Kamandi - Book Four [DC LEGENDS]

The three men stared in awe as the giant came crashing through the very earth less than a mile away. He was huge, colossal, towering over the vast, scorched plains that stretched on in every direction, to every horizon. He was also vaguely familiar…

Ben Boxer gasped as the boy behemoth turned, his piercing blue eyes zeroing in on their swiftly approaching balloon- Air Traveler. His long, wild mane of unruly blonde hair whipped about his shoulders, matting to his face with sweat in the blazing desert sun. He saw the boy's huge face split into a grin to see the three men- his friends- strong white teeth sparkling in the harsh glare of light.

"Ben!" the boy shouted, and the balloon rocked as though blown about by sheer waves of sonic force. It was astounding, causing the three mutants to grab hold for their very lives until the Air Traveler stabilized again.

"Great Scott…" Ben Boxer heard his fellow explorer whisper as the three shifted position, all eyes staring at the colossal boy. "What's happened to him?"

"The radiation maybe?" Steve offered, holding up his Geiger Counter and adjusting the dials as the tiny machine chirped and whistled in alarm. "I don't know. There's radiation, but the whole desert's saturated with it suddenly. It's almost as though some massive power source became active underground."

"And Kamandi?" Ben Boxer asked, his voice tight, near panic. He liked the child and it would kill him if anything happened to him. It was his fault that Kamandi was traveling with them back to their home- Tracking Site- miles away on the southern continent.

"He's radiating, Ben," Steve continued, "but not radiation, not really. He's bursting with energies all along the spectrum, and many that the analyzer can't begin to identify. Powers I've never seen before, not even back at the labs."

"We have to help him!" Ben Boxer shouted, watching as the boy's attention wavered, his gaze drifting down into the hole hiding his feet. Something was happening, something huge, and not just the boy. They had to find out what. This was why the three men had been sent out of Tracking Site for in the first place; to explore the brave new world After Disaster, to seek out strange life and civilization. And they had to find some way to save the boy in the process.

"We'll help him, Ben." Ben Boxer felt Renzi's hand on his shoulder again, once more trying to calm him down and make him see reason. "There has to be some way to reverse the effect of… of whatever did that to him. Siphon those energies maybe, or-"

And just like that Kamandi vanished. Had they all not been so intent on watching the boy they would have missed it completely, thought perhaps he had turned invisible or teleported away. He had dwindled though, shrank as though melting, disappearing back into the hole that his growth spurt had created. Ben Boxer willed the balloon to go faster as the panic started to rise in him again.

"Easy Ben," Steve offered, hooking the Geiger Counter back to his belt, turning the volume low so that he could just hear it. "We're almost there, and obviously there's some sort of complex below ground and possibly flooded with radiation. Maybe we ought to get ready?"

Renzi nodded, already slipping out of his containment suit as Ben Boxer agreed with a grimace. He felt the heat again immediately, a harsh breeze blowing past. They waited as Steve adjusted the gyros of the Air Traveler for the approaching metamorphosis, then all three men faced one another in a tight circle; right hands hovering over the shining silver disks situated above their hearts. Steve and Renzi both deferred to the leader of their expedition and Ben Boxer swallowed, nodding-

A new star blazed to life above the blasted lands, if only for a moment, then just as suddenly faded away…

A BLAST FROM THE PAST! In the world After Disaster, Mankind's greatest toys seem to have survived where Man himself has fallen by the wayside. Those that live are considered animals by the Earth's new dominant species, the very beasts themselves now intelligent and walking upright, talking! But are the new rulers smart enough to contain one of Man's greatest weapons and mightiest failures, or will they be forced to turn, looking for help from…

Grodd moaned, shaking his head as he rolled, trying to raise his massive form from the filthy rock floor. The air smelled charged, burnt ozone and burning flesh and fur making him gag. It was dark and smoky in the tunnels, the rock beneath him harsh and warm and slick with blood. Worse, there was a distinct buzzing in his head making it hard to think let alone focus.

With a mighty effort he finally took a deep breath and heaved his great bulk up onto his knuckles, sweeping his legs beneath him, standing. He reached out against the smooth stone to support himself as the world continued to swim and spin, slowing only a little and slowly at that. Grodd clenched his eyelids tight, pinching the bridge of his wide nose harshly, the pain clearing his thoughts just a bit as his stomach continued to roil.

He forced himself to concentrate, to block out the mental screams assaulting his psychic shields, the little animal's high-pitched jabbering squeals of confusion, the rattle claptrap of the chattel littering the floor about him. It was hard, a Herculean task. He took long, deep breaths, running through old mental challenges, which he had not attempted in decades. Not since he had first learned that he was above all the others, better than Solivar and the denizens of Gorilla City. Better than anyone…

Slowly, finally the voices screeching in his mind began to recede and fade into the background. Back to the constant din, an annoying tickle forever at the back of his mind, a scratching at the edges of his psychic barriers. Grodd sighed. He would survive.

Unfortunately the same could not be said for most of his lackeys. As the smoke and smells wafting through the cavern finally began to disperse Grodd could see the minions of Czar Simian littering the floor in various phases of death. Most were done already, or on the verge, but some seemed to yet cling to life, such as it was for their like. Why they would choose to continue the day to day drudgery that was the life of a gorilla soldier in the army of Czar Simian was beyond Grodd. Worse, all of these had been under his control, stolen from the Ape dictator's masses and had for the last several months been used as virtual slaves toiling for Grodd's benefit. Those that still clung to life had to realize that, yet still they begged for salvation. Survival had always been an instinct that Grodd found hard to comprehend. What was it that charged a being so to continue, even in the worst conditions? Still he knew that if the situation was reversed he might very well be crying out with the best of them.

The gorilla turned, annoyed that he had not heard the others approach. His natural senses were still clogged with the filth of the tunnels apparently, and his psychic shields operating at full strength. He eased his mental awareness just a bit and felt the presence of the Brain there at the fringes, the scratching at the blocks just a little louder.

"I see you survived as well, Brain," Grodd said with a sneer. The huge white gorilla towered over him, hunkering slightly in the hazy tunnel. Grodd could see that the coarse white fur was singed, burned straight away in spots to reveal dark sickly patches of pink. One of the Brain's eyes was swollen shut, but the other stared, crackling with hostility-

"Oui, monsieur," the gorilla rasped, coughing, "though no thanks to your failed efforts."

"This disaster is hardly my fault." Gorilla Grodd, arguably the most powerful mentalist on the planet eased his bulk off the wall to stand erect- or as erect as he could. Unlike the altered forms of the dead littering the floor of the Hive, Grodd was still basically an ape, despite his more than formidable mind. "It was the boy," Grodd continued, his own gaze burning as he stared down the huge white gorilla, the Ultra-Humanite. "Something happened to the little animal, Kamandi. I felt a surge of mental activity that I had not since my last encounter with the Martian. It broke my concentration-"

Grodd frowned, sighing. "Now is not the time for discord in our ranks, Brain. We must regroup, marshal our strength and try to salvage what we may. Without the extra effort of controlling the dozens of minds of our simian drudges I have more than enough power to contain the creature. The girl's thoughts are wildly erratic, but simple and single-minded. With her in thrall once again, our goals are not beyond our grasp. We can still decimate Czar Simian and take over his empire, then sweep over the land like a scythe. We must remain true, however-"

The sudden hacking startled both and together the two great apes turned. Grodd reached out and immediately sensed the agony deeper in the tunnels, the mind crying out. The white ape was already lumbering forward, rushing without caution. Grodd followed and gagged, barely controlling his autonomic reflex and holding down his bile.

The gorilla splayed on the floor should have been dead. His massive chest was open, a great gaping rend that was charred and smoldering from where his bandoleer of ammunition had exploded. Too, his right arm was gone, a bloody stump beneath the shoulder littered with twisted metal from where his gun had blown up. He was laying in a pool of his own waste, his body excreting its feces, fouling to make the kill less tasty to predators and scavengers. Blood gurgled from his ragged mouth as he coughed again, something slick and pink swelling from a gash in his throat.

The Brain was crouching at Monsieur Mawler's side, his arm cradling his old ally's head far more gently than Grodd would have thought possible. He could hear the choke in the white gorilla's voice as he soothed his companion.

Mawler tried to answer, his body spasming in pain as he gagged and coughed. He was done, just a matter of time. All three knew…

"F-forgive… me…" Mawler spat, his voice rasping, eyelids fluttering and wet.

"Shhh, Mon amour…" Brain cooed, his finger shaking as it traced along the other's cheek. "Shhh… There eez nothing to forgive."

Mawler smiled, a twisted ugly thing, but he seemed to relax at that. He closed his eyes, but Grodd could still feel his agony. The Brain brushed at the other's face, wiping at his friend's tears before grabbing Mawler's jaw. Grodd winced at the sudden sound of snapping bone, glad that the gorilla's pain faded abruptly away.

When he looked back he saw the great white ape standing over the body of his friend, a mumbled prayer rattling through his mind. He was quivering, his eyes pink and rimmed when he turned. Grodd involuntarily took a step back at the wave of anger radiating from his erstwhile ally.

"Someone will pay, Grodd," the Brain snarled. "Be it Czar Simian or that little animal, Kamandi, my friend's death will not be in vain…"

Grodd suppressed a shiver as the Ultra-Humanite stared at him. He swallowed, sending out peaceful thoughts.

"I agree Brain, and I share in your- our loss. The Brotherhood is dead, apparently, but may I suggest a partnership built on the ashes. Victory can still be ours."

The Brain continued to stare for a heartbeat, two, then he simply turned and stalked off down the tunnel. Grodd could feel the rage despite his best efforts to sooth the savage breast.

Finally he shrugged, and with a final glance at the burned and twisted body that had been Monsieur Mawler, he loped off down the tunnel…

Tuftan squatted down, his face twisting in confusion as he stared at the tiny form scrabbling through the dirt and debris at his feet. It was almost… cute, like a little bug but so much more. He watched as it scurried, reaching out cautiously with a clawed finger, wanting to touch it, if just to see if it was truly real-

Kamandi screamed, looking up in horror as Tuftan's finger drew close, stopping just short of the animal's diminutive body. Tuftan could see his eyes wide with panic as he backed away, shaking. He hesitated-

Just moments before the situation had been reversed and the boy had been colossal, towering over all of them and laughing about it. Happy! Turn about was fair play after all it seemed.

"Canus…" he said looking up and scanning the broken chamber for his father's chief scientist and his friend. He saw his two remaining Tiger Soldiers guarding the entrance to the subterranean chamber; one at the old stairway leading to the barren surface, the other at the mouth of the tunnel leading deeper into the bowels of the earth. They were good men, Kethol and Durine, and Tuftan hoped they would both live to see the end of this, so many had already died.

He saw Doctor Canus standing before a shattered display table littered with little figurines of animals dressed in colorful costumes. Tuftan had no idea what they were or why someone would sculpt animals with such care, but Canus was obviously engrossed and the prince could see the wheels turning in the dog's mind the way his tongue lolled and his brow furrowed.

"Doctor," he repeated, turning his attention to the scampering tiny form of Kamandi once again. "Come look at this."

Canus turned and padded towards where Tuftan crouched, one of the little statues in hand; a male animal dressed in blue and red, a red cape. It looked vaguely familiar-

"Incredible…" Canus said as he hunkered down, his own finger prodding and probing at the tiny form of Kamandi. The boy squealed, fell to the dirt and cursed though his tiny voice was too small to hear really- or at least make out the words.

"What happened to him?" Tuftan watched as the boy regained his feet and stood defiantly shaking his fist at the two of them, giants to one his miniature size. He had regained his arrogance apparently, no longer shocked nor afraid.

"I can only imagine it was the radiation," Canus said as though Tuftan understood. "The queer energies… the bright lights we've been seeing. They altered him somehow. Once upon a time animals had something in them called a Meta. Maybe the… bright lights sparked that."

"It's complicated," Canus said with a sigh, standing. He turned to look at the huge door with the big lock, the statuette forgotten dangling in his hand. "Perhaps it was something in there that caused this. I wish we could get that open."

Kamandi suddenly shot back to full size causing Canus to yelp in surprise even as Prince Tuftan fell back in shock. The boy glanced about quickly, then looked at his hands in wonder, inspecting his body. Lightning crackled from his fingertips and he seemed to glow with some internal source of heat and light.

"Kamandi!" Tuftan scolded, snapping at the boy as he would any other animal he considered a pet. "Stop that!" Kamandi glanced at Tuftan, prince and son of Great Caesar, Lord of the Tiger Empire. There was an intelligence there that the tiger had never seen before, not even in Canus, the smartest dog he had ever met. "That is…"

"Easy, Tuftan," the boy waved him away and the prince felt all of his concern and worry simply fade away. Happy thoughts filled his head.

"You need to get a handle on this, boy," Canus said with a smirk, staring at the complacent tiger as he plopped onto the ground, drooling happily. "I don't begin to understand what's happened to you, but obviously you've been suddenly endowed with strange and unique powers. You need to concentrate, gather your wits.'

"It was the little statues," Kamandi began, watching as Canus held up the figurine that he was holding. "That Devil came in blasting lightning…" Kamandi's face seemed to go slack and emotionless, a tinge of green creeping into his skin. "The Lightning Bug's energies ignited a unique quality within the statuettes, the figurines of the Legion of Super Heroes. Somehow those unique qualities and powers of the Legion were imbued in the statues when the Image Sculptor reproduced their likenesses in the far future, trapping just a bit of their combined essence into the figures. The Devil's electrical discharge activated those powers, transferring them into me as it did on other occasions, years ago to another during a thunder storm."

Canus stared at the boy, blinking. His very being seemed to change, just for a moment. He stood differently, taller, and there was a look on his face that few in the world could match. A look of brilliance. Just as quickly however, it was gone and the boy was back.

"Doctor… I'm scared," Kamandi said even as his face twisted in sudden pain. Suddenly there were three of them standing there, each more confused than the last. Canus licked his muzzle, setting the statuette aside as he straightened his spectacles.

"You have to calm yourself, Kamandi. You have to concentrate, focus. I can only imagine that all of this will wear off eventually, but you need to restrain yourself until that happens."

Tuftan was on his feet again, wiping at his whiskers as he pointed at the tunnel on the far side of the room. Durine was backing away, his gun raised and pointing towards the crackling glow that seemed to be growing brighter with every heartbeat.

"Something's coming," Tuftan continued, drawing his own sidearm and checking the chamber for a bullet. "Another Devil?"

"No…" Kamandi said, his brow furrowed, eyes closed and a look of concentration on his face. "I sense… confusion… hunger… joy. It's a girl. At least it used to be. It's-"

There was a hissing sound as electricity washed through the room. White, blinding light enveloped them all, but Tuftan heard the screams of Durine as he took the brunt of the attack. Tuftan tried to look, to see, and the fading form of his trusted soldier was burned into his retinas, forever into his memory. Durine simply faded away in a wash of fire as the raging storm of energy swept into the chamber.

Kamandi stared at the roiling ball of electrical energy flowing down the tunnel right towards them all. He heard the Tiger Soldier's mental scream in his head as he simply fried out of existence, faded away. Too he could hear the girlish giggles of the creature, his sight shifting to accommodate the glare and scrutinize the energy as it approached.

She was all electricity laced with radiations along the entire spectrum. More power than he could even conceive. Enough energy to power all the defunct turbines across the face of the continent. She was giddy with it all, bloated and ready to burst. His twelfth level mind was awhirl with the potential, his body shifting to Ultra Invulnerability to protect itself automatically. He heard the ratchet of Kethol's gun as he leaped down to protect his prince, Tuftan and Canus backing away.

Her name was Livewire. That was all she remembered, her mind was so lost and twisted. She had been trapped for so long after the Superman had stopped her, contained her. She remembered Grodd's 'voice' calling to her, soothing her and promising her things that he could never possibly deliver. Apparently Grodd lied after all.

Lightning erupted about him as he waited, watching the energy approach. He had the ability to withstand her worse, he knew, if he could sort it all. His twelfth level mind could explain it; Lightning Lad for the electrical, Sun Boy for the radiation, the defenses of the two Kryptonians, the Daxamite, the Rimborian that was eaten by a Space Whale…

But he needed to contain the Livewire, the girl, and it would take the Cosmic Boy's power to do that, and the Element Lad's. Inertron was the key. Lead at least, but how…

Kamandi willed the magnetic force of the room to swell as he raised his hands. He saw Livewire hesitate, the giggling cutting off as panic washed through her psyche. She could feel the trap coming, and she would not be contained again. Kamandi concentrated, picturing the molecules in his head, adjusting here and there. Inertron was confusing even for his twelfth level intellect, but lead he could manage. It might not contain her, not for long, but it would slow her down.

The Last Boy on Earth grunted, dropping to his knees as a cool gray wall appeared, blocking off the tunnel leading into the bowels. He was exhausted, he had made it so thick. He heard the others behind him. He could smell their anxiety, their fear not only of the encroaching storm, but of what he had become as well. He glanced back-

"That should hold her for a time…" he gasped, his breath heaving, his heart pounding. Why was it so hard?

"We should really get out of here, oh Prince," Canus said as he tried to help Kamandi to his feet. "The animal's bought us some time, but we'll share your soldier's fate if we're still here when that thing breaks through-"

"Maybe there's something in there that will stop it." Tuftan pointed at the thick vaulted door, watching as the lead wall started to glow red. "You really think we can outrun that thing… that girl?"

Doctor Canus released his grip on the boy as Kamandi pulled away. He could feel the unbridled strength in the animal's simplest shrug as suddenly he was across the chamber and beside the huge metal door with the big lock. Despite his strange new powers, his brief fits of brilliance, Canus doubted that the boy could open the vault door.

Still, he watched as queer energies flowed from the boy's fingertips. He could feel the tug of the metal he wore, the surge of the iron in his blood as he started to sweat. There was a sensation of shifting gravity; heavy to light. Sparks crackled and the door pulsed slightly with an astounding burst of heat. Kamandi hit the huge door and it dented, barely. Canus figured that if he continued he might actually break it down, but a glance at the lead wall that he created acknowledged that they did not have that kind of time.

Kethol headed for the steps and even Tuftan seemed ready to bolt until Kamandi's voice cut over them all-

Doctor Canus paused at the base of the stairs, turning back even as Tuftan did, watching to see just what the animal had in mind. Kamandi stood there for a moment as though lost in thought. He glanced at the lead barrier, now glowing a pale yellow, fading to white hot. He turned back to the door and leaned in…

Canus gasped as Kamandi sank his teeth into the door, biting a chunk out of the thick, unyielding metal. The boy turned with a smile on his face as he chewed and swallowed…

Ben Boxer led the way as the trio made their way through the tunnels leading underearth. He could see the work that had gone into the complex; the walls were smooth and reinforced, lined with lead and secreted at some point to keep the curious out. He wondered why briefly, then mentally shrugged, remembering that the boy needed their help.

"Ben, slow down," Renzi said just a few steps behind. Steve was not far back, bringing up the rear, all three of them in their organic metal forms, proof against the radiation and other odd energies that seemed abundant in the labyrinth of tunnels. It did not matter though. Ben Boxer ignored Renzi and pressed on. He had to find the boy-

They saw the white hot glow of the melting lead wall. They saw Tuftan and Canus, one final soldier raising his gun at their sudden appearance. They saw Kamandi eating a hole in a huge metal door on the far side of the chamber…

Light and heat pierced the lead wall, a crackle of energy flowing through the burnt hole in the lead. Something incredibly powerful was coming their way.

"Kamandi!" Ben shouted as he charged down the old wooden steps, hearing them creak under his weight. He wondered how they had not burned away yet in the intense heat. Canus was suddenly in front of him, stopping his rush forward-

Canus turned and looked to the boy as he ate away at the massive door. It was metal and thick and Ben Boxer wondered just how-

"The boy's changed," Canus said, a hand on Ben Boxer's chest as Steve and Renzi hesitated behind him. They had to get away, but…

"I can't explain it," Canus continued. "It's the most bizarre thing I've ever seen, but if we are to survive it all depends on Kamandi-"

Ben Boxer stared at the gaping hole in the thick vaulted door, the rounded belly of the boy that had apparently just eaten his way through. He blinked-

Gunfire ripped the sudden silence as Kethol fired at the light piercing the ever-growing hole in the lead wall. Tuftan reached out, easing the soldier's gun down and shaking his head even as Canus charged forward, the boy swinging the remains of the devoured vault door wide. Everyone edged forward.

It was a tiny room beyond, but Ben Boxer could see the thickness of the walls, the odd metals lining, protecting the vault. Whatever was within was important, and probably dangerous. He saw shelves lining the walls, most littered with small canisters labeled; the word 'Kryptonite' repeated on each with various colors. There was a camera within too, on a pedestal. It was big and unwieldy, pinkish red with a huge lens and two simple buttons. There were other things as well; a set of rings resting on black velvet; one green, one gold with an 'L', another shaped like a tiny Devil. There was a tattered flag folded with care on an upper shelf. There was a feather. There was a black rose, frozen solid. There was a hair beret, a belt…

There was a rending sound, of metal screaming in agony. Ben Boxer saw the lead wall melt away, brilliance streaming through the gaping hole spewing lightning. He 'heard' the giggling voice as the storm roiled forward. It was sentient then-

"Too late," Canus said, his eyes scanning the shelves. Ben Boxer would have agreed had he not glanced at Kamandi and saw that his skin had turned green.

"No," the boy said, his voice icy and void of emotion. He reached out and picked up the big camera, turning it towards the approaching storm. "Never too late. Only once…"

Kamandi depressed one of the two buttons as the sparkling creature surged forward. The big, pink camera glowed, a blinding beam of light streaming forth to mingle with the brighter glow creeping into the chamber. Ben Boxer though he heard a girlish scream, and he saw the storm begin to waver…

Kamandi's face was grim as he pointed the camera at the storm. For the briefest moment there seemed to be a silhouette within the glow; a woman's thin form writhing, struggling. There was another scream, beseeching…

The Last Boy on Earth clicked off the camera as the storm simply faded away. He seemed sad, determined as he looked at the machine in his hands. With a sigh he squeezed, crumpling the camera into so much scrap metal. He tossed the crushed machine aside as his skin seemed to fade from green back to pink, back to normal…

The players were all on their knees, blood flowing from their noses and ears as they clutched at their heads. Even the boy. Grodd's mental bolt had caught them all unprepared. Unfortunately however, he was too late. Livewire was gone.

Of them all, only Grodd and Kamandi knew what had happened- perhaps the Brain if he had not been spitting up his lungs, on his knees, dying, his radiation burns finally taking toll.

The boy had activated the Phantom Zone Projector. Grodd had no idea how it worked or where it had originally come from, but he knew that Superman had had it, and he had seen it in use before. The Kryptonian had used it on the Bizarro when the freak had gone mad in the last days, destroying Houston and Tulsa in some odd fit. It transferred people to another dimension- a phantom realm Grodd had heard. Luckily- and unfortunately the little animal had destroyed it, but there were other things in the Vault, Grodd recalled.

Gorilla Grodd scrutinized the contents of the Vault, his gaze raking the shelves and boxes, trying to remember. He saw what he needed almost immediately. With a wicked grin Grodd snatched up one of the metal canisters from the shelves, twisting off the lid with all his might even as the boy struggled to his feet. A golden glow radiated from the lead jar as soon as he popped off the top. He smiled, holding out the canister, watching as the boy started to stagger and sweat…

Kamandi felt the wave of dizziness as he stared at the golden, glowing canister that the gorilla, Grodd, held out at him. His intelligence faded even as he fell to his knees, his body awash with a weakness that he had never felt before.

The world started to spin as Grodd lumbered forward, plucking a golden, glowing rock from the metal can. Kamandi fell flat, his strength gone as heat washed over him. He was bathed in sweat, his vision graying, weak as a…

"Sorry, boy," Grodd chuckled, dropping the stone onto Kamandi's chest. "Don't worry though. The rock won't kill you, but it will sap your powers- at least I hope it will. You were just too strong. It took me awhile to remember, but now I do. You'll thank me one day."

Grodd glanced at the others. The metal mutants were struggling to rise. The tigers and the dog were out, his mental assault too much for them to bear. He had time. He glanced about the Vault, quickly scanning the shelves and table, taking in everything. Kryptonite in all its varied forms he saw. Once he would have killed for that, but no longer. The Projector would have been nice to have. Too, the Reducing Ray there in a steel box- that might come in handy. Then he focused on the rings.

Grodd licked his lips, picking up the green one with trembling hands. The Lantern appeared immediately, glowing on one of the upper shelves.

Gorilla Grodd chuckled and slipped the ring onto his pinky, gathering the others in the velvet, clutching them in his fist. He concentrated and the green surrounded him, enveloping him. He could hear the Brain calling his name, but he ignored the ape's whining, his death gasp.

There was a flare of light- green, verdant light- and Grodd simply faded away…

The explosions shook the ground. Dust and debris billowed high into the harsh desert sky, blotting out the glare of the unblinking sun for just a moment before the warm winds caught the dust and wafted it away. Kamandi sighed…

It was getting harder and harder to recall exactly what had happened. It was almost like a dream, fading, just out of reach. He remembered the power still, just a little bit. The electricity making his fingertips tingle. He remembered staring down at Tuftan and Canus, laughing they were so tiny. He remembered the fear clutching his heart, they were so huge.

Great Caesar's troops had arrived shortly, after they had all escaped the tunnels and retreated back to the surface. The Tiger Soldiers swept across the Barrens, scooping up anything they deemed worthy under the direction of Doctor Canus. Tuftan had taken charge of the squad and their chariots, shouting orders like a true leader. When they had cleared the tunnels, the Hive as Grodd had called it, the Cell, the Tigers had set explosives and blown it all up to contain the lingering radiation and to kill the Devils and apes that still lived within.

They had made a quick search of the place, finding first the great white ape called the Brain, dead and staring wide-eyed into the darkness, his wounds finally catching up to him apparently. His head had been split open like a melon, oddly, his brain missing. Mawler however was rotting happily in one of the tunnels and Kamandi felt no remorse at his passing. He got his just rewards.

There were dead apes everywhere, though they found no Moles or Gophers. Of course before long the heat and buzzing got to be too much for everyone besides Ben Boxer and his friends. They had left most of the complex unexplored, much to Canus' chagrin. There was probably much lost in the rocking explosions that buried what was left of the complex. Answers even as to what had happened, what had gone before…

Kamandi turned with a smile and a nod for Ben Boxer. Steve and Renzi were loading fresh supplies into the Air Traveler. Before too long they would be under way again, the four of them in the balloon, Tuftan and his new squad roaming across the desert in their chariots. On to new adventures…

"I'm fine Ben," Kamandi said as he hefted his pack, tossing it into the balloon's basket. "Just thinking, trying to remember. It's all fading away."

"Just as well, I suppose," Ben Boxer said with a smile, ruffling the boy's hair. Kamandi batted at his friend's hand, playfully shoving him away. "That was some adventure, hunh?"

"You said it, Ben. I hope the rest of our journey is a nap compared to that little side trip."

"I imagine it will be, Kamandi," Ben Boxer said with a laugh, climbing into the balloon's basket with the last of the supplies. He glanced up at the huge silver balloon, straining at its tethers as though ready to fly away under its own accord. There were storm clouds far to the west, darkening the horizon. Ben looked to his two friends, both dressed in their containment suits again, putting the finishing touches on the balloon's instruments. The tigers were a frenzy of motion beyond, some already on their way. He saw Canus and Tuftan waving as their chariots roared off. Only four tiger's remained, waiting to cast the balloon's lines and get underway before they were left too far behind.

Kamandi turned, his hand checking his sidearm as he hurried to the balloon, vaulting over the rim of the basket to settle between the three older men. In a moment he felt the now familiar lurch as the Air traveler was released to the sky. He remembered flying…

"Yes, Kamandi?" Ben Boxer looked at the boy who was watching as the Tiger Soldiers scurried on the ground, hurrying to rejoin their squad. Steve and Renzi were struggling to turn the balloon on the proper course. He probably should help-

"You think we'll see that gorilla, Grodd again?" Kamandi asked, turning. His big blue eyes were wide, but Ben Boxer did not know if it was with wonder or fear.

"I don't know kid," he said as he reeled in the docking lines. He really did not know, though he hoped they wouldn't. He hoped not, as from what the boy had said, the gorilla had been a nasty piece of work, something left over from before the Great Disaster.