Strolling over to Rebecca, Ch'ran tossed a purplish piece of alien fruit to her. She caught it reflexively, as her mind was still preoccupied.
"Try it," the impish figure said. "You will like it. It is Nix's favorite."
Although she did not feel like eating, her stomach was crying out in protest at the recent neglect. Not knowing when she might get her next chance to eat, she swallowed her revulsion at the thought of what it was she was ingesting and took a bite. At least, it's not raw meat, she decided. Whether from her knowledge of her meal's origin, her current mental distraction, or the food itself, the "fruit" seemed tasteless. Forcing herself to eat, she slowly finished the entire serving, feeling the hunger pangs in the pit of her stomach begin to subside.
"It is good, right?" Ch'ran chirped. "See, I told you." Munching on one of its own, Ch'ran hummed contentedly to itself, reveling in each bite.
All at once, Ch'ran's jovial mood evaporated as Sikaris came bounding into the center of the garden, its eyes boring holes through the armadillo creature.
Tarrsk, who had just returned from its scouting mission near the hole in the ceiling, reported its findings, oblivious to Sikaris's baleful glare. "We cannot get out that way. Even if we could somehow get everyone up there, we would not fit through the metal grating."
Ignoring the alligator creature entirely, Sikaris strode purposefully up to Ch'ran, its face a mask of rage. "I thought you said you murdered the Modir that Tarrsk wounded?"
Ch'ran stood rooted to the garden floor, Lidrilian juice sliding down its mutated chin. "I stabbed it with my tail as I chased after the other one."
Sikaris's eyes narrowed. "I just checked. There are only two dead Modir by that passage—one filled with Tarrsk's rocks and the other half buried in the hole. And"—it paused, adding weight to its next statement—"the cart they were loading is missing."
A blanket of dread settled over the group. Slowly, each head turned to glare at Ch'ran accusingly.
Rysth-nuul was the first to vocalize its current opinion of the insane alien. "You idiot! Why did you not check to see that it was dead?"
Ch'ran stared up at them, a look of childlike innocence on its twisted features. "Because I asked Nix to do that."
After that pronouncement, Rebecca was sure that Ch'ran would end up as garden fertilizer. That may have been the case, too, had a sound heard far off in the distance not diverted attention away from the armadillo alien.
All those present in the underground garden froze instantly, their ears straining to identify the distant sound. Immediately, the Lidrilian slaves began to wave their branches and rock back and forth in fear.
"What is that?" Tarrsk said, giving voice to the question on all of their minds. "It sounds like a waterfall or someone pouring sand."
Errhu's tendrils began to whistle rapidly. "We must leave. Now!"
Sikaris stepped toward the slave. "Why? What is making that sound?"
"The Modir are coming!"
16
Escape from Mt. Kiabab
THE CLATTER of the approaching Modir sent the remaining Lidrilian slaves into a panicked frenzy. Prin shocked several, causing them to pause momentarily, but the majority of the creatures began shuffling off to siphon any blood they could find from the dead garden slaves and slavers, hoping to gain enough energy to flee from the coming horde.
"Prin, let them go," Sikaris called. "They may cause the Modir to split up, giving us a better chance to escape." Turning toward Errhu, Sikaris yelled, "Which way?"
"The Modir are blocking the best way. We must use the longer way. It is more dangerous," it replied.
"We do not care!" shouted Rysth-nuul impatiently, forgetting that the plant alien could not understand it. "Just shut up and lead."
The slave, however, guessing at Rysth-nuul's meaning, shot off toward the passageway on the eastern side of the cavern, its speed rivaling that of its animal-like counterparts. Rebecca and the others quickly fell into line behind it, the gradually increasing volume of the approaching aliens spurring them on. Once more, Rebecca felt the familiar fear of being left behind well up within her as they ran. This time, much to her relief, her companions did not drop to all fours as they had done previously, but instead they chose to remain on two feet, maintaining their grips on their weapons.
Just as they reached the tunnel entrance, the northernmost passageway burst forth, releasing a veritable flood of angry Modir, each one emitting a high-pitched screech that reminded Rebecca of nails being scraped across a chalkboard.
The sight of their pursuers sent a jolt of renewed energy into the already frenetic party, urging them on to even greater speed. They paused in the entranceway for what seemed like an eternity as Tarrsk sliced through the wires connecting the motion detectors to the guns, deactivating the Modir outer defenses. Once completed, they continued forward, casting frequent glances over their shoulders as if expecting to see the entire army of Modir bearing down on them at any moment.
Errhu led them from the narrow passageway into a much wider cavern that was roughly fifty feet across. Their flashlights and lanterns produced just enough light for them to see that the entire place was littered about from floor to ceiling with stalactites and stalagmites. The low fifteen-foot ceiling and pockmarked uneven floor caused their Lidrilian guide to have to slow its pace slightly as it weaved and ducked the innumerable protrusions.
Even at their current reckless pace, Rebecca feared that they would not make it to the cavern's far exit before the Modir would be within firing range. As she glanced at Prin running beside her, she found confirmation for her assessment. Pulling several explosive devices from its dwindling supply, it began arming them with flashes of blue from its fingertips. Reaching into her pocket, she extracted her own weapon and braced herself for the inevitable gunfight, hoping that her already throbbing knee would hold out.
Suddenly, the darkness around them exploded with the shrieking of the Modir, magnified by the natural acoustics of the cavern. A second later, shards of rock and stone flew in all directions as Modir projectiles tore into the pointed formations.
The Grinathians tried desperately to return fire as they continued to flee. However, the layout of the cavern was such that they had to shine their lights in front of them or risk a twisted ankle or sprained knee, thus, rendering their attempts at defense nearly useless.
Their only advantages were the distance between them and the Modir and the stalactites themselves. Rebecca knew that it wouldn't be long, however, before the mole aliens closed the gap.
"Stand and fight!" Sikaris called out, its gravelly voice seeming to come from everywhere at once, making it impossible for her to discern the being's location. Immediately, the lights from Rebecca's companions halted and reversed direction as they sought refuge behind the towering rocks and prepared to, at least, slow down the horde's advance.
Before she managed to secure her own position, the others opened fire. The already loud weapons were intensified to a nearly unbearable level in the confined space of the cavern, causing Rebecca to cover her ears momentarily.
Had she not done so, she would for sure have been knocked unconscious by the concussive explosion that suddenly sent everyone sprawling to the cavern floor. Beneath her, she could feel the ground tremble from the force. Closing her eyes and holding her breath, she prayed inwardly that the cave would not collapse upon them.
"Run for the exit," the inflectionless translator said in her ear, its calm voice completely out of place amid the chaotic cries and screams of the battle. On each side of her, the dark shapes that were her companions left the cover of the stalagmites and headed toward the far side of the cavern once again, their flashlights and lanterns bobbing up and down as they ran.
Without even checking to see the outcome of the explosion, Rebecca made a mad dash toward the exit, the sounds of frustrated and enraged Modir assailing her. Suddenly, the rock next to her split apart as it was struck by a stray bullet. Crying out in pain as fragments of stone cut
into her face, Rebecca stumbled and nearly fell onto the uneven cave floor. Regaining her balance, she forced herself on, using the back of her hand to wipe away the small streaks of blood from her face.
Time seemed to stretch on interminably as she ran through the darkness, the ever-present sounds of the vicious creatures suppressing all conscious thought and leaving only the instinct for survival to guide her.
Finally, before she even realized it, she was through the archway leading out of the cavern and into a much narrower passageway.
"Prin," she heard Sikaris call somewhere just behind her. "We are all through. Bring down the ceiling."
Just as Rebecca turned a corner in the narrow tunnel, an explosion rocked the mountain and sent her tumbling forward. Her body hit the floor and rolled several times before she suddenly felt herself sliding headfirst on her stomach into pitch darkness.
Reaching out in panic, she let go of her gun and flashlight and clawed at the stone slope in a desperate attempt to arrest her descent. Her fingers were scraped and bleeding before her frantic efforts succeeded. Grabbing onto a small rocky ledge with her right hand, she winced as her body weight pulled at her arm. She tried several times to climb the steep incline, but her efforts proved futile.
Even as her fingers screamed for permission to release the outcropping, she found her voice and called out to the others for help. Looking upward, she saw beams of light shining down the slope, searching for her whereabouts.
"Come on, let us go," came the monotonous voice of the translator in her ear. "It will not take the Modir long to tunnel through the collapsed rock."
"No. We should save him," came a second voice, which Rebecca was surprised to recognize as belonging to Tarrsk.
"Rysth-nuul," Sikaris said, its unmistakable growl filtering down from above. "We may need his help. Lower your tail."
Her arms began to ache from the strain, causing Rebecca to call upon every ounce of willpower to override her body's cry for respite. Reaching up with her wounded left arm, she struggled to find another handhold to bring relief to her taxed right arm. Finding nothing, she brought it back to the same ledge and felt the wounded muscle from her encounter with the Mrdangam burn with renewed fury at the strain. "Hurry, please," she called feebly.
Her reservoirs of strength were all but depleted when Rysth-nuul's uncoiled tail finally wrapped itself around her. The lengthy appendage squeezed her so tightly that it made her wonder if the creature wasn't taking advantage of the opportunity to inflict a little pain.
"We must not stop," her translator chirped once again, relaying Errhu's urgent suggestion with typical apathy. "The Modir are digging. They are coming through the walls."
With Rysth-nuul's assistance, Rebecca dragged herself up until she reached the safety of the path that led around the dangerous slope. No sooner had her upper body reached the level ground then Rysth-nuul released her abruptly and headed off down the treacherous path after the others, who had already resumed their flight. Only Sikaris remained beside her. Hauling her up to her feet, the Grinathian leader urged her forward with a gentle shove.
She stumbled on, still weak from her exertion, her arms and fingers aching. Now that she was on her feet, she could see that the pathway they were traversing was merely three feet wide before it began its angular descent into the abysmal pit. Above, the cavern stretched on indefinitely with the ceiling hidden by a thick cloak of blackness.
Rebecca found it extremely difficult to strike a delicate balance between haste and caution, especially without the aid of her lost flashlight. Several times she took a wrong step, causing her to have to hug the stonewall on her right to keep from plunging to her death.
Fortunately, she was not alone in her struggles. Several of the others, particularly Jorylk and their plant guide, were having difficulty navigating the narrow walkway. Since they were the vanguard of the group, they slowed the progress of everyone except Tarrsk, who climbed the vertical wall and was now waiting at the mouth of another cave nearly forty yards in front of them.
Still shaken from her brush with death, Rebecca was keeping as close to the wall as she could. As she pressed her hand against it for support, the hard surface beneath her fingers shifted. Startled, she quickly withdrew her hand just in time to see a six-inch diameter portion of the formerly solid rock give way. Before she could react, Rysth-nuul shoved its pistol into the new opening and fired off several rounds.
"They are coming through the walls!"it yelled out in warning.
Throwing caution to the wind, the group moved forward with renewed urgency. Ahead, Rebecca could see dirt and rock begin to come loose from the wall, indicating where the tunneling Modir were about to break through.
By the light of Sikaris's lantern, she could begin to see shovel-like claws protrude through the wall in front of her. Weaponless, she was forced to duck under the groping claws or step out briefly onto the deadly slope to evade the outstretched arms.
The cries of the mole creatures combined with the scraping sounds of their digging pushed Rebecca's already fragile nerves to their breaking point. Her breathing had become so rapid that she began to hyperventilate. She fixed her eyes on Rysth-nuul, who was fighting the emerging aliens several paces in front of her. Thus distracted, she was sent tumbling to the ground by the sharp claw of a Modir that had managed to snag her ankle as she passed.
Letting out a bloodcurdling scream of fright, she kicked out with her other leg and succeeded in freeing herself. Suddenly, she heard a loud hissing noise from behind her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw tendrils of dense fog reaching for her out of the darkness, beckoning her to embrace it and rest in blissful sleep...
From seemingly out of nowhere, two muscular arms reached out and lifted Rebecca into the air with one fluid motion, then carried her the few remaining feet to the cavern exit.
"Run!" Sikaris yelled in English as it set her upon her feet just inside the entrance to the new cave.
The forcefulness of the creature's command brought Rebecca back to her senses. Nodding her head dumbly, she took off running as fast as her sore knee allowed. The passage they now found themselves in was much smaller than any other they had traveled thus far, reviving old fears of claustrophobia she had once thought conquered. The ceiling, which was in stark contrast to the lofty heights of the previous cavern, was just over ten feet high with walls merely half as wide.
Glancing behind her, she saw the large form of Sikaris hurling sonic blasts at the pursuing Modir as they extricated themselves from the numerous holes in the cavern wall. Although the cat alien was facing backward as it ran on its two legs, it still managed to keep pace with Rebecca.
They ran farther and farther through a maze of passages, the Modir always just one step behind them. Rebecca pushed herself to the limit, ever aware that if she failed to keep up with the others in front of her, she would become hopelessly lost in the underground labyrinth with no source of light.
Suddenly, she heard shouts of surprise mingled with cries of pain and sounds of melee coming from up ahead where Jorylk and Errhu were leading the way. Her mind was so preoccupied with what was happening farther up the tunnel she failed to notice that Rysth-nuul had stopped in front of her. Slamming full force into the back of the alien, she nearly collapsed from the jarring impact.
Rysth-nuul whirled around and shoved her backward. For a split second, she thought it was due to her clumsiness, but the moment she heard the translator speak, she realized the terrible truth.
"Gorz! Go back!"
Disoriented, Rebecca froze in place as Rysth-nuul and Ch'ran both pushed past her, heading back toward the Modir. Looking ahead, she could just make out the forms of Jorylk, Tarrsk, and Errhu heading straight for her. As they ran, their limbs flailed frantically in an attempt to ward off the attacks of a host of Gorz.
The sight of the bloated worm aliens left Rebecca feeling numb. In her mind, she could hear Ch'ran's words echoing, We will probably be gassed by the Modir or eaten alive piece b
y piece by the Gorz! For a single heartbeat, her mind flashed with images of the Gorz pinning her to the cave floor with their twisted arms while their gaping, toothy maws began to devour her bit by bit.
No! she shouted mentally. I'm not going to die on this blasted planet! Reaching deep within, she gathered her courage and focused her mind on one thought: survival. Ignoring the pain in her leg, she took off back down the tunnel.
It took the group several precious seconds to backtrack to the last intersection. With the Modir closing on one side and the Gorz on the other, the side passage became their only option. As Rebecca neared the juncture, she could see the silhouette of Sikaris as it grappled with several of the mole aliens on the outskirts of a cloud of Modir gas not more than a dozen yards away.
Although it struck her as odd that Sikaris did not seem to be affected by the mist, she had no time to reflect on it further, for just as she reached the new tunnel, Tarrsk and Errhu caught up and practically launched her into the opening.
No sooner had they cleared the entrance then Sikaris came bounding in behind them. Suddenly, a deafening roar broke through the chaotic sounds of the battle. A second later, Jorylk's massive form appeared, its body mostly obscured by four of the three-foot worm-like Gorz.
As Jorylk thrashed about in the mouth of the cave in an attempt to dislodge the clinging attackers, several Modir sprang into the fight. Upon seeing their longstanding foes, the remainder of the Gorz forgot about their prey and set upon the horde of Modir with a blind fury.
"Go!" Sikaris commanded.
As she headed off down the tunnel with the others, she risked one final look behind her. The last thing she saw before the Modir mist clouded the area was Jorylk's giant frame being dragged to the floor by a mass of mutated arms and legs.
17
The Price of Freedom
HOW LONG they ran down the musty corridor, Rebecca could not tell. The whole of her mental faculties were spent on simply placing one foot in front of the other. In some far-off place in her mind, she could see her parents and sister laughing and calling to her. She instantly recognized the scene from her childhood. They were on vacation in Florida, enjoying a sunny day at the beach. She was running along the shore, waving to her parents, her curly locks blowing freely in the hot, salty breeze.
Logic's End Page 21