Angels Among Us

by C. E. Barrett

  “Because I agree with you. It did appear to be about noon when we met. Four or five hours seems a good estimate ... we walked a long time ... and then we've been here quite a while. The sun should have moved substantially by now, Seren. But look outside.”

  She pushed past him into the deceptively shadowy kitchen, remembered the trees shading this side of the house, and went on through the dining room to the living room. She looked out the window. Clouds were beginning to scud across the sky, but the sun was still there, its position unchanged as far as Seren could tell.

  “What does it mean?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “I don't know. I just noticed it myself. Come on, I want to show you something.” He turned away and stopped abruptly, holding out an arm to keep her back. The door at the far end of the living room was open.

  Something moved suddenly beyond the open door. They looked at each other. Then both gestured to the other to be silent. Seren grinned, despite her anxiety, and they crept toward the open door.

  Daffyd pushed it firmly so it swung all the way open. Bright sunlight fell through one window, dust motes dancing merrily in the light, disappearing when a cloud cast its shadow and reappearing a moment later. The glare of the sun made the shadows in the corners darker, more mysterious. Seren squinted against the brightness, hoping to be able to make out more detail.

  As their eyes adjusted, they could see the room appeared to be an office or a study of some kind. There was a desk against one wall, its companion chair snugged into the kneehole. Another window with the curtains closed was just above it. Beside the other window stood a four-drawer filing cabinet. A comfortable looking couch with a coffee table was across the room from the cabinet. There was a brightly colored afghan thrown across the back of the couch.

  A sudden small sound came from beside the filing cabinet. Seren and Daffyd both turned quickly and strained their eyes to see into the gloom of that corner. Daffyd stepped closer for a better look. He stopped in amazement. A young child crouched fearfully between the cabinet and the wall.

  Daffyd gestured to Seren who joined him in stunned silence. Where had the child come from? How had it been surviving? Where had all the adults gone? What to do now? All these questions bounced between them, unspoken but understood.

  The child stared back with huge frightened eyes. It squeezed itself even farther into the corner.

  Seren crouched down a short distance away and held out her hands.

  “Come on out, honey,” she spoke in the soothing tones used by mothers since the beginning of time. “We won't hurt you.”

  The little waif cringed away from her. Seren looked over her shoulder at Daffyd. “Go in the kitchen and grab a goodie out of the knapsack on the table. Maybe we can lure him, or her, out of there with food.”

  Daffyd nodded his understanding and went to look for something to use as bait. Seren returned her attention to the corner. Not knowing whether the child even understood English, she continued speaking in a soft voice.

  “Is this your house, baby? I'm sorry if we scared you. We found this house and we needed some things. I wish we could find someone who could tell us where we are or how we got here.”

  She sighed. The child crouched in her nook. “I don't even know how long we've been here.” She smiled sadly. “I just want to go home.”

  “So do I.” The voice was so quiet, so timid that Seren almost thought she had imagined it. She stared into the shadows.

  “I want to go home, too,” came the quiet whisper. The child edged a bit closer. Seren pretended disinterest and glanced out the window. The clouds were getting darker and it looked as if a storm were brewing. She almost thought she heard laughter in the distant rumbles of thunder.

  Daffyd, just returning from the kitchen with an orange in his hand, paused outside the door when he saw the success Seren was having. He waited to see what would happen next, not wanting to alarm the child by bursting in on them. He quietly backed away a few steps where he could listen without intruding.

  He heard Seren ask, “What's your name?” A murmur in response, then Seren again. “Stephanie? No? Say it again. Oh! That's a nice name. How old are you, Devany? Seven? Well, you're getting to be quite a big ... person, aren't you?”

  She had hesitated because she was still uncertain about the child's gender. She thought the name was a girl's name but so many unusual names could be either/or. The clothing, what she could make out in the increasing gloom, was as unisex as an outfit could be, consisting of sweat pants, a plain T-shirt, and sneakers. All the garments were devoid of any decoration whatsoever. She wondered how to ask without having the child thinking she was the least intelligent creature ever to walk the face of the earth.

  Instead, she craned her neck to look back over her shoulder. “I wonder where Daffyd is,” she said. “He's supposed to be bringing something good to eat. Are you hungry?”

  Devany nodded and edged closer. Outside the door, Daffyd thought, There's my cue. He called out to alert them to his presence. “I'm just coming, Seren.” He walked into the room, holding out the orange. “Here. These looked good.” He smiled briefly.

  “Thank you, Daffyd,” Seren replied, reaching for the fruit.

  Devany eyed the orange uncertainly from her haven. “What is it?” she asked.

  “It's an orange,” said Seren.

  “I can see that it's orange,” said Devany. “But what is it?”

  “I just told you. It's an.... “Seren stopped herself before the whole conversation degenerated into a poor man's version of Who's on First by Abbott and Costello. “Haven't you ever seen one before?” she asked instead.

  “No.”

  “Oh. Well, it's fruit. We call it an orange because of its color, or maybe the color is named after the fruit. Never mind.” She laughed at herself. She was descending into babble mode again. “Look, Devany. You peel off the skin and eat the insides. Watch out for seeds, though. They're not very nice to bite into.” She peeled as she spoke. Devany crept from her hiding place to watch.

  Seren broke the orange in two and pulled off a segment. Then she held the segment to the waning light from the window to look for seeds before giving it to the child.

  Devany examined it carefully, turning it this way and that before taking a tentative nibble. Juice squirted, surprising her. Seren smiled.

  “It's okay. Watch.” She pulled off another segment, popped it into her mouth and chewed. Devany followed suit. As the tart-sweet taste flooded her mouth, her face underwent a rapid series of expressions. It was all Daffyd and Seren could do to keep from laughing out loud as surprise, sour face and delight chased each other over Devany's fine features.

  “Can I have some more?” Devany asked after she swallowed the first piece. Seren fed the rest of the orange a segment at a time to the hungry child. Devany licked the juice from sticky fingers. “That was really good! It tasted just like the juice we drink at home, only better. Where did you get it?”

  “I bought some at the store before I ... came here,” Seren told her.

  “What's a store?” asked the child. Seren and Daffyd exchanged glances.

  “It's a place where you can buy things,” Seren began, but was immediately interrupted.

  “What does ‘buy’ mean?”

  Daffyd joined in. “It means to trade something of value for something else of equal value that you want more. We use money. How do you get the things you need?” She looked at him uncomprehendingly. “Food and clothing and things,” he clarified.

  Seren and Daffyd exchanged a very long glance. For the first time, they began to think Devany wasn't from the world they knew. Perhaps she was from a distant future time; a time perhaps centuries from their almost shared ‘now'.

  “Devany,” said Seren. “Do you know when your birthday is? What year you were born?”

  “Of course I do! I'm not a defective, you know.” The look suggested that Devany thought Seren might be. “My birthday is day 235 and I was born in the 28th year, Ne
w Era.”

  Daffyd studied the design in the carpet as if the mysteries of the universe would be revealed there. Seren stared blankly at Devany.

  “Do you know what year it was in the old era, before the New Era started?”

  “Ye-e-e-e-s.” More and more, Devany's expression suggested that she was probably dealing with defectives of the least developed kind. “It was one thousand, nine hundred and forty-five.”

  Seren looked up at Daffyd, who stared back into her eyes. Here was something new to consider. When they had met and found out they were from different times, well that was not too bad. It was weird but manageable. Now, here was this child from what appeared to be 1980, but not a world that either of them recognized. The realization that travelers were coming from different realities as well different times made the prospect of getting home more remote than ever.

  A sudden loud spatter of rain against the window startled them. They jumped when lightning flashed and thunder boomed. Devany cried out in fear and when Seren held out her arms, the child fell into them, trembling.

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  * * *

  CHAPTER 8

  The long walk in the heat of the unmoving sun had left Reznik feeling hot and sweaty. After all, she had been dressed for a Mission, and Recruit ships were notorious for being kept at the minimum ‘comfort’ temperature. Each species could keep personal quarters warmer or cooler than the rest of the ship, depending on personal preference. They would dress accordingly the rest of the time. This mission crew comprised humans, Sharv and Poltari. The latter were from a planet that had been in an ice age for countless millennia and showed no signs of thawing any time soon. As a result, the Poltari had evolved thick furry coats to protect themselves from the elements, and they were not comfortable in warmer climates.

  This meant that Gerri Reznik had been preparing for subfreezing temperatures. She had donned a layer of thermosilk, covering her from neck to toes. Over this she wore a suit of woolfelt and then her outer uniform, including thermgloves. She had just put on her boots when Rapsim had turned up at her door. He wasn't going to be Mission Counselor this trip and he wanted to be sure that Reznik, his protégéé, was comfortable with his replacement. He was convinced no one understood her as well as he did or could advise her as well as he could. On the other hand, Reznik was chafing to be out from under Rapsim's watchful eye. He had recruited her and had been her mentor and friend from the beginning. She felt she could talk to him about anything, but sometimes you needed to get out on your own and discover your own talents and flaws.

  They had had a brief conversation during which Reznik had reassured the little man that she liked the mission advisor, Shaya, perfectly well, and that she had no qualms in talking with a Sharv, should the need arise. They had left her quarters and were on their way to Shaya's office to drop off Reznik's personal disk when the ship had apparently lurched. At least, that's what it had felt like. Rapsim had been thrown off balance and had grabbed at Reznik's leg for balance. They had both fallen then, and landed on the grassy plain.

  Now they stood gazing at the waterway. It consisted of a series of concrete ‘steps', each measuring 30 feet across and 10 feet front to back. The drop from step to step was around 6 inches. The water flowed out of an apparent spring in the hillside and rushed over the concrete, chuckling to itself as it spilled down the course. A hundred or so yards from its origin, the water disappeared into a grate that stretched across the end of the mysterious channel. Neither of them could begin to guess its purpose. It seemed awfully wasteful instead of just running an underground pipe.

  Rapsim examined it with his multi and pronounced the water clean and fit for use. Reznik cheered and quickly shed two layers of clothing. She folded it and put her boots on top of the pile. Then, clad in her thermosilk undersuit, she waded out into the middle of one of the steps. The water gurgled and splashed around her ankles, just deep enough to cover her feet. It felt deliciously cool. She sighed delightedly and stretched herself out full length on her back with her head upstream. The water ran over and around her, cooling and refreshing. She stared up at the cloudless blue of the sky and relished the feel of her impromptu bath.

  Rapsim sat quietly beside the pile of Reznik's clothing and waited for her to be done. He had known her long enough to recognize when she needed ‘alone’ time. It wasn't necessary for her to physically isolate herself, but sometimes she needed to feel alone, to tune out everything around her. This was her method to restore her spirit and sanity. Speaking to her now would only lead to her ignoring him for the next several hours in retaliation. So Rapsim sat and waited.

  Reznik stretched her arms out to the side, making a T of herself. The water, finding her a living dam, backed up a little and flowed over and around the barrier of her arms. She opened and closed her legs, flapping her arms slowly up and down like a child making snow angels. She found it curiously restoring.

  Suddenly she sat up and looked over at Rapsim. His attention was once again directed at the multi. She folded her legs and sat in the water, thinking.

  “Rap,” she said.

  “Mmmmmmm?” he murmured, looking up at her.

  “I was thinking,” she said.

  “Yes?”

  “Well, somebody must have built this, right? Now, you'd think that they'd want the water to go someplace where it would be of some use, right? AND you'd think if they can build something like this, they must have a pumping station somewhere, and it must have a power source that you might be able to use to boost the multi with. You think?”

  He studied her for a long moment, frowning in thought. “Yes. I suppose you have a good point, Rez. But how shall we locate it? I don't think I want to squeeze through the grille down there, and there's certainly no access at the other end.” His words were accompanied by gestures to indicate the sites in question.

  “We can use your multi to find out if that grille leads to an underground pipe or lake or whatever. If it's a pipe, we can follow to wherever it leads. The multi should be able to track it, right?” She held out her hands in a ‘voilà’ gesture. “We're bound to hit civilization sooner or later.”

  He nodded. “Well get out of the fountain, or whatever it is, and let's go look.”

  She rose gracefully to her feet and walked down the gently sloping steps. As she went, she called over her shoulder, “Bring my clothes with you, will you, Rap?”

  He sighed and gathered up her things. Sometimes he longed for the days when she had looked up to him, and wasn't quite so casual in her treatment of him. On the other hand, they were much more on equal footing now, and in many ways had a much better relationship. He followed her down to the grating.

  They stared down into the darkness between the silvery bars. The bars made a complex pattern of diamond shapes, none more than two inches at its widest. The entire grille stretched the full width of the waterway and was about two feet across. Judging by the sound, the water fell quite some distance before striking bottom. They could hear it splashing and gurgling far below.

  Rapsim changed the settings on the multi to scan below ground. He frowned at the results. Reznik tried peering over his shoulder, an easy enough task, given that she was almost two feet taller. However, he had set the multi to print information in his native language. She had learned to speak it, but had never mastered the written form.

  “Well?” she said, annoyed at having to ask. He continued looking at the results for a few moments before replying.

  “It seems that there is a large chamber below us. Large bore pipes lead off in three directions; that way,” he pointed back the way they had come. “That way,” he gestured along the road before them, where it turned to the right past the grille. “And that way,” his hand waved toward the grassy plain. They stared.

  “I'm telling you right here and now that I am not going back through that. I've been developing a very serious antipathy,” she savored the word. “For that damnable field.”

  “I quite ag
ree,” he said. “I didn't care for it much, right from the very beginning. So shall we just continue that way?”

  “We might as well. There was nothing back the way we came, not as far as I could see. And your doohickey there didn't pick up any technology, did it?”

  “No,” he agreed. “Let's get on, then. Here.” He handed her clothing to her. She put on the outer uniform and boots. She folded the woolfelt garments, pulled a small carryall out of what she laughingly referred to as her ‘batbelt', to Rapsim's mystification. She tucked the warm outfit into the sack and attached it to the back of her belt. She would have it if she needed it but it was out of the way. As it had been designed to do, her thermosilk had dried almost instantly. She was much more comfortable.

  “Let's go, Rapmeister.” He smiled to himself. Reznik tended to make up nicknames for him as she went along and he often never knew what she would call him next. They were almost always entertaining, though.

  They set off along the road. Rapsim kept a close watch on the underground waterway that paralleled the road. They discussed whether to stay on the road or follow the water, should the two diverge. For now, both were headed in the same direction and the point was moot, but it made for a lively discussion.

  * * * *

  Blagdur struck Graz a blow across the face. “That didn't work too good, you Stupid! Look! The little one went right to the others!” His claw left an oozing scratch behind it.

  Graz snarled and snapped back. “Fine, then! You're so wonderful, let me see you do better!”

  “I will! Just watch me.” Blagdur focused his attention again on the project. “First to get rid of that.”

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  * * *

  CHAPTER 9

  “How long do you think you've been here, Devany?” Seren asked the child in her lap.

  A movement outside caught Daffyd's eye. He looked up quickly and saw a ripple move across the sky. A moment later, the sun broke through the clouds that broke up and blew away. In moments, all was as it had been. He frowned and made a mental note to mention it to Seren later.