Alien Refuge (18 page)

As they argued, their voices getting more uncertain and panicked, Thomas broke free of his captors. He got to his feet and ran for Iris, his mouth wide with a scream. “Mommy!”

“He’s right. They ain’t worth it. I’m out of here.”

As someone ran past Iris, he shoved her back down. Thudding feet followed, and she saw Thomas pushed to the ground too as they ran for their shuttle. Thomas sat where he fell, screwed his eyes up tight, and let loose with body-quaking sobs. Tears poured down his cheeks.

Iris pushed to her feet and flailed her way towards him. The thrum of the two shuttles powering up and racing away was unimportant. The deeper hum of Kalquorian shuttles arriving also failed to make much of an impression as Iris finally reached her crying son. She sank to her knees next to him and gathered him in her arms. He clutched at her, burying his face against her breast.

She rocked him back and forth. “You’re okay. You’re okay, Thomas. You’re okay.” Iris didn’t think he could hear her over his cries, but she was talking more to herself anyway.

Deep voices shouted in an alien tongue, drawing near. Iris sat back on her butt so she could wrap arms and legs around Thomas, so she could hide him and shield him from harm. Then there were gentle hands stroking her hair and arms. The calming thunder of Jol’s voice descended over her.

“Iris, I’m here. Let me look at you two.”

She didn’t respond. She curled tighter than ever around her son. Jol was here. He and Iris would keep Thomas safe. No one would touch her baby.

A firm but careful hand squirmed under her chin and forced her head back. Jol’s dark, savage face filled her vision. “Let me see. I need to check for injuries.”

He peeled her arms off Thomas long enough to do just that. Thomas whimpered and burrowed even tighter against Iris. Jol couldn’t get a good look at the boy that way, so he settled for running his hands over his arms, legs, ribs, and head. As soon as he stopped, Iris enfolded Thomas once more, though she kept her gaze on Jol.

He caressed her cheek. “Neither of you is hurt?”

Wondering that she could speak, Iris said, “No. They tried to take him away, but you came. You came.” Tears flooded her vision for an instant.

“Of course I came. How many of them were there?”

Iris swallowed. “At least five, I think. Maybe more, because I didn’t see how many got out of the second shuttle.”

“Did you get a look at them?”

“Their faces were covered. I don’t know who they were. The masks muffled their voices, and I didn’t recognize them.”

Jol nodded. One muscled arm went around her shoulders, and the other moved beneath her knees and Thomas’ rump. “Hold onto him. I’m getting you out of here. It’s going to be all right.”

He scooped them up as if they weighed nothing and stood up straight. In his staccato, barking language, Jol spoke to the dozen or so white-suited men who were going over the area like a strange species of albino ants. One answered, and all dipped quick nods at him. They went back to work as Jol carried Iris and Thomas to the snow crawler.

He settled them in the passenger seat and strapped them in. Then he got in on the driver’s side, put the crawler in gear, and backed it away from the scene. After he’d cleared the area, he turned the vehicle around and drove down the trail.

Thomas peeked out and looked at Jol. His musical voice, even in the midst of sobs, was the sweetest thing Iris had heard. “Hi Jol.”

Jol turned his head to regard the boy. “Hello, Thomas. Are you all right?”

“All better. Go home now?” he asked plaintively.

“I’m taking you back to my home. Where the fish are. Do you want to see the fish again, Thomas?”

“Yes. Go see Jol’s fish. Where’s train?”

Thomas twisted and pointed at the floor. He and Iris couldn’t move for the restraint, but Jol leaned over and scooped up the train where it had been dropped. He handed it to Thomas.

Thomas clasped the train to his chest. Then he huddled against Iris again, moaning, “Train is okay. Train is okay,” over and over, all the way back to the clan’s home.

It took only a few minutes to reach the clan’s grand home, its lack of windows disguised by the ivy-like growth crawling over the walls. Jol pulled the snow crawler into the bay that contained three small personal shuttles and a larger one that could comfortably seat ten. He plucked a still shuddering Thomas from Iris’ lap and carried him into the house that they’d so recently left. Iris followed, trotting to keep up with Jol’s long stride. Later she thought he’d forced her to hurry so she wouldn’t be able to think too much about what had happened.

They stepped into the greeting room just inside the front entrance. Iris’ home on Earth had had a foyer, but this room was much too big and grand to be considered anything as paltry as a mere reception area. This was where visitors congregated when a function or party was held. The dining room was the next room over, and the nearby lavatory finished off the public section of the house. The rest was all private.

The greeting room had seven different seating areas, everything from the immense floor cushion seating Kalquorians seemed to prefer, to plush Plasian type loungers with sculpted curved backs. Thick, woven rugs from Joshada brightened the polished white stone floor with jewel-toned colors. Real artwork, not vids, decorated the lighting paneled walls.

Ospar and Rivek were waiting for them in the grand space, their faces drawn in worry. The instant Iris walked in, she found herself surrounded by the clan, Jol still holding her weeping son in his arms. They seemed like living shields, as if their massive frames could keep her safe. Ospar and Rivek’s arms circled her.

The Dramok looked to his clanmate. “Jol, are they unharmed?”

“Physically, I’ve seen only slight scrapes, perhaps some bruising. They fought their attackers hard.” He sounded proud beneath the anger that simmered on the surface.

Thomas curled to the Nobek’s chest, whimpering. “Train is okay.”

Iris grasped the boy’s arm. Her voice seemed to float from a million miles away. “We’re all right,” she said in a strange, choked tone.

Rivek’s arm around her shoulder tightened. “You’re in shock. Your face is as pale as snow.”

The door announce went off. Ospar said, “Enter.”

An unfamiliar Kalquorian entered. He was extremely short for his race, perhaps only six feet tall. His earnest face composed, he looked at the knot of people standing there. “You sent for me, Master Rivek?”

The priest waved him forward. “This woman and child were attacked and have only just arrived. We haven’t ascertained their condition just yet.” He smiled comfortingly at Iris. “Imdiko Dala is a medic trained for Earther care. Please let him scan you to be sure you haven’t been injured.”

As Dala approached Iris with a handheld wave scanner, she plucked at Thomas’ coat sleeve. “I’m more worried about Thomas. Scan him.”

Ospar grasped her shoulders and made her face him. “You both need treatment, and I think Thomas will do better if he sees Dala scan you first. Hold still.”

Iris was too shaken to protest the Dramok’s high-handed taking over of the situation. Her mind was reliving the attack, seeing Thomas dragged off by unknown assailants, men who would take her baby away and maybe never give him back. She hadn’t been able to defend him no matter how hard she’d fought. It was a terrible realization, one that absorbed her so much that she didn’t protest as Dala scanned her first. She was pronounced healthy, and the medic turned to Thomas.

Thomas yelled, “No! Go away!” as Dala turned to him. The child kicked at the scanner when it was brought near. Jol whispered comforting sounds, carefully restraining the boy so that Dala could get a reading. Thomas squalled to have his arms and legs held still, the little bit of calm he’d gained disappearing quickly. The moment the Nobek let his arms free, Thomas flapped his hands wildly.

Dala looked at his readout. “No injuries. I can’t say why he’s doing that, though.” He frowned worriedly as Thomas looked for all the world like he was pretending to be a bird in flight.

Iris shooed away Ospar’s attempts to get the boy to stop flapping. “He’s stimming. It helps him release some of the stress. It’s okay now, Thomas.”

But the boy’s voice was edging higher and higher, coming close to a shriek. “Go home? Go home now?”

Jol bounced him a little, trying to soothe. “I can’t let you do that. Not until we know who it was who tried to abduct you.”

“You’re staying here,” Ospar declared.

As much as Iris wanted to remain with the clan, she knew Thomas was heading for a violent reaction. Thomas wanted to go home now, to the place that he knew best and felt most comfortable in. He needed his routine and the stability that came with it. The boy’s rising stress fed hers, making it impossible to think clearly.

She said, “He’s already way off his usual routine what with starting his work with Copin today and eating lunch here. He doesn’t know what to do. He needs to get back on track.”

Ospar stroked her hair. “What will ease some of his stress?”

Thomas screamed. “Thomas go home! Thomas go home now!”

Now it was Iris’ hands that wrung frantically as she tried to think of how to keep the boy from going completely out of control. “If he had his trains. He needs his belongings. He has to have his usual schooling routine he would be doing at home. I must get him home—”

Jol interrupted. “Tell me what you need and where it is. I will gather your belongings and bring them here.”

Ospar nodded. “At least three days’ worth. Clothes, Thomas’ toys, that sort of thing.”

Iris’ pride flared, confusing the issue even more. “I can’t – I mean, it’s too much—”

“Thomas go home!” The boy was actively fighting Jol now, though the Nobek seemed little affected by the kicking feet and flying hands. He was faring much better than the E.I.K. attackers had.

“We have to go,” Iris said. “Give him to me.”

Rivek spoke quietly in her ear. “You can’t go home right now, Iris. You have been attacked twice. Jol has this place set up like a fortress, so this is the safest place for you and Thomas to be.”

Ospar’s voice was firm. “You will stay here.”

Thomas went wild. He whipped his head from side to side, his screams becoming earsplitting. Iris was frantic now, but she didn’t know what to do. Thomas needed to be home, but home wasn’t safe. Even if they could go home, he was too far gone to ride anywhere calmly.

She grabbed at him, trying to settle him down and knowing nothing she could do would work until he’d gone all the way through his explosion. Until he was too exhausted to fight and scream anymore.

“Thomas, please,” she wailed and rounded on Ospar. “He needs to have his structure
now
.”

The medic spoke loudly to be heard over Thomas, his expression apologetic as he did so. “I can sedate him for a couple of hours. That will give you time to figure out the situation and put whatever he needs in place.”

“Do it.” Ospar gave the command.

Iris glared at the governor. “He’s not your child. I don’t like him unnecessarily medicated.”

The Dramok leaned close so he could speak in her ear. While his tone was firm, his hand rubbed up and down her arm in a comforting manner, as if to take the sting out of his words. “He will not be calm until you know what to do. It is obvious you cannot figure that out while he is losing control. For his welfare, I am taking command of the situation and will do as I see best.”

Rivek added, “Let Thomas be sedated, Iris. He will face his difficulties much better after he’s been removed from the immediate turmoil.”

Iris knew they were right. Thomas’ face had gone blood red and he was clearly beyond regaining his senses, shrieking, “Go home! Go home now! Want go home! Bye-bye!”

Her shoulders sagged. “All right. He’s only going to get worse.”

Dala quickly prepared the sedative. Rivek helped Jol hold Thomas still as the medic approached them with the painless injector.

“No! Thomas go home!”

Rivek held the boy’s cheeks between his palms, forcing Thomas to look him in the face. “I know, Thomas. This is very frightening and confusing for you. You’ll be all right though.”

“No, Rivek! Thomas go home now!”

Iris burst into tears to see the big men restrain her desperate child. Fortunately, Dala worked fast, pressing the injector to the side of Thomas’ neck. Seconds later, Thomas went limp in Jol’s arms.