Candidate (Selected Book 4) (12 page)

"Why?"

"I can't tell you. I can direct your path, but I can't tell you why. But I got you this far, didn't I?"

"Yeah. You made me jump off a cliff."

"But you haven't been caught yet. I guess it was pretty good advice."

"I guess so."

She began walking, and then the Catseye was standing beside me. "Emma, this is Administrator Brighteyes. Once you find the trail it is safe for two miles. I need to speak to Andromeda for a few minutes, but she'll be back with you soon."

Then the sound of the jungle faded away. I turned to face the administrator. "Come with me."

She turned around, and I followed her from the room.

* * * *

It was a short walk to another room, and she gestured me ahead of her.

Into a bathroom.

"Clean up," she said. "Then we'll talk."

I didn't need that much cleaning up. I hadn't actually soiled myself. But I was looking very ragged. I used the toilet, washed up, and then stared at myself in the mirror for a minute or two. Finally I took several deep breaths and turned for the exit.

The Catseye was waiting for me. I came to a stop facing her.

"You are right. We play games within games. But one game I will never play is one in which one of our mating candidates is seriously hurt. In the end, you believed the net was there."

I looked her in the eyes. "I wasn't sure."

"You trusted me."

"That's easy when it's not my own life."

"I play games. I lie. I deceive. I cheat. I am willing to allow someone to go through significant emotional turmoil."

"But?"

"But I have never hurt someone, Andromeda."

"You destroy our lives."

"And then I give you new ones." She smiled. "So, are you going to steer her around the Wookies or right into them?"

"Around, of course."

"She'd have a better life mated to Fine Mist than sending her back to Toledo."

"What would you do?"

She waved a finger at me. "Andromeda, even the Implac represents a better life for her than her old life in Toledo. He won't love her, but he'll treat her gently."

"You want her to lose?"

"Yes, I do. I'd prefer Soft Rain and Fine Mist to win. But I'd rather the Implac gets her than she goes back to Toledo." She set a hand on my shoulder. "Do not tell her about the Wookies, but if the Implac gets too close, you may warn her."

She led me back to the control room.

* * * *

"Hello, Emma."

"You're back, Andie!"

"I'm back, Emma."

"The trail branches. Which way do I go?"

"I don't know. Just a minute. My camera is back at the cliff." It took me a couple of minutes to catch up. Emma was crouched down, drinking from her water. I checked the map. The Implac was working his way around to the west again. I guess he didn't want to try jumping.

And the Wookies were approaching Emma's location.

"Emma, I need you to turn right. That should be east."

I watched her stand up. She turned slowly. "It is," she said. "Or that's what my compass said."

"I need you to head east, and you need to move quickly."

"Is he coming?"

"I can't answer that. You need to move east." Then I moved the drone out ahead, looking at the path. It was heavy jungle, but there weren't any cliffs.

The pace picked up from there. The Wookies began moving faster. Off the trail, Emma was slower. But once she was well off the trail, I told her, "Turn northeast, Emma. There's a stream in a while. I think you can follow it. It's not quite the right direction, but it's close."

Two minutes later, the Wookies turned northeast as well, and they were moving faster than Emma was. In the meantime, the Implac managed to circle around the cliff, and he was moving in from the west, also moving quickly.

"Faster, Emma," I said. "You have to move faster."

"I'm going as fast as I can," she said. I watched her shoving her way through the underbrush, getting scratched by some of the branches and tangled in the others. At one point she came to a complete stop, stuck by the heavy vegetation. It took her two minutes to work her way around it. I kept urging her to go faster.

"We could trade places," she suggested.

The Wookies moved faster and managed to cut her off. And the Implac was coming up on her tail. "You have to turn east again, Emma. Um. A little southeast."

Over the next twenty minutes, I tried guiding her around both parties, but she was pushed further and further south and east, and she was growing tired besides, panting heavily and not really responding to me anymore. Finally she came to a stop, leaning down with her hands on her knees, panting heavily. "He's going to catch me, isn't he, Andie?"

I checked the map. The Impac was southwest of her. The Wookies were spread out now, blocking the path to the north. I wasn't going to get her out to the east, and if I sent her south, she was further from safety.

"Emma," I said. "What's the worst thing that could happen to you right now?"

"He could catch me."

"Is that worse than if I run you into a pride of lions?"

She paused. "Yes, Andie," she said softly. "It is."

"Emma, I've been trying to get you to safety. I've been trying to get you back home to Toledo. If you stay there, he's going to catch you."

"I know," she whispered. "Is there a pride of lions?"

"I haven't found any. I'm sorry." I lifted the drone higher into the air then moved it east. The edge of the arena was only another hundred yards, and there was a cleared space before a big fence. I stared at it with the drone for a while.

"Emma," I said, "I need you to do something. I need you to turn directly east and move as quickly as you can. You're almost to the edge, and it's open ground."

She nodded, straightened, and pushed on. The Wookies continued to cut her off to the north. By the time she reached the perimeter, the Implac had halved the distance and was coming on strong now.

"I'm here, Andie."

"Emma, the lions are better than the Implac?"

"Yes, Andie." She started crying. "He's close, isn't he? Please don't let him catch me, Andie. Please."

"Emma, turn left, follow the open ground, and start running. And scream."

"He'll hear me!"

"Trust me."

And she did.

She didn't get far. Everyone heard her. The Implac heard her. The Wookies heard her. All three converged on Emma's location, and she ran right into Fine Mist's arms.

If she'd been screaming before, she really began screaming when that happened. And then Soft Rain was there. Emma struggled with them, screaming her head off, but the two Wookies grabbed her. Then Soft Rain produced rope, and as Fine Mist held her, as best he could, Soft Rain bound Emma's hands and legs.

Emma never stopped screaming.

"I'm sorry, Emma," I said, over and over. "These are Wookies. I thought they'd be better than lions. And I think they're better than the Implac. I tried to lead you to freedom. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

And then I spoke to her, trying to soothe her, trying to tell her she'd be okay. They finished tying her, and then Fine Mist took her in his arms, and they began loping along the perimeter, heading for the north exit.

The Implac was faster.

When he saw the Wookies carrying away Emma, he bellowed his defiance. Fine Mist began moving faster, and Soft Rain turned to face the Implac.

I watched in horror while trying to be soothing for Emma. I told her the Wookie wouldn't hurt her. I hoped I was right. I had liked Soft Rain, and I hoped her brother was a reflection of her. And I realized I was trusting Administrator Brighteyes when she said the Wookie would treat her well.

The Implac reached Soft Rain, and the two launched themselves at each other. That was when I realized just how big he was. I didn't have any way to judge his size, but I'd seen the Wookie up close, and she was huge. The Implac was bigger, and as soon as I saw that, my heart leapt into my throat.

The two fought. It didn't take long to realize the Implac fought from strength. But Soft Rain, in spite of her size, was fast, and she fought from cunning.

She had another advantage. She didn't need to beat him. She only needed to slow him down so her brother could carry Emma away.

And slow him down she did, delivering a variety of harsh blows in the process while avoiding his own blows.

But then she made a mistake, and the Implac caught her in his grip. He pulled Soft Rain to him, crushing her to his chest. She struggled and struggled, but then he turned and flung her from him, straight into a tree.

I barely avoided screaming, clamping my hand over my mouth.

And then the Implac was running, following after Fine Mist. Soft Rain lay still.

I turned to look at Administrator Brighteyes. She was staring intently into space, but Dark Skies turned to face me. I couldn't read her expression, and then she, too, was staring into space again, her eyes flicking back and forth at the same time.

The Implac reached Fine Mist, leaping ahead. Fine Mist came to a stop, and the two bellowed at each other.

Then Fine Mist looked down into Emma's frightened eyes, and very gently he knelt down, setting her carefully to the ground. He caressed her cheek, and it was perhaps the gentlest thing I'd ever seen.

Then he straightened, stepped over Emma, and stood his ground.

The Implac attacked.

I watched as they fought. I watched as they fought over Emma's trussed body as she lay there, helpless. I worried they would crush her in their fight, but Fine Mist held his ground, taking blows from the Implac, but protecting the fragile human.

But he was at a disadvantage. He was smaller than the Implac, and he wasn't fighting like Soft Rain had. He was fighting as if he were holding off a wild animal from a helpless child. But the wild animal was strong and smart, and Fine Mist was going to lose.

"I'm sorry, Emma," I whispered.

The Implac launched himself at Fine Mist, and this time he got his hands on Fine Mist's throat. He began squeezing, his muscles bulging. Fine Mist beat at the hands, but I was sure it was all over.

I really shouldn't try to predict the outcome of competitions of this nature. I was really bad at it.

From behind the Implac, Soft Rain stood. I hadn't even seen her. She carried a tree branch, a very stout tree branch, and she swung with what appeared to be her entire might, the branch hitting the Implac square against the side of his head.

He dropped instantly, Fine Mist pushing him away until he lay on the ground.

The two Wookies stared at each other for a moment, then Soft Rain stepped over the Implac's body and hugged her brother. Then as Fine Mist checked the Implac, Soft Rain knelt down beside Emma. She, like her brother, offered a gentle caress.

"Are you all right, little human?" she asked in that amazing voice of hers.

"I-" said Emma. "Are you going to let me go?"

"No, little human. My name is Soft Rain." She hooked a thumb over her shoulder. "That's my brother, Fine Mist. We offer you a choice."

"A choice?"

"We will leave you here. The Implac will wake up."

"No!"

"Or we will take you with us, but then you have three new challenges."

"With you?"

"With my brother."

Emma craned her neck. Fine Mist stood behind his sister, turned sideways to watch both Emma and the Implac. "Will he hurt me?"

"Never," said Soft Rain.

"Don't leave me here."

"If we take you with us, then my brother becomes your new challenger, and you remain a mating candidate."

"Please don't leave me."

And they didn't.

Fifteen minutes it was all over. The Wookies had won. I watched quietly as a jumper came for the three of them. Another jumper collected the Implac. Sal collected the drone from me. Both jumpers headed back to the center. I wasn't sure what happened to the drones. But then Administrator Brighteyes was standing beside me.

"Are you all right?"

"I don't know." I looked up at her. "Did I do the right thing?"

"In the end? You did what I hoped you would do."

"I liked Soft Rain, but we barely met. I haven't met her brother."

"Come with me." She turned and strode away, and I scrambled to follow her.

* * * *

We walked a short distance, then she took my arm, and a moment later, the visor dimmed. I let her guide me for a seven minute walk through the complex. And then it was hot, very hot.

Slowly, my visor brightened. We were standing outside. It was hot and sunny, but we stood in the shade of the building behind us. I looked around, my eyes settling on the edge of the jungle perhaps two hundred yards away.