DIY History | Transcribe | Hevelin Fanzines | Pluto, v. 1, issue 4, September 1940

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Pluto, v. 1, issue 4, September 1940

Page 32

             VIA RADIO, 2000 A.D.
                         By
               [written text] DALE TARR

   E. Fleischer Hastings, tall cold-eyed interplanetary adventurer, spun the duodial on his televidor so that it registered forty and leaned back to enjoy the program which had just started.
   He had letely received a communication from the sponsors stating that they were going to dramatize one of his adventures which had occurred on Venus. Specifically that heart pounding encounter that had happened in the Venusian hinterland, when he, alone, had battled that malignant entity SKACK, an amazingly intelligent monster, spawned in the hot belt.
   Hastings had wondered many times at the astonishing vividness and realistic portrayal issuing from the facile hands of televidor technies and he had interestedly awaited the unfolding of one of his own experiences. 
   And in the telecylinder atoms moved to take on the configurations of a Venusian scene reproduced in minature as to all four dimensions. Hastings gasped, with surprise. At the base of a knoll and barely seen through the entangling growths, moved a very tall man and a flashing production close-up caused the perfect--counterpart of Hastings to stare tight-lipped into the adventurers own face. Then too, the typical sounds of the Venusian jungles were plainly audible until, Hastings has the unreal sensation that he was really there. He was enthralled by the spectacle of one of his own adventures.
   Hastings stumbled over a mold encrusted bubbleberry and as he recovered, the berry split in the center folding up with a whistling exhalation of rot laden air. As hastings involuntarily wrinkled his nose, a voluminous crashing rolled down the hill from his left front and with a swiftness born in many desperate situations he drew both his Hi-Vi guns.
   His was un-usually perilous position. Always before when the unconquerable SKACK had been attacked in force, the monster had hidden himself in a manner defying revealment and when smaller groups had sought him out, SKACK had ever attacked willingly for none of man's weapons had been his equal.
   But an earthman named Braxton had recently discovered a terrible force which had lent itself readily for use as the HI VI gun and hastings carried one built for long range use, one for short range power. Hi-Vi guns, though were not as perfect as they might have been and were untried in actual combat. Sometimes their own power, under certain conditions sufficed to melt them in the weilder's hands.
   And through the hazy Venusian atmosphere Hastings saw SKACK, the terrible, the uncontrolably, vicious, smashing his way down the hill through rank vegetation.
   And simultaneously SKACK saw Hastings!
   Hastings triggered his long range gun and the torn air screamed redly blanking out the visible area between the combatants. Noticing a moss covered crevasse
                                       32

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VIA RADIO, 2000 A.D. By [written text] DALE TARR E. Fleischer Hastings, tall cold-eyed interplanetary adventurer, spun the duodial on his televidor so that it registered forty and leaned back to enjoy the program which had just started. He had letely received a communication from the sponsors stating that they were going to dramatize one of his adventures which had occurred on Venus. Specifically that heart pounding encounter that had happened in the Venusian hinterland, when he, alone, had battled that malignant entity SKACK, an amazingly intelligent monster, spawned in the hot belt. Hastings had wondered many times at the astonishing vividness and realistic portrayal issuing from the facile hands of televidor technies and he had interestedly awaited the unfolding of one of his own experiences. And in the telecylinder atoms moved to take on the configurations of a Venusian scene reproduced in minature as to all four dimensions. Hastings gasped, with surprise. At the base of a knoll and barely seen through the entangling growths, moved a very tall man and a flashing production close-up caused the perfect--counterpart of Hastings to stare tight-lipped into the adventurers own face. Then too, the typical sounds of the Venusian jungles were plainly audible until, Hastings has the unreal sensation that he was really there. He was enthralled by the spectacle of one of his own adventures. Hastings stumbled over a mold encrusted bubbleberry and as he recovered, the berry split in the center folding up with a whistling exhalation of rot laden air. As hastings involuntarily wrinkled his nose, a voluminous crashing rolled down the hill from his left front and with a swiftness born in many desperate situations he drew both his Hi-Vi guns. His was un-usually perilous position. Always before when the unconquerable SKACK had been attacked in force, the monster had hidden himself in a manner defying revealment and when smaller groups had sought him out, SKACK had ever attacked willingly for none of man's weapons had been his equal. But an earthman named Braxton had recently discovered a terrible force which had lent itself readily for use as the HI VI gun and hastings carried one built for long range use, one for short range power. Hi-Vi guns, though were not as perfect as they might have been and were untried in actual combat. Sometimes their own power, under certain conditions sufficed to melt them in the weilder's hands. And through the hazy Venusian atmosphere Hastings saw SKACK, the terrible, the uncontrolably, vicious, smashing his way down the hill through rank vegetation. And simultaneously SKACK saw Hastings! Hastings triggered his long range gun and the torn air screamed redly blanking out the visible area between the combatants. Noticing a moss covered crevasse 32