Armageddon 2419 A.D. · Chapter
X: The Walls of Hell explained
After discovering the Sinsings are traitors collaborating with the Hans, the narrator orders Mort Gibbons to steer the ship out to sea to avoid detection.
What happens
After discovering the Sinsings are traitors collaborating with the Hans, the narrator orders Mort Gibbons to steer the ship out to sea to avoid detection. They narrowly escape the Han disintegrator-ray wall surrounding Nu-Yok, then engage in a desperate aerial duel with a Han drop ship. Gibbons destroys the enemy vessel with a lucky rocket shot just as its beam damages their rudder, and they manage to return to Boss Hart's camp.
Themes in this chapter
Betrayal and Treason
The Sinsings are exposed as traitors collaborating with the Hans, highlighting the theme of betrayal among American factions.
Technological Progress and Warfare
The chapter features advanced weaponry such as the disintegrator-ray wall, repellor rays, and rocket-guns, emphasizing the role of technology in survival and conflict.
Characters to notice
- Unknown
The narrator (Tony) commands the mission, orders evasive action, and observes the battle.
- Mort Gibbons
Pilots the ship through the disintegrator-ray wall and destroys the Han drop ship with a rocket-gun.
- The Sinsings
Revealed as American traitors collaborating with the Hans, exchanging information for repellor-ray machines and power privileges.
- The Hans
Operate the disintegrator-ray wall defense system and send a drop ship to attack the narrator's vessel.
- Boss Hart
Mentioned as the leader whose camp is the destination after the escape.
Key passages
“The traitors were, it seemed, a degenerate gang of Americans, located a few miles north of Nu-yok on the wooded banks of the Hudson, the Sinsings.”
The traitors turned out to be a degraded American gang called the Sinsings, based north of Nu-Yok along the Hudson River.
Introduces the Sinsings as collaborators with the Hans.
“Even as he spoke, the ship lurched downward and to one side. 'There it is!' he shouted. 'Hang on, everybody. We're going to nose straight up!'”
The ship suddenly jerked downward and sideways as Gibbons yelled that the disintegrator wall had activated, ordering everyone to brace for a steep climb.
Describes the moment the Han defense system is triggered.
“In the midst of a dizzy, fluttering maneuver of our own, with the Han ship enlarging to our gaze with terrifying rapidity, and its beam slowly slicing toward us in what looked like certain destruction within the second, I saw Gibbons' fingers flick at the lever of his rocket-gun and a split second later the Han ship flew apart like a clay pigeon.”
During a chaotic evasive maneuver, Gibbons fired the rocket-gun just in time, destroying the Han ship as it closed in with its beam.
Climactic moment of the aerial duel, showcasing Gibbons' skill and luck.