Dragonstar Destiny (24 page)

IT WAS BIG,
it was nasty-looking, and there was no doubt in Takamura’s mind that it was alien.

The Enforcer came through the door.

There was an obvious genotype relationship here with Kii. That there was a relationship with reptiles there could be no question. The Enforcer had a longer snout than Kii, though, larger and sharper teeth, and thicker-looking hide. Everything about it, from its claws to its feral eyes, spelled aggression and dominance. It even had a tail, which slithered along behind it.

In its long scaly arms was a rod-like weapon similar to what Kii carried.

“God,” said Barkham loudly. “You
are
an ugly-bastard! I see why you hide yourself in those force-bubbles! I would too!”

The Enforcer fixed his eyes on the humans and it growled. It raised its weapon to fire.

“Shit!” said Barkham. “It’s going to let us have it.” He leveled his own gun and fired a round.

The explosive bullet blew off a section of the Enforcer’s shoulder, splattering the wall behind it with a curious shade of red blood. The Enforcer hissed and bellowed, and its flesh began to change colors, then moved over the wound in a rippling crawl, sealing off the spurt of blood.

The thing stepped back, its eyes filling with hate.

It brought up its weapon again, and Takamura, Jakes, and Barkham aimed and fired.

Holes thunked open in its chest.

The beast staggered back with shock, looking down at its wounds with dismay.

It was that moment that Kii chose to step out from his hiding place.

The alien ally aimed his own rod. Before the Enforcer could do a thing, Kii triggered the rod, and a bright burst of color blasted from its end, instantly connecting with the Enforcer.

The result was profound.

The alien simply seemed to explode in all directions, pieces of charred flesh banging against the walls, its singed blood bucketing onto the floor. Severed limbs spasmed for a moment, then shivered into stillness.

“Whew!” said Barkham. “Old Kii doesn’t fuck around, does he?”

Kii lowered his energy rod and stepped toward the party. “Please, now lower your weapons. The Enforcer has been dealt with.”

“I’ll say,” said Barkham, uneasily eyeing the alien’s remains as they stepped over the closest wave of gore toward Kii. “So what’s next?”

“Next, doubtless, we must negotiate our way to the control-section,” Dr. Jakes said. “And I must say, I can’t wait to take a look at that.”

Kii beckoned them onward, and they followed, stepping gingerly over what was left of the Enforcer through the cycled-open door.

Takamura took in a breath of awe.

The control room was like nothing he’d ever seen before: an expanse of crystal and gemlight and rinded in metal and color and streams of electricity and illuminated rods and screens with incomprehensible readouts. All within a bowl-like enclosure, clearly equipped for use in all kinds of gravities. There was the smell of power in this place.

And the ports, faceted like the eyes of a fly, were filled with stars!

“No way I’m going to be able to know what to do with this lot!” said Dr. Jakes, staring about him with amazement.

“This, in truth, is what I told you,” said Kii. “I believe that I will be able to take care of controlling this craft and taking it and you back to your home planet.”

“Pal,” said Barkham, “if you can do that, I’ll make sure that you’ll be more than welcome in my neck of the woods. I’ll even invite you for dinner.”

“I should be more than glad to accept,” said Kii, “but now I must deal with a few items.”

Quickly the creature scanned the dazzling array of alien equipment. Then it stepped forward and started diddling with them.

“I hope to God it really knows what it’s doing,” Barkham said.

“Considering how much it’s gotten accomplished already, I can’t see how we can do anything else but trust that it will!” said Mikaela. “My goodness, though, this is really quite some control room, though, no?”

“I feel so useless,” said Jakes. “I truly hope that we can escape, if only so that Kii will be able to start explaining to me how all this works!”

“I think there are more important matters involved in the issue, Dr. Jakes,” said Takamura, watching as Kii’s claw-like digits worked over a series of convoluted key-like arrangements as though it were playing a musical instrument. The alien spoke a guttural language into a coil, and strange and subtle transmutations began to take place all along the contours of the controls. Colors washed across the expanse of crystal, seeming to describe, all the moods of the spectrum.

And then, from the middle of all, a blister grew. The crystal in one part of the blister darkened, coalesced, then brightened into an image.

Takamura recognized the hatchway—then he saw the Mesozoic wilderness beyond it. The blister-screen was showing the inside of the
Dragonstar
!

“Yes,” said Kii, “I believe all is under control. Now watch ... the guard will doubtless come into view any moment.”

They waited and they watched.

Within a matter of seconds, a large force-field ball drifted past the hatchway opening, momentarily blocking part of the scenery. A cascade of sparks crackled down its side: a miniature snap of lightning circumscribed its periphery.

And then it was gone.

“Your power rod sure isn’t going to get to
that
thing,” said Barkham.

“Yes,” said Mikaela. “It’s still wearing its force-field sphere.”

“Kii, just how are those force-field screens generated?” asked Takamura.

“From a power-pak worn around the midsection of the user.” Kii said, examining the blister-screen thoughtfully.

“So there’s no other outside power?” said Barkham. “Then how long do they last ... the power-paks, I mean.”

“A very long time,” said Kii.

“Hmm. Well, the question, then,” said Barkham, “is how do you crack that particular nut?”

Kii said, “There is a good possibility which I took into account earlier.”

“And that is?” Barkham demanded.

“I have access, of course, to other power-paks. I believe that if the circuitry of one can be changed, it might function as a canceling factor for others in the vicinity. Energy spheres within perhaps a seventy-five meter periphery would be nullified.”

“Hey, that sounds just perfect,” said Barkham. “Let’s get to it, then.”

“Yes. But one of us must be stationed here, equipped with vital essential information on how to maintain control of this room!” said Kii.

“Dr. Jakes is our engineer,” said Takamura, “He’s been heading a study of the mechanisms on the
Dragonstar.
He’s the one who’s best qualified.”

“It all looks pretty baffling to me,” said Jakes. “But I’m willing to give it a try.”

“Excellent. Come here. This is the main device of control. We must adjust it according to your brain waves, or it will reject your attempts.”

Jakes walked over to the control board that Kii indicated and they set to work.

* * *

“Here,” said Kii. “This is the force-field bulb generator I described.”

They had moved to another room. Dr. Jakes had remained in the control room, newly equipped with the necessary information to operate certain vital portions of the alien starship.

Kii was pointing to a rack of large ring devices, attached with bulbous fittings and seeming studded with jewels. Energy cells, Kii explained.

He took one from the rack, then carefully opened it up, exposing alien patterns of circuitry. With a small humming device he had procured from the control-section, he began to probe and prod at the interior of the device.

“I sure hope he knows what he’s doing,” said Barkham.

“He appears to,” said Mikaela.

As usual, Thesaurus said nothing, merely watching everything with awe. The Saurian seemed to be absolutely dumbstruck with Kii. He clearly recognized his relationship with the alien—and reacted to it by viewing Kii as a veritable god.

Takamura really couldn’t blame him. Kii certainly did radiate a
presence.
Fortunately it was a good presence—a feeling of benevolence and trust.

“I just hope that we can do all this in time to save Becky, Kemp, and the others,” said Mikaela.

“Well, if we can’t, we can’t. We’re talking about all of Earth, here. Our whole race. If Becky and Phineas don’t get to us in time, it’s tough cookies for them. They’ll have to stay.”

Although Takamura felt chagrined at the way that Barkham had expressed it, he knew this was the truth. Once they disposed of the guard, they only had a short window on rescuing
anybody
out there.

After that, they’d have to take off and make their best effort at a run for it.

Kii’s instrument hummed and spat. An occasional spark dropped onto the floor. He made grunting noises that Takamura fancied were noises of concentration.

Finally he closed a compartment and he looked up at his audience. “There. I believe that I have completed the job. Unfortunately there is no way to test it other than to actually use it against the guard.”

“What? You mean just walk on out there and hit a button, and if it works, fine, and if not, then we’re in trouble?”

“Yes,” said Kii. He began to strap on the device. “Have you another idea?”

That stumped Barkham. He had no response.

“Very well,” said Kii. “Now, Takamura, I perceive you as being the most reliable of your company, and the best shot. Here is my beamer rod.” He handed Takamura the device which he had destroyed the Enforcer with. “You simply aim and press this tab,” the alien instructed. “Once before you think you’ll fire within the next few minutes. Twice to actually fire. The first pressing activates the power bulb.”

Takamura nodded. “I take it that you wish me to fire it at the guard.”

“Yes. When his force-bubble dissolves, he must be destroyed, or he will warn the others and they will return immediately—perhaps wrecking our plans.”

“Can’t have that,” said Barkham. He pulled out his Magnum. “I’ll give the guy a plug for good measure.”

Mikaela Lindstrom reluctantly took out her weapon as well, and looked at Takamura. “l was just thinking. If Kii is so practical, why doesn’t he just close up the hatch right away and rocket out of here? Leave the others behind. He has no particular emotional tie to any of them ... And it certainly would be safe for him.”

“A good point,” said Takamura, and he turned to pose the question.

“No need,” said Kii. “My powers in English have improved. l understood what you said, ...”

“So then why are you so concerned with the others in the ship?”

Kii said, “I have reasons to believe that your friends Phineas Kemp and Rebecca Thalberg have a great deal of importance to the future of your race. They must be rescued and brought aboard this ship and be taken with us to Earth ... At all costs. But let me explain ...”

“I’M NOT
feeling so well,” said Phineas Kemp.

Everything began to swim about him woozily. He had to stop in the passageway they were traversing.

Becky Thalberg at his side, touched him with concern, then when she realized he might topple over, she grabbed hold of his arm. “Linden!” she called to the figure loping along ahead of them. “Wait! Phineas is ill.”

Linden had found another passageway from the radiation chamber. A passageway that led downward. He had not told them where exactly they were going. He had just told them to follow: this was a much faster way to the alien ship, docked at the main hatch.

Linden returned to them. He touched Phineas and he nodded his head. “I was afraid of this. I saw the possibility, but I had hoped that it wouldn’t happen so soon.”

“I’d like to lie down for a while, if it’s okay,” said Phineas, feeling like his stomach was full of molten lead.

“His progression toward the cocoon stage has been accelerated. Perhaps he had already received a small dosage of the proper radiation before and was thus primed for the transformation. At any rate, it seems to be proceeding along on its natural course. Everything would be fine—if we weren’t so far from the ship.”

Kemp said, “Just leave me ... Leave me here. Go on. Get off this hellhole.”

“No, Phineas Kemp,” said Linden. “This is not in the cards.”

“I can’t ... can’t move,” said Kemp. He felt paralyzed. His skin felt very coarse and odd, and a low fire seemed to be building within it.

“Of course you can, Phineas,” said Becky. “Because you
have
to!”

“This is correct, Phineas Kemp. You must make the effort. We will assist you.”

“No. l think I’m getting into this ‘surrender’ business,” groaned Kemp. “l think I’ll just lie here and surrender.”

“That doesn’t sound like the Phineas Kemp I know and love,” said Becky.

“It’s the new Kemp. Remember, I got zapped. I’m sick. Just let me die.”

“He must be motivated!” Linden said, looking fretful for the very first time.

“No problem,” said Becky. “You know, Phineas ... if it were Ian Coopersmith in this situation ... Well, I know that Ian wouldn’t give up.”

“Coopersmith!” growled Kemp. “That black bastard! I could beat him any day of the week.”

With great effort, he got to his feet and started walking down the corridor on his own.

Still, Becky and Linden were soon on either side of him, assisting him.

Kemp kept on walking in a daze, somehow holding back the blurriness and pain about him.

“’Where are we going?” asked Becky.

“The aliens who built this also built a transport system. Little cars running through pneumatic tubes,” said Linden. “There’s a station down here just a little way. If we can make it, we can use the car to travel to the station right by the hatch. From there, we can make it to the starship.”

“Hopefully,” said Becky. “How much longer does he have?”

“Have? Before what?”

“Before his skin starts structuring his cocoon?”

Linden looked at Kemp. “I’m afraid it will be in only a matter of hours.”