01x31 - The Book of Mysteries

[bunniefuu]

- ♪ Defenders of the Earth ♪

Defenders!

[dramatic music]

♪ Out of the sky, his rockets ignite ♪

♪ Jets into battle flying faster than light ♪

Flash Gordon!

♪ Lord of the jungle, the hero who st*lks ♪

♪ The beasts call him brother, The Ghost Who Walks ♪

Phantom!

♪ Defenders of the Earth ♪

Defenders!

♪ Master of magic, spells, and illusion ♪

♪ Enemies crumble in fear and confusion ♪

Mandrake!

♪ Defenders of the Earth ♪

Defenders!

♪ His strength is a legend, his skills conquer all ♪

♪ Armed with his power, we never will fall ♪

Lothar!

♪ Defenders of the Earth ♪

Defenders!

♪ With our new young heroes proving their worth ♪

♪ Four become eight defending the Earth ♪

♪ Defenders of the Earth ♪

Defenders!

♪ Defenders of the Earth ♪

- I'm approaching the area now.

Mon dieu!

I've never seen anything like it!

- What is it?

What are you seeing?

- The light! The light!

- What light? Come in!

He's gone.

Vanished into thin air!

- So, what kind of shape is the world in this morning?

- Well, for one thing it's a bit smaller

than it used to be.

- Come again, Lothar.

- While you were catching up on your beauty rest, Flash,

an entire piece of Morocco has disappeared!

- What? You're putting me on.

- Lothar's right.

About square miles, all tolled.

- Now that's a neat trick.

- How'd you do it, Mandrake?

That's a tad ambitious, Flash,

even for a master magician like me.

Whatever the explanation,

it seems every plane

that enters that region has vanished.

- Sounds like the Bermuda Triangle,

only this one is landlocked.

- What do you say we head out there

and investigate this strange phenomenon ourselves.

- It's an interesting way to start the day, Mandrake!

Let's go for it.

- Can we come, too? - Where are we going?

- Morocco, for breakfast.

- All you kids get ready!

- All but one.

- Everybody's going to Morocco, and I have to do a book report?

If you had done

your book report on the weekend,

as you should have, Kshin,

you would be more than welcome to come along.

- But...

- But school always comes first, Kshin.

- Okay.

- You can choose from any of the books in my library!

- Any of them...?

- Any of them except my sorcery books.

- All right!

Have a good time!

See you when you get back!

- Very good. Now get to... [laughs] work.

- These books of Mandrake's are too boring, Zuffy.

This one's in Latin.

- [chatters]

Got to be something exciting in here

that I can do a book report on.

No, maybe this one.

Wow!

This one's pretty.

Huh? This one's not much of a book at all,

just blank pages.

- We are approaching the area

where the planes have disappeared, Flash.

- We should be able to eyeball it

any moment, if--

What in the world?

Wow!

- What's your scientific explanation for that, Rick?

- Our scanners can't penetrate whatever it is.

Dynac, give me a reading on this dome of light.

- Energy field composed of elements unknown.

- Somehow, we're going to have to get inside that dome

to find out what it is.

- I will join you, Phantom.

- Here goes.
[ … ]

What's happening?

- Mandrake! L.J.! Can't you see us?

- Lothar, they can't see or hear us.

To them we are invisible.

Come on!

- We could see you but you couldn't see us.

- Hm. Like a one-way mirror.

Mandrake, you're the expert on illusions.

What gives?

- Sorry, Flash.

This one's a complete mystery to me.

- Once we're past that wall, we'll be out of radio contact.

- What if something comes up?

- What if we need Dynac X?

I will stay outside

and maintain contact with you telepathically.

- It's worth a shot.

Lothar, you stay with Mandrake.

- Look, Flash!

The eye socket is empty.

Someone has chipped the stone releasing the jewel.

- Mandrake, can you hear me?

- Yes, I hear you, Flash.

- There is some kind of very old primitive wall here.

- Concentrate.

Mandrake may be able to pick up the image.

- Good, Flash.

I can see it.

I can't quite make out the inscription

beneath the dragon.

Try to find a way inside.

- Aw, Zuff, how am I ever gonna get that book report done?

Huh?

It's impossible!

Those pages were blank a second ago.

I wonder if Dynac X would know anything about this book.

- If my dad were here,

we could open this thing in a jiffy!

- Keep pulling!

It's starting to give!

- Yeah?

Something else is giving too.

- Everybody get back!

Mandrake?

- I hear you, Flash.

I'm contacting Dynac X now!

Dynac, the others are caught in an avalanche

at an ancient wall.

It's booby-trapped!

- Describe the wall, Mandrake.

- The wall is quite primitive, made of stone,

almost Assyrian looking.

But the carved dragons on it

appear to be pre-dynastic Chinese!

And the main door itself is wood.

- What the...

- Flash!

Dynac's checking her databanks.

She may find a way to stop the booby-trap mechanism.

- Well, she'd better hurry.

Cause in another few seconds we're gonna be pancakes!

- Come on, Dynac!

- To safely enter the invisible city,

still the voice of the Dragon by closing his mouth.

- Mandrake, I have no data on any such civilization.

- I do!

Tell them to shut the dragon's mouth!

- Kshin, how--

- Just tell them to do it!

- Flash, close the mouth of the dragon!

- Alley-oop!

- Nice going, Dynac!

- It wasn't Dynac, it was Kshin.

And he says you'll be able to get through the wall now.

- Oh, come on!

How would Kshin possibly know the--

Bright kid, that Kshin.

It's some kind of an ancient shrine.

- Uh-oh. Here we go again!

- This stone is loose.

- High-tech enough for you, L.J.?

- Dynac! Kshin!

They have found a control panel.

- Maybe there's some more in here about that place, Zuff.

- [chatters]

- Come on, control panel, where are you?

Please appear!

There's the control panel Mandrake was talking about.

I see it! I see it!

Crystal and gold are the keys to the city.

Touch the golden coins,

and reveal the invisible city to the world!

Mandrake, tell them to press all the gold buttons

on that panel!

- Kshin says to press all the gold buttons.

- I wonder where he's getting his information.

- Flash, the jamming field is gone.

Now you can communicate directly with Dynac.

- Wow! That's awesome!

- None of us has even heard of this place, Kshin.
[ … ]

How is it that you know all about it?

- Well, I learned about it in school.

- Tell me more.

- It--

it was recently discovered!

- Kshin, we will have to continue this later!

- That stone's freshly chipped.

- The dragon's eye must have contained

something of value.

Lothar, did you notice all the shoeless footprints?

- Native diggers have been here.

- Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Lothar?

- Abdul Faisal!

- The most notorious jewel thief in Morocco.

He may be able to tell us more about this place.

Come on, to Marrakesh.

- Whoever built that wall did not build this!

- Power generators!

- Looks like they've been running for thousands of years.

- Almost as if they were waiting

for something or someone.

We have intruded upon some kind of gravesite.

- You're right, Phantom.

Look, they've been broken into!

- Give us more information about this place, Dynac.

- The information and instructions

you have received have come from Kshin.

- Come on, come on, show me something.

Uh-oh.

Enter not the tomb of the ancients

or face the wrath of the Guardian of the Graves!

- If I recall correctly,

this is where Abdul Faisal

likes to take his morning coffee.

Right on schedule,

There he is now.

- Mandrake, your illusions will be the death of me yet!

What were you doing

in the Atlas Mountains this morning, Abdul?

- It's true. - And why are you here now?

- Because I found the Invisible City

of the Whartesh.

- The Whartesh?

- It is said that he who enters the Invisible City

will awaken the Sleeping God.

And when the Sleeping God wakes

he will destroy all intruders.

Then take his city home!

- And you really believe all that?

- The City is there.

The Sleeping God must be there too.

I left as fast as I could.

- Pausing only to take something

from the dragon's eye!

- Just one gem.

I must pay for my digger's time.

- You'd be wiser to give it to me, Abdul,

so I can put it back.

- No!

It's mine, and I intend to keep it!

- The hand is quicker than the eye, Faisal!

- A thousand curses on you!

We must warn the others

before they wake the Sleeping God.

- Is it just me,

or is anyone else getting tired?

- Now that you mention it, I could use a nap.

- We're all about to fall asleep here.

- Don't worry, Flash.

If you feel sleep overtaking you,

then you are near the end of your journey.

What journey?

Remove the crystals of sleep,

and let your travels be completed.

Okay, Flash, remove the blue crystal!

- Kshin was right!

I feel better already.

- For when you remove the crystal

the Sleeping God will waken,

and the Invisible City's days on Earth will be ended.

Flash, Don't remove the crystal!

You got to get out of there!

- It's a little late for that, Kshin.

You'd better tell us

how to deal with this one, fast!

- Come on, come on!

Tell me what to do!

The book, it's gone blank again!

- After ages of captivity

in the waking sleep,

I am free!

- It's not telling us any more, Zuff.

What are we going to do?

Wait, it's Mandrake's book.

Maybe he can get it working again.

- They're trapped in the city with the Sleeping God.

Can you tell them what to do, Kshin?

- I don't know!

Mandrake, what's an enigma?

- An enigma is a mystery,
[ … ]

something that baffles all human understanding,

just like this city is to us.

- You are Whartesh,

the one who trapped us here!

All Whartesh must be destroyed.

- When I say, go,

everybody split up and run for it.

- What're you waiting for?

- Go!

- Thanks!

- Mandrake said an enigma is a mystery

like the city itself.

Maybe the city isn't really a city either.

I've got it!

Dynac, can you take control of one of the ships

and fly me to that city?

- Your request is unclear.

You are aware of my abilities.

- Please, Dynac!

I've got to get to them!

I know how we can save them!

- Very well, Kshin,

request granted.

Prepare for takeoff.

- L.J., those aren't my feet you hear.

- Just keep running.

- No!

My loyal servants all gone!

My friends, my family,

You will pay for their destruction!

- We'd better get out of here.

- I fear we may already be too late, Lothar.

- One of the Defender Eagle fighters.

- Kshin!

Kshin, what are you doing here?

- I'm sorry, Mandrake.

Well, I think I know what's really going on here,

and I didn't get it from that book,

this enigma.

I now know how to help Flash escape from that creature!

- Come. We've no time to waste.

We've got to find them!

- Do you know what t*rture the waking sleep is?

Your body is frozen in time,

but your mind still sees

and hears and thinks.

It never stops!

- You've got to listen to us!

We didn't do anything to you!

- All humans are Whartesh!

When you stole the control crystal,

you trapped me here forever,

and destroyed my loyal servants!

- Guardian, those skeletons are centuries old.

How could we have done that?

- Your race sabotaged my mission!

And for that you must pay!

- I thought they outlawed boiling in oil.

- Tell him that!

- And once I have finished with you,

all of your kind will follow!

- His grief blinds him to logic.

I must stop him now.

By Jungle Law,

the Ghost who walks

calls forth the Power of Ten Tigers!

[roaring]

- No!

Don't hurt the Guardian!

- More Whartesh!

You come to destroy the Guardian.

- We've come to help you!

- You lie!

- Please, believe me!

We've come to help you get home!

- I cannot return home without the control crystal!

We are here to return

what the Whartesh stole from you.

One last request:

release our friends

and all those whom you have kept prisoner

here in suspension,

and let us leave before you do.

- He means us. - Let us out!

[whooshing]

- I don't get it.

How'd the crystal wind up in the eye of that dragon?

- The Whartesh were one of Earth's

earliest primitive cultures.

They must have entered and taken the control crystal.

- And used it as part of the shrine

they built to honor the city

that became known as the Invisible City.

- Without the crystal, the Creature inside

could no longer control anything.

- The sleep chambers we mistook for graves

must have frozen and cracked.

He couldn't even order the machinery

to release him from his waking sleep.

- But what about that jamming field?
[ … ]

- A very sophisticated cloaking device,

now known to Dynac and Terry.

- Abdul Faisal must have unknowingly

triggered the jamming force field

when he stole the control crystal.

- That poor creature,

trapped for thousands of years in an Invisible City!

- Yes.

But of course, it wasn't a real city at all, was it?

I hope this experience

has taught you something, Kshin.

- It has.

But I still have a book report to do.

Hey, maybe I could do it about that 'Enigma' book.

- I think not, Kshin.

- You've got to admit,

it'd be an interesting report.

- That it would!

That it would!

- Come on,

tell me the real secret of the book, Mandrake.

- I believe you and the Enigma book

have solved enough mysteries for one day, Kshin!

- I'll find out your secret sooner or later, book!

Just you wait!

[exciting music]

♪ ♪