6/ WARNING OF THE EXTRA-SENSE

 

I waited until Evelyn Tuniks had inserted the program strip into the computer. I had about 5 minutes left.

Less than an hour ago my deception of Dr. Flynn had been discovered. Of course the Chief Medical Officer of the Defence had no recollection of having been under a hypnoblock during my examination.

I had managed to thwart my X-ray exposure unobtrusively. An assistant physician had been involuntarily induced to have his picture taken in my place and to present the X-rays of his thorax as mine.

Just how this deception had been discovered now after 6 days I didn’t find out. All I knew was that Alfons Bonkun had told me that a sudden check had been made.

Bonkun was one of the lab assistants under my influence. He had phoned me on a micro-radio that a telepathic woman was in charge of the investigation. Then the connection was interrupted.

I was busy at work in a control bunker of the Test Department T-18. Evelyn Tuniks did the mathematical programming. 4 hours earlier we were given the task of checking out a fully automatic craft of the Space Jet type.

We had already checked off the list of positronic equipment. It was also my job to insure that the high-energy installations aboard the ship functioned faultlessly.

2 hours later special security measures were put into effect. At first I was afraid that they were already on my track and when I was on the verge of leaving for my well-prepared escape the man who had been the subject of my disquieting premonitions appeared on the scene.

I found myself standing before him in utter confusion. The mere sight of him was enough to stir my deepest emotions. I had the feeling he had looked through me at first glance. If anybody here knew my people, he was the one.

However my fear was only partly responsible for my consternation. There was another feature about him that startled me even more: Perry Rhodan, the First Administrator of the Solar Imperium, was either a doppelganger with the spitting image of the real Rhodan, or it was himself in person.

The man who entered the control room couldn’t possibly have been 104 years old. He was an athletic and energetic Earthling with buoyant movements, taut skin and cool grey eyes.

He was as tall as I but his shoulders were a little wider. "Why do you stare at me?" he had asked.

"Because I had to think of when you were born," I stuttered.

I had seldom heard a man laugh so heartily. He threw his head back and showed his amusement in such an infectious manner that I couldn’t help joining in his good-humoured laughter.

Afterwards it took me about an hour to recover from my embarrassment which—in view of my condition—had been quite a shock to me.

However I had not lost my composure as long as he remained in the control room, scrutinizing the vital components of the craft.

Then Evelyn whispered into my car that the boss wanted to take off in the Space Jet himself. This meant that we had to redouble all marks on our checklist.

It was an unfortunate coincidence that the Space Defence had detected my fraud with the X-rays at this particular time. Somebody must have become suspicious. Perhaps the 2 physicians I had brought under my influence had somehow given themselves away.

Now Rhodan was on the point of leaving the control room. I stared at him with burning eyes. How could this man be 104 years old? Impossible! my mind kept telling me.

Could the real Rhodan have died after all? Had they substituted another figure in his image for political reasons?

The brand new machine gleamed on the observation screen in the control room. It was a marvellous ellipsoid construction with super-light-speed engines and automatic transition. I had endeavoured for 6 days to find such a spacecraft. Now they had put one in front of my nose and moreover given me the opportunity of studying it thoroughly.

If nothing had gone wrong I would unquestionably have tried this night to make my getaway in this Space Jet. Now Rhodan had decided to pilot it himself. The preparations indicated that he intended to leave the Solar system. It was now only a matter of a test run for the engines.

I had 2 minutes left.

"Ready!" Evelyn called out.

I pressed the switch of the remote starter. The impulse engines in the body of the spaceship sprang to life. Evelyn increased the energy-field when I went up to a thrust of 40,000 tons.

Now it was time. Several men became visible on the exterior observation screens. They came into the entrance hall of the testing complex with an apparent desire to look unobtrusive. They were followed by a slender woman with blond hair. I had never seen her before but her tense searching expression and the vigilant way she held her head led me to believe she had extrasensory abilities.

Evelyn was busy with the second programming strip. I quickly got up and walked to the heavy armoured doors of the control bunker. Before opening them I switched on my deflector generator. It hung on my chest next to the cell activator. It was used for a unique purpose.

The diversion of light-waves rendered me instantly invisible to normal eyes. Detection of its energy field was virtually impossible since it operated at a minimal output level and the numerous machines in the vicinity superimposed their effects on my deflection field.

I squeezed through the door crack, ran through the arched walls of the main corridor and reached the gate to the airshaft with a few leaps.

I forced the simple lock open and pushed the wire lattice up. I slipped in, pulled the lattice down again and remained still under the tangled mass of ventilation pipes. In the distance I heard the roar of an impulse engine craft which I wanted to have at the risk of my life.

Moments later the men in uniform came in with raised energy weapons. The blond woman was with them as well as Lt.-Gen. Kosnow.

When I saw the greatly disturbed Chief Medical Officer in the background I knew that he was responsible for my detection.

"Can you make him out?" I heard Kosnow ask softly.

The young woman shook her head. She wore civilian clothing. Nevertheless I was certain she belonged to Rhodan’s Mutant Corps, which was shrouded in secrecy.

I guarded my mono-screen very carefully. A single impulse would have been enough to betray me and everything would have been over. I couldn’t hope to escape her in spite of my visual deflection field.

They continued on their way, exercising the greatest caution. Two Arkonide fighter robots were posted in front of my lattice gate. This didn’t bother me since my path of escape had already been plotted by me.

A little later I reached the upper end of the shaft by climbing the rungs built into the wall. It opened close to the entrance doors to the underground bunker, not far to the left of the massive concrete cupola of the shelter rising from the ground.

Their helicopters were parked about 30 feet away. It all worked out according to my plan. They were not likely to use cars for these long distances.

I reached behind the suction fan and retrieved the blaster I had carefully concealed at this spot a few days before.

If I was right all hell would break loose in a few minutes when they should have been able to discover that I no longer was inside the concrete shelter.

The small lid below the suction fan slid silently back. I had seen to it that the hinges were well oiled. I crawled out just as quietly. The nearest machine was unoccupied. 4 men stood around the other helicopters. They were obviously left behind to guard them. So far so good. But now my real difficulties began.

I sneaked in through the unlocked door and sat down on the pilot seat. My extra-sense advised me: You must go back. The Lion’s Den is the safest place for you!

I put my psycho-beamer to work. The waiting guards turned around and cast dubious glances at me. They laid their dangerous weapons down just at the moment the alarm sirens began to wail in the test centre.

There was no time to lose. I started the engine, went straight up into the air and waited for the opportune moment to let them clearly notice that I was in the machine as my logic insisted.

Calm and deliberate in my actions, I leaned out of the side door and opened fire from a height of 60 feet, mowing down 2 robots who rushed out of the exit.

The thunder of the engine undergoing the test had died down and the new silence was broken again by the sharp crack of my weapon. A white-hot energy-beam struck the 2 unprotected fighting machines and caused them to explode with a loud bang.

With my other hand I switched off my deflection field at the same time as several men of the search detachment ran outside. They saw me at once and instantly sought cover as I proceeded to strafe the area before the test facility and turned the waiting helicopters into flaming torches.

It was enough to let them recognize me. I took a last look around to assure myself that I had hurt none of them and slammed down the lever of the micro-reactor. It had not been my intention to kill anybody since I had the feeling that they didn’t consider me an enemy who had to be destroyed at all costs. Why should I have wanted to kill them?

I flew over the 3-kilometre-wide security zone separating the test-complex T-18 from the vast construction berths swarming with the men who built those fast spacecrafts of the Gazelle type.

Before anyone had learned what had taken place on the other side of the security belt I came in for the landing.

My light-blue smock identified me as a Chief Engineer. I brought my machine to a stop between the antigrav lifting platforms of the planet. I jumped out and bellowed at some workers: "Drop everything and block off the area. Somebody tried to blow up T-18! Where’s your boss?"

The muscular and highly intelligent men reacted without a moment’s delay. I didn’t expect them to be hoodwinked by me for very long but it sufficed for my purpose.

"At the switch panel, sir!" one of them shouted, already dashing off to warn the other people.

I waved at him and darted away, disappearing behind the next lifting platform on which a huge catalytic reactor waited to be picked up.

As soon as I was out of sight I activated my deflection field, which made me absolutely invisible.

From now on I had to time my actions accurately. It was imperative that I took no longer than 30 minutes to return the way I had flown in the helicopter. Rhodan’s start had been scheduled for 13:30 and I considered it very unlikely he would postpone his trip, as Evelyn had informed me that he had to leave on a very important special mission.

It was no extraordinary athletic performance to do 3 kilometres in half an hour. However I expected to ran into some difficulties and to be compelled to make detours.

I started out on my ran, jumped over some obstacles in my way and passed through an excited crowd of people who had just learned from a sweat-soaked security officer that they had been bamboozled by the wanted man.

The officer was none other than Tombe Gmuna. I rushed so closely by him that I almost brushed against him. He never noticed me, though. I didn’t think anybody would suspect me of going back on foot to the very place I had fled from in such haste.

This was my last chance and I had to make the best of it as long as it was still possible. I was not the sort of man to bungle it by hesitating.

I stopped for a short moment before the low fence surrounding the cleared strip. At my back the search action was already in full swing, following a burst of frightening activity.

Behind the fence sprawled the concrete safety zone bereft of trees or any other vegetation. In the middle of it stood the barely visible dome of the subterranean test installations. More and more machines landed there and I was able to discern hordes of robot commandos looking like little points. I realized that I could no longer afford to carry my precious weapon on my body, as its energy was liable to be traced by detectors.

With apprehensions I threw it down at the fence and resumed my run. There was no more time to return to the carefully prepared hiding places where I had stowed other parts of my special equipment. All I had left was my visual deflector and my relatively harmless psycho-beamer, which had no effect whatsoever on the telepathic mutants. Even mentally very stable people could counteract its influence.

For all practical purposes I was reduced to acting on my instinct that was urging me not to stake everything on one card.

Now there was a machine in my grasp of the type that suited me perfectly and which was ready for service after I had failed to get any other Space Jet ready to start secretly. I had a long journey ahead of me. In order to get to my destination I needed dependable instruments, food and water. In addition I required a versatile positronic for galactonautic transition computations and a few hours to program the co-ordinates and to feed the tape into the automatic brain.

All these things were within my reach in a superb condition inside the spaceship I had been given to test and I really would be in great shape. I had no doubt that I would succeed in slipping aboard, the one-man spacecraft without being observed.

I had attained the desired goal but one factor had cropped up which was of critical significance. This factor was called Perry Rhodan! An adverse fate had led me to the most dangerous man on Earth at a time when I didn’t have the slightest wish to meet him.

While I was running I caught myself laughing softly. I had actually liked this grey-eyed barbarian whose every gesture exuded poised control. He was one of those characters whom one either loved or hated. He probably was a wonderful friend—if he wanted to be!

My respect for him as an opponent increased, provided of course he was still the same Rhodan who had begun his daring game 69 years ago. Something told me however that this was indeed the case.

But this posed the baffling question of how this man managed to act like a physically young and mentally alert person despite his verifiable age of 104 years. If I hadn’t known when he was born, I would have taken him for a man of 37 at the most.

I arrived at the underground shelter after 15 minutes. There I had to wend my way through the numerous robots that had been assembled here. I had surprisingly little trouble since nobody expected me to return.

The entire workforce of Terrania seemed to have been mobilized in the background and the sky above the hangars was darkened by planes. I meandered along the concrete wall until I came to the starting pad for small spaceships. It was located in a ground excavation and equipped with a lifting platform. This was the place where the test pilots took off.

Rhodan stood near the machine in a circle of scientists and officers. The blond woman was no longer there, she probably took part somewhere else in the intensive search mission.

For the time being I could be nowhere safer than close to the illustrious man conversing with his closest aides, among whom was also Lt.-Gen. Kosnow.

I went as close as possible to the machine until I succeeded with a few quick jumps to slip between the telescoped supports of the Space Jet whose elliptical form measured about 20 by 35 meters on the outside.

I stopped below the open bottom hatch and listened if I could hear something. Apparently there were a few men aboard.

Rhodan stood barely 15 feet away from me. His angular face seemed relaxed as if my flight had not caused him to get excited. By contrast, Kosnow was extremely nervous. I heard him talk loud and fast. Rhodan didn’t say a word. Occasionally his lips were wreathed in a smile and his eyes turned on his troubled security chief with an expression of affable irony. "Close off the spaceport, Peter!" Rhodan finally said patiently. "He came here to take a ship. Appeal to him over the public radio to get in touch with you."

Rarely had I seen such a flabbergasted man. Kosnow’s face was drained of all colour. "Appeal… appeal to him, sir?"

"Right!" Why do you want to kill him? Ask him in my name to accept our hospitality and request him to wait for my return. But keep him from taking a ship. That’s all you have to do."

"But, sir, I’m of the opinion that…"

Rhodan glanced with a sigh at his watch. He was already clad in his spacesuit. "Please don’t make life difficult for me, Peter! He’s alone and he’s desperate. His activities have been very interesting so far. It’s remarkable how assiduously he’s worked to obtain the diplomas. This must have had a purpose. Plead with him to report to you, then we’ll see where to take it from there. I’ll be back in 3 days. Now, please call your men back from the ship!"

I hastily withdrew from the bottom hatch as 12 uniformed men began to jump out. It made me grin when a young captain reported with utmost assurance that the missing man was not aboard the ship.

Rhodan said some parting words to his aides and I used these few moments to climb up the narrow stepladder, being careful not to make any noise. That was all.

The little airlock stood open. Behind it was the gangway leading up to the control room. Despite its size the ship was constructed very flat like a disk. It was equipped with 4 small swivelling jets for vertical takeoff and landing.

I entered the control room through a heavy armoured hatch. The panoramic observation screens were already in operation. It was like facing a transparent wall. Rhodan disappeared under the flat hull. It was time to hide.

Behind the control room was the passageway to the small cabins for the crew. But there it would be easy to find me and I therefore preferred to conceal myself in a large storage cabinet in the wall where I found 4 brand new spacesuits of the same type Rhodan wore. The backpack contained micro-reactors for the energy supply of the climate and air control. In addition the spacesuits contained a protective field projector for creating an energy shield.

After slipping into the cabinet I took a last look around and closed the door. Rhodan came in a few seconds later.

My pulse was perfectly normal. After groping in the dark I found the energy weapon which I had already seen before. It made me feel more secure. The most legendary man of the Solar system was getting ready for the start in my immediate vicinity. He was probably preparing a visit to a commercial or military base in the Imperium founded by him. Evidently he was one of those men who paid personal attention to everything.

5 minutes later the power station for generating the necessary energy fields started up and a little later I could feel the slight pull of the thrust absorber field. Then he was ready.

The muffled roar of the jets gave me a deep sense of satisfaction. My eidetic memory conjured up visions of times long ago. They were beautiful, happy and filled with delightful promises.

Rhodan himself offered me the chance for which I had waited so long.

Just the same you’ve slept much too long, my extra-sense transmitted.

I grimaced in annoyance. These constant reminders! Now that it all had come to pass so gloriously.