Gregory let go of Allison and lunged at Lilith.
She hit him, catching him in midair, snapping his head back, collapsing him to the floor unconscious.
Abruptly, all was still except for Curt's gasping and Peter's groaning-'My arm! Oh, god, my arm!'
Lilith looked at each of Peter's people, daring them to attack, almost wanting them to attack. But now five of them were injured, and Lilith was untouched. Even her own people stood back from her.
'There'll be no rape here,' she said evenly. She raised her voice. 'Nobody here is property. Nobody here has the right to the use of anybody else's body. There'll be no back-to-the-Stone-Age, caveman bullshit!' She let her voice drop to normal. 'We stay human. We treat each other like people, and we get through this like people. Anyone who wants to be something less will have his chance in the forest. There'll be plenty of room for him to run away and play at being an ape.'
She turned and walked back toward her room. Her body trembled with residual anger and frustration. She did not want the others to see her tremble. She had never come closer to losing control, killing people.
Joseph spoke her name softly. She swung around, ready to fight, then made herself relax as she recognized his voice. She stood looking at him, longing to go to him, but restraining herself. What did he think of what she had done?
'I know those guys don't deserve it,' he said, 'but some of them need help. Peter's arm is broken. The others... Can you get the Oankali to help them?'
Alarmed, she looked back at the carnage she had created. She drew a deep breath, managed to still her trembling. Then she spoke quietly in Oankali.
'Whoever is on watch, come in and check these people. Some of them may be badly hurt.'
'Not so badly,' a disembodied voice answered in Oankali. 'The ones on the floor will heal without help. I'm in contact with them through the floor.'
'What about the one with the broken arm?'
'We'll take care of him. Shall we keep him?'
'I'd love to have you keep him. But no, leave him with us. You're already suspected of being murderers.'
'Derrick is asleep again.'
'I thought so. What shall we do with Peter?'
'Nothing. Let him think for a while about his behavior.'
'Ahajas?'
'Yes?'
Lilith drew another deep breath. 'I'm surprised to realize how good it is to hear your voice.'
There was no answer. Nothing more to be said. 'What did he say?' Joseph wanted to know. 'She. She said no one was seriously hurt. She said the Oankali would take care of Peter after he's had time to think about his behavior.'
'What do we do with him until then?'
'Nothing.'
'I thought they wouldn't talk to you,' Gabriel said, his voice filled with unconcealed suspicion. He and Tate and a few others had come over to her. They stood back cautiously.
'They talk when they want to,' she said. 'This is an emergency so they decided to talk.'
'You knew that one, didn't you?'
She looked at Gabriel. 'Yes, I knew her.'
'I thought so. Your tone and the way you looked when you talked to her.. . You relaxed more, seemed almost wistful.'
'She knows 1 never wanted this job.'
'Was she a friend?'
'As much as it's possible to be friends with someone of a totally different species.' She gave a humorless laugh. 'It's hard enough for human beings to be friends with each other.'
Yet she did think of Ahajas as a friend-Ahajas, Dichaan, Nikanj. . . But what was she to them? A tool? A pleasurable perversion? An accepted member of the household? Accepted as what? Round and round. It would have been easier not to care. Down on Earth, it would not matter. The Oankali used her relentlessly for their own purposes, and she worried about what they thought of her.
'How can you be this strong?' Tate demanded. 'How can you do all this?'
Lilith rubbed a hand over her face wearily. 'The same way I can open walls,' she said. 'The Oankali changed me a little. I'm strong. I move fast. I heal fast. And all that is supposed to help me get as many of you as possible through this experience and back on Earth.' She looked around. 'Where's Allison?'
'Here.' The woman stepped forward. She had already cleaned most of the blood from her face and now seemed to be trying to look as though nothing had happened. That was Allison. She would not be seen at anything less than her best for a moment longer than necessary.
Lilith nodded. 'Well, I can see you're all right.'
'Yes. Thank you.' Allison hesitated. 'Look, I really am grateful to you no matter what the truth turns out to be, but...'
