Sooner Dead (Gamma World) - Mel Odom [79]
“That I didn’t know how to get him back to where he came from. I told him Pardot might be able to help him with that.”
That was the truth, but it wasn’t all of the truth. “No one has ever found any way to get anything back through the ripples.”
“No one has yet.” Stampede shifted uneasily.
“You should have told him. He needs to know. From what he says, he has family back there.”
“I understand that.” Stampede heaved a deep sigh. “I just don’t need to be the one that tells him.”
“Coward.”
Stampede flattened his ears and wouldn’t look at her. “Telling him would be like hurting a child’s feelings. And it’s not my place. I’m not responsible for him. The ’Chine would have probably chopped him up for salvage by now.”
“Do you think Pardot has anything better in mind for him?”
Stampede shrugged. “I’ll cross that river when I get to it, Red. One thing at a time, you know that. First we get back to our expedition … if Pardot and Trammell and Riley haven’t ended up dead somewhere, which wouldn’t be good business for us.
“Do you believe everything Scatter told us?” Hella looked around the room to make certain she hadn’t forgotten anything. She wore her old jeans, but her blouse was new, a pullover with a loose waist that would be problematic in the brush.
Stampede scratched under his chin and gazed out at the fractoid. “Yeah, I believe everything he told us. I also believe he hasn’t told us everything.”
“I want to tell you again that I’m sorry for your losses, Mrs. Wroth.” Hella held the older woman’s hands briefly then had to stand her ground as Twyla Wroth leaned in for a quick hug. A lump rose in Hella’s throat, and she had to struggle to swallow.
“I wish you safe travel, girl. Neither mischief nor murder.” Twyla gripped Hella’s hands tightly. “But whenever you find ’Chine near Wroth’s Ferry, do your best to kill them.”
“I will.” The promise was easy to make. Hella would do that anyway.
Twyla released her hands and repeated the request with Stampede. She looked tiny against his bulk.
Minutes later, with food to tide them over during their walk back, Hella took the lead as they set out. Stampede walked slack and Scatter remained in the middle of them.
At midday they stopped for a brief rest and to eat. The full heat of the day rolled over the forest, and the humidity even in the shade was atrocious. Hella’s clothing was damp enough to stick to her, and she knew Stampede had to be miserable. He was happiest in the winter, when it was cold enough that he blew great jets of steam from his nostrils.
Scatter wandered around but didn’t get out of their sight. He touched the leaves, ran his fingers through a small pool of water, and watched a hawk lazily circling overhead.
Hella finished the last of her chicken and drank her fill of water. She watched Scatter and thought about what he’d told her about the nanobots. She glanced again at her arm where the cut had been. Even in the bright light of day, no scar remained.
Checking the inside of her left elbow, she found a scar from a year past. When the wound had happened, she’d seen the inside of her arm, the ligaments and the blood vessels. At the time she thought she would bleed to death because she couldn’t get the arterial flow to stop. Finally, though, it had, and it had healed in a short time. That was the first time she and Stampede had recognized she could heal so quickly.
She concentrated on the scar then traced the raised flesh with her forefinger and re-created the rhythm Scatter had pointed out to her. When her finger passed over her arm, only smooth skin remained. The scar was gone as if it had never been.
Glancing up, she saw Stampede watching her.
A hint of unease flashed in his dark eyes, but it quickly disappeared. “Neat trick, Red.”
“Yeah.” But she was uncomfortable with the newfound ability as well.
A dragonfly flitted in front of Scatter. His