The Thrall of Hypno Read online

  And finally there was a third reason added. A new voice spoke to him, cold and urgent, but entirely different from the Supermutant. "You must stop hurting people, Ivan! You're among friends who are anxious to help you. You must never again misuse your great gift for destructive ends. Henceforth it should be used for the good of mankind."

  Ivan hesitated for a second but he knew that he would voluntarily bow to the pleading, making up his own mind. Exercising his own free will was a radically new experience for him and it gave him great pleasure.

  Deringhouse by contrast felt extremely unhappy. His brain was also exposed to the calming thoughts and he felt their well-meaning effect but he was still under the influence of the Supermutant's hypnoblock. The order to return to Mars was passed through nerves to his hands but his hands were unable to move. They were pressed against the controls, condemned to paralysis like his whole body. A mysterious power held him in its grip.

  And the twenty-five men of the crew shared the same fate.

  Deringhouse and Ivan heard that the hatch was opened although it was impossible to reach the lock from the outside—not even considering the fact that the Good Hope had been deprived of all energy. Only vaguely did Deringhouse recollect that such incredible feats could be performed by the mental emanations of mutants.

  André Noir took care of Deringhouse as soon as they entered the Command Center. Not even the terrible sight of the two-headed monster could keep him away. The two teleporters emerged in the quarters of the crew and began to tie up the incapacitated men. This was for the moment the only possible thing to do since Rhodan's mutant corps had only one hypno available with the ability to break the spell of the Supermutant.

  Meanwhile Bell and Betty Toufry climbed out of their interceptor and caught up with Rhodan in the hangar of the Stardust II .

  "Good job," Rhodan quickly congratulated.

  "H'm," Bell muttered enviously. "Betty has contributed a lot to make our task successful."

  "I haven't forgotten that," Rhodan smiled, patting the little girl on the head. "Are you still in contact with Deringhouse?"

  "No." Betty shook her head, to his surprise. "Noir has taken over. But I'm maintaining contact with Ivan. He's a very odd person. I can't quite figure him out. In any case he's the one who manipulates the uncanny weapon. His hypnoblock has been completely lifted. The Supermutant lost all his influence over him."

  "Oh, we've got it made," Bell sighed with relief. "Not quite," Betty disappointed him. Rhodan listened attentively. "Why not?" he asked. "I can read in his thoughts that he's still capable of obliterating us. Even his state of paralysis couldn't prevent him from doing it."

  "And why doesn't he do it?"

  Betty blushed. "He's curious—curious to see me."

  Rhodan exchanged a quick warning glance with Bell. "So he's curious to see you? In that case we should fulfill his wish. The sooner, the better. Let's go to the Z-VII and have a look at Ivan."

  They let the mutants go in first before they entered the airlock of the Z-VII themselves. Betty was growing more nervous. She received Noir's confused thoughts and surmised that they concerned Ivan. She rushed so much that Rhodan and Bell had trouble following her. Betty arrived before they did. She stood beside André Noir and stared at a giant with two heads who returned her gaze with undisguised astonishment in his four eyes. Each of the partners comparing their thoughts had imagined an entirely different mental picture. Betty was seized by a shock and a terrible fear. She had expected to find a man or perhaps a mutant but not an ogre with two heads.

  And Ivan? From the first moment that he heard the telepathic voice with the sympathetic undertone, he had been filled with the desire to know the owner. And now a little slip of a girl was facing him. Rhodan came in, followed by Bell and Pucky. He realized at once the precarious situation. He saw the young girl's shock and instinctively felt the peril that could develop if the monster realized the truth. Only because Ivan had felt sympathy for Betty had he become disinclined to trigger further blasts. He nodded to the monster with a perfectly restrained face. "You're Ivan, I presume. My name is Perry Rhodan and I've come to negotiate with you."

  Not a word about what had happened previously and no remark that he had succeeded in capturing Deringhouse and Ivan. Not the slightest sign that he was horrified by his freakish sight, only a friendly approach in an atmosphere of equality.

  Ivan's attention was distracted from Betty. "I'm Ivan Ivanovich Goratschin," the two heads nodded in unison. "My master is... was... Clifford Monterny, the Supermutant. I've come to the conclusion that I've committed many wrongs."

  "It wasn't your fault, Ivan. You've used your weapon against people you didn't know because you were under the control of a powerful man who got off on the wrong track. I emphasize again, Ivan, that you were not to blame and that nobody is going to hold you responsible. Only the Supermutant is guilty and we'll see to it that justice will be done."

  "I'm willing to help you," Ivan volunteered, glancing questionably at Betty. "I'll do anything in my power if you're not affronted by my unusual appearance."

  "Look at Pucky," Rhodan told him, making room for the mouse-beaver to come out of his hiding place. "Nobody can honestly say that he looks like a normal person but we all love him dearly."

  "He's not a human being," Ivan murmured bitterly, "but I'm supposed to be one."

  "It's only the quality of character that makes a difference," Rhodan stressed. "When it comes to cosmic thinking, variations of race and appearances have ceased to be of importance. The Supermutant looks human but he's in truth an abominable fiend. But you, Ivan, probably have more human feelings than people showing a smooth facade and who knowing how to talk smoothly."

  Two faces glanced sideways at Betty who had long before understood what Rhodan had in mind for her. She gulped bravely and forced herself to smile. Then she stretched her little hand out to Ivan. "We were friends from the start and we want to remain friends in the future. If you like, you may call me Betty."

  The face of the mutant shone with a happy smile that moved Rhodan deeply. He realized how miserable this unfortunate being must have been in the past—rejected by men and abused by the Supermutant. Now, perhaps for the first time in his life, he encountered respect and true friendship.

  Ivan took hold of Betty's outstretched hand reverently, then squeezed it carefully, suggesting a bow, and replied: "Thank you, Betty. I'll never forget that we're friends although..." He hesitated for a second, looking disconcerted. Then he continued with fortitude: "Although I happen to look different."

  Perry had been afraid that Betty might have trouble concealing her surprise. However all members of the Mutant Corps had been thoroughly impressed with the concept that a living being should never be judged by appearance and that only attitudes and capabilities counted.

  Pucky could no longer restrain himself. He squeezed himself past Betty, stood up on his hindlegs and extended both paws toward the startled Ivan. "I wish to be your friend as well. Don't hold it against me that I hung you up on the wall. I did it only to keep you from blowing us to bits."

  Ivan took the paws, pressed them gently and said: "I could have destroyed you all regardless. I could do it even now without moving from this spot."

  These words of the twinhead reminded Rhodan of his most vital problem. "It would interest me to know exactly what the Supermutant has in his arsenal," he said, turning to Ivan. "It might become necessary to turn his weapon against him if he uses it to attack us again."

  For a moment Ivan seemed confused but then he understood. A knowing smile mixed with pride crossed his two faces. "Fear no more, Perry Rhodan The Supermutant has lost his weapon. He will never again deploy it against you."

  Rhodan failed to comprehend the meaning of his words. Betty, who was probing the thoughts of the mutant, suddenly blanched. Rhodan noticed and became worried. What was going on here? He tried to look Ivan in the eyes, not knowing whether to choose his left or right head. The mutant didn't make it e
asier for him but challenged him with his right head: "Why can't he use this weapon against us? Because I am this weapon. I can transform any matter containing calcium or carbon into energy. All I have to do is detonate it."

  "How?" Rhodan asked. He, too, had turned a little pale as hundreds of possibilities flashed before his inner eyes of how this sport of nature could with one thought obliterate him and the whole Earth. Bell stood stockstill.

  "I don't know," Ivan admitted. "Do you know how you can see or smell? You can hear but you don't know why or how you hear. You simply do it, instinctively and without special effort. Perhaps science will some day find an explanation for my feat. I can look with my eyes at an object and if I concentrate on it, it becomes an atom bomb."

  Rhodan regained his composure. "You realize that, in a sense, you have become a successor to the Supermutant. Up to now Clifford Monterny was considered to be the most dangerous man in the Solar system. Henceforth it'll be you, Ivan, and your conscience will have to decide whether your gift will be a benefit for the good or whether it will serve evil purposes."

  Ivan smiled and looked at André Noir, who just had returned to the Command Center. "Haven't I already decided this? Would you all be still alive if I had chosen with an evil mind? I'll always be on the side to which Betty belongs. I owe it to her first tender thoughts that the ring about my head was broken. How can I ever forget what she has done for me?"

  Betty agreed eagerly: "I know that your innermost thoughts match your words, Ivan. I'll always care for you both and when I say Ivan I also mean Ivanovich."

  Rhodan felt vast relief, not only because he knew that from now on Ivan would be on his side but mainly also because he could assume that the Supermutant, shorn of his atomic bomb trigger, was relatively harmless.

  "I'd be grateful to you, Ivan, if you and the Mutant Corps would seek each other's friendship. Men like you are desperately needed to shape the history of mankind. And now we want to join together in the pursuit of our mutual enemy."

  "Yes, sir!" Pucky chirped cheerily and suddenly floated up to the height of Ivan's faces. "Death to the Supermutant! Justice will prevail!"

  André Noir came closer and shoved the mouse-beaver to the side. He offered his hand to Ivan. "Welcome to our midst, Ivan. I'm convinced that you've finally shaken off the hypnoblock of the Supermutant. Now you're one of us."

  "Thank you!" Ivan answered, deeply touched. And "Thank you" added Ivanovich, who had remained silent throughout.

  Twinhead was at peace with themself.

  5/ FLIGHT OF THE SUPERMUTANT

  The relay station ship Z-45 circled for weeks around Mars at a constant distance of nine million miles. It carried only a crew of two men, the commander Lieutenant Bings and the radio-technician Sergeant Adolf. The two men had been close friends for many years. They had studied together at the Space Academy and passed their exams. Subsequently they were selected by Rhodan for his fleet.

  Bings had a hobby: a passion for collecting butterflies. Nothing peculiar in itself but a little unusual for a spaceman. Unfortunately his friend Adolf also had a hobby: he too collected butterflies! This always provoked bitter fights that usually ended with Sergeant Adolf losing a rare specimen of his collection to Bings. Each of the men guarded his treasures like the apple of his eye and whenever one of them was able to add a new butterfly to his collection, he made the other man's mouth water till he was shown the magnificent specimen. That of course only increased his appetite.

  "I'm not really that keen on your Venusian Palpitating Eye butterfly," Bings said, glancing at the observation screen with a bored look, "but it's not yet in my collection. Sooner or later I'm sure to get one but at the moment I could use it."

  "At the moment you can't have it anyway." Adolf referred to the facts of their situation. "But suppose I would give it to you later, what could you offer me in exchange?"

  "How would you like to have my Black and White Transmuter that you've always admired so much? You know it's the only specimen in existence."

  "Yes, you never fail to mention that," Sergeant Adolf muttered sullenly. "But I like my Palpitating Eye better."

  "It's not really worth that much," Bings tried to tell him with an indifferent expression as if he were bored by the conversation. "I can always find one on Venus or ask somebody to get me one."

  "Why don't you try it," Adolf proposed and fell silent, feeling offended. The Palpitating Eye was his pride and joy, especially because his friend Bings lacked it.

  Lieutenant Bings was about to renew the praises of his Black and White Transmuter when he stared at the observation screen with tightened lips. Exactly in the center was a tiny blip that slowly wandered off to the right. He turned hastily to Adolf: "Magnification! Quick! What kind of ship is that? It's too small for a Guppy."

  "Maybe it's a Black and White Transmuter," the Sergeant murmured disrespectfully, getting to work at his instruments. The shifting point was on the verge of leaving the right edge of the screen. Adolf adjusted the magnification and focused on the segment containing the point till it became clear. Reddish shining Mars moved to the left.

  The ship, if it was one indeed, came from Mars.

  "An interceptor," Lieutenant Bings whispered. "I wonder if it's one of ours."

  "The Supermutant has also acquired some interceptors," Adolf pointed out. "It's just as likely that it could be him. Ever since the Z-III silently sailed past us, I believe that anything is possible."

  From their present position Mars was sandwiched between them and Earth. Therefore it was also possible that a ship approaching from Earth appeared deceptively to come from Mars. The commander of the Z-45 took this possibility into account, if for no other reason simply so as not to concede that his Sergeant was right.

  "Nonsense! The Supermutant is not about to venture out, running risks. He'll sit on Mars till doomsday if we don't make it hot as hell for him."

  "There're supposed to be some weird bugs in the sands of the Martian deserts..."

  "You better watch out and don't neglect your duty," Bings warned angrily and stared at the observation screen where the gliding point was followed by the tele-lens with equal speed. "The ship is proceeding in a direction that must lead it to Jupiter," he stated incredulously. "Who can understand this?"

  "Who wants to?" Adolf asked without expecting an answer. More out of boredom than from a sense of duty he began to check the other screens and suddenly exclaimed with surprise, "What do you know? Look at that traffic jam! Soon we'll have the same traffic problem up here as on Earth where they've already started to park their cars up in the air in antigrav fields."

  "What do you mean?" Bings inquired.

  "There comes another ship," was the reply.

  Bings sat up visibly wavered in his decision as to which one of the two ships to observe. Fortunately he was automatically relieved of the burden of choice when Sergeant Adolf pushed a button causing both screens to follow their objectives.

  The second ship approached on a virtually direct course. The reason it was not absolutely straight stemmed from the fact that the course had to lead around Mars. As they soon determined it was also an interceptor. When the ship finally came within a few miles they could clearly read the name on its side: Z-13.

  "Thirteen, of all things!" Sergeant Adolf was exasperated. "I'm not exactly superstitious but..."

  "Better pay attention to your job!" Bings admonished his comrade. "Is this one of the ships that have been reported stolen?"

  It was not on the list and so they waited with their eyes glued to the receiver. Soon the communication screen began to light up and a broad round face with pale eyes and a grinning mouth appeared on it.

  "It's us," Bell said and added: "Anything new?"

  "Nothing exceptional," Bings reported dutifully, then remembered the ship moving in the direction of Jupiter. "Actually there was something. We've observed an interceptor on outward bound course."

  'Outward bound' means—in the language of the astronauts—
away from the Solar System from their respective position.

  Bell nodded to somebody who was next to him and said: "We'll be over in a minute. Prepare the vacuum gangway."

  Sergeant Adolf muttered disgustedly: "I knew it, that blasted thirteen..."

  • • •

  "It's not our job to eliminate the Supermutant," Bell reiterated once more. Sergeant Adolf's face showed little enthusiasm. "Tatjana has succeeded in detecting from a great distance some very unusual activities on Mars. With her natural defense mechanism she can conduct a telepathic surveillance of the Supermutant without any risk whatsoever of him forcing her under his hypnotic spell. With our special helmets we're insulated from his influence to a degree. As I told you, all we're required to do is check up on what happened on Mars. Your observation confirms our conjectures. The Supermutant has fled in an interceptor after learning of his defeat on Earth. What are we going to do about it? Pursue him or return to Earth?"

  "Death to the Supermutant!" Pucky's shrill voice came from the corner. He sat there on his tail, munching happily on a fresh carrot Lieutenant Bings had got him from the refrigerator. "We'll chase him and clobber him! It's the only thing to do."

  "You keep your mouth shut!" Bell shouted exasperatedly, holding on to a brace in case Pucky resented being browbeaten and took some vengeful action. "We're supposed to gather information, nothing else. Rhodan wants to double-check on Ivan before he lets him loose against the Supermutant."

  "We don't need Ivan," Pucky grumbled impatiently. "I can take care of him."

  "But it's against our orders," Bell admonished, and turned to Bings and Adolf. "We're supposed to find out what's going on on Mars. I've already said that Tatjana..."

  "Do you believe that the interceptor we've discovered had some connection with the Supermutant?" Sergeant Adolf asked.

  Bell looked questioningly at Tatjana Michalowna, the telepathic girl who at one time had also lived under the control of Monterny and had been rescued by Rhodan.