Martin Kirk stepped out into a circle of lush vegetation. And in doing
so, he learned something. He learned that the human mind is a far more
adaptable mechanism than most people imagine; that they can pelt you
with goof balls and you get sweat on your lip and have to talk to
yourself to keep from sliding off your rocker, but after a while when
your mind seems half-way over the edge, it straightens up suddenly and
starts going along. A defense mechanism against insanity? He didn't
know.
He only knew that when the tiger roared, he whirled around with his gun
leveled, saw the six-inch teeth, got wholesomely and sanely scared, and
then everything was all right. He knew he was all right when he got the
right reaction from sight of the almost naked girl holding the tiger.
For a long moment it was a frozen-action tableau. The huge orange and
black beast. The wide-eyed young brunette nudist, and the tropical
forest with the great big fat sun overhead. The girl's voice nailed it
all down. "Don't be afraid. Rondo won't hurt you."
Kirk's resentment flared warmly and, had resentment been a tangible
thing, he would have kissed it. "You're tootin' right he won't, sister.
This isn't a toy I'm holding."
"Rondo is very gentle."
Kirk eyed the girl. "Why don't you put some clothes on?"
Her teeth were as bright and even as little white knives but her smile
took the edge off them. "Only people in the city wear clothes. I wear
them when I'm in the city. When I come out here I--"
"--you don't wear any clothes. Tell me--where am I?"
"Don't you know?"
"Let's not play games. If I knew I wouldn't ask you."
"Did you come on the ship?"
"You saw me get out of it didn't you? Now answer my question." And he
realized how certain he was of what her answer would be.
"On Mythox."
"Well fancy that. Now tell me something else. Do you know what language
you're speaking?"
"Of course. English."
"And why should you speak English on Mythox? Haven't you got a language
of your own?"
"Certainly. But you're obviously from Earth. I thought you were a
Watcher. I tried English. If you hadn't responded I'd have spoken to you
in the other Earth languages."
"How many do you know?"
"Eleven hundred and seventeen. With various dialects, four thousand
and--"
"There aren't that many."
She looked puzzled. Then her face cleared. "Oh you mean Earth languages.
I was referring to those of the Five Galaxies."
I'm not going to be surprised at anything, he told himself doggedly. Not
at anything. "Do you know anyone named Naia North?"
* * * * *
There was a childlike seriousness in her manner. It tended to deny the
maturity of her body. Or was it the other way around? Martin Kirk wasn't
sure, and grimly assured himself that he didn't give a damn.
The girl said, "I don't know anyone by that name. But I could find her
for you."
"How would you go about it?"
"I'd go to the city and check the video-directory, naturally."
"Naturally. And you'd put your clothes on before you went?"
"Of course I would. We go without clothing only out here in the
playground."
Kirk realized he'd been holding the gun rigidly in front of him. The
tiger had dropped to the ground and lay outstretched like a lazy,
good-natured dog. Kirk lowered the gun, setting his eyes again on the
girl. "A minute ago you said you thought I was a Watcher. What did you
mean?"
He would have framed his questions with more guile, but something told
him it wasn't necessary. This child of nature was utterly without guile.
She said, "An Earth Watcher. What did you think I meant?"
"I didn't know or I wouldn't have asked."
It clarified. _Dakin is watching._ Sure. What the hell else would a
Watcher do but watch? But why, and for what? Kirk was mystified. But it
didn't matter, he asserted inwardly, and turned his mind back to the
straight line. The cop's line. "Will you put on your clothes and go into
the city and locate Naia North for me?"
"If it will help you."
"It will. Where can I wait for you?"
"If you want to see Naia North why don't you come with me?"
Kirk shrugged. Why not? So long as the score was completely unknown to
him, why not follow the path of least resistance? "Get your clothes on,"
he said.
The girl turned and started leading the tiger back toward a grove of
trees. After a few steps she turned back, a look of sober thought on her
face. "Are all Earthlings so assertive?" she asked. Kirk grinned. As
long as it works, this one is, baby. But what if it stops working? His
reply was not audible and the girl turned finally to disappear into the
bushes.
Kirk then experienced a strange feeling of unreality which persisted
until the girl returned.
* * * * *
"My name is Raima," the girl said solemnly. She wore tight-fitting
trousers, a loose blouse and had a silver colored air car with room in
back for the tiger.
Kirk knew it was an air car when the craft lifted from the ground from
no apparent means of acceleration and skimmed along just above the
trees. He sat beside Raima and asked, "About that ship I came here in?
How fast does it travel and how far is it from Mythox to Earth?"
"The distance is around two hundred thousand light years but the ship
doesn't really travel at all."
"Maybe you could go into a little more detail," Kirk said wearily.
"It's very simple. Distance, as you Earthlings regard it, is not
distance at all. Space bends to a greater or lesser degree depending
upon its immediate function in whatever time-space equation you are
using."
"Thank you very much," Kirk replied and silently added: Keep to the
line. Hold to your own values. On Earth, wherever it is, a man is
waiting to go to the chair for a murder he didn't commit. Use whatever
equation you want to--that still adds up the same. These people may be a
lot smarter than you are, but they can't twist that one and make you
believe it comes out any different.
A strange city of graceful flying spirals was coming over the horizon.
It moved closer and the air car arced in to a halt on a huge cement
landing area punctuated with small circles of a different material.
Raima jumped from the cockpit and Kirk followed to hear the soft thud
of the cat's four paws landing beside him. The cat went over and sat
down on one of the circles. Raima followed, stood beside the animal and
called, "Don't you want to go down to street level?"
"Of course. How stupid of me not to know how."
The circle dropped silently beneath them in a bright metal tube in which
a door soon appeared to let them out into a broad street filled with
casually moving pedestrians. Kirk noted that none of them seemed in any
hurry; that here and there was an individual dressed like himself.
Watchers on furlough or vacation, he thought a trifle bitterly. This
picture was far from complete but enough of it added up to furnish a
name for them. Quizling was a good one. Perhaps traitor was better.
All in all, he found one satisfaction. He could travel about as he
pleased.
A short walk brought them to a huge four or five story wall, the like of
which Kirk had never seen. It was symmetrically covered with small,
opaque, glass windows, beside each of which was a dial not unlike the
ones on Earth telephones. Catwalks of some bright metal covered the
wall. On these catwalks, numerous people were busy with a strange
business Kirk could not follow.
"This is the video-directory," Raima said. She gave no further
explanation, but while Rondo lazily rubbed noses with a bear cub sitting
on its haunches waiting for its master, she spun the dial with practiced
efficiency. "Now, if Naia North is in the city and wishes to see you,
her image will appear in the mirror."
As Kirk watched and the bear slapped the grinning tiger with a playful
paw, the opaque glass cleared and the tall, willowy figure of Naia North
appeared in miniature.
"You may speak in here," Raima said, solemnly indicating a small
screened opening beside the mirror. "My! She's pretty, isn't she?"
Naia North was entirely composed. She wore a pale blue gown and from the
background in the mirror, Kirk gathered that she was at home. "Aren't
you surprised?" Kirk asked.
Now a slight frown creased the lovely Naia's brow. "A little perhaps.
How did you get to Mythox? And why did you come?"
"A slight matter of murder. A murder you confessed to, or has it slipped
your mind?"
"Aren't you being rather absurd? That's all done with."
"Not so far as Paul Cordell is concerned. He's going to the chair--only
he isn't. We're going back and straighten a few things out."
Genuine surprise was reflected now. And possibly a certain contempt. "My
opinion of you lessens. I hadn't rated you as a complete fool. How did
you get here?"
"The same way you did I suppose, is there more than one way?"
Naia's frown deepened. "Do you mean you were _brought_--?"
"Not intentionally, I stowed away on that funny round ship that doesn't
go anywhere and travels far."
The beautiful brow immediately cleared. "Oh, I see," Naia observed with
amusement. "And you know exactly how you'll get me back to Earth I
suppose? Thousands of light years. It's a long walk."
"I'll take one thing at a time and worry about them in order of
appearance. The main thing for you to remember, is this: You may be as
smart as all get out but you broke an American law on American soil by
your own confession and by God you're going back and answer for it!"
"Idiot! I can have you--"
* * * * *
Kirk's mood changed to the quizzical. "It's entirely beside the point,
but still I don't get you, baby. Why the switcheroo? You walked in and
confessed. Then you took a powder. Now you sneer in my teeth. What do
you use for a rudder, sweetheart?"
"I followed orders," Naia flared with a mixture of anger and sullenness.
"I am now free of the assignment."
Kirk pursed his lips thoughtfully. "You wouldn't be sort of a
hatchet-woman for this high-blown outfit, would you? I can think offhand
of a few other names. Karney, Blatz, Kennedy. What gives with knocking
off nuclear physicists, baby?"
Naia did not answer. When she started to turn away from the mirror, Kirk
glanced at the silent Raima standing with her hand on the tiger's head.
"Is there any way I can call on the lady in the mirror personally?"
"Not if she doesn't want to receive you," Raimu said. She was studying
Kirk, with wistful dark eyes.
Naia turned back quickly. "I'll be glad to receive you. It's time I
taught you a lesson."
"Fine. What's your address?"
But Naia was gone. The little mirror turned opaque. Kirk shot a
questioning glance at Raimu. "Does yes mean no on this cockeyed planet?"
"Her car will come." Raima murmured. But the petite dark beauty seemed
interested in other things. "You didn't tell me your name."
"Sorry. Rude of me. It's Martin Kirk. You've been pretty nice to me. I
wish there was some way I could show my appreciation."
"You're going to see Naia North?"
"Yes. She's a murderess. I'm taking her back to my planet."
"I'm afraid that wouldn't be possible."
"You too, honey?" Kirk reached out and flicked one of the raven curls.
"If things were different you and I might be able to have fun."
"I spend a lot of time--where you found me. Maybe--"
"I doubt if I can make it. But keep your clothes on after this--as a
personal favor to me."
She was the very soul of solemnity. "I don't understand you. I really
don't understand you at all."
At that moment, an air car--much smaller than Raima's, dropped gently
into the street beside Kirk. "Good lord! Did this thing smell me out?"
"It came to the mirror on Naia's private wave-length. Get in. It will
take you to her."
Kirk crawled into the car. The last thing he saw before it lifted into
the air, were Raima's dazzling black eyes. The last words he heard were,
"Goodbye, Martin Kirk. I will visualize you."
The car swung up above the graceful, spidery buttresses and moved across
the city. Kirk filled in the time by trying to figure out what made the
thing go. He hadn't gotten to first base when the car lost altitude and
came to rest on a balcony hung with seeming perilousness on a sheer
white wall. Kirk stepped out. A large glass panel had been pushed back
and Naia stood waiting in the opening.
"Nice of you to receive me," Kirk said. "Have you got your bags packed
for a trip stateside?"
"Please come this way."
Naia turned and moved through the room just off the balcony. On the far
side another door gave exit. She passed through it and turned as though
waiting for Kirk. He took one step, two, three, four.
Then something came from somewhere and almost tore his jaw off. He went
out in an explosion of black light.