That did make sense. She now saw where Ddwng was leading, so she set it up for him. "But how will I know which path he's coming in on? I mean, if I go out tomorrow—"
"Readily solved. You will simply wait here for him, and be reunited here. This will surely be best in any event, because we have excellent facilities, and he may be tired from the struggle with the void realities."
"Gee, that's nice of you!" she exclaimed happily. But inside she was not at all sanguine. This person had gone to an extraordinary amount of trouble to make long paths, and she doubted that he was doing it from sheer niceness. He wanted the Chip, as he said, and that meant he needed Darius to lead him to the reality where the Chip was.
But that Chip was the potential source of almost unimaginable power. What would Ddwng do once he had it?
She wished she could think of a way to see that Ddwng didn't get it. But if she made any suspicious move, she was now afraid that she would proceed from the status of Guest to that of Prisoner.
She would have to wait until Darius came, and then warn him not to tell where his reality was. Maybe they could head back to hers, until they got free of Ddwng, then cross this region somewhere else. Or start toward his reality, and turn aside. There were surely ways and ways, if she could just warn him without alerting Ddwng.
"It sure is lucky that you're here, with a good reality in the middle of the bad ones," she said brightly. "I'm afraid we would have been in real trouble otherwise."
"It is fortunate," the ball agreed.
It was a disaster, she feared.
CHAPTER 10
CAPTAIN
SUDDENLY they were in a barren region. There seemed to be no life at all in this Mode, though the prior Mode was lush.
Darius looked at Provos. "Do you have any memory of this?"
"I have no memory of this," she said, not answering so much as anticipating his coming response. "We do not remain here long."
"Let's move on, then," he agreed.
They crossed into the next, and the next, but the barrenness continued. This seemed to be an entire segment of lifeless Modes, unlike any they had passed before. The ground was nothing but rock and sand; there was no water.
She could not remember their future as long as they kept crossing to new Modes. But suppose there was no resumption of living Modes within their walking range? Her memory of the future would do them no good; they would be dead.
"Provos, you may not remember the terrain," he said carefully. "But can you remember your association with me? Do you know me from more than a few days in the future?"
"I remember you from a fortnight in the future," she said. "Then it becomes confused."
Two weeks. That suggested that it was safe to plow ahead, because they would not die in that time. Heartened, he did just that.
But the barren Modes continued for the course of half a day's travel. The naked sun beat down, making an oven of the landscape. Darius became doubtful. Yet Provos seemed unconcerned, so he said nothing.
Then they spied a flash of a light to the side. It turned out to be a little signaler stuck in the sterile sand. Near it was an arrow pointing onward.
Evidently someone had been here before them. Since the Virtual Mode had not existed for a long time, this had to be recent. Could Colene have passed this way? No, her arrow should have been pointing back the way he had come.
They moved on. Now the sun was descending, so that they had to shield their faces from it as they proceeded westward. Several hours later they found another flashing signal, with its arrow. Then they found a path. It was just a thin layer of silvery material laid on the rock, disappearing as it crossed to the next Mode. But it wound on through the bleak crevices and dunes, going somewhere. It was dusk now, and they decided to camp, then follow the path in the morning.
Provos remembered no problems in the coming hours. With neither weather nor animals to contend with, this seemed reasonable. But there was also no shield against the chill of night. The stone had been burning hot, and it retained much of its heat, but the air was turning frigid. There was no wood from which to make a fire. His thin blanket was not enough to shield them from the intensity of the chill that was developing.
Provos looked around. Then she stooped to lift the end of the path. The material came up readily. She walked with it, bunching up a length. Of this she made a blanket. She signaled him to join her.
The path material turned out to have a good insulating property. Whether as tent or blanket, it held in the radiating heat of the stone and kept them warm.
By morning, even so, it was very cold, and the two of them were closely embraced, huddled under the path. Darius wished it could have been Colene with him, with her lovely little body and innocently seductive manner. But with the dawn came the heat of the sun, and soon the air was warming.
The reflective path remained cooler than the surrounding stone. They walked on it and were more comfortable than they had been the day before. Now they were obviously going somewhere. But who had set this up, and why?
The path was leading in the direction of the steepest change of Modes, which meant it was going toward an anchor. But probably not the right one. Darius had found his way first to Provos' anchor Mode. Now they must be going to a third one, and they could not know what to expect of it.
Suddenly there was water. The land had been desert dry, but now there were lakes to the sides and vapors rising from the stone. Farther along there was life: thin, tenacious lichen coloring the rocks. But as they proceeded, this became more ambitious, until there was a general covering of primitive vegetation, and the appearance of insect life.
Then there was animal life. At first it was not far removed from the lakes, and was small, but it progressed rapidly. When man-sized reptiles appeared, Darius got nervous. But it was easy to avoid a predator by stepping across a Mode boundary. They just had to be careful not to walk directly into one, as there was no way to spot them ahead. They learned to count their paces, pause, and use his mirror tube before moving on. This slowed them, but seemed necessary.
The path became bolder, and the scenery more recent. There seemed to be no large predators in this section, so they put away the mirror tube and moved more rapidly, because night was coming again.
Suddenly they were in an enormous chamber. There was an extremely elegant young woman, obviously of high social standing. She turned and saw him.
"Darius!" she cried, and flung herself into his arms.
It was Colene! Thus suddenly they had come together.
"Beware," she whispered into his ear before she kissed him.
But already a man was walking toward them. He had reddish hair and piercing black eyes under a metallic band resembling a crown, and wore a kingly robe.
"You must be Darius," a voice said in Colene's language. It came not from the man but what appeared to be a hanging ball.
"I am Darius," he agreed as Colene relaxed enough to let him speak. Her whispered warning: what did it mean? That this was a hostile figure of some sort? Yet what could he do if it was?
"And your companion?" the ball asked.
Provos did not speak Colene's language, and not a great deal of his own language. "She is Provos," he said.
"This is not good," Provos murmured in his language.
What was she beginning to remember? He knew it took a while for her to clarify her memories of a new Mode. Since her warning coincided with Colene's, he knew he had to be very careful.
"I must talk with you," the ball said. "Come with me."
It seemed that it was the man who was really talking, as he was gesturing.
"Go with him," Colene said. "I will see to your companion."
Darius looked at Provos, but she seemed to be willing to go with Colene despite the barrier of speech. He nodded.
In a moment he was in a separate chamber with the man, evidently private. "I am Ddwng of the DoOon," the ball said, still in Colene's language. "I need your Chip."
"The Chip t
hat set up the Virtual Mode?" Darius asked, surprised. "It is not mine to give."
"But you could lead me to it."
"To my Mode, yes. But the Cyng of Pwer would not give it to you. Chips are valuable."
"I know. If you lead me to your Mode, I will get it from your official."
"Why do you want it?"
"We are confined to our Mode. The Chip will enable us to visit other Modes."
Darius considered. He did not like this situation. Both Colene and Provos had expressed doubt. Why should this evidently powerful man be so eager to go to other Modes? Could he be a human version of the dragons, seeking to invade new territory to the disadvantage of the folk there?
But it might not be wise to turn him down flatly. "I will think about the matter."
Ddwng frowned. "There are things you should know, as you think," the ball said. "Colene will be withheld from you during that period."
"Withheld?" Darius asked, dismayed. "But I entered the Virtual Mode only to fetch her!"
"Then your decision should be easy. I shall grant you ten days to decide. If you are negative, we shall sterilize Colene and make her a common concubine."
Suddenly Darius understood how accurate the warnings were. Ddwng was holding Colene hostage to Darius' performance! Surely there was no good motive there.
"In the interim, you shall perform an assignment," the ball continued. "The manner in which you acquit yourself will determine your situation after your decision."
Darius suspected that anything he could say would only complicate his situation. But there was one way he could improve his chances. "I will need the services of Provos."
Ddwng hesitated, then concluded that a small concession was in order. What he wanted was Darius' cooperation, not his antagonism. "She will join you."
Then a servant appeared. His head was that of a sheep. The creature was waiting for Darius, so Darius got up and accompanied him from the room. They walked to a relatively tiny chamber. "Stand in there," a nearby hanging ball said.
Darius stepped into the little chamber. A panel closed him in. The chamber shook. Then the panel opened.
A man stood outside, but not the same one. This one was fully human, and wore a rather handsome deep red uniform. He lifted his right hand, spreading his fingers. "Welcome aboard. Captain," a ball said.
Darius shook his head. "You have mistaken me for someone else. I am here only to do an assignment for Ddwng of the DoOon."
"This is true, sir," the ball said, speaking for the man. "You are to complete a mission as Captain of this ship, the FTL Flay. I am your executive officer, Jjle."
Darius stepped out of the little chamber. "But I know nothing of ships! I can't even find the sail!"
Jjle smiled. "This ship has no sail, sir," the ball said. "It is a destroyer-class thousand-light-year craft. I am competent to operate it, as I shall do at your command."
"No sail?" Darius asked blankly.
"Sir, if you will permit the personal remark, I suspect you have come into this command rather suddenly. May I proffer a suggestion?"
"Yes, please, J-jlee! I have no idea what—"
"Allow me to show you to your quarters, where your nulls will acquaint you with the necessary background. When you emerge, no other member off the crew will know that this is new to you."
This had the sound of good advice. "Yes, thank you."
"The appropriate term is 'affirmative', sir. When we reach your quarters, tell me to 'carry on'."
"Affirmative," Darius said.
They walked down a short squared-off metal hall to another door panel. "Your touch will key it open, sir."
Darius touched the panel. It slid aside to reveal a chamber beyond.
"I look forward to serving with you, sir," Jjle said.
"Uh, yes. Uh, carry on."
The man lifted his hand again, fingers splayed. Then he turned smartly and departed.
Darius stepped into the chamber. The panel closed behind him. How he had come from the palace on the ground to this "space" ship he did not know, but it was actually no stranger than stepping through Mode boundaries.
The chamber was opulent. Lush carpeting covered the floor, and fine murals were on the walls. Three odd statues lined one side. Near the ceiling were ornate cabinets set into the corners. There was a huge picture window overlooking a lovely placid river valley. This was definitely not where he had been! But neither was it on the water.
Then he saw a statue move. It was breathing.
He looked more closely. The bodies of the figures were human, but the heads resembled those of cats. One body was evidently male, for it was of masculine proportions and had a codpiece fitted obviously into his shorts; another was female, with full breasts and hips distending her tight dress; the one between them seemed to be neuter.
"Who are you?" he asked.
The male stepped forward marginally. "We are your nulls, Captain Darius," a ball he hadn't noticed before said. "We are of the Feline persuasion. I am Tom."
The neuter figure stepped forward. "I am Cat." The pitch and intonation differed, though it was still the ball speaking.
Then the female: "I am Pussy." This time the tone was sultry.
"Nulls?"
"Nulls are subhuman servants. We exist to serve you in any capacity you desire."
Darius pondered that, not knowing what to make of it.
"Your attention, sir," the ball said in a neutral voice. "A person is beyond the panel."
"Who?"
"The woman Provos."
"Let her in," he said, relieved.
The panel opened. Provos stepped through. She seemed to take this reunion for granted, remembering their future association. "I presume you interceded to bring me here," she said.
"I interceded to bring you here," he repeated, because that was the dialogue she remembered.
She turned to the three Feline nulls. "It is pleasant to commence our association, Tom, Cat, and Pussy," she said.
She spoke in Darius' language, which the folk here did not seem to know. So he translated.
The three were startled. Darius was sympathetic. "Provos is a woman of special ways," he said.
"These folk are to be trusted," Provos advised him. "You will get to know them while I clean up and retire." She walked across the room to a panel set in the wall, and tapped on it. It didn't open.
"Uh, obey her touch as you would mine," Darius said to the panel. It opened, and Provos stepped inside another tiny chamber. The panel closed after her.
Darius addressed the Felines. "I would like to sit down and get to know you."
Immediately, Tom walked to another panel. It opened, and from it slid an oblong board. The board puffed out and became a chair. Tom set it down before Darius.
Darius sat in it. "Make yourselves comfortable," he said.
The three got down on the floor before him and curled up rather in the manner of cats, their limbs tucked under them, their heads up, watching him. This was all right for Tom and Cat, but it caused Pussy to show such a generous cleavage that it was distracting.
"Pussy, get yourself a chair," he said. "I will talk with you."
She rose and produced a chair. She sat on it in the human manner, crossing her legs somewhat loosely. Her skirt was not long enough for this maneuver, so that the whole of her inner thighs was now visible for his inspection. She wore no diaper. Indeed, she seemed to wear no panties either.
He decided to try to ignore this, lest he seem too fussy. "Pussy, please clarify for me what it is the three of you are expected to do for me."
"We exist to serve you in any capacity you desire," the sultry voice of the ball said. The cat-woman's thighs spread a bit more.
"Yes, so you said before. But what capacities do you expect me to desire of you?"
"Information, body attendance, sex," she said via the ball, confirming the message her legs had been sending.
"Information is the one I desire now. How did you come to be the way you are
?"
"We are androids, manufactured in the factory from re-constituted human genetic material. We have no souls. Our heads are modified to conform to several animal patterns, though we retain the ability to perceive and communicate as humans do. As a class we are the nulls; as a subclass we are the Felines, male, neuter, and female. Our only pleasure comes from being of significant service to our human masters, and we must perform at least one such service each day or suffer."
Evidently this was a set speech for the edification of ignorants like himself. Darius appreciated it. "You are performing such a service to me by giving me this information?"
"Yes," she agreed eagerly.
"What happens to a null who fails to perform such a service?"
"On the first day we suffer emotional pain. On the second, physical pain. On the third we die."
The DoOon did not treat his servants gently! "Suppose I just tell you that I need no services, and to relax?"
"The nature of acceptable services is listed and programmed," the ball said in her voice. "We can not deviate. If you wish some service which is not programmed, you must arrange it by having us reprogrammed on a temporary basis."
"Suppose I do not need a service, but another human being does. May I have you do it, abating your need?"
"No," she said sadly. The ball seemed to be fading out of awareness.
The neuter null lifted a hand, evidently a signal for attention. "Speak, Cat," Darius said.
"Pussy's answer is incomplete. We are differentiated by type as well as by sex. Tom is strong and capable of violence at your behest; he will defend you against attack, even by a human being. Pussy is sympathetic and versed in the arts of gentleness, massage, seduction, and sexual performance. I lack either nature, but am the most objective and intelligent of your Felines. I am capable of interpreting your commands and questions and verifying your actual intent when you mis-speak yourself or are vague. Accordingly I advise you that while Pussy's response is technically correct, there are ways to circumvent this restriction."
"Then I should be talking with you, rather than Pussy," Darius said, interested.
"We would not presume to say that," the ball said for Cat.
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