Children of Steel

by John Van Stry

  "Basically the story's in two parts." I looked at Dave and Gabe, "The first part I don't want being spread around okay?"

  Everybody agreed to that, and I looked pointedly at Gabe.

  "I mean it, if one of you two spreads this around the ship, I'll cut out your tongue."

  "Hey, quit looking at me! I may talk a lot, but you know I'm no fink." Gabe said.

  "I can keep a secret don't worry," said Dave.

  "Okay, and I just wanted to make sure that you knew I was serious Gabe." I laid on my back and put my head in Kathy's lap, now that I had everybody's attention, looking up at the stars and her face.

  "When I was about two, there was this nursery attendant who worked the night shift. I had never liked him, he smelled bad. But hey, I was just a kit what did I know? Anyway he was always messing with my sisters, fusing over them and such while they were in their beds. At first it really wasn't anything bad, but eventually he zeroed in on my sister Cassandra.

  "This had all gone on over a period of weeks, and we were pretty small and uneducated. After a while he would fuss with her at night for quite sometime, and the last time he had caused her to start crying and hissing. My bed was next to hers, and somehow I had gotten the idea I was her protector," I smiled. "Probably from one of those stories that they read you in the crèche. They were always filling us with tales of heroic deeds and such."

  "Psychological programming I bet," Terry put in.

  "Maybe,” I shrugged “I don't know. But I had always liked those stories anyway, and liked to picture myself as the hero. Anyhow, I told the head nursery attendant the next day, 'Grandma Lilton' her name was. A real good person."

  "I knew her," Dave said, "she worked in my crèche when I was just a pup."

  "I didn't know you were from the company's earth crèche Dave.” I said looking over to see him nod. “Anyway no more interruptions okay? Where was I? Oh, I remember. She said it was probably nothing and not to worry about it. But to tell her if it happened again. Anyway that night he did it again, but this time when she started to cry, he wouldn't leave her alone. And when she started to yell, he covered her mouth with his hand and told her to be quiet.

  "I knew that whatever he was doing it was hurting her and it was bad. So I crawled down to the floor, over to him and bit his ankle. Hard."

  I stopped for a second, finished what was left of my beer, and closed my eyes.

  "I can remember that part like it was only yesterday. He stopped what he was doing to her and started beating me with his fists. That was when I made my first mistake and let go. He punted me across the floor into a wall. That was only the beginning though, he started hitting me with his hands next. I guess he was planning on making it look like I fell down or something, but he was working me over pretty good.

  "Anyhow I managed to get hold of his thumb somehow and this time I didn't let go. He started beating me against the wall, the table anything, and one time when he hit me down on the table I was actually able to bite it off. You should have heard him scream, that drew a crowd, and by then of course all my brothers and sisters were raising a real ruckus.

  "I was unconscious by the time anybody got there and didn't wake up for who knows how long. When I did I was in a hospital bed, totally unable to move, with tubes running all over. I found out years later just how many bones he had broken, and that the doctors were surprised I was even alive. I guess I owe the team who designed me for that.

  "So I find out, from Grandma, that he claims I bit him and he panicked. I had a hard time telling her what really happened, as my jaw was broken and I could barely speak. Looking back, I don't think they believed me, you know the reputation that Leopards have. So I'm lying there in bed, when suddenly in comes the bad guy, his hand in a cast from surgery. There's nobody around, and he comes right up to my bed and tells me that I'm going to be 'put down' in the morning.

  "He then goes on to explain what 'put down' means. That I'm going to be killed. Not just because I'm so busted up that they can't fix me. But because I attacked him and an animal that doesn't know its place must be destroyed.

  "He was still gloating when Grandma came into the room. He shut up right away and she told him to get out. I then asked her if what he said was true, that I was going to be killed in the morning. From the shocked expression on her face, I guessed he wasn't lying."

  "What a cruel bastard," Kathy said quietly and started to stroke my head.

  "Well she told me not to worry, it wasn't over yet and I should watch the observation window. A little while later she shows up out there with the bad guy and all of the sudden hits him in the crotch with her cane. When he bent over, she laid into his head with a will. It took two big orderlies to pull her off."

  "She was a tough one wasn't she?" Dave put in quietly from his side of the fire.

  "I'll say, later that night she shows up with the doctor and a couple of others, and has me tell them what he had said to me. She then turns to them and said something about how if he's innocent, why is he in here terrorizing this child? A little while later she came back with just the doctor, and told me they believed me, and that he wouldn't be around to hurt anybody else.

  "I felt better about that, but I asked the doctor if it was true that I was too hurt to be fixed, and if I was 'put down' who'd protect my sisters and brothers? I guess that was too much for her 'cause she left the room real quick, and Grandma Lilton smiled at me and said that I'd be fine and not to worry.

  "That's the first part of the story, the part my records list as a 'bad accident', the part I don’t want shared." I moved my head a little bit. "Right down there Kathy," she started scratching lower on my neck. "Ahh, that's it. The next morning the doctor shows up with a needle, and tells me real quiet, that she's going to use something special on me, and I'm not to tell anybody. She also shows me some basic exercises to do and tells me to do them as much as possible.

  "This went on twice a day for a month, and then after the casts came off, once a day for another month."

  "What was in the needle?" asked Karen.

  "Growth hormones. They're not supposed to be used on animen children cause it's considered a waste of resources. Normal company policy is to euthanize any kit or cub that badly injured, and save the money."

  "How cold!" Said Kathy angrily, “That just isn't right!"

  "Oh I don't know, what kind of life could a crippled animan have really? It's a tough world we live in, and a tough life we have to live. Grandma Lilton told me much later that if I hadn't healed so well, I would have still been euthanized. She also told me that the doctor felt so bad about what had been done to me, that when I seemed more worried about the others than myself, she couldn't take it. So she stole the hormones from the main hospital.

  "So that's part of the reason I'm larger than normal. She used a standard human dose on me, and it was more than I needed for the bones to heal."

  "What's the other reason?" asked Gabe.

  "Oh that's simple," I laughed out loud, "I was so terrified of dying, that when she told me that exercise would help, I never stopped. Do you know that this is the first day since then that I haven't spent at least an hour working out? The only reason I can think of for the bold front I put up for the doctor was all the pain killers I was on."

  "So what ever happened to that guy?" asked Kathy.

  "Beats me, I still had to pay for his thumb, it's on my bill."

  "You're kidding! They charged you for that?" She sounded very indignant about it.

  "I don't think child abuse or murder laws applied to animen then. So I think the company just shuffled him off somewhere.

  "But the one thing I'll always remember, is that Grandma Lilton and that Doctor both risked getting fired, or worse, for me. And just before she retired, Grandma Lilton told me that the company had always been good to her and it was her responsibility to get rid of those people who were bad for the company. She also said that I should never blame the company for the bad deeds of the same such individua
ls, that the company is what we make it."

  "I don't know, it sounds like more propaganda to me." Said Terry.

  "I disagree," said Dave, "she never said anything like that to me. But I agree with the sentiment, Tri-Star is the only family I've got, and I want to take care of it."

  "I feel the same way." added Gabe, "Sure, they slap us with a bill for everything. That's the same deal for all of us in any company. But they don't stick it to us like some places do. I've talked with some folks at some of the other corps and I tell you, I think we've got it pretty good."

  "So does that explain why you're such a good fighter Raj?" Kathy asked me.

  "Probably. I know I learned that I didn't like being nearly beat to death. So I studied real hard at the combat and fighting courses. Did so well that I got to go to pilot training."

  "I don't know," said Terry, "it still sounds like company propaganda and brainwashing to me."

  "I don't know that we're all that much different." I said, "I mean you have to work for a living just like I do. I just don't have any choice as to my employer. But then again, I don't have to worry about being fired or laid off either."

  "Just being killed." responded Terry.

  "Hey, when you're built like me, it's not much of a worry," I replied flexing my arm and showing my claws.

  "Anyway," said Gabe grinning, "if it wasn't for Tri-Star, we wouldn't be here, and you'd be very lonely tonight indeed. Right?"

  Everybody laughed at that, and as the fire burned down we climbed into the sleeping bags that the girls had brought. Kathy and I spent the night out under the stars, and had another pleasant evening indeed.

  8

  The next morning I awoke again feeling very rested. I had always enjoyed sleeping outside, but only got the opportunity while in combat training. The others awoke shortly after I did and after a quick morning swim, we finished off the remaining food from the night before.

  It was about seven o'clock local time then, and as it was a Monday the girls had classes that day at school. So we got back in the copter and Gabe flew us back into the city. We all parted back at Karen and Terry's apartment, but not before Kathy gave me her phone number asking me to call before I shipped out.

  The three of us then started the long walk back across town. Paying for the copter had pretty much cleaned Gabe and myself out as far as money was concerned. We wanted to save what little cash we had left for the bars. After all, it could be a year or more before we got to another place as nice as this.

  On the way back across town we stopped at the central post office. Both to check on any mail, and to send some. Sending mail to other planets is not too difficult, but as it must be taken by ship, as a computer file, it does cost a little. It also tends to be slow and if you're trying to send it to someone who moves around a lot, like a ship’s crewmember, they may not get it for years. So what is common amongst crews is to leave letters at the main post office of planets you regularly visit, or send them to planets most likely to be visited by the recipient.

  I wanted to check on anything sent to me particularly, or my family. As it turned out there was a letter addressed to any of the Rakir's. It had been sent by my brother Sunil when he had passed through here and it had been added to by my brother Nepal when he had passed through.

  It didn't say too much, just that everything was fine and what ship they were on. I added my assignment, which being last nobody knew. I also put down the usual stuff and even added Kathy's name and number, as a friend. After all she was studying law and you never knew when you might need help.

  I then wrote a letter to Cassandra, mentioning again my assignment but mostly saying that I missed her a lot. I did mention that I had made some good friends on the Astra and told her all about the clan and my other experiences since I had last seen her. I then mailed them to the crew members at large service and waited with Gabe for Dave to finish his.

  Fifteen minutes later we were back on our way to the local plant. Dave told us that he actually had received quite a few pieces of mail, as Hobson's was on a regular run that several of his friends and family did. Gabe told us that his mail had been unchanged since the last time and I told them that there had been nothing much for me either.

  Back at the company I went to the room they had given me in the temporary quarter’s area and checked my messages. There was one from Terease, wanting to know if I'd go with her into town this afternoon. I looked at the clock and saw I had only a few minutes if I wanted to make that date. Another from Herza who wanted to go out that night, I sent her a positive response and told her what I would be doing this afternoon. And one from Balizar, saying they were planning a group outing for tomorrow and would I come? I sent a yes to that as well. I then made a quick change of clothes and hurried off to meet Terease.

  I caught up with her in her room, and she was pretty happy to see me.

  "Oh Raj, I'm so glad you showed!" She said excitedly, "I want to go see the city, but I'm still kind of afraid to go do it alone."

  "Where's Banner?" I asked looking around.

  "Well I didn't want to ask him, as I'm looking for a gift to surprise him with. So naturally you were my first choice." She said, grabbing my arm and leading me out the door. "Are you coming with us all tomorrow?"

  "Of course, wouldn't miss it. So what are you going to get him anyway?" I was a little surprised, the two of them must really be hitting it off better that I though.

  "Well that was another reason I wanted you to come, I need a little help deciding. You train with him, so I thought you'd be able to shed some light on what he appreciates most."

  "Hmmm, that's a tough one, I'll have to give it some thought," I said scratching my head. By now she had led me over to the Taxi stand. "I better tell you, I'm short on cash and would rather not spring for a cab." I told her guiltily.

  "I heard about the poker game from Balizar, so don't worry it's my treat." She walked up to the nearest one and we got in.

  "Where to folks?" asked the cab driver, he was an elderly Raccoon with quite a few gray hairs.

  "I'm looking to do a little shopping," Terease told him, "and I'd like to know where a good area is?"

  "Well the major shopping district is right between the ani quarter and the human quarter. They'll treat you pretty well down there too. That's what I'd recommend," he pulled away from the curb and into the traffic while he talked. "How's that sound?"

  "Sounds good to me," I replied.

  "Me too." she told him, and then turning to me asked, "Where'd you go Saturday night anyway? It must have been pretty good if you're only getting back this morning."

  "Gabe and Dave have a couple of friends here and we ended up in the mountains last night. It was kind of fun actually. How'd Balizar find out about my losses anyway?" I asked sitting back next to her and enjoying the ride.

  "Balizar knows everything that goes on aboard that ship. He is the head of security remember?" She laughed, and then added. "He said to tell you to wear a long robe next time."

  "Damn, does everybody know about my tail?" I asked annoyed, "Why didn't he tell me before I lost the money!"

  "Because he wanted to make sure you learned what apparently every other poker player knows already," she laughed again, "But don't change the subject, what type of friends were these anyway?"

  "Well you know Gabe," I said grinning back, determined to let her ponder awhile, "You figure it out."

  "From the look on your face they had to have been female, with at least one there for you too. Anymore I don't want to know," She gave me a sidelong glance, "because now you're smirking."

  "Well they were interesting and Gabe's friend is really pretty well off."

  "Then what does she see in Gabe?" She was really in a good mood I had to admit.

  "Probably a nice red coat!" I laughed with her, "So what have you been up to that you're in such a good mood?"

  "Oh I always get a little giddy when I'm on a planet surrounded by all this open space. I was brought up on a
n asteroid you know."

  "No I didn't. What was it like?"

  "Confining mostly. But you don't know it until you're away from it. The first time I was on a planet I had to be physically dragged out of the ship, it was pretty scary. But after a couple of weeks I just couldn't get enough of it."

  "Here we are folks," The cabby said pulling up in front of a large building, "there are about forty or so shops in this place, and it's dead center of the district. If you can't find what you want around here, it ain't on the planet."

  We thanked him and Terease paid the bill, then we got out and looked around the area. There certainly were a lot of shops around, and a lot of animen as well as humans. We walked inside the building that the cab driver had mentioned and looked around. There were quite a lot of shops inside. The building was six stories high centered on an atrium. I noticed that not only were the customers a mixed lot, but those working there were as well.

  We searched through quite a few stores looking at different items that were on sale. Clothes were out, as we wore uniforms most of the time. Shoes or boots were out, because we just didn't wear them normally. Anything large or heavy was out because it wouldn't be allowed on ship. Everybody was limited to about forty pounds of personnel effects, you could get away with more, but only if it could be classified as work gear (Armor, weapons and other gear was exempt from this rule of course).

  That gave me a bit of an idea. I asked one of the salespeople in the store we were in if there were any places nearby that sold camping or military gear. He told me of a couple, and I turned to Terease.

  "Well, want to take a look? Perhaps you can find something he'd appreciate there."

  "Sure why not?" she replied.

  So we headed down to the first store mentioned, and went inside.

  "May I help you?" Inquired the salesman, who to my surprise was human.