“I pretended to get a fever when in fact my artificial organism was being ravaged by the only weapon able to kill me. Hubert was chased by the natives but managed to get me away quickly so I could recover before suffering irreversible damage. I had to go with him because the existence of the neutralizer was certainly protecting a Watchers setup. But before going back I had to protect myself from the neutralizer. To do this I procured some chemical pills that would allow me to resist its effects for a little while. Moreover, I got hold of a scrambler to cancel the effects of the neutralizer by emitting a disruptive wave.
“When we got there, the pills didn’t really protect me and I almost couldn’t set up the scrambler. But I did get it turned on the first day and it was supposed to detect and protect against all kinds of waves. Then I helped you get in the tower. When the super-diver attacked it was easy for me to defeat him. My body is built of an alloy so strong that I could tear off that mechanical arm with no problem, smash the helmet and kill the pilot. Then I dragged the wounded to safety and started looking around the underwater tower.
“And I made a fantastic discovery. Of course all these machines built with technology not equaled since the fall of Atlantis could qualify as such. But these are not what I’m talking about. Look at what really counts for me: these twelve glass sarcophagi! They contain the hibernating bodies of the twelve historical chiefs of the Watchers. Azazel and Shemêhaza are even here!
“After all these centuries, the destroyers of Atlantis are finally going to get what they deserve and it’ll be by my hand. I never thought I’d see the day when I could proudly kill the very enemies of last Emperor of Atlantis. I thought they died a long time ago, killed by one of the androids who still existed at the start of my quest.
“I’m going to disconnect the hibernators and they should all die in a few minutes. Then I’ll destroy the tower because I can’t leave a copy of the neutralizer and I can’t seem to locate it. It has to be somewhere inaccessible for the moment, maybe in one of the upper floors.
“We have explored and fought together. Hubert even helped me escape certain destruction and today I reach the end of my age-old mission. Therefore, you should leave the valley and return to France. I’ll remodel my face and take on a new identity to continue my mission of vengeance. When I’m back in civilization, I’ll get back in touch with you and you can help me find the last of the surviving Watchers. Thanks to you I can spot them more precisely and I’ll be able to avoid all that massive destruction that seems to bother you so much. Of course, you won’t be able to brag about finding the Tower of Babel because I’m going to destroy it. But I’ve kept something for you, inside the crate, some beautiful archeological pieces that will at least help compensate for your lost discovery. What do you say?”
Hubert de Pibriac looked deeply affected by the story Enoch had just told. He answered haltingly:
“Why not… It’s hard to say anything about such extraordinary events…”
“I understand. Don’t worry. You can give me your final answer when I get back in touch with you in Paris in a few months. In fact, whatever your decision, I have no fear. Who would believe such a story anyway? Go on now because I have to finish my mission here. I’ve already put down some explosives that will blow up the tower in one hour.”
The four men looked at each other in silence. They felt like there was nothing more to say and they should leave the place. They headed for the entrance of the tower and put on their suits. They had to make two trips because some of their equipment had been damaged during the attack.
When they got to the top of the tower they were still lost in thought and said nothing. The story told to them by the machine-man was incredible. From what they had seen here, however, they could not doubt the truth of it. They had heard the story of an extraordinary epoch in history that they could never retell without being taken for madmen. They had learned about a war that was still being waged 10,000 years later. They had adventured with a living weapon capable of destroying everything in its way at the mere hint of suspicion.
Even if they wanted to stop him—and how could they not want to?—they had no way to do it.
Unless… Hubert de Pibriac was thinking. He glanced around and spotted the scrambler. In fact, there is one way.
He went over to a pile of excavation tools and grabbed a pickaxe. He approached the scrambler and looked at his companions. They all nodded silently. Then he lifted the pickaxe and brought it smashing down on the machine, which flew into pieces.
With this simple gesture, a conflict that had lasted since the ice age came to an end.
CHAPTER XX
Face to Face
Through the window Léo Saint-Clair and Jacques Roll were watching the runway. Half an hour earlier it had started to drizzle. At the end of the night the two men were looking unto the sky. The Nyctalope could not see a thing.
Tense and pensive Saint-Clair stayed silent. He feared what was happening to Sylvie. Now and again Roll, who was also pondering the situation, spied on him out of the corner of his eye. He was thinking about everything the Nyctalope had told him in the car about the plan of attack that he was putting into operation so they could get into Korridès’ secret base in the Natural History Museum in the Jardin des Plantes.
Saint-Clair had said that a frontal attack was too dangerous, completely out of the question. For one, if he were cornered, the Engineer could kill Sylvie to keep the Nyctalope from ever being able to save her. Moreover, his lair was protected by a powerful defense system that the severed hand had borne witness to when the CID agent tried to get close. Therefore, they needed a surprise attack, without the risk of being exposed to the disintegrating rays.
That was where the Radion came in. It was perfected now and the two men were waiting for it at the Villacoublay runway. It was a revolutionary machine that could move using seven different kinds of locomotion. It could move on land, in the air, on and under water, under the ground, on ice and even in space. This was going to get the Nyctalope and his allies into the museum. Once inside Saint-Clair was counting on Roll, the Invisible Man, to help defeat the Engineer and his stooge.
Saint-Clair waved to his friend. In the sky, to the west, some lights appeared that were now getting closer. It was an airplane but was it really the Radion?
The plane landed father down the runway, turning towards them and slowly rolling forward. Vitto handed them umbrellas before Saint-Clair and Roll left the car to approach the plane. The Nyctalope started smiling. It was indeed the Radion they saw before them.
The Radion did not look like a normal plane. It was a monoplane. Its streamlined body and triangular wings made a very curious flying machine. Strangely, the propeller was situated in the rear. The Radion looked hermetically sealed, which would allow it to fly at very high altitudes.
Closer to the machine they could see that it was equipped with landing gear and floats that were retractable and allowed it to set down on both land and water…
A door opened in its side and a tall man stepped out. Saint-Clair walked up to greet him.
“Hello, Monsieur Le Moal. I hope you had a nice trip and that the Radion will meet our needs.”
“It’s working fine and I can make it fly a lot faster than during the trials. As a plane it’s a match for the best of them.”
“I don’t doubt it. But we don’t need it to fly today.”
“The three CID agents you sent to me are inside with their equipment.”
“Very well. Vitto and Soca are going to take care of getting our equipment on board, then we’ll get on ourselves. Every member of this expedition will be carrying a machine gun, a Browning, a hunting knife and a grenade. And be careful! The grenade should be used only in an emergency and with great caution because in a closed space it’ll cause a lot of damage. Everyone will also have a flashlight so they can work in total darkness. Ah, there they are.”
Vitto and Soca came to load all the material that Saint-Clair was talking about. They
got it on board the Radion, then Saint-Clair, Roll and Le Moal climbed on board and greeted their Breton colleagues. Le Moal shut the door.
The five men took their seats. The mission to free Sylvie Saint-Clair could now begin.
Le Moal took off gently. The engine was almost totally silent, which surprised the passengers. Saint-Clair, who was an expert pilot, whistled in admiration.
“Well, well, Yves, you’ve built a real marvel here.”
“Thanks, Léo. And to think that if it wasn’t for Gorillard, France would have been using the Radion years ago. But let’s concentrate on our mission. I’m heading for Paris, right?”
“Yes,” Saint-Clair said. “Get to the Seine near Bercy. You have nothing to worry about there, the airspace in the capital is clear and I sent a discreet message to the Air Force so we won’t be harassed by any military craft.”
A few minutes later they were over Paris, heading to Bercy. At this early hour the barges docked along the quays were delivering casks and barrels to the wine warehouses—there were many of them in this area. Saint-Clair glanced out and said:
“Set down on the Seine to the right of the barges.”
Le Moal circled the Radion around at 90 degrees to come straight down on the river in front of an empty lot on the shore. The pilot brought out the floats under the wings and the vehicle settled gently on the river. Its propeller pushed it effortlessly through the water.
“Prepare to dive and head for the center of Paris,” said Saint-Clair. “Underwater we’ll go all the way to the Austerlitz Bridge.”
Le Moal filled the ballasts and the Radion dove. The water in the Seine was dark and dirty and they had to turn on the headlights to see. The plane turned submarine disturbed a few fish and had to veer off to avoid hitting the bottom of a barge.
During this voyage under the Seine, Roll opened a case that he had taken out of the trunk of Saint-Clair’s car. It was empty. At least, it looked empty because he took out a box of pills and swallowed one.
A few seconds later he started becoming transparent until he had completely disappeared in a short time. Jacques Roll had become invisible. The mysterious chemical that brought about this transformation had been discovered years before by an English scientist who had tested his invention on himself. But the substance was very toxic and ended up making him crazy. Roll had managed to get hold of the formula and improve it. The result was a product that could be used without any risk to mental health. He also succeeded in making objects invisible. Thus his case looked empty but it contained the clothes that were already treated with the chemical.
Roll took off his suit and put on the invisible clothes and the shoes that made no sound when he walked. The Invisible Man was now ready to go. Saint-Clair hoped that he would be the critical asset in the fight to come.
While Roll was transforming, the Radion arrived at the Austerlitz Bridge. Saint-Clair said to Le Moal:
“This is the last leg of the journey. We have to get out of the river and proceed underground to the Natural History Museum.”
“No problem. Let’s go.”
Le Moal turned his vehicle to the left and adjusted the thrust to compensate for the light current that ran through the Seine at this point. Then he leaned the machine forward forty-five degrees. Out of the end of the tapered nose came a drill that started turning at high speed.
He readjusted the forward thrust as the vehicle reached the bottom of the river, which it was starting to drill into. Slowly but precisely the Radion dug into the ground and started its underground voyage. The museum was not far from the Seine, so this would actually be the shortest leg of their journey. The engine had to drill thirty or forty feet underground to pass under the street and the sewers, then move forward another 100 feet to come up under the museum.
The Radion’s progress became faster as the rock became softer. Everything was going as planned and when the vehicle reached a good depth it straightened out to horizontal. Le Moal warned his passengers:
“Get ready because, even going slowly to avoid too many tremors that might be detected by the enemy, we’re going to be there in just a few minutes.”
The members of the commando team put on their black military outfits. Their equipment was exactly as Saint-Clair had said: a shoulder holster with a Browning, a sheathed hunting knife in the belt and a flashlight; the grenade was hooked to the holster. They quickly checked their machine guns and they were ready to go.
Le Moal pulled a lever to bring the Radion back to the surface. The passengers were huddled around the two exits to jump out when the vehicle entered the museum.
The Radion had no trouble swallowing up the layers of earth under the museum and the basement was drilled through easily. Through the window the Nyctalope scrutinized the dark room where they surfaced. It had clearly not been used in a long time. It looked like an old laboratory whose outdated furniture and obsolete equipment was covered in dust and cobwebs. Saint-Clair signed to Le Moal to continue moving up. The Radion attacked the ceiling. Above them should be the big exhibition hall on the ground floor.
A few seconds later, a bright light shined into the vehicle. The Radion had broken into a part of the museum that was usually open to the public. Through the windows the Nyctalope and his companions could see what was happening. The Radion had come in lengthwise and was turned to the back of the room. The space usually contained the skeletons of various species of living animals while the remains of prehistoric wildlife were on the second floor. But all the bones had been pushed to the back of the room and an ultra-modern laboratory took up the rest of the space.
On either side of the rows of skeletons, two aisles led to doors that gave access to different parts of the museum, normally off limits to the public. In the laboratory part several tables were set up and around them stood a dozen technicians in white coats, frozen and paralyzed by surprise. To their left an iron staircase decorated with metal flowers led up to the second floor.
Behind them, next to the main door, were more work tables and on the left, all around an armchair, a huge machine with lights that was hooked up to a helmet lying on the control panel. It was a “large size” version of the machine Armand Logreux d’Albury had used at Rue Montbrun.
But what was most stunning was the sight of Logreux without the big coat he usually wore. Saint-Clair was amazed by the how different his enemy looked, though he still recognized him immediately. Now he knew who Korridès’ “powerful ally” was.
Logreux’s face had not changed and it was still brightened by the unusual radiance of his gold-flecked blue eyes. But his head was shaved. Cables in insulated sheathing connected him to a crazy, metal frame that covered his whole body. The Nyctalope and his friends were seeing the exoskeleton that Engineer Korridès had created for the villain. His body was covered in a metal lattice soldered to a jointed, steel structure that ran up his spine and down his limbs all the way to the tips of his fingers and toes. Saint-Clair could see how Logreux, hooked up this machine by conducting wires, could use his mental energy and move the structure and himself within it despite being a quadriplegic.
The great strength he must possess thanks to this equipment, along with the mental powers he had acquired among the Tibetans, made the former Master of the Cross of Blood a formidable adversary.
The lab technicians’ surprise did not last long. They were soon busy trying to respond to the intrusion. They ran to a gun rack on the wall while the count grabbed a table and flipped it over with one hand.
But the Nyctalope and his team were not just standing there. The two doors of the Radion opened on the command of Le Moal and they jumped out in two groups. The first, on the left, consisted of the Nyctalope and the two CID agents with the goal of reaching Logreux, now hiding behind the overturned table. The second group with Vitto and Soca and the third agent, was responsible for attacking the right wing and covering their backs in case their enemies got back up. The Invisible Man was still inside the vehicle. He was supposed to leave wh
en he was certain not to be caught in any crossfire.
The two groups started firing before the technicians had time to organize any real defense. The machine gun fire swept over the big room and in a few seconds most of their enemies were out of commission. Only two of them were firing back but their shots were off the mark and hit no one.
Saint-Clair tried to hit Logreux but he was too well covered, hiding behind the table that doubled as a metal shield. This was protection against the small caliber bullets from both the Brownings and the machine guns. The Nyctalope started to wonder if he should use the grenade to flush him out.
When the last technicians were knocked out and the Invisible Man could leave the Radion without getting shot, two events, one right after the other, jeopardized the chances of success of what seemed to have started well.
First of all, the two doors in the back of the room near the skeletons flew open. Two pairs of men stood in the doorways. One of the two was holding a short-barreled rifle with a cable attached, held by the second one and unrolled in the corridor behind them. The two “rifles” opened fire on the Nyctalope’s men. A weird sound resonated and a table behind Saint-Clair completely disappeared while the CID agent with Vitto and Soca, standing near the door on the right, had his upper body pulverized. The Nyctalope recognized the horrible effects of the disintegrator ray that Korridès had perfected and he slipped behind the Radion to protect himself.
For their part, Vitto and Soca, responsible for guarding the doors where these armed men showed up, were plenty busy. When the doors flew open, they had aimed their machine guns in that direction to hit the invaders. For a few seconds they were blocked by the CID agent who was in their line of fire. But when he was struck down by the lethal ray, they could open fire on the door to the right. Two bursts sent a hail of bullets through the air before the enemies had time to move their disintegrator rifles. The weapon was phenomenally destructive but it was also heavy and unwieldy, making it a lot less easy than a machine gun to maneuver. The two men were dropped on the spot.
The Nyctalope and The Tower of Babel Page 32
