The Hydra Monster

by Lee Falk

  "Damn it!" The gun fell.

  The Phantom caught the weapon in midair, pocketed it. He grabbed the gunman's arm, twisted it around behind. "Okay, now get inside the cab and we'll have our chat."

  "I don't . . ."

  From out of the fog two shots came sizzling. They struck the young man in the chest and he slumped out of the Phantom's grip.

  The Phantom jerked the cab door open. "Get him to a hospital quick." He picked the wounded man up and eased him into the back seat. "I'll go after the other one."

  "Hey, isn't this thing ever going to end?" Mac roared away from the curb.

  The Phantom, Devil at his heels, ran after the other gunman. "They'd rather kill their own than risk having them talk," he said to himself. "That sounds like Hydra all right."

  Up ahead, in the fog, a car door slammed. Then a motor came to life with a growl.

  Sprinting, the Phantom got around the corner in time to see a dark sedan go barrelling away.

  He stood watching the tail lights blur and vanish in the mist. "Let's hope the one we sent to the hospital pulls through," he said. "Right; now he's my only link to the Hydra."

  CHAPTER FIVE

  The fog pressed against the glass walls of the sidewalk booth, enclosing the Phantom in grey- ness. He dialed the Harbor Emergency Hospital number. Devil was standing in front of the booth, like a sentry.

  When the hospital desk answered, the Phantom said, "I'm inquiring about a man who was brought in earlier this evening. A taxi driver delivered him to you, I believe. Gunshot wounds, a young man."

  There was a noticeable inhalation of breath on the other end of the line. "Oh, yes," said the girl. "And your name is . . ?"

  "I'm a friend of the family."

  I see," said the girl. "Well, can you hold on for just a moment, sir, and I'll . . . I'll let you talk to Dr. Wollter."

  I n thirty seconds a phone was picked up, and an Instant after that, much more cautiously, a second plione. The Phantom frowned.

  "Dr. Wollter," said a deep, young voice. "Who am I speaking to, please?"

  The Phantom glanced out at his waiting wolf. "Mr. Devlin," he said. "I'm interested in finding out about the young man who was shot."

  "You're a friend of the family, you say?"

  "My family has known his crowd for ages," replied the Phantom. "How is he do . . . ?"

  "Perhaps you can tell me his name, Mr. Devlin?"

  "I'm not sure what name he's using at the moment."

  There was a silence.

  Out on the Bay, somewhere, a fog horn mournfully bellowed.

  "Mr. Devlin, all I can tell you is that this . . . this is a very unusual case," said the young doctor. "I really can't discuss it further over the phone, but if you can come to the hospital, I'd be glad to see you. Where are you now, by the way?"

  "Yes, perhaps, I will come over there," said the Phantom, ignoring his question. "Goodbye."

  Scratching his chin, he stepped out onto the misty street. "Something's not quite right," he mused. "And I wonder who was listening in. We'd better take a look at the hospital, Devil. Let's go."

  There were two police cars, empty and double parked in front of the small, side street hospital. The Phantom, Devil at his side, stood across the way and watched. "Maybe it's not unusual to see police at an emergency hospital," he said to himself. "And yet . . ."

  He and the large, grey wolf walked on through the fog. When the Phantom was beyond the hospital building, he cut across the street. There was an alley running alongside the place. Stepping into it, he told Devil, "Wait here."

  In another minute the powerful Phantom was up the fire escape and standing next to a corridor window. He eased the window open, climbed into the hall. There was a strong smell of rubbing alcohol and disinfectant all around.

  He moved silently along the second floor corridor. At the head of the stairs leading down, he stopped, watching and listening. He could see the reception desk from here. A distraught blond nurse was trying to answer the phones and also pay attention to the circle of people nearby.

  The circle consisted of two white-clad doctors and three blue-uniformed policemen.

  "I've gone over it all," one of the doctors was saying. From his voice, the Phantom judged this to be Dr. Wollter. "They came in through the emergency entrance. We'd hardly had a chance to look at the wounded man."

  "How many guys?" asked one of the cops.

  "Three," replied Dr. Wollter.

  "What did they look like?"

  The other doctor, a lean, black man, answered,

  "Two of them were young, the other one was a fat guy in his forties."

  The' policeman asked Dr. Wollter, "They carried the guy right out?"

  'Yes, while the two younger men held guns on us the big man picked him right off the bed," said The young doctor. "That wounded man had a chance, you know. Now, moving him, I . . . I'm afraid he'll die."

  "Probably what they wanted," suggested another cop. "You don't have any idea who the wounded man was?"

  "None at all," answered Wollter. ,"Just as you arrived, this man, calling himself Devlin, phoned. He ... I got the impression he knew who the man was."

  "Well, we didn't have time to trace Devlin's call," said the first policeman. "How long do you think this injured guy will last without some kind of medical attention?"

  "Not long, a few hours at best," said Wollter. "You think there's much chance of finding him?"

  The cop shrugged. "Not a hell of a lot. You say you didn't even see what kind of car they hauled him away in?"

  "By the time we could get out to the street," said the black intern, "there was no sign of a car, especially through that fog."

  "Well, maybe this man Devlin will come in as he promised," said young Dr. Wollter. "Then we may learn something."

  The first cop laughed. "Not very likely."

  The Phantom backed away from the stairwell.

  He climbed effortlessly back down to the alley. "There goes my only lead to Hydra," he thought. He and Devil returned to the sidewalk. In a car parked at the curb, a young man suddenly straightened in the driver's seat. "Hey," he whispered, "I knew watching this place would pay off. There's the guy with the dog."

  The broad man beside him said, "Same guy who was trying to pump the hack driver?"

  "Yeah, that's him." He nudged the broad man. "Follow him for a while, Mumm, and then . . ." "Yeah, I know." Mumm quietly left the car.

  CHAPTER six

  The fog horns seemed to be calling to each other, like giant bullfrogs out on the bay. The fog was thicker, hiding all but the closest objects.

  Beside the Phantom, Devil gave a low growl as his hackles rose.

  Patting the wolf, the Phantom said quietly, "Yes, I know, Devil. We're being followed. But let's not let him know we know."

  He continued along the misty night street. Lamp posts appeared out of the greyness and were gone. The infrequent autos passed unseen, hissing off in the mist.

  " just when I thought all my leads to Hydra had vanished," mused the Phantom, "they put a man on my trail. They must have had someone stationed at the hospital."

  he became aware of the mouth of an alley to his right. He headed down it. There were two recessed doorways in the brick-walled building he was passing. He stepped into the second, beckoning Devil to stand beside him.

  They waited.

  Presently, a shoe sole scuffed the ground.

  Devil's ears pricked up.

  To the Phantom's jungle-trained «senses the approaching man's careful footfalls were very loud. He guessed the man to be large.

  When the heavy set figure loomed opposite him, the Phantom leaped from the alcove.

  "Hey!" exclaimed his shadow.

  The Phantom locked one arm around the man's neck from behind. Pulling the man's arm behind him with his other hand, he shoved him into the damp bricks. "Looking for me?"

  "No, I . . ."

  The Phantom leaned harder on the big man. "I know you've been tail
ing me since I left the emergency hospital."

  Coming into view, Devil snarled at the pinned man.

  "Keep that thing away from me," said Mumm.

  "I won't let him have you," promised the Phantom, "if you talk."

  "Talk about what?"

  Devil snarled again.

  "The Hydra," suggested the Phantom. "Start with that."

  "I don't know what you mean."

  "Let's not waste time. I don't know how long I can keep that wolf from your throat."

  "He's a . . . wolf?" Mumm twisted his head to get a better look at Devil. "I ... I can't talk. They'll kill me."

  "You could die for not talking," threatened the Phantom. He was bluffing, but he felt the bluff would work with this man. "And even if you don't, you could spend most of a lifetime in jail. You're involved in kidnapping and attempted murder."

  Mumm licked his lips. "You talking about a deal?"

  "Tell me about Hydra. Tell me what you know, where their headquarters are . . . and I'll turn you loose."

  "I can't do . . ."

  Growling, the grey wolf inched closer.

  "Well," said Mumm, "well ... I don't know much about the organization. I only joined up a few weeks ago. I mean, I'm like,-on probation."

  "They do call themselves the Hydra?"

  After a few seconds, the big man answered, "Yeah, that's the name."

  "How many members do they have?"

  "I don't really know. They got groups all over, all over the United States, all over the world. It's big, real big."

  "Here in San Francisco, how many belong?"

  "I'm not sure. See, I only know my own group. We got a dozen members in my little section."

  "And where do you meet?"

  Mumm's broad face was perspiring. The beads . .1 sweat looked as cold as the night fog. "You .. . you'll really let me go?"

  "Yes."

  "Well, we meet at a house in Presidio Heights. It's right off California Street, on a little street • ailed Laurel." He gave the Phantom the address. "Hut, please, don't let on to anybody I gave this to you."

  The Phantom released Mumm. "You can go,' 'he said. "If I find out you lied . . ."

  "I told you the truth, I swear." He .turned, ran from the alley.

  Turning to Devil, the Phantom spoke softly. "Come on, now we'll reverse the process and track him. To his real lair."

  The town of Tiburon lies across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. Its low hills tumble down to the Bay. An hour after he'd left the Phantom in the foggy alley, Mumm was walking down a slanting road to a large, wooden, Victorian house which sat on the very edge of the water. The Bay itself was blanked out by a wall of thick fog.

  Chuckling, Mumm climbed the wooden stairs to the door. A weather-faded sign beside the glass and oak door indicated this three story building had once been a hotel and restaurant. Mumm used a special knock.

  A thin young man with shaggy, red hair and

  sideburns opened up. "What are you doing here, Mumm? I heard you were on a tail job."

  "Fun and games," said Mumm.

  An enormous fat man was standing in the hallway. He was pink, dressed in candy-stripe pants and an untucked paisley shirt. "You're not to come here unannounced, Mumm."

  Frowning, the heavyset man said, "Look, I had to change the plan, on the spur of the moment."

  After closing and locking the front door, the red-haired young man said, "What are you trying to tell us?"

  "Stop badgering me and I'll explain. I was tailing this guy we spotted over in 'Frisco, in front of the hospital they had Hodgins at for a while."

  "We know all that," the very fat man told him. "What we don't know is why you've come here."

  "Well, this guy I was tailing ... he caught on he was being followed."

  "How do you mean?" demanded the red-haired man.

  "He jumped me in an alley." Mumm didn't look at either of them. "And, listen, he had this wolf with him. Not a dog, a real, honest-to-god wolf. He was going, to let the damn tiling eat me alive if I didn't talk."

  The fat man inquired, "So you talked?"

  "No, no," said Mumm. "I gave him a line of boloney. He wanted to know where the Hydra headquarters were and I gave him an address up in . . ."

  "You admitted you were a Hydra member?" asked the young man.

  "He already knew that."

  When the fat man nodded, his face grew pinker, parts of his neck bounced on his shirt collar. "You've been very clever, Mumm. Why was it you came here, to this place?"

  "I figure that in case this guy didn't fall for my story . . . well, maybe he'd tail me. What better place to lead him than here? This is . . . this is the Hydra death house, isn't it? It's where you take care of people."

  The very fat man nodded at the red-haired young man. "It is indeed, Mumm."

  The young man knocked Mumm out with a rapidly swung blackjack.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  The fat man made a chesty, puffing sound when he bent to help the red-haired young man carry Mumm along the corridor. "It's a good thing we finished with our other .. . guest," he wheezed.

  "What are you figuring to do with Mumm?"

  The fat man nodded toward the Bay side of the house. "I'm not going to do anything. The Bay's going to do it all."

  "Down the chute, huh?"

  "Exactly."

  They carried the unconscious Mumm through a doorway, into a room which hung out over the night water.

  After dropping him beside a round, hooked rug, the young man pulled the rug aside and opened a trap door. The dark mouth of a wide, man-sized tube was revealed. "Mumm talked too much, huh?"

  "He didn't live up to his name," laughed the fat man. "Admitting to belonging to Hydra, that wasn't wise."

  "Want to finish him off before we dump him, to make sure?"

  "No, let the water take care of him. I want him to look like just another drunk who fell into the Bay accidently."

  "What about the guy he says maybe he led here?"

  With one white-shoed foot, the fat man rolled Mumm over the edge of the opening in the floor. The unconscious man disappeared down into darkness. "We'll prepare a little welcome for our possible visitor."

  The young man knelt to close the trap door and eased the rug back in place.

  The Phantom crouched beside Devil on the misty hillside. "What is it, fellow?"

  The grey wolf was growling softly, his nose pointing toward the Bay a few hundred feet below.

  They were in a field to the right of the Victorian house Mumm had entered. Dry reeds and scrubby brush concealed them.

  "Something down there in the water?" asked the Phantom.

  Devil growled again.

  "All right, wait here for me. I'll have a look." The Phantom moved down swiftly and silently across the field, as swiftly and silently as he moved through the jungles of his native Bangalla.

  he passed within twenty feet of the big isolated house, but no one would have seen or heard him.

  Stopping at the water's edge, he listened. Something was agitating the surface about two hundred feet out. He couldn't see what it was. "Better check it out."

  The Phantom quickly shed his outer clothes. Dressed in his tight-fitting costume, he slipped quietly into the chill, black water. With powerful strokes, he quickly reached the source of the noise.

  It was Mumm, barely conscious, thrashing feebly. He was about to lose his struggle and sink below the surface when the masked man reached him.

  The Phantom hooked a protective arm around Mumm, swam back through the swirling mist to the shore with him. He chose a spot some distance from the house to leave the water.

  Mumm was groaning faintly.

  By the time the Phantom had him free of the water, Mumm's eyes were half-open.

  "Why did they try to kill you?" the masked man asked him.

  Mumm blinked, spitting out briny water. "Uh . . . uh," he said, shaking his head and starting to shiver. He noticed the Phantom's costume now. "What
are you dressed like . . . well, it doesn't matter. You saved me, that's for sure."

  "Why did they do this?"

  "Because I was stupid," answered the big man. "I talked too much. About Hydra. You don't get more than one chance to make a mistake. Or, like Hodgins, you don't get any."