Space Hostages (13 page)

I came up again. I'd barely made it down a few feet. I pulled my helmet off completely and tried diving without it, but the water stung my eyes so much I couldn't keep them open.

It had been too long. It had already been too long. It takes people about four minutes to drown. We'd hit the water much longer ago than that.

And it's an awful way to die. Lots of people don't realize that. But I'd had medical training.

I clutched at the edge of the leaf, gasping, and I glimpsed Carl's face. It looked horribly
young
, younger than I'd ever seen him look before, and after that I couldn't look at him at all. We both kept swallowing down air that might be lethal and ducking under the water and coming up and going down again—

“Guys,” said the Goldfish quietly, “I think you should get out of the water.”

“No,” I said to the rubbery surface of the leaf. Then: “Wait,
yes
. . .” I scrambled up onto the leaf, scanning the water and the red islands of leaves from this new height. “Maybe she came up somewhere else—maybe there's currents. Maybe she couldn't hear us calling. . . .” I filled my lungs again.
“Josephine!”
I screamed.

My voice sounded so awful: desolate and wrecked. It shredded away into the air and nothing came back but the sigh of the greenish waves. It didn't
sound
like someone calling to a friend out of sight. It sounded like someone screaming in anguish at what they'd just lost. Hearing myself sound like that horrified me.

Carl heaved himself up and lay there on the leaf, his fists clenched beside his face.

“She jumped out,” I said to the Goldfish. “Didn't she? After the Krakkiluks threw me—she grabbed you and she must have hit that button and . . . she jumped out.”

“Yes,” said the Goldfish, and for once in its life, it didn't say anything else. It just kept staring at the waves.

“She jumped out of a spaceship,”
I repeated, a
little louder. She'd saved my life. She hadn't even been talking to me. And she'd saved my life. And she'd
died
doing it. “The
stupid idiot
,” I added. “How could she do that?”

A soft wind was keening across the water.

“She was my best friend,” I said very quietly.

There was a splashing sound. Something heaved itself half out of the water onto a neighboring leaf pad and lay there, panting.

“Guys,
look
!” cried the Goldfish.

“Oof,” said Josephine. “Hi.”

Carl claimed later that he did not jump a foot in the air and scream, but I was there, I heard him.

“It wasn't stupid,” Josephine remarked, pulling the rest of her body out of the water. “It was pretty clever in the circumstances. It worked, didn't it?”

I sort of folded up on the lily pad and sat there, staring at her.

“Josephine, good to see ya!” cheered the Goldfish.

“Jo,” Carl quavered. “What the hell. You were down there way too long.”

“Oh,” said Josephine. “Well, yes. About that.” Looking slightly sheepish, she pulled down the neck of her tunic, and it occurred to me vaguely that she'd been wearing high-necked clothing the whole time
we'd been on the
Helen
.

There were rows of fine horizontal slits on the skin of her neck below each ear. Sort of like scars, but somehow not.

“Gills? You got gills?” asked Carl.

“Why have you got gills?”
I demanded in a high-pitched voice I didn't recognize.

“Well, you know Dr. Muldoon wanted to get gills onto humans after photosynthetic skin went so well, and I wanted them, and we were working together, so . . . I volunteered. . . .”

All of a sudden, I had never been so indignant about anything in my life.

“WHAT?” I roared. “That is . . . APPALLING!”

“Um, why? I think it's pretty cool,” said Carl.

“BREACHES OF MEDICAL ETHICS ARE
NOT COOL
,” I howled. I pointed a quivering finger at Josephine. “She is
thirteen years old
! Dr. Muldoon performed—
medical experiments
on a
child
.”

“
It's just gills. She wouldn't give me any kind of cortical implants,” said Josephine soothingly.

“OH, WELL, THAT'S FINE, THEN.”

“So I'm thirteen, so what? I
wanted
them. Like you wanted to go to space!”

I made a noise like an injured bison and aimed a reckless kick at one of the puffballs. “What about
the
risks
?” The puffball burst into a cloud of blue dust, and a swarm of flying creatures rose into the air, making a warbling sound.

“
Alice . . .” Josephine looked baffled by now. “Are you sure this is a good time to get upset about this?”

“Jo, just guessing here, but that's not actually what she's upset about,” said Carl.

“YES, IT IS!” I bellowed, all the more annoyed. I wanted to write extremely angry letters to everyone on Earth right then and there. “This is a
disgrace.
Dr. Muldoon should lose her license!”

“That's medical doctors,” said Josephine. “Biochemists don't have licenses.”

“WELL, THEY SHOULD,” I said. I was so upset by this failure of the scientific establishment, I was on the point of tears. “They should,” I repeated, sniffing.

“Okay, Alice,” said Carl gently. “We'll take it up when we get home.”

“I'm sorry you don't like my gills, but they work very well, and I
would
currently be dead without them,” pointed out Josephine. “Also, you know, you could say thank you.”

“AAARGH!” I said instead, and hurled myself at her. I wasn't absolutely sure if it was affection or
murderous rage when I was doing it, and it knocked her over. But it turned into a hug on the way down and also I kind of burst into tears.

“You can't do that!” I sobbed. “You can't just
jump out into space
! You can't get gills without telling me! And you can't rescue me and then
die
!”

Josephine lay there looking shocked and then patted me. “I haven't died,” she said gently. “And neither have you. It's okay.”

But of course that wasn't really true.

“Look, normally I'm all for girls wrestling or hugging or whatever you're doing there,” said Carl. “But you're rocking the lily pad. And we've gotta figure out what we're going to
do
.”

Josephine detached herself from me. She looked around at the alien seascape, the floating orange leaves and the blue-and-yellow puffballs, the occasional splash of the pink wriggly things in the water, and pursed her lips. “Well,” she said, “for starters, have we got any duct tape?”

“No,” I said. “We definitely haven't.”

“Oh my god,” said Josephine.

P
lease. Turn that thing off. I know you're really into history and culture and things, Th
saaa,
but I don't
want
to document my experiences for future generations right now.

Can't we just play I spy?

If Weeseru-Uu had chosen to play I spy rather than to record the third battle of Swaleeshashalafay Athmaral-haaa-Thay,
we would know nothing about the fall of the Aluufa-vem-ral-Faa, and the memory of their civilization would have been lost with our planet.

If we survive this, Noel, a record will be useful to the Council of Lonthaa-Ra-Mo
raaa
, and if not, it may be found by some explorer, some scholar, years from now.

Please can you stop talking about us not surviving and about doomed civilizations and stuff.

I think it is reassuring to think our story might at least be remembered.

Well, I . . . don't?

And besides, I am required
to write an account of my experiences on this trip for school. And should we return home after all this, I would like to get an exceptional graaaaade.

If you get a bad grade for anything after all this, like,
ever
, I think your parents should complain.

I think Carl's alive. Don't you? I think all the others are okay. Josephine wouldn't have done what she did if she didn't have a plan, and she's smart, and Lena didn't look worried. Well, not that she really ever looks worried. She doesn't really
do
facial expressions. . . .

Aaaaaaah. She appears blank, even to other humans?

Sometimes. But I still think she wasn't that worried, and so she must think Josephine knew what she was doing. So . . . I think they're okay. Like, maybe they're on the planet we saw, because it doesn't seem like they came back to the ship. So that's probably where they are, and I think they're okay. Don't you?

We know nothing about the atmosphere of the planet or whether it is capable of supporting human life. I mean . . . yes. I am sure they are quite well.

Are you?

Yes.

Then why are you orange?

I'm not. I aaaam . . . aaaaaah . . . amber. The implications are quite different.

I think you look really orange, though.

I am not. Look, I am quite green in places. The light in here is not good. Perhaps you cannot see how green I am.

So you think they're fine.

Yes.

What is happening with your face? What color would you be if you were normal?

Are you crying?

Please do not cry, Noel, I will play I spyyyyy with you.

O-okay.

Do you want me to teach it to you?

Of course not. I have been learning all about human children and their games. I have been assisting the reconciliation process; it is important. I am very good at cat's cradle, although I do not understand its purpose. I could also play oranges and lemons or huckle buckle beanstalk.

I don't know what those are.

How strange. I will begin. I spy, with my little eeeeeye, something beginning with
U
.

U? I can't see anything in here with U. Ugly . . . wall
paintings? Underfoot . . . floor?

No.

Then I don't know.

I was spying Uncertainty. I win.

You can't . . . look, no. You can't see uncertainty.

Of course you can. Look.

Is that the color you are? Look, never mind. Fine, let's do historical documentation. Turn the recording thing on again.

I didn't turn it off.

Okay. So look, we're on a ship, we're hiding in a kind of cupboard . . .
we're waiting for—

No, no, that won't do, you cannot start with our situation now. You should explain how we came to be here. You must begin with how we were traveling to Aushalawa-Mo
raaa
when we were kidnapped by the Kuraaa-Kalaaa.

That's not how they say their name. They say it more like Krakkiluks, I think.

That is about as accurate as “Morrors,” I suppose, which is to say minimally.

All right, so like you said, we were traveling on the
Helen of Troy
to Aushalawa-Mo
raaa
, and we got kidnapped by the
Kuraaa-Kalaaa or the Krakkiluks or whatever you want to call them. There, okay? They said they'd throw us out of the airlock if the humans and Morrors didn't terraform Aushalawa-Mo
raaa
back to how it was. But all those Morrors
live
there.

And they—they—

I have documented that part already. They ejected first Caaaaaaaarl and then Aleece from the ship.

But then Josephine grabbed the Goldfish and hit the button and jumped out. She jumped out. She didn't say anything to either of us first, she didn't even
look
, she just got up and hit the button and jumped on the round
hatch and it, like, spat her out before anyone could do anything.

Everyone was freaked out by that.

I was indeed freeeeeeaked.

Lena sort of clenched her fists but didn't say anything. Dr. Muldoon shouted and nearly toppled over again, and Lena and Mr. Trommler had to hold her up.

But it wasn't just the humans who were freaked out: the Krakkiluks were too. Lady Sklat-thingy was making noises a bit like hermit crabs make when they're distressed, and everything . . . stopped for a while. They'd been telling President Chakrabarty everything about what
they were doing—they told him about Carl and about Alice. But they didn't say anything about Josephine.

I agree. It iiiis in their interests to appear in complete control of the situation. Josephine's action disrupted that.

Dr. Muldoon had already said she'd do what they wanted. And anyway, they were kind of running out of kids to throw. I mean, what are they going to say to Earth or Aushalawa-Mo
raaa
, “Oops, all the hostages are already dead, but you should do what we want anyway”?

So Lady Slat-thingy said she'd continue talking with President Chakrabarty later, and then she pointed at Dr. Muldoon and said, “You will be privileged to enter the heart of the Grand Expanse.”

And Dr. Muldoon said, “. . . Uh.”

Then Lady Slat-thingy said, “You will demonstrate your ability to shape a planet to your will, so that our colonists can learn.”

“Oh, god,” Dr. Muldoon said. “Do you need me for that? I mean, surely . . . the science of the Grand Expanse far surpasses that of Earth.”

“No,” Lady Slat-thingy said, and then stopped and waggled her eyes in annoyance. “That is to say, YES,” she corrected herself loudly. “You and your accelerated terraforming are an aberration. By some accident of the universe, you have happened upon what should have been Krakkiluk knowledge.”

“You are an exceptional scientist, Valerie,” said Lena with a tiny smile.

Dr. Muldoon then squared her shoulders and grinned joylessly. “Look, I said yes to Aushalawa-Mo
raaa
, to undoing what I did—but I can't help you conquer other planets.” She threw up her hands. “I'm not one for grand gestures, but well, there it is. Can't do it, so I suppose you'll have to kill me too.”

“
No
, Dr. Muldoon!” I said.

“We're not going to kill you,” said Lady Slat-thingy, clanking some golden panels on the torso of her exoskeleton like a parrot puffing out its feathers. “At least not without the observance of the proper procedures. What do you take us for?”

“People who just threw children into space without oxygen?” said Dr. Muldoon, her voice getting kind of squawky now.

“But those were
spawn
,” said Lady Slat-thingy, confused, clanking some more. “And we will of course throw the remainder if you give us cause.”

Dr. Muldoon rubbed her face with her hands, and then she was sort of looking around like she was trying to think of some way to not have this happen. She said to us, “I'm so sorry.”

I said, “It's not your fault.”

And Dr. Muldoon was going to insist that it
was
her fault, I think, but then Lady Slatty-slat poked Lena with a golden pincer and said, “Do you need this person to assist your science?”

Poor Dr. Muldoon was on the spot again, trying to decide whether she should say no, so that Lena wouldn't be taken even farther away from Earth, or yes, so the Krakkiluks would have a good reason to keep her alive.

“We work in completely different disciplines,” said Lena firmly, looking hard at Dr. Muldoon.

“That's right,” said Dr. Muldoon, looking a little bit less upset. “No need at all, absolutely fine without her. Good-bye, everyone.”

The Krakkiluks let Dr. Muldoon
walk
off the bridge, but there was a Krakkiluk soldier with a pincer on each of her shoulders.

Then Lady Slatty-thing said, “Take this one and
question him,” and pointed at Mr. Trommler, who looked as if he was about to be sick.

“Papa?” whimpered Christa.

“You're making a
mistake
,” insisted Mr. Trommler. But Tlag-li-Glig, who's the one covered in diamonds, scooped him up, and he and Krnk-ni-Plik, the one covered in spikes, went with them, and Lena
did
look worried after that.

A few minutes later, I saw a tiny ship whisking past the window before it vanished into hyperspace, and I guess Dr. Muldoon was on it. I don't know where she is now.

I hope she's okay. And Lena. And Mr. Trommler. And Christa—even she doesn't deserve all this. And Ormerod . . . I hope maybe Helen can feed her.

And I hope Helen's okay.

I hope everyone's okay.

There was this one thing. This one thing I noticed before they took Lena away. And I think Dr. Muldoon saw it too and that's why she looked a bit less unhappy.

Lena was wearing these big, fancy gold earrings inside her helmet. And she isn't a fancy jewelry kind of person, and I didn't think she'd been wearing them before we'd been captured.

So anyway, after that, the one with the battle
painted on his chest—at least I think he was a he? He picked me up and carried me off the bridge and into a long red corridor lined with doors. I could see Th
saaa
dangling over one of the others' shoulders. But I got thrown into a cell by myself.

And the guy with the battle on his chest pulled my helmet off—really easily, too. And walked out and shut the door, and there was a hissing noise and a funny noise. And if I'd never been gassed unconscious before, I guess I'd have been really scared, so it's a good thing I have.

I too was rendered unconscious, and I believe at least one day, and perhaps more, must have passed before I awoke.

Waking up on the floor of the cell and remembering why I was there and what had happened to Carl was really bad. I kind of figured the Krakkiluks must be going to take us back to the bridge and throw us out if they didn't get something else they wanted. But it was ages before anything happened, and nothing to do but look around. There wasn't anything
in
the cell, no windows, and nothing to lie down or sit on.
I'm not sure if that was them being cruel to prisoners or if they just don't do furniture? The floor was kind of rubbery, though, so lying on it wasn't
that
uncomfortable. And there were lots of paintings.

Their paintings are quite impressive but extremely sensationalist in style.

In my chamber, the walls displayed what I think was a hero Kuraaa-Kalaaa
couple being praised and adored by members of other species.

In mine, there were lots of Krakkiluks playing musical instruments and then this big picture of a Krakkiluk who was dead, and another Krakkiluk bending over the dead one and waving his arms.

And there was a sort of fountain thing and a drain in the floor so you could have a drink or go to the bathroom, though it would be embarrassing and weird. After a while I tried to get interested in the paintings, because, well, it is interesting. So I thought, Ooh, look, I'd have thought their blood would be blue, like lobsters', but it's yellow, which is
more like beetles. But I couldn't get all that into it. I mean,
Carl
. And Mum and Dad . . .

Oh, I was there such a long time all by myself. It was so bad. Do I have to keep talking about it?

No, I will use a
Paralashath
here to convey your feelings.

Huh. Okay.

So I was there for
ages
and I tried to go to sleep on the floor, because everything was so awful and even the dead Krakkiluk in the picture was making me upset.

Then I heard all this noise outside, the Krakkiluks tramping up and down and clattering at each other. And then the door opened, and two came in. I think they were another married couple—they all seem to go around like that together? One of them was painted shiny black like an oil slick, and the other was painted with different skies, sunsets and moons and clouds.

They brought me some food, human food from the
Helen
. I guess that's easier than giving us whatever they eat and finding it's poisonous for us. Anyway, instead of just taking me back to the bridge, they
talked
to me, which is weird because they don't normally talk
to spawn. They seemed to think it was weird too; they kept looking at each other and clacking their armor, and sometimes they held pincers or patted each other, like, “I know it's weird talking to this spawn, but hang in there, we can get through this.”

But they didn't say that, at least not in English. They asked me lots of questions about Earth and was it true that the seas were warm. And I said they were a lot colder than they used to be because of the Morrors coming and freezing the planet, because I got the feeling it wasn't a good idea to say yes.

But mostly whatever they asked, I said, “I'm sorry, I'm just a spawn, I don't know anything.”