bars were sunk well into the chill stone floor, thrust far up into the low stone ceiling. There were no windows in the outside room; the only light came from the wire-netted lamps on each side of the thick metal door.
Rocky was spread out on his back. The big man started thrashing around, as though he were struggling to keep a wrestling opponent from pinning his shoulders. "They stick us in the zoo?" he asked, waking up and staggering to his feet.
"Zoo, prison, pen, dungeon," said Red from his seated position. "Take your pick."
Shaking his head from side to side, Rocky inquired, "How long was we in cloudland?"
"We're offering a prize of a free weekend for two in Cleveland, Ohio, for the best guess."
Rocky scowled, surveyed their cage and the shadowy room beyond. "Two, three hours at least," he decided. "Does your noggin ache?"
"Moderately."
"Reminds me of my prehealth-food days, when I used to get hangovers. We're inside the castle, huh?'
"A fair assumption, Rocko." Red pressed a palm to the stone floor, pushed himself to a crouch and then stood upright. "I imagine we're now the guests of Senor Escabar."
"Exactly." A voice came down out of the shadows of the roof above them. "Allow me to welcome you to the hospitality of the Fortaleza."
Rocky made a glum face at the ceiling loudspeaker. "This ain't my idea of hospitality, buster."
"Considering the fact that you are trespassers, and possibly assassins, I believe you've been treated quite well." The voice was now coming out of the tall, lean man who'd opened the heavy door and entered the room. "Much better than you deserve."
"We're not assassins," Red told him.
"It was you tried to do us in," added Rocky. "With that goofy robot truck of yours."
"I shan't apologize for the attempt, though I am pleased you survived. That way we can have something of a talk." He stopped some ten feet from the
front of their cage. "As you surmised, I am Escabar."
"Pleased to meet you." Red inclined his head toward the door of the cage. "Can you let us out now?"
"We can have a perfectly satisfactory conversation with you both on that side of the bars." Escabar walked to a corner of the room, picked up a light aluminum-frame chair. Placing it a safe distance from the bars, he seated himself. "Let me point out, to avoid possible future embarrassment, that you were thoroughly searched while you were sleeping. Quite a fascinating collection of weapons and gadgets turned up."
Rocky slapped at himself. "Hey, you even took my packet of sunflower seeds."
Moving to the bars, taking hold of them, Red said, "What do you want to talk to us about?"
"For One thing, I'm an admirer of yours," answered Escabar. "Here in my relative isolation I've often read of your exploits, and with much interest. I, too, work on the border of the natural and the supernatural. Although I've never gone in for any of the physical bravado you Challengers of the Unknown so frequently display."
"Aw, anybody can do the physical stuff," Rocky put in. "You just got to exercise and eat right."
"No doubt true," said their host. "I've never had the patience for such a program. There are, however, other ways to keep up a youthful and vigorous appearance."
"Fads," said Rocky with scorn. "Nothing pays off like hard work."
Red said, "We've had a very difficult time paying a call on you. Our troubles started when the man who was going to tell us something about you blew up."
"The unfortunate Satara, yes. We were quite good friends at one time," said Escabar. "Drinking got the better of him and then, what is worse, total abstinence. He became, did Satara, very self-righteous. Killing him was the best solution."
"Who was he exactiy?"
Escabar uncrossed and recrossed his legs. "I'll tell you something about myself, as well as the late Satara," he said, smiling carefully. "You realize you'll never be able to use any of the information I impart?"
"We figured," said Red, "you had us penciled in to follow Satara to glory."
"I,
Rocky was spread out on his back. The big man started thrashing around, as though he were struggling to keep a wrestling opponent from pinning his shoulders. "They stick us in the zoo?" he asked, waking up and staggering to his feet.
"Zoo, prison, pen, dungeon," said Red from his seated position. "Take your pick."
Shaking his head from side to side, Rocky inquired, "How long was we in cloudland?"
"We're offering a prize of a free weekend for two in Cleveland, Ohio, for the best guess."
Rocky scowled, surveyed their cage and the shadowy room beyond. "Two, three hours at least," he decided. "Does your noggin ache?"
"Moderately."
"Reminds me of my prehealth-food days, when I used to get hangovers. We're inside the castle, huh?'
"A fair assumption, Rocko." Red pressed a palm to the stone floor, pushed himself to a crouch and then stood upright. "I imagine we're now the guests of Senor Escabar."
"Exactly." A voice came down out of the shadows of the roof above them. "Allow me to welcome you to the hospitality of the Fortaleza."
Rocky made a glum face at the ceiling loudspeaker. "This ain't my idea of hospitality, buster."
"Considering the fact that you are trespassers, and possibly assassins, I believe you've been treated quite well." The voice was now coming out of the tall, lean man who'd opened the heavy door and entered the room. "Much better than you deserve."
"We're not assassins," Red told him.
"It was you tried to do us in," added Rocky. "With that goofy robot truck of yours."
"I shan't apologize for the attempt, though I am pleased you survived. That way we can have something of a talk." He stopped some ten feet from the
front of their cage. "As you surmised, I am Escabar."
"Pleased to meet you." Red inclined his head toward the door of the cage. "Can you let us out now?"
"We can have a perfectly satisfactory conversation with you both on that side of the bars." Escabar walked to a corner of the room, picked up a light aluminum-frame chair. Placing it a safe distance from the bars, he seated himself. "Let me point out, to avoid possible future embarrassment, that you were thoroughly searched while you were sleeping. Quite a fascinating collection of weapons and gadgets turned up."
Rocky slapped at himself. "Hey, you even took my packet of sunflower seeds."
Moving to the bars, taking hold of them, Red said, "What do you want to talk to us about?"
"For One thing, I'm an admirer of yours," answered Escabar. "Here in my relative isolation I've often read of your exploits, and with much interest. I, too, work on the border of the natural and the supernatural. Although I've never gone in for any of the physical bravado you Challengers of the Unknown so frequently display."
"Aw, anybody can do the physical stuff," Rocky put in. "You just got to exercise and eat right."
"No doubt true," said their host. "I've never had the patience for such a program. There are, however, other ways to keep up a youthful and vigorous appearance."
"Fads," said Rocky with scorn. "Nothing pays off like hard work."
Red said, "We've had a very difficult time paying a call on you. Our troubles started when the man who was going to tell us something about you blew up."
"The unfortunate Satara, yes. We were quite good friends at one time," said Escabar. "Drinking got the better of him and then, what is worse, total abstinence. He became, did Satara, very self-righteous. Killing him was the best solution."
"Who was he exactiy?"
Escabar uncrossed and recrossed his legs. "I'll tell you something about myself, as well as the late Satara," he said, smiling carefully. "You realize you'll never be able to use any of the information I impart?"
"We figured," said Red, "you had us penciled in to follow Satara to glory."
"I,
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