"/won't hurt you," Kit repeated, stepping closer, holding out his hand5' one of them with the antenna in it. "Come on, you know what this is. Letm& do something about that wheel You can't run on it. And if you can't run, °r /bet there are other hunters here, aren 't there? Or scavengers. I'm sure there are scavengers. Who 'II be coming here to clean up this kill? And do you want them to find you here, helpless?"
The Lotus stared at him, shifting a little from side to side, now, swaying uncertainly. The growl had not stopped, but it hadn't gotten any louder either. "// /were going to hurt you, I would have by now," Kit said, getting closer. The car was four feet away, and its headlights were having to look up at Kit now. "fust kt me do something about that fender stuck in you, then you 'II go your way and I'll go mine."
The dark eyes stared at the antenna, then at Kit, and back at the antenna again. The Lotus stopped swaying, held very still. Kit was two feet away. He reached out with his free hand, very slowly, reached down to touch the scratched fiberglass hide—
The engine raced, a sudden startling roar that made Nita stifle a scream and made Kit flinch all over—but he didn't jump away, and neither did the Lotus. For a second or two he and the car stood there just looking at each other — small trembling boy, large trembling predator. Then Kit laid his hand carefully on the brown hide, a gingerly gesture. The car shook all over, stared at him. Its engine quieted to an uncertain rumbling. "It's okay," he said."Will you let me take care of it?"
The Lotus muttered deep under its hood. It still stared at Kit with those fearsome eyes, but its expression was mostly perplexed now. So was Kit's. He rubbed the curve of the hurt wheelwell in distress. (I can't understand why it's mute,) he said unhappily, (The Edsel wasn't. All it took was a couple of sentences in the Speech and it was talking.) (It's bound,} Nita said, edging out of the shadow of the building she stood against. (Can't you feel it, Kit? There's some kind of huge binding spell laid over this whole place to keep it the way it is.)
. She stopped short as the Lotus saw her and began to growl again. "Relax," Kit said. "She's with me, she won't hurt you either,"
Slowly the growl dwindled, but the feral headlight-eyes stayed on Nita. She gulped and sat down on the curb, where she could see up and down the street. "Kit, do what you're going to do. If another of those cabs comes along—"
Right. Fred, give me a hand? No, no, no," he said hastily, as Fred drifted Own beside him and made a light-pattern and a sound as if he was going to A't something. "Not that kind. Just make some light so I can see what to do down here."
Kit knelt beside the right wheel, studying the damage, and Fred floated in se to lend his light to the business, while the Lotus watched the process 'aelong and suspiciously. "Mmmfff—nothing too bad, it's mostly wrapped around the tire. Lucky it didn't get fouled with the axle.
"Come on, come on," Kit said in the Speech, patting the bottom of the tire, "relax it, loosen up. You're forcing the scrap into yourself, holding the wheel up like that. Come on." The Lotus moaned softly and with fearful care relaxed the uplifted wheel a bit. "That's better." Kit slipped the antenna up under the Lotus's wheelwell, aiming for some piece of chrome that was out of sight. "Fred, can you get in there so I can see? Good. Okay, this may sting a little." Molten light, half- seen, sparked under the Lotus's fender. It jumped, and an uneven half-circle-shaped piece of chrome fell clanging onto the pavement. "Nowhunch the wheel up again. A little higher—" Kit reached in with-both hands and, after a moment's tugging and twisting, freed the other half of the piece of metal. "There," Kit said, satisfied. He tossed the second piece of scrap to the ground. The engine roared again with terrible suddenness, deafening. This time Kit scrambled frantically backward as the Lotus leaped snarling away from him. With a screech of tires it swept so close past Nita that she fell over backward onto the sidewalk. Its engine screaming, the Lotus tore away down Fiftieth toward Madison, flung itself left around the corner in a cloud of blue exhaust, and was gone.
Very slowly Kit stood up, pushed the antenna into his pants pocket, and stood in the street dusting his hands off on his shirt as he gazed in disappoint-ment after the Lotus. Nita sat herself back up again, shaking her head and brushing at herself. (I thought maybe it was going to stay long enough to thank you,) she said.
Kit shook his head, evidently in annoyance at himself for having thought the same thing, (Well, I don't know — I was thinking of what Picchu said. 'Don't be afraid to help.') He shrugged. (Doesn't really matter, I guess. It was hurting; fixing it was the right thing to do.)
(I hope so,) Nita said. (I'd hate to think the grateful creature might run off to—you know — and tell everybody about the people who helped it instead of hurting it. I have a feeling that doing good deeds sticks out more than usual around here.)
Kit nodded, looking uncomfortable. (Maybe I should've left well enough alone.) (Don't be dumb. Let's get going, huh? The … whatever the place is where the dark Book's kept, it's pretty close. I feel nervous standing out here.) They recrossed Madison and again started the weary progression from doorway to driveway to shadowed wall, heading north.
At Madison and Fifty-second, Nita turned right and paused. (It's on this block somewhere,) she said, trying to keep even the thought quiet. (The north side, I think. Fred, you feel anything?)
Fred held still for a moment, not even making a flicker, (The darkness feels thicker up ahead, at the middle of the block.)
Kit and Nita peered down the block. (It doesn't look any different,) Kit said. (But you're the expert on light, Fred. Lead the way.)
With even greater care than usual they picked their way down Fifty-second. This street was stores and office buildings again; all the store windows empty, all the windows dark. But here, though external appearances were no different, the feeling slowly began to grow that there was a reason for the grimy darkness of the windows. Something watched, something peered out those windows, using the darkness as a cloak, and no shadow was deep enough to hide in; the silent eyes would see. Nothing happened, nothing stirred anywhere. No traffic was in sight. But the street felt more and more like a trap, laid open for some unsuspecting creature to walk into. Nita tried to swallow as they ducked from one hiding place to another, but her mouth was too dry. Kit was sweating. Fred's light was out.
(This is it,) he said suddenly, his thought sounding unusually muted even for Fred. (This is the middle of the darkness.)
(This?) Kit and Nita thought at the same time, in shock, and then simultaneously hushed themselves. Nita edged out to the sidewalk to get a better look at the place. She had to crane her neck. They were in front of a sky-scraper, faced completely in black plate glass, an ominous, windowless monolith.
(Must be about ninety stories,) Nita said. (I don't see any lights.)
{Why would you?) Fred said. (Whoever lives in this place doesn't seem fond of light at all. How shall we go in?)
Nita glanced back up the street. (We passed a driveway that might go down to a delivery entrance.)
(I'll talk to the lock,) Kit said. (Let's go!)
They went back the way they had come and tiptoed down the driveway. It seemed meant for trucks to back into. A flight of steps at one side led up to a 'oading platform about four feet above the deepest part of the ramp. Climbing the stairs, Kit went to a door on the right and ran his hands over it as Nita and Fred came up behind. (No lock,) Kit said. (It's controlled from inside.) (We can't get in? We're dead.)