Part 8 (1/2)
Klein was startled. ”How can you be so sure of that?”
”I can get through it. But why should I still hold back with anything? We no longer have anything to conceal from each other. You wanted to send me to Rhodan to warn him, isn't that so?”
Klein nodded.
”Well, I had the same idea you did. I already have warned him, Mr. Klein. I would strongly suggest that you not enter the tunnel after this midnight. That is the deadline Rhodan set when he learned of the planned nuclear attack.”
Klein stared at Tako, completely baffled. Then he added with a tone of hope, ”You were right, Tako, when you said that Rhodan already has more friends than he dares to hope for.”
CHAPTER SEVEN.
The man was a j.a.panese, Rhodan noticed at once. The man bowed deeply and humbly, his face smiling like that of a child.
”Please don't be frightened, Mr. Rhodan. But I have come here to warn you of a great danger.”
”How did you get through the energy barrier?” Rhodan asked, recovering from his initial shock. Probably he had only overlooked this young man here in the bright desert sun. ”I noticed you so suddenly. You seemed to appear out of nowhere.”
”I am capable of teleportation.”
John Marshall whispered I in Rhodan's ear, ”He is a mutant. Just like I am. He can transport himself from one place to the other without any interval of time. He has come from down below there.”
”From down below?”
”Yes,” replied Tako. ”I came from down there. From an underground shaft running below your domain. But a” He hesitated and turned to Marshall. ”How do you know this?”
Marshall stepped closer. ”I am a mutant, the same as you are, Tako Kakuta. That's your name, isn't it? You are capable of teleportation, and I can read minds.” He stretched out his hand in a friendly gesture. ”We are colleagues in a certain way. You have come to help Perry Rhodan.”
Tako shook the hand held out to him. ”Yes, that is why I have come here. He has prevented the atomic war. All mankind should be grateful to him for having saved their lives. But human beings are unfortunately rather stupid.”
Rhodan had completely regained his composure. He had found the second mutant. What he had only presumed so far had now been confirmed. This would provide a real basis for his secret plan to gather around him a small group of mutants who would be able to aid and protect him with the help of their superior abilities.
”What is the great danger you came here to warn of, Tako?”
”A special detachment is busy constructing a tunnel that will end 150 feet directly below your s.p.a.cecraft. Tomorrow they will explode there a hydrogen bomb. I doubt that anything will remain of your installations unless you take some fast counteraction.”
”They'll detonate a bomb directly underneath our base?” Rhodan grew pale for a fraction of a second. Then his brain began to work with lightning speed and comprehended immediately the proper defensive measures.
”Thank you, Tako. I think that it is not advisable you to return to the outside. You may stay here with if you wish.”
”Gladly. But only later,” the j.a.panese said modestly. ”I a.s.sume that you are going to defend yourself against the nuclear attack. It is my duty to prevent loss of life among my comrades. May I ask you what you plan to do?”
”I haven't decided yet in detail,” admitted Rhodan. ”In any case, I won't start with any counteroffensive before tonight. Will that information be enough for you?”
”I will take care that n.o.body will remain inside the shaft tonight.”
Rhodan put his hand on Tako's shoulder and spoke with appreciation. ”You display a very humane att.i.tude, my friend.”
”Anyone would do that in my position, that is, anyone whose parents lived through an atomic attack. We will meet again very soon. Till then, Perry Rhodan.”
The j.a.panese vanished right in front of their eyes. No trace remained of his presence. In the distance the two men could make out the glittering shapes of the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps. Someone was walking toward them, still far away.
”What was he really thinking?” inquired Rhodan.
John Marshall replied with emphasis, ”His thoughts his words were exactly the same.”
”Good. Then. he spoke the truth. Let's go-here comes Reg.”
”Reg?”
”My friend Reginald Bell, second pilot and technician of the moons.h.i.+p Stardust.”
They met up with Reginald Bell about half a mile from the centre of the base.
”Glad you're back with us again, Perry. And you brought along a visitor. Introduce us, will you?”
But before Rhodan had a chance, John Marshall remarked dryly, ”To begin with, I never use any hair oil, my dear Mr. Bell. That's the way my hair is naturally, smooth and slick. Secondly, you are no great beauty either. And finally, it's none of your infernal business how I managed to get into Perry Rhodan's good graces.”
Bell's red hair stood up like a brush, and his lower jaw dropped. With a helpless expression he stared first at Marshall and then at Perry Rhodan.
”For crying out loud!” he said. ”That guy knows exactly what I was thinking to myself!”
”Yes, Reg. He can read minds,” said Rhodan, who could hardly refrain from laughing. ”If I were you I would be more careful in the future; or if you want to have the luxury of your own private thoughts, why don't you surround your brainwave field with a protective barrier, the way we learned during our hypno training? By the way, allow me to introduce you to the first known telepath to develop in a slowly awakening mankind.”
”Glad to know you,” mumbled Reg, who was still struck with awe at this frightening display of invasion of privacy.
”My pleasure,” replied John. ”At least you will keep your thoughts nicely fenced in from now on and not embarra.s.s any strangers with your critical silent remarks.”
Rhodan interjected abruptly, ”Is everything okay here?”
”Everything is fine, boss.”
”Good. Let's go. I must have a talk with Khrest at once. It's urgent. They are getting ready to attack us. They plan to blow us all up. Nice, friendly people around here, don't you agree?”
”Real nice of them. But how do they propose to do that?”
”They built a shaft from their lines to a point immediately below our position here,”
”How did you find this out?”
”I can tell you that only later. There's not enough time now.”
Khrest was waiting for them in front of the s.p.a.ce sphere. Eric Manoli was at his side, and Dr. Haggard stood a few paces behind them. In the background Thora was busy supervising a few robots who were building some machinery.
”I am happy to see that you have returned safely,” Khrest greeted his first and foremost ally on the planet Earth. ”Was your mission successful?”
”Please, Khrest, will you call Thora immediately? We must act at once, otherwise, we shall be lost. The power blocs of the world are collaborating, and that makes them dangerous for us. They failed to penetrate the energy screen, but they have found another way to get at us. They drove a shaft to right underneath this s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p. Tomorrow they will explode a hydrogen bomb down there.”