Kitty Katt 11: Alien Separation (22 page)

“D
OES IT GET ANY
better than this?” Joe asked.

“Probably,” Walker said. “Never sell our enemies short.”

“So, we have to take down the king then, right, Kitty?” Hughes asked me.

“That will be easier said than done, guys.”

Randy shrugged. “We've done harder things.”

Jerry laughed. “True enough. But Jeff's issue is still the key one, isn't it? How do we get everyone out of here safely, let alone quickly? It's great to talk about another warp tunnel. Finding another is the hard part.”

“Maybe not,” King Benny said. “As you know, my people come from all regions where the Lecanora are allowed to live. Some of them may know of caverns such as the two Alcalla and the Muses have found.”

“Love how Chuck gets all the credit,” Christopher muttered.

Ignored him, because there was a word that King Benny had said that stuck out. “Allowed? Where aren't you allowed to live, and why?”

“We do not live in the Purple Lands, as you call them, or where they,” he indicated the Big Birds, “dwell. And none but my clan live in the lands where Leoalla found us.”

“Because they're barren or because they're right next to the Purple Land?”

“Both, Shealla. May I fetch the others?”

“Absolutely.” Looked back to the others as King Benny trotted off. “I find it hard to believe that LaRue or anyone else knows about the powers in the sections of the world where the katyhoppers and strautruch live.”

“Why not?” Jeff asked. “Other than the fact that those lands aren't already destroyed and overfarmed, I mean.”

“No one's reading our minds or moving us around against our will at home. However, I'm willing to bet cash money that the dirt or the elements in the Bronze Land that dampened your skills down to nothing is in all the empathic overlays and enhancers that are tormenting us back on Earth.”

“That makes sense,” Lorraine said. “I wonder if whatever they did to the imageers originated on this planet, as well.”

“Potentially,” Chuckie replied. “But, there's another thing to consider, and that's the idea that this Ronaldo might not be a clone at all.”

Let that sit on the air for a bit. “They said they weren't going to clone more than just LaRue, Leventhal Reid, and the Mastermind,” Claudia said finally.

“That doesn't mean they were telling the truth,” Chuckie pointed out. “LaRue and Ronaldo went to the Galactic Core, as least as far as we know. They definitely went to the Z'porrah home world. And who knows if the cloning advancements our enemies have made were created on Earth?”

“Does that mean the LaRue that was killed by Esteban Cantu was a clone, too?”

“Why make a clone of her on Earth if that was the case?” Lorraine asked. “When we found the cloning facility underneath Gaultier, neither she nor the Leventhal Reid clone acted as if there was a master around somewhere to worry about.”

“We'll find out, I assume,” Jeff said. “But I see King Benny coming back with his advisors. Seriously, do we have even the slightest plan for how to get all of from here to there, to any there other than here, I mean?”

“I might,” Serene said slowly. She was still staring at the power orb. “Just deal with the natives and see if they can determine where another cavern might be.”

Serene was an explosives expert of the highest order—that was her “fun” hobby. Wanted to ask if she thought she could blow us up to get us wherever we needed to go, but didn't in case her answer was “yes.”

King Benny rejoined us with the same group of advisors as before, one of whom was Nanda, the beaver-chick, and the ostensible owner of Pretty Girl. I opened my mouth and she put up her paw. “I have already heard your pronouncement, Shealla. And I agree—the ocellar kit will remain with Patrina, and her family will not need to provide me with payment for her.”

“What payment do you need from me?”

She laughed. “The Gods ask if we need payment to follow one of their decrees?” She shook her head. “Rescue our world from the evil of Zenoca. That will be payment for anything and everything.” The others nodded.

“No pressure,” Christopher said quietly.

“Let's start with getting all of us out of this region,” Jeff said. “I don't see any of you whose coloration would indicate that you come from around here.”

“Which we're calling Iceland to make Binalla Christopher happy,” I added in case King Benny hadn't already shared.

The Lecanora all nodded. “We have Lecanora who reside here,” King Benny said. “However, they have not fallen out of favor with the king, and so do not join us.”

“Really? None of them have seen what the rest of you did? None of them have questioned the status quo, ah, the way things are?”

“Their clan leader is strong, and their clan prefers to remain apart from the rest of the Lecanora. They may all have seen the ships, and they may all chafe under the king's rule. But they will not let any others know if that is the case.”

“Got it!” Serene exclaimed. She spun around. “Chuck, Claudia, Lorraine—I need to run some formulas past you.” At which point Serene started spouting higher math and my brain said that it refused to hear her words.

Looked at Christopher. “While they discuss this, are you up to doing a search of this region with me?”

“Chuck and I already did.”

“Yes, but you were looking for our team, ah, other Gods. I'm not looking for them now, since the Muses are here already. It looks like we have some light left, and I'd like to take care of this before dark for certain and before tomorrow if we can.”

He shrugged. “Sure. I think you're going to be cold, though.”

“I'm counting on it.” Looked up at Jeff, whose mouth was opening. “You need to handle things here. I'll be with Christopher and we won't be gone long, I promise.”

Jeff closed his mouth and heaved a sigh. “I should say no, but it's probably bad for my image to have my wife constantly ignoring my orders.”

“Probably,” I said cheerfully as I leaned up and kissed him. “Order me around the moment we have some alone-time,” I whispered. “I promise I'll be obedient then.”

He grinned. “I'll hold you to that, baby.”

With that, I took Christopher's hand. “Where to?” he asked.

“The borders first, then inward. I literally want to search this entire region.” Christopher shrugged and we took off at not-quite-Flash level. “Why so slow?”

“You want to search for something or someone. I can go faster if you want, but I figured you'd like to see.”

“Yeah. I went at supersonic speeds in the other universe. It was hella cool.”

He laughed. “I can take you that fast, Kitty, but I don't think it's what you actually need or want.”

“No, you're right.”

We continued on at the slower Flash speed. Still faster than normal hyperspeed but not as fast as Christopher could go. Despite the fact that it was covered in ice and snow and had the temperatures to match, it was less mountainous than I'd expected, and I said as much to Christopher.

“No, that's what you're not realizing. Hang on.” We zipped off and stopped. “Look around,” he pointed. “That's the ocean that surrounds the continent.”

“Okay, I see it. It seems far away, even though we seem to be at the edge of the land here.”

“It is and we are.” He turned me around and pointed again. “See that point far, far away? I think that's the All Seeing Mountain. We didn't make it there for a variety of reasons, but mostly because we were saving it for last and spotted the snakipedes before we could go check it out. Chuck's positive it's the highest point on this continent. But we're standing on the next highest. The land here is literally all mountains, though the topography is more like a lot of really tall mesas.”

Considered this as I tried not to shiver. “Is it my vision or is this continent sort of . . . tilted?”

“It's not your vision, and that's one of the reasons we didn't get to the All Seeing Mountain—Chuck wanted to look at everything.”

“So, all of the Iceland spiral is this high up?”

“Yes.”

“Think this weird topography is visible from space?”

“Probably, with the right telescopes, which I'm sure all the spacefaring planets have. Why?”

“I'm wondering why no one from this solar system that we've met has ever mentioned that Beta Eight is so weird.”

“Maybe they don't think it is. Lorraine and Claudia said that there are other planets like this out there.”

“Far, far away, but yeah, okay.”

“I'm freezing and I can tell you are, too. Do you want to keep on going?”

Looked around. “Are we easily spotted up here, do you think?”

“It's not snowing and there's still light, so yeah, probably. Why?”

“I'd like to wait here for a little while. Just in case.”

He cocked his head at me. “Oh. You're hoping the Lecanora in the area will spot us, assume we're Gods, and come over to check us out and possibly help us, right?”

“Got it in one! The waterfruit is awesome, isn't it?”

“Yeah. You know, we haven't given it to any of the others yet, or at least I haven't. But Chuck and I both had more when we were racing all over the planet.”

“Yeah, it hadn't occurred to me to give Jeff any until I was out running around after Patrina. But when we got back safely, I didn't think about it, either. And I haven't asked him if he's hungry or anything. But I had one when I was out after Patrina.”

We were both quiet for a few moments. “That's not normal for us,” Christopher said finally. “Or Chuck, because he hasn't suggested we give some to the others, either. I mean, sure, we've all been busy, but . . .”

“But they're addictive, aren't they? I mean, something this great has to have a downside.”

“Either that or they'll turn us into katyhoppers.”

“Dude, where did you get that idea from?”

“I guess because the katyhoppers are the top sentient form we've met so far, and yet, we didn't think they would be because of their docility.”

“Like we said before, I think they were docile because they were able to tell we weren't there to hurt them and, in fact, were afraid of them but got over it because they were helping us and not attacking. I mean, do you feel like you're turning insectanese?”

“No, but I guess I wouldn't know how that felt. But . . . I do know how addiction feels.” He cleared his throat. “It feels like this.”

“Are you sure? I mean, what if we don't want to share simply because they're awesome?”

“Since when have you not wanted to share something awesome with Jeff?”

“Good point. Well, crap. Do we throw them all away?”

“And risk dying? See, that's the downside—they haven't hurt us at all. They've helped us. So what's wrong with continuing to eat them?”

“The fact that we can't get them when we go home. Or likely grow them at home. And we wouldn't want to grow them at home, would we?”

“No, I don't think we would.”

We were quiet for another few moments. “Poofikins suggested I eat the one I had when I was looking for Patrina.”

“Huh. I want to think that if the Poofs offer it, it's not dangerous.”

“Maybe it isn't.”

“Maybe we're relying too much on an animal's opinion, even if it's a really smart, amazing animal.”

Several heads popped up out of the snow. They were silvery-white, with blue eyes and light pink noses, and, as they stood up, I could spot some black fur framing their ears, paws, and tips of their tails. I put them as ferrets. Giant ones, to be sure, but still, ferrets.

One of them approached us cautiously, sniffing like mad. “Strangers, you smell like our cousins,” she said. It was definitely a she. And I took the leap and assumed she didn't mean actual cousins, but rather the other clans.

“We're traveling with some of them.”

Her nose kept on going. “There is only one clan that has all our cousins in it.” Yep, I'd called the cousins term right.

“Is that so?”

Her eyes narrowed. “It is. And if you've harmed them, we will be forced to avenge them.”

“Forced?” Christopher asked as he took hold of my hand again.

She pulled herself up to her full height, which was about equal to mine. She had beautiful fur, but unlike all the other Lecanora I'd seen so far, she wasn't wearing any clothing or carrying any weapons. “It is our duty.”

“Good. I was hoping you'd feel that way. What about if that clan is in need of help? What's your duty then?”

She eyed me. “Who are you?”

“Your cousins call me Shealla.” I nodded toward Christopher. “And they call him Binalla.”