Perry Rhodan 007 - Invasion from Space CHAPTER ONE Suddenly the man’s eye,
opened wide in utter horror, as if they had seen something beyond human
comprehension. His eyes gazed up into the void, far into the depths of the
blue sky that mirrored-itself in the dear waters of the little pond in the
woods. Then the expression of his eyes turned into a fixed and vacant
stare.There was not the slightest tremor in his hand, which was holding a
fishing rod. His hand seemed to have become like stone. The man did not react
when the swimmer was abruptly pulled deep below the surface of the water. The
rod bent under the sudden strain for which Sammy Derring had been waiting so
eagerly and in vain all morning long. If anyone had looked into his eyes at
this moment they would have recoiled in terror at the sight of such horrendous
fright mixed with inconceivable amazement. This lasted for exactly five
seconds. During these five seconds nobody could have recognized in this man,
Sammy Derring, statistical clerk, who had worked for many years at the
Ministry of Defence of the Western Bloc and for whom all his colleagues and
superiors had nothing but praise. He was a bachelor, and his hobby was
fishing. Every weekend he drove out to this little lake in the woods, where he
caught some trout for his landlady. He did not care for fish, but he believed
in the therapeutic effect of fishing. Very soothing for the nerves. His little
sports car was parked off to the side-Sam’s other hobby. He had only these two
vices.During the course of those five seconds, Sammy Derring could have been
regarded as good as dead. His mind, his reasoning power, his soul, or whatever
else people might call it, had left his body. Not of its own free will. It had
been forced to do so. Something incomprehensible and far stronger had taken
possession of his brain, had simply invaded it and pushed out what had been in
there before. During these five unbelievable seconds Sammy Derring could
observe himself sitting at the lakeshore. He floated Invisibly at a height of
about fifteen feet and looked down on himself. He was unable to comprehend
what was happening, but he simply saw his own body, as if he had become a
stranger to his own self. He saw that he appeared to be dead but that he
remained sitting there. Shouldn’t he have toppled over? His body should by all
rights have fallen down on the ground. But no. There he was, still sitting
upright at the edge of the water, unaware that the fish were biting!Sammy’s
mind felt an urge to pull in the fishing rod, but the body down below no
longer obeyed his thought impulses. But there was no more time left for all
this. The five seconds were over. The picture of the peaceful little lake in
the woods became hazy and soon disappeared completely for him as an invisible
force yanked him away. He became dimly aware of a wild kaleidoscope of
colours. For an instant he thought he saw, way down below, a huge globe, but
then everything turned dark.. He felt drawn into something; then all of a
sudden his reflexes returned. He could feel his body and his limbs, and he was
able to move them.Now he could see again despite the darkness around him. Then
he noticed that it was not totally dark. The room was filled with a faint
glow. He wondered for a moment how on Earth he had come to this place. But
then it did not really matter to him any more. He must have had some seizure,
and they had taken him to the hospital. That must be it! He was ill. A great
weakness overwhelmed him. Wasn’t there anyone here to take care of him? He
sensed that somebody was nearby. With great effort he tried to sit up, but he
could not manage it. Had this sudden sickness overcome him while he was
fishing at the little lake? Had people found him there and brought him here?
How long had he been unconscious?And how had all this really happened? Hadn’t
he seen himself sitting down there at the lakeshore? Now his eyes had become
adjusted to the dark and he could see again. But his weakness grew worse. He
felt himself going to sleep. But there was something still active and wide
awake in his brain, something that would not let him fall asleep-some
observation he had made. It took a long time, precious seconds, before it
reached his center of awareness and then changed into stark, maddening
reality.His fingers … his legs!With his remaining strength he opened his eyes
wide for a last look and gazed, full of horror, at the ends of his four arms,
at the sharp claws with suction pads …And then he perceived the trunk of his
body, like that of a wasp with a very narrow waist, all covered with fine
hair. The gruesome shape of the monster to which he had been transformed so
swiftly impressed him as being so unreal that he closed his black multifaceted
insect eyes with a sigh of relief and stretched out his legs.Of course! It was
only a nightmare! Why hadn’t he thought of that sooner!But the sudden flash of
insight, that man never knows he is only dreaming while he is having a
nightmare, came too late. His mind, held captive in an extraterrestrial body,
sank into a deathlike trance … As soon as the five seconds had elapsed Sammy
Derring reeled in the line of his fishing rod. He stared at the fat trout
without any special interest; then, after some initial hesitation, he pulled
it off the hook and threw it back into the water. He flung the rod carelessly
into the bushes growing near the edge of the water and began to walk toward
the car parked nearby. His gait was unsteady as if he had been sick in bed for
weeks. When he reached his car he hesitated again for a brief moment, just as
long as it took to obtain all the necessary information from the memory banks
of the intellect that had inhabited this body before him.Sammy Derring, who in
reality was no longer Sammy Derring, started the car and drove slowly along
the bumpy side road until he reached the main highway. There a swift glance at
the road signs was sufficient. A few minutes later the little sports car raced
toward the city. Mrs. Sarah Wabble was not a little surprised to see her
tenant return so early from his weekly fishing expedition. But her amazement
grew when he simply nodded to her and then went straight to his rooms, where
he locked the door behind him. No friendly greeting and no trout, either! The
being that was now sammy Derring felt much relieved as soon as the door had
closed behind him. Now he was safe from these human creatures. His experience
in taking over the bodies of other organisms was still rather limited. In
addition to that, the inhabitants of this planet were of a rather high
intelligence, intelligence difficult to remove and to conserve. It would have
been so much simpler to eliminate them entirely, but that would have been
contrary to his commander’s strict orders.His commander had not come down to
this planet’s surface. He was far out in space in an oval shaped spaceship
that was revolving around the third planet of this solar system, invisible to
these humans’ eyes. This glittering metallic spacecraft had not been designed
and built by human hands, but by extraterrestrial, nonhuman insect claws
provided with suction pads, which were no less skilful than five-fingered
human extremities. The intelligence that guided the movements of the six
jointed limbs of the almost seven foot long insects, which somehow resembled
wasps, was at about the same level as that of the Earthlings. But considering
certain mental abilities of these insectlike creatures, it was safe to say
that the wasps were far superior to the human race.One of their talents was
the amazing ability that enabled the minds of these extraterrestrial beings to
leave their own bodies and take over those of other creatures. It was like a
regular exchange. They simply snatched the other beings’ minds and replaced
them with their own.But all knowing Nature had made sure that there remained
one weak spot in this forced mind exchange. The mind of the seized host body
could be subdued and captured only if it was imprisoned for the duration in
the insect’s own body. Only then full freedom of action was ensured for the
mindsnatcher, who could do anything he wanted in his new body, pretending to
be the victim himself. In case the host died before it was possible to leave
his body, the mindsnatcher died too. And it was also fatal if the insect body
that held the victims mind imprisoned was destroyed. Both host and victim lost
their life in either case.Despite the limitations, these sinister insects were
one of the most dangerous races of the universe. But the Earthlings had no
inkling of that peril; not too long ago they had made their first step out
into space by landing a rocket on the moon. Earth was like a lonely island in
the sea of space, isolated from the happenings in the universe, believing
itself all alone. Mankind new nothing of the many intelligent races of the
galaxies, of the galactic empires that had been founded and then destroyed
again. But the extraterrestrial races who new these insects and their uncanny
abilities called them the mindsnatchers, or the M.S., for short. And now the
M.S., had located Earth. This so far completely unknown planet at the edge of
the Milky Way had suddenly become the centre of events of a magnitude that
could not yet be fully evaluated. The M.S. had been attracted by the emergency
signals of an Arkonide cruiser. The Arkonides, masters of a vast realm of the
stars, were the archenemies of the wasp creatures. It was impossible to
conquer them in battle, unless the insects could track their ships down
individually and then attack them. Such a rare opportunity seemed to have
presented itself in this case. One of the Arkonide research vessels must have
made an emergency landing in this solar system. But to the great surprise of
the M.S., it had turned out that the third planet from this sun was inhabited
by a rather intelligent race, which had developed a technology capable of
space travel. Therefore, it was high time to investigate them, before the
Arkonides would do so. This was the reason why the M.S. commander had ordered
Terra to be infiltrated. He was absolutely sure that he could seize the most
important organizations and key positions of Earth’s political, economic, and
scientific institutions within a short time.He had given the orders for the
invasion. But mankind was unaware of all of this. All they knew was that some
strange spaceship had appeared and had been destroyed. But they did not
realize that the M.S. had come to their part of the solar system with more
than just one spaceship. And in particular they had no idea, except for a few
select people, who these M.S. were and what they intended. Monday morning
Sammy Derring came to work as usual at the Ministry of Defence. No one could
have detected any change in him as far as his looks were concerned. He entered
his office and was soon busy managing through file cabinets examining all
kinds of papers. Then suddenly he sounded a buzzer to call in his
secretary. The young girl entered, ready to take the usual dictation. But
Sammy simply shook his head and requested in all earnestness, "Will you bring
me all records and documents pertaining to the national defence system. Then
also all data regarding our present state of space exploration and rocket
development. I am particularly interested in the effectiveness of our defence
plans … Don’t stare at me like that! Get a move on!"The secretary swallowed
hard and blushed. "Pardon me, Mr. Derring"- "Didn’t you hear me the first
time? Hurry up!" She was about to reply, when she noticed the look in Sammy’s
eyes. Their expression was so faraway and strange that she shuddered
involuntarily. Totally consternated she just nodded and went out of the room,
leaving behind a very contented Sammy Derring, or rather something that looked
like him.Outside the door in her office, the secretary stopped for a moment as
if rooted to the spot. Then she vigorously shook her head and walked straight
over to her department manager, John Mantell. Mantell listened attentively to
what the young secretary had to tell him. Finally he frowned, and replied,
"Are you sure that Mr. Derring wasn’t kidding?" "I am absolutely sure. He was
dead serious. And then … this strange expression in his eyes. I have never
seen such a frightening look. Never, in all my life."Mantell contemplated his
immaculately manicured fingernails. "Odd, very odd indeed. He wants to examine
all the records of our national defence system. He certainly must know that
such documents are accessible only to the secretary of Defence, but never to
an ordinary statistical clerk." He looked up and smiled ironically at the
pretty young girl. "Do you think that Mr. Derring might have lost his mind? He
seems to be getting too big for his britches." For the first time the
secretary dared smile back at her supervisor. "For all we know, be might
believe that there is more than just a mere resemblance in their names! He
told me once in a joking way that he and the Secretary of Defence had similar
names, that someday they might even be mistaken for each other …" "I don’t
believe that Samuel Daring would take too kindly to such remarks," commented
Mantell. "I’ll have to set sammy straight on this. Tell him to come to see me
at eleven o’clock, will you?"She hesitated. "But what shall I tell him now
about the files he wants me to bring him?" "Oh, whatever you want. I’m busy.
Don’t bother me any more.Slowly the secretary left the room, but she did not
return to her own office. For a few minutes she stood out in the hall, trying
to make up her mind what to do. Then suddenly she turned on her heel and
marched directly into the lion’s den, to the special agent attached to her
bureau in the Ministry of Defence.Mr. Smith was quite astonished when he heard
her story. He considered the matter far more serious than Mr. Mantell had.
Mantell had most likely already forgotten the whole incident by now, but the
Commissioner of Defence requested the secretary to come to his office and wait
at his receptionist’s desk for a while. As soon as she was out of his private
office, he became very busy. He took a telephone from a wall safe, dialled a
number, and then waited impatiently. Finally he reached his party."This is
Smith speaking from the Ministry of Defence. something very strange bas
happened, sir. Most irregular, unless somebody was just trying to be funny.
But I received your instructions three days ago that I should investigate and
inform you of any unusual behaviour"- Be was interrupted by the person he was
conversing with. A precise question was addressed to him. Smith trembled
slightly and sat up stiffly in his chair. He appeared to have great respect
for the man at the other end of the line. "Very well, sir. One of our
statistical clerks, Sammy Derring, requested our secret national defence
plans. Besides, he demanded all information regarding the state of our space
exploration program. He made these demands in all seriousness. His secretary
told me that she has never before noticed such determination in him. And she
was especially disturbed by the odd expression in Sammy Derring’s eyes."Again
there came an interruption. But this time so loud that it could be heard even
without the receiver, it anyone had been standing next to Smith. "What is his
name, did you say?" "Sammy Derring, sir." "And what is the name of the
Secretary of Defence?" "Uh, Samuel Daring, sir. But you certainly know that
yourself, sir." "Thanks, smith. Here are my instructions: Act as if nothing
unusual had happened. Tell the secretary to bring Derring the requested
papers, but of course, only those that are out of date. Derring must not
become suspicious. Do you get this?" "Yes, sir. Anything else?" "Don’t
breathe a word to anyone about all this! I’ll be over at your office within
two hours." "You are going to come here in person?" Smith was overawed. That
was unheard of Allan D. Mercant, the mighty chief of the Western Defence and
of the International Intelligence Agency, would fly over and investigate this
affair! Such a piddling little incident! Probably it would all turn out to be
just a silly joke that Sammy Derring had thought up in order to impress his
secretary because his name resembled that of the Secretary of Defence. "Yes.
I’ll fly over to investigate what’s behind all this. And better make sure not
to let anyone know of it! That goes for the little secretary too! Absolute
secrecy! That will he all for now."Smith replaced the phone in the wall sate.
A pensive frown lay around his eyes as he called for the secretary. As she
entered the room he motioned to a chair and then said in a matter of fact tone
of voice, "Don’t talk to anyone about what happened with Mr. Derring. He is
probably … well, let’s say … sick. Maybe some kind of delusion of grandeur. In
about ten minutes I’ll have a stack of files sent to your office. Please give
those to Mr. Derring. Is that clear?" "Yes, but"- "Don’t worry! You just
tell Mr. Derring that the papers were on their way to him. And may I remind
you once again-don’t let anyone know what has happened."The little secretary
could not help but remember having already told someone about Sammy Derring’s
strange request. She had spoken to her department manager, Mantell, before she
came to the Commissioner. But Mantell obviously hadn’t been interested in her
complaint. Maybe he had even forgotten all by now. So she simply nodded."Yes,
Mr. Smith. I understand. I’ll give the message to Mr. Derring. I only hope he
won’t look so odd and frightening again. He half scared me to death." "Oh,
nonsense, Miss … ?" "Thompson. Clara Thompson" "There is no need to be
afraid, Miss Thompson. Mr. Derring seems to be suffering from a temporary
delusion. It was pretty hot yesterday, and he might have got too much sun.
Maybe a slight sun stroke." Clara Thompson did not quite agree with the
Commissioner of Defence. She could not accept such a lame excuse for someone
suddenly believing he was the Secretary of Defence. But she did not speak up.
After all, who was she to tell the big boss what was right or wrong? So she
left and returned to her own office. She forgot all about Mr. Mantell. Sammy
looked up when she entered. "Well, are you bringing the documents I
requested?" They will be sent over in ten minutes." "Thanks. Bring them
right in, as soon as they arrive." "I will, Mr. Derring." Clara could not
get the door closed behind her soon enough. She felt ill at ease in his
presence. Still, he appeared quite sensible, no more scary look in his eyes.
Yet he still insisted on this idiotic order for the secret documents. Ten
minutes later a messenger brought the files. They were in a big red envelope
marked, TOP SECRET. Miss Thompson stared at the envelope. How important it
looked! So impressive with the TOP SECRET stamp. But she knew that in reality
its contents were completely worthless. Why was the Commissioner of Defence
going along with that stupid request? It seemed childish to humour an employee
who had lost his marbles. Or could there be more to the whole affair than met
the eye? She took the envelope, knocked at Mr. Derring’s door, and entered.
Without a word she placed the big red envelope on his desk and looked at him,
waiting for an acknowledgment. She noticed a gleam of triumph in his eyes. But
there was something additional again, something that she could not
interpret-something faraway and bottomless. It was as if she were gazing into
an abyss so deep that one could fall through it forever, into eternity.
Confused, she turned away and left the room abruptly.Sammy Derring waited
until the door had closed behind her; then he opened the envelope and began
examining its contents. A first glance told him that his mission had been
successful. There they were, right in front of him, the greatest secrets of
this world … or at least those of one of the big power blocs. In other parts
of this planet other M.S. would be just as effective in their efforts. By
tomorrow the commander would be informed about the defence potential of this
planet’s population and the best strategy for starting an invasion. For it was
not enough simply to take over the bodies of these clumsy two-legged
creatures. They had to be made subservient to the rule of their new masters.
To all outward appearances, though, they had to remain independent."While he
was perusing the documents he noted with satisfaction that he had greatly
overestimated the potential of the Terrans. It was almost eleven o’clock. A
few doors down the hall John Mantell suddenly remembered the conversation he
had had with Sammy Derring’s secretary. For a moment he hesitated. Perhaps he
should forget about the whole thing and not waste his precious time with the
foolish jokes of one of his subalterns. But then his sense of duty won out.
After all, such silly pranks occasionally turned into serious problems. Better
stop that nonsense at once, before it went too far. He pressed the buzzer of
the intercom. A young girl’s voice replied."Miss Thompson? What’s the matter
with Derring? Didn’t you tell him that I want to see him here in my office at
eleven o’clock?"Clara had almost forgotten about Mr. Mantell. She stammered,
"Oh, no, Mr. Mantell, I haven’t forgotten. But maybe it would be better to
ignore this incident? I am sure Mr. Derring was just making a harmless joke. I
don’t want him to get into any trouble …" "Then you shouldn’t have come to me
in the first place. Well then, are you going to give him my message or
not?" "I … I …"Puzzled, Mantell flipped a switch on the intercom to terminate
that disquieting conversation. He got up with determination and left his
office to walk over to Derring’s room. Ten seconds later he encountered Clara
Thompson as she was just about to leave her own office. She was startled and
scared when she saw Mantell."What’s wrong? Where are you going?"Her confusion
seemed to grow worse. She could hardly bring out the words, "To … to … to see
you, Mr. Mantell. I was coming over to ask you if that visit could wait. Mr.
Derring is awfully busy right now. I can’t disturb him when he has important
work to do."Mantell’s eyebrows shot up. "Important work? You don’t say! This I
have got to see for myself!"He shoved Miss Thompson aside, and without even
bothering to knock he stormed into Derring’s room. There he saw his subaltern,
busily poring over a stack of papers. Annoyed at the sudden interruption he
glowered at the intruder, obviously not understanding what all this was
supposed to mean. It was five seconds before a glimmer of comprehension lit up
his face."Oh, yes, Mr. Mantell. What can I do for you?" Mantell banged a fist
on Sammy’s desk. "Are you out of your mind, Derring? What can you do for me?
How dare you pull such stupid tricks on our personnel, asking this poor little
girl to bring you our most secret documents! You act as if you think you are
the Secretary of Defence in person! And even he himself is not authorized to …
What is the matter with you, Derring? Are you feeling all right?"An alarming
change had overcome Sammy Derring. First his eyes gazed uncomprehendingly at
the raging department manager; then his eyes became empty and lost their
luster. When his eyes seemed to see again, they were filled with a steely lack
of pity. He asked with an icy cold voice, "What is the name of the Secretary
of Defence?" Mantell gasped. This was more than he could take. "Derring! Have
you gone crazy? Now you want me to believe you don’t remember the name of our
Secretary of Defence?"Sammy nodded, apparently unperturbed by the enormity of
his faux pas. "Yes. I don’t know his name. What is it?"Although Mantell was
unwilling to comply with every wish of the obviously insane clerk, the steely
eyes of the man behind the desk seemed to compel him to do so nevertheless. He
shouted, "Daring, Samuel Daring. You of all people should know this better
than I. This isn’t the first time that you have been into trouble because your
names were mistaken for each other, Sammy Derring! But this is no excuse
whatsoever …"Mantell fell silent before he could finish his tirade, for Sammy
Derring jumped to his feet, pointing to the documents lying in front of him on
his desk. "And if I am not the Secretary of Defence, why did they send me the
records I requested?" Mantell looked at the papers, the envelope marked TOP
SECRET in particular. He could not understand this. But before he had a chance
to say anything, the door flew open. In came Smith, Clara Thompson close
behind him. He quickly grasped the situation. There was an air of annoyance
spread all over his face. Mantell felt frightened. He knew that this
inconspicuous looking man had been empowered with the final say in all matters
concerning this section of the Ministry of Defence. "What’s all this supposed
to mean? What is going on here?" inquired Smith, who could have given the
answer perfectly well himself. He addressed Mantell. "Didn’t Miss Thompson
pass on my orders to you not to interfere in this affair?" "He wouldn’t
listen to me," explained Clara Thompson."She came and told me that Mr. Derring
was trying to play a silly joke," defended Mantell. "I only wanted to ask
Derring to stop such tomfoolery in the future. The resemblance of his name to
that of the Secretary of Defence does not entitle him to"- No one had been
paying any attention to what Sammy Derring was doing in the meantime. He sat
down again, and all life seemed to fade from his eyes. He was sitting behind
his desk, head held high. His eyes gazed just as expressionlessly into space
as they had done the day before, staring up into the empty blue sky above the
little lake in the woods. This lasted exactly five seconds. Then it was over.
Life returned to his eyes. During these five seconds the same process had
taken place as twenty-four hours earlier, but in reverse. The M.S. had fled
from his host’s body, after having recognized he had fallen victim to a case
of mistaken identity. He acted rather panic stricken, for he could have
smoothed over his mistake if he had tried to. But he preferred to return to
his sleeping body and to release from it the imprisoned mind of Sammy Derring.
Sammy’s intellect returned to his own body. He lacked any memory of what had
befallen him except for a few insignificant details that seemed more like a
dream.Hadn’t he just been sitting at the lake, holding his fishing rod? How
was it possible that he was now sitting behind his desk in his office? He saw
his department manager, Mantell, standing before him, next to him the
Commissioner of Defence in person … and over there at the door pretty little
Clara Thompson contemplating him with consternation in her big blue eyes.Why
could he not remember the last seventy-four hours? What had happened during
this time? "Can I help you, gentlemen?" he inquired mechanically. Then he
noticed the open files on his desk. He was puzzled by the red envelope marked
TOP SECRET. Without understanding he stared from the files to his
visitors. "What are these files doing here? How did they get here?" Before
Mantell could give expression to the fury raging in him, Smith intervened. His
clear mind was capable of lightning fast reactions. Although he did not
understand the reasons behind this incident, he recalled that his superior,
Allan D. Mercant, was on his way to this office. And there must be compelling
reasons for him to inconvenience himself by flying over here all the way from
his base in Greenland. There must be more to this harmless appearing affair
than met the eye. "These are some old reports, long since out of date, Mr.
Derring. Would you please check them over. The Secretary of Defence requested
that some reliable employee be charged with this confidential task." Sammy
still appeared perplexed, but he answered eagerly, "Thank you for the
confidence you have in me. I certainly won’t disappoint you. How long will I
have for this job?" "There is no special hurry, Mr. Derring. Come now, Mr.
Mantell. And you, too, Miss Thompson. Let Mr. Derring get on with his work
now!" He pulled the utterly startled Mantell by the arm and walked him to the
door, which he held open for the little secretary scurrying after the two
men. As soon as the door had closed behind the trio Smith breathed a deep
sigh of relief. "It seems to have turned out all right after all. Listen,
Mantell! You almost messed up the whole affair. I really couldn’t tell you
what’s behind this, but Mr. Mercant is on his way here." "The Chief of
Western Defence? The big boss of the International Intelligence Agency? Did I
understand you correctly, Mr. Smith? But that can’t be!" The words came in
rapid fire succession out of the amazed Mantell."That’s the way it is,
Mantell," said Smith. "Go back to your office and don’t bother any more about
Derring. That’s an order! The Secretary of Defence will not learn about this
regrettable incident, so don’t worry. And the same goes for you, Miss
Thompson. Just keep quiet about this. I’ll explain everything to you tonight
over a nice dinner." "But I"- "Would eight o’clock be all right? I’ll call
at your house-just leave the address with my secretary. O.K.?" "I"- "Fine!
And now sit down at your desk and act as if nothing had happened. And if you
look at it, nothing really did happen, did it?" "The the stratoliner from
Greenland was flying at Mach-three toward his destination, the Ministry of
Defence of the Western Bloc, and while Mercant was evaluating and speculating
about the suspicious incident with Sammy Derring, the latter was sitting at
his desk, checking the long since outdated documents, puzzled by this
senseless task, wondering why he of all persons had been charged with it. As
far as he could recall he had just been spending the weekend fishing for trout
at his favourite spot at the little lake in the nearby forest. How on Earth he
had suddenly been transported from there to his desk in the office was a
mysterious to him. True, there had been some strange moments, he remembered
now. Kind of a daydream. And then the big, dark cave with … with … oh,
yes-that’s right! With some monster that looked like a giant wasp. And he
himself had been that wasp. Ridiculous! Had he lost his mind? But then he
wouldn’t be sitting here now in his office, being entrusted with some special,
highly confidential task by his superiors.He sighed and decided to stop
thinking about this whole silly thing. If he began asking all kinds of
questions that would merely arouse unnecessary suspicions. And the office here
would not have any use for him, if he brought up such crazy stuff. Nightmares
or daydreams, whatever it was, he must have been asleep, for he could
absolutely not remember anyone bringing these secret documents to him. Blond
hair ringed the bald dome of the incredibly young appearing man whose harmless
face reminded an observer of some peaceful nature lover. His innocuous
appearance was quite deceptive, though, for he was one of the most feared and
respected men of the Western Bloc. Until a few short weeks ago all the agents
of the Eastern Bloc and those of the Asiatic Federation had trembled at the
mere mention of his name. Allan D. Mercant, chief of the NATO Defence, was
preparing himself for an encounter with a man whose body had been taken over
by an M.S. This was not the first time he had met one of the M.S. Only a few
days had passed since an M.S. had tried to put him out of action in the
disguise of one of Mercant’s closest collaborators whose body he had assumed.
Only thanks to Mercant’s rapid reactions and his faint telepathy had he
escaped unscathed.The invasion, expected by only a handful of persons, seemed
to have begun. Although it had been expected, the invasion still came as a
surprise. This apparent contradiction could be explained. An alien spaceship
belonging to the M.S. had been destroyed near the moon’s orbital path, and
most people assumed that this was the only spacecraft the invaders had inside
this solar system. Mankind prepared itself for further attacks but did not
really believe they would occur.Without the help of the Third Power, mankind
would perish. Mercant was fully aware of this. The first manned expedition to
the moon under the command of Perry Rhodan had found there the crash-landed
interstellar research craft of a highly intelligent but decadent alien race.
The scientific leader of this research project, a certain Khrest, had become
dangerously ill with leukaemia. He had been cured by the Earthlings,
especially with the help of Dr. Haggard, the worlds greatest specialist in
blood diseases. The Arkonides, as the aliens called themselves, originated
from a system thirty-two thousand light-years from Sol. They were searching
for the legendary Planet of eternal life. The only two surviving members of
the Arkonide expedition, Khrest and Thora, became allies of Rhodan. Together
they founded the Third Power, whose base was in the Gobi Desert. This Third
Power had managed, within three short months, to unite the three formerly
hostile power blocs of the world. Then the first attack from outer space
occurred. The M.S. had intercepted the emergency signals broadcast by the
destroyed Arkonide spaceship on the moon. The M.S. had come hurriedly in order
to administer the final blow to their age-old enemies, the Arkonides. But the
M.S. had encountered unexpected resistance from the so far unknown Earthlings
and had suffered a crushing defeat at their hands. This was the way things
stood now. Perry Rhodan was the only person capable of saving the world.
Mercant knew this only too well. Although the three power blocs did not yet
fully trust Rhodan, they were on the other hand afraid of the M.S. and of the
Arkonide weapons that were at Rhodan’s disposal. Then there was something else
that only a few initiated knew, besides Mercant-Rhodan had succeeded in
gathering in several mutants that had been born as a result of the post-World
War II atom bomb explosions. These mutants, whose abilities needed further
schooling, formed the nucleus of a new troop that Rhodan had organized for the
protection of the Third Power. Because of his telepathic talents, Mercant
belonged to this mutant corps. But this was known only to the two men, Rhodan
and Mercant himself, besides the other members of the secret mutant
organization.The plane landed. A fast moving car brought Mercant to the
Ministry of Defence. He was led to Smith, who was waiting for him in his
private office. "Well, Smith, what has happened? Where is he?" "He doesn’t
have the faintest idea, sir. Shall I take you to him?" "Yes, please." Smith
was very surprised to see Mercant take a gun out of his shoulder holster,
release the safety catch, and then put it calmly into his pocket. He intended
to tell Mercant that there had never lived a more harmless person than Sammy
Derring, but then he thought better of it and kept silent. He led the way
without a word. Mercant followed behind, not speaking either. Sammy Derring
looked up, startled when the door was suddenly pushed open. He recognized
Smith, but he was sure he had never met the harmless looking man before. But
as he noted a little while later, the man was not as harmless as he had
appeared at first sight. His eyes seemed to be lying in ambush for
something. "Sammy Derring?" the unknown asked softly. "Just stay seated and
don’t move. Answer my questions without hesitation. At the slightest
suspicious move on your part I’ll shoot you. My name is Mercant."Sammy was
nonplussed. His face assumed an indescribably stupid grimace. His mouth gaped,
and he stared clumsily into the dark barrel of the gun that Mercant was
pointing at him. "What do you want from me?" he managed to squeeze out. "Why
did you request the secret files to which only the Defence Minister has
access?" "Secret files? I did not request them. They were brought to me by
Mr. Smith and Mr. Mantell. I am supposed to check them over. I wouldn’t dream
of requesting such secret documents. It is totally out of the question that I
would do such a thing." "So you say they were brought to you? And you
definitely deny having requested them?" "I know nothing at all about this
whole affair. Anyhow everything seems to me like in a dream. Everything is so
strange." "Will you explain this a bit more in detail, Mr. Derring," urged
Mercant, leaning forward with an expression of intense concentration. Smith
stood next to him. Sammy hesitated. The whole story seemed odd to him, and
now he was supposed to tell it to his superiors. How would they accept such a
fantastic tale? "I was fishing," he began. And noticing the amazed look on
Mercant’s face he added swiftly, "I was fishing yesterday at my favourite spot
at a little lake in the woods. Suddenly a strange sensation came over me. I
felt as if I could leave my own body, and that’s exactly what I did. A few
seconds later I was in a big, dark cave. For a moment I thought I had seen
Earth lying deep down below me. It was a crazy dream. Then I woke up, and I
was sitting here in my office and Mr. Smith had just brought these documents
to me. That is the truth, the whole truth, even if I can’t explain it to
myself. I don’t know what went on in the interval." "That happens once in a
while," Mercant admitted politely. "But in your case it would be advisable to
find out what you have done in the past twenty-four hours that seem to have
slipped from your memory." "Maybe my landlady could help you there. We could
ask her." "That’s a good idea. We will follow that up." Mercant gave some
instructions. Smith went out to the secretary’s little office. Five minutes
later he came back."Mr. Derring was home last night. He returned earlier than
usual from his fishing trip, without bringing any fish to his landlady. That’s
the first time that ever happened, according to Mrs. Wabble, his landlady. Mr.
Derring seemed not his usual self, very odd, and went straight to bed.This
morning she could not detect anything out of the ordinary in her lodger’s
behaviour."Mercant looked at Derring. "Can you swear to it that you are again
your own self?" "Can I swear to what?" "I want to know if you feel normal
again. It is obvious that there is a gap in your memory. From yesterday
afternoon until about two hours ago you were doing and saying things which you
can’t recall now. Something else had taken over your body and pretended to be
you." "But that is"- "Yes, it is possible, contrary to what you may believe.
Not for any human being, of course, but you might have heard that there are
other living beings in the universe besides ourselves." "Yes, I have heard
about the Arkonides." "No, not the Arkonides. I am talking about the M.S., an
insectlike race that know how to snatch a person’s mind from his body and
replace it with their own minds. In your particular case, a case of mistaken
identity has occurred. The M.S. who invaded your brain mistook you for the
Secretary of Defence. Your names are almost alike. We don’t yet know the M.S.
methods of communicating with each other. It seems to be based on acoustics.
Phonetic sounds, rather than writing. Daring sounds almost like Derring,
particularly to some untrained alien ear, not familiar with the fine points of
English pronunciation. The alien creature slipped into the wrong man. That’s
all. Mr. Derring, you have done a tremendous service to mankind, even if
unintentionally, because of your name."Mercant had put the gun back into his
pocket long since. There was no longer any doubt in his mind that the M.S.
must have left his host’s body some time ago. But to his Surprise, Sammy
Derring seemed to be none the worse for his experience. He looked healthy and
absolutely normal. Therefore, the theory must be wrong that nobody could
survive such a mind snatching episode. But at the same time Mercant realized
that the Secretary of Defence would be the next target for the M.S. He must be
put under strict surveillance immediately. And Perry Rhodan had to be informed
ot these events immediately, before any further attacks could take
place.Mercant gave some more instructions to Smith. The agent disappeared to
carry them out. He did not fully understand the game that was being played
here, but he was used to carrying out orders promptly, regardless. He went
straight to Miller, Daring’s private secretary.He found Miller in a turmoil of
activity. Orders sounded over the intercom, messengers brought sealed
envelopes, locked files were dragged up from the safes in the basement, and
Miller waved impatiently when Smith dared speak to him. "Don’t bother me now;
come back at some other time. The boss has no time." "Don’t you know who I
am?" "Of course I do, but that doesn’t matter any longer. Or have you come to
arrest Mr. Daring?" "Who knows," grinned Smith, seeing Miller gasp for air.
"Just calm down for a moment. I have a few questions I would like to ask
you." "Be quick about it!" "What’s all the excitement about? What’s all this
dragging by of files and documents supposed to mean?" "The Chief’s personal
orders. He requested all documents regarding national defence and rocket
development. After all, he can’t possibly carry all the data around in his
head." "Is that so?" asked Smith, and had disappeared before Miller could
figure out what had taken place. In the meantime Mercant had obtained a
direct line to his headquarters in Greenland. From there a connection was
established to Perry Rhodan’s base in the Gobi Desert. Under the protective
umbrella of an invisible shield lay the center of the Third Power, the latest
power bloc on Earth, which had come into existence several months
previously.But to his great regret Mercant was told that Perry Rhodan was
unavailable. Be was on Venus, Earth’s sister planet.As Smith entered, Mercant
was just ending his conversation. He looked up and said heavily, "Whatever is
going to happen, Smith, we will have to carry the responsibility on our own
shoulders. And now you can tell me that Samuel Daring, or whatever the thing
is hiding in Samuel Daring’s body, has ordered all top secret files to be
brought to him. Isn’t that what you just found out?"Thunderstruck, Smith
managed only to nod. CHAPTER TWO The huge boulder lay on the flat surface of
the desert plain. The sun was shining fiercely down on the rock. The air rose
like a glimmering hot column, but nothing disturbed its shape, for there was
not the slightest breeze to stir the burning air. All of a sudden the
incredible happened. The rock lifted off the ground as if a giant, invisible
hand had picked it up. Infinitely slow, the boulder began to float. Now it was
resting on some invisible ledge a foot above the desert floor; it kept
rising. If anyone had been able to to watch this performance, he would have
doubted his own sanity. The boulder weighed at least ten tons, but it behaved
as if the laws of gravity had no application to it. It climbed upward like a
gas-filled balloon, then moved a little distance sideways. Then it crashed
down on the ground as if the invisible hand had suddenly released its grip.
Dust rose whirling, then settled slowly again. The boulder lay on the ground
as if it had never moved in such a weird fashion. Once again the sun’s rays
hit it straight on, heating spots that shortly before had been covered by the
cooling shade.But this rest period did not last The rock moved again, this
time faster and more steadily. It rose up thirsty feet into the air and then
flew off sideways. Relentlessly it kept flying parallel to the flat surface of
the desert floor, coming closer to the shore of a still salt lake whose waters
lay quiet like a smooth mirror. Suddenly the boulder fell straight down into
the lake, disappearing in a deep walled water funnel, leaving behind a series
of concentric spreading waves that slowly ebbed away on reaching the
shore. Several people stood at a distance of more than a mile from the salt
lake, gazing over to its blue expanse. The oldest of the group, a white haired
giant with an unusually high domed skull and a pale completion, nodded with
satisfied mien. Next to him stood a young woman who made a gesture to signify
her appreciation. The short Japanese for whom this praise was intended merely
shrugged his shoulders with embarrassment. "I bungled this job," he admitted
without realizing how grossly be undervalued his capacities. "I simply can’t
do it, Miss Sloane."The young girl, Anne Sloane, turned to the white haired
man. "Never mind what Tama thinks about himself, Mr. Khrest. Tama is just too
modest. According to the frequency detector he is a mutant, and I have no
doubt that he is one indeed. He managed to raise a ten ton boulder at a
distance of more than a mile for almost seven feet, using only the strength of
his mind. He has telekinetic powers, even if they are only in the initial
stage. I needed several years to perfect my abilities. Tama, you’ll have to be
a patient pupil to become as good as myself at this. Don’t lose heart!"The
Arkonide scientist, who had crash landed on the moon and who had become
Rhodan’s collaborator, supervising all technical matters, tried to encourage
Tama Yokida."Don’t give up, Tama. You need more training, that’s all. After
all, you possess an additional talent that will permit you to develop into an
extraordinary human being. Although Miss Sloane is a master at telekinesis,
you can change an element into another and gather up the released energy at
will and use it whichever way you want. That is a tremendously valuable
ability. Together with your telekinetic predisposition, this will grow into a
combination with a fantastic potential."Tama Yokida continued smiling humbly
as before. "You are right, Mr. Khrest. I should be grateful to nature for
having endowed me with such unusual talents. Do you wish to continue the
instruction now?" Khrest gazed pensively out over the now calm surface of the
salt lake. He placed a reassuring hand on the shoulder of the tiny Japanese.
Then be spoke to Anne Sloane. "You let the rock fall down into the water, Miss
Sloane. I am amazed at your telekinetic powers. I wonder if Tama will be able
to influence the sunken boulder by way of telekinesis." Anne glanced at the
young Japanese before she replied. I couldn’t tell. As far as I am concerned I
am positive that I could lift that rock out of the water again any time.
Whether Tama can do this from this distance … The saltlake isn’t too
deep." "How deep?" inquired Tama. "I would have to know." Khrest spoke into
a tiny all purpose apparatus that he wore as a wide band around his wrist.
"Dr. Haggard? Would you be so kind and send Miss Ishi Matsu out to us here?
That’s right. For a lesson."Anne Sloane understood. "Isn’t that the little
Japanese girl with the unusual gift of being able to see through solid
bodies?" "That’s right," confirmed Khrest. "She is what I would call a
televisionary. She can perceive the rock lying at the bottom of this lake and
thus determine its depth. She, too, will have to receive further training in
order to fully develop her talents. Once she is able to penetrate optically
big parts of the earth’s crust, our mutant corps will be able to function like
a living television installation."Tama smiled gently. "My little colleague and
I complement each other splendidly," he confessed. "I hope the time will soon
come when all of the mutants will learn to coordinate their efforts. Then no
power on Earth will he able to resist us." "I think we have already reached
that point," countered Khrest, while directing his glance toward the
conglomeration of low lying buildings that had sprung up around the hull of
the first moon rocket, the Stardust I, which had landed here after its return
from man’s first successful moon expedition. An invisible energy dome covered
the complex and the surrounding area of almost thirty square miles. The
invisible barrier received its energy from the inexhaustible Arkonide
reactions."We are not that deeply concerned with the mutant corps’s ability to
make a stand against other powers of this world," Khrest said, "but rather
their ability to ward off attackers from space. The unfortunate emergency
signals from our cruiser on this planet’s moon will attract still more space
travelling races. I am afraid Earth’s isolated position in the universe has
come to an end finally. Oh, here comes Miss Ishi."A slender, delicate young
girl came walking toward the group. She was wearing blue jeans and a white
blouse that made her slim but perfectly shaped figure look most attractive.
Tama Yokida was obviously very impressed by his lovely compatriot. It was
clear to all present that the two young people felt something more than lust
casual friendship for each other. "You have asked for me, Mr. Khrest?" Her
voice was just as sweet and gentle as the charming little person
herself. "Yes, indeed, although you were already through with your daily
lesson for today. Tama made an interesting suggestion to coordinate the
different talents of the mutants. Over there is the salt lake; about six
hundred feet from the shore, approximately over there where you can see that
withered bush, a huge boulder of ten tons is resting at the bottom of the
lake. Miss Ishi, what I would like you to do now is to estimate the depth of
the water at that spot. Your friend Tama must have these figures if he is to
complete his task. Do you get me!" The young girl nodded. Then she smiled
encouragement to her fellow Japanese and placed herself in such a way that her
face was pointed directly at the spot indicated by Khrest. She closed her
eyes, for if her gaze could penetrate solid objects, then her own eyelids did
not present any obstacle to her vision. She concentrated deeply, her effort
creasing deep furrows into her smooth forehead. Tama kept close to her, almost
touching the slender figure. But his physical nearness did not seem to
distract Ishi; quite the opposite. She stepped even closer to him and grasped
his arm. She held it tight with both her tiny hands as if she needed his
support. And then…"I can see the rock!" Tama called out all of a sudden. He
stood there, his eyes open wide, staring out to the lake. "I can see it now.
The rock is lying on the ground among other rocks and rubble. The depth of the
water is not more than sixty feet." "Well done, Miss Ishi," Khrest
complimented. "It is good to know that you can transmit your special ability.
Tama, now will you start with your part of this task. Transform a tiny
fraction of this rock into lead or gold, if you will. Release some energy. But
not too much; otherwise, the lake will start boiling." Tama understood what
Khrest wanted him to do. It was Khrest’s duty to train the mutants. Perry
Rhodan had given Khrest charge of his special corps, for Khrest was the only
person capable of developing the mutants’ talents to their full potential.They
all stood without moving. Five minutes. Ten minutes. A quarter of an
hour. Then, right above the spot where the boulder had disappeared below the
water’s surface, steam began to rise, slowly at first, then rapidly growing
stronger. Air bubbles began to form, the water became agitated, sending small
waves toward the shore, while other waves lost themselves along the watery
expanse beyond the boiling whirlpool."That will do," Khrest said softly.
"Tama, that’s enough now. Tama, you can make the oceans boil if you so desire.
I think we can conclude our lesson for today. By the way, Tama, what were you
producing, gold or lead?"Ishi opened her eyes and answered instead of Tama.
"Gold, Mr. Khrest. Whoever finds this rock someday will be very glad. There
are several pounds of gold sticking to that boulder." Khrest was about to
reply, when he was interrupted by a faint hum from his armhand. He lifted his
arm and pushed in a tiny knob. "Yes, Khrest speaking…"It was Dr. Haggard, the
medical specialist from Australia and discoverer of the anti-leukaemia serum
that had brought about Khrest’s cure. He was calling from the Stardust
I."Khrest, some unpleasant news. From Mercant The M.S. are active again." "I
thought so. Where?" "One case has been observed in the U.S. Their Secretary
of Defence has fallen victim to the mind snatchers. Mercant managed to prevent
the worst in the nick of time, but he is powerless in those cases that remain
undetected. He would like to know if we could help him with it." Khrest
frowned. "Of course we will help him. Too bad though that Perry isn’t back
yet. Have you kept in communication with him?" "Not since his last call from
the Venus base. They must have left already in order to return to
Earth." "Establish contact with the Good Hope. Inform Rhodan of what you have
told me. Maybe he will be able to locate the M.S. spaceship and destroy it. He
has Tako Kakuta on board to help him, if necessary." Tako Kakuta was a
teleporter. Once already he had succeeded in transporting himself into one of
the M.S. spacecraft and exploding it, with the help of a bomb he had
teleported with him. "I’ll try to establish contact with Perry Rhodan in the
Good Hope. But we should do something in the meantime."Khrest looked over to
Anne Sloane. You are right. We can’t wait. After all, that’s what we have the
mutant corps for. I am afraid our little troop will have to face its first
trial…" The steaming jungles of Venus disappeared in the distance, and the
planet itself became a gigantic silvery crescent whose brilliance surpassed
even that of the near sun. This, of course, was an illusion. For the sun was
in reality brighter even if smaller than Venus. However, the dense cloud cover
reflected its light with such intensity that it became near impossible for the
naked eye to look down on the second world of our solar system. The tall,
lean man standing in front of the picture screen did not move. Dreamily he
regarded the receding planet that he was including in his plans from now on.
Perry Rhodan had come to realize that Earth had become too small for him and
that he needed a world of his own in order to build up his domain. The ever
silent Dr. Manoli sat close to Perry Rhodan. His slim body was hidden behind
the back of his chair. Manoli, like Rhodan, devoted his attention to the
planet that was now disappearing in the dark vastness of space. This planet so
much resembled the way his own home planet, Earth, must have been one hundred
million years ago. Far less impressed by this awesome celestial spectacle was
the third member of the crew inside the command center of the Good Hope.
Reginald Bell’s heavyset figure lay stretched out comfortably on his couch.
The former engineer of the retired Stardust I was reading. His watery blue
eyes skimmed rapidly over the pages of a book. His straight reddish hair
seemed to stand on end, as if he were frightened by some horrible ghost story.
Once in a while an ironic smile flitted across his broad features. He did not
appear tb be interested at all in the round globe of Venus, which seemed to
shrink rapidly in sine on the picture screen.He was the first to break the
silence in the cabin. He shook his head in disgust and placed his book on his
round belly. Now the picture on the cover became visible. It showed a jungle
landscape with a swamp. In the middle of the swamp a slender space rocket
could he seen. It had sunk halfway down into the morass. A man was standing at
the opened air lock, defending himself with a ray gun against some gruesome
monster that looked like a dinosaur. "What a guy! Such a thing should he
illegal. His imagination is too wild. That isn’t healthy!" Bell exclaimed
loudly.Perry Rhodan did not take his eyes off the screen. Without turning his
head he inquired, "Whose imagination don’t you approve of?" "The author who
wrote this novel." "Which novel?" Reginald Bell sighed deeply. "This science
fiction novel, Adventure on Venus. Just imagine, the story was written more
than twenty years ago. At that time nobody had any idea that we would he
flying to Venus so soon. And that guy thinks up a story, has somebody
construct a spaceship, Fly to Venus, get stuck in the mud in a Venusian swamp
and live there à la Robinson Crusoe. He battles heroically against dinosaurs
and the sweltering heat until his friend arrives with a second space rocket
and saves him. It’s too incredible, Perry."Perry Rhodan swung around his
swivel chair and stared at his friend, lying there on the couch. He would
never cease wondering at the harmless appearance of Reg. How deceptive his
exterior was! For both friends were the human beings with the highest I.Q.s in
all the universe. They owed this superior intelligence to the Arkonide
hypnotraining, which had endowed them within a few days with an extensive and
advanced state of knowledge that far surpassed the total sum of all Earthly
intelligence. The scientific achievements of the age old Arkonide civilization
were safely stored in the memory banks of the two men. Reg most certainly did
not look the part of a genius, quite the contrary. Even Rhodan was
occasionally tempted to underestimate his friend’s potential when seeing his
harmless face. Still, he knew what was hidden behind those watery blue
eyes."What’s so incredible about that? Wasn’t that author right, after all?
Don’t we have such jungles and prehistoric monsters here On Venus? Isn’t it
hot?"Beg sighed again. "That’s just it! The guy is so right in what he
describes. Venus is just the way he imagined it to he. I am ready to believe
this guy must have been here on Venus before us." Bell sat up and rubbed his
right elbow. "It’s simply uncanny." "Come on, Reg. You are a bit jealous of
that writer. You shouldn’t begrudge him his fabulous imagination, which let
him experience vicariously twenty years ago what has come true today. He was
ahead of his time, and you can’t stand that." "But the ray gun … what
nonsense! Twenty years ago people did not even have the technical knowhow for
such weapons."But we used such a ray gun only the day before yesterday to
drive off one of the fat beasts that intended to gobble up our ship for a nice
dinner." Reg’s face became distorted in a grimace of despair. "For crying out
loud! We did not invent these ray guns!" "So what’s the difference, as long
as we have them. What does it matter that the Arkonides supplied us with these
ray guns? Without the Arkonides we wouldn’t be here either, for they gave us
the Good Hope, too."Beg gave up the fight "O.K., have it your way. No use
quarrelling. That writer was a genius, way ahead of his time, wrote immortal
works, even surpassing reality. If only he had been wrong in his imagination
and had described it as a world filled with dust clouds … ! But no, his
description is so accurate! I am getting all riled up about this. We can’t
report anything new when we get back to Earth!" "Why do you read that stuff
if it upsets you so much?" Reg had no answer to this question. He could not
even attempt to think up a reply, for suddenly the air between the two friends
began to scintillate for a fraction of a second. Then a man materialised out
of thin air where nothing had been before. Tako Kakuta, the Japanese mutant,
had once again been too lazy to walk over from his radio communication center
down the hall. The Good Hope was an auxiliary vessel attached to the giant
Arkonide cruiser that had been destroyed on the moon by the combined forces of
the planet Earth. Thora, the female commander of the research expedition, had
been able to salvage the "lifeboat" from that catastrophe and had fled to
Earth, where she found refuge at Perry Rhodan’s base in the Gobi Desert. The
auxiliary craft was tremendous measured by terrestrial standards. It had a
diameter of over one hundred and eighty feet, was spherical, and could travel
at faster than light speeds. The spacecraft could accelerate at any desired
speed, since it was supplied with gravitation neutralizers that nullified the
otherwise unbearable stress exerted on any living organism. The vessel was
equipped with advanced types of weapons that surpassed all human imagination.
The boat’s effective range of five hundred light-years lay, according to
Khrest, below the minimum needed by the Arkonides to return to their home
planet, or even to reach the nearest base of their farflung galactic
empire.The radio communication center of the gigantic spaceship was so far
ahead of what was known on Earth that Tako could comprehend only a small part
of its machinery and installations. He merely made use of the small
transmitter that produced normal radio waves. Thus he established radio
communication with Earth. It would take several months before he would
understand the structure and workings of the other instruments of the Arkonide
super technology. For a while the contact with the Gobi Desert base had been
interrupted. The distance between Earth and Venus had become too great. But
now they were rushing hack to their home planet with such incredible speeds
that soon they were able to hear Dr. Haggard’s radio signals. They became so
loud it was impossible not to hear them.That was the reason why the Japanese
teleported himself into the command center where Perry Rhodan and Reginald
Bell were stationed. Bell reacted to this surprise, as usual, by being half
scared to death. There was really no excuse for that, but he could not help
feeling shocked every time he saw Tako materialize in the empty air before
him. "Is that trip really necessary? Do you have to appear unannounced any
time and anywhere?" Tako smiled gently. In the future I’ll first teleport a
letter to announce my impending arrival. Will that suit you better?"Bell’s
reply was not fit to be printed.Rhodan cut their banter short. Did you get in
touch with the Gobi base?" "That’s why I came to see you, replied a now very
serious Tako. "Dr. Haggard had been calling for hours trying to reach us. Bad
news, Mr. Rhodan. The M.S. invasion has begun. Mercant reported several cases
where the M.S. have taken over the bodies of important personalities. It
doesn’t help though if they are found out, as Dr. Haggard said. The M.S. then
simply withdraw and seek another host."Bell pushed aside the book that had so
greatly displeased him some seconds earlier. He sat up straight on his couch,
his eyes suddenly filled with cold fury. "What did you say just now? Invasion?
But we destroyed the ship of the intruders?" "Then they must have more than
one ship," remarked Rhodan, and turned to Manoli. Let’s forget about Venus
now, Eric? Switch the picture over to Earth. As fast as possible!"The picture
on the viewing screens changed. A small greenish-blue globe became visible
with a tiny dot near it, the moon. Both celestial bodies quickly grew in size
while they were looking at them. Rhodan addressed the young Japanese. "Was
there any-thing else?" "Khrest requests your immediate return to the Gobi
Desert base. He wants to put the mutant corps into action. He sees no other
possibility to proceed against the invasion. He would like to speak to
you." "Then let’s go," decided Rhodan, and walked out of the room. Tako
briefly grimaced at Bell; then he disappeared just as suddenly as he had
come.When Rhodan entered the communications center Tako was already waiting
for him. He was calling Haggard. "Perry Rhodan wishes to talk to
Khrest" Rhodan waited for a few moments; then he acknowledged Khrest’s voice,
greeting him across space. "Khrest, this is Rhodan speaking. What’s the
trouble?" "Listen, Rhodan, the situation is critical. Mercant is desperate.
He has asked for help. I did not want to do anything without first consulting
you. How soon can you be back here?" "In about two to three hours. I hope the
space sphere can take this." "Don’t worry, Rhodan. If you should sight the
M.S. spaceship, don’t hesitate to destroy it. Have Tako teleport himself into
the enemy ship with some explosives." "The will be more cautious this time, I
am afraid. They have been warned by their first experience. They might have
brought along some additional reinforcements." "That’s out of the question.
The M.S. mentality forbids them to contact any other race to come to their
assistance. They believe themselves to be superior to any creature in this
universe and to be able to overcome any opponent. In my opinion it is almost
impossible to conquer them completely." "You underestimate us once again,
Khrest. By the way, I have located a suitable place on Venus for us. We will
establish our second base there and proceed with the training of our mutant
corps." "This project will have to wait until we have defeated the invaders.
Mankind has no idea what’s in store for them. I fear the M.S. must have
established a beachhead on Earth from which they operate. It would be too
cumbersome for them to use a moving spaceship as base of operations." "Any
idea where this base might he?" "None whatsoever. You will have to talk to
Mercant about this. He has spoken with several persons who had been invaded by
the M.S. and then have been abandoned by them. He received some information
from these people." Rhodan was perplexed. "I thought anybody would die once
they had been possessed by the M.S. Has anything changed there?" "We were
wrong in assuming this. The liberated victims showed no harmful
aftereffects." "Excellent. That’s one thing to our advantage. Now, something
else, Khrest-you realise that we must never lose the position we occupy in our
relations with the world’s big power blocs. They united only because of our
presence, which they feared. Without this threat from the Third Power mankind
will soon revert to the same chaotic conditions they have barely overcome. The
old conflicts will split their newly found union apart. Therefore, I consider
it vital to defeat the invaders as quickly as possible. This must have
precedence over any other problems now. If we fall, we will forfeit everything
we have gained. All our prestige will vanish overnight."Rhodan could almost
see the amused smile with which the Arkonide scientist answered, "Our prestige
would not be the only thing to vanish in that case! So would all of mankind.
And we would he lost too. The positronic brain predicts that we are in exactly
such a crisis." "And what are our chances? What does the positronic brain
have to say to that?" "At least fifty fifty." Perry Rhodan thought for a
while before he asked, the Good Hope has a range of five hundred light-years.
Couldn’t we attack the home planet of the M.S. with it?"Khrest sighed. "Your
drive is rather frightening, Rhodan. So much energy! There might be a chance
later on, but for the moment the prognosis is pretty hopeless. The M.S. avoid
any direct confrontation, but they keep up their defence system. The Good Hope
alone is not enough for an attack." "That remains to be seen," said Rhodan,
who did not abandon the idea entirely. "Will you get in touch with Mercant.
I’ll expect to see him or one of his men at the base when I return. Then we
can map out our strategy. Is there anything else?" "No, not for the time
being, Thora is acting reasonable for a change." "Well, she had better!"
commented Rhodan with a shrug of his shoulders. "So long then, Khrest" While
Rhodan was walking back to the command center he seemed lost in thought. His
mind was preoccupied with Thora, the commanding officer of the Arkonide
expedition. What an unusual woman, even if she was afflicted with the morbid
prejudice of racial superiority! The Earthlings were nothing but half savages
in her eyes. Only under pressure had she declared her willingness to cooperate
with Perry Rhodan. She realized that she was stranded here in this, to her,
previously unknown solar system from which she could never find her way back
home unless mankind would help her build a suitable spaceship. There was no
hope that her own highly intelligent but utterly decadent race would lift a
finger to search for her or even come to her rescue. Most likely no one would
ever notice that the scientific research ship was missing" Thora was a woman
of captivating beauty. Perry could almost have loved her if he had not hated
her even more. But was it really hatred he felt, or did he only imagine it?
How good it was to have Khrest at his side, to explain the psychological
reasons for Thora’s incomprehensible behaviour.Rhodan shrugged and entered the
center. The picture screen in the middle showed Earth with clearly
discernible continents. They would soon he landing. Mercant had not come in
person. The load of responsibility for the Western Bloc’s security rested so
heavily on his shoulders that he no longer left his underground fortress below
the Greenland ice pack, from where he directed all actions.One of his most
capable employees was Captain Klein, who worked for the defence system. He was
also Rhodan’s ally. Mercant had nominated Klein as his personal liaison with
Perry Rhodan.Captain Klein was admitted through the momentarily lifted energy
barrier. He was led to Perry Rhodan, who barely five hours earlier had still
been on Venus. Khrest was sitting silently on a couch in the back of the room,
together with Thora. Also present at this meeting were Bell and Manoli, Dr.
Haggard and the telepath John Marshall, a member of the mutant corps. Rhodan
greeted Klein and encouraged him to speak. "Let’s hear your report, Captain
Klein! I presume that Mercant authorised you to speak on his behalf and gave
you all available information regarding the situation. How bad is it?" "Quite
bad, even if we can’t yet fully gauge the extent of the invasion that is
proceeding in all secrecy. The M.S. are clever, they keep learning from their
initial mistakes. At first they were rather clumsy and could be easily
detected. This was not much help, though, since an M.S. simply leaves his
host’s body, permitting the victim’s mind to return unharmed, except that the
latter cannot remember anything that went on during the interlude when his
intellect was imprisoned in the M.S.‘s own insect body. The M.S. can then pick
a new target. They have by now reached such a degree of perfection that it has
become almost impossible to detect them. But even if they should be found out,
the M.S. cannot be rendered harmless unless their host is killed on the spot.
We know of no way out of this terrible dilemma." "But I do," insisted Rhodan.
"I know the M.S. have established a base somewhere on this planet. This is
where their bodies rest while their intellects change places with those of
their victims. If we could find this base and then destroy their bodies we
could succeed in killing off their intellects. For they are dependant on this
link with their own bodies in order to survive. A rather complicated process
for which we have undeniable proof." Perry Rhodan fell silent. He could hear
Thora’s excited whispering in the background. She was apparently trying to
talk Khrest into something. Her golden eyes were flashing with a dangerous
fire. Was she making another attempt to incite her fellow Arkonide against the
human race? Rhodan felt anger rise in him, but he suppressed it. The day would
come when he would prove to this arrogant woman how much need she had of
mankind."Go on, Captain Klein!" urged Rhodan. "What does Mercant propose to do
about this?" "Place all important personalities under strict surveillance to
avoid any infiltration. That’s all." "Well, that is not too much," Perry
Rhodan admitted. Khrest moved in the background. He stood up. "Yes, Khrest,
what is it?" All eyes turned in the direction. of the tall scientist, whose
glance flickered strangely in a manner no one had ever observed in him before.
His voice sounded a little shaky as he said, "Thora has been able to convince
me that it is senseless to fight against the M.S. We have a lot of experience
with them. So far they have conquered every solar system they ever discovered.
If we had not surrounded our galactic empire with a dense ring of alarm
systems, and if we had not destroyed every oval spaceship during its approach,
there would no longer exist any Arkonide galactic realm. Nothing can stop the
advance of the M.S." Rhodan frowned. "So what? Why are you telling us all
this? Has Thora encouraged you to do so?" Khrest looked back to Thora; he
seemed helpless. Quickly she came to his assistance. She jumped up and stood
there like a goddess of vengeance with fiery golden eye. Her pale hair had
almost the same colour as her delicate skin, which was barely beginning to
show a tan from the strong desert sun. She was beautiful, of an un-Earthly
beauty! "Yes, I have encouraged him, Perry Rhodan. You are aware lust as well
as I myself that Khrest has been weakened by his long illness. And his mind in
particular has been affected by it If we are going to remain here on Earth to
fight a hopeless battle against the M.S., we will waste our last remaining
shred of strength. I have suggested to Khrest that we should leave this solar
system and search for another one that has not yet been discovered by the M.S.
Khrest has agreed to my proposal. Our decision is irrevocable. Rhodan warned
Bell with a stern look. His impulsive friend was just about to advance
threateningly in Thora’s direction."So you want to leave our planet in the
lurch," Rhodan said in a matter of fact voice, "The same planet that came to
your rescue when you needed help." "Who helped whom?" demanded Thora. "The
help was mutual. May I remind you that Khrest would no longer he alive without
Dr. Haggard’s medical skill and Earthly medical know how." "And if it had not
been for you my crew would still be alive. But you killed them during the
treacherous surprise attack on the moon. We are quits!" "Not by far! But I
want to ask you something else. Please answer me honestly. Do the M.S. rank
higher in the galactic classification than the Arkonides? Are they considered
a superior race to your own?" Thora’s face became flushed with anger. "How
dare you even ask such a question! That insect race belongs to a primitive
level, not worthy to inhabit the universe." "But you are still ready to turn
tail when they threaten here?" Rhodan said irOnically. "Isn’t that amazing?
Doesn’t that hurt your pride?" "We are forced by necessity. Here we don’t
have the weapons we need to defeat the M.S." "How about trying this without
these weapons? We can invent new ones that might be even Better. Mankind is
not willing to accept the M.S. invasion as an immutable fact We will defend
ourselves and chase them off. And you, Thora, are going to help us with
that" "You can’t force me to do so." "I am not so sure about that,"
countered Rhodan with studied deliberateness. I have a way of forcing you.
With-out the Good Hope you are powerless, Thora. From now on neither you nor
any of your robots will he admitted to the Good Hope. You are not to leave
your quarters inside the base." "You place me under house arrest?" shouted
Thora, full of fury. "You wouldn’t dare!" "I am simply taking all necessary
measures to ward off the M.S. invasion. Khrest said once that the Earthlings
resemble the very early Arkonides in this respect. He is right. We are hard
and determined to reach our goal. My goal now is to deal a crushing blow to
the M.S. from which they can never recover. I want to find a weapon against
them that someday will also be of use to your own nation. But you, Thora, will
under no circumstances stand in my way! And neither are you going to desert
with the Good Hope. Have I made myself clear?" Thora regarded him with hatred
in her eyes-but there was something else besides hatred hidden in them. Rhodan
was seized by a piquant thrill recognizing the significance of the sensation
that was slowly rising from the unconscious mind of the woman opposite him. It
was admiration and a bit of surrender-or even beginning love. Rhodan was
confused, but he did not show it. There would he plenty of time later to
analyze this paradox. Right now there were more urgent matters to attend to.
Little did he know that at that moment Khrest came to a decision too. The
scientific leader of the Arkonide expedition, who had met many races of the
universe and had dealings with all kinds of peoples within the Arkonide
empire, realized suddenly with absolute certainty that the human race was the
one to become the heirs of this galactic empire. He felt no regret when he
recognized this fact, which he then proceeded to register and store in his
immense brain. Captain Klein interrupted the silence. "Lieutenant Li
Tschai-tung, our ally from the Asiatic Federation, has disappeared. Mercant
believes that the M.S. got hold of him." This unexpected shock jolted even
Perry Rhodan. Lieutenant Li was one of the leading agents of the Asiatic
Federation. At the time he was put into action against Rhodan, he was one of
the first men to realise that the big powers had to unite if they wanted to
stand up against the might of the Arkonides. But once this unity had been
brought about he had understood Rhodan’s motivations and learned to appreciate
highly the former test pilot of the Western Bloc. Together with his colleagues
Kosnow from the Eastern Bloc and Klein from the Western Bloc he had gone over
to the side of the Third Power. Klein became the liaison between Rhodan and
Mercant, while Li became the link between Rhodan and the secret service of the
Asiatic Federation.And now the M.S. appeared to have overpowered this man.
Thus, Rhodan was attacked directly for the first time, apart from some
insignificant episodes during their first attempt. "What do you mean by
that‘-he disappeared’? Li can’t have disappeared into a void." "Li
disappeared from Greenland and returned to China without being authorized to
do so. Mercant thinks that the M.S. intend to undermine and ruin the big
powers one by one." "Why would they pick on our liaison officers for that
purpose?" Rhodan regarded Klein with some uneasiness. The captain noticed the
feelings of distrust that were rising in Rhodan. He shook his head. "If you
should be thinking the M.S. have got hold of me, too, then I must disappoint
you. Is there no way you can ascertain the presence of an M.S.?" "How do you
propose one could go about that?" "I have no idea; but I thought that you
with your technical means"- "The frequency detector!" Bell interjected
nonchalantly. Rhodan acknowledged the suggestion with an angry slap on his
thigh. He was annoyed at himself for not having thought of this right away. Of
course-that was a possibility. The highly sensitive detector set could receive
the vibrations of the human brain and register their frequencies. The detector
was capable of distinguishing between a normal brain and that of a mutant,
despite the fact that the difference was rather slight between the two sets of
brainwaves. How tremendous, on the other hand, must be the difference between
the human brain and that of the insectlike M.S.! "You are right, Reg! That
should give us an efficient method of determining whether somebody has been
taken over by the M.S. The only question remaining is what to do in such a
case. We can’t simply kill that person, if there is any chance left of saving
his life. There is no sense in chasing the M.S. from one human body to
another."From the background came Khrest’s voice, which could he heard over
Thora’s protestations. "The thing to do is to destroy the body of the M.S.
that he left behind sleeping somewhere. This in turn will cause the human
mind, imprisoned in the insect’s own body, to return to his own. The mind of
the M.S., on the other hand must die together with his own body. That is their
only known vulnerable spot; we must exploit this weakness." "How do you
suggest going about tracking down the M.S. mind on its way back to its
body?" Khrest smiled enigmatically. "This is something you will have to learn
by experience. This is where the mutants will have to come in. Perhaps they
might succeed in bridging the gap between the M.S. mind and body." "Maybe,"
agreed Rhodan half heartedly. He considered it unlikely that they could ever
trace a nonmaterial substance moving at the speed of light. Mind was a form of
energy, and thus undoubtedly a form of matter. It was possible to detect it,
but he was not so sure about pursuing it. Or could there be some chance…?Klein
used the lull in conversation to remark, "Mercant asks you, Mr. Rhodan, to
track down Li. He can’t manage this task by himself. Li is liable to cause
great damage. Mercant is of the opinion that the M.S. will try to shatter the
world’s newly found unity. A divided enemy will he an easier target for the
M.S. That absolutely must not happen." "You say Li has gone to China?" "Yes.
That is as far as we could trail him; then we lost sight of him. We are
inclined to believe that he is now in Peking." Rhodan turned to Bell. "Get me
Ernst Ellert, but quick!" Reginald Bell left without comment. Only Khrest’s
whitish eyebrows arched upward in surprise."What is Ellert supposed to
do?" Since Klein had never heard about Ellert’s special talents, Rhodan saw
fit to give forth with an explanation. "Ernst Ellert is a mutant. His
abilities surpass anything that the human mind could conceive so far. He is a
teletemporarian. That means that he is capable of sending his mind ahead into
the future and thus looking back on the past of our present time. Maybe he
will succeed in hunting down the secret hiding place of the
M.S." "Teletemporarian?" murmured Klein, who was obviously at a loss to
understand Rhodan’s explanation. Then he shrugged and kept silent. He trusted
Perry Rhodan to know what needed to be done.Ellert arrived, and at first sight
it was difficult for those who had been told about his unusual gifts to
suppress a certain disappointment. The German looked perfectly normal, showing
no indication of any special ability. However, his eyes burned with a steady,
never flagging fire. These eyes had peered into eternity, Rhodan thought
whenever he looked at them. "We are holding a council of war," Perry Rhodan
told Ellert "The M.S. have started their invasion of Earth. Lieutenant Li,
special agent of the Asiatic Defence System, has been taken over by them. Tako
Kakuta will give you all necessary information. He will also accompany you. I
hope you will be successful. Before you leave I will give you two frequency
detectors and further instructions." Rhodan hesitated for a moment before he
continued. He had to exert a special effort to bring himself to say what was
on his mind. "I felt reluctant so far to make use of your special talents, Mr.
Ellert. Will you permit me a private question? You have lived in the future
more than once. That means you sent your mind ahead, while your body remained
in the present time. By the way, the fact that you can leave your body at will
and then let your mind slip back into it puts you on the same level as the
M.S. However, you surpass them by far, since your intellect is not chained to
our present time. Can you understand now why I have chosen to put you into
action against the M.S.? If ever there was anybody who could represent a real
danger to them, it is you! But back again to my original question. You were
often in the future, Ellert. Have you ever any indications there that the
Third Power will in the future? Will we defeat the invaders?" A shadow
flitted across Ellert’s face. "I am sorry to have to disappoint you. No, not
in that sense. Don’t jump to any conclusions yet! But the future is nothing
concrete. Many ways lead into the future, or let me say, rather, there is not
just one future. Our present time is something real that has evolved out of a
past that by now has become a fixed reality. But the future is unreal and
uncertain. The smallest event taking place in the present time can change it.
Therefore, I have never yet been in a future that could not still have been
changed, Do you follow me?"Rhodan slowly nodded to confirm that he did
comprehend. Ellert continued, "There are thousands of potential futures,
futures with and without Perry Rhodan. Yet only one of all these possible
futures will become reality. I know that you must feel disappointed now, but
my gift to be able to travel ahead in time even if only with my mind, is
without any practical value for you. I could slip into the wrong time stream
and then my report would not be true." "Why is it that you know all that and
have never before discussed it with me?" asked Rhodan with a hint of reproach
in his voice. "I did not know it myself," Ellert admitted, embarrassed. "I
did some experiments in the last few days and had to learn that different
worlds exist simultaneously. But only one of those will later turn into
reality. I have no clues which it will be." "I see. Then you are totally
useless to us as a prophet." Ellert made a gesture expressing regret. However
the knowing fire still remained in his eyes. Was he not speaking the truth?
Rhodan looked questioning toward John Marshall. But the telepath slowly shook
his head. So Ellert was not lying. He spoke the truth. What then was it that
give him this knowing look? "You might be useless to us as a prophet," Rhodan
continued, but not as an opponent against of the invaders. You are capable of
leaving your body to try to pursue the M.S." "I’ll try to do my best,
together with Tako, to solve the task you have set for me," promised Ellert.
Then, after some hesitation, he added, "According to one of the many potential
futures I will not be among the living in a few weeks. But as I mentioned
already, this is just one possibility among many. This one has just as much
chance of coming true as another where I will assist you way ahead in a far
future to consolidate the existence of the great galactic empire."Perry Rhodan
did not reply. He was very pensive as both Ellert and Tako Kakuta, the
Japanese teleporter, left the conference room. CHAPTER THREE Another
conference room. More than six thousand feet below the Greenland ice cap the
three presidents of the big powers met for the first time-not as before, in
order to hatch plots against Rhodan. This time they were searching for an
effective way to beat back the invaders. Mercant was present. Perry Rhodan
participated in the meeting via a television installation. The narrow end wall
was covered by a huge television screen. Rhodan’s life size figure could be
seen on it. All members of the little group in the conference room could see
and hear Rhodan the same way that he could perceive them. Nothing indicated
that they were separated by thousands of miles.Mercant opened the meeting and
then called upon Perry Rhodan to explain the strategic
situation. "Gentlemen!" Rhodan came to the point immediately. "Unless we
proceed to act at once we are lost. Fortunately for mankind a union of our
world has been accomplished, and thus Earth can finally be called Terra. All
frontiers have practically been removed. You, gentlemen, are ruling the world,
apart from myself, representing the Third Power and the might of the
Arkonides. Also, in the field of economics, our efforts are being
coordinated. "I request that my agents and all authorized personnel may move
unhindered in your countries. They must have free access to all government
offices and especially to those of your defence Systems. My people have been
ordered to protect all important personalities of the world under strict
surveillance in order to become aware at once if any of them have been invaded
by the M.S. For this purpose I need unrestricted power of attorney. I must
request you to give me complete authority." "An embarrassed silence ensued.
No one dared refuse Rhodan’s demand; yet…Mercant intervened. "There is no
doubt that you gentlemen appreciate the necessity of this unusual procedure
and will make your arrangements accordingly. This is what you intended to do,
isn’t it?"The President of the Western Bloc nodded consent Reluctantly, the
President of the Asiatic Federation and the President of the Eastern Bloc
followed suit. They saw no other way out of the dangerous situation they were
faced with. Rhodan breathed a sigh of relief. He had won the first round.
"Thank you, gentlemen! This, then, takes care of the defence measures to be
taken against the invading forces, as far as you are concerned. You no longer
need worry about it. I am confident of accomplishing whatever is necessary
with the help of my own forces. As soon as we locate the enemy spacecraft, we
will destroy it as we did their first ship. But let’s discuss now the second
point on our agenda. As you all know I have founded an organization, the
General Cosmic Company. The manager of this trust concern is Homer G. Adams,
the well known financial genius with the eidetic memory. Our industrial
installations have sprung up everywhere on Earth. We dispose of a working
capital in excess of thirty-five billions. If you are willing to cooperate
also in this area with me officially, I am ready on my part to advance the sum
of thirty billions for a project we are planning for all of us."The President
of the Asiatic Federation leaned forward. "What project are you referring to?"
he inquired eagerly. Perry Rhodan smiled. "A space fleet! Our planet must
have a space fleet!" "What for?" "There are many reasons, Mr. President. One
of these is purely economic. It is no longer a secret that war and military
rearmament used to be part of the economic welfare of a state. This may sound
rather cynical, but is nevertheless a sober fact. We must therefore proceed
according to this well proved principle. With this exception, though-our
efforts will no more serve to manufacture arms for war, but we will have a new
goal, to build a space fleet. This will bring about an economic boom for all
nations on Earth. New industries will arise, every able person will find work.
We will stamp factories and huge industrial enterprises out of the ground. We
will find new methods of producing new materials and manufacturing thus far
unknown machines. "I have spoken about the purely economic aspect and the
tremendous advantages for all of mankind. But there is also a military reason
for having a space fleet You destroyed the Arkonide exploration cruiser on the
moon. An emergency signal was released automatically when this happened. This
S.O.S. is broadcast by radio waves with faster than light speeds throughout
the universe. These signals are intercepted by space travelling races. The
current invasion is a result of this. But other races might be curious too and
seek us out Terra must be ready to ward off any further invasions. For this
purpose we need a space fleet I hope that you will see the logic of this
reasoning and agree with me." All present agreed, and Rhodan’s proposal was
accepted unanimously. But Rhodan was not yet through. His next request
concerned the ways and means for forming a united government of the world.
Rhodan concluded his motion with these words: "Once and for all we must have
the guarantee that no more divisions of power will occur among the nations of
the world. The building of the space fleet will contribute to enduring unity.
But we must take care in other ways to nurture this feeling of belonging to
one larger entity, going beyond the national frontiers. The United States of
the World must become a reality, this age old dream of utopians that has been
ridiculed so long. Never has there been such a favourable prognosis for this
federation of all men as today. The common danger we face and the common
efforts we will have to make to build the space fleet will act as inspiration
for all of us. Will you please, as soon as possible, begin all necessary
negotiations. That is all I have to tell you, gentlemen. Please proceed now on
your own. I am not interested in the internal problems. Mercant will keep me
informed of all the essentials. Thanks for your confidence in me; you will
never have to regret."The television screen on the wall grew dark. All
remained silent until Mercant remarked, "Our goals have been determined,
gentlemen. It is up to you whether we reach them. I wanted to make sure that
we would get some tangible results out of todays meeting, and I have
therefore, asked someone to join us here. This man will be able to advise us
in all financial and economical matters. Gentlemen, may I present Homer G.
Adams, manager of the G.C.C." Ernst Ellert and Tako Kakuta were holding a
council of war in their hotel room in Peking. "You must be able to do it,"
urged Ellert "Just remember how you exploded the oval shaped M.S. spaceship.
You teleported yourself, together with the bomb, into the enemy’s ship. If you
could transport a bomb with you then you also be able to carry along a human
being. You have proved that you can teleport any matter that you touch. Also,
Ishi Matsu can transfer onto others her ability to see through matter, even
when it is far removed." "You might be right," admitted the Japanese with a
polite smile. "We would have to carry out such an experiment I have never
thought of such a possibility. It simply never occurred to me till now, to be
truthful." "We must experiment to find out all about our potential. This goes
for the rest of the mutant corps. It will take many years of experience to
stabilize our forces." "How about taking me along into the future asked the
Japanese in all earnestness. "We should reciprocate favours!" Ellert grinned
impishly. "Is that how you imagine our much praised consolidation of forces to
function?" he mocked. ›If Khrest had any idea of this…"Tako turned serious
again. They had had their fun; now back to their task, "We have found Li," be
stated. "What are we going to do with him now? How can we know if he is going
to do some foolish things, maybe even dangerous ones? We can’t warn the
government offices of the Asiatic Federation. Who can be sure how many of them
have already been taken over by the M.S.?"He had hardly finished when the
buzzer of both their all purpose sets began to sound. They pushed the receiver
button and heard the voice of Ras Tschubai, the second teleporter of Rhodan’s
mutant corps."Listen, there is some work for you Li just drove to the airport
and bought a ticket for the stratoliner to Batang. The plane leaves tomorrow
morning at six thirty-five." "What a ghastly time to have to get up!" moaned
Ellert, who loved to sleep late. "What does he want in Batang, of all
places?" "How should I know? He did not state a reason for his trip when he
bought the ticket" "You have a point there," laughed Ellert "Why don’t you
come and join us here? Li won’t get away during the night. When is he due to
arrive in Batang?" "The flight lasts two hours. At about eight thirty, I
should think." "We will meet him with a reception committee in Batang," said
Ellert. "Okay, don’t worry any more about Li. Just jump!"It took only one
second for the heavyset African to materialize in the middle of the hotel
room. He broke out in a grin when he saw that Ellert and Kakuta were startled
at his sudden appearance. They jumped quite unconsciously, for no one can get
used to seeing a person appear out of the void-not even another
teleporter. "Do you have any idea what our friend wants in Tibet, of all
places?" Tako asked. "Batang lies in direction of Tibet, if I am not
mistaken." "You are not," confirmed Ras. "More than a thousand miles. Quite
some jump, I must say. How will we do that?" "Well take Ellert between us,
and then we’ll jump. Let’s hope we can make it"Ras’s eyes grew to saucer size.
"Take Ellert between us, in the middle? Do you mean to say that we will take
him along when we jump?" "Why not?" asked Tako. "He isn’t as heavy as a
medium sized bomb! So what about it?" The plane landed at the scheduled time.
Li disembarked and walked to the airport buildings without looking right or
left. He seemed to feel absolutely safe. Since a Japanese would not be
conspicuous here at Batang, Tako had taken charge of Li’s direct surveillance.
He kept in constant touch with his two colleagues by way of his tiny
transmitter, concealed in a bracelet.Li had no luggage, but he carried a large
sum of cash. How he had obtained the money, no one knew, least of all probably
Li himself. He took a room in one of the most expensive hotels, paid three
days’ rent in advance, and then did not leave his room for the rest of the
morning. Tako kept watch sitting in a little bar across from the hotel. He was
utterly bored. He was afraid of falling asleep and hoped to be relieved from
this dull duty as soon as possible.Ras came to Tako’s rescue toward noon. He
ordered a drink and assured his Japanese friend that he would not at all mind
staying in the little bar till evening. Not quite so sure about that and a bit
unsteady on his legs, Tako left the bar and went straight to the hotel, where
he was awaited by Ellert."What on Earth do you think Li wants to do in this
godforsaken town?" asked Ellert. He had been lying on his bed reading a book
when Tako entered the room in a most conventional manner. Now he put his book
aside and asked the question that had preoccupied him all morning. Tako was
just as puzzled about Li’s reason for being in Batang. ›I haven’t the faintest
idea," be sighed, and flopped into the nearest chair. "We couldn’t very well
ask him personally. But couldn’t you peek into the future and find out what
his intentions are?" "I have no way of knowing whether I will reach the real
future or simply some probability time stream. Fortunately, my mind is not
tied to my body. It can move freely about, not being bound to any matter. I
can travel even at right angles to the time stream, if necessary. But I never
know whether what I am seeing will eventually happen." "Why don’t you give it
a try!" suggested Tako, who had only a vague notion about teletemporation.
"I’ll keep watch on your sleeping body here."Ellert nodded and remained lying
on his bed. "There won’t be any harm in doing it," be admitted. "But I can’t
tell how long this trip will take. Don’t let anybody enter this room. Make
sure of that!"Tako stood up and walked over to lock the door. When he came
back to the bed, Ellert was lying there already motionless with closed eyes.
Tako bent over his friend and stopped short. Ellert had stopped breathing-or
was this only a delusion? His pulse was weak. Tako pinched Ellert’s cheek, but
there was no response.Tako decided to take a nap, since there was nothing much
he could do now. His head had hardly hit the pillow before he was asleep.
Nothing disturbed this peaceful afternoon. In the meantime Li was sitting in
his hotel room a few blocks away. The intellect that had invaded his brain,
there-by replacing Li’s own intellect, had established telepathic
communication with its commanding officer high up in space, travelling in an
oval shaped spaceship."We will have to abandon our plan to protect our base on
the third planet. The human being by the name of Li has become suspect. But it
would be senseless to try to take over another human body. We would have to
start all over again. Besides, Li has only aroused suspicion; no one is
certain about his state. Li will remain in Batang for two more days; then he
will fly to the United States. Wait for further instructions." From that
moment on Li’s activities had no rhyme or reason. He wandered aimlessly around
town, seeming to ignore the people that were shadowing him. On the third day
he bought a ticket to Carson City, Nevada, by way of Hong Kong.Just as was to
be expected, Ellert’s attempt had remained unsuccessful. On the contrary,
everyone was still more confused. Ellert had left the present time and had
advanced into the future. His disembodied mind had floated above Li as he was
flying from Hong Kong to Nevada. A horizontal shift in the time stream had
shown another possibility. The same airplane, but without Li sitting in it.
How could one tell which was the truth?It began to dawn on Ellert how little
practical use could be made of his extraordinary ability. Each point in
present time was a pivot that led into all potential futures. There was an
infinite number of different directions events could take. Only the present
could determine the one path that would come true. Looking ahead into the
future could only reveal all the various potential ways, but no one knew which
of all these possibilities would become reality. Therefore, any event that
had ever happened could never be changed again. Time could not be turned back
for retroactive changes. While Ellert was mulling over these thoughts another
idea had occurred to him. He was not yet capable of appreciating its full
extent. He must discuss this with Perry Rhodan. If his theory should prove
correct, then the days of the M.S. on Earth were numbered… Perry Rhodan and
Ellert were sitting alone and undisturbed in the command center of the old
Stardust I. This was Rhodan’s favourite retreat, where he felt most at ease.
This was where his fantastic career had started.Ellert began with his report.
"We did not follow Li during his flight to the U.S.; we knew his destination.
In the meantime John Marshall seems to have taken him under his wing. And
according to what I was told, Anne Sloane is also staying in Carson City. I
must agree to your notion that Nevada Fields must he Li’s next stop." "This
would make most sense," Rhodan confirmed calmly. "While I had left my body in
order to observe Li in the future I made a remarkable discovery. The M.S.
communicate with each other telepathically! I even managed to understand part
of their conversations. Unhindered by our material hull, our body, our
intellect works in a more perfect and advanced way. If need be, we could
probably communicate directly with the M.S. via telepathy. But this would make
no sense in my opinion. For it is much better if they never find out about
this possibility. Another idea that came to me-I am convinced that it is
possible to pursue a disembodied M.S. mind. Any teleporter should be able to
do so. A teleporter travels by transporting his body and mind together into
another dimension and later materialises at a different place. In this respect
he is nothing but pure spirit, somehow related to that of the M.S. Under these
circumstances it seems quite likely that Ras or Tako, or even myself, can
attach himself to the M.S. when the M.S. leaves a human body in order to
return to his own insect hull." Perry Rhodan had been listing very
attentively. His brilliant brain considered the possibilities, evaluated the
chances, and registered everything like an electronic robot. Therein he was
assisted by the tremendous knowledge of the Arkonides. His memory banks
discharged the needed information. He looked up and said to Ellert, sitting
across the small table, "You are right, Ellert. You are absolutely right. We
will try it; we will take that risk. We believe that Li flew to Nevada with
some special reason. Miss Sloane will keep me informed about Li’s every move.
But there is something else I want to discuss with you. You know that I never
have made any demands on your talent as a teletemporarian. At first I
refrained from doing so because of ethical reasons. In the meantime we have
found out that the presence of the manifold planes of probability forestall
any attempt to obtain a clear vision of future events. Despite all this I must
ask you to make an exception. Something very odd has taken place.…"Ellert bent
forward with great interest to view the newspaper article that Rhodan was
pointing out to him. Huge headlines attracted his attention, and he began to
read. SIX YEAR OLD SHOOTS FATHER WITH HIS OWN GUN Mysterious murder
committed by a child. Mesilla, New Mexico, from our special
correspondent One of the most mysterious murders of the century happened
yesterday morning in Mesilla, New Mexico. Betty Toufry, a six year old girl,
grabbed her father’sgun, while sitting on his lap, and shot him. The
child had never before handled the weapon and had no idea how to use
it.… Allan G. Toufry, the girl’s father, as the article pointed out, had been
an atomic scientist. He had been instrumental in the development of the latest
type of atom bombs. He had been in charge of the most recent atom bomb tests
in the desert. According to the report, the little girl had just minutes
earlier run eagerly to greet her father. As he was embracing her, she had
suddenly seemed startled. While she was seated on her father’s lap the gun
appeared to fly toward her hand. This scene was witnessed by the family maid,
whose eyewitness report should be regarded with reservation, since the woman
seemed to he in a highly hysterical state. In any case, continued the report,
the case should be investigated thoroughly by psychological experts.Ellert
looked up to peer into Rhodan’s questioning eyes."How does this strike you?"
asked Perry. Ellert shrugged. "Incredible! I am particularly intrigued by the
family maid’s statement. I am inclined to believe she was speaking the
truth." "So do I," admitted Rhodan. "I have a hunch, but I’d like to be on
safe ground. Therefore, I would like you to find out what will happen to this
child in the future. Especially what kind of person she will grow up to be.
Can you find out for me?" "Up to a certain point. Whichever direction the
future will take eventually has no effect on the personality. That remains
always the same regardless. It does not matter into which of the many
potential futures I land; the main point is that Betty Toufry is alive
now." "That’s what I thought, Ellert. Will you have to travel to New Mexico,
or can you manage from here?" "It would be more advantageous if I could be
there. Besides, it would be close to Carson City." "Okay, Ellert. That makes
sense. Leave at once. Keep me informed. I am most interested in this little
girl." The telepaths were capable of immediately spotting the M.S. because of
the aliens’ peculiar thought pattern. The ring tightened closer and closer
around the invaders but not without danger to their pursuers.Nevada Spaceport
was the main installation for the exploration of space. A tight cordon was
placed around the whole area in order to keep out trespassers. Unfortunately,
this did not affect the M.S.; they could cross the security zone at any time
and then find a safe hiding place in their victims’ bodies.It was therefore
essential for Rhodan’s agents to keep watch on the inside of the cordoned off
area and to be on the lookout for possible intruders,This did not especially
please Captain Burners from the Security Forces, but he did not have much
choice in the matter. After all he had to obey the orders of his chief, Allan
D. Mercant. He did not always understand these orders, lately, for be had been
used to clear rules. Anyone who had no legitimate business inside the zone was
not allowed to enter. That was plane enough. And now, all of a sudden, all
kinds of strangers were permitted to stick their noses into matters that did
not concern them in the least. There was that Marshall, for instance. He was
most exasperating. Kept smiling all the time as if he knew everything. What
could that guy know, after all! Well, he was one of Rhodan’s men, and Rhodan
was supposed to have his fingers in every pie.John Marshall, the telepath from
Australia who had foiled a bank robbery by reading the criminal’s mind, was
now in Rhodan’s service. Marshall was authorized to move freely wherever he
liked inside Nevada Spaceport. It was only natural for him to make good use of
this opportunity and to familiarise himself thoroughly with the farflung
installations of the spaceport. He knew General Pounder, Chief of the Space
Exploration Command, as well as his assistant, Colonel Maurice. He was
friendly with Dr. Fleeps, of the Department of Space Medicine, the same as
with Dr. Lehmann, the scientific director of the California Academy of Space
Flight. And of course, he was also acquainted withCaptain Burners. So far
Marshall had been unable to detect a single M.S. It seemed most improbable but
was nevertheless the case. John racked his brain whether this was by accident
or design, but could not find an answer. He kept all important personnel under
constant surveillance and spoke with them every day, all the while exploring
their thoughts, thanks to his mind reading abilities. Yet he could not
discover anything suspicious. Today he had been invited by Dr. Lehmann for a
game of chess. The elderly gentleman was a passionate player and was happy to
have found his match in the person of John Marshall. It goes without saying
that the scientist had not the faintest notion how Marshall managed to be such
an excellent chess player-he simply read the old man’s mind and thus knew in
advance every one of his moves."Check!" he said triumphantly, and moved his
queen, believing he had won the game. With evident enjoyment he was puffing at
his pipe, which gave off clouds of evil smelling smoke. "Are you sure, Dr.
Lehmann? inquired the Australian. "Do you think I forgot about my bishop? You
are wrong there. Well, what do you have to say now?" Lehmann stared at the
bishop, completely nonplussed. Indeed he had assumed that his partner in the
game had forgotten all about the bishop that had been standing in a corner,
completely hemmed in for the last ten minutes. John lit a cigarette while
Lehmann seized his queen between nicotine stained fingers. He raised the
figure pensively. But in midair, Lehmann suddenly stopped moving. He seemed to
turn to stone. John, who was secretly amused at his opponent’s intention to
threaten his bishop by a stealthy move of his queen, suddenly realized with a
start that Lehmann’s thoughts had broken off abruptly.He glanced at Lehmann,
who was now sitting motionless like a stone figure. His eyes had assumed a
vacant stare. His hand, still holding the queen, hovered above the chessboard.
Not the slightest tremor could be noticed, not even a faint involuntary
twitching of his eyelids. At the same time John felt something pushing into
the space that, an instant before, had been occupied by the professor’s mind.
With lightning speed John withdrew the tentacles of his own probing,
telepathic mind from within Lehmann’s brain. He kept only in loose touch so as
not to disturb the penetrating alien mind of the M.S.Marshall endeavoured not
to incur any suspicion. He knew that within a few seconds one of the invaders
would look at him from Lehmann’s eyes. This should take about five seconds,
according to Mercant.Indeed! When the five seconds had elapsed Lehmann began
to stir. Like a puppet he put down the queen on a square where it made no
sense at all. Life returned to his staring eyes. He looked questioningly at
Marshall. "Well?" John tried to pull himself together. Never in his life
before had he been faced with such an infernal situation. If only he could
have penetrated into the alien’s mind. But that was not as simple as that. The
M.S. possessed some rudimentary traces of telepathic ability. He would become
aware of his probing at once. Better not risk that."Not a smart move,
Professor! It would mean checkmate for you. Are sure you did not intend to do
that really. I’ll give you another chance." With these words Marshall seized
his bishop and placed it in a rather unfavourable position. It should have
been a simple matter for Lehmann to take advantage of John’s gross negligence.
But he did nothing of the sort. Apparently it took a certain time before the
M.S. could appropriate all the information stored in his victim’s memory
banks. Lehmann’s next move was nonsense and against all the rules of the chess
game.John pretended not to notice, and he in turn made a move that was net any
less clumsy. While doing so he tried to approach the alien mind, but he ran
into a mental obstacle that he could not overcome. He wanted to avoid applying
force, lest he draw the opponent’s attention to himself. This then meant that
the M.S. were capable of screening off their own thoughts by placing a barrier
around them. Thus it would be impossible to learn their intentions by reading
their minds. There might nevertheless be a chance that the barrier would
loosen up when the M.S. took up telepathic communication with each other. John
must be sure to watch out for such a possibility.The chess game proceeded in a
most unorthodox manner, although the M.S. seemed to catch on fairly fast John
deemed it wise to let him win the game. Then he took his leave with a few
harmless words. He concluded with: "I hope you’ll keep your promise,
Professor!" "What promise?" "The experiment. You haven’t forgotten, surely.
You suggested I should watch your next experiment with the newest combustion
chamber. You wanted to test it in a couple of days." "Oh…of course. You can
come with me." "Thank you, Professor. Good night." "Good night" Back in his
room, Marshall took out the tiny but powerful transmitter from his suitcase. A
few minutes later he was talking to Perry Rhodan, who was not pleased at first
to be taken away from his early morning work with Khrest and the mutants. As
soon as he heard John’s voice, all his anger vanished. He listened attentively
to Marshall’s report. Then he said slowly, "Keep Lehmann under strict
surveillance. I have heard from Anne Sloane. Li is on his way to the Nevada
Spaceport. He is supposed to be travelling on Mercants orders. He intends to
meet with Lehmann. It is probable that the two plan to carry out some secret
mission that will paralyse our space exploration program. Be constantly on the
alert! Get in touch with Miss Sloane as soon as she arrives. The moment Ellert
completes his current assignment he will join you in your efforts. It looks as
if Nevada Spaceport will soon become the turning point in the invasion."Rhodan
could not know how justified he was in that assumption. It was not difficult
for Ellert to trail Betty Toufry’s path through the time stream. Five years in
the future, he could recognize the best way of exploring her personality. All
the parallel worlds coincided in a strange manner.While he was floating
invisibly above the young girl and penetrating her mind, he experienced a
shocking surprise-Betty Toufry was a telepath! She turned her head a little
as if to listen; then a discreet smile flitted across her delicate features.
She was sitting on the porch of the same house in which she had lived five
years earlier with her father, when an unexpected event took place. "Who are
you?" she inquired soundlessly with her thoughts. Ellert could understand her
clearly. He decided to drop any pretence. There was no sense in attempting to
deceive her; he felt that her telepathic powers were superior to his own. "I
am Ernst Ellert, one of Perry Rhodan’s collaborators." "Well?" She appeared
surprised. Did Rhodan send you?" Ellert was astonished at that reaction.
"What do you mean by that?" She seemed to reflect for a few moments. Then a
little smile brightened her face. "I’m sorry, Ernst. I almost forgot You have
already told me five years ago about this visit you would pay me in the
future. It was thanks to this meeting that Perry Rhodan decided five years ago
to take me under his wing. Since that time I have been working with the mutant
corps. Do you understand that?" "Only partially," admitted the confused
Ellert. "So you are working for Perry Rhodan; is that so?" "Yes, indeed." She
hesitated awhile before she continued, "Listen, Ernst! I am a mutant. My
specialties are telekinesis and telepathy. At the age of six I already had an
I.Q. twice that of a normal adult. New mutants are being born in all parts of
the world. The new type of man is coming into being gradually and so far
unnoticed. Someday we will totally replace Homo sapiens." "What a horrible
vision!" "Why? Do you regret that one stage of development will come to an
end? I can’t agree with you. Not Homo sapiens but Homo superior will become
heir to the galactic empire."Ellert’s confusion grew constantly. This little
girl, whose intellect surpassed by far his own, spoke of things that were
talked about only in whispers in Rhodan’s camp. Well, he had almost forgotten
that he was five years in the future now. And most likely in the dimension of
reality."Would you answer a question, Betty?" "Yes, gladly." "Why did you
shoot your father five years ago?" She seemed to hold back her thoughts at
first, but then they came clearly. "As long as I can remember I would always
read his thoughts. My mother had died when I was born. All my love was
concentrated on him alone. That day, he came home, and my thoughts went out to
greet him, when I encountered a barrier that was difficult to pierce. This is
when I was confronted by the M.S. that had invaded his mind. It affected me in
a horrible way, and I could hardly move. My father, or whatever that being was
that was in my father’s body, gathered me up in his arms and kissed me. Then
he sat down, placing me on his lap. All the while I was reading his mind. His
thoughts were all about the imminent destruction of our world, for the
following day he planned to explode the subterranean atom bomb stores to let
our continent go up into the air."Who would have believed my story? I was just
a little six year old girl. I acted automatically. The gun he used to carry in
his pocket flew into my hand by way of telekinesis. And then…well, then that’s
how it happened."Ellert remained silent. He let compassionate thoughts flow
gently around the little girl. She lifted up her head, looking to the sky,
where she presumed Ellert’s spirit to be."And now, Ernst, go back to Rhodan
and report what you have found out about me. There is one thing I can tell
you-the M.S. invasion will fail! We will defeat them. But you, Ernst…"Her
thoughts grew dim, he could no longer perceive them. "Go on-what is the
matter with me, Betty?" "I am sorry. I can’t tell you." "Why not?" "I am
not allowed to, Ernst. Please, don’t insist any further. You are the pivot
around which the whole future history of mankind revolves. You are the turning
point of human history. Your fate is closely linked with that of the galactic
empire of a far distant future. If you had any idea of what lies in store you
might try to avoid it That must not happen. Go along the path that your fate
has chosen for you, so that Perry Rhodan can reach his goal. You and I will
never see each other again." "And in five years … now? What is going to be
then? Where will I be?" "In another five years? You will look upon this time
as the dawn of mankind. You will look upon it from some lofty viewpoint that
surpasses all human imagination. And now, will you please leave me
alone." Ellert felt that Betty Toufry was erecting a shell around her mind, a
shell he was unable to pierce. A few more seconds of indecision and then he
returned to the present time. He knew exactly what he had to do. CHAPTER
FOUR "You are convinced that the invaders’ base here on Earth is somewhere in
Tibet?" asked Reginald Bell.Rhodan nodded. Khrest was sitting next to him.
Rhodan held a sheaf of papers in his hand, the latest reports from the G.C.C.,
telling about the new factories and industrial installations that Adams was
having built in all parts of the globe. He had already started the
construction of the terrestrial space fleet. The borders between the world’s
nations seemed to have come down finally, at least in this respect"I know for
sure, Reg. The M.S. intend to have Li proceed to their base. What their plans
are once he gets there we unfortunately do not know, though. The M.S. changed
their minds once they became aware of Ellert’s mind probing inside the brain
of Dr. Lehmann, who in turn had been taken over by one of the M.S. They did
not abandon Li’s body and select a new target. Li travelled to Nevada
Spaceport and there met Dr. Lehmann. I am sure that the two have orders to
deal a serious blow to our space exploration program there." "I have no idea
how to prevent the two from carrying out their orders," remarked Khrest. He
still seemed to doubt that anyone could ever manage to resist the M.S. His own
decadent race had become too tired to fight effectively against the invaders.
They have conquered whole star systems and subjugated entire races, and nobody
could prevent it. "We most certainly will?" said Rhodan, hard and determined.
"We have the means to do it, too. The disastrous atom bomb had something in
its favour, despite the havoc it wreaked on part of mankind. Atomic radiation
resulted in accelerating the development of the human race by a thousand
times. Whatever man would have developed into within ten thousand years, he
has already become today, at least partially so. Our mutant corps is nothing
hut the precursor of the future human norm. And this did not happen any too
soon, for without the assistance of our mutants we would be the helpless
victims at the mercy of a merciless foe." Khrest looked straight at Rhodan.
There was a fire burning in the golden hued eyes below his mighty brow-the
same fire that Rhodan had once before perceived in them when they were
discussing Earth’s future fate linked with that of the Arkonide empire.
Khrest’s gaze was filled with admiration, joy, and trust, mixed with some
worry. All this against a background of the unlimited knowledge of an age old
race that had witnessed the rise and fall of many solar systems."I have lately
been preoccupied with the question whether fate or accident rules the
universe," he replied. "I am almost inclined to lean toward fate playing the
decisive role. How powerful and inconceivable must be the might of the one who
has to weigh the.…" "As far as our little world here is concerned, we are the
ones to decide," interjected Bell in his usual prosaic manner. Quickly he
changed the subject to what was now nearest to their hearts. "What will happen
in Nevada?" Rhodan smiled enigmatically. "We will set a trap for them. In
case they get caught in it, which seems most likely the way things stand at
the present time, we should know shortly if we will win or lose our battle
against the invading enemy. It all depends on whether Ellert’s theory works
out in practice." "Do you really believe his theory that our teleporters can
pursue the disembodied minds of the Mind Snatchers when they leave their
victim’s bodes in a kind of a panic?" "Yes, I do believe this to he feasible,
Khrest," confirmed Rhodan. "This will be our only chance to discover their
hiding place. Once we are that far, the rest should not be too difficult. We
might even be lucky and catch one of the M.S. in their natural form. Talking
about this, I am reminded of a splendid suggestion that Ellert made to me. But
all this depends on the outcome of the experiment in Nevada." "How about
letting us in on the big secret!" urged Bell. "What are you planning to do
there?" "That won’t take long to explain. You, too, should listen carefully,
Khrest, I plan the following.…" The new element had all the necessary
prerequisites to become the future ideal propellant for space travel. It took
up very little space in its solid form, which was one of its greatest
advantages. Furthermore, it was absolutely harmless as long as it was not
exposed to some harmless type of radiation, which could be produced at any
time with the help of simple instruments. If that radiation process took
place, then an atomic structural change was induced, which in turn depended on
the intensity of the radiation. This radiation then was a catalyst; without it
the new element remained nothing but a useless piece of metal. The
experiments had not yet been concluded. Dr. Lehmann had succeeded in creating
this new element. It was so cheap to produce that a trip to Mars would cost no
more than a bus ride around town. Of course, this cost was negligible once the
spaceship had been built. With the application of the radiation it was
possible to release as much energy as was needed at that point. This new
propellant would be ideal for faster than light flight. Of course, this was
still only theory. But Dr. Lehmann was so obsessed by this idea that no one
could deter him from carrying out the final experiments. One of the final
steps was supposed to take place today. As the official representative of
Allan D. Mercant, Li had access to all the installations of the research area.
Lehmann would have been the last to object to his presence, since he knew Li
to be really an M.S. like himself. The invaders intended to overexpose the new
element to the catalytic radiation. This would result in an irreversible chain
reaction, which would lead to the total destruction of the research center.
Afterward, the two M.S. would leave the now useless bodies of their unwilling
hosts and look for new victims. This was the point where some changes would
occur. Ellert had claimed that only a panicky M.S. would flee in such a
manner that could be pursued. Great hurry would preclude the necessary
preparation for the flight. Ellert had argued that this would not leave them
sufficient time to build up a protective mental screen that would blur the
trail leading into another dimension. Although this sounded rather confusing,
It was nevertheless convincing. This was why the catastrophe planned by Li
and Lehmann had to be brought about as quick as lightning and then had to be
stopped just in time, after the two M.S. had abandoned their two host bodies
in a hurry. They would be forced to such haste unless they chose to die
together with their victims’ bodies.Lehmann and Li entered the room that
housed the atomic reactor. They were in the company of John Marshall. Nothing
seemed to arouse Lehmann’s suspicion. The lab assistants greeted him and then
turned to their work again. He obviously recognized them as being regularly
employed in the lab. He hardly noticed, though, two or three new employees;
least of all the new electrician, Ellert, who was busy with some levers
located close to the huge switch gear box. Anne Sloane, who was scheduled to
play the most important part in the coming catastrophe, was stationed
inconspicuously somewhere in the background of the maze of instruments and
installations.A dull thud marked the closing of the heavy lead door, the only
access to the reactor center. Lehmann knew that a push from the inside would
open it again. As soon as the chain reaction started there would be enough
time left to get out of that lab and reach the safety of their own rooms, from
where they would then leave to return to their own insect bodies. Lehmann,
together with Li and Marshall, stepped over to the lead chamber. He pointed to
a brick shaped metal bar that gleamed suspiciously behind the pane of
quartz. "This is the new element, gentlemen. If we send an electric current
through these points over there a radiation process is started that passes
through the element, thus bringing about structural changes. So far we have
not yet succeeded in making full use of the energy set free. The energy is
changed into heat, which registers over there on that temperature gauge. The
inside walls of the lead chamber are highly heat resistant. The whole process
must be increased only very gradually to avoid a sudden blow-out. Well, you
two laymen won’t be able to appreciate the full extent of the progress that is
hidden in this apparently insignificant looking piece of metal in there. Its
energy would be sufficient to propel a spaceship halfway through the universe
at the speed of light."Lehmann walked over to the switchboard. For a moment he
contemplated Ellert, who was dressed in a white lab coat. Ellert acted as if
he had known the professor for a long time, realizing, though, that such a
famous man could not be bothered to remember every little employee working in
the lab. Similar thoughts were racing through the M.S. mind that was dwelling
in Lehmann’s brain."Is everything okay?" asked the scientist. "In perfect
working order, Professor," confirmed Ellert, whose whole knowledge of the
complicated machinery was limited to the manipulation of one single lever.
This was the lever that regulated the switching on and off of the electric
current that in turn determined the intensity of the radiation. "Fine, switch
to the minimum." The lever flipped into the first notch. There were twenty of
these notches. No one in his right mind would ever dare pull the lever over to
the last notch, not even Lehmann, for this would cause the change to occur so
rapidly that in all probability the whole lead chamber would melt
immediately. No change could be observed behind the quartz pane, but the
temperature gauge began to rise. Lehmann expressed satisfaction. "Heat! The
temperature is rising. This position on the first notch would be enough to
supply a whole continent with enough energy for hundreds of years. It’s
incredible, isn’t it?"Li was standing next to Lehmann. He was silent There
was, after all, no need for words between him and his fellow M.S. in the form
of Lehmann. They communicated telepathically. It was not difficult for
Marshall to probe cautiously these quick thoughts that rushed back and forth
between the two aliens’ minds. John had to be very careful not to make them
suspicious of him. His scientific knowledge was too limited to appreciate the
full extent of Lehmann’s scientific achievement, but he did understand Li’s
question, "What is the critical point?" "When the lever goes up to the
seventh notch," replied Lehmann via telepathy. But the words he spoke out loud
to Ellert were, "Advance the lever another notch!" Ellert comprehended the
devilish plan the M.S. had batched out. Lehmann would ask him gradually to
increase the amount of energy until the seventh notch was reached, at which
point the process would become irreversible and a chain reaction would set in.
But all this would proceed at a very slow rate. Thus the two M.S. could leave
the reactor room in all leisure, return to their rooms, and proceed to
transfer their minds back to their own bodies, while in the meantime, here
inside the reactor, the unleashed forces would begin their disastrous
work. Anne Sloane realised that the time had come for her to act. Under no
circumstances must Ellert be disturbed now. Like John Marshall, he must be
able to concentrate fully on the two M.S. in order to follow them on their
headlong flight. Ellert would leave his own body, yet remain in the present
time. John would recognize the exact instant when the M.S. decided to flee. He
would signal to the man who so far bad kept inconspicuously in a faraway
corner behind one of the huge generators. Tako Kakuta, the teleporter, would
dematerialize his body and follow the M.S., the same as Ellert. Nothing could
go wrong now, unless they had overlooked something. This did not seem likely,
thought Ellert, who had stepped back from the switchboard. Lehmann observed
the rising temperature gauge. A fanatic gleam was in his eye. He no longer
tried to keep up the pretence. Li, on the other hand, remained calm. "Move
the lever up to seven!" commanded Lehmann unexpectedly. The moment had
come! Anne Sloane approached. Her eyes were fixed on the lever on Ellert’s
instrument panel. The lever began to move slowly, going beyond the seventh
notch, advancing further and further. At the same time the total reserve
current from the generators passed through the reactor, transformed into
radiation that penetrated the metal block of the new element. Then it was
caught again, ready to start the whole process over again. Anne knew that this
could go on for twenty seconds before serious damage could result. For then a
chain reaction would set in that could not be stopped. No one would be able to
escape the inferno that would break loose inside the reactor room, if the only
door could not be opened.She turned around and directed her glance toward the
heavy lead door. The invisible energies of her mind penetrated the metal and
bolted the exit from the outside. Now the door could no longer be pushed open
from the inside. They were an prisoners in a burning hell that was about to
turn everything into incandescent gas. Twenty seconds were left, not an
instant more. Professor Lehmann spun around. For a moment he lost his
composure when he saw the lever approach the maximum point The lever seemed to
be moved by some invisible hand. Lehmann was so startled by this sight that he
let precious seconds elapse before he could search his memory banks for the
necessary information for such an emergency. Now he knew! It would take twenty
seconds before the catastrophe set in. But before he managed to reach the
lever and push it back into a safe position, the electric circuit blew out
under the overload. Sparks were flying and lightning flashes jumped across the
burst fuses. Lehmann shrank back when he saw the lever melt and assume a
distorted shape due to the tremendous heat. The stench of burned rubber and
melting metal filled his nostrils. There was a smell of ozone in the air. Li
stood rooted to the spot. Hastily he tried to confer with Lehmann, who did not
pay any attention to him. He was still preoccupied trying to solve the riddle
of the mysteriously moving lever. He could not arrive at an explanation. Then
it dawned on him that only immediate flight could save him. He was so
terrified that he forgot the five seconds that still remained, which would
have given him all the time he needed for an orderly retreat. The heavy lead
door would not budge. Fifteen seconds had passed. The catastrophe was
imminent. Sixteen seconds. Now it was too late to open the way into another
dimension. The two M.S. understood that no way out existed but to abandon the
human bodies on the spot unless they wished to perish together with them.
Without the necessary preparation they withdrew and forced their way into a
world that is exclusively reserved for disembodied intellects. They left
behind the lifeless, rigid bodies of the two men who were awaiting the return
of their original spirits. That would happen only at the twenty-first second …
and that would be too late!John Marshall gave the arranged signal to Tako
Kakuta, waiting in the background. The Japanese dematerialized and
disappeared. He connected himself to the matterless stream of the fleeing M.S.
and let himself be carried toward an unknown destination. The pursuit was much
simpler than he had imagined. Seventeen seconds. Anne Sloane concentrated on
the white hot lever and tried to apply all her reserves to push it back to
point zero. But she failed. A few drops of the molten metal had dripped down
and congealed. Her strength was not enough to overcome this obstacle. She
could not understand why. She knew that she was capable of lifting weights of
several tons by the sheer power of her mind. But now she had to capitulate
before that ridiculous lever. The strain had been too much for her. She was
now completely exhausted. Eighteen seconds. "Ellert … the lever! I can’t
move it!"Nineteen seconds. One more second to eternity! Ellert did not
hesitate. He leaped over to the panel and pushed with all his force against
the deformed lever. A hissing sound could he heard; then with a sudden jolt
the powerful pressure wrenched loose the molten metal drops that had glued the
lever in the twentieth notch. Smoothly the lever slid back to point zero. At
the same time the current found a more direct path than the wide leap across
the interrupted wires. A bluish white flash jumped from the machine and
disappeared in Ellert’s body.The teletemporarian collapsed. His burned arm
gave off a terrible stench. But the catastrophe had been averted. Before the
twentieth second had come, the lever rested on zero. In the twenty-first
second, Lehmann and Li began to stir. Life returned to their bodies. At first
they looked in consternation at everything around them, especially Li, who had
never before in all his life been inside such a scientific research
laboratory. He recognised John Marshall and Anne Sloane. Then he saw the
lifeless form of Ellert sprawled on the floor near him. He had no idea what
was going on in this room. It was a different story with the professor.
Although he could not figure out how he had come so suddenly from his chess
hoard to this switchboard, he naturally recognized the familiar surroundings
of his usual place of work. He remembered the experiment he had been so long
preparing. And finally he noticed Marshall. "What has happened?" he asked
quietly. "I can’t remember…"Later, Professor," interrupted John. "A lot has
happened, and you will understand everything. But right now there are more
urgent matters. Is there still any danger here, Lehmann? The metal bar inside
the lead chamber was exposed to the most intense radiation for nineteen
seconds. Will that cause a chain reaction?" Lehmann stared at
Marshall. "Nineteen seconds? On notch twenty? Who ordered that?" "Never mind
that, just answer my question-now, Professor!" Lehmann shook his head. "The
limit of stabilization lies at about twenty seconds." "Okay. Then we have
time to look after Ellert. Miss Sloane, get a doctor, quick!" Dr. Fleeps
seemed to have a six sense, for hardly had Anne pushed back the outside bolt
on the heavy lead door, using again her telekinetic powers, than the
specialist for space medicine stormed into the reactor room. "I was told that
our instruments recorded unusual fluctuations in the electric current
here.…" "One of our men was careless and was electrocuted," explained John
Marshall. Ellert had remained motionless on the floor. He was stretched out,
a limp, lifeless corpse. Now it was possible to see that his arm had been
totally burned up to his elbow. Nothing but a stump remained. Still, this
injury could not be fatal, unless the electric shock…Dr. Fleeps bent over
Ellert and began to examine him. In the meantime John Marshall explained
everything that had occurred to the perplexed professor. Li listened with
amazement. This was beyond all plausibility, as far as he was concerned.Anne
waited next to Dr. Fleeps. She felt responsible for what had happened to
Ellert. If she hadn’t failed in her efforts, all would have been different.
She was at a loss why her telekinetic energy had not been sufficient to move
the lever. Had the excitement proved to he too much of a distraction for
her?Dr. Fleeps straightened out. "That’s odd," he mumbled. "That man is
alive."John Marshall,turned around slowly. Anne Sloane asked, "He is alive?
Thank heavens! What should there be so odd about that!" "Ten thousand volts!"
he marvelled. He gazed at the motionless body of Ellert. "Strange that he
could survive that." Dr. Fleeps shook his head. "You did not quite understand
me. He is alive, But only from a biological point of view. But at the same
time he is also a dead man, biologically." All stared at the doctor. No one
spoke. The temperature gauge of the lead chamber had slowly returned to
normal. "How can a human being he alive and dead at the same time!" asked
Professor Lehmann, whose scientific curiosity had been aroused. "That would be
a paradox." "You are right according to the laws of logic," admitted the
physician. It was plainly to be seen how confused he was and how he tried in
vain to hide it "But where does logic come into all these strange phenomena we
have been witnessing lately? Can these alien invaders he reconciled with our
concepts of logic and reality? Haven’t these strange creatures come to us from
a universe where our scientific laws have no application? I am therefore not
at all surprised to see in this man a living dead person." "What makes you
think so!" Dr. Fleeps pointed to the floor where Ellert was lying without
movement. "He is no longer breathing; no pulse, no heartbeat no circulation;
How long since this accident happened!" John looked at his watch. "About ten
minutes ago." "A certain drop in body temperature should already have taken
place. But I can’t detect a trace of it I wouldn’t he surprised if his
temperature remains at around ninety-seven degrees Fahrenheit." "But how can
that be!" "Sorry. I can’t explain this myself. I can just register a fact,
that’s all. Ellert is neither dead nor alive. It is as if his soul had left
his body."John Marshall looked at Anne. There was no one here besides
themselves and Li who knew of Ellert’s special abilities. Perhaps the
teletemporarian had executed a leap through time in order to save his life.
Who could know the truth? Only then when he came back again…"I think Perry
Rhodan should be the judge of all this. Let him make any decisions that need
to be done," interjected Anne Sloane. "I will inform him at once of what has
occurred here."Professor Lehmann took his eyes off Ellert. "And what
happened-what happened to the M.S. that had fled from out bodies?" "We might
find out soon," answered John Marshall, and left the reactor room in the
company of Li and Anne Sloane. Only Dr. Fleeps and a very perplexed Professor
Lehmann stayed behind. CHAPTER FIVE Tako Kakuta felt himself swept up by a
giant whirlpool that dragged him down with irresistible force. For the first
time he became consciously aware of the current in which he was travelling.
Normally this state lasted but a fraction of a second, during which his
dematerialized body was transported from one place to another. He neither saw
nor heard anything, but he could feel with every particle of his body. Maybe
he was travelling through darkness that did not permit him to see. But before
he had time to figure out this strange phenomenon, he had materialized
again. As far as he could guess, just five seconds had elapsed. It was still
dark around him, but now his body had taken on shape again. Gradually the
darkness began to lift, and he saw a faint glow coming from the surrounding
walls. He had the impression of being in a big hall. It was quite
cool. Something on the floor near his feet began to stir. Now his eyes had
become adjusted to the dim light and he recognised the other on the hard,
rocky ground. It took several more seconds before the realization dawned on
him of what these shapes were. The sudden insight made him wince in fear.
There they were stretched out in long rows, the bodies of the Mind Snatchers,
immobilized in a cataleptic state, serving as a prison for the human spirits
while the invaders’ minds had taken over their human frames. Two of the rigid
shapes started to move. These must be the ones that belonged to the two M.S.
that shortly before had dwelt in Professor Lehmann’s and Li’s bodies.Tako knew
he could not waste another second. He dematerialized again and stood almost
immediately on a wide, stony plain. In the distance loomed the white peaks of
the Himalaya Mountains. He estimated the direction and distance of his jump.
The hall where the M.S. bodies were lying was three miles to the south. He
could make out a mountain there, not too high but rather massive. That hall
he had been in was a natural cave. Of course; that was to be expected! Tako
Kakuta manipulated the bracelet around his left wrist. Seconds later he could
hear Perry Rhodan’s voice. "We guessed correctly, Tako. Tibet! Where exactly
are you? I am six miles above the Himalayas." "I don’t know for sure.
Couldn’t you get a fix on me?" "Just a moment. Reg is at the direction
finder. It will take a couple of seconds for us to locate you. Have you found
the M.S. base?" "Everything went in perfect order, according to plan, the way
Ellert predicted. By the way, why didn’t Ellert accompany me?"Brief silence.
Then Rhodan said, "An unfortunate incident occurred we had not foreseen.
Ellert was electrocuted. His body is on its way to the Gobi Desert
base." Tako was unable to reply. He just waited until finally Rhodan
continued. "Who knows, something else might have happened to him, and he
wasn’t dead after all. We aren’t sure yet… Here we are, Reg has located you.
We are one hundred twenty miles to the east from where you are. We’ll join you
shortly."Tako walked over to a large rock and sat down. The sun was setting in
the west, and soon darkness would fall. He did not know Rhodan’s plans, but
warding off the invasion had become a worldwide enterprise where one factor
encroached upon the other until no one knew any longer what his role was in
the overall picture. Only one man had the total overview of the strategy. That
man was Perry Rhodan.Silently the huge space sphere landed on the plateau. The
antigrav beam seized Take and lifted him up before he had a chance to teleport
himself from the interior of the ship. Good naturedly, he tolerated Bell’s
transporting him in such a conservative method into the center where Rhodan
was already waiting for him.Thanks for your efforts, Tako, now we have found
the enemy’s base here on Earth. Now it is up to us to put him out of action
completely. Thora has promised to assist us in that unconditionally. She is
deathly afraid of the Mind Snatchers, which I fully understand. Khrest is with
her at the battle station. I have taken over the command for navigation and
general coordination of all efforts. Where is the cave, Tako?"The Japanese
pointed to the screen. "Over there, that low mountain. Inside, about sixty
feet below the surface." "A natural cave in the Himalayas," said Rhodan with
a bitter smile. "That’s like them, just what I thought they would do."The Good
Hope lifted off vertically without any apparent effort and slid over to the
hill Tako had pointed out. The spacecraft hovered above it while Perry Rhodan
gave some orders to Thora. Then he turned to Take and ~Bell, who had remained
standing just inside the door. "The attack will take place in thirty seconds.
Thora is going to evaporate that part of the mountain directly above the cave.
Let’s hope that we can find an entrance to the cave; otherwise, we risk
burning the bodies of the M.S. I am very interested in catching some of them
alive."Tako seemed sceptical. "Is that advisable? Wouldn’t they take over our
own bodies at once?" "Don’t worry," Rhodan reassured him. "I shall apply the
psychoradiator."The psychoradiator was one of the harmless weapons of the
Arkonides. whoever used it was capable of imposing his own will on the target
personality. Even posthypnotic commands could be given, and they had to be
obeyed unconditionally. Rhodan hoped that the psychoradiator would have the
usual effect even if applied to the insect type aliens. Suddenly a strong
wind sprang up over the flat mountain peek. Cold air masses rushed in from all
sides into the heated airspace above it. The whole mountain top began to
evaporate. The rocks turned into invisible gases that rose up. So tremendous
was the effect of the energy rays that the transition of matter from solid to
gaseous state followed almost immediately without first passing through the
liquid phase. At a depth of sixty feet a dark opening became visible. "The
entrance!" shouted Rhodan, and stopped the attack. The space sphere descended
and touched the ground. Seconds later the airlock opened and Perry, Reg,
Khrest, and Thora rushed out into the open. Tako was already waiting for them
outside. He had preferred to use the much more convenient teleportation. I’ve
already been inside again," he announced. "The opening here leads into the
cave, just a few feet from here. Hurry! Two of the nasty creatures are moving.
They look horrid!"Perry Rhodan hurried ahead of the others, the silvery rod of
the psychoradiator glistening in his hand. He had to bend over on entering the
low passageway leading to the cave. The others followed at a slower pace,
especially Reg, who had a lot of trouble avoiding constant collision of his
broad shoulders with the rocky walls of the narrow path. Khrest and Thora kept
in the background. Unexpectedly the narrow passage widened into a wide hall.
Perry’s eyes had to accommodate to the darkness. The walls sent out a slight
phosphorescence. A draft came from a corner; there must be another exit to the
cave.Reg kept close behind Rhodan. The illuminating rod in his hand lit up,
throwing a bright light across the whole extent of the underground cave. The
first thing they noticed was the long row of lifeless bodies resting on the
ground. They were slightly taller than human beings but looked quite
different. They closely resembled insects. A cry of horror rent the
stillness. Reg had screamed involuntarily. His hand that held the light
trembled. Even Rhodan had trouble overcoming his feelings of shock and
fright, Although he had been mentally prepared to face the Mind Snatchers in
person, their appearance exceeded his worst expectations. Six feet away stood
the two extraterrestrial monsters who had come to Earth to subjugate the human
race. No, even worse than that? For they would not hesitate to destroy the
whole planet. They simply did not tolerate any other races; that was all. An
unbridled drive to destroy was at the root of all their actions. The two
monsters resembled gigantically distorted wasps but differed from these
insects in many respects. They did have the typical wasp waist, as well as six
limbs. Two of these limbs served as legs on which they were standing upright.
Their multifaceted insect eyes glistened maliciously. Two shiny antennae
played excitedly above their pointed heads. Their thoraxes looked hard and
sturdy. Perry Rhodan wasted no time. He directed the beam of his
psychoradiator against the two monsters and ordered them to make an
about-face. Although he had counted on this manoeuvre’s success, he could not
help feeling relieved when the two M.S. carried out his instructions without
the slightest sign of resistance. Therefore, he concluded, their brain
structure had to resemble that of man. This similarity would in the final
analysis become the decisive factor that would permit the human race to win
out over their enemies, the Mind Snatchers."Walk up to the surface and do
whatever you are told by Tako Kakuta!" Rhodan continued. Then he added to the
Japanese, "Wait up there with them until I can join you." As Tako led his two
charges past Bell, the hefty engineer, not normally given to fear, began to
shudder and tremble involuntarily. Reg felt as if Death in person had brushed
against him. "We have never come as close as that to them," remarked Khrest
in a feeble attempt to justify his own race’s lack of success in dealing with
the menace of the M.S. "We never believed it would be possible to make use of
the psychoradiator in our fight against them." "I was absolutely convinced
that the psychoradiator would be effective against the M.S., although I had no
concrete basis for my belief," said Rhodan, at the same time pointing out one
of the important differences between the mentality of his own race and that of
the Arkonide scientist. Being able to convert a mere belief into a scientific
fact demanded a type of energy that the Arkonides had lost as their race had
grown older and more decadent. Thora’s face plainly showed her feelings of
deep repulsion as she stared at the immobile row of lifeless bodies. The
energy gun in her hand was poised as if ready for action."No, Thora, not yet.
Hold it!" he warned her. "There is too much at stake here. If we should
destroy these twenty-two insect bodies here, we would condemn twenty-two
dematerialized human personalities to be in limbo forever. For they cannot
return to their own human frames unless they have been vacated by the M.S.
usurpers, which is of course out of the question, once the M.S. have lost
their own bodies. We can destroy these insect bodies only after their minds
have taken up abode in them again. Then, naturally, we must act
quickly." "Twenty-two human beings?" replied Thora with deliberate slowness.
"Aren’t they worth a victory over our common enemy?" "I would not hesitate to
sacrifice them, if necessary," Rhodan admitted in a sombre voice. "But that
isn’t the point. At all costs, we must avoid twenty-two M.S. in disguise
wreaking havoc here on Earth. Do you understand what I mean? Someone will have
to remain here in this cave to watch for the moment the M.S. minds return. As
soon as the bodies start moving they must be destroyed."A sudden insight
seemed to come over Thora. The disgust in her eyes disappeared and in its
place came something new. Perry Rhodan had observed the same change in her
once before. Now her eyes expressed appreciation and even respect. Respect …
for whom? wondered Rhodan. For himself or perhaps for mankind? That would mean
tremendous progress, worth far more than a battle victory against the
invaders. But perhaps his eyes were deceived by the dim light inside the
underground cave. Nevertheless, couldn’t there have occurred a change in
Thora’s attitude toward Earthlings? Learning to recognize one’s own
shortcomings is usually achieved only by the intelligent. And there was
certainly no lack of intelligence in the brilliant Thora!"Who is going to stay
behind?" she asked. Rhodan smiled. "I guess Reg would be ideal man for that
job-" Before Rhodan could finish his sentence he was interrupted by a scream.
A very frightened Reg was now pointing to one of the reclining shapes on the
ground before them. The monstrous creature began to stir and to sit up
halfway, flaring with vacant eyes into the bright light of Bell’s lamp.Perry
Rhodan lightly touched Thora’s arm. "If you feel like it, you can kill the
thing. Just remember that these Mind Snatchers are the mortal foes of your
nation. Unless we check their advance they will swarm over the Arkonide empire
like a horde of locusts, devouring and annihilating everything in their path.
They will bring about the end of the Arkonide rule in the universe. Don’t be
frightened of killing this beast. Just a few moments ago that was all you
could think about"The beautiful alien female raised her weapon, still
hesitating, and aimed at the giant wasp whose black eyes still gazed into the
blinding circle of light The mere sight of the insect filled Thora with such
fear and trepidation that she quickly overcame her misgivings of killing
another living being while face to face with it." She pulled the trigger. A
violet ray shot out and hit the insect’s abdomen. The violent pain jerked the
M.S. out of his initial lethargic state. But it was too late; it could no
longer react. It could not even send a message of warning to the oval shaped
spaceship that was cruising beyond the Earth’s atmosphere.A burning hole
showed on the insect’s body and a line of fire travelled up to its thorax. The
giant wasp collapsed.Thora lowered her weapon. "It was horrible!" she
exclaimed, handing the gun to Rhodan. "I could never do that again." "But it
will have to be done another twenty-one times," replied Rhodan, taking the ray
gun and passing it to his friend Reg, who was obviously reluctant to accept
it. "Reg, you know what to do, don’t you?" "I won’t stay here all alone,"
protested Bell."Tako can keep you company," suggested Rhodan. "He won’t be
any help," grumbled Reg. "As soon as things get too hot, he’ll just take off
with one of his famous jumps and leave me here to face the mess." But then
Bell accepted the ray gun from Rhodan’s hands and looked grimly along the line
of the reposing insect bodies."Our task is not yet completed," said Rhodan
before he turned to leave. "There are still another twenty-one invaders busy
out there in the disguise of influential men in high posts. Their aim is to
bring chaos and destruction to our world. We must track them down and then
force them to flee back into their own bodies here. Fortunately we know who
they are. So this won’t present too much of a problem for us. I imagine, Reg,
that we will pick you up tonight or sometime tomorrow morning. In the meantime
I have to inform Mercant and our mutant corps and tell them how to proceed.
Have fun here, Reg. Tako will help you while the time away!"Bell was so
stunned at the prospect before him that he did not immediately vent his
feelings. By the time he managed to utter a strong, one syllable comment, his
friend had long since disappeared. The same instant that Ellert touched the
ill fated lever of the electro panel a strange event took place. The strangest
part was that he experienced everything while fully conscious and never lost
his awareness for a single moment. Unbearable pain raced through his body,
then faded quickly. The space around him fell away into a bottomless abyss
that knew neither beginnings nor end. Colourful reflections whirled about him,
sometimes enveloping him from close by, then receding again into the distance.
Undefinable sounds, abstract and devoid of harmony, thronged into his ears, or
whatever served him now as auditory receptacles. These impressions came and
went again in a rhythmical succession, as if he had entered the interior of a
pulsating universe. There was nothing above him; there was nothing below him.
He was floating in the void. At one time a sun with rotating planets whizzed
by somewhere in the distance, far, far away. Galaxies were slowly rotating
like spinning tops, and then they too disappeared somewhere deep into space.
Eternity seemed to shrink into nothing. With a speed that was beyond
comprehension, Ellert was racing through the stream of time, over which he had
lost any control. He was hurled into an infinity devoid of any matter. The
present time remained behind the way Earth would recede from a radar beam
rushing out into space. Nothing could impede his plunge into the future. And
then, all of a sudden, he felt ground under his feet again. So sudden was this
materialization, so unexpected, that he collapsed and lost consciousness. How
long he had been lying there, he could never have told later on. But on
awakening he became aware of his body. Had he returned to the present time, or
had he overtaken his own body some time in the future? He dismissed the
question the same instant he had posed it. Millions of years must have
elapsed, for he had witnessed the growth and death of entire universe islands.
He could never live that long. But he did possess a body! He felt the silky
fur and grew frightened. When finally he managed to open his eyes, his wildest
fears were confirmed. His mind, which had been flung into a far distant
future, had found a new abode, but it was not the body of a human being that
sheltered him now. The monster was four-legged and had only a very limited
intelligence, which left ample space for Ellert’s mind inside the huge skull.
A soft fur covered the monster’s body. Could this be a bear? Ellert wondered.
But he soon realised his mistake. For inside him was suddenly a voice…"I am
Gorx," said the toneless voice. "who are you?"Ellert was startled, but he
managed to think back. I am Ellert. Why aren’t you surprised?" "Why should I
be surprised that you came? We often get visitors from the universe." "Where
am I?" "Our world is called Gorx," came the information. "And what do you
call your sun?" "Gorx." Ellert was puzzled. He could not understand. "Why is
everything here called Gorx?" "Everything is called Gorx because everything
is Gorx." The explanation seemed sheer insanity to Ellert. How could he ever
learn where fate had brought him? Or was this what the planet Earth would be
like millions of years in the future? He dismissed this question too before he
even tried it. He knew that the shock of his physical death had flung him not
only through time but also through space. Ellert made a concerted effort and
left his host’s body.Way down below him he saw a heavy, furry creature crawl
clumsily over the rocky ground. He could discern dark entrances to caves over
there at the vertical rock walls. Here he would not be able to find any
answers to his questions. Not here! Once again the world disappeared from
underneath him and gave way to infinity. Ellert whirled anew through the time
stream, but this time in the opposite direction-he travelled back in time.
When he could once again stop in his fall, he was floating again in the
void. How could he ever find his way back to the present time? There was no
point where he could find his bearings and get a fix on time. He was like a
tiny drop of water in an ocean, a drop that was supposed to touch land at a
certain spot of one of the six continents, at a certain predetermined point in
time that was measured by seconds. The inevitable realization dawned on
Ellert-he could never return to his own time and space. He had become the
prisoner of an eternity whose master he had believed himself to be. No longer
did the question matter where he was. He was confronted by the more horrible
uncertainty of when he was…There was no answer to that question. Unless
eternity itself could supply the solution.And thus Ellert, the prisoner of
eternity, began his quest for the present time, a search that would last for
millions of years… CHAPTER SIX The worker robots had completed their task.
The tunnel penetrated the stony ground of the Gobi Desert to a depth of one
hundred feet. Steel hard enamelled walls would ensure protection against the
ravages of erosion for all time. Neither could any ground water seep through
these walls into the shaft. At the bottom of the tunnel, Rhodan had the robots
construct a rectangular room that contained oxygen supplies, all kinds of
information, instructions, and energy reservoirs. An automic installation
would set everything in motion the moment it was needed. In the middle of the
twelve by twelve foot chamber stood a couch. Attached to it was a very
complicated alarm system, which would be activated the very instant the human
being inside the room took his first breath. This human being was Ernst
Ellert. They had placed him under the electronic instruments. Metal clasps
enclosed his left wrist and both ankles. A helmet had been put on his head.
Close to his mouth they had suspended a mirror connected to selenium cells.
The faintest exhalation would be sufficient to set the whole installation in
motion. The mausoleum had been constructed by Rhodan for Ellert. The building
was unlike anything ever built for any mortal. But Rhodan intuitively new that
Ellert was no mere mortal. Rhodan carried the deep conviction that someday he
would meet up again with the teletemporarian. But it might also be possible
that Ellert would find his way back by himself. Then he should be able to find
his own body in a perfect state, unravaged by the damages that time normally
would inflict on the human body. The three physicians-Dr. Fleeps, Dr. Manoli,
and Dr. Haggard-were of the same opinion: Ellert’s body would never decompose,
despite the fact that it had stopped all metabolic functions. Yet his body
temperature never fell below ninety-seven degrees Fahrenheit.Rhodan glanced
for the last time at the quietly reposing Ellert; then he gave the order to
seal the burial chamber. Ten minutes later liquid concrete was poured into the
shaft, which soon was filled with a solid core. Nothing in the world would
ever disturb the rest of this body-nothing except the harmless looking
apparatus under the ceiling of the burial chamber, waiting there to be put
into action. If ever Ellert should awaken inside the tomb he would be able to
set himself free within half an hour. But what would he find? A world
revolving close to a red sun into which it threatened to fall at any moment?
Or a planet that had been swept clean of any life by an invasion from
space? There might never be an answer to these questions. Who could
predict? Lost in deep thought, Rhodan watched as the robots placed a pyramid
shaped cone above the spot that led down into the burial chamber. In the
distance the mighty sphere of the Good Hope shimmered in the bright desert…All
throughout his return flight to Gobi City, as Reginald Bell had privately
named the Third Power’s Gobi Desert base, his mood was dark and depressed. He
had taken twenty-one lives during the past twenty-four hours. As he kept
reassuring himself, these had not been human lives, but still he had deprived
some beings of their life. Had he been justified to kill?He had had ample time
to discuss this question with Tako, but they had not arrived at a satisfactory
solution. No doubt, they had acted in self-defence. For unless they had
immediately destroyed the M.S. upon their reentry in-to their own insect
bodies, the creatures would have given the alarm to their oval shaped command
ship circling far above the Earth. Or else they might have taken possession of
both his and Tako’s brains.No, Rhodan was right. Leniency was out of place
here; it was far too dangerous. The invaders had chosen to take a calculated
risk when they attacked Earth. They had lost and must therefore accept
punishment. This still need not mean that they would give up the fight. The
oval shaped spaceship had been a worry to Reginald Bell. So far it had not
been possible to pinpoint its location. Either the distance from Earth was too
great or the enemy craft had hidden out somewhere. But where? This was the
question Bell asked of his friend Perry Rhodan after rejoining the desert
base. Rhodan pondered awhile before he replied, "There seem to be no more
Mind Snatchers here on Earth, as far as we know. Their spacecraft might be
hiding out, and I have an inkling where that might be. I placed the two
prisoners into a hypnotrance. Manoli and Haggard examined them. According to
their report they discovered astonishing anatomical differences between theirs
and the human body. The M.S. do not possess a language the way we do. They are
telepaths. A great part of their brain consists of a complicated organic
transmitter and receiver structure. We fear that they are capable of
communicating over distances that amount to light-years." "Have you been able
to talk to them-"I mean, to establish some telepathic rapport?" "Yes, thanks
to Marshall I have been able to communicate with the." "Well, and what did
you find out?" "Unfortunately not too much. They are very stubborn, and I had
to apply the hypnoradiator to make them ‘talk,’ if you’ll pardon this human
expression. Still, they could not divulge any more than they themselves knew.
They did want to destroy our planet. Yes, you heard me right-destroy it
completely. They had no political or economical interest in our world. They
were not driven by any imperialistic motives to take over our Earth. They
imply came to annihilate us, for they cannot tolerate anyone besides
themselves. Therefore, we need not have any qualms if we fight back just as
mercilessly. It is a question of survival-them or us!" "Anything else?" "I
had them get in touch with their commander of the oval craft-while they were
under strict guard, of course. I had them report about their unsuccessful
invasion attempt. Marshall tuned in to their telepathic conversation. He could
understand everything. Their commander ordered the two prisoners to set
themselves free at once. When they informed him that they could not obey his
orders because of their hypnotic trance, he instructed them to commit suicide.
I countermanded this order immediately to prevent them from destroying
themselves. This way, at least I still managed to find out that their oval
shaped spaceship has landed somewhere on the moon, where it intends to remain.
The M.S. plan to wait there for the arrival of reinforcements. In my opinion
it is senseless to start searching for them on the moon. If they are cautious
and avoid exposing themselves to attack, we will never succeed in ferreting
them out But we must forever remain on guard and never relax our precautions
against their threat although I believe that for the time being there is no
imminent danger of invasion." "This is probably nothing but the lull before
the storm," warned Bell. He was obviously not satisfied with the out-come of
the battle. The enemy had not been totally defeated. "Someday they will try to
get even with us." "By then our defensive weapons will have been perfected
and we will have evolved better tactics still. Don’t worry, Reg. Ellert has
shown us the right way to deal with them. The main thing we have to remember
is, whenever we encounter a Mind Snatcher in his natural body, we must not
hesitate an instant before we destroy it."This remark evidently upset Bell. He
inquired anxiously, "And how about our two prisoners here? Who is supposed to
execute them?" Rhodan smiled grimly. "I only temporarily prevented the two
M.S. from carrying out their commander’s order to commit suicide. As soon as I
had completed my cross-examination of both prisoners I released them from my
hypnotic influence." "So?" "They finally obeyed their commander’s orders,
without hesitation. You know, it’s most interesting how they resemble wasps in
this respect. They too have horrible poisonous stingers." Only the most
urgent circumstances could bring Allan D. Mercant to leave his underground
fortress under the Greenland ice cap. Even then he would do so only very
reluctantly-particularly since these sorties were brought about by unpleasant
events. This time, though, Mercant had a feeling as if he were going on
vacation. He clambered into his small, fast service plane and ordered the
pilot to fly to New York. The sensation of freedom stayed with Mercant as he
walked up Fifth Avenue. Suddenly he stopped and looked across the street to a
twenty-two story building. Between the seventh and ninth floors he observed
the giant letters G.C.C. This then must be where the General Cosmic Company
had its offices! Mercant felt a bit disappointed. He had expected that Rhodan
would have bought up at least the whole skyscraper. But maybe, Mercant
thought, his own lack of experience in business matters did not permit him to
make a proper judgment of what course Rhodan should have taken in this
respect. As Mercant was riding up in the elevator, his happy feeling gave way
to a queasy sensation in his stomach. He realized once again that he had to
carry all the responsibility on his own shoulders. Deep inside he knew that he
was on Rhodan’s side, shared his goals and principles. But his own position
with the government forced him to pay a professional visit to the offices of
the G.C.C.He was unhappy to have to obey the call of duty, which forced him to
spy on his friends.He almost changed his mind about his official mission when
Miss Lawrence, the receptionist, welcomed him with a friendly smile that spoke
of her pleasure at his unexpected visit. But then Mercant remembered that the
success of his action depended solely on him. If things did not go according
to plan or if they went too much against his grain, he would simply tell Homer
G. Adams the plain truth. Or better still, he would tell it directly to Perry
Rhodan himself. The short, slight manager of the mighty concern received
Mercant with extreme politeness. No one could have guessed by looking at him
that not too long ago he had been released from a prison in England, where he
had spent fourteen years for embezzling large sums of money. The two men
shook hands and sat down in comfortable leather chairs. Mercant accepted a
cigar from Adams, although he really could not stand their stench. Homer
leaned back, contentedly puffing away. "And to what do I owe the pleasure of
this unexpected visit, Mr. Mercant? Did the Chief send you?" He was getting
at three things simultaneously, thought Mercant, admiring Adams’s skill. First
he had asked the reason for this visit. At the same time he had expressed his
consternation that Mercant had failed to inform him about his intended call.
And to top it off, the catch question, whether Rhodan knew about this meeting.
It was obvious that Rhodan would have let Adams know about such a conference
if he had any idea about it Mercant felt he would have to proceed very
cautiously not to fall into some trap."No, Rhodan knows nothing about this
visit," Mercant replied truthfully. "I come on behalf of my own government to
obtain certain information." Much better in any case to place his cards on the
table. After all, there was no longer a state of war between the government of
the Western Bloc and Perry Rhodan. "It is concerning the construction of our
common space fleet." Homer fingered his rimless glasses, which gave him a
very old fashioned appearance. "The space fleet? Hasn’t that topic been
sufficiently discussed by our experts? To be honest with you, Mr. Mercant, I
don’t understand too much of what it’s all about I am interested only in the
financial aspect of the whole project." "I haven’t come here to bother you
with the technical details about the hypothetical propulsion." Mercant smiled
patiently. "I am not at all interested in that. Besides, I don’t understand
any more about it than you do. As you probably know, my government made a
first contribution of eighteen billion dollars. How much did you receive from
the other governments?"Homer raised his eyebrows. "The total sum amounts to
seventy billion dollars," he said as if he were speaking of seventy
cents. "So much? We did not count on such a huge sum." "Neither did I,"
Homer admitted frankly. "in any case, the project is already in full swing.
New factories and production complexes are rising all over the world. Our most
capable men are working day and night-that means the people from the Western,
Eastern, and Asiatic blocs. For the first time in human history the
inhabitants of this planet are collaborating on a common task. We have learned
from the successfully averted invasion of the insect race how important such a
collaboration has become for mankind. Anyone who secretly pursued any
egotistic nationalistic goals would be committing a crime against
humanity." Mercant could not help but feel that Homer had his own private
reasons for making such a long speech. But he did not give himself away by
revealing how he felt He simply nodded his head in agreement. "You are so
right, Mr. Adams. But I can hardly believe that anybody could harbour such a
thought nowadays. "I wouldn’t be so sure, Mr. Mercant," interrupted Adams.
"Just a few days ago they caught a Western spy in one of the Chinese
industrial concerns. I cannot believe that this guy was carrying on there out
of his own free will."Mercant folded his hands in a nervous gesture. He shook
his head. "If you deal with such a huge organization as that of the Western
Defence, it takes a long time before they can call back all their agents. Most
of our people are working on their own most of the time. Quite often we don’t
even know where they are at the moment-" "But wouldn’t it be wiser to avoid
such incidents totally in the interests of world cooperation?" Homer
interrupted rather rudely. "It doesn’t take much-just some such stupid thing
could disrupt the newly established unity among the nations of this world.
Anyhow, it will be many years before the last trace of distrust has
disappeared. I know, Mercant, that you are on our side; but you should get rid
of the last ties that bind you to a cause that forces you to actions running
contrary to your own convictions. Do you get what I mean?"Mercant raised his
hands in a little gesture of regret. "I certainly understand you, Adams. I
have already discussed this previously with Rhodan. He is of the opinion,
though, that I should remain working for the Western Powers. After all, we
can’t know who would take my place once I leave my position. This way seems to
be the lesser evil." "You have a point there," admitted Homer. "But let’s go
on with our talk. We are sending orders all over the world from our scientific
center. Parts of our future space fleet are already being manufactured in
several large industrial concerns. Mankind is already constructing the most
advanced weapons bit by bit, without realizing what all the single parts will
become once they are properly assembled. So far they seem like
incomprehensible fragments, which do not reveal what the end product might be.
And it is the same way with our spaceships. In another six months we will have
reached the point where we can assemble ten faster than light space cruisers
within a few days from all the individual segments that different factories
have turned out independently from each other, without knowing what all was
for. You see what undreamt of potential can be put into reality by mankind
once they forget their differences. Of course, the world does not have any
idea about all this, and it might be wise to keep this information to yourself
for the time being."Adams watched Mercant’s reaction to what he just had said.
Homer’s foxy eyes sparkled amusingly behind his thick glasses. He seemed to be
aware of the dilemma into which his words had plunged Allan D. Mercant. To
make matters even worse, Adams seemed to enjoy thoroughly the secret pleasure
that this knowledge afforded him."In addition to all that, we are supplying
all the tool machines unknown to man," he continued with apparent unconcern,
thus giving Mercant all the information he had believed he could obtain only
with the greatest of difficulties. "These tool machines have been built in
other parts of the world under our supervision, according to plans supplied by
us. We also give them all kinds of materials that Rhodan has brought down to
Earth from the moon. As you probably know, only the exterior of the Arkonide
research craft, stranded on the moon, was destroyed when bombed by hostile
terrestrial military forces. The interior with its huge storerooms remained
mainly undamaged, with all the technical secrets of the Arkonide
supertechnology intact" Once again Mercant nodded his head vigorously to
express his agreement with what Adams was telling him. The little financial
wizard had just put his finger right on the spot. There were incredible
treasures hidden up there in the remains of the wrecked Arkonide spaceship.
But the Western Bloc did not possess a single spacecraft suitable to get at
this treasure trove, Or perhaps…?There had been feverish activity of late at
Nevada Spaceport; Mercant was well informed about this. But for the first time
Mercant’s men had been refused admission to the assembly halls inside the
industrial plant. Something was going on there that the world should not know
about.All of a sudden it seemed to Mercant that his eyes had been opened.
Everything fell into place. He compared his mission to obtain information that
appeared so harmless on the surface with what he just had learned from Adams.
Then it became clear to him that the government of the Western Bloc was not
strictly living up to its agreements with Perry Rhodan. Mercant was furious.
His anger was based on his innate honesty. But before he could speak up, the
manager of the G.C.C. continued, "What else were you supposed to find out from
me, Mercant?" An embarrassed smile came over the boyish face of the Chief of
the Western Defence. "We were only interested in the bit about the cruiser on
the moon. All the other questions were intended as diversionary
tactics." "Thanks," countered Adams. "I knew that all along. Why do they want
to find out all this?" "I wouldn’t have the faintest idea," Mercant said
frankly. "I just noticed the possibility of certain coincidences, but I am not
yet quite sure. But you may rest assured that I will inform Rhodan without
fail if I have the slightest proof for a certain suspicion that just has
occurred to me. By the way, many thanks for your sincerity and frankness.
Believe me, my superiors will learn only whatever I think they should about
this conversation." "You can always count on me, Mercant," replied Adams, and
rose to see his caller to the door. Then Homer returned to his seat and stared
for a few seconds at the telecom that would permit instant communication with
Rhodan in his desert base or anywhere else he might be. But then Adams shook
his head. Rhodan had more important things to do than being bothered with
suspicions. For the time being it would be sufficient if Adams kept an eye on
this affair. General Pounder walked leisurely across the Nevada Spaceport
testing grounds in company of Lieutenant Colonel Maurice. They were
approaching one of the many giant halls that lay row on row under the burning
midday sun. This was the place where a few years ago the Stardust I had been
built, the ship had taken Rhodan and his crew on the first successful flight
to the moon; and here too had been constructed the moon rocket that sometime
later was sent up to the moon to destroy the stranded Arkonide cruiser,
whereby both attacker and attacked perished. The huge hangar like hall had no
windows, in contrast to the neighbouring sheds, which reminded one of
hothouses, with entire walls and roofs made of glass. This building seemed
hermetically sealed from the outside world, while its neighbours let in freely
the plentiful sunshine. The general pounded the small entrance door with his
mighty fists. A tiny crack opened, and a face became visible that examined the
general from head to toe, as if he had never seen him before. "What do you
want?" inquired the man inside the door. "I am General Pounder," answered the
general. "I want to get in!" "I’m afraid that’s not possible. Against
regulations." "Whose?" "General Pounder’s orders, sir."Lieutenant Maurice
burst out laughing, while Pounder’s face grew as red as a beet. The door
opened a bit more and a young man in uniform became visible. He saluted
smartly as if wanting to apologize for his logical but militarily correct
behaviour."I must examine your passes," he added, strictly according to the
prescribed rules and regulations." Pounder looked at Maurice, who at once
stopped laughing. "You see, Maurice, that’s the way our soldiers should be
trained. I hope you did not forget your identity card. Otherwise, I can’t take
you inside with me."Fortunately both officers had their papers with them. The
young guard examined them thoroughly, before he opened the door sufficiently
to permit the two to enter the shed. Once inside General Pounder and
Lieutenant Colonel Maurice had to close their eyes. The light was
blinding. There were no partitions whatsoever in the immense hall, which
stretched for more than six hundred feet in length and up to a height of more
than one hundred fifty feet. A maze of scaffolding and cranes made easily
accessible every corner of the huge building. Little trains moved along shiny
rails toward a tunnel, disappearing in its depth, not to be seen again. A
feverish activity reigned inside the shed, and the din of the machines was
deafening. Lieutenant Colonel Maurice clapped his hands over his ears to
protect them from the sudden onslaught of unbearable noise. "I can’t hear
myself think," he shouted to the general."What did you say?" "I was only
saying that it’s too noisy in here for talking to each other."General Pounder
shook his head and pointed to his ears. "I can’t understand a word you are
saying!" he roared.Lieutenant Colonel Maurice threw his hands up in despair.
Then he laughed. He knew it made no sense even to attempt to explain that the
noise was too great here in this shed. Workers were rushing past them, never
giving them so much as a glance. Highly polished metal parts glided past on
low trains, disappearing in the small work sheds that ringed the free space in
the center of the huge hall. This was where the engineers had their
offices. General Pounder stopped suddenly. He had taken his assistant along
today for the first time inside the heavily guarded work shed, which was
controlled day and night by a cordon of soldiers. Lieutenant Colonel Maurice
stepped aside for a moment to let pass a worker and then looked up. He was
thunderstruck! For there, right in the middle of the hall, resting on a flat
ramp that slanted slightly upward, he saw a long silvery torpedo. Round
portholes extended along the center line and a small crane was just depositing
a cylindrical tank inside the loading hatch of the storeroom. The noise of
the riveters’ guns drowned out Maurice’s curse.There in front of him, barely
fifty feet away, lay the exact replica of the Stardust I, which once had
carried Perry Rhodan and his men to their first landing on the moon. And no
one in the outside world had any idea of the existence of this new space
rocket… Three months went by before Perry Rhodan felt certain that the Mind
Snatchers would not risk another invasion, for the time being, at least.
During these three months he had almost managed to forget them, since the
whole world was under the spell of the General Cosmic Company. Everywhere on
Earth mighty industrial complexes had sprung up, where production was started
under the direction of the technicians and planners.Homer G. Adams sat in his
offices in New York like a giant spider in its web. The walls were covered
with maps, dotted with tiny flags with incomprehensible letters and signs.
Homer spent all his time in front of the telecom. Occasionally he got some
sleep. The power of the concern be had built up grew from day to day. The day
when a certain Benjamin Wilder could proclaim that the world was his, because
be had financed it, seemed close at hand, Benjamin Wilder was the power behind
G.C.C., and hardly anyone knew that Benjamin Wilder was just another alias for
Perry Rhodan. Khrest failed to understand this phenomenon of practically
runaway development. It was alien to his way of thinking. He had
underestimated the dynamics of human nature, although he believed humans to be
the most capable race the Arkonides had ever encountered in the universe.
Silently he walked alongside Rhodan as they left their living quarters shortly
before sunset in order to get some fresh air. Reginald joined
them. Instinctively the three went in the direction of that three sided
pyramid under which the body of a man was waiting to be awakened to life
again. They were still at quite some distance from the mausoleum that housed
Ernst Ellert’s lifeless form, when they recognized a tall, slender figure
standing in front of the structure.Perry Rhodan could not hide his surprise as
be called out to his friends, "It’s Thora! What is she doing out here?"The
trio approached the un-Earthly beautiful Arkonide woman, who stood there
looking at them intently. Her eyes met Rhodan’s, and for the first time he
failed to detect her usual derision and scorn. On the contrary, there was a
hesitant question in her expression. A wave of strange emotions flowed from
her lovely features, but they revealed nothing negative.She was the first to
break the silence after the three men had come close to where she waited for
them. "It is strange that we meet out here, but maybe it is not just by
accident. Don’t you sometimes have the impression that Ellert is still somehow
among us, even if our senses cannot perceive him?"Rhodan was amazed; it was
more than mysterious that she should have experienced the same feeling he did.
Once, Bell had remarked that Ellert’s mind might have lost its ability to
return to his body and that his spirit might now be wandering about aimlessly
in the present time. However, Rhodan and Khrest were of the opinion that
Ellert’s mind, if it still possessed a consciousness of its own, was no longer
residing in the present. When Ellert was attempting to escape from physical
death, the electro shock had driven his mind into another dimension, from
where there was no way back. Whether this dimension meant the past, the
present, or the future was impossible for them to guess. But if it had really
been in the present time, then Ellert should have been able to establish some
communication with them, somehow using the mutants as his mouthpiece."He is
still living in our emotions, Thora," Rhodan replied calmly. "Someday in the
future we might catch up with him, if he hasn’t travelled too far ahead of us
on the time stream. By the way; why should you be so interested in Ellert’s
fate? He was nothing but an Earthling."She tried to hide her embarrassment.
"Truly intelligent races have the privilege of admitting that they have made
mistakes. The Arkonides are intelligent. Therefore, I am acting according to
my intellectual level when I admit having underestimated the inhabitants of
this planet But this does not mean, on the other hand, that I consider them
our equals." "No one would ask you to do that-at least, not yet," Rhodan said
with sincerity. "We have won a great deal already if you have been able to
revise your former hostile attitude. It is a fact that we have overcome a
common enemy through our concerted efforts. That has created a link between
us, Thora!" Khrest stepped closer to Thora. He gazed into her golden eyes,
and a gentle smile lit up his ascetic features. "Thank you, Thora, for these
words! They are like a golden bridge over which someday in the far future the
only path will lead that will bring about the survival of the realm of our
galactic empire. It is possible that Rhodan, too, will have to walk across
that bridge in the future." "I wouldn’t mind joining you, if that bridge is
made of gold," said Bell without a trace of pathos. "The only question is
whether I will live that long." "There is no reason why we could not continue
our research project with the Good Hope," replied Khrest. "We no longer have
the big space cruiser with which we started our expedition to find the planet
of eternal life, but the Good Hope is big enough to take us there, even if it
is not powerful enough to carry us back to our home planet" There was a long
pause. Then Rhodan shook his head. "There are more urgent tasks at hand right
now, I am sorry to say. We must first train our mutants, and I want to
establish a base on Venus for that purpose. In a few days I will fly to Venus
and prepare the first camp for our mutant school. As far as we have been able
to tell from our observations of the planet, there is no intelligent life on
Venus. Later on, when peace and order have been firmly established here on
this globe, we will have plenty of time to start the search for the planet of
eternal life. But to be honest with you, I sincerely doubt that our efforts
will meet with success." "We will find that planet!" shouted Thora. "It does
exist!" There was an almost fanatical fire of enthusiasm burning in her eyes.
"We were told so by some expeditions that have returned from there. But they
guard the secret so jealously that it will mean bitter battles once we reach
the planet that will give us immortality." Rhodan smiled. "I’ll believe it
when I see it!"Bell joined the conversation. "Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we
could finally get rid of having to be afraid of our own funerals? Look at all
the survivor benefits I could collect from all my friends!"No one laughed at
Bell’s suggestion, and he turned away, a bit insulted at his friends’ lack of
appreciation for his peculiar brand of humour. He contemplated the pyramid
tomb, which the rays of the setting sun had turned into a luminous golden
hue.Perry stepped over to Khrest and Thora and held out his hand to her. "Are
we going to be friends from now on?" he inquired, a bit unsure of
himself. For an instant the customary arrogance flitted across her face, but
then she shook Rhodan’s hand. "I both admire and fear you, Perry Rhodan. But
you will understand that such feelings do not engender any true friendship. I
also realize that we depend on you and that we must cooperate with each other.
Should that be the basis of a genuine friendship? Besides, Khrest forces me to
be cooperative. You see, I accept your hand here only because I must do so.
Are you satisfied with that?" "Yes, for the time being," said Rhodan.
"Sometime in the future you will give me your hand, but then you will do it
for different reasons. Till that time comes, I will have to be satisfied with
what I have here. Yes, I am quite happy. May I thank you for it, Thora?" For
a moment their eyes fused and their hands joined, making them as one. It might
have been quite a solemn moment if Bell had not chosen to sigh deeply and
interrupt with his blessing: "Amen." The most solemn of all words deprived
the pact between the man and the woman of any solemnity. Maybe because this
word had been uttered by Bell. The sun sank below the horizon, and suddenly
the monument lost its luminous glow. It was as if an invisible flame had been
extinguished inside the metal of which the pyramid had been constructed. The
first star came up in the sky. Without knowing why, Perry Rhodan saw in this
some inner connection that promised an optimistic prognosis for the farthest
future… The End
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