A Day for Damnation twatc-2 Page 12

  He said, "You're supposed to be a scientist. What's the Chtorran word for friend?"

  "The only Chtorran word I know translates out as 'lunch."'

  "Better not," Duke said. "Not until we know what these things eat."

  "Well ... they're not herbivores," I said.

  "How do you know that?"

  "Their eyes are on the front of the head. Predators need stereoscopic vision for tracking prey. Prey animals need their eyes on the sides of their head for avoiding predators. At least, that's how it happened on this planet. I could be wrong. But... if they're meat-eaters, then there's also a potential for intelligence."

  "Why?"

  "How much brains does it take to sneak up on a blade of grass?" I replied. I'd credit the joke later.

  Duke considered the idea and nodded. During all this, the bunnydogs still hadn't moved. They just sat and stared at us.

  I added, "Pray that these things are omnivores. According to the Cohen models, intelligence develops first in hunters, but it survives in creatures who aren't totally dependent on the hunt."

  "So?" Duke asked, "Are we in trouble here or not?"

  "Well ... they're not carrying any weapons. If they're intelligent, then they could be just as curious about us as we are about them."

  Duke turned slowly, studying the circle of little pink eskimothings. They were remarkably patient little creatures. Duke said slowly, "You may be making a false assumption here, Jim."

  I turned in the opposite direction, also studying. "What's that?" I asked.

  "You're assuming that these things are sentient. What if they're not? What if this is just a wolf pack?"

  The idea startled me. Duke was right. I'd been anthropomorphizing the bunnydogs from the very first sighting. I'd just naturally assumed that anything with a humanoid form would have to be intelligent. "You're right. I'm sorry."

  "Apologize later. Let's get out of here first."

  One of the bunnydogs moved then. He shifted his squat to one side, and languidly began to scratch his ear with a hind leg. For a moment he looked just like a fat little puppy. Dammit! These things were too cute to be dangerous!

  I looked at Duke. "Still think this is a wolf pack?"

  "No more assumptions," he cautioned. He started forward, crunching through the still-frozen powder. Parts of it had started to thaw and were turning muddy. I could hear his boots squelching in the ooze. He took three steps and stopped. The two bunnydogs directly ahead of him stood up, gobbling excitedly and fluttering their hands. Duke glanced at me-what now?

  The two bunnydogs looked at each other. They began to gobble at each other like baritone chipmunks. One of them took a hop and a half closer to the other and began gesturing like a little cheerleader. He gabbled and squeaked at his companion. He wrung his hands-they were tiny monkey paws. He put his fists together and shook them as if he were making a martini. He hopped up and down, raising large clouds of pink powder around them both. At one point, he even grabbed his cheeks and pulled them out sideways in a grotesque comical grimace.

  His companion made a funny expression and gabbled something back. It looked like a disagreement. He waved both his fists over his head and made nattering noises. He thumped his feet in the dust, sending up an even larger cloud of pink smoke.

  The first bunnydog flounced its displeasure. He reached over and pinched his companion's cheeks. He pulled and stretched them into a sideways expression. When he let go, we could almost hear them snap back into place. The second bunnydog was unimpressed. He shook his fingers at the first, waving them like little tentacles.

  It was turning into an argument. The pitch and tempo of their voices began to rise, like a recording being speeded up. Then abruptly the argument was over. The two bunnydogs began to make up like a pair of lovers. They touched each other's hands and faces, cooed like doves, glanced at us once, nuzzled each other's cheeks, chittered for a moment longer-but in quieter tones now-then finally turned to face us again.

  "And I'm supposed to take them seriously now?" Duke asked. "After that little performance?"

  I shrugged. "They do have us outnumbered." I glanced back. More bunnydogs had added themselves to the circle. More were arriving even as I watched. I said, "It's now or never, Duke."

  "I agree." He took another step forward

  This time all the bunnydogs started chittering at us. They jumped up and down, gobbling and squeaking. The effect was ludicrous-and terrifying.

  "Give 'em a puff of cold," Duke said. "See if they'll back off." I nodded, pointed the nozzle at the space between us and the forward bunnydogs. I touched the trigger briefly, lightly-and released a whoosh of powdery cold into the air.

  The bunnies leapt back away from it, startled and chitteringbut they didn't panic, and they didn't flee.

  They sniffed at the air, wrinkling their noses against the painful coldness of it; then they began to hop forward again, back into position.

  "I could freeze a couple of them," I suggested. "But it might not be good for future relations."

  Duke considered it. He shook his head. "Maybe a little fire instead." He armed his torch and raised it, deliberately pointing it high

  Something caught my eye. "Duke! Wait-" Duke froze where he was.

  Something large and dark was moving up through the dust toward us. I knew what it was even before it came out of the murk. So that's why the bunnies had held us here. They were waiting for this.

  The worm was Papa-sized. It was five meters long, nearly two meters thick at the shoulder. Its eyes were shuttered against the dust.

  And then I saw-

  There were bunnydogs riding on top of the beast. The largest was perched on the brain-bump, and steering it with chirps and tugs and slaps. He was a chubby fellow-he looked and acted like a fat little bus driver. There were three other bunnydogs riding farther back on the worm. They looked like tourists. All they needed were cameras. If they hadn't been riding a two-thousand-kilo eating machine, they would have been cute.

  The worm flowed to a stop and faced us. It blinked-sputph-wut-and warbled a soft sound. "Trllp?" Then it shuttered its eyes again. It looked like it was dozing.

  I looked at Duke. I'd never seen a worm do this before. He looked back at me and shrugged. But he kept his torch at the ready. The bunnydog on top of the worm gobbled something at the bunnies on the ground. They gobbled back. Several of them clambered up onto the back of the worm to confer face-to-face with the newcomers.

  Duke lowered his torch, just a little bit. "Jim..." he said. "What are we looking at?"

  "I don't know. I'd like to think that the bunnydogs are intelligent, perhaps even the intelligence behind the worms, but-" I said, "it could be the other way around too. The worm could be the intelligence, and the bunnies could be his dog pack. We might be the guests of honor at a fox hunt."

  Duke accepted that thoughtfully. "Well, we need to make up our minds fast. One worm we can handle. We can't take on a whole family."

  I nodded. "We're going to have to burn our way out, aren't we?" Duke didn't answer. He just shifted the torch in his hands and steadied his stance.

  Abruptly, the worm woke up. Its eyes popped open and stared directly at Duke. At the same instant, all the bunnydogs on its back yipped and leapt off. Were they commanding it? Or getting out of its way?

  The worm said, "Chtorrrllpp?" It looked questioningly to Duke. It started to slide forward

  "No!"

  -and Duke fired.

  It was the dampness in the air that saved him, I'm sure of that. It was the lingering chill from the liquid nitrogen.

  For a moment, the flame hung in the air-then it leapt backward and enveloped him-he didn't even have time to scream-he was a ball of orange fire

  It was the dust. It was so fine it didn't just burn-it exploded. It couldn't have been more dangerous if it were powdered hydrogen

  I didn't think. I just pointed the freezer at Duke and fired. The flames vanished almost instantly. Great clouds of cold steam whoos
hed up into the air, crackling and spitting. Duke was somewhere in the center of that.

  I had to do it.

  If I hadn't, the whole sea of powder would have exploded. It would have been a firestorm. I didn't have a choice.

  There was a blackened burned thing standing where Duke had been. It toppled over into the powder--

  The bunnydogs were gone-vanished into the bright pink haze. So was the worm-I hadn't even seen it move.

  --there was just me and Duke, still crackling in the center of a smoldering black crater.

  I started screaming.

  "You goddam sonofabitch!" I was already pushing through the ooze toward him. "I told you to wait! Didn't anybody ever tell you about grain elevators? And dust! You stupid asshole!" I pulled his fuel tanks off him and rolled him over on his back. He was still alive. His breath was coming in great rasping wheezes. The 0-mask had protected his face and lungs. He had a chance. Maybe.

  I grabbed him by the tank harness, looped one of its belts around my forearm, and started dragging him forward. I couldn't carry him through this powder, but I could drag him. It would have to do. I cursed him every step of the way.

  And then I stopped.

  The whole world had become a fuzzy pink blur, vague and indistinct. Even the sun was gone. The sky and ground had vanished. There was nothing but pink. I couldn't even see my own hands. If I let go of Duke, I wouldn't even be able to find him again.

  I'd heard of whiteouts in the Antarctic-this was worse; this was a California pinkout.

  I didn't know where I was.

  Worse, I didn't know where the chopper was.

  SIXTEEN

  I FROZE.

  I knew I had to get back. But my sense of direction had totally failed.

  I was afraid to take a step in any direction, for fear I would be going the wrong way. I could be only a few meters from the ship and unable to see it.

  The wrong decision would kill us.

  I stood there, trembling with the realization, paralyzed by my own terror. I had to do something! Duke needed attention now. And neither of us had much air left.

  I didn't know where the beeper was. It wasn't in Duke's hand or on his belt. I'd looked for it when I grabbed him. That was before the pink closed in. And now, it was getting deeper. There was nothing but pink. It was waist-high now.

  I had to do something.

  Now.

  Even if it was the wrong thing to do.

  I hadn't turned since grabbing Duke-I should still be pointed in the right direction. I didn't know what else to do.

  I held the freezer in my left hand and sprayed it forward. I could hear the whoosh. I saw nothing-but I could feel the chill in the air.

  This was crazy. It couldn't work. I moved forward anyway slowly. I tested each step before putting my weight down. Suddenly, the pink gave way beneath me. I let out a yell-I hung onto Duke-and we slid down a long slope of powder. We came to rest at the bottom, buried in pinkness. I couldn't find the place where the ground ended and the air began. We were wrapped in spiderwebs. I wasn't even sure which way was up any more. I fired the freezer in the direction I thought was forward. The chill woke me up.

  I caught my breath. I sat up. Somehow, I stood up. The belt of Duke's harness was still looped around my arm. My God! He was still with me!

  I started pushing forward again. I was frustrated-I was angry!

  Dammit! This is Jim McCarthy here! I'm not supposed to die like this! Not this young! I'm only twenty-four! There's supposed to be more to my life! I'm important! I'm part of the war against the Chtorr! "Hey, God! Listen up! This is James Edward McCarthy! It's too soon! I haven't had the rest of my life yet!

  "Hey, God, come on-let's be reasonable here." I staggered on, dragging Duke with me, spraying the air ahead with chill, and trying to hang onto my footing. I didn't know which way I was going. "Hey, God, give me a sign. Something. Anything. Please. Save me. Save Duke. At least save Duke. I've already got Shorty's death on my conscience. Isn't that enough? Let me save Dukethen you can have me if you want me. I'm scared of dying, God-" I gulped on that one "-and I'm sorry, I've been an asshole. Please-God, I thought you had bigger plans for me. This isn't the way it's supposed to work out, is it?" My throat was getting dry. My voice cracked. I didn't know why I was saying all this. It was just something to say while I pushed on.

  And then, something happened. Inside me.

  Something shifted.

  I realized what I was doing. I remembered something Duke had said to me. "You oughta try it sometime."

  I gulped again.

  This was stupid. But

  I could feel myself really caring. Really wanting to make contact. If it were possible.

  "Um-I don't know how to do this, I really don't. I guess I should just talk, shouldn't I? So, um-let me start at the beginning. I'm really doing this for Duke. I've been selfish and-oh, hell, I know you can't save Duke without saving me too, but-"

  My feet moved. My mouth worked. I pushed forward. And I prayed.

  "God-I don't even know if I believe in you. I don't know that you exist. I never thought about it. So-I guess I'm just another goddam hypocrite only believing in you now when there's no other hope-I'm going crazy here, God-it's just not fair. I'd always thought someday I'd have the chance to find out what it all meant. Are you listening, God?" I stumbled then and fell forward into the pink and somehow the belt to Duke's harness came off my arm. I felt it slip off.

  It was gone.

  I lay there in the powder, paralyzed.

  Duke was only inches from me. If I moved, I could lose him. I had to be careful. Very careful.

  I raised myself up to my knees. I reached backward, back and back-I fumbled in the dust. Please, God-let me find Duke. Nothing else-let me find Duke.

  I ignored the sound in my ears. I had to find Duke. Carefully, I turned myself around, praying that I wouldn't slip sideways down another slope, or turn myself the wrong way. I felt around. I sprawled flat and felt ahead-my hand touched something-I grabbed it

  It was Duke's arm. Oh, thank you, God!

  I felt around for his face. I found it. I was blind. The world was pink. I didn't care if I never saw again. Just let him be alive! I brought my face close to Duke's and listened. Tried to listen. Couldn't. There was too much noise. But his mask was making rasping sounds! He was still breathing! Oh, sweet heaven-thank you, God! Now, please-let me get him to the chopper!

  The sound in my ears was getting louder. Annoying. Insistent. What the hell was that anyway? It sounded like a siren.

  I stopped to catch my breath. And listened.

  The sound was muffled by the dust. It was close by, yet sounded very far away. Some kind of whooping.

  It was a siren! It came out of the pinkness as a steady series of short sharp rising yelps.

  The chopper? It had to be!

  What was it doing way over there to my left? I'd been heading wrong! I didn't care. Thank you, God! We could make it!

  I tied Duke's belt around my wrist again. I stumbled back to my feet. I faced the siren. I pushed. I dragged Duke behind me. I focused only on the sound.

  It was whooping like a demon. Like someone beating a bassett hound. The strokes were sharp and steady. A yelping purple sound. It was the only thing in the world that wasn't pink. And I pushed toward it.

  I sprayed the liquid nitrogen ahead. I crunched through dust. I pushed through crackling spiderweb fluffiness. Everything was pink. But I could hear the siren and I knew that we were saved! Thank you, God. Thanks!

  There is a job here for me, isn't there!

  SEVENTEEN

  I FOUND the chopper by stumbling into it.

  I don't know how I found the door. I just started feeling along the side of the ship, pounding and shouting as I went. The chopper was so deep in the powder that I was pounding on the roof of it. "Lizard! Open the goddam door!"

  And then suddenly the door popped open in front of me and I fell in. I couldn't see it, I just fell in. I
poured in, dragging Duke with me. The dust poured in on top of us. Somebody was pulling me forward. "Oh, my God-"

  "Save Duke!" I was screaming. "Don't worry about me! I'm all right! See to Duke!"

  "Wait! I've got to close the door!" Lizard was screaming back at me. "The dust is pouring in-" She coughed and disappeared. I lay there on the chopper floor, listening to my heartbeat, listening to the insistent whooping of the siren, listening to my own sobs of relief. I couldn't move. I had to move. There was still something to do. I pulled myself to my knees. I heard the sound of the door hissing shut. There was something wrong with the sound. I still couldn't see. But at least it wasn't pink any more. It was dark and blurry. I wiped at my goggles

  "Keep your O-mask on!" Lizard was in front of me again.

  "McCarthy, can you hear me? Do you understand? Keep your 0-mask on!"

  I managed to nod and gasp, "Water-"

  She put a bulb of something into my hand and was gone. I sucked at the moisture greedily. It was sweet. Everything was sweet. Suddenly I could smell the powder again. Fresh baked croissants. Bubble gum. Marshmallows. Something buttery. Sweet potatoes. Angel food cake. And cotton candy. Always cotton candy.

  "McCarthy-!" It was Lizard again. "We've got a problem with the door! I can't close it! The dust is in the way! The door is jammed."

  "Shit!" I scrambled around, felt past Duke-I can't see a thing. Where's my freezer!"

  "It's here-" She pushed something long and cold into my hands.

  "Point me at the door and get out of the way. Get Duke out of the way too!"

  I felt her hands on my shoulders, turning me, aiming me"Wait a minute!" she said. I heard the sound of something heavy being pulled across the deck. "All right-"

  I fired. The spray was too loud. The chill was terrible and bitter. Something crackled. This was not the smartest thing in the world. I could feel the clouds of cold steam billowing around me. The liquid nitrogen always reacted strongly to normal air temperatures.