10/ COOPERATION OR DEATH

 

We were deadlocked for the next 8 hours. Both of us used every conceivable ruse to put each other out of action. Neither one of us wanted to let the other gain access to the fortress because we knew that this would decide the contest.

Alternately, we had insulted and threatened each other and clamoured for surrender of the enemy, but neither of us had buckled under.

We were like fire and water. When he shot a salvo, he did it with trembling hands and failing eyes. He never found the mark. When I caught him in my gunscope as he moved about, I loosed a whole barrage but proved to be no better at hitting him.

The crosshairs of my sight seemed to have taken on a life of their own. Whenever I held Rhodan in the intersection of the hairs, the sight suddenly turned into whirling circles of fire.

The temperature inside my suit had risen to 140°F. My hope of finding a little cooler cave in the hills had been frustrated by Rhodan. He knew no mercy. He probably identified himself again with his beloved mankind whose fate would be doomed if he allowed me to enter the dome.

This conviction seemed to imbue him with superhuman powers. He had become a martyr for his cause. Whenever he thought he had found a way to reach the base, he showered me with a hail of energy shots.

This barbarian was truly indefatigable. He probably was already half delirious and he must have run out of water long ago on his march through the desert.

I had stopped trying to figure out how he managed to survive. Rhodan and I had hit bottom. We were both reduced to physical and mental wrecks.

If we waited another hour, neither one of us would be able to make it to the fortress. I was so utterly worn out by the oppressive heat that my hopes of being able to crawl to the bulwark under my own power were dashed.

I lost consciousness again for a few minutes. When I came to my eyesight had almost completely deteriorated.

I groped for my weapon but was unable to find it. It didn’t really matter since it was too heavy for me to lift.

My mind ceased to function. I merely sensed the nearly imperceptible impulse from the ‘voice’ of my extra-brain. Give up! He’s ready to quit too. Crawl to the dome!

It took several minutes before I could pull myself together. I greedily sucked in vain again at the tube of the water tank. There was not a single drop left.

 

My arms and legs had become numb appendages of my body. I didn’t know what nerve impulse made my limbs move forward inch by inch.

When I finally had gained 3 feet, the entrance to the dome was still 20 feet away. In the course of the last 8 hours I had been able to work my way steadily closer due to the more favourable opportunities for taking cover but now I was incapable of going on.

I wanted to give vent to my despair by screaming but my throat made only a feeble, gurgling sound.

The climate control was about to break completely down. Every so often it quit working. The air I breathed seemed to consist of glowing hot needles and the metallic parts of the arm & knee joints of my protective suit were broiling hot. They were inadequately cooled and seared my skin.

Unable to cry out and tortured by despondency, I was barely sustained by a slim margin of hope that I could still somehow reach the automatic door-opening mechanism.

Not far from me I noticed another prone figure, creeping inch by inch over the scorching rocks; the head was eagerly thrust forward.

Perry Rhodan had also thrown away his weapon.

We crawled side by side toward the bright-red door of the airlock.

Each yard took about 10 grueling minutes. I no longer felt the urge to stand up to my rival nor did he to me. We heard ourselves breathing laboriously over the radio and we realized that we both had tried to delude the other.

I was unable to perceive anything very clearly with the exception of the bright-red door, enthralling my gaze. It radiated a magic power of attraction.

The presence of the Terranian was more surmised by me than consciously seen. After an hour of unspeakable torment Rhodan reached the portal before me, leaving me 2 feet behind.

I had lost the struggle and I lay still, prepared to wait for my death. All my efforts had come to naught. It took many minutes before I understood the inarticulate stammering in my loudspeaker.

Rhodan lay exhausted in front of the door. He lacked the strength to pull down the yellow lever and he was calling me, his bitter enemy! If he could only know that I never was an enemy of his! I had always acted in pure self-defence because I too loved my people.

His call rallied my last ounce of strength. It took me 10 minutes to inch my way next to him. When I finally was at his side, I forced myself to raise my hand. The lesser gravity of the planet Hellgate seemed to have grown a hundredfold.

I didn’t know by what miraculous effort I succeeded in lifting my hand. It came to rest on top of Rhodan’s fingers and we pulled together.

We antagonists had come face to face but now we had the common goal of shifting the life-saving lever.

After a few seconds which seemed like eternities, and not only to me, we finally succeeded.

A bell began to shrill and a door slid back, opening the way to the airlock.

We needed 10 more minutes to cross the threshold to the narrow room. After we managed together to operate the closing mechanism, I was ready to faint again. I felt as if I had been caught in a centrifuge. Nausea choked my throat and restricted my ability to swallow.

I heard the hissing sound of cool fresh air rushing into the airlock. When the sound stopped and the second door automatically rolled back, I had just enough strength left to touch the switch on my chest.

My helmet snapped back and a delicious stream of air caressed my withered face. My first breath of fresh air felt as if I had sucked in an icicle and it promptly caused me to faint into oblivion.