Infinite Reef (32 page)

“Perhaps,” she answered. “All I hear is the clicks.” Her perfect features registered surprise. “Wait. I know what’s different. Too much clicking. I think the General is talking to them.”

Johnny’s face fell. “We’ve spent years trying to figure out how to communicate with them and the Lalandian just floats in and starts talking to them? Is that what you’re telling me?”

“Dingers, Johnny, don’t shoot the messenger,” defended Alex.

The Commander muttered unintelligibly as he moved to Mary’s side.

The security force shuffled into the room and dispersed along the back wall opposite the enclosure. Johnny saw a spot of laser light trace the surface of the sphere and wheeled around. “NO GUNS!” he spat. The spot of red light instantly vanished.

“Thank you!” Johnny turned back and moved closer, staring at the spot where the sphere touched the glass. “Damn,” he exclaimed, “Can we get some light on this? It looks like it’s fused to the glass somehow.”

“That’s right,” offered Mary. “And the General’s inside.” She pointed at a dark shape in the corner of the enclosure.

Johnny stood dumbstruck, his mouth open. Behind him the security guards, with lights shining from their weapons, moved cautiously forward.

The Professor held up his hand. “Don’t ...”

Mary wheeled around and shouted, “If you have to use lights, use infrared!”

“Do what she says! Switch to infrared,” Captain Higgins shouted. One by one the lights were extinguished.

For a brief moment their beams had illuminated the Lalandian, still in its glistening suit, crouched in the corner of the enclosure. Near it floated one of the clicks. Its undulating parasol wings wafted gently as it hovered listlessly in place. Alex had the impression that the two creatures were communicating.

Doors at the back of the room then swung open and three people wearing environment suits cautiously entered the room.

“Don’t shine any lights on those clicks,” said Matt Howarth as he removed his head covering. He cast a critical eye on the riflemen. “In fact, I suggest you yahoos leave my lab, right now.”

Captain Higgins was unflapped by the dismissal. He looked at Johnny for confirmation.

The Commander nodded. “Go ahead, Captain. This is Mr. Howarth’s lab. Do as he says. You and your men can wait in the hall.”

Without hesitation Higgins signaled his team. They lowered their weapons and filed back out through the exit into the outer hallway. “We’ll be just outside, sir.”

Johnny gave a quick salute. “I appreciate your cooperation, Higgins.”

The Captain took another look at the sphere. “Your funeral, sir,” he said, and followed the last of his squad out of the room.

Jeanne Warren, standing behind Matt, removed her helmet and noticed the Commander looking at her. “We haven’t detected contamination, sir, and there’s no leak in the compound. I don’t know how it did it, but it hasn’t broken the seal.”

She turned toward Matt. “Then are these suits really necessary?”

Matt didn’t answer. He was too engrossed in the situation at hand.

Commander Baltadonis then moved closer to the sphere. When he got near enough, he put his hand out and touched its surface. “Ow!” He pulled his hand away.

“Hot?” asked Alex. “Are you ...?”

Johnny shook his head as he examined his fingertips. “Cold. Don’t anyone touch this thing.”

“Yes, very cold,” said Jeanne. “I’d have warned you if I thought ...”

“We’ve been watching the thermal monitors since it arrived,” offered Matt. “It’s cold, all right, Commander. Minus 200 degrees.”

Johnny examined his fingers again, and he moved away from the orb, peering inside the enclosure. “What’s the

Lalandian doing in there?” he asked. “Do you have any idea?”

Matt shook his head, frowning. “All I know is the doors suddenly flew open, and there it was. I was here with Jeanne and Christopher, here.” Matt pointed to the third member of his group who still wore headgear. “By the way, you can take off that helmet now, Chris. Everything’s clean.” His aside was punctuated with a jab of a finger to the man’s padded middle.

Christopher stepped away from Matt, shaking his bulky helmet. “I think one of us should keep it on,” his muffled voice replied.

Matt shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

Matt finished his story, eyeing the alien still crouched inside the enclosure. When the sphere hit the enclosure’s glass, he and Jeanne had left the room immediately and sequestered themselves in the safety of the observation area, where they had watched as the alien sphere penetrated the polyglas, making a hole large enough for its body to enter the enclosure.

“The amazing thing was that happened so quickly,” Matt concluded in awe. “It didn’t cut the glass. The material just divided where the sphere touched it.”

Johnny gazed into the enclosure. “What do you think it wants with the clicker men? It hardly seems interested in us at all.”

“I’ve no idea, sir,” said Matt.

“A get-together?” Alex suggested. “Gas giant neighbors.”

Matt smiled whimsically. “You might say.” His smile faded as he saw movement inside the enclosure. The ominous shadow in the corner had risen up on its spindly legs and was walking a slow circuit around the oversized aquarium, pausing near each click that it encountered. It never touched any of them but it seemed as if the Lalandian was talking to each of them, one by one.

Mary tapped the Commander’s shoulder. “I can hear them talking back and forth. Clicks and thumps. And radio static.”

Professor Baltadonis let out a sigh of frustration. “Having a nice chat, are they? I can’t believe this!”

Everyone kept an eye on the alien as it lazily finished its round of the enclosure, stepping carefully, even cautiously, through the fluffy black nests of the clicker men. It seemed to be examining every detail with its hanging head, still encased in its enigmatic green cowl and bobbing up and down as it walked.

Mary’s attention returned to the Commander. “Are you angry?”

Johnny seemed taken aback by Mary’s question. “Well, yes, I suppose I am.”

Matt patted Johnny on the shoulder. “No reason to be. It’s good science, ol’ chap,” he said. “But, come to think of it, I guess you’ve good reason to be pissed. We humans have just been upstaged by the clicks.”

4
The Lalandian returned to the corner of the enclosure where the sphere remained fused to the glass. It folded its legs and moved back into the sphere.

Seeing this, Matt shouted, “It’s pulling out! If it leaves a hole, this room’ll be contaminated. Everyone to the quarantine room!” He ran toward the doors on the far side of the room with Alex, Jeanne, Mary, and the Professor following close on his heels. But Christopher, still wearing his containment garb, didn’t join them.

Jeanne grabbed Matt’s arm. “We can stay,” she said. “Just put on your helmet.”

Mary held the doors open, waiting for them. Seeing Matt and Jeanne stop, she called to them, “What’s wrong?”

Matt waved. “Go in the room on your left, guys. There’s enough Enviro suits there for all of you.”

Alex saw Mary pausing at the opened door. “You heard the man,” he said. “Hurry.”

The observation room was small and dark, except for a green lit wall screen. Its glow provided just enough light to see the details in the room. A cursory inspection revealed three workstations lined up before the screen. The chairs took up much of the floor space, leaving little room for them to don the unfamiliar EV suits that hung side by side, flush to the back wall.

Alex glanced at the screen. On it was a wide angle view of the clicks’ enclosure. To the left Matt and his two assistants stood like statues. On the right was the Lalandian orb.

Mary and Alex checked the EV suit rack while Johnny seated himself in one of the chairs. Johnny immediately started giving orders into his wristband, linked to the ship’s computer. Though it Johnny was able to gain control of the camera watching the compound. “Zoom to the right, computer,” he demanded. “Closer! To the left ... back a little! Thank you!”

Finally, satisfied with the image before him, Johnny beamed with appreciation. “Hold it there, computer. And thank you.”

It amused Alex that the Professor thanked the computer each time it adjusted the camera. Alex doubted he’d have been so appreciative. The best the camera could do left them deciphering indistinct shadows. He could barely see the Lalandian moving inside its sphere.

Nothing seemed to be happening. Johnny ordered the computer to pan the camera to check on the clicker men. The clicks were easier to see, crowded together at the rear of their compound as if they were trying to stay as far away from the alien as possible.

Mary scrutinized one of the EV suits. Finally she pushed it back into its notch in the wall and sighed. “I have no idea.”

Frustrated, she turned and looked at the screen. “I never saw them do that before,” she said. “They look afraid.”

Johnny eyed Mary. “Is that meaningful?”

“Mary offers what she can, Johnny,” Alex said. “You act like she’s holding back all the time.”

“I can speak for myself, Alex.” She addressed the Commander. “My circuits are internal, married with my normal senses.

Some of things I receive are difficult to vocalize.”

“Isn’t that where your interpretive skills come in?”

Mary’s confident smile faded and she stamped her foot angrily. The shock of it recoiled through the room’s flooring.

“We’re talking ALIENS here, Johnny!” She turned away in frustration.

Johnny was about to respond when something on the viewscreen caught Alex’s eye. He nudged the Commander and pointed. “Something’s happening!”

A glow began to illuminate the ring where the sphere touched the glass wall of the enclosure. “That’s interesting,” said the Commander.

The ring of light brightened to a blinding flash. In the isolation booth the three of them covered their eyes reflexively as the viewscreen blanked out.

They all stared wordlessly at the screen, waiting for the image to return, but nothing happened. Johnny ordered the computer to reboot the image, but it did no good.

“I don’t hear screaming,” offered Alex. “That’s good, I guess.”

Johnny rose from his seat. “I can’t sit here. The sphere’s already on the move, I’ll bet.”

“Shouldn’t we get into those suits?” asked Mary.

“No time! I’ll have to take my chances!” Johnny opened the door.

Alex shrugged. “I guess that includes us,” he said. Mary agreed with a nod and they followed Johnny of the room.

As they burst through the swinging doors they saw Matt and his two assistants standing where the sphere had been, bending over to examine the glass wall of the enclosure. Outside, in the hallway, Alex could hear Captain Higgins shouting at his men.

The Commander put a hand on Alex’s chest, stopping him in his tracks. “Matt. Is it safe?” Johnny asked.

“Sealed tight, Professor,” answered Matt, taking off his helmet. “It removed the polyglas, then replaced it. I really can’t believe it.”

“The clicks seem fine,” observed Mary, peering into the compound. “Floating around like nothing happened.”

Where the sphere had been embedded Alex noticed a circular distortion, and the thick polyglas was discolored slightly.

He was about to comment when he heard Captain Higgins in the distance. “Get another car! We’ll need more than one!”

There were a few metallic clangs, then, “Call somebody to clean this up!”

“This is nuts,” mumbled Johnny as he walked resolutely toward the commotion.

5
In the hallway two security guards were sitting on the floor, side by side, looking dazed.

“What happened?” asked Johnny.

“That ... thing ...,” said one.

“It hit the door hard,” said the other, holding his injured leg. “We were right behind it.”

“I think I broke a rib,” added the first. Blood was trickling from his nose.

The Commander continued toward the tubeway as Mary bent down and examined the face of the guard. “Looks like you broke your nose as well.”

“We have to go,” said Alex, looking at the man apologetically.

“That’s okay,” said the officer. “The Captain called the meds.”

Mary gave the man a towelette she pulled from a pocket in her flightsuit. Kneeling between them, she kissed each on the cheek. “I’m sorry you’re hurt. I doubt the alien meant any harm.”

The man smiled. “Go ahead and catch up with ’em.” He put the napkin to his nose. “If you can, that is. That ball was makin’ tracks.”

Other personnel arrived from elsewhere in the Biolab as Alex and Mary dashed down the hall toward the shattered doors of the tubeway. Beyond them stood Commander Baltadonis with two security guards.

Johnny turned. He gave a pitiful laugh when he saw them. “That thing has its own damned agenda.” He looked back at the dark tunnel behind him. “And I’m starting to think it knows our ship as well as we do.”

“Well, you showed it a map,” began Mary.

Johnny raised a hand. “I’m aware of that. What I MEAN is, it sent the tubecars away.”

Alex noticed there were no cars in the port. “Are you saying the Lalandian took a car?”

After another exasperated laugh, Johnny took a deep breath. “No. It just jumped into the tubeway and was gone. But there SHOULD have been two cars here.”

“There should have been more,” said Mary.

“Indeed,” answered Johnny. “There was only one when we got here.”

Alex blinked. “Where is it?”

Johnny took another, deeper, breath. “I sent Higgins and some of the team after the Lalandian to establish a perimeter, wherever it turns up.” He gave Mary a weak smile. “This is wearing thin. I can’t keep letting this thing call the shots. Maybe it was stupid to let it in the ship.”

One of the two remaining guards shouted into his wrist communicator. “Security! Where’s that damned car? What’s wrong with the computer?”

Alex blinked again. “Something wrong with the computer?”

At that moment a tubecar zipped to a stop in the holding bay, and then another arrived right behind it. Johnny looked at the cars, perplexed. “I really don’t know, Alex. The cars were delayed somehow.”