Baked, Boiled, or Fried
Part F
Jim's men were all wearing rubber boots. So was Connor.
"I'm getting a picture if it's the last thing I do."
From the tight expression on her face, I could see she
believed that it could very well be her last act on Earth.
"Any word back from Ken and Eddie?"
"Just that they're freezing," MacAuliff said. He
had a walkie-talkie on a crate next to him, and he glared at it as if he could
will it to come to life. His hands were stuffed under his arm pits, and he
stamped his feet. "Otherwise, nothing."
"Keep in contact. I'll leave it to your judgment how
often you want to radio them."
"About every twenty seconds sounds good to me."
Jim gave a soft laugh, his breath a white cloud on the air.
"I want to check with Captain Banks and his crew in the generator
room."
"Just a second, Jim. I may have an idea."
"Yeah, Bob?"
"We need that Thing to be at the junction before we
can throw the switch and juice it. If it has time to think about it, it's smart
enough to realize we're up to something. But if it sees us waiting for it, if
we're a couple of yards before the junction, maybe we can get it so hot and
bothered it'll just come a-runnin'?"
"I think you're right, Bob. Okay, we'll wait there for
it. And kill some of the lights, would you? That bulb down there, that one,
those there and there. The less visibility it has…"
"Good idea, Jim. Joel, give me a hand, okay, big
guy?"
"Want some help? Never mind, of course you
don't." Connor's lips were a thin line. "Captain Ellison, what can I
do…"
"Yeah, Connor. That would be swell. Thanks."
Taggart's cheeks darkened under the barely discernible flush, and Connor's jaw
dropped.
I wondered who was the most surprised at those words, she
or Taggart.
Taggart cleared his throat brusquely. "We need all the
help we can get." He strode to the far end of the corridor and in a
no-nonsense manner reached up to loosen a light bulb, swearing mildly when he
singed his fingers.
She closed her mouth. "Glad to be of some assistance,
mate." She put her camera down, stripped off her gloves, and tucked them
into a side pocket of her flight jacket.
One of the walkie-talkies chittered to life.
"Bob-o?"
He bolted back for the instrument. "Yeah, Eddie. Talk
to me!"
"Just wanted to make sure you were still there."
"I'm here, babe."
"Okay."
"Are you all right?"
"Yeah. My fingers are frozen, though. It's
quiet." A beat of silence, then, "Uh, Bob…"
"Yeah, Eddie?" There was relieved indulgence in
his voice.
"I just realized… The door to the mess hall opens
in."
"Yeah, so? Oh, son of a bitch!"
"What?" Too many things to take into account. I
couldn't think straight.
"Chief, if it comes that way, all that Thing will have
to do is pull the door open."
"Shit!"
"Don't do anything till I get back!" MacAuliff
made a dash for the generator room.
"What am I missing?"
"Connor, the door is barricaded as if it needs to be
pushed open."
"This is a scientific research facility! The sum total
of IQ levels is incalculable! What stupid fuck of an idiot made a fucking stupid
error like that?"
"You do have a way with words, Connor." Taggart
was regarding her with awe.
"Thanks, mate." She gave him a distracted grin.
Jim was looking grim. "Professor Laurenz was in charge
of securing that door."
And his nose was so deep in the crack of Carrington's
ass… I was tempted to say as much, but refrained out of common courtesy to the
brown-nosers of the world.
"Chief,
would you go see how everyone is holding up?" He gestured toward the
generator room. "We need to take care of this. I'll be with you as soon as
I can."
"Sure, Jim. Here." I handed him a screwdriver
that had been left lying on a crate. "Don't take long."
The crew chief came trotting back, holding a drill.
"No sense making this more difficult then it has to be."
Jim picked up the walkie-talkie. "Eddie? Listen, we've
got to re-hang that door. We'll be right there."
I watched until they turned the corner, then walked back to
the generator room and paused in the doorway.
"Captain Ellison is overreacting!" Dr. Carrington
snarled. I'd never seen him wound so tightly. His hands were jammed deep in the
pockets of his coat, but it was plain to see they were fisted. "If I could
just attempt communicating with our visitor!"
"You think the fact that it attacked our people
doesn't prove it's dangerous?"
"Of course it would react defensively, Hugo," he
sneered. "Shot at by a frightened man, attacked by vicious dogs!"
"And what was its excuse for killing four men?"
Dr. Chapman's rigid body language bespoke contained anger.
"Essential imperative." Carrington brushed aside
the other man's wrath as inconsequential. "Survival of its species, plain
and simple." He heard the sound I made and turned to face me.
"What about the survival of our species, Dr.
Carrington? Are we chopped liver, just because we haven't journeyed into space
yet?"
"But don't you see? We could have it within our grasp!
Imagine all the secrets we could learn from this being!" Hectic color was
in his cheeks. His eyes took on a faraway expression, and I wondered what
impossible utopian vista he was seeing. "All that knowledge and wisdom! I *must*
speak with Captain Ellison again! He *must*
be persuaded…"
"I must be persuaded what, Doctor?" Jim stood in
the doorway. He saw my anxious expression and gave a nod to let me know the door
had been successfully re-hung.
"We can't cast aside this opportunity to communicate
with a being that is so much wiser than we are! Future generations will never
forgive us for having this opportunity and denying it!"
"Have you stopped to think that if that Thing gets out
of here, there may not be any future generations to forgive us? Can you
guarantee the safety of mankind, Dr. Carrington?"
"Bah! You're talking nonsense, Dr. Sandburg! Were our
ancestors, those poor, pathetic creatures who crawled from the muck of the
antediluvian mire to huddle in caves and tremble in fear of the beast that
dwelled by night, guaranteed anything? I think not." He paused to glare at
us, then bit off, "There is never a guarantee of safety."
"It seems to me we've been doing fairly well on our
own, Arthur," Dr. Chapman asserted, deceptively mild.
He waved away mankind's abilities as immaterial. "Oh,
I'll grant you we've done a tolerable job of deciphering the mysteries of our
world..."
"Yeah," Jim said dryly. "After all, we've
managed to split the atom all on our own."
"And look how much better off mankind is for
that!" Connor muttered, and I remembered that some of her most effective
reporting had been of the aftermath of the atomic bombs dropped on
Carrington ignored the aside and continued. "Think how
much more we could learn from a being whose species has mastered space travel!
If we could just open a dialogue with this being! Think of it!"
"I am, Doctor, and it's not making me feel good."
Jim turned to us, dismissing him.
The scientist all but frothed at the mouth at his disregard
and stalked to a corner, his fists once again clenching impotently in his
pockets.
"All right, everyone listen up. Captain Banks and his
men will remain here. They'll be armed with axes, cleavers, whatever they've
found that will cut. Make sure you stay out of their way!"
They faced him grimly, knowing if the Thing got past Jim
and his men, Simon's security team was the last line of defense.
Jim took Simon aside. "Remember, if that Thing makes
it back to here, keep swinging at its arms."
Simon nodded, his teeth clamped down on his cigar.
"Good luck, Captain. Blair." He pulled me into a hug. "Don't get
yourself killed." He cleared this throat gruffly and let me go.
Before I could step away, Mrs. Chapman wrapped her arms
around me. "Godspeed, sweetie."
And then I found myself in my lover's arms. "I can't
think of anything clever to say, babe," he whispered in my ear.
I held onto him. "Don't get dead, Jim."
"Yeah. I guess that about says it all." His hands
framed my face, and he studied my features as if memorizing them.
"What's going on?" Carolyn Plummer asked,
confusion making her eyes wide.
Mrs. Chapman smiled at her in compassion. "I'll
explain it to you in a moment, dear."
"One moment, please, Captain Ellison." Dr.
Chapman stepped forward. His wife stood at his side. "We're scientists
here, but I think perhaps it might be wise to beseech a higher power…" He
paused for a moment, gathering himself, and we bowed our heads. When he spoke,
his voice rang strong. "'Be strong and courageous. Be not terrified; do not
be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.'"
And then Mrs. Chapman growled, "Now go out there and
wipe that Thing off the face of the Earth!"
****
Taggart and Connor were pacing restlessly, occasionally
bumping into each other, mumbling an apology, and continuing to walk to expend
the nervous energy.
MacAuliff was huddled by the walkie-talkie. Beside him was
the switch, waiting to be thrown. He looked up at Jim. "Still nothing, Cap.
I've been in constant contact with them."
"Bob?"
"Danny, what are you doing out here?"
"I just wanted to know…"
The walkie-talkie suddenly squawked to life. Dykes' voice
came over, tinny and tight. "Bob! I'm getting a reading! It's point
two."
"Ken, what about you?"
"Nothing, Bob."
A few minutes passed.
"It's point five now!"
"Ken?"
"Still nothing."
"It's probably coming by way of the mess hall."
MacAuliff licked his lips, then gnawed on his lower one. "Cap?"
"We have to be certain…"
"Bob, it's one point three!"
"I'm getting a reading now, too!"
"Okay, both of you, get your asses back here *now*!"
"Roger that, Jim!"
"I'm on my way!"
MacAuliff let out a sigh. He jumped when Barnes touched his
shoulder, then gave a rusty chuckle. "There's nothing you can do here,
Danny. Wait back with the others."
"Please, can I just wait until Ken and Eddie are
here?"
"Sure." It was Jim who gave the approval.
"But once they show up, I want you out of here."
"Yes, sir." Barnes' smile was grateful.
Connor picked up a cleaver and weighted it in her hand.
"This reminds me of when we played tag with Rommel in
There was the of pounding footsteps, and Dykes and Erickson
nearly collided at the junction of the two corridors. They were both breathing
more heavily than the brief run would have accounted for.
"Thank god you're safe!" Barnes' broken arm made
hugging them awkward, but the other men found a way around it.
MacAuliff ruffled the younger man's hair. "Get out of
here, Danny." He sent him back to the generator room with a swat to his
seat.
"Let's take up our positions."
We walked past the junction.
"Chief, I just had a thought. Get one of the fire
extinguishers. A shot of CO2 in that Thing's eyes might blind it, might give us
an edge."
"Gotcha."
Sounds of muted fury could be heard at the far end of the
corridor, behind the barricaded door to the mess hall. I glanced back over my
shoulder and nearly stumbled.
The door seemed to disintegrate in a shower of splinters,
and the wood that had been hammered across the doorframe to secure it
disintegrated as well. The Thing stood there, once again backlit by the lights
in the mess hall.
Somehow I managed to get myself moving again. I ran into
the generator room.
"What's going on?" "Is anyone hurt?"
"Tell us!"
"It's just shredded the mess hall door. Where's the
goddammed fire extinguisher? I know I saw one…"
"It's right here, Blair." Dr. Carrington's voice
was soft, and I saw it next to the squat generator. I hurried to get it.
The next thing I knew, the lights went out, and a gun was
digging into a spot just behind my ear.
"Bob! Bob!" Barnes dashed out though the door.
"Carrington's turned off the generator!"
I could hear shouts, Jim's voice dominating the others.
"Ken, Eddie, keep that Thing distracted!"
"What are you doing, Dr. Carrington?" I asked as
calmly as I could.
"Captain Ellison may be willing to disobey a direct
order from his commanding officer, but once he knows that I will have no qualms
in blowing your head off, I believe he'll obey *me*."
"What are you talking about? Ellison and I barely know
each other."
"Do you think I'm so blind I don't see what's going on
in my own research station? I've seen the way that officious excuse for a member
of this country's military has looked at you, Doctor. I've seen men dying of
thirst look at an oasis that way. Oh, yes. He'll want to keep you safe."
He ran the barrel of the gun almost caressingly over my
skull. The sight caught on strands of hair restrained by the tie, and I
struggled not to flinch as he inadvertently yanked at the roots.
"Dr. Carrington, you don't want to do this."
Simon's voice placed him somewhere to our left, not a good position. Carrington
was right-handed.
"Of course I do, you stupid man." He cocked the
gun.
I swallowed. Someone was in the right position, but now,
with the gun ready to fire, it did me no good. "You think that he'll risk
the fate of this world for me?"
"You're being melodramatic, Doctor. However, I have no
doubt about it. Ah, you see?"
"Dr. Carrington." Jim stood in the doorway; all I
could make out was his form, but for a second I would have sworn he was clad in
white armor. "Why don't you put the gun down, and we can talk about
this." He took a step forward.
"Stay away. Stay away." He was becoming agitated,
and I stopped breathing.
"Dr. Carrington! Dr. Carrington!" It was Jim's
ex-wife. "Please! It's dark! I'm so frightened! Protect me!" She threw
herself at us, and Carrington growled and tried to shove her away. "Daddy!
Daddy!" She clung to his arm, sobbing, and abruptly the growl turned to a
yowl of pain.
"The bitch bit me!" He flung her away from him,
but her ploy had given me the chance to elbow him in the gut and jerk free.
Someone found a flashlight and switched it on. I could see
figures crowded around the walls.
"I've got him!" Simon panted.
The flashlight swung around to illuminate the two
struggling men, but Carrington was no match for the taller man.
"Someone get that generator started again!" Jim
barked. His eyes found me. "Chief…"
"Go. I'll get the fire extinguisher and be right with
you."
The sudden darkness, and then the abrupt light, must have
confused the Thing for the precious seconds we needed. MacAuliff, Erickson, and
Dykes, shoulder to shoulder, formed the first line of defense. Behind them were
Taggart and Connor.
Taggart glanced over his shoulder. "Jim. Thank god! I
wasn't relishing facing this Thing in the dark!"
"I wouldn't have let it hurt you, Taggart."
Connor flashed him a surprisingly flirty smile.
"Thanks, sweet thing. That makes me feel all warm and
fuzzy."
"It should. It's not every bloke I'm willing to forgo
a picture for."
"Now that really does make me feel …"
"Look sharp, men, it's on the move!"
The Thing had stooped to pick up a two by four that didn't
appear to have sustained any damage. It came toward us, slightly hunched, its
steps deliberate. Those eyes…
From the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of movement, and
Dr. Carrington darted past us to confront the Thing.
"No! You must listen to me! I mean you no harm, but
they… They'll kill you if they can! I want to learn from you! I'm you're
friend! Please, you must listen, you must understand…"
We stared in numb horror as the Thing turned those eyes on
the scientist. Carrington took an involuntary step back, then stopped and held
out his hands in supplication.
"Please! You're wiser than us, you can teach us so
much! Can't you understand? You *must* understand! I'm a scientist who is
willing, no desperate to learn from your wisdom! Why can't you
understand…"
The Thing bent closer as if to hear better the pleading
words of Dr. Carrington. It drew its arm nearer to its body, then lashed out,
catching the scientist across the chest and sending him crashing backward
against a far wall.
"Holy shit!"
"Yeah, Connor, you got that right!"
It was coming toward us again, and we began backing away
from it.
"It's off the walkway. We have to have it on the
walkway for the electricity to do any good!" For the first time I heard
fear in MacAuliff's voice.
It continued stalking us. Those eyes… Vicious, malicious,
hate-filled…
My hands clenched, and metal bit into them. The fire
extinguisher. I'd forgotten it completely. I sent it skidding parallel to the
wooden walk. The Thing made that high-pitched mewling sound and jumped out of
the way.
Onto the walk.
The fire extinguisher bounced and rolled on past it.
"Get back quick!" Jim ordered, and we all
retreated to the spot where the switch was hooked up. He picked it up and
waited.
"Jim, make sure you've got your senses dialed
down!"
He gave a short nod, never taking his eyes from our enemy.
"Not yet, Jim. Not yet… "
The Thing reached the junction, and those eyes seemed to
glow with gloating triumph. It took another step, another, and…
"NOW!"
Jim threw the switch, and the connection was made. Arcs of
electricity leaped from the wires and cables, attaching to the Thing's
extremities. Smoke began to curl from the tips of its many-fingered hands, from
its feet, from those eyes.
And that sound, that horrible mewling sound…
Dykes turned away, sickened. "Stop."
"No," I said. "Don't stop. We don't want its
kind here, we don't want anything left." I rested my hand on my lover's
shoulder.
The fluid that was the Thing's lifeblood, sap, whatever,
hissed and popped and evaporated, and it shrank, becoming smaller and smaller.
That porous, unconnected tissue burned to ash. The smell
was on the pleasant side, reminding me of a root plant that grew in the Amazon.
It would be buried in an ash pit and roasted slowly for hours.
"Not so tough now, are you, you alien fuck!"
"Connor! My ears!" But Taggart's arm was around
her shoulder, holding her close to his side. She leaned against him. "Get
your picture this time, girl?"
She tipped her head back to answer him, but his lips
swallowed whatever she was going to say. She sighed into his mouth and curled an
arm around his neck.
Her camera fell to the wooden walkway with a clatter. The
back snapped open, and film spilled out in a curl of shiny black.
The two broke their kiss and stared down at it. "Aw,
geez, Connor. I'm sorry. Your film…"
"Doesn't matter, Taggart." She stroked her
fingers over his face, and I didn't need sentinel senses to hear the rasp of his
beard. "I was so busy watching that Thing fry, I forgot to take the
picture."
****
It wasn't surprising, not when you stopped to consider
everything that had been going on, that we'd lost track of time.
The Arctic night was falling.
In an unexpected turn of events, the storm that I'd been
willing to bet was one of those three-weekers petered out.
"Could that Thing have had something to do with
it?"
It was a good thing my question was rhetorical, because no
one had an answer for it.
Simon looked over his men. They were already bundled in
parkas, scarves, caps, and gloves. He rolled the fat cigar between his teeth and
nodded. "All right, let's go see what that Thing did to the fuel
line."
Minutes later, "Blair!" My name seemed to echo
through the station.
I went to the intercomm and keyed it. "Yeah,
Simon?"
"You better get up here. It looks like you've got
company!"
My heart tripped into overdrive. Had our Eskimos not
been far enough away in time? But when I got there I breathed a sigh of relief.
It was the sled dogs. Apparently they'd been hovering by
the outer door, and once it was opened, they bolted into the upper corridor. I
approached them, crooning.
Ikuma, the lead bitch, hackles raised, teeth bared, growls
spilling from curled lips and head extended, sniffed my hand, and I wondered
about her caution.
A couple of days later I did a necropsy on the carcass of a
dog that had been found ripped to pieces. Porous, unconnected cellular tissue…
The dogs followed me back outside, and I chained them up
for the night, away from the blood-stained snow where they'd first encountered
the Thing. Before we left, I would see that they were given to our Eskimos.
With a final look to make sure they were settled, I went
back into the station.
Simon and his men did whatever needed to be done to get the
oil running again, and while the station was slowly warming up, everyone still
wore their outer gear.
"Blair."
"Yes, Dr. Chapman?"
He and some of the other scientists were preparing to go
into the greenhouse to retrieve the bodies of our colleagues and the security
men.
"Would you mind seeing how Esther is doing?"
I looked past him to the darkened greenhouse. I'd been
dreading seeing the condition of the bodies. "Are you sure…?"
"Please." His hand on my shoulder was comforting
and warm.
I gave a jerky nod and licked my lips. "Yes,
okay."
"Go along now, son."
I squeezed his arm in thanks and left, my pace not quite a
run.
Mrs. Chapman looked up when I entered sick bay. "Hi,
sweetie." Her words were as weary as her smile.
"Hi, Mrs. C. How are you holding up?"
"Not too badly."
I looked around at the occupants of the beds. "Where's
Barnes?"
"He wanted to go back to his own quarters."
"And you let him?"
"That's what Sergeant MacAuliff said." She gave a
small laugh. "He was… indignant… when he came to see how Danny was
doing and found I was going to let him go. Danny really didn't need to be kept
here; his break was a simple fracture. I gave him something for the pain, and
the sergeant said he'd go back to his room with him and keep an eye on
him."
"I imagine he will." I also imagined that if
MacAuliff's quarters hadn't been destroyed, that's where Barnes would have wound
up for observation, instead of in his own room. But either way, MacAuliff would
be with him.
She saw my eyes go to Dr. Stern. "Josef seems to be
rallying, although it's still touch and go. Captain Ellison says we'll be able
to fly him out first thing tomorrow morning."
"And Dr. Carrington?"
"He's got a shattered clavicle, and when he regains
consciousness, he's going to have a massive headache."
"He'll be getting off better than he deserves, then. I
don't understand how he could value acquiring knowledge over the well-being of
the human race."
She patted my shoulder. "I believe sleep deprivation
had something to do with his obsession, although not everything. The acquisition
of knowledge has always been be-all/end-all to Arthur. All that he did, that he
was willing to do… It's sad, really, because he probably won't remember a…
thing."
"Lucky him. I'll be having nightmares for the rest of
my life!" I watched as she dug her knuckles into the small of her back and
arched to ease the kinks. I stood behind her and began to massage her shoulders.
"That feels good, sweetie. Thank you."
"Mrs. C, will you and Dr. Chapman stay here?"
"I don't think so, Blair. I have a feeling that when
the government learns what went on up here, this station will be closed down.
You know they were never enthusiastic about Arthur's choice of locale to begin
with. And there are people who will be very happy to see him get what they feel
are his just deserts."
"Any idea what you'll do?"
"Hugo's had an offer to meet with Clayton
Forrester."
"Of Pacific-Tech? I'm impressed!" Forrester had
quite a reputation in his own field, astro- and nuclear-physics, and was doing
some pretty important work on atomic engines. There had been an article about
him in Time Magazine.
Mrs. Chapman smiled, remembering. "He was a student of
Hugo's years back, when a friend asked Hugo to cover a course for him one
semester. Quite a brilliant man, even then, and he wants Hugo to work with
him."
"That's great, but… What about you? You don't expect
me to believe you'll be willing to sit at home listening to The Romance of Helen
Trent and Young Dr. Malone, and eating bonbons."
"No," there was amusement in her voice,
"Hugo is the one with the weakness for bonbons, although I used to be very
fond of soap operas." She grew serious. "I'm sure I'll be able to find
a hospital with a modern enough outlook that will hire a female medical
doctor."
"Just don't hold your breath." "I just won't
hold my breath."
She sighed and gazed around at the somber walls of sick
bay. "Do you know what I find… amusing? All the scientists who backed
Arthur in his plan to grow those Things are swearing now that we've
misunderstood the situation completely."
"What, that they had no intention of letting things
get out of hand and were on the verge of informing Dr. Carrington that he was
making a serious error? Voorhees, Laurenz…" I grimaced, his name a bad
taste in my mouth. "They should all get their asses kicked!"
"Yes, and I'll be the first in line." Mrs.
Chapman turned to face me, looking more tired than I could ever remember seeing
her. "The two security men, Raleigh and Winston, had no one, you know, but
I'll have to inform Dr. Auerbach's daughter. And Helen Olson…" She shook
her head. "We're fortunate our losses weren't greater."
"Yes. And when you stop to think about it, if we *hadn't*
been here…" We both shuddered.
"Dr. Sandburg."
"Miss Plummer." I turned to her with some relief.
I didn't want to dwell on how this could very well have been the beginning of
the end for the human race. "How are you feeling?"
"My head hurts. Mrs. Chapman says I've got a lump on
the back of my head the size of a yam! I guess it kind of goes with this."
She touched the bandage on her temple. "I'm sorry about what happened in
the generator room before. I hope you weren't too frightened."
"Of course I wasn't frightened." I'd only been
scared spitless.
"I really did know what I was doing, you know."
"Did you?" That gun could have gone off and blown
my head to smithereens.
Jim's ex-wife offered a smile that took me aback with its
sweetness. "You see, I had a friend who taught me how to use a
pistol."
"Oh?" My voice was chill. A *male* friend?
If she'd screwed around and hurt Jim…
"Samantha Charles was the champion female sharpshooter
of a local pistol range." Her smile dimmed for a second. "She was a
good friend. Anyway, I knew the safety catch was still on Dr. Carrington's
gun."
"Oh. Well." *Samantha*?
Was this the 'Sam' she'd said she wanted? I pushed the thought aside for
consideration at another time. "Um… thank you, Miss Plummer."
"You're welcome, Dr. Sandburg."
"Well, uh… " I looked around, floundering.
There didn't seem to be anything else to say.
Mrs. Chapman broke the silence before it could become even
more uncomfortable. "Will
you be going with Captain Ellison when he and his men fly out tomorrow,
sweetie?"
"No, I have to wrap up my work here first. Most of it
is just scut work, but I can't walk away from it. Most likely I'll leave within
the next week or so. "
"I guess in that case we'll be seeing quite a bit of
him."
I ducked my head, feeling a blush rise up to my hairline.
Jim had opened his mouth to object when I'd told him I couldn't leave yet, but
I'd taken the opportunity to kiss it closed. 'It's my work, Jim,' I'd told him,
and he'd agreed reluctantly.
'I'll talk General Fogarty into letting me make the flight
runs up here.'
'I'd like that.'
'I kind of thought you would.' And he'd kissed me this
time.
Carolyn Plummer's forehead wrinkled. "Why would Jimmy
fly up here?"
Mrs. Chapman patted her hand and ignored the question.
"Blair, I understand that Captain Ellison and his men are in the radio
room. Why don't you bring them some coffee? I'm sure they could use a caffeine
boost."
"I was going to ask if you needed to be spelled, Mrs.
C."
"I'm fine, sweetie. Things are quiet enough now. You
go on." She gave me a kiss and a final hug, and I headed for the mess hall
to see about the coffee.
The support staff had found a door from somewhere. It had
been re-hung to open in.
I hadn't been in the mess hall since… I ran a hand over
my face, finding it difficult to remember exactly when. It felt like forever
ago.
And then I did recall. I'd gone with Jim and his men to get
their damp flight suits. Half-filled coffee cups had been scattered on the
tables, a forgotten sandwich, an apple with a bite taken out of it.
Afterwards, when the final attack began, it had sounded as
if the Thing had run amuck in the mess hall, and I was reluctant to see the
damage it had sustained; I steeled myself and pushed the door open.
The hole the Thing had cut in the outer wall was being
repaired. Meanwhile, the Arctic wind blew in around the edges.
Lee was swearing in a Cantonese monotone while he and his
boys swept up broken crockery and pots that had been crumpled between impossibly
powerful hands and tossed aside in inhuman fury. A couple of tables and some
chairs had also been destroyed.
When one of the men saw I was going to check the rec room,
he stopped me. "I'd better warn you, Dr. Sandburg. There's a lot of
damage."
That was an understatement. I stood in the doorway and
tried to catch my breath. The destruction of the room had been wanton and
systematic. The chess pieces had been broken in two, the Monopoly board had been
sliced into strips of cardboard, and the deck of cards Taggart and
Connor had been using was so much confetti; books had been ripped to shreds;
furniture had been smashed. The only things that appeared to have escaped were
the Monopoly pieces Mrs. Chapman and Barnes had selected.
I turned away, stunned by the magnitude of the hatred
displayed. "What a… " It took a second for me to pull myself
together. "What a mess."
"That Thing rucky I no see what it do to my kitchen,
Brair. I fix him wagon good, I tell you!"
"I believe you, Lee."
"We fix soon, then get dinner started." His
matter-of-fact attitude helped steady me.
"Do you have any coffee? I'm heading for the radio
room, and they could probably use a cup."
"That first thing I make." He gestured toward the
stove. There were four coffee pots perking away. "You take one." He
paused in his cleanup and watched as I stacked cups and picked up a pot. "I
hear Captain Errison in radio room." He smiled and shooed me out.
If Lee was aware of our feelings for each other, then most
likely the entire station was aware. I sighed. I'd always tried to be so
careful. I wondered how Jim would react to the knowledge that our affair was
common knowledge.
And how long would it be before the military became aware?
If push came to shove, I was sure he would resign rather
than wait to be dishonorably discharged, but what if afterwards he was unable to
find a job?
I'd take care of him.
I lost myself in a daydream of my lover being kept by me.
I'd come home from a long day slaving over a hot microscope to find him sprawled
on our bed, on satin sheets, or maybe silk, something that would be smooth and
soft against his bare skin. He'd give me a slow, slumberous smile and reach for
me, and…
If my hands hadn't been full, I would have unzipped my parka.
When had Simon got the heat in the station up so high?
****
Extra chairs had been brought in, and the room was crowded.
Erickson was sitting on his spine, his long legs stretched out in front of him.
"God, I'm glad this is all over!"
"Mmm." Jim, his elbows propped on his knees, his
chin in his hands, and his eyes closed, was looking exhausted. His nose
twitched. A smile curled his lips. Eyes still closed, he murmured, "Hi,
Chief."
"Hi, Jim. I brought some coffee."
"I'll have some." "Me, too." "And
me." "So will we."
"Good thing I brought plenty of cups." I set them
down on
Dykes took a couple of cups and went to sit next to
Erickson.
"Not a problem,
"Thanks, girl." He accepted the cup, then wrapped
his other hand around her leg and rubbed his thumb over her knee.
She reached out and traced the curve of his ear.
There were assorted clearings of throats. Connor glanced
around coolly. "Problem, gentlemen?"
"Nope." "No problem that I can see."
"Uh, no."
"I didn't think so." She sat down next to Taggart
and brought her cup to her lips.
"You're a pistol, Connor."
"You've got that right, mate."
Jim had opened his eyes and was watching me. The caress was
almost palpable, and I shifted to ease the sudden constriction of my pants.
"Anything left of our visitor?" I handed my lover
his cup and sat down in the chair he'd pulled up beside his.
"Not a thing." Jim took a deep swallow, then
grimaced as his mouth registered the heat. "You could have warned me,
babe!"
"Hey, you're the sentinel!" I dropped my voice to
a teasing whisper. "Does this mean the honeymoon is over?"
"Not in this century, Chief. Not ever, if I can help
it."
"Jim!" I could tell from the way his nostrils
flared that he could smell my desire.
It was going to be interesting living with this man. He'd
know if I was upset, if I was scared, if I was horny… He smiled, and I coughed
lightly and resumed speaking in a normal tone.
"So… uh… everything was destroyed?"
"Yeah." There was harsh satisfaction in his
voice. "Dr. Carrington's garden in his laboratory, what that Thing was
growing in the greenhouse…" His look became grim. "They'd reached
the size of one of your husky dogs, Chief."
I felt cold. "That fast?"
"Yeah. And the sounds they were making… We burned
everything to ash. The arm too." He took another swallow of coffee to hide
how disturbing the memory was. "How's Carolyn?"
I accepted the change of subject. "She's doing well.
She's got a lump on the back of her head the size of a yam, but Mrs. Chapman
says she wasn't even concussed this time. I'll tell you something, Jim. I'm
gonna be glad to get out of here. It's just too damn cold!"
"Captain Ellison, I've managed to reach
And Jim was all business. "Thanks,
"You need some sleep, Jim."
"It'll have to wait until the General is done chewing
on my ass, Chief."
"Your quarters are a disaster."
"Yeah."
"We've got someplace to stay, Cap." Erickson
peeled open an eye. Dykes yawned.
"You two are finished here. Why don't you get some
shut-eye?"
"Thanks, Jim. You're a good man." Dykes paused
for a beat, then continued. "We couldn't leave before we found our captain
a place to sleep, though."
"Why don't you let me worry about that?" Two sets
of eyes settled on me, and I could feel myself blushing.
"Fine by us, Doc. Jim, we're gonna see if we can
scrounge up a bite in the mess hall, and then hit the sack."
He waved them out of the radio room.
"You will need a place to sleep, Jim."
"You have someplace in mind, babe?"
"Could be."
"Any reason why I can't send my story now,
Captain?"
Jim sighed and looked at Connor. "What the hell. They
can only court-martial me once." He sat down again.
Connor began speaking into the mic. "Hey, Sparky, are
there any reporters there?" Her grin confirmed the affirmative. "All
right you lot, this is Megan Connor reporting from Polar Expedition 6 at the
North Pole. Flash! Here at the top of the world, the first invasion by an
intergalactic foe has been beaten back by a handful of soldiers, civilians, and
scientists, although not without casualties to our own meager forces. Noah once
saved our world with an ark of wood. Earlier today, a similar service was
performed with an arc of electricity. Before I go into the details, I'd like to
introduce some of the key people involved in this battle, but Captain Jim
Ellison, the ranking military officer, is attending to matters above and beyond
the call of duty."
Jim had slouched back in his chair. His eyes were closed
and his coffee cup was in danger of tipping. I took it from relaxed fingers,
smiling as he uttered a soft snore.
"I would also like to call Dr. Arthur Carrington,
leader of the scientific contingent, but he is recovering from injuries suffered
in the battle."
"Good for you, girl." Taggart murmured in
approval. The truth of the scientist's folly wasn't something the general public
needed to know. There would be time enough to reveal his actions at a later
date.
"Before I go into the details of this battle, I have
an urgent message for all of you, for all the people of the Earth!
"*Keep
watching the skies*!
"Keep looking, keep watching…"
****
As Mrs. Chapman had predicted, Dr. Carrington's research
station was shut down. It broke him, or maybe it was looking into that Thing's
eyes that had done it. He had the appearance of a man at least twenty years
older; his eyes had become vague, and his mind persistently wandered.
What was so sad was that all his former brilliance would
forever be overshadowed by one gross misjudgment.
Jim and his men were pronounced heroes and were summoned to
The rest of us had to make do with a civilian ceremony in
Cascade.
And because he was such a hero, the military accepted Jim's
explanation when he bought a loft on the third floor of 852 Prospect, and I took
a teaching position at
Just a couple of guys bach-ing it.
Just a couple of guys…
"Hi, Jim. Tough day?"
"Strange day, Chief." He curved his hand around
my neck and pulled me in for a long, slow, deep kiss. We were both breathless by
the time he was done. I was reaching for his fly when he said, "A letter
from Carolyn arrived at the base."
"Oh?" I asked cautiously. The last we had heard,
Jim's ex-wife had moved east, to DC. Why was she contacting Jim now?
"She sounds like she's enjoying
"So she plans on staying there?"
"I think so. I thought she was writing because she
wanted to ask for another chance, but she says… wait a second, let me find
it." He took a sheet of lavender paper from inside his jacket pocket. The
odor of lilacs wafted up from it, and he sneezed.
"Bless you."
"Thank you." Oh, that smile! "Where was I?
Oh, yes. She says, 'I've found a wonderful job that pays well for this town, and
just the other day I ran across an old friend, Jimmy. Samantha was surprised to
see me, but very glad. We went out to dinner and talked for hours. It seems
things are so costly here in
"I don't suppose she said you could stop sending
alimony now."
"Why would she?" Jim looked confused. "It's
not as if she's getting married, Chief."
"No, I guess not. But … Never mind." As long as
she stayed a continent away from my lover, I wouldn't begrudge the cost.
"Uh, Chief, do you think that was an awful lot of
information to give an ex-husband?"
"It struck you that way too, Sherlock?"
"Yeah. Do you think Carolyn and this Samantha might
be…" He waggled his eyebrows.
"I think you might be right, Jim. Hey!"
He'd caught me around the waist, and we landed on the sofa.
He got my pants down around my hips and took my half-hard dick into his mouth.
Before I lost all coherent thought, it occurred to me that
if Carolyn Plummer and Samantha Charles were half as much in love as I was with
Jim, they were damned lucky.
****
"Hi, Chief. Hard day?" Jim had gotten home before
me. He handed me a bottle of beer.
"What tipped you off?"
"I could hear you pounding up the stairs. You only do that when something's
made you so mad you want to slam the door, but you won't slam the door because
you know it would hurt my ears, so you burn off steam running up the three
flights of stairs instead."
"I'm that easy to read?"
"Blair, if I can't read my guide, I'm really not much
of a sentinel. How about telling me what's lit your fuse?"
"That bastard, Stoddard!"
"Your mentor? I thought he'd left
"Yeah. He was so kind as to sponsor me for his
position. Kind my ass. You know what he did?" I didn't wait for Jim to
answer. "He used all the information I'd amassed, all the research I'd
compiled. and wrote The Watchman!
'Watchman' my… That's a crock of shit!"
Jim started to chuckle.
I scowled at my lover. "Jim, he's written about a *sentinel*!"
I was gratified to see how he reacted to that bit of news.
"Goddammed son of a bitch! He…"
"That rotten piece of fiction is on the New York Times
bestseller list!"
"Wait a second! 'Bestseller list?' *Fiction*?"
"Yeah," I snarled, squeezing the neck of the beer
bottle as I would have liked… My eyes narrowed, and I could picture my hands
closing around Stoddard's scrawny neck and wringing it. "I trusted the man!
I listened to him, followed his *advice* like a fucking *sheep*!"
"Fiction? Jesus, Chief! I thought you were going to
tell me he'd stolen your research and used it to further his own miserable
career." Jim took the beer from my hand and put it down on the counter.
"Yeah, but…"
"Listen, babe. Stoddard may have a best-seller, but
I'm willing to bet it's going to be a one-shot deal." He looped his arms
around my hips and pulled me up against him. I could feel his erection nudging
me, and my dick swelled to meet him. He leaned his head closer, took my earlobe
between his teeth and bit down gently, and I started to shake.
"Well, yeah, I guess, but…" I became even more
distracted when his lips hovered a hairsbreadth above mine. "Jim..."
"Blair, he's got the book, but you've got the real
thing…" His hands palmed the curves of my ass, and his fingers dug in and
urged me to ride his thigh.
"Jim!" I whispered against his mouth.
"You've got me!"
~End~
