Caller from Eternity

by Perry Rhodan

  "How is it possible those two names didn't ring a bell with you? Those are the two men who flew with the Chief to Wanderer-the ones who were held captive on the Baa-lo after the Chief was released from the Antis. And after we were all sure they were dead...! Lt. Bilk, don't blank out on me completely! Get out a dispatch to the Chief and Solar Intelligence. And while you're doing it, transmit Alkher's message just as you received it. I'll expect a completion report in three minutes!"

  The commander had no sooner given this order than the hypersensor sounded out. It had detected the hypertransition of the fugitives' spaceboat.

  "Coordinates!" he demanded.

  The synchro-system cut in and the impulse engines of the Ganges opened to maximum thrust. The spherical spacer was about to leap through semispace to the indicated emergence sector so that the two Terran officers could be picked up. The main nav-computer was already racing to prepare for the jump.

  • • •

  The physicians would not admit Bell and Mercant into the room where the Chief was being examined. They both decided to respect the order but they would not leave the antechamber. The doctor who had the thankless task of keeping them out spoke frankly.

  "Unless the Chief lifts the order for secrecy we are not in a position to reveal the slightest detail concerning the results of the examination."

  "Well, he'll lift that order," Bell asserted but he sounded more certain than he actually felt.

  The doctor left the two men alone. In the next room Cardif-Rhodan was still with the other physicians. The positronicon had put out a complete tabulation on everything that was medically known concerning him. The information was not disputable and in fact was corroborated by the findings of the examination just completed.

  "Sir, said internist Bock, "organically you are completely healthy."

  Cardif-Rhodan interrupted him gruffly. "That doesn't interest me. Explain to me my increase in weight of almost two pounds! How is it that I've grown a full centimeter and my waist has increased by three centimeters! This is why I am here. It's these questions I want answers for-from all of you!" He ignored the fact that his arrogant manner and speech was irritating to the doctors and that they regarded him indignantly.

  "Sir, we have no explanations for those three points but if you insist on determining the causes it will be necessary to admit you into the clinic."

  "What's that supposed to mean? Please express yourself more clearly, doctor!" he demanded imperiously. Inwardly he felt a surge of new panic.

  He felt healthy; he felt the activator working and each time the device sent its currents into his body it, was as though he were bathed in a fountain of youth. But the fact that he had not only grown stouter but also taller, against all the laws of Nature, had brought him to the doctors in a panic of fear.

  Today it was a struggle for him not to betray himself because of his medical knowledge. Every professional phrase or medical term was clear to him since as Dr. Hugher he had been known elsewhere as a famous physician. In his present state of fear it was costing him a severe effort to still pretend he was a mere layman in such matters. In fact he was close to losing all control.

  "Why don't you speak?" he asked sharply, looking around him at the doctors.

  He already had a presentiment of why he had grown and acquired more weight. This was supported by his medical knowledge yet he tried to reject his suspicions. Every instinct fought against what was creeping into his awareness. He strove to deceive himself, he wanted to be deceived by these top medicos in the Solar Imperium. They must find a reason for these changes in him yet they must not find the reason which had been filling him with dread during the past few hours.

  Dr. Bock very cautiously expressed himself: "Sir, we might have to resort to surgery."

  Cardif-Rhodan snorted. "With the present political crisis? What are you thinking of?!"

  Prof. Manoli now found it necessary to lead the conversation. "Sir, I can assure you that no such operation would incapacitate you more than three hours at the most. However, may I suggest first that we just do a surface biopsy? That would hardly inconvenience you but it might possibly give us some valuable information."

  Prof. Manoli couldn't understand why the Chief's gaze seemed to lose its steadiness all of a sudden-as though he were a haunted man at his wits' end. He saw the beads of sweat on Rhodan's brow and observed the trembling of his lips. It seemed incongruous for a man who had been the indefatigable architect of the Solar Imperium.

  Almost indecisively he was heard to say: "Gentlemen, proceed with a skin biopsy."

  The preparations had already been made. The tissue sampling only required a minute or so. The small incision on Cardif-Rhodan's forearm disappeared under the effects of an Ara spray and within three hours it was entirely healed without a scar. The biopsy tests proceeded. The Chief had gotten dressed again and stood at the window which gave him a view of the clinic's inner courtyard.

  He couldn't face the doctors directly because he knew his features must be drawn with fear. He feared the results of the tests more than he had ever feared anything in his life. The voice whispering inside of him grew louder and louder, telling him what his problem was. He finally didn't have the strength to resist it any longer.

  Suddenly he had gained three centimeters in girth, he thought. He felt the sweat in the palms of his hands but he had to go on. He didn't have the will to stop the course of his thoughts. After only a few days he had also grown a centimeter in height! His uniform was too tight for him and also too short...

  His tortured broodings were momentarily interrupted by the strong pulsation of the cell activator. A refreshing current of life flowed through his body and gave him the strength to straighten up. With a fervor of desperation he clung to the thought: the activator guarantees you an eternal life!

  Behind him he heard a door close. Three doctors had just entered the room from the lab and were approaching him. Wild panic seized him and yet he mastered it with a tremendous effort of will. He turned to them with an outward calm. "Yes?"

  "Sir," said Dr. Redstone, "I have the unpleasant duty to inform you that you are suffering from a cell-division explosion!"

  At that moment Thomas Cardif seemed to hear the ghostly voice from eternity again: Perry Rhodan, remove the cell activator or you will become too big and powerful!

  Only now did he comprehend. Now he understood what the daily warning had meant and why the community being on Wanderer had kept warning him of his deadline. It had always addressed him as Perry Rhodan as though deliberately to remind him that in reality he was not Rhodan! But he, Cardif, had not wished to understand the warning!

  Cell-division explosion! He knew what this meant. The normal process of cell-division in his body had increased to explosive proportions and was continuing. And it was all being generated by the activator which was now an integral part of his nervous system!

  "Sir..." As though from a great distance he heard Dr. Redstone talking to him. "Barring any unforeseen miscalculations in our analysis we believe we can say that this cell proliferation is not of a malignant nature. However, what the rapidity of the growth may cause in terms of other effects is something we are unable to know at the present stage."

  Thomas Cardif had to struggle inwardly to keep from shouting to them in his despair. The cause of the cell explosion was now a part of his thorax! This thing in his chest that was supposed to bring him eternal life had unmasked itself and shown him the face of death!

  But instead he said rather shakily, "Thank you." As he started to leave, Dr. Redstone sought to console him.

  "Sir, we're certain that within a few days we'll be able to arrest the cell-explosion process."

  The medico didn't realize he was speaking to another doctor who knew as well as they did that there was no cure for the condition, since he was the first man in the galaxy to ever have such an affliction. Until this very day the malady had been unknown in the annals of history.

  "Thank you, Doctor," Cardif-Rhoda
n repeated.

  But he paused on his way to the door to listen. A call for him was coming in over the nearby vid-intercom. The interstellar hypercom station had important news.

  It was a dispatch from the fast cruiser Ganges operating with the Solar Fleet in the Arkon Theater. It was en route to pick up the missing lieutenants, Alkher and Nolinov. At the end of the dispatch the text of the fugitives' message was transmitted.

  When he heard their names he remembered how scandalously he had treated them, agreeing to leave them behind in captivity on board the Baa-lo and then attempting the ship's destruction. But he also caught the sense of their cryptic message. He suddenly recalled the last words of the dying anti-mutant Kalal on the planet Utik and that he had mentioned a world called Trakarat.

  An insane hope flared up within him. In wild desperation he clung to the thought that the special knowledge of the anti-mutants must help him to conquer the cell-explosion process. He had to get to Saos as soon as possible! Cardif-Rhodan forgot entirely that he was surrounded by doctors who were virtually dissecting the play of emotions on his face.

  He was already forging a plan whereby the Antis could be forced to help him yet at the same time he considered the possibility that they would refuse. In which case the Saos installation and the entire planet were nearing the last days of their existence!

  "This malady must be cured!" he exclaimed harshly.

  It startled the doctors, who could only shake their heads as they watched him leave.

  • • •

  In the antechamber the two men waiting for Rhodan had heard the vid-com speaker and listened at the door, which was legitimate since the commander of the Ganges had directed the message to Mercant as well as to the Chief. The last syllable had hardly been pronounced before Mercant tugged at Bell's arm with an excitement that was rare for him. He signaled the Solar First Deputy to come with him quickly.

  Their high-speed aircar was waiting for them outside the clinic. They got in and raced to Intelligence Headquarters while Mercant even issued directives en route by means of the radio. By the time he and Bell arrived at his office the most important preparations had been concluded. A fast briefing session had been called such as Rhodan himself had often held in the past.

  Mercant quickly addressed the five top members of his staff. "Gentlemen, the objective is to find the galactic position of the planet Trakarat. If I interpret Alkher's message correctly, it means that there must be Antis on Saos who could give us some information about that. You are familiar with the time and circumstances under which we first heard of the existence of this place called Trakarat. Apparently that world is either the point of origin of the Antis or it's where their central headquarters is located today. In connection with this assignment, it's top secret and you'll be expected to maintain silence at all times. I'll want all of your reports to come through me or Mr. Bell exclusively. Have I made myself clear? All right, that should about wrap it up. No, wait! Something's coming in..."

  The videophone screen flickered on, revealing the broad face of Jefe Claudrin, the Epsalian commander of the Ironduke. He thus became an eyewitness to the fact of Mercant's secret briefing session and immediately drew his own conclusions.

  As usual his thunderous voice rattled the speaker. "Solar Marshal, the Chief has just given me startling orders. Takeoff is at 15:10 and the destination is the Saos System in star cluster M-13. I'm also aware that the Chief has alerted Fleet reserve groups which are to be deployed to the Saos area. The Chief is boarding ship at 14:50 hours!"

  Mercant nodded to Jefe Claudrin and shut off the videophone. He turned to look sharply at his colleagues. "You are now as fully informed as I am, gentlemen. You will only take along those assistants who have your absolute confidence. Other than that, there's nothing more I can tell you. Our rendezvous is at 14:30 on board the Ironduke. You have 20 minutes to complete your preparations. That is all."

  When the staff members had exited, Bell asked: "Did you happen to run through all the music on this particular opera?"

  "I know what you're referring to, Mr. Bell-it's Atlan. If the Imperator learns that additional Solar Fleet units are entering the M-13 sector he will possibly regard it as a prelude to invasion. It could lead him to an official declaration of war. Mr. Bell, you are the only one who is in a position to avoid such a catastrophe. If Atlan still has any last trace of trust in any of us it would be in you. Now what I believe..."

  There was a knock at the door and then Prof. Manoli came in. He was greeted by silence but he took a seat anyway. "Any persons who could be interested in this do not know I am here." The statement seemed strange but not as strange as that which followed: "Gentlemen, the Chief is afflicted with explosive cell-division-a runaway condition of growth. Duty compels me to impart this information to you."

  Bell and Mercant stared at each other. The description of the malady left them momentarily unprepared to cope with the concept. Without being asked, Manoli went on to describe the Chief's condition in some detail. The longer he spoke the more color drained from Bell's face.

  Bell's voice sounded husky when he finally blurted out his question: "You mean-he will die?"

  "I have no hopes for him. Some of my colleagues think otherwise. It's possible I could be wrong. But nobody can be sure one way or another. The malady is unique in medical history-anywhere in the galaxy, to our knowledge."

  Bell's intensity was obvious. "Professor, is that cell activator what caused it?"

  Manoli asked a counter-question: "Mr. Bell, would you think that It is capable of cold-blooded murder?"

  All three men had already visited the synthetic planet a number of times while receiving their biological cell-shower treatments. They were all familiar with the multiplex entity who lived on Wanderer.

  "No!" Bell's answer was flat and emphatic.

  "Then... you see there must be another cause for the Chief's illness. But we don't know what it is-not yet."

  Mercant's eyes revealed a faint glimmer. "So you aren't giving up hope?"

  Manoli's fleeting smile was pained. "We're only human; we still live by hope. We often keep hoping until our last breath. Therefore we are hoping that the Chief will be saved by a miracle. Otherwise he will become a monstrosity." Manoli was speaking so softly during this last part that he could hardly be heard.

  Bell groped for his next words. "Manoli, would you object violently if I again bring up the subject of electro-cranial treatments?"

  "No, Mr. Bell. That's been on my mind constantly and yet the Antis could just as well have been the cause of this abnormality We shouldn't forget, you know, that on Okul the Chief was in their hands for quite awhile."

  When Bell glanced sharply at Mercant the latter anticipated his comments. "We're thinking the same thing, Mr. Bell. It seems we now have two missions to accomplish. We have to determine whether or not the Chief's condition may be attributed to the Antis. If so, then we have to force them to cure him. Although that's much easier said than done we have no recourse but to make the attempt."

  Bell checked his watch. He got to his feet. "It's time to go. Professor, don't you want to go with us on this flight?"

  Manoli declined. "We all know how the Chief's disposition has changed in these past few weeks. I wouldn't want him to become suspicious of me, which might happen if I were to board the Ironduke at this time. In case he prefers to keep silent concerning his condition, you gentlemen are in a better position to keep an eye on him."

  Further conversation was cut off by the thunder of hundreds of impulse engines. All ran to the window and saw a large formation of fast State-class ships hurtle skyward. Destination: the planet Saos in star cluster M-13.

  "Let's go!" said Bell as the worst of the bedlam subsided.

  Outside the office they separated from Manoli. The fast aircar brought Bell and Mercant under the vast-looming 800-meter hull of the linear-drive ship Ironduke. They entered the warship through airlock C.

  Bell instructed the boarding officer: "Ou
r presence on board is not to be reported. If there's any trouble, refer it to me!" He ignored the nonplussed expression of the veteran officer. He was convinced there was no other way he could handle the situation.

  They went directly to the quarters which were always reserved for Mercant. Over the intercom they learned that the Chief had come on board punctually. At the precise moment scheduled for departure the Ironduke lifted off from the landing pad.

  The powerful vessel accelerated at a rate which exceeded all regulations. Cardif-Rhodan had given the order. Fear for his life was driving him madly toward Saos.

  CALLER FROM ETERNITY

  Copyright © 1976

  Ace Books

  by arrangement with Arthur Moewig Verlag

  All Rights Reserved.

  THE SHIP OF THINGS TO COME

  THE ONLY COURSE that held any promise seemed to be an invasion of Saos. The priests of the Baalol cult had pushed Cardif into this idea of procuring the cell activators from Wanderer. They must have known the frightful effect the device would have on him. Since they were not inclined to help him willingly he was going to have to force them to do it.

  Cardif was no longer capable of thinking logically.

  The cell proliferation worked like a tumor, gradually interspersing immature brain matter among his normal nerve cells. He merely knew that he was backed up by the might of the Solar Fleet.

  But it did not occur to him anymore that he could be betrayed by the Antis.

  • • •

  An engrossing tale of a game of death, a doomsday shuffle, a nemesis eye, all in the next stirring story--

  The Emperor and The Monster, by William Voltz