Earth Alert!, Page 3

  CHAPTER IV

  Calvin practiced teleportation for endless hours. He kept the metal ballForential had given him in almost constant motion.

  He would exclaim delightedly and hurl it toward one of the twenty-sevenother mutants in his compartment. Until the time he hit John in the backof the head with it, his intended victims had always parried it. Johnlay in a pool of blood, and Calvin began to cry--loud, shrill wails ofdespair and contrition. When Forential came, he knew instinctively whathad happened.

  Calvin represented the only failure the aliens had experienced in theirmutation program; ten years ago his mind had ceased to develop. But forForential's intercession, the council would have had him destroyed longago; Forential, like a proud parent, kept hoping to overcome Calvin'sheredity.

  Forential waved his tentacles in exasperation. "You, here, Walt," hesaid. "We'll have to hurry. I'll show you how, and you can do it."

  Walt, the most adept mutant in the compartment, listened attentively andthen began to heal John. His face wrinkled in deep concentration. Fleshcame together; blood ceased to flow; bone knitted. Forential gruntedapproval.

  "Watch Walt, now," the alien instructed. "He's doing it nicely."

  The others, breath held, watched.

  At length John's head was healed. John stirred. He opened his eyes andlooked about angrily. He stood up and hit Calvin in the face with hisfist. Calvin, tears streaming down his cheeks, fingered his nose andsobbed brokenly. He put out a hand to touch Walt reassuringly.

  Walt was his friend.

  Walt--he had no other name--was six feet two inches tall, and, as Juliaobserved, handsome. His parents--he did not know this--were Americans;he had never seen them. He had been stolen from the hospital byForential shortly after he was born. The alien, invisible, had come forhim, clucked softly, wrapped him in a warm, invisible mantle, and takenhim away; and the council of aliens had drawn a line through the namesof another set of parents who had been exposed to the powerful,mutation-inducing field. Walt thought of Forential--in charge of theircompartment--as a friend, as a parent, as a playmate, and as acounselor.

  * * * * *

  Shortly after Walt had healed John, the mutants of the smallercompartment gathered at the observation screen in the floor--or what wasto them the floor: it was actually the broad rim of the wheel. Theycould look down at the screen and see a somewhat flickering image ofEarth lying below their feet.

  "Forential told us we'd get many strange powers...." one said.

  _Just before we went down to the planet_, another completed the thought.

  _It's growing time, then._

  They laughed together with excitement, and Calvin cracked his knucklesnervously.

  "Let's play a trick on Forential," Calvin said. "Let's see if we can gothrough the bulkhead." His face was bright and hopeful. "Let's huh?"

  Calvin raced to the far end of the compartment. "Come on!"

  Like guilty children, they looked at one another. Then a few of themjoined Calvin. _All right, let's._

  "Don't," Walt cautioned. "It's just machinery on the other side."

  _Why can't our thoughts penetrate it, then?_

  _We aren't developed enough_, Walt thought.

  "Huh?" Calvin asked. He began pounding the bulkhead with his fist.

  "No," one of the other mutants said. "Like this." He concentrated andtried to put a hand through the bulkhead.

  _We aren't developed enough._

  Still the mutants continued. Since the aliens had stepped up the powerin the two transmitters (power that closed the final connection in themutants' brains and held it closed) the mutants were able to assault anyproblem with the full potentialities of the human brain. But even thatwas not enough. The aliens had planned carefully in order to keep thetwo mutant groups from discovering each other.

  * * * * *

  Forential came to make a special announcement. He spoke English with anaccent that the mutants (who had learned the language from him) couldnot even imitate. As he surveyed them, his eyes shone with pride: theywere a good, sturdy, healthy lot. "Children," he said. "Earth is now inthe middle of a war. There will be little work left for us withinanother two months."

  Calvin cried and waved his arms wildly and bounced the ball viciouslyaround the room. Every earthman who killed an earthman was depriving himpersonally, of a victim. He wrung his hands.

  "There'll be a thousand or so left, Calvin," Forential promised. "Youmust practice very diligently to be able to cope with them."

  Calvin sniffed and shook his head. "I can kill that many in a minute.You stop the war, Forential, _please_."

  "Think of it this way," Forential said. "The less work there is to do,the sooner you can return to your own planet."

  "There's no earthmen to kill on Lyria," Calvin insisted stubbornly."_Please_ stop the war."

  "I'll see what I can do." The alien smiled kindly. "You have the properspirit. You are all very good children. You hurry, now, and practice allyou can."

  I can see Lyria's star now, Walt thought. We'll be home in another year,then. How welcome that will be....

  He had not broadcast the thought. And suddenly, as if on anotherchannel, another frequency, he felt Calvin in his mind and his mind inCalvin's--an odd, unexpected blending of thoughts that seemingly hadoccurred unconsciously.

  _Forential describes it so it is so pretty, our planet_, Calvin wasthinking: _Green wartle rivers whack throw the ball at him, easy now....God, I hate those earthmen._

  "I'll practice," Walt made Calvin say. He made Calvin hold the ballstationary. Then the contact between their minds was broken.

  "Who did that?" Calvin demanded. "I'll hit him and break all his bones!"

  Forential smiled sadly at Calvin and withdrew.

  "It's nearly time," a mutant rejoiced. "God, I hate them, every one ofthem."

  The mutants instinctively began forming their minds for the deathradiation.

  "They'll issue the rods shortly," Walt said.

  Hatred blazed on Calvin's face. He had already forgotten about thecontact a moment before. "I will kill them even without a rod."

  "The radiation isn't lethal unless we have something to focus it with,remember that."

  "With my hands!" Calvin cried happily. "I will kill them with my hands!"

  Sweat beaded John's face. "There will be enough of killing."

  _It will be great pleasure to hunt them down._

  _They will kill some of us_, Walt thought back. And, to himself: I wishI could be afraid.

  _Not me!_ Calvin thought joyously. It was uncertain when Calvin couldtelepath. _Not me!_

  _They have powerful weapons, too. Atom bombs, they are called. It willnot be easy to kill them all._ This thought came as a reminder from oneof the aliens.

  Calvin moved his powerful hands. "I can kill them all by myself."

  * * * * *

  The smaller compartment, itself, was huge. To the left lay thehydroponics tanks, and to the right, the mutants' cubicles. In thecenter of the compartment was the games space where the mutants boxedand wrestled and exercised with weights. The walls of each cubicle wereso designed as to produce the illusion of great distances. The mutantswould be required to face vast open spaces, and their cubicles partiallyconditioned them for the experience. Huge as their world was, it wasminiscular compared to the one that would confront them.

  Calvin, sitting beside Walt in Walt's cubicle, was trying to express anabstract concept.

  "... Forential is afraid of earthmen," he said. He puckered his face ina frown. "I have just thought of that."

  "Forential is afraid of everything," Walt said respectfully.

  "I remember once when I shoved him he was very afraid. I shouldn'thave," Calvin said, "... it must be wonderful to be afraid."

  "He is more advanced than we are."

  "We can kill earthmen, though," Calvin said. "He's too afraid to; so weget to kill them for h
im."

  "You got it wrong; you always get things wrong. We are killing earthmenfor ourselves."

  "Oh, yes," Calvin nodded. "I forget."

  "Forential is a friend," Walt said. "He helps the Lyrians from thegoodness of his heart."

  "Earthmen are very bad."

  "That's right."

  "They are a great evil," Calvin said excitedly.

  "They must be killed."

  "Yes, yes, yes!" Calvin agreed. "I will kill them with my hands." Hefell silent, thinking.

  "... there is a Lyrian on Earth," Walt said slowly "I have been hearingher thoughts."

  "I can think to you," Calvin said proudly. "Listen." He concentrated.Muscles in his jaws quivered, "... not today," he said sadly. "Mybrain ... sometimes ... you know? ... sometimes...."

  "I am hearing thoughts from a Lyrian on Earth," Walt said in dullamazement. "Do you understand?"

  "No; no."

  "It's a female."

  "All the females are on Lyria.... This is a man's work. We are ... aregoing to fight for females, isn't that right?"

  "I tell you," Walt said, "she's down there. The first time, _I_ thoughtI was mistaken."

  Calvin shook his head and flipped the ball toward an unseen mutant. "Ican do that good," he said. The ball whistled back at him through thecubicle wall--leaving the wall unmarked as the atoms of one passedthrough the atomic spaces of the other. Happily, Calvin stopped it inmid flight.

  "She's down there," Walt said. "I'll have to tell Forential about her."

  Calvin tapped his head and smiled. "I think funny thoughts some times,too. You go see Forential. He can't help, but you go see him, Walt."

  "I wasn't sure until just before you came in," Walt said.

  "You go see him," Calvin said.

  Walt stood up. "I was thinking with her just a little while ago. I don'tunderstand it."

  "I can think to you ... some times."

  "I'll be back," Walt said.

  * * * * *

  At the steel ladder leading up toward the alien section, Walt stoppedand pressed the emergency-audience button. He waited for permission toascend the ladder. Under no circumstance would he have ascended withoutit. The permissive light blinked.

  He began to climb. At the ceiling hatch, he grunted and pressed againstit with his shoulders. The hatch lifted away. He continued upward.Gravity lessened. His feet made soft, rustling noises.

  He paused to rest at the first landing. He was in familiar territory.Fierut let the mutants from the smaller compartment help clean themachinery there every month or so. The air smelled of crisp ozone andhot oil.

  Then as he rested, he saw movement behind one of the huge, softlypurring machines. Although he could not know this, it was a female fromthe larger compartment. Muscles knotting, he waited.

  He saw her again--the merest glint of flesh. She had not seen him. Hehalf crouched.

  It is impossible, he told himself. Only my compartment-mates andForential and others of his race are on the ship.

  Walt did not even think of trying for telepathic contact. Blind hatredovercame him. She's an earthling! he thought instinctively.

  She has been left here for a test; that's it, he thought. Forential istesting me....

  He crept cautiously toward her. Still she was unaware of him.

  I will break her neck, so....

  No, he thought suddenly.

  Forential has brought her here for questioning. He would be angry if Iharmed her. He does not intend it for a test after all.

  He crouched undecided, trying to think. I better leave her, he thought.

  He was motionless, watching. If I killed her, he thought, Forentialmight be angry.

  He slipped silently toward the ladder.

  Perhaps, he thought, Forential will give her to me to dispose of when hefinishes with her.

  He remembered seeing Forential dispose of several captured earthlings.It was a very satisfying thing to watch. Forential promised us some,Walt thought, but he never gave us any. But I guess I was wrong inthinking he was too cowardly to risk another trip to Earth for them....

  Just as he reached the ladder, he whirled. The female had seen him. Shehad started toward him. His eyes sparkled in anticipation.

  _She's a Lyrian!_ he thought in amazement.

  _Damned earthmen_, she thought.

  _No, I...._

  For a long moment they were motionless. Then Walt, keeping a suspiciouseye on her until he was above the second ceiling continued to climb.

  * * * * *

  In the alien compartment, the gravity was so low that Walt almostfloated. He propelled himself toward Forential's cubicle.

  "Come in," Forential said, sensing him. Forential looked up when heentered.

  "I saw a female Lyrian in the machinery room!" Walt blurted.

  There was a moment of silence. Forential's face grew a shade paler."... did she see you?"

  _Of course_, Walt thought.

  It was an effort for Forential to telepath in English. He preferredvocalizing. Staring at Walt with his faceted, unblinking eyes, hethought in his own language, a language earthlings were incapable oflearning: **Lycan, you idiot! You told me the machinery room was clear!One of my charges has seen one of yours!**

  **I have great regret,** Lycan answered. **I, I overlooked her.**

  **We cannot risk the compartments discovering each other.** Forentialthought angrily.

  "This is not all," Walt said. _There is one on Earth!_

  Forential's tentacles stiffened. _What?_ It was almost involuntary:unbelieving: terrified.

  "There _is_ one on Earth. A female."

  **I have regretfully disposed of the one he saw,** Lycan telepathed.**Have you disposed of the one who saw her?**

  **_Send out a call for the Council!_** Forential broadcast hysterically.**One more set of parents than we were aware of was exposed to ourfield! _There is an unindoctrinated mutant on Earth!_**

  "Are you sure?" Forential demanded of Walt.

  "What about the one I saw a minute ago?" Walt persisted.

  "... she came on the last ship from Lyria," Forential lied curtly.

  "Oh? I would like to talk to her. We all would. Can we, Forential?"

  The alien was outwardly impassive. "We'll see. Never mind her right now.Tell me about this one on Earth."

  "I heard her thoughts."

  Forential lay his tentacles on his desk. They scrabbled nervously. "Howlong have you known?" How did she manage to break through our telepathicshielding? he wondered. He made an inward snarl of surprise ... powerfulmind!... Then he went weak with temporary relief: Suppose we hadn'tfound out about her until the invasion? We had to know now while there'stime! How much does she...?

  "Just today, for sure. Once or twice before...."

  Walt told Forential all he knew about Julia. He spoke quickly, and withrising excitement.

  * * * * *

  By the time he was finished, the council had convened. The circuits wereopen. Forential fed them the information Walt had just given him. Theirincomprehensible language crackled beyond Walt's thought range.

  **We must destroy her at once.**

  **Unconditioned! Unconditioned: no telling how much information shehas.**

  A terrified thought: **Danger, danger, danger!**

  Forential's eyes did not leave Walt's face. His thoughts were assessingthe situation even under the force of the shock.... The one called Juliahad to be under the influence of the larger transmitter; all the mutantshad been bred for that frequency. It was only years later that the onesin the smaller compartment had been adjusted to the other frequency. Ifthe larger transmitter were to be shut down, then it would interruptLycan's training schedule for nearly a thousand mutants. But it wouldalso render Julia an earth-normal....

  "... we'll try to teleport her here," Forential said. "You have hadcontact with her. Can you regain it?"

  "I think, yes." />
  "I will explain the process," Forential said.

  "Yes ... yes ...," Walt said from time to time as he listened. He noddedhis head excitedly. "I have it! I understand! I can do it!"

  "You are in contact with her through the shielding? Do not think of hernow. Just touch her. Can you?"

  "Yes," Walt said.

  "You feel the grip on her I explained?" Forential said eagerly.

  "Yes!"

  _Now yank her!_

  Walt yanked.

  Julia didn't budge.

  "... I slipped," Walt said apologetically. Sweat glistened on his upperlip.

  "Try again!" Forential ordered.

  **Cut the power in the big transmitter,** he instructed.

  The aliens had been unwilling to complete their mutations. To do sowould have given the mutants too much autonomy. By arranging to have thefinal effects dependent upon the transmission of certain frequencyimpulses, the aliens could--in the unlikely event of difficulty withtheir charges--reduce them to earth-normals by the flick of a switch. Italso was an arrangement necessary to their invasion plan. The alienswere careful.

  **It's cut.**

  A moment later, Walt said, "She's changed!"

  (The mutants in the larger compartment had ceased to be able to hear orput their hands through walls.)

  _Now!_ Forential ordered.

  A pause.

  * * * * *

  Walt let out his breath in an explosive burst. He shook his head. "It'sno use. I can't."

  Forential's tentacles went limp. He had known it was impossible toteleport higher life forms against their resistance; he had hoped shewould have been caught off guard.

  **Cut the transmitter in again,** Forential thought wearily.

  **_She'll have to be killed_,** Lycan projected with an undertone ofterror.

  **Send him down,** Fierut, the engineer, suggested, trembling in fear.**Since he has potential knowledge of the other compartment, he willhave to be destroyed anyway if he remains. Send him down to kill her.**

  **We can cut off his transmitter when the main force strikes. He can'tdo us any harm down there....**

  "You'll have to go down and kill her," Forential told Walt. "She is aclever, clever traitor...."

  "Give me the focus rod, so I can practice the death radiation with it,"Walt said eagerly.

  Forential answered smoothly, with scarcely an instant's hesitation; butduring that time, he explored the situation and his answer was aconsidered one. "No, you'll have to go unarmed. We can't run the risk ofpremature exposure."

  **Stress that,** the Elder insisted.

  "I can kill earthmen, too?"

  "Just her," Forential said, knowing Walt would obey him. "Just her," herepeated for emphasis. "Remember that. Approach her carefully. Do notlet her suspect what you intend to do. Lie to her, Walt, anything to getclose to her, and then...."

  **I'll get a ship ready for him,** Lycan thought. **And some suitableclothes.**

  "May I tell my mates goodbye?" Walt asked.

  **Don't forget he has seen the one from the other compartment,** theElder reminded Forential sharply.

  "No," Forential lied. "You haven't the time. You must leaveimmediately."

  **Tell him much depends on him,** the Elder thought.

  "I can't overstress the importance of this," Forential said. He too, wastrembling now as he began to see the possible implications; histentacles quivered. His faceted eyes peered deeply into Walt's face. "Itwill be a great service to Lyria and to all the people of your race."

  **It is a good planet,** Lycan thought. **We can't lose it now!**

  **We've already begun to breed for the gravity,** one of the othersthought plaintively.

  **By rights it should be ours.**

  **The air is so good, so rich....**

  **We can't lose it now!** Lycan insisted pathetically.

  **Savages: the thought of the natives horrifies me! _Hurry Forential!_**

  Forential thought to them with all the conviction he could muster:**This child of mine is very adept. He will kill her.**

  "The ship will have to be destroyed as soon as you land," Forential toldthe mutant. "That means you will have to remain until the invasion. Letme review all this again...."

  Walt's hands jerked with nervous anticipation. "I understand,Forential."

  **The ship is ready any time, Forential.**

  "Let me review this again...."

  As Walt listened, he thought; I wonder if earthmen can preventthemselves from being teleported? I hope not. I want to teleport themthis way and that way, from all around me, whenever one comes close tome. It's the easiest way to kill them. It's a shame I couldn't get theone on Earth.... She would have suddenly materialized, bloody, twisted,wrenched, turned inside out--a beautiful corpse; that's what we shoulddo with earthlings, and with traitors.

  **Lycan: Hurry with your charges.**

  **One more week, Elder. And they will be ready to attack!**