Whatever Gods May Be

by George P. Saunders

  Valry laughed gently.

  "So many questions, Zolan. If only you could accept me as I am as easily as you accept the fact that you love me without reason. Ah, my love, if you only had that kind of faith."

  Zolan stared intensely at her for just a moment, then laughed himself. "Alright. I don't care. Don't tell me anything. Just," he said quietly, "don't ever leave me."

  Valry's smile was suddenly replaced with an expression of gentle sadness.

  "I never will, Zolan, if you always remember me. Keep me in your heart -- and your dreams -- and I shall always be with you."

  Zolan wanted to say something but Valry again put her finger to his lips.

  "Now," she said measurably, "you must help me as you promised." Zolan nodded slowly, once again touching Valry's face lightly with his hand.

  "Tell me what to do," he said.

  Valry was silent for a moment longer as she stared into Zolan's eyes. The innocence and weakness of humanity glimmered faintly now, but they did so with the 'sparkle of a young girl's first love. Then, a stronger light twinkled in her eyes; one that was equally loving, but infinitely powerful.

  "My time here is almost finished, Zolan," Valry began slowly, "Now that I have found you. I will no longer be needed." Zolan shook his head, baffled.

  "Found me?" he sputtered incredulously, "But what can I do? I haven't even found Thalick for you."

  Valry again smiled.

  "He's about to find you, Zolan. That much I was able to arrange. When he arrives, you must tell him that a great danger is approaching the tribe, much greater than he imagines. You will show him what is in the crater there," Valry said, pointing to the edge of the ridge where the Birdog still lay curled and asleep. Zolan was about to turn to go, but Valry stopped him.

  "The Resistor is there. He is very powerful now, and will want to destroy not only my people, but Thalick as well. He must be stopped. Will you tell Thalick this?"

  "Yes," Zolan replied meekly.

  "I know everything that has happened to you so far seems so strange and confused, Zolan. Your escape from the war, the crash, and the loss of your ship -"

  Zolan released Valry's hands and stared at her. His mouth suddenly went dry.

  "How do you know about that? About...Earth?" he asked tonelessly.

  The expression of almost infinite sadness again crossed Valry's face.

  "I know everything about you, Zolan." He believed her. How could he not? "Valry," he began nervously, "will I ever leave this world?"

  Valry nodded, again smiling that gentle, loving smile. "One day, Zolan. I promise you," she said, then added, "Remember what to tell Thalick."

  The Birdog suddenly barked from behind him. Zolan turned around to see the mother panting happily, and then yawn at him. She was obviously quite pleased with her rest.

  "Valry, we're very tired; some kind of sick-" Zolan began, then stopped when he had turned around again.

  He found himself talking to darkness. For Valry Phillips was gone again.

  FORTY-TWO

  The Birdog had switched from a bark to a whimper within seconds. For she discovered that she could not stand on four legs without experiencing incredible fatigue. She tried three times to approach Zolan, but each attempt brought her to the ground again with a disheartened and confused growl. Zolan stared on sympathetically. He, too, was barely able to remain standing; he felt as though the life was quickly being drained out of him.

  The atmosphere of this world was obviously too thin or contained detrimental properties that were somehow slowly poisoning him. Yet, Zolan realized that the same sickness that was affecting him was also coincidentally including the mother Birdog as well. Zolan gulped unhappily at the other probability which came to mind; a worldwide plague of some kind, incredibly powerful, and evidently transmitted through the very air itself. Zolan reflected back on the past few hours; if the rate of weakness and lethargy increased geometrically within their bodies as it had since departing the Birddog’s cave, than both he and his furry companion would be dead before another day passed. Yet oddly, Zolan's reaction to this probability filled him with despair for very different reasons than that of merely losing his life. Most horrible of all, rather, was the fact that he would be utterly useless to Valry, and her mysterious friend Thalick.

  This last thought was unbearable to consider. Breathing deeply, Zolan staggered over to the edge of the crater where Valry had indicated and stared into the valley. The Birdog pulled herself near the man and looked as well. Visibility was dreadful in all directions, but below, in the crater itself, an odd, redolent glow seemed to emanate upwards. At first, Zolan thought the millions of flickering lights bobbing up and down as they moved laterally were torches of some sort. As his pupils adjusted to the horrendous darkness, however, he could see that the myriad flashes belonged to quite a different source.

  The flame red glow of countless eyes extended to all parts of the crater interior, stretching from one slope to another. Zolan could barely make out the figures of a smaller population of giant rats traveling with the scarlet-eyed demons. Zolan instinctively cringed backwards, as did the watching mother Birdog. Zolan whispered under his breath.

  "Where in all the heavens, Rover, did you bring me this time," he whistled tiredly. Thoughts of his destroyed starship made him close his eyes with grief. If he could only see the drowned Rover once more, he would have gladly faced an army of long-tailed vermin.

  The horde of creatures inundating the crater floor must have numbered in the thousands. Like bees glued to a hive, the aliens crowded every inch of ground below. Shrieks and howls pierced upwards, making both Birdog and Zolan shiver uncontrollably. The great rats like the ones he had battled yesterday were far easier to make out for Zolan, but the smaller, vaguely shaped monsters with the hellish eyes were almost impossible to identify. Zolan and the Birdog were two hundred feet above the crater valley, and had so far remained undetected by the masses below, but their anonymity thus far gave Zolan very little comfort. He now had the distinct feeling that he was regarding the very evil Valry had mentioned to him earlier.

  Zolan grabbed the giant Birdog by the scruff of her neck and scratched. The attention helped to alleviate the animal's unease, thought Zolan noticed she did not shift her hateful gaze away from the eerie specters below. Zolan's own attention shifted to the crater itself. It was one of several he had noticed earlier that fit prominently into the landscape. Natural comet or asteroid debris could not have been responsible for these substantial impacts; the probability that more than one had come down within such close proximity to the others was farfetched at best. Furthermore, they bore unmistakable and glaring resemblance to that kind of damage incurred from bomb blasts. With a sigh of great sadness, Zolan could not help but conclude that this was yet another world victimized by war's great folly. Judging by the extensive and pummeled ruins near the Birddog’s cave, some massive disaster - most likely artificial - had surely been responsible for this planet's crippled state.

  What a ghastly coincidence, Zolan thought; he had just recently escaped one such scenario of doom. Within hours, he had possibly traveled light centuries only to land on another planetary candidate for extinction similar to Earth. Perhaps, he thought morbidly, this was some great cosmic joke on him.

  Zolan leaned on one elbow and turned away from the nightmarish scene within the crater. Still scratching the Birddog’s nervous ear, he looked at his recent friend and chuckled.

  "Are you all that's left? You, and Valry and her people, and those things down there? Has all civilization been buried so completely?" he whispered gently to his canine companion.

  These answers wouldn't matter much to him if he didn't find food and water soon. Zolan was suddenly aware that he had not eaten in days.

  Snatching her head away from Zolan's affectionate grasp, the Birdog twisted her limp form around herself and growled into the dark.

  Startled, Zolan also peered into the night. His first thoughts were those of Valry. A s
mile of joy came over his face. Had she come back after all?

  "What is it, girl?" Zolan cooed to the Birdog. The Birdog began to snarl, and her snake-like tail nearly brained Zolan as it looped overhead in an agitated motion. Rocks crumbled beyond, as if some great weight were lumbering forward with no attempt at concealment. Zolan raised himself to his shaky legs, fighting back dizziness as he used the Birddog’s back as a brace. He was very close to the crater edge, and this did not escape the Birddog’s attention despite her distraction with what seemed to be approaching them. Gently, she folded her long tail around Zolan's waist, then pulled him away from the cliff. Zolan was startled, but his focus returned quickly to the increasing disturbment ahead.

  The buzzing noise that followed made Zolan yelp. It was not painful so much as immensely irritating and he cursed under his breath. The Birdog ceased her growls, and also shook her head in bewilderment.

  Then:

  VALRY/

  Zolan jumped at the mention of the name. For a moment, he couldn't figure out where it had come from.

  "No," he snapped irritably, "this is not Valry."

  The buzzing continued for at least a minute, while both Zolan and the Birdog remained fixed to their positions near the crater edge. They could still see nothing before them.

  The buzzing voice persisted.

  WHERE IS VALRY?

  Zolan squinted into the darkness, trying to identify his inquisitor. Only black returned his stare.

  "I. . uh, don't know," he said feebly, raising both hands to his ears, "I wish I did."

  Again, another uncomfortable minute of nagging buzzing continued.

  WHY SEARCH YOU FOR THELERICK?

  Telepathy, Zolan guessed an instant later; an appreciably advanced form at that. The words he was hearing in his mind were surprisingly those of his own world. In a matter of seconds, he realized, his brain had been tapped for the language most familiar to him. The unseen communicator had obligingly learned the alphabet and sounds to the idiom, then pieced together its quickly acquired gift for his listeners benefit. It was an impressive piece of mental interchange, Zolan thought, if not downright tresspasatory and impolite. Zolan's initial fear, however, was immediately transformed into pure curiosity.

  He considered the question put to him then answered slowly. "I was told to find Thalick. Valry asked me to do this. I have important news to tell him."

  Obviously, the invisible interrogator need not conduct this line of questioning; if he, or it, had succeeded in sponging out an entire language from him in such a short period of time, nothing further in Zolan's mind could be hidden. Was the voice playing with him? Zolan wondered. Or was it simply exercising some ritual politeness?

  YOUR NAME

  It was not a question so much as a statement.

  "Zolan Rzzdik."

  IS VALRY...DEAD?

  Zolan's shoulders slumped and he shook his head slowly. There was clear sadness in his voice.

  "I don't know. Not yet, I think. I'm not sure," he answered aloud. He then added very softly, "But soon."

  The buzzing noise abruptly became less annoying; either that, or Zolan was simply just getting accustomed to it. The Birdog next to him was panting tiredly again, but no longer seemed agitated. Presumably, this was a good sign. Perhaps, this voice of darkness was not an immediate danger.

  Zolan stepped forward, still holding on to the Birdog to balance his weakened footing.

  TAKE ME TO VALRY,the voice spoke suddenly.

  "I don't know where she is," Zolan replied.

  YOU SPEAK TO HER. YOU SEE HER. SHOW ME

  Zolan shrugged helplessly.

  YOU SEND MESSAGE. YOU SEND ROCK. THELERICK FOLLOW -- THELERICK FIND YOU

  The buzzing grew more agitated, pounding itself into Zolan's brain.

  "What message? I...don't know what you're saying. I don't know anything about a rock. Please..."

  YOU SPEAK TO HER. YOU KNOW

  "I've ...you don't understand. She only communicates to me-" Zolan paused, wondering how he was possibly going to describe Valry's mode of contact. Excuse me, but she speaks to me through my dreams. He had to confess that this explanation would have been difficult for anyone or anything to swallow.

  "Valry," he began carefully, "comes to me in a manner similar to yours. Her mind connects with mine, but nothing more. I don't know how to find her, or where she is."

  The buzzing softened once again, as if in consideration of this answer. Then, a most unusual question delivered itself to Zolan's brain.

  YOU LOVE VALRY, RZZDIK?

  Zolan remained motionless. Under the circumstances, the question did not seem inappropriate or surprising at all. "Yes."

  Silence.

  Then:

  THELRICK LOVE VALRY, TOO

  Suddenly, Zolan's stomach began to growl with a twinge of excitement. He was barely aware of his own dizziness and weakness in the wake of this new anticipation.

  Once again, the crunch of gravel and rock echoed into the night. Zolan's heart jumped, as he realized movement was taking place directly in front of him. He could see no more than two feet ahead, and this coupled with the crescendoing cracking of ground made both Birdog and Zolan again uncomfortable.

  A dark, black figure stopped no more than inches from where Zolan was standing. He could sense that it was enormous, even though no delineation of form could be adduced. The Birdog whimpered again, and Zolan found a large ear in one hand.

  THELERICK HERE, the voice announced at last.

  Neither Thalick, the Birdog or Zolan made a sound for several minutes. Actually, Zolan was the only one severely disadvantaged; his eyes alone could not clearly focus on the company he was suddenly keeping. The Birdog, however, relaxed immediately, and in fact began to bark happily at the dark shadow ahead. As for Thalick, he had no difficulty in scanning the helpless man in front of him.

  "Thalick," Zolan repeated quietly. "Valry said you would find me."

  When Thalick made no reply, Zolan pressed on, remembering Valry's instructions.

  "I must show you something, Thalick. Down there," Zolan said pointing, turning slowly away from the giant shadow looming before him and walking towards the crater edge.

  Thalick followed silently, stopping so close to Zolan that the man could now tell clearly that Valry's friend was not even remotely human. Zolan felt jittery, but his voice remained steady and calm.

  "Do you see?" he said, pointing at the army of red lighted eyes in the crater mouth. "Valry says that they are coming for her people. And they're coming for you. With the Resistor. He's their leader."

  Thalick hissed to himself in concealed anguish. He could estimate roughly fifteen thousand Redeyes and a much lesser number of Jumpers were now mobbed in the crater interior. The pack of vampires stretched out to both horizons, and their forward direction was unmistakable.

  They were heading for the desert, no doubt to link up with the much larger army of vampires pushing ahead for the tribe's valley. All of the Stinger's previous plans had not provided for such a vastly superior force of the enemy. Ordinarily, he should have sensed this surprise army creeping up from the rear much earlier; his probe system had not yet failed him several days back when he had detected the Redeye city near the sea -- of which this massive force most surely belonged. Today, he had not even suspected, much less felt, this unseen peril from the west. It was a devastating oversight -- and in the end might well prove fatal for his cherished tribe.

  WHAT MORE VALRY SAY?

  "Nothing. Only that I must find you and deliver my message," Zolan said, not quite sure how he was feeling about the alien hisses and chirps coming from the enormous thing next to him.

  There was no time to consider the fascinating question as to why or how Valry had contacted the alien human. Thalick had instantly determined that Zolan was indeed from the falling craft he had witnessed earlier. However, he was simultaneously elated and distraught at having learned Valry was possibly still alive, while the tribe to which she belo
nged and loved was about to be eaten alive. Action was needed immediately, and Thalick could not afford a second of much-loved Thelerick philosophizing and speculation.

  WE GO NOW, RZZDIK. Thalick moved away from the cliff and regarded Zolan impatiently.

  "We can't walk, Thalick. Something is weakening us; a sickness of some kind," Zolan tried to explain, feeling out of breath and bone-crushing weary. Besides, he was not so comfortable in Thalick's company as to want to go anywhere with him it at the moment.

  Suddenly, Zolan found himself surrounded by an enormous, stone-like mass. The claw held him at the waist, firmly yet with amazing gentleness. Zolan nevertheless fought to free himself from its hold.

  REMAIN STILL, Thalick chided urgently.

  Now Zolan was afraid. His eyes could now make out some detail of the creature he was so close to, and what he saw, momentarily made him want to consider an alliance with the red eyed demons in the crater.

  "What are you going to do?" he asked helplessly, too weak to struggle further in Thalick's grasp.

  His answer came in the form of a momentary flash of pain to his back. Almost instantly, though, the agony subsided and was replaced by a stimulating sensation running the course of his body. His exhaustion abruptly vanished. He not only felt stronger, but he felt mildly tipsy, as if he had just finished a rather substantial cocktail. He turned around to glance at the Birdog who yelped as Thalick offered the same treatment to her. He followed the gigantic tail as it replaced itself overhead.

  Instead of releasing his hold on Zolan, Thalick swung the man up above his head and dumped him on his back. Zolan sprawled awkwardly against the base of Thalick's tail and cursed.

  "Where are we going?" Zolan demanded, though not too irritably. He was feeling better with every passing second.

  Thalick paused for a long time before answering.

  HOME

  FORTY-THREE

  They were the largest human beings Zolan had ever seen. Even the renowned monkey-people of his own world did not reach such heights as these men. Towering over him, the shaggy group seemed docile enough as they in turn offered a different unidentifiable, yet sweet smelling delicacy his way. The Birdog was perfectly content lying near him to chew on what appeared to be an enormous bone of some sort. Squatting, he reached down and filled his hand with the water from the stream, though all the time keeping his eyes on the five or six curious savages looming overhead.