"(novel) (ebook) - Perry Rhodan 0053 - (45) Unknown Sector Milky Way" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry Rhodan)

* * * *

"From here on it goes straight ahead!" called Marshall.
Rhodan put his heavy weapon aside and looked into the cable shaft that had been opened up with the last charge of the disintegrator. "What direction is that?" he asked.
Marshall considered. "I've had time to get a good mental picture of the bunker layout. I'd say if the cable shaft doesn't make any turns, Belal's hideout is less than a mile from the main shaft, close to the bank of the Ovial River."
"Why there, particularly?" queried Rhodan, puzzled. He didn't have to wait for Marshall's answer because he could clearly read his thoughts: Because Belal is using an independent water source. Maybe he thinks his water bill will be cheaper, so he settled near the river.
Rhodan measured the cable shaft. It was squarish but fairly flat, about half a yard wide and 6" high. It would have to be enlarged if it were to be used as a crawl hole to get to Belal's hiding place.
"I've been wondering," he said, "if I could wait until our battle wagon arrives. At the most that would be about a day and a half from now, all difficulties considered. I'd prefer to have a few more hands on deck here if I'm going to burrow my way a mile through the Earth."
Marshall nodded. "But you don't know all the mischief Belal might be able to start in the meantime, right?"
Rhodan smiled. "Precisely. And we haven't forgotten Havan, either."

* * * *

"28 o'clock," grumbled Ther. "It's time we were finding Marshall."
Feriar looked about him nervously. In the meantime they had checked out 15 different pieces of information concerning Marshall's whereabouts and in spite of this they had not yet located the stranger. He seemed to have disappeared. Nobody had seen either one of the 2 aliens in the past 2 hours.
In the process of their search they had gone from the lowest level to the 35th. They regretted the fact that Perry had not considered it necessary to provide them with one of his instruments that he used for conversing with his people.
They were walking along a narrow, dimly lit side passage when Ther suddenly grasped Feriar's arm roughly to halt his headlong march and shoved him back against the wall.
"Hey-!" protested Feriar angrily.
"Quiet"; whispered Ther. "Take a look... up there ahead!"
Ther's eyes were sharper than Feriar's. Up ahead on the right side wall of the passage he had seen the narrow crack that began to open. With Feriar he saw the crack widen to a man-high opening, from which 2 heavily armed men emerged cautiously into view.
In the darkness between 2 dim lamps, Ther and Feriar pressed themselves against the wall. Moreover, they were about 50 yards distant from the mysterious opening. Ther was certain that the 2 sentinels had not seen them.
One of the 2 soldiers turned and beckoned into the opening. Then he stepped aside and allowed another 50-armed men move out past him into the passageway. The last of them was a small, fat, bald-headed man: Belal!
Ther felt Feriar's startled reaction behind him. "Keep calm!" he whispered. "We can't do anything about him here."
Belal marched along in the midst of his men in an opposite direction. Ther and Feriar watched him until he and his troops had disappeared around a curve in the passageway. A few moments later they heard a great outcry up ahead, accompanied by a metallic clattering and the roar of gunfire.
"Belal is pushing through!" gasped Ther. "If we only knew where that stranger is hiding!"

* * * *

For a length of about 100 yards, Marshall had so enlarged the cable shaft that a tall man could stand and walk in it. He had just paused to take a breather and to rest his arm from the weight of the disintegrator when he heard Rhodan call to him. He ran back through the widened shaft.
"Listen!" urged Rhodan, as he lowered himself down out of the cable shaft into the large room of the power plant. "Do you sense anything?"
Marshall concentrated. Somewhere in the vicinity, somebody was thinking strongly and impatiently of him. "Someone is looking for me," he said wonderingly.
Rhodan nodded. "I think it's the man called Ther. It seems as if he wishes to deliver something of importance to you. You'd better contact him!"
Marshall opened the door and stepped out into the corridor. He heard footsteps clattering along a side passage that opened a few yards away and he called Ther's name. A moment later, Ther turned into the corridor, sweating and panting; he recognized Marshall and threw his hands in the air. "Thank Heaven!" he yelled. "We've found you at last!" Then he stopped in astonishment. "Didn't you just now call my name?" When Marshall nodded, he tried to continue: "How come you knew that...!"
Marshall cut him off. "Later. What's so important...?"
Feriar pressed past Ther. In his hand was the note that the messenger had brought him. "We thought that with your help we could find Perry. It's important-read that..."
Marshall read the few terse words of the message and then arched his brows. "Come with me," he summoned the two. "Perry is right at hand."
Rhodan read the note carefully. Then he turned to Feriar. "Are you sure this isn't a trap?"
Feriar spread his hands. "I have no idea. I had no thought other than to give you the note. You will have to draw your own conclusions."
Rhodan narrowed his eyes in thought. "Who gave you this note?"
"I don't know."
"But I do. It's from Havan!"
Feriar's eyes bugged wide. "From Havan?" he asked, amazed. "But Havan has a common cause with Belal!"
Rhodan smiled. "Is that so? Are you sure? Who besides Havan could know what Belal's plans are?"
Feriar didn't answer. Instead, Ther reported on what they had seen in the other passageway. "To get to your vessel on foot from the bunker exit, Belal and his men will need about three-quarters of an hour," he added. "With their weapons they'll be able to push through the bunker here without trouble. They'll reach their target not later than 29 hours."
Rhodan nodded. "Good. Well have to spoil their fun. You two come behind us. We'll be able to use more help, once we've put Belal and his men out of action."

* * * *

The grassy plain presented its usual mood of dark-red gloom as Marshall and Rhodan moved toward the space jet. In their transport suits they moved at top speed, flying low above the surface. They had activated their deflector shields so that Belal would have no chance to discover them before they decided it was the proper time.