The Chaos Chronicles

by Jeffrey A. Carver

  "Unfamiliar with those forms, Cap'n," said Copernicus.

  Nappy turned its head one way, then another, like a large bird taking in its surroundings. Bandicut frowned, wondering whether his robots were going to be any help at all here. Or were they too far out of their league? He shook his head, shivering at the thought of having only himself to depend on. "Well, never mind. Let's head down toward that river. If nothing else, we might be able to find drinkable water. And maybe then—" His voice trailed off. He had no idea where he wanted to go from here. The realization had just hit him all over again that he was now stranded in an alien world, separated even from his spacecraft. He had better find food, water, and shelter. Soon.

  *Agreed.*

  /Thanks,/ he thought sarcastically. And then maybe he could start worrying about who had brought him here, and why.

  *

  His hands and feet were growing numb as he headed down the slope, but at least by moving around he was generating some heat. The path switched back and forth, giving him the occasional fresh glimpse of the band of water below. Across the river, the land rose again, completing a gentle canyon of rock and forest. Everything seemed capped with snow and ice. Across the river, the slopes were backed up against more hills. And the horizon . . . as he looked at it now, it seemed more bandlike than he had realized before. A wall? He felt more certain than ever that this was an astonishingly sophisticated, closed habitat, not a planetary surface. He could not escape a feeling of awe at the power that had created this place. But how eager was he to meet its creators in person?

  He peered again at the sun. It was too bright to focus on, but he thought it looked a little small. Was it really a sun, or some other kind of light source? He wasn't sure whether it had moved in the sky or not.

  Downslope, the path grew uneven, which made it difficult for the robots. They were having trouble with traction on the ice and snow, which was far more slippery than the cryogenic ices they had been built for on Triton. He kept glancing back at them. As a result, he almost didn't see the spot where the path dropped and twisted sharply to the right. He caught himself in midstride. For a frightening instant, he felt his body warring between his one-thirteenth-gee reflexes from Triton, and the one gee that was about to tumble him over. He swayed, arms out, then brought his weight back around onto the path.

  With a gasp, he looked up at the robots, Copernicus churning up a small cloud of snow particles with his conical wheels, and Napoleon goosestepping behind. "Slow down, you two! There's a steep drop right—"

  Copernicus slewed to a stop, teetering at the edge. How the hell was it going to nose down over that dip and make the right-angle turn? "Steep drop here, Cap'n," the robot remarked. "Shall I give it a try?"

  "Hold on a sec. Napoleon, can you help Coppy around that?" Bandicut remembered, far too clearly, how the robots—because they weren't programmed for higher-gravity gradients—had once knocked loose a set of heavy tanks, back on the spaceship, and nearly killed him.

  The legged robot edged up beside its partner and peered over. Without speaking, it braced its upper arms on Copernicus and swung its lower legs around to back down the drop-off, like a small child negotiating stairs. Backing partway around, it groped for a secure handhold on Copernicus and said, "Proceed slowly. I will apply leverage."

  Bandicut tugged nervously at his backpack straps, watching.

  Copernicus inched forward, until its front wheels hung out over the drop-off and its belly rasped on the ice. It ground for purchase with its rear wheels, pushing itself out, until the front wheels suddenly dropped, whirring for traction. Napoleon strained to lever the wheeled robot around the bend.

  "You got him, Nappy?"

  "Attempting—" Napoleon began, just as Copernicus lost traction in its back wheels. All four wheels spun in a cloud of ice particles. It slid sideways. There was no way Napoleon could stop it as it teetered at the corner, then toppled over the edge. "Stop, Copernicus!" Napoleon rasped. It was no use; Copernicus was tumbling, and Napoleon went over with it, down the slope.

  "Wait!" Bandicut yelled futilely. He winced as the two machines bounced apart, slamming through snow and foliage, and disappeared through the trees. "Are you all right?" he shouted. There was no answer, just the continuous rumble of the river. "Damn!"

  For an instant, he considered following them down the slope. But that would be dumb; better to run on ahead and hope the path switched back again. He hurried, slipping a little on the crusty snow.

  The path wound through a dense thicket of shrubs, all brittle with ice crystals, then cut back left, descending sharply into the stand of trees where the robots had vanished. Ahead, almost at his level now, he glimpsed the silver ribbon of water. But he saw no sign of either robot. "Napoleon! Copernicus!" he yelled.

  Over the thunder of the river, he heard a snap. He squinted, casting his gaze around. Snap. He saw nothing moving. But it sounded like branches breaking. "Nappy! Coppy!" He peered up through the trees, trying to gauge where the two must have fallen. He couldn't be sure. He hurried on.

  Not much farther ahead, the trees opened up to reveal the riverbank. He must have missed the robots or their trail, somehow. Perhaps the smartest thing would be to reconnoiter along the bank, then backtrack if he didn't find them. He continued out of the trees, where the path snaked along a narrow strip beside the water. He paused to catch his breath.

  It was a stunningly beautiful panorama. The river was about twenty meters wide—shallow, fast moving, glistening over icy boulders. The water was clear, and he could see numerous, large flat rocks both above and below the surface. To his right, the river swept into sight from around a large elbow of land on his side. To his left, the water rushed over the boulder-strewn bed and crooked away around a massive outcropping on the far shore. The thundering was coming from that direction.

  Bandicut tucked his hands under his armpits, shivering. It was beautiful, yes—but just now he was starting to think more about freezing to death.

  *We can help.*

  He blinked. /What's that?/

  He felt a sudden twinge of heat in both wrists, and a flush of warmth in his torso. /Thanks,/ he thought with a shiver of relief. /Why'd you wait so long?/

  *Our reserves are limited.*

  He grunted, gazing down into the river. He wondered if it would kill him to drink the water. He wondered if there was some way to test it, other than the hard way.

  Crack-k-k-k!

  He turned back toward the woods. That had sounded more like breaking ice than branches. "Hello!" he shouted. "Coppy? Nappy?"

  A moment later, he heard a crash and a whir of motors. Copernicus tumbled out of the trees, a short distance downriver from where Bandicut stood. It landed on its wheels, then spun for traction as it slid over sloping ice toward the water. Its motors whined, reversing futilely. "Oh, moke—" Bandicut breathed. At that instant, Napoleon crashed out of the trees, as well, curled up in a protective ball. It bounced across the ice after Copernicus, kicking up puffs of ice-dust. Bandicut watched in horror as the robots careened toward the water.

  Whirrrrrr! Copernicus' wheels picked up some traction, but it was moving too fast, and it tumbled over the bank and crashed into the water. Napoleon slammed into the rocky bank, bounced over Copernicus, and hit the water with an even bigger splash. Bandicut cursed and ran to the edge of the bank. He had no idea if the robots were waterproof, and half expected them to short out before his eyes.

  He dropped his backpack, then hesitated. What the hell did he think he was going to do? He could freeze if he went into that water—and for all he knew it could be full of poisons, or God knew what else. For that matter, he didn't even know for sure that it was water, and not some other clear liquid. He blinked, waiting to see if the robots could get out by themselves. Copernicus had landed on its back, half submerged, its wheels spinning just above the surface. Napoleon had uncurled and was struggling futilely to get to its feet. Look at them, he thought—they're dinosaurs in this goddamn place. Ther
e's no way to recharge them, and they're going to run down in a couple of days anyway, and that will be that. Don't be an idiot. Leave them.

  He swallowed.

  Don't be a jerk, he thought. They're your friends.

  "Hang on, you two!" he yelled. And he took a deep breath and strode into the swirling, icy waters.

  Chapter 3

  Icestorm

  THE WATER HIT him with a frigid shock. He gasped, struggling to stay upright on the treacherous bottom.

  He reached Copernicus first. All four wheels were spinning uselessly, reversing direction at random. Bandicut shuddered and leaned into the freezing water to see if he could turn the robot over; but it was impossible to get a handhold anywhere, except maybe on the wheels. "Coppy—stop spinning!" he gasped.

  There was no way the robot could hear him. He straightened, trembling from the cold, and moved around to see if he could help Napoleon. The other robot had managed to sit up, and was trying to stand. Its metal feet found some purchase on a submerged rock. But as it rose, it flailed suddenly, lost its balance, and toppled back into the water.

  "Napoleon! Are you all right?"

  Its next attempt was more successful. Whirring and splashing, it rose to a crouch and turned toward Bandicut's voice. Its sensor-eyes blinked; it seemed to be having some trouble finding him. Its mechanical hands stretched out, as though groping blindly.

  Bandicut shuffled closer. "Right here!"

  Napoleon made a sputtering sound, venting water. "Resetting—" it croaked. "One moment—" Its sensors flickered, then brightened and seemed to focus on Bandicut. "John— Bandicut—we must remove ourselves—"

  "Help me with Copernicus!" Bandicut shouted.

  Napoleon shifted its eyes, as though seeing Copernicus in the water for the first time. It seemed about to say something, then abruptly raised a metal hand and pointed toward the shore. "John Bandicut! Hazard alert! Hazard alert! Objects approaching!"

  "What—?" Bandicut twisted to look, nearly losing his footing. He blinked in disbelief.

  The riverbank had come alive.

  The ice and snow were fragmenting into chunks as if broken by a silent earthquake. The pieces were vibrating and dancing into the air like drops of water on a hot griddle. Above the path, the slope was erupting almost volcanically, with chunks of snow and ice bouncing up and down out of the trees. Some pieces were not just airborne, but buzzing straight toward Bandicut and the robots.

  Bandicut threw up a protective arm, just as the first pieces of ice hit him. A few fragments glanced off his arm and shoulder, and one off the side of his head. He reeled in pain. "Jeez—!" he grunted and crouched in the freezing water, trying to shield himself.

  "John Bandicut! You are in danger!" cried Napoleon.

  A new fusillade of ice hit him. The robot was being pummeled, as well. It rocked, ice ringing off its metal skin, and toppled back into the water with a crash. Mokin' A. What had they done—triggered an environmental defense mechanism? /Stones!/ he cried silently. /If you know what's happening, help me!/

  The black stone in his left wrist burned with momentary heat, and he became aware of a shimmer of light around him. The next pieces of ice hit with less energy. It seemed to be a protective field; it didn't stop the chunks, but slowed them. In the air above the shore, more pieces of ice were buzzing like an angry swarm of bees.

  *We are limited, without more energy.*

  /Uh—/ Bandicut saw Napoleon struggling to get up again. The water around them was erupting with splashes, like old movies of a naval battle.

  "Hraaaiieeeeeee!"

  Hearing a loud whistle, and a strangled-sounding cry, Bandicut looked back toward the shore. A tall, lanky humanoid creature was striding along the riverbank—shouting indecipherably and whirling some kind of rope through the air. Was Bandicut about to meet an enemy?

  A ululating groan came from higher on the slope. The ground was beginning to look like a nightmarish strip mine. The snow cover was half gone, revealing wounded, trembling earth. "Hraaahh!" cried the humanoid. It appeared to be running toward Bandicut.

  As it approached, the angry ice-swarm actually settled a little. Bandicut stared at the humanoid. It ceased twirling its length of rope and stood on the riverbank, peering out at him. Had it stopped the attack?

  "Hel-l-l-lo!" Bandicut called, shivering. The being cocked its head. How could he make himself understood? He had to get out of here before the exposure killed him. The glow around him was slowly fading, as the stones conserved energy. His feet were numb.

  The being swayed from side to side, as though trying to determine what Bandicut was doing out there in the river. Bandicut gestured helplessly to his robots, trembling with urgency. He would have to abandon them soon, if he couldn't get them out of the water.

  Napoleon whistled and shrieked and jerked erect, spraying Bandicut with freezing water. "John Bandicut! John Bandicut! I am still at your side. Why have you sent Copernicus under the water?"

  "I d-didn't! Help me get him upright!"

  Napoleon stumbled toward its fellow robot. "L-lift that end and tr-try to turn him toward shore!" Napoleon obeyed, bending to avoid the slowly spinning wheels, and found a grip on the end of Copernicus's body. "Now!" Bandicut yelled. "T-turn him!"

  Whirring and grunting, they both strained, and Copernicus slowly rolled. It also began to slide, not toward shore, but toward Bandicut—and deeper water. "Toward you!" Bandicut yelled. But Napoleon too was losing traction, and Bandicut could feel himself slipping under Copernicus now, unable to stop the slide. His foot had somehow gotten caught under the robot, and he couldn't get out of the way, even to let go. He was now up to his waist in the frigid water—and going down—and as water rushed over his chest, he was stunned to realize that he was in real danger of drowning under the robot. "Nappy—" he choked, taking a mouthful of water. "Pull—him—back—"

  There was a splash alongside him. Coughing through the spray, Bandicut saw the tall creature from the riverbank at his side. "Unh—" he struggled to say, but then he slipped backwards. Water lapped over his face.

  He was aware of the alien creature reaching under Copernicus. An instant later, he felt the weight lift from his leg and body, and he struggled to scramble out from under the robot. He staggered, choking, to his feet.

  He shuddered and pushed weakly against Copernicus, and realized that the alien was already helping Napoleon to roll Copernicus. "That-t-t's it-t-t!" he gasped, as Copernicus crashed into the water rightside up, a meter closer to the riverbank. His teeth chattered as he looked up at his rescuer. The tall being peered back at him from a blue-white face, then gestured toward shore.

  "Th-thanks—" Bandicut wheezed, and pushed on Copernicus's nose to steer it back toward the bank. It seemed to be having trouble orienting itself. "Get g-going!" Bandicut yelled, hitting it weakly on the back.

  Copernicus finally got traction under its wheels, and lumbered over the submerged rocks and up over the short incline onto the riverbank. Napoleon and Bandicut staggered alongside, following their alien rescuer out of the water. Bandicut's legs were completely numb, and he was unable to walk in a straight line. He felt a bony hand on his arm, and gasped in gratitude as the alien helped him up the last few steps onto the bank. He sank to his knees.

  "Hrahh! Awauk!" cried the alien, and Bandicut blinked up at him. "Awauk!" The voice of the being was rough and strong, and unmistakably urgent.

  "Wh-what?" he panted.

  "Urrr—awauk!" The being gestured toward the slope, where the chunks of ice had risen to assault them. Bandicut squinted and realized that the snow and ice were still vibrating up and down. He looked back at the being. It was gesturing urgently downriver.

  Bandicut's breath escaped convulsively. "I don't—know—if I can—m-move!" He shuddered, feeling a new rush of warmth driving back some of the numbing chill. The black stone in his left wrist was glowing a dull red.

  "Heikka?"

  Bandicut saw the creature staring at his wrist and the gl
owing stone. "Uh—" he grunted, wondering if the stone looked frightening—or maybe desirable. He gazed into his rescuer's sculpted blue face. A glint of light seemed to come from within its smallish, deep-set black eyes. It emitted a low rumble, then pointed with a long, articulated finger to the side of its own head, to a spot roughly equivalent to the human temple.

  "Uhh—?"

  A gemlike stone was embedded in the creature's temple, and it flickered with a diamond sparkle as the being said, "Heikka . . . y-yarrrr?"

  "You—have one—too?" Bandicut gasped.

  The being's eyes blazed with an inner light. "Yarrrr . . . ye-e-e-sss," it grunted. Its voice seemed sharper, clearer than a moment ago.

  Bandicut stumbled to his feet, his right wrist tingling sharply. "Mokin' foke," he whispered. "What'd you just say?"

  "Ye-e-e-ss," said the being again, cocking its head the other way. But before Bandicut could reply, it jerked around and pointed urgently back at the slope where the ice and snow were shaking, rising into the air. "Moo-sst rooo-n! Aleikaaa!" It pointed downriver. "Moo-ust . . . roo-un!"

  Bandicut coughed at the robots, "Can you guys—run?"

  Napoleon rose creakily. "I am . . . functional."

  Copernicus jerked violently forward and backward, as though trying to gauge the traction. "With you, Cap'n!"

  "Hrrr—aleika!"

  Bandicut nodded. "Let's go!" He saw a flicker on the other's temple, and the alien strode off down the riverbank.

  Bandicut suddenly remembered his backpack. He scrambled back for it, slung it over his shoulder, and hurried after the alien, with the two robots grinding along behind. A moment later, he was pelted from behind with clods of ice and dirt, and he staggered on his stiff legs, trying to move faster. "C'mon, you two!" he shouted to the robots.

  A cloud of snow and ice was rushing toward them.

  "Hiiieee!" shrieked the alien. "H-hurrrrry!"

  Bandicut ran, throbbing legs or no.

  *

  The alien was trotting along the riverbank with a surefooted gait. It probably could easily have outrun them, but it held to a pace that Bandicut could just barely keep up with.