“I have faith in the Nyctalope,” said Mitang. “He’ll pull through; he always does.”
“Well, I don’t intend to merely sit here and worry, Monsieur le Maire,” said Gisèle interrupting.
“But we can’t do anything to help him from here, Mademoiselle.”
“Wait a minute! Before I left Qotwaa, Leo mentioned a back-up plan. What is it?”
Akira Mitang sighed. Then he began to tell Gisèle what the Nyctalope had planned.
In Room 8 at the hotel in Upper Qotwaa, Professor Henri d’Olbans heard the sound of King Kkal’s guards banging on the door.
“Open this door!” shouted Ddôl, leading a fully-armed squadron of Nocturnals. “Otherwise, we’ll break it down.”
Suddenly, the door opened wide and the guards were repelled by a blinding burst of white light.
The Nyctalope stood on the threshold, appearing superhuman and radiating energy thanks to his polyactivated aura.
In the sky above, Koynos reacted to Leo’s emergence in his superhuman state.
“The Nyctalope has successfully mutated the energies of his human shell.”
He dived downwards just as the Nyctalope walked out of the Hotel. Leo’s head turned towards the sky.
“Show yourself, Koynos,” he said. “I know you’re here.”
Koynos appeared standing in the air a few feet above and before the Nyctalope.
“It’s useless to resist me, Leo Saint-Clair,” he said. “I carry within me the certainty of victory.”
“You speak as if we were at war.”
Now the Nyctalope flew up to meet Koynos in the air; it was the meeting of two demi-gods.
“I was your ally once, on Mars,” Leo continued. “You saved my life. Can you set that aside so easily?”
“But now I serve the Sarvants who brought me back to life and who are the true Kings of Rhea...” AS they spoke, they continued rising up in the air. “When they found out that you were trying to steal their secrets, they sent me back…”
Beneath them, Ddôl and the guards watched in awe as the Nyctalope and Koynosrose until they were no more than dots in the sky.
“My intentions were ever to use them for good.” Leo pointed at the world below. “I gather that you’ve been secretly surveying Rhea, Koynos. Did you find any evidence of evil intent?”
“You knew I was here?” replied Koynos, surprised.
“I suspected it almost from the beginning, my friend. But what was I to do? Fight you? Run away? No, I preferred to trust in your judgment—and that of your masters. So, what is your verdict?”
Koynos appeared hesitant.
“No, what you set up here is not evil, but the Sarvants are still not sure whether the Human Race should be allowed to spread beyond the confines of its native Earth… A decision hasn’t yet been made…”
“I guess we’ll both have to wait then. But in the meantime, we’ve got an urgent matter to attend to. One of my old enemies is back—Lucifer!”
“Lucifer? Glô von Warteck?” said Koynos. “But he’s dead!”
“Well, he got better. And if he and that puppet of his, King Kkal, gain access to the Core, they’ll use the Sarvants’ secrets to commit far, far worse evil than anything you accused me of!”
“See what your pride has wrought, Leo. You’ve doomed us all. I must contact the Sarvants at once.”
“No!” shouted the Nyctalope. “They may decide to destroy Rhea to rid themselves of the problem. Is that what you really want?”
Koynos remained silent.
“Let’s fight Lucifer ourselves. There’ll be plenty of time to call the Sarvants later.”
“I’m not sure I like it, but I yield to your argument,” said Koynos, sighing. “The destruction of this world would be a waste. But remember that I don’t consider the matter of your ultimate fate closed.”
“Fair enough. We can bicker about that after we get rid of Lucifer! Show me the way to the Core!”
The two heroes zoomed off until they were no more than blurs.
In a matter of seconds, they reached the North Pole opening, dove down, and vanished into the great maelstrom that blocked the access to the Core.
Chapter XV
Into the Core
As they descended deeper and deeper into the center of Rhea, the Nyctalope and Koynos found themselves in a world of giant machines, the purposes of which were all but incomprehensible to them.
At some point, Koynos landed on a gargantuan piece of machinery. The Nyctalope followed suit.
“What are we waiting for?” Leo said, sarcastically. “Have you decided that Rhea isn’t worth saving after all?”
“You should know me better than that, Leo,” replied Koynos, saddened. “I’d risk anything to save this world. We’re in the Intermediate Zone. We have to allow for time decompression.”
After several minutes, Koynos took the lead again, leaping into a gigantic shaft.
They flew down, deeper and deeper into the maze of machinery, like insects into a god engine.
Gliding down a shaft, they arrived at the location where the small, golden control sphere had once stood: at the center of a shaft, connected on four sides by complex, mechanical arms. Now, the sphere was gone, destroyed, and the metallic arms were covered with a black, thorny substance.
“This is what caused the collapse of the outer fields,” said Koynos. “The control sphere was weakened by that matter-antimatter particle explosion at my northern desert base.”
“The explosion that my people at Olbansville detected!”
“Yes. I always had the sense that it hadn’t been just an accident, or a mistake by my No.9. Later, I found proof that it had been a deliberate act of sabotage orchestrated by those seeking to enter here.”
“Kkal and Lucifer…”
Koynos nodded. They descended further.
“We’ve got to be careful,” said the Nyctalope. “They must already have reached the Core.”
They flew over an impossibly large room containing enormous spheres, which hummed while radiating a soft, blue light.
“This is impressive,” whistle Leo. “I begin to understand why your Sarvants are so reluctant to share their science…”
Koynos looked at a sphere, on the surface of which a single spot appeared to be throwing black sparks similar to the bolts of nothingness they had beheld on the surface.
“There!” pointed Koynos.
They flew closer to the damaged engine.
“This engine was damaged by the destruction of the Blot,” said Koynos, “but it should have repaired itself… I wonder…”
Koynos, still followed by the Nyctalope, flew closer to the spot from which the sparks originated and saw a small, rectangular, black metal box attached to it. It contained electrodes and wires, and more disturbingly, what looked like miniature brains made of living matter.
“That’s preventing it from rebooting!”
Koynos tore the box from the sphere.
“It looks like some kind of dampener... Or perhaps a reprocessor…”
“This infernal device proves I told you the truth,” interrupted Leo. “I’ve seen that technology before—a long time ago, at Glô von Warteck’s Schwarzrock Castle in the Black Forest. This is Lucifer’s scheme!”
Suddenly, the box sprouted energy tentacles which captured the two heroes in pulsating cocoons. Koynos struggled to free himself, but in vain.
“Another typical Von Warteck trick,” muttered Leo.
“I’m starting to regret agreeing to your crazy scheme, said Koynos. “I should have contacted the Sarvants right away.”
The cocoons took the Nyctalope and Koynos further down into the Core.
“Calm down, Koynos, we haven’t lost yet. And I think your masters are patient. Their time will come.”
The Nyctalope and Koynos were now floating along in a totally black space, towards a mysterious destination.
They arrived in front of a huge, oval aperture, behind which shone a bright bl
ue-white light. They soon found themselves inside a small bubble-shaped space, designed to resemble an eden-like world of blue trees, blue flowers, all bathed in a radiant light.
“This is the Inner Core,” explained Koynos. “What’s left of the Sarvants’ original homeworld, preserved in eternity like a perfect jewel in amber.”
“This is beautiful,” said Leo. “A paradise world. I so wish Gisèle had had a chance to see it,” he added regretfully.
They saw their goal in the distance: a stone circle, not unlike that of Stonehenge, built on top of a hill. The heaven-like nature of the place was spoiled by the presence of three of King Kkal’s guards waiting for them.
One of the guards grabbed the black box, pulling them down like inflatable balloons.
“You are prisoners of His Supreme Majesty King Kkal, now undisputed master of Rhea.”
“What of Luci…?” started saying Koynos.
“Hush!” interrupted Leo.
The guard pressed a switch, causing the cocoons to burst like soap bubbles, freeing the Nyctalope and Koynos.
“Step inside the circle,” ordered the Guard. “His Majesty is waiting for you.”
They stepped inside, escorted by the guards. They saw a small band of scientists, led by Ppy, exploring and digging up the ground, making a mess of the once-pristine environment.
“Look at what they’re doing,” whispered Leo. “This Kkal is a disrespectful slob.”
Suddenly, the King’s voice rang out.
“If I were you, I’d watch my words, Nyctalope. You’re no longer the King of the Night. I am.”
Kkal stepped out from behind a stone and confronted the two humans.
“I’ve been looking forward to this meeting for a long, long time, Nyctalope,” he said, adding in a megalomaniacal scream: “After all, am I not the architect of your defeat?”
“You’re a fool, Kkal,” said Leo.
“Your time has come, Nyctalope,” continued the King, ignoring the interruption. “Your execution will free Rhea at last!”
“What are you talking about? Rhea has always enjoyed total autonomy. The colonists of Olbansville have always taken great pains to follow my prime directive and never interfere with your two races.”
“Leo Saint-Clair speaks the truth,” said Koynos. “I have surveyed this world for many months. The Earth people have never behaved like your superiors.”
“Bah! His very existence is an affront to us all!” exclaimed Kkal. “We must destroy him to be free.”
“You’re mad,” shouted Koynos. “You don’t want freedom. You want to be King of Rhea instead. But I’m warning you: I am an Envoy of the Sarvants…”
“Silence!” shouted Kkal. “You and your damned Sarvants are powerless here. In this place, I am the master of life and death!”
“You’re an idiot, Kkal,” said Leo, sadly. “You’ve let yourself be used by Lucifer.”
“No! I needed the human Vôo to clip your wings, but now, I’m in charge!”
“He played you for a fool. He’ll use the Sarvants’ secrets to rule Rhea first, then strike back at Earth… And God knows what else!”
“Listen to the Nyctalope,” begged Koynos. “Lucifer only wishes to rule—and to destroy.”
“And where will you be then, ‘Your Supreme Majesty’?”
“I don’t believe you!” shouted Kkal. “You’re lying!”
Suddenly, there was a small vibration, a tiny tremor that rippled through the Inner Core, but Kkal seemed to remain unaware of it. Instead, he continued to rant:
“You’re trying to confuse me, but it won’t work… I’m too smart for you!”
The Nyctalope leaned towards Koynos.
“Did you feel that? I think Lucifer is about to strike.”
“SILENCE!” screamed Kkal. “You’re only hastening the moment of your demise! I...”
At that very moment, a strange phenomenon occurred, as if reality was folding upon itself, causing Kkal, Ppy and their men to be forcibly ejected from the Inner Core by some all-powerful, invisible force.
They shot into the air from the pattern on the floor of Kkal’s laboratory, like tennis balls spat from a tube.
Then the pattern closed behind them, and all was dark again.
The only sound heard in the room was the wailing of King Kkal, as he realized the Nyctalope had told the truth and he had lost his throne.
Chapter XVI
At last—Lucifer!
Meanwhile, Leo Saint-Clair and Koynos found themselves floating inside a smooth, black metallic structure.
“That was a reality shift,” said Koynos.
“Yes. Lucifer’s last strike. He’s gotten rid of Kkal and his men. Now, he’s trying to flush us out.”
Suddenly, they found themselves face-to-face with Glô von Warteck, dressed all in red, and wearing a silver mask shaped like a demon skull over his face.
The Baron discarded the mask, snapping his fingers, causing it to vanish instantly.
“I no longer need this trinket to impress that fool, Kkal,” he said. Then in a burst of savage anger directed at Leo, he added: “I have pursued you throughout the Universe, Nyctalope! At last, you eill know my vengeance!”
“How on Earth did you make it back, Glô?” asked Leo, trying to gain some time. “When I left you for dead at the Pole, you seemed ready to suck the daisies by the roots.”
“But I wasn’t dead, you fool! Or rather, my matchless mind lived on inside the teledyname where I had already stored my mentality, Do you believe that, otherwise, you could have defeated me so easily? I had planned for some of my faithful servants to return, reclaim the machine and free me, but they never did. The teledyname was instead stolen by the Bolsheviks who took it with them back to Russia. Later, the Nazis tried to steal it. I felt such powerless rage watching you defeat them.9 The Bolsheviks tried for decades to use my wonderful machine, but always, unknown to them, I thwarted their ends. However, I could not escape for, because of their paranoia, they always kept the teledyname locked inside a magnetic field. But during that farcical comedy they called perestroika, the project was abandoned, and I could at last regain my freedom. I didn’t know you were still alive then. I no longer had any interest in that petty planet Earth so I projected my mentality into space, until I finally made contact with Rhea…”
“I’m beginning to understand,” muttered Koynos.
“Fear not, your turn will come,” snarled Lucifer. “I could be hosted by the unloving intelligence that controls this world, but in order to gain entrance, I had to be invited in—which is why I made contact with Ppy and seduced his buffoonish king! But even then, I didn’t have full access to the Core; I was in a partition. I could achieve certain things, such as create the Blot, a twisted version of the Rhean bubble-ships, but not gain total mastery. Now that I have it, however, my spectacular plans will at last become reality. I will return to Earth. With Rhea functioning as a giant teledyname, I will enslave its population. I will order hundreds of other Rheas to be built, and at the head of this mighty armada, I will realize the destiny of the human race and conquer the galaxy!”
“Crazy, much, Warteck?” sneered Leo.
Lucifer projected a deadly energy bolt, but the Nyctalope and Koynos avoided it, then joined forces.
“Time to work together again, Koynos,” said Leo.
From their eyes, they emitted twin beams of energy which combined and shot towards Lucifer. However, the villain merely captured their energy and reshaped it into a glowing ball.
With a truly Satanic laugh, Lucifer threw the sizzling ball back at them.
It was about to strike Koynos when Leo interposed himself. He received the full brunt and was propelled backwards.
The Nyctalope’s body began to smoke. His clothes were in tatters. Koynos’ head turned towards Lucifer and energy glowed from his eyes.
“If he dies, I’ll...” he growled.
Koynos’s blast struck Lucifer in the chest before the villain could do anything t
o stop it. He had to concentrate all his energy to maintain his cohesion, before he could strike back with another devastating blast.
But Koynos poured out even more energy. Still, Lucifer held strong.
Suddenly, another beam joined Koynos’!
It was the Nyctalope who, although in a frightful state, was still able to fight back.
“You haven’t won yet, demon!” shouted Leo.
Their combined efforts sent Lucifer twisting and reeling out of control, vanishing inside the strange, smooth, black metal of the structure in which they fought.
The Nyctalope and Koynos cautiously approached the spot where Lucifer had disappeared.
“Is he gone?” asked Koynos.
“Hard to tell... It may be another trick...”
As the Nyctalope spoke, the evil form of Lucifer: dark, scarlet and enormous, slowly rose up from behind them.
“You will die now!” shouted Lucifer with gleeful laughter.
He released a tremendous beam of energywhich sent the Nyctalope and Koynos flying backwards, badly hurt.
“Contact the Sarvants,” said Leo, out of breath. “They’re our only hope.”
“But you said...”
“That was before. There’s too much at stake. Rhea must be protected. Earth too.”
“What about you? The Sarvants can be wrathful. They might blame you for this. You might lose your immortality... Your life…”
“Don’t worry about me,” shouted Leo. “Just do it!
Koynos lay down supine, his arms and legs outstretched, in front of Lucifer. A tiny ball of blue light appeared to leave his chest and moved to float above his head. Lucifer appeared to immediately recognize the significance of this.
“The Sarvants!” she shouted. “No! I was so close to triumph! But I can still…”
He released another beam of energy but, this time, when the bolt reached Koynos, it scattered harmlessly.
To the side, the Nyctalope was awed by the Sarvants’ power.
Then, a bolt of blinding blue light burst from Koynos and blasted Lucifer. Koynos’s face reflected the tremendous toll the battle was making on his very being.
The Return of the Nyctalope Page 28
