by Perry Rhodan
The television screen on the wall grew dark.
All remained silent until Mercant remarked, "Our goals have been determined, gentlemen. It is up to you whether we reach them. I wanted to make sure that we would get some tangible results out of todays meeting, and I have therefore, asked someone to join us here. This man will be able to advise us in all financial and economical matters. Gentlemen, may I present Homer G. Adams, manager of the G.C.C."
Ernst Ellert and Tako Kakuta were holding a council of war in their hotel room in Peking.
"You must be able to do it," urged Ellert "Just remember how you exploded the oval shaped M.S. spaceship. You teleported yourself, together with the bomb, into the enemy's ship. If you could transport a bomb with you then you also be able to carry along a human being. You have proved that you can teleport any matter that you touch. Also, Ishi Matsu can transfer onto others her ability to see through matter, even when it is far removed."
"You might be right," admitted the Japanese with a polite smile. "We would have to carry out such an experiment I have never thought of such a possibility. It simply never occurred to me till now, to be truthful."
"We must experiment to find out all about our potential. This goes for the rest of the mutant corps. It will take many years of experience to stabilize our forces."
"How about taking me along into the future asked the Japanese in all earnestness. "We should reciprocate favors!"
Ellert grinned impishly. "Is that how you imagine our much praised consolidation of forces to function?" he mocked. ›If Khrest had any idea of this..."
Tako turned serious again. They had had their fun; now back to their task, "We have found Li," be stated. "What are we going to do with him now? How can we know if he is going to do some foolish things, maybe even dangerous ones? We can't warn the government offices of the Asiatic Federation. Who can be sure how many of them have already been taken over by the M.S.?"
He had hardly finished when the buzzer of both their all purpose sets began to sound. They pushed the receiver button and heard the voice of Ras Tschubai, the second teleporter of Rhodan's mutant corps.
"Listen, there is some work for you Li just drove to the airport and bought a ticket for the stratoliner to Batang. The plane leaves tomorrow morning at six thirty-five."
"What a ghastly time to have to get up!" moaned Ellert, who loved to sleep late. "What does he want in Batang, of all places?"
"How should I know? He did not state a reason for his trip when he bought the ticket"
"You have a point there," laughed Ellert "Why don't you come and join us here? Li won't get away during the night. When is he due to arrive in Batang?"
"The flight lasts two hours. At about eight thirty, I should think."
"We will meet him with a reception committee in Batang," said Ellert. "Okay, don't worry any more about Li. Just jump!"
It took only one second for the heavyset African to materialize in the middle of the hotel room. He broke out in a grin when he saw that Ellert and Kakuta were startled at his sudden appearance. They jumped quite unconsciously, for no one can get used to seeing a person appear out of the void-not even another teleporter.
"Do you have any idea what our friend wants in Tibet, of all places?" Tako asked. "Batang lies in direction of Tibet, if I am not mistaken."
"You are not," confirmed Ras. "More than a thousand miles. Quite some jump, I must say. How will we do that?"
"Well take Ellert between us, and then we'll jump. Let's hope we can make it"
Ras's eyes grew to saucer size. "Take Ellert between us, in the middle? Do you mean to say that we will take him along when we jump?"
"Why not?" asked Tako. "He isn't as heavy as a medium sized bomb! So what about it?"
The plane landed at the scheduled time. Li disembarked and walked to the airport buildings without looking right or left. He seemed to feel absolutely safe. Since a Japanese would not be conspicuous here at Batang, Tako had taken charge of Li's direct surveillance. He kept in constant touch with his two colleagues by way of his tiny transmitter, concealed in a bracelet. Li had no luggage, but he carried a large sum of cash. How he had obtained the money, no one knew, least of all probably Li himself. He took a room in one of the most expensive hotels, paid three days' rent in advance, and then did not leave his room for the rest of the morning. Tako kept watch sitting in a little bar across from the hotel. He was utterly bored. He was afraid of falling asleep and hoped to be relieved from this dull duty as soon as possible.
Ras came to Tako's rescue toward noon. He ordered a drink and assured his Japanese friend that he would not at all mind staying in the little bar till evening. Not quite so sure about that and a bit unsteady on his legs, Tako left the bar and went straight to the hotel, where he was awaited by Ellert.
"What on Earth do you think Li wants to do in this godforsaken town?" asked Ellert. He had been lying on his bed reading a book when Tako entered the room in a most conventional manner. Now he put his book aside and asked the question that had preoccupied him all morning.
Tako was just as puzzled about Li's reason for being in Batang. ›I haven't the faintest idea," be sighed, and flopped into the nearest chair. "We couldn't very well ask him personally. But couldn't you peek into the future and find out what his intentions are?"
"I have no way of knowing whether I will reach the real future or simply some probability time stream. Fortunately, my mind is not tied to my body. It can move freely about, not being bound to any matter. I can travel even at right angles to the time stream, if necessary. But I never know whether what I am seeing will eventually happen."
"Why don't you give it a try!" suggested Tako, who had only a vague notion about teletemporation. "I'll keep watch on your sleeping body here."
Ellert nodded and remained lying on his bed. "There won't be any harm in doing it," be admitted. "But I can't tell how long this trip will take. Don't let anybody enter this room. Make sure of that!"
Tako stood up and walked over to lock the door. When he came back to the bed, Ellert was lying there already motionless with closed eyes. Tako bent over his friend and stopped short. Ellert had stopped breathing-or was this only a delusion? His pulse was weak. Tako pinched Ellert's cheek, but there was no response.
Tako decided to take a nap, since there was nothing much he could do now. His head had hardly hit the pillow before he was asleep. Nothing disturbed this peaceful afternoon.
In the meantime Li was sitting in his hotel room a few blocks away. The intellect that had invaded his brain, thereby replacing Li's own intellect, had established telepathic communication with its commanding officer high up in space, traveling in an oval shaped spaceship.
"We will have to abandon our plan to protect our base on the third planet. The human being by the name of Li has become suspect. But it would be senseless to try to take over another human body. We would have to start all over again. Besides, Li has only aroused suspicion; no one is certain about his state. Li will remain in Batang for two more days; then he will fly to the United States. Wait for further instructions."
From that moment on Li's activities had no rhyme or reason. He wandered aimlessly around town, seeming to ignore the people that were shadowing him. On the third day he bought a ticket to Carson City, Nevada, by way of Hong Kong.
Just as was to be expected, Ellert's attempt had remained unsuccessful. On the contrary, everyone was still more confused. Ellert had left the present time and had advanced into the future. His disembodied mind had floated above Li as he was flying from Hong Kong to Nevada. A horizontal shift in the time stream had shown another possibility. The same airplane, but without Li sitting in it. How could one tell which was the truth?
It began to dawn on Ellert how little practical use could be made of his extraordinary ability. Each point in present time was a pivot that led into all potential futures. There was an infinite number of different directions events could take. Only the present could determine the one path that would come
true. Looking ahead into the future could only reveal all the various potential ways, but no one knew which of all these possibilities would become reality. Therefore, any event that had ever happened could never be changed again. Time could not be turned back for retroactive changes.
While Ellert was mulling over these thoughts another idea had occurred to him. He was not yet capable of appreciating its full extent. He must discuss this with Perry Rhodan. If his theory should prove correct, then the days of the M.S. on Earth were numbered...
Perry Rhodan and Ellert were sitting alone and undisturbed in the command center of the old Stardust I. This was Rhodan's favorite retreat, where he felt most at ease. This was where his fantastic career had started. Ellert began with his report. "We did not follow Li during his flight to the U.S.; we knew his destination. In the meantime John Marshall seems to have taken him under his wing. And according to what I was told, Anne Sloane is also staying in Carson City. I must agree to your notion that Nevada Fields must he Li's next stop."
"This would make most sense," Rhodan confirmed calmly.
"While I had left my body in order to observe Li in the future I made a remarkable discovery. The M.S. communicate with each other telepathically! I even managed to understand part of their conversations. Unhindered by our material hull, our body, our intellect works in a more perfect and advanced way. If need be, we could probably communicate directly with the M.S. via telepathy. But this would make no sense in my opinion. For it is much better if they never find out about this possibility. Another idea that came to me-I am convinced that it is possible to pursue a disembodied M.S. mind. Any teleporter should be able to do so. A teleporter travels by transporting his body and mind together into another dimension and later materializes at a different place. In this respect he is nothing but pure spirit, somehow related to that of the M.S. Under these circumstances it seems quite likely that Ras or Tako, or even myself, can attach himself to the M.S. when the M.S. leaves a human body in order to return to his own insect hull."
Perry Rhodan had been listing very attentively. His brilliant brain considered the possibilities, evaluated the chances, and registered everything like an electronic robot. Therein he was assisted by the tremendous knowledge of the Arkonides. His memory banks discharged the needed information. He looked up and said to Ellert, sitting across the small table, "You are right, Ellert. You are absolutely right. We will try it; we will take that risk. We believe that Li flew to Nevada with some special reason. Miss Sloane will keep me informed about Li's every move. But there is something else I want to discuss with you. You know that I never have made any demands on your talent as a teletemporarian. At first I refrained from doing so because of ethical reasons. In the meantime we have found out that the presence of the manifold planes of probability forestall any attempt to obtain a clear vision of future events. Despite all this I must ask you to make an exception. Something very odd has taken place...."
Ellert bent forward with great interest to view the newspaper article that Rhodan was pointing out to him. Huge headlines attracted his attention, and he began to read.
SIX YEAR OLD SHOOTS FATHER WITH HIS OWN GUN
Mysterious murder committed by a child.
Mesilla, New Mexico, from our special correspondent
One of the most mysterious murders of the century happened yesterday morning in Mesilla, New Mexico.
Betty Toufry, a six year old girl, grabbed her father's gun, while sitting on his lap, and shot him. The child had never before handled the weapon and had no idea how to use it....
Allan G. Toufry, the girl's father, as the article pointed out, had been an atomic scientist. He had been instrumental in the development of the latest type of atom bombs. He had been in charge of the most recent atom bomb tests in the desert. According to the report, the little girl had just minutes earlier run eagerly to greet her father. As he was embracing her, she had suddenly seemed startled. While she was seated on her father's lap the gun appeared to fly toward her hand. This scene was witnessed by the family maid, whose eyewitness report should be regarded with reservation, since the woman seemed to he in a highly hysterical state. In any case, continued the report, the case should be investigated thoroughly by psychological experts.
Ellert looked up to peer into Rhodan's questioning eyes.
"How does this strike you?" asked Perry.
Ellert shrugged. "Incredible! I am particularly intrigued by the family maid's statement. I am inclined to believe she was speaking the truth."
"So do I," admitted Rhodan. "I have a hunch, but I'd like to be on safe ground. Therefore, I would like you to find out what will happen to this child in the future. Especially what kind of person she will grow up to be. Can you find out for me?"
"Up to a certain point. Whichever direction the future will take eventually has no effect on the personality. That remains always the same regardless. It does not matter into which of the many potential futures I land; the main point is that Betty Toufry is alive now."
"That's what I thought, Ellert. Will you have to travel to New Mexico, or can you manage from here?"
"It would be more advantageous if I could be there. Besides, it would be close to Carson City."
"Okay, Ellert. That makes sense. Leave at once. Keep me informed. I am most interested in this little girl."
The telepaths were capable of immediately spotting the M.S. because of the aliens' peculiar thought pattern. The ring tightened closer and closer around the invaders but not without danger to their pursuers.
Nevada Spaceport was the main installation for the exploration of space. A tight cordon was placed around the whole area in order to keep out trespassers. Unfortunately, this did not affect the M.S.; they could cross the security zone at any time and then find a safe hiding place in their victims' bodies. It was therefore essential for Rhodan's agents to keep watch on the inside of the cordoned off area and to be on the lookout for possible intruders, This did not especially please Captain Burners from the Security Forces, but he did not have much choice in the matter. After all he had to obey the orders of his chief, Allan D. Mercant. He did not always understand these orders, lately, for be had been used to clear rules. Anyone who had no legitimate business inside the zone was not allowed to enter. That was plane enough. And now, all of a sudden, all kinds of strangers were permitted to stick their noses into matters that did not concern them in the least.
There was that Marshall, for instance. He was most exasperating. Kept smiling all the time as if he knew everything. What could that guy know, after all! Well, he was one of Rhodan's men, and Rhodan was supposed to have his fingers in every pie.
John Marshall, the telepath from Australia who had foiled a bank robbery by reading the criminal's mind, was now in Rhodan's service. Marshall was authorized to move freely wherever he liked inside Nevada Spaceport. It was only natural for him to make good use of this opportunity and to familiarize himself thoroughly with the farflung installations of the spaceport. He knew General Pounder, Chief of the Space Exploration Command, as well as his assistant, Colonel Maurice. He was friendly with Dr. Fleeps, of the Department of Space Medicine, the same as with Dr. Lehmann, the scientific director of the California Academy of Space Flight. And of course, he was also acquainted with Captain Burners.
So far Marshall had been unable to detect a single M.S. It seemed most improbable but was nevertheless the case. John racked his brain whether this was by accident or design, but could not find an answer. He kept all important personnel under constant surveillance and spoke with them every day, all the while exploring their thoughts, thanks to his mind reading abilities. Yet he could not discover anything suspicious.
Today he had been invited by Dr. Lehmann for a game of chess. The elderly gentleman was a passionate player and was happy to have found his match in the person of John Marshall. It goes without saying that the scientist had not the faintest notion how Marshall managed to be such an excellent chess player-he simply read the old man's mind an
d thus knew in advance every one of his moves.
"Check!" he said triumphantly, and moved his queen, believing he had won the game. With evident enjoyment he was puffing at his pipe, which gave off clouds of evil smelling smoke.
"Are you sure, Dr. Lehmann? inquired the Australian. "Do you think I forgot about my bishop? You are wrong there. Well, what do you have to say now?"
Lehmann stared at the bishop, completely nonplussed. Indeed he had assumed that his partner in the game had forgotten all about the bishop that had been standing in a corner, completely hemmed in for the last ten minutes. John lit a cigarette while Lehmann seized his queen between nicotine stained fingers. He raised the figure pensively. But in midair, Lehmann suddenly stopped moving. He seemed to turn to stone.
John, who was secretly amused at his opponent's intention to threaten his bishop by a stealthy move of his queen, suddenly realized with a start that Lehmann's thoughts had broken off abruptly.
He glanced at Lehmann, who was now sitting motionless like a stone figure. His eyes had assumed a vacant stare. His hand, still holding the queen, hovered above the chessboard. Not the slightest tremor could be noticed, not even a faint involuntary twitching of his eyelids.
At the same time John felt something pushing into the space that, an instant before, had been occupied by the professor's mind. With lightning speed John withdrew the tentacles of his own probing, telepathic mind from within Lehmann's brain. He kept only in loose touch so as not to disturb the penetrating alien mind of the M.S.
Marshall endeavored not to incur any suspicion. He knew that within a few seconds one of the invaders would look at him from Lehmann's eyes. This should take about five seconds, according to Mercant.
