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

At the elevator exit the prisoners were placed in custody of another group of armed men. Feriar had just enough time to nod encouragingly to Ivsera. Then the prisoners were herded into the broad passage which led in an easterly direction, from the elevator shaft into farther subterranean regions.
The march lasted an hour. Ivsera had to clamp her teeth together to make herself survive the greuling pace. Fortunately, however, the soldiers also tired of the forced tempo and slowed down a bit.
A file of citizens observed the sorry-looking procession. Ivsera noted that all of them, men and women alike, were far better clothed than the people of Fenomat. She cudgelled her brains over this for awhile and after discarding a number of wild theories arrived at the most probable reason of all: the people of Sallon did not have a chemist who knew how to produce food from textiles! Thus there was no requirement for them to surrender their clothing.
But Heaven only knew what they had been living on in the meantime.
Finally the soldiers veered left with their 3 prisoners, leaving the main passage and entering a narrower corridor for a distance of about 100 yards. At last they halted in front of a door that was an exception to the normal doors in the bunker, in that it was as wide as a am entrance. Both door panels rolled aside without any manipulation by the soldiers. Ivsera reasoned that the bunker commander of Sallon enjoyed the luxury of a remote camera system and automated door openers.
As soon as the door was completely open, the soldiers stiffened to attention, in seeming apprehension. Ivsera heard the hard, rasping voice of the commander: "Enter!"
The soldiers saluted and fell into step as they entered the room. The prisoners came behind them. Both of the Fenomat men were simultaneously fearful and curious. But Ivsera moved as casually and slowly as possible in order to demonstrate to the Sallon people that nothing they could show her could make an impression.
In spite of this, the man who commanded such respect from his troops did make an impression on her. From the sound of his voice she had expected to see a tall, stern officer type. What she actually saw was a somewhat stunted and bloated young man whose fat face reflected vanity and conceit.
The soldiers came to a stop in front of the massive table at which he was sitting. "Get out!" ordered the fat man. "But wait outside!"
The soldiers disappeared. The fat one examined the 3 prisoners one by one. The inspection seemed to satisfy him only in Ivsera's case. He smirked and signalled indolently to the 2 Fenomat men, directing them to stand by the wall. In the same manner he indicated that Ivsera should approach him but she did not respond.
This appeared to anger him. "Hey you, girl!" he shouted "Step closer!"
Ivsera made a pretense of casually examining the room and now for the first time she deigned to notice him. "Are you speaking to me?" she asked, affecting surprise.
"Of course I am!" he growled. "Who else?"
She did not reply. Instead, she looked at him gravely. The man became nervous, which seemed only to add to his anger. Finally he yelled at her: "I said you were to approach me!"
Ivsera did not move. The fat man snorted in rage and got up from the table. He came around in front of it and was about to grasp her by the arm.
"Watch yourself!" she advised calmly. "You're liable to get a busted nose."
Startled, the fat one dropped his hand, then narrowed his eyes and shouted at her: "Just wait, young lady, and I'll teach you some manners! Guard!"
The doors rolled aside and the soldiers stomped in again.
"Get these 2 men out of here. Work camp C! No food rations during the first 5 days. They're fat enough!"
The 2 Fenomat men offered no resistance as they were led out. The door closed behind the soldiers and their prisoners. The fat man was now alone with Ivsera. She feared that the moment was at hand when she would have to make use of her concealed weapon.
The fat one grinned. "Now we are quite alone-just the 2 of us, sweetie," he said softly. "Do you know what that means?"
"I only know one thing," she replied dryly. "The Council of the Sallon bunker will hold you accountable for violating the statutes of martial law."
The fat one listened in amazement; then he began to laugh uproariously. "Martial law!" he snorted. "Statutes! That was a hundred years ago! Who would still remember such things in these days? No, girl... you belong to me... and so does the Sallon bunker. There isn't anyone who can hold me accountable."
Ivsera could not resist saying: "Then Sallon belongs to a very disagreeable contemporary."
In a flash the fat one abandoned his unctuous manner. He came close to Ivsera and snarled at her: "Don't make me angry! I'm prepared to offer you a life such as no other woman on Isan could have in these times. But I can also prepare one for you that would make you wish you had never been born! Do you understand me?"
Ivsera did not lose her composure. "First of all," she retorted, "I am my own property and not yours. Secondly, I can do without the first offer. I'd rather be dead than with a man like you."
Somehow she was obsessed by an urge to smash the fat man's conceit-and in this she succeeded.
He exploded. Practically foaming with rage he gabbed her left arm and shook her so violently that her hair whipped across her face. "You will obey me!" he screamed at her. "You will beg me to even let you live! There is no one who has ever defied Belal for more than a minute or two!"
In the midst of his excitement Ivsera was able to draw out her pistol. She released the safety catch and took her time to make sure she would hit her target. But her one mistake was to assume that his movements would be as heavy as his body.
Belal saw the weapon and in an angular dive to one side he knocked the pistol out of her hand. Ivsera cried out in her anger and disappointment but Belal rolled swiftly across the floor, grabbed the weapon and came up again with a malicious grin on his face.
"So that's what you had on your mind!" he shouted. "What were you saying about the statutes of martial law? Prisoners threatening the enemy bunker's commander with concealed weapons?"
Ivsera finally lost her self-control. "Kill me then!" she cried out to the fat man. "Shoot!"
Belal shook his head. "No, my dear. You are going to remain alive."
Ivsera rushed upon him with both hands raised for battle but he flung her back easily. She crashed against the wall.
As though she had struck a hidden control button, the doors rolled open at the same moment. Belal, completely intent upon Ivsera, looked up in astonishment.
Ivsera stared at the tall, strangely dressed man who stood in the entrance. After a brief inspection of the room, he entered it and the doors closed behind him.
With a shock of fear, Ivsera noted that his eyeballs were white. Who had ever seen such eyes as these? Ivsera's eyes had a reddish background colour, as did every person that she had ever seen in her life.
Belal regained his composure. "Who are you?" he upbraided the stranger. "And how do you dare to enter here..."
The stranger waved him to silence with a casual gesture. "Relax, friend," he answered calmly. "I am daring to do nothing at all. It's just that I heard your outcries from the corridor and I thought that perhaps there was someone here who might need my assistance."
Belal seemed to stop breathing. The stranger had time to bend down and assist Ivsera to her feet before Belal found his voice again.
"Alright, fellow, we'll soon take care of your impertinence!"
Ivsera saw him go to his table and press a row of buttons on a control panel. Through the closed doors came the muffled sound of alarm sirens.
The stranger noted the sound with interest. "Are you calling your people, fat man? Then they will soon see what kind of a wretch their commander is."
"You are insane!" Belal shrieked hysterically. "In a few moments you will be dead!"
The stranger nodded. "Or you," he answered calmly.
Belal paled. His confidence deserted him. He supported himself heavily on the edge of the table and asked: "Who... who are you?"
"Of what use is my name to you?" said the stranger. "Call me Perry-that should suffice."
At that moment the door opened. A gang of heavily armed men proceeded to press into the room.
"Shoot him down!" roared Belal. "He has assaulted me!"