Authors: W.J. Stuart
He just nodded, and started off. Good old Doc. For a minute I couldn’t help wondering how many other Meds I’d give a job like this to. Then Jerry said, “What about me?” and I told him, right back down the track to the grove. Then into the trees to a place he could see the house-front from. And the same orders as Doc’s.
He grinned at me. “How’s the tiger count?” he said. “Real trouble?”
I had to grin back. There was something about him anyway. I said, “Hell, no! Give it a lump of sugar. Scratch its ears.”
He said, “Hypnotize it, huh?” and started off. I watched how he kept in any shadow there was. And you couldn’t’ve heard him with an auriscope. Good man to have with you on this sort of layout.
I waited till I couldn’t see any sign of him or Doc. Then I waited some more, till I was sure they must be on post. Then I went back to the trees by the tractor and shinnied up the smallest. I found a bough near the top and stood on it and took a good look down into the valley.
And saw just nothing except what I knew was there all the time. Nothing moved. Not even any leaves. The air was so full of oxygen you felt all the time there must be a sea-breeze or something. But there wasn’t. There wasn’t any more movement than there was sound.
The silence began to get me. I slid down off the tree. I had to do something, move somewhere. I cut down into the valley, striking for the rock-shoulder first. Until I hit the river. Then I cut around and made for Doc. Or where he ought to be.
He was there all right. He hadn’t see anything. “Or heard a sound,” he said. “Not until your voice.” And then he said, “It’s too quiet. It—it’s all dead!”
“We aren’t,” I told him. “Take it easy.” And I struck back across to the track, keeping my eyes open. I didn’t see anything.
Those two sonofabitch moons. With their green light making everything look like copper with verdigris on it. And Doc saying, “It’s all dead!”
I didn’t like any of it. The longer I went on, the less I liked it. I used to think Venus was pretty damn bad, but I’d have swapped this for a first-grade Venusian jungle-bath any day. And thrown something into the trade.
I cut down the track to the grove. My watch showed five minutes of zero one. I figured I’d find Jerry and check and maybe stay out the other two hours on this side. If there was going to be anything to see, the front was the most likely place.
I wound through the trees, keeping off the track and in the shadows. The earth was soft under my boots. There were no fallen leaves, no twigs. Nothing except the earth. I didn’t make a sound. Like everything else.
I heard Jerry before I saw him. His voice. It wasn’t loud, and it wasn’t particularly close. I couldn’t hear the words—only the intonation. Which should have told me what I was going to find. But it didn’t.
The voice stopped. But in the silence it sort of left a mark in the air. I changed course and went after it, deeper into the trees. I’d just caught sight of a little clearing ahead when I heard another voice. Altaira’s . . .
I stopped as if I’d been shot with a nerve-lock. The first thing I felt was surprise. When that wore off I was mad.
From all angles. So mad I couldn’t see straight. I didn’t know I was moving, but I found myself up near the last trees by the clearing. And still in the shadow. Still not making a sound.
I could see them. There was an outcrop of rock, with plants like ferns around it. They were by the rock. Jerry was leaning against it. Altaira was in front of him. Very close. She had on a white wrap or a robe or something. It clung like the dress, And it had a low neck and her arms were bare. Jerry’s hand was on her waist as if he’d had his arm around her.
I don’t rank myself high as a peeping Tom, but I didn’t move. Maybe I was momentarily paralyzed with rage. Maybe—oh, the hell with it!
She was saying, “No, I don’t mind. I thought it was—quite pleasant.” I couldn’t see her face, but I could tell she was looking straight at him. Into his eyes. Her voice was deeper than ever. It sounded—I couldn’t make out how it sounded. First I thought it was sort of calm. Then I thought maybe that was only a cover.
Jerry said, “Pleasant!” as if he’d been insulted. He came away from the rock and both his arms went around her.
I didn’t want to stand there. But it’s God’s truth I was frozen. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t open my mouth. He was kissing her. The way he was holding her it didn’t look as if she’d be able to breathe. And she wasn’t fighting him.
I made one hell of an effort and pushed myself away from the tree. I don’t know what I thought I was going to do. Maybe I was going to jump them. Maybe I was going to get the hell away. I don’t know.
I must have turned away though. Because when I heard Altaira’s voice again, I had to look around to see them. I don’t know what she said. Maybe there weren’t any words. But the sound was enough. She was half angry, half scared. And she was trying to pull away . . .
I could move now. I made a shuffling noise with my feet and marched out from the shadows into the clearing. As if I’d just come up. I felt—God knows how I felt.
They stared at me. And I stared at them. Jerry dropped his hold, and Altaira stood back. I said, “Lieutenant Farman—” and it sounded as mad as I was feeling. I stood where I was, and he came over. He wanted to carry it off some way but couldn’t figure how. I didn’t look at Altaira. She stayed by the rock. I looked at Jerry and dropped my voice so she couldn’t hear any words. I said, “You fix this date earlier?” and he swore he hadn’t. He was so surprised by the question I believed him. He started to tell me how he’d seen something moving in the trees and then found it was Altaira, but I cut him off. I said, “Makes no difference. You’re on a D.D. 1 anyway.” He tried to kick about the dereliction of duty, until I showed him he couldn’t even see the house-front from the clearing. Then he quit. I said, “Regard yourself as under arrest. Right now, go back to the tractor. Wait there till Doc and I get there.”
I thought for a minute he was going to take a swing at me. I almost wished he would. But he pulled himself together. He even saluted before he went off. I didn’t watch him go. I wanted to forget about him. Forget about what he’d done tonight, I mean. And I wasn’t any too happy about my own feelings. The D.D. was real bad, of course. But it wasn’t the only reason I was mad.
I looked across the clearing. Altaira was gone. I didn’t know whether I liked that or not. I figured I’d better. I started off through the trees, on a line which ought to bring me to a point where I could see the house.
I’d only gone a few yards when I saw a flutter of white in front of me. I stopped, and there was Altaira. She came and stood dead in front of me. Her face was in shadow. She said, very low, “What did you say to him? Where’s he gone?”
I said, “Back to the tractor. To wait for me.” I remembered I hadn’t asked Jerry how he’d explained our being around two hours after we were supposed to have left. Maybe he hadn’t. Maybe the questions hadn’t come up. I wondered if she’d tell Morbius. And how he’d act if she did. It was a bad mess all around.
She seemed to be waiting for me to say something else. I didn’t, so she had to. I still couldn’t see her face very well. She said, “What did you say to him? You were angry? Was it because he wasn’t looking for that equipment you lost?”
So Jerry had put up some sort of story. I said, “Yes. He was supposed to be on duty.”
She said, “It—it wasn’t his fault he was talking to me—”
I said, “Talking to you! Ha!” I was suddenly so mad I couldn’t control it.
She got mad too. She moved back a little, and I could see her face. She looked more beautiful than ever. “Don’t talk to me like that!” she said. And then she went on, very fast, “He said a lot of things and asked if he could kiss me. And I let him. And I liked it. I liked it, I tell you! Until—until—” She couldn’t go on. She took a big breath. “And anyway,” she said, “what business of yours is it what I do?”
I said, “None. But what my officers or men do’s another story.” She didn’t say anything and I went on. I didn’t want to. It just came out. I said, “There are definite orders about women. They were written by men who know the problem. Good God—what do you think would happen to discipline if all these men were allowed to go around—” I pulled myself up just in time—“were allowed to go around passing at everything they saw that looked half-way female? It’s tough enough with things like Martians! And when it gets to be good-looking human girls, walking around in clothes like yours—”
She said, “Clothes! My clothes! What do you mean—” She was so mad now her eyes looked as if sparks were coming out of them.
I wanted to keep my mouth shut. But I couldn’t. I said, “They’re man-traps. Look at you now. Look at you this evening—and yesterday! Either stay away from my crew or dress yourself decently—”
That was as far as I got. She came close fast, and I saw her right hand come up. I grabbed for the wrist and my fingers closed over her forearm . . .
And we stood there. Just like that, with her arms raised and my fingers around it. We didn’t seem able to move. I didn’t anyway—and she didn’t even try to pull the arm away. It wasn’t like anything I’d ever felt before. It was as if some sort of current had been started when I touched her. Her skin felt soft and firm under my hand; cool on top and warm underneath. I could feel it all through me.
We just stood there. I think I said something. I don’t know. There was a funny little sound from her throat and she suddenly pulled her arms away. Her face crumpled like a child’s and she started to cry. She whirled around and ran off into the trees.
I stood staring after her. My ringers still tingled where they’d touched her.
V
It was zero three and thirty-seven when I got back to the tractor. I felt like hell, and tired too. I’d spent the past two hours and more lying on the ground on my belly staring through the trees at the house-front. And I’d seen what I ought to have expected to see all along. Nothing, and lots of it.
Doc had been back about five minutes. He was leaning against the hood, smoking into his cupped hand. Jerry was up in the tractor, slumped in one of the jump seats at back. Doc said, “Nothing to report, Skipper. You have any luck?” I shook my head and we climbed aboard and he sat by me in front. I didn’t look at Jerry and he didn’t say anything and I could feel Doc wondering.
I started the engine and let her rev and then backed out from under the trees. What with everything I must have been keyed sort of high. Anyway, I reversed much faster than I would normally, and as the rear wheels hit the track I felt a soft little shudder along the steering. And something gave a high-pitched, squealing little shout. Like a kid that’s been hurt.
I leaned on. the brakes and cut the engine. Doc said, “What in God’s name was that?” He jumped up, and Jerry said from the back, “There’s something under the wheels.”
I stood up, but Doc was over the side already, kneeling by a little heap on the ground. He said, “Poor little guy,” and stood up with something in his arms. He said, “One thing—he didn’t suffer.”
It was the titi. Doc climbed in with it and put it down and covered it with a piece of canvas. “Broken neck,” he said, and sat beside me again.
So now I’d killed one of her friends. A great night!
It was zero eight and thirty-two the next morning when the Cadet on radar duty screen buzzed me. At the same time, one of the sentries sighted something coming fast across the desert.
It was Morbius’ sled.
The Robot drove almost up to the ship. By the time the dust had settled it was off the thing and talking to me. It came right up to me at the bottom of the entry gangway. It said, “Good morning. Doctor Morbius’ compliments. Shielding is here for you.” It turned and pointed to the sled and I saw a whole mass of stuff was loaded on the back.
I had the damndest feeling the thing was an old friend or something. I said, “Thanks a lot, Robby,” without thinking this was a damn silly way to talk to a machine. I didn’t really think of the thing as It, either. I thought of it as He, lights and buzzing noises and all.
He said, “Where is material required?” I pointed to Lonnie Quinn’s rig and he turned and went to his chariot.
Everybody was watching him. Lonnie and his crew, the sentries, even the Bosun. And Doc came down the gangway and stood beside me.
Robby bent over the load and in a minute was coming back. On each stubby arm he had half a dozen huge squares of metal. He plodded past us to the rig and Doc and I strolled after him. Before I remembered, I expected him to ask Quinn where to put the stuff. But he just stood there. There was only one light on behind the louvres.
Lonnie remembered, trust him! Lonnie said, “Robby—put it down here.” He pointed.
Robby came to life and unloaded. How the hell he did it so neatly, I don’t know, but in nothing flat the metal was in a neat stack on the sand. Lonnie bent over it, feeling at the stuff with his finger. He said, “What
is
this? I wanted straight lead.”
Robby said, “This material superior. Higher density—Isotope 217.”
Lonnie began to look all excited. And his men were gawping at Robby, whispering at each other. I broke it up. I said, “Robby—will you tell Doctor Morbius we’re much obliged,” and he turned around and went plodding back to the sled.
I thought Lonnie might be sore. This was the second time I’d stopped him talking to Robby. But I needn’t have worried. He was bending over the metal again. He had a penknife out and was scraping at the surface and muttering to himself. I went over to him and said, “Bet you a credit it works,” and he looked up. “Of course it will!” he said. “But what is it?”
Doc and I started back for the ship and I saw he’d forgotten his D-R again. I said, “Goddamn it, Doc! How many times have I got to tell you!” I really called him this time. I was in a bad mood anyway. I’d had a lousy-night, with a maximum of half an hour’s sleep. And I still had to make up my mind about Jerry.
Doc apologized all over and went on ahead. I followed slowly, kicking at the goddamn red sand. I was starting up the gangway when I looked over at the sled. And saw one of the sentries standing by it, talking to Robby. I let out a roar that fetched the man back at the double. It also brought the Bosun. Robby climbed onto the sled and drove off in his dust-cloud as the sentry came up and saluted. He was the Cook, doing his guard turn on O. A. He was a damn good cook and a character. But I let him have it. I gave him a pay-dock and told the Bosun to put him on the log. I said, “You may think you’re privileged. But it doesn’t extend to leave a guard post.” And then I said, “What the hell were you talking to the thing about, anyway?” I was curious.