The pink dunes were losing their pristine condition and collapsing into muddy-looking slush that pulsed and throbbed with swarming life. We couldn't identify the smaller creatures; they blurred into a glittering mosaic. Millipedes slithered through them everywhere, feeding like sharks; some of them were as huge as pythons.
But where was the worm?
Lizard switched on the overhead spotlights then-and gasped. Outside, the air was filled with fluttery things. They looked like epileptic moths. They darted back and forth through the light pouring from the chopper. They dipped and dove and picked at the bugs in the powder. And now there were larger things that sailed through the fluttery things. They curled and swooped like silver ribbons. They were bizarre and graceful and beautiful to watch; they rippled and moved in perfect sine waves. Something like a kite darted through them, snatching them out of the air. What kind of creature fed on the kites?
The creatures in the powder were clearer now too. There were nightwalkers the size of terriers. There were things that looked like spiders on stilts. There were pipe cleaner bugs the size of rats. There were pink hairballs with mouths creeping through the dust, humping like inchworms.
Lizard stared in fascination. Almost without thinking, she switched on the outside microphones
Cacophony!
Chirps and whistles! A thousand chittering, cackling, buzzing, warbling voices clamored in at us. The noise was horrendous! Lizard turned the volume down-but that only made the sounds more ominous, not less.
Now, it sounded like chewing.
A million mandibles crunching, a noise like sizzling fat.
The night had brought out the biggest and the worst. The creatures beyond the window were functioning with a single biological imperative carried to its most horrifying extreme: eat as much as you can before you are eaten yourself.
It was hideous. And it was fascinating.
I glanced over at Lizard. She was pale and trembling-but she had the camera up to her eye again. I started climbing toward the back
She yelped, "Hey-where're you going?"
"I've gotta find that worm-" I climbed past Duke.
She followed me back. "What in hell are you thinking?"
"I don't know yet." I was already pulling the weapon-bay open. "Have you got any cold explosives?"
"No-wait a minute. See what kind of rockets they packed with the rocket launcher-" She pointed.
"I found it-" I studied the warning labels.
"You're not going out there?" she said.
"If I have to-"
"That's crazy! You know what's outside-"
"Yeah-and I al'so know how worms like to solve puzzles with bait in 'em. Yeah, this'll do." I pulled out the "peace-pipe" and one pipe-filler, handed it to her to hold, then closed the compartment again.
"Just one?" she asked dryly.
"I'm only going to get one shot." I took the bazooka and loaded it. "You're going to have to cover me with the freezer. You know how to work it?"
"Point the trigger and press-?"
"That's close enough." I was checking the safeties on the weapon. Everything came up green. Good.
"Wait a minute-" she said. "Just wait a minute-" She held up her hands in front of me. "Have you considered all your options here?"
"Yes-and I am not a free lunch. That leaves only this." I hefted the pipe meaningfully. I stopped and looked at her. "Maybe I'll be lucky. Maybe the worm has already gone away." And then I added, "But I'll bet it hasn't. Here, hold this again."
She took it and said, "I could order you not to do this, you know-"
I was already climbing past her and pulling myself up into the bubble turret. "Go ahead-but court-martials are very time consuming." I opened the shutter.
She called up to me. "We don't court-martial lieutenants for insubordination any more."
"Oh-?"
"No, we just shoot them on the spot. It's cheaper."
I dropped down out of the bubble and jerked my thumb up at it. "Well, before you shoot, you better have a look yourself." She handed me back the rocket launcher and climbed up into the turret. As she brushed past me I couldn't help but notice that she smelled ... interesting. Had this woman really promised me a lobster dinner in Oakland?
"Oh!" she said; and then, after a horrified pause, "But what's it doing?"
"I don't know. Maybe it's considering all its options."
"It's just sitting there-staring at the hatch. . . ."
"Uh huh. And it can probably hear every word we say." Lizard dropped back down out of the turret and stared at me.
"Will this kill it?" she whispered.
"There's only one way to find out, isn't there?"
"Wait a minute. I have to think this out. Just wait a minute-"
"I can. It won't-" The radio beeped. We both looked forward.
Lizard looked at me. "It's waited this long, you can wait toothat's an order." She scrambled down to the front of the ship to answer the call. "This is ELDAVO." I let out a loud breath and followed sourly.
"ELDAVO, this is the Paul Bunyan-" came a male voice, "-on loan from Oregon Air-Lumber. Captain Peter Price at your service. You called for a tow?"
Lizard smiled grimly. "We'll be happy with just a lift. Of any kind. The sooner the better."
"Well, lift is what it's all about, ma'am. The Paul Bunyan has eighty tons of lift. How much of it do you think you'll need?" Lizard glanced at me, then back at Duke, did a quick mental calculation, and said, "Oh, two hundred and twenty-five kilos ought to cover it." I shouldered the bazooka and dropped impatiently into the copilot's seat. How long was this going to take?
"Puttin' on a little weight there, ain'tcha, gal?" came a new voice. A deep male voice.
Lizard yelped, "Danny! What are you doing there?"
"Came along for the ride. How's my favorite redhead?"
"I can't tell you on an open circuit," she said with a laugh. I wondered who this Danny was and what his relationship was with Lizard. I wondered if I should be jealous. His voice boomed like a foghorn. He was too friendly.
Lizard glanced over at me, saw my eyes, and turned back to the radio. "Listen, Danny-what's your ETA?"
The man's tone shifted then, became more businesslike. "Well ... your beam is loud and clear. We should be overhead sometime in the next two hours. How's your patient?"
"Not good."
"He can't ride in a harness?"
"No, we're going to need a basket."
I leaned forward then. "Ask him if they've got a zip line."
"Who's that?" boomed Danny. "Hey, hon-you got a boyfriend?"
"Don't be silly," Lizard said. "He's only a lieutenant." I felt myself reddening in reaction.
"Cradle-robbing again, I see," Danny laughed heartily. I decided I didn't like him or this conversation.
I leaned forward and spoke to the radio. "Can you rig a zip line?"
"Sure, we've got one, Lieutenant... uh-?"
"McCarthy, James Edward."
"Right," said Danny crisply. "McCarthy."
"And have you got a crab?"
"Excuse me," Captain Price interrupted, "Are you a blimper?"
"No-"
"Then why don't you let us handle the mission?"
"-but I did seven search and destroy drops off of gasbags in Colorado, so I had to learn this stuff the hard way. We've got some problems here-"
"And we've got some problems up here too."
"Are your problems bright red?" I snapped back. "Do they weigh three tons? And can they rip open a chooper with their teeth?" There was silence for a heartbeat; you could almost hear the two men exchanging a glance. Then Captain Price came back on the radio. "You have worms?"