"Perry Rhodan 066 - The Guardians" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry Rhodan)

Hollander instructed the pilot to set the machine down near the southern rim of the clearance.
He estimated that at the slow speed with which the dwarfs advanced it would take them at least half an hour or perhaps 45 minutes before they reached the clearance. Thus he had plenty of time to station his 2 men at a spot where they could overlook the entire open space. He hid himself with the mungo in a bush which he believed to be located directly in the path of the approaching dwarfs.
Time dragged on.
Hollander perked up when the mungo he had in his arm became restless. Until now he had hardly given a sign of life but he suddenly was alert and stared at the wall of the jungle bordering the clearance in the east. "Khek..." he whimpered softly.
Hollander knew the meaning of the word and he listened intently. The monkey grew more agitated. He uttered his warning sound in quick succession and pointed his arm in the direction where the threat came from. Hollander didn't quite know what to make of it. He was unable to hear any suspicious noise although the monkey behaved as if an entire army of enemies was on the march.
Hollander worried about Milligan. Had Milligan returned to the jungle after questioning Suttney and learning what had happened in Greenwich? Could Milligan have succeeded in enlisting the help of the dwarfs and were they on the way to capture him?
It began to dawn on him that he might have exposed himself to a greater danger than he could cope with alone. Yet he hesitated. It was not his custom to run away from a danger whose existence could not even be proved.
The anxiety of the mungo increased more and more. He kept pointing to the east while chattering continuously. Hollander called his companions back and told them to hide near the helicopter. He stayed with the mungo near the stepladder leading to the cockpit and hid in the high grass. If Milligan really was with the dwarfs, he could wait to see what he would do when he saw the helicopter.
The mungo could hardly be kept under control any longer. He had given up his chattering and uttered a fearful wailing as he stared across the clearance and sometimes looked back south where the dark wall of the jungle rose behind the helicopter.
Hollander no longer paid attention to the monkey. He had sounded an alarm and this was all he needed him for.

* * * *

Milligan wished he had a little walkie-talkie to consult with Mullon when to begin the attack. Since he didn't have a radio, he had to depend on his watch. Mullon had tried to estimate how long it would take him to get in back of Hollander and had stressed that Milligan was not to jump the gun prematurely.
Milligan, Chellish and Freddy waited with the group of dwarfs who had brought them in about 200 meters east of the clearance where Hollander's helicopter had landed. They had to wait 20 more minutes to the set time.
Milligan had his team advance slowly. The dwarfs assisted the clumsy movements of the Terranians, lifted them over the hanging roots and made them circumvent the treacherous swampy puddles. They were at the eastern edge of the clearance 10 minutes before the arranged time. Nothing could be seen of Hollander and his men but the helicopter was in plain view at the end of the jungle.

* * * *

Mullon caught sight of the helicopter at about the same time and then he also discovered 2 men at both sides of it. They crouched in the bushes and anxiously peered at the eastern border of the clearance.
Mullon followed their eyes. Had Milligan been careless?
No, all was calm and he couldn't catch a glimpse of Milligan and his dwarfs. Finally Mullon detected something else: next to the helicopter's access ladder a man lay stretched out in the grass, holding a wiggly grey-white animal that was trying to free itself while squealing pitifully.
Hollander! Mullon watched him for awhile. He was observing the other side of the clearance just like his comrades.
His plan had worked and Hollander had fallen into the trap. The mungo had sensed the danger coming from the east and had drawn Hollander's attention to it. There were 3 men approaching from that direction and they had been near the clearance for some time whereas only one man had sneaked in from the south at the last moment.
Although the mungo must have noticed that something was dangerously wrong at their back, Hollander disregarded him now that he concentrated himself on the threat which originated in the east.
Mullon crawled closer, trying to avoid the slightest noise. He had only 4 minutes left to spring into action.

* * * *

Milligan gave the dwarfs a sign. They eagerly swarmed out from behind the trees onto the clearance, dancing and fluttering as if they had been moving in this fashion all along.

* * * *

"Look out, here they come!" Hollander cried. "Hold it!"
The 2 men obeyed. Hollander looked over the grass and watched how the blue dwarfs glittered and flitted across the clearance and moved into the shadow on the other side of the jungle.
It all appeared to be completely harmless so that Hollander began to doubt his own suspicions. Had Milligan really joined the dwarfs? Why didn't he show up with them?
Hollander had to make a quick decision. If he waited any longer the dwarfs would be gone again. "Go ahead!" he ordered. "Block their way and if they don't stop, show 'em what a thermo-beamer can do."
The men jumped up from behind their cover and run across the clearance.
This was the moment Mullon had waited for. 3 men would have been too much for him to tackle but now Hollander was alone.
Mullon got up. Hollander's attention was so taken up with what his companions were doing that he failed to hear the noise in his back.
"The jig is up!" Mullon said in a sharp tone. "Drop your weapon and get up!"
Hollander twitched violently. He lost his grip on the snarling monkey. Hollander rose without putting down his weapon but Mullon was ready for him. He jumped forward, fast as lightning, and struck Hollander's wrist so hard that the small disintegrator whirled through the air in a high arc.
Hollander screamed in pain. Then he got back on his legs and turned around
Mullon had never seen such a horrified face. Hollander stared at him with bulging eyes. He stretched his arms out as if in a trance and tried to touch Mullon. "Mullon... you...?" he moaned.
Mullon took one step back and nodded. "Yes, it's not my ghost."
Hollander's arms sank down. "It's all over," he murmured.
"Yes, Hollander. It's over for good."
Hollander turned around as if he expected to be saved by his comrades. But these men had caused Milligan, Chellish and Freddy very little trouble. As they blocked the way of the dwarfs to determine how they would react to their challenge, Milligan and his companions had sneaked up behind them. Hollander's men were scared to death and offered no resistance.
"You won't get any help from them," Mullon said. He waited patiently till Milligan had tied up his 2 prisoners so that they couldn't escape. Then Chellish and Freddy came over and brought him a rope which he used to tie up Hollander, who kept his eyes closed and didn't utter a word.
"We ought to shoot him on the spot," Chellish growled. "If he gets away again, he'll start his funny business all over."