“Look, I have to go settle Danforth in. Why don’t you two entertain each other for a while.” Paula was walking away before either of them had time to answer.
“Your name is Jayewardene? Any relation to President Junius Jayewardene?”
“No. It’s a common name. How do you like it here?” He sat down next to her. The steps were uncomfortably hot.
“Well, I’ve only been here a few days, but it’s a beautiful place. A bit too hot for my taste, but I’m from North Dakota.”
He nodded. “We have every kind of beauty imaginable here. Beaches, mountains, jungle, cities. Something for everyone. Except cold weather of course.”
There was a pause. “So.” Robyn slapped her hands on her thighs. “What is it you do that your government decided to stick you out here with us?”
“I’m a diplomat of sorts. My job is to make foreign visitors happy here. Or at least to try. We like to maintain a reputation as a friendly country.”
“Well, I sure haven’t seen anything to contradict that. The people I’ve met practically kill you with kindness.” She pointed to the line of trees at the edge of the camp. “The animals are something again, though. You know what they found this morning?”
He shrugged.
“A cobra. Right over there. úffdä. That’s something that you definitely don’t get in North Dakota.” She shuddered. “Most animals I can handle, but snakes . . .” She made a face.
“Nature is complete and harmonious here.” He smiled. “But I must be boring you.”
“No. Not really. You’re certainly more interesting than Roger, or the gaffers and grips. How long will you be here? I mean, with the film company.”
“Off and on for your entire stay, although I’ll be going back to Colombo tomorrow for a few days. Dr. Tachyon, the alien, and a large party from your country will be arriving here then. To study the effect of the virus in my country.” A shiver eased up his spine.
“You are a busy little bee, aren’t you?” She looked up. The light was beginning to dim around the swaying treetops. “I’m going to go get some sleep. You might want to do the same. Paula will show you where. She knows everything. Danforth wouldn’t ever finish a film without her.”
Jayewardene watched her walk away, sighing at the memory of pleasure he thought best forgotten, then got up and headed in the direction Paula had gone. He would need sleep to be fresh for the trip back tomorrow. But sleep never came easily to him. And he was afraid to dream. He’d learned to be afraid.
He woke up biting his right hand hard enough to draw blood. His breathing was ragged and his nightshirt was bathed in sweat. The world around him shimmered and then came into focus. Another vision, snatched from the future. They were happening more and more often in spite of his prayers and meditation. It was only a small comfort that this one wasn’t about him. Not directly anyway.
He pulled on his pants and shoes, unzipped his tent, and stepped outside. Jayewardene walked quietly toward the truck where the ape was chained. Two men were on guard. One was leaning against the cab; the other was sitting with his back to one of the huge, mud-covered tires. Both had rifles and lit cigarettes. They were speaking softly to each other.
“What’s up?” asked the man by the cab as Jayewardene approached. He didn’t bother to raise his rifle.
“I wanted to look at the ape again.”
“In the middle of the night? You’ll see more tomorrow morning when it’s light.”
“I couldn’t sleep. And I’ll be returning to Colombo tomorrow.” He walked up next to the monster. “When did the ape first appear?”
“Blackout of ’65 in New York City,” said the seated man. “Showed up in the middle of Manhattan. Nobody knows where it came from, though. Probably had something to do with the wild card. At least that’s what people say.”
Jayewardene nodded. “I’m going to walk around to the other side. To look at his face.”
“Just don’t put your head in its mouth.” The guard flicked his cigarette butt onto the ground. Jayewardene crushed it out with his shoe as he walked past.
The ape’s breath was hot, organic, but not foul. Jayewardene waited, hoping that the beast would open its eyes again. The vision had told him what was behind them, but he wanted another look. The dreams had never been wrong before, but his reputation would be destroyed if he went to the authorities with this story and it proved wrong. And there would be questions about how he could have known. He would have to answer them without revealing his unusual abilities. Not an easy problem to solve in so little time.
The ape’s eyes stayed shut.
The jungle’s night sounds were more distant than usual. The animals were staying far away from the camp. Jayewardene hoped it was because they sensed the ape. Sensed the wrongness about it. He glanced at his watch. It would be dawn in a couple of hours. He would speak to Danforth first thing in the morning, then go back to Colombo. Dr. Tachyon had the reputation of being able to work wonders. It would be his task to transform the ape. The vision made that very clear. Perhaps the alien could even help him. If his pilgrimage failed.
He walked back to his tent and spent the next few hours praying to the Buddha for a little less enlightenment.
It was past nine o’clock when Danforth emerged, bleary-eyed, from the main portable building. Jayewardene was on his second cup of tea but was still moving slowly, as if his body were encased in mud.
“Mr. Danforth. I must speak to you before leaving this morning.”
Danforth yawned and nodded. “Fine. Look, before you get away, I want to take some pictures. You know, the entire crew and the ape. Something to give to the wire services. I’d appreciate it if you’d be in it too.” Danforth yawned again, even wider. “God, got to get some coffee in me. The boys are supposed to have everything set up by now. I’ll be free for a few minutes after that, and we can talk about it then.”
“I think it would be best to discuss it now, privately.” He looked out into the jungle. “Perhaps take a walk away from the camp.”
“In the jungle? I heard they killed a cobra yesterday. No way.” Danforth backed away. “I’ll talk to you after we get our publicity shots done, not before.”
Jayewardene took another sip of tea and walked over to the truck. He wasn’t surprised or disgusted at Danforth’s attitude. The man had the weight of a multimillion dollar project on his shoulders. That kind of pressure could skew anyone’s values; make him fear the wrong things.
Most of the crew were already assembled in front of the giant ape. Paula was sitting in front, chewing on her fingernails while looking over the production schedule. He knelt down next to her.
“I see his majesty hooked you into doing this just like the rest of us,” Paula said without looking up.
“I’m afraid so. You don’t look like you slept very well.”
“It’s not that I didn’t sleep well. I didn’t sleep period. I was up with Roger and Mr. D. all last night. But it comes with the territory.” She leaned her head back and rotated it in a slow, circular motion. “Well, as soon as Roger, Robyn, and the boss get here, we can get this fun over with.”
Jayewardene downed the rest of his tea. Later in the day a bus-load of extras, most Sinhalese with a few Tamils and Muslims, was scheduled to arrive. All those selected to be in the film spoke English, which was not uncommon, given the island’s history of British involvement.
Danforth showed up with Roger in tow. The producer looked at the group and squinted. “The ape’s facing the wrong way. Somebody get that truck turned around.”
A gray-clad guard waved, jumped up into the cab, and started the truck up.
“Okay. Everybody out of the way so we can get this done quickly.” Danforth motioned them toward him.
Somebody whistled and Jayewardene turned. Robyn was walking toward the group. She was wearing a long, skintight silver dress. She wasn’t smiling.
“Why do I have to wear this now? It’s going to be bad enough during shooting. I’ll
probably get heat stroke.” Robyn put her hands on her hips and frowned.
Danforth shrugged. “Jungle shooting is a pain in the butt. You knew that when you took the part.”
Robyn pressed her lips tightly together and was quiet.
The truck backed into position and Danforth clapped his hands. “All right. Everybody back where you were before. We’ll get this over as quickly as possible.”
One of the guards walked over to Danforth. Jayewardene moved in close enough to hear.
“I think we woke it up when we moved the truck, sir. Want me to dope him up again before you take your pictures?”
“No. It’ll look better if there’s a little life in the damned thing.” Danforth stroked his chin. “And feed it when we’re done. Then you can knock it out again.”
“Right, sir.”
Jayewardene took his place in front of the truck. The ape’s breathing was irregular. He turned. The ape’s eyes fluttered and opened. Its pupils were dilated. The eyes moved about slowly, looked at the cameras, and stopped at Robyn. They became bright and purposeful. Jayewardene felt his skin go cold.
The ape took a deep breath and roared, a sound like a hundred lions. Jayewardene started to run but tripped over somebody who’d reacted away from the ape and into him. The ape was rocking back and forth on the truck. One of the tires blew out. The monster continued to roar and pull at the chains. Jayewardene struggled to his feet. He heard the high-pitched squeal of metal straining against metal, then a loud pinging noise as the chains snapped. Steel shrapnel from the broken chains flew in all directions. One piece hit a guard. The man fell, screaming. Jayewardene ran to the man and helped him to his feet. The ground was shaking right behind them. He turned to look back, but the ape was already past them. Jayewardene turned to the injured man.
“Broken rib, I think. Maybe two,” said the guard through gritted teeth. “I’ll be okay.”
A woman screamed. Jayewardene left the man and rushed ahead. He could see most of the ape over the tin tops of the portable buildings. It bent down and picked up something in its right hand. It was Robyn. He heard a gunshot and tried to move faster. His sides ached already.
The ape snatched up a tent and threw it at one of the guards, whose rifle was raised for another shot. The canvas drifted down over the man, spoiling his aim.
“No. No,” Jayewardene yelled. “You might hit the woman.”
The monster looked over the camp briefly, then waved its free arm disdainfully at the humans and shouldered into the jungle. Robyn Symmes was limp and pale against the huge darkness of its chest.
Danforth sat on the ground, head in hands. “Oh, shit. What the hell do we do now. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Those chains were made of titanium steel. It can’t be happening.”
Jayewardene put his hand on the producer’s shoulder. “Mr. Danforth, I’ll need your fastest car and your best driver. And it might be better if you came along with us.”
Danforth looked up. “Where are we going?”
“Back to Colombo. A group of your aces is arriving there in a few hours.” He smiled thinly. “Long ago our island was called Serendib. The land of fortunate coincidence.”
“Thank god. There’s a chance then.” He stood up, the color returning to his face. “I’ll get things moving.”
“Need any help?” Paula dabbed at a cut over her eye with her shirtsleeve.
“Only all I can get,” Danforth said.
The ape roared again. It already seemed impossibly far away.
The car sped along down the road, jolting them at every bump and pothole. They were still a few miles outside Ratnapura. Jayewardene was in the front seat, directing the driver. Paula and Danforth sat silently in the back. As they rounded a corner, he saw several saffron-robed Buddhist priests ahead. “Stop,” he yelled as the driver braked the car. They went into a skid and off the road, sliding to a stop. The priests, who had been working on the dirt road with shovels, stood to one side and motioned them through.
“Who are they?” asked Paula.
“Priests. Members of an appropriate technologist group,” Jayewardene said as the driver pulled back onto the road. He bowed to the priests as he went past. “Much of their time is spent doing such work.”
He planned to call ahead from Ratnapura. Let the government know the situation and discourage the military from attacking the creature. That would be difficult, given the amount of damage it could cause. Tachyon and the aces would be the answer. They had to be. His stomach burned. It was dangerous to hinge his plans on people he’d never met, but he had no other choice.
“I wonder what set him off?” Danforth asked, his voice almost too soft to hear.
“Well”—Jayewardene turned to speak to them—“he looked at the cameras, then at Miss Symmes. It was as if something clicked in his brain, brought him right out of the stupor.”
If anything happens to her, it’ll be my fault.” Danforth looked at the muddy floorboard. “My fault.”
“Then we’ll all have to work hard to make sure nothing does happen to her,” Paula said. “Okay?”
“Right,” Danforth said weakly.
“Remember,” she said, patting his shoulder. “It’s beauty that kills the beast. Not the other way around.”
“Hopefully we can resolve the situation and keep both beauty and beast alive.” Jayewardene turned to look back at the road. He spotted the buildings of Ratnapura ahead. “Slow down when you get to town. I’ll direct you where we need to go.” He intended to inform the military of the situation and then return to Colombo. Jayewardene sank back into the car seat. He wished he had slept better the night before. Today’s work was going to spill into tomorrow and maybe even the next day.
They arrived back in Colombo a little after noon and went directly to Jayewardene’s home. It was a large white stucco residence with a red-tiled roof. Even when his wife had been alive, it had been more space than they needed. Now he rattled around in it like a coconut in an empty boxcar. He called his office and found out the American delegation of aces had arrived and was staying at the Galadari Meridien Hotel. After settling Danforth and Paula in, he went to his garden shrine and reaffirmed his pledge of the Five Precepts.
Afterward he hurriedly put on a clean white shirt and pair of pants and ate a few fingerfuls of cold rice.
“Where are you going now?” Paula asked as he opened the door to leave.
“To speak to Dr. Tachyon and the Americans about the ape.” He shook his head as she got up off the couch. “It would be better for you to rest now. Whatever develops, I’ll call you.”
“Okay.”
“Is it all right if we get something to eat?” Danforth already had the refrigerator door open.
“Certainly. Help yourselves.”
Traffic was heavy, even on the Sea Beach Road, which Jayewardene had instructed the driver to take. The car’s air conditioner was broken and his clean clothes were soaked with sweat before they were even halfway to the hotel.
The film company driver, his name was Saul, was slowing to stop in front of the Galadari Meridien when the engine died. He turned the key several times, but there was only a clicking sound.
“Look.” Jayewardene pointed toward the hotel entrance. People were scattering around the main doorway as something rose into the air. Jayewardene shaded his eyes as they flew over. One was a full-grown Indian elephant. A common enough sight, but this one was flying. Seated on its back was a well-muscled man. The elephant’s ears were extended and appeared to help the creature steer while flying.
“Elephant Girl,” said Saul. Crowds stopped up and down the street, pointing in silence as the aces flew by overhead.
“Do what you can with the car,” he told Saul, who already had the hood up.
Jayewardene walked quickly to the hotel’s main entrance. He pushed past the doorman, who was sitting on the sidewalk shaking his head, and into the darkness inside. Hotel employees were busy lighting candles and reassuring the guests in the
bar and restaurant.
“Waiter, get those drinks over here.” The male voice came from the bar. He spoke English with an American accent.
Jayewardene let his eyes adjust to the dim lighting, then made his way carefully into the bar. The bartender was setting lamps up next to the mirror behind the bar. Jayewardene pulled out his handkerchief and wiped his sweaty forehead.
They were seated together in a booth. There was a large man with a dark spade-shaped beard, wearing a tailored blue three-piece suit. Across from him was another man. He was middle-aged, but trim, and sat in the booth as if it were a throne. Although he thought he knew the men, the woman sitting between them was instantly recognizable. She was wearing a low-cut, shoulderless black dress, trimmed with sequins. Her skin was transparent. He quickly looked away from her. Her bone and muscles reflected the light in a disturbing manner.
“Pardon me,” he said, walking over to them. “My name is Jayewardene. I’m with the Department of the Interior.”
“And what do you want?” The large man took a skewered cherry from his drink and rolled it between his manicured thumb and forefinger.
The other man stood, smiled, and shook Jayewardene’s hand. The gesture was studied, a political greeting refined by years of practice. “I’m Senator Gregg Hartmann. Pleased to meet you.”
“Thank you, Senator. I hope your shoulder is better.” Jayewardene had read about the incident in the newspapers.
“It wasn’t as bad as the press made it sound.” Hartmann looked at the other end of the booth. “The man torturing that cherry is Hiram Worchester. And the lady is—”
“Chrysalis, I believe.” Jayewardene bowed. “May I join you.”
“Certainly,” Hartmann said. “Is there something we can do for you?”
Wild Cards IV: Aces Abroad Page 27