by Ian Miller
"That wasn't hard, was it?" smiled the young woman. "Now, if you will all be patient, we can prepare you for the entertainment."
"Entertainment?" someone asked in amazement. In the silence, everybody could hear the sounds of furniture being moved around in the floor above.
"Yes. Let me introduce myself. I am Squadron Leader Winters, and I am going to be a sort of hostess for you all."
A couple of very rude suggestions flew through the air.
"You are going to have lunch," Winters said, then added, "amongst other things."
"I've got lunch," someone said."
"Nothing like this. The food was supposed to go to Munro, so it will be exquisite," Winters smiled, "and I have reason to believe you can't possibly imagine the rest."
"Babe, I can imagine –"
"Perhaps," Winters smiled, and made an almost suggestive body movement. "Now, you have two options. You can go upstairs when I say to, or you can stay down here. If you elect to stay, you will be left alone with these soldiers, and some citizens who have bought rights and rented those sledgehammers. They are permitted to use them."
The crowd looked around to see several hulky men waiting at the main entrance.
"Now," smiled Winters. "You must choose. There is a catch, though. To enter into the full spirit of the entertainment we have arranged, those who go upstairs must be totally naked."
"What?" came a cry of disbelief.
"You heard," Winters smiled suggestively. "Your choice. Naked to the meal and so on, or you can stay here be pulped from the feet upwards by sledgehammers. You have two minutes to choose."
Before long, a bewildered string of naked men, together with a few naked women, made their way up the stairs. They were ushered through a door, to find a number of tables, each with a bowl of steaming soup, a salad, a glass, and two bottles of wine, one white and the other red. Each table was numbered, and each table also had a pad, a pencil, a map of New York, and a pile of envelopes, each bearing the number of the table. The soldiers escorted their captives to tables, then, when everybody was seated, they left the room and the door was sealed. Only Winters remained, standing at the top table. Her expression had changed. Her confidence seemed to have been replaced by a level of apprehension, as if she was waiting for something. Some of the men had become restless, as if finding their courage, and were trying to decide whether they could cover the distance before being shot.
"Well done, Lieutenant Winters. Very well done!" Everybody gasped, as Kuyrill Kazyn stepped into the room from a side entrance.
"Thank you," Winters replied, hesitantly.
"Please don't fear me," Kazyn nodded towards her. "I am deeply indebted to you. If, before I leave, you need someone intimidated, please let me know."
One of the men suddenly decided to try to escape through this new door. He leapt to his feet and ran. At first Kazyn seemed not to notice him, but just as the man came level with his left leg the giant tail swung around and struck the man in the pit of the stomach. The man collapsed, and Kazyn carried him back to his chair. He produced a small box, then threw a switch. Suddenly a band emerged from a large box-like object attached to the back of each chair, swept around each prisoner, and bound him to the chair.
"Foolish fellow," Kazyn shrugged towards Winters. "Fancy him thinking he could run around the left flank of an expert tail-ball player? Of course even a mediocre tail-ball player could protect the right flank, so perhaps . . . Anyway!" Kazyn suddenly roared towards the centre of the room, his voice lowering almost two octaves, "please eat. I have business to discuss, so we have lunch, yes?"
There was a stunned silence. Kazyn turned towards Winters, and said, now in the high-pitched chirp, "It is a custom on your planet to have lunch to discuss business?"
"It's a custom," Winters agreed.
"Excellent," Kazyn roared to the group. "Now, let me explain the business. GenCorp has Commissioner Kotchetkova. I wish you to tell me her location. When that is done, you can all get drunk and go home. Please?"
There was silence.
"Perhaps you don't understand," Kazyn went on. "I must find her. She is my nestling!"
"Honorary nestling," Hadell added. The bewildered thugs turned to see the second, larger, sauroid. "Sorry," she added to Kazyn. "I didn't mean to spoil things. It's your show, as this culture is wont to say, but it occurred to me they might think you look different from the Commissioner."
"True," Kazyn agreed slowly. "Be that as it may, would someone please tell me where she is?"
There was silence.
"What does this silence mean?" Kazyn asked, as he turned to Winters.
"I don't think they want to tell you. Perhaps they're scared of Munro."
"More than me? Me! A terrible lizard! I'm insulted! Truly insulted!" he roared at the nearest diner. He paused, and the diner visibly blanched. "So be it," he said, and returned to the centre of the room. "Did I not ask politely?"
"Very politely," Winters hurriedly agreed.
"Then we go to our first item of entertainment," Kazyn shrugged. "It's a game. A mathematical game. It's called the prisoner's dilemma. You," he roared out twice as loudly, "can consider yourselves the prisoners. I shall give you a dilemma.
"But first," he waived a 'finger' in the air, "this game works best when the prisoners don't communicate with each other. See this!" and he held up something the size and shape of a large carving knife, but which had something like a moving blade running around the edges. "This will cut through flesh, bone, anything living, and it cauterizes, so too much blood is not lost. Anyone tries to talk, and they get their tongue cut out. Understand?"
There was a frozen silence.
"Excellent! Now, you know there's no such thing as a free lunch. You must pay for it, and the Commissioner's location is what I want. In front of you –"
"Ouch!"
All eyes turned to a rear table, where it seemed one of the thugs had been prodded by Hadell.
"Mother, please!" Kazyn implored. "I'm sorry. Females of my species are all the same. Can't wait to look over the goods. Now, where was I? Yes. In front of you are pads. Over the next three minutes, you will each write something on the top page, then put that in an envelope. Lieutenant Winters here will collect the envelopes. Those who write down the commissioner's location, once it's checked out, can enjoy the food, drink the wine and eventually leave. If you don't know, feel free to guess. There's no punishment for a wrong guess, unless, of course, someone else gets it right.
"And now I must thank Lieutenant Winters. You are all afraid of Munro? Well, here's the other side of the dilemma. Those who forgot to tell me get taken away, and will never see Earth again. Suppose nobody tells me. Well, eventually, I get tired of the game, and we chemically decondition the lot of you, find out what you know, and turn you into vegetables, and you end up in my larder. The game is there to speed things up, and give us a topic for polite conversation during future entertainment. So, eat up, dine well. We intend to."
"The saliva is certainly running," Hadell noted. She was standing in one corner, putting on a gigantic sleeved bib. Another of the strange knives was to her side.
"Oh yes," Kazyn added. "Perhaps some of you haven't quite realized. We love to eat nice fresh warm mammal. Bits of you will be our lunch, but don't worry. We'll keep the rest of you in good condition for later feasts. And please, drink plenty of wine. It relaxes the muscles and makes the flesh more tender. No, mother, please wait! We must give them a chance. Write!"
There was an appalled silence. Some eyes looked furtively around, then one or two began to write. Soon Winters stepped down and began collecting envelopes.
"So," Kazyn eventually announced. "We have two non-rude statements. These are being checked out now, by remote sensing. Two lucky people might leave here."
"Two lucky Ranhynn might dine well for weeks," Hadell almost slurped. "There is such a thing as a free lunch!"
"True," Kazyn nodded. "For the two that answered, you want assurance the
rest won't tell Munro? They won't because they can't get out of our larder. Oh yes, and that's the other bit about the dilemma. Don't cooperate, and you get eaten, gradually, over the next few weeks. Eaten alive, bit by bit, although I concede that it is debatable that life in our larder could be called living. Now, I shall give you all one more chance. Write!"
Now there was frantic writing. Envelopes were held up in a begging tone. Winters again collected them, and Kazyn indicated they should lunch well while the information was evaluated. Nothing happened for about twenty minutes, and very little lunch was eaten, then eventually Kazyn rose. "You'll all be pleased to know," he beamed, "that the remote sensor has located the Commissioner, and she is still alive. Tables three, seven, thirteen, sixteen, seventeen, nineteen, twenty-one, and twenty-two. You may leave. Take your next course with you, take the wine. Take anyone else's wine for that matter. Everyone else will be stunned, as from now!" Just as he finished speaking, the remaining thugs fell forward, unconscious.
"Thank you very much," Kazyn turned to Winters. "That must have been hard for you."
"You are rather frightening," Winters replied. "I hope you don't mind my saying that," she added quickly. "I didn't mean to insult you. I –"
"You have paid me a great compliment," Kazyn beamed. "If I may say so, you are extremely beautiful, for a human that is."
"Thank you."
"I must thank you further. Let me invite you to my ship for lunch."
"Well, thanks, but –"
"Don't be frightened. It will be most civilized. We shall have cakes and syrups, and some really delightful fruit that we shall both eat. Gaius loves them. I promise, nothing crass like raw meat. You can hear some music from my planet. Please?"
"You mean it?"
"Yes. I've seen your file. You've been in nearly as many important places as Lansfeld and Robeiro, but you've had no special rewards. Let me give you something nobody else will get."
"Then thank you," Winters smiled. "What a story! Who else has dated a . . ." She paused.
"You may say it!" Kazyn waved his tail and bared his teeth. "Yes! What other human has dated a dinosaur? And, what you might call, a royal dinosaur!"
"Royal?"
"Definitely extreme upper society. Perhaps the nearest is from Gaius' time. Imperial senatorial! Hey! I like the sound of that! Yes, indeed! Come!"
* * *
Once again, Natasha struggled to free herself, but again it was useless. Her wrists were sore, and she knew they were so raw they would bleed if she tried any more. Blood seemed to be an attraction to those kerem, so whatever else she did, she had to avoid bleeding. The situation seemed so hopeless. She had to conserve energy.
Suddenly she became conscious of a light. She must have dozed, because the sunlight on the floor had moved. She looked up, and there in front of her stood Ekaterina.
"Good morning," Natasha said politely.
"It is afternoon," Ekaterina replied. "Natasha, I want you to listen to me."
"I'm not going anywhere in a hurry," Natasha said simply.
"The situation is grave," Ekaterina said, without any indication of any feeling towards Natasha's attempted banter. "Gaius has been captured, and they intend to use you as a lever to get the Ulsian ships."
"I know. I also know they're wasting their time."
"I'm not so sure," Ekaterina said. "Gaius feels so strongly for you that he may well agree."
"I think Gaius knows his duty, but in any case, you and Marcellus won't let him. They can't do anything without you."
"It's not that simple," Ekaterina replied. "Contrary to what you seem to think, we do not have that level of independence."
"Oh yes you do," Natasha countered, "and I'll prove it. I order you to free me."
"I can't do that," Ekaterina responded.
"See," Natasha said flatly. "You can refuse."
"On the contrary," Ekaterina replied, "you don't seem to understand that I can't obey, because at this moment you are an ordinary Terran citizen."
"What?"
"When you elected to return to your previous role, you relinquished command of the Livia. The Ulsian committee has ordered me to persuade you to elect to exercise your option to return –"
"Katya! Would you please stop those pathetic attempts at persuading Natasha to change her mind and free her! At once!" Standing in the doorway was Claudia Lucilla.
"At once," Ekaterina acknowledged, without question, and without even turning to verify the source of the command. She reached out to place her fingers over the steel band over Natasha's left wrist. One finger wedged in between the band and the flesh, then suddenly the steel became hot, and the band was broken.
"Your M'starn is dead," Lucilla said in a matter of fact tone.
"What? How?" Natasha asked in a surprised voice.
"Munro had the elevator booby trapped. The M'starn fell all the way to the bottom. Two of Munro's men are coming with those wretched kerem. Worse, some of the kerem have escaped into the building."
"We've got to do something!" Natasha said in horror. "If those things escape –"
"We are doing something," Lucilla laughed. "We Romans had many faults, but lapsing into philosophy when action was required was not one of them. And don't worry," Lucilla added as the last band was severed, "You are being rescued without obligation."
"I'm really grateful," Natasha said, as she stood up and stretched some cramped muscles, "and I know I'm obliged to you, but I still have other –"
"I meant what I said," Lucilla said quietly. "There is no obligation. An Ulsian would never think of bargaining with a life, because a life is too valuable. It's your people who seem to be able to sell planets and their people for commercial advantage."
"Ouch!" Natasha replied. "I don't suppose there's much point in my adding that that is why I have to stay with my people rather than with the Livia? I have to be sure that something is done about that, and –"
"I understand," Lucilla smiled, "although I'm far from convinced that you're going about it the right way. But in answer to your question, Gaius would never forgive me if I let you die, and Kazyn would eat me –"
"Kazyn?"
"He located you. Apparently he felt so badly about his nestling's predicament that he wined and dined Munro's men –"
"Wined and dined?" Natasha gasped.
"Invited them to lunch," Lucilla smiled, "then eventually they told him where you were. They were to eat good food and drink good wine, while he promised to dine on those who were uncooperative. He did this to save you so, like it or not, you are going to be rescued."
"That's fine, but what about the kerem?"
"We are going to a shuttle hovering near the top of the roof as quickly as we can," Lucilla said firmly. "Let Katya carry you. That will be quicker. Then we shall deal with the kerem."
"How?" Natasha asked dubiously. "They're small, they're fast, and they're vicious. They…"
"They're organic," Lucilla said simply, "which means there is a limit to what they can withstand, and they're still in this building. I shall simply destroy both the building and any life form in it."
* * *
Those tourists fortunate enough to be viewing the ghosts of Manhattan had the chance to view and record a never to occur again sight. One of the fifty-odd floor skyscraper hulks suddenly began to glow as the temperature of the structure soared to seven hundred degrees centigrade. The windows melted and flowed smoothly down, although only the most powerful viewing aids would show this properly. Jets of smoke poured forth, then came the brilliant white as the aluminium burnt furiously. As the temperatures rose even higher huge green tinted flames emerged as the copper wiring began to volatilize and colour the flames. As the building began to glow a whitish yellow, the whole structure began to sag, then flow towards the ground, down a controlled column, until eventually a brilliant white pyramid stood in the building's place. This pyramid was to glow for hours, although then only the waifs and criminals of Manhattan could properly view i
t.
Chapter 15
The situation had deteriorated into a farce, Harry thought. First, the careful approach to the front door, then the rush to jam the surveillance camera. Marisa had driven up, approached the front door, pressed the buzzer, and had waited by the door for the guard. They waited, and waited, but no guard appeared. Marisa found the door was unlocked. She carefully opened it and tried to sneak inside. There was nothing to hide behind, but there was nobody to hide from. Even more farcical, the room containing the surveillance screens was unattended. The guards were all in the room to the right, joking, drinking beer, and intending to watch the celebrations on the large screen. Two of them had even left their weapons leaning against the doorway. Nobody would break and enter a GenCorp building.
The expressions on their faces when confronted with their own guns were almost laughable. First, outright surprise! This was impossible! Then outrage. How dare anyone do this to GenCorp! Then arrogance. You stupid fools! You'll get fried for this! Then realization. Hey, we should have stopped this. Then fear. Oh my God! The boss'll fry us! All between thirty seconds and two minutes.
"Against the wall! Hands behind your back, palms facing outwards, noses touching the wall. Move!"
At first there was a reluctance to comply. This youngster won't shoot! We'd better let him know exactly what's –
"You!" Harry indicated to the closest. "You have two seconds in which to move or die!"
The man looked, then fear struck. He scampered to comply. As the gun came around to the next man, he too grudgingly complied. Soon they were all against the wall.
"Feet one half pace back! Keep your nose where it is! Stand on tip toes!"
There was a shuffling, as they moved to comply.
"Anyone let their heels touch the floor will get their feet shot off," Harry said light-heartedly. "Of course you won't believe me, so someone's going to try. Please, someone, don't believe me."
Everybody believed him. Marisa found some string in the nearby room, and she quickly went along the row, tying thumbs and little fingers tightly together, then wrists. The prisoner's legs started shaking slightly with the strain, so Harry reminded them of how he so wanted an excuse. The noses went even higher. Finally Marisa was finished. The men were then marched from the room, down towards the special cellars, relieved to be able to walk.