Part 5 (2/2)
Only Ellert remained serious. ”You won't be laughing in a few more days. I'm afraid there exists more things between heaven and Earth than we have imagined. The day after tomorrow will be our elections. I already know the result. Would that be enough proof for you doubting Thomases?”
Frettel narrowed his eyes.
”Certainly-if sheer coincidence could be ruled out.”
Ellert shook his head. ”True. The result of the election could be correct just by chance. But not the fact that the newly elected official will become the victim of a heart attack the very same evening. The elections will have to be repeated in another four weeks.”
All fell silent. Then Aarn's soft voice could be heard: ”Telepathy, teleportation, telekinesis, and now to, top it off we have teletemportation-travel through time. But only for the mind.”
Frettel shouted with enthusiasm, ”Ellert, you have invented a new branch of the parasciences!”
Ellert gave him a penetrating look.
”I discovered something that must have existed all along. I did not invent this phenomenon, my dear Frettel!”
CHAPTER FIVE.
PERRY RHODAN thought that his eyes had been closed for just a brief moment. When he opened them again, nothing seemed to have changed. His friend Reginald Bell was lying strapped into the indoctrinator next to him, and he, too, was trying to wake up. There was an expression of utter amazement on his face.
The indoctrinator! Now suddenly Rhodan knew how it functioned. Stored data were conducted through electronic amplifiers, then transmitted directly into the nerves of the head. They in turn conveyed the information into the brain, where it was stored in the memory bank. These memory banks, though, had been considerably enlarged in their storing capacity via electric shocks. From there the acc.u.mulated wealth of knowledge could be tapped whenever needed.
Khrest stood at the instrument panel of the indoctrinator. ”You may get up now!” he said quietly. ”The hypnotraining has been successfully concluded. Both of you have received the identical schooling, but it seemed advisable to me to equip you, Perry, with a certain type of superiority, compared with what Reg has been given. I have increased your already present potential for lightning fast decision making in the face of newly arising situations. In addition to that your suggestive powers have been augmented. Any normal person will from now on have to carry out any of your commands, as if he had been given a hypnotic order. I am fully certain that you will never abuse this power entrusted to you. But you will have to make use of it in order to accomplish what we have planned together. As to the extent of your newly acquired knowledge, well you will soon enough find out for yourself.”
Rhodan pushed his hair away from his forehead. ”Right now I am not aware of any change.”
Khrest smiled gently. ”What is the square root of 527,-076?”
”Seven hundred and twenty-six. Why?”
Perry gave the result as nonchalantly as if it were the most elementary problem in arithmetic. But he had hardly finished with his reply, when he turned pale. He had already got up, and now he was so shaken by surprise that he seemed to lose his balance for a moment.
Reg grasped his arm to steady him. ”I also know the answer!”
”Your brain calculates automatically at the speed of light, if I may make such a comparison,” Khrest enlightened them. ”Your calculations are taking place in your subconscious. Your conscious mind is needed for more important tasks. Are you convinced by now that something bas been changed in you?”
Reg still seemed beside himself. ”And my math teacher used to tell me that I would never amount to anything, at least not in math! If only he could see me nowa”
”For the next few days you will constantly make new discoveries of what changes have occurred in you. Don't be frightened by it. The only thing that matters is that you know how you have acquired your talents, that they were transmitted by our indoctrinator, based on the far advanced state of development of our race. You share our level of progress.”
”I hope we will be able to handle it successfully.”
”You will have to. And now, will you come along with me? I must discuss some things with you. Our connection with the outside world has been interrupted. Powerful transmitters are jamming our broadcasts and rendering impossible our contact with anyone else we need to communicate with. One of you will have to leave the protective energy dome to find out what is going on. Besides, we cannot afford to sit around inactive. The first work sheds have been erected. The robots cannot continue with their work. We must get materials and co-workers. We will build here in the middle of the desert an industrial complex the like of which your planet has not seen before. You realize that we will never get back to Arkon without powerful s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps, and we want to accomplish more than just returning home, as you know.”
Rhodan listened to Khrest's words. At the same time he mentally let pa.s.s in review the bold visions of the future of which Khrest had spoken to him. The galactic empire. A gigantic fleet would be required to build it up and to maintain it. But was mankind quite ready for this?
”I'll go outside myself,” he heard himself volunteer to Khrest. ”I only wonder how long it will be before they detect who I am.”
”Well?” countered Khrest with eager antic.i.p.ation. ”Just think of the technical means at your disposal now, Perry.”
And Rhodan realized this very instant what they were. The information simply came up from the memory bank of his augmented brain potential.
The Arkonide equipment. A microreactor supplied the energy of his special suit. He could erect a miniature energy screen around himself that would provide protection against any dangers. Small missiles would simply bounce off it. The lightwave deflector would render him invisible to human eyes. The built-in gravity neutralizer would permit flight for short distances, since the speed would remain fairly moderate.
”How will I be able to leave here?”
”Tonight we will lift the energy screen barrier for a few seconds, although you could pa.s.s directly through it if, you wished to do so. But before that I would like to discuss the further details with you. Thora has agreed to this plan. She has come to understand the necessity for such a collaboration between us, even if most reluctantly.”
”I am not surprised,” said Rhodan curtly.
Los Angeles. Two days later.
In a small restaurant on Sepulveda Boulevard, the street leading to the international airport, Perry Rhodan sat enjoying a good sized steak. In the past two days he had managed to have talks with the presidents of three of the largest industrial concerns in the United States. Because of his new talents he had at once received confirmation for deliveries in the near future of large orders of the materials and manpower he needed. He had given a fict.i.tious firm name in Hong Kong, under which he would accept delivery.
Outside the restaurant he had a taxi waiting for him to finish his meal.
Perry Rhodan sat quite calmly in the midst of a population that regarded him as their worst enemy. He was unafraid and did not even try to hide. Although his photograph had been telecast all around the world after his landing in the Gobi Desert, n.o.body seemed to have recognized him so far. And even if they did, it would not matter too much a Rhodan felt well protected by his Arkonide equipment. Underneath his business suit be wore a special suit, one that was undetectable from the outside.
A man sat down at the table next to Rhodan. His dark hair was combed back straight from his forehead. He looked rather distinguished, perhaps too much so. Large sungla.s.ses hid his eyes. He opened a newspaper and, soon seemed absorbed in it. He was reading the financial section. Absentmindedly he ordered some coffee.
Perry Rhodan tried to concentrate on his delicious steak trying to overcome a sudden feeling of unrest. Two days had pa.s.sed since he had left the base in the Gobi Desert. This apparent calm was suspicious.
What if they now launched the long expected general attack? Rhodan was convinced that the Arkonides would manage to ward off any attack from the enemy outside, but he feared a rash action on Thora's part. Unless she was watched she was liable in her wrath to cause the greatest catastrophe and thus to endanger all Khrest's and Rhodan's plans for the future. During yesterdays negotiations Rhodan had noticed that people were not absolutely against him. On the contrary, the farsighted industrial magnates had recognized the advantages that their a.s.sociation with Rhodan offered them. In addition, each was fully aware that Rhodan's actions and the existence of his base in the Gobi Desert had prevented an atomic war.
Rhodan wondered how his friend Reginald Bell would react in the face of an attack from the outside world. Now he possessed incredible intelligence and new, undreamed of capabilities, but his character remained unchanged. Not that Reg liked to act unthinkingly, but he needed Rhodan's presence to counterbalance his impulsiveness.
The gentleman at the next table had put down his newspaper. There were deep creases in his forehead now. His attention was obviously focused on his neighbor, who had just finished eating and pushed away his empty plate. Several times he seemed want to get up from his seat, but he apparently could not quite make his mind. Then finally he stood up abruptly and walked over to Rhodan's table.
He stopped short for an instant, looked at Rhodan and then said, ”Pardon me, sir, I would like to ask you something, if you don't mind. May I sit down?” Before Rhodan could give his a.s.sent the stranger had pulled up a chair and sat down next to him.
Rhodan was startled by his behavior and was mentally prepared for anything that might follow, even a physical attack. A slight push on his belt would have been sufficient to surround him with a protective energy bell.
The stranger smiled uneasily. ”I might be mistaken, but two things speak against this, True, the resemblance is rather vague, but I could swear I have seen you somewhere before. But this is not the only reason I suspect that you are Perry Rhodan. Please, don't be afraid-you have nothing to fear from me. I would not give you away. You have done too much good for all of us on Earth. But I don't know how to tell you, Mr. Rhodan. Don't you read any newspapers?”
Rhodan shook his head. ”Not in general. just for the last two days, thougha”
”No, sir. It was about a week ago that a lot was written in the papers about me, at least in Brisbane, Australia, where I am from. No one would believe what had happened, but it was absolutely true. I am John Marshall, if that name means anything to you.”
Rhodan remembered having heard something about this man, but he had dismissed it from his mind at once as being inconsequential. Just some sensational bit of news, that was all. But swiftly the report a.s.sumed some importance. His logically working mind went into action and within a fraction of a second gave an answer to why this man had been able to identify him as Perry Rhodan. He raised his eyebrows.
”You are the mind reader, Mr. Marshall. You were sitting here next to me and received my thought waves as I was thinking intently about my problems. Isn't this the way you recognized me?”
John Marshall nodded.
”It seems to have become dangerous to think at all; thoughts are no longer free,” said Rhodan regretfully. ”Since when can you read minds?”
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