"That isn"t the reason for the alarm. We have an known this since yesterday."
"He come here, this Rhodan. In five minutes, he be here."
Klein exchanged a glance with Kosnow. That was what all the commotion was about!
They ran off toward the entrance of the, shaft, leaving a most bewildered soldier behind. If the news was correct, then all h.e.l.l would break loose here within the next five minutes. They would try to prevent Rhodan from reaching the safety of his base at all costs. Or elsea Another possible solution flashed through Klein"s mind. Maybe they did not intend at all to prevent Rhodan from pa.s.sing through the protective energy screen that surrounds his base. There were plenty of reasons why they shouldn"t But would General Tai be aware of these reasons?
"Let"s go, Kosnow! To the general! I have just had brainstorm!"
Tai looked up surprised as the two entered his command post. He had just established communication with his gun emplacements and was about to issue his orders to them.
"What"s the matter? How dare you a ?"
"Withdraw your orders at once!" requested Klein firmly.
"What do you know about it?"
"Rhodan has stolen an airplane and will be trying to land it just outside the energy dome. You want to prevent him from doing so. Do you realize what might be the consequences if he notices your plan against him? That same moment he will turn around and simply go into hiding somewhere. What good would it do us to detonate a bomb under the base if Rhodan is not inside it and wouldn"t be destroyed with it?"
Lieutenant General Tai could react very fast, if necessary. He contemplated Klein for a brief second with appreciation; then he nodded. "Not bad, this suggestion. You"re right. I will let Rhodan land without any interference and enter his base. He won"t get away. He will be caught right in the trap. The big bomb is already on its way. We completed our tunnel construction sooner than planed, I have just learned from Colonel Cretcher. I Will inform the pursuing fighter planes to that effect immediately."
With these words he took off toward the communications tent.
Klein and Kosnow, however, climbed up on the hill again so they could witness the imminent landing of Rhodan"s plane.
They did not have long to wait. A tiny dot appeared on the horizon. It rapidly grew larger and could be recognized as a fighter bomber of the latest design. A few smaller aircraft flew beside it, trying to push it toward the ground. But they did not shoot at the fugitive bomber, to avoid endangering the lives of its crew members.
Rhodan was standing beside the pilot. "You have done a splendid job, very brave indeed. I am very grateful for your help. Perhaps I can return the favor someday. Please land now exactly at the spot that I will point out to you. Nothing will happen to you or your crew-you can swear that I forced you to bring me here. Soon Mr. Marshall and I will be leaving you. It will be just a few steps from the landing site to the energy wall."
"How will we manage to get through that wall?" asked John Marshall from inside the cabin.
"I have some special equipment to neutralize the screen at any spot I choose. In a few seconds we will make it to safety. What matters now is to land before the fighter planes know where we touch down."
The bomber prepared for landing.
"I wonder why we hadn"t been met by a welcoming committee of flak fire," said the pilot.
The radio operator, with earphones clamped on his head, gave the explanation. "They withdrew their order to open fire on us. No reason was given for it might be that our lives are too precious. They probably want to interrogate us, and dead people don"t talk."
The wheels touched the ground. The plane seemed to sway, then advanced by a few irregular giant hops and ran into a huge boulder. Rhodan estimated it was about a hundred yards to the energy wall.
The impact threw the pilot against the instrument panel. His features contorted painfully as he instinctively shut off the fuel. The radio operator climbed out from underneath his shattered sets. The two other members of crew were already opening the exit hatch.
"Many thanks again! And lots of luck to you!" called Perry Rhodan as be pulled John Marshall out onto the ground with him. "We must run as fast as we can; otherwise, they might get us before we reach the wall. Stay very close to me now. I"m switching on my special portable screen."
They began racing toward the s.p.a.ceships that stood about three miles from them in the center of the base. Rhodan held tight to Marshall"s hand and pushed a b.u.t.ton on his belt. Nothing seemed to have changed around them, except for a sudden cessation of wind. Their small energy bell protected and isolated them completely from the outside world.
One of the fighter planes banked in a wide loop and approached the two men, flying very low. Guns blazed from underneath the wings. Four parallel lines of bullets tore into the earth, coming steadily closer to Rhodan and Marshall. John screamed out loud.
Then the firing ceased.
"Don"t be afraid, Marshall. They"d need much heavier guns to pierce this protective sh.e.l.l around us."
The fighter plane banked to the right, seemed to gain alt.i.tude and all of a sudden smashed against an invisible obstacle in midair. The force of the impact was so tremendous that the craft was squashed flat as a pancake. Then it rolled downhill on an invisible slope and finally hit the ground. Flames out of the wrecked airplane, and in a moment the ammunition it had carried exploded and entirely destroyed the fighter.
"Watch out, here comes the energy wall just a few feet ahead of us. Look out now-I"m applying the neutralizer equipment Don"t worry, the other fighter planes are too late already. When we"re finally safe inside, you can move about freely."
Perry Rhodan released his grip on Marshall"s hand. He looked back over his shoulder and saw the other fighter planes climb quickly out of danger. They soon disappeared in the south. Next to the fighter bomber they had left a little while ago, the four members of the crew stood and waved farewell. Then the crew of the stolen plane turned and marched off toward the far distant lines of the encircling troops. They knew that they would have to face some rather unpleasant hours being interrogated.
"Come on, Marshall. Over there is the Stardust waiting for us. And may I welcome you most cordially to my domain!"
"Thank you very much," replied Jobn Marshall. As Rhodan kept a straight course toward the two s.p.a.ceships waiting in the middle of the desert, Marshall walked by his side.
They almost tripped over a man who suddenly appeared out of nothingness in front of them. He regarded them with frightened eyes.
Rhodan stopped abruptly.
The flat expanse of sand was devoid of any protective covera
CHAPTER SIX.
The TORPEDO SHAPED machine was eating into the rock with enormous speed. The finely ground stone slid automatically onto the conveyor belt and was carried to the surface. Many cables supplied the needed current for machines and illumination. The air conditioning system worked most eificiently.
Colonel Cretcher was standing next to Klein and Li. His face bore an expression of supreme satisfaction.
"What a splendid idea you had, Klein, to convince Tai not to open fire on Rhodan. I won"t forget to mention this to Mr. Mercant, rest a.s.sured." "He will be pleased about it, I am sure," ventured Klein, smiling inwardly at the hidden double meaning of his remark.
Lieutenant Li pointed to the earth excavator. "How much longer?"
"Tomorrow night. The vertical shaft toward the surface is going to be just wide enough to let the H bomb pa.s.s through. The day after tomorrow there will be no more Perry Rhodan-and no Arkonides, either."
"The whole world will be able to breathe easier," muttered Klein.
Cretcher glanced at him briefly. "Possibly," he said, then turned his attention once again to the gigantic earth digging machines.
Klein and Li walked back along the tunnel toward the exit. The corridor was about six feet high and well lit. The walls were smooth. The conveyor belt was glided noiselessly on their left on its uninterrupted way to the exit. There was no one in might.
"We must warn Rhodan, whispered Klein desperately. "Tomorrow will be too late. I can"t imagine how he could foil this H bomb detonation, even if he found out about it right now."
"Don"t talk so loud," breathed Li. "Sound carries too well here under these conditions. But you are right. I can"t figure out any way out either. I feel as if I were about to betray Perry Rhodan. What will happen if their dastardly plan succeeds and Rhodan and his friends are all killed? I can tell you-the day after their death we will witness the renewal of the Cold War and, with it, our constant fear of the inevitable atomic destruction of the world. I don"t know how much longer this can go on."
Klein stopped. suddenly. "Tonight I will try to pa.s.s through the lines of the secret front trenches."
The Chinese shook his head. "Even if you should manage to get through the front lines, what would you have accomplished? Do you really believe that Rhodan can keep constant watch along the whole extent of his borders? He won"t even notice you standing and waiting to talk to him at the edge of his domain. No, it won"t work. We must draw his attention to us in some other way - but if I only knew how!"
"Shush, somebody is coming," whispered Klein. They had heard the steps in time. A man walked toward them, coming from the entrance of the shaft. As they walked past each other, they recognized him as Tako Kakuta, one of the j.a.panese technicians. His gentle eyes searched theirs; his narrow chest was heaving.
"Hi, Tako. We"ve almost made it, haven"t we?"
"Yes, sir, I believe so," replied the j.a.panese cautiously, "Is Colonel Cretcher up there ahead?"
"Yes, he is near the excavating machine," confirmed Klein, and continued on his way. Li tried to keep up with him. They had a long way to go before they would arrive at the exit, but they sat down on the conveyor belt as soon as they got too tired. This way they made much better time, too.
They could already see the brightly shining opening of the shaft far ahead of them, when suddenly they became aware of a shadow silhouetted against the daylight. They made it out to be the figure of a man walking toward the exit. Riding on the speedy conveyor belt, they managed to overtake the stranger as he walked past a very bright arc light. Klein"s jaw dropped in amazement when he recognized the man. In utter disbelief he turned around, jumped off the belt onto the ground. Li did not react a swiftly as Klein and was carried on by the belt. Klein waited until the walking man came close.
It was Tako Kakuta.
The pa.s.sage was not wide. The j.a.panese had gone all the way back to talk with Colonel Cretcher about twenty minutes ago. In the meantime Klein and Li had hurried toward the tunnel entrance. And now they had overtaken the j.a.panese, arriving close to the exit almost simultaneously with them.
That was absolutely impossible!
Klein"s thoughts raced, his brain trying feverishly to find a logical explanation for this seemingly impossible feat.
Tako kept smiling, his feelings hidden under an impenetrable mask. He spoke almost humbly. "We must somehow have missed each other, Mr. Klein, on our way back."
Klein could not accept this and slowly shook his head. "How did you get here so quickly, Tako? You will have to tell me. I am one of the patrolling security officers here in the tunnel. You can"t possibly have pa.s.sed by us. On the contrary, you should just now have arrived at Colonel Critter"s position. Tell me-how did you manage to get here?"
The j.a.panese kept smiling. "I have overtaken you, sir."
"That"s a lie, and you know it! We would have noticed you coming by. Let"s hear the truth now!"
For the first time something like fear appeared in the eyes of the thin j.a.panese. "You would not believe the truth, even if I told it to you," he said earnestly. "Please forget the Incident. I have nothing more to add."
But I have a lot to tell you," countered Klein, a seized the arm of the j.a.panese. "Come along-"
His hand suddenly clasped emptiness. The j.a.panese had vanished. He had dissolved into nothingness or perhaps become invisible. Klein was standing dumbfounded when Li reached him.
"What"s the matter, Klein? Where is Tako?"
Klein seemed to wake up from a bad dream. "If only I knew! The same way he made his appearance here, the same way he also disappeared again. Either I am suffering from hallucinations ora"
"Or?"
"Or he knows how to render himself invisible to our eyes, Li! But such things don"t exist! n.o.body can make himself invisible!"
Li stared at the smooth wall of rock. "There is some other solution to this phenomenon. I have heard of similar cases where people suddenly vanished and then reappeared at some other place."
"Come on now, Li, we are living in the twentieth century!"
"That"s exactly it. It could only have happened in our century. Haven"t you ever heard of mutations? Activation of parts of the brain that had been dormant so far? People that have been affected this way have discovered in themselves some talents that had never been encountered before. Tako might be one of those people. I would guess that his specialty is teleportation."
"And what is that suppose to be?"
"It means that Tako is capable of transporting himself to some other place simply by the power of his own will. This sounds like a fairy tale, I know, but it can be accomplished under the right circ.u.mstances."
"Under which circ.u.mstances?"
Li became very serious.
"Nuclear radiation. Fallout from atom bombs. The children that were born after the detonation of the atom bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the children that were conceived and that grew up in the age of constant H bomb testing, these children have now reached adulthood. Their incipient faculties have developed with increasing maturity. There are mutants now living all over the world. I don"t dare imagine what mankind will be like in another fifty years."
Klein had grown pale. "You"re crazy! There might be some occasional exceptions, nothing more than that. Provided what you say is really the case."
"Not exceptions, Mr. Klein. They will be the norm. And man the way he is today will become the exception at some time in the future. But let"s hurry now. We must find Tako and talk to him. We must know if he really is a mutant."
And while they were searching for him, Klein found the answer he had been looking for.
If they could bring Take over to their side, they would have the way out they had been seeking. Tako could warn Rhodan of the impending catastrophe.
"Of course I could have escaped," said Tako humbly. "But this would not have helped me very much. You would have kept on hunting for me, and finally you would have caught up with me. This is why I followed you here. And now you can ask me all you want."
The door was locked. They were alone in the room. Li stood watch outside. n.o.body could surprise them here.
"Are you a natural mutant?"
"My parents survived the catastrophe in Hiroshima. Sometime later I was born. My mother died still young as a result of the radiation she had received. My father was crippled. I was the only one to grow up healthy among my brothers and sisters. About a year ago I discovered the special ability that you witnessed today in the tunnel. I tried to develop this ability on my own, but I am convinced that I have not yet reached my full potential. Well, what are you going to do with me now, Mr. Klein?"
"You don"t have to be afraid, Tako. How far can you travel this way?"
"Approximately one-third of a mile, not more than that If I want to travel longer distances I must do it in several steps."
"Only a third of a mile," Klein could not hide his disappointment. "That is not too much. What happens if you materialize in the middle of some solid object and not the air?"
Tako smiled. "That is impossible. Then the next jump follows automatically. I cannot exert too much influence on this process, but I can regulate the first step quite accurately, so that I run hardly any risk in my travels."
Klein breathed deeply before he ventured his next question. "I would like to ask you something, Tako. Do you hate Perry Rhodan, the man we are supposed to annihilate with the H bomb?"
Tako retained his inscrutable smile. "You are an officer and part of the defense system. It is your duty to watch over the security of this special enterprise. If I did not hate Rhodan I could still not tell you so. Don"t you agree?"
"You are right. But I did not intend this to be a catch question. I wanted to find out what you really think about Rhodan. Now I am risking my neck when I tell you what my opinion is in this respect. But you see, I have confidence in you. Tako, this enterprise I have to supervise must not succeed! Rhodan must not be killed! Do you understand me, Tako? If Rhodan should be wiped out tomorrow by this H bomb, then similar mushroom clouds will rise over all the continents in the near future. Life on Earth will come to an end. Only the Third Power is capable of preventing this last of all wars. It is difficult to comprehend but it is the logical conclusion from the events that have led up this day.
"Well, now you are informed of my innermost thoughts may I know now what you think?"
Tako"s facial expression remained unchanged. "Perry Rhodan has far more friends today than he has hoped for. These friends must remain underground, though, for even the mighty are fearful in the face of the still more powerful. You see, Mr. Klein, your fear is unfounded. But what can an individual do but execute the orders of his society? Is it possible for the isolated person to revolt against those in power?"
"Not the individual, but it is possible for the many isolated people banded together. United, they produce a factor of power that no one can comprehend. And in regard to your question-we can avoid the catastrophe, for now we have you, Tako, on our side."
"How can I be of help?"
"You will approach Rhodan and warn him of the danger. n.o.body else can penetrate into their fortress, but I a.s.sume that the energy barrier can"t hold you back. Am I right?"
"Yes, indeed. I can get through the energy wall unimpeded."