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

Without waiting for Mullon's consent, he got up. They heard some crackling steps on the gravel O'Bannon had spread in his backyard. 2 peeping and whistling voices carried on a strange conversation.
Mullon saw a shadow at the end of the passage and then he heard 2 sharp blows after which Chellish announced: "I think I got 'em. At least they don't move any more.
The tumult in the street gradually faded away. Their pursuers apparently got fed up with the fruitless search and moved away from their street. They didn't seem to miss their 2 companions knocked down by Chellish.
"I think we can go back to the house," O'Bannon said. "They didn't find anybody and they probably won't come back so soon."
There were no objections. They lifted the 2 unconscious victims through the window into the house.
Chellish peered along the street and said: "There's no one in sight. I believe it's safe to turn on the light for a moment so that we can take a look at these strange birds."
When O'Bannon tried to switch the lamp on it remained dark. The bombs had demolished the power station. He found a flashlight and turned its beam on the 2 figures lying motionless on the floor.
They were at least 2 meters long and appeared to be so fragile as to make one think they would break apart if they got up. Their hairless skull looked as if they had put on a dunce cap. Their eyes were closed but they seemed to be fairly big. The noses were bony and the lower half spread out grotesquely over a wide mouth with narrow lips. The slender arms were about 132 meters long, had 2 joints like a human arm and ended in hands with 6 claw-like fingers and a round palm that measured no more than 4 centimetres across.
The strange beings were clothed in a uniform which seemed to be made of leather. Around their waists they wore something resembling belts to which objects were attached that could be easily identified as weapons.
Chellish picked one up and inspected it. With the barrel pointed at the floor, he operated every part which could be moved without getting any results. "I'm afraid I'm too dumb," he finally muttered. "Or this thing doesn't work."
He examined another one with the same result. The weapon seemed to have a safety lock which he had not yet been able to detect.
"What do you think they are?" Mullon inquired. "I mean, by what principle do these weapons work?"
Chellish showed him the weapon. "Do you see this funnel-shaped enlargement at the end of the barrel? It definitely doesn't shoot projectiles. Ultrasonic, I'd say."
"Oh, I've never seen such a gun," Mullon said. "Is it dangerous?"
Chellish shook his head. "Not particularly," he assured him calmly. "If you're hit with its full energy, the worst that can happen is that your skull develops a resonance crack."
"We don't appreciate this type of humour here, young man," Mrs. Wolley scolded him.
"You'd like it even less if you'd get a blast from this weapon," Chellish shot back airily. "I think we better put out this light before it attracts attention."

* * * *

It was difficult to decide what to do next. The town seemed to be deserted.
Meanwhile Chellish had contacted Capt. Blailey a 2nd time and learned that Blailey had received precise instructions on how to proceed in particular cases. 10 different situations had been specified and Blailey was authorized to intervene only if 1 of them occurred.
Therefore Chellish proposed to Mullon and the others that somebody be sent on a patrol in order to check up on the situation. However Mullon waited till 4 o'clock before he consented and then he insisted on making the inspection trip by himself.
Instead of his rifle he preferred to take Freddy's pistol along since it was handier. He left the house through the rear and cautiously ventured out into the street through the passage between O'Bannon's and Wolley's house.
Using the side walls of the houses as cover he reached the centre of town. On the way he also passed his own home and saw that his door was broken like all the others. He felt like crossing the street to inspect the damage the aliens had caused but he thought better of it.
When he came to the city hall, the only larger building in town, he thought he could hear a low moaning. He stopped and tried to find out from whence it came. He examined 2 of the narrow alleys separating the houses and found a figure lying motionlessly on the ground in a 3rd alley.
He determined at the first glance that it was not one of the slim strangers. The man was short and rather corpulent. Mullon bent down and put his arm under the head of the semiconscious man.
It was Ferris, one of the men who had earlier followed Hollander and then chose the side of the law when Hollander staged his rebellion. He seemed to recognize Mullon. "Water...!" he gasped. "I'm dying of thirst."
Mullon first examined his injuries. The left side of his face was ripped open and he had lost a lot of blood. "Wait a minute," Mullon whispered. "And stop moaning or the aliens will find you again."
Ferris stopped groaning and Mullon sneaked into the city hall where he found a few cups on the table of the conference room which had not yet been cleaned up. He filled 3 of them with water and took them back to Ferris.
Ferris gulped down 2 of them and kept the 3rd one at his side. "Just in case," he panted. "But I feel much better already."
Mullon helped him to sit up and lean his back against the wall. "What happened?" he wanted to know. "Tell me about it!"
"I don't know much," Ferris replied. "I woke up in the middle of the night when I heard a commotion at the door. I got up and looked out the window. There were a few figures who looked so horrible that they gave me cold shivers. Instead of taking my rifle and killing them I was foolish enough to climb out of the rear window. I wanted to run to you because I felt that you should be the first to know what's going on. But when I reached the street it was full of these ugly creatures. One of these hoodlums discovered me and took a shot at me. At any rate I received a blow to my head as if kicked by a horse. I was out for a long time. When I regained consciousness I was lying in front of Shelly's house where the shot had struck me down. By then it was quiet in the town except for some weird squeaking and whistling noises at the outskirts. I dragged myself in here to get out of their sight in case they come back and I was lying here till you found me."
"Were you able to see what they did to our people?" Mullon inquired.
"Yes. They drove them out of town like a herd of cattle."
"Did you see anybody get killed?"
"No."
"Can you walk?" Mullon asked the wounded man.
Ferris shook his head. "Impossible. Just leave me here. Maybe I can get back on my feet after a little more rest. Where are you going to be? At your house?"
"No, we're at O'Bannon's place. Try to come over as soon as you can."
Ferris nodded. "Thanks for the water," he murmured.
Mullon set out again. He traversed the entire town without seeing more than shattered windows, smashed doors and overturned furniture. The strangers had methodically ransacked the town. He kept wondering why the intruders had spirited away the people of Greenwich. What benefit did they expect from their actions? Did they want to keep them as slaves or sell them?
He noticed that the red light glimmered faintly in the distance under the clouds. The spaceship was still there.
There won't be any use to do anything before 10 o'clock, he thought, because they would need light to see how to proceed with their countermeasures.
He turned back and as he passed the city hall he looked in on Ferris. When he saw that he had fallen asleep he didn't disturb him. He figured that he would recover again after sleeping till the morning and he was certain that the injured man wouldn't suffer wound fever in the dry climate.
The barrel of O'Bannon's rifle still protruded from his window. Mullon identified himself and walked through the battered door. "I found Ferris and he told me the whole sad story," he said.
He quickly regretted his remark. Ferris' observations were not important enough to make everybody in the house leave his post to hear his story, hanging on his lips.
"Galactic slave traders," Chellish scoffed after Mullon had finished his report. "They want to sell us to the intelligent but cruel race of Icebine molluscs."
"Really?" Mrs. Wolley said apprehensively. "Where is Icebine?"
"Oh, Hannah," O'Bannon said scornfully, "how can you fall for that nonsense..."