A Dark and Hungry God Arises (13 page)

'Back on Enablement, I needed to show them Captain's Fancy's self-destruct was real. If I let them believe I was bluffing, they wouldn't have given Davies back. So I dumped a copy of everything in the auxiliary command board into my transmission. Including, ' she finished like an act of violence, 'your priority-codes. They can override every instruction you key in. '

Nick thought his heart was going to stop.

Of course, he also had those codes. He could override their override. And they could override again -

Paralysis. Eventually the computers would shut down to protect themselves from burn-out.

For a moment the shock left him white and blank. She wasn't trying to hurt him. Her revelation didn't damage him: it helped him. What the Amnion knew about his ship was only dangerous as long as he didn't know they knew it. Once he got back to Captain's fancy, he could simply write in a new set of priority-codes. The whole job would take less than an hour.

Morn had given him an unexpected and imponderable reprieve.

'Why?' Surprise seemed to leave him naked beside her.

'I might not have figured it out. Why tell me?'

Why help me?

Her exhaustion had returned. 'Because, ' she answered as if she were too tired to fight anymore, 'I don't want them to get you. I don't want them to get anybody. If you were in that pod, I would have done exactly what I did. Otherwise my own humanity wouldn't be worth having. '

Defensive and bitter, he snarled a curse. 'And I suppose it never entered your head that if you gave me the answer I might feel grateful enough to change my mind?'

Even in his own ears he sounded petulant, petty.

'No, ' Morn said flatly. 'I know you better than that. '

Nick couldn't reply. Grinding his teeth to steady himself, he pushed her on down the corridor.

Another hundred meters along an empty passage brought them to the Amnion sector.

The entrance was nothing more than a faceless door in a blank wall. He'd never been inside; but he assumed that the door was the outer opening of an airlock which protected the sector's atmosphere. With a shudder, he remembered the acrid taste of the air on Enablement, the pain and coughing — His lungs still felt tender. He had no intention of going through that ordeal again.

Tightening his hold on Morn in case she panicked at the last minute and tried to get away, he reached up a hand to the intercom beside the door.

'Nick, please. '

For one wild instant he thought she was going to beg him to release her; spare her.

But she didn't. Instead she murmured, 'Just tell me why they let you take rne. ' She'd returned to her original question, to her escape from Com-Mine Station. 'It can't hurt you - and I need to know. Why didn't they try to rescue me themselves?'

'Shit, ' he sneered because he was disappointed. Even here, standing on the threshold of hell, she refused to break. What makes you think you were worth the effort? You'd already spent too much time with Captain Thermo-pile. The cops knew there wasn't enough of you left to rescue. '

But then he saw that the truth would be harder for her to bear; so he continued, They let me take you because you're what I wanted for pay. I don't mind doing their dirty work sometimes, especially when the target is a fucker like Thermo-pile, but I like to get paid. I didn't know I was about to lose my gap drive, so I didn't ask for credit. I took you instead. ' He forced out a harsh chuckle. They probably considered it a steal. They got to nail Thermo-pile, and all they had to give up was a piece of his wreckage. '

She hadn't looked at him since he'd forced her to; she didn't look at him now. Nevertheless her damaged voice seemed to drive straight through him.

'If you believe it's that simple, you've been trusting them too long. '

She was more than he could stand. Hitting the intercom with his fist, he snarled, 'I'm Captain Nick Succorso.

I've brought the fucking "recompense" you fucking wanted. Her name is Morn Hyland - she's the mother of that "human offspring" bastard you're lusting after.

Open the door. I'm going to put her inside and leave her. I've got other things to do. '

The response from the intercom was immediate. 'Captain Nick Succorso, the delivery of the female is acceptable. Your departure is not. You will enter with her.

Suitable breathing masks will be provided. She will be taken from you. You will remain. '

The hell I will, ' Nick growled in instant fear. Automatically he backed to the far wall, pulling Morn with him. That wasn't the deal. Your fucking emissary didn't say anything about keeping me. '

'You will not be kept. ' The Amnioni voice sounded mechanically flat, imperturbable. 'You will not be harmed. That is unconditional. '

Abruptly the door slid open.

Marc Vestabule stood in the airlock.

He had two other Amnion with him; but there was nothing human-like about them except for the masks over their faces and the weapons in their hands.

They aimed their weapons squarely at Nick and Morn.

'Please, Captain Succorso, ' Vestabule said as if his vocal cords were incapable of inflection. We wish only to talk to you. If the thought of entering our sector frightens you, we will talk here, although the place is less convenient. '

'Don't you mean less secure?' Nick pointed at the nearest bugeye. 'Out here the Bill can see and hear everything. '

'No. ' Vestabule appeared certain. 'Our agreement with the Bill empowers us to neutralize these surveillance devices at our discretion. The question is solely one of convenience. If you choose to enter, we will provide you with the comfort of a seat. And guards will not be necessary. '

That surprised Nick. He ached for a gun. Maybe if he shot someone the tension building in his chest again would be released. The tic under his eye felt like the stress of a valve with too much pressure behind it.

What the hell have we got to talk about?' he demanded. We've already made a deal. ' He brandished Morn's arm. 'I'm keeping my part of it right now. '

Vestabule didn't nod; only his human eye blinked. 'As we have said, her delivery is acceptable. However, we wish to relieve the confusion which makes our negotiations with you dangerous. It has occurred to me that there may be questions which you would consent to answer if none of your own people - also none of Billingate's personnel - were present to hear you. If our confusion can be relieved, perhaps the ways in which we make it "impossible" for you to satisfy our requirements may be diminished. '

For the first time, Nick thought that Marc Vestabule was more human than he looked. The emissary had retained some portion of his ability to think like a human.

Pure Amnion lacked the tools to understand intra-species duplicity or manipulation.

'In other words, ' Nick countered, 'if I'll consider answering your questions, you'll consider un-revoking my credit-jack. '

'I promise nothing. ' The emissary's alien knees, rust-coated arm, and distorted face promised nothing except the destruction of humankind. The possibility exists. '

Nick didn't hesitate. Shoving Morn toward the Amnion, he growled, 'Get her out of here. Then I'll listen to your questions. 'The possibility exists" that I'll answer them. '

An Amnioni caught her with one of its arms. She didn't struggle, made no attempt to break away; didn't look back. Without protest, as if she'd accepted her ruin long ago, she let the Amnioni steer her into the airlock.

Her escort touched the interior controls, and the door swept shut, as silent and fatal as an axe.

At the sight, Nick felt unexpectedly savage. Before he could stop himself, he began to yell at Vestabule.

'And tell that piece of shit to point his fucking gun somewhere else! I'm not going to answer your goddamn questions while you're threatening to burn holes in me if you don't like the goddamn answers!'

Vestabule made guttural sounds that meant nothing to Nick. At once the other Amnioni lowered its weapon.

After a further word from Vestabule, the Amnioni clipped the weapon to a harness at its waist and moved its hands away.

Shaking with useless anger, Nick bit his lips so that he wouldn't go on shouting. His scars seemed to be pulling at his cheeks as if the skin were about to tear. Between one heartbeat and the next, his loathing for Marc Vestabule and all things Amnion became so intense that he could barely swallow. 'I swear to God, ' he rasped harshly, 'this is the sewer of the universe. '

Vestabule may have retained significant vestiges of his human mind, but he was impervious to insult. 'You have made similar references in the past, ' he observed, 'but their applicability is imprecise. Correctly speaking, only humankind has "sewers". Our techniques for processing waste are different. '

'Forget it, ' Nick snapped. 'Forget I ever mentioned it.

Now we're alone - just you, me, the intercom, a few bugeyes, and your pet bozo with the gun. Ask your questions, so I can figure out what my chances of being able to use that credit-jack are. '

Fiercely he rubbed at his cheek, trying to quiet the spasm. But the muscle went on clenching and releasing convulsively, twisting his expression into a grimace.

'Captain Succorso' - Vestabule moved his arms as if he were attempting a gesture of appeal which his body had forgotten how to perform — 'we have only one question, although it is complex.

Why did you come to Enablement Station?'

Nick knotted his fists to contain his anger and waited for the emissary to explain.

'Your stated reason, ' Vestabule said flatly, 'was that you required "help for a medical difficulty", in addition to credit that would enable you to repair your ship. Plainly, however, the credit itself was not the primary reason.

Our data indicates that you were within reach of this installation before you left human space. This implies that you were on your way here to obtain repairs — which in turn implies that you had the means to pay for them

- until you altered course and risked crossing the gap.

'Superficially we are left with the matter of your "medical difficulty".

We can understand that in only one of two ways.

Perhaps your desire or need for the human offspring Davies Hyland was genuine. That is difficult for us to understand. However, we do not need to understand it, for you have proven it false. Your willingness to sell the offspring demonstrates that he was not your motive.

Therefore we must speculate that your true interest was not in the offspring himself, but rather in the ability to produce him. '

Urgent with fury, Nick wanted to shout, Get to the point get to the point! But he held himself rigid, betraying nothing, while fire throbbed in his scars and burned in his eyes.

'More specifically, ' Vestabule continued, 'we speculate that you wished to test the usefulness of what you call a

"zone implant" in protecting a human mother from the normal consequences offeree-growing her fetus. ' A total and irreparable loss of reason and Junction, the birthing doctor had said. 'Yet that proposition has also been shown to be false. You have made it clear that you did not know of the existence of the female's zone implant when you brought her to us.

We must conclude that all reference to a "medical difficulty" was spurious.

'Yet what remains?' Vestabule asked before Nick could protest. 'Only your offer to permit us to test your blood.

We are forced to conclude that this offer represents your true reason for coming to Enablement Station.

That is not satisfactory, however. During your previous approach to us, you voluntarily submitted to the administration of a mutagen which should have transformed you much as I was transformed. Obviously it did not. Returning to us, you made us aware of that fact.

Further, by permitting us to test your blood you showed us that your "immunity" to our mutagens is not inherent.

Your blood differs in no meaningful particular from other human blood. Thus you have made us aware that you possess the technical or medical means to block our mutagens, to render them ineffective.

'Captain Succorso, why did you do this? You are not a friend to the Amnion. And we judge that you are not self-destructive, despite the hazardous nature of your conduct. What explanation remains? What conclusion should we draw, in order to resolve our difficulties successfully?'

Vestabule faced Nick without expression. At his side, his companion or guard was completely immobile, like a creature that had been turned to salt.

Nick glared at the two of them, watching his hope that his credit would be restored fray away like smoke.

'I get it. ' He was so full of violence that he could hardly contain it, but he forced a harsh laugh. 'For a minute there I didn't know what we were talking about, but now I get it.

'You think I'm playing some kind of deep covert game for the cops. You think this is all a ploy — I was ordered to make you aware that we can neutralize your mutagens.

As a way of convincing you to scale back your ambitions against human space. Let you know we're ready for you, it's too dangerous to challenge us. And what you're afraid of - involuntarily his hands clenched and unclenched at his sides, aching for Vestabule's throat - 'is that it's a trick. That the immunity doesn't really exist - or doesn't work well enough to be much good.

Then the cops would have a reason to make you aware of it. They're using me to bluff you. Encourage you to worry about a threat that isn't real.

'Is that about right?'

Even Vestabule's human eye didn't blink as he stared back at Nick.

If Vestabule had set fire to Nick's hands and feet - if the Amnioni with the gun had flamed open his belly, spilling his guts to the deck - Nick would not have told them the truth. I loved her, goddamn you! I thought letting her have her brat was the only way I could keep her!

Vestabule probably wouldn't have believed him anyway.

Some hurts were too human for any Amnioni to understand.

'You're half right, ' he rasped, wishing that every word were keen enough to draw blood. 'I do jobs for the cops once in a while. That's why I went to Enablement the first time. Test their new immunity for them. But I hate them. Do you hear me, you asshole?' Are you human enough to remember hate? 'I hate them. When I do jobs for them, I like to make sure the results aren't quite what they were expecting. I like to do work for them that looks good and turns out bad. ' Otherwise the bastards on my ship would have cut my heart out long ago. That's why I went back this time. To make sure the job I did for them last time turned out bad. '