Turlough and the Earthlink Dilemma by Tony Attwood

Author:Tony Attwood [Attwood, Tony]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
ISBN: 9780426202240
Google: smJYPgAACAAJ
Publisher: Target Books
Published: 1986-08-15T19:26:21+00:00

he was still smiling (he was), Turlough initiated the switch-on. Silence – but only for seconds. There then came the most awful scream of tearing rock and

shaking foundations.

Panic ensued. There was a clamour for the machine to be turned off. Juras

was pushed over as a group of politicians ran forward to the controls. Tur-

lough was knocked against a wall but had foreseen the chaos. The control

mechanism was now locked in place, through a numeric code. No one could

remove it now save himself. Not even Juras.

And then suddenly they were all on the floor, as the screaming, tearing

sound came to a halt and the entire building lurched upward. Anything not

tied down flew across the room – including people. Juras had known the mo-

ment would cause injuries, but there had been little she could do. A warning,

any warning, would have aroused suspicion.

As people at last began to pick themselves up a dominant figure pushed his

way into the central research area. ‘Explain!’ shouted Sseradd. ‘This isn’t a

nuclear test – or if it is, something has gone dreadfully wrong.’

Turlough looked for Juras. Instinctively he felt she could do better than he

at admitting what had been perpetrated. But Juras was out cold, her head

having hit the side of the work bench during the great jolt. At that moment

however, and much to his relief, Turlough heard a familiar voice wafting across the room. ‘Friends, friends.’ The Magician; at last he was doing something

87

useful. ‘The Clansfolk have supplied you with much much more than a bomb.

They have indeed provided more than you deserve with your continuous talk

of war and fighting. They have given you exactly what the Imperial Clans

ought to give you. Escape. Guaranteed escape.’

‘Escape from what?’ demanded Sseradd. He looked and sounded uncon-

vinced.

‘From your petty war, your imprisonment, yourselves.’ The voice of The

Magician rose and fell dramatically and he waved long fingers describing a

grand arc across the room. ‘No, they didn’t build you a bomb, although they

could have done. You have instead a space vehicle. You are travelling in it.

The island, friends, is a space machine. Years ago it was done on your own

planet – The Mobile Castle. Have you all been so blind as to not recognise the three sacred towers? And it is a testimony to the Clans’ great desire to help

every single one of you that has led to the gathering of the entire population here. Go outside, friends, and look at the sky. Slowly you will see it change.

Go to the edge of the cliffs, look for the lake. It is gone. We are travelling between the stars. En route for Trion.’

Sseradd wouldn’t give up so easily however. ‘A complete and utter trick,’

he yelled. ‘How could this be the Mobile Castle, when we all know it exists

already on Trion! We have been duped. Seize these three.’ The inevitable

guards stepped forward ready for action.

A knife was held at each throat. The Magician spoke, incongruously relaxed

in such a threatened position.

‘Fraternal Trions; is this the way to treat your benefactors? Test the hy-

pothesis! You call

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