" Perry Rhodan 0041 - (33) The Giant's Partner" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry Rhodan)

If the person creeping toward them were indeed Rogal, then he would give the recognition signalтАФ3
consecutive knocks on the wall before opening the secret door. If the door opened without this signal,
then it could not be Rogal who approached their hiding place.

The men glanced silently at each other. Their hands reached automatically for their weapons and drew
them. Swift fingers released the safety locks. Six gun muzzles were aimed at the spot in the wall where
the door was concealed.

No sound eluded their suddenly attentive ears now. A number of men had to be gathered behind the
stone wall: the foot shuffling revealed this. Now it was certain that RogalтАЩs attempt had met with disaster.
Worse yet, the ZarltтАЩs executioners had discovered the secret passage. Whether this was RogalтАЩs fault or
not remained to be seen.

Zernif whispered, "Conceal yourselves so that they donтАЩt see us. First we have to know how many they
are. We will open fire only when they have all come out of the passage. Do you understand?"

The 5 men nodded. They darted behind empty boxes and mouldy pieces of furniture. The electropyro
had already cooled off but a trace of its pleasant warmth still lingered in the room. Nevertheless, the
conspirators began to shiver.

The time-fuse ticked away in the background: 20 minutes to go, then this whole place would be blasted
to fragments. In the wall before them there was a clicking sound and then it began to open. One part of
the wall slid to the right, the other to the left. A figure became visible.

Rogal!

He gazed with strangely empty and expressionless eyes into the room and appeared to see nothing.
Behind him, men in colourful uniforms appeared with cocked rayguns in their hands. They shoved Rogal
into the room and when nothing happened they followed him. All together there were 12 palace guards,
inclusive of 2 members of the ZarltтАЩs feared secret police.

Adm. Zernif recognized them at once and many of the others as well. He aimed his weapon at the 2
secret police officers and shouted, "For freedom and the Empire!"

He fired.

His 5 companions had only waited for his command. Without voicing a challenge, they sprang from
cover and opened fire on the 12 soldiers of the Zarlt. One of them hurried forward a few steps in spite of
the danger and pulled Rogal out of the line of fire. Without a glance behind him, he shoved Rogal to the
ground, and only then did he turn to again face the enemy.

60 seconds later it was all over. The 12 palace guards were dead, with 2 of the rebels fallen. Zernif had
picked up a glancing shot in the arm, which did not prevent him from appearing quite satisfied. But there
was yet no reason for satisfaction.

Rogal still lay where he had fallen. He looked around him uncomprehendingly. One look into his
strangely staring and expressionless eyes convinced Zernif that he had not consciously betrayed them.
Something had happened to him. If his hunch was confirmed, then Rogal was as good as deadтАФor in
another sense: HeтАЩd be betteroff dead!