by Perry Rhodan
At first, a strange thing happened the camera swung around. The lens was now pointing at Bell, who followed the whole procedure with wide open eyes, although he could probably not see too much of what was going on. The shimmering veils of the energy spiral that kept dancing madly around him must of necessity partially obscure his view.
A button lit up with a red glow. At the same time the lens had completed its turn. Rhodan did not hesitate and pushed the button in. A humming sound came from the metal cube. Rhodan could feel the floor vibrate underneath his feet.
Bell cried out. He contorted his body, trying to free himself from the horrible grasp of these fetters without substance. But in vain. Betty stood stock still, listening for something from inside. She seemed to wait for a voice that would not come.
And then the wild dance of the spiral diminished, The nebulous structure grew less dense, became more transparent and weaker. It vanished completely within one second.
Bell dropped down five inches to the ground. His knees gave way under him. He looked as white as a sheet, his face painfully contorted. His red stubble hair stood on end. It seemed to quiver with excitement. His pale lips, that had remained mute for the past few moments, formed one word only. It was not a pleasant word, but it expressed exactly what he felt. And it was not gratitude he should really have experienced now.
Yet the spooky show was not over.
Hardly had Bell's feet landed on the floor, and Rhodan breathed a sigh of relief, then the chain reaction of events continued its course. Behind Bell was the back wall of the machine hall. This wall was smooth and without any partitions. Now this wall began to dissolve. The wall appeared to be made of metal. It seemed to be quite thick.
The wall lost its color and began to look milky. It started to flow, to become liquefied, then the originally solid matter began to evaporate. Now it reminded the startled onlookers of the gaseous energy spiral. All of a sudden it disappeared. The hall had doubled in size. Before the eyes of the perplexed group lay the continuation of the secret, namely that part of the room that so far had been hidden from them.
At first glance there did not seem much difference between the two halls. But then Rhodan remarked that it contained far less machinery. At the center of the various pedestals and metal cubes, the rounded-off housings and spiral-formed pillars, stood a giant sphere. Its small delicate legs rested on a rectangular, massive platform. At first glance it resembled a miniaturized Stardust, for its diameter was barely 15 feet; but here, inside this hall, it loomed gigantic.
Actually, it was not a perfect sphere as Rhodan found out on closer inspection. It had numerous projections and indentations. Irregularities in the form of antennae which were sticking out and other extensions. And then Rhodan noticed something which seemed familiar: at the front end of a sizable metal rod he saw a large oval-shaped lens which played in a thousand colors and which apparently looked directly at him.
"A fictive-transmitter," he murmured slowly. Khrest nodded in silent agreement. The others did not speak. No one moved. Bell looked quite green around his gills. Anne Sloane had recovered her strength meanwhile and she grasped Betty's hand. John Marshall kept staring at the sphere, his eyes half-way closed.
Only the Arkonide robot remained totally uninvolved and stood behind the group, waiting for orders that never came. Haggard was next to it. Rhodan walked ahead. He was the first to cross the place where seconds earlier a solid metal wall had barred their way. The wall's matter had simply been removed by the small transmitter.
Was that another clue?
Rhodan was certain of it. He also realized that they were expected to regard this disappearing trick not as a warning but as an invitation. Not until John Marshall and Betty Toufry stepped across the invisible barrier did the next link in the chain of events become automatically evident Both telepathic mutants stopped suddenly. Anne let go at once of little Betty's hand.
Khrest put his hand on Rhodan's arm. Both men understood immediately that the two telepaths were receiving a new message, that neither of the non-telepaths could hear nor fathom.
Suddenly the little girl looked up at Marshall. "You have got the message, haven't you? Why don't you tell them!"
The Australian wiped both his eyes with the back of his right hand, as if he were trying to shoo away something. Then he spoke with emphasis:
This is a further communication. Listen to this: "You have exactly 15 minutes (according to your measure of time) in which to leave this place. However, you will find the light only if you will be able to return. That was all. Nothing else was said. It was a telepathic suggestive voice that transmitted this message.
"Only if we shall be able to return," whispered Rhodan in a halting voice while his searching glance rested on the big sphere. The fictive-transmitter! "And we have only 15 minutes?"
"Fourteen by now!" These were Bell's first words since the incident with the energy spiral. "This could turn into a nice mess."
It became even worse than that!
From somewhere in the background came an at first hardly perceptible humming noise that soon changed to rhythmic vibrations which rapidly intensified to an unbearable ringing in their ears. They had to shout to make themselves understood. At the same time dazzling bolts of lightning flashed across the room, filling the air with a strong odor of ozone and steadily rising heat. The air grew very oppressive.
A gong sounded repeatedly at regular intervals, seemingly counting the speeding seconds. "Only 12 minutes left," said Khrest softly; but nobody could hear his words. The noise drowned out his voice.
Haggard had remained in the background all the time in such an unobtrusive manner that Rhodan almost forgot that the physician was part of the expedition. He had hardly noticed when he had administered medical aid to Anne Sloane. But now, as the group fell victim to an unbearable tension that threatened to make them lose their self-control, he intervened. He was not only a physician but also an excellent psychologist.
"No reason to get all excited!" he shouted into Rhodan's ear. And on seeing Rhodan's bitter smile be added: "They only want to test us! Our physical power of resistance. A war of nerves! The heirs to immortality must be both the vessels of superior wisdom and knowledge and also demonstrate tremendous physical stamina. Nothing but diversionary tactics on their part."
"Do you really think so?" yelled Rhodan in reply.
"I am positive! Just concentrate on searching for a chance to be able to return. Don't pay attention to the noise or the lightning flashes. The heat will grow intolerable only after the 15 minutes have gone by. And then..."
"Ten minutes to go!" yelled Marshall at the top of his voice. He had followed the conversation by listening to their thoughts, since it was impossible to hear above the noise from where he stood. "We'd better hurry up!"
Rhodan did not answer. He had stepped closer to the sphere, recognizing it as an approximate enlargement of the apparatus in the other part of the hall where he had used it to remove the energy spiral and the wall. The first application had been a hint, nothing else. He had to make use of this clue in order to effect here a similar procedure. But what was supposed, to be teleported from this section of the room?
The answer came with a sudden flash of insight: he and his group! There was no opening on the giant fictive-transmitter. The sphere appeared to be solid, or perhaps filled with many instruments. There was no hollow space they could enter. This fictive-transmitter teleported via the fifth-dimensional ray impulses capable of seizing objects.
There was only one button on the instrument that might activate it. This large button was located in plain view an the platform. It was slightly recessed and glowed red.
A wave of suspicion flooded Rhodan's mind. The solution seemed too obvious, too simple. Just walk over and depress the button. He felt intuitively that this button would return him and the others-but where to? On the other hand his analytical mind told him that this degree of difficulty was not of the same level as those problems of the Galacti
c Riddle they had encountered before.
Where was the barrier?
"Eight more minutes!" warned Marshall.
It had grown much hotter in the meantime. The lightning kept flashing across the hall just above their heads, emitting explosions. The ringing of the gong swelled to a mighty roar, recurring at increasingly shorter intervals. Somewhere in the distance they began to hear once again the by now familiar thumping of an approaching robot.
Seven minutes to go!
Rhodan came to a decision. He had nothing to lose; he could only win.
"Stay here!" he shouted, trying to overcome the noise. "The ray impulses might grasp everything inside this hall-or maybe only all organic matter. I don't know. This button here..."
All of a sudden he became aware of something he had not noticed until now. Perhaps it had made its appearance just this very moment.
The red button was still glowing. But Rhodan thought it had begun to flicker. Just as if an invisible glass bell had formed around it.
"Damn it!" It was Bell. "Exactly five more minutes. If we don't get a move on..."
Rhodan could guess Bell's feelings about their desperate situation by reading his lips. He dared not waste another second. He stepped over to the sphere. The platform reached up to his chest. The recessed red button lay directly below Rhodan's exploring glance. His body was hiding the light sources and the bright lightning bolts. The glass bell had disappeared.
He jerked into action. His hand reached for the button while his forehead beaded with perspiration. The next second would decide the fate of his entire group. Either they would return to Thorta or they would be condemned to perish in this hell the unleashed power of robots gone berserk.
Rhodan's hand was barely two inches away from the button when he encountered a smooth, cool, invisible barrier. It felt like glass but Rhodan knew that this was no ordinary glass. This strange substance was vibrating and seemed alive. It sent out, a weak current which passed through Rhodan's entire body.
He could not get to the button.
"Three more minutes!"
Bell was screaming so loud that his voice drowned out the roaring gong. For the first time, Rhodan thought, Bell's words contained a genuine note of desperation and helplessness. They had squandered their last chance.
Just two inches separated them from the button that might save them-but it was out of reach. An impenetrable wall of pure yet neutralized energy formed an impenetrable barrier. No hand could pass through this obstacle.
The heat had become extremely oppressive. The air was suffocating; it was hard to breathe. Little Betty was panting, gasping for oxygen. The clatter of the approaching death-dealing robot sounded louder and more foreboding. Doom came nearer in many forms.
"Oh damn it!" Bell screamed again. "Ninety seconds to go!"
Ninety seconds to eternity. And they had set out searching for eternal life. Now there was only sudden death awaiting them. Had they reached their goal?
All of sudden the lightning ceased. They could still hear the sound of the gong but quite soft and muffled. The vibrations of the approaching robot grew still.
And then all could hear an inaudible voice, which spoke to them. This voice came from the void and formed thought concepts inside their brains. Was this the way telepaths received their messages? But this time not only the two telepaths but all of them could understand:
"You have just a few more moments left! Apply the ultimate wisdom and knowledge-otherwise you will be lost forever..."
Hardly had the entire message come through than Rhodan called out with extreme agitation:
"Betty! The red button! Push it down, quick!"
The little girl understood at once. No human hand was capable of reaching the button. But if light rays could penetrate the energy barrier then telepathic thought currents of the "upper order" could do likewise.
And as Bell was calling out with dwindling hope "only 30 more seconds left!" Betty bore down on the red button with all the concentration and strength she could muster.
Rhodan saw it quite clearly. The button sank in its frame as if moved by a ghostly hand. And simultaneously, contacts were made in the interior of the gigantic sphere, currents of energy began to flow, passing through transformers, then the currents were conducted into the fourth and then fifth dimension; the mechanism started turning the crystal lens around until it pointed directly at the assembled group of desperate people. The entire complicated and so far incomprehensible procedure had been set in motion and could no longer be stopped.
And then, as the last few remaining seconds fled by, the bolts of lightning resumed. The gong resumed its roar. The thundering, rhythmical robot began to move ahead, thumping threateningly. The temperature rose rapidly and became insupportable during the final moments. The last traces of remaining oxygen in the air were entirely used up.
But now-and everyone felt it-the characteristic gnawing pain coursed through their limbs. Everything began to grow hazy in front of their eyes; the sphere changed to a pleasant Nirvana. They dematerialized and were hurtled through the fifth dimension. They were unaware that the giant machine hall with the fictive-transmitter inside became vaporized in the sudden hell of an atomic chain reaction.
6/ MYSTERY OF THE GLOWING SPHERE
While Sgt. Groll stared into the muzzle of a strange weapon, the seconds seemed to stretch into an eternity. He no longer paid heed to Lossosher who was standing behind him. He saw only the figure that had now become a threatening shadow-the unknown enemy and guardian of the labyrinth.
The foe hesitated. And this was his downfall.
The Ferron's eyes had adjusted faster to the sudden brightness than was possible for the Earthman. While Groll's eyes could take in merely the weapon, Lossosher already perceived a great deal more.
"It's a Topide!" he hissed excitedly. "Shoot him! Quick!"
With these words he dropped to the ground.
Later on, Groll would never have been able to tell how rapidly the raygun, which he had stashed away in his belt again, had snapped back into his hand once more, ready to blast away. The mere mention of the word "Topide" had sufficed to make him react instinctively and lightning fast. Thus the creature which had been an unknown quantity so far had instantly changed a deadly foe.
The Topides! They were the lizard-like intelligent race that had come here from a solar system over 800 light-years distant because they had intercepted the distress signals emitted years ago by an Arkonide research space cruiser which had crash-landed on Earth's celestial satellite. The Topides, however, had miscalculated the space coordinates and arrived instead the Vega system, where they encountered bitter resistance from the native Ferrons. Not until Perry Rhodan intervened in the fight had the alien invaders been driven out.
What a surprise to meet up with a hostile reptilian Topide here on the outermost moon of the 13th planet!
These thoughts raced through Groll's mind as he threw himself to the ground. Just before he hit the floor he managed to push down the firing button. He saw the fiery energy beam rush toward the shadowy figure of the enemy at the same moment Groll's blinded eyes closed in a reflex action.
But the Topide had also recognized the dangerous situation. For some inexplicable reason he had hesitated-far too long. This was fortunate for Groll and Lossosher they owed their lives to this tiny delay.
The Topide had opened fire at the same time as Groll. But the lizard creature had been too slow in his reactions. While the Terran aimed at a relatively immobile figure, the Topide, on the other hand, shot at an opponent who was no longer there. The energy rays of his weapon raced just above the two men, now pressed to the ground, safe from the searing ray of destruction.
Meanwhile the deadly beam from Groll's gun executed a mad, fiery dance macabre. Then all went dark.
Groll opened his eyes. The big shadow had vanished but on the spot where it had stood there now glowed a dust-like substance giving off billowing clouds of smoke. The lights of the room beyond gl
immered weakly but due to the aftereffect this was just an optical illusion of the dazzling energy flashes. It would take a little while before their eyes would get used again to normal conditions.
Lossosher stirred and then sat up. "A Topide! What's a Topide doing here?"
Groll was the last person who could enlighten him on this subject. As far as he knew the alien invaders had been driven out of the Vega system.
"Maybe a survivor of the space battles who managed to flee here. In that case we should find his lifeboat somewhere around. Perhaps that's why he hesitated. Who knows, he might have hoped we had come to his rescue."
The Ferron stood up, then helped Groll to his feet.
"I wonder if he was the only one here?"
Groll knew no answer to that question either. In any case, he made sure to keep the raygun in his hand while they proceeded toward the end of the corridor. They advanced another 10 yards. Then both men stood before a technological miracle beyond their understanding.
One of the walls of the long, low-ceilinged room was covered by a row of opalescent picture-screens. Six feet-tall transistors alternated with weighty blocks of a copper-colored metal, all conjoined by silvery shimmering connecting rods. In between were black spheres with pointed antennae. The wall at the opposite end consisted of a gigantic switchboard. The maze of levers, buttons and control lamps heightened the confusion.
"What is that?" Groll was dumbfounded. He had expected something quite different, although he could not tell exactly what. Lossosher was none too sure himself, nevertheless he said: "A technical installation of the immortals, what else!"
Groll kept staring a few more moments at the collection of all these mystifying instruments and installations. Then he made up his mind. "We must return to Ferrol immediately and inform Rhodan about what happened here and what we have found. Only he and the Arkonides are capable of comprehending the purpose of this room. "Lets leave, Lossosher; every second counts now."
