Authors: Richard Matheson
Duel (33 page)
“Helpless?” was all Johnny said.
Kleinman didn't go on. He pressed his lips together in annoyed surrender and tapped nervously on his desk. Johnny waited a moment and then, seeing that Kleinman wasn't going to continue, he went on.
“Threeâthe aversion to music which she once loved. Why? Because it was music? I don't think so.
Because of the vibrations.
Vibrations which a normal child wouldn't even notice being so insulated from sound not only by the layers of its mother's epidermis and the amniotic fluid but by the very structure of its own hearing apparatus. Apparently, this ⦠child ⦠has much keener hearing.
Because of the vibrations.
Vibrations which a normal child wouldn't even notice being so insulated from sound not only by the layers of its mother's epidermis and the amniotic fluid but by the very structure of its own hearing apparatus. Apparently, this ⦠child ⦠has much keener hearing.
“The coffee,” he said. “It made her drunk. Orâit made it drunk.”
“Now wait,” Collier started, then broke off.
“And now,” Johnny said, “as to her reading. It fits in too. All those booksâmore or less the basic works in every field of knowledge, a seemingly calculated study of mankind and his every thought.”
“What are you driving at?” Collier spoke nervously.
“Think, Dave! All these things. The reading, the trips in the car. As
if she were trying to get as much information as she could about life in our civilization. As if the child were ⦔
if she were trying to get as much information as she could about life in our civilization. As if the child were ⦔
“You are not implying that the child was ⦔ Kleinman began.
“Child?” Johnny said grimly. “I think we can stop referring to it as a child. Perhaps the body is childlike. But the mindâ
never.
”
never.
”
They were deadly silent. Collier felt his heart pulsing strangely in his chest.
“Listen,” Johnny said. “Last night Annâor the â¦
it
âwas drunk. Why? Maybe because of what it's learned, what it's seen. I hope so. Maybe it was sick and wanted to forget.”
it
âwas drunk. Why? Maybe because of what it's learned, what it's seen. I hope so. Maybe it was sick and wanted to forget.”
He leaned forward.
“Those visions Ann had; I think they tell the storyâas crazy as it is. The deserts, the marshes, the crimson fields. Add the cold. Only one thing wasn't mentioned and I think that's probably because they don't exist.”
“What?” Collier asked, reality scaling away from him.
“The canals,” Johnny said.
“Ann has a Martian in her womb.”
“Ann has a Martian in her womb.”
Â
For a long time they looked at him in incredulous silence. Then both started talking at once, protesting with nervous horror in their voices. Johnny waited until the first spasm of their words had passed.
“Is there a better answer?” he asked.
“But â¦
how?
” Kleinman asked heatedly. “How could such a pregnancy be effected?”
how?
” Kleinman asked heatedly. “How could such a pregnancy be effected?”
“I don't know,” Johnny said. “But why? I think I know.”
Collier was afraid to ask.
“All through the years,” Johnny said, “There's been no end of talk and writing about the Martians, about flying saucers. Books, stories, movies, articlesâalways with the same theme.”
“I don't ⦔ Collier began.
“I think the invasion has finally come,” Johnny said. “At least a tryout. I think this is their first attempt, an insidious, cruel attemptâinvasion by flesh. To place an adult life cell from their own planet into
the body of an Earth woman. Then, when this fully matured Martian mind is coupled to the form of an Earth childâthe process of conquest begins. This is their experiment, I think, their test. If it works ⦔
the body of an Earth woman. Then, when this fully matured Martian mind is coupled to the form of an Earth childâthe process of conquest begins. This is their experiment, I think, their test. If it works ⦔
He didn't finish.
“But ⦠oh, that's
insane,
” Collier said, trying to push away the fear that was crowding him in.
insane,
” Collier said, trying to push away the fear that was crowding him in.
“So is her reading,” said Johnny. “So are her trips in the car. So is her coffee drinking and her dislike of music and her pneumonia healing and her standing out in the cold and the reduction of body size and the visions and that crazy toneless song she sang. What do you want, Dave ⦠a blueprint?”
Kleinman stood up and went to his filing cabinets. He pulled out a drawer and came back to the desk with a folder in his hand.
“I have had this in my files for three weeks now,” he said. “I have not told you. I did not know how. But this information, this
theory
,” he quickly amended, “compels me to ⦔
theory
,” he quickly amended, “compels me to ⦔
He pushed the x-ray slide across the desk to them.
They looked at it and Collier gasped. Johnny's voice was awed.
“A
double heart
,” he said.
double heart
,” he said.
Then his left hand bunched into a fist.
“That clinches it!” he said. “Mars has two-fifths the gravity of Earth. They'd need a double heart to drive their blood or whatever it is they have in their veins.”
“But ⦠it does not need this here,” Kleinman said.
“Then there's some hope,” Johnny said. “There are rough spots in this invasion. The Martian cell would, of genetic necessity, cause certain Martian characteristics in the childâthe double heart, the acute hearing, the need for salt, I don't know why, the need for cold. In timeâand if this experiment worksâthey may iron out these difficulties and be able to create a child with only the Martian mind and every physical characteristic Earthlike. I don't know but I suspect the Martian is also telepathic. Otherwise how would it have known it was in danger when Ann had pneumonia?”
The scene flitted suddenly across Collier's mindâhim standing beside the bed, the thoughtâ
the hospital, oh God, the hospital.
And, under Ann's flesh, a tiny alien brain, well versed by then in the terms of Earth, plucking at his thought. Hospital, investigation, discovery ⦠. He shuddered convulsively.
the hospital, oh God, the hospital.
And, under Ann's flesh, a tiny alien brain, well versed by then in the terms of Earth, plucking at his thought. Hospital, investigation, discovery ⦠. He shuddered convulsively.
“ ⦠we to do?” he caught the tail end of Kleinman's question. “Kill the ⦠the
Martian
after it is born?”
Martian
after it is born?”
“I don't know,” Johnny said. “But if this ⦔ he shrugged, “this
child
is born alive and born normalâI don't think killing would help. I'm sure they must be watching. If the birth is normalâthey might assume their experiment is a success whether we killed the child or not.”
child
is born alive and born normalâI don't think killing would help. I'm sure they must be watching. If the birth is normalâthey might assume their experiment is a success whether we killed the child or not.”
“A Caesarean?” Kleinman said.
“Maybe,” Johnny said. “But ⦠would they be sure they've failed if we had to use artificial means to destroy ⦠their first invader? No, I don't think it's good enough. They'd try again, this time somewhere where no one could check on itâin an African village, in some unavailable town, in ⦔
“We can't leave that ⦠that
thing
in her!” Collier said in horror.
thing
in her!” Collier said in horror.
“How do we know we can remove it,” Johnny said grimly, “and not kill Ann?”
“What?” Collier asked, feeling as if he were some brainless straight man for horror.
Johnny exhaled raggedly.
“I think we have to wait,” he said. “I don't think we have any choice.”
Then, seeing the look on Collier's face, he hurriedly added,
“It's not hopeless, boy. There are things in our favor. The double heart which might drive the blood too fast. The difficulties of combining alien cells. The fact that it's July and the heat might destroy the Martian. The fact that we can cut off all its salt supply. It can all help. But, most of all, because the Martian isn't happy. It drank to forget andâwhat were its words?
O, send me not to make the way.
”
O, send me not to make the way.
”
He looked grimly at them.
“Let's hope it dies of despair,” he said.
“Or?” Collier asked hollowly.
“Or else this ⦠miscegenation from space succeeds.”
Â
Collier dashed up the stairs, his heart pounding with a strange ambivalent beat. Knowing at last she was innocent was horribly balanced by knowledge of the danger she was in.
At the top of the stairs he stopped. The house was silent and hot in the late afternoon.
They were right, he suddenly realized, right in advising him not to tell her. It hadn't actually struck him until then, he'd thought it wrong not to let her know. He'd thought she wouldn't mind as long as she knew what it was, as long as she had his faith again.
But now he wondered. It was a terrifying thing, the import of it made him tremble. Might not the knowledge of this horror drive her into hysterics; she'd been bordering on breakdown for the past three months.
His mouth tightened and he walked into the room.
She lay on her back, her hands resting limply on her swollen stomach, her lifeless eyes staring up at the ceiling. He sat down, on the edge of the bed. She didn't look at him.
“Ann.”
No answer. He felt himself shiver. I can't blame you, he thought, I've been harsh and thoughtless.
“Sweetheart,” he said.
Her eyes moved slowly over and their gaze on him was cold and alien. It was the creature in her, he thought, she didn't realize how it controlled her. She must never realize. He knew that then, clearly.
He leaned over and pressed his cheek against hers.
“Darling,” he said.
A dull, tired voice audible. “What?”
“Can you hear me?” he said.
She didn't reply.
“Ann, about the baby.”
There was a slight sign of life in her eyes.
“What about the baby?”
He swallowed.
“I ⦠I know that ⦠that it isn't the baby of ⦠another man.”
For a moment she stared at him. Then she muttered, “Bravo,” and turned her head away.
He sat there, hands gripped into tight fists, thinkingâwell, that's that, I've killed her love completely.
But then her head turned back. There was something in her eyes, a tremulous question.
“What?” she said.
“I believe you,” he said. “I know you've told me the truth. I'm apologizing with all my heart ⦠if you'll let me.”
For a long moment nothing seemed to register. Then she took her hands from her stomach and pressed them against her cheeks. Her wide brown eyes began to glisten as they looked at him.
“You're not ⦠fooling me?” she asked him.
For a moment he hung suspended, then he threw himself against her.
“Oh, Ann, Ann,” he said, “I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Ann.”
Her arms slid around his neck and held him. He felt her breasts shake with inner sobs. Her right hand caressed his hair.
“David, David ⦔ She said it over and over.
For a long time they remained there, silent and at peace. Then she asked:
“What made you change your mind?”
His throat moved.
“I just did,” he said.
“But why?”
“No reason, honey. I mean, of course, there was a reason. I just realized that ⦔
“You've doubted me for seven months, David. Why did you change your mind now?”
He felt a burst of rage at himself. Was there nothing he could tell her that would satisfy her?
“I think I've misjudged you,” he said.
“Why?”
He sat up and looked at her without the answer. The look of soft happiness was leaving her face. Her expression was taut and unyielding.
“
Why,
David?”
Why,
David?”
“I told you, sweet ⦔
“You didn't tell me.”
“Yes, I did. I said I think I've misjudged you.”
“That's no reason.”
“Ann, don't let's argue now. Does it matter if ⦔
“Yes, it matters a lot!” she said, her voice breaking, as her breath caught.
“And what about your biological assurances?” she said. “No woman can have a baby without being impregnated by a man. You always made that very clear. What about that? Have you given up your faith in biology and transferred it to me?”
“No, darling,” he said. “I simply know things I didn't know before.”
“What things?”
“I can't tell you.”
“More secrets! Is this Kleinman's advice, just a trick to make my last month cozy? Don't lie to me, I know when you're lying to me.”
“Ann, don't get so excited.”
“I'm not excited!”
“You're shouting. Now stop it.”
“I will not stop it! You toy with my feelings for more than half a year and now you want me to be calmly rational! Well, I won't be! I'm sick of you and your pompous attitude! I'm tired of â¦
Uhhh!
”
Uhhh!
”
She lurched on the bed, her head snapping as she jerked her head from the pillow, all the color drained from her face in an instant. Her
eyes on him were the eyes of a wounded child, dazed and shocked.
eyes on him were the eyes of a wounded child, dazed and shocked.
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