A World Gone Mad Page 2

  Deringhouse opened his mouth to say something in reply but chose to remain silent when he noticed Bell's sardonic grin.

  "And when is Pucky supposed to come back?" inquired John Marshall, the telepath of the mutant mini-team that had already operated for some time on Goszul's Planet.

  Rhodan shrugged his shoulders. "I expect him any moment. But many complications could've occurred to delay his return. If necessary Tako will have to take the risk of going to his assistance by teleportation."

  The Japanese Tako was also a teleporter. He was able to dematerialize at will and to pop up bodily at any place he chose. All this took only a fraction of a second and Tako was thus able to span great distances without loss of time. He offered with his quiet and modest smile: "I'll be glad to go at once if you think that Pucky has fallen into a trap and requires help."

  Rhodan shook his head. "We'll wait another half an hour, Tako. Then the time Pucky and I have allotted for this job will be up. Until then we'll have to give him a chance."

  Bell was staring thoughtfully at the dark videoscreens of the control panel. He seemed to be occupied with a problem and trying to find an answer. Finally he said, completely unrelated to the topic under discussion: "Why do we have to be so secretive with the Springers? Why shouldn't they know that we're responsible for their defeat?"

  "There are several reasons. As you know, the clan of patriarch Etztak is very eager to bestow the blessings of his colonial administration on us. We already had to drive him out of the Solar system once before. Don't imagine that this was the end of it. Some day he's bound to return—and I want to put this day off as long as possible. If he's now led to believe that he faces a new and powerful enemy in the sector he'll be more cautious. To fight two opponents in a rather narrow space is risky. But if he finds out that it was Terra that has frustrated his ambitions here also, he'll be more anxious than ever to concentrate the entire might of the Springers to destroy Terra."

  "I can see the logic of that," Bell admitted, catching a glance from Maj. Deringhouse who obviously was also curious to know the reasons for Rhodan's strategy. "But do we have to be afraid of the Springers?"

  Rhodan smiled coldly. "Of course not, Bell. But isn't it better to negotiate with a foe and make a friend of him some day than to exterminate him? In any case neither of these alternatives can be realized at this moment since Etztak and his friends are shunning this planet because of a terrible disease which doesn't exist. It'll take him quite a while to realize how innocuous this dread epidemic really is."

  "What about all the other Springers?" Marshall queried. "There are many clans that keep in constant touch with each other although they have no other home than their ships. Won't they come back to salvage the abandoned technical installations?"

  "Don't forget the quarantine they've imposed on this planet!" Rhodan reminded him. "Nobody is allowed to land on Goszul's Planet. At least no Springers!" Rhodan chuckled a little. "I wouldn't know which Springer would be courageous enough to brave the danger of an unknown pestilence in order to salvage a few robots, no matter how much they're worth!"

  "You're forgetting the unfinished ship," Bell reminded.

  Nobody suspected then that much more than the ship had been overlooked—but destiny would dramatically remind them at a much later date.

  • • •

  Pucky was shrewd enough to materialize far enough away from the secret spaceship plant in the wilderness of the mountains.

  He was very fortunate that his blind jump deposited him on a high plain strewn with rocks and a sparse growth of stunted trees which offered sufficient cover for him in case anybody was around to see him. He estimated that he was at most one or two miles away from the assembly plant. Since he was too lazy for running he wanted to cover the distance by carefully calculated jumps.

  Looking at Pucky it was easy to understand why he didn't care much for running. Pucky really looked like a giant mouse with a flattened beaver tail. His big ears came to a point and were usually standing up. His rusty-brown fur was smooth and supple. He was but a yard tall and his short feet made him appear to be awkward. As far as his intelligence was concerned he far surpassed the average human being.

  At home in a cold world circling a dying sun he belonged to a telekinetic species but due to the process of mutation he had also acquired the gift of telepathy and the ability to move by teleportation.

  Sitting on his hind feet he surveyed his surroundings with keen eyes. He failed to receive thoughts but that would hardly have been possible there because robots don't think like organic beings. Their impulses couldn't be picked up, at least not by a telepathic brain.

  The sun was beating down on the rocky surface and Pucky, who could stand cold better than heat, began to sweat. To gain a better view he lifted himself up in the air and motionlessly hovered at a height of 60 feet where it was also a little cooler.

  The hangar was presumably located somewhere to the north. Pucky saw nothing but rugged cliffs and steep ravines. He wondered why the Springers had chosen to build their ship in this wilderness. It probably must have been for reasons of security. Suddenly he noticed a flash as if the sunrays were reflected from a shiny metallic surface. Pucky strained his eyes and recognized a robot that slowly patrolled back and forth in front of the entrance to one of the many gorges about 600 feet away.

  The mouse-beaver noted the direction and dropped down to the ground. He carefully concentrated on a high cone-shaped rock not far from the entrance to the gorge and made his jump. Within the second he materialized again behind the rock. He took a deep breath and waddled out onto the plain as if he were a rabbit of the local fauna in search of food. This behavior was probably not considered conspicuous by the robots, assuming they were programmed to treat only the native Goszuls as enemies.

  The metallic monster kept patrolling before the opening to the gorge which was about 150 feet wide. It paid no attention to Pucky for whom this experiment was a matter of life and death. If the fighter robot failed to react to his approach he would be able to move around unmolested. It gave Pucky an unpleasant feeling in the pit of his stomach that he failed to be taken seriously but he swore that we would get even at the first opportunity.

  Barely 100 feet away from the robot Pucky paused for a few minutes and thoroughly studied his adversary. Its arms extending at an angle ended in spiral-shaped barrels of lethal energy-beamers. The mouse-beaver knew he could be vaporized in a fraction of a second if the positronic brain of the seven foot giant regarded him as an enemy. Luckily this didn't seem to be the case. The robot didn't even know what a mouse-beaver was and as long as Pucky behaved peacefully he wouldn't be tagged as a foe.

  The retracted antenna of the robot indicated that it was not tuned in to a command center but was programmed by an individual data bank. If it was possible to get close enough to it, it could be deactivated and rendered harmless. However this was easier said than done. If the robot registered intelligence in a living being that didn't look like a Springer it was bound to react in a hostile manner.

  Pucky was unable to solve this problem and decided to determine once and for all if he would be classed as an intelligent being by the positronic brain.

  He went down on all fours and hopped straight to the silent guard who was impassively making his rounds. He was ready for an instant teleportation jump to save his hide if it became necessary.

  If Bell could have seen his little friend in these circumstances he would have roared with sarcastic laughter. The mighty mutant Pucky acting like a common rabbit would have been the greatest joke to him. Luckily Bell was not on the scene to enjoy the spectacle in which the robot showed no interest whatsoever.

  Pucky was completely ignored.

  He would have loved to use his telekinetic power to hurl the robot 100 feet up in the air and let him crash to the ground as he had done many times with other robots. But he had to keep the promise he had given to Rhodan. He suppressed his urge and bounced into the ravine, passing close by
the robot.

  As soon as he was past the metal menace he tamed around and moved backwards as he was afraid that he might get it in the back. But his fear was groundless. The robot took him for a harmless foraging animal that could have been seeking water from a spring. Such springs were few and far between in this deserted country.

  The ravine became wider as he entered deeper but it remained dry. Only the increasing vegetation indicated more moisture in the ground. Pucky continued hopping away from the robot till he lost sight of it. He felt relieved and was able to direct his attention to where he was going and it was indeed a sight to behold.

  The ravine spread out into a round basin which was more than 500 feet wide. Steep walls of rock presented an insurmountable obstacle for unwelcome visitors. Nobody could have entered here unless he had wings. Long buildings housed machinery and workshops, Pucky noted in a quick glance.

  The opening in the 150-foot-high mountain wall drew his attention most of all. It was more than 600 feet high and at least as wide. Bright lights flooded the inside of the mountain and revealed the shiny metal bull of a nearly finished spaceship. The entire length of the ship was hidden from the sight of trespassers by the protecting mountain. If Rhodan's information was correct the huge tunnel was more than 2500 feet long.

  The Springers couldn't have selected a better hiding place.

  A chain of fighter robots blocked the basin's sole exit. The metal soldiers stood silent guard and motionlessly faced Pucky, who squatted between some bushes, nibbling the sparse grass growing amidst the rocks. He pretended to show no interest whatsoever in the spaceship or the robots.

  The positronic brains seemed to consider vegetarians as harmless creatures. Once again Pucky realized with great dismay that he was not accorded proper treatment, so to speak, as they slighted him by not regarding him as an intruder. On the other hand he was quite happy about it.

  But he would be unable to proceed by teleportation. Such activities would have been evaluated as a sign of intelligence by the watchful robots and dealt with accordingly. Pucky had no other choice than to approach the bristling front line of shimmering metal by grazing in their direction.

  Perhaps he could manage to reach the spaceship itself. The more information he would be able to gather, the easier it would be to plan the action against this stronghold. And so he hopped and skipped with mixed emotions.

  About 30 robots blockaded the valley. They formed a half circle curving toward the outside and were spaced about 15 feet apart. This was an enormous waste since each robot was equipped with formidable defensive powers. One of them could have defended the valley against an entire army if need be. It proved how important this spaceship was to the Springers.

  Pucky didn't have much time to think. With great reluctance he stuffed dried tufts of grass behind his incisor tooth, hoping to spit it out at the first opportunity. But it had to be done for appearances' sake. There was indeed a type of rabbit roaming Goszul's Planet and he endeavored to imitate them.

  Pucky's hair bristled uncontrollably at the back of his neck at the sight of the fighting machines close to him with their energy-beamers aiming straight ahead. Perhaps the robots had been standing immovably at the same spot for months, which didn't mean a thing to them: they lacked a sense of space and time and if their task consisted of waiting and watching they could've stood there a thousand years unless they received orders to the contrary.

  It was all the same to Pucky as long as they didn't take notice of him. He hopped a few more feet and stopped at a green clump of grass. The nearest robot was about 60 feet away and directed his gleaming lenses almost lazily to the trespasser. His neighbors didn't move at all.

  Pucky had a funny feeling in his stomach which could not be ascribed to the mouthful of grass he had suddenly swallowed. Bravely he continued downing the unsavory food to make himself look as much as possible like a local rabbit.

  If only he could teleport himself out of there! But this could've ruined Rhodan's plans. The robots would be tipped off at once that the place had been discovered by enemies. They would take immediate action and perhaps even demolish the ship if they thought it was the only thing to do. Pucky took it for granted that the robots had obtained the information that the Springers' commanders had fled.

  The grass tasted simply awful.

  The next clump of grass grew exactly between the two robots posted in front of Pucky. The mouse-beaver overcame a shudder and bounced toward the green patch. He was holding his breath and concentrated himself so he could dematerialize instantaneously. He wanted to avoid this method of rescue unless it was absolutely necessary.

  The nearest robot slowly turned in his direction. Its left arm moved almost unnoticeably and pointed directly at Pucky, who didn't dare breathe and resolutely continued hopping to the clump of grass which suddenly looked so desirable.

  The next seconds were filled with unbearable tension. Would the robot assume it was necessary to kill the seemingly harmless animal? If so, certainly not out of boredom, which was unknown to the robots. But suppose the robots were programmed to keep all living beings out of the valley? If this were true why didn't the robot at the entrance act in accordance with such instructions? Pucky intended to ponder this question when he had time—which was not the case right now.

  He reached the clump of grass and began to nibble at it. Although it was no tastier than before Pucky suddenly thought it the most delicious food he had ever eaten. This impression lasted only till his single incisor tried unsuccessfully to chew the grass.

  The robot observed Pucky's grazing with obvious interest. Its weapon arm was raised and ready to shoot. If it had been its intention to exterminate the little animal it wouldn't have hesitated to do so. There simply wouldn't have been any logical reason for such a delay.

  Pucky's quick mind grasped the situation instantly. He swallowed the unchewed bite of grass in a heroic self-sacrifice. His stomach threatened to revolt but this also passed. Shuddering inwardly he ignored the vigilant robot and continued feeding on the grass.

  The positronic brain of the lifeless guard registered a living being that looked neither like a Springer nor a Goszul nor like an intelligent creature. It was an animal that didn't have sense enough to avoid the proximity of the fighting machines. It was apparently unable to reason and therefore not intent on doing damage. Moreover it was eating grass and at home in this world. And the Goszuls were the only enemies the Springers had on this planet...

  The logical conclusion was that the little animal was innocently grazing. Pucky noted with relief that the weapon arm was lowered and the robot was staring again at the exit of the valley. Pucky had withstood the worst test.

  Nevertheless he decided not to act hastily and with this thought in mind he kept grazing leisurely no matter how badly his stomach was getting upset. Finally he moved on and hopped to the nearest building.

  Pucky had a spine-tingling sensation in his back but he resisted the temptation to turn around. It worried him that the robot's mind would suddenly switch and change its decision. it wasn't much consolation for him that he wouldn't even feel his sudden death.

  He ignored the next patch of grass and scrambled to reach the low building. Pucky felt unimaginable relief when he finally turned around a comer and was out of the robot's sight.

  The mouse-beaver sat down to catch his breath.

  The entrance to the hangar in the mountain was still 600 feet farther away from him. There were several storage sheds along the way as well as stacks of equipment such as metal frames, gleaming hull sections, scaffolding and big boxes. Work robots with predetermined special programming moved around everywhere between the sheds, taking care of their tasks. Various noises emanated from the tunnel as evidence that the construction was still in process.

  The orders of the robots had never been changed and they were going to finish their job. Nobody could possibly foresee what would happen after that. Rhodan couldn't take the chance that the robots would take off with th
e new spaceship and escape to a pre-arranged meeting place in space. Pucky was aware of these possibilities. It was his mission to find out when the critical time was reached.

  Ten feet to the left a door suddenly opened and a work robot emerged. It carried a few drawings in its hand which obviously depicted a section of the nearly completed vessel. It was not armed like the fighter robots who were also present in many spots. But this didn't make the work robot less dangerous.

  Pucky sat upright on his hind feet and chewed a few blades of grass as though they were manna in his mouth. The berth, the sheds and the stores or parts appeared to hold no interest for him. Nothing existed except the luscious grass he had found in the valley.

  This was in all probability what the engineer robot thought since it barely seemed to notice Pucky in passing as it proceeded with peculiar jerky movements to the entrance of the tunnel where it met a few other robots with whom it began a conversation.

  This worked out just fine, thought Pucky, happily spitting out the grass. At least he didn't have to swallow it this time. He kept his eyes on the area between him and the hangar and unfortunately neglected to observe what was going on behind him.

  By the time he heard the steps it was too late to turn around. He received a hard kick from a foot and was tossed high into the air. When he hit the rocky ground he thought for a moment that every bone in his body was broken and he lay still, gasping for air. He was too surprised to think of teleporting himself to safety and now he saw who was to blame for the merciless kick.

  It was a Springer.

  His full reddish beard left no doubt that he was not one of the Goszuls and his sturdy figure was unmistakable proof that he belonged to the class of Galactic traders who had ruled this planet for so long. He wore black boots and tight pants. His white smock indicated that he was a scientist. A mane of unkempt bushy hair sprouted from the top of his head.

  He mumbled something in a dialect which was unknown to Pucky and kept walking without paying further attention to his victim. Eventually the mouse-beaver was able to apply his telepathic resources which he had so foolishly neglected a few seconds before. If he had been on the hall it would have been easy enough for him to detect the approaching Springer in time.