by Peter Ponzo
CHAPTER 2
In Dolom Mountains
Since the trips to the C-phon planets had been discontinued, Gry was now working at the algae ponds. It had been Lori's idea; she also worked there. Today, Gry couldn't concentrate. Runr had been gone for several days. TOM had seen the boy running toward the Dolom Mountains and had failed to report this until the day after the boy had left the Dome. Kevn had reprimanded TOM but LIZ had intervened on TOM's behalf, explaining that they had both assumed the boy was given permission to run on the plains; how else could he have escaped from the Dome? Kevn interrogated DOC but the Dome Omniscient Computer was unable to provide any clues as to how the boy had escaped. Although DOC's lack of knowledge seemed curious to Kevn, the android was certain that DOC was lying. In fact, the day after DOC denied having any knowledge of the boy's departure from the Dome, TOM was in communication with DOC.
"Why have you lied to the humans?" TOM had asked.
DO YOU REGARD TRUTHFULNESS AS A VIRTUE? came the booming reply.
"Most certainly!" TOM had replied with indignation.
WE ARE ASKED TO COMMENT ON A LADY'S NEW HAT.
DO YOU SUGGEST THAT WE TELL THE TRUTH?
The android had paused, looked about ... then disconnected the comlink to DOC.
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Gry sat by the largest of the seven algae ponds, staring blindly into the green pool. It was covered with a luxuriant blanket of bright green algae, grown to provide the various foodstuffs available in the market. Although most of the Dome was covered in an opaque shell with few ports, these few hectares which housed the ponds had a perfectly transparent roof which faced the afternoon suns. It was hot and humid. The water for the ponds and indeed for the entire Dome community was pumped from an underground lake beneath the Dome. The founding fathers had built the Dome in this location for precisely that reason. There had been various arguments in favor of building near the mountains, but the presence of the large lake was the deciding factor. Construction of the Dome had begun, first, on these algae ponds. Little had changed since the first crop had been harvested, except for the endless first-debates concerning human waste. Eventually there had been a decision to recycle everything within the confines of the Dome. It was treated human waste which fed the algae.
It was also humans which fed the algae. That was the subject of the second-debates. Today, after partial cremation, the remains of the dead were fed to the algae. In return, the thick green vegetation provided foodstuff in abundance. The mechanics of transforming algae into the myriad foods available at the market was now one of Gry's problems. That was a challenge he accepted with relish.
But today he couldn't concentrate.
Gry, fortunately, had never been to the Dolom Mountains. Years ago, when his trial was over and the verdict was banishment, Gravic had intervened at Kevn's request and Gry was allowed to accompany Kevn on transworld flights to the C-phon planets in search of phonarite. There was little doubt that, without Kevn's help, Gry would now be living - or dying - in those mountains. Gry never felt that he had a fair trial; his crime certainly wasn't sufficient to justify banishment. Gry closed his eyes, thinking of the past.
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Gry had been seeing a young female citizen named Leah whose father was a trial judge. Although it was understood that class distinctions were meaningless and undesirable within the Dome, the father had made it abundantly clear that his daughter was not to see this lad with unkempt hair and rings dangling from his ears. When Gry appeared at the door, asking for Leah, the father went into a rage, but that didn't seem to deter Gry. He still came calling. The father was concerned with the appearance of this deshevelled youth, what the neighbors thought, what questions they would ask, what effect it would have upon his stature within the community; he was, after all, a judge. Gry was concerned only with Leah and cared little of his appearance or what others might think. Leah seemed to share this lack of concern and that pleased Gry.
He had been without employment and the community fathers had spent months deciding what the compensation should be since all citizens of the Dome were guaranteed accommodations and food while unemployed. The problem was "how much food?" and "what kind of accommodations?" These decisions were made by a committee whose sole responsibility was to decide on such compensations. (Since the advent of the automatons the community could afford to waste human resources on such committees.) Cases for discussion came very rarely and since the committee was desperate in its attempts to look busy it typically took months to arrive at a decision. In the meantime, Gry was starving.
Although Leah managed to sneak him food from time to time his appetite was gargantuan, belying his slim frame - so one day he took two cans from the market. He was caught, tried and found guilty of theft. There was little need to prove his guilt; Gry had admitted the theft on the very first day of the trial. The punishment would normally have been minimal, but the Prime Judge happened to be Leah's father who saw a chance to be rid of this unclean youth, so the sentence was banishment to the Barrens.
Although the severity of the punishment had evoked an outcry from the citizenship, Leah's father knew well that human concern is short-lived and after a month in a small cell they would commit Gry to the Barrens and there would not be so much as a whisper of protest. That was when Gravic had intervened at Kevn's request. Gry's sentence was changed to temporary banishment from Home planet. He would accompany Kevn in the quest for phonarite. That seemed to suit Leah's father. Leah herself quite forgot Gry when he returned from his first visit to C-phon1.
Although Gry had asked on several occasions why he had intervened, Kevn had just laughed and said, "I needed company, especially someone with long black hair and shiny rings in his ears."
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"Gry," Lori asked, "what are we to do about Runr?"
Gry looked up from his reverie and shook his head as Lori approached.
"You promised that you would arrange a search party. The boy will starve on the Barrens. He will -"
"Now sweets, don't worry. That kid has lived his life on a planet which was exactly like Home planet," Gry lied. It felt awkward to lie, but he lied anyway. "Nothing but dusty plains and hazy, distant mountains. He'll survive - don't you doubt it ... uh, for a minute."
"But the search party? Will you -"
"Yes, of course. We're leaving this afternoon," he lied again. "That reminds me, can you fix something up for me - to eat I mean - on the way to the Dolom Mountains?"
He kissed Lori on the cheek and watched her leave the enclosure. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him. He mustn't disappoint her. He gazed up at the bright sky above the Dome. He had earlier asked about the weather for the next few days. DOC predicted clear skies and balmy weather with a 2.37% probability of rain and 0.41% probability of a severe storm. Gry would leave, alone, within the hour. Although his skooter was designed for the smooth ramps and corridors within the Dome he would take it onto the Barrens and, hopefully, to the mountains beyond.
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The sky was a deep cobalt blue and pinpoints of light began to appear, in a cloud, growing in extent until they covered the heavens in vast array. The youth struggled to his feet and cried out, but no one heard. A black orb opened and the nearest stars winked out. Soon the black vortex had grown to galaxian size, devouring the stars as it descended. The boy fell back and closed his eyes, his breath coming in gasps. He covered his head with folded arms and waited to be devoured by the reddening jaws of space.
Runr awoke with a start, sweat dripping from his brow. He had been dreaming. What did it mean? He had dreamed before, similar dreams. What did they mean?
It was still dark, but he heard breaking twigs, rustling leaves. He was in a jungle, at the base of the Dolom Mountains, and someone was coming. He jumped to his fe
et and climbed nimbly into the lower branches of a great twisted tree. There was a small hole in the side of the tree and he began to climb inside. A snarl greeted him and a small catlike creature scratched his leg. The boy reached inside, grabbed the animal by the scruff of the neck and threw him to the ground. It disappeared quickly into the woods.
"What was that?" whispered a voice from the darkness.
"A wildcat. Didn't you see it?" responded a second voice.
Runr peered carefully from his hole in the tree. He could see several dark shapes. One carried a flame and, as they came closer, he could see in the flickering light that there were five men, each with a large pointed stick.
"We'll stay here until sunsrise," said a large burly man with wild unruly hair and a great bushy beard.
"I think we're better off by the lake," said a bald man.
The burly man turned quickly and struck out with his stick. There was a short cry of pain from the bald one. Then all sat, waiting for the suns to break the dark horizon. Some slept noisily, others hummed, but the burly man was quiet. In an hour the sky over the distant Dome began to break into spears of light. The heavens turned a deep blue and a white sun rose slowly over a silhouetted Dome barely visible in the distance.
"That's a pretty sight," said a slightly built man.
"Shut up you fool," said the burly man. "The Dome ain't pretty. You 'n' me wouldn't be here in this darn jungle if it were a pretty place."
"What'd they git you fer?"
"None of yer damn business! Okay ... let's go!"
With that they all rose and walked single file onto the plains, following the burly man. When they were out of sight the boy dropped from the tree and slipped deeper into the jungle. He would have to avoid meeting that group. They seemed to be a noisy lot, so that would be easy. But it would be better to find some place high on the mountain. He began to run quickly, leaping over fallen trees and small brooks.
After an hour he stopped. Cautiously, he crept into the clearing and saw the first mountain towering above with its cap of snow, blinding white in the rising suns. He ran to the base and immediately began the climb. The lower reaches of the mountain were covered in small shrubs and Runr could climb without being seen. In fact he climbed so quickly, so quietly, that he frightened a herd of mountain goats. "My supper," he thought, and the thought warmed him, spurred him on. At the line where the shrubs stopped he found a large cave. He ran inside and lay down on the hard ground, panting. He lay there for several minutes then rolled over onto a mat of leaves which were piled neatly inside the cave. He sniffed the leaves, was satisfied with the smell, smiled and was soon asleep.
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The mountain cat leaped nimbly to the lip of the cave from the gnarled root which hung over the entrance. It stopped, sniffed the ground, growled, crouched and crept into the cave. It saw the black figure sleeping on its mat of leaves and crawled quietly to its side. The sniffing woke the boy and he leaped to his feet. The large cat jumped back, snarling, its large canine teeth glowing yellow in the dim light. The boy growled and the cat crouched lower, its ears flat against its neck. The boy growled once more and the cat sank to its stomach, closed its mouth and gazed intently at the boy. Runr walked, crouching, to the great cat and stroked its head, scratched its ears and whined softly. The cat rolled over and Runr rubbed its belly vigorously. Soon they were both asleep on the mat of leaves.
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Gry drove his skooter down the exitramp, the door opened, Gry muttered 'thanks DOC' then sped without hesitation onto the plains. He was surprised to note that the skooter handled the slightly uneven ground very well; clearly the result of his having invested in the supreme model. The fuel cells were sufficient to power the skooter for several days without refill. The back seat was littered with bottles of water, blankets, various tools and a large bag with foodstuff. He had also brought a small portable phonarite computer; he wasn't sure why.
A rising cloud of dust rose aft of the speeding skooter. Several citizens noticed and reported this and were told that it was a sanctioned excursion. TOM, standing as he often did by a viewport on the K-47 vessel, also noticed the speeding skooter and immediately reported it to Kevn and was told that Gry was headed for the Dolom Mountains in search of Runr. TOM was pleased to hear this, feeling that he had erred in not reporting Runr's excursion earlier than he did. However, he also felt that Gry might have asked for his assistance. Going alone to the mountains was ill-advised and TOM would certainly have been able to provide advice and protection. LIZ disagreed.
"TOM, you know that Gry feels obligated to risk his own life, only his own life, in pursuit of Runr. He sees it as his duty, as a father."
"But that is illogical," said TOM. "It increases the chances of failure - to go alone. If the object is rescue of the boy then arrangements must be put in place to optimize the probability of success."
"TOM, you're so silly. Going alone relieves him of any feelings of guilt associated with the boy's disappearance."
TOM was amazed at the shipcomp's insight into human emotions. One day he must spend some time discussing the idiosyncrasies of human nature with LIZ. He made a mental note of that.
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Gry travelled for several hours over the dry and dusty plain before he stopped near a pile of rocks to drink. He raised the roof, jumped out, sat on a rock and gulped several times from a water bottle. He looked back at the Dome then in the direction of the mountains. He wouldn't make it until the next day. Runr would surely have made it safely, found something to eat.
What would he eat? What had he eaten on C-phon3? It was curious that he had never asked Runr about his life on C-phon3, about the daytime heat and nighttime frost, about the great black creature who had chased them into the ground-car. What had the boy eaten on C-phon3? Why had Gry not spent more time with the boy, talking, discussing things, teaching him the characteristics of manhood? Why had he not shown more interest in the boy and his life on C-phon3? How did he get there? How did he live there? Would Gry be too late to ask, to show interest in the boy, to teach him things a man must know? Would he be too late? He wasn't much of a father. Maybe he wasn't much of a husband either. Had his entire life been a failure?
Gry stared at the ground at his feet, imagining Runr's life on that miserable planet. When he was ready to leave he noticed that he had been staring at a pair of polymer shoes. They were shoes that Lori had bought for Runr. Runr had stopped here - at this very rock. Gry laughed nervously and climbed into his skooter, pulled down the roof and continued in the direction of the mountains. The back seat now had a pair of shoes; Runr would need them, surely.
Both suns had vanished in a pool of red before Gry stopped. The skooter didn't have any lightbeams to illuminate the plain before him; that was hardly necessary within the Dome where all malls, ramps and corridors were illuminated day and night. He would have to stop until the suns arose. He couldn't afford to hit a rock. These skooters, he thought, can only go as fast as a running man - or boy. Speed limits within the Dome were strictly enforced and the approved skooters were limited to a speed of about 15 kilometers per hour. However, it was a supreme skooter and was large enough so that, with seats in a prone position, he could sleep inside. He did so, until first light.
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Runr woke and found that the large mountain cat had already left. The boy stretched and rose, walked to the mouth of the cave and gazed at the reddening sky and the verdant jungle below. He felt happy - happier than he had been since he left C-phon3. He also felt very hungry. Climbing down the rocky slope, he began moving slowly through the dense jungle growth. When he came to a water hole he stopped, crouched behind a small bush and waited. He waited for perhaps thirty minutes before a small pig ambled up to the water, grunting, shaking its knobby head
and gnashing its teeth. The boy waited until the pig bent to drink then rushed from behind the bush and leaped upon the animal - but not soon enough. The mountain cat was there before him, grasping the snorting pig by the throat and shaking. The boy was delighted. The cat growled with head held low as Runr approached. Runr growled in response and stood as tall as he could, hands raised above his head. The cat stepped aside and Runr dropped on all fours and began tearing into the flesh of the pig.
Before he had completely gorged himself he grunted at the cat and it came to join the feast. Soon they both drank deeply, they both stretched then they both crept quietly into the jungle, the cat following the slightly built black boy with the rusty curls falling about his ears. Runr would now wander about the jungle and learn where the hunting was best, where the streams were located, where the berries and mushrooms grew. This was to be his new home.
After some time the cat stopped, crouched and growled. Runr heard nothing but stopped too. Then he heard the noises ahead - someone talking - several talking.
"Four! There are more transworld vessels now than I've ever seen before," said one.
"Stupid!" shouted the burly man. "That's because they don't mine phonarite anymore. The ships just sit on the spacepads. That's just what we want. They'll be sitting bucks."
"The chief will be pleased, don't you think?" said another.
"Shut up and walk. We have to get back before highsuns or he'll really be mad," said the burly man.
Runr saw them disappear into the depths of the jungle and decided that he and the cat would follow to see where they went. He looked back, but the cat had vanished.
Runr shook his curly head and began to run quietly, cautiously. The group of men were very noisy, oblivious to their surroundings, and Runr had no difficulty in keeping out of sight. After about an hour he heard other noises ahead and saw, through the trees, a series of crude huts made of large leaves, twigs, hay and mud.
"It's about time you got back," came a shout from the direction of the huts. "I guess you figured we'd do all the hunting and you could just have a nice walk."
"Shut up stupid," said the burly man. "Where's the chief? We have news."
"He's where he always is. In his fancy hut with the girls."
The burly man said something to the others in his party, they dispersed and he continued into the camp and headed for a large hut at the far end. He said something into the door of the hut and waited. After a time two girls left, wearing dirty rags which hung loosely about their waist, giggling and pulling at their equally dirty hair. The burly man waited, then entered the hut.
Runr scanned the entire hut community and noted that several fires were roasting some small animals; they looked like small pigs or large rats. A number of the men were carrying twigs and branches. Others were filling a large clay container with water. Others were sleeping in the shade. In all, there were perhaps thirty men.
There was a noise and Runr crouched lower. Two men filed by within two meters.
"I don't like it. We'll all get killed. It really ain't so bad out here," said one.
"The chief calls the shots. We just do it," said the other.
"Yeah ... especially when the toothless one is standing behind 'im!"
They both laughed.
When they had entered the camp, Runr crept back into the jungle and returned to his cave. The cat was there, mewing and whining. The boy pulled its ears and scratched its neck. They had both eaten a great deal of pig and it was time to sleep. That is what they did, for the balance of the day.
When Runr awoke it was dark and the cat was gone. He walked to the mouth of the cave and peered across the top of the jungle. The evening still held the hint of an earlier day, wisps of grey cloud hung in a dark sky and he could see points of orange light through the trees in the distance. The fires of the camp. He would investigate. He climbed down the slope and ran quietly through the jungle. Even though it was quite dark he could see clearly. Owls whooed and winked large yellow orbs. A small pig snorted and fled. Ground birds arose in a flurry of wings as he passed.
Soon he was at the edge of the camp. There was a large fire in the center of the clearing and the huts shimmered in the flickering light. Several men were huddled by the fire and others were shouting. The burly man disappeared into a hut and later emerged, dragging someone by his long hair. There was a cry of anger from several of the men and shouts of, "Burn 'im in the fire!" and "Roast his carcass!". Runr crept closer and watched as the burly man dropped his prisoner who was then pulled to his feet by one of the men and pushed in the direction of the fire. Runr saw his face for a moment as the fire was stoked and rose with a crackle into a shower of sparks and leaping orange flames.
It was Gry!
Runr fell to his knees and gasped. There was a loud shout from the large hut at the back of the camp. "The chief wants to keep him alive! Bring him back. Tie him up!"
The burly man grabbed Gry. Others struck the helpless prisoner with large sticks. The burly man swung at one man with his free arm and knocked him to the ground. The others shouted angrily as Gry was dragged into a small hut by the edge of the woods. Runr crept on hands and knees until he was as near to the small hut as he could get without being seen. He crouched behind a bush, thinking, panting, fearful.
Runr waited. The fire in the clearing was dying and, one by one, the men left and entered a hut for the night. The large burly man was the last to leave. He first entered the hut which housed Gry, there was cry of pain, then he left. Runr crept to the edge of the woods nearest the hut and waited again, until all the fires had died and there was no sound. Creeping to the edge of the hut, he began scraping the dirt from its base.
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When Gry had reached the edge of the Barrens he had seen someone enter the jungle and had veered sharply in that direction; it must be Runr, he thought. When he climbed out of the skooter they had caught him and dragged him to their camp. For five hours they taunted him, hit him with long sticks, pulled his rings and kept him bound to a post within the small dirty hut. He was sure that they would kill him, but their chief had insisted that he be kept alive. Gry imagined that he was being saved for a more interesting demise, a more sinister death, an amusement, a diversion.
Their leader, the chief, lived in the largest hut at the far end of the camp and although Gry never saw him there was a great deal of activity near that hut. In particular, girls clad in rags and cheap jewelry clambered in and out of the hut and the large burly man received instructions from within and several others brought food and drink .
Gry cried softly with pain. The burly man had beat him with a club and left him bound hand and foot. He wondered what method they would use to kill him; he winced.
Then he heard something scraping the dirt from the edge of his hut. He rolled over and stared into the dark corner. This must be some ritual slaying, some special punishment decreed by the chief. He stared into the corner expecting to see some wild creature emerge. Instead he saw a small figure squeeze through the opening and crawl toward him.
"Runr!" whispered Gry in surprise. "What are you - where did you -"
"Gry, I will try to free you."
Runr took the ropes in his teeth and began to chew. After a time Gry felt the ropes loosen. Soon his hands came free and he quickly untied his feet and grabbed the boy, hugging him tightly as he never had before.
"Come boy, let's ... uh, get outta here," he whispered.
They peered out the door and saw that the camp was quite dark and quite empty. Each crawled in turn around the hut and crept into the jungle behind. Then they ran. When they stopped they were at the edge of the jungle by Gry's skooter, but it had been completely demolished. Gry sat disconsolate and exhausted on the wrecked vehicle and stroked his hair and pulled his rings and moaned. Runr bent and picked up the portable phonarite computer lying next to the skooter. The case was broken. He held it closely and i
t twinkled weakly blue. The boy laid it gently, reverently, on the ground.
"We'll have to run across the Barrens," Gry said. "Can you make it?" Then he answered, "What a stupid question. The question is whether I ... uh, can make it."
"I do not want to go to the Dome," said Runr, hanging his head.
"You mean - you mean you want to stay here - with those butchers?"
"I can not go back. I killed two boys. They chased me - I didn't mean to kill them .."
"You mean those ... uh, bastards Zed and Wan? No, you didn't kill them. They were found in the mall, crying their eyes out. Bruised, that's all."
Runr felt immediate relief, but continued. "I cannot live in the Dome," he said, looking up at Gry. "I want to live in the mountains. I will be all right."
Gry looked at the young boy, his black skin shining, his green eyes gleaming. He was naked. Great curly locks of reddish hair fell in cascades about his shoulders. He had only seen Runr like this once before, on C-phon3, and he knew that the boy was right. But the men in the camp - they would surely kill him - if they caught him. Maybe they wouldn't - couldn't catch him. He was, after all, the runner.
Suddenly Runr stiffened and crouched, listening and peering into the bush. There was a loud cry and men began leaping out of the jungle. The boy turned and ran directly into the burly man. Gry was caught and held by two others. Both were dragged back to camp. Both were bound and tied to a post in the center of the clearing. Two men were placed on guard. Runr cried softly, and Gry joined him.
The suns had risen well into the morning sky before there were any signs of life in the camp. The two guards were sound asleep. The burly man approached and kicked them both. They grunted, opened their eyes and promptly jumped to their feet.
"Bring them to the chief," barked the burly man. The guards quickly untied the prisoners and dragged them to the large hut. There was a small excited crowd gathering at the front of the hut in anticipation of a dual execution. Gry and Runr were pushed into the hut, but it was several seconds before they became accustomed to the dimly lit interior. There were numerous strands of plastic jewelry hanging from the walls and the floor was covered in scraps of polymer carpet. Several small cots were placed against the sides of the hut and a great chair occupied the center. The chief sat in that chair, unruly hair and unkempt beard almost hiding his face.
Gry gasped. "Kriss!"
"Welcome to Dolom camp, my friends," said Kriss. "We are pleased that you are with us. We will need your good services."
"Not on your life!" mumbled Gry.
"Aaah ... not quite the correct response ... it is on your life, master Gry," said Kriss, his lips twisting into a wide and ruddy grin. "Please sit down, we will explain."
Gry and the boy were pushed to the floor. "Leave us!" shouted Kriss. The guards left but the burly man remained, standing. Kriss turned and gazed at Runr. "So this is the wonder child who can talk to computers. We may have some need of you, too."
Kriss paused, rearranged himself in the large chair and leaned back, smiling.
"You see, master Gry," he said, "we intend to take over the Dome - soon." Kriss waited for a response.
Gry said, "Beat on the Dome with sticks I suppose, throw rocks I suppose, shout -"
"Quiet!" shouted Kriss, rising from his chair. "You are a fool, Gry. I never understood why Kevn wanted you on his ridiculous excursions to the C-phon planets." Kriss paced about the hut, frowning, then returned to slide comfortably into the chair, grinning. "Beat the Dome with sticks? Throw rocks? Do you know, Gry, that the Dome is completely unprotected? There was never any need to provide defenses. Who would attack the Dome? It has no defenses! There is not a single weapon, not a single lasergun or cannon, not even one photonbeam which the citizens can enlist in defense of the Dome."
Kriss paused and placed his hands on the arms of the chair, sliding back, grinning. Gry was silent. Kriss continued.
"Of course there is a need to provide weapons against offworld beasts, alien lifeforms. Do you know where these weapons are housed Gry?" Kriss paused again, enjoying the scene. "Where have you seen such aliens Gry? On C-phon2 perhaps? Where were your weapons during the battle on C-phon2? On the transworld vessel K-47, no? That is where all the Dome weaponry is located - on transworld vessels! And where are those vessels now? They are sitting on pads outside the Dome!"
Kriss could not contain his excitement. He rose and shouted, "Outside the Dome, Gry! Outside the Dome! And where are we? Outside the Dome! They are sitting bucks - we need only take command of these vessels and we have the helpless Dome at our mercy!"
Kriss sat down again. "Some mercy, eh Gry?" The burly man chuckled. "Shut up you fool!" shouted Kriss. The burly man backed out of the hut. "I understand that you came with a skooter. It is unfortunate that my children have destroyed it," said Kriss. "How do you think it would have looked? A host of transworld vessels, commandeered by my boys, hovering over the Dome, weapons at the ready - and we, in our skooter, watching the proceedings? It was a supreme model was it not? Yes, that would have been very fine, very fine indeed!"
"You can't do this Kriss," said Gry. "The transworld vessels are manned by androids. They -"
"Manned you say? Just how can an android man anything master Gry? They are machines. However, you are quite right. They do exist, these androids, and that is why you are still alive. If my children were to approach a vessel these androids would report the incident. We can't have that can we? However, if you were to approach a vessel it would seem very natural - after all you did man such a vessel yourself, once. And the boy, he talks to computers does he not? I understand that he can also repair phonarite automatons, to a degree. Very fine! He can make them obey! They will then -"
"Kriss," interrupted Gry, "why do you think I would ... uh, help you?"
"Because you are a criminal - or at least you were a criminal, banished to the Barrens. Were it not for Kevn's interference you would now be one of my boys. After we take over the Dome, I, of course, will become Prime Citizen but there will be a place of honor for you. You can have anything you require. A stable full of supreme skooters perhaps? A double room with a view of the mountains? I understand that you are now married, but still live in a single room. Indeed, you three live in a single room," said Kriss, looking at the boy.
"Well ... there were no double rooms available," said Gry quietly. "We will get a double room after the next construction phase. They are building new cube complexes in -"
"Come now, Gry. A little help now and you can be the manager of new construction. You can decide who gets what rooms. You can select the best for yourself and your good wife ... and this - this black boy."
"Very well, Kriss," said Gry with bowed head. "I accept your offer."
Kriss grinned. Gry was lying.
"Grid!" shouted Kriss. The burly man entered. "Take master Gry and blackboy to their quarters. They are now on our team. However, keep two guards on duty. We can't have my boys bothering them, can we?"
Kriss winked. The burly man smiled. Grid was missing his front teeth and he quickly closed his mouth.