Return from The Void

by Perry Rhodan

  At that moment Lloyd's observation was ruthlessly interrupted by Rosita, who simply couldn't suppress her curiosity any longer. She pulled the towels from his head, shoved him to one side and took his place.

  Rous and Lloyd let her have her way. For a few minutes Rosita observed silently and motionlessly. Then she stood back from the observing position. "So it looks like a plain that's paved with tile and there's a couple of dark things on it that could be called machines if you stretched things a bit. Everything is slightly blurred. I don't see anything unusual there."

  "Is that so?" laughed Rous. "You don't see anything unusual? Do you know what you were looking at?"

  "No," answered Rosita.

  "Alright, I'll explain it to you. You were present when we rescued a Mirsalese from disappearing by means of our screen generator. So you can understand that the forcefield has some kind of effect on the enemy, whatever or whoever he might be. Just what this effect is we don't know yet."

  "Now when the same kind of forcefield is changed into the proper form it causes an instability in the structure of space and creates a bridge over which the light from the space-continuum of the enemy can transfer into ours."

  Rosita began to comprehend. Her eyes went wide as she stared at Rous. "You don't mean to tell me that..."

  Rous nodded calmly. "That's what I do mean to say, exactly. The world of the enemy is different from ours. He is located in another space-time continuum and he launches his attacks from there. What we are seeing through this circular window is nothing other than a small indistinct slice of the enemy's dimension!"

  • • •

  They had gotten their first glimpse. After long weeks of having had to parry and thrust at an unseen enemy, this was the first time they had succeeded in peering into the other continuum where the opposition lived.

  It was a boost to their confidence if it served for nothing else. The extreme complexities of holding the image by means of the energy fields made it an impossibility to determine or even estimate where the scene was that they could see through the circle of light. It was not possible to fix its location, no matter how logical and reasonable an objective it was to locate something that was, so to speak, in another universe.

  There wasn't even the slightest clue as to whether what they were looking at was a static structure, fixed motionlessly by its very nature, or if it was only that another time relationship operated in that other space, to the effect that movements there were so slow that they could not be detected.

  The image's tendency to jump closer had been noted a number of times since Lloyd's first observation and occasionally there seemed to be a mathematical inversion of the process so that the jerky movements resulted in a retreat rather than an advance. Rous did not consider it to be an actual effect but rather attributed it to fluctuations in the forcefield generator.

  Rous attempted to send a minibook through the light circle into the other realm of space but it failed miserably. The small volume fell to the floor on the other side of the ring. Both of the annular-formed energy fields were to some extent serviceable as a lens system—a transport medium they were not.

  Rous was dissatisfied with the clarity of the image. As for the machines that were visible through the light circle, he envisioned them to be strange, opaque structures as was to be expected of the products of an alien technology. But if it were possible to get the image a little sharper, perhaps they could figure out one or more functions of those apparatuses. Maybe they were the actual weapons the enemy used for his brutal attacks in the Mirsal System!

  But all attempts to focus the image more sharply misfired. Finally it was a matter of being content with having gotten an image at all by such an unusual and inadvertent means.

  After some hours more of observation, Rous turned off the generator. A half hour later he turned it on again and was relieved to see the light spot and circle appear in the same positions and to find that through them the same image was to be observed as before. The image could be recaptured or reproduced—that was the main thing.

  "In the future we'll have to do without our defense screen," Rous announced. "We need the generator here more urgently."

  • • •

  Flaring appeared early the next morning. He brought good news. "I have explained your situation to the proper authorities," he said, after having carefully greeted all three Terranians one by one, "and I'm happy to report that you have a full vote of confidence. Gratitude has been expressed for your offer of collaboration with us and we are prepared to pave the way for you in any way we can. Of course my people would like to know whether or not you have already formulated any concrete plans."

  Rous nodded grimly. "We'd like to grab these invisible characters by the neck and—"

  Flaring smiled. "That's a fine objective," he agreed, "but—have you gotten far enough to do just that?"

  "No," sighed Rous, "We're not that far along yet. But wait a minute..." He drew from his pocket the strangely formed stick of plastic substance that he had picked up the previous day in the Avenue of Kings and he held it out to Flaring. "Here is something." He explained where he had found the object and concluded: "I'd like to have that analyzed. Your chemists will certainly know what it consists of... or at least what it should consist of. What I'd like to know is: did the enemy attack cause any structural changes in this piece of plastic?"

  Flaring cautiously took the thing in his hand. "I'll have that attended to as quickly as possible. Have you any further instructions?"

  Rous frowned in thought. "We don't have any instructions of any kind to give you. We are happy to be able to put in a few requests to you."

  Flaring felt flattered.

  "Oh yes, there is one other thing," Rous continued before Flaring could say anything else. "We'd like to take a look at a map and see where the areas are that the enemy has attacked and what they look like."

  Flaring raised his right hand. "Good. I'll see to it that you get, the maps at once." He took his departure with the proper formality.

  Rous utilized the time to send off his report to the Drusus. He had delayed sending it the previous evening because so many new things had happened and had to be added. After the punched plastic tape strip had received a few more holes, it was fed into the micro-com transmitter. Almost simultaneously, the sensational message was received on board the Drusus, 18 million miles away.

  Rous had hardly been able to get this task behind him before Flaring appeared once more.

  "The analysis is still in process," he explained after greeting everyone, "but I was able to bring the along at once."

  He spread them out on the table. The top map showed the whole province stretching between Resaz and Fillinan plus about 120 miles of territory on either side of the area. The region that had been depopulated by the invisible enemy's attack was outlined in red and shaded in by hatched lines.

  Rous was startled to note the unusual shape of the shaded part of the map. "You're sure that your information is reliable?" he asked Flaring.

  Flaring raised his hand. "Absolutely certain. You can well imagine what pains we go to in a matter like this to have accurate data."

  "Yes... but what do you think of this peculiar shape?"

  The red bordering described the approximate farm of a shoehorn that someone had left on a hot oven and then forcibly pulled apart. The strange outline had two widely separated oval 'ears' in the east and in the west, with an irregular kind of pinched-in area between. In the eastern 'ear' section there was an elliptical-shaped blank spot, apparently a place where the tragedy had not struck.

  Flaring crooked his finger in the local sign of not knowing an answer to a question. "We've already racked our brains over that," he stated. "We thought at first that the enemy was aiming at hitting the most populated areas by that configuration. But just here in this blank space..." he pointed to the strange unshaded spot in the eastern ear of the shoe horn, "... is Kelleyhan, a city of about 300,000 inhabitants. The total population of
the remaining region all together is only about two thirds more than that of Kelleyhan alone."

  "So the region isn't especially heavily populated?"

  "By no means. The industrial area of Russom in the North has a density of 400 persons per square mile... and here between Resaz and Fillinan the ratio is only 30 to one square mile."

  Rous spread out the second map which represented the surrounding areas of Fillinan to a somewhat greater degree, with a circumference of 120 miles. He learned for the first time that the previous day's catastrophe had not just limited itself to the city area of Fillinan but had also reached about 90 miles north and south. The only areas that had been spared in the region of Fillinan were the southwestern suburbs. Of course the population density there happened to be the highest, so that of the total of 3,000,000 inhabitants only a million and a half had disappeared.

  The region to the east and north of the city was a natural catch basin for a number of rivers—among which the Finnestal was the largest—and it was for the most part of swampy moor. In past centuries there had been attempts to dredge the area, according to what 'Flaring explained to Rous, but in modem times these efforts had been abandoned in favor of turning the region into a wildlife reserve. In the entire area, outside of the city of Fillinan itself, there weren't more than 1000 people.

  On this second map the area that had been attacked by the enemy had the shape of an irregular polygon. Also there were four more or less large spots left blank where no molestation had occurred.

  Rous wanted to know how the stricken area could be so carefully delineated if the countryside there was so sparsely populated.

  "Don't you know that?" asked Flaring, surprised. "Not only people disappear but also animals. Wherever the enemy has struck you'll find afterwards that not even a single worm or grub is left behind. All organic life disappears, with the strange exception of plants."

  Rous nodded thoughtfully. "No, we hadn't realized that yet," he admitted.

  Lloyd stood next to him and stared at the map. "Doesn't that look sort of meaningless or senseless? he asked gently.

  Rous shrugged. "Perhaps the enemy isn't trying to make as many people as possible disappear. Maybe he's in pursuit of something else. For the time being we don't know yet," he replied.

  At this moment an orderly came into the room and announced to Flaring that the analysis of Rous' plastic comb object had been completed.

  "That was quick!" said Rous, admiringly. "Let me see it."

  The orderly handed him the report. Rous started to read it and Flaring read along with him. It turned out that the investigation had shown the physical and molecular structure of the piece of plastic to have remained unchanged. In other words, nothing had happened to the subject of the analysis.

  "Oh here... wait a moment!" said Flaring. "There's an annotation down below. Do you understand what is meant by an aging analysis?"

  "Yes. They tried to determine the age of the plastic. By what method?"

  "In all organic matter there is a definite quantity of a radioactive isotope, which happens to be an isotope of the element possessing six protons..."

  "Carbon!" interrupted Rous quickly. He turned to Lloyd and Rosita and informed them in English: "They've made a Carbon14 analysis!" Then he continued, talking to Flaring. "And what was indicated by that?"

  "There is only a tiny fraction of the original concentration in evidence. Whereas the next higher element in atomic weight has been correspondingly increased."

  "Wait, hold it!" Rous requested. "How long have you been making plastic like this on Mirsal 2?"

  Flaring thought a moment. "I'd say since about 40 years ago."

  Rous became more excited. With his head down he paced back and forth muttering to himself in English: "The occurrence of carbon 14 in crystalline plastic is practically impossible but whatever small amount contained there would show only the tiniest fraction of decay in only 40 years. So with this method you couldn't determine an age of 40 years. If anything happened to the C-14 it would have had to occur during those few seconds when the shimmering curtain of energy passed over it."

  He came to a stop in front of Flaring. "Alright, that much is clear," he said. "So what age has the analysis arrived at?"

  As Flaring examined the report in his hand his face took on an incredulous expression. "Approximately 20,000 years," he answered, somewhat uncertainly.

  Rous raised his brows. "And your methods of analysis are trustworthy?"

  Flaring curved his right index finger. "This piece here just happens to be part of a group of samples whose ages were known exactly and which were thoroughly tested. I don't believe any error is involved."

  Rous turned around to Rosita and Lloyd. He spoke in Mirsalese so that Flaring could understand him. "That means that during the few moments in which the hostile attack passed over us in the Avenue of Kings, as far as this piece of plastic is concerned—20,000 years went by!"

  5/ THROUGH THE RING—OF LIGHT

  The discovery was staggering—but in the long run it was no more than one more link in the chain that made up the mystery of the invisible enemy.

  Flaring didn't know what to make of it all. He knew little of the things that were hidden in the universe. His race had only just begun to conquer space in the narrow confines of his home system.

  Rous went out of his way to reassure Flaring and make it clear to him that the 20,000-year-old piece of plastic had come by its age through natural processes.

  "But tell me..." Flaring protested. "According to that, then everything the enemy took with him during his attack must have aged by the same amount, wouldn't you say?"

  Rous waved his hand cautioningly. "Be careful with such assertions! Why should it be by the same amount? Certainly everything must have aged but to what degree we can't yet say."

  "Very well," conceded Flaring. "Then the way I see it, this hotel we're standing in may only have aged 1000 years instead of 20,000 years—but don't you think that it still should have fallen apart by now?"

  "Oh no! You are confusing two different things: the aging of matter that would be caused by a continuous passage of years and the simple passage of time itself. During the 20,000 year span that this plastic piece passed through it was not exposed to an equivalent time stress. You read yourself that its crystal structure or matrix is still just as it should be. And that's the way it's been with all other matter involved. You needn't fear that the houses in Fillinan are going to start caving in one after the other like a row of dominoes... But you've just given me a new idea."

  "What is that?" asked Flaring.

  "Instruct your people to look for samples of material in both of the attack areas so that we can make an age-analysis of them. I need as many samples as possible from a representative cross-section, do you understand? From as many different places as you can manage. I want to conduct the investigation in such a way that we can indicate on this map the place it was located during the attack and the aging that it underwent. Can you start with that at once?"

  Flaring was in full agreement. He took his leave and promised to get everything going that was required.

  • • •

  A few days passed without any new sign of an enemy attack on Mirsal 2. Meanwhile Flaring's people worked in the designated disaster zones and collected bits and pieces of plastic, wood and other samples, which were analyzed immediately.

  In Rous' hotel room, which in the course of time had become a sort of headquarters, the information was assembled. It was meticulously arranged, cataloged and indicated point by point on the map.

  After the first hundred results thus obtained, Rous knew already the kind of configuration to expect. Age groupings fell into lines which paralleled or followed the contour of the outer boundaries of the attack region. From the outer boundary toward the center the age increased. The overall aspect of the growing chart looked like nothing more than oceanographic map in which the various ocean depths were delineated by lines. But on the lines Rous was dra
wing were ages instead of depths. The objects, which had been taken from the outer edge of the attack area, were as good as not aged at all. In the center of the marked area the aging was found to be about 50,000 years—that is for the region that lay west of Fillinan where the first attack had occurred—and 33,000 years for the city region of Fillinan itself, where the second attack had taken place.

  A curious finding was that in an area west of Fillinan, that is toward Resaz, a type of 'trench' occurred in which the samplings showed an aging up to 80 or 100 thousand years. At first Rous thought there was some mistake in the analysis until Lloyd gave him the right clue.

  "Do you remember the people on the bus that we came with? In this area there were actually two enemy attacks: the first one in the morning just about the time we got to Keyloghal and the second that night while we were traveling in the bus. The Mirsalese don't know about the second occurrence because there were no more people in the already depopulated region to disappear... except the people on the bus. So the samplings taken from there have had a double aging process. The agings are cumulative and so you arrive at these higher figures."

  This fact could clearly be seen. On the map it was evident that the attack causing the bus passengers to disappear had only touched a small area of about 10,000 square feet.

  Flaring was given the signal to take his people off the sampling project when Rous had drawn in enough contour lines to give him the overall picture of the situation.

  For the time being, nothing more could be achieved by the effort.

  • • •

  "Won't we ever be able to solve this riddle?" asked Rosita. Her voice sounded dejected.

  They had finished the day's work and had prepared a small supper from Mirsalese canned goods. Now they sat before the bay window in Rous' room where they had a southern view of the city.