by Perry Rhodan
And their brains were also quiescent.
This time when Pucky came back he was gesticulating wildly with his little arms. "Back in the Control Central—thought impulses! I was able to detect them clearly!"
"The invisibles!" exclaimed Rhodan tensely.
But Pucky shook his head. "No—not possible! These thoughts are completely different—desperate but understandable. One of them was amazed that he was awake."
Rhodan narrowed his eyes. He took one last look at the long row of motionless Barkonides and then nodded to Sengu. Each of them grasped one of Pucky's hands.
"Take us to the Control Central. Let's have a closer look at these awakened ones. Maybe now we'll find out what's happened here."
They materialized directly next to the familiar power console. Pucky bowed his head and 'listened'. He closed his eyes briefly and then looked up at Rhodan.
"Over there in that direction—not very far. He's fully awake now but I can't make much out of his thought stream. Yes, he's thinking all right, completely different from the invisibles. But it's confused, like wool-gathering or something."
"Let's go to him!"
Rhodan led the way as Pucky gave him directions. They left the room and passed three or four doors, arriving in the wide corridor beyond. The passage stretched endlessly before them. The mouse-beaver indicated one of the nearest doors and came to a stop.
"He's behind that one—and there's another one with him now. Here they weren't thinking at all before and now they're ticking again. That's funny..."
Funny or not, thought Rhodan, it was a breakthrough. He was filled with a wild hope. The other 'dead men' hadn't been thinking either. But these had come back to life...
He placed his right hand in the depression of the 'body heat' lock. The door opened slowly.
It gave them a view of a moderately sized room that was nicely furnished and had nothing at all in common with either the machine rooms or the big sleeping chamber where they had seen the other Barkonides. This was a room arranged for personal comfort, with indirect lighting and comfortable furniture and pleasant warmth.
A man in a trimly fitted uniform came toward them with uncertain steps. He was tall and unusually slender. His face reflected a great intelligence. Behind him were three men who were lying in their beds. One of them raised up and stared tensely at the newcomers.
"Perry Rhodan!" said the slender man who had approached them. He stretched out his hand. "We have had to wait for you a very long time..."
5/ BAITING THE TRAP
Rhodan took the proffered hand. "Is it you, Nex? What's happened here?"
The nexialist smiled. It was a rather despondent smile, in fact. He politely greeted Sengu. Then he looked doubtfully at Pucky but finally bent down and good-naturedly patted his shoulder. Evidently the mouse-beaver’s uniform apprised him of the fact that he was dealing with some kind of intelligent creature.
"What has happened? You will soon be informed, Rhodan. I'll tell you everything. But first please tell me how you came here and what it looks like outside—on the surface."
"What's happened to your surveillance equipment? Don't you have any contact with the surface?"
"Not for some weeks now."
Meanwhile the second man had gotten to his feet. He was of powerful stature and wore a flaming red beard. He stretched his limbs and then spoke in rumbling tones. "May the fire gods take me if that isn't the alien with the miraculous little spaceship! Do my eyes deceive me, Perry Rhodan?"
"You are not deceived, Chief Physicist Regoon. Have you been sleeping long?"
"For more than three weeks," nodded Regoon as he greeted them. But he looked at Pucky in amazement. "Well now—and who or what is that?"
"That is my friend Pucky the mouse-beaver. He's an inhabitant of the planet Vagabond in the Milky Way."
"That's right," said Pucky, taking Regoon's hand. "Just to the right of the Coalsack. You should drop in sometime."
The Barkonide's beard fairly trembled. "He can speak!" he exclaimed in amazement. "And Intercosmo, at that! But certainly he is not a racial offshoot from our own strain...?"
"I'll beg off from that possibility!" protested Pucky and he waddled over to the two remaining beds where the sleepers had begun to stir.
Regoon looked at him in wonderment and shook his head. "That race we've never encountered, even a million years ago, if our traditions haven't deceived us."
But Nex had forgotten Pucky already. "You were about to tell us..." he reminded Rhodan.
In a few words Rhodan depicted what they had found on the surface of Barkon, without mentioning the assignment that had been given to them by the Immortal. But he was not reticent concerning the attacks by the invisible entities and the repeated shutdown of the main reactor by the enemy. Then he said decisively: "But now I'd like to know what has occurred here. Hasn't your planning worked out?"
Now it was Regoon's turn to reply. "Everything worked perfectly! All equipment worked just as we expected it to. We escaped the gravity field of our sun and set out on our journey—precisely toward the galaxy. Life carried on here in the underworld just as we had foreseen. A half-century passed. It was then that we experienced the first attacks of invisible intelligences. Nex, you can tell him the rest!"
The scientist nodded. "With the aid of our remote cameras we were able to observe some unusual events. The atmosphere precipitated as snow and all life outside became impossible. Our sun receded into emptiness. The galaxy approached us almost imperceptibly. Of course all of that was natural and we had expected it. But then for the first time our power machinery failed. It was simply shut off."
Rhodan nodded but made no comment. Sengu had joined Pucky in trying to wake up the two remaining sleepers.
"We were able to turn everything on again but the same process kept repeating itself. Then the cameras connected with the surface failed us and those we couldn't get back into operation at all. We did not locate the trouble but there was every indication that we had come under some kind of attack. There were no visible weapons so far—just a number of furtive happenings, almost unnoticeable at first. But once just before the viewscreens were darkened we caught a single glimpse of a powerful energy beam. It melted the snow and turned the water to steam, apparently for the purpose of examining the nature of the planet's surface. But at no time did we see anyone although rocks were shoved about as though they were looking for us beneath them. Finally they found us. That's when visual contact was broken and the machines stopped. We turned on the reactor again but minutes later it shut off by itself."
"We're familiar with that part of it," said Rhodan but Nex went on.
"We tried to determine what we should do. As a precaution we distributed the sleeper cradles. These were developed by our most advanced medical men. Their effect is amazing. When a person lies down in one of them a part of his physiology is paralyzed. The intake of nourishment is no longer necessary. To all outward appearances the man is dead. So little oxygen is required that a man in that condition can survive on only a cubic meter of it for a year. It's an ideal emergency device for survival in the case of an untenable situation like this. We call it 'warm sleep' because the body remains warm in the process. Our life support and food-generating systems ceased functioning and even the air circulation was endangered. So we finally ordered our people to go into the sleeping chambers and to get into their special palettes. We ourselves remained here close to the Control Central but also took the sleep. However, we also prepared ourselves with the means of counteracting its effects. The arrangement allowed us to wake up again just as soon as the air circulation came back. We knew that would happen as soon as the invisible invaders went away."
"Or when somebody put the reactor back in operation?" suggested Rhodan.
Nex smiled. "Not quite. An automatic control turned it on every 24 hours. However, that didn't help much. The unknown enemy always turned it off immediately. But now it seems they have finally given up."
Ment
ally Rhodan knocked on wood. Within a few seconds, however, he was forced to realize how impractical such superstitions were. The lights went out. Somewhere they heard Pucky whisper an unmistakable cussword. Then a short time later the lights flashed on again.
When Pucky returned, he ignored the surprised reaction of the two Barkonides. "They're still at it! Can't that button be tied down some way so that it will stay in one position?"
"Then they'd find some other way to cut off the reactor, little one. Perhaps in some way that would damage it beyond repair."
"If they come down here they'll be in for a big surprise," prophesied Pucky angrily. "I know they work that button through some kind of remote control because I never pick up their thought impulses when that donkey business is going on. If we tie down that start button then they'll have to come here in person—and we can have a hot reception ready for them."
His suggestion made sense. It could well be that the invisibles were only on the surface and merely carried on their attacks by means of remote controls. But as for the start button...?
"Of course!" exclaimed Regoon. "We'll weld the start switch into position! Don't we have enough energy weapons here?"
After a decision was made to take this course of action, Pucky calmed down. With an air of having made a great discovery he said: "Perry, these two sleepyheads are awake now. You want me to toss them out of bed?"
• • •
Rhodan, Sengu, Pucky and the four Barkonides cautiously approached the Control Central. Rhodan had exchanged his light beamer for a heavy energy pistol supplied by the Barkonides. When the lights went out Pucky suppressed his anger long enough to turn on the reactor again. Regoon had hurried after him and soon stood beside him in front of the hemispherical console.
He aimed his weapon at the depressed green knob. The needle ray of pure energy touched the edges of the switch socket and melted them inward. As the tough, sluggish mass cooled down it formed a foolproof obstruction for any movement of the button switch. No matter how often the red button was activated, the green one had no way of being released now.
Rhodan tested it. He used his thumb to press the red button with full force. It was pushed down into its socket but the green knob maintained its 'on' position. The reactor continued to operate. The lights did not go out.
Nex nodded in satisfaction. "Now I'm anxious to see what they will do."
Rhodan indicated the mouse-beaver, who had stepped back a short distance. "He will tell us when they come. He can sense them."
Nex did not inquire how Pucky managed to sense the presence of the invisibles. Instead he prepared his weapon for firing. They withdrew from the vicinity of the power control console and deployed themselves around the big room. They were all briefed on what to do, which was based on a definite plan mapped out by Rhodan. What had been possible to do on the surface with only three concentrated energy beams should certainly be feasible now with seven much more powerful weapons.
They waited in silence.
No one knew if the invisibles could see them or not. They might not even have normal organs of sight and perhaps they had to feel their way. There was no way of knowing.
Pucky lifted a hand and signaled that he felt something coming nearer. Rhodan concentrated mentally—and then he, too, could sense the disturbing and menacing impulses as they pressed in upon him. Their intensity was an indication of distance—and they approached swiftly. In fact, extremely fast. Rhodan wondered how they had gained entrance to the underworld and what their means of locomotion might be. Could they penetrate solid matter...?
"They're coming!" whispered Pucky, and he stared grimly at the rounded console which would be the target area for the invisibles. Or were they intent upon going directly into the reactor? It was not very likely since they had given no indication of being immune to hard radiations.
Pucky's head turned slowly. His eyes were fixed on something that the others could not see. But even though they were not telepaths like the mouse-beaver they could nevertheless feel the pressure of alien thought in their brains. And Pucky was staring precisely at the source of this pressure.
At present he was looking straight at the console but he did not fire.
The red knob was seen to sink inward.
An invisible hand was pressing it into its base. However, the green knob remained where it was. The light continued as it had been. The reactor still operated.
Pucky looked at Rhodan. The latter nodded. It was a command signal for all of them.
Lightnings of energy flashed from the seven heavy weapons. They all converged on the spot where a man would have to be standing in order to operate the power panel. The concentration of the terrible energies cascaded from something that took on the form of an invisible body. The outlines became humanoid and gradually materialized.
The unseen foe became visible.
It was human-like, as they had already observed on the first occasion. And it turned about as though in pain and sought to flee. But the fingers of energy held it fast. It continued to become more and more apparent under the brilliance of the beams. There was even a blurred impression of a face now, yet it remained featureless. Rhodan could just barely make out two eyes and a narrow, twisted mouth—nothing else.
He gave the signal.
The seven energy beams were extinguished. The alien remained where it was. It had fallen to the floor, however, where it seemed to be writhing about in twitching convulsions.
Rhodan could sense that the thought impulses and their accompanying pains were subsiding inside his head. He leapt forward and ran to the fallen figure. The others followed hesitantly. Pucky remained where he was in order to stand guard. He would notice it immediately if another alien was approaching and thus he'd be able to warn them.
Rhodan took hold of the invisible one who had now become semi-visible. He felt some kind of material and flesh. With all his strength he jerked his opponent to a standing position. But the alien must have been so hard hit by the concentrated fire that it was at least stunned out. Incapacitated, it slumped down again.
Rhodan bent down with it, not letting go. He sought to study the face—using one free hand to rub in the place where the eyes were. The alien's face was seen as though through a veil.
"It's becoming invisible!" came Pucky's shrill voice. "And its thoughts—it's dying!"
Rhodan tried to get a firmer grip but he no longer felt any resistance. His hand went through the material of the strange suit and even into the body of the uncanny entity. The dying man or humanoid could still be seen but it swiftly became transparent. Rhodan could already see the smooth metal floor through its body.
Fear, anguish and pain—these were the chief characteristics of the surge of thought impulses that came into Rhodan's brain, only to diminish rapidly and die out.
In the same moment the alien disappeared. It had not only become invisible but also devoid of substance. It had died and simultaneously disintegrated into nothingness.
• • •
They were sitting in the Barkonides' quarters near the Control Central. For hours now the reactor had continued to function without interruption. No one had made any further attempt to turn it off again. Pucky had remained in the Control Central as a lookout but had not been able to pick up any more impulses. To all appearances the invisibles had given up their attacks.
But they knew that the peace and quiet could be deceiving.
"Who could they be?" thought Rhodan aloud, hoping at least that Nex could explain some of the mystery.
But the scientist only shrugged. "They have come out of the great void between the island universes. Perhaps they have no home planet of their own and they were wandering about aimlessly. Then they found us, an apparently uninhabited world coursing through the universe. They probably thought they had discovered a dead planet. And then they learned the truth—and made their attack. But they are invisible and have no bodies. Yet one of them became visible, Rhodan, before it died."
"Ye
s, and when it died it again lost physical substance. It looks as if that's their natural state. They live in the same dimension as we do. They don't know the art of teleportation and yet they achieve a similar effect. They are not only invisible in the normal sense of the word but effectively nonexistent. However, their brains are some part of our reality. There's no explanation for it."
"We shall find one!" affirmed the nexialist. He represented all sciences without being a specialist in any of them. "One day we shall find out where they come from and who they are."
Rhodan regarded this as a poor consolation. As long as this unknown race restricted themselves to attacking the Barkonides and did not transfer their sphere of activity to the galaxy itself, he wasn't directly concerned about them. But who could be sure? Other than accidental hits against them with energy beams, there were no weapons that seemed to be effective.
Regoon came into the room. His bushy red beard fairly bristled with enterprise. In his wake came the heavy-set astronomer Gorat. They glanced in amusement at the dignified nuclear scientist Laar, who sat on his bed wearing what looked like a silk top hat.
"Why the formality?" asked Regoon with irony. "Surely there's no business of state going on yet—or is there?"
Laar did not answer him. Regoon dismissed the subject and tamed to Rhodan.
"All sections are running at full capacity. The forcefield generator is working and building up a defense screen. Of course we had only planned to use it when we got near the galaxy but now we've followed your advice. So you really think the invisibles don't like energy beams and forcefields?"
"I'm convinced of it," nodded Rhodan. "As soon as the screen spans the entire planet and has built up enough field strength, we'll see whether or not I was right. Is the atmosphere returning?"
"It's forming again," Regoon confirmed briskly. "In a few weeks we'll have a new air envelope around Barkon. Admittedly it will still be cold but men will be able to live on the surface again."