Genus: Unknown Adaptation (18 page)

Kate felt like she was going to throw up for several moments. You don't have to … hurt them. They don't want to go. If you could … just … knock them out …."

"Are you ok?"

The sudden concern in Sissy's voice finally penetrated Kate's abstraction. She smiled with an effort.

"Just feeling a little weak. I was too nervous to eat this morning before we … uh … I left."

Sissy didn't seem to notice the slip-thankfully!

"Good thing for you I'm a nibbler!" she said, digging through the bag she was carrying. "I have snacks!"

Kate thought she would throw up if she tried to eat anything at all with her stomach in knots, but she took the treats Sissy offered and smiled with an effort. "Thanks!" Can you see what's going on?

The guards are sending everyone into a pod-a room with doors. I cannot see but I hear the thoughts of those inside. They are thinking it is a jail. There are no windows and no door except the one they entered through.

Ronan studied the flow of humans into the room they believed was a jail cell. He, Dax, and Jarek had moved out of the line as Kate had suggested. After a few moments thought, he had joined the longest line near where they had been before, relieved when he discovered that Kate had not betrayed them. The guards had watched them, but then had dismissed them when they got into another group.

This did not solve the problem, however, if what Kate had told them was true and he saw no reason to doubt it. They still had to find a way to take the place of the men whose papers she had given them.

Unfortunately, he saw no way to do that when those men would be locked inside with the others and were watched so carefully now.

He had at least managed to locate the men, which was something.

What are going to do now, Jarek asked grimly? The papers are no good if the men are already here.

We need a distraction, Ronan agreed tightly.

It might have been better if we had attracted attention then, Dax pointed out. Then we could have run and drawn the guards away. We can still do that. We can attack the guards and then flee. They will chase us and then we can change ourselves.

Ronan considered it, mostly because he was angry and frustrated enough that it appealed to him to attack the guards. He reluctantly dismissed it, however. We would run the risk that they would realize we are the ones they call the bigfoot and the Sirians. That might cause more of a distraction than we would want. We need to find a way that will not draw as much attention.

The guards will escort the prisoners onto the ship, Jarek pointed out. Maybe it would work best to replace three of the guards and then take the place of those men? At least if we take the place of the guards we would be able to get onto the ship.

Good point, Ronan agreed. Still more risky than I like-and we do not know that we can do that--but I cannot see an alternative.

We will have to kill the guards, Dax objected. Otherwise they will alarm the others and then they will search for us. And Kate will be distressed if we do that.

Ronan frowned, thinking, trying to dismiss the reluctance he felt in the pit of his belly at the thought of distressing Kate in that way. She seemed to have accepted them-finally. If they killed again …. The idea that was taking form in his mind also did not appeal to him a great deal, however, and he examined it as the pieces slowly fit together.

They will panic if they see us as they have come to think of as our true appearance, he finally said slowly. All of the humans will panic and that will create a very big distraction. I do not like it but think we must risk doing that and then change ourselves again and remove the men we must replace and allow ourselves to be taken.

Dax looked at Jarek to see what he thought of Ronan's plan and finally shrugged when he saw that Jarek looked as dismayed as he felt, deciding that he preferred to agree with Ronan than to agree with Jarek. This is a good plan. What do you think we should do?

What we must not do is allow them to see us change, Ronan said decisively. We do not want them to know that or they will check everyone more carefully. We will try to leave without drawing attention to ourselves and then change into the beast forms that they are searching for and allow them to see us. If we cannot leave without attracting attention, then we must elude them long enough to make the change so that they do not know that we appeared to be humans before.

Dax frowned. They will try to shoot us with those rifles they carry.

I had thought of that, Ronan retorted dryly. I do not, however, see another way and we cannot let Kate get on that ship without us. I am almost certain that she is carrying our young in the nest of her body. We must protect her and them.

I would be more happy if we could think of a way that would not stir up the humans so much, Dax responded. But I think you are right and there is no other way.

Which direction, Jarek asked tautly.

We will go to the men's room, Ronan said decisively, having been giving that particular part of the plan a good deal of thought. There are many going in and out. That should not attract unwanted attention. He hesitated and then reached out to Kate again since she seemed not to have had any ill effects from their communication before-at least not anything that unnerved him. We must create a distraction. I do not see another way.

What kind of distraction, Kate responded, the question laced with enough fear that Ronan was almost sorry he had decided that he must warn her.

He decided to ignore the question. Instead, he stepped out of the line where he had been standing and headed directly toward the men's room that he had pointed out to Dax and Jarek. They followed him-and it instantly drew the attention of several of the guards. He moved unhurriedly, hoping they would lose interest once they realized that he and the others were only headed toward the men's room.

They had almost reached their destination and Ronan felt his tension easing when he realized that one of the guards had decided to follow them-just to be certain they didn't plan to sneak out the window.

It was unfortunate, because that had been his plan exactly.

There was no window he discovered when they went inside and the room was occupied by humans.

Only a handful, but any was too many for them to shift forms without being seen. There were small pods within, however. Jarek and Dax had already followed him through the door one the one he chose before they discovered the pod was too tiny for all of them to fit comfortably and still shut the door. Ignoring the stares of the men inside, gritting his teeth, he wedged the door shut just as the guard reached the outer door and began to push it open.

There was no hope for it. They would have to shift forms or formulate a new plan and he did not think they had time for that.

Focusing inwardly, he summoned to mind the image of the form they had taken when the humans had captured them, struggling to make the full transition before the guard reached the door of the tight pod where they had hidden themselves. He could tell from the mixed signatures of excitement and fear that the man was close even if he had not been able to hear the stealthy steps. The others who had been in the room darted toward the door as the guard entered.

Ronan hesitated, knowing that neither Jarek nor Dax had completed their transformation, but he did not want the three of them wedged so tightly together that they could not fight either. When the guard was nearly upon them, he summoned every ounce of strength he possessed and slammed his palms into the door. The hinges broke and the entire door flew outward and across the room, slamming into the lavatory and shattering it.

"What the fu …?"

Bounding out behind the door, Ronan seized the surprised guard and his weapon, lifted the man from the floor and pitched him toward the exit. The door cracked as the man struck it and flew outward. Uttering a challenging bellow, Ronan charged behind his victim, leapt over the unconscious man and headed for the nearest exit. The commotion of the flying guard and door had drawn the attention of everyone within the building. Either the bellow he had uttered or the sight of him created total pandemonium.

Humans began to shout or scream and run in every direction. Ronan was a little stunned at their reaction.

He had hoped, indeed planned, to create disorder, but he had not anticipated the violent eruption he got.

Screaming humans flew toward the exits and piled upon each other in their frantic haste to escape, blocking every exit.

We will have to make a hole, Dax growled grimly as he surged from the room behind Ronan.

Kate! Ronan called to her, in a panic himself when he saw the results of his plot to create mayhem.

Run! For god's sake!

You are alright? I cannot see you!

I'm ok! Go!

She did not sound alright to him, but he realized he could help her more by leaving and allowing the humans to settle than to charge toward the already terrified humans and perhaps stir them up more. In any case, the guards began to fire upon them, driving the humans even more crazed with terror. Whirling abruptly, he charged toward the opposite side of the building from where he had last seen Kate. The humans fighting one another to get out by that route spotted him and surged away, thankfully. Shoving the slower moving people aside and leaving over the fallen, he cleared the way for Dax and Jarek and crashed through the door when it did not open quickly enough.

His memory of their first flight from the humans served him. There was a garden area on that side and beyond that a narrow strip of woods. He had not even covered half the distance to his goal when he felt a burning sensation along his side that almost knocked the breath from him. Dax caught him beneath one arm as he charged past him and curled an arm around his waist, assisting him for several steps until he managed to catch his breath. One of the blasts caught Jarek on one shoulder just before they reached the wooded area, pitching him into a forward roll that took him the remainder of the way.

We will never find the men we are supposed to mimic in this madness! Dax said grimly, gasping for breath as they slowed their steps.

I had not counted on creating the disorder that we did, Ronan responded a little sheepishly.

They are terrified, Jarek agreed, then added a little indignantly. The humans on the space station did not react like that when they saw us. I would not have thought that they would behave that way either! I knew that the guards would give chase, but ….

I do not understand it either, but there is no hope for it now. They are coming. We must make tracks for them to follow away from this place and then lose them and circle around.

I am tired of running and my shoulder hurts. I am more in favor of mimicking something here, waiting for them to pass, and then going back the same way, Jarek argued.

Ronan considered that suggestion, briefly, and nodded. No animals. They are as likely to shoot them, I think. The trees.

They studied the trees around them as they moved a further from the oncoming guards and finally halted, reaching out to examine the texture. They did not need more to mimic them since they only needed the outward appearance, but none of them had considered how difficult it would be to mimic a living thing that did not breathe with lungs until the guards were virtually upon them and they were all somewhat winded from their race.

For himself, Ronan was very sorry that he had not tried to absorb the tree closely enough to breathe as it did.

The gods bedamned guards moved slowly and quietly through the wooded area, their weapons held ready to fire. It took all he could do to remain completely motionless until they had passed. If he had not had to focus so completely on remaining still, he would have spent that time berating Jarek for his brilliant idea! He was near to passing out from the little air he dared allow himself while they waited for the guards to pass.

I will beat you to a pulp later for this stupid idea! Dax growled as soon as the guards had passed.

You may try! Jarek growled back at him.

I will help him, Ronan snarled.

Jarek sent him a resentful look.

When they were certain the guards had moved far enough that they could transform without detection, they resumed human form, except this time they mimicked the men that they were to replace.

Let us return to the building and find the men, Ronan said. We will not have much time to find a place to hide them.

They discovered they had no time. They had gotten no further than the edge of the garden when they encountered another group of guards.

"Hey! That's three of the draftees!" one the guards shouted. "I was just about to put them in the hold when all hell broke loose and they ran. Grab them!"

Satisfaction flickered through Ronan. Before he could decide whether he ought to offer token resistance or not, the guards surrounded them and placed cold metal around their wrists, binding their arms behind their backs. Ronan tested the strength of the metal around his wrists and then forced himself to relax.

We are captured, Kate.

Oh my god!

We are captured as those we were to replace.

Oh! OH! Well that's good, then, I guess.

She did not sound as if she thought it was good and uneasiness flickered through Ronan. Is this not what you had said we must do?