by B. V. Larson
“All right,” he said, waving away my windy words. “I understand what you’re saying although the details are vague. How are you able to come back to life—not once, but over and over again?”
“I’m a copy of the original,” I said. “I didn’t really come back to life. But if you trace every synaptic connection in a man’s mind, and you have his DNA as a roadmap to rebuild his body, well, effectively I live again. I have my old memories in a new version of my body. Actually, I’m better than before. I’m younger and stronger than when I died. Injuries aren’t copied.”
The Investigator put a bloody glove to his bearded chin. For some reason, this made me wince. Maybe it was because it was my own blood that now streaked his face.
“So strange,” he said. “And so much information all at once.”
Della spoke up then. “Then you believe him, Investigator? I thought him mad at first, but he convinced me he was not a simple littermate like the others. I feel better to know I’m not a fool.”
“No, my young scout. You’re no fool. You were wise to bring this man to me.” He waved a hand toward my previous self and chuckled. “More than once, in fact!”
“Let’s talk about something else then,” I suggested. “We plan to attack the littermates and slavers when they come for you again. When they try to dig into your, uh, cavern, we’ll hit them from behind.”
The Investigator narrowed his eyes. “Why? That will only provoke them.”
“I think, sir, that they have provoked us. We’re Legion Varus. We’re one of Earth’s space-going armies. What’s wrong with protecting our fellow earthmen?”
“Hmm,” he said thoughtfully. “You described yourselves as mercenaries. Swords sold to the highest bidder. Who then paid your freight out to this distant star, soldier?”
Finally, he’d touched upon the one topic I didn’t want to talk about. After all, we’d come out here to solve a “problem”. That “problem” had been the colonists themselves at the time.
As a teen, I’d become an almost professional liar. I could tell in an instant that my hesitation was becoming too long, and he was growing suspicious. The Investigator was many things—but he wasn’t stupid.
“Sir,” I said, pulling upon my bag of tricks. “Let me explain. The aliens in this sector—the cephalopods—they aren’t part of the Galactic Empire. They’re operating in space without license, and they attacked a Galactic ship in this system. That isn’t acceptable to the Empire. Eventually, they’ll come here and correct the situation. In the meantime, we’re here. We’re local, and we’re combat-ready. We didn’t know exactly what we’d find when we got here, but now that we’ve arrived, we’re ready to render assistance.”
For the first time, the Investigator looked worried. “The Galactics will come? Here? To…correct the situation? Can you be more specific?”
I squirmed. “That’s the part that might go badly,” I said. “They aren’t very understanding. They might blame your people, mine, the squids—anyone and everyone for what happened. We’re going to try to sort that out in our favor, of course.”
“Of course,” he echoed. “By that, I take it you mean you’re going to try to blame it all on the cephalopods?”
I nodded.
He smiled then and laughed aloud. It was a hearty laugh, and it made his body heave with the force of it.
“What a grand joke!” he said. “These Galactics will come with so many ships that you can scarcely see the stars? That is what you said, isn’t it? The cephalopods have only one that we’ve ever seen. I will weep with joy the day the Galactics arrive.”
I tried to laugh with him but found the best I could do was smile thinly. I had no idea who the Galactics would blame when they got here. They were good at punishment, sure—but justice wasn’t always their strong suit.
-24-
After we broke up the meeting with the Investigator, I found myself on the Verge with Della.
“Hold here a moment, James,” she said. “I want to talk to him privately.”
She left me there. I looked after her, wondering what she wanted to talk about. But I soon became too interested in my environment to worry. The equipment—such well-kept, exquisite antiques!
I’d seen computers like these in museums. They were entirely electronic with nothing organic inside at all. What was even stranger was the way they warmed up your hand when you touched them. Computers in my day were usually as thin as a slip of paper and gave off no heat at all like the tapper inside my arm. I could scarcely imagine what it would be like to lug around something that weighed a man down.
Before I could do more than poke at the antiques, Della popped out of the door behind me. She smiled at me when I looked at her with questioning eyebrows.
“I’ll take you back to your camp. The Investigator would like to arrange a proper meeting with your leader. Perhaps greater cooperation would benefit both sides.”
“That’s good news,” I said.
I followed her down the stairs, across the smoky sward where most people slept huddled on the cool stone floors and across a sandy region that eventually led to the winding tunnels. Once in the tunnels themselves, I tried to keep track of the route, but it was difficult. Convincing Della that I was only idly curious, I paused now and then to look through the conical tubes that showed me events on the valley floor below.
The true purpose of my investigations was to track my position, of course. If I could use the tubes, I could find my way back here, should I ever have the need, just by taking occasional glances through these tiny scopes.
I was surprised to see that the nearest tubes were close to the alien ship itself. We were right above it, almost within the shimmering dome of its force field. The thought was an alarming one. If the aliens knew exactly where to concentrate their fire, surely they could blast their way through and kill everyone huddling inside the guts of Hydra. Even the lab coat types working with their obsolete instruments on the Verge itself would be in danger.
On the way back, we seemed to be taking a circuitous route. I frowned, noticing that the tunnels were becoming moist and warm now rather than cold and dank.
“Della,” I said, slowing down. “Where are we going? This tunnel…we’ve not been here before.”
“Follow, this is a shorter path,” she said without looking back.
I stood still and waited. She walked ahead a dozen steps. When she realized I wasn’t following, she returned with an odd expression on her face.
“You’re as suspicious as a tunnel-stinger,” she said.
“I have good reason to be,” I said, eyeing her. “Why are you taking me some place other than my tent?”
“It’s the girl, isn’t it?” she asked. “The one we left behind. She’s your mate?”
“My…no, not really. We’re friends.”
She scoffed. “Do you have many such ‘friends’?”
“As many as I can find,” I admitted.
She plucked at the sleeve of my smart-cloth suit. The fibers retracted from her touch like slow elastic.
“Arrogant,” she said. “Overconfident—but also very capable. You disgust me as much as you attract me. I can’t understand my thoughts. Perhaps it is as they say—that a man from a distant valley is always more interesting.”
“Uh…did you say you find me attractive? Is that what this is all about?”
“I killed you once. You bested me in a fight the second time. I’ve never had such experiences with a male before.”
I sized her up, and I can’t say that I was entirely comfortable with what I saw. She was lovely and strong and there was a definite look of odd excitement reflecting in her eyes. I wasn’t quite sure if she wanted to screw me or cut my throat. To be honest, I suspected it was a little of both.
“Where are you taking me, Della?”
“There’s a place ahead of us. There are pools in the caverns. Warm pools that bubble under the earth. Would you like to see it?”
“I really need to
get back to my unit, they’ll be—”
Wham! She’d slapped me, just like that. Her hand had flicked out and caught my jaw.
Then I saw that her small fist was closed tight. It took me a second to realize that she hadn’t slapped me—she’d full-on punched me in the mouth. What’s more, she was pulling back her arm to drive her knuckles into my face again.
I caught her wrist before she could punch me a second time and twisted her around, grabbing her other wrist. She struggled, but I was much stronger, heavier and better-trained. I held her from behind, one arm around her neck, both her arms straining against mine with hysterical strength.
Della raged and snarled, stomping on my feet. My boots took the abuse stoically.
“How about we settle down a notch,” I suggested, putting my face to her ear.
She banged her head into my mouth, and my lips stung. I don’t know why, but this pissed me off. I’ve always had a slow fuse, but once I get going, things can go badly.
She’d already dropped her crossbow, and I took this moment to toss aside her knife. Disarmed, I threw her on the ground in front of me. I stood with my fists balled up, but controlled myself from doing anything else.
Lying at my feet, she stared up at me in the dim light. We were both breathing hard, and neither of us was saying anything. I waited for her to make the next move; to give me a sign.
What she did surprised me. She scrambled up and ran down the passageway. I shook my head and almost laughed—but then I thought about all the twisting tunnels behind me. Sure, I might find my way back out of here, but it would take hours. I hadn’t even seen any more of those little observation scopes for the last kilometer. Concerned that she was ditching me in the tunnels, I ran after her.
I’ve got long legs and am in shape, but she gave me a good run for my money. Fortunately, she still had that glowing ring around her neck, and I followed it doggedly. Once in a while, I thought I’d lost her, but then I would hear crumbling dirt or catch a flash of that wan, green light, and I was off again after her.
The tunnels became positively steamy after a while. Wherever we were headed, it was definitely somewhere new. When I was beginning to get tired, the tunnel widened and became a low natural cavern.
It was lighter here, but not much. White growths lined the walls and the open pools of bubbling water. A sulfurous smell met my nose. It wasn’t entirely unpleasant, but I suddenly felt like I’d entered a geothermal steam bath in a volcanic region.
Della had stopped running and stood by the pool’s edge. She began stripping off her leather tunic. I watched, pleasantly surprised. She didn’t even look at me. When she was naked she stepped into the pool and sank down into it, hissing in pleasure.
Confused, I walked to the edge and looked around suspecting every shadow, stalactite and boulder to be hiding a team of assassins.
“You have got to be the weirdest chick I’ve ever had the misfortune to meet,” I told her.
She laughed.
“Twice you should have killed me,” she said. “Twice you stopped yourself. There’s only one reason a man would restrain himself. Stop lying to both of us, and get into the baths with me.”
I don’t know why, but her logic seemed unassailable to me. I took off my clothes, climbed into that hot, hot water, and made love to a certifiable wild-woman. She turned out to be a screamer, too. I wasn’t in the least surprised about that part.
When we were done, she escaped my arms and climbed onto dry land immediately.
“Getting out so soon?” I asked. “What’s the hurry? Veteran Harris probably has me down as a deserter by now. We might as well enjoy ourselves.”
“I must exit the water,” she said, lying on her back, naked and steaming. “It might interfere with conception.”
I don’t know what I’d expected her to say next, but that wasn’t it. As hot as that water was, a cold chill ran right through me. I climbed out and stood over her. She lay there, looking up at me curiously.
“Conception? Are you talking about what I think you’re talking about?”
She appeared quizzical. “Why else would I have mated with you? Why else did you chase me through the tunnels?”
“Uh…where I come from, most ladies have birth control of some kind. All female legionnaires have it built-in when they sign up.”
“Birth control? What’s that?”
“Drugs, implants—you know, to stop conception.”
She lifted her pretty face and frowned up at me. “You speak of immorality. Every child is precious. None of my people would dare interfere in the process. I’ve been shunned for years because I’ve selfishly waited for so long.”
My jaw opened, and it didn’t seem to want to close up again. “You mean you’re honestly trying to have my kid? That’s crazy. You hardly know me!”
“The Investigator thought it was an excellent idea,” she said. “I asked for his advice while you waited outside.”
I nodded slowly. I hadn’t known what they were talking about, but I never would have guessed this scheme.
“Della,” I said, “I’m not going to be able to be much of a dad if your plan works out.”
“I’ve thought about that,” she said seriously. “Every child needs a father to look up to. Fortunately, I have many suitors who I’ve long spurned. I’ll allow one of them to help me with the child when you’ve left us.”
“Whatever you do, don’t make it that asshole named Stott who shot me in the back.”
She laughed. “Don’t worry, I would never allow that man near me.”
I didn’t know what to say after that. A young man like me spends a lot of mental and physical energy on the process of getting laid, but we spend precious little time pondering the possible results. Sleeping with the sterile women in the unit had left me in a state of mind where I was particularly unprepared for this situation.
Not knowing what else to do, I put my clothes on and waited for her to do the same. She took her time about it, as she wanted to give my seed the best possible odds of impregnating her. Was this a curse, a blessing, or just sheer madness? I had to admit I had no idea what to think.
Before we’d gone a hundred meters back up the tunnel leaving the baths behind, Della halted and put a hand up to touch my mouth. I dragged out my sidearm and stared into the darkness ahead.
I saw the sandy dirt shift and heard the tiny splash of pebbles in a puddle. What was it, a lizard? I wasn’t sure, but I was willing to follow her lead. After all, she lived down here. I was just a visitor. She crept forward in a crouch, and I followed, senses straining.
When we came to a twist in the tunnel, one of many, we heard an unmistakable sound. It was a snuffling noise, like a hunting dog might make—but this creature was larger, heavier. The sounds reminded me of a bear following a scent to a food source.
I wrapped both hands around my pistol and the snuffling stopped. Della had frozen in place, so I did the same. We were waiting, hoping the tracker would turn and go another way. I didn’t even know how it had managed to get down here. The tunnels seemed too narrow for one of their kind. But then I remember just how lanky and thin they were. They’d been bred for work like this.
What happened next took both of us by surprise. A distant hooting sound echoed through the tunnels. Whatever was around the corner from us stirred, sending sifting grit down onto the tunnel floor. Then we heard what could only be a stealthy retreat. Footsteps padded away.
I heaved a gentle sigh and edged forward. Della was hung back, tense.
“We’re good, I think,” I whispered to her.
She shook her head slightly, so I waited longer. Finally, in the silence, I became restless. I walked around the corner with my pistol extended in front of me. If I so much as saw a—
An object flew out of the dark and struck my hands. I thought for a moment a rock had fallen from the ceiling. My hands hurt, and—
A black shape like a spider unfurled itself from the ceiling of the tunnel. In shock, I wat
ched it reach for me.
Della charged around the corner and clawed at the thing’s eyes. My vision was filled by those red-rimmed eyes, ear-flaps and huge puffing nostrils. Saliva ran in strings from the slaver’s mouth. I wondered if our scent made them hungry.
Deciding she was an easier catch, the creature sprang upon Della, letting its weight fall from the roof of the tunnel and crush her down.
We were both now unarmed. I’d already wrestled with several of these creatures, and I knew how strong they were. We didn’t have a chance without weapons.
I knew what I should do, of course. I should turn tail and run for it. But that just wasn’t in me. Instead, I reached down to pick up a rock.
Holding Della down on her back with one knee planted on her chest, the creature turned its attention toward me when I bashed it on the head. It looked annoyed, rather than dazed or hurt.
An incredibly long arm snaked out to pull me closer. I let it happen. My hand was fumbling in my pocket, digging out a tiny vial of powder that looked like cinnamon.
I popped open the vial, held my breath, and as it snuffled me happily, I gave it a snoot-full.
The reaction was quick and would have been amusing if we weren’t so close to death or capture. The slaver went into convulsions, coughing and flailing. Della screeched in pain as its knee shifted more weight upon her.
Then, the slaver finally sank down, weakening, I grabbed hold of him under an armpit and heaved, roaring with the effort. He must have weighed several hundred kilos, and Della was being crushed to death.
The stink of the slaver’s unwashed skin was strong. He was scarred with what looked like burns that had ridged his skin. Did they beat them, or had this one already been singed by our lasers? I didn’t know, but I was certain there wasn’t any deodorant being used on his homeworld.