Engines Of God

24

Beta Pacifica III. Tuesday, April 12; one hour after sunset

They saw the flames below, in the dark.

"He'll be okay," said Carson.

Hutch hesitated, looking back. The entire world squeezed down to the flickering light. She wanted to talk to him again, reassure herself. But she remembered Henry's anger: Where were you when we were trying to get a few answers? All you could contribute was to hang on the other end of that damned commlink and try to panic everybody.

Miserably, supporting Janet, she set off again. How different everything looked now. The beam from her lamp fell across a tree that had been split by lightning. "I remember this," said Maggie. "We're close—"

Moments later, a scream ripped through the night. It rang across the trees, vibrated in the still air, erupted into a series of short cries. Hutch called out to him and turned back.

But Janet anticipated the move. "No! You can't help him." She grabbed her and held on. "My God, you can't help him, Hutch—"

Janet was considerably stronger, but she could not have restrained her more than a few seconds had Carson not gotten there quickly. They fell in a pile.

"There's nothing you can do," he said.

She screamed.

"You'll make it for nothing." It was Maggie, looking down at her.

"Easy for you," said Hutch, hating the woman. "When other people die, you're always safely away!"

And the tears came.

The wall looked bright and safe in the glow of the lamp.

Get to the upper level. Hutch's vision had blurred, and she was close to hysteria. "Hold on," Janet told her. "We need you."

The lower strip, the portion they had thought of as resembling a roadway, emerged from the hillside to their right. Halfway across the glade, it rose vertically almost two meters. Not much under ordinary circumstances. Bri tonight was another matter.

It was a difficult climb with only one foot available. But Carson, supported by Maggie from below, and pulled by Hutch, and perhaps encouraged by the whisper of moving grass, negotiated it, although not without losing more blood. Once he was up, however, Janet became an easy proposition.

Hutch did a quick survey out across the top of the wall to assure herself there would be no surprises. Satisfied, she sat down and got out the medikit. "Let's have another look at everybody," she said in a flat voice.

Janet appeared to be going into shock. Hutch got her legs up, propping them on a mound of earth, removed her own jacket, and drew it over her. Carson was in better shape. When she had done what she could for both, she looked at Maggie's mutilated hand.

"How does it feel?"

"I'll live."

"I'm sorry," Hutch said. "I really didn't mean what I said back there."

"I know."

She changed the dressing. But tears continued to roll down her cheeks and she kept getting everything wet. Maggie had to finish the job herself. Carson hobbled over and sat beside her.

Hutch stared into the dark. The fires had burned out, and the night was growing cool. A crescent moon floated in the trees. "He's gone," she said.

Carson put an arm around her, but said nothing.

"I don't—" She stopped, pulled back, and waited until she had control of her voice. "I don't want to leave him out there."

"We'll get him back," Carson said.

Janet did not look good. We need to keep her warm. Maggie contributed her jacket. Hutch gathered some branches and built a fire. The wind began to pick up, and the temperature was dropping. Carson looked pale, and Hutch feared he might go into shock. "It's going to get cold," she said. "We don't want to spend the night out here."

Carson gazed wearily into the fire. "I don't see what choice we have."

"We can get the shuttle."

"How do we do that! I can't walk back there. Neither can Janet, for God's sake."

"I don't mean everybody. I mean me."

"And what would you do after you got there?"

"Bring it here."

The treetops were tied together and shut out the sky. "And do what? You can't get through that."

"Sure I can. If we remove a tree or two."

Carson's eyes found hers.

"It's all we've got," she added.

"Wait for daylight."

"We may not have until daylight. Janet's not in good shape."

He glanced at Maggie. "What do you think?"

Maggie's eyes were wide with fatigue and horror. "I think it's her call," she said.

She hasn't forgotten what I said. Hutch felt desperately tired of it all.

It would have been best, of course, if she could start at once. But there were things that had to be done first.

She needed to find the right tree to take down. She thought they could get away with one, and she found it well out along the wall, past the ruined stairway. It was close enough that they could reach it with a pulser; and she judged that it would leave a hole big enough to get through with the shuttle. That latter point was touch and go, but she was hopeful. If it didn't, they'd deal with it when they had to.

Next, she selected a pickup site, and helped get Janet and Carson to it. Just the use of the term seemed to revive their spirits. Once there, she rebuilt the fire. They were far out over the valley now, and close to the treetops. Branches and leaves reddened in the glow of the flames.

While Hutch got ready to leave, Maggie wandered to the edge, studied the target tree, and looked down. It was about five stories.

"You know what to do now?" Hutch asked.

"Yes. We'll be waiting when you get back."

They had only two functional pulsers left. But Maggie's had gone red. Hutch had the remaining one. She held it out.

Maggie shook her head. "Take it with you. You might need it."

"You need it to take the tree down. Anyhow, I'm not going to shoot it out with the little bastards." Janet's breathing didn't sound so good. "Got to go." Their eyes caught and held. "When we get out of here," she said, "I'd like to buy you di

Maggie smiled. It was an uninhibited smile, ringed by tears. "Yeah," she said. "I'd like that."

"Be careful," said Carson.

She strapped the lamp to her wrist and started back along the top of the wall. The night closed over her.

The smell of the sea was strong, and the woods below were full of the sound of insects. George's final cries echoed through her mind, and she was desperately afraid.

Her mind would have conjured up images of his last moments had she allowed it to. But she let the shock effect numb her imagination. She tried to concentrate only on what needed to be done, to push her fears and her loss aside.

She hurried back along the wall, watching the forest floor rise. Ahead, shrubbery blocked her view of the glade.

And she heard them. Directly ahead.

Below, the forest floor was quiet.

Bushes swayed in the wind. She held the lamp up, played its beam across the top of the wall. Everything looked clear. She passed into the screening bushes and emerged in the glade.

They were on the lower level.

She glared down at them.

They were pushing leaves and dirt toward the base of the wall. A chill worked its way up her spine.

Hutch picked up a rock and threw it at them. Incredibly, it missed. But the work stopped momentarily, and eye-stalks swung toward her. Several peeled off and moved into the underbrush on either side of the wall. The others began to back away, and withdrew beyond a distance that George would have recognized.

She opened a cha

"Here."

"They're out here at the end of the wall. Building a ramp."

She heard a sharp intake of breath. Heard Maggie relay the warning to Carson. "Maybe we should try going down the staircase," Maggie said.

"No," said Hutch. They would never make it. "You've got time yet. Just be ready to go when I get back."