by Perry Rhodan
How was it generated and what powered it? The Antis. Only they could produce such energy fields mentally. So they had to be around somewhere. But where? There was no place to hide on the plateau.
Perhaps under it? Rhodan had hit upon the answer just before the ground began to vibrate. A section of the plateau on which he and Cardif were standing started to move downward. That was the reason why Cardif had retreated to the center earlier. He had drawn him on the movable platform.
There was nothing Rhodan could do about it. He stood helplessly under the little airtight energy dome. It was hot and stifling.
The Ironduke dropped out of the sky, growing larger and larger. They were certain to follow the events on their picture screen. But would Deringhouse manage to arrive in time?
The platform sank at a faster rate. Cardif didn't move a finger. His face looked tense. He had trouble hiding his triumph. He said something but the sound couldn't reach Rhodan's ears. He had stumbled into a more perfect trap than anyone had ever plotted for him.
The opening in the surface closed up again, shutting off the sight of the Ironduke hurtling down from the sky. Deringhouse would not dare to bombard the peak for fear of harming Rhodan. Cardif must have counted on it for the execution of his plan.
A light flared up and Rhodan saw that they were no longer alone on their way down. Three Antis were now standing next to Cardif. He recognized them by their cloaks. One of them had a full beard which made him look more like a Springer. He was talking to Cardif and pointed repeatedly at Rhodan.
Rhodan knew that he had one last chance. The Antis were unable to maintain the energy dome indefinitely. Furthermore it would be impossible to transport him anywhere unless they overpowered him. And the moment they removed the screen Rhodan would have to act.
Finally, after endless minutes of descending deeper and deeper, the platform stopped with a jolt. At the same instant the energy dome disappeared. Rhodan was taken by surprise because it came much sooner than he had expected. But he lost no time in drawing his raygun. However before he was able to fire at Cardif he was hit by the concentrated shock-beam of the Anti who had also waited for the precise moment. Rhodan felt an icy cold engulf his limbs and paralyze him. His weapon fell from his numbed hand; he slowly sank to the floor and lost consciousness.
• • •
It couldn't have lasted more than a few minutes because the Antis were busy tying him up when he opened his eyes again. Rhodan put up a terrific fight but all he managed to do was to kick down one of the Antis. Cardif stood by and gave his instructions, holding in his hands Rhodan's needle-raybeamer, his wristset and the little beeper. When he saw that Rhodan was defenseless, he came a step closer. "You haven't trusted me from the beginning, Rhodan. We found the proof on you."
"My suspicion was justified, wasn't it?" Rhodan retorted. He had had enough time to control his disappointment but he was still ashamed of his weakness. He should have listened to reason instead of following his feelings. Bell would tell him off in no uncertain terms.
"Did you really think I would admit defeat? Never! In this respect I am your son—but only in this respect." His voice became hard and uncompromising. "You were kind enough to give me time to think. I have used the time, you didn't. This was your mistake, not mine."
"You will be hunted, Thomas, to the end of time and space. Sooner or later you will be caught and then you will have to deal with men who won't fall victim to their feelings but will act with clear minds and firm determination to avenge me mercilessly."
"Save your strength, you will need it," was all that Cardif had to say. He gave the Antis a few orders, then Rhodan was picked up and put on a flat car. Cardif and his companions sat down on it too and the ride into the mountain began.
The tunnel slanted down a little. It was just big enough to let the car pass through so that they barely missed scraping the ceiling with their heads. It was dimly lit by lamps which were mounted at regular intervals.
Rhodan figured out that the elevator had dropped to a depth of about 1,000 meters. But the mountain peak on the island was 700 meters high at the most. The tunnel would probably end 500 meters under the surface of the water unless it soon turned up again.
Before long the tunnel widened into a regular hall, most of which was filled with water. He saw the submarine which the surviving Antis had used to escape from their destroyed fortress. Rhodan began to believe that Cardif had not lied concerning one point: the second fortress of the Antis had not yet been discovered.
The car stopped. Two Antis picked up Rhodan and carried him to the submarine. The bearded one and Cardif followed. They talked to each other but Rhodan was unable to understand a word. He wondered whether his little beeper was still operating. They took him to a small cabin, checked his bonds and left him alone.
A little later the engines were started up and he heard the rushing of water. They probably passed through a waterlock to reach the open sea. Then the engines ran smoothly and the swaying stopped, leading Rhodan to assume that they were now under water and heading for the mysterious sub-aquatic fortress.
If his beeper still functioned, the Ironduke would follow the course of the submarine. But this was not much help at the moment. Thomas Cardif held the best hostage that could guarantee his safety.
Nobody would attack the submarine or the fortress so long as Perry Rhodan was in Cardif's power and nobody knew this better than Rhodan himself.
• • •
Bell stared the lonely island. "We should have known better," he exclaimed full of angry desperation. "Why did we let him go?"
"Nobody could have stopped him," Deringhouse replied.
The Ironduke descended till the observation screen showed the most minute detail of the plateau.
"A trap, pure and simple," Deringhouse continued. "Now that we know it, it is easy to see the outlines of the closed shaft."
"The sender is transmitting its signal again," the radio officer announced at the door of the Command Center. "Do you wish to follow the signal on the big screen?"
Deringhouse nodded, surprised.
The screen depicted the landscape below the ship, giving them a sharp general view at a smaller scale. A tiny point of light crept across the scope at a snail's pace, wandering from the center of the island toward the ocean.
"It's at least 500 meters below sea level." Bell observed the point of light with growing interest. "The shaft must be connected with the ocean. Perhaps Cardif is taking Perry by submarine to the fortress."
"Without switching off the signal transmitter?" Deringhouse shook his head dubiously. "Cardif isn't that stupid. If he lets the beeper go on operating he must have his reasons. He wants us to know what happens to Rhodan and where he is taking him. And they might take him anywhere except to their last refuge. They can never be sure what orders Rhodan gave us and they must reckon with the possibility that we will attack them regardless."
All further discussion of the subject was rendered superfluous when the point of light suddenly was extinguished. It had moved far enough out into the ocean to prove conclusively that Rhodan was abducted in a submarine. So that was what Rhodan's friends were supposed to know, that and nothing more.
"Trace the submarine with the rangefinder!" Deringhouse ordered. The vessel was much too big an object not to be registered. "Follow its course but don't attack!" The latter order went out to the fleet and their own U-boats. "We must determine at all costs where Rhodan is being transported."
The disappointment wasn't long in coming. Although the search started at the same point where the submarine of the Antis had been seen last, they could detect no trace of the ship. The scope of the rangefinder remained blank. None of the scanning beams was reflected to its origin to show the outlines of the vessel and its position,
The submarine of the Antis had disappeared and with it Perry Rhodan.
• • •
Rhodan's signal transmitter kept working continuously but now he and the entire submarine were
shielded by an energy field. It isolated the ship so effectively not even a thought could penetrate to the outside, making it impossible for his telepaths to contact or locate him.
The submarine was propelled through the water at a depth of 1,000 meters at top speed and it slowed down only when the peaks of the undersea mountain appeared before its prow. It cautiously sank lower till it floated before the overhang of the rock. The doors opened and the ship entered a water-filled canal. It ended at watergates through which it passed into the harbor of the fortress itself.
When the energy screen finally collapsed the signals from his beeper were useless because they were unable to penetrate the massive rock.
Four Antis came into Rhodan's cabin and picked him up. They carried him through a narrow corridor to the conning tower of the submarine and then on land. The harbor basin was brightly lit and nobody could have guessed that they were more than 1,000 meters below the level of the sea.
Rhodan saw Cardif and the bearded Anti walk ahead and turn into a corridor. He was put on a stretcher and carried behind them.
His situation was becoming more dangerous than he cared to admit. At first he had thought he would be used as a hostage so that Cardif could press his demands. In that case Cardif would not have wasted so much time. What then, he asked himself, were they really up to?
The corridor ended at a wide door which opened automatically as the bearers approached. Rhodan could move around only very little but one look at the ceiling confirmed his worst fears. Symmetric rows of lamps flooded the room with unbearably bright light. Where the ceiling joined the walls, bundles of cables ran into enclosures. Rhodan assumed they were leading to the power station. He turned his head as much as possible and recognized the complicated apparatus of a well-equipped research laboratory. The hypno-shock machine standing in the corner to which he was brought was unmistakable.
He was put on a table and fastened to it. Rhodan tried vainly to read the thoughts of the Antis but his telepathic capability was too inadequate. The priests of the sect had shielded their thoughts well.
In the background he noticed Cardif and the bearded Anti who seemed to be his constant companion. He now wore a white robe, which was girded by a golden belt, and he held a few papers in his hand.
Cardif approached him from the side. He almost had a friendly smile as he walked to the table where Rhodan was tied down helplessly. "You might as well enjoy for the last time being able to think your own thoughts because from now on you won't be able to anymore. We are not going to kill you because you are much too valuable to us. Your brain and your memory are too useful to be lost forever. Many people would like to learn what you know. For instance the secret of Wanderer, the Planet of Eternal Life. Or the key to Arkon and its power. Oh, there are so many things we are dying to know—and the way to your knowledge is so simple. But this is far from all I want you to do for me. You once robbed me of my memory and grafted a new personality on my mind—one of a ridiculous weakling and dreamer." Cardif still smiled, however his smile was no longer mild and friendly but distorted by hate. "I, too, will give you a new personality, Perry Rhodan. You will be a man whom the Terrans and Arkonides will pursue to the end of the world and who will be drowned in the hate of the Solar Imperium's people. You will be the enemy of the universe whose name will be cursed until you are finally captured and killed. Do you know what your name will be?" Cardif bent over and looked into the grey eyes of his defeated arch enemy. "So you can't guess? Then I will tell you: in one hour you will no longer be Perry Rhodan but Thomas Cardif!"
Rhodan remained motionless. He hardly dared breathe. Of course he had already suspected what Cardif had in mind but Cardif now opened a Pandora's box. His son killed two birds with one stone with his diabolical plan.
Rhodan began to reproach himself bitterly. His sentimentality had put Terra and Arkon in terrible jeopardy. It would have been much better had they killed him. Now they would burden him with a new personality—remake him into Cardif—and condemn him to the relentless prosecution of his own friends. Even worse, Cardif would...
"I can see on your face that you have guessed the truth," Cardif continued triumphantly. "While you are going to play the onerous role of Thomas Cardif, I will be Perry Rhodan with all his knowledge and prowess. My eyes will appear to be pure grey by means of injections. My hair is easily dyed. That our brain and body frequencies are identical we have already found out. I, Perry Rhodan, will in a few hours be the Administrator of the Solar Imperium and will give orders to hunt down the fugitive Thomas Cardif until apprehended and killed! This time Rhodan will not have pity for his son." He stared sharply into Rhodan's eyes. "Now what do you say to my plan?"
Rhodan had no illusions. His situation was hopeless. Nobody knew where he was and if they knew they would be afraid to launch an attack although it would be much better for the Imperium if he died. Cardif's plan was foolproof and risk-proof. Even the telepaths would not be able to know the difference between the real and the false Rhodan.
Thomas Cardif would become Rhodan and perhaps not even be aware of it in the end. It was quite possible that he would become the nemesis of the Antis with the same ardor as Rhodan. It all depended on his intention of retaining a part of his own memory and the possibility of shielding it sufficiently against telepathic espionage.
But Rhodan speculated that he would not much longer be troubled by this question. He preferred not to answer.
"It leaves you speechless. I see," Cardif stated with obvious satisfaction. "I thought it would. Anyway I'll do a much better job than your men did 58 years ago. They left my memory intact and merely sealed it with a hypnoblock which could be lifted again. In your case there will be nothing left to restore. If they should try to remove your hypnoblock they will draw a complete blank because you will be I and I will be you. With one little difference, however, and I don't mind telling it to you since it will deprive you of your last slim hope. Even though I will be Rhodan, I will not completely give up being Thomas Cardif and I will remain conscious of it. Yet no telepath will ever realize it. My personality will live on, encapsulated in your knowledge and ability, and it will continue to pursue its goals. But they won't be the same goals as yours, Rhodan!"
Rhodan steadfastly maintained his silence. What could he have said? He would have wasted his breath. Thomas Cardif was insane—he had to be insane! But he was also clever. Unfortunately...
Cardif beckoned to the bearded priest. "You may proceed, Rhobal, as soon as the contacts have been made. We are lucky some of the Aras have escaped their extermination. I don't know how we could do this without them. He bent once more over Rhodan and said: "Goodbye, Perry Rhodan! I don't think we will ever see each other again but if it were to happen again, two like-minded persons will meet—because I will not bestow the character of an angel on you. You may close your eyes. I am humane enough to spare you the sight of the machines. Have a good trip, Perry Rhodan!"
Rhodan did not close his eyes but neither did he care to give an answer. He vainly tried to loosen his straps but had no more success than before. A hood of glass descended over his head from above. Metal bands were clamped around his wrists and ankles. A second table was rolled next to him and Cardif stretched out on it. Several of the wires passed through the machine and connected him with Rhodan.
Rhobal stepped forward. "Everything is ready, Thomas Cardif!"
"Then proceed at once! We don't have too much time to lose. If it takes too long they might become impatient." He turned his head and looked at Rhodan. "Now you will pay for making Arkon a colony of Terra, Rhodan. I will restore the might of Arkon and put Terra in its place. If I succeed in accomplishing this, my mother will be avenged."
He turned on his back again and gazed at the ceiling.
Rhodan still remained silent. He knew that it would be senseless to waste his words. However he still struggled against giving up despite the utter helplessness of his situation. Was he allowed to hope? Who could help him now? Even the mutants
were powerless had they been able to find the fortress.
No, it was all over. He had reached the pinnacle of his power and success in life. Now he would be overthrown and topple as low as he had climbed high. A dizzying height he had to admit. Nobody could fall that far without perishing.
And he fell by the hand of his own son.
The machines began to hum. At first Rhodan was lulled by a pleasant warmth and a prickling sensation all over his body but then he felt as if someone reached into his brain and ripped it out piece by piece. The pain became so intense that it grew dark before his eyes. With the greatest of efforts he could barely concentrate enough to observe the proceedings but it quickly became too much for him. The excruciating pain threatened to burst his head. Finally he sank into a black bottomless pit.
6/ THE EVIL ALTER EGO
Just as Perry Rhodan had to go to a museum to obtain his U-boats, Prof. Wild had to contact another museum halfway across the globe to get a UV-Hormotroscope and ship it to Terrania from the Museum of Medicine at Florence. He was forced to consult with numerous colleagues before he finally managed to find one who was able to explain to him how the Ultraviolet Hormotroscope worked.
It had been discarded more than a hundred years earlier because it had proved to be of limited value to medical scientists. Professor Wild did not expect very much from the instrument which had been mentioned in one of the outdated medical publications he liked to read but he was desperate to try anything for fear of overlooking a chance and regretting it later—the more desperate because he was a Liquitiv drinker himself.
3 hours after the first experiment he came up with the same result 18 times. The effective extract of the second gland permitted only the passage of ultraviolet light at a magnitude of 0.57% compared to that of the other gland.
He alerted the enzyme specialists of Terrania. Enzymes were those minuscule organic bodies of biological origin whose presence affect the chemical process. Being present in the human body in a thousand varieties they could be found anywhere in the saliva, the gall, the pancreas and so on. These enzymes were all catalysts which produced chemical changes in other substances by their mere presence without altering their own chemical composition.
