by Perry Rhodan
Taking a second look, he then noticed one of the fugitives was absent. Six had been reported missing together with the Arkonide woman—among them Wlassow who, as was taken for granted, had made common cause with Tomisenkow. Yet Pjatkow counted only five sleeping figures. One was gone.
Where was he?
Pjatkow took the chance of weakening his small troop of soldiers by sending one of his men to track down the sixth fugitive.
Then he waited.
• • •
Breshnjew had not yet shown up. He probably was still sleeping. Alicharin didn't mind. He wasn't tired and he liked gazing into the dark although there was nothing to see. There was a faint rustling. It came up the wall, slithering and scraping. Now it sounded right below and behind. Alicharin crawled five feet over to the side and noticed that the noise was still vertically below him.
He uttered a curse and ran fifteen feet farther. The noise was there, too. He had to move another 30 feet away before he left the rustling and scraping down there behind him. He knelt down and waited. Something seemed to move in the darkness but he was unable to see what it was.
Then a dark shiny object appeared over the edge of the rock. The movement Alicharin had seen came from two shapes looking like feelers attached to the black substance. Alicharin jumped up.
Ants!
He was considerably relieved to notice that the insects didn't move in the direction of the camp. They crawled in a wide swath over the rocky ledge and moved rustling and crackling through the bushes-each one as long as two hands of a grown man!
Nevertheless, Alicharin walked to the campground. Venusian ants were unpredictable insects. Besides, nobody knew whether they had a sense of smell that would enable them to locate human prey. Tomisenkow must be warned.
"There—!"
Alicharin hit the ground instantaneously and noiselessly when a shadow loomed out of the darkness in front of him. For one second he felt like a fool because of his timid reaction. It probably was Breshnjew coming to relieve him. Yet it couldn't be Breshnjew! Or anyone of Tomisenkow's team. The man was very tall, over six feet. Alicharin could clearly see his silhouette from below against the grey sky.
The stranger passed Alicharin only six feet away, moving cautiously and constantly turning his head. He hadn't discovered the ants yet but the neighborhood gave him the creeps anyhow. Alicharin's thoughts were in a dither. He remembered the helicopters he'd heard more than an hour ago. Perhaps he'd been right after all?
He followed the man crawling behind him. To his right—less than five feet away—was the army of ants. The tall man stopped at the rim of the rock. He looked right and left and suddenly discovered the ants. Alicharin saw him raise his submachine gun in horror and spread his legs to gain a secure stance. At this moment Alicharin jumped him. The man, scared to death by the ants, offered no resistance. Alicharin kicked him behind the knee and hit the back of his neck with the edge of his hand.
The man toppled forward screaming in panic. He tumbled into the midst of the ants. He flailed around to defend himself against the insects inundating him. His submachine gun was flung in a wide curve over the rim of the bluff. Alicharin crawled back and hid for a short time in the bushes. Then he darted forward again. The campground was in danger! The man, who had been assailed by the ants and killed in the meantime, hadn't come alone.
But Alicharin had taken less than ten steps when he noticed that he was already too late to bring help. He saw shadowy figures moving swiftly in the campground. He could hear muffled shouts. Somebody cursed—it was Zelinskij's voice.
Too late!
Alicharin whipped around and tried to get away from the scene of the raid as quickly as possible.
5/ Climax On Venus
Nothing could he found at the place where the shooting fray must have occurred. By now they were about 600 feet above the level of the coastal plain. They had no way of knowing that the shooting was merely a decoy for Pjatkow's secret landing on the plateau.
Rhodan had monitored for awhile the intercommunications of the helicopters with his wristband radio. They revealed clearly that Raskujan's fliers were on a hunt for escaped prisoners. Rhodan assumed that some of Tomisenkow's followers had broken out. He didn't learn that Thora had managed to gain her freedom. The reports mentioned only 'fugitives.'
In the meantime Rhodan and his companions were only a few more miles away from the periphery of the barrier. Rhodan decided to take a rest for an hour before tackling the last stretch.
• • •
Raskujan was filled with pride and triumph. His two most important prisoners were hauled before him in the command center of his flagship. He looked at them with a cynical smile and asked: "What did you expect to accomplish with your escapade?"
Tomisenkow had not yet had a chance to clean up and to improve his battered appearance. His hair was mussed up and his old ragged uniform had been torn in the hand-to-hand fighting with Pjatkow's soldiers. Thora had not taken part in the brief fracas. Soiled, but unbowed, she stood before Raskujan. Neither Tomisenkow nor Thora answered the colonel.
"Aha!" Raskujan snickered. "Still as proud as ever!" He sat down comfortably and folded his legs. "I regret your stubbornness," he continued.
"You're opposing the only real power on Venus. why?" Thora smiled scornfully.
Tomisenkow snorted, "Because we can't stand you."
Raskujan didn't let this irritate him. "I've a more business-like attitude," he gently chided Tomisenkow. "The three of us ought to be united. I'm convinced that together we can establish a superpower such as the world has never seen before."
Tomisenkow grinned contemptuously. "This presupposes the condition that Rhodan won't bother you."
"Oh!" Raskujan gestured. "He's left me alone for a whole year and why shouldn't he leave me alone in the future? Besides," he nodded to Thora, "if I can enter the fortress with your support, it'll be impossible for Rhodan to land on Venus against my will."
"Don't count on my help to get you into the base," Thora shouted angrily.
"I've got ways to make you do it," Raskujan threatened, beginning to lose his composure.
Thora made a disdainful gesture. "Who are you to force an Arkonide to do anything? Besides, you'll be in Rhodan's hands before you're through talking."
Raskujan jumped to his feet. "Rhodan isn't even here on Venus!" he shouted uncontrollably. "And if he tries to land here, I'll know how to keep him away."
At this point Thora's emotions got the better of her. With fire in her eyes she exclaimed: "You won't have to worry about preventing Rhodan's landing on Venus. He's already here!" She realized she had made a mistake the moment the words slipped out. But to see Raskujan turn pale and stagger back to his chair was worth making a mistake.
Behind her she could hear Tomisenkow say softly: "You shouldn't have given him a warning!"
• • •
Alicharin kept marching. With the patience of an Asian he tried against all obstacles to reach a goal the existence of which he could so far only guess. While being held in Raskujan's prison camp, he had heard about the weird events occurring over the open sea—the light that had been observed and that two helicopters had failed to return, as well as about Major Pjatkow's extensive search, the discovery of an empty lifeboat and the dropping of an atomic bomb.
Alicharin knew more than that. He remembered the ambush on the strip of land near Tomisenkow's camp a few days before Raskujan attacked the post. The ambush had been repulsed. Three men had been sighted but none captured. Alicharin also remembered well the impulse-beamers used by the New Power during the fighting a year ago. The bursts of light over the ocean described by Raskujan's men probably originated from such weapons.
The rest was nothing but speculation and guesswork. If three members of the New Power were stranded on Venus, apparently virtually deprived of technical aids, Alicharin figured that their most urgent goal would be to get in touch with the positronic brain inside the fortress. These were the reasons th
at Alicharin marched toward the mountains. He was aware that the huge protection field had a diameter of 30 miles, representing a periphery of about 95 miles. He realized that the odds for meeting the three men somewhere in these 95 miles were pitifully small; but they were improved by the fact that they—just like Alicharin—were approaching from the south and would probably try to enter the barrier from that direction.
However small his hope to find them was, it was the only chance he had. wherever else he turned' the outlook was much bleaker than linking up with the citizens of the New Power. Therefore he continued marching in the chosen direction.
When he had climbed halfway up the mountains he perceived at last the shimmering dome of the protective screen between two peaks touching the ceiling of the clouds above. By this time the vegetation had become less profuse and the going was much easier. Alicharin's spirit was buoyed up and he walked very briskly.
• • •
No matter what people thought of Raskujan, they had to admit that sometimes he was capable of analyzing the situation. From the onset he'd been puzzled by Major Pjatkow's report concerning the three men. Who would dare to cross the Venusian ocean at night in a puny boat, though it was only a 200 mile wide channel?
Raskujan knew that there was a possibility, no matter how small, that the three men had survived the cannon fire and the bomb. What if one of these three people was Perry Rhodan?
Raskujan followed his train of thought and came to the same conclusion as Alicharin at about the same time although at a different place.
If Rhodan had ventured out to sea in the life raft, it meant that, for some reason, he must have lost contact with Earth as well as with the Venusian bulwark. Otherwise he would have been in possession of far more technical equipment than seemed to be at his disposal at this time. With this view in mind it was a fairly simple matter to conclude that Rhodan would do his utmost to reach the barrier and penetrate to the base. Raskujan didn't doubt for a minute that this was entirely in Rhodan's power to achieve.
The logical consequence of this deduction was an order to the entire fleet of helicopters to fly to the defense barrier and shoot at anything moving in the vicinity. However, Raskujan kept it a secret that this massive action was directed against Perry Rhodan. He was afraid that the mere mentioning of his name would put a terrible fear in his men.
After an interval that was unanimously considered far too short by all crews, the helicopters took off again. Raskujan observed the start from the brightly lit heli-pad by television and felt some reassurance, seeing the spectacle of his gunships lifting off and racing away.
He didn't consider it in the least ironic that the greatest of all actions launched on Venus was intended for a single man. If he'd had more fighting strength available, he'd have deployed 10 times as many men and machines to seize and destroy this single man:
Perry Rhodan!
• • •
Rhodan's maltreated body had used the last period of rest to protest the constant neglect it had suffered: it reacted with an attack of fever. His teeth were chattering audibly when it was time to depart again. Marshall and the Japanese suggested that he wait until the fever passed but Rhodan answered with a grim laugh: "I'm afraid that this old ticker," he pointed to his chest, "is going to act up as long as I don't give it something better to do."
They continued on their trek. They were fortunate that the diminishing vegetation hampered their progress less and less.
Rhodan, however, was plagued by bad luck. He was forced to revise his opinion about his ticker. His attack of fever didn't let up, it was growing stronger and stronger. At times he had to hold onto Marshall to keep from falling down.
Shortly after 229:00 o'clock they traversed a small valley high in the mountains and, passing through its exit, were regaled with the magnificent sight of the gleaming dome over the base, seemingly close enough to touch.
Rhodan breathed a sigh of relief. They had almost accomplished their task, a task that had required superhuman efforts. The terrain they were crossing now was a high rocky plain with a few bushes far and between. They made good time and the glistening wall of the barrier moved perceptibly closer.
"Only twenty-five hundred feet to go," Marshall murmured after awhile to encourage Rhodan and to take his mind off his pains. He scarcely had finished his sentence when a light buzz arose from south of the mountains. Marshall hesitated and Rhodan, who was leaning on his shoulder, also stood still. Son Okura spun around and stared at the dark sky. The humming grew louder and reverberated over the high valley they had just passed through and dissolved in the whistling of jets and whirring of rotor blades.
"Choppers!" shouted the Japanese. "At least 40 of them!" With an abrupt and determined effort Rhodan stood up under his own power. He looked hurriedly around. "Take cover!" he panted. "Over there! Try to reach the side of the valley!"
• • •
For a few minutes Alicharin had the impression that the huge fleet was sent to track him down. He watched the whirlybirds zooming over him where he had quickly concealed himself and as they began to circle around the shimmering energy curtain.
Alicharin soon understood what they were after. Someone had come to the same conclusion as he and were attempting to capture the three men from the New Power where they were most likely to be found. Without further delay he set out again and after a short time came to a tortuous pass crossing over the last mountain chain separating him from his destination and leading beyond at the western end into a high vale surrounded by steep walls.
Farther north—perhaps a little more than a mile—the shining dome rose from the floor of the valley. However, the helicopters were also circling up north as Alicharin could hear distinctly. Being familiar with the efficiency of their infra-red searchlight, he kept strictly under cover. This slowed him down quite a bit but he advanced with safety.
• • •
The helicopters scoured the valley at low altitude. Rhodan and his companions had been unable to reach the wall of the gorge and sought cover in the shadow of a huge boulder. when they saw that they had not yet been detected, they retreated farther and took refuge in a shallow cave indented in the steep western wall of the ravine. From there Son Okura observed the gunships. "They're dividing up," he said. "Two formations are flying east and west along the defense shield and the third's cruising in front of the shield."
Rhodan could barely muster enough strength for an answer. "We've got to go on," he whispered. "We can contact the positronic brain only at the border of the field."
Marshall remonstrated. "In your place I'd rather..."
"Uh uh!" Rhodan silenced him, pushing himself up on the wall of the cave.
At the same moment Son Okura, who was standing at the entrance of the cave whirled around with a muffled shout and raised his thermo-gun. "Halt!"
A barely audible voice came from the dark shadows to the right of the cave. Marshall couldn't understand a word. He left Rhodan alone and went to the side of the Japanese with his weapon ready to fire. "Who's there?" he demanded.
Okura shrugged his shoulders. "He claims to be one of Tomisenkow's men and that he ran away from the prison camp."
Marshall lowered his gun. He closed his eyes while Okura kept the stranger covered with his impulse-beamer and concentrated on the thoughts flowing from the brain of the unknown man. "He's OK," he finally nodded to Okura. "The man has no hostile intentions."
Okura lowered his weapon as well. He called to the stranger to come closer. Then Marshall saw him emerge from the darkness. He was fairly small but very broad-shouldered, with small slanted eyes and high cheekbones. He turned to Son Okura and said: "My name is Alicharin and I'm a member of General Tomisenkow's forces. I've got some important information to give you."
Although he had no time to lose, Rhodan was anxious to hear his report. Alicharin quickly recounted the details of the events since Raskujan's raid on Tomisenkow's post. "After what happened it won't be easy for Thora to resist Raskuj
an," Rhodan murmured. "He'll do anything to make her talk. We really must hurry!"
They left the cave and proceeded along the wall. Taking advantage of any cover they could find, they sneaked forward while Son Okura continuously kept a sharp eye on the helicopters. Alicharin's report and his fear about Thora's fate seemed to have given Perry Rhodan a second wind. He was able to walk half the remaining distance on his own legs until he was forced to lean on Marshall again. They approached the luminous wall within 50 feet without having been spotted by Raskujan's machines. But from here on it became crucial.
The last stretch of territory was virtually devoid of a place to hide. There were only a few isolated rocks, scarcely big enough to give protection for one man. Rhodan anticipated that their foes would drop bombs as soon as they had spied their victims and those little rocks provided no protection whatsoever against bombs.
It was plain to see that Rhodan had reached the limit of his strength. His cheeks were sunken and red splotches dotted his skin. His voice was hoarse and he wheezed with every effort. "We've got to create a diversionary manoeuvre," he instructed his friends. "One of us will have to draw their attention away from the others. While they're kept busy by him, the rest of us will rush to the barrier. I expect that the positronic brain will only require a few seconds to identify me and to open the barrier for a moment. Who wants to volunteer?"
"I'll go," Alicharin said at once.
Rhodan had no objection, at least none for which he could take time to bring up. Alicharin was not a citizen of the New Power; it was not his duty to risk his life in a bold manoeuvre. However, there was no time for a debate. Alicharin sneaked away after it was pointed out to him that he would have to start running like the very devil as soon as the defense screen was dimmed. Nobody knew what he planned to do to distract the gunships.