In Situ (16 page)

“I’ve been up north on a dig for a week or so.”
Alex said, trying to distract Gus.

“Find anything good?” he asked.

Alex felt herself blush, well aware that she was a terrible liar, and nervous that Gus would look toward the cab of the pickup. “No, not really,” she said as convincingly as she could.

“Well, that’s too bad.”
Gus seemed suddenly preoccupied, looking around in the bed of the pickup that was full of Alex’s gear. “Hey, must be the first time I ever seen you go out without a dirt bike in the back. You haven’t given up riding have you?”

Alex
tensed, she felt any minute now Gus was going to look towards the cab. “No, no. I’m still riding. You?” she added quickly, trying to steal his attention.

Gus kept looking around, uneasy.
“Well, I’m still trying to talk Sally into that Harley that Hank Mitchell has been trying to sell, but….”

There seemed to be a sudden gust of air
, then everything was still again.

Alex
and Gus both looked toward the source of the sound. The passenger door of the pickup had swung open.

Gus stood motionless, peering at the door, sure and not so sure that he had seen something move there.
Whatever had happened, it had raised the hair on the back of his neck and his hand had instinctively felt for his gun. “What the heck? That is just about the weirdest thing I ever….”

Alex knew that Mot was going to be discovered and felt helpless to do anything.
She watched as Gus pulled his gun and flipped off the safety. He cautiously walked up toward the open door of the pickup. Alex was about to intervene as Gus reached the cab, but something told her not to. She was surprised and relieved when Gus, looking in the cab, showed no reaction. She walked over and looked in herself. There was nothing in the cab but the old Indian blanket lying on the floorboard.

“You didn’t have anyone with you, did ya Alex?
I mean, I could a sworn I saw something, but it was just too fast. Did you see it?” he said, swinging the door of the truck back and forth as if he were testing it.

“No
, Gus,” Alex said honestly, in shock herself over Mot’s miraculous disappearance.

He pulled off his hat and wiped the sweat off his brow.
Alex noticed that he was prematurely balding.

“I still can’t figure it.
I had a mountain lion do something similar to me one time. Never saw her. Knew she was right there. In fact, I thought she was going to kill me. This felt just like that.”

“Might have just been a gust of wind,” Alex offered.

Gus stood staring out into the desert for a minute. “Yeah, guess you could be right, Alex. But damned if I ever seen wind open up a car door. I seen it shut a few, though.” Gus looked back at Alex and smiled. “Well you look tired, and I best be getting back up to town. Anyway, it’s great to see you,” he said, giving her an awkward hug.

“You too
, Gus,” Alex said, still not believing her luck. “Say hello to Sally for me.” She gave him another quick hug then jumped back in the truck and started it.

“Hey
, Alex,” Gus said, suddenly back at her driver’s side window.

Alex gulped and almost pissed her pants
again.

“I
near forgot,” he said. “The real reason I stopped was to warn you about something.”

Alex gulped again.
Did he already know something about the men they had just killed? She looked at Gus and let him continue.

“There was a prison break down in
Gunnison. Five convicts escaped, and so far they only rounded up three of them. Apparently, a father and son got away, and ended up killing a couple of people in Mount Pleasant, then stole their truck. Word is they started out north from there, an’ that means they could come through here, ‘specially if they’re thinking to get cross’t into Colorado. I just wanted to warn you to keep an eye out. They are very bad men, Alex.”

“Thanks
, Gus.” she said, relieved. “I’ll let you know if I see anything suspicious.”

“
Well…. Good to see you again,” Gus said, patting the edge of the window. “I’ll go ahead and get that gate closed back up. You take care all right? I don’t want to have to worry about you being out here all alone.”

“Thanks
, Gus. I… I’ll be fine.”

Alex pulled the truck forward
and waited as Gus swung the gate back in place. She gave him a little wave and rolled off, leaving Gus staring after her with his hands on his hips. Now, she thought, where the hell is Mot?

C
hapter 20

A R
ose Is Still

“Doc, you can’t just go in there!”

“Just do as I ask
, please,” said Pete. It was a nicer way of issuing an order. He was standing near the entrance to the enclosure.

“But that’s like going into a lion
’s den not knowing the lions!” said Paula, the team member that had patched up his eye after the accident. Besides her skills as an amateur nurse, she was actually an animal behavior specialist. “Doc, you can’t go in and just introduce yourself to an unknown predator with a piece of raw meat.”

“That is
exactly
what I have in mind, Paula.”

Pete had ordered some bottled water and a large bowl.
He had also asked someone to run to the commissary and get some steaks and some fruit. Pete was sure that the creature was primarily a carnivore, but who knew?

“Raw steaks
, Doctor?”

“Yes raw
, of course raw,” Pete had replied, fully aware that he had no idea what he was doing.

“So, you are essentially going to walk in there with a bunch of bloody steaks?”
Paula tried to reason again, shaking her head.

“Look,” said Pete, “if worse comes to worse just shoot her with tranquilizers and I will get right back out.”

“That might not be so simple, Doc,” said one of the marksmen who had witnessed the creature’s earlier moves. “It could easily get you between itself and our line of fire.”

“Pete,” Paula tried one last time, “did you see how fast she was?
If she comes after you we won’t be able to stop her. Even with tranquilizers, she won’t go down immediately.”

“Well, you guys just do your best
, and I promise you I will be right in and right out. I’ll wear a headset so we can communicate. But do not under any circumstances fire at that creature unless I give the order. Is that clear?” Pete got another very doubtful look from both Paula and the marksman, but they said nothing more.

When everything was finally in place, Pete took a deep breath, tested his radio one last time
, and had his staff open the door. He walked through it slowly—a gallon bottle of water in one hand and, in the other, a large bowl full of raw steak and some apples and bananas. He felt as if he had a target painted on his shirt, but something in his gut told him things would be OK, that he was dealing with intelligent life.

The creature sat crouching
, watching him from the other side of the room. Her skin glowed under the lights, mostly golden but really the entire spectrum of colors. Her eyes were golden as well, with amazing flecks of blue and yellow accents around very linear pupils. Aside from their unique color, they could have belonged to python or an alligator or almost any other reptile, but they glowed with some sort of higher intelligence-Pete was sure of it. He imagined that the creature was actually squinting at him, sizing him up. He slowly sat down with his back against the wall near the door where he had entered, never taking his eyes off of the creature, carefully placing the water and the food on the floor. His hands were shaking. She was absolutely amazing. Beautiful. Deadly.

The Arzat sat as still as possible for the longest time
, willing herself not to flick her tongue as she studied the little animal. She could smell the water and the meat and the creature itself, the latter two both seemingly good enough to eat, although neither had an odor that was completely familiar to her. She was very thirsty and very hungry, but sniffing with only her nose was like trying to see in the dark. Her tongue was where her primary receptors for heat and smell were. Despite herself, her tongue popped out, and she felt herself blushing. Who was this little creature anyway, tempting her and scaring her, and forcing her to display bad manners? She was an Arzat, after all—a Zanta no less—from a proud lineage of excellent Hunters that spanned thousands of seasons. She wished her father were here. He would know what to do.

Pete
was still trying to decide if he had really seen the creature flick her tongue. “Paula, did you guys get that? Can you replay that and confirm?” he said, almost whispering into the radio.

“Yes, we are running it again right now
and…. Wow!”

“I take that as affirmative,” he said quietly into his microphone.

“Yes, oh yes, sorry Doc. Definitely a tongue flick.”

The female shut her eyes for a moment and focused all of her senses.
She listened and felt, but sadly, she could still not discern the presence of any other Arzats, only the loud noises of these strange animals. The world had never been so loud. She could hear all kinds of inexplicable bumping and moaning, and the high pitched chatter of the skinless creatures. Hopefully, she thought, she would be able to eventually block some of it out, or it might drive her mad.

She turned her attention back to the one
creature before her. She knew she would have to learn, and learn quickly, to survive. She could smell that the creature was a male and that he seemed to be trying to establish contact. Perhaps something could be done. It was confusing though. The little male appeared to be communicating or trying to communicate, but she didn’t get the feeling that the communication was directed toward her. This made no sense at all since the two of them were the only ones in the room.

She tested his mind a bit, probing. Arzats could sometimes communicate with other creatures on a
very limited basis. It just depended on the circumstances, and mostly on whether the other animal was willing and had some level of intelligence. Since a good deal of Arzat time was spent trying to hunt and kill most animals, the opportunity to have any meaningful interchange was limited. But she was no threat to this little male—at least for the moment—and it was quite clear that it had some language skills.

Az mam
Ra’a, imi agi metses moroc Zan. Kot en tew, tama azrew? “My name is Ra’a daughter of the great Hunter Zan. Who are you little creature?” She spoke with her voice and with her mind directly to the little animal. She tried to speak softly, so as not to frighten him.

Pete was so astonished he couldn’t move
: language? He recognized the clear pattern of speech immediately. Of course, Pete couldn’t understand any of it, but something else amazing was going on in his head. At first it was like he was being tickled, then a huge point of pain like a massive migraine came and passed. Was she trying to say her name? It was as if he had actually understood her, but in a language that might as well have been Martian.

“My name is Ra’a daughter of the great
Hunter Zan. Who are you?” Ra’a repeated the question, but this time with her mind only. All of the other little animals outside the room had burst into chatter when she had attempted to speak aloud. It was most annoying. One thing about these creatures, she thought, they were very excitable and very noisy. She wondered if they ever slept, and if so, how?

Pete sat dumbfounded.
He thought he had actually understood her. Did he? Was he just imagining it? He couldn’t move. He didn’t respond; he was too busy thinking. Impossible. Language? Come on Peter, this whole thing is impossible. She, this creature, is impossible. Forget about impossible. The word no longer seemed to have any significant scientific value. Besides, you were the one so convinced of her intelligence. Why should you be so surprised about language?

Ra’a decided to get closer to the little male
. Proximity did sometimes have a bearing on communication, although she wouldn’t normally have a problem reaching another Arzat at even much greater distances. Anyway, the creature certainly didn’t seem to want to hurt her, and she could see that it carried no obvious weapon.

In the time Pete might have blinked
, the three hundred pound female had moved from thirty feet across the room to less than five feet away from him. She was already squatting, trying to bring her head down to the level of Pete’s. Her speed was impossible, practically preternatural, and clearly too fast for anyone to have done anything. She flared her neck and the skin on the back of her head spread much like that of a cobra’s. The creature looked him directly in the eyes but her face remained non-aggressive and neutral. Pete could only sit, watch, and attempt to stay calm. He had worked with many wild animals in his life, but he had never seen anything move like this one. It almost defied the laws of physics. He could hear Paula on the radio calling for the marksmen to prepare for a shot.

“I am Ra’a daughter of the great Hunter Zan.
Who are you?” Ra’a again repeated silently.

The language was foggy, as if it were covered with
a blanket. The beast was speaking to him without saying a word. “Don’t shoot, do
not
shoot, Paula,” Pete spoke into the radio as quietly and calmly as he could.

“What is ‘shoot
?’ What does that mean?” Ra’a asked.

The creature kept looking directly into Pete’s eyes
, but he could tell that she was scanning the entire room as well.

“Do not shoot
her, confirm please,” Pete said again into his headset, as calmly as possible. It was as if the creature’s words were suddenly coming into complete focus.

Ra’a was confused. W
ho was this creature talking to? She was aware of the entire room and could see nothing around that was a threat or that could “shoot her,” whatever that meant.

Finally Paula responded. “Confirmed
, Doc, but are you all right?”

“Can you understand me, little creature?” Ra’a continued, beginning to get annoyed.
“Kak. I am Ra’a daughter of Zan,” she tried again. Ra’a thought that she might be getting through but she was not yet certain. What she was certain of was that the proximity of the food and water was making her salivate. She reasoned it would be much easier for her if she could establish direct communication with the creature, but if not, she would just have to come up with another plan. Perhaps I will have to just take it from him, she thought to herself, knowing full well that such a move would be an unconscionable display of bad manners.

“O
K, Paula, the headset is not going to work,” Pete finally said, mesmerized by the creature. “You guys will have to just keep a visual on me.”

“
But…,” as she tried to respond, Paula could see Pete removing the radio slowly from his head. So much for that idea, she thought, as she watched her boss cutting off her only form of direct communication.

Pete looked the creature in the eyes, his heart pounding.
“My name is Pete,” he said to the female directly. He watched and waited. The animal cocked its head to the side, studying him.

“Pete,” Ra’a re
peated aloud, but with so much accent, no one would have recognized it. It didn’t matter. Pete had heard it clearly in his head, and understood it perfectly. “Yes, my name is Pete,” he replied, his heart racing.

“Greetings
, Pete. My name is Ra’a daughter of the great Hunter Zan.”

“Ra’a?” Pete tested out loud.

“Yes, although your pronunciation is not quite correct.”

“Well, I am going to have to work on that.” Pete said, trying to suppress a smile, his heart slowing.
He had been right: the creature was sentient and intelligent.

“This is not a big concern
, Pete. Many of my own kind have difficulty with my name as well, but it is quite clear that we can speak non-verbally if you prefer. Simply make the effort directly to me to communicate as if you were going to say it with your voice.”

“
OK, Ra’a. How can I help?” Pete tried to just think of the words.

“I am not familiar with the concept of ‘
OK’ but will assume it indicates an affirmative. I must first know your father’s name.”

“He isn’t alive.”
Despite his excitement, the question stung Pete. He had buried his father less than a year ago.

“I am sorry to hear that your father has passed
from this world,” Ra’a replied, “but it is not necessary that he be alive to have had a name. We are all of our fathers, are we not?”

“Yes,” Pete said, his head about to burst.
“His name was Robert.”

Ra’a seemed to contemplate this for a while.
Pete couldn’t have known that it was customary, and a sign of good manners for an Arzat to fully consider a name for a moment when introduced, but Ra’a did. In general, the manners of Arzat females were superior to those of the males, and Ra’a took great pride in the fact that she had been raised very correctly. “Pete son of Robert then,” she finally responded.

“Yes.”

“Yes,” Ra’a repeated.

Pete suddenly had no idea what to do.
Ra’a had folded her mantle back into place, and both of them now sat looking at one another. Pete wanted to ask a million questions, but he found himself speechless.

“I am glad that I did not have to kill you earlier, Pete son of Robert” Ra’a said, remembering the first time she had awoken.

“Yes, me too.” Pete nervously cleared his throat despite that fact that he was not even speaking aloud. He had no doubt that the being in front of him could rip him apart before he could even blink if she wanted to; intelligent or not.