Rebels of the Red Planet Page 2

  2

  Adam and Brute followed Goat Hennessey down the corridor, towering overhim like Saint Bernards on the heels of a terrier. They turned into thedining room, a big square room centered with a rude table and chairs,one wall pierced by a fireplace in which a big cauldron steamed oversmouldering coals.

  The dining room swarmed with a dozen small creatures, human in theirpink flesh, more or less human in their twisted bodies. As soon as Goatentered with Adam and Brute in tow, the assemblage set up a high-pitchedhowling and twittering of anticipation and began beating utensils on thedishes, table and walls.

  "Quiet!" squawked Goat over the tremendous clatter, and the noisesubsided. They stood where they were, bright eyes fixed on him.

  These were "the children." Some of them were humpbacked, like Evan,the one who had carried the message to the tower. Some, like Evan, weregrotesquely barrel-chested, with or without the hump. Some were as thinas skeletons, with huge heads; some were hulking miniatures of Brute.One steatopygean girl was so bulky in legs and hindquarters that shecould waddle only a few inches with each step, yet her head and uppertorso were skinny and fragile.

  Goat sat down at the head of the table, and immediately there was atumbling rush for places. Most of the children sat, chattering, whiletwo of the larger girls moved around the table, taking bowls to thecauldron, filling them with a brownish stew and returning them.

  They ate in silence. When supper was ended, the children scattered, someto play, others to chores. Goat beckoned to Adam and Brute to followhim. He led them down the corridor and into his study.

  Goat turned on the light, revealing a book-lined, paper-stacked roomfocused on a huge desk. He removed his marsuit to stand in baggytrousers and loose tunic. Adam and Brute stood near the door, shiftinguncomfortably, for the study was normally forbidden ground.

  Goat stood by a thick double window, looking out over the desert to thewest. The small sun disappeared beneath the horizon even as he looked,leaving the fast-darkening sky a dull, faint red. Almost as thoughreleased by the sunset, pale Phobos popped above the horizon and beganto climb its eastward way. The desert already was dark, but a stirringabove it bespoke a distant sandstorm.

  Goat turned from the window and faced the pair.

  "Well," he snapped harshly, "what happened?"

  Adam smiled confidently.

  "We did as you said, father," he answered. "We walked to the edge of thecanal, and we walked back. We had no water and we had no air. We did notfeel tired. We did not feel sick."

  "Fine! Fine!" murmured Goat.

  "Father ..." said Brute.

  Goat turned his eyes to Brute, and savage irritation swept over him.With that word, at that moment, Brute gave him a feeling of guiltyforeboding.

  "Don't call me 'father!'" snapped Goat angrily.

  "But you say call you father," protested Brute, the puzzled frownwrinkling his brow. "What I call you if I not call you father?"

  "Don't call me anything. Say 'sir.' What did you want to say?"

  "Father, sir," began Brute again, "Adam forget. Adam fall."

  With a muted roar, Adam swept his powerful arm in a backhanded arc thatcaught Brute full on the side of his head. The blow would have felled anox, but Brute was not shaken. Apparently unhurt, he stood patiently, hisblue eyes on Goat with something of pleading in them.

  "Adam, let him alone!" commanded Goat sharply. "Brute, what do you mean,Adam fell?"

  "We come back. We not far from canal. Adam fall. Adam sick. Adam turnblue."

  "It is lies, father!" exclaimed Adam, glaring at Brute. "It is nottrue."

  "Let him finish," instructed Goat. "I'll decide whether it's true. Whatdid you do, Brute?"

  "I find cactus, father," answered Brute. "I make hole in cactus. I putAdam inside. I put hole back. Adam stay in cactus. Then Adam breakcactus and come out again. We come back."

  Goat cogitated. If Adam had shown, symptoms of oxygen starvation.... Thebig canal cacti were hollow, and in their interiors they maintainedreserves of oxygen for their own use. More than once, such a cactus hadsaved a Martian traveler's life when his oxygen supply ran short.

  He turned to Adam.

  "Well, Adam?" he asked.

  "I tell you, father, it is lies! I do not fall. Brute does not put me inthe cactus."

  "And why should he lie?" asked Goat blandly.

  This stumped Adam for a minute. Then he brightened.

  "Brute wants to be bigger and stronger than Adam," he said. "Brute knowsAdam is bigger and stronger than Brute, Brute does not like this. Hetells you lies so you will think Brute is bigger and stronger thanAdam."

  "I know you are bigger brother, Adam," objected Brute, almostplaintively. "I not try to be bigger. Why you say you do not fall?"

  "I do not fall!" howled Adam. "I do not fall, you stupid Brute!"

  Goat held up a stern hand, enforcing silence.

  "I can't certainly settle this disagreement, but I'd be inclined toaccept what Brute says," said Goat thoughtfully. "You're smart enough tolie, Adam. Brute isn't. The only thing I can do is to run the experimentover. You shall go out again tomorrow, and this time I'll go with you."

  "You'll see, father," said Adam confidently. "Adam will not fall."

  "Perhaps not. But I must be sure. As much as I prefer your more humancharacteristics, Adam, it's entirely possible that Brute has somesurvival qualities that you lack."

  "Is true, father," said Brute eagerly. "Some things kill Adam, they notkill Brute."

  "You lie!" cried Adam again, turning on him. "Why do you lie, Brute?"

  "No lie," insisted Brute. "You know, is true."

  "Lie! Lie!" shouted Adam. "Adam is bigger and stronger! What do you saycan kill Adam that does not kill Brute?"

  "This," replied Brute calmly.

  With an unhurried lunge, he picked up a heavy knife from Goat's desk. Ina single easy movement, he turned and slashed Adam's throat neatly.

  Choking and gurgling, Adam sank to his knees, bright blood spouting fromhis neck, while Goat stood frozen in horror. Adam fell prone, he kickedand threshed convulsively like a beheaded chicken, then twitched and laystill in a spreading pool of blood.

  Brute calmly wiped the knife on his naked thigh and laid it back on thedesk.

  "Adam dead," he said without emotion. "Brute not lie."

  Dismayed fury erupted through Goat's veins and a red haze swept over hiseyes.

  "You idiot!" he squawked. "So that won't kill you?"

  Goaded beyond endurance, Goat seized the knife and swung it as hard ashe could against Brute's neck. It thunked like an ax biting into a treetrunk, biting halfway through the flesh. Brute recoiled at the impact,tearing the handle from Goat's feeble hands and leaving the knife bladestuck in his throat.

  Brute staggered momentarily. Then he reached up and jerked the knifeaway. Blood spurted through his severed throat. Brute clapped a hand tothe wound, tightly.

  For a moment, blood oozed through his fingers. Then, pale but steady,Brute dropped his hand.

  The wound had closed! Its edges already were sealed, leaving a raw, redscar that no longer bled.

  "Brute not lie," said Brute, the words forced out with some difficulty."It not kill Brute."

  Stunned by astonishment and disbelief, Goat stared at him, his mouthmoving soundlessly.

  "Go away," he whispered hoarsely at last. "Go out of here, monster!"

  Obediently, Brute shambled out of the study. As he passed through thedoor, Goat regained his voice and called after him:

  "Tell the children to come and take away Adam's body."

  * * * * *

  Kilometers away, Maya Cara Nome and S. Nuwell Eli rode a groundcar thatmoved swiftly across the interminable waves of the red sand. It swayedthrough hollows and jounced over multiple ridges, Nuwell steering itwith some difficulty. In the steely sky, the small sun moved downward,its brightness unimpaired by the occasional thin clouds which movedbefore it.

  The sun touched t
he western horizon, seemed to hesitate, dropped withbreathtaking suddenness, and the stars immediately began to appear inthe deepening twilight sky.

  They stopped and had a compact meal, heated in the groundcar'sshort-wave cooker. Then Nuwell switched on the headlights and they wenton again.

  Soon afterward, a faint spot of light appeared in the desert far aheadof them. As they approached it, it became a yellow-lighted window in ahuge black mass rearing up against the night sky. They had reached UltraVires.

  Nuwell announced their arrival over the groundcar radio and swung thegroundcar up beside the building's main entrance. He sealed thegroundcar's door to the building air-lock so they would not have to donmarsuits.

  After a few moments, the airlock opened. They passed through it and weregreeted by a skinny, shriveled little man with watery blue eyes and agoatee.

  "I was expecting you, but not tonight," said this person, rather sourly."Well, come on in and I'll have the children fix you something to eat ifyou haven't eaten."

  "I'm S. Nuwell Eli," said Nuwell, holding out a hand which the otherignored. "This is the terrestrial agent, Miss Maya Cara Nome. You areDr. Hennessey, I assume."

  "That's right," said Goat. "Do you want supper?"

  "No, thank you, we ate on the way," said Nuwell. "I'd like to getstarted with the inspection as soon as possible."

  "Inspection or investigation?" suggested Goat, sniffling. "Well, nomatter. I have nothing to hide."

  He led them down a dim, dusty corridor, stretching deep into the darkbowels of the building, and turned aside into a paper-stacked room whichevidently was his study. He went straight to a big desk, sat down,swivelled his chair around and waved them to seats. Nuwell shuffled alittle uncomfortably, then sank into a chair, but Maya remained standingby the door, her small traveling bag in her hand, indignation rising inher.

  "Before you settle down to charts and questions, Dr. Hennessey, do youmind showing us to our rooms so we may wash away some of the traveldust?" she asked icily, black eyes snapping.

  At this, Goat jumped to his feet, sincere contrition in his face wipingout all traces of his irritated gruffness.

  "I'm very sorry!" he exclaimed. "I hope you will forgive my manners, butI've lived and worked here alone in the desert so long that I hadforgotten the niceties of civilization."

  This apology cleared the air. Goat showed them their overnight quarters,adjoining rooms which were not luxurious but were reasonablycomfortable, and after a time the three of them congregated once more inGoat's study, all of them in better humor.

  "Let us have some wine first," suggested Goat. "This is very good redwine, imported from Earth."

  He went to the door and shouted into the corridor.

  "Petway!"

  Goat returned to his chair. A few moments later, a twittering noisesounded in the corridor, then a horrible little apparition appeared inthe door. It was a child-sized creature, naked, grotesquelybarrel-chested and teetering on thin, twisted legs. Its hairless headwas skull-like, with gaping mouth and huge, round eyes.

  Maya gasped, profoundly shocked. The little creature looked more like aminiature Martian native than a human, but the Martians themselves werenot so distorted. She saw her own shock reflected in Nuwell's face.

  "Petway, get us three glasses of wine," commanded Goat calmly.

  Petway vanished and Goat turned briskly back to his guests.

  "Now," he said, "I shall outline the progress of my experiments to youand answer any questions you may have."