Under the Canopy (14 page)

I slid down the stairs into the open and raised the rifle. If any of them turned, he would have seen me and most likely shot dead. But they were too concerned with the elevator. It had arrived. The doors opened, and the gun fired.

The bruiser got Edlon in the chest, a mortal wound if not for the vest. He was thrown back and hit the wall.

I fired at the "brother." I didn't want to kill him just now, so my bullet went through his right shoulder and hit the wall. The man grunted and dropped the gun.

The bruiser flinched at the sound of the clap and turned. He looked straight at me and aimed. In that moment Edlon got him with the pellets. The shotgun boomed, tearing a part of his neck and lower jaw away. The man dropped dead where he stood, spraying blood around him.

The "brother" lunged down and tried to pick up the gun with the left hand. Ort jumped into action and threw himself at him. The big ranger knocked the impostor off his feet, and he hit the wall. The man tried to struggle and get Ort off him. Edlon rushed to them and pressed the shotgun to the man's head.

'Give up, fucker,' he said.

The impostor looked at him, at Ort and at me entering the room. 'Fuck you all!' he yelled, opening his mouth wide and then bit down.

'A poison capsule,' Ort said calmly and got up, swaying from side to side.

The invader made a grimace of a lemoneater, twitched a bit and grew still. Edlon shook the shotgun back and forth, as if not sure what to do, and then lowered it.

'Yes, he is dead,' Ort said, leaning forward. I untied his hands. At least, I tried to. The work was so intricate that I gave up and cut it with the knife.

'Who were they?' I asked. 'Why did they torture you?'

Ort looked at me, then at Edlon. He hummed and chewed his lip, the beard moved back and forth. 'Alright. They were counter-agents. There is a…' he paused, thinking. 'Thing under my cabin. Very important for the government. I guard it.'

I put two and two together. 'So this is all the facade? The ranger service and all.'

Ort puffed his cheeks and sighed. 'More or less. You shouldn’t know the details. Better that way.'

'What happens now?' Edlon said.

'I call a special number. Special men come to clean the mess.' Ort looked at his bloodied finger. He peeled the fingernail away, dropped it on the floor and sucked on the bloody tip. 'That's it. Don't get involved.'

'Good.' Edlon turned to me and extended the shotgun. 'Give me my rifle.'

I did what he asked me. 'Want to shoot some game for scalps, eh?'

Edlon snatched the rifle out of my hand and stepped back. 'Oh, fuck off, roomie. I did this for Ort. And you brought them here.' He turned and walked to the elevator.

When the elevator doors closed, I felt relief. With the danger gone, the old grudge was coming back. 'Ort,' I said. 'I didn't know.'

He winced. 'Don't scold yourself. Now you do.' He looked me in the eye. 'And this nonsense. Drop it. Edlon is a good man.'

I didn't have the heart to argue and only waved his remark away. Before I went, he told me another thing.

'Check the locks,' he said. 'They had an icebreaker.'

When I returned to the roof, Edlon was already gone, and my scooter was standing alone. I heard the engine in the distance, going away. Or maybe I just imagined it. In either case, I wouldn't have bumped into him on the way home.

I mounted the scooter and launched into the air, leaving the unmanned floater and a corpse behind me. When I left, Ort was dialing his people. Soon they'd be here. He advised me not to speak of the incident, and I wouldn't run into trouble. Of course, it all doesn't matter now. The secret thing, whatever it was, left Safun soon after I did.

On the way home, I had the time to think over what happened. Two things stuck out to me.

First, Edlon. When I made the call, he underwent an instant change and went into the "save Ort" mode, and I admired that. We slipped on masks of allies and went on the mission. However, when it was over, we dropped the pretense and returned to the prior status quo. What a strange creature is a man! Why do we have to wear these masks for cooperating with each other? On some level, I felt that my own hang-up about him was also a facade, like I was playing a role I didn't quite understand.

And the second thing was obviously Ort's revelation. I felt betrayed. I thought Ort had come to the woods like me, motivated by… I guess you could say ideological reasons. The truth was less lofty. I couldn't judge him, though. Ort couldn't have lived and prospered in the wilderness just following a government order. Only a man at peace with himself can accomplish this without going mad. And he clearly wasn't a loony, even though he seemed like one at times. Forest is a mirror… A thought stirred at the edge of my consciousness. Could I have lived on Safun as long as Ort?

I couldn't give a straight answer and felt uneasy.

Ort was right, and my lock was messed up. I wouldn't have noticed unless he told me. I had to reinstall all the drivers.

The uninvited guest trend continued mere two days after the "brother" incident. I was sitting at home cleaning the rifle when my communicator gave me an alarm call. I put the barrel down and looked at the screen. All my thinking process stopped at that moment.

The message read: 'Open up, ranger.' Signed — General K.P. Aster.

My hand dropped down, and I stared at the wall for a good minute. Generals. Again. Right here and now.
Fuck.
What should I do?
The answer was obvious — lie, smile and be a good soldier. I got up and went to the door. I was a zombie obeying the master's will. My legs pushed me forward, my fingers touched the buttons. The elevator went up.

The doors opened. The roof was empty. An advance call from a general, what a courtesy. Using that time wisely, I spit into my palm and licked my hair down. I touched my cheeks and felt stubble. He would get anal about it, maybe I should catch some razor time.
I looked back at the elevator and dismissed the thought
.
Why bother. After all, Ort had a beard, and he was higher in rank than me. Maybe, that was his leeway.

The sunbeams above me blinked, and I saw a floater descend through the hole. Here they were.
As the floater came down, I automatically straightened my posture and flattened, or at least attempted to, the creases in my clothes. I had a simple shirt on with pants and was freezing out there. The floater touched down. The door slid to the side, opening a hole in its side. Only one general stepped out. Taller than me, not fat at all, with short whiskers framing his long face. He was dressed in a long gray coat, no cap. That was General Aster.

I saluted the high command. 'Good day, sir!' My arm pistoled to my head, and I struck myself harder than I wanted.

Aster smiled his white teeth and gave a brief salute to me. He walked up to me and stopped, straight as a rail. I smelled cologne. 'At ease, ranger.' He sounded cheerful. That was a good sign. 'Wealder, isn't it?'

'Yes, sir.' I relaxed the back, but my neck was still tense. 'If you allow me, sir, what's the nature of your visit, sir?'

Aster gave me a snicker and shook his head. 'Don't "sir" me here, we are in the woods. Relax.' He slapped me on the arm, a good-old fatherly gesture. It agitated me even more. 'I came to you on the advice of your colleague, Tepesh.' I stalled for a moment and then remembered that it was Edlon's last name. 'My family and I wanted to visit a native village on this trip. He said that you are friendly with the aliens.'

The family.
'I-I'm not so sure. Ort is far more familiar with them. To be frank, sir.'

Aster gave me a thin smile, his teeth peeking through the crack between the lips. 'Well, that man has a far more important task than bumming around with some general, eh.' He winked at me.

I dropped my gaze and stared at the concrete for a moment. I knew only one place where I could take them. 'I see, sir. Tepesh told you the truth, I know the new chief. He is somewhat of a friend of mine. The village is not far from here.'

Aster beamed. 'That's swell. Dress up and lead the way. We'll follow.' Another slap on the arm.

A thin woman in big sunglasses, presumably his wife, leaned out of the door. 'Keppy, are we going?' Her voice, it was almost a screech. It reminded me of nagging sitcom wives.

The general turned and waved to her. 'It's all settled, honey bunny. Go inside.'

The woman inspected me, I could feel her prickly gaze crawling over me from beyond the shades. She didn't say anything and retreated inside.

'That's my missus,' Aster said and chuckled. 'Well, go now.' He patted me again.

I nodded with my body. 'Yes, sir.' I turned on the heels and went into the elevator. Before the doors closed, I saw the general look around and turn back for the floater. “Keppy.”
I pushed the button down and leaned my head on the chrome door. I knew that nothing good would come out of this trip. But I was just a leaf caught by the wind. No one asked flying garbage what it thought.

I took the scooter out and rose to the roof level. They were there, waiting. I looked at the pilots and waved to them. One showed me the thumb and chopped his palm forward. I waved in the general direction of the village and turned. The floater roared behind my back, sucked air and then pushed it out. A warm breeze engulfed me. I shifted gears and began to rise to the hole.

My scooter emerged from the forest gloom into the sunlight. The sea of the canopy was calm, with barely visible waves running across it. This place didn't need aliens from the city. Nevertheless, they came. I sighed and looked back.

The floater with the general's family rose out of the gap and turned to face me. The sun glimmered on its hull and ran in white beads over it. I showed the direction again and waved them to follow me. A couple rotations of the handles, and my engine was ready for the trip. We set off.

I regretted that I had no means of telling R'lok of the incoming visitors. I should have given him a radio or something. What if the village was empty? I would run into trouble. And an even worse scenario — the place was full, but they scattered, screaming. My alliance with R'lok would be broken. I didn't want to lose him like that. And then I imagined THE worst turn of events — the tourists did something so stupid that the natives lynched us all on the spot. Well, that wouldn't happen thanks to the fucking thundergod thing. And R'lok.

While I pondered my deep thoughts, we approached our destination point. The big clearing ahead was smoking, so there was someone in the village. I heard the sound of chopping wood and some cracking. The day seemed to be going as usual, until now, that was. I turned to the floater, raised my palm into the air and then dropped it horizontally. The pilots seemed to understand me perfectly.

We went down.

I landed first. The village looked the same as the last time. Seeing the flying machines, the natives stopped what they were doing and watched us. It would have been better if they pointed their fingers and chattered between each other. But they were silent and still like marble statues. They looked at the massive floater behind me, and I saw the acceptance of a rape victim in them. They would just wait for this to be over without putting up useless resistance. I felt for them.

I honked, looking at the chief's hut. The curtain shifted, and a familiar cyclopic face appeared. I waved to him. The alien disappeared inside without any signs of acknowledgment.

The floater landed on the side of the fire pit. I followed suit and dismounted. The villagers were surrounding us, looking blankly at me and then at the floater. I shifted the shoulder strap with unease. The hatch opened, and the general stepped out. He turned back and extended his hand to the black mouth of the portal. The wife went out first, a thin woman in white jacket and pants. She had this smug expression on her face like she was some royalty appearing before the plebes. I almost expected to see shoes on her feet, but no, she wore sneakers. When she stepped down, she greeted the crowd with a smile and a half-hearted wave of her gloved fingers. The villagers kept staring, some drew back in fear.

Next, a teenage girl came out the door, also helped by the general. I wasn't sure about her age, somewhere between school and college, several years younger than me. She was a real city-dweller by the looks of her, dressed for a walk to a snoom shop or whatever was trendy these days. She gave the aliens a passing glance and wrinkled her nose. And then a boy jumped out. He had a puffy jacket two sizes too big for him, a scarf around his neck and a red cap. He was beaming. Before the boy did anything stupid, the mother caught him by the arm and pulled to her side.

'This is the ranger,' she said, pointing at me. 'Do what he says, behave yourself.' As if I could order him around.

'Oh Mum come one Mum I'm not a child!' His speech was a rattle without breaks, barely comprehensible, but authoritative. He would make a good colonel.

'Do what your mother says,' Aster said and turned to me. He wanted to say something, but his eyes shifted behind my back. 'Ah, here's the chief!'

I turned to look. R'lok was approaching us, dressed in a furry mantle. His face was concentrated and mask-like. He stopped three feet from me and got on one knee. The other villagers did the same. The family appeared by my side.

'We welcome you, thundergods,' R'lok said. 'We very pleased with your visit.'

'Doesn't look like it,' the daughter said and got a hush from the mother. The boy stared with bulging eyes.

Aster turned to me as if expecting something. I looked at him, at the alien and finally understood what I should do. 'This is R'lok, the current chief. He is my friend. He is the only one who speaks our language.' I pointed at the general. 'And this is General K.P. Aster.' I didn't know what else to say.

The general waved his hand towards the alien. 'Good day to you, R'lok. Get up now.'

R'lok got to his feet and came closer. 'What do you wish to do?' He was talking directly to the general. The man understood right away who pulled the strings here.

Aster encompassed the village in one gesture. 'Show us around, chief. We won't bother you for long.'

R'lok gave him a solemn bow.

Aster turned to the floater and whistled. 'Guard it.'

Four men in armor and gas masks stepped out. Two stayed at the floater, two bracketed the family.

I looked at R'lok. He had a distant expression on his face and then shifted his gaze to me. 'Go,' I said. 'Nothing bad will happen.'

'Yes,' the alien said, his eye darting back and forth. 'Follow me, thundergods.' He invited them forth with an elegant gesture and walked forward. The family followed, huddled together. I walked at the front.

Aster marched forward with the hands clasped behind his back. He looked over the land as if he was its master. 'So, chief, how did you lose the eye? I bet in some savage fight.'

R'lok half-turned to him. 'In some manner.'

'How many people do you have here?'

'Many.'

Aster nodded and furrowed his brow. 'Is it hard staying on top? I bet it's the constant fight for survival, eh?'

The alien looked confused and dropped a glance at me. 'No, thundergod general. No one wants to be chief. Too much work.'

The general laughed, loudly. The alien flinched. Aster patted him on the back, wiping a tear. 'I feel you, chief. Each of my officers thinks that we do nothing but navel gazing.'

'Keppy, where are we going?' The wife leaned forward with the boy beating in her hand like a fish on a hook. His little claw grabbed every pole and rope in his grasp.

Aster looked confused for a moment. 'Yes, chief, where?'

'Main hut,' R'lok said, gesturing at it. 'I will show you it.' We were already at the entrance.

'What's that? How kitschy.' The daughter was pointing at the wooden image of R'lok.

Aster saw the scoop with the statue in it and laughed again. 'I love it! I should do the same.' He turned to the wife. 'Honey bunny, take a picture of the kids in front of that thing.'

The wife looked the statue over. 'Is it sturdy?' She turned to me, of all people.

'Well, yes.' I shrugged. 'Quite sturdy.'

The moment I said that she threw the boy forward. 'Stand by the wooden man, sugar.' She turned to the daughter. 'And you too,
miss
.'

'O-K,' the daughter said, rolling her eyes.

The kids approached the statue and stood by its sides. The boy took two twigs lying at its base and crossed them in front of him like swords. The girl just was there, arms crossed. The shot was taken, and the kids came back.

R'lok patiently waited by the door of his hut. When the humans came up to him, he lifted the curtain with one hand and invited them inside with the other. It was dark inside.

The daughter stopped and wrinkled her nose. ‘I won't go inside, Dad. It stinks there.'

'Like shit!' the boy said.

The wife slapped him on the head. ‘Watch your mouth.' She looked at her husband. 'I think we shouldn't go inside. Who knows what bacteria may live there.'

I toyed with the idea of telling about the disease. They'd be out of here in a second. But there were no green sores in sight, or sick people in general. The mushrooms seemed to perform miracles. Aster would think that I was trying to screw him over and then…

'Hey,' I said. 'Let me take the picture of you in front of the hut.' I'd regret these words.

The wife snapped at Aster like a snake. 'Oh, that's such a lovely idea, Keppy.' She gave me the camera. 'You push this button.' She showed me. I didn't tell her that I knew how to operate a photo camera.

R'lok was put in the middle. Aster beside him. The kids bracketed the composition. The guards stayed out of the frame. I stepped back trying to catch as much "nativity" as I could.

'Say cheese,' I said.

The humans did. R'lok only flinched at the sound of their voices. I pushed the button and took the money shot for the family album.