"Adderall," said Gary. "They think that's what allowed me to survive and what changed me."
A few seconds passed. "Methylphenidate. Central Nervous System stimulant. Interesting." More seconds went by. "I can see how it could countervail the main effects of the allergen we introduced to radically reduce the human population. The interaction, however, is far more complex and strange than I would've predicted."
"Allergen? Like allergic reaction?"
"Yes."
"That's how you killed all those people?"
"A very powerful and dedicated allergen, yes. And even so, we anticipated some survivors. But not any genetically altered ones. We underestimated its power as a mutagen."
"Jesus Christ on a stick! You sound like that Nazi scientist, Svengali!"
"I think you mean Mengele. Josef Mengele, Schutzstaffel officer and physician in Auschwitz concentration camp?"
"Yeah. Not much on history, but yeah, he did some evil shit in a concentration camp, I think." Gary looked around for the origin of the calm voice, but it seemed to come from everywhere around him.
"I understand the comparison, though we don't experiment with our own kind or beings above a certain level of development."
Gary wanted to be angry on behalf of the fallen human race, to hate the creatures responsible – he was pretty sure that's what he should do – but his main interest now was self-preservation. He thought maybe he shouldn't do or say something to piss off the alien scientist. He seemed to remember that the Nazi Germans thought the Jews were subhuman, too, but he decided not to argue the point with the Keeper.
"What are you going to do with me?"
"Return you to the others. Your adopted people?"
"Yeah, sort of." Even while relief rolled through him he felt an opportunity slipping away. He heard Diana's voice demanding why he hadn't asked more questions, the important questions. Unfortunately, her nagging voice didn't say what those questions should be. "Can I get out of that world? I have people on the outside, too?"
"Yes. Just say the word 'door.' You now are authorized to leave and enter that habitat. You are registered with us, now."
"Cool. Uh, thanks." The words tasted a tad foul in his mouth, like milk that had just turned. "Hey, Zurgie, can I ask you something?"
"Yes, Gary."
"Do you care at all? I mean, about all the people you killed?"
"I didn't make that decision. Aziz chose that course."
"Who's Aziz?"
"A synthetic intelligence. You would call it an AI. It weighs all the variables, ethical and otherwise. In this case, it was your civilization versus all the life forms in our ship. Regrettably, the decision was made to act in the interests of our cargo. And yes, I very much do regret the loss of your civilization. But such trade-offs are sometimes required. You call it 'collateral damage.'"
"Do you know how many of us survived?"
"The original estimate was between .01 and .001 percent. Knowing that a popular drug may confer immunity, as well as the likelihood of other similar drugs doing the same, a larger figure may be accurate. We will have the answer to that and many other questions in the near-future as our work here continues."
"Uh..."
"Do you have any further questions, Gary?"
"Who are you? I mean, what kind of things are you?"
"I'm afraid that would require more time than my duty allots. Good fortune in your new life, Gary."
"WHAT IN God's name are they doing to that poor creature?"
Sonja and her son stood at the tent's opening entrance looking out on the curious and repulsive spectacle of a female Nazrene being strung up over a low fire.
"It's weird," said Donny, "how even primitive alien cultures believe in torture. It must be some universal trait in sentient beings – like believing in religion."
"My religion doesn't believe in torture," Sonja snapped.
"It did. And plenty of religious people do now, too, as long as it's the right people being tortured."
"This really isn't the time or place for a philosophical debate, Donny." Exasperation crackled in her voice.
"Why not, Mom? Do we have anything better to do?"
Sonja wiped her eyes, chronically irritated by the obnoxious perfume and the smoke from fires that never stopped burning. Irritated from lack of water, lack of sleep, a balanced diet, personal hygiene, a night's sleep – and pretty much everything else required for physical and mental health. Yet somehow, they had the energy to argue pointlessly. It was almost a disadvantage to be a physician under these conditions, painfully aware of all the accumulating physical deficits but unable to remedy any of them. Sonja speculated that the Nazrene, as with many native mammals, manufactured their own Vitamin C – or simply didn't require that nutrient – since their diet consisted almost exclusively of meat.
But trying to communicate their nutritional needs was pointless now. The Nazrene females were far too obsessed with the males – and vice versa – to do more than pay token attention to them. It was far from clear what they intended to do with her and Donny when their apparent mating rituals were over, but the presence of her husband, daughter, Diana, Gary, and the others nearby made that question moot. Any time now – perhaps tonight, perhaps tomorrow – Dan and the rescue team would arrive.
How that rescue would take place was fuzzy to her. Her otherwise brilliant son had no clue, either, other than it would probably happen at night and involve a lot of "alien baboons getting their brains blown out." As far as she could see, they might succeed in shooting their way out of camp, but after that, as the baboons had proven more than once, they were excellent and fast-running trackers, and there were two hundred or more of them between the two camps. Dan and his team could kill only so many, and they had no chance of outrunning them.
Still, as she'd argued to Donny when he'd made the same observations, his father would find a way of making it work. He was the military person, not her or her son. She and he just had to be ready, alert for their opportunity. On the plus side, the female alien apes were preoccupied with the males and were lax about posting guards, appearing to believe they had no chance of escape or of being rescued.
Sonja's impression was that the males bent over backward not to offend or trouble the females, who maintain a haughty, near-unapproachable façade in their dealings. The males might've neglected to mention the people who'd been doggedly following them, or their superior weapons, or even the enlistment of a powerful zoo animal since those might reduce the value of their gifts. They could always hope.
"You think tonight's the night?" Donny interrupted her thoughts.
"It could be."
Sonja winced when the female Nazrene, now hanging from two poles over a large fire, released a soul-wrenching scream as flames licked her feet. The attending females immediately damped down the flames. They don't want her to die too quickly. Revulsion compressed her stomach, threatening to force out its meager contents. Donny reached up and squeezed her shoulder, tugging her away from the tent opening.
"I think it's gonna be tonight," he said. "They're watching the camp right now. They can see what's happening – how distracted these disgusting savages are. That gives them a great opportunity."
"You could be right, Donny." She reached up and clasped his hand on her shoulder, adding with a quiet laugh: "Maybe it's time we pack our bags."
Chapter 19
THE NIGHTMARE BRIGADE WAS on the move, freshly slathered with viscera and blood from a dead buck, rifles slung over their hairy or winged shoulders, slinking through the twilight like stinking denizens of a rotting hell with Curly as Cerberus in the lead. Rough beasts slouching toward – well, definitely not Bethlehem, Diana thought, according to what Myth had reported earlier that afternoon. More like some medieval inquisition complete with some unfortunate Azrene being roasted at the stake.
The plan, following Gunnar's suggestions, had Myth and Penny preceding them to the tent and getting them into their porn costumes and then out of
camp as quietly and quickly as possible. If they'd been moved or there were more guards, Myth and Penny would return to the main force, parked a hundred meters out from camp, for re-strategizing. Starting a battle was the last resort, but if a fight broke out they were prepared to "lay out a carpet of baboons," as Dan had put it.
Gary was an unknown. It was possible they'd never see him again. Perhaps something had gone wrong inside the Hub, if that's where he was. Or perhaps he'd pop back into their lives without warning, as was his wont. Diana was betting on the latter. To her, Gary was like a superhuman Inspector Clouseau, blundering through impossible and dangerous situations with the Inspector's same oblivious imperviousness. She wouldn't devote a lot of worry to him at this point. If he still hadn't shown up when the rescue was over and Sonja and Donny were safe, they might look into what could've happened to him.
The few creatures they encountered on their roundabout journey to the north side of the Azrene camp wisely – or understandably – gave them a wide berth. There was something to be said for the zoo animals' comparatively high IQs: they quickly learned when you were something they didn't want to mess with.
Diana guessed it was a bit after ten by the time they'd reached the woods north of the Azrene camp. From a few hundred yards out, a dome of firelight rose from the camp's center, punctuated by a single tiny figure suspended high above the tents, flickering like a candlewick in the wind. Probably reflecting light from the fires below, Diana thought, or possibly the figure really was on fire. As sickening as it was, she found some comfort in knowing that humans weren't the only animal species capable of such unconscionable brutality.
They moved in – Diana, Dan, Gunnar, and Laurie pulling up perhaps fifty yards out from the tents while Penny, Curly, and Myth continued on. The two men and Diana scanned the tents with their infrared optics, detecting two heat sources within the tent the Jensens were supposed to occupy and none in the adjacent tents. So far so good, Diana thought. Myth and Penny sliced through the backside of the tent with their knives.
The illusion of goodness lasted twenty or thirty more seconds before a series of harsh cries propelled Myth and Penny back toward the main group with two Azrene hot in pursuit.
"Shit," whispered Dan. "Is there any way to kill them silently?"
"Sure – with a knife," said Gunnar, dropping to one knee and taking aim. "Any volunteers?"
"Let's do it," Dan grated.
Seeing Gunnar and Dan's rifle, Penny and Myth split apart, giving him a clear shot. The Azrene saw them, too, and also parted, sprinting back toward camp. They managed a few strides before Dan and Gunnar's rifles boomed, dropping them in their tracks.
Dan gestured sharply to Myth and Penny. "Find them! Fast as you can."
A choir of shrieking and yowling cat-sounds broke out within the camp. Through the tents, swiftly moving figures crisscrossed and joined in the firelight.
"Damn it!" said Diana.
"Follow Myth and Penny," said Dan, breaking into a jog. "Keep our weapons on our shoulders. Maybe they'll see us as unarmed zoo animals – have trouble connecting us to the shots."
We should be so lucky, Diana thought. But running wouldn't solve their problems if the Azrene came after them. At a minimum, they would surely be much more vigilant about guarding their camp. Either way, it probably wasn't going to get any better than it was now for rescuing Donny and Sonja Jensen.
Walking there hadn't been so bad, but running in their costumes was cumbersome and hot. They'd cut off the outfits' feet and hands so they could run in their shoes and handle their firearms, but other than that only their lips and eyes were exposed. Diana found the prospect of fighting for their lives in these sex-fantasy suits unnerving.
Diana caught up with Dan, Gunnar, and Laurie. They were all glancing back, but lacking the eyes of the "Redskins" and Myth, couldn't see if anyone had come out to check on the bodies.
"If the females are like the males, they can't see in the dark any better than us," Dan huffed out. "They'd bring torches out to check on the bodies. They might not even know they're missing yet."
The eternal optimist. "I hope you're right," said Diana.
Penny and Myth came hustling back out to meet them.
"Sonja and Donny are in the central clearing," said Myth. "Near the fire where the Azrene is hanging. Most of the camp is gathered there."
"Crap," Dan said through his teeth. "Any indication they're aware of the two dead Azrene?"
"They don't seem to know that anyone's been killed. I could only make out a few words, but they're trying to decide if they should send a force out to investigate the gunshots."
Dan made a hissing sound of frustration that to Diana befitted his demonic appearance.
"They won't keep them by the fire all night," said Gunnar. "At some point, they'll go back to their tent or they'll need to relieve themselves. We just gotta exercise some patience."
"They probably heard the shots," said Diana. "They know we're in the area. They might look for some excuse to get away from them – a bathroom break might work."
"Good point," said Dan. "I'll bet they have a general latrine just outside camp somewhere. These females seem pretty finicky about personal grooming."
"Or maybe that's what their perfume is supposed to cover up," Gunnar chuckled. "I'd say waiting by their 'waste pit' might be an idea, if there is one."
Penny was sniffing the air. "I smell something bad on the other side of camp."
"The only bad thing I can smell is us," said Diana.
Dan nodded, unsmiling. "Hopefully, that will help us blend in."
They circled the camp, staying a hundred meters out, arriving at a deep pit in the ground from which the unmistakable odor of waste – not so different from the human variety, Diana thought, if somewhat more pungent – wafted up and seemed to merge with their own visceral scent. They retreated fifty or sixty yards to a conveniently located patch of trees.
"Now we wait," said Dan.
SONJA AND Donny were sitting close enough to the central bonfire for the heat to bring a flush to their faces. Also, close enough to hear the anguished moans of the Nazrene female hanging high above them.
"You heard the shots," said Donny. "They're here. We need to get away from this crowd."
"I agree." Sonja considered the options. "Let's pretend we need to go the bathroom. Unless you can think of something better."
"No. That should work. They wouldn't want us soiling our precious new clothes."
"Okay. Here we go."
Sonja released a soft groan, and turned to the guard on her side, touching her stomach and squinching up her face in distress. The guard shook her head and nodded for Sonja to redirect her attention forward where a tall female swathed in gold and red scarves was holding court from a pedestal well-above the flames. Neither Sonja nor her son had any clue about what she was saying or why they were here, but Sonja had the strong impression of some form of royal decree being delivered. She was the leader of this group – that much was obvious.
"Jeez," Donny murmured, "I hope they aren't planning to string us up over the fire, too."
"Why in the world would they do that?"
"Some kind of religious rite? A sacrifice to Kong, the great hairy ape-god?"
"Donny..." Sonja cut herself off. She loved her son dearly, but sometimes he could be such a complete pain in the rear. "They're not sacrificing us. Let's focus on getting them to take us to the bathroom or whatever their equivalent is."
"Right."
Donny released a groan so theatrical that Sonja half-expected one of their escorts to cuff him upside the head. Instead, the guard on his side turned to him with clear concern. Donny rubbed his stomach and made a heaving motion. Sonja joined in with an even louder groan and a pained clutching of her abdomen.
That was enough to catch the notice of their leader, who stopped her speech and spoke sharp words while pointing at them and snapping one bejeweled finger as if to flick away an annoying insect. The two guards
, much larger females who towered over most of the assemblage around them, grasped Sonja and Donny none too gently by the arms and pulled more than guided them out of the assemblage away from the central fire.
"It worked." Sonja sounded disbelieving. "Now will they take us back to our tent or to their dumping ground beyond the tents?"
They continued past their tent. Sonja's right arm was losing feeling below the huge Nazrene female's boa constrictor grip on her mid-arm. She stifled any urge to protest. The feeling in her arm would come back.
"Come on, guys," she whispered. "We're walking away from the camp. Only two guards. This is your chance."
"Yeah," said Donny. "Then all we have to do is outrun a hundred maddened females. Have you seen how fast they can run? I think they're faster than the males."
"Oh, for God's sake, Donny!"
Her outburst prompted an extra squeeze from her guard. Any harder, Sonja thought, and she'd have a hematoma for sure. Did the guard think she might be complaining to her?
The rank odor told them they were approaching their destination well before arriving at the dark rectangular pit dug out in the grass. She'd noticed some males, always eager to please their monarchs, shoveling out dirt with crude branch shovels the day before and hadn't understood what they were doing then.
Their guards released them and gestured peremptorily at the pit. Donny and Sonja backed up to a raised lip of earth and lowered themselves. Sonja was startled by a powerful gushing of liquid from her son. He shrugged at her look.
"I really did have to go," he said.
The two guards mumbled something that sounded concerned and gestured over their shoulders into the night. Sonja and her son turned their heads. Figures were approaching.
"Yes!" Sonja gasped under her breath. "They're –"
Her word and her breath caught as she made out grotesque, hairy shapes lumbering out of the night toward them. For the first time, she was actually grateful for her large guards and their oversized stone swords. She and Donny hurriedly cinched up their dress-robes and retreated toward the guards.
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