In Situ (24 page)

Tom wanted to laugh, and probably would have were the situation not so dire. He glanced at Alex. She had a confused look on her otherwise beautiful face. Tom realized
again in that moment, more than ever, how much he loved her. He also realized that there was no way in hell she would ever allow Mot to be locked out of the ARC. Whatever happened, she would be going with Mot, and Tom knew that he would be going, as well. This revelation sent shivers up his spine but he no longer felt any fear about the future. He looked back at Mot. “We humans have a saying Mot, that ‘it’s not over till the fat lady sings.’ Anything might happen. But I will keep the commitment you have asked of me freely.”

“Good,” Mot replied, “then I have done all I can do
and said all that I can say, Tom son of Richard.” Mot extended his hand in the way he had seen the humans. “Let us ‘shake’ on the matter, as humans do.” Tom slowly placed his hand in Mot’s, watching it disappear behind the huge fingers. The creature shook Tom’s hand firmly, and Tom was quite relieved that he did not crush it.

“Now,” Tom heard
Mot say to Alex, “I wish to see Ara.”

Mot’s heart was beating harder than it had when the Evil Ones had chased him and tried to have him for dinner. He was standing by the door that linked his enclosure with Ara’s. Alex had informed him that all he had to do was raise his hand and the humans would open the door.

*

Although they had grown up in the same clan and the same caves, Mot and Ara had had almost no interaction whatsoever in their entire lives. The young Arzat males and females were basically raised in separate areas
, almost completely isolated from one another. Females were to learn the duties of females. Males were to learn the responsibilities of being the providers for the clan. Some, in the case of the females, would be taught different specialties, such as tanning or cooking or foraging for fruit and other forest edibles. Some, in the case of the males, would be taught the ways of medicine, to forge metal, carve stone—or, if they were talented and showed promise—they might have the opportunity to become Hunters. This, of course, was by far the most prestigious position a young Arzat male could aspire to.

So,
before his great ‘atrocity’ and the disgrace that had accompanied it, Mot would have been ‘a catch’ for any young Arzat female. Her privileges as the mate of a Hunter would be much greater in every respect. Now, Mot suddenly realized, he had nothing to offer her. What if she rejected him completely, he worried.

*

“What is he waiting for?” Tom asked Alex, as they watched from the gallery.
Alex gave Tom a knowing look. “Just be patient.” She turned back, mesmerized by the female Arzat’s obvious strength and beauty. No wonder Mot’s nervous, she thought.

Mot finally raised his hand halfway, and the door lifted. Ara was standing across the room. Pete had
told her about Mot’s request to see her. Of course, she had readily agreed. She was just as nervous as Mot, but, unbeknownst to him, she didn’t care at all about his status. Ara had been attracted to Mot for what seemed forever and she had never cared about where he would land in the Zanta hierarchy. Not that any of that mattered now, anyway. It had always been her parent’s plan to offer her to Mot as a mate. But an offer did not necessarily mean acceptance in the Arzat culture. He could turn her down. The fact that she was probably the only female Arzat in existence somehow did nothing to dispel her anxiety.

Mot crossed the threshold and stood by the door. They faced each other for several minutes. Finally, although it was not proper Arzat protocol in the slightest, it was left to Ara to break the silence.

“I am Ara daughter of the great Hunter Zan,” she said proudly. “Who are you?”

Mot felt his throat go dry. She was more beautiful than he remembered, the bright lights of the room glistening off of her golden skin, her eyes matching the highlights of her body.
“I am Mot son of the great Hunter Url,” he croaked, formally replying as he should.

“Come,” Ara beckoned, “sit with me Mot.” Ara moved to the center of the room and seated herself
. Mot followed.

“I understand that it has been many seasons since we last spoke though it seems like it was only a short time ago, Mot son of Url. Do you remember?” she asked, her eyes melting Mot’s.

“I…. Yes, I…. I remember,” Mot answered, feeling embarrassed for reasons he could not explain.

“It is good to see you are alive,” Ara said. “I have heard that it is not so with the others.”

“This seems true. There appear to be no others.”

“Then let us rejoice in the fact that you and I have been chosen by the Great Creator to survive, as our mother’s had
asked, and the Astrologers had foretold.” Ara leaned forward, her wonderful scent almost overwhelming Mot. “Listen, Mot son of Url,” she said to him earnestly, “I have spoken to these humans and it seems that we have awakened at a bad time. Are you aware of this?”

“I know something of it, but not all,” Mot said.

“Well, I have committed a mata with one of the humans, Mot,” Ara hesitated, still ashamed of her indiscretion with Pete.

Mot’s eyes narrowed.
“A mata, Ara?”

“Yes,” she said, worried she would lose face with Mot from her admission. “Their thoughts are very easy to read and I could not stop myself. I have probed the mind of one of the humans,” she said, fully confessing.

Mot relaxed. “Continue, Ara.”

“The humans believe another death star is approaching. Apparently their plan is to hide in these caves they have constructed just as our fathers and mothers would have done. I
have examined every possible avenue of escape for us, and I cannot find one. It seems that the world outside is about to die again. It seems that our future is to be short. This Pete, the human I…” Ara stopped herself, not wishing to repeat her admission of the “mata.” “This human, appears to have no ill intentions for us, but it is clear in his mind that he will also be able to do nothing to protect us. The will of his clan supersedes his own, as it should.”

“I cannot believe that the Creator would have brought us all this way for an ending like this
, Ara. Perhaps there is a way. The two humans I have been with seem to think there might be,” Mot said, trying to be hopeful.

“Perhaps,” Ara said doubtfully. She took a deep breath. “But, if our tim
e is really to be so short, Mot son of the great Hunter Url, I propose that you take me for your mate immediately.”

Mot was lightheaded. Had she really said that?
The offer was always from the side of the female, but Mot was still surprised at the suddenness of her words. He looked into her beautiful golden eyes, unable to reply immediately. “Then, you will be my mate,” Mot finally said, his heart beating hard in his chest.

Ara reached out and touched his face. “In this, the Creator has fulfilled my greatest wish. Perhaps you are right
, Mot son of the great Hunter Url. Perhaps there is a future for us that we cannot see,” she said.

Mot was brimming with pride. Ara
, daughter of the great Hunter Zan-as my mate! Yes, the Great Creator must be watching over me, he thought.

“Now,” Ara said, “tell me everything that has happened and all that you know and I will do the same. Then, perhaps we can get these humans to provide us with a meal, and,” she said suggestively, “perhaps we can get them to give us some privacy.”

Batter hung up the phone for what seemed to him
at least the millionth time. He had been busy checking on the status of the Kansas and Colorado ARCs and trying in vain to convince the President to take refuge. The President of the United States was probably one of the few men on the planet that Batter could not force to do anything.

For some reason, unknown even to him, Batter had also called all of his ex-wives.
One he had been unable to reach, and had simply left a message of apology. It had been vague and general, but he had apologized nonetheless for basically being an asshole. The other two, he had reached, and had stammered his way through the awkward conversations, essentially doing his best to say the same thing without revealing the real purpose for his call. When he was done, he felt better. Batter couldn’t remember ever really apologizing for anything. It wasn’t nearly as painful as he had expected.

Batter glanced at his watch
. They had passed the 24 hour point. One day to go, he thought. Tomorrow at this time, there was going to be one hell of a sunset. He went to the bathroom and checked himself in the mirror. It was the first time he could remember ever noticing his age. He prodded his face a bit, examining it closely, then shrugged as he grabbed his sport coat and headed for the door. Batter had arranged a dinner date with Tom, Alex, and Pete. He was interested to hear about the Arzats, and he knew it was going to be very difficult to get Alex—and possibly even Pete—to let go of them tomorrow when the ARC locked down. Might as well get a head start, he had reasoned, heading out the door.

*

Batter’s dinner guests had already been seated by the time he arrived. He noticed that they were in a lively conversation that abruptly ended as he approached the table. If he hadn’t known otherwise, Batter might have thought they were in any busy fine-dining restaurant. There were five different commissaries within the ARC and this one was styled after a famous restaurant in DC. He considered it a ridiculous waste of funds, but it was there, so he figured he might as well take advantage of it.

Batter pulled up a chair and sat.
“What’s everyone drinking?” he asked as affably as possible, feeling as if he were the odd man out. Once everyone had cocktails, the discussion opened up again.

“They are simply amazing,” the beautiful Alex Moss was saying, her
green eyes sparkling in the light of the restaurant. “Tom had no problem communicating with Mot at all. Did you Tom?”

Tom only nodded.
He had been very quiet since they had left Ara and Mot, and Alex had begun to worry about him. Usually, she could read his mind almost as well as she could Mot’s. Something was going on, some wheels were spinning about something, but she did not know what. She resolved to make a point of asking him after dinner, but at the moment, she was preoccupied with convincing Batter to allow them to move the Arzats into the ARC.

“How about you, Pete?
What are your thoughts?” Batter asked.

“Well, I finally received the results back from t
he lab tests of the mysterious goo they were packed in. Mostly it consisted of some kind of prehistoric animal fat. But there was also a high content of a glycerin molecule in the material that appears to have come from a plant species that is probably extinct. It might just be the ‘missing link’ for the cryogen project we thought it was. Some of the scientists have already tested it on individual cells and there is no apparent breakdown whatsoever under freezing conditions. It seems to be the ultimate cryo-protectant we were looking for. Of course, we still need to do a lot more testing, but it shows real promise.”

“Very interesting,” Batter said as their entrees arrived.

“Oh, one more thing,” Pete added, “we have also determined that we were over-freezing. There is no need to go nearly as low in temperature. It now looks like the ideal point is right around zero degrees Celsius, with a very slow cooling of the body. It appears that the caves must have somehow managed to hold around that approximate temperature all of those years.”

“Any idea how that might have happened
, Tom?” Batter asked, trying to draw him into the conversation.

“No,” he said, shaking his head, “it is just about as close to a geological impossibility as the resurrection
of Christ or-for that matter-the resurrection of the Arzats. There are a lot of mysteries about that site, like where in the hell that hot spring came from.” Tom was obviously still very bothered by the unexpected turn of events that had almost killed Alex.

“Well,
you needn’t worry about it anymore,” Batter announced. “I ordered them to shut down the entire Utah operation right after you showed up,” he said, finishing a bite of New York steak.

Tom gave him a guilty look.

“Hah, don’t worry about it Tom,” Batter said, noting his reaction. “It was a lost cause before we knew about this new asteroid. At 28 days, we were still way out from having it complete in time for it to be useful. At two days? No sense in prolonging the pain, right? I figured I might as well let everyone who could get home to their families. Of course, they have no idea why, but that’s the way it has to be,” he said regretfully. “On the bright side, Tom, you seem to have inadvertently won an invitation to
this
ARC. Pete and I are sure we will be able to use your expertise as well as Dr. Moss’s in the future. Right Pete?”

Tom just took another bite of his dinner.
Why am I not grateful for that, he wondered.

Now or never, Alex thought.
“Batter, we have to figure out a way to save the Arzats.” She had been waiting the entire dinner to say it. She looked hopefully to Pete for backup, but he had a sad look on his face that was less than inspiring.

Batter took a long sip of wine and slowly set down his glass.
He looked directly at Alex. “I am sorry, Doctor, but that is not going to happen. If it were up to me….”

“But it is up to you,” Alex interrupted, pleading.

“No, Alex,” he continued. “It is up to these people,” he said, gesturing around the crowded room. “Look around, Doctor, and tell me if you think your two friends will really have any chance in the days and weeks and months to follow with these people. I am a student of human behavior, Doctor. Your Arzats will have no chance with them. I think even you know that,” he finished, taking another bite of steak.

Alex could say nothing.
She knew that Batter was right and she knew how things would go. First, there would be seemingly innocent questions about who or
what
they were keeping. Then inquiries would arise about the resources being
wasted
on the
lizards
. It all became clear to her. Batter was right, but still.

Batter finished chewing and calmly took another sip of wine.
“Frankly, Doctor, I am worried enough about your friends in this room. And I’m not, of course, referring to Tom or Pete. When these people find out the severity of the situation tomorrow, and the place actually locks down, there may be more than a few of them who will be unable to adjust.”

All of them at the table knew exactly what Batter meant.
After the President’s speech there was no telling what would happen.

Alex suddenly found that she had tears in her eyes.
She was tough, and not one for crying in public. She tried blinking them away but neither Batter nor anyone else at the table failed to notice.

Batter took another large sip of wine.
“I’ll tell you what,” he said, trying to appease her, “tomorrow is a long way off. Let’s sleep on it and regroup after the general meeting. It has been a long tough ride for everyone. There is time enough. For now, I think we could all use some rest.”

Alex looked up hopefully.

“But, Doctor, I hope you will strongly consider what I’ve said, if not for your sake, for the sake of your Arzat friends. Let’s wait until after the President’s speech to make the final decision. Right now,” he said, rising from the table, “I think it is time to say goodnight. Pete, would you be so kind as to help Alex and Tom locate their quarters and perhaps,” he said, eyeballing them, “a change of clothing? I hope it is not too much of an inconvenience to share a room. For the moment, we seem to be short on space.” Batter winked at Tom and Alex and walked out.

Pete led Alex and Tom back through the maze of corridors and helped them find their room.
“He’s right, you know,” Pete said to Alex sadly as he left them.

She
knew that the idea of locking out the Arzats was bothering Pete as much as it was her, so she did not respond. She watched him as he disappeared down the long hallway.

Alex took a shower that was automatically timed at one minute and Tom did the same.
It was barely long enough to scour off and rinse. Tom tried to explain some of the fantastic recycling features of the ARC, but it did little to impress her. An aide arrived sometime in the process and delivered some fresh clothes. Aside from the obnoxious shower, the place operated like a five star hotel. I wonder how long that’s going to last, Alex mused as she pulled on a large military T-shirt.

“What are you thinking about?” she asked as Tom as they got into bed.

“Not what I should be,” Tom said, looking her over.

“Come on Tom,” Alex said, dismissing his weak attempt to be amorous rather than answer her real question.
“I know that mind of yours. You are up to something,” she said, laying her head close to his.

Tom looked at her.
She did have the most beautiful eyes. “I’m trying to figure a way out of this mess and into your pants.”

“Of course you are
. You wouldn’t be the man I know if you weren’t doing both. I’ll tell you what: you get the first part of that worked out, and we’ll talk about the second,” she said, turning off the light and pressing close to him. “What’s that you’re always saying? ‘It’s not over till the fat lady sings,’” she said, instantly asleep.

Tom l
ay awake for some time, running his plan over and over in his mind.

*

Pete had gone back to the compound and checked to make sure that Ara and Mot had been fed and that they were given control of the lights in their enclosure. He walked up to the gallery and the enclosure was dark. The only way he knew for sure the Arzats were there was the infrared imaging that was displayed on one of the monitors. It appeared that the two were sleeping very close to one another.

Pete smiled as he left them, thinking of his own wife Hanna and his children, picturing them asleep.
He had struggled through a phone conversation with Hanna earlier in the day, attempting to sound normal, fighting his desperate desire to warn his family. It was better this way, he continued to try to convince himself. There was no hope for them, so why worry them needlessly? He had, on several occasions, struck out for the entrance determined to head for home, but he had ultimately turned back each time. This was always a possibility, Pete reminded himself, and he had sworn to do his duty in exactly this kind of situation.

When he eventually reached his room, he calmly prepared for bed, then got down on his knees and prayed for the asteroids to miss.
Pete was an avowed atheist.

*

Batter was in his quarters, working his way through the last in a series of novels about vampires. He was already a chronic insomniac, but in the last few days he found that he could barely sleep at all. He found that such fantasy books required little thought and allowed him to relax. Batter eventually put the book down and was about to doze when the phone beside his bed rang. He was used to hearing bad news and instinctively prepared himself for more.

“Sorry to disturb you
, Sir, but I have a secure call for you from a Dr. Jennifer Daniels from the Haleakala Observatory. She says the matter is urgent,” the operator said.

“Send it through,” he said, then hung up and waited.
The phone began to ring again, and Batter reluctantly picked it up. “Batter here.”

“Mr. Batter, this is D
r. Jen Daniels, I am the chief astronomer for Pan-STARRS,” she said, her voice shaking. “I just got off the phone with the President, and he said that I should call you directly, Sir. He said,” she continued, “‘Batter will know what to do.’ He asked me to repeat that to you when we spoke.”

“Go ahead
, Doctor. I’m listening,” Batter said as gently as possible. Whatever this young lady’s message was, she was delivering it with a death warrant on her own head that she would be well aware of, yet here she was still at her post reporting.

“I am sorry
, Mr. Batter, but the computers have just recalculated the projected impact of the asteroid.” The statement was followed by a long silence.

“And?” Batter finally mustered the courage to ask.

“Well, Sir, it appears now that it will touch down somewhere very near the coordinates of thirty nine degrees north by one hundred and fourteen degrees west,” she said, her voice cracking. Batter could easily imagine the phone shaking in her hand.

“Pardon me
, Doctor, but could you fully translate that?” but he already knew the answer. Batter was very aware of the longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates of the Nevada ARC.