Spoor of the Antis

by Perry Rhodan

  With his weapon in front of him, Emery pressed on into the dome's interior again. He was in a descending passage and had not gone far before he encountered a dark shape on the floor. It was an Anti-badly wounded but still alive. When he heard Emery's approach he rolled over. The sergeant aimed his automatic but the wounded priest watched him calmly. Emery was standing only three yards away from him.

  "What are you waiting for?" the Anti asked in cultured Intercosmo. "Do you think that Casnan is afraid of death?"

  "No," said Emery, but his throat was so dry that he practically croaked the word.

  "What are you going to do?" asked Casnan.

  "I'm going to keep on going," growled Emery hoarsely.

  The priest smiled with a painful effort. He managed to rise up far enough to draw out a beam weapon from under him, which he regarded thoughtfully.

  "No tricks," warned Emery. He was thinking that the man was trying to delay him for some reason.

  Then he charged Casnan. The wounded man rolled to one side and aimed the weapon at him. With a loud curse Emery practically made a broad jump toward his opponent just as the glowing death-ray hissed past him. He reached the Anti and gave him a kick that made him cry out in pain but still with a great effort he swung his weapon upward.

  But another kick knocked Casnan's arm to one side and Emery finally took possession of the energy gun.

  "Alright," he grunted angrily. "Now well see what you're trying to hide back here."

  Casnan's slight expression of alarm indicated to the veteran sergeant that he had picked up a hot trail.

  "If you go farther you will die," threatened the priest. It was his last pronouncement, however, as he finally collapsed.

  Paying no further heed to the fallen Anti, Emery started down the passage at a run. His pounding footsteps set up a resounding echo. The corridor took a sharp turn and suddenly he found himself facing a shaft that sank away into complete darkness. He dropped to the floor and listened.

  Could he be mistaken or was that actually the sound of splashing water? What was down there at the bottom of the shaft? He unclipped a flashlight from his belt and turned it on. The walls of the shaft were completely smooth. The beam of light was unable to reach the bottom but Emery's thoughts were racing. He was thinking of the dying priest's warning. Was there really an unknown danger lurking here?

  He clamped his jaws together and got up. Revving up his antigrav, he launched himself into the shaft.

  • • •

  Perry raised his arm. The three heavily defended domes had been taken. The combat robots were everywhere with their heavy weapons and were cleaning out the last nests of resistance. The dome city with its 67 buildings was practically destroyed.

  One of the battle-weary men around him spoke up. "Sir, I'd like to know where they've all disappeared to."

  It did seem strange since this was apparently their most important stronghold and yet from one minute to the next the priests had all left their battle positions. They had vanished as though into thin air. Rhodan estimated that at least 200 priests had fled to some unknown location. And Thomas Cardif was no doubt among the fugitives.

  The dome was completely blockaded on the outside. Where could the Antis have gone? Was there perhaps a secret subterranean passage?

  Rhodan called over one of the soldiers who was equipped with a field transceiver. "Get in touch with the Ironduke," he told him.

  Immediately the thundering voice of Col. Claudrin rattled the small speaker. "Congratulations, sir. You made it!"

  From the triumphant sound of his voice it was evident that Claudrin had an unobstructed view of the entire installation, and from his position in the Control Central the signs of the Anti defeat must have been unmistakable.

  "A fairly large group has escaped us, Colonel," said Rhodan wearily. "There's probably a secret passage here someplace. Keep an eye out for them because we don't know where they're liable to reappear."

  "The Ironduke will make a nice reception for them," confirmed Claudrin grimly. There was an obvious note of anger in his voice, mostly because he'd been forced to be a spectator so far.

  Rhodan looked at the soldiers gathered around him. There were several hundred of them. The others were in the remaining dome structures and were undoubtedly being led by experienced officers to make a thorough search of everything.

  This was the same task that faced him here.

  "We're going to have a look around here now," Rhodan called out to his troops. "Make a systematic search through every room. You will immediately secure any area that can give us any clue concerning the manufacture of the Liquitiv."

  Before he could continue there was a movement among the soldiers. There were some shouts and then an aisle was made to make way for two men who came toward Rhodan with an Anti between them. The Administrator noted at once that the priest was wounded. The two guards saluted.

  "We have captured eight Antis, sir," said one of them. "Seven of them are about as talkative as a wooden Indian. Only our young friend here seems to have a story for us."

  The wounded Anti was comparatively young. "They've left us sitting here." said this one angrily. "They just went off without us as soon as it was getting too dangerous for them."

  Undoubtedly his irritation was aimed at the priests who had fled and taken Thomas Cardif with them.

  "Don't feel too bad about it," said Rhodan calmly. "It doesn't alter the fact that we'll still capture them."

  The Anti laughed derisively. He did not appear to share Rhodan's confidence. "I presume that you may be interested in our major product, Liquitiv?"

  Rhodan thought of the human lives this conquest of Okul had cost him. He had to exert every effort of will to keep from striking the Anti in the face with his fist. "Speak!" he said in a hoarse tone.

  The priest looked at him curiously. 'You really resemble the traitor Cardif," he murmured wonderingly. "In fact, to a hair."

  Rhodan's jaw muscles hardened visibly. Bell, who was standing beside him, gave the priest a warning look.

  "That is highly possible," Rhodan answered him, still controlling himself outwardly. "After all, he's my son."The Anti took a step back in amazement. The icy grey eyes seemed ready to bore a hole through him. Finally he began hastily to speak. "The main equipment installed in the domes," he said, "is principally for the refining processes that convert the raw material for the narcotic."

  "From what plant do they extract the poison?" asked Bell.

  "Plant?" The member of the Baalol cult shook his head in some surprise. "The poison is not a vegetable product. We extract it from the glandular secretions of a very weird animal."

  "Animal?" queried Rhodan suddenly. "Explain that."

  "They are armored slugs with many feet, like a caterpillar, but they are over six feet long and almost 11/2 feet thick. They are mostly to be found in the swampy regions of the jungle. On their horny heads they have a set of boring spines about six inches in diameter overall and they use them for rooting around in the ground. We call them slime diggers. The bore-head has some kind of pressure chamber in it that activates the spines for digging. These slugs have a special gland system and "That's what supplied us the basic material for the Liquitiv."

  The Anti's voice was obviously becoming weaker. His injury seemed to be draining his strength rapidly. Rhodan gave the guards a signal and they took the man away with them.

  "Well, now," said Bell, "that ought to do it. All we have to do now is catch one of those critters and analyze it.

  "I think your optimism is a bit premature," retorted Rhodan. "There may still be some unpleasant surprises ahead of us."

  He issued further instructions. The men broke up into groups that were to search through every part of the demolished dome.

  • • •

  The sound of lapping water became more audible. Emery practically held his breath as he floated down through the darkness. He had turned off his hand lamp. He allowed himself to drift downward slowly while holding
himself in readiness to turn at the slightest sign of danger.

  Once he thought he heard the throb of machinery but it could have been an illusion. Cool air was rising upward out of the depths. He realized that he might be in a deactivated antigrav shaft. Suddenly he felt the impact of solid ground under his feet. Directly in front of him was a bright slot of light in the wall. He placed his fingers into the opening and was surprised to see it widen. It was a double sliding door.

  Peering through the vertical aperture he felt a shock of discovery when he recognized a subterranean harbor. A strange-looking craft lay alongside the loading pier and he could see a number of Antis climbing around on it. The great chamber was artificially lighted and there was an atmosphere of great haste and urgency. One after another of them was disappearing into the small ship.

  Then Perry Rhodan appeared!

  Emery came near to betraying himself with a startled yell. But the man was not Perry Rhodan-he was his son. Emery stood there frozen to the spot as he watched Cardif also board the craft. He knew it would be senseless to risk a solo attack here. At any rate he had to get the news of this discovery to Rhodan at once.

  Once everybody had gotten into the vessel it moved slowly into the middle of the harbor and then began to submerge. Obviously the submarine was being used to take them out to sea from beneath the dome. Apparently they had constructed an undersea escape tunnel for just this purpose.

  Emery didn't wait any longer. As fast as the narrow lift shaft would allow, he shot upward to get back to Rhodan.

  • • •

  Thomas Cardif used the periscope to take a last look at the battered Anti base on shore. Although he had once more eluded the grasp of his father and the Solar Fleet he had to face the fact of a definite military defeat and it negated any possible sense of triumph. "Down periscope!" ordered Hekta-Paalat.

  Cardif clapped the cross-handles into place."Prepare to dive," said Baaran.

  "We're sneaking out of here like whipped dogs!" exclaimed Cardif bitterly. "But as long as I live I'll never give up trying to carry out my plan!"

  "Sooner or later Rhodan and his men are going to discover the underground harbor," said Rhobal. "Then he'll know where we've gone. I'm sure he has ways and means of pursuing us, so our situation isn't any too hopeful. But for that very reason we have to keep our heads about us. Baaran, I believe that for the time being well be safest in the ocean depths."

  Even Cardif had to admit that in their present condition they had no way of striking back effectively. They could only hope that with time there would be a turn of events. The tremendous setback represented by the loss of the Okul station was certainly not going to enable the Baalol cult to expand any operations now.

  Rhobal noted that a scornful smile had touched Cardif's lips. "Do you have another of your great ideas?" he asked.

  Cardif nodded. If the Terran researchers did not succeed in finding a remedy for the effects of the narcotic, Rhodan's Okul victory would only turn out to be an added cost to him in terms of lives and precious time. "I was just thinking of Valmonze," he explained. As the Antis looked at him in puzzlement he continued. "The patriarch has taken our last reserves of Liquitiv. We're not able to produce the raw material for any more because our installations have been taken or destroyed."

  A light of response came into Hekta-Paalat's crafty eyes. He grasped Cardif's trend of thought. "That means that the Solar Imperium will be faced with millions of addicted persons who will rise in revolt when their nerve poison is unexpectedly shut off from them."

  "Unless the Earth finds an effective cure," Baaran reminded them."Their scientists are fighting against only a very limited time," retorted Cardif. "They'll have to hurry if they're going to save many of the addicts they have on their hands now."

  Regarded from this point of view, the Okul defeat did not appear to be quite so tragic to Cardif. The vague outlines of a fantastic plan began to form in his mind. The longer he thought about his daring inspiration the more certain he became that it could be carried out.

  12/ NOT QUITE THE END

  The conquered Anti base was a scene of devastation. More than 50 of the 67 domes had been destroyed. The condition of the other structures was such that they could no longer be utilized. The old-fashioned rocket batteries of the Ironduke had fairly riddled the buildings with an atomic barrage as soon as the troops had moved out of range. The nonmagnetic warheads were the only major ordnance that could get through the Anti defense screens. Maj. Krefenbac manoeuvred his space-jet in a wide circle over the gutted city of steel. Columns of smoke were rising from many areas. Down among the ruins the search details could still be seen moving about. He could see the metallic reflection of combat robots as they provided each team with heavily armed security cover on the flanks. Any sudden outburst from an Anti ambush would be crushed with annihilating force. But it was highly unlikely that any nests of resistance were left. Rhodan had issued instructions to the ground units to make a thorough search for any signs of Liquitiv producing equipment. "In a few years, sir," said Krefenbac, "the jungle will bury this place again. This elevation must have been a part of the forest originally."

  "For some reason or other," pondered Rhodan, "the priests had a need for choosing a site this close to the sea. Otherwise, why wouldn't they have built their base more inland?"

  "I have a simpler question," interjected Bell. "Those Antis were giving us a real bad time in three of the domes for awhile and then they disappeared without a trace. Thomas Cardif probably went with them. Where have they hidden themselves?"

  Krefenbac frowned. "Perhaps they have matter transmitters," he said. "We haven't been through all the buildings yet."

  "That's out," retorted Rhodan. "The Ironduke has plenty of sensitive instruments on board. Any fifth-dimensional discharge of energy would have been detected immediately. But Col. Claudrin has not reported any such event. No, Major, the Antis must have used another means of escape."

  Krefenback manoeuvred the space-jet into a curve, seeking a lower altitude. "Then only the jungle is left, sir," he replied. Before Rhodan could answer him the regular telecom buzzed and the broad face of Claudrin appeared on the videoscreen. "Excuse me, sir," he rumbled thunderously, "but I have to interrupt your inspection flight."

  "Has something new turned up, Colonel?" Claudrin nodded. "One of the men brought back on board says he's discovered a subterranean harbor. He claims that the Antis and Thomas Cardif got away from there in a submarine."

  Bell snapped his fingers and pointed toward the sea. "The ocean!" he cried out. "So that's where they've taken cover!"

  "Back to the Ironduke, Major," ordered Rhodan. He turned again to Claudrin on the screen. "We're coming back to the hangar, Colonel. I'll speak to this man personally. In the meantime organize a well-armed troop detail so that we can raid that harbor." Claudrin confirmed and the screen faded.

  Bell brushed back his ever-stubborn red hair. "Now all we need is the right bait to catch our fish with," he said. "Maybe I'm wrong," answered Rhodan, "but I don't think we even have the hook at this stage. In the Solar Fleet we don't have any amphibian ships." Bell seemed to be indignant. He wasn't too fond of having his optimism crushed. "So we shoot across light-years," he grumbled, "and then run aground because of a little puddle!"

  • • •

  Sgt. John Emery stood like a ramrod in the Control Central of the Ironduke. It could be seen that he had not held back at all in the recent fighting. With his more than 220 pounds he made a powerful impression. After several fruitless attempts he had given up trying to repair the tattered strips hanging down from his battlesuit. Each time Claudrin had raised his voice he had been startled by its volume. This was the closest he had ever come in person to these famous men. "The space-jet has landed in the hangar," announced Averman. "Rhodan will be here right away."

  Rhodan, Bell and the Ironduke's First Officer Krefenbac entered the Control Central and Emery snapped his heels together.

  "That's the man, sir,
" boomed Claudrin's voice.

  The sergeant swallowed bravely. "Sgt. John Emery, sir," he said. "Lt. Henderson's command."

  Rhodan observed him in silence for a moment. "I can see your battlesuit has taken a beating," he smiled. "But now tell me about your discovery."

  Emery described his experiences and expressed his belief that a subterranean escape channel must lead directly to the ocean.

  "Do you feel up to finding that place again?" Rhodan asked him."Any time, sir!"

  "Good. You are up for a promotion, Sergeant. Meantime, however, you will lead a group of men to that underground harbor. I want everything thoroughly checked out. See if you can find out where the submarine went. In case you find any other ships there, you are to secure them at once."

  "Yes sir!" snapped Emery. Maj. Krefenbac took Emery to the troop detail that he was supposed to lead.

  "Now we have to figure out a new problem," said Bell. "We have to find a way to catch those Anti fugitives."

  John Marshall put in a word. "It's possible that the priests have a spaceship stationed somewhere. Perhaps they are heading for it by now?"

  Rhodan nodded in agreement. He had no suitable means of searching the depths of the sea.

  Pucky's high-pitched complaint was heard next. It's time somebody came up with an idea," he chirped. He was visibly peeved that nobody had given him a chance to go into action. "We can't just sit around here in this iron coffin forever."

  Aside from the fact that the mouse-beaver always stood by his word, in this case nobody took his reproach seriously.