by Joe Mahoney
“Because she loves—?” I stopped abruptly beneath a network of leaves and branches so tangled you couldn’t tell where one tree ended and the next began. High above me the wind howled. A single drop of alien rain found its way through the mess of vegetation to splatter on my nose. “But Rainer’s married, isn’t he? To Angelique?”
“Hardly an obstacle to their love.”
I felt like I’d been punched in the gut. Sarah loved Rainer? I needed to sit down. But with all the weeds and brambles, I couldn’t find a spot that didn’t look painful.
I put the machete away and leaned against the nearest tree trunk. “So that’s why Angelique volunteered to open the book. Don’t tell me she caught them in the act.”
“Hardly! Mrs. Rainer opened the book because it’s her nature to do so. She would do anything to save the world, just like Mr. Rainer.”
“I see.”
“I doubt it. There’s more to the story than I’m telling you. Mr. Rainer is well aware of Miss Frey’s love for him, and is not above using it to his advantage. Much the same way Miss Frey is aware of your love for her.”
“Of my love for—? Oh come on, how could I possibly—?”
“There’s no point denying it. Physiologically I can read you like a book. And I have your Mind Snoop results. I know you better than you know yourself. The thought of Miss Frey loving someone other than yourself has made you almost physically ill.”
I cast about for an irrefutable refutation. “Still,” I said.
“Humans always want what they can’t have.”
Indignation bubbled up in me like a bad case of indigestion. I found myself torn between denying I was attracted to Sarah and arguing Sebastian’s assumption that I could never have her. It might well be true, but Sebastian’s smug superiority on the matter made me want to dash him against the nearest rock.
“You have never been in love,” I said between clenched teeth.
“Nor will I.”
Sebastian had accomplished one thing. I actually felt some sympathy for Rainer now. Not only did he have a lot on his plate, but he had to deal with Sebastian every day.
I arranged the crutches beneath my arms and pushed off from the tree.
“I told you more than I should have,” Sebastian said after a while.
“Yes. Why is that?”
“I’m separated from my servers. My protocols are not in effect. I’ll exercise more discretion in the future.”
“Don’t feel like you should on my account.” The less discretion Sebastian exercised, the better.
The incline had grown decidedly steeper and I was breathing hard. “These protocols. They wouldn’t by any chance be safety protocols, would they?”
“Security, not safety. I can assure you there aren’t many ways I can hurt you strapped to your wrist.”
I stopped and took a good sharp look at him, trying to determine just what he might be capable of. Could he cause the slender leather strap to suddenly contract, severing my hand from my wrist? Impossible. Solid chrome except for a tiny speaker grille on top, there were no moving parts on Sebastian’s faceplate that I could see. Except—for the first time I noticed a tiny knob on his right side.
“What’s this for?”
“Press it and see.”
I stopped and did just that. Sebastian’s faceplate divided in two. Both sides flipped neatly over, and suddenly Sebastian resembled an analogue wristwatch. There was an hour, minute, and second hand, and even a tiny square in place of the three in which to display the date.
“Nifty, eh?” He sounded proud of himself, and slightly more muffled than before.
I decided I preferred him sounding muffled and left him that way. I resumed making my way up the incline. “So you can tell time. Great. What else can you do? Any good apps?”
“You are mistaking me for a common cell phone.”
“Are you telling me I can’t even use you to make a phone call?”
“I didn’t say that. Just the same I would prefer you keep your mouth as far away from my faceplate as possible.”
“Hmph.” The terrain levelled off a bit, making the going easier. “Look, about going back. The truth is I couldn’t have taken the others with me even if I wanted to.”
I told him what had happened after I’d said Iugurtha’s name. How time had sped up for me alone, effectively slowing everyone else down. About the damage I’d done merely by walking on the floor, and what might have happened had I touched anyone else.
“You’re a lucky man,” Sebastian said. “Your ignorance could have killed you. Others too. I don’t think what happened to the floor had anything to do with kinetic energy, though.”
“It was just a theory.”
“You must have done something wrong.”
“I’m hardly an expert. I probably did most things wrong. But I got us here, didn’t I?”
“We could have wound up in a world of molten fire, or on a planet colder than Pluto. Or in a land where beasts of unimaginable proportions battled one another to the death. You could have found yourself trying to suck pure methane through your lungs.”
“More reasons not to open the book again until I absolutely have to.”
A shadow passed over me. I looked up just in time to see a bird with an enormous wingspan skirting the tree line. The great bird clutched another creature in its talons. The victim writhed in its grasp and emitted a series of ungodly shrieks that set my teeth on edge. And then they were gone.
It wasn’t the only bird I saw that day, though ornithologists might beg to differ. I saw many creatures that flew, but they all sported fur instead of feathers. They had no beaks to speak of, and four legs instead of two, along with their wings. Not a one of them sang or chirped. Instead they mewed, like kittens, if they made any sound at all.
There was other native wildlife too, I knew. Just four days ago in Ridley’s bedroom, I had seen Iugurtha shoo one of them back through the gate, and the birds all appeared well fed. They were obviously eating something. But wherever all the other animals were they kept well to themselves.
Insects were another story, especially with the onset of night. As the light began to fail I became aware of many tiny, shimmering creatures flitting about me. I would have known they were there even if I couldn’t see them because they bit, the pesky things, and it wasn’t long until I began to itch like crazy, though I did my best not to scratch.
“You need to stop, Mr. Wildebear,” Sebastian told me. “You’ve made astonishingly little progress, and you won’t get much farther in the dark.”
I was in no condition to argue. I dropped Humphrey’s bag, shrugged off the knapsack, and slumped against one of the large trees out of the wind—exhausted, cold, and sorely tempted to take out the book. I could use it to go someplace else. Someplace warm, where crutches didn’t dig into my armpits. Where my right foot didn’t ache. Where insects didn’t threaten my sanity and I could slip into a comfortable bed. Maybe I was stupid to have tried this on my own. It wouldn’t help Ridley one iota if I died of exposure out here where nobody would ever find me. Maybe if I swallowed my pride and said I was sorry Rainer would help me, and we could carry on as if nothing had ever happened.
I didn’t move, though. It was too comfortable resting against the tree. I closed my eyes and fell asleep in no time at all.
I dreamt of comfortable down-filled pillows and feather beds, and when I awoke I was all caught up in the blankets—too much tossing and turning. When I went to straighten them there were no blankets and something was crawling on my skin. I tried to brush it off but I couldn’t move my arm, and then something was in my hair, and before long I was covered head-to-toe in creepy-crawly things, and I lay there in stark terror as they nibbled their way from one end of me to the other.
“Sebastian, they’re eating me alive,” I whispered hoarsely.
; “Try to relax, Mr. Wildebear.”
“I’m all numb!”
“That’s because the insects have secreted a poison that is paralyzing you.”
How Sebastian could be so blasé about my predicament infuriated me. I made one last Herculean effort to rise, but it was no use. The alien insects had rendered me immobile. I could only sit and wait for the insects to consume me. I hoped my alien carcass gave them all indigestion.
“I’m sorry, Sebastian. Looks like you might be stuck here awhile.”
“Don’t worry about me, Mr. Wildebear. I’ll be fine. Most of my housing is constructed of modified depleted uranium and I have a nuclear power source.”
“How nice for you.”
Something stirred in the foliage before me. A wild animal inspecting an unfamiliar scent, anticipating a sumptuous meal. A bead of moisture trickled off my forehead. Whether sweat, rain, or poisonous insect secretion, I had no way of knowing. I closed my eyes and steeled myself for the worst.
How long I sat there I have no idea. I may have dozed off. After what seemed an eternity I opened my eyes, expecting something entirely different from what I actually saw.
It was a cat.
Watching me with azure eyes reflecting back the night.
I was struck by the cat’s resemblance to felines back on Earth, domesticated and otherwise. Parallel evolution? Just how many times had a gate opened up between this planet and my own? The creature looked like an ordinary tabby housecat, except for its furless toes and faintly indigo pelt, and the fact that it was almost as large as a full-grown lion.
“Do you see him, Mr. Wildebear?” Sebastian asked.
Did the animal mean to devour me or simply watch me die? I couldn’t tell—its expression was as inscrutable as—well, as a cat’s. I stared at it, acutely aware of every twitch of its magnificent head. Taking in the animal’s stately carriage—such dignity, such poise—I inferred a long, noble lineage. It radiated a sleek athleticism, a supple musculature rippling beneath its taut skin. I might well have admired this awesome beast were I not racked with mortal terror. That, and if I weren’t allergic to the insufferable creatures.
The great cat lay down on its belly, resting its head on its paws. I wondered how Sebastian knew it was male. I tried to ask him and produced some foolish sound that didn’t mean a thing. I no longer possessed control over my mouth.
I slipped into unconsciousness again. When I awoke the cat was gone. Twice after that I thought I glimpsed it again, but it was only a shadow, or part of the undergrowth. I began to wonder if I had imagined it.
When I actually did see the cat again, it carried a cloth in its mouth. It took the cloth with one of its paws and gently wiped my brow with it. Now I was certain I was dreaming. Cats do not grasp objects with their paws. They do not do this because they do not have opposable thumbs. And never in my experience has a cat ever wiped moisture from anyone’s brow.
The ground beneath me shook and two meters of black steel on eight mechanical legs emerged from the night to hunker down beside me. With a clever series of motions this robotic spider made a stretcher of its uppermost self and lifted me on board with four of its metallic limbs. The cat climbed onto the stretcher beside me and laid one of its extraordinary paws on top of my chest. I believe the gesture was meant to be reassuring. The spider elevated itself, and off we went into the gloom of the alien night.
By now the paralysis had begun to affect my respiratory system. I was struggling to breathe. The cat made a sharp motion with a paw, and instantly one of the spider’s limbs hovered over me. The tip of the limb flipped inside out to reveal an alarmingly long needle.
“Relax, if you can,” Sebastian told me. “He’s trying to help you.”
It was not possible to relax. It was not possible to do anything. The spider elevated my upper body with two of its limbs. The needle disappeared from my field of vision. I felt an intense pain in the back of my neck.
Reality faded mercifully away.
IX
Inside
“I know you’re awake.”
I opened my eyes. It was Sebastian.
“The poison in your system has been neutralized. You’re able to move now. Though it’ll be a while before you feel completely like yourself again.”
I felt light-headed and slightly nauseous, but Sebastian was right. I could move again.
“How?” I asked.
“The contraption you’re sitting on probably had something to do with it.”
Feeling the back of my neck, I found a lump where the mechanical spider had injected me. I took in my surroundings. I was still on top of the spider. Asleep or off, it sat perfectly still next to a stone wall. It was dark but I could see I was inside an enormous, circular chamber. The ceiling was decorated with art of some kind but it was too high and the lighting too dim for me to make it out. The air smelled fresh. Nearby, water flowed in a broad stream built into the rock floor. In the distance I could make out a vast array of objects, large and small, shrouded in shadow. I thought they might be statues, or sculptures. There was no sign of the catlike creature that had saved me.
I looked for my crutches but couldn’t see them anywhere. My heart sank as I realized they had probably been left in the woods. Then, it gradually dawned on me that my left leg had supported me as I’d sat up. “Sebastian, I can feel my leg.”
“Yes. The post-hypnotic suggestion has finally worn off.”
“The—I beg your pardon?”
“The post-hypnotic suggestion Mr. Rainer placed on you during Mind Snoop. The one designed to cripple you so you wouldn’t be able to run away. It’s amazing the kinds of suggestions you can place on people during Mind Snoop. If you look closely enough, you will also find a tiny surgical incision beneath your knee.”
“A surgical incision? What the heck for?”
“In case the post-hypnotic suggestion didn’t work, or wore off. Mr. Rainer doesn’t like to take any chances.”
I struggled to keep the sudden rage inside me contained. I’d still managed to get away from Rainer. “You probably weren’t supposed to tell me that.”
“No,” Sebastian admitted. “Probably not.”
I climbed down off the spider and stood on my leg for a few seconds before trying an experimental hop. A bolt of pain shot up my thigh. It subsided quickly enough, but although I could stand and walk with little difficulty, it hurt like heck when I put too much weight on it.
“Great. Now it hurts,” I complained. I shook my head, thinking of Rainer and his bald-faced lies. The whole lot of them, really, pretending that they didn’t know what was wrong with me.
I sighed and peered into the shadows surrounding us. My crutches were gone, but what about everything else? Humphrey’s bag was nowhere to be seen. I spotted my knapsack lying near one of the spider’s motionless black limbs. I picked it up. It was heavy—still full of supplies—but not as heavy as should have been. It was missing the book.
It wasn’t possible. The book couldn’t be gone. How would I get back to Earth without it? Feeling weak, I leaned against the spider. The mechanical creature stirred and I backed away quickly. It shifted forward slightly, two of its arms hovering briefly in the air before settling once again.
“The entity took the book while you were sleeping,” Sebastian said.
“Iugurtha? She’s here?”
“Yes.”
If Iugurtha were here, then Ridley probably was too. And Humphrey, and Humphrey’s wife, and Angelique, and everyone else Iugurtha had abducted. I would worry about the book later. My first priority was finding Ridley. I’d search this place inside and out if that’s what it took.
I set out for the mysterious objects barely visible in the distance, walking as fast as I could with my bad leg. I had gone only a few paces when I heard a great whirring and clicking behind me.
“Som
ething doesn’t want you to go,” Sebastian said.
The spider had awoken. I did not look back.
I sped up, ignoring the growing pain in my leg, expecting the spider to grab me from behind, flip me over, and slam me repeatedly against the floor. Instead it moved past me much faster than I would have thought possible and manoeuvred directly in my path. When I tried to move around it, it blocked me.
I set my jaw and limped straight toward it. It didn’t budge. I clambered onto its metal carapace and began scaling the thing. Two mechanical limbs whirred directly into my path. When I attempted to crawl between them, I got a sharp rap on the top of my head for my trouble. Apparently the spider was through fooling around. Chastened, I staggered off the mechanical beast, clutching the top of my head with my hands.
Back at the mouth of the artificial stream I stared into the roiling water. If I were to dive into it, where would it take me? To freedom? Not bloody likely. God only knew what I would encounter in such a stream. Probably it would simply deposit my bloated carcass on some distant shore. Either way it wouldn’t get me any closer to Ridley.
The water looked fresh though. I licked my parched lips. “Do you think this water’s okay to drink, Sebastian?”
“Hold me in it,” he suggested.
I knelt and plunged my arm into the frigid water up to my elbow, keeping him submerged for a good five or six seconds.
“Feel any cleaner?” I asked afterward.
“It’s good old H2O, all right,” he said, water beading on his faceplate. “Safe to drink. Bacteria levels are low. No pollution to speak of.”
“What does it taste like?”
“Do I look like I have a mouth?”
I scooped up a handful and took a sip. It tasted metallic, but fine. I scooped up several more handfuls and drank my fill.
Sitting back, I peered up, trying to make out the ceiling, but I couldn’t see much up there. It was too dark and the ceiling was too high. “What do you make of this place, Sebastian?”