The Leagacy of Heorot

"Ding dong, the monsters are dead. They're dead! And you'll never believe it, and that's good, because maybe it means I can take a break—"

"Hey, I haven't been pushing."

"No, but now everybody else has the bug. Okay. Go ahead and worry.

There are going to be nightmares, sure, and we'll get over it sometime. Me, I'm finished," Hendrick said. "I finished my calibrations on Geographic's ante

"Sure. Alone?"

Phyllis sighed. "I've got a ton of work. Any volunteers?"

"None." Hendrick said, kissing her cheek. "So it's just me and Boogie Boy. He never gets nightmares. Zack okayed it."

"Fine. Go. I went, and it patched me back together. If I knew a cure for nightmares I'd use it on Mary A

Hendrick nodded. He hoisted his rucksack over his shoulder and walked away across the dock. He left an awkward silence.

Sylvia gazed at her husband suspiciously. "Ah-ha! So what was all the giggling about? Or can't you tell me?"

"Sure, I can tell you. I just can't tell the military arm."

"What is it?"

"Close your ears, Weyland. Mary A

"Ah ha."

It was late. Jessica was six days old and out of the camp's communal nursery with all tests completed. She lay sleeping in an elaborate hand-carved thornwood cradle in one corner of the biology lab. Mary A

"Cassandra!" Sylvia shouted. "Oh, damn."

"Problem?" Rachel asked.

"No more than usual. The computer's got holes in its head. Cassandra: Background search. Reproduction cycles. Search all for match to terrestrial forms.

"That gives her a hobby. Now. Speaking of reproduction," Sylvia said over her shoulder, "that leaves you and Marnie."

"Jerry and I are trying..."

"I think I'm too old," Rachel said wistfully. "Thirty-seven now. Zack and I have just about given up on children."

"Need positive thinking," Mary A

"Cassandra," Sylvia called. "Find all on reproductive cycle emulations. Joes and pterodons." She bit her lip nervously. "The way Cassie was bunged up I just don't know how much we can expect, but let's see."

A few seconds later, FILE NOT FOUND flashed in the air.

Sylvia sighed. "I'll find it. At least they're in there. Now all I have to do is figure out the file names."

Rachel frowned. "I thought Cassandra could find anything—"

"That was the general idea," Sylvia said. "But the first grendel trashed part of Cassie's memory, and the worst is we don't know which parts. She's got holes, the way—"

"Of course. I'm sure you'll find it. Is it really important?" Rachel asked.

Mary A

"You'll think of it," Rachel said.

"What is it?" Marnie took the notebook and browsed in it.

"I don't know, dammit. I just don't."

Sylvia said, "Nothing on this planet looks quite right. They're aliens, not Earth life forms. We found ducted glands in the samlon that hold stuff that swims around like active sperm, but they might be phagocytes of some kind. There's an embryonic set of what might be a uterus and an ovary. They're squashed flat across the intestinal wall, not much more than a pigment. And just when we were making progress, the grendel mushed up the labs! The only thing I can be sure of is that we're not sure of anything."

Mary A

"They mate like rabbits. Like we do sometimes." Mary A

"Listen," Rachel said soothingly. "Stop trying so hard. Close your eyes for a moment. Stop being so serious."

"I can't help it."

"All right, what do you see with your eyes closed?"

"Joes and samlon and grendels chasing each other. I don't like it, Rachel."

"All right. Now pull back. See yourself watching that scene in a holo theater. Make the picture flatfilm. Black and white. Get some emotional distance."

Mary A

"Play circus music in the background."

Mary A

Sylvia sat back and gri

Rachel nodded. "Now. Open your eyes. Good. What did you have for breakfast this morning?"

"Juice and a chicken omelet. Cadma

"Good. Close your eyes again. What do you see?"

"Samlon and grendels and... frogs." Her eyes flew open. "That was really weird."

"Something Freudian, Rachel?" Marnie asked. "She might be telling you to jump in the lake."

"Maybe. Does that mean anything to you, Marnie? Any co

"Behaviorally? Reproductively? Ecologically? It's probably some kind of pun."

"No, it's real," Mary A

Marnie giggled.

"Oh, I just don't know." Mary A

"Sylvie—"

Sylvia's eyes were unfocused. "Damn," she said softly. "You're right. It strikes a chord. Frogs. There was a special kind of frog. Something I read once. Cassandra," she said. "String search—frogs. Cross reference: Joes, samlon, grendels."

"Ladies—" Rachel yawned—"Zack has nightmares without me to hold his, uh, hand. Ahem. I'm calling it a night."

"Make it two," Marnie added. "Sylvia, Mary A

"Yes," Mary A

There were hugs all around, and Rachel and Marnie left the lab.

Sylvia watched the fluxing holos, occasionally freezing the images.

There were visions of tree frogs and giant African frogs powerful enough to knock a man down. Pictures of frogs as they fed and mated and were spread out under the dissection knife.

Sylvia felt something cold and nasty in the pit of her stomach. A frog with nasty habits. She hadn't believed it the first time! But it did work, it did make sense. Oh, shit!

"Mary A

Mary A

"I don't know yet. Maybe a chance in a hundred. I hope to God I'm wrong. Because if I'm right..."

With timing that was surreally precise, Jessica woke up, and began to scream.