by Perry Rhodan
Mercant had already turned to a table mike and spoke into it his request to the FBI to supply him with all available data on Monterny. Then he looked up. "You can count on my complete cooperation, Rhodan. Within a few minutes we should be in touch with the President of the USA. But one question in the mean time: where are your destroyers now?"
Rhodan smiled gently. "Overhead, my dear Mercant. Exactly 18 miles above us. Are you surprised?"
• • •
Cadet Tifflor saw in front of him the rounded disk of Terra. It was surrounded by a milky layer of the denser atmosphere, then the sky's color gradually deepened from violet to black. The bigger stars were shimmering without sparkling, although the sun was shining.
Without special formalities Tiff had been transferred by Perry Rhodan to the fleet of the New Power. He had been entrusted with the command of a destroyer. Together with Ray Gall and Pete Maros he was positioned now with his Z-35 at a height of 18 miles above the headquarters of the Terranian Defense Federation, where Perry Rhodan was presently negotiating with Mercant.
Eight additional destroyers were hovering close by, supported in place by their gravity neutralizers. Much higher up, invisible to the naked eye, stood the mighty spaceship Stardust II in the void of space. Bell acted as the commander replacing Rhodan who was on Earth. The New Power had begun its action against the mutant master.
Mercant had issued the necessary instructions and nobody would attempt to bother the nine cruisers—that were waiting above the territory of the United States. Besides, there was no weapon against the mighty spacesphere of the Stardust II, whose diameter was almost half a mile.
Tiff breathed a sigh of relief when the screen before him lit up showing the familiar face of Reginald Bell. Tiff knew that all the commanders of the other eight destroyers were simultaneously put in touch with the Stardust II.
"Calling all destroyers! Rhodan will arrive in a few minutes here on the Stardust II via an auxiliary vessel. Action will proceed according to plan. Adhere to permanent instructions!"
The picture screen remained brightly lit. Bell's face moved sideways and out of view. The audio contact was interrupted. This lasted 10 minutes, then came data on which course the destroyers were to set. Bell's calm voice guided the nine-destroyers to their destination.
• • •
Deep down below the Earth's surface lay Clifford Monterny's command center. Surrounded by innumerable picture screens and other communication devices sat the supermutant in his command center like a spider in its gigantic web. He held in his hands all the strings of his far flung enterprise and from here the monster was directing his battles which were mainly conducted in an inconspicuous manner.
One of the screens lit up. The face of an Oriental man came on. The image was flickering and distorted. There must be many relay stations between the sender and the receiver of this broadcast.
"What do you have to report, S-7?" asked Monterny.
"While conducting new research experiments the Syntak Works were destroyed last night. They are in
Australia and 65% of its stock is owned by the General Cosmic Company."
"Thank you, S-7, you'll get your check."
The screen grew dark. Another face came on as another screen shone brightly. A black man. "This is
M-3 speaking. This morning the Governor of Sirapolis died during a traffic accident. The driver of the car escaped unknown."
"Good, M-3. You know your next mission?"
"I received instructions from..."
"They'll do, M-3. I'm awaiting your report: mission accomplished."
A third screen. "Hello, chief. This is Sp-6. Unusual flight activity observed in the air space above the Terranian Defense Federation. Sighted a spacesphere. The FBI was requested to provide data regarding Clifford Monterny."
"What did you say?" Monterny leaned forward. "About me?"
"I have this information from an absolutely reliable source. Chief. The only thing I couldn't find out is who asked for this information."
"Dammit, that's impossible. Nobody knows my identity. Or should perhaps...?"
He had a sudden vision of the oval face of a pretty woman with whom he had lost contact for a few days.
Tatjana Michalowna!
He had lost touch with her when she failed to execute her last mission. He knew that she was a powerful telepath, just like himself. But in addition she had the special gift of being able to place a protective screen around her brain and thus elude outside influences. Even his own.
Could Tatjana have dared betray him? And why? Hadn't she been one of his most loyal and most firmly convinced followers? He had always had to be on his guard when the was around not to think any 'wrong thoughts.'
"It must have been one of our own people," Monterny heard his agent's reply. "As soon as I find out who demanded these data about you from the FBI I'll report again to you." Monterny paused for a minute with the reception of his agents' newscast. He was deeply absorbed in his thoughts. His superbrain reached out and searched where his mutants were in all parts of the world. This was not always an easy task and this was the reason he kept up this daily news report for all routine announcements. But if necessary he could keep his agents under surveillance without technical installations.
He currently had 13 mutants under his command. One of them, the most important one, could not report, since he was not on Earth. Eleven mutants called in and were instructed to return to the base immediately. One mutant only did not answer Monterny's call: Tatjana Michalowna.
The supermutant did not waste any time with long reflections. He sounded the first-stage alarm. The first of his mutants were due to arrive soon. The entire fortress was put in a state of defense.
Tiny jet planes were now coming in for a landing on the vast fields surrounding the farm house. They were bringing Monterny's main assistants, the mutants. They had left their posts and were rushing back to headquarters in order to receive new and direct orders. In the underground shafts of the former mines a feverish activity unfolded. Modern artillery was carried close below the surface by freight elevators and then placed in strategic positions, ready for action. All was accomplished completely automatically and by electronic guidance.
The mutant master sat in his command center and kept everything under his control. On various screens he could observe the environs of his farm house in all details but hard as he might try he couldn't detect any suspicious movements. There was no sign of any potential attacker.
Perhaps agent Sp-6 had been mistaken and this request from the FBI was just a routine matter; but he couldn't be too careful in his position. If only his man in Terrania would get in touch with him.
Monterny had no idea that this man would never again get in touch with him. As strenuously as his searching mind was trying to locate him. Monterny was unable to find a dead man's brain. Tatjana had taken care that no threat any longer existed for Terrania from this end. When put under arrest this agent was shot in self-defense.
But the supermutant knew nothing of these events. He was waiting in vain for some news from his agent in Terrania. And thus he also remained ignorant of whether Perry Rhodan might have learned something about his identity.
All was quiet for the time being. But at the slightest sign of an impending attack the harmless Monterny ranch would change into a fire-spewing fortress. The mutant master had mobilized his defense forces and was all set, ready for action.
• • •
Perry Rhodan and Reginald Bell took their time.
The Stardust II and the nine destroyers had climbed to the edge of the atmosphere in order to foil all attempts to locate him by the mutant master's radar installations. They were now holding their final council of war.
"Our mutants have done a splendid job," reported Bell and threw a warning glance in the direction of Pucky, who was squatting in a corner. "Several agents of the supermutant were put out of action. We couldn't catch any of his mutants. According to Tatjana there were 12 othe
r mutants besides herself. She knows 11 in person but not the 12th. He seems to be extraordinarily capable specimen."
"More capable than I?" asked Pucky from his corner.
This was actually very difficult to imagine. As far as his looks were concerned, Pucky would not be surpassed by any human being, for Pucky did not belong to the human race. Some time back, when Rhodan had set out on his search for the Immortal and had made a temporary landing on the lonely planet Vagabond while on his way from the planet Wanderer, the mouse-beaver Pucky, as he was later christened by a member of the crew, had stowed away on board the Stardust. From that moment on the little mouse-beaver had been inseparable from Rhodan and Bell.
Pucky's fur was reddish-brown; he had the head of a mouse and the tail of a beaver, which he used for additional support when he was walking upright. His extraordinary intelligence had enabled him to learn very quickly the language of the 'two-legged creatures.' He was an outstanding telepath, master to perfection of the art of telekinesis and teleportation. On occasion it had happened that he would cause an entire fleet of smaller spaceships to execute the fanciest manoeuvres much against the will of their pilots.
Bell examined the little mouse-beaver quizzically. "To a certain extent he might perhaps be more capable than you, Pucky, but we don't know that for sure. But please, don't disturb us now, even if you are a full-fledged member of the mutant corps, we must discuss very important matters now." Bell concluded excitedly and looked at Rhodan. "Where was I when we were so rudely interrupted?"
"We were talking about Monterny's mutants. They've already been alerted."
"That's right. Our radarite Tanaka Seiko has intercepted the thought message sent out by the mutant master and also his subsequent telecast. Tanaka located each of the receiving stations and drew a sketch. Here it is.
Rhodan took the piece of paper and studied the drawing. It reminded him of a spider's web. In the middle, at the focal point, sat the supermutant. Innumerable lines were spreading out from this center in all directions. These lines led to the respective mutants and agents. Rhodan's men were already on their way to each of Monterny's men.
"Excellent," Rhodan said. "This will effectively isolate the mutant master. He no longer will be able to count on assistance from the outside."
"I doubt this will matter greatly to him. Don't forget Tifflor's report. His prisoner was talking about Mars. I'm afraid that Monterny has at some time added another base to his wide-flung network, a base on Mars."
"Right now he's still sitting here on Earth and that's where we'll get him and finish him off. I've never been so determined to stamp out an opponent utterly." Rhodan's voice had assumed a steel-like quality. "The mutant master is the declared enemy of all mankind. He wants to unite all men but under his iron rule. The ultimate world dictator."
"We'll ruin his plan for him, you can rely on that," promised Bell and glanced at his watch. "Our shock troops should have reached Monterny's ranch by now. They should be in the vicinity. I wonder why we didn't get any report from them?"
"They may have run into difficulties. In any case, we won't wait much longer now, we'll start the action very soon. If possible I want our men to take Monterny alive."
Bell's eyes resembled good-sized saucers. "Why? In order to imprison him? He'll get away again and then the whole chase will start all over. No, if we catch him, I'm in favor of wiping him out for good."
"I'm thinking of his mutants," demurred Rhodan. "I'm convinced they know just as little about their master's despicable deeds as Tatjana did."
"But aren't they committing some crimes, even if they obey their master?"
"They are acting under duress, Reggie. They believe they are acting for a good and just cause. Well, we'll soon enough find out for ourselves..."
The door to the command center opened. "A report from Utah," exclaimed the radioman excitedly. "They want to talk to you, Mr. Rhodan."
Bell arrived at the communication center even faster than Perry Rhodan. Pucky waddled behind them at a leisurely pace.
"This is Wuriu Sengu speaking," came a voice from the loudspeaker after Rhodan had given the password. Sengu was the Japanese 'scout', the seer of the mutant corps. He could see through solid matter and discover any object he wanted to find even behind steel walls. "I'm not quite two miles from Monterny's farm house. I managed to land and creep toward the house unnoticed. Everything seems quiet inside the house itself. I can't locate a living soul in it. But under the ground there's a lot going on. An unbelievable system of defense installations. Long corridors with branch passages and innumerable closets. Provisions, armories, living quarters. Freight elevators for all kinds of guns and cannons. The supermutant has entrenched himself in some kind of a command center and is busy preparing for the defense of his realm. He must have been warned by somebody."
"By whom?"
"Perhaps Seiko can tell us. He's listening to their conversations but I have no contact with him."
Rhodan deliberated for a few seconds. "Fine, Sengu. Keep up your observations. Try to establish communication with the other mutants, especially with Seiko. Let us know when something new happens. We'll attack in exactly 30 minutes. Keep in the background and intervene only after the main danger is over. Is that clear?"
"Perfectly, sir."
Rhodan pulled himself up to his full height. "I'll direct the attack from the auxiliary vessel Good Hope V."
Bell reacted in astonishment. "From the Guppy?" he wondered. "And what am I supposed to do with the Stardust ?"
"Watch out that nothing goes wrong, my friend," Rhodan comforted him. "You keep off to the side and make sure that this scoundrel doesn't get away from us. Don't forget he has still at least two destroyers that can travel at the speed of light. He stole three from us; one was destroyed. One is probably located on Mars. That leaves one. And this is the one you have to watch out for."
"Me too?" chirped Pucky. He didn't look too pleased.
"You too!" Rhodan reassured the little fellow. Then he turned to Bell and patted him on the shoulder. "I'm glad that we didn't bring our Arkonide friends along for this action. Thora and Khrest are not in favor of war-like activities. They regard them as barbarian manifestation of violence."
"They aren't too far off, I'd say."
Rhodan smiled wryly, "No argument from me, Reg, but can you suggest an alternate solution in this case?"
Bell did not reply; there was none to make. The two men, accompanied by Pucky their trusty follower, returned to the command center. Here Bell took over the command of the Stardust while Rhodan hurried to the antigrav-elevators that would take him to the hangars where he would take care of getting the Good Hope V ready for action.
Five minutes later the spacesphere with a diameter of 180 feet left the gigantic Stardust and quickly descended into the Earth's atmosphere. The nine destroyers followed in military formation.
The assault on the headquarters of the supermutant was about to begin.
4/ FLIGHT OF THE MUTANT MASTER
Hardly had Monterny's direction-finders registered the arrival of the spacesphere and set off the alarm than Rhodan completed his landing manoeuvres. Only at the very last moment did he brake the scorching descent. The Good Hope V was still vibrating on her telescoped supports, hardly 600 feet away from the low flat farm building, when the mutant master opened fire on them.
Out of more than 20 gun barrels roared the flames, over several yards in length, hurling deadly explosive projectiles with terrific impact. The projectiles flew in a straight line toward the Good Hope V and detonated on the protective screen which had meanwhile been erected obtaining its energy from the inexhaustible Arkonide reactors. It was a pyrotechnical display never before witnessed by any person living in this quiet landscape in the rocky mountains. Untouched, unscathed by this horrific onslaught stood the spacesphere behind its energy field. It waited.
The automatically controlled defense installations of the mutant master shot off over 500 missiles before the ele
ctronic brain realized how useless this procedure actually was. The type of bombardment changed. The mechanical conveyor exchanged the explosive heads of the projectiles. The electronic brain had decided to use atomic weapons.
Rhodan had counted on that. He knew that the protective screen could handle this load by neutralizing it. But the deployment of atomic weapons was an indication that the supermutant had no other means at his disposal now. This was the beginning of the end.
Rhodan waited three to four minutes until a short fire interval occurred. In the meantime he had sufficient opportunity to ascertain the position of the cannons. Their barrels protruded from the bare rock and could in no time disappear beneath the ground where they would be unassailable. If he wished to put these guns out of action he had to act fast.
The fighter robots were ready to be used in battle. The soldiers of the New Power, superbly trained for defensive actions, were feverishly waiting in the large freight lock of the Good Hope V. The rest of the mutant corps were impatiently hoping for the go-signal. They alone had some inkling that the final battle could be fought exclusively on a mental level.
Mutants versus mutants!
All the spaceship's available disintegrator cannons were pointed at their targets, ready and waiting. In the instant that Rhodan would cause the energy field to collapse they would discharge their ruinous flood of all-vaporizing rays and annihilate the target. Each crystal-line structure would cease to exist.
Rhodan had waited for the short fire-pause. This was one of the shortcomings of a mechanically guided installation, that the various artillery pieces could not be dealt with individually. When they all were silent or had to be exchanged, not a single one was ready to shoot.
The protective energy screen of the Good Hope V collapsed. The same second eight or nine hardly discernible ray-beams shot out of the concave mantle and found their goal. Soil and rocks changed within the fraction of a second into a boiling, vaporing mass in which the steel cannons were floating about and melting away like so many pats of butter in a frying pan.
