The Wind From a Burning Woman: Six Stories of Science Fiction (13 page)

Im not an it, Sonok said. Im an ours.

Small ours, the Indian retorted.

Sonok bristled and turned away. Enough, I said. You havent fallen into hell, not literally. Weve been hit by something called a disrupter. It snatched us from different universes and reassembled us according to our world-lines, ouraffinities.

The Indian smiled faintly, very condescendingly.

Listen, do you understand how crazy this is? I demanded, exasperated. Ive got to get things straight before we all lose our calm. The beings who did thisin my universe theyre called Aighors. Do you know about them?

He shook his head. I know of no other beings but those of Earth. I went to look for worlds.

Is your ship a warper shipdoes it travel across a geodesic in higher spaces?

Yes, he said. It is not in phase with the crest of the Stellar Sea but slips between the foamy length, where we must struggle to obey all laws.

That was a fair description of translating from status geometryour universeto higher geometries. It was more poetic than scientific, but he was here, so it worked well enough. How long have your people been able to travel this way?

Ten years. And yours?

Three centuries.

He nodded in appreciation. You know then what you speak of, and perhaps there arent any devils, and we are not in hell. Not this time.

How do you use your instruments in here?

I do not, generally. The Sinieux use them. If you will not get upset, Ill demonstrate.

I glanced at Sonok, who was still sulking. Are you afraid of the snakes?

The bear shook his head.

Bring them in, I said. And perhaps we should know each others name?

Jean Frobish, the Indian said. And I told him mine.

The snakes entered at his whistled command and assembled in the middle of the cabin. There were two sets, each made up of about fifty. When meshed, they made two formidable metaserpents. Frobish instructed them with spoken commands and a language that sounded like birdcalls. Perfect servants, they obeyed faultlessly and without hesitation. They went to the controls at his command and made a few manipulations, then turned to him and delivered, one group at a time, a report in consonantal hisses and claps. The exchange was uncanny and chilling. Jean nodded, and the serpents disassembled.

Are they specially bred? I asked.

Tectonogenetic farming, he said. They are excellent workers and have no will of their own, since they have no cerebrums. They can remember, and en masse can think, but not for themselves, if you see what I mean. He showed another glimmer of a smile. He was proud of his servants.

I think I understand. Sonok, were you specially bred?

Was mascot, Sonok said. Could breed for myself, given chance.

The subject was touchy, I could see. I could also see that Frobish and Sonok wouldnt get along without friction. If Sonok had been a big bearand not a Russianinstead of an ursine dwarf, the Indian might have had more respect for him.

Jean, can you command the whole ship from here?

Those parts that answer.

Can your computers tell you how much of the ship will respond?

What is left of my vessel responds very well. The rest is balky or blank entirely. I was trying to discover the limits when I encountered you.

You met the people whove been putting in the armored hatches?

He nodded. Bigger than Masai, he said.

I now had explanations for some of the things wed seen and could link them with terrestrial origins. Jean and his Sinieux werent beyond the stretch of reason, nor was Sonok. The armored hatches werent quite as mysterious now. But what about the canine? I swallowed. That must have been the demon Frobish killed. And beyond the triplet valves?

Weve got a lot to find out, I said.

You and the animal, are you together, from the same world? Frobish asked. I shook my head. Did you come alone?

I nodded. Why?

No men, no soldiers?

I was apprehensive now. No.

Good. He stood and approached a blank wall near the grey pillar. Then we will not have too many to support, unless the ones in golden armor want our food. He put his hand against the wall, and a round opening appeared. In the shadow of the hole, two faces watched with eyes glittering.

These are my wives, Frobish said. One was dark-haired and slender, no more than fifteen or sixteen. She stepped out first and looked at me warily. The second, stockier and flatter of face, was brown-haired and about twenty. Frobish pointed to the younger first. This is Alouette, he said. And this is Mouse. Wives, acquaint with Francis Geneva. They stood one on each side of Frobish, holding his elbows, and nodded at me in unison.

That made four humans, more if the blacks in golden armor were men. Our collage had hit the jackpot.

Jean, you say your machines can get along with the rest of the ship. Can they control it? If they can, I think we should try to return to Earth.

To what? Sonok asked. Which Earth waits?

Whats the bear talking about? Frobish asked.

I explained the situation as best I could. Frobish was a sophisticated engineer and astrogator, but his experience with other continuatheoretical or actualwas small. He tightened his lips and listened grimly, unwilling to admit his ignorance. I sighed and looked to Alouette and Mouse for support. They were meek, quiet, giving all to the stolid authority of Frobish.

What woman says is we decide where to go, Sonok said. Depends, so the die is tossed, on whether we like the Earth we would meet.

You would like my Earth, Frobish said.

Theres no guarantee itll be your Earth. You have to take that into account.

You arent making sense. Frobish shook his head. My decision is made, nonetheless. We will try to return.

I shrugged. Try as best you can. We would face the truth later.

Ill have the Sinieux watch over the machines after I initiate instructions, Frobish said. Then I would like Francis to come with me to look at the animal I killed. I agreed without thinking about his motives. He gave the metaserpents their orders and pulled down a panel cover to reveal a small board designed for human hands. When he was through programming the computers, he continued his instructions to the Sinieux. His rapport with the animals was perfectthe interaction of an engineer with his tool. There was no thought of discord or second opinions. The snakes, to all intents and purposes, were machines keyed only to his voice. I wondered how far the obedience of his wives extended.

Mouse will find food for the bear, and Alouette will stand guard with the fusil. Comprens? The woman nodded, and Alouette plucked a rifle from the hideaway. When we return, we will all eat.

I will wait to eat with you, Sonok said, standing near me.

Frobish looked the bear over coldly. We do not eat with tectoes, he said, haughty as a British officer addressing his servant. But you will eat the same food we do.

Sonok stretched out his arms and made two shivers of anger. I have never been treated less than a man, he said. I will eat with all, or not eat. He looked up at me with his small golden eyes and asked in Russian, Will you go along with him?

We dont have much choice, I answered haltingly in kind.

What do you recommend?

Play along for the moment. I understand. I was unable to read his expression behind the black mask and white markings; but if Id been he, Id have questioned the understanding. This was no time, however, to instruct the bear in assertion.

Frobish opened the hatch to the wrecked room and let me step in first. He then closed the hatch and sealed it. Ive seen the body already, I said. What do you want to know?

I want your advice on this room, he said. I didnt believe that for an instant. I bent down to examine the creature between the chairs more carefully.

What did it try to do to you? I asked.

It came at me. I thought it was a demon. I shot at it, and it died.

What caused the rest of this damage?

I fired a good many rounds, he said. I was more frightened then. Im calm now.

Thank God for that, I said. Thishe or shemight have been able to help us.

Looks like a dog, Frobish said. Dogs cannot help.

For me, that crossed the line. Listen, I said tightly, standing away from the body. I dont think youre in touch with whats going on here. If you dont get in touch soon, you might get us all killed. Im not about to let myself die because of one mans stupidity.

Frobishs eyes widened. Women do not address men thus, he said.

This woman does, friend! I dont know what kind of screwy social order you have in your world, but you had damn well better get used to interacting with different sexes, not to mention different species! If you dont, youre asking to end up like this poor thing. It didnt have a chance to say friend or foe, yea or nay! You shot it out of panic, and we cant have any more of that! I was trembling.

Frobish smiled over grinding teeth and turned to walk away. He was fighting to control himself. I wondered if my own brains were in the right place. The few aspects of this man that were familiar to me couldnt begin to give complete understanding. I was clearly out of my depth, and kicking to stay afloat might hasten death, not slow it.

Frobish stood by the hatch, breathing deeply. What is the dog-creature? What is this room?

I turned to the body and pulled it by one leg from between the chairs. It was probably intelligent, I said. Thats about all I can tell. It doesnt have any personal effects. The gore was getting to me, and I turned away for a moment. I was tiredoh, so tired I could feel the weary rivers dredging through my limbs. My head hurt abominably. Im not ah engineer, I said. I cant tell if any of this equipment is useful to us, or even if its salvageable. Care to give an opinion?

Frobish glanced over the room with a slight inclination of one eyebrow. Nothing of use here.

Are you sure?

I am sure. He looked across the room and sniffed the air. Too much burned and shorted. You know, there is much that is dangerous here.

Yes, I said, leaning against the back of a seat.

You will need protection.

Oh

There is no protection like the bonds of family. You are argumentative, but my wives can teach you our ways. With bonds of family, there will be no uncertainty. We will return, and all will be well.

He caught me by surprise, and I wasnt fast on the uptake. What do you mean, bonds of family?

I will take you to wife and protect you as husband.

I think I can protect myself, thank you.

It doesnt seem wise to refuse. Left alone, you will probably be killed by such as this. He pointed at the canine.

Well have to get along whether were family or not. That shouldnt be too hard to understand. And I dont have any inclination to sell myself for security.

I do not pay money for women! Frobish said. Again you ridicule me.

He sounded like a disappointed little boy. I wondered what his wives would think, seeing him butt his head against a wall without sense or sensibility.

Weve got to dispose of the body before it decays, I said. Help me carry it out of here.

It isnt fit to touch.

My tiredness took over, and my rationality departed. You goddamned idiot! Pull your nose down and look at whats going on around you! Were in serious trouble

It isnt the place of a woman to speak thus, Ive told you, he said. He approached and raised his hand palm-high to strike. I instinctively lowered my head and pushed a fist into his abdomen. The slap fell like a kittens paw, and he went over, glancing off my shoulder and twisting my arm into a painful muscle kink. I cursed and rubbed the spot, then sat down on the deck to consider what had happened.

Id never had much experience with sexism in human cultures. It was disgusting and hard to accept, but some small voice in the back of my mind told me it was no more blameworthy than any other social attitude. His wives appeared to go along with it. At any rate, the situation was now completely shot to hell. There was little I could do except drag him back to his wives and try to straighten things out when he came to. I took him by both hands and pulled him up to the hatch. I unsealed it, then swung him around to take him by the shoulders. I almost retched when one of his shoulders broke the crust on a drying pool of blood and smeared red along the deck.

* * * *

I miss Jaghit Singh more than I can admit. I think about him and wonder what hed do in this situation. He is a short, dark man with perfect features and eyes like those in the pictures of Krishna. We formally broke off our relationship three weeks ago, at my behest, for I couldnt see any future in it. He would probably know how to handle Frobish, with a smile and even a spirit of comradeship, but without contradicting his own beliefs. He could make a girls childhood splinters go back to form the whole log again. He could make these beasts and distortions come together again. Jaghit! Are you anywhere that has seasons? Is it still winter for you? You never did understand the little girl who wanted to play in the snow. Your blood is far too hot and regular to stand up to my moments of indecisive coldness, and you could notwould notforce me to change. I was caught between child and my thirty-year-old form, between spring and winter. Is it spring for you now?

* * * *

Alouette and Mouse took their husband away from me fiercely, spitting with rage. They werent talking clearly, but what they shouted in quasi-French made it clear who was to blame. I told Sonok what had happened, and he looked very somber indeed. Maybe hell shoot us when he wakes up, he suggested.

To avoid that circumstance, I appropriated the rifle and took it back to my half-room. There was a cabinet intact, and I still had the key. I didnt lock the rifle in, however; better simply to hide it and have easy access to it when needed. It was time to be diplomatic, though all I really wanted for the moment was blessed sleep. My shoulder stung like hell, and the muscles refused to get themselves straight.

When I returned, with Sonok walking point a few steps ahead, Frobish was conscious and sitting in a cot pulled from a panel near the hole. His wives squatted nearby, somber as they ate from metal dishes.