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  "What did it want with you?" he asked gently.

  "Fortunately, I never found out." She glanced at the silent scientist. "I'll bet Ludger can think of a few gruesome possibilities."

  Brink considered. "Is that really what you want me to do?"

  "No. Let's just assume it wasn't looking for friendly company and leave it at that." She switched her hands to her other leg.

  "Its intentions might have been other than deadly. Perhaps it was merely a kind of arthropodal pack rat and wished to add you to its collection. Just because it carried you back to its nesting area and tied you up doesn't mean it intended to consume you. Possibly it was simply taken with your looks, not unlike myself."

  She made a face. "You make it sound like New York." The scientist's sense of humor was as dry as the Namib. Given her spent, sweaty, gunk-encrusted appearance, he was either being mightily complimentary or highly sarcastic.

  In any event, he offered no further interpretations of her unfortunate ordeal as they made their way back to the transport station. The shimmering globe awaited, a spherical genie that could only grant the same wish again and again.

  On the verge of collapse, Robbins considered clicking her heels together three times, but decided against it. The quantity of goo clinging to them would probably make her boots stick together. They weren't red, anyway.

  But given what she'd just been through, she was mightily tempted.

  CHAPTER 17

  Several million powerless but hopeful Cocytans had observed and analyzed every aspect of the incident. Their individual reactions were nearly as diverse.

  "They continue to elucidate unexpected depths." The first was greatly pleased.

  "And utilize hidden resources." Its supporters were quietly elated.

  "They have proven repeatedly that they are capable of acting and reacting with intelligence and common sense, even when under duress."

  "We would not have thought of using the water ourselves." A few thousand heretofore unpersuaded slid mentally onto the side of the convinced.

  "Ah, water!" Ten-and-twenty lamented the half-forgotten memory of fluid tactility. "The voluptuous feel of it, the ecstasy of liquid cool! To be able to drink again." In the absence of hearts, a heartfelt sigh nonetheless rippled through the grieving commentators. "The simple joys of physicality—all fled. The delights of experiencing without thinking—forever lost."

  "Who among us would not trade eternity for the neural receptivity of a worm?" Twenty-and-ten others rode invisibly atop the rolling sphere, vicariously experiencing the sense of speed. Others followed effortlessly. Air or mud, water or stone—it made no difference to them. Nothing could inhibit or slow their progress.

  Which was simply another way of reflecting on the malaise that continued to plague them. They took no pleasure in their ease of passage because nothing ever awaited them at its conclusion.

  "I'm sorry." Robbins was still limping slightly as they reentered the main chamber of the central island.

  "For what?" Low eyed her appraisingly.

  "I told you already. Stomping off like that. Going off on my own. Stupid. I'm famous for it. It's just that I've always been lucky. I was lucky in the Yucatan, I was lucky in Burkina Faso, I was lucky in Turkmenistan."

  Brink dissented. "You underestimate yourself, Maggie. You are simply very good at what you do."

  "Yeah, right," she muttered despondently. "I was real good back there. If you two hadn't come along, I'd be crab cake, or whatever it had in mind for me." She shuddered, right on cue.

  Low eyed Brink meaningfully. "That's right. We two."

  She perked up. Low doubted that Maggie Robbins could remain down for very long, no matter how unpleasant the circumstances. It simply wasn't part of her mental or emotional makeup.

  "Of course, one of the reasons that I've been so 'lucky' over the years is that I always travel in the company of the best people. Anyway, before something else happens, I just want to say thank you."

  So she kissed him. It didn't linger or probe, but it was no wispy peck on the cheek either. As he stood momentarily stunned, his powers of review temporarily on hold, she did the same to Brink.

  "Hey, c'mon," she chided them when she'd finished. "Maybe saving my life wasn't a big deal to you two, but it had real meaning for me. You ought to be pleased, Ludger. It gave you the opportunity to study another alien life-form." Before he could reply, she turned to Low. "As for you, Commander, I know it's just part of your job description. But thanks anyway."

  "You're welcome. You can thank me again if you like."

  She wavered, then broke out into a wide smile. "Why, Commander Low, you do have a sense of humor! You just need to take it off your utility belt once in a while."

  "I know. It's just that I haven't seen much to laugh about lately."

  She moved closer to him, her voice dropping. "You don't get it, do you? That's when you have to laugh the most."

  Brink moved to block their path. "And now, if you please, Commander, the life crystals?"

  Low regarded the other man. "Listen, Ludger, why don't you let me hang on to them for you? You can have a couple to cuddle and sleep with if you want. It'd be better for you, take my word for it."

  Robbins's uncertain gaze shifted from scientist to pilot. "Boston, Ludger; what's going on here?" They ignored her.

  Brink had begun to tremble. For a moment Low thought the other man was going to jump him again, futile as the effort would be. The scientist ought to have learned better from their earlier run-in. Were the crystals, or their absence from his possession, still affecting his judgment?

  "That was not our agreement, Commander." Clearly the other man was restraining himself with an effort.

  "All right, Ludger. But I think you're making a big mistake."

  "Am I?" Brink nodded in the direction of the green glow that pervaded Low's pockets. "One of these gave me back my life. What folly could there be in keeping them close to me?"

  "Don't you see that they've become an obsession? Are you so far gone that you don't realize what they're doing to you?"

  "Obsession? Far gone?" Robbins's confusion deepened. "Will somebody please tell me what this is all about?"

  Brink held up both hands. "Our bargain, Commander. I assure you I have not gone off what you would call the deep end. I have simply developed an affection for the crystals, not an affectation. I am in complete control of all my faculties, physical as well as mental."

  "Sure you are." Low's tone belied his words. But he'd given his word, and he wasn't in the mood for another fight.

  Scooping crystals from his pockets, he handed them over to the scientist, who eagerly slipped them back into his own pants and shirt pockets.

  "Just make sure you keep control over these things, and not vice versa."

  "I cannot envision myself acting otherwise." Brink's eyes gleamed as he accepted the return of the emerald bounty.

  "Thank you, Commander," he said quietly when Low was finished. "I will take these back to the room where we found them. That is where they belong." As he turned to leave, a faint greenish efflorescence rising from Low's right pants pocket caught his eye. He gestured. "Those?"

  "Sorry. You've got most of them back. That's what you wanted." He patted his pocket. "I'm hanging on to these for a while."

  For an instant Brink seemed torn. Then he drew himself up. "You see, Commander, my 'addiction,' as you call it, is not so very powerful as you seem to think. It is not necessary for me to possess them all." With that he turned and strode off across the wide, expansive floor, angling toward the storeroom.

  Fingers gripped his arm questioningly. "Okay, now, will you please tell me what's going on here before I jump to all the wrong conclusions?"

  Low ruminated before replying. "When we were trying to free you back down in that tunnel, do you remember remarking that Ludger was supposed to be dead?"

  "I don't remember everything that happened down there, but I do remember saying that. Yeah, so?"


  "I found a peculiar green crystal in the museum spire. You know that some of the exhibit cases will play back explanatory projections. Well, this one showed the crystal, or one like it, performing all kinds of amazing feats, including reviving the badly injured and the deceased. Ludger being the latter, I didn't think it could do much harm to try the crystal on him. Suffice it to say that it worked. Later we found a small hoard of them in a side storeroom." He gestured in the direction Brink had taken. "Down that way."

  "So one of those little green slivers you were handing over brought him back to life?"

  Low nodded. "Ever since we found them, he's developed a passion for the damn things. Doesn't feel comfortable unless he's close to them. There's even a machine in the storeroom that he believes is capable of manufacturing more. It's as if he wants to drown himself in the stuff. I know he sounds and acts normal, but if you leave him alone with them for too long, he loses all drive and motivation. Doesn't want to do anything except lie around and soak up the green.

  "The only way I could get him to help me rescue you was to take them away from him and promise to return them when we got back. He was pretty reluctant. The first thing he did was try to fight me."

  Her eyes widened. "Ludger? He attacked you? Over a bunch of crystals?"

  Low nodded again. "I know how to take care of myself, Maggie, and I'm in a lot better shape than he is. Only after he saw that jumping me wouldn't do any good did he agree to help." He gazed in the direction the scientist had taken. "Which, I have to admit, he did effectively."

  She was still skeptical. "I just don't see Ludger taking a swing at you."

  "I was pretty surprised myself. It shows the hold the life crystals have on him." They were both silent for a while.

  "I'd never have guessed," she finally murmured. "He seems so normal. For Ludger, that is."

  "I know, but you didn't see him the way I did, sprawled out on the floor with the crystals lined up around him like a bunch of jade dominoes, looking like some old Chinese opium eater. His eyes were glazed."

  She was still reluctant to condemn the other man. "Hell, I've seen people get that way on coffee and chocolate."

  "Maybe you're right. Maybe I'm overreacting."

  "So what do we do now?"

  "When we first got here, Ludger and I found another one of those plates like the kind that were used to activate the asteroidship. At least, it looks similar. I'd still like to find three more and try them on the control mound." He was apologetic. "I can't think of anything else to do."

  She blinked as she remembered something. "You know, I think I've seen one."

  His gaze narrowed. "You're kidding. No, you're not kidding. Where?"

  Her eyes dropped. "In the museum spire. But that thing is in there!"

  "We'll be careful. Ludger and I wandered around inside for quite a while without any trouble. Besides, I bet the creature is still preoccupied with drying out its nest. You game? If not, you can stay here, and no recriminations."

  "Game? You have a funny way of putting things sometimes, Boston Low." She gazed across the wide floor. "Think Ludger will come with us?"

  "Not a chance. I suppose he's earned his moment of respite. We'll let him lie among his precious crystals for a while. Can you remember where you saw the plate?"

  She smiled and nodded. "I think so. It wasn't far from the entrance."

  "So much the better. Let's have a look."

  The plate was indeed located where Maggie had remembered seeing it—not in a case, but on a stand next to half a dozen deeply engraved slabs whose function remained an enigma to them. Were they designed to activate other devices? He made a mental note of their location for future reference. Next time they might find a control mound dimpled with square depressions instead of round ones.

  The plate slid easily from its holder. No alarms rang, no doors slammed shut, and no monstrous alien guardians materialized to contest their departure. Their return journey to the central island was blessedly uneventful.

  Low laid the second plate alongside the first. They looked identical, but who could really tell? On the surface they might be perfect duplicates, while their internal structure might be utterly unalike. Of course, that might equally have been true of the four plates that had initially activated the asteroid-ship, he reminded himself.

  The planetarium spire yielded a third plate, the locale in itself an encouraging sign. But no matter how hard they searched, they could not locate a fourth.

  Low bore his frustration silently. It was one thing to have one plate, quite another to unearth three and be unable to find the critical fourth. He munched on the last of the food concentrates salvaged from their suits. Their next priority was going to have to be to find food, not cryptic metal plates.

  They rested against the wall of the main chamber while they tried to decide what to do next. A resigned Low turned to his companion.

  "That's it, Maggie. I'm fresh out of ideas. Unless..."

  "Don't expect any flashes of brilliance from me. Unless what?"

  "You really think you can speak the Cocytan tongue?"

  She cleared her throat and rumbled something at him. It sounded like someone with a bad chest cold trying to sing Handel. He nodded approvingly.

  "Pretty good. At least, it sounded pretty good. What was it?"

  "Nursery rhyme, I think, or the equivalent thereof. Part of the early teaching. What did you have in mind?"

  He shifted his backside on the hard floor. "You recall me telling you that I'd found one of the locals?" She nodded. "Let's go ask it some questions. It may know where we can find a dozen plates. For that matter, it may have some better suggestions. It can't do any worse than I have."

  She took his hand in hers. "Don't be so hard on yourself. I know you're used to solving every problem that comes your way, but no training could've prepared you for this." She squeezed his fingers gently. "So you want me to interrogate an alien. Why not? It can't be any harder than trying to get a straight answer out of a Beijing bureaucrat." Her expression turned apprehensive. "What does it look like?"

  "Take it easy. Nothing like the tunnel crab, or for that matter, anything else we've encountered since we've been here. It's pretty nice-looking, actually. Tall, bipedal, has a face that doesn't turn your stomach, two arms with hands and fingers, along with a few accouterments I don't recognize. Its countenance is ... I'm not quite sure how to describe it ... noble. Yeah, that's it. Noble. You can feel it. There's an inner calmness that radiates from it."

  She was eying him uncertainly. "You make it sound like some kind of god."

  "No. There's nothing deitylike about it. It's just a decent sort of being that tried hard to communicate with me. Needless to say we didn't have any luck. I left promising to come right back with you, but as you know, we got diverted. Will you give it a try?"

  She didn't hesitate. "In the words of the famous missing astronaut, what have we got to lose?"

  "I'm not missing," he replied. "I'm right here."

  "Yeah, but you're a man. Naturally you think the universe revolves around you." She climbed to her feet. "We'd better let Brink know what we're going to do."

  "He won't come." Low stretched as he straightened. He was too tired to sleep.

  Just as Low predicted, Brink was reclining in the storeroom, surrounded by his aura of glowing crystals. The green radiance gave him a slightly bilious look.

  "I've resurrected a Cocytan," he told the scientist. "Maggie's picked up a bit of the language via some kind of cerebral transducer, or something. We've found three plates and we're going to pay it a visit to see if it can point us toward a fourth. After that last business in the deep tunnel I think it would be a good idea if we all kept together."

  "Is that an order, Commander?" Brink eyed him noncommittally.

  "No. Just common sense. But then, you don't need to heed common sense anymore, do you? You've got life crystals."

  "I would put it differently, Commander." Brink smiled beatifically. "But your
conclusion is accurate enough. I choose to remain here."

  Maggie took a step forward. "Ludger, I'm surprised at you.

  No one's ever made contact with an alien species before. For that matter, this is the first time humans have run into anything as advanced as a lichen. As a scientist, I'd think conversing with an intelligent nonhuman life-form would be the fulfillment of your ultimate dream."

  "Financial independence and the use of a fully equipped lab is my ultimate dream, Maggie." His expression was dreamy, distant. "So that I can study these marvelous crystals in greater depth."

  "Dammit, you're a scientist!"

  "And at the moment, a very relaxed one." He waved imperiously. "Go and chat up your Cocytan, people. If it says anything of interest, I will listen to a report when you return."

  "Let's go." Low took her arm. "Can't you see he's under the influence, or stoned, or whatever you want to call it? He's thinking coherently but not linearly. His brain is glazed with green." He bestowed a look of contempt on the contented scientist, which Brink ignored with equanimity.

  They left him staring mutely at the ceiling, looking for all the world like a priest who'd imbibed too much sacramental wine prior to the commencement of devotions. He might not be of any help to them in the forthcoming attempt, but neither was he likely to do any serious damage to himself.

  "So this is the tomb spire." Robbins stood in the portal that separated a familiar vaulted chamber from the transport tunnel, "Impressive."

  "I thought so." He led her toward the central pyramid. "We have to be careful here. There are a couple of organic guardians. They're something like the one that caught you, only smaller and cleaner. They don't manufacture sticky capture ropes either. On the other hand, there's less room in here to maneuver."

  "Whoa up." She halted. "You didn't mention anything about guardians. In case you haven't figured it out by now, I'm not interested in repeating that experience."