“The use of this planet for research was established hundreds of years ago under a treaty between the Chimmer and the Khagrish. Doing advanced science as directed by the Chimmer was the price the Khagrish paid for not being subjugated or wiped out by the Mawreg overlords.”
“A devil’s bargain,” she said. “Or did the Khagrish like conducting perverted procedures on other sentients?”
“They do appear to have a predilection as a people for delving into areas of pain and cruelty. Scientists, guards, lab techs—all of them I’ve ever met.” He fell silent, brow furrowed, deep in memories. As if remembering her presence, he took a deep breath, gave her a sideways glance and continued. “One of the Khagrish experiments for the Chimmer was to create a race of super soldiers. They captured a group of fierce warriors on an unknown world to be the root stock, the DNA, not the literal physical fathers. The cursed scientists have been enhancing and revising ever since. I’m the second born of the eighth generation, that’s why Lampergg calls me 802. The Khagrish regard us as animals.” He flicked the talons open and closed on his free hand.
“They’ve spliced animal DNA into the code?” she said.
He nodded. “We believe so. Along the way the experiments have given us less visible attributes we keep secret from the scientists, one of which is an ancestral memory. That’s why we know ourselves as the Badari, why we have our own language, why we worship the Great Mother. But if the Khagrish planted the Ring of the Great Mother here exactly like the one at the Preserve where I grew up, is our precious memory and our beliefs all false? Something the Khagrish concocted for us to believe for their own twisted reasons?”
“Were there Badari here in this lab, at an earlier time?” she asked.
“I don’t scent any, not even traces.” He shook his head. “I don’t know for sure but our best information is negative on other Badari. The Khagrish had three DNA strains going, all at the same lab. One is similar to ours, but with more canine attributes, and the other has diverged much further from the humanoid stock, with lizard like aspects. You don’t want to encounter the Tzibir. Jill was lucky she was given to our pack and not theirs. We Badari know we’re men, not dumb animals created for the dark purposes of the Khagrish.” He tapped his chest with one talon. “Here, in our hearts, we know the truth.”
“I believe you, and I agree with you,” Megan said. “Why were there three strains?”
“Competition. We were always pitted against each other in terms of who could perform best on the missions, and in other ways. In the not too distant past, generation five or six maybe, members of the packs were made to fight each other to the death, but apparently the brutal method of selection was abandoned as too costly. After our last mission the Chimmer decided the Tzibir were what they wanted and the Badari—both strands—were to be killed.”
She shivered. “Your people really have endured terrible things here. But why does the existence of this grove upset you so much? If you’re speculating maybe the Khagrish planted the trees, why would they take such pains if they regard you as animals? Animals need no place of worship, lack the capacity to believe in a deity.” She had his attention now. “Maybe your—what did you call her, the Great Mother? Maybe she caused her trees to grow, here and where you were held prisoner. A sign of hope. Or maybe the early generations of Badari possessed the ancestral memory too and your own people planted the grove.”
Mateer rubbed his chin, staring at the trees under discussion. “The trunks are huge, the crowns tall. These must be ancient.”
“Maybe your ancestors were native to this place,” she said. “Although if that were true you’d think there’d have been signs of their civilization. You’ve seen nothing?”
“We’ve barely been free of the lab for a few weeks,” he said. “No time to explore as our focus has been finding you and the other humans. But certain of our new allies have stated there’s nothing on the planet to show any previous indigenous higher life forms. Only what the Khagrish brought.”
They sat in silence. Megan enjoyed the sun’s warmth and the gentle breeze. It was a peaceful spot, no matter how the glade had come to be. She hoped Mateer felt better and that she’d given his thoughts new direction. She could understand why he was so conflicted, knowing a large part of who he was as a sentient being came from Khagrish meddling and experiments. “You’re a unique individual, you know,” she said, deciding to share what she was thinking, in hopes of further comforting him. As he turned his head to her in surprise, eyebrows raised, she went on, “If the Khagrish were trying to create mindless killing machines, the effort failed utterly. Instead your Great Mother has given you control of your own mind and heart, despite the bastards’ best efforts. Or at least that’s how I see it.”
He squeezed her hand. “I’m glad you came with me today. My thoughts were dark, and you shone light on them for me.”
“That’s what friends are for.” She stood up and kissed him on the cheek. It’d clearly been a difficult afternoon for a man unaccustomed to questioning his deeper beliefs. “We’d better get going home to our phony cave since I can’t walk as fast as you do.”
During the night as he kept watch over the cave, Mateer reflected that now he comprehended at least a part of what Aydarr and Jill shared as mates—the ability to speak freely, open their hearts to each other and talk about even the most painful of subjects. Megan had surprised him and made him think at the grove, and he longed to sit and talk with her again. She opened new avenues of exploration for him with her perspectives. The return walk had been given to lighter topics, such as the edible flora and fauna and a few of her more amusing experiences getting used to living on the outer rim of her own civilization, on Amarcae 7.
And she didn’t appear to mind the revelation he was a genetic experiment.
Since Walt and another human were sharing the guard duty with him, Mateer leaned his head against the cave wall and tried opening his mental abilities, hoping for a Badari signal. What was taking them so long to launch a rescue attempt? Had MARL not been able to hack into the lab’s AI or was there some other problem? He chafed at not knowing the situation beyond the confines of the Preserve. He wanted to get Megan safely away from this place before Lampergg and his lab techs initiated any experiments.
But his telepathic link remained silent.
CHAPTER FIVE
The next day, Mateer took a group to the stream to fish. When he brought the successful anglers to the cave in the evening he wasted no time in seeking Megan out as was his custom. Her face lit up as she caught sight of him and she briskly walked away from the people she’d been chatting with to meet him.
“Was the fishing good?” She was idly scratching her arm.
“Yes, we caught many—there’ll be a generous fish fry tonight.”
“We’ll be spoiled when the time comes to re-enter the lab and eat mush and moldy bread,” she said.
“You’ll all be stronger for having eaten good food out here in the wild, but I hope the summons to report to the lab doesn’t come.” His frustration at the silence from his pack grew, threatening to choke him. Realizing she was staring at him with a concerned expression on her face, he changed the subject. “What did you do with your day?”
“Checking on my two patients, which is about all I can do out here in the wilderness. After I did my so-called rounds, I picked berries. And swatted insects. There are a few varieties which regard human blood as a delicious new treat. See?” She extended her arm and he saw a scattering of tiny red bumps. “Know anything local to stop the itching?”
“We Badari don’t have this problem.” He wracked his brain for anything a healer like Timtur might suggest. “There’s a special mud soothing to the skin. One of our warriors had a problem after getting a certain plant’s pollen on his body and now I recall the mud helped him. I can go get you some.”
She put her hand on his arm. “It’s too late in the day now. Don’t worry about it. I can cope. But thank you for the thought. Maybe t
Uneasiness pinged at his nerves but he couldn’t identify a specific worry. Her suggestion was reasonable. Seeking more information to either confirm his anxiety or reduce it, he asked, “Did the others get bitten as well?”
“Oh yes. It’s a good thing the berries are so damn delicious or we’d probably refuse to go into that patch.” He noticed she was scratching again. “I think I got the worst of it. I do have a rare blood type so maybe I’m the dessert for the bugs.” Laughing, she moved away to help with cooking the fish.
Mateer didn’t think anything more of it. Megan went to sleep earlier than usual and he missed their late night chat while most of the others slept. He treasured the private moments with her. She’d told him the other women were teasing her about Mateer having a crush on her, which made him uncomfortable although Megan seemed fine with it.
“People have to have fodder to gossip about,” she’d said with a nonchalant toss of her head. “The chatter bothered me at first but it’s good natured enough, more teasing than anything serious.”
Inbound from a moonlight reconnaissance after hearing a pride of tessamar roaring, to make sure the creatures weren’t getting too close to the cave, Mateer was surprised to be met by Walt, another woman by his side.
Feeling his adrenaline spiking, ready for a new disaster, he asked, “What’s happened?”
“Sinda came to get me,” Walt said. “She thinks there’s something wrong with Megan. So we came in search of you.”
“She was moaning in her sleep, and I wanted her to stop,” Sinda said. “But no matter how hard I shook her, she wouldn’t wake up. And her arm is all swollen.”
Heart pounding, Mateer rushed into the cave, heedless of the sleeping humans. With his night vision, he could easily work his way through the crowd lying here and there on the cave floor, deep in slumber, and reached Megan in her accustomed place next to the fire.
Her scent wasn’t the usual clean floral signature he so enjoyed. There was a repellant undernote tonight, redolent of sickness or decay. He set his hand on her shoulder and shook her gently, getting no response. When he touched her cheek, she was burning up. Forced to tread more slowly, lacking his special vision, Sinda and Walt finally reached him.
“Like I said, you can’t rouse her.” Sinda stood hands on hips. “Something’s really wrong.”
Carefully, Mateer eyed Megan’s arm, where the biggest of the red bumps had been and was appalled to see it swollen twice normal size, with red streaks running under the skin. Walt whistled as he caught sight of the symptoms in the firelight.
“Not good.” The human shook his head. “I’m no medic but that’s blood poisoning maybe. Takes strong meds to combat. You got any home grown remedies for a bug bite gone bad?”
With despair, Mateer knew he didn’t. As he’d told Megan earlier, the Badari weren’t bothered by the insects. He couldn’t remember Timtur ever dealing with anything similar. “There’s only one thing to do,” he said, gathering Megan into his arms, careful not to put pressure on her swollen extremity. He shifted his grip so her lolling head rested against his chest. Her breathing sounded labored to him and her whole body was like a living flame, everywhere they touched each other. There isn’t much time.
“And your plan is?” Walt kept pace with him as he headed for the cave opening.
“Take her to the lab and persuade Lampergg to treat her.”
“Will he do that for her?”
“He wants a certain concession from me. I’ll make him cure her.” Mateer paused. “Take care of your people. I may not be coming back any time soon.” He debated how much he could say to Walt but, of all the humans other than Megan, this man was the person he trusted most and had found the most in common with. Lowering his voice further, he said, “Be prepared. Things could change drastically in the next few days.”
Eyes narrowed, Walt displayed no surprise and asked no awkward questions. “Message understood. I’ll be ready.” He looked at Megan, limp in Mateer’s arms. “You better get going.”
Without another word, Mateer broke into a steady, efficient run, heading toward the lab, guided by the moonlight and his own unerring sense of direction. As he sprinted, he prayed to the Great Mother to grant him the chance to obtain help for Megan. He added a fervent request she be given strength to endure until Lampergg could treat her.
The journey seemed to take forever although he was aware the caves weren’t actually far from the lab. A gentle rain began to fall, and he tried to shield Megan as much as he could, while hoping the moisture might reduce her fever a bit. He didn’t slacken his pace although the grass grew slippery underfoot. The Badari had an amazing sense of balance, and he was convinced Megan needed help desperately. Even minutes might matter.
The lab was ablaze with light as usual. He sprinted to the terrace and bypassed the black muster line, to set Megan beside the main door. Mateer pounded on the portal, throwing his head back and yelling. “I need to see Lampergg immediately—there’s an emergency.” He continued his assault on the door, roaring his demand for help.
“Stand down, 802, you haven’t been summoned,” said a disembodied voice over the vidcom. “Retreat into the preserve like a good boy, and we’ll forget this happened tonight.”
He moved to where he could be seen clearly. “Lampergg will have your head if you don’t notify him I’m here. My mate was bitten, and she needs medical help right now. Or she’ll die.” He felt a thrill of pride at claiming Megan for his mate, even in these dire circumstances and despite the fact she’d undoubtedly be upset.
“Did you bite her? During wild sex maybe?” The security tech at the control console guffawed at his own crude comment. “My advice? Go back into the wild and find another woman to fuck.”
Frustrated, Mateer roared, prowling to the door and attacking it with his talons.
“You’re gonna get punished—I’m warning you.” The tech sounded alarmed now.
“I won’t let my mate die because you’re too stupid to call Lampergg. I’ll get through this damn door, find you and tear your heart out of your chest if she dies. She and I are Lampergg’s prize experiment, you idiot. Wake him up or he’ll be experimenting on you tomorrow.” Mateer knew at the old lab there’d been a few techs who were punished by being made test subjects after committing acts of incompetence. Their deaths had been protracted and agonizing.
Through the glass portion of the portal, he saw a squad of guards running toward the door and he retreated, cradling Megan in his arms and moving to the muster line. As the portal slid open and the Khagrish ran out, weapons drawn and aimed at him, he said, “I’m only here to get help for my mate. I won’t make any trouble.”
“Last chance, 802. Go back to the Preserve right now and you might escape punishment for this crazy behavior,” said the leader.
“If my mate dies, I won’t care what you do to me. She needs help.”
“Lampergg’s on his way,” said a lab tech, tapping the guard captain on the shoulder. “He’s not happy at being roused from his bed but this is so totally outside the parameters of the animals’ behavior, he’s intrigued.” Transferring his focus to Mateer, he said, “You’d better have a real emergency, 802, or what Lampergg did to you when you were first captured will be a pleasant memory.”
Stubbornly Mateer stood, holding Megan and remained silent. Lampergg was the one he had to convince. As Megan shivered in his arms and moaned he shook water out of his eyes and prayed again to the Great Mother.
Lampergg stood in the doorway, hands on his hips, glaring at everyone. “Well, bring them in here, captain. I’m not going out in the damn rain in the middle of the night. Bad enough to be awakened at this ridiculous hour by the whims of an animal.”
In response to a curt gesture from the guard captain, Mateer hastened into the building and paused a few feet in front of the senior scientist.
Eyeing Megan’s bad arm, Lampergg gestured. ��Put her where I can examine her and back away.”
Mateer complied, watching anxiously as Lampergg scrutinized Megan’s hideously swollen arm. In the harsh lighting of the lab, her reddened skin and the scarlet streaks ascending her arm presented an even worse appearance than he’d realized in the cave. In contrast to the red, swollen arm, the rest of her petite frame seemed gaunt and frail. He feared she was dehydrated in addition to the infection and resultant fever.
“Tell me what happened,” Lampergg said as he continued his exam, opening Megan’s jumpsuit to the waist and running a scanner over her as she lay on the floor.
Mateer was angry she was being so callously exposed to the view of the guards and the lab tech but that was a battle he couldn’t fight right now, not when her life was at stake. Forcing his fangs and talons to retract, he said, “She told me she was bitten by the insects living amongst the jerbella berries. Others were bitten as well but they had minimal reaction.”
“When? How many hours ago?” Lampergg pointed to the lab tech. “Fetch an antigrav litter.”
Mateer waited until the scientist was focused on him again. “She said she was bitten during the day, yesterday. At dinnertime she fell into a deep sleep and then these symptoms appeared. I—I can’t wake her.”
Eyebrows raised, the scientist asked, “Why did you bring her to me, 802?”
“She’s my mate—I can’t let her die. I thought you could help her. Certainly there’s no saving her out there in the Preserve. She’s their doctor. No one else has medical knowledge.”
The tech and a guard were lifting Megan onto the litter. Without stopping to think, Mateer took a step forward and incapacitating pain shot from the black bracelet through his nervous system as the trigger happy guards reacted. He fell to his knees, gasping, and snarled at the guard captain. “No need for the bracelet. I’ll co-operate fully as long as she gets help.”
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