The transporter zoomed across the landscape. It was a bright day, not a cloud in the sky. Johnnie sat next to Ker, who was driving, and had his breathe-mask on securely. While in transporters he wore the mask so that Ker did not have to.

The human had no trouble in convincing the midget Pyschlo to once more visit the imprisoned one. After a night of rest they jumped into the car and sped off to Fort Knox. They went with questions that needed answers, if there was a human-Pyschlo hybrid running around, he wanted to know. The only one alive who knew the truth was Terl or the mystery woman.

They had only Terl.

It did not take long to get from Denver to Knox, travel was never very long in transporter cars. They got out and the sky overhead began to turn a light shade of orange while he gazed up at it. He wondered if the hybrid child was alive and gazed in wonder at the same sky.

Before they were to enter-after all why wait?- Johnnie put a hand on Ker's side to get his attention. The Pyschlo paused and looked down.

"I'll stay out here," he said. "He won't speak to me."

Ker grinned and wanted to laugh, he gave a single chuckle instead. "No, I don't very much think he will."

Johnnie nodded and stayed outside while the other entered the fort. He didn't wanted to face the monster either.

Gold has a particular smell, Ker thought to himself, earthy and pure. It laid heavily in the place, the smell of dust and gold. And a decaying Pyschlo. The one they came to see was as Ker had left him, sulking and sitting against the bars of his cage. He gave out a laugh to signal his approach, Terl did not look at him.

But he did speak. "Well well, how nice of you to visit depressed old Terl." Everything he said was sour and spoken with a backlash on the edge of his voice.

"Brought you some of this," Ker set down a smaller saucepan of kerbango. "And, well, I've been doing some wondering."

"That's new."

"You can help me with a thought. Myrl left one file hidden, one file with all I needed to know about what you two did."

"So you love to gloat about this surviving file. Not that it matters much anymore."

"Funny how the idea you killed him for is one that could have saved you."

"Your comedic imagination is startling." He growled.

"Thank you! Thank you!" Ker mocked him. "I try. But you pulled off the ultimate."

"Psh, ultimate. I did what has never been done."

"Among the many crimes you've committed. Murder, extortion, forgery. To name a few."

"What do you what this time Ker? I tire of you quickly."

Ker stepped into his vision then. "Did you do what has never been done? Did she have the child?"

Terl rolled his eyes and sighed. "How should I know? I put her back in the wild and forgot about her."

"Released her? Didn't know you had it in you to do something like that." His amber gaze glowed. "Which direction?"

A distorted smile crossed Terl's facebones. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"I might."

For a moment they were silent. Terl had to think for a moment. Maybe the female had lived and with her his young. Maybe they had died. But let Ker go on a wild chase for them, he might have nothing at all.

Then again he might bring them back to him...


Ker came down the steps of the fort. The earth shook with each step, as it always did when Pyschlos walked. Johnnie stood up from the fire he had made in the street and faced him when he approached. He smiled, all knowingly, and came close.

"I don't know if I would trust more than half of what he says."

"But?"

"But he said he sent her to the forest areas of the far North from Denver. Set her down in a glen and set up cameras but she eventually wandered off."

"Was that all?"

"Said she was alive the last time he saw her, some ten earth years ago." His smile faltered. "But that wasn't all."

Johnnie made a face and then nodded and sat. They would sleep here until morning and then return to their home camp. Ker wasn't about to recount the story Terl told him, Johnnie didn't want to know. He imagined that it was something horrible and worthy of nightmares.


When the day came that Terl asked about the recreation room if anyone had seen that annoyingly talkative Myrl, no one said anything. No one had seen him for days.

The next thing he knew, a day or two later, they brought him Myrl's decomposing body. He had been around a mine shaft and the fall broke his neck. What he had been doing there, Terl couldn't imagine. Oh well, box him up and send him to Pyschlo. Terl would take care of the reporting.

What of the animal?

He would handle it, they need not worry about the vaporization of a useless man animal.

He had taken her to a transporter car, it had been easier to get access to such things before that bastard Zzt showed up. He had zoomed off with her in a cage and went as far to the north as he dared. Far but not that far. She had come form the west, from plains. But he need to put her somewhere he could post camera buttons and watch her.

To some foothills, in a glen he dragged her out and left her with a piece of canvas to keep dry or warm, a couple of food sticks and then pressed some dots onto the surrounding trees and then went back to his car. Ripping off the confounded face mask he detested once he settled inside. He would watch her, see if she left the glen and where she would go.

He had time then too to think to himself and he knew that if he routinely left all too often as he had to visit the zoo, people would notice. People would talk. Maybe questions or rumors would arise. No, he would have to secure the cameras and then leave. She seemed to not want to leave the glen, staying close as she dared to his transporter.

When she grew tired in the night he decided to attack her one last time. He went to her and either he was surprisingly quiet or she was exhausted because she didn't know he was on her until it was too late. He was on her, grabbing her, waking her from sleep. He put her up against a tree and ripped off her already shredded trousers. He was in her before she knew who he was. Here she could scream and no one would ever hear her. Terl liked it that way.

He grunted in between thrusts.

Even with her lungs free to scream the size of himself made her breathless. He was going to feel the never ending snug fit of females of this race before he cast them off from his mind entirely. She forced herself to remain still as he attacked her, the bark grinding into her skin. She was sure it drew blood. The stench of his breath made her turn her face away from him, but nothing could ease the pain he gave her every time they mated.

Every time they joined he was vicious and ruthless, though he could not feel emotion he wanted to see her in pain. He felt satisfaction from seeing her cry and seeing the way his member moved in her body. He could see most of it as it prodded her inner walls, enough to be seen from the outside. Her legs spread wide along his waist, his claws grazed her skin and more blood was given.

He came inside of her once more and she screamed in anguish. He dropped her to the ground and stalked into the night. She stared after him...it would be the last time she ever saw him..


For a time he watched her movements as she collected berries and plant life. A grazer. It was the ending of the summer season, but still warm outside. She did not travel back to her people like he thought she would. She stayed in the glen as her belly grew. Making the canvas into a tent.

He did not watch all the time. But when his curiosity got the better of him he went back to the cameras. He went to check on her one last time, by then the seasons were changing. Her belly was growing the last time he saw her, but when he checked the cameras that time they were empty. Over night, or while he was away, the animal had left.

He bid it good riddance and as time went on, forgot about her. . . .