Desmond’s translator resumed its interpretation. “That is our course… field… arena. It is essential to the functioning of our city, for it is where those without wealth hope someday to have the honor of hunting and killing. Most of them will never achieve such honor, but it is important that they have hope of achieving it. When they have hope for it, they continue to work for it, and they continue to serve our city. We allow them to watch the hunts that take place there. Watching the hunts makes them desire someday to achieve their own hunt.”
The lemur trained his wide eyes directly on Infinity. “Now you will watch a hunt in our arena. Those in our city without wealth have finished their work for the day and will watch also. They will see what you see, and they will work even harder tomorrow, hoping to be selected for the next hunt. This hunt will be special. Do you know why this hunt will be special?” He continued staring at Infinity as the translation finished, and then he waited.
Infinity glared back at him, seething with anger. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of a response.
Finally, Vic spoke up. “If you like fighting so much, cut this shit off my legs. I’ll choke you with your own tail and throw your body through this window.”
Peanut stared at Vic as he listened to the translation. He then replied, and Vic’s device translated. “You speak interesting words. Perhaps you are a child. Or perhaps your head is damaged. It makes no difference. You will fight soon. We will choose one who has no wealth to hunt and kill you. You will be easy to kill, but your death will still bring honor to one who has no wealth.”
Infinity glanced at Desmond. He shook his head, cautioning her to keep her mouth shut. She turned back to Peanut in time to see him watching Desmond intently. Had the creature understood Desmond's gesture? It seemed unlikely, but then she really had no idea how intelligent these lemurs might be.
Peanut nodded, and several other lemurs came forward and dragged the three humans back from the window to their previous location. Apparently story time was over.
Peanut addressed the humans again. “This hunt will be special because one without wealth will hunt and kill a new intelligent species—a species we have not hunted before. The others without wealth will enjoy this very much, and they will work very hard tomorrow. Perhaps you will enjoy watching this hunt too.”
Peanut gestured to one of the other lemurs, and a few seconds later the window to the outside transformed into a viewing screen. Not only was the screen floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall, but its image was also bright and sharp, as good as any television Infinity had ever seen. She realized she was looking at the inside of a room with brown walls, similar to the room she was in now.
A few seconds passed, and then two black-clad city dwellers stepped into view. They were dragging a struggling figure—Terry. The Marine’s legs were still bound by the yellow substance, and it looked like another ball of goo had splattered his upper body because his arms were once again entangled. Only his head was unrestrained. He was shouting, and every one of his words was coming through the video feed loud and clear.
“Where are you taking me? Goddammit, take me back to the others!”
Infinity could hear the fear in the young man’s voice, and she felt a new, intense rage building inside her.
The lemurs stopped dragging him. One of them kneeled and cut away just enough of the yellow substance to free one of his hands. The creature then placed the cutting tool into Terry’s free hand, and the two lemurs backed out of the picture.
The screen cut to a view from another camera, this one closer to Terry’s face, close enough to see his beard stubble and the moisture in the corners of his eyes. “Where you going?” he demanded. “What am I supposed to do with this?”
Lemur vocalizations came over the video as the camera panned over the Marine’s body. Perhaps the narrator was attempting to explain to the viewing audience what kind of creature they were looking at.
The screen cut again to another camera, this one showing the entire room, with Terry lying in the middle of the floor. The far wall beyond Terry suddenly transformed into a screen showing a vast area of trees and boulders. But the area obviously wasn’t a natural forest—Infinity could see a flat, artificial floor between the clumps of trees and rocks, and a brown ceiling above stretched into the distance. She then realized this wasn’t another video screen at all, but rather an opening into a much larger chamber—the arena.
“Oh, man,” Terry said. “What the hell is this?”
The screen cut to a camera focused on Terry’s free hand. He had dropped the cutting tool, and now he was frantically groping for it. His hand found it. The tool looked like nothing more than a brown piece of plastic with a point at one end. He turned it over in his hand and started cutting at the strands binding his other arm.
The lemur voice on the video feed continued talking, but Infinity’s translator remained silent.
A few seconds later, Terry had freed both his arms and was working on his legs. The screen continued cutting to different camera angles, each showing different details of the Marine’s struggle to free himself. These camera changes were obviously intended to ratchet up the drama. Infinity imagined thousands of lemurs watching this situation unfold, eager for the hunt to begin. She had encountered such violent and ruthless beings during her bridging career, but never in an advanced society like this.
Terry finished cutting away his bindings. Still sitting on the floor, he stared at the cutting tool in his hand. Then—surprisingly—he tossed it aside. He got to his feet. The camera followed him as he moved to one side of the room and began slamming his fists against the brown wall. “Come back, goddammit! I’m not going in there.”
Infinity thought she saw movement and blinked. She hadn't imagined it—the wall in front of Terry was now moving. No, not just the wall. The entire room was shifting, becoming smaller, forcing him toward the arena. He kept pounding the wall, but it was useless. Seconds later the room was gone, and he was standing with his back to the wall. The screen cut to a camera showing the arena before him. The landscape was dominated by smooth-floored trails winding among clusters of trees and brush-covered mounds of various heights—a seemingly-endless obstacle course for a cruel game.
The screen cut again to another camera, this one showing a city dweller in a torn and stained body suit that at one time may have been white. The creature was creeping steadily through the maze of trails, looking cautiously from side to side. This was obviously the lucky hunter—the lemur without wealth chosen over all the others to hunt and kill. For fun. And for honor. Whatever the hell that meant.
The hunting lemur stopped and peered at something ahead. The screen cut to a view from above, apparently from a camera on the arena’s ceiling. Infinity located Terry and clenched her teeth—the hunter was no more than fifty yards from him and was creeping closer by the second.
“Private Epsom!” Vic cried out. “Look to your right. Dammit, look!”
Not surprisingly, Terry didn’t respond. Infinity glanced at Peanut. The bastard was gazing at Vic, perhaps more interested in the human’s reaction than what was happening on the screen.
The hunter suddenly bolted, running on all fours directly toward the Marine. The screen cut to a camera at ground level, amplifying the drama of the charge.
“Epsom!” Vic shouted again.
Terry spotted the approaching hunter. “Oh shit,” he muttered, his words clearly audible over the video feed. He turned and ran. He made it to the nearest cluster of trees, but by that time the lemur was almost on top of him. The creature dove for the Marine’s feet and tackled him. The screen cut to a closer camera as Terry went down. The lemur began executing what appeared to be an overly-elaborate set of grappling moves, spinning its body several times, perhaps hoping to cause confusion, and then wrapping its legs around Terry’s to immobilize them. The creature then attempted to bite Terry’s neck.
But the hunter had obviously practiced these moves on other lemurs, who were much sm
aller than the Marine. Terry was a big guy, easily 200 pounds, at least seventy pounds heavier than his attacker. And the Marine, although terrified, was obviously no stranger to fighting. The hunter gnashed its teeth but couldn't quite reach Terry's neck. Grunting and cursing, Terry clutched the lemur’s throat and pushed away its gaping mouth. He then flung his knees up and used his momentum to roll over on top of the lemur.
Vic was now straining at the substance binding his legs. “Do it, Epsom! Kill the son of a bitch!”
The view cut to a closer camera no more than a few yards from the struggle. Terry straight-armed the lemur’s throat against the floor. The creature kicked its legs wildly, grunting and gasping for air as it tried to grab Terry’s face with its hands. But the Marine’s arm was too long.
Terry snarled something unintelligible, the raw fear in his voice unmistakable. He drew back his free arm and drove his palm into the creature’s face, remembering at least enough of his training to use his open palm instead of breaking his knuckles using a balled fist. He quickly struck the lemur again, and then again.
“That’s it, man,” Vic said. “Do it. Do it again.”
Terry kept striking, over and over, and soon Vic trailed off and fell silent. The high-def image on the screen showed every bit of blood and splattering eyeball fluid in crystal-clear detail. Terry’s growls gradually became sobs, but still he didn’t stop. Finally, long after there could be any doubt the lemur was dead, the Marine released the mangled creature and got to his feet. His chest heaved as he caught his breath.
The room around Infinity was completely silent. Peanut had now turned his attention back to the screen and was fixated on it.
“I want to go back to my team,” Terry cried out, looking up at the arena’s ceiling. “Did you hear me? Take me back to my team!”
Peanut gestured with one arm, and the video feed abruptly disappeared, replaced again by the window overlooking the city and the forest beyond. The lemur began talking, and Infinity’s translator interpreted. “This hunt was very interesting, although it did not bring honor to the hunter. Your species is interesting. Our people have reported that you killed some of our species in the enclosure beyond our city. At first I did not believe such words could be true. But now I see the words may indeed be true. I would like very much for you to tell me where I can get more of your species. But you say it is not possible. Those are interesting words. I am not sure I can believe such words are true. This is an interesting problem.”
Peanut then extended his arm and pointed at Desmond. Two of the other lemurs came forward, picked up Desmond’s feet, and began dragging him toward the wall.
“No!” Infinity shrieked. “Take me instead. He’s not a fighter. But I am. You want entertainment? Honor? Then take me, goddammit!”
The lemurs ignored her, and she began struggling, fighting to get the restraining fibers off her legs. She somehow managed to get to her feet. She launched herself at Peanut. He stepped back just in time, and she fell to the floor. She rolled toward him, threw her right arm around his ankle, and then pulled his foot toward her until it was off the floor. She then used the leverage gained from this motion to whip her bound legs around and kick his other foot from under him. He went down, but he overcame his surprise in a split second and spread his arms and legs into a sprawl, securing his position above her. She pulled his ankle closer and bit down on his calf, but she didn’t get much more than a mouthful of fur.
A fist slammed into her temple, tearing her teeth from the leg and causing her head to bounce off the floor.
She clenched her eyes shut until the pain started to subside and she began to regain her senses. By the time she opened them again, Peanut was back on his feet and standing clear of her reach.
“I’m the fighter you want,” she said, glaring up at him. “Take me instead.”
The lemur stood perfectly still as he listened to the translation.
“Infinity,” Desmond said from across the room, his voice as calm as ever. “Please stop. If we talk reasonably with them, maybe we can get them to see that there’s value in keeping us alive.”
She rolled onto her belly and got to her knees. “You know that’s not going to happen. These bastards aren’t capable of thinking the way you do.”
Peanut gestured to the lemurs who had dragged Desmond, and they hauled him back to his original location and dropped his feet. Peanut then lowered himself until his fingers were resting on the floor, still maintaining a safe distance from Infinity. He leveled his gaze at her and spoke. “Your words are interesting, and your words are humorous. Yes, you will be hunted in the arena. It will be a very interesting hunt. Each day, we have one hunt that is the most important hunt of the day. Now the most important hunt for today will be your hunt. This hunt will be very special because I will be the hunter. I will hunt and kill you, and all those without wealth and all those with wealth will watch.”
The lemur waited for the translation to end. He then pointed to the colored bands on one of his ankles and continued speaking. “Tonight I will earn a band. The band will have a new color. I will be the first of my kind to earn a band of this color.”
14
Coward
April 11 - 7:29 PM
Desmond used to consider himself a coward, with a talent for avoiding conflict. But then he had met Infinity and had become a bridger, and everything had gone to hell. Since then, he had narrowly escaped death more times than he cared to remember. So he had gradually started to believe he wasn’t a coward after all. But now he knew better.
Infinity had acted decisively, fearlessly, attempting to sacrifice herself to save him—like a soldier throwing herself onto a grenade. Desmond’s initial reaction to her attempt had been disbelief. And then despair. But there was no denying the fact that another feeling had briefly surfaced—relief. He had felt a wave of relief when he realized he wasn’t immediately going to be taken to the arena.
Desmond closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. It was a waste of time and energy to dwell on feelings he had no control over. Instead, he needed to focus and be ready to act, to do whatever he could to disrupt the current course of events.
“I’m right, and you know I am,” Infinity said.
Of course he knew she was right. “No, you’re not right,” he replied. “You’re not always right. Baiting him into a fight to the death was reckless. There has to be a better way. Even if you manage to kill him, they’ll just send in another hunter, and another after that. They intend to hunt and kill all of us.”
“I don’t know about that.”
Desmond gazed at her. “What do you mean?”
She glanced around the room as if she were concerned about eavesdroppers. The big male—the one who seemed to be in charge—had left some minutes ago, probably to prepare for the hunt. Only a handful of lemurs had remained to keep watch over the humans. She turned back to him. “I’m pretty sure Peanut thinks we’re hiding something. I think his goal is to get one of us to tell him where he can find more humans.”
Desmond shook his head, exasperated. “It doesn’t matter. He’s going to hunt you and try to kill you. Yes, he’s right, I’ll say whatever I have to say to save your life, but nothing I can say will give him access to more humans. I can’t produce what he wants!”
She gazed at him, expressionless. “You sure about that?”
He frowned. What was she getting at?
“Look,” she said. “Our best move is to use the skills we have. We both know you’re smarter than me. I should be in the arena fighting Peanut, and you should be here. You figured out how to control the robot vehicle—you’ll figure out how to negotiate with these assholes.”
He sighed. She was giving his abilities far too much credit. “Why do you call him Peanut, anyway?”
The corner of her mouth curled up slightly. “The name suits him.”
The doorway suddenly appeared in the wall. Two lemurs dragged Terry into the room and roughly dropped him. He was bound again from hi
s neck to his feet.
Vic used his arms to scoot himself until he was beside his fellow Marine. “You did it, brother. You killed the son of a bitch. With your bare hands.”
Terry was trying to sit up, but his arms were still bound, and he ended up on his side. He blinked at Vic. “How do you know that?”
“We saw the whole thing, man. In high definition. You’re one hell of a Marine, brother.”
Terry stared silently at the floor for a moment. “Help me sit up. I could use a little dignity.”
Vic called over to the lemurs. “Hey, could you free his hands please?”
One of the lemurs replied, “We do not want to free his hands.”
Vic mumbled something and pulled Terry up to a sitting position. Vic then helped him scoot several feet to the wall, where the bound Marine could lean back.
Terry nodded in appreciation. “This isn’t what I signed up for—being hunted like an animal.” He then pursed his lips and closed his eyes.
Infinity said, “Terry, you did what you had to do. Damn good job.”
Terry opened his eyes and gave her a glassy stare. Finally, he nodded slightly.
Infinity nudged Desmond. “It’ll be my turn soon. Remember, our goal here isn't merely to survive. We’re here to save Vic and Terry’s world. If we screw this up, Armando and the rest of our family will die along with everyone else on the planet.”
Desmond considered this for a few seconds. “Doesn’t mean I’m ready to lose you.”
The doorway appeared again. Two lemurs stepped into the room, each holding what looked like a fat PVC pipe. They immediately pointed the pipes at Infinity and shot her with softball-sized blobs of yellow goo, which burst on contact, entangling the upper half of her body. She grunted with each impact but didn’t bother to struggle.
“Desmond, they’ll be ready to listen to what you have to say!” she shouted as the lemurs grabbed her and dragged her through the doorway into the darkness beyond. The door disappeared, leaving only the oak-colored wall.
The Trial of Extinction Page 16
