Aces Abroad

He shrugged.

A cobra. Right over there. Uffda. That's something that you definitely don't get in North Dakota." She shuddered. Most animals I can handle, but snakes… " She made a face.

"Nature is complete and harmonious here." He smiled. "But I must be boring you."

"No. Not really. You're certainly more interesting than Roger, or the gaffers and grips. How long will you be here? I mean, with the film company."

"Off and on for your entire stay, although I'll be going back to Colombo tomorrow for a few days. Dr. Tachyon, the alien, and a large party from your country will be arriving here then. To study the effect of the virus in my country" A shiver eased up his spine.

"You are a busy little bee, aren't you?" She looked up. The light was begi

He woke up biting his right hand hard enough to draw blood. His breathing was ragged and his nightshirt was bathed in sweat. The world around him shimmered and then came into focus. Another vision, snatched from the future.

They were happening more and more often in spite of his prayers and meditation. It was only a small comfort that this one wasn't about him. Not directly anyway.

He pulled on his pants and shoes, unzipped his tent, and stepped outside. Jayewardene walked quietly toward the truck where the ape was chained. Two men were on guard.

One was leaning against the cab; the other was sitting with his back to one of the huge, mud-covered tires. Both had rifles and lit cigarettes. They were speaking softly to each other.

"What's up?" asked the man by the cab as Jayewardene approached. He didn't bother to raise his rifle.

" I wanted to look at the ape again."

"In the middle of the night? You'll see more tomorrow morning when it's light."

" I couldn't sleep. And I'll be returning to Colombo tomorrow" He walked up next to the monster. "When did the ape first appear?"

"Blackout of '65 in New York City," said the seated man. "Showed up in the middle of Manhattan. Nobody knows where it came from, though. Probably had something to do with the wild card. At least that's what people say."

Jayewardene nodded. "I'm going to walk around to the other side. To look at his face."

"Just don't put your head in its mouth." The guard flicked his cigarette butt onto the ground. Jayewardene crushed it out with his shoe as he walked past.

The ape's breath was hot, organic, but not foul. Jayewardene waited, hoping that the beast would open its eyes again. The vision had told him what was behind them, but he wanted another look. The dreams had never been wrong before, but his reputation would be destroyed if he went to the authorities with this story and it proved wrong. And there would be questions about how he could have known. He would have to answer them without revealing his unusual abilities. Not an easy problem to solve in so little time.

The ape's eyes stayed shut.

The jungle's night sounds were more distant than usual. The animals were staying far away from the camp. Jayewardene hoped it was because they sensed the ape. Sensed the wrongness about it. He glanced at his watch. It would be dawn in a couple of hours. He would speak to Danforth first thing in the morning, then go back to Colombo. Dr. Tachyon had the reputation of being able to work wonders. It would be his task to transform the ape. The vision made that very clear. Perhaps the alien could even help him. If his pilgrimage failed.

He walked back to his tent and spent the next few hours praying to the Buddha for a little less enlightenment.

It was past nine o'clock when Danforth emerged, blearyeyed, from the main portable building. Jayewardene was on his second cup of tea but was still moving slowly, as if his body were encased in mud.

"Mr. Danforth. I must speak to you before leaving this morning."

Danforth yawned and nodded. "Fine. Look, before you get away, I want to take some pictures. You know, the entire crew and the ape. Something to give to the wire services. I'd appreciate it if you'd be in it too." Danforth yawned again, even wider. "God, got to get some coffee in me. The boys are supposed to have everything set up by now. I'll be free for a few minutes after that, and we can talk about it then."

"I think it would be best to discuss it now, privately." He looked out into the jungle. "Perhaps take a walk away from the camp."

"In the jungle? I heard they killed a cobra yesterday. No way." Danforth backed away. "I'll talk to you after we get our publicity shots done, not before."

Jayewardene took another sip of tea and walked over to the truck. He wasn't surprised or disgusted at Danforth's attitude. The man had the weight of a multimillion dollar project on his shoulders. That kind of pressure could skew anyone's values; make him fear the wrong things.

Most of the crew were already assembled in front of the giant ape. Paula was sitting in front, chewing on her fingernails while looking over the production schedule. He knelt down next to her.

" I see his majesty hooked you into doing this just like the rest of us," Paula said without looking up.

"I'm afraid so. You don't look like you slept very well."

"It's not that I didn't sleep well. I didn't sleep period. I was up with Roger and Mr. D. all last night. But it comes with the territory" She leaned her head back and rotated it in a slow, circular motion. "Well, as soon as Roger, Robyn, and the boss get here, we can get this fun over with."

Jayewardene downed the rest of his tea. Later in the day a busload of extras, most Sinhalese with a few Tamils and Muslims, was scheduled to arrive. All those selected to be in the film spoke English, which was not uncommon, given the island's history of British involvement.

Danforth showed up with Roger in tow. The producer looked at the group and squinted. "The ape's facing the wrong way. Somebody get that truck turned around."

A gray-clad guard waved, jumped up into the cab, and started the truck up.

"Okay. Everybody out of the way so we can get this done quickly." Danforth motioned them toward him.

Somebody whistled and Jayewardene turned. Robyn was walking toward the group. She was wearing a long, skintight silver dress. She wasn't smiling.

"Why do I have to wear this now? It's going to be bad enough during shooting. I'll probably get heat stroke." Robyn put her hands on her hips and frowned.

Danforth shrugged. "Jungle shooting is a pain in the butt. You knew that when you took the part."

Robyn pressed her lips tightly together and was quiet. The truck backed into position and Danforth clapped his hands. "-rill right. Everybody back where you were before. We'll get this over as quickly as possible."

One of the guards walked over to Danforth. Jayewardene moved in close enough to hear.

" I think we woke it up when we moved the truck, sir. Want me to dope him up again before you take your pictures?"

"No. It'll look better if there's a little life in the damned thing." Danforth stroked his chin. "And feed it when we're done. Then you can knock it out again."

"Right, sir."

Jayewardene took his place in front of the truck. The ape's breathing was irregular. He turned. The ape's eyes fluttered and opened. Its pupils were dilated. The eyes moved about slowly, looked at the cameras, and stopped at Robyn. They became bright and purposeful. Jayewardene felt his skin go cold.