Mystic #2

In "Marbles," the crew of the X-17 rockets toward Mars, their excitement building as the distant planets shimmer like marbles in the void. But when astronaut McGraw reports that Mars has shrunk to the size of a rubber ball—and that crewmate Enkers retrieved it from outside the ship—the mission’s fate takes a strange turn. Back on Earth, the General and his team struggle to believe the report, convinced the crew must have lost their minds.

In "The Strange Prison!", a man awakens in an underwater realm where he’s been transformed to survive beneath the waves. When the king’s daughter takes a sudden interest in him, he’s tempted by her dowry—a chest of seashells used as currency—only to steal it and flee. But his time in the air is short; he collapses on the surface, captured, and sentenced to two years in prison. The king promises he’ll be returned to the surface after his term, but the treasure he took may be worth nothing beyond the sea.

In "He'd Rather Die Than Tell," a desperate man flees the scene of a murder, clutching a mysterious crystal ball. As he tumbles from a rooftop, the object survives the fall—its surface still showing the crime he tried to escape.

In "Conditioned Reflex," a methane-breathing alien is sent to Earth to study humanity in secret, his form altered to blend in. Forced to mimic human behavior, he adopts the habit of smoking cigarettes—only to unknowingly trigger a catastrophic chain reaction upon returning home.

In "The Room of Shadows!", a curious explorer stumbles upon a forgotten Cambodian temple, drawn to a mysterious chamber where a flickering brazier promises to grant wishes. Each time he lights a match to summon its power, his desires spiral into unintended chaos—until the very room begins to burn, one match at a time.

In "Time Machine," a man driven by a deep curiosity about history constructs a device to journey into the past—only to confront the perilous consequences of altering time. Faced with the weight of what he’s witnessed, he makes a decisive choice that reshapes his future.

In "Marked Man," Commander Abel Grant faces a court-martial after a controversial decision during a deep-space mission—ordering the disposal of a dead Grand Admiral to prevent alien contamination. As he reflects on two decades of service, from battling Venusian invaders to defending Earth from planetary threats, the verdict brings unexpected consequences. Though the trial ends, a new chapter begins when powerful figures in the government recognize his ruthless efficiency and elevate him to the highest rank in the fleet.

In "You Can't Hide From the Eye!", Floyd’s invention—a device that spies on any location and projects the images onto a television screen—draws the attention of Burden’s mob, who enlist him to aid a major bank heist. But as the device broadcasts its visions to nearby screens, Floyd’s neighbors catch on and alert the police, setting a tense game of cat and mouse in motion.