Джек Макдевитт - Cryptic - The Best Short Fiction of Jack McDevitt

“I’ll show you how. But I want a guarantee I’ll be released.” Not that I expected a guarantee would help, but it was something.

Pierik showed me the tensor. Pointed it at me, face level. The guards behind me, who could see nothing between themselves and the muzzle, got nervous and tried to clear a space. “You will do as I tell you. You are an intruder, and I will not bargain with you.”

He had a point. “I can’t do it with my hands tied.”

Pierik signaled the captain. Someone cut me free. But they kept my arms pinned.

“Very good. Now, let’s see what you look like.”

I took a deep breath, got my hand on the buckle control switch, and turned off the lightbender.

Pierik’s eyes went wide and changed to a deep violet. He made a sound like someone who had just come unexpectedly on a snake. The guards let go and jumped back, and I almost got free. But they recovered and seized me again.

He studied me for a long moment. “Well, Night Rider, you are an ugly creature, are you not? Tell me again where you come from.”

“—An island in—”

It was as far as I got. Pierik struck me with the gun barrel. “You are going to have a difficult evening. Do you want to tell me the truth? Or would you prefer I send you downstairs for a while?”

What was downstairs? Gestapo headquarters? “I have told you the truth, Pierik.”

He leaned back against the table and looked at Shola. “Counselor, do you think it possible so ugly a creature could have been born on this world?”

Shola was not young. As they aged, Noks lost their glossiness. Shola’s hands and mask were rough and worn. “Where else could he have come from, Kahba?”

“I think he is a visitor from another place. Another world.”

“But there is no world beyond Inakademeri.”

Pierik pressed his hands together. The digits were long and looked more like claws than fingers. “How do we know that is so?” His eyes reverted to green. Green like the end of summer. “I am indeed sorry that the first visitor to our world insists on behaving in so contemptible a manner. But you leave me no choice. If you will not talk to me, I shall leave the questioning to others.”

“I will talk to you,” I said. “I will tell you something your guards should also hear. You pretend to be a great war leader, but you have no desire to win the war. Or even to see it end.”

Pierik hit me again.

“You use it to stay in power. To fool—.”

The third blow drove me to my knees. They hauled me back up.

Without meaning to, I slipped into English. “You don’t give a damn about anybody, you son of a bitch.”

It didn’t matter that he couldn’t speak the language; he got the message. But he kept his voice level. “What controls your invisibility?”

I did not like the idea of giving lightbender technology to the monster. I could hear McCarver. I told you so. Damn fool idiot.

“Cathie,” I said. Still in English: “If you’re there, this would be a good time. Do the bombing.”

Pierik signaled the captain, who jammed a rifle butt into my midsection.

“He is dressed oddly,” said Shola. “The technique must be in the clothing. Perhaps the box on his belt.”

Pierik’s eyes flashed. “Well,” he said, “it’s been a long day and it’s getting late. Let’s just kill him and then we’ll see if we can figure it out tomorrow.” He stepped back and looked at the captain. The captain raised his sidearm and pointed it at my forehead.

“No,” said Pierik. “Not here. Take him downstairs, take care of it, and bring me his clothes and anything else you find.”

“Yes, Kahba.” He holstered the weapon and the guards started me toward the door.

I got a glimpse of the vent. “Cathie,” I said, in English, “help.”

Pierik looked perplexed by the strange words. Someone opened the door, and I saw a crowd of Noks standing immediately outside.

At that moment an explosion rocked the room, and they all dived for the floor.

Cathie had the volume at the top of the dial. Klaxons went off and screams erupted. The afternoon attack was doing a rerun. I broke loose, hit the lightbender control, pushed Noks every which way, and ran for my life. Behind me, more bombs were going off. Cathie, when she wanted, could deliver a stunning acoustical performance.

I had expected to find a welcoming committee when I got back to the Sheldrake . I’d expected McCarver to yell and scream and confine me to quarters until transportation home could be arranged. But no one was there when I came in the hatch. I got no summons to McCarver’s conference room, nor even a call on the commlink.

I needed a shower and a change of clothes, but I went down to mission control first. Cathie had someone on the circuit when I went in. She signed off, jumped up, and hugged me. “Hi, hero. Welcome home.”

“Hi yourself,” I said. “Does McCarver know I’m back?”

“He knows.”

“What’s happening?”

“He just got a message from Hutchins a few minutes ago.”

“And—?”

“It was sealed. His eyes only. But I suspect he’ll be calling for you in a bit.” She looked at him. “I’m sorry, Art.”

I shrugged. “I appreciate what you did for me.”

“My pleasure.”

“What took you so long?”

She grinned. “I wanted to start with a bang. Needed a minute to set it up. But I should tell you that was quick thinking on your part. I was trying to figure out what to do when they first caught you and I was about to yell at them when you told me to run the bombing.”

“ Cathie. ” McCarver’s voice on the commlink. “ You know where Kamin-sky is? ”

“He’s here, Paul.”

“ Up forward, please. ”

“You’ll be staying on with us after all, I guess,” he said. “If you want to. Although I can tell you honestly, if you were to decide to leave, I wouldn’t feel badly about it. You’re a loose cannon, Kaminsky.”

I was still settling into my chair. We were in McCarver’s private conference room. “I don’t understand, Paul. I thought I was going to be charged and sent home. Are the charges still in place?”

“They’re in the process of being dropped.”

“Not that I’m complaining, but why?”

He looked ready to explode. “Somebody on this mission has been leaking pictures to the media. People at home sit every night and watch the Noks get killed. And I guess they don’t like it very much. There’s political pressure now. To do something.”

I tried not to smile too broadly. “Are you talking about the reports I’ve been sending back?”

His face was drawn and pale. “You knew it all the time, didn’t you?”

“No, I had no idea.”

He sneered. “Of course not.” Deep breath. “They’re sending out a team. Going to see what they can do about bringing peace to the Noks.” He shook his head. “What a crock.”

“I’m sorry you think so.”

“Yeah. You would be. Maybe you’ll feel differently when someonegets killed down there.” The space between us widened. Became light-years. “It was your girl friend. I can’t touch you , but I can sure as hell get rid of her.”

“You know, Paul,” I said, “if we’re going to step in because of what I did, that means I’ve probably become something of a celebrity.”

“Enjoy it,” he snarled. “It won’t last long.”

“I’m sure you wouldn’t want me sending more material to the media. I mean, how would they react? Heroic woman canned for revealing the truth about Nok? Wouldn’t look good for you. And I suspect Hutchins would not be happy, either.”