The Returned, Part III, Page 4

  “This all sounds fine so far.”

  “Right, but here’s the thing: he’s Si Cwan’s son. Which means that, sooner or later, he is going to take an interest in the individuals of his own race. That he will want to come back here and try to lead them.”

  “We don’t know that for sure.”

  “Yes we do,” she replied. “I’m positive of it. It’s ingrained in his little cerebral cortex. He is going to feel the desire to come to New Thallon and do everything he can to help the citizenry. And when that happens, he’s going to be a fish out of water. An outsider whom the people here will neither understand nor support. If, on the other hand, he grows up here as one of them, then it will give him a lifetime to build up support.”

  “And you will spend your life here as well? Remember, you’re an outsider here, Robin. You are, to the best of my knowledge, the only human here.”

  “Aside from you.”

  “Aside from me,” he admitted. “Are you prepared to sign away the next twenty years of your life supporting a destiny for your son that you can’t really be sure he’ll want to follow? I mean, what if you’re wrong? What if he grows up and can’t wait to get off this rock? Then what will you do?”

  “Charter the first ship that I can.”

  He couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Well, that’s nicely pragmatic of you, at least.”

  She had switched Cwansi to the other breast and now he had finished his morning sustenance. His lips released her nipple and his head slumped back, his eyes starting to glaze over as they customarily did when he was done eating. She laid him gently down on the bed and he simply lay there, gazing openly at the ceiling. “I’m going to grab a shower,” she said.

  “Shall I join you?” asked McHenry. For the most part, he was kidding.

  Instead she stared at him and then smiled. “Yes, please.”

  They made love in the shower, and it was wholly different from what had transpired the night before. It was more intimate, as they had become more used to what each other liked. There had been aggression and energy the first time around; this time it was much slower and more loving.

  It gave McHenry some greater degree of confidence. He had initially been concerned that she had simply seen him as a convenient replacement for her dead husband. Now, as she whispered his name in his ear and then shouted his name loudly, he realized that she was making love to him as he himself, not a substitute for Si Cwan.

  He didn’t believe for a moment that she loved him. That was simply too much to hope for. But there sure as hell was something going through her head that was affection for him, and he was satisfied with that.

  When they were done, he sagged against the wall, gasping for breath. Robin grinned broadly as she stepped outside of the shower, got a towel, and brought it into the stall. She toweled McHenry off and then he took the towel from her and rubbed her down, getting her thoroughly dry.

  “You’re very slender,” she said, looking him up and down.

  “Yes. Why? Is that a problem?”

  “No, not at all. Although . . .” Her voice trailed off.

  “Although what?”

  “Can you change your shape? Remake your body? I’m not saying you should or anything. I was just wondering if you can.”

  “I don’t know. I’ve never tried. Hold on.”

  His face became a mask of concentration as he envisioned himself about a head taller and with a solid set of six-pack abs. Then he looked down and saw that he was unchanged. “I guess not. Sorry.”

  “It’s okay. It’s fine.” She smiled, caressing his face. “It was a stupid question. Let’s get dressed and start the day.”

  They did exactly that, dressing quickly and heading downstairs. With remarkable timing, there was a knock at the door as soon as they reached the living room. McHenry opened it, and Indi Anel was standing there, looking extremely efficient and organized. “Good morning,” she said briskly as she strode in. “I trust you slept well.”

  “Oh yes. Extremely,” said Robin as she prepared coffee. She smiled at McHenry and actually almost giggled.

  Indi looked from her to McHenry. “Ah. I see you copulated. Excellent.”

  Robin almost dropped her coffee mug. “How the hell did— I mean . . . what?”

  “There are some things that it is impossible to hide, especially from someone who is trained to pay attention to the world,” Indi said briskly. “I trust it went well? No complaints?”

  “None that I’d tell you,” said Robin.

  McHenry’s head snapped around. “Wait—what?”

  “Nothing! There’s nothing! I was just . . . there’s nothing, I swear!” Robin actually started to laugh but managed to contain herself. “There was nothing wrong, Mark. With anything. Don’t be so paranoid.”

  “I’ll try not to be,” he assured her.

  “I promise you, had I known this entire conversation would ensue, I never would have said a thing,” said Indi. She was studying her padd. “Your first appointment is in an hour. Will that be enough time for you to prepare yourself?”

  “Yes, of course. I’m certainly well rested enough. And that’s—”

  Suddenly he froze. Robin and Indi both stared at him in confusion. “What’s wrong?” asked Robin.

  “He’s coming,” said McHenry. His face had gone pale for a moment, but then he mustered his willpower. “We’re about to have a problem.”

  “What kind of problem?”

  “Fairly big.”

  Suddenly a swell of blinding light erupted in the middle of the living room. Indi cried out and stepped back, shielding her eyes. Robin stepped back as well, but she didn’t look away. Instead she gaped at it, uncertain of what was happening but positive that it wasn’t anything good. McHenry had no reaction at all. He just stood there, staring at it as if he were observing nothing out of the ordinary. It was hard to tell whether he was truly indifferent to what he was seeing or if he was simply managing to mask his genuine reactions.

  A voice boomed from within the light.

  “I have returned!” it bellowed. “For centuries, your ancestors worshipped me as the Awesome! And now one of my acolytes has prayed for my intervention! I have chosen to honor his request!”

  Two bodies were coalescing in the midst of the glow. One of them was immediately recognizable as Shintar Han. He had a twisted grin upon his face, and it was obvious that he was the acolyte who had been mentioned by their new arrival.

  The other individual looked not like a Thallonian but a human being. He had a head of curly black hair, slightly graying at the temples, and his eyes were closed as he made his pronouncements. “I have been told that there is a child here who has no business being a part of Thallonian society! And I have been summoned here to—”

  “Hello, Q,” said McHenry.

  Q opened his eyes and blinked in surprise. He had been in the midst of his proclamation and had obviously not expected to be interrupted. He stared at McHenry, and shock registered on his face. “McHenry!” he said. “I haven’t seen you since I ran into you and your large, stony companion on the planet Liten. What are you doing here?”

  “Protecting the child that you came to destroy,” said Mark. He nodded toward Robin, who was holding Cwansi tightly in her arms. “I never thought that killing children was something you advocated.”

  “It’s not, typically. But Shintar Han here told me quite the tale. I had to come and see for myself.”

  Han was clearly bewildered. “You two know each other?” Then his gaze fell upon Indi Anel. “And what are you doing here?!”

  “I work for them,” she said.

  “You can’t work for them! You work for me!”

  “You had gone off to bow and scrape before an ancient god!”

  “Who is right here!” said Shintar Han, indicating Q standing next to him.

&nbs
p; Indi looked Q up and down. “This is not a god,” she said disdainfully. “This is not the Awesome.”

  “Actually, I am,” said Q. “Or at least I am the only individual who has ever shown up to claim the title. If you go into your myths of when the Awesome has chosen to intervene in the development of your race, that in fact has always been me.”

  “Am I supposed to believe this?” demanded Indi. “This is a normal human being!”

  “No he’s not,” said McHenry. Slowly he advanced on Q. “Believe me, Indi, he is anything but normal. In fact, if I were you, I would get out of here right now.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” said Indi. “I’m not afraid of whatever tricks he might have to—”

  Q snapped his fingers.

  Indi disappeared. Instead there was a small rabbit where she had been standing. It was pure white with little pink ears. It immediately caught Cwansi’s attention, and he let out a little yowl of joy upon seeing it.

  “What the hell?!” Robin cried out.

  “That should keep her occupied for a while,” said Q with satisfaction. “Do you have any lettuce around the place?”

  McHenry was furious. “Turn her back, Q! Now!”

  “Or what?” said Q, sounding amused at McHenry’s ire. “What will you do to me if I don’t? Seriously, I’m interested to find out.”

  McHenry’s fist was shaking. He stared at the small rabbit with a feeling of extreme helplessness.

  To his astonishment, Q actually sounded sympathetic when he continued: “Come on, McHenry. See if you can transform her back. After all, you have the ability to resist the direct effect of my powers yourself. So you should be able to help her as well.” He cocked his head, looking curious. “Or is it that you can’t? Can it be that you’re able to resist my power but have no idea how you’re able to accomplish it? My, my, this is getting more fascinating by the minute.”

  If there was one thing that McHenry was not remotely interested in, it was providing fascination for Q.

  He stretched out his hand toward the white rabbit and focused his power.

  Nothing happened.

  “Oh, come, now!” Q said. He sounded immensely irritated. “You can do better than that! Your grandfather was a Greek god, or at least he pretended he was. And you have the spirit and abilities of another god dwelling within you. You should be able to do this easily! I mean, is that it? Are you going to allow me to win so handily because you can’t—”

  “Shut up!” McHenry snarled.

  “I can shut up if you’d like,” said Q. His tone had suddenly become rather conversational, as if they were chatting over drinks in Excalibur’s Ten Forward. “Or you can listen to me and learn something. I mean, you may indeed have formidable abilities, but I’ve been around somewhat longer than you have and I might be able to impart some knowledge.” He then folded his arms and stared off into the distance as if he had just lost all interest in what was transpiring.

  Meanwhile, Shintar Han was becoming increasingly upset. “Why are you waiting?” he demanded of Q. “The child and his cursed mother are standing right there! You can destroy them! Why haven’t you destroyed them?!”

  “I was planning to. I still am. But I didn’t know McHenry was going to be here. That raises the situation to a different and far more intriguing level.” Q began to stroll around the living room, idly running his fingers across various surfaces, checking for dust. “Why simply blast them out of existence when we can run some interesting tests on his possibilities?”

  “I have no idea what you are talking about!” said Shintar Han. “The entire purpose of your coming here was to blast them out of existence!”

  Q turned to face him and there was something truly disturbing on his face. “Do not think for a moment to understand the purpose of my coming here. You cannot begin to comprehend my motivations. I go where I wish and do whatever I wish, and there are none who can gainsay me. If you have grown accustomed to breathing, I suggest you ratchet down your frustration level. Do you get what I’m saying to you?”

  “But I—”

  Q’s voice dropped to a low warning. “Do you get what I am saying to you?”

  Something in his tone warned Shintar Han that he was suddenly in trouble. Quickly he reined himself in and nodded. “Yes. I understand, Awesome One.”

  “Good.” Q shifted his attention back to McHenry. “Now you: I want you to restore this young woman to the way she was before I transformed her. It is within your powers to do so.”

  McHenry desperately wanted to ask him how, but he could not bring himself to do so. So he simply stood there, staring at him.

  “Focus,” said Q calmly. “Focus on what you desire. You still don’t understand the depth of your abilities. You have the power to create the world around you that you wish. All you have to do is picture it. Picture this rabbit,” and he indicated the white-furred creature on the floor that was sniffing around the carpet. “Picture it as the young woman that she was before. Imagine her transformation. Create her to be as you want her to be.”

  McHenry closed his eyes, trying to conjure up the image of Indi Anel that had existed before she was changed. Slowly he put her face and body together in his mind, imagining that she was standing in front of him. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly and forcefully decided that she was there.

  “. . . display!” came Indi’s voice.

  McHenry gasped as he opened his eyes and saw her standing there, still waving her finger angrily. She had just finished what she had been saying, but then her voice trailed off as she was about to continue shouting. She blinked and looked around in confusion. “What just happened? Something happened, didn’t it?”

  “Nothing you need concern yourself about,” Q said offhandedly.

  “I did it.” McHenry couldn’t quite believe it. “I actually did it.”

  “Yes, you did,” said Q. “And there is much more that you can do as well. You have great potential, McHenry. But you know what?” He looked around in annoyance. “This isn’t the place for us to discuss it. You need to understand the bigger picture. The business with the baby can wait. We have matters to talk about on a cosmic scale. Come.”

  Q snapped his fingers and, to Robin’s shock, McHenry and Q vanished.

  Shintar Han was left standing there, looking stunned.

  Without a moment’s hesitation, Robin reached around behind her back, produced a phaser, and fired it point-blank.

  It struck Shintar Han squarely in the chest and blew him off his feet. He hurtled back across the living room and crashed into a couch. He hit it with such force that the couch overturned and fell partly on top of him. He lay upon the ground, his eyelids fluttering, and then he lapsed into unconsciousness.

  “Nice shot,” said Indi. She still looked puzzled. “Why do I suddenly crave carrots?”

  Bravo Station

  ELIZABETH SHELBY WAS pacing her office. She could not recall ever pacing her office before. On the surface, it seemed to be a huge waste of time. She was walking in a circle, her arms pumping as if she were jogging somewhere, except that she was going around and around, getting nowhere.

  “Where could I go, anyway?” she demanded of herself. “I’m on a damned space station. Anywhere I go, I’m going to wind up back where I started. It’s just a huge waste of time. That’s all I have these days: time to waste. Time to waste walking in circles and talking to myself. That’s the spirit.”

  Shelby came to a halt and dropped into the chair behind her desk. She ran her fingers through her blond hair and sighed deeply.

  The buzzer at her door sounded. “Come,” she said, not bothering to ask who it was, since she didn’t especially care.

  The door slid open and she sat up in surprise. “I’ll be damned,” she said.

  Katerina Mueller, the captain of the Starship Trident, was standing there. “Greetings, Admi
ral,” she said.

  “Admiral? Seriously? After all this time? Get your ass in here, Kat.”

  Mueller strode in. Shelby came from around the desk and they embraced briskly. Briskly was how Mueller tended to do everything. She stepped back and Shelby indicated that she should sit down, which she promptly did. Shelby couldn’t help but notice that Mueller was sitting ramrod straight in the chair. No doubt a product of her German upbringing.

  “What brings you here, Kat?” asked Shelby.

  “Just stopping in for some brief R & R.”

  “Sounds good. Happy to have you here.”

  Mueller was staring at her in what seemed an odd fashion. “Is something wrong?” said Shelby.

  “I’m not sure. Why don’t you tell me?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Yes you do,” Mueller said slowly. “I’m very good at reading a person’s eyes, Elizabeth. And there’s something in yours. What’s bothering you? I’d like to think that we have a close enough relationship that you can tell me when something is bothering you.”

  Shelby slumped back in her chair and closed her eyes. She had no idea if she should be discussing the current situation with anyone, much less Mueller. But if it was eating at her so much that Mueller could discern it within seconds, then clearly she was having some issues.

  “I tricked Mac,” she said finally.

  “Tricked him? How?” Mueller was sitting forward now, looking puzzled.

  “You’re aware that he effectively fell apart for a few months, yes?”

  “His people were wiped out. Not a surprise.”

  “Well,” said Shelby, rubbing the bridge of her nose in hopes that it would alleviate the headache that was starting to build. “He managed to discover how to track down the race that was responsible for it. The race that not only wiped out the Xenexians but kidnapped Nechayev and who knows how many more.”

  “So what’s the problem?”

  “Apparently they are only accessible through a wormhole in Sector 221-G.”