nothing ! We can only wait ! You mean ? . . . The damage was obviously the deliberate work of some malevolent intelligence. If it happened once —It could happen again ! The Trigan Bay Bridge was one of the supreme engineering feats of the planet. It stretched as far as the eye could see, from headland to headland. Three days after the sinking of the “Daveli” —It happened ! Aaaaaaaaagh !— The bridge is collapsing ! The second disaster ! This installment was originally published in Look and Learn issue no. 463 on 28 November 1970.
