by Steve Perry
Miriam Revna stood and walked over. "Yes. It's injured, but not in any danger. At least, I don't think so. Four cracked ribs and extensive contusions in the dorsal region. And it's male, I'm fairly certain."
Noguchi saw what she meant about the maleness. She couldn't miss it.
The thing was a giant, maybe two and a half meters tall. Humanoid, but its head like some sort of mutated crab. It wore armor, and was bound to the exam table by several thick straps of rhynth hide-its long, taloned arms were speckled, reptilian, but not scaled. Noguchi saw the slight rise and fall of its chest. There was a mask over its face. What was it breathing? she wondered.
After the initial shock, she tried to remember what the company's off-planet manual contained on the subject of possible XT encounters; something like "Avoid direct contact until trained personnel arrive!"
Looks like we're going to write a whole new chapter . . .
"We found a ship, too," Spanner said. "It's mostly blown to shit, but we should get a salvage team up there!"
Noguchi found her tongue. "Any idea what it is, Doctor?"
Revna looked at her blankly. "Hmm? I'm sorry, I'm not thinking clearly today"
Noguchi nodded. "Of course. We are still looking for Kesar. I just wondered if there was any connection between this arid those unclassifieds that Roth brought in."
The doctor shook her head. "This creature has a completely different cell structure. No relationship at all. He"-she nodded at the monster-"is more like us than the little crablike things."
Hiroki walked over to a table covered with pieces of the alien's armor. He held up a broken staff tipped with a vicious looking blade. "Quite an arsenal."
Noguchi joined him and picked up a large chunk of dark metal with a strap. She could barely lift it. At closer inspection, it was apparently some kind of weapon, a rifle or a flamethrower. It was damaged.
She set it down and picked up a mask.
"This is stuff you'd pack for a hunting trip. Or an invasion," she said. "This guy's no peaceful explorer."
Hiroki fingered the strap on the odd weapon. "I don't think this is his first trip to Ryushi, either. I can't place the rest of it, but this strap is definitely rhynth-hide."
"Any sign of the Doc?- Ackland nodded at the pilots.
The slender young woman, Ikeda, sighed. "Negatory. But Iwa Gorge connects with a maze of canyons and arroyos; it'd be easy to get lost. We'll go back out pretty soon."
There was a small shield of some kind with the other weaponry, a plate-sized disk with a strange looking creature etched on it. Noguchi ran a finger over the blackened metallic substance. The drawing was the head of an unknown animal or bug, an elongated skull with sharp teeth and no eyes; she traced the outline thoughtfully. There was something familiar about it.
Was it a dream? It was dark and hot . . .
She looked again at the unconscious alien and shuddered. Maybe Doc Revna hadn't gotten lost
There was a scream from outside, followed by a crash. Noguchi started; what now? She and Hiroki ran to the door together with Ackland behind them.
A flier had slammed into the transmitter building directly across from the med center. There was no fire but a lot of oily smoke; a small body lay on the hot pavement next to the accident. Several others had come out of the op center and were also running toward the scene. Hiroki got there first.
"What happened?" Noguchi called out.
Hiroki knelt by the victim and carefully touched its face. "It's the Sheldon boy," he said.
Noguchi looked down at the child's still, tear-streaked face and felt her heart tighten. So young . . .
The boy opened his eyes and started to scream.
Bobby woke up with a scream. It was hot, the air smelled burnt, and his parents
He sat up quickly and looked around. He was in Prosperity Wells, there were a bunch of people gathered around him and the flier lay nearby, broken.
"Bobby," said a calm voice. Mr. Shimura was next to him. "Are you hurt-?"
"Monsters," he whispered. And he started to cry.
Ms. Noguchi was there, too. She leaned down next to Mr. Shimura and smiled at him. "It's okay, Bobby. You're safe now. What happened?"
He closed his eyes, unable to stop the tears. "Mumonsters killed my dad and then my mommy and then before that they kuh-kuh-killed Dax and we couldn't see them, but then I got away-"
He couldn't say anything else; he wanted to tell them how scared he had been, how there were so many of them, and how Dax had seen them first-but all that came out were loud sobs of terror and sadness.
"Let's get him to the med center," someone said. Gentle hands lifted him off of the burning ground and carried him away. One of his legs hurt really bad and he cried harder.
Cool air washed over him as they went inside, the world dimmed.
"We've got an emergency here, Doc!" the person holding him shouted. Mr. Shimura.
Bobby opened his eyes and looked past Dr. Revna at the medical room. And he started to scream again; just like the tears, he was unable to stop. Fear and hatred and sadness and anger for the thing that they had lying on a table.
"Monsters! Monsters! Monsters!"
Dachande remembered movement after the loneliness of pain, the new pain. Once, he had opened his eyes and seen that he was indoors, in a moving ship. There had been heat and then cool, and strange, animal sounds-
He realized he could see a little, but could not focus. Dark and light shapes folded and formed in front of him. But now his gaze sharpened, just for a second, at the horrible cries of some creature in front of him. It screamed and howled its nonsense language, the thing. It was pale and little, like-
Like an ooman?
Dachande sank back into the quiet darkness. Fear fought to rise in him.
He was caught by monsters.
* * *
Chapter 15
Noguchi and Hiroki walked into a room filled with low, nervous chatter and grim faces. The gathered ranchers and Chigusa staff fell silent and looked at them, their expressions fearful and expectant. The rec center was packed, but suddenly a hundred-plus people didn't seem like so many.
Noguchi cleared her throat. "Before we start, is everyone here?"
Mason stood from his seat near the door and read from a piece of paper. "Everyone except Ikeda, both Revnas, three ops people, two of Marianetti's people who are on their way-and the Sheldons. Oh, and the Barkers haven't answered yet."
Noguchi nodded. "Ikeda will be here shortly, and Miriam Revna is tending to Bobby Sheldon-"
A slender blond woman called out from a back corner of the room, her voice tinged with worry. "Is it true? About the Sheldons?" Noguchi recognized her as one of the garage maintenance workers, a mechanic.
Noguchi took a deep breath; she and Hiroki had discussed how to handle the situation after Ikeda had called in, but it wasn't going to be easy-the Sheldons had apparently been well liked on Ryushi.
"I'm not sure what you've heard, but I'll tell you what we know," she said. She consciously kept her voice low and firm; panic in the crowd would help no one.
"Approximately two hours ago Bobby Sheldon came into town on a flier, alone. He said that his parents had been killed by a group of XT life forms. Just before he arrived, Spanner and Ikeda found an injured . . . being in Iwa Gorge that is currently unconscious in the med center. Bobby Sheldon identified this being as similar to the life forms that killed his parents." Noguchi took another deep breath. "When we were unable to reach Mr. and Mrs. Sheldon by radio, we sent Ashley Ikeda on a flyby. I am sad to report that she just called in with the news that the Sheldon house is in flames, and their breeding stock has been slaughtered.
"We must assume that an attack is imminent."
There was a slight murmur through the crowd. A few people coughed, a few children started to cry softly.
Loren Gaunt, one of the ops screen-watchers, stood and raised his voice to be heard above the uneasy group. "So what are we going to do with the thing i
n the med center? And what is it, exactly?"
Several others nodded.
Hiroki stepped forward. "At this time, we know very little about the creature currently in Miriam Revna's care. It is a large, humanoid being, unlike anything previously registered in the EXT guide. It is under restraint, and has shown no signs of recovering so far-although Revna doesn't seem to think it's in critical condition
"You mean you haven't killed it?" Gaunt sounded incredulous. "After it murdered Bob and Sylvan?" A couple of others called out agreement.
Noguchi raised a hand for silence. "The creature in the med center was not involved in their deaths; the time frame-"
"Fuck the time frame," said Gaunt. "For all we know, that thing was responsible for sending its buddies out to murder them!"
The calls of agreement were shouts now.
Noguchi felt that spark of anger she'd had for Ackland. She clapped her hands sharply above her head and yelled.
"Be quiet!"
The room quieted. An infant howled loudly in the back and was soothed by its mother.
"Perhaps if we all panic and turn ourselves into mindless animals, we'll get out of this situation! Who else wants to add to the problem?"
Her voice carried well. She could feel her cheeks flushed with anger, and was gratified to see that Gaunt's were also red-he dropped his gaze to the floor and didn't speak again.
Noguchi nodded. She had everyone's attention.
A young boy raised his hand.
"Yes?"
"Is Bobby okay?" The boy was no more than twelve; his voice was high and shaky, obviously upset by the situation. His father placed a hand on the child's shoulder.
She nodded and attempted to smile. "He has a sprained ankle and is in shock, but he'll be all right. Squires has agreed to watch him for a while."
Noguchi motioned at the young teacher who chewed nervously at her lip.
She scanned the room, watched the fearful crowd with a calm eye.
This is bad, but we will handle it. She felt in control; for once, the people of Ryushi looked to her to tell them what to do. She wouldn't let them down.
"If we could hold other questions for a few moments, I'll tell you what we propose. Mr. Shimura is in charge of security. All able bodied personnel will be expected to take a shift on watch, and anyone not on duty will remain within the main complex. First, we'll do what we can to barricade the town with the cargo crates from the move here-" She nodded at Mason. "Mason here will head up that maneuver. Anyone trained on lift equipment will report to him after the meeting. There is a thirty-three-hour curfew in effect as of now; no one will go anywhere alone unless they've cleared it with me or Hiroki, and it will have to be a good reason. Those of you with weapons, please list them with Spanner ASAP Ben Davidson and Jess Jonson have volunteered to show our younger members holovid graphics at the school this afternoon, so meet with them afterward for specific times."
People nodded; she could almost feel the fear in the room become less tangible. It was a good thing to remember that most crises just needed some organization and clear thinking to be handled efficiently.
Hiroki read from a list the first watch team and then suggested another meeting later, at dusk or when the work was finished, whichever came first. As the gathering drew to its close, Noguchi was pleased to see that order and confidence had been restored quickly after Gaunt's outburst.
Except
Except only a few people had heard what Bobby Sheldon had said. Or seen what the thing in the lab looked like . . .
Noguchi shook her head. It didn't matter. Wishing for other circumstances was pointless.
She took a deep breath and went outside to do what she could.
Twilight was almost there when it occurred to Noguchi that she hadn't heard back from Collins.
Under Hiroki's capable direction, they had set up an admirable line of defense; the house-sized moving crates had been lined up around the perimeter of the compound quickly; with the willing aid of both the ranchers and the staff, the work had been neatly done.
A copter crew had made runs to fetch all of the weapons listed by the ranchers; Noguchi had felt her heart sink at the inventory. Twenty-seven scatter guns, ten pistols earmarked for a police force that had never been needed, and six oldfashioned flare guns. There were also a few hunting rifles and handguns. Not much.
She sat in the ops center hunched over a cup of black coffee that was barely tepid. Her body ached from all of the work; Hiroki had insisted that she take five, and she was only too glad to comply. Hiroki was going to take a team to walk the compound and secure any place they had missed. Around her, four staffers watched screens. Noguchi was exhausted, and there was still too much to do, too many variables to consider
Like The Lector.
Noguchi straightened. The crew outside was just finishing up, and another meeting was coming up within the hour-but had she seen anyone from the ship? That obnoxious Conover-?
"Weaver, have you seen Collins anywhere?"
The tall, dark-haired staff woman looked up from her console. "No. I haven't at least-Downey, have you seen Collins?"
Sid Downey shrugged. "No one's seen him since he went to talk to The Lector's people."
Noguchi sighed and stood up reluctantly. "Any progress?"
Downey shook his head. "The Barkers still don't answer. And Dr. Revna refuses to be moved to the main building other, than that, everyone is accounted for."
Noguchi patted him on the shoulder as she walked toward the door. "Keep up the good work. I'm going to go talk to The Lector folks, see if they've kidnapped Collins."
She almost collided with Hiroki in the doorway.
"Where are you going?" Hiroki looked like she felt. Dark smears of dust painted his face, and his eyes looked weary and old.
"Collins still hasn't come back from the ship; I'm going to find out what's going on with them. But first, I'm going to see if I can talk some sense into Dr. Revna."
Hiroki frowned. "It's not safe, Machiko." His tone was gentle.
She felt oddly touched by his concern, but she was also tired of not knowing what the hell that ship was up to. "Someone has to go; may as well be me."
Hiroki looked at her seriously for a beat and then unhooked his holster strap. He handed the revolver to her, butt first.
"I see you've made up your mind-but take this. It's a 12.5 mm Smith. It belonged to my grandfather. It is loaded with jacketed bullets, for hunting big game."
She stared at the weapon.
He pushed it into her hands. "If you have to shoot something, make sure it has a thick wall behind it these bullets will go right through a rhynth. I'll call the sentries and let them know you're on your way."
Noguchi accepted the weapon gingerly and nodded. She knew how to shoot, of course, it was SOP for offworld execs to take a course. Never knew what you'd run into out on the frontier. For once, the company was right.
"Fine. Have Weaver set up the sat-link as soon as the suns set, and ask them to cut a deal for Marine support." She smiled tiredly. "And thanks, Hiroki. Be careful."
He smiled in return. "You're doing a good job, Machiko."
She walked into the late-afternoon heat and headed for the med center, her thoughts jumbled with exhaustion. There was still a crew of a dozen or so outside, setting the final walls into place. Amazing, that in the space of one day, they'd gone from peaceful town to armed camp. The gun was heavy in her hands. She paused long enough to strap the holster on and settle it on her hip. Still heavy but comforting. She wanted desperately to believe that their measures were needless, but her gut told her otherwise; tired though she was, there was a chilling certainty in her bones that tonight would be a long one, and come morning, things might be very different . . .
Miriam watched the stats on the screen with something like awe; she was glad to have something to do besides worry over Kesar, and the alien was distracting, to say the least, now that Bobby was gone.
Her stomach tightene
d at the thought of her husband; she had always thought that she would know if he was gone-that deep knowing that two people shared if enough years had passed. But there was nothing; she just missed him; she kept thinking of what he would say about the incredible reads that flashed across the console . . .
"Doctor . . ."
Revna turned in her chair, heart pounding. "Ms. Noguchi?"
The attractive Japanese woman smiled gently. "I'm sorry, we haven't heard anything-"
The doctor took a deep breath. "Then you've come to check on our patient." She tilted her head toward the prone form on the exam table nearby. "He's still not awake, but he's making remarkable progress; his respiration has deepened, and I believe that two of his ribs have begun to heal."
The gentle smile never left Noguchi's face. The obvious sympathy there made Revna want to cry, so she turned back to the screen.
"I'll let you know if he regains consciousness," she said.
"Doctor, I'd like to move you and our `visitor' to the main complex; the security is better there, and-"
"Thank you, no," said Revna. "I prefer to remain here. I have everything I need to look after my patient..." She hoped she sounded collected and normal, but she heard her voice crack slightly on the truth. "Besides, this is where Kesar will come when he returns."
She didn't turn around, but she sensed the Noguchi woman's hesitation. Before, they could have hoped for an accident, with her husband lying injured, waiting for help. But now? Revna could almost hear her thoughts-that she was fooling herself. Kesar Revna had undoubtedly met the same fate as Bobby's parents. He had gone right to where the wrecked ship lay.
Miriam spoke again, her voice firmer this time. "I'm fine, Ms. Noguchi. Really."
"Very well, Doctor," she said. "I'll check back on you later."
"Thank you, Ms. Noguchi. Machiko."
When she heard the door close, Revna finally relaxed a bit. A lone tear trickled down her cheek; she wiped at it absently and concentrated on the task at hand. He would be back soon; and if he wasn't, she would find him somehow . . .
Mason rolled his head and yawned; he and Riley had run out of things to say about twenty minutes ago. The initial adrenaline of the situation was long gone, and their nervous small talk had disintegrated into a watchful silence. At least it wouldn't get any hotter today; the suns were headed down. And in another hour or so, he and Riley would be inside drinking beer and shooting the shit; he pitied the next watch; being out here after dark would be a bitch.
