Thanks to Gary McCluskey for the fantastic (copyrighted) cover and illustrations for my third Eddie Atomic two-fisted outer-space adventure novel! (Here are a few, plus an excerpt.) "Stratosphere Boogieman" is scheduled for mid-2015 release!

LEAGUE OF PLANETS EARTH HEADQUARTERS, 
CAPE EISENHOWER

The X-9 crew swept into McGuffin's outer office. Eddie strode in the lead.

Glick looked up. "Captain Atomic! Good to see you! I'll tell the commander you're here!"

He touched his intercom. "Sir? Captain Atomic and his crew have arrived!"

"Fine, Glick! Send them in!"

The League employee stood. "Must be important, for Commander McGuffin to call you in!"

"Important enough to keep just between us!" Eddie said, simply.

The chastened Glick watched the visitors pass. 

Spunky brought up the rear. "Cap didn't mean anything!" he assured Glick. "He just likes to keep his cards close to his vest!"

"Of course! I understand!" Glick smiled obsequiously.

"There's been a radical new wrinkle in the League arsenal," the commander began. "But before I disclose it, tell me of this latest incident!"

"Well, sir," Eddie began. "As you know, we were patrolling this side of the galaxy to its boundary. We came across nothing out of the ordinary!" 

He flashed an even-toothed grin. "I'll let Kioko take it from there!"

The girl robot related to McGuffin the runaway transport rocket she had first sighted, and her research of its history.

Eddie then told of the deadly space creature he had fought.

"Cap had to paste it one, square in the pearlies!" Spunky laughed. 

"Nicely done, Captain Atomic!" McGuffin took up an electronic-paper dispatch. "And now, it is I who has heartening news to relate!"

His presentation was interrupted. Glick entered, papers in hand.

"Forgive the intrusion, Commander! These documents that are to go out today require your signature!"

"Of course, of course!" McGuffin set them to one side. "I'll attend to them straightaway!"

Glick left. But he remained just outside the slightly ajar door.

"Now then, back to the reason I sent for you, Eddie! With the addition just now of astro-chemical power resources hidden on two League planetary installations, Tresdemer and Ilgn Athol, our offense/defense capability has been increased multi-fold!"

Eddie let out a low whistle. "Say, that is big news!"

"I'm glad that stuff's on our side!" Spunky laughed.

Kioko struck a thoughtful note. "Commander, with anything that productive of amplified intensity, the levels would have to be correctly aligned beyond even hairs'-breadth miscalculation! Are you confident of balance?"

"That very concern is at this moment being addressed," McGuffin replied. "In fact, your query directs me to the second reason for this meeting! Come, we shall pay a visit to the lab!"

(Glick hurried from his eavesdropping point.)

The X-9 crew followed McGuffin from his office. And found Glick bearing an armload of folders.

"I'm just taking these to the lab!" he explained.



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