It was mid-afternoon by the time Donovan returned to the LA Resistance's base. It hadn't been a very good meeting. Nothing had gone right and Martin had seemed oddly evasive. Granted, the news he had to pass on was important but the Visitor's almost searching looks and careful answers seemed out of character. Once or twice, Martin had started to say something then cut himself off. When Donovan had finally asked what was wrong, Martin had given him an even odder look and shook his head firmly; assuring him that everything was fine.
More than once, Donovan had been tempted to ask about the big lady, about her people and her possible reasons for being on Earth. Only Julie's stern order not to, coupled with Martin's oddly evasive behavior and the certain fact that Ham would beat him bloody, stopped him. It was a series of events that left him unsettled and wanting … needing to do something … anything!
Donovan looked around broodingly then he remembered the box that Tyler had brought back. Maybe he could get that cataloged. Anything to keep him occupied long enough to settle down. He walked into the stable and looked around, frowning. The big lady was nowhere in sight; apparently she'd started hanging around the back of the infirmary, where there was a window looking into the room where Ham's father was.
Only the box was nowhere to be seen.
The Visitor computer was there, set up on the make-shift desk. It was apparently turned off and he went over to examine it. He didn't know much about computers but this one looked nothing like any he'd seen. The characters on the keys were in the Visitor language and there seemed to be more keys than an Earth computer. Not just keys but switches and buttons and connections for various peripherals. Donovan hesitated then reached for what looked like the 'on' switch.
"You know, if you screw up that computer, maybe erase everything on it, a lot of people are going to be pissed at you." Robert's voice came from behind him. "Not the least of which would be the big lady."
Donovan let his hand dropped and turned to look at the other man, refusing to admit he was embarrassed at being discovered. "So we just wait for her to tell us what's on it?"
"Or we find our own expert. Do you know one? One that's not in Visitor hands, that is."
"No." Donovan admitted. He frowned at the computer, wanting to do something with it but acknowledging Robert was right. If he broke it, people would be pissed. Including real big people capable of breaking him in half without even trying. He stepped back and looked around again.
"Where's that box of stuff they brought back from the raid?" He finally asked.
Robert didn't say a word, just pointed up. Donovan followed the gesture, mouth dropping open at the sight of the box securely wedged up in the rafters, a good ten feet or more above the ground.
"How the hell did it get up there?" He flushed at the look Robert gave him, embarrassed. "Right. How do we get it down?"
"We don't. The only one who can reach it is the big lady."
Donovan looked up again, seeing that the box was well away from the loft and any windows. He had to concede that they couldn't reach it, not without a very long ladder.
"Why did she do that?"
"Maybe she's afraid something will get broken or lost before she can look at it?" Robert suggested. "And don't bother looking for a long ladder. I thought about that. Not only do we not have one long enough but the big lady might be unhappy if we try. I think the only thing we can do is wait until she's ready to bring it down. Or …" Robert paused.
"Or what?"
"Have Tyler ask her to bring it down." Robert straightened the papers and put them back under their brick. "Of course a bigger problem may be convincing Tyler to ask her to bring it down."
Donovan scowled. "We'll see about that." He turned and left the stable ignoring Robert's call after him.
Julie looked up as he entered the infirmary, alerted by the scowl on the man's face. "Mike, what …"
Donovan ignored her, walking purposely over to the door into the back room. It was open slightly, just enough to look in and he moved to push it open, only to freeze at what he could see through the opening.
Tyler was sitting on the edge of the bed, the jar of salve balanced in his injured hand. Using a dabber, he was applying the salve gently to his father's injuries. His face was intent, without the hard mask he always wore. He was so focused on his father that he didn't even realize Donovan was there.
But the big lady did. Donovan could see her outside the window, glaring at him. She was in the position she'd been in the night before, when she had conned him into taking her picture but she wasn't bothering to look friendly now. Her ears were totally flat and her eyes seemed to glow red. Her teeth were bared almost savagely and Donovan reflected that he'd never realized how impossibly sharp they were.
A hand grabbed his arm and yanked him back, away from the door. Julie reached past him to quietly close the door then she was yanking him to the other side of the room. Once there, she turned on him, her face furious.
"Don't you ever burst into a patient's room like that!" She snapped. "For any reason!"
Donovan was too rattled to listen to her. "Did you see her teeth …" He started.
"Yes! And you're lucky Ham didn't see you or that Ben didn't wake up! She'd be sharpening them on you!"
Donovan finally focused on the angry woman. "You don't seem too concerned about that."
"Considering that you were getting ready to seriously disturb a patient, I'm not! She makes a hell of a good watchdog. Horse. Big … armored … thing!" Julie paused, taking a deep breath and a moment to drag her hands over her hair. "Dr. Tyler was horribly traumatized by what happened. Having you storm in and starting a fight with his son could strip away any sense of security he may have. Now what the hell is wrong?"
It took a moment for Donovan to get his mind back on business. All those teeth … "Ahhh, that box of stuff they brought back from the camp. I want Tyler to get the big lady to bring it down from the stable's rafters."
Julie didn't look surprised at the box's location. "Why?"
Donovan blinked in confusion. "Because we need to see what's in it."
"I can tell you what's in. Lot of papers written in Visitorise, a number of those wafers they use for computer discs. Odds and ends. We're going to give it all a better look in a day or two."
"But for now, we need to get that stuff locked up."
"You really think anyone's going to try and get it from where it is?" Julie seemed amused then she eyed him intently. "What's the real reason, Mike?"
Donovan wavered then spoke in a low voice. "Look, I just don't think we should leave that stuff in Tyler's hands. We can't really trust him with it. Or trust how he'll use it."
"It's not in his hands. It's in the big lady's hands. And I, for one, am not willing to argue possession with her."
"But …"
"Mike, rather you like it or not, you and Ham are now on the same side. You have to stop treating him like the enemy because, whether you like it or not, we need him. He is the only person here who knows how to fight this kind of fight."
As much as Donovan hated to admit it, he knew she was right. That didn't help his mood at all.
"And none of us can do a thing about the big lady. We don't want to get her mad; we don't want to drive her away." She held up a hand to forestall any protest. "She could be a part of this Alliance Martin told us about. It's possible she could be here, at least in part, in response to that message we sent out. We don't know and we can't afford to alienate her, at least until we find out."
"So why not let me ask Martin about her?" Donovan asked resentfully.
"Because that's what Ham recommends." Julie said bluntly. "And, in this case, I agree with him. Until we find out why the big lady is here, we don't tell Martin about her." She saw the look on his face and grimaced. "I know! It's not like we'll be able to keep her a secret for too long but for now …" She paused. "As a matter of fact, Ham was wondering why Martin never once told you what the Alliance looked like. He hasn't, has he?"
"Huh?" Donovan looked surprised then thoughtful. "Well, no, he hasn't. But then I haven't asked. Maybe I could do that next time."
"Now that's a good idea." Julie said in obvious relief. "Ask him how we'll know them, what they look like. He really hasn't said anything other than that they exist." She frowned thoughtfully then shook her head, as if to clear it. "So what did Martin have to say?"
"Uh? Oh." Donovan thought back on his meeting with Martin. "Some disappointing news. He was trying to set up a chance for us to get a large supply of power cells for the weapons only another group hit the supply station first and cleaned it out." He decided not to mention Martin's odd behavior. It probably meant nothing.
Julie looked at him in astonishment. "When did you start discussing this with him?"
"The last time we met he brought it up. We were hoping to get it all worked out and then I'd get a raiding party together." Too late, Donovan saw the angry look on Julie's face.
"And you didn't mention it to me? You seem to keep forgetting, Mike, that this is a team, a unit. We're supposed to be working together. You can't keep taking off and working solo."
"I wasn't planning on it. We just wanted to get everything set up …"
"And you didn't think to talk to our resident expert about it, hmmm? I'm almost willing to bet that Ham knew about that supply station and he probably knows who raided it."
"And he didn't share that with us." Donovan quickly pointed out.
"Because he didn't need to. It had nothing to do with us and since you never mentioned what you were working out with Martin, he'd have seen no reason to mention it."
Donovan flushed. "Okay, okay, I get your point."
"I hope so." Julie paused, rocking back on her heels, looking thoughtful. She shook it off. "I have to get back to work and I think you're working in the school today …"
"I meant to talk to you about that …"
"Everyone takes a turn doing chores, Mike." She interrupted. "You're the one who choose working in the school rather than in the kitchen." She paused then continued dryly. "Even Tyler does chores, Mike. Without, I might add, any complaint."
Donovan couldn't argue with that. When Julie had blandly asked Ham where he wanted to do his quota of chores, he had looked over the list and responded without hesitation.
"In fact, if you'd prefer, you can take Ham's shift in the kitchen. He's taking care of his father, which is a lot more important and frees up others from having to do it."
Donovan grimaced. "No, I'll stick with the school."
"Fine. You better get over there." Julie gave him a rare brilliant smile and turned back to her work.
Ham closed the jar tightly and set it the table, tossing the used dabbers into the trash. He looked at the window, where the big lady had her head resting on the window sill. They stared at each other for a long moment then the big lady eased back until only her chin rested on the sill. Despite himself, Ham smiled and reached out with his uninjured hand to rub her nose and up under the armor covering her muzzle.
She seemed to like that.
As much as he hated to admit it, a day of rest had done him a great deal of good. He felt refreshed, his mind clearer. He had been running on sheer adrenaline and stubbornness these last few days. He fingered the painkillers Julie had left him then decided against taking them. At least not yet.
He turned back to his father, examining the lash marks that had been red with infection. They were still red but no longer oozing. Julie had been pleasantly surprised at how well they looked now, as compared to this morning. She'd been even more pleased to find that Ben's fever was going down. They had put salve on the rest of the lash marks then covered his back with a clean sheet, hoping that would help keep them clean.
Ham checked the tubing, making sure everything was functioning correctly then checked to make sure the sheepskin padding Ruby had found to help prevent bedsores was positioned to give the most comfort. Elias had promised to see if he could get a hold of some more sheepskin padding so that they could rotate them, giving them a chance to air out the ones being used. And it did need airing, which was one reason he was keeping the window open. In an attempt to keep fluid from building in the older man's lungs, Julie was giving him a diuretic and while the catheter was working, accidents did happen.
There was a soft knock at the door and Ham hastily adjusted the sheets, making sure his father was decently covered before calling out a curt 'come!'. He was surprised to Robert Maxwell open the door.
"I thought you were trying to talk to the big lady." The minute he said that, Ham felt stupid. The big lady had been outside the window all this time.
Robert gave him a dark look he knew he deserved. "She won't stand still long enough for me to try to talk to her. Mostly she's out there." He nodded out the window.
Ham glanced out as well, seeing that the big lady was currently examining the gutters above her. "And your thought about that would be …"
"Using you for bait." Robert said bluntly.
Ham looked at him in surprise.
"She goes where you are. If you come outside, eventually she'll come around to find you."
Ham frowned, knowing very well that that was true but he wasn't fond of the idea of being used for bait. At least Maxwell was being honest about it.
"Ahhh, Tyler?" Ham focused back on the anthologist, who nodded toward the window. He turned to see that the big lady was at the window, in the process of maneuvering her head inside. She paused when she saw he'd seen her, looking remarkably like a kid with his hand in the cookie jar. After a moment of mutual staring at each other, she slowly reversed her direction, easing back out of the window then resting her chin on the sill, watching plaintively as Ham pushed the window down, not quite closing it.
Ham stood there for a moment, hands still resting on the window then sighed, conceding that the only way to keep the big lady from disturbing his father was for him to leave the room, at least for awhile.
"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to sit out on the porch, get some fresh air. How about you go see if Ruby can sit with my father for awhile? If she's available."
"Great." Robert said in relief, stepping back out of the room.
When Ruby entered the room, it was to see Ham leaning over his father, making the man more comfortable. He glanced up at her.
"No sign of bedsores and he's sleeping comfortably but keep an eye on the big lady. She keeps trying to … I don't know. Get closer to him, I guess." He looked at the window. The big lady was still there, resting her muzzle on the sill and looking at him soulfully. "I'll be back in maybe a couple hours."
"Take your time. Relax." Ham gave her a look and she shook her head. "It might be hard but do it anyway. Go on now, shoo!" She ushered him out the door and closely it firmly, waiting a few minutes before walking over to the window and opening it fully. "You." She spoke directly to the big lady. "Are a big fraud. And a lot smarter than some folks think you are. Now go on. They're going to be waiting for you."
The big lady straightened, her soulful look gone. She almost looked like she was grinning.
Ham stepped out of the building, pausing to look around. It was mid afternoon and people were moving about the camp, doing chores, standing sentry duty, or just enjoying the day.
"Whose game?" He asked Robert, nodding his head toward the chess board set up on a table nearby. The table was in the corner of the infirmary's porch, a couple of wooden chairs on each side.
"Artz and I were playing a game earlier. Wanna finish it?"
Ham hesitated then shrugged. "Sure, why not? Been awhile since I've played a game."
He settled into the chair opposite Robert, eyeing the board thoughtfully. It didn't take long for both men to be absorbed in the game, so absorbed that they only realized that the big lady was there was when her head suddenly appeared next to them. She was glowering, her expression an obvious 'Remember Me?". She snorted, a snort that made the pieces on the board shake ominously, and eased within lip reach of the board.
"Don't even think it." Ham advised, intent on the board and the big lady rolled her eyes at him. After a moment, she eased back again, mumbling to herself.
"So what do you think, Maxwell? Think she can learn English?" Ham asked, moving a chess piece.
Robert frowned, torn between studying the board and studying the big lady, who was now idly examining the railing. "Understand it, yes. She already seems to be picking up a lot. Speak it? Mr. Ed not withstanding, horses … or horse-like creatures … are not built to speak English." He turned to study her intently for a long moment then shook his head. "She won't be able to handle some sounds. But I think she could speak it well enough for us to understand her."
"Would it be easier to learn her language?" Maggie asked and both men looked up, startled at her approach. She set a tray with a pitcher of tea and glasses next to the board, pausing at their surprised looks. "What? Do you want some tea or not?"
Ham broke free of his surprise. "Yes, thank you. You look like you're feeling better." He added, noting that Maggie's color was better then it had been the night before.
Maggie grimaced. "My stomach is still yucky but I'll survive." She offered a glass to each of the men and took one for herself, leaning against a nearby pillar. The big lady, obviously curious, stretched out her neck to sniff at the tea. "We don't have a big enough glass. Or should I just give her the pitcher?"
"That would work." Ham grunted then paused as the big lady reached under her armor, pulling out what looked like a drinking horn. "You're kidding. You're not kidding." He said as the big lady twisted the top off and held it out. After a moment of surprise, Ham picked up the pitcher and poured the contents into the drinking horn. It almost emptied the pitcher.
They watched as the big lady checked out the contents of the horn, eyeing it carefully and sniffing it delicately before finally taking a sip. Apparently deciding it was safe and that it tasted good, she took a bigger swallow.
"As to why it would be easier for her to learn our language rather than we learn hers." Robert returned to her original question. "She's hearing our language all the time. From the look of it, she's already picking it up."
"So the more she hears it, the more she'll learn?"
"I hope so. I can't get her to stand still long enough to communicate with her any other way." Robert said crossly, with an accompanying glower for Ham. He paused suddenly, a thoughtful look crossing his face. "How long does it take you to learn a new language?" He asked suddenly.
Ham looked up, startled. For a moment, Robert didn't think he was going to answer then Ham shot a look at Maggie and shrugged.
"Average, maybe three weeks." He grinned at the astonished look on Maggie's face. "The longest took six weeks but then we were learning two dialects at the same time. The least amount of time was nine days."
Robert whistled in surprise. "That's impressive."
"Not really. It was more like self-defense. If we got a word wrong three times, we got clobbered. Not hard." He said hastily, seeing the looks on their faces. "And not often. And if we got it right, we got treats." He grinned. "We got a lot more treats than thumps."
"And you learned by … " Robert asked.
"By living with the people who spoke it. By hearing nothing but that language. The way she's learning our language." He nodded at the big lady.
"So it would best if we talk." Maggie sipped her tea and eyed the chess board. "So explain this game to me. What? I've never played it before."
After a moment, Ham leaned back in the chair, resting the glass on his knee. "All right."
To his surprise, Ham found himself enjoying the evening. Maggie asked intelligent questions about the game and he answered them, sometimes interrupting a game to demonstrate something. Robert didn't mind, he was watching the big lady, who appeared to be listening intently. After a while, they settled into a serious game.
Maggie slipped away to get a couple more pitchers of tea and some sandwiches. She almost hated to admit it but she was having more fun then she'd had in quite some time. She handed around the sandwiches, thankful that the big lady showed no interest in the food, though she did take more tea.
"How do you think she's eating?" Maggie asked suddenly and both men looked at her in surprise. "Well, she's got to be eating something." She said defensively. "At her size, I'd say a lot of something."
Ham moved a chess piece. "She must go back to wherever she came from to eat. Which is good. We couldn't afford to feed her."
Robert grunted, eyeing the board with a frown. He was pretty good at this game … endless sessions with his mentor out in the field helped hone his skill … but Ham was better. A lot better.
"Ooook." All three of them looked up at the big lady, startled. She tossed her head. "Ooook. Ooove ooook."
"She wants you to move the rook." Maggie said suddenly.
Robert blinked, looking back down at the board, finally moving the one remaining rook. Ham frowned, throwing a glower at the big lady.
"You! No helping!" He snapped and the big lady stuck her tongue out at him, not impressed in the least. Ham went back to studying the board. While the move was a good one, it only delayed the inevitable. He shifted a piece.
"Iiing." The big lady said without hesitation and Robert looked the board over, finally shifting the king. He gave the big lady a look before releasing the piece.
Ham arched an eyebrow, realizing that the big lady had all the moves already planned. She had to know that Robert was going to lose; the trap was already set too well. In seven moves, he had won but every move the big lady had suggested was a good one.
"What are you doing?" Donovan asked suddenly and they all looked up, so caught up in the game they never realized they had acquired an audience. Even the big lady looked startled.
Ham looked from Donovan to the small cluster of people behind them before turning back to Donovan. "Teaching the big lady how to play chess. She's a quick learner too."
The big lady made a decidedly rude noise in Donovan's direction then looked expectedly at Ham.
"Wanna try another game?" Ham asked.
"Aaammme." The big lady rumbled.
"Game?"
This time she nodded, almost taking off part of the roof with her horn. She stopped in mid-nod, flattened her ears, and glared at the offending structure.
"Careful, big lady. We need these buildings." Ham helped Robert reset the board.
The big lady snorted, snapped at the gutter without actually biting it then turned her attention back to him, ears arching forward.
"Let's see if she'll call the first move." Ham gestured toward the board.
She did. It wasn't easy to understand what she was saying but they managed with a combination of butchered words and gestures. Seven moves later, Ham was studying the board with a frown, wondering …
"Don't tell me she's beating you." Donovan said almost snidely and Ham waved him abruptly to silence, too involved in the game to care about his words or his tone. He glanced over at Robert, who was also frowning.
"I wonder if they have a game like this where she comes from." Ham remarked.
"It wouldn't surprise me. It's a good start." Robert replied, meaning the moves the big lady had directed him to make.
"Hmmmm. Let's play it through."
"Unorthodox." Ham said twenty-five minutes later when both Robert and the big lady conceded defeat. "But a good game. She did a good job of mixing offensive and defensive moves."
"Give her a few more days of playing and she'll beat you." Robert predicted and Ham grinned.
"Probably … what's wrong with you?" He looked at the big lady, whose ears were flat and her expression very unhappy. She couldn't be reacting to losing the game ... then he realized she was glowering at the skies. And that he'd seen that look before.
"Damn!" He reached up to grab the lantern hanging on a hook above them and switched it off. "Shuttle coming! Donovan, get out there and tell them to get the lights off!"
"Shuttle? How …"
"Go!" Ham barked out, heading for the infirmary. Robert and Maggie were already running for the various buildings, yelling for lights off. Donovan hesitated then went the other way, making sure all lights were off and anyone outside was under cover.
Ham stepped cautiously out onto the porch, staying under the wooden overhang. Across the way, he could see the big lady now in the shelter of the stable, out of sight of any passing shuttle.
"What's this all about, Tyler?" Donovan joined him in the shelter of the overhang.
"Big lady warned of shuttles before, at the camp. She can hear them, maybe the same way radio transmissions hurt her ears ... Jesus!" Ham spat as a shuttle passed directly overhead, so low he could see the insignia. He stifled the urge to jump back, not wanting to make any movement that might be detected.
They could all hear it now as it swept over the movie-town. It whooshed out of sight and out of hearing with remarkable speed.
Ham grabbed Donovan before he could step out into the street. "Wait." He said then raised his voice. "Everyone stay put!" He ordered in his most commanding tone. He could hear others relaying the order as he looked intently across the street. The big lady still stood under cover, ears still flat.
Torturous minutes later, the shuttle passed overhead again, this time with search lights sweeping the ground. One came dangerously close to the two men standing in the doorway and only Ham's hand on Donovan's arm kept the latter from moving. The shuttle hovered for a long moment, lights sweeping the ground and Ham was thankful that the residents were so well trained then the shuttle was rising and speeding away.
Ham didn't move and his grip on Donovan ensured he didn't move either. He waited, watching the big lady until her ears came back up and she shook her head firmly, stepping from the stable.
Ham finally released Donovan and stepped down the stairs, whistling to get her attention then walking quickly down the street, waving for her to follow him. The big lady did so and, after a startled moment, so did Donovan.
Walking into the radio room, Ham flipped on the light, startling Linda McReady, who was manning the radio. She looked up, green eyes wide and face pale.
"What was that? A shuttle?" Her voice cracked.
"Yeah. Listen, did you record any transmissions from them?"
"What?" Linda said blankly. "Oh. Yes, I did. But it doesn't make any sense. …"
"Play it." Ham stepped to the window and unlocked it, sliding it open. He almost whistled but stopped when the big lady appeared, maneuvering her head into the room. She looked at Ham inquiringly. Ham nodded then looked at Linda, now frozen in position, staring at the big lady in shock. Of course, she spent most of her time here and probably never saw her up close. Ham rapped the table in front of her firmly. "Play what you recorded."
"Ham …" Donovan started but Linda was already rewinding the tape and pressing play. Immediately an alien voice was heard, reverberating and speaking an odd hissing language. Another voice was heard and then the first one again. Then it went dead.
"They got out of reach there." Linda said, calmer now as she was concentrating on her work. "Play it again?"
"Yes." Ham was watching the big lady, who was staring intently at the tape recorder, her ears arched forward.
Linda restarted that portion of tape; now she was watching the big lady as well.
"What are you trying to do?" Donovan asked.
"I think she understands their language. I want to see what she thinks about what they're saying."
"That's a bit of a reach, don't you think?"
"Maybe. Maybe not."
The big lady sat back on her heels, looking thoughtful and pulling absently on her lower lip. Finally she pulled the drinking horn from under her armor. Twisting off the top, she poured out what remained of the tea and pointed inside the now empty container.
Ham arched an eyebrow, eyeing her thoughtfully. She shook the drinking horn, pointing into it again then making a sweeping gesture that seemed to indicate the entire town.
"Empty." Ham said slowly, looking at the tape. "They said the town was empty."
Donovan threw him a look. "You think that's what they said?"
"I think that's what she heard."
"There might be a way to confirm it." Julie was in the doorway, looking thoughtful. "Linda, can you make a copy of that section of tape?"
"Sure." Linda turned back to her equipment.
"What are you going to do?" Ham asked.
"Ask Willie to translate it."
Ham arched an eyebrow. "You trust him to do that?"
"Not completely. But I figure if he comes up with the same thing she did then there's a very good chance that's what was said."
Ham grunted, hating to admit that that was a good idea. Instead he turned to see the big lady easing her head back out of the window. When he looked back, Linda was handing a recorder to Julie. She gave him a wry grin. "Not you, Ham. You scare him to death. We'll meet you over at the infirmary. I want to check Ben over before curfew."
"Curfew?" Ham looked at his watch, surprised to see how late it was. "Right. I better go relieve Ruby."
"Ham?" Linda called him back before he could follow the couple from the building. "Here. This came in right before the alarm." She handed him a sheet of paper. He read the message on it, feeling relief flood through him. Folding the note and slipping it into a pocket, he thanked Linda and left.
Ruby was happy to pack up her knitting and, after reporting that he hadn't woken up at all, head for her bed. Ham tidied up the room, not that there was much to tidy up, and made sure the pitcher was filled with ice water. The window, he saw, was open and he decided to leave it like that, at least for now.
He wasn't surprised to see the big lady appear outside the window but he was surprised when she thrust something through it. The chess board, he realized, and a box with the chess pieces in it.
"You wanna play another game?" He said and she nodded, almost driving her horn through the gutter above her. Ham hesitated then shrugged. He wasn't tired yet so why now? "All right, let me clear the table."
Julie came in just as he was setting up the board on the room's small table, which he had cleared off and moved under the window.
"Willie says the same thing; that they decided the town was empty." She paused then grimaced. "He also said that they were certain the loud sounds and bright lights would scare any human who might be in the town into bolting or just coming out to see what's going on."
Ham smiled grimly as he set up the chess pieces. "The higher ups have conditioned the grunts into believing that we are nothing but dumb animals. That can work in our favor. They keep underestimating us. They expect us to act a certain way, not able to think. They expect humans to panic and in another town, a real town, people probably would have." He turned to look at her for a moment. "You've trained your people well."
"Most of it was your doing." She reminded him.
Ham shrugged and turned back to the board. "You move first." He said curtly to the big lady.
Julie stifled a sigh and moved over to the bed, checking on her patient. He was resting comfortably and while he still had a fever, it wasn't high. "I wish I knew how often to put that salve on." She fretted.
"I put some on before going out." Ham watched as the big lady gingerly moved a piece, trying not to knock over any other pieces as she did so. "I'll put some more on before I go to bed."
Julie nodded absently, frowning. "Ham, his hand …"
He looked to see her touching his father's right hand, still clenched close. He grunted. "His wedding ring. They must have forced it off his finger. I'm surprised they didn't cut his finger off to get it."
Julie shuddered. "They didn't try to remove his necklace."
"They probably did." He turned to look at her thoughtfully. "Have you touched the amulet at all?"
"What?" Julie looked up in surprise. "Yes. Earlier. Why?"
"What did you feel?"
Julie blinked, thinking back. "A tingling feeling. Sort of like pins and needles. I just thought I was tired."
"No, I felt the same thing too and then again, when I touched the big lady's armor, only stronger."
"What does it mean?"
"No idea. But it means something." Ham shrugged it off. "But we can't do anything about it now." He hesitated. "Right before the alarm, Linda got a message from Chris. He's made contact with our group. He should be back sometime in the next couple days."
Julie looked up, frowning. "That was awful quick, wasn't it?"
Ham almost, but not quite, smiled. "Normally I'd say yes but my guess is they left a couple people watching the compound to see what happened. It's one of the best bases we have. No one wants to abandon it permanently." He turned back to the board, eyeing it thoughtfully then frowned, realizing that a couple more pieces were missing. Looking up at the big lady sternly, Ham tapped the board. "Put them back." He ordered.
The big lady's ears slowly lowered, not in threat but in embarrassment at being caught. She pulled the pieces from under her armor and set them delicately where they had been on the board.
"Can you cheat at chess?" Julie giggled.
"She's doing her best. " Ham growled. "My guess is she was wondering how good my memory is."
Julie stopped giggling. "You know, that could be exactly what she's doing. Ham, we've been thinking we're studying her but my guess is she's studying us just as hard."
Ham threw her a surprised look. "And you're just now realizing that?" He said with obvious amusement and Julie flushed.
"I guess it was lurking in the back of my mind." She admitted. "We're testing her, she's testing us."
"Looks like it. How's he doing?" He nodded at his father.
"Resting comfortably. Other than that … I hope Chris can get an x-ray machine, just to make sure."
Ham turned toward her, concern etched on his face. "If he was bleeding internally, we'd know by now. Wouldn't we?"
"Yeah, I think so. But that doesn't mean there can't be little bleeders or something like that. The sooner we can check the better. Ideally I'd like to take him to a hospital …"
"But we can't chance it." Ham finished. "Not while we have an alternative." He fingered a chess piece thoughtfully. "They'll bring what equipment they can."
"Then all we can do is wait."
"Yeah." Ham sighed, moving a piece almost absently. Julie watched them for a moment than sat abruptly on the side of the bed. Ham threw her a surprised look.
"Willie said something else." Julie said and Ham turned toward her. So did the big lady, which Julie found disconcerting for a moment. She finally settled on making a face at her. The big lady made a face back and despite herself, Julie smiled. "Apparently the big lady's paid him a couple visits. Not can she get her nose through the bars or anything. She just put her muzzle against the bars and snorts."
"And?"
"And nothing. He gets into the corner to one side of the window where she can't see him but apparently she can smell him. So she knows he's here."
Ham frowned. "They don't talk?"
Julie shook her head. "Willie doesn't know her language and apparently she can't speak his. But you said she could read it?" She looked at him, frowning.
"It looked like she was reading what was on the computer screen." Ham shot a quick look at the big lady, who was listening intently. "What does he know about her?"
"Not much." Julie admitted. "From the discussions Harmony and I have had with him, the Visitor home world has very little to do with other species. The average Visitor learns nothing about other species except from rumors and stories. Willie said he has heard about an ivory-armored race, mostly stories. Fairy tales, I guess you'd call them. Something like …" She groped for the proper words. "Like Cinderella. Young person in horrible conditions, fairy godmother in ivory armor magically appearing to make everything right."
Ham looked surprised, turning to eye the big lady with such attentiveness that she began to look concerned. "So the big lady's people take the role of the fairy godmother?"
"Apparently. He's going to recite as many of the stories as he can remember to Harmony and she'll write them out. But he did say something very interesting." She glanced at Ben then back at his son. "He said that the ones with the curved horns could teleport but the ones with the straight horns could heal."
Ham turned back to the big lady and they stared at each other, one with a fierce thoughtfulness, the other with an air of confusion. After a moment, Ham reached out and touched the outer curve of the big lady's horn, drawing his finger up it. Julie almost laughed as the big lady went cross-eyed trying to follow the gesture. At the end Ham paused then redid the gesture from the bottom of her horn, only this time, instead of following the curve, he mimed a straight horn.
The big lady's surprise was very evident. She blinked rapidly, obviously wondering where Ham had gotten that information then she touched her horn, repeating Ham's curved horn gesture before pointing first to herself and then to Julie. Pointing to her horn again, she raised her hand so the finger rested on the faceplate above and between her eyes, raising it to mime a straight horn. That gesture made, she pointed at Ham and then at Ben.
Julie's breath left her in a whoosh. "The females have a curved horn and teleport. The males have a straight horn and heal. Ham." She sounded as dazed as she felt. "The males of her race are unicorns." There was a trace of awe in her voice.
Ham's lips quirked into an unexpected smile. "So is she, Parrish. Unicorn means one horn. Where the horn is hardly matters."
"Well, that's true." She admitted. "But still …"
"This isn't fantasy." Ham sad firmly. "Its reality and we have to deal with it."
"Spoilsport." Julie muttered and Ham grinned. "Fine. Be that way. I'll be over in the morning to check on him. Good night." Julie started out the door.
"Night." Ham grunted, his attention back on the game.
"Ooood iiight." The big lady called after her and Julie paused, looking back at her before closing the door behind her.