by Thomas Stone
They set down the litter and Yoni motioned for them to stay down. Harry stayed low and moved beside Yoni. "What is it?" Harry whispered, smelling the boy's fear.
Yoni's tail rose and pointed. "The things you cannot see."
"How many?"
"Two, as far as I could tell."
"Can you show me?"
Yoni turned and crawled through the brush. Harry followed, finally pulling up behind a fallen log. Yoni pointed and Harry looked out over a slanting jungle terrain. The vegetation wasn't too thick and Harry was able to see down the slope and into a stand of trees. A stream ran through, but that was as far as he could see.
Yoni leveled his tail and Harry glimpsed a shimmer by the trees. A few seconds later, he saw another not far from the first. They didn't appear to be doing anything in particular, just loitering by the trees.
Harry pushed himself backward, taking care to stay low until he was sure he was out of sight, then, in a crouch he ran back to the others.
"There're two of them," he said. "How much of a charge do we have on those stunners?" Harry pointed at the rifles.
"No more than a couple of shots each," said Bobbie.
'That'll be enough."
"What are you going to do?" asked Fagen. "Ambush them? Why don't we just go around?"
Harry gave Fagen a stern look. "I want some payback." Harry felt anger rising within, anger over the deaths of those for whom he was responsible, surely, but something more as well, an anger he'd never felt, practically uncontrollable.
Whatever it was, it showed because Fagen put up his hands as if to protect himself. "Whoa, killer. If that's the way you want it, the bad guys are that way." Fagen pointed behind Harry toward the Krits.
Harry seethed for a moment, then turned away. "Maybe you're right. We'll go around."
Fagen shrugged. "It's your call."
Harry turned and started away, "I'll go get Yoni."
The words had no sooner left his mouth when something struck him with a clean shot on the side of his face. He staggered and blinked. Either his vision was blurred or one of Krits was only inches away, looking into Harry's face, deciding how best to kill him. A stripe of rainbow colors passed through the alien's body, outlining its head and shoulders for Harry, giving him a clear target. With his balled fist, Harry shot out his hand into what he hoped was the thing's face. The blow landed on something hard and he felt bone give way with a sickening crunch.
In the next instant, the creature was gone. Harry looked at the others. They stared back wide-eyed.
"Where'd it go?" asked Fagen, but there was no need to ask as Tringl now appeared to struggle with thin air. He slapped at the air in front of him as if at pesky mosquitoes. Harry could tell what the Krit was doing: it danced in and slugged its opponent whenever an opening presented itself, then quickly got out of the way. Most likely, it first pummeled larger opponents to submission, delivering the coup de grace when its opponent was helpless.
Harry raised his rifle and watched closely. Tringl was knocked sideways but came back kicking and punching the air. Harry calculated where the Krit would be and waited. A flash of color affirmed the spot. Harry pulled the trigger.
With an electric clap, the beam sprang from the barrel and sizzled into the Krit. A high-pitched scream filled the air and seemingly from mid-air, a milky ooze rained upon the ground. Now Harry could see the wound and he aimed again, delivering another shot as the Krit tried to run. The beam caught the alien low on the back, nearly slicing the creature in two.
Again, Harry felt the vexation rising within. One killing wasn't enough. More was needed. It was the need for blood the likes of which Harry had never felt before. It was an alien emotion, too strong, and never meant for a human psyche.
With great effort, Harry forced himself to relax. His heart pounded and the blood in his veins pulsed strongly. His intention had been to go to the alien and dismember its corpse before finding and killing the others. He slung the rifle and reached for his water bottle. When he drank, he saw that his hands shook.
After checking Tringl, Fagen went to Harry. He stared at Harry's face, trying to make eye contact. Harry turned away.
"You okay?"
"Sure. Why shouldn't I be?"
Fagen looked at him oddly again. "I don't know. Is there something you're not telling me?"
"Now's not the time, Fagen."
Yoni leaped from the brush. "They're coming!" he said.
Harry dropped the useless stunner and grabbed the boy. "This way," he said, "now!"
Heading to the right, Harry ran in a direction that would keep them out of sight for at least a few more seconds. Maybe that would be enough. Running blindly, he stumbled into a ravine and Yoni tumbled after. At the sandy bottom, he continued downhill, running along the wash. The others followed. At one point, Bobbie stopped, took careful aim and fired a single shot. Harry hoped she hit what she aimed. They couldn't afford to waste any shots.
"How many?" Harry shouted.
"More than one," breathed Bobbie as she rose and ran. "Right behind us."
Harry could hear Fagen wheezing. They couldn't run all the way to Minerva, she was too far. They had to make a stand. Searching for a place to defend, he spied a rocky overhang where flowing water had once carved out a deep niche. The semi-cave was bathed in darkness. The shadows would conceal them and anything approaching would be plainly visible from the inside.
"There," Harry pointed, "to the overhang."
"We'll be trapped," said Fagen.
"Hidden," answered Harry.
Without argument, they hurried to the cave and hustled to the rear where they waited with their backs to the wall.
To Bobbie, Harry said, "How much of a charge do you have left?"
She looked at her weapon, then back up at Harry. "It doesn't register. It might have one shot left."
"Set it to wide beam."
"The charge is too weak."
"Do it anyway."
She did so and offered the gun to Harry.
Harry waved her off. "No, you've got one shot left. Make it count."
Tringl tapped him on the shoulder and pointed. Outside the cave, three Krits, perhaps more, stepped toward them. Harry saw the flashes and hoped Bobbie did as well. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her raise the weapon. "Not yet," he whispered to himself.
The Krits came closer and as they entered the darkness, the flashes of light became more pronounced. As an additional bonus, they seemed disoriented by the lack of light. They were only steps away. Bobbie could wait no longer and fired the stunner. An arc of light snapped from the barrel, striking all three aliens.
The two on the left were initially knocked down, but the third, on the right, was merely stunned. It wobbled, then charged straight at Fagen, reaching him and knocking him over before he could move out of the way. Its hands closed on Fagen's neck and squeezed while it stood upon his chest. Clear fluid ran from its mouth and dripped onto Fagen's tunic as Fagen tried vainly to get away. Harry grasped it from behind and pulled it off the gasping Fagen. The alien snarled and violently kicked its legs at Harry but by then Harry held it firmly by the neck.
This time when the anger rose, it rose unabated. Still holding the alien by the neck, Harry lifted it off its feet and slammed its head into the rock at the cave entrance, splitting its skull with the initial impact. Brains, cartilage, bone, and white blood fairly burst forth. There was no need for more but Harry continued until the blood of the Krit washed him from the belt up.
Not until the surge of anger left him did he realize that the others were staring at him.
Bobbie took a cautious step toward him. "Commander? Are you all right?"
Harry wiped the white blood from his eyes. What was he doing? What was happening?
Slowly, Tringl, Yoni, and Fagen emerged from the shadows and looked from Harry to the white pulp that lay on the ground.
A familiar odor floated on the air, making Harry raise his head and sniff the air. A shadow f
ell over the small party. Harry looked up and saw a figure silhouetted by the sun on the opposite ledge. The figure held a stunner.
"That was some show, Commander."
"It's Burke," said Bobbie, "we thought you were dead."
"Do I look dead? I don't think so. And Commander Irons here, he doesn't look dead either. Fact is though, he's not acting very human."
"What's going on, Burke?"
Burke eased himself down the slope, keeping the stunner handy as he did so. Once in the ravine, he kept his distance from the group.
"What's going on?" Burke repeated. "Haven't you figured it out yet?"
"Figured out what?"
"Well, it seems our Commander is suffering from a kitzloc infection. He didn't really want to make us nervous about it, but I did some checking and found that he was infected on his last mission. Commander Irons is literally out of his mind. I think his actions speak for themselves. I'm taking over." Burke turned to Fagen.
"You and the Commander were cooking something up, weren't you? Make off with the stone and leave the rest of us to die, hmm, something like that?"
Fagen shook his head. "You got it all wrong, son."
"No? Ask the Commander about the kitzloc."
"What difference does it make?" said Harry. "But for the record, Burke, you're only half-right."
Fagen glanced at Harry.
Burke shrugged. "Pick up the stone," he ordered. "The mission isn't over yet. We've got Fagen but there's still the matter of the wonder-ship."
"I don't think you're going about this in the right way," offered Bobbie.
"Let me spell this out for you: I'm relieving Commanders Irons of his command. He is unfit and presents a danger to us all. Now pick up the stone and let's go, Irons in the lead." Burke motioned with the stunner.
There was no choice and they did as they were told.
Chapter 32
There was no motion as they neared the ship, nothing to indicate the occupants were aware of their approach. Harry knew that was not the case. Somewhere, a sensor recorded their approach and relayed it to Blane. Minerva, no doubt, filled in the details for her human companion.
Before Harry and the others could enter the open ramp, a beam of light sliced across their path. Forced to stop before the force field, Bobbie and Fagen put down the sling. The stone emitted a faint hum.
Minerva's voice came from hidden speakers. "You got it, didn't you?"
"Yeah," said Fagen, "we got it all right." He glanced at Burke. "We got him too."
"Shut up!" said Burke as he slid behind Bobbie and snaked his arm around her waist, pulling her close to him. He slipped the muzzle of the stunner under her chin.
"Easy now, son," said Fagen, "why don't you take me instead? Blane, can you hear me? Hold your fire. Lower the shield."
There was a pause. Almost casually, Harry reached out with his mind and listened to the conversation between Minerva and Blane.
"Edward looks like he's on his last leg," said Minerva, "and Harry's got that long-distance gaze on again. I think the guy with the gun might be insane. The girl is lovely."
"We can't let them inside."
"I believe the man is intent on doing bodily harm to that young woman over this. There is a better way. Let them inside, let me handle this."
"That's not a good idea," argued Blane. "We haven't even discussed the effects of the singularity on your circuitry..."
"Not to worry. I've fashioned what I think will be more than adequate shielding."
"Maybe we could stall them?"
"To what purpose? Give the madman with the gun the time to kill them all? No, let me take care of it, Bart..."
In the end, as was so often the case, Blane reluctantly agreed to let Minerva take care of the situation.
The force field disappeared and Harry led them inside. Minerva asked that they deposit the singularity into a magnetic holding pod which they found in the airlock. After stabilizing the substance, she directed the entire group to the lounge area. Harry found she'd changed the furnishings some. It was bigger, with more places to sit, and there was food and drink awaiting them.
Burke still held the gun to Bobbie's throat and kept her close. They stood clumped together watching Burke, enticed by the odor of the food but not knowing exactly what to do.
"Burke, what have I done to deserve this?" asked Bobbie.
"I am sorry for the discomfort," he replied, "it'll be over soon, I assure you."
"Why don't you let her go?" asked Fagen, "This is unnecessary. You have a weapon, none of us are armed."
Minerva's voice floated through the room. "You don't need to continue holding the woman, Mr. Burke. My concern at this time is there might be an accidental discharge from your firearm. Someone could get hurt, not to mention the damage that could be done to me with an errant shot."
"I'm not getting rid of the rifle."
"Well then at least turn the woman loose."
Burke frowned and thought about it. The food smelled good.
"All right," he said, "everybody stand where I can see you. I want Blane to come here." He released Bobbie and pushed her toward Fagen.
There was a second's pause and Minerva spoke again. "Bart says no."
Keeping his gun pointed at the group, Burke walked to the counter and poured himself a drink of water which he drank completely. He drank another and motioned to Bobbie. "Pass out water." Then he spoke to the walls. "I am prepared to kill these people, one by one, unless you begin cooperating with me. Blane? Do you hear me? Think it over. Two minutes."
"I don't think I need that long," said Minerva. "May I be frank with you, Mr. Burke?"
"Please," answered Burke.
"Well, Bart's not in very good shape right now. He says whatever I decide will be fine."
Burke laughed aloud, high and nervous. "You're joking, of course." Minerva sounded so real, it was difficult to resist the illusion. Harry watched as she led Burke into her mind game.
"I'm quite serious. Are you anti-feminist, Mr. Burke?"
"Not at all," he stammered.
"Then may I ask what your requests are?"
"Requests?"
Harry caught Fagen rolling his eyes.
"You're the one with the hostages." Minerva continued. "That's the way it's supposed to work, isn't it?"
"That's right." Burke looked over his prisoners.
"Then you want something in particular, right? Do you want to be transported back to your ship? You want the ghlowstone?"
"Right on both counts."
"All right then, shall I lift us into orbit?"
"Not so fast. I want to be in the control center..."
"I'm sure that's not necessary, Mr. Burke. You'll be much more comfortable if..."
Burke leveled the rifle at Harry. "Don't push it."
"All right," said Minerva, "as you wish. Either Edward or Harry can show you the way."
"No tricks," warned Burke as he grabbed Harry and spun him around. "Or this one dies." He pushed Harry toward the door and out into the corridor. Harry wondered what Minerva had in mind and hoped he could duck in time when she decided to take out Burke. As he led Burke up to the control room, he spoke over his shoulder.
"You're the one who's looped-out, Burke, not me. It's not too late to call it quits. We've got the same goals..."
"Not quite. You've gone renegade, Commander. Granted, it wasn't completely your fault. You've got a kitzloc infection; you can't be expected to think properly. I still can't figure out why the Corporation put you in charge of this mission. So do me a favor and just shut up while I get us out of this mess."
"Have it your way."
When they arrived at the control center, Blane was gone. Minerva, or rather, her hologram, wore fetchingly short khaki shorts and a loose, sheer white blouse. Underneath, she wore nothing.
Burke didn't understand. "Who are you?" he asked.
"I'm Minerva," cooed the hologram.
"No kidding. Can you seal this room?"
"Certainly."
Burke turned Harry to the door. "Out."
Harry half-turned and said, "Are you sure you don't want to..."
"I said out!" With a shove, Burke pushed Harry out of Minerva's control center. There was no sliding hatch, instead the entire doorway puckered and expanded until it closed on itself. On the outside, Harry looked at a bare wall where a moment before a doorway had been.
He made his way back to the lounge and found the others eating, drinking, and generally relaxing. Blane was there, but Bobbie and Fagen were missing.
Harry threw a dark look at Blane and collapsed onto a couch. Across the room, Yoni sat with Tringl. They both had banquet-sized plates of food in front of them and were presently preoccupied. Blane handed Harry a glass of water.
"Where're Fagen and Bobbie? She's still my responsibility."
"Sure doesn't look like it. Your Mr. Burke says he's running things now." Blane looked carefully at Harry. "Why don't you let Minerva examine you? She's great with auto-immune diseases."
"I'm all right."
Blane shook his head. "No, you're not. Not if you've been around a kitzloc. Never heard of anybody surviving, though. And the Corporation knew about it as well? Ahh, there's some shifting going on. But then, that's how it always is with the company, isn't it? Edward and Miss Long preferred to wash before dining. Why don't you try to relax as well?"
Instead of answering the question, Harry asked one of his own. "Why didn't Minerva terminate Burke?"
"Don't worry, Harry, she'll handle it. She's much better with people than I am. Anyway, I think she's got something better in mind."
"I don't like this, not one bit."
Minerva's voice came from the wall behind Harry. "I'm sorry to eavesdrop, but I just want to assure Harry that everything's under control. I think we all agree that we have the same destination in mind. Allow me to get us there."
"The Grunwald's my ship," chimed Harry. "It's my crew."
"Don't tell that to Mr. Burke. But if that's what you're concerned about, don't be. Listen, you need food and rest. Let's talk later. If you want a report on how things are going, just ask. Presently we're rising at a rate of three hundred meters per second. Mr. Burke is accommodating himself to the control console. Oh, and one other thing you might find of interest. I detected a signal burst from the pyramid after the singularity was removed."