Breed to Come (24 page)

Tan's weapons—the blaster—her stunner!

Ayana ran back. She rolled Tan over, plundered hisbelt of everything that could serve as a weapon.Then, as she passed that terribly stained table, sheswept off the instruments, the things which had beenused to maim and not repair.

Back before the chamber she piled up her strangeassortment of armament. How long would she have towait? Waiting was harder to face, she discovered,than open attack.

In the time which followed she prowled back andforth between the cubicle and the renewal chamber.On her second visit to the cubicle she heard a scuttling and stood ready with the stunner.

Moments later five more Rattons were laid out withtheir fellows. But how long before someone tookalarm and sent a larger force, perhaps one even a blaster could not rout? There was no hurrying the healing, but every time she checked the process, Ayana was amazed at what was happening. What wondersher ancestors had been able to do! But if they couldproduce such miracles of life, then what had broughtabout the death of this city, the flight of the FirstShip?

The Rattons boasted that they had been the companion-aides of the men who had once lived and worked here. She knew that degeneration could causeawesome changes in both physical and mental states.But she did not believe that man and Ratton—Ratton? There was a familiar sound to that name—shefrowned and began to search memory.

Those others, too, the animals— Once more shewent to study them. There was still the teasing resemblance to Putti— If she could only remember! I

"Ratton—" She repeated that name aloud. "Ratton—rat!"

Rat! A tape picture came to vivid life in her mind.Rat—a creature used in lab experiments! But thosehad been small! What had happened to bring a four footed, small rat to the size of the erect-standing, intelligent Ratton? Had this been the result of experiments? But rats had been tools used by men, neverhis aides—unless something had gone wrong. If theycould only learn the truth!

"Rat!" Ayana said again. The word was ugly, asugly as the things it named. She looked once more toher patients. They lay as if asleep, but they breathedeasily, mended steadily—if perhaps too slowly for alltheir future safety.

They were akin to the creatures Tan had recordedon the bridge. Then they had gone armed. It was apparent that they walked erect and were not animals.

About them that elusive memory— Putti—but notreally the soft-bodied plaything of childhood.

Morepictures on learning tapes? Ayana tried systematically to recall what she could of those. If the Rattonshad been rats—then these must also have had another beginning.

Like a flash on a visa-screen, bright and sharplyclear, she remembered at last.

Not Putti but cat!

"Cat!" Ayana called that name as if to awaken thesleepers.

Cats! So the Rattons had lied. For the cat on theancient tapes had been truly a companion of man. Somuch so that his children had lovingly cherished theirPuttis when they could not have the real creature tosolace their wandering days.

Though these, in turn, were not cats of the past.Ayana could trace the likenesses, perhaps most in theheads with the stiffly whiskered faces, in the upstanding, pointed ears, and in the tails.

But one of the sleepers was again different—another species. She studied him now. There were nowhiskers, though he was tailed. But the tail did not liein as limber a way. His "face" had a longer muzzle,and his ears, larger, were in flaps.

The others were cats, or they had come from cats.But what was this one? Again Ayana returned tomemory pictures. And she found what she sought—canine—dog! Again an old companion of man.

Cat-people, dog-people, still here in man's home,carrying on war with Rattons. But where were themen? How long since they had disappeared? And whyhad they gone? Were the Rattons responsible?

Ayana could hardly believe that. Even though those horrorsmight~be able to muster whole armies, they could nothave cleared out their masters, masters who wereequipped with the weapons she knew existed here—the kind she had seen the cat-person wearing.

One of the patients stirred, opened his eyes. Largeand green, they stared straight into hers. His earsflattened to his skull, he drew himself up against thewall of the chamber, his clawed hands coming up inmenace.

He must believe she was one with the Rattons! Butnow they had a common cause. How could she explain? Unless by understanding where he was, whatwas happening, he would know—

The look in those green eyes, cold and measuring,daunted Ayana. She edged away from the window,decided it was time to check again on the sleepers.But this time went more slowly. If the cat-people, thedog-person, should turn on her, too— She could usethe weapons, but if she did she would never learn thetruth, perhaps never herself escape from this place inwhich the inhabitants apparently hunted each otherwith ferocious zeal.

Ayana stood looking down at Tan. When she left hewould remain. So she must give him a chance. He wasno longer one with her. If he had ever really been so,but he was one of her kind. And she believed thatthese filthy new allies of his would turn on him viciously when they discovered what had happened.She should return the stunner to him, give the rest ofthe sleepers an extra spray so they would still beunder when his sedation wore off. In the meantimeshe would try to prevent any more arrivals.The door at the end of the hall had no locks thatAyana could understand. But she closed it and thenpiled there all the loose and heavy objects she couldturn into a barricade.

When she had finished Ayana stumbled back to therenewal chamber so tired she could barely urge onefoot before the other. She had Extend pills, enough torenew her energy for the final dash out of here. Butshe would not waste those by premature use. Therewere E Rattons, one tube, in her belt loops.

She turnedthe cap to heat and waited until she could twist thatoff and squeeze the semi-liquid contents into hermouth.

Having eaten, she went to look in the chamber.Time was passing far too fast, she might be pushed toa move soon.

Those inside were all conscious. The one cat-personwho had first revived was standing. As she watched,he reached down to draw another up, a female, thescars of her wounds still rawly red but closed. Therewas another male, and the dog-person, who, Ayanasaw, had moved away from the other three, fitting hisback into a comer as if he expected to be attacked.

There came a sudden sharp sound, enough to bringa weapon into Ayana's hand, set her looking aboutwildly. Then she realized that the light on the controlboard had gone out, the hum of the machine was subsiding. Apparently the chamber had turned itself off.Perhaps some indication that the work was done.

Now that the time had come to release the captives,Ayana found herself hesitant. The manifest anger inthe male's expression— But they were weak, helpless,and she was armed—With the stunner ready in her right hand, she spunthe lock with her left. The door opened.

They were gathered just within as if ready to boltfor freedom, the three cat-people to the fore, the dog person behind. Ayana heard hisses—a rumble ofgrowl. She did not want to use the stunner, it mightplunge them all straight back into captivity.

"No—" But they could not understand her, ofcourse. However she babbled on as if they could.

"Friend—friend!"

Their ears were flat to their skulls, their fangs exposed, their hands up with claws extended. If theycame at her she would have no recourse but to shoot.

"Friend"

A louder growl in answer. Ayana moved aside, retreated slowly, step by step, leaving a clear path between them and the door through which Tan and theRattons had earlier brought her. Though she still heldthe stunner at ready, she waved them on in a gestureshe hoped they would understand.

They moved slowly, stiffly, but gave no sign of pain.They moved with their heads turned toward her, theireyes watching. Then they reached the door and weregone, though for a moment or two she could still hearthe shuffle of their feet.

Ayana breathed a sigh of relief. Her waiting wasdone. Now she must make good her own escape. Shewent for the last time to the huddle of the Rattonparty, giving the Rattons a dose of stunner ray andthen laid the weapon in Tan's lax hand.

He groaned and she jerked back as if he had madeto seize her. He must be close to waking. She must getaway fast— Ayana turned and ran, stopping only bythe renewer to catch up her kit, following the path ofthe released captives.

She was afraid to use her torch. Luckily thereseemed to be a very dim light here, enough to show the way. She must concentrate on the route she hadtried to memorize when they brought her in. But first the Extend pills. Her chest hurt as she breathed afterthat last spurt of speed. Ayana groped within the kit.

Two ought to be enough. She mouthed the tablets.

They were bitter, and she had trouble swallowingthem dry. But she hurried on even before they worked, so she was in another passage when that aching fatigue lifted. Ayana felt not only completely rested, but alert of mind, able to do anything. The euphoria which was a side effect of such a large dose ofExtend gripped her and she forced herself to remember that this feeling of superb well-being wasonly illusionary.

This passage—had they come this way? But theymust have— The trouble was that one of these wayslooked exactly like another. Where had they leftJacel? She had tried to establish landmarks on the way in but had found few. And there were severalplaces of forking corridors. She must remember—she must!

She had no warning. Out of some shadowed wayshe had not even glanced into, they sprang.

Furredarms closed about her thighs as one-attacker struckwith force enough to crash her to the ground.

Furtig studied their captive. So—this was a Demon!Though a female, not a warrior. But still a Demonand as such to be feared. He heard a soft hiss ofbreath. Eu-La, somewhat accustomed now to the wonders of the legendary lairs, had moved besidehim and with her Liliha. While behind them came twoof the In-born males carrying a box with a coil of wirelaid on its cover.

The Demon was awake. When they had taken hercaptive, she had fallen heavily and struck her head, sothey had taken her easily enough before she couldreach for weapons. And now here came Jir-Haz, towhom they owed the capture itself.

"You can do this?" Furtig asked Liliha. "Speak tothe Demon in her own tongue?"

"We hope to do this thing. By listening to Demonvoices on their tapes we can understand their words.But we cannot make those same noises ourselves. Butperhaps with this"—she laid a proprietary hand uponthe box—"we can twist our speech enough for her tounderstand our questions."

But the Demon spoke first. She had been lookingfrom one to the other of them, first in what Furtig relished as open fear (thus proving that the warriors ofthe People qould strike fear even into Demons) andnow with something close to appeal. For she spoke toLiliha, at first so fast and in such a gabble of sound,Furtig could make little of it.

However, Liliha, her ears attuned from very youngyears to the teaching machines, did sort out enough ofthose uncouth noises to make sense.

"She wishes to know where she is—and who weare." Then, the In-born having set one end of the wireinto the box, Liliha took up a disk fastened to theother and held it close to her mouth, speaking slowlyand carefully into it.

"This is the lair of Gammage. We are the People."

It was weird, for they could hear Liliha's words.But also there was a secondary gabble, like a blurredecho following.

The Demon's face was so strange, so unlike that ofa rational being that one could hardly hope to learnanything from her expression. But Furtig dared toimagine she was surprised.

"Speak slowly," Liliha was continuing. "We canunderstand Demon speech, but our tongues cannottwist to answer it."

He saw the Demon's tongue tip on her lower lip.She could not move; they had bound her after peelingoff her coverings. For it seemed that the Demons hadno fur but wore loose outer skins to be stripped off.

"You-are-cats—" Even he could understand thosequeerly accented words.

"Cats? No, People," Liliha corrected her. "Whycome you here?"

"What-are-you-to-do-with-me?" The Demonlooked beyond Liliha to Jir-Haz.

"He-was-in-thehealing-chamber. I-let-him-go—"

"Who knows a Demon's purpose?" Jir-Haz demanded of them all. "Yes, I was healed, as was Tiz-Zon, and A-San and the Barker. After we were near todeath, she had the Rattons put us there. -That theymight return us to life and then once more rend us fortheir pleasure! Is that not so, Demon?" He leanedcloser to hiss at her.

"I-could-have-killed—" the Demon said. "But I-let-him-go."

"That is the truth?" Liliha asked Jir-Haz.

His tail lashed. "We told our story to the Elders.Yes, she let us go. Doubtless that the Rattons mighthave the sport of once more hunting us! Why elsewould a Demon heal our bodies and then release us?"

Liliha spoke into the disk. "Jir-Haz says that youdid this for the Rattons, that they might once moretorment our people. Such was what the Demons didin the old days."

"The-Rattons—" The Demon's face was flushed.She tried to loose her hands, struggled against theties. "I-was-with-the-Rattons-against-my-will—"

"There was another Demon, a male," Jir-Haz cutin. "He was not with her when she came to look inupon us during the healing. Nor was he there whenshe loosed us. Ask her concerning him!"

Liliha relayed the question. The Demon lay still asif she knew the folly of battling those bonds.

"I-left-him-with-Shimog. I-put-them-all-to-sleep-so-I-might-escape-and-your-people-also—"

"Why?" Liliha asked, almost, Furtig thought, as ifshe could believe what must be a false answer.

Forwhy should a Demon turn against one of her own kindto aid the People? No, she was false and would betraythem if they believed her.

"Because-I-saw-Shimog-and-what-they-had-done-to-your-people.

I-am-a-healer-of-hurts-not-one-to-give-them!"

"All Demons are false!" burst out Jir-Haz. "Theother Demon, the Rattons, stayed out of sight that she might play friend and later point out our trail."