Dragonstar Destiny (12 page)

Radioing Becky, he spoke quickly. “Becky, listen, the robot heading back in the direction it came—back toward the control end of the ship. I think it might be it good idea for us to stay on its heels. It might lead us to something interesting.”

There was
a slight pause, then:

“No problem,” she said. “Phineas says we can catch up at double time. You guys keep up with our friend ...”

Mishima closed the channel and got his group moving. Walking with brisk, long-legged strides, they were able to keep pace with the robot. Checking one of his directional instruments, Mishima was able to calculate their position along the length of the vessel, and after several more minutes had passed, he estimated that they were drawing very close to the point where the control-section of the
Dragonstar
would be located. He wondered if his theory would be correct—if there would be free access between the inner and outer hulls to the business end of the ship ...

There came a sound of footfalls behind him; he knew it was Becky and Kemp and the others half-jogging to catch up. Greetings were exchanged and the others looked ahead to admire the newest surprise to be found on the giant ship.

“So that’s our native guide, eh?” said Kemp as he fell into step at Mishima’s shoulder.

“Yes, I just checked our position and we are approaching the point where the flat end of the cylinder wall sealed off the interior.”

“How much farther?” asked Becky.

Mishima shrugged. “Any moment now.”

Kemp shined his lamp ahead on the gangway, past the spindly figure of the maintenance robot, who still ambled heedlessly ahead of the group. “Can’t see much, but it looks clear ... ”

“That’s what I’m hoping for.” Mishima grinned at the Colonel, who had made no attempts to flaunt his experience or in any way influence the group. In fact, Kemp had tacitly helped Takamura make some critical decisions when things had gotten sticky. It seemed as though he was constantly reassessing Kemp. Mishima had always respected the man for his many accomplishments in service to the IASA, but had never trusted the egomaniacal streak in his personality. Perhaps Kemp’s encounter with the
Dragonstar
had been more than just a humbling experience. Maybe it had been a real object lesson regarding the vicissitudes of life.

Kemp seemed to be changing, growing less authoritarian and less full of self-importance. Mishima wondered if Becky had noticed any differences in her former lover. And he also wondered why he would even ponder such a thing.

* * *

The group followed the maintenance robot for another thirty minutes—until it stopped and climbed a ladder which led to a platform about three meters above the gangway. Above the platform lay an access hatch, which presumably opened up into the interior. Mishima gathered his crew together as they watched the robot climb toward the platform.

“Where’s it going now?” asked Kate Ennis, who had been walking silently alongside Colonel. Kemp.

“The control-section,” said Mishima. “We’re definitely far enough along to be underneath it.”

“You’re sure?” asked Becky.

“Positive.”

“There’s a hatch above the platform,” said Kemp, playing the beam of his torch over the closed access.

Nimbly the robot attained the platform, then stretched out one of its spider-arms to touch a control panel adjacent to the hatch.

“It’s goin’ up!” cried Cavoli. “C’mon!”

Mishima nodded. “Go on! Don’t let it get through and seal us off!”

Cavoli and Krolczyk bounded up the ladder with surprising quickness. Cavoli reached the platform just as the robot had begun to lift itself through the hatch. Getting as close to the machine as possible, the trooper mimicked its climbing movements as it passed through the hatch. Simultaneously Krolczyk levered his rifle through the opening so that the hatch could not swing shut without meeting some resistance. As the robot cleared the aperture, disappearing into the shadows of the interior, Cavoli bolted upward and passed through, standing quickly and holding the hatch open manually. Krolczyk joined him in the opening and signaled to the others. It was a smooth, impressive display of training and gymnastics which Mishima could only envy.

“Nice work!” he said, not trying to conceal his admiration. “Hold on till we can get through.”

His heart started thudding in his chest as he ascended the ladder, hoping that his hunches had been correct. Mishima climbed up slowly and was pulled up through the hatch by Krolczyk when he gained the platform. Looking around, he recognized the sleek, polished corridors of the control-section. He exhaled with a rush of breath and felt himself smiling broadly.

“We did it! This is it!” he yelled down to the others.

As the rest of the team passed through the hatch, Mishima fought to keep his excitement under control. A warm current of satisfaction gushed through him. They had achieved the first objective of his plan.

“Do you recognize any of this?” asked Kemp.

“Not really,” he said. “But you have to understand that most of the control-section my group explored looked pretty much the same, pretty much like this.”

“Should I contact the Council?” asked Becky, already keying in the hailing signal.

Mishima nodded and placed the receiver to his ear. Nothing but static. He winced, tapped the headset.

“What’s wrong?” asked Becky.

“I don’t know. I’m not getting through,” said Mishima. “It’s probably the shielding ... I hadn’t even thought about that.”

“What shielding?” asked Kemp.

“The wall which separates this end of the ship from the open Preserve is lined with alloyed shielding. We never did figure out why. But without booster amps, we had trouble with radio-com.”

“Didn’t we prepare for that?” asked Kemp.

Mishima shrugged. “What can I tell you ... ? I had forgotten about that problem until just now.”

“So we can’t reach the Council?” asked Kate. She was standing off to the side, near the group of Saurians, who had huddled about their leader, eyeing the empty, seemingly endless corridor with great suspicion.

Mishima shook his head. “I’m afraid not.”

“That’s no good,” said Becky in a remonstrative, almost motherly tone. “You should have remembered, Mishima ...”

Kemp smiled. “Hey, we all make mistakes. That’s why they still put erasers on pencils ...”

“You should be an authority on mistakes,” said Becky.

“All right, that’s enough,” said Mishima, shocked at how quickly Rebecca had lashed out at her former lover. If there was still that kind of feeling involved, he wondered what kind of emotional potentialities still sparked between them.

“It’s all right, Doc,’” said the Colonel, grinning. “She’s right, you know.”

“Perhaps,” he said, “But this isn’t the time or place to be filling out performance-rating charts.”

“That’s right, Mishima,” said Becky. “But what are we going to do now?”

“Obviously someone is going to have to go back and report to the Council.”

“Sounds reasonable,” said Kemp. “I could go back.”

Mishima’s expression must have belied his surprise. Kemp explained himself further: “It looks pretty tame around here, and if you do get a chance to tinker with the controls, I’m not going to be much help. I can at least use my bureaucratic skills to file a complete and accurate report, with the Council.”

Mishima nodded. He had to admire Kemp’s humble acceptance of an errand boy’s job. “All right,” he said. “Sounds good to me.”

“Okay, then,” said Kemp. “I’ll see you all back at the ranch ...”

“Wait a second,” said Kate Ennis. “I think I’d like to go back, too.”

“Really?” asked Becky, her eyes flashing slyly from Kemp to Kate and back to the Colonel.

“Yes,” said Kate. “Like Phineas says, there’s no sign of trouble, and I don’t think Dr. Takamura’s going to need the Saurians back here. And if the Warriors aren’t needed, neither am I, right?”

Mishima listened carefully to what the journalist was saying. It was certainly true that as long as they had no fights on their hands, the Saurian Warriors would be next to useless in the control-section. Besides, Mishima had never learned to feel at ease around the foul-smelling creatures. He could never fully trust them. Why not send them back with Kemp and Ms. Ennis? It sounded like a good idea.

“I tend to agree with you, Kate,” he said after a pause.

“Good,” said the journalist. “I kind of felt like a fifth wheel around here, anyway ...”

Mishima smiled, but inwardly he felt that Kate believed what she was saying. Apparently she did not realize how much he would have valued her experience in dealing with the Saurians if there had been any real trouble. He listened as she explained the change of plans to Visigoth, who appeared pleased to pass the new instructions along to his four charges. The Warriors seemed to be a bit claustrophobic, and the confining geometry of the hive-like corridors must have been making them anxious.

“Be careful,” said Mishima. “If all goes well, we’ll make our way back through the Temple entrance, and we’ll be seeing you soon.”

Good-byes and good-lucks were exchanged, and he watched them descend through the hatch and climb back down to the gangway.

That was when the ship was racked by another series of ship-quakes and the groaning sounds of metal in protest.

GOD,
she was glad to be getting out of this damned tunnel!

The thought passed through Kate’s mind like a welcome breeze. She had never been comfortable in confined areas, and combined with the acrid body odors of humans and Saurians alike, Kate had been fighting back waves of nausea and dizziness for the last hour or so. Not that she would have ever wanted to admit this to Phineas or the others, but it was true just the same.

Phineas ... He was the only thing about the whole ordeal that was making it worthwhile. But the gravity of their situation and her growing paranoia of being confined had not allowed her to think much about him..

She didn’t even care about the ship-quakes, she just wanted to get off the gangway and out of the tunnel. It had taken her and Phineas almost ten minutes to calm the Saurians after the hatch had closed over their heads and the platform pitched and shook like a yacht’s poop deck in high chop. Phineas had tried explaining to Visigoth the stress on the
Dragonstar’s
bulkheads, the molecular bonding problems, but the Warrior leader must have failed math in school because he hadn’t Listened very well.

The lizards had been snorting and hissing and lashing out with their vestigial tails, and Kate was afraid for a moment that they might lose control. Thankfully Phineas had been able to influence Visigoth enough to control his underlings, to get them to climb down to the gangway and begin the journey out of the tunnel.

Now that they had been on the metal walkway for more than twenty minutes, the Saurians had settled down and had set a long-striding pace, which she didn’t mind keeping.

“At this rate, we’ll be out of here in no time,” said Phineas, fighting to keep his breathing under control.

“They don’t have to hurry on my account,’ she lied.

“Bullshit!” Phineas chuckled but didn’t look over at her. “You can’t wait another second to get out of here.”

“What?”

“You might think you’re fooling me, Kate ... but you’re not.”

“I’m not?” Even to herself, her voice sounded relieved, now that she needn’t keep up that stupid front that everything was just fine. She grinned and looked over at him as they walked. His eyes were bright, his jaw firm and full of strength, and his hair fell about his forehead in a most roguish fashion. He even had good teeth.

“I recognize claustrophobia when I see it,” he said. “You see plenty of it when you spend a lot of time in space vehicles.”

Her relief was being replaced by embarrassment. “I’m sorry, Phineas. I guess I’m just not cut out to be much of an adventurer.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re doing fine!”

Kate wondered if he was sincere, or if he just felt sorry for her. Looking straight ahead, over the broad, muscular shoulders of the Saurians, she saw the pumping machinery which fed the underground stream. Beyond this lay the entrance to the Mesozoic Preserve.

Seeing this, the, Saurians broke into a trot, not afraid to display their anxiety in leaving the tunnel. For once, Kate felt in perfect synch with them. The gangway sloped up to the cave mouth entrance, giving way to a rock floor. Kate and Phineas followed the Saurians out onto. the riverbank. She felt as if a heavy, wet cloak had been lifted from her head and shoulders,

The Saurian Warriors had spread out and were sniffing the air, eyeing their immediate surroundings with suspicion.

“Tell them not to wander off just yet,” said Phineas. “I want to radio the Council and tell them what’s been happening.”

Kate nodded and conferred with Visigoth, who passed along the instructions to the others. As Phineas reported back to the Council, Kate watched their reptilian companions form a rough. circle around their position. She had seen the Warriors in fighting situations; they were scary to watch. The clamor of battle and the scent of spilled blood drove them into a frenzy which could only be stilled by death. They were good types to have on your side, no doubt about that.

Phineas flipped off his LS helmet radio, walked over to her side. He gestured upward at the hazy sky, through which the illuminating rod at the zero-G central axis could barely be seen. “Our timing was a little off,” he said.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s going to be dark soon.”

“We’re only about an hour from the gate,” she said. “We should make it.”

Phineas sighed. “Maybe, But it would be cutting it close.”

“What’s our alternative—could they send out the ornithopter to pick us up?”

Phineas shook his head. “It’s not airworthy yet. And the OTV’s not big enough to carry all of us.”

“What’re you saying, that maybe we should hole up in the cave till morning?” Kate shook her head. “I don’t know, Phineas, I don’t know if I could take it.”

“You might have to. It might be a hell of a lot safer than getting caught in the forest after dark.”

“If we hurry, we can make it,” she said. “Please ...” She hated herself for using the “helpless female” voice, but she knew it still worked on a lot of men. Besides, the thought of being stuck in that cave all night with five Saurian Warriors made her shiver.

She and Phineas alone—that would be a different story!

He exhaled slowly, checked his chronometer. “Let’s see what old ’Goth has to say about our chances.”

“You’re going to take
his
word for it?”

Phineas grinned. “Why not? He
lives
here, doesn’t he?”

“He also has an allosaurus hide stretched across his helmet. He’s probably itching for a fight.”

Phineas looked at her, still grinning. “Well, Kate dear, if that’s the case, you don’t have to worry about him voting to stay out in the cave all night, do you?”

He was right, and she felt foolish again. God, she was sounding like a silly, flighty ass! Maybe she should just shut up and let the others decide ...

* * *

Just as Phineas had figured, Visigoth saw no problem in trekking back to the Barrier Gate by nightfall. She felt good to be heading back to the security of the Enclave, and whatever dangers might await them in the forest did not seem very threatening when tempered with the knowledge that they were going “home.”

Forming a single-file column with Visigoth and his charges in the lead, the group moved across the grazing plain. Kate followed the Saurians and Phineas followed her, looking back every so often to protect their rear. To cover their ass, as he had so aptly phrased it.

It was easygoing while they remained out in the open terrain of the plateau, but as the land dipped down and merged with the edges of a dense prehistoric forest, Kate sensed a change in the air, like a gathering storm. As if foreshadowing the coming twilight, the green shadows of the forest enveloped them, making distant objects dimmer and less distinct. Colors of blossoms and buds seemed more saturated, more dream-like. The sounds of their footsteps became muffled and were swallowed up by the dense foliage. The first cries of the night predators ripped through the thickets of conifers and protofirs off to their right.

Clouds of insects buzzed above their heads, and countless small, scurrying things thrashed their way through the underbrush. Unseen creatures hustled by her feet, seeking safety from another night of feeding and death. Kate tried to keep her mind off such things by concentrating on the passing scenery. She told herself that she was experiencing the Earth just as it had been more than 120 million years ago. It was like going on a time machine, like living out your craziest dreams.

It was not a dream, but she knew it could easily become a nightmare.

A high-pitched scream exploded from the dense flora to their left. The poor creature sounded close enough to be in her hip pocket and she couldn’t stop herself from jumping back. Phineas moved up to steady her shoulder. The Saurians had become more agitated in their movements, turning back and forth as they pushed through the forest, looking as though they were performing some kind of ritual dance.

Something was happening out there. Something was coming near them, she could feel it.

“Take it easy,” he said, holding his heavy assault rifle ready.

“What was it?”

“You’re asking
me?
How should I know?” Phineas shrugged and indicated that she keep up with the Saurians. “But I’ve got to tell you that it’s just about feeding time at the zoo, so you’d better start expecting things like that.”

“I know that, Phineas. It’s just that
knowing
about something and then really
experiencing
it are two different things.”

He chuckled. “You’re telling me!”

They trudged forward in silence, and again the forest seemed to be swallowing up their every sound. The humidity and tropic heat sapped her energy, weighted her down. Visigoth paused several times to sniff the air, to bark out brief orders to the others. The Warriors were clearly expecting trouble.

Another scream, this time impossibly close to their column, strangled off in midcry, gurgling into silence.

“Christ-on-a-crutch that was close!” said Phineas.

Visigoth had halted the column and signaled one of his Warriors to take the point of the column. Kate watched the red-shirted Saurian disappear beyond the fronds of giant primordial palms. The grizzly General motioned them to move forward, and just as the column began moving, the vanguard Saurian broke free of the dense foliage, hissing and barking excitedly. His voice was loud enough to activate Kate’s translator, and the device picked up something about a “nest.”

She mentioned this to Phineas, and he reacted instantly.

“Goddammit, wait!” he cried as he pushed past her toward Visigoth and the other Warriors. The Saurians had gathered together and were pushing forward into the underbrush.

For a moment, Kate felt totally alone, as though they were all deserting her. Seeing Phineas’s back to her made her fed suddenly vulnerable. She ran forward to join them.

“Phineas, wait! What’s the matter?”

She followed him as he pushed through a barrier of sapling cycads. Ahead she could see that the Saurians and Phineas had crashed their way into a small clearing. There was a semicircle of man-sized boulders surrounding a clawed-out pit, and the surrounding plant life looked as if it had been recently savaged by an indifferent terra-forming machine.

The Saurians bounded toward the pit as Phineas cried out, trying to halt them. Kate moved forward, looking over Phineas’s shoulder to see what was in the pit.

“Goth, stop!” Phineas was screaming. ”Wait! No!”

The Saurian leader paused at the rim of the pit, his weapon raised over the still-glistening bodies of the four newly hatched creatures. Visigoth appeared surprised that he should not dispatch them.

“Oh my God, Phineas, what
are
they?”

Kate regarded the hatchlings quickly. They were bipedal carnosaurs—no doubt about that. Balanced expertly on their hind legs, the creatures eyed their audience warily. Their large heads appeared to be almost half their body mass, and their young, snapping jaws were already filled with rows of sharp teeth. With round, flat eyes glaring, they stood defiantly amid the cracked, leathery wreckage of their eggs. Although their tan-and-yellow-striped hides were still shining from the mucus of their eggs, the hatchlings were already as tall as a five-year-old child.

Visigoth grunted, still keeping his crossbow aimed at one of the babies, still staring at Kemp.

“Phineas—” she began again.

“l don’t know for sure what they are, but I think they’re little T. rexes ...”

“Oh God ...”

“Visigoth,” Phineas was saying, “leave it alone ... the mother’s got to be somewhere close!”

Before the Saurian General responded, one of the other Warriors fired his crossbow, sending a squave into the panting belly of the closest hatchling. The squave’s jaws started churning on impact, burrowing into the baby rex with incredible speed. The baby screeched out a piercing death-cry so intense it hurt Kate’s ears.

The next instant, chaos took charge. The other Warriors unleashed their bows, and all four hatchlings were struck down. What had been a warm nest was now a slaughtering pit. The babies fought against the squaves which chewed through their soft parts and the nest was a thrashing tangle of blood-smeared bodies. The sounds of the abattoir rose up and mingled with the strong coppery scent of death.

Kate stood transfixed by the execution-style killings, unable to move. It was all so graphic, so horrible, her mind refused to process what she was seeing, refused to react. Suddenly Phineas was grabbing her upper arm, yanking her roughly away from the edge of the pit.

“C’mon, we’ve got to get out of here now!”

The Saurians were jumping up and down, shrieking and hissing in the Joy of their kill. Kate looked away from them and saw the terror in Phineas’s eyes.

“C’mon, Kate ... now!”

His voice was consumed by the sound of thunder. It was a roaring so terrible that Kate felt paralyzed by its low-frequency vibrations. And she could feel the pain and the outrage in the cry of the beast. It was the tortured cry of a mother who senses the worst has happened ... who
knows
she has lost her babies.