Superman - Mystery of Dyerville

Presenting the transcription feature, Superman!

Up in the sky! Look! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman!

And now Superman. When we last saw him, Superman, as Clark Kent,

had come to the town of Dyerville with Lois Lane to save it from the grim designs of the yellow mask,

who had threatened to destroy it unless the city paid him the huge sum of a million dollars

within 36 hours. Kent has discovered that the mask intends to wipe out the mighty hearty dam

above the city, and sweep away every living thing in the resulting flood.

But how the mask plans to break the dam, guarded as it is by heavily armed police,

is still a mystery. Today, as our story continues,

sudden terror has seized a small group standing on top of the dam,

less than 12 hours ago before the end of the time limit set by the hill a mask,

but already strange rumbling shocks far below the surface of the water,

sound the warnings of disaster. Kent, Lois Lane, the city commissioner of Dyerville,

caught on the roadway of the dam, raced wildly for the shore.

Hey! What's that, the slave? Come on! Come on!

Don't stop to look back!

It's all right now!

No, I don't think so. Take it easy, Commissioner.

That noise, whatever it was, it's all over now.

Kent, I'd give you my word, I thought it was all over right ten minutes.

What was it? What happened? I can't imagine.

It felt like an earthquake shock.

Yes, or an explosion, way down under the water. Explosion, Kent.

Say, it might have been at that.

But why? Even if the mask is going to blow out the dam,

we've still got ten hours by his own word.

That's right. Till midnight tonight.

I'm not so sure about that. Look, here's why I followed you out here.

This letter came just after you left my office.

What is it?

No, don't ask me how it came because I don't know.

All I know is that I've hollered on my desk.

I'd have swore on the head and met his hole in the room.

You really, Kent.

What?

So, the city commission.

The secret empire is becoming impatient.

I am not pleased with the way Dyerville meets my demands.

Let there be more speed, or I may change my mind.

Sign the yellow mask.

More speed, may change his mind.

And what do you mean by that?

Commissioner, the mask may be fooling us.

It's not like him to give such a plain warning.

Mr. Kent, I don't understand.

And I mean just this.

What if the mask doesn't mean to blow up the dam at all?

What if he's got some other scheme?

We can't.

Why do you think that?

Well, he's let us know too much.

Almost looks as if he wanted us all up here,

while he worked out another plan somewhere else.

Is that the case? What can we do?

I love us.

I mean, Miss Lane.

You'll go back to town with the commissioner.

Back to the meeting.

Isn't that your car right over there?

Yes, it is.

Are you sure that's the best thing to do?

I'm not sure.

Now nobody can be sure of anything.

I'll take your word, Kent.

Come along, Miss Lane.

It was out of Peter's.

We're going back.

Mr. Kent, what are you going to do?

Oh, stay around.

Keep my eyes open.

I had my ears.

All right.

Get in, Miss Lane.

That's it.

And Kent, whatever happens,

try and get back to the meeting.

I'll do that, commissioner.

That's a promise.

Don't forget.

And good luck to you.

Not only to me.

Good luck to all of us.

Luck, eh?

Well, we'll need a little luck.

Now that they're gone,

I think it's time Clark Kent get way to Superman.

Need those policemen watching?

No.

I think I'll have a look under water.

Find out where those explosions came from.

Here I go.

Here.

Here's something.

Looks like a piece of polished metal.

And right up against the dam, too,

where the crack is.

I can get it loose from the bottom.

Now it.

Got it.

Fried it loose.

Now up.

Up in the air.

And over the shore to see what it is.

Up.

Up.

Up.

In the shelter of a group of pine trees,

Superman examines the curious object.

He is taken from the bottom of Harley Lake.

Amazement shows in his eyes.

He leaps again into the sky and streaks for the eating chamber

in the council hall of Diarville,

where fierce trick and citizens look at each other

with pale, drawn faces.

Don't you know better than to call me out now?

Who is it?

There he is, Commissioner.

Said you knew him.

Oh, Kent.

Well, quick man, is anything happened?

Commissioner.

Where's Miss Lane?

She's all right. She's waiting in my office.

And what about the mask?

Commissioner.

I've found the reason for that explosion we felt this afternoon.

Here.

It was a torpedo.

A torpedo.

That's what I said, an underwater torpedo fired from somewhere

up the lake at the face of the Harley Dam.

No wonder it shook.

Yes, but why?

The time hadn't expired.

What was the reason?

Number one, to terrify us.

Number two, to show us what he could do.

Commissioner, when the time comes, the yellow mask can blow that dam

into a thousand bits.

Where is he?

Can't we find him?

Stop him.

We might if we had time.

Right now, he could be anywhere on Harley Lake.

And it's getting dark.

No time for that, Commissioner.

What's the meeting doing?

Nothing.

Talking it over, arguing back and forth.

We have a radio in there in case the mask sends another message.

And the proceedings are being broadcast so that everyone in

Dyerville will know what's going on.

Will I pay the money?

I don't know.

Do you think-

Look at Commissioner.

Yes.

That's only quickly.

If the dam does go, how does the water come down the city?

Billions of gallons can't.

Well, there wouldn't be a chance.

No, no, that's not what I mean.

What's its course?

Which way does it go?

Down through the Jefferson gorge, and then into the valley.

And Dyerville's right in the way.

Who's a gorge?

Commissioner, if you could block that gorge, what would happen?

Well, I don't know.

Yes, I do, too.

And the flood would go down the old riverbed.

And Missed the city?

Missed entirely.

And joined the river again two miles below Dyerville.

Commissioner?

Could you dynamite that gorge?

Block it up?

I don't know.

No, no, no.

We couldn't nut in the time we had.

Well, try it. Call in the army.

Have their engineers get right out there and set charges.

It's your own chance.

What can be if you think?

Well, if that's the only way.

I'll listen to you.

They're calling for a vote.

I'm going to go back in there.

You'd better come to them.

Make a final decision.

Come along.

All right.

Well, gentlemen, are you ready for the question, gentlemen?

Yes.

What are you up for?

We made up our minds.

They can't let me lose.

Gentlemen, it has been moved and seconded.

That no further action be taken in the matter of the demands made on Dyerville

by the figure known as the Yellow Mask.

All those in favor?

Aye.

Country minded?

It is so bold.

Gentlemen, you have made your decision.

And I think your wise one.

The people of this city cannot yield to the threat of fear.

Very well, gentlemen.

You have made your decision.

And I have made my name.

Where is the commission?

It's coming over the radio.

I shall not wait until midnight.

I shall destroy your city now.

At once.

And others may know what it means to defy the will of the Yellow Mask.

Run for your lives, you fools.

Save them if you can't.

Yes, ma'am.

I have released my torpedoes.

The flood is already on its way.

Order!

Order, gentlemen.

He can't meet it.

That was just a threat.

He can't do it.

Now keep your seats.

Who's voice was that broadcasting?

You heard it on the radio yesterday.

You know who it was.

But I don't believe him.

Where is that news report?

Where's car Kent?

Where is the weather forecast?

Where is the news report?

Where is the news report?

Where is the news report?

Where is the news report?

Yes, ma'am.

What is the matter?

Quiet.

All of you.

Listen.

A phone call just came in Commissioner.

The dam.

It's been blown to pieces.

Holy dam is destroyed.

The flood is coming down on Diabolse.

Yes, ma'am.

Yes, ma'am.

Yes, ma'am.

Yes, ma'am.

Yes, ma'am.

Yes, ma'am.

We've got to hang on.

And meanwhile, where is Clark Kent, vanished from the scene, changed into a twinkling to the flying form of Superman, faster than an airplane, red cloaks streaming in the wind, he rushes back up the valley to meet the boiling roaring flood of Harley Lake, pouring down toward the narrow gorge of the Jefferson River.

I have a work fest, this has got to be the time, first to see if that depth was telling the truth, then to block up the gorge.

It's one chance in a thousand, even Superman can't hold back a flood, but it won't hurt me, I can't drown, but it can kill every living soul in Stuyerville, faster, faster!

Ah, there it is, going like a mill leaf, so you did it after all, mask! Well, let's see if it's still time to stop you, back to the Jefferson Gorge!

Racing ahead of the flood, Superman swoops down to the only place where it can be turned from the doom city, the narrow bend of the man-made gorge, rocky cliffs rise a hundred feet on either side, down thunders a towering wall of angry water.

There it is, can't get there ahead of the water, but maybe I can block it off, down, down!

Taring at the granite walls, blood waters raging on every hand, Superman rips into the living rock, sends great masses plunging to the foot of the gorge, but more is needed, and yet more, the water is thundering through, a great point of stone hangs high overhead.

Ah, one last chance, if I can rip that loose, crash it down there in the middle, there it goes!

Ah, not much time, what's more? It's cracking, starting to go! Ow! It's down! It's done it! It's front to gorge! The front, the front's going down the old channel! It'll miss thier build by half a mile!

In the last second of time, Superman tears down the hierarchy walls of Jefferson Farge, turns aside the mainstream of the flood, sends it down its old harmless channel, saves the city of Dyerville, and two hours later, in a telegraph office on the city's main street.

All right, here comes another sheet, same address, parakeite, daily planet.

Well, Mr. Ken fancy meeting you here.

Hello, Lewis. Well, tell me it's all over. The flood missed Dyerville.

And once again, do you mind telling me where you've been all the time?

Oh, I don't know, hooking around.

Well, one thing, certainly. This time, it's my story, and not yours.

Your story, you bet it is. You're cowardly running away, cut you right out of it.

I've said, Mr. White, a complete account of how Dyerville will save from the flood.

This is one time, Mr. Clark Kent, when you were it in on it.

Hiding a smile Kent turns away. Then the smile abruptly fades. Dyerville is saved as Loa says.

But what of the yellow mask? Suddenly Kent realizes that the mad menace is still large, and who can tell where his next blow will strike.

So be with us again next time and follow the exciting story of Superman.

And remember, be sure to tune in the next thrilling installment of the amazing transcription feature, Superman.

Up in the sky. Look, it's a bird. It's a plane. It's Superman.

Superman is a copyrighted feature appearing in Action Comics magazine.