Ben didn"t look happy. "You couldn"t stop a determined ferret with that!"
"I"ll be fine", fine", she told him again, more firmly. "Go. Go, and hurry back." she told him again, more firmly. "Go. Go, and hurry back."
Ben sighed, then forced a smile himself. "Have the kettle on for us when we get back, eh?"
She rolled her eyes. "And the best china, right?"
"Then it is settled." The Doctor looked benignly around.
"Shall I lead the way?"
"Don"t push it, Doctor," Tovel told him. "Come on, let"s go."
II.
Haunt forced her eyes open. She stared straight up at the mirrors pressed into the ceiling, high, high above. No. She didn"t want to see herself, to see what was happening to her.
She heard the swift clatter of troops marching out of the room. Right now she couldn"t imagine what it would be like, to feel so healthy, so strong again. The mirrors reflected gleams of light from the high golden trellises into her watery eyes. She looked to her side instead, but she couldn"t focus.
Maybe she was falling to fever, maybe to drugs, but everything was starting to distort.
Someone was there, close by, just out of view. She had something important she had to ask, she knew. She had to remember what.
"Frog... Did they kill her?"
No answer, or an answer so quiet it couldn"t be heard.
Light began to bleed away from her vision, the way starry s.p.a.ce always gave way to sunlit sky as planetfall commenced.
Colonel Nadina Haunt was watching it now from the viewscreen of her fighter, the first wisps of the planet Toronto"s viewscreen of her fighter, the first wisps of the planet Toronto"s daylight shining into her eyes. It was a gorgeous, wide-open daylight shining into her eyes. It was a gorgeous, wide-open sky, one fit for angels. A frigid landscape of cloud stretched off sky, one fit for angels. A frigid landscape of cloud stretched off to the dense horizon, superimposed over a green sea. The twin to the dense horizon, superimposed over a green sea. The twin landscapes blurred, one into the other, as Ashman took them landscapes blurred, one into the other, as Ashman took them down more steeply. down more steeply.
Switching to manual; he said, and she watched his hands grip the flight gears, the muscles in his forearms clenching as grip the flight gears, the muscles in his forearms clenching as he adjusted their position, taking control himself. he adjusted their position, taking control himself.
She was twenty-nine, or thirty. Way too old to be feeling the way she did about Ashman. way she did about Ashman.
The targeting grid came up on Nadina Haunt"s eyescreen as they cleared the clouds and the flat vista of the sea they cleared the clouds and the flat vista of the sea established its mastery. In the open waters around Labrador established its mastery. In the open waters around Labrador harbour, tiny specks of white blossomed into circular blooms. harbour, tiny specks of white blossomed into circular blooms.
Haunt"s mind made sense of them as solar dishes harvesting the power of the twin suns, and it was only when they were the power of the twin suns, and it was only when they were much closer that she realised they were actually sails. Each much closer that she realised they were actually sails. Each effortlessly caught the stiff salt breeze, skipping the boats over effortlessly caught the stiff salt breeze, skipping the boats over the choppy water. the choppy water.
The sight fascinated Haunt, through the mesh of the targeting grid. She could discern the tiny figures of the ship-crews as they bustled about the wooden decks, netting their targeting grid. She could discern the tiny figures of the ship-crews as they bustled about the wooden decks, netting their haul. haul.
The natives had been allowed to maintain their simple economy, their semblance of culture - it had been a good cover. economy, their semblance of culture - it had been a good cover.
The Umpire was unlikely to house its secret military capital on such a strategically precarious world. such a strategically precarious world.
The rich salt-broth seas on Toronto were always thrashing with fish. The natives had only to skim the nets of their fishing with fish. The natives had only to skim the nets of their fishing boats over the surface for a few minutes to come home with boats over the surface for a few minutes to come home with enough food to bloat an entire settlement. And it wasn"t only enough food to bloat an entire settlement. And it wasn"t only the natives (she couldn"t remember their race name) that the natives (she couldn"t remember their race name) that benefited. The superabundance of marine life enabled the benefited. The superabundance of marine life enabled the empire to freeze and export billions of tonnes to its outlying empire to freeze and export billions of tonnes to its outlying colonies. It justified the considerable military presence on colonies. It justified the considerable military presence on Toronto: a dozen worlds really did depend on this planet for Toronto: a dozen worlds really did depend on this planet for food. food.
It couldn"t be helped, Haunt decided as she synched up with the weapons net. The Schirr had crept in and ruined the weapons net. The Schirr had crept in and ruined everything. Now human security was at risk. Taken in by their everything. Now human security was at risk. Taken in by their own cleverness, Pent-Cent had got complacent. Ashman had own cleverness, Pent-Cent had got complacent. Ashman had said he was only surprised an incursion hadn"t happened said he was only surprised an incursion hadn"t happened sooner. sooner.
He banked hard right, the teeming sea and starched sails streaking past beneath them. The harbour compound loomed streaking past beneath them. The harbour compound loomed sheer and white over the still waters. It looked like a glittering sheer and white over the still waters. It looked like a glittering block of ice. block of ice.
Ashman turned to her. Narrowed his indigo eyes and nodded. It was as if the look alone had triggered the pulse in nodded. It was as if the look alone had triggered the pulse in her head. She shuddered as she opened fire, launching her her head. She shuddered as she opened fire, launching her missiles into the midst of the little boats skimming the writhing missiles into the midst of the little boats skimming the writhing water. The fighters flanking Ashman"s ship followed suit. water. The fighters flanking Ashman"s ship followed suit.
"You like your fish well-done?" she asked.
"You"re funny," he told her.
Then she and Ashman were watching the sea and everything in it start to burn. everything in it start to burn.
The Schirr stealth craft concealed in the harbour, pale and fleshy ovoids, sounded like they were screaming as the flames fleshy ovoids, sounded like they were screaming as the flames took them. Haunt tried not to gag on the stench of the dying took them. Haunt tried not to gag on the stench of the dying sea, wafting across the compound grounds in a thick salty fog. sea, wafting across the compound grounds in a thick salty fog.
"At least one Schirr unit was sighted overground," Ashman bellowed at his troops. "Security may have been compromised." bellowed at his troops. "Security may have been compromised."
They would find out together. They were running through the klaxons and emergency lighting of the compound, deeper and klaxons and emergency lighting of the compound, deeper and deeper underground. There were bodies here and there. Haunt deeper underground. There were bodies here and there. Haunt skidded on the slick ground and fell. She"d splashed down in skidded on the slick ground and fell. She"d splashed down in someone"s blood. Ashman turned, reached out his hand to her. someone"s blood. Ashman turned, reached out his hand to her.
She took it, felt his strength through the warm stickiness for a moment. Then they were running on. Her wet hair flapped moment. Then they were running on. Her wet hair flapped about her forehead in gory braids. about her forehead in gory braids.
More bodies. A secure zone bad been breached. In one room marked restricted, they saw a woman twisted over a data marked restricted, they saw a woman twisted over a data input, staring at the screen. Her gun lay discarded on the floor input, staring at the screen. Her gun lay discarded on the floor along with most of the contents of a medical kit. Blood soaked along with most of the contents of a medical kit. Blood soaked the whole of one leg black through the fabric of her grey the whole of one leg black through the fabric of her grey uniform. The woman looked up at them but her shocked uniform. The woman looked up at them but her shocked expression didn"t change. expression didn"t change.
"They got in," she kept saying, over and over. "They got in."
Behind her was slumped the rubbery corpse of a Schirr, stomach and neck both shot open. Its fat lips bared back over stomach and neck both shot open. Its fat lips bared back over its peg teeth, it looked like it had died smiling. its peg teeth, it looked like it had died smiling.
"Look after her!" Ashman told her. "I"ll screen the corridor!
Haunt crossed to the woman, stepped gingerly over the detritus on the floor. Saw too late the timer grenade clamped in detritus on the floor. Saw too late the timer grenade clamped in the Schirr"s fleshy grip. the Schirr"s fleshy grip.
Heat as it detonated. She dived to the floor. The injured woman shielded her a little. What about Ashman, framed in woman shielded her a little. What about Ashman, framed in the doorway? He was screaming but she couldn"t see for the the doorway? He was screaming but she couldn"t see for the smoke. And she knew that if she woke up from the sick, heavy smoke. And she knew that if she woke up from the sick, heavy blackness coming for her, she wouldn"t know how much blood blackness coming for her, she wouldn"t know how much blood was her own and how much she had slipped in outside. was her own and how much she had slipped in outside.
The heat of the blast wasn"t fading.
It was burning her on the inside. Her guts were squeezing out through a lump beneath her ribs.
They would get confused with the Schirr"s. Why couldn"t she smile in death like it could? Why was she so afraid? smile in death like it could? Why was she so afraid?
She moaned and opened her eyes and saw a feminine face, framed by long straight blonde hair. The woman who shouldn"t be here, Polly. Soothing her. Haunt tried to struggle, hated to let anyone see her so weak. Something hot and molten was stirring sluggishly in her guts.
"What"s happening?" she mumbled, almost choking on her tongue.
"Tovel told me to give you something when you woke up,"
Polly said. She got up and went away.
"Did they kill Frog?" Haunt said thickly.
"No." The gurgling voice came to her like she was underwater. "No, the frog ain"t croaked yet."
"Stay with us," Haunt whispered, as sound and vision lost all definition again. She felt a hot pinp.r.i.c.k in her arm, invasive, bruising the muscle. Shadows came for her again.
"Stay with us, Frog..."
"Wouldn"t miss this party for nothing," Frog muttered.
Marshal Nadina Haunt heard the voice die away.
The darkness swooped and caught her.
III.
"She should rest quietly now," Polly told Frog.
"Great," Frog retorted. "What did Tovel say that was?"
"I"m not sure," Polly confessed. "Something to break the fever, he said. Help her sleep."
"What"s he want Haunt to sleep for?" muttered Frog. "Think he likes being in charge?"
"He just wants to help, I suppose," Polly ventured.
"Nah. He just likes being in charge." Frog gave a crooked smile. "Now Haunt"s popped that shot, she may never wake up."
Polly shuddered. "Don"t."
They listened to Haunt"s breathing, a sound just too ragged to be soothing.
"Now give me something to fix me up, will ya?" Frog said brightly.
Polly sighed. "I wish I could."
"Sure you do."
"Of course I do!"
"Cause you feel soooo sorry for me." Frog narrowed her eyes, spitefully. "You, with your doll"s hair, your long, young skinny body, your clear skin. Bet you grew up under a blue sky and a warm sun. Had yourself toys to play with." She laughed. "Where I grew up, I was the toy. People picked me up and did what they wanted. Whenever they wanted. Dad.
His friends. Anyone."
Polly stared at Frog dumbly. She couldn"t find a thing to say.
"Feeling sorry for me, now?" Frog sneered. "That always follows. The sorries."
"What do you want me to say," Polly murmured, looking away. "That I"m glad you"re sick or something?"
"I don"t need the sorries. Don"t need nothing. I fight, see?
The army made me someone. Something Something." Tears rolled down her scarred cheeks. "Now I"m being made into something else."
Faster than you know, thought Polly sadly. Frog"s jumpsuit was zipped right up, but a track of the raw and puckered new flesh had crept up to her neck, right up to the small black disc on her throat which must make her voice sound so strange. The normal skin blistered and burnt round the edges of the patch.
Polly couldn"t just sit and watch Frog cry. "I"m going to check on Shade," she said.
Frog didn"t answer. Haunt had begun to snore softly. The sounds were taken by the weird acoustics in the great chamber and twisted, distorted, flung back at her. Polly felt horribly vulnerable. She kept glancing up at the bodies on their platform, counting them over and over. Six. Six. Six.
IV.
"You sure you can find this place again?" Roba asked in a loud whisper. He led the way up the pa.s.sage, rubbing distractedly at his injured wrist.
"There"s a bend coming up, then the tunnel should fork,"
Tovel hissed back. "It should get lighter too."
"Polly had placed a pile of stones outside the relevant path,"
the Doctor added. He paused for breath, and dabbed at his forehead with a handkerchief.
Ben waited dutifully beside him, and Creben and Joiks both pushed past. Ben looked nervously around - a pointless exercise, since it was so dark you couldn"t see your hand before your face. He was sure it hadn"t been so dark before, and had become convinced that the fleaweed on the ceilings was able somehow to shift itself about. Was there nothing that didn"t move when it shouldn"t in this G.o.d-awful place?
In an attempt to avoid unwelcome attention, they"d decided to have just the one torch on, Roba"s, leading them on. It was like trailing after a lost little sunbeam in the cold, dark tunnels. Twice they had heard the soft, rhythmic flapping of stone wings in the blackness. Roba had flicked off the torch and they"d stood frozen like statues themselves until the noise had faded back into the shadows.
"Wait a minute, then!" Ben called quietly into the darkness, afraid the others would get too far ahead "Don"t fuss, my boy," the Doctor told him stiffly, and they started off again.
They caught up with the others in time to see them crouched beside a little slate cairn that marked one of two tunnels. The fleaweed was back, casting its seasick glow.
"Polly must"ve left that," said Ben.