At a street intersection in California, everything visible-cars, buildings, farms, people, pavements- suddenly starts vanishing during a flash of bright multicoloured light without a sound, leaving a vastly deep black hole, as though cut through with a knife. The only human alive who can save the planet from this destruction is a poor little newspaper boy, Charley, who was taken under tutelage of Dr Robold. He was found by the doctor playing with...