by Roland Starr
“Positive!” Wayland nodded firmly. “Hell, there’s nothing wrong with my eyes, Captain!”
“And the door cannot be locked on the inside!” Vonner reached for his sonic key, produced it, and tossed it to Wayland. “Stand by with that, Dalus!” he said tightly. “We’ll wait for Curran to join us with a laser, then we’ll find out who is in there!”
Silence pressed in about them and clutched at their throats with palpitating tension. Vonner could feel his pulses racing, heard the pounding of blood in his temples. He dared not think about what was happening. He knew Ed Bardo was being held immobile down in the sickbay, and yet Wayland had seen the man entering the storeroom! It didn’t make sense, but Wayland was a phlegmatic man and could be trusted all the way. Vonner knew he was not the type to imagine things. So it seemed that another development had taken place, and if it was as serious as he believed then the entire ship was in peril.
“I don’t pretend to understand any of this, Captain!” Wayland said presently, and his low tones hissed in the close atmosphere. “Why is everyone so scared of Bardo? What’s wrong with him? Has he got a contagious disease?” Vonner explained softly while they awaited Curran’s arrival, and the expression of shocked surprise which came to the Chief Engineer’s face was almost comical to behold. Wayland stared into Vonner’s face, shaking his head in disbelief.
“I never heard anything like this before in all my years of space travel, Captain,” he said at length.
“I suppose it’s something that’s played down considerably by our superiors,” Vonner replied. “But it seems to originate from this brain washing process that we undergo!”
“And Bardo doesn’t really leave that cell he’s in, but has the power to make us imagine his presence, is that it?”
“I don’t know yet, Dalus!” Vonner shook his head. “I’m wondering if he can actually make his image appear where ever he wants it to.”
“Then he’s in this room, and also down in the observation cells!” Wayland tried to keep his tones steady but failed, and his eyes were showing incredulity.
“That’s not all!” Vonner tried to choose his words carefully. “He seems to have the ability to drain energy from surrounding sources and convert it to his own use. We have him under control at the moment, but our only safeguard is to eject him from the ship. The trouble is, the moment we remove him from the influence of the immobiliser he will become animated, and then the trouble will start.” He quoted the cases that had been noted, of men killing with a glance, of solid steel doors being tom down by sheer mental power.
“It’s unbelievable!” Wayland said. “But is Bardo still a flesh and blood person? Does he breathe air for life support?”
“I don’t know.” Vonner shook his head. “We can’t get near him while he’s under the immobiliser. Why do you ask?”
“Because I can seal off that area and pump out all atmosphere. If Bardo needs air to live then I can kill him in a matter of minutes.”
“I’ll check that out with the Doc,” Vonner said. He glimpsed movement along the corridor and looked up to see Curran approaching, accompanied by Sergeant Nevin, who was carrying a laser projector. He took a deep breath. “Here comes Philo. Now we’ll see what we have in this room.”
Curran was breathing hard when he arrived, and he saluted quickly.
“I suggest you stand back out of harm’s way, Captain,” he said. “Sergeant Nevin and I will handle this!”
Vonner nodded, and he and Wayland moved back from the door. They watched while Curran produced a small black metal box and pressed it against the door of the storeroom. From his position Vonner could not see the dial of the register on the top of the box, but Curran checked it, removed the box and shook it, then applied it once more to the door. When he took a second reading he frowned and glanced at Vonner.
“I know Bardo can’t be in here, Captain,” he said, “because he’s still inside that observation room, and was when you called me to report this. The sensor shows that there is no person inside the room.”
“I saw Bardo enter it,” Wayland volunteered harshly. “You’re not suggesting that I’ve taken to seeing things, Philo, are you?”
“No, Dalus. But it could have been someone masquerading as Bardo.”
“If that was the case he would still be inside the room,” Vonner said. “I assume you’ve checked out that sensor, Philo!”
“I have, and it’s in perfect working order. There’s no one in the room.”
“Open the door and check,” Wayland said impatiently. “I know what I saw, and whoever went in there didn’t come out again. I also know there’s no other way out, so whoever entered must still be inside.”
Curran sighed heavily and produced a sonic key. He glanced at Sergeant Nevin, who was holding the laser projector at the ready. Nevin nodded and Curran used the key, standing to one side of the door. Nevin stiffened, ready to rush into the storeroom the moment the door was opened, but nothing happened, and Curran threw a swift glance at Vonner.
“I’ve never known one of these keys to fail before,” he said.
“The door cannot be locked on the inside!” Wayland volunteered.
Curran tried the sonic key again, but nothing happened, and he handed the key to Wayland.
“Perhaps you’ll check it,” he said, and turned to peer at the door. “Hey!” he ejaculated. “Look at this door, Captain! No wonder it won’t open! It’s fused with the wall!”
Vonner and Wayland moved forward, and Vonner caught his breath when he saw that there was no crack to mark the edge of the door and the side of the wall that it met flushly. Instead there was a slight bulge as if a welder had been used to seal the door. Wayland touched the spot, running his fingers down the whole length of the door.
“It is fused!” he finally announced. “It’s been done expertly, too, as if someone used the best equipment we have. But I saw Bardo enter this room, and we came along here within seconds. It isn’t possible!” He glanced into Vonner’s eyes, his expression showing surprise and shock.
“Equipment wasn’t used, Dalus!” Vonner said softly.
“But you’d better get some equipment up here and start cutting through the door. I want to know why someone entered, and what damage has been done!”
“This is the communications storeroom!” Curran cursed softly. “If any of the stores have been destroyed then we’ll be out of contact with Earth Base and every ship in Space, Captain!”
“I’ll get to work immediately,” Wayland said, and hurried away.
“What happens now, Captain?” Curran demanded. “Has Bardo managed to get out from under the influence of the immobiliser?”
“I wish I knew the answers to a number of vital questions,” Vonner replied. “All I do know is that Dalus did see something that was a part of Bardo entering here, and this door was completely sealed during the few seconds it took us to reach it. I don’t know about explanations, Philo, but if this is a sample of what we can expect then I don’t hold out much hope of ever seeing Earth again. If these communications spares have been destroyed then we shall be in a bad way. But it won’t end there! If Bardo is capable of sending some kind of force around the ship, despite our precautions and safeguards, then where else will he strike?”
“We’ve got to set our minds to the task of ejecting him from the ship!” Curran’s voice was harsh with determination.
“I’m working on that now, and need to talk to the Doc about it. You’d better stand by here, Philo, and supervise Dalus’s attempts to break through the door. But God knows what you’ll find! I’m going to do some more checking in sickbay!”
“I’ll keep you informed of our progress!” Curran promised.
Vonner started away, but paused when Howie Farrell appeared at the end of the corridor. Farrell exclaimed at sight of him, and came hurrying forward, and Vonner drew a deep breath as he waited, for it was obvious that the Communications Officer was upset by some event.
“Captain, I’m in trouble!” Farrell c
alled as he approached. “I was sitting at my console when the damned thing began popping circuits all over the place. Fuses were blowing and sparks erupted from just about every junction box in the system. Before I could cut the power everything had gone, and now we’re without communications. Even the auxiliary sets are smashed.” He broke off as he realised that they were standing outside the storeroom. “Hey, what’s wrong here?” he asked sharply. “I need just about every spare in that store!”
Vonner felt a sinking sensation attack his mind as he listened, and now he knew the worst. Bardo was able to circumvent the power that had been brought against him! The immobiliser was no longer holding him in check. By some unknown means the former First Officer was able to project an image of himself out of the observation room and feed it enough power to cause physical damage to the ship. It was the realisation of all Vonner’s worst fears, and he gazed at Philo Curran’s harshly set features as he tried to think clearly.
“Look out!” Sergeant Nevin cried a harsh warning, and Vonner turned his gaze towards the storeroom door, for the Sergeant was gazing at it with widening eyes.
Turning his head, Vonner saw the door beginning to glow, as if tremendous heat had been brought to bear upon it. Curran reached out a large hand and pushed Vonner sideways, out of range, and Vonner cannoned into Farrell and they both went sprawling. But Vonner kept his gaze upon the door, and saw it turn white-hot. The brilliance hurt his eyes, but he could not avert his head. He stared hard into the brilliance, and suddenly the door disintegrated with a strange hissing sound.
The next instant an ominous figure appeared in the shattered doorway. Vonner gasped, for it was Bardo, dressed in his uniform. But it was obviously not the Bardo they knew. This figure was pulsating, throbbing with power, and the eyes glittered unnaturally. A strange glow seemed to emanate from the figure, and Vonner could feel a tingling sensation in his body, as if he had come into close contact with an insidious radiation.
“Fire!” Curran snapped, and Sergeant Nevin acted without even thinking.
The laser projector in the sergeant’s hands erupted a startlingly brilliant beam of white light. A patch of steel beside the door disintegrated immediately, and then the beam touched the glowing figure. There was a tremendous explosion. Vonner was flung backwards against a gasping Farrell, and they lay mindless for several moments with their senses whirling, their brains bemused.
Curran was the first to pull himself to his feet. He staggered towards the now deserted doorway and peered into the storeroom. Then he turned to face Vonner, who was getting slowly to his feet.
“He’s gone now!” Curran said. “The storeroom is empty, and none of its stores are in any shape to be used. Just come and take a look!”
Vonner went forward unsteadily, and a groan escaped him when he peered into the storeroom, careful not to touch the smouldering doorway. The metal shelving inside the room was bent and twisted, blackened and useless, and all the vital stores were destroyed, fused into unrecognisable lumps of metal. Panels and printed circuits, fuses and spares, all were beyond repair. Farrell appeared at Vonner’s side, and the Communications Officer cried out in despair and shock as he gazed at his precious stores.
“My God!” he gasped. “What in hell happened? What was that thing in the doorway? How did the door get burned out that way?” He paused and stared at Vonner. “Have we got some aliens aboard, Captain? Did some of the Zukons survive that war and get aboard the ship?”
“Howie, I don’t have any answers yet, and it may be some time before I am in a position to give satisfactory replies. But this much I am sure of.” Vonner paused and moistened his dry lips. “I am certain this ship has never been in more danger than this trouble facing us, and I am not sure how I can handle our efforts to overcome it.”
“It looked like Bardo,” Farrell went on in lower tones, as his shock receded and his imagination supplied pictures of what he had seen. “There’s been a lot of talk about something serious being wrong with Bardo. But what the hell is wrong with him? How did he get out of sickbay? Where did he get hold of that weapon he must have used on the door?”
Vonner did not say that the only weapon Bardo had was his mind.
“Forget about what you saw, Howie!” he commanded harshly. “If there’s anything you can salvage from this mess to use on your equipment then get to work. When we reach orbit around Uralis Digis we need to send those messages to Earth!”
“My communications equipment is completely destroyed, Captain!” Farrell retorted in high pitched tones. “Even if I had the entire stock of this storeroom in an undamaged condition I doubt if I could effect any worthwhile repairs. But now!” He stared at the charred bits of metal and shook his head. “I can’t even begin to do repair work! We’re stranded out here without communications. We can’t transmit or receive, and if that was Bardo I saw in the door-way and he’s capable of this kind of destruction then I don’t figure we have any chance at all of making Earth orbit!”
“That’ll do, Howie!” Vonner rasped. “Get about your duties, and remain silent about what you witnessed here. Colonel Curran and I are trying to handle this situation, and the less said about it the better for all concerned. Philo!” He looked at the shaken Colonel Curran. “Let’s get back to the sickbay and see what’s going on! There must be something constructive that we can do!”
Curran nodded and they departed for the sickbay. Vonner walked quickly, tense and concerned. He had his duty to perform, but in the back of his mind he felt that nothing could prevail against the monster that Bardo had become, and there was a sense of hopelessness in him as he drove himself to further effort…
CHAPTER VIII
When they reached the immobiliser, Vonner peered at the scanner screen on the equipment attached to it and saw the interior of Bardo’s room. Bardo was stretched out upon his bunk, still in the motionless position he had been in when the immobiliser had first been brought into operation.
“He looks peaceful enough!” Curran commented sourly. “What can we do about him?”
“Wayland mentioned something that might work,” Vonner replied slowly. “Does Bardo need air now?”
“And if he does we can cut off the supply!” Excitement tinged Curran’s low tones. “You’d better check that out with the Doc, Captain!”
“Let’s check the graphs on the recorder here to see if there was any fluctuation in the power while Bardo’s image was at work up in the communications storeroom,” Vonner said. He waited while Curran opened the recorder and examined the graph patterns.
“There’s nothing here, no surges that would denote activity, nothing at all!” Disappointment sounded in Curran’s harsh voice. “But the laser destroyed whatever it was up in that doorway, Captain. I suggest we equip a number of my guards with lasers and position them throughout the ship at strategic points, with orders to cut down any image of Bardo that materialises.”
“We can’t have trigger-happy guards firing off lasers all over the ship!” Vonner shook his head, his eyes hard and glinting as he considered all possibilities. “This could be what Bardo wants! We could destroy the ship ourselves, especially if there was panic among the crew.”
“Check with the Doc!” Curran urged. “If we can cut off Bardo’s air then the sooner the better! We’re going to be at grave risk while he’s aboard the ship.”
Vonner nodded and started towards the doctor’s office, but one of the guards watching the immobiliser called to him, and indicated the open line on the communicator.
“There’s a message for you, Captain. It’s control room on the other end!”
Vonner moistened his lips as he went to the communicator, and when he gave his identity Hanton spoke quickly. The new First Officer’s voice was filled with suppressed excitement.
“Captain, we have the ship orbiting Uralis Digis on the scanners again. It’s almost exactly an hour since it vanished from our screens. If it remains in orbit then in about twelve hours we should be close enough to be able
to scan its interior. We’ll be able to discover if there is life aboard.”
“Thank you,” Vonner replied. “Maintain Alert! I’ll be with you shortly, Commander!”
He went on to the sickbay office, finding Adah Morley there, and quickly acquainted her with the latest development in Bardo’s condition. He saw her face losing colour as he explained, and there was a chill sensation in the pit of his stomach as he continued.
“So I figure the easiest way out, if it is at all possible, is to deprive Bardo of life support. If it kills him then the emergency is over!”
“I can’t advise you over this,” she replied without hesitation. “But we can check on Bardo’s condition. I can
connect sensors to the immobiliser which will enable me to get Bardo’s heartbeats and blood-count, and data on all his physical reactions.”
“Let’s get that done immediately,” he suggested. “Time is of the essence, Doc! I don’t know, but I have a sneaking feeling that we’ve been wasting time, lulled into a sense of false security because there have been no positive reactions from Bardo. I think he has been building himself up unnoticed by our equipment, and now he’s strong enough to begin waging all-out war against us.”
“But you said the laser destroyed that image, whatever it was!” she reminded.
“That’s true, but it hasn’t harmed the original Bardo, the source of all this strange power,” he said. “If we can get rid of that one then all the others will disappear.”
“I’ll get my equipment!” There was a determined note in Adah Morley’s voice. “But the loss of communications seriously handicaps us, doesn’t it, Captain?”
“It’s a grave matter.” He nodded firmly. “But what is more disquietening is the fact that Bardo can attack other parts of the ship, and we have no way of knowing what he’s about until he actually operates. There’s nothing I can do to safeguard the ship, except rely upon the alertness of the crew, and it seems that they are becoming alarmed at the thought of meeting Bardo along the corridors. Something has got to be done, and very quickly, if we are to maintain the initiative, Doc!”