THE KIDNAPPERS -- by William Welch
Tony and Doug are sent to rescue Ann who has been kidnapped
by planet men of the future.
There is a blinding flash of light in the Time Tunnel Control, and Ott, an aluminum-colored figure,
appears. He announces he's taking Ann with him, and with a flash, he and Ann disappear. Picking
up a metallic data card dropped by Ott, Swain converts it into coordinates, and to keep in touch
with Ann, Kirk orders the transfer of Tony and Doug to the same coordinates. They land in a
strange formless place where they follow a beam of light leading to a door which opens for them.
Inside they find the Scientist at a huge desk with rows of blinking lights who informs than the year
is 8433 A. D. They are in the planetary system of the Star Canopus. The Scientist is distracted
and Tony and Doug escape into the corridor but are forced to surrender when Ann, under guard,
appears, and the Scientist warns them she'll be killed. At the Tunnel, Ott reappears and steals
the time-space converter, leaving them to work desperately to replace the part. Meanwhile, the
Travellers are left in a small cubicle where their dinner, in the form of small cubes, is served.
The voice of the Scientist orders them to eat, but they only pretend to do so. They are then
brought before the Scientist, who shows them a sheet-covered figure and explains his project for
recalling subjects from the past and extracting all information from them. As the sheet is pulled
aside, the Travellers are shocked to see Adolph Hitler in a zombie-like state. He will live,
vegetable-like, forever, and that will be their fate also. The planet men are dormant during
darkness, but the Travellers too will be dormant in drugged sleep. Doug triumphantly shows the
Scientist the uneaten cubes, and he sounds the alarm, but too late - for all become immobilized.
While Tony and Doug search for the stolen converter, Ann learns the workings of the time machine,
but also learns only one person at a time can be dispatched. Suddenly they hear Ott, functioning
with a special light source. Tony grabs the Scientist's medallion weapon as Ott reappears and,
sliding a panel open, shows them the converter. Tony kills him with a blast and hands Ann the
converter as she activates the time machine and returns to the Tunnel and replaces the converter.
Meanwhile the Scientist has come to life, and as the guards move in on Tony and Doug, they
suddenly vanish into the Vortex of Time, narrowly escaping a deadly fate.
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