Perry Rhodan 043 - Life Hunt by Kurt Brand

Author:Kurt Brand [Brand, Kurt]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction
Publisher: Ace Books
Published: 1974-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

* * * *

John Marshall met with Egmon and Tulin, two of Rohun’s Agents, in the Hall of Dreams as he had at length been able to arrange with Tulin.

There was no meeting-place less obvious than this obscure pleasure palace, which was forbidden for all Aras. The Hall of Dreams was devoted entirely to poisoned dreams—drugs. Whatever Hell had invented to ruin mankind could be had here for a price. Any wish at all could be realized in the Hall of Dreams.

John Marshall closed the ray-screen that shielded his booth in invisibility. Despite the multitude of private booths in the Hall of Dreams, a newcomer would only see, as he had when first coming in, a vast domed interior, yawning in its emptiness.

He stretched out on the bare floor. The herfnis drug lay next to him but he had no intention of rubbing it between his fingers and then surrendering his soul to the orgy of colours the poison offered.

His telepathic power broke through the ray-screen and grasped for the thoughts of Egmon and Tulin—instead, he gripped into the mind of someone at the main door who had come here for a mere diversion, taking the first step off the precipice as it were.

Overcome with loathing, Marshall regretted ever having had the idea of meeting in the Hall of Dreams. Then he caught the thoughts of Egmon and Tulin, who neither suffered from addiction nor had the desire to play games with dangerous drugs.

The daredevilish Tulin whispered to Egmon: "How are we ever going to find him?"

John Marshall then brought his psychobeamer to bear, leading them through the maze of invisible ray cabinets and stopped them in front of his own booth.

He opened the ray-screen for a few moments and Egmon and Tulin grinned in astonishment when they saw him lying on the bare floor. They sat down on the floor beside him. There was no other place to sit.

Both Springers threw coins in the comer. Tulin muttered a curse. "That’s good money down the hole. ‘Pearl Dreams’ they’re nothing compared to my nightmares!"

Marshall had no idea what Pearl Dreams were but Tulin’s nightmares interested him.

"My nightmares are the latest Ara robots on duty in the serum works, Ixt!" he explained grimly. "Now we know why there isn’t any Estgal clan anymore! The Aras are always coming up with new deviltries to make our work harder for us—and now they’ve mixed watch-robots with the work-robots! You can’t tell them apart but the Watchers are there, never fear! Positronic watchdogs is what they are! Living alarm boxes! They work like the others but their job is to report the slightest little untoward incident in the final serum production stage, no matter how trivial! By all the gods, Ixt! Are you sure no one can overhear us here?"

"I’m quite sure, Tulin," said Marshall reassuringly.

"I hope so," said the taciturn Egmon and sank back again into gloomy brooding.

"So," said Tulin, "the bribed Ara was frustrated by a Watcher when he took the preservation

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