The Trial of Extinction

by Stan C. Smith

  Infinity twisted her neck, moving her throat out from under the pressure of the lemur's knees, but this left him pressing on both her carotid arteries, and her vision was starting to blur.

  She somehow freed her left hand and jabbed it into the creature’s ribs. This was the most vulnerable spot she could reach, so she pulled back and jabbed again. Peanut grunted but didn’t let up on her neck.

  Infinity blinked. She could no longer see out of her right eye, and her head was starting to tingle. She drew back and drove her fist into Peanut’s ribs again, and then again.

  The lemur squirmed, obviously trying to escape the pain from her jabs.

  Her left eye was now fading to black. She’d be out within seconds. She grunted, summoning every bit of strength she had, and rammed her fist into his ribs again.

  This time he gasped, and his knees let up for a brief moment.

  Infinity sprung into action, contracting her abdominal muscles and curling her body. She was able to slide her neck out from between the lemur’s knees and toward his crotch. She redoubled this effort and continued folding herself until her face was inches from the peanut-sized bulge in his bodysuit. Infinity didn’t hesitate—she clamped her teeth onto the bulge and began shaking her head.

  The pressure from Peanut’s legs quickly loosened as he panicked. Infinity took full advantage of the range of motion this offered, yanking her head viciously from side to side until her teeth tore through the lemur’s bodysuit and blood flowed into her mouth.

  Peanut scooted himself back and began pounding her legs with his fists.

  Infinity shook her head one more time, nearly severing the bulge from the lemur’s body. She then released it and got to her feet. The arena was strangely silent for a few moments as she stood gazing at her broken hand and Peanut curled up on his side, inspecting his own substantial damage. Infinity’s fury then took over—she stepped forward on her left foot and stomped on the lemur’s skull with her right, driving his head into the floor with devastating force.

  The blow should have cracked his skull, but instead his head had sunk into the floor several inches and remained largely uninjured. The floor had softened at the exact moment of impact.

  She stared down at the lemur, seething over his unfair advantage while he writhed with his hands cupped over his groin. Maybe she could pummel him to death the way Terry had killed his hunter, but this would be difficult without the use of her right hand. She’d have to use her feet.

  She raised her foot to kick him again, but Peanut rolled away just before she brought it down. Growling with fury, he jumped to his feet and started coming at her.

  “Goddammit!” she screamed. She took off running again.

  16

  Trade

  April 11 - 9:10 PM

  Desmond turned away from the screen. There was nothing he could do to help Infinity, and watching her ordeal made it impossible to think clearly.

  He had already tried a half dozen ideas, all of which had gotten him nowhere. He had tried promising to take the city dwellers to an island on their own world that was populated by humans. The female lemur had dismissed this immediately, stating that she knew this to be false because her species already knew of every island on the planet. He had then offered to teach the city dwellers everything he knew as a biologist. She had dismissed this also. He had tried arguing that the city dwellers would be better off hunting non-sentient creatures. She’d replied that there would be no honor or fun in such hunts. He had taken Infinity’s suggestion of trying to shame them by accusing them of cheating by giving Peanut an advantage. The lemur had ignored this attempt completely.

  “Get him, Infinity!” Vic cried.

  Desmond couldn’t help but turn back to the screen. Infinity was now on her feet, and Peanut was curled up on the ground, bleeding profusely from his groin. Infinity delivered a vicious kick to his head, but he somehow recovered immediately, got to his feet, and started chasing her down. She’d have to turn and fight again soon, and her exhaustion was starting to show.

  Infinity had given Desmond as much time as she could, and he’d gotten nowhere.

  On the screen, Infinity turned and saw that she was about to be overtaken. She cut sharply to her left and ran full speed into a cluster of trees, allowing her impact with the plants to bring her to a stop. Desmond saw her face turn pale when her injured hand hit the plant stalks. She was in extreme pain.

  Seconds later, Peanut slammed into the cluster. Infinity began swinging and kicking, blocking his attempts to grab hold of her again. She pulled a stalk from the floor and swung it at him, but this seemed to have little effect.

  Infinity was running out of time.

  Desmond rubbed his eyes furiously, trying to think. He tapped the camera lens in his forehead. “Kitty, I know you can hear me. If you bridge me back, even for just a few seconds, these lemurs will be convinced I have control over the bridging process. Then they’ll listen to me. They’ll make a deal. Please! Do it now.”

  Nothing.

  He pounded his forehead in frustration. He only had one idea left that he hadn’t tried. It was a desperate idea—something he should have never even considered in the first place. But he no longer cared now. Besides, it probably wouldn’t work anyway.

  “Okay, Kitty, how about this. I want to give the lemurs the plans for building a bridging device—the Outlanders’ instructions. If you bridge me back, I’ll figure out a way to get the instructions, and I’ll bridge back here. I’ll give the instructions to the city dwellers. This is what you want us to do, isn’t it?”

  Desmond glanced at the lemurs in the room, but they were gone. The whole room was gone. He staggered and fell to his knees on the padded floor of the bridging chamber. He looked around—he was alone in the chamber.

  Had he solved the puzzle, or was this just one of Kitty’s tricks? He had no time to contemplate the implications. He got to his feet. “Armando? Hey! Anyone here?”

  He heard a thump and then a hiss of air behind him. He turned in time to see the airlock hatch opening. A woman appeared in the doorway. Her face was vaguely familiar. Desmond remembered having met her the previous day, but that seemed so long ago. She was one of the med techs, Trini Soloman. “Trini?”

  She leaned back out of the hatch. “Dr. Fornas? Mr. Doyle? You’d better get in here.”

  Desmond didn’t wait. He went to the airlock and squeezed past Trini.

  Armando and Fornas were approaching from the other side of the lab, both of them looking alarmed.

  “Desmond, what happened?” Armando said as he glanced into the bridging chamber. “Where are the others? Where’s Infinity?”

  “Listen to me carefully,” said Desmond. “The trial isn't over yet, and it hasn’t been going well. We’ve suffered losses. But Infinity, Vic, and Terry are still alive.” He grabbed Armando’s shoulders and looked him directly in the eyes. “I came back here to save Infinity’s life, and save this entire world in the process.”

  “How?” Armando asked, his voice unsteady.

  “I don’t have time to explain details, so I’m asking you to trust me. There are intelligent beings on the world we bridged to. I’ve come back to get the original data from the Outlanders’ signal—the instructions for building a bridging device. I need to take it with me to give to those beings.”

  Armando and Fornas stared at him, apparently at a loss for words.

  “It will save Infinity’s life! And it’s what Kitty wants us to do.” Desmond was certain the first part of this was true, assuming Infinity was still alive. As for the second part, he was horrified that he could so blatantly claim this to be true without being certain. Billions of lives were at stake, and he hadn’t even flinched as he’d said it.

  Dr. Fornas furrowed his brows and mouthed something silently before speaking aloud. “But this is the reason our world is on trial in the first place. We can’t give away the key to bridging—”

  “Not the key,” Desmond interjected. “Only the original
instructions. These beings won’t be able to figure out the key hidden within the instructions. Please, we have to hurry.”

  “Desmond,” Armando said, “are you saying you want to destroy that world? The world you just told us is populated by intelligent beings?”

  “I don’t have time to explain it all! Please, I need to know—is it even possible to convert the data from the Outlanders’ signal into a form that will bridge back with me?”

  Again the two men stared. After several seconds, Fornas said, “We have tried to prepare for all possible scenarios. Yes, we do have several copies of the entire data set imprinted on organic fabric. Just as we have copies of the key.”

  Desmond felt a small seed of hope forming. “I don’t want the key, only the data from the original signal. Can you get it for me right now?”

  Fornas pursed his lips and shook his head. “What you’re asking is… of grave import, to put it mildly. Colonel Chislett arrived this afternoon and has assumed authority over all decisions concerning—”

  Desmond glanced around. “It doesn’t look like Colonel Chislett is here at the moment, and time is not on our side. Tell me the truth—if we get the colonel involved, how long do you think it will be before I can get what I need and bridge back?”

  Both men shook their heads, obviously having the same opinion of Colonel Chislett. “It would never happen,” Fornas said.

  “Look,” Desmond said, “I really, honestly believe this is the decision Kitty and her species will judge us on. They want to know, do we have the ability—the decisiveness—to carry out the mission they believe in? They believe the ultimate mission is to eliminate entire civilizations based on how they use bridging technology. I’m going to show them we have this ability.”

  Again, precious seconds of silence.

  “Why not just give this civilization the coordinates of the Outlanders’ signal?” Armando asked.

  Desmond took a deep breath to avoid shouting in frustration. “The universe diverged from ours at least forty million years ago. There’s almost no chance the Outlanders existed at all in that timeline.”

  Armando turned to Fornas. “I believe him, Kyle. This world is my home, too, and I think we should give him the data. If he says we can’t wait for the colonel, we can’t wait.”

  Fornas raised a trembling hand to his forehead and whispered, “Holy Mary, mother of God.” He then turned and rushed away.

  Desmond glanced at Trini. The med tech was standing within earshot. She was staring at him, her eyes wide and her mouth half open. Desmond turned to Armando.

  “Save Infinity,” Armando said softly. “Please.”

  Anyone else would have seen this as an odd request, considering the enormity of what was at stake, but Desmond understood perfectly, and he suddenly felt less alone.

  Fornas came hustling back, carrying a black tube. His hand was still shaking as he handed it to Desmond. “It’s printed in a binary code that any reasonably-intelligent beings should be able to—”

  Desmond snatched the tube and tucked it under his shirt, hoping this might ensure that it would bridge back with him. He tapped the camera in his forehead. “Okay, Kitty, I’ve got it, and I’m ready to come back!”

  Nothing happened.

  Armando said, “How could you possibly communicate with her if she’s in the other timeline?”

  Desmond started to shake his head, but then he dropped a fraction of an inch to the floor and had to wobble slightly to keep his balance. He was back in the viewing room with Vic and Terry. He spun around and studied the video screen.

  Infinity was there, still alive. She was cupping her injured right hand in her left and was now limping, with a bloody bite or cut visible on her left thigh. Now she was alone. No, actually she wasn’t alone. Desmond spotted Peanut, following her a few dozen yards back. He was obviously hurt, too, and was leaving a thick trail of blood on the floor. He was holding a hand over one eye and was shaking his head violently every few seconds as if he had some kind of nerve damage.

  Desmond took a moment to breathe. She was still alive. He stared at the screen, processing this fact and trying not to let his emotions overwhelm him. Finally, he pulled his eyes from the screen and turned around. There were now eight city dwellers in the room, all of them staring at him.

  Desmond had momentarily forgotten about the tube he’d been carrying. He tightened his grip on it, relieved that it was still there, and pulled it from beneath his shirt. “I have just bridged to my own world and back,” he said to the lemurs. “You watched it happen, so you cannot deny that I have the ability to bridge.”

  He waited for his translator to catch up and then continued. “If you could bridge to other worlds like I can, you would have access to countless other intelligent species. You could hunt and kill them. Or maybe you could even learn from them. But you’ll never be able to bridge to other worlds without the instructions for building a bridging device.”

  After the translation ended, he held up the tube. “I have those instructions right here. If you stop the hunt right now and agree to let us all live, I will give you the instructions. You should trust me when I say these instructions will change your civilization forever.”

  “What the hell, Desmond!” Vic shouted. “We ain’t giving them nothing! It ain’t—”

  Vic vanished.

  “Oh Jesus,” Terry said as he stared at the spot where his fellow Marine had been only seconds before. “Desmond, what’s going on?”

  Desmond suddenly felt confident that he was doing exactly what Kitty wanted. Vic had tried to interfere, and she had promptly bridged him out of the room—hopefully to a safe place and not to his death.

  Desmond ignored Terry and continued addressing the lemurs. “You see? You see what we are capable of?” He shook the tube above his head. “Stop the hunt now!”

  The lemurs looked at each other and began exchanging what sounded like heated comments.

  Desmond glanced back at the screen. Infinity was still limping, moving as fast as her injuries would allow. But Peanut was right behind her. His head was twitching less, and he seemed to be moving faster now. He would overtake her in seconds.

  “Stop the hunt right now!” Desmond cried. “Or I’ll bridge out of here with these instructions, and you’ll never see them again.”

  The female lemur emitted a series of shrill barks and whistles. Desmond’s translator remained silent—she wasn’t speaking to him. She pointed at the screen.

  Desmond turned. Peanut was no more than five feet behind Infinity. He would throw himself forward and tackle her at any moment.

  But then Peanut abruptly stopped. He tilted his head slightly as if listening to something. After several seconds, he took a long look at Infinity. She was still moving, quickly increasing the distance between them. The lemur then ducked clumsily into a fighting stance, wobbling a few times before finding his balance. The video cut to Infinity, and the lemur voices narrating the fight over the video feed began speaking more rapidly, obviously agitated.

  The female lemur approached Desmond and began speaking. His translator interpreted. “If the words you speak are true, then we will not hunt and kill you, and we will give you wealth. If the words you speak are not true, then our wealthiest and most honorable hunters will hunt and kill you in the arena. Know that my words are true.”

  Desmond said, “I’m telling the truth. I promise.” He then handed her the tube.

  The female lemur and the room around her vanished, replaced by the white interior of the bridging chamber. A split-second later the black tube appeared inches from Desmond’s outstretched hand and fell to the floor. He heard Infinity grunt a few feet to his left and turned in time to see her collapse, smearing blood onto the smooth, white floor.

  Desmond dropped to his knees. “Infinity!” He lifted her to a sitting position and then pulled her into a hug.

  She grunted in pain and said, “Watch the hand!” Then she threw her left arm around him and held on fiercely.
<
br />   Vic spoke up from behind Desmond. “You need to explain, and it better be good.”

  Desmond loosened his hold on Infinity and turned around.

  Vic was sitting cross-legged by the wall. To his left, Terry was pushing himself up onto his butt.

  “Vic,” said Desmond, “I’m sorry, I….” He trailed off when he noticed a prone figure beside Terry. It was Gideon. The guardsman was pale from blood loss. His shoulder was badly mangled, but the wound appeared to have been cleaned and cared for.

  Gideon struggled to crane his neck until he could see the others in the chamber. “Goddamn, you all are a sight for sore eyes. But I think bridging back robbed me of my bandages and stitches. I need to be sewn up again.”

  “We need med techs in here!” Desmond shouted.

  The hatch popped open, and techs rushed in, followed by Armando and Fornas.

  Vic spoke up again over the commotion. “Desmond, you need to explain. We all deserve an explanation.”

  “Yes,” said Dr. Fornas, “please explain what’s going on.”

  Desmond turned to Infinity, who was still in his arms. Her eyes were searching his.

  “What happened?” she asked.

  He sucked in a deep breath. “I don’t really know for sure. Not yet.”

  17

  Migrants

  April 11 - 10:00 PM

  Infinity waited for Desmond to explain what had happened, but he just stared at her, slightly shaking his head. The skin around his eyes was taut—he was deeply troubled.

  She squeezed his shoulder with her left hand. “What happened, partner?”

  He bent down and picked up a two-foot-long black tube. He pried the cap off one end and looked inside. “It came back with me. Kitty didn’t let them keep it.”