Alien Caller (42 page)

“Ohh my God!”
It was his turn to groan. Not only had they saved him, they’d
crippled his defensive ability, and he’d never even realized. Some
security officer. But there was a funny side to it.

“So you undid
my defences against Dimock to protect yourselves from me, when I
was trying to save us all from him, and I sent you into hiding to
protect you from Dimock, when you could have protected me. If this
ever gets out it’ll make the military history books.” A wry smile
lifted the corner of his mouth, and maybe the beginning of another
started on Cyrea’s. Maybe.

“They could
make it into a film. The world’s greatest military blunders!” Cyrea
wasn’t really laughing at his jest.

“Or a ‘how to’
guide. How to seize defeat from the jaws of victory!”

Finally he got
a giggle out of her. Only a small one, but at least it was a start.
He felt some of the tension draining out of her as she released her
fear and anger. But there was still a lot left, and he knew he had
a lot of work to do. Cyrea would not forgive him this mistake any
time soon. Meanwhile there were more things he needed to find
out.

“Do you at
least know what they did to him to make him so strong?” It was more
than idle curiosity though he knew the basics. Dimock was still his
enemy and still alive. Even if they did strip him of his strength
David knew he’d only get it back sooner or later and a lot more
besides, and then he would come after him again.

“The doctors’
do, and they’re far from happy. They didn’t know this sort of
technology had been developed on Earth, let alone used. It’s banned
on our home world and every colony we have and by all of the other
great races too.” The expression on her face was one of anger and
outrage, and he guessed there was a good reason for the ban.

“It’s called
genetic re-engineering; essentially they take a creature and
introduce new active genes into it until it starts to develop new
features. It’s not just dangerous, it’s damaging to a world and
incredibly naive. A sure way of destroying a race. Other worlds
have fallen into anarchy and death from this very nightmare. Many
other worlds. Creating new creatures, often supermen, usually with
no understanding of the consequences. Then those who live through
the hell of becoming new creations, far from being a boon, turn out
to be their creators’ worst nightmares. The creatures upset the
ecological, social and military balance of the world. The supermen
usually seize control. Then they start modifying themselves even
further. The process is like a drug for them, and they usually end
up killing everybody around them when they realize they’re
dying.”

“Those who
don’t learn the lessons of history are destined to repeat them.”
But he only whispered it. While it was somehow good to know that
the Earth was not alone in following this nightmarish trail, the
destination sounded even darker than he had imagined. Cyrea didn’t
respond. She just carried on with her explanation.

“It began with
gene therapies, added to an adult living organism. It was designed
to enhance Dimock’s muscle and bone structure and boost his
reactions. But there was no control system put in place, and the
genetic alterations kept growing like a cancer, dominating his body
until he wasn’t really human.”

“He was never
human.” Cyrea ignored his comment as he no doubt deserved, but then
she didn’t know the creature.

“His bones were
more than twice as thick and seventy percent denser than they
should have been. Human muscles had been reworked into something
like those of a gorilla or similar, but ninety percent of that
muscle mass was white twitch fibres. His strength even before the
drugs were added would have been at least twenty times that of a
human being and his reaction speed faster still. But there was a
cost to it. He was burning out. Literally. His resting body
temperature was forty and a half degrees, which meant that his
accelerated metabolism was cooking him from the inside out. Only
the enhanced healing factors his blood carried kept him alive.
Still he was dying by degrees. A few more years and he would have
been dead.” It was just a pity he hadn’t died long before David
thought, but he kept it to himself. He didn’t need to continue an
argument he was going to lose.

“Then there
were the drugs, designed to take all that raw power and multiply
it. A chemical cocktail which turned him into a walking pharmacy.
The man had a set of implants designed only to do one thing; keep
his drug levels topped up. Even so he couldn’t have lasted more
than a week or so without a recharge.” Yet that was surely nothing
new. David had known he was a drugged up hop head for years, and
that he’d survived free for many years. So obviously he had found a
way around it. He always found a way.

“There were
more implants lining his long bones and ribs, making them even
tougher and more difficult to break. Flexible Kevlar plates had
been placed under his skin, particularly around his chest and back.
Then they apparently fused some sort of protective sheeting over
his skin, making him effectively bullet proof. Even armour piercing
bullets would have had a hard time getting through.”

David nodded,
saying nothing but accepting that she knew what she was talking
about. Besides, it all made sense when he put it together with what
he knew about Dimock and what he remembered of the fight. The only
real question was why Dimock had survived the treatment when
hundreds of others had died. Why him? How could the universe be
that cruel? It was always the same question. But that was academic.
There was something else he really needed to know first.
Urgently.

“Does Dimock
know I’m alive?” It was an important question given that if Dimock
knew he was alive, he would always come for him. Somehow,
somewhere, some way. Dimock’s hatred was a palpable force that
somehow seemed to rearrange the universe to do his bidding.

“I can’t see
how. He’s mostly been unconscious since we brought him in.” Which
was everything David truly wanted to hear.

“Then for
pity’s sake let him think I’m dead.” Cyrea stared at him,
understanding immediately where his thoughts were leading, and at
the same time wondering why. From her perspective Dimock would
never be able to harm him again, regardless of his state of mind.
David was just being paranoid. But David, while knowing it sounded
paranoid, knew Dimock too well to ever consider him safe.

“The only way
I’ll ever truly be safe from that monster is when he’s dead and
buried. The same now is true for you and your people.” He answered
her unspoken query, and saw the disappointment on her face. It hurt
and he tried not to let the pain stop him saying what had to be
said.

“I’m sorry
Cyrea, but it’s true. I hate and fear that bastard like nothing
else. It’s ugly and primitive, and I’m not proud of it, but that’s
the way I feel, and it’s never going to change. So if you won’t
allow me to do the decent thing and kill him, then please at least
do this for me.” He hated saying it even as he uttered the words.
It made him look like some sick psycho in his lover’s arms, but it
was the truth.

“You’re
serious?” Cyrea knew he was. She just didn’t want to accept it.
That he could be so paranoid, so illogical. So full of hatred and
fear. He nodded. He had to explain. National secret or not, he had
to tell her. To make her understand why he feared him, and to
protect them. They had to know what they had caught. If he didn’t,
her people would have no way of defending themselves against him
when his time came to return.

“Deadly.” He
took a deep breath. “You still don’t understand the monster you’ve
caught, and you need to. He’s not just going to come for me next
time. He knows about you now, and he hates you. Not just for what
you’ve done to him, but because he hates everybody. More than that
though, he wants to cause pain to everyone he can. All of your
people are in danger.”

“You have made
yourselves an enemy you cannot even imagine.”

“He’s not
coming back.”

“Yes he is. Can
you record this? Broadcast it?” He ignored her certainty, knowing
the truth, knowing his duty. It was the first time in his life he’d
ever gone against his country and sworn service, and he felt sick
inside at the thought. But it had to be done. She nodded and then
punched some switches on the bedside table. Five seconds later he
was sitting up in bed; wishing he’d been given some pyjamas instead
of having to make do with a sheet around his waist, and speaking
live to the whole ship and soon her world.

“My friends,
you’re making a terrible mistake if you let Dimock live. One that
you probably can’t even begin to understand, yet. But one day you
will, and I’m sorry for that. I just hope you survive it.” He took
a few more breaths to steady his nerves.

“I’m sorry. I
owe you my life, again. And I don’t want you to be afraid. But you
do have to know what it is that you’re dealing with, what you’ve
unleashed on the universe. And let me kill it for you. Please.” He
could imagine hundreds, perhaps thousands of Leinians gasping in
horror at his words and it was all he could do not to cringe at the
thought of their disgust at him.

“I know that
the very idea of such a thing horrifies you, and I’m sorry for
that. But before you judge me, and before you do something stupid
and free that psycho, hear me. And at least try to understand what
it is that you’re freeing, and what he will do when he escapes.
What he will do to you when he’s free, and that’s when not if. He
will be back, and the cost of your mercy will be horrendous.”

“Honey.” Cyrea
stopped him before he could go on screeching like a mad man and
perhaps she had a point. At least enough of one for him to catch
his breath and think about what he needed to tell them. But he
still needed to explain.

“In any fair
universe Dimock would never have been born. Many thousands,
probably many tens of thousands of people, maybe even more are
already dead at his hands, and if he lives, untold thousands or
millions more will die. Your people as well as humans are now a
target now that he knows about you. I know that you think he’ll be
safe. I know you think he’ll suffer and die alone on a miserable
world in the middle of nowhere. But I know two things that you
would never understand. Know them without any possibility of
doubt.”

“I know that
wherever he is, if he’s not dead, sooner or later he’ll be back
bringing death and suffering to others. And I know that if he knows
I’m alive he’ll come for me. He’ll come for my family and friends,
and anybody else he believes has wronged him and that’s you and
your people. He’ll do things to us that you can’t even imagine.
Things that you will be powerless to stop. Against him there is no
real protection. Not while he lives.”

“But -”

“No! I know
love. You’ve done everything. You believe your precautions are
unbreakable. But it’s not enough. It never is. You’re just making
the same stupid mistakes we’ve already made over and over again.”
Deep inside David wanted to scream and rage with his need to make
her understand and there were tears of frustration leaking down his
cheeks. “Mistakes we must never make again.”

“It’s not
enough. Whatever you do it will never be enough. No one and nothing
has ever been enough to hold him before, though again and again and
again people have sworn on stacks of bibles it was. And that’s from
his infancy. Nothing except death will stop him and sometimes I
wonder about even that.”

“Exiled on an
alien world? He’ll escape, sooner or later. He’ll build a space
ship with his bare hands, some unfortunate will crash land on the
planet and he’ll steal their ship, or someone will come and rescue
him. Probably the latter. It’s always the same. I don’t know how
he’ll escape, but I know he will. And then he’ll bring damnation
with him.”

“You’re –.” She
wanted to tell him he was being unreasonable. That he was letting
his paranoia run away with him, which he was. But he would not back
down on it.

“No, I’m not.
I’m speaking from certain knowledge. Repeated experience, and an
awful lot of pain. It's happened too many times before.”

“It’s like a
law of the universe. Dimock always survives. He always gets
stronger. He always hates, he always comes back, and he always
kills.” She tried to stop him, worrying no doubt that he was going
truly insane, but he wouldn’t let her. Her logic couldn’t be
allowed to overcome the truth.

“I’m sorry.
I’ll give you the records. Everything you need to understand the
walking nightmare that calls himself Dimock. It breaks all my oaths
of service, and I have to betray my country and my duty as I would
never have imagined doing, but there is no choice. I have to, if
only so you can defend yourselves when he returns. If you can, and
despite the fact that you overcame him once, that is by no means
certain.”

“Next time
he'll be stronger, he’ll know about you so you won’t be able to
surprise him. He'll have your technology, and he will target you.
To fight him you will have to make unbearable sacrifices as he will
use hostages against you, and I don’t know if you’re strong enough
to do that. Strong enough to consider the hostages as already dead.
Strong enough to watch as he tortures and mutilates them while you
have to hold fast and not give in to his demands. To never listen
to him.”