"(novel) (ebook) - Perry Rhodan 0115 - (107) The Emperor and the Monster" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry Rhodan)

His hands were trembling. His facial muscles tensed and he unconsciously ran his fingers over his uniform as though for comparison.
Although Maj. Hunts Krefenbac, First Officer of the linear-drive warship Ironduke, had a reputation for being self-controlled, the present situation was something he had never been prepared for. Who could have told him he would ever see the Chief in such a condition as this?
As he glanced surreptitiously at the tall figure of the Terran he believed to be Perry Rhodan he experienced an instinctive sense of horror and alarm. Strangely, the Administrator's top uniform button was the most fascinating focal point, not only because it bore the highest rank emblem in the Solar Imperium but especially because it had been let out to the last fastener on his collar. In spite of this, Rhodan's jugular vein was prominently swollen due to the tightness of the largest uniform available on board.
Krefenbac couldn't take his eyes off the Chief's reddened face. It seemed to be broader and flatter than ever before. He wondered if the runaway process of cell division was actually going to continue like this without abatement. He heard someone urgently clear his throat as though to warn him. It was Reginald Bell. But the warning came too late. The unsuspected impostor, Cardif-Rhodan, turned around with such a violent movement that the insignia button popped loose from his collar.
A dead silence pervaded the Control Central of the Ironduke. The Chief's mouth had opened as if to speak but he failed to utter a sound. The button shield rolled in ever narrowing circles on the deck until it finally came to rest directly in front of Dr. Carl Riebsam, the chief mathematician. All eyes stared at the gleaming button as though hypnotized.
In a momentary reaction of mortification, Cardif brought both hands to his throat and felt of the torn fastener. In a somewhat cracked voice he challenged Krefenbac. "You were about to say something, Major?"
There was a mixture of helplessness and sympathy in Krefenbac's expression. "Sir..." he began but groped cautiously for words.
Cardif suddenly drew himself up to his full height and the uniform stretched tightly over his body. It was no secret to the crew that in the past 3 days he had grown 3 cm and had also expanded his girth. It almost seemed as if the whole process were accelerating as they approached the planet Saos.
"Well, speak!" shouted Cardif, losing his composure. When he saw Riebsam bend down to pick up the button he pushed the mathematician out of the way. There was a nasty smile on his lips. "No, Doctor," he said scornfully, "not you!"
Krefenbac's face took on a slightly rosy hue. Reginald Bell stood with folded arms behind Cardif, whom he mistook for his best and closest friend.
Cardif glared threateningly at Krefenbac. "Well, Major, are you going to pick up that shield for your poor, sick superior?"
The colour vanished from Krefenbac's face and he became deathly pale. He knew that Rhodan wanted to belittle him. The Administrator's and actions and mannerisms were incomprehensible to him. Krefenbac was a great respecter of discipline. He was an excellent soldier and officer.
"Sir," he said tonelessly, "please release me from this order. I'll bring you a replacement shield to your cabin."
It was obvious to everyone in the Control Central that the major had met him halfway. But everyone else knew that Krefenbac would go no further. Although he was willing to lay down his pride he was not ready to bury it.
A fanatic gleam appeared in Cardif's eyes. He was able to interpret Krefenbac's attitude as well as anybody else. The major had backbone. Yet under the insidious effects of the cell activator Cardif-Rhodan could countenance no insubordination. He wanted everyone to obey him.
"Major," he half-whispered threateningly, "you will pick up the shield!"
Krefenbac tensed. His gaze met Cardif's squarely. Before he could say a word, everyone knew he was going to refuse the order. It was Bell who came to the rescue. He moved past Cardif, winked at Krefenbac and picked up the button himself. Cardif remained silent. Bell reflectively weighed the cause of the disturbance in his hand.
"If it means that much to you, Perry..."
He tried to give it to Cardif but the false Administrator turned on his heel and left the Control Central. Bell lowered his hand and the tension subsided. He had taken Cardif by surprise although this solution had not been inopportune. After all, making such a test of authority with the major would not have had a good effect on the officer corps.
But such considerations were of secondary importance to Cardif now. For him there was one primary problem: how to bring his swiftly increasing size and weight to a halt and reverse the process? The only course that held any promise seemed to be an invasion of Saos. The priests of the Baalol cult had pushed him into this idea of procuring the cell activators from Wanderer. They must have known the frightful effect the device would have on him. Since they were not inclined to help him willingly he was going to have to force them to do it. Cardif was no longer capable of thinking logically. The cell proliferation worked like a tumour, gradually interspersing immature brain matter among his normal nerve cells. He merely knew that he was backed up by the might of the Solar Fleet. And it did not occur to him anymore that he could be betrayed by the Antis.
He entered his cabin and made sure that the door was locked behind him. For awhile he stood there motionlessly in the room. Only the rise and fall of his chest gave a sign that he was alive. Then he started on a routine of activity that he followed every 12 hours.
He went to the opposite bulkhead where a vertical conduit casing served him as a measuring post. At the height of his head on the casing tube there were a number of variously coloured markings, each accompanied by small figures representing dates. In total there were 5 such markings. Cardif picked up a ruler from a nearby table then turned his back to the upright pipe. He placed the ruler on top of his head at right angles to the casing and then held it there while he turned and marked the spot with a coloured penzel he had in his pocket. Taking the ruler away he saw that the mark was higher than the previous ones. With a trembling hand, he wrote in the date: 2 Sept 2103.
Since the last time he had stood here he had grown another half centimetre!
He suddenly struck the metal wall with his fist but the pain served to bring him back to his senses. From his pocket he produced a tape measure with which he carefully measured his waist. He then entered the figure in a notebook that lay on the table. Also here he noted an increase.
Cardif groaned softly to himself. He clutched at the place on his chest where the activator had half-buried itself in his flesh. The doctors had told him that it was no longer possible to remove it by surgery.
He knew it was useless to check his weight. It kept gradual pace with his increasing cell divisions. But he had another means of observing his condition which was much more conclusive. It was straightforward and brutal because there was no way he could be deceived by it. Rhodan's son hastily drew out from under his bed a mirror which was 1 meter wide and twice as long. This he set upright against the wall.
He saw himself standing there in the cabin with his arms at his sides and his hair all dishevelled. Although he did not actually appear to be ill there was no more of Perry Rhodan's muscular leanness to be seen. The oversized uniform was already too tight for him. With his fingers he felt of his body and noted that his flesh tone was no longer solid. Under pressure there was a certain sponginess to it.
Cardif stood there motionlessly as he regarded his reflection in the mirror. Inwardly torn by frustration, he felt that his burning hatred was ready to drive him out of his mind. He pointed to the image that was himself but which was supposed to represent another. The reflection simultaneously moved an arm to point to him.
"Hello, Rhodan!" he said in an almost garbled tone of voice. As though listening for an answer he cocked his head to one side.
Was it himself or the image speaking now? "Whoever is Rhodan and holds his power firmly in his hands must be Rhodan! Do you understand?" A sneering mask of a face looked back at him. It had lost much of the once-chiseled features of Rhodan.
"The game goes on," said Cardif. "I will not give up so easily. Saos will fall!" He took a step closer to the mirror. Something stirred in his subconscious but failed to break through "Maybe I'll just keep on growing and getting heavier! " he half-giggled. "One of these days the Ironduke won't be able to hold me!" The macabre vision of this seemed to amuse him. A confusion of thoughts shot through his brain. He ripped open his uniform jacket and thumped his chest. "Here is the fist of hell!" he babbled in desperation. "Its talons clutch my flesh and throb and pulse and give me no rest! Why can't you doctors help me?!"
No one answered him. He had always been alone. Somehow this thought reawakened his former pride. But only for a moment because as he started to straighten up, the uniform threatened to rip under the pressure of his increased size.
Was this the eternal life that he had promised himself with the falsely acquired activator?
He lay down on the bed to rest but found that he only tossed and turned. Should he order some more sleeping pills? A crazy idea began to creep into his mind. He imagined that while he was asleep Krefenbac would come in and he would be able to strangle him. Stupefied by the medicine he would not be able to defend himself in time.
He shook his head in desperation. He had to clear his mind. He must not forget his great goal. A large formation of the Solar Fleet was already in the Saos System. Involuntarily he happened to look again at the mirror. He got up and went over to it, strangely drawn to his reflection. He came so close to the glass that it became fogged by his breath. He wiped the patch of mistiness away with his sleeve in order to see better. Only centimetres away from the mirror's surface he stared into his own face.
And then he saw it!
He wanted to cry out or do anything but stand there staring, yet horror and panic momentarily paralysed him. He finally groped behind him toward the table and grasped a heavy paperweight. He lifted it and hurled it against the glass. His face exploded into countless fragments. The splintered shards clattered to the floor, bringing him back to his senses. He staggered back to the bed and collapsed onto it.
It was his eyes which had shocked him so. Their grey colouration had appeared to fade as he looked at himself, to be replaced by a baleful yellowish tone. And Cardif knew what was in that look.
What had stared back at him was a beast of prey!

* * * *

Krefenbac took a long deep breath. His voice was full of heart-felt conviction when he thanked Bell for his intervention. "Sir, you saved me from a very unpleasant situation," he concluded.
Reginald Bell's expression remained grave. His freckled face was deeply etched with worry and it was plain to see how weighted down he was with his present burdens. On the one hand he sought to continue backing up his unfortunate friend and yet these men who surrounded him had to be shielded from his incomprehensible moods.
"The situation is unpleasant for all of us," he told the major. "We mustn't forget that the Chief is badly afflicted by his illness. Also the after-effects of his imprisonment on Okul are bothering him. I've discussed this thing quite thoroughly with Dr. Alonzo who is a specialist in cytology research. He says Perry is suffering from an explosive process of cell division."
"I wish I could help him," said Jefe Claudrin in his booming voice. "You know, when I think of what we're planning to do here I can't seem to shake off an uneasy feeling. Alkher and Nolinov reported that their escape was cleverly plotted out by the Antis. But they also infer that there were some slipups that the priests hadn't counted on."
"And from that we can conclude that the Antis wanted us to come here," said Bell. "There's some special reason for it. Their military setup on Saos isn't capable of standing up under a prolonged attack by our forces. They must be perfectly aware of that."
"But they have a flair for underhanded trickery," remarked Claudrin grimly. "We really ought to teach that bunch a lesson."
The colonel was a man of action. Under his command the Ironduke had become the most effective warship of the Solar Fleet. In addition to this was the fact that the 800-meter sphere was equipped with linear spacedrive. Within the Saos system at the present moment were more than 4,000 Terran fighting units including a number of superbattleships. It was unthinkable that any alien vessel could slip through this barrier of energy and steel without being detected. Nor could any spaceship take off from Saos and any attempt to land there would have been suicide. The Terran ships were deployed in a massive shell-like formation around the 2nd planet of the sun known as 41-B-1847-ArqH. The small yellow star had no name other than the catalogue designation. Of the 2 planets circling it the outermost was Saos. It fell under the jurisdiction of Atlan and the Greater Imperium since it was close to star cluster M-13, some 33,218 light-years from Earth.
By human standards Saos was an inhospitable world. The atmosphere was poor in oxygen content and consisted mostly of nitrogen and carbon dioxide but the greatest problem was the planet's slow rate of rotation. A day and night period on Saos lasted 214 hours by Earth time, which brought with it the unpleasant effects that were largely typical of non-rotational worlds. Storms of hurricane magnitude raged in the transition zones between the day and night hemispheres and so all such regions were continually threatened by the violence of the natural conditions. Saos had not been able to develop any extensive areas of vegetation and had thus remained a desolate planet of deserts and wastelands.