Alien Separation

by Gini Koch

  Proving that the mind reading was still working, Chuckie reached over, grabbed Jeff’s shoulder right by his neck, did something, and then caught Jeff as he went down. “He’s going to want to kill me when he wakes up, and if you don’t come back safely I’ll let him,” Chuckie said.

  “Things to live for are always good. Ginger, you’re staying here, too.” She didn’t look happy. “Trust me, I’ll find them. I promise.”

  And with that, I ran through the small opening that didn’t have katyhopper butt fluid over it yet. Right toward the gaping maw of a snakipede.

  CHAPTER 34

  HYPERSPEED WAS THE best thing ever. Oh sure, faster healing and regeneration was nothing to complain about, but being faster than anything else around remained the best thing I’d gotten from my enhancement.

  Yes, the snakipede was close to me when I left, and yes, it struck as it saw and smelled me moving. But it missed.

  Sadly, I heard a cracking sound, meaning that it had hit the katyhopper’s shield. That wouldn’t hold long, especially with more than one snakipede there. Hoped Chuckie would get the rest of them back with the caravan and through the tunnels, but I didn’t have high hopes.

  I went for the machine gun first, in part to get away from the mass of writhing snakipedes, and in other part to have an effective weapon with me. Managed to find it because it had fallen near a dead snakipede body and because I could run around really fast until I found it.

  Weapon in hand, I ran around the area near to the cavern. So far, the snakipedes hadn’t noticed that I was out, but that probably wasn’t going to last too long. I had to find the two missing members of King Benny’s flock quickly to have a hope of getting them and me back into safety. And I had to do it before we lost the light, and that, based on the long shadows everywhere, was going to be really soon.

  Naturally they weren’t close by, because that would have been too much like right. On the other hand, not being too close meant I had a hope of finding them before a snakipede did.

  Found a boulder bigger than me and hid behind it. Not because I needed to rest—the adrenaline rush that fight or flight gave me was turned up well past eleven, since I wanted to both fight and flee very badly—but because I needed to concentrate.

  Took my all-too-common deep breath and let it out slowly. Didn’t want to, but I closed my eyes and sent my mind out.

  Nothing.

  However, I heard a small, Poofy sound. Looked into my purse to see Poofikins and a waterfruit. “Poofs are the best,” I whispered as I took the fruit and ate it quickly.

  It was refreshing and helpful. As I ate I again sent my mind out, searching for terror. That was what Jeff had used to find me and the guys, after all, and he’d always said that terror was the sharpest and strongest of the emotions. And Chuckie thought that what we had going on, with me especially, was empathy of a sort.

  I heard them, at the edge of my mind. Two minds, both crying for their mothers. But silently. And they were definitely together. And, of course, they were in the opposite direction from the cavern.

  Headed toward them at hyperspeed. I could hear them in my mind, but I couldn’t see them, and I wasn’t an empath. Jeff would have been able to home in on them instantly, and the stupidity of my keeping the strongest empath in the galaxy from helping me loomed large. Only he’d said he could barely feel things in this part of the world, and it might not have occurred to me to give him a waterfruit and see what happened.

  Self-recriminations over, forced myself to slow down to human speeds. I knew they were somewhere near me because the voices in my head were much louder. There were a couple of small trees near where I felt them, and I hid behind one while still looking around. If I wasn’t careful, though, a snakipede could see me.

  “Patrina,” I whispered. “Patrina, where are you and the kitten?”

  Nothing.

  “Patrina, sweetie, I know you’re scared. But Shealla Kitty can’t help you or the kitten if you don’t let me know where you are.”

  Felt rather than saw that a snakipede had broken off from the group. The mind was dull and hungry, but there were no revenge-type thoughts. The snakipedes weren’t after us because we’d killed some of their number. They were after us because we represented a feast.

  The katyhoppers were right—these creatures weren’t high on the sentience scale. However, sharks weren’t considered to be Rhodes Scholars and yet they were terrifyingly effective killers.

  Focused on the cat. I’d have more affinity with the animal. “Come to Shealla Kitty. Shealla Kitty can’t find you two and that means Shealla Kitty can’t protect you two.” Nothing, other than fearful thoughts.

  Tried to think like a little girl would. That the kitten had gotten spooked and run out of the cavern and that she’d followed it were givens. So, what would Jamie do, where would she hide, if she and Mous-Mous were lost with terrifying monsters close by? Looked around at the landscape. More to the point, where around here would actually look like someplace safe? To a baby mink and a baby cat?

  Both of whom would have claws.

  Looked up. The leaves of the trees I was near fit the rest of this area—brown, red, orange, yellow, ochre, and everything else from this particular color palette. But that made them excellent camouflage if you were a reddish fox-cat and a little kid who had dark fur.

  I couldn’t see them, meaning that the camouflage part was working. However, I was sure that the snakipedes would be able to smell them, and me, sooner as opposed to later.

  The option to keep on being nice and soothing was there. But time was of the essence. And in times of stress, the best choice I could always make was to channel Mom.

  “Patrina, you and the kitten get down to Shealla Kitty right now!” I said in the sternest soft tone I could manage. “I mean it young lady. This instant! Or you’ll be giving me a good answer why.”

  This worked. Not a surprise. It had always worked when Mom had done it on me or any of my friends. The leaves above me rustled, and a little mink face looked down at me. “I’m scared,” she whispered.

  “I know. I won’t let the monsters hurt you. But I can’t do that if you’re not here with me. Come down, right now. Jump into my arms if you can, and be sure you’re holding the kitten tightly, too.”

  She nodded and I put the machine gun down. Just in time, as she jumped into my waiting arms. Managed not to say “oof” but only because I’d been prepared. She was clutching the ocellar kitten in both paws.

  Shifted her to the hip opposite where my purse was, grabbed the machine gun, and took a look around. The snakipede was getting closer.

  “What’s your kitten’s name?”

  “Pretty Girl. Only she’s not really mine,” Patrina said sadly.

  “I promise that once we’re back with everyone else, she’s going to be yours, okay?”

  “Okay. Pretty Girl and I are really scared.”

  “Wisely. I want Pretty Girl to hold onto you, and you’re going to hold tight to me, okay?”

  “Okay.” She cuddled the ocellar into her chest and clutched me with her other paw. It was the best we were going to get.

  I’d held Jeff’s niece, Kimmy, like this when Doreen’s crazy mother had attacked me during Operation Drug Addict. And I’d gotten used to holding Jamie this way, too, a lot, especially in times of danger. So precedent existed for me to be successful now. Held Patrina tightly, sent a prayer up to the various Powers That Be, Algar especially, and started running.

  Just in time, because the lone snakipede had found us, and it struck as I moved. The tree Patrina and Pretty Girl had been in and I’d been hiding behind crashed down. I didn’t stop to mourn its noble sacrifice.

  I could outrun the snakipede, with no issue. The problem was that the rest of the snakipede herd was blocking the safe entrance back into the cavern. Which also meant that they were going to break through soon a
nd be able to eat or kill everyone—the cavern was definitely big enough to hold them.

  So, I had to save myself, Patrina, and Pretty Girl, and I also had to save everyone else. Well, that’s why I had a machine gun, after all. Sure, it didn’t have unlimited bullets, but it did have a half-full belt of ammo, due to my having lost my grip on it earlier. I loved it when a plan came together.

  Ran us to the top of the boulder that was the cavern’s roof. This put us very near to the snakipedes. And the lone one was coming for us, too. No time like the present.

  “Hold on,” I said to everyone with me. This was important for Patrina and Pretty Girl, because they were gagging. But not barfing, thankfully. From experience, adrenaline highs tended to reduce the nausea hyperspeed caused. And maybe they could handle it just like the katyhoppers because they were Alpha Centauri beings.

  Not that this mattered all that much, because I had to do something. So I did. I fired right down on top of the snakipede’s heads.

  I lucked out and killed one right away—figured that one had been close to dead anyway because of the guys shooting at it. And another couple were down already, again, probably due to the guys.

  The rest, however, lost interest in the cavern and turned their entire focus onto me.

  Rapid-fired into their nasty faces until I had no more bullets left. Kept a hold of the machine gun—I could use it as a club if I had to—turned, and ran toward the back of the cavern which, since I was on top of it, meant down a rocky slope toward the ground. But at human speeds.

  Not for too long, of course. Just long enough for all the snakipedes to see and follow me. Reached the dirt, ran a little farther, turned to my right, saw them all massed there and coming for me, and let terror kick my hyperspeed into overdrive.

  Ran a bit in this direction, turned right again, and headed back for the cavern. The lone snakipede was there. Clearly this one was a rebel and just didn’t want to do what the others did.

  Heard no gunshots, meaning that the guys were either out of ammo or everyone had run off down into the cavern and tunnel. Hoped it was the latter but figured on the former.

  Stopped by its tail. Due to how things were, it was hovering at about head height. Swung the machine gun and hit the tail as hard as I could. Which was hard enough that I lost hold of the machine gun once again.

  The snakipede spun faster than I’d seen them move yet and lunged at us. Only I’d expected the lunge, though not the speed, and we were already running under its body toward the small opening I could see. If it was really an opening, of course.

  I could just be seeing what I wanted to, in which case I was going to either crash through or bounce off the katyhoppers’ barrier.

  However, Jeff was in what I was choosing to think of as a doorway, and I ran for him. Made sure I had both Patrina and Pretty Girl still with me, then flung all of us toward Jeff, as I felt the snakipede’s breath on my back.

  CHAPTER 35

  JEFF GRABBED ME AND SHOUTED, “Now!”

  Lecanora wagons slammed against the katyhopper’s barrier, stacked side to side and on top of each other. A Poof might have been able to get through, but nothing bigger.

  They were standing there, creating a great barrier. But no one was touching them.

  As Jeff put me down I heard the snakipedes slamming their heads against the wagons, but I wasn’t looking there. I looked for who was doing this. And I was unsurprised to see the Big Birds all clustered together and obviously concentrating.

  “You and I are going to have a talk about this,” Jeff said. His voice was shaking and so was he.

  Didn’t let go of kid and kitten, but hugged him one-armed. Tightly. “Hope you didn’t hurt Chuckie.”

  “The flyboys wouldn’t let me,” he growled.

  “Good. Chuckie’s better than you at realizing who’s the best person to do a job, Jeff.”

  “I have no argument about the job you do, baby. I have an argument about my wife running off to face monsters by herself.”

  “I knew I could find them.” I let go of Jeff and hugged Patrina and Pretty Girl. “They were extremely brave.”

  As I said this, Patrina’s parents broke free from whoever had taken on the job of holding them back. They and the rest of their clan swarmed us. I handed Patrina to her mother, then gently moved out of the family circle.

  “I need to speak with Nanda,” I told Jeff.

  “Later. The strautruch can’t hold this barrier for long.”

  “They’re telekinetic, aren’t they?”

  “Yeah, appears so. You seem unsurprised.”

  “They were carrying the bosthoon with too much ease, and if you have a section of your planet that assists with mind reading, it makes sense that there’s a part that helps with other psionic talents, too, and telekinesis is the most likely. Who came up with the barrier idea?”

  “Chuck. The wagons wouldn’t fit through the tunnel and the Lecanora were making a fuss about leaving them, understandably. Chuck said that the wagons were needed to save Shealla and protect the rest of us, and they shut up and let him have them. As soon as the strautruch realized what he wanted to do, they helped.”

  “And I’d bet that Leoalla saying ‘Do as Alcalla the Wise says’ helped a lot.”

  He sighed. “Yes, it did. And you can stop worrying—I’m not mad at Chuck. Anymore. I know he was following your insane orders.”

  Pointed to Patrina’s family. “I note again that my crazy’s working a lot better than your sanity.”

  Jeff managed a laugh. “True as always.” He went over to the mink family. “Okay, folks, you need to hurry up and join the others and follow Binalla down the tunnels. Now,” he added sternly, while Patrina’s father kept on trying to take Pretty Girl away from her.

  “The ocellar is Patrina’s,” I said in what I sincerely hoped was a Godly tone. “Patrina risked her life to save Pretty Girl, and bravery, love, and loyalty like that should be rewarded. I will clear things with Nanda, but as of right now, that cat is hers, and anyone trying to take it from her will answer to me.”

  Patrina’s father put her and the ocellar down. She ran over to me and hugged my legs. “Thank you, Shealla! Pretty Girl thanks you, too!”

  Bent down and hugged her. “It was my pleasure.”

  Her mother grabbed her paw, then, whole family bowing to me in a really obsequious way, they backed off and ran to do what Jeff had told them to.

  This left me, Jeff, and the strautruch in the cavern’s entrance. “Where’s Bruno?”

  “I have him with Christopher, in case of something. He’s fine. Same with your new dog and cat. They’re with Chuck.”

  Okay, I could stop worrying a bit about my pets. Checked my purse. Harlie, Poofikins, and Murphy were in my purse. Presumed Toby was back with Christopher and all the other Poofs were with their respective owners. “Great. What’s our plan?”

  “The moment all of our group, animals included, are far enough into the tunnels that we can feel confident that the snakipedes can’t get to them, then everyone holds on and I run us to the others at hyperspeed. All the kids and elderly are on the backs of bosthoon, which supposedly never panic. Based on what we just went through, I’d say that’s accurate.”

  “That’s a great plan, only it doesn’t cover what we do when the snakipedes reach the tunnel. I could outrun them because I could go anywhere. There’s nowhere to go in a tunnel other than through that tunnel. And we can’t go fast at all, even if the bosthoon were fleet of foot, which they very much are not.”

  “I’m open to ideas.” Jeff shot a glance at the strautruch. “They can’t hold it too much longer, I don’t think.”

  “No, probably not. And I assume we’re out of ammo.”

  He nodded. “The guys kept their guns, just in case but, yeah, we’re out of bullets.”

  Looked around the cavern. There were no
convenient boulders in here. Looked at the wagon wall. “So . . . we’ve told the Lecanora that they’re never going to see their wagons again, right?”

  “Right. They’re fully refugees now. Everything they own is being carried by each one of them. Conveniently they didn’t own much.” He sighed. “Still, they had homes, albeit traveling ones. They were better off before they met us. All of them were. Because if we fail, they’re all going to die. And us, too.”

  Thought about this. “Maybe, but hold the fatalism at bay for a bit. I know we’re here for a reason. And it’s always darkest before the suns shows up or some such. We need to come up with another way.”

  Trotted to one side of the wagon wall and looked out through a little gap between wagon and rock. There was enough light left that I could see that we had a lot of snakipede bodies on the ground. But still had at least a half a dozen or more in the air trying to break their way in.

  Trotted back to the Big Birds. “I know you guys are concentrating, but I may have an idea. Can you manipulate things or just move them, make them lighter, or whatever it is you did to move the bosthoon and the wagons? As in, make the wagons fold in on themselves and sort of bite the snakipedes’ heads off?”

  Received a couple of squawks and a garbled mental reply, but the gist appeared to be that, were they not exhausted, it was a definite maybe. Not good enough to bet on, especially now, however.

  Time to come up with a stellar Plan B. Pity I didn’t have one.

  Wrong thinking. I was stressed and that was never good. Reached into my purse to get my iPod—in times of stress music remained my go-to move, especially if sex with Jeff wasn’t possible, which it certainly was not at this precise time.

  As I pulled the iPod out I looked at the screen. It was lit and the album cover being displayed was “Elemental” by Tears for Fears. The album that had the song that had saved us from a giant snake what seemed like so long ago now.

  Dug out the speakers. They were small but powerful. I knew because they were speakers I’d coveted but hadn’t gotten yet because I was the wife of the Vice President and it was probably wrong to be blasting music wherever I went.