6
Akin slept and knew only peripherally that Gabe came in to sit with him. The man spoke to him for the first time, but he did not awaken to answer. ?I?m sorry,? Gabe said once he was certain Akin was asleep. He did not repeat the words or explain them.
Gabe was still there some time later when the noise began outside. It wasn?t loud or threatening, but Gabe went out to see what had happened. Akin awoke and listened.
Rudra had been rescued, but she was dead. Her captors had beaten and raped her until she was so badly hurt that her rescuers could not get her home alive. They had not even been able to catch or kill any of her captors. They were tired and angry. They had brought back Rudra?s body to be buried with her husband. Two more people lost. The men cursed all raiders and tried to figure out where this group had come from. Where should the reprisal raid take place?
Someone?not Gabe?brought up Mars.
Someone else told him to shut up.
A third person asked how Akin was.
?Fine,? Gabe said. There was something wrong with the way he said it, but Akin could not tell what it was.
The men were silent for a while.
?Let?s have a look at him,? one of them said suddenly.
?He didn?t steal Rudra or kill Mehtar,? Gabe said.
?Did I say he did? I just want to look at him.?
?He looks like an Oankali now. Just like an Oankali. Yori says he?s not too thrilled about that, but there?s nothing he can do about it.?
?I heard they could change their shapes after metamorphosis,? someone said. ?I mean, like those chameleon lizards that used to be able to change color.?
?They hoped to use something they got from us to be able to do that,? Gabe said. ?Cancer, I think. But I haven?t seen any sign that they?ve been able to do it.?
It could not be done. It would not be tried until people felt more secure about constructs like Akin?Human-born males?whom they thought were most likely to cause trouble. It could not be done until there were construct ooloi.
?Let?s all go see him.? That voice again. The same man who had suggested before that he wanted to see Akin. Who was he? Akin thought for a moment, searching his memory.
He did not know the man.
?Hold on,? Gabe was saying. ?This is my home. You don?t just goddamn walk in when you feel like it!?
?What are you hiding in there? We?ve all seen the goddamn leeches before.?
?Then you don?t need to see Akin.?
?It?s just one more worm come to feed on us.?
?He saved my wife?s life,? Gabe said. ?What the hell did you ever save??
?Hey, I just wanted to look at him
make sure he?s okay.?
?Good. You can look at him when he?s able to get up and look back at you.?
Akin began to worry at once that the other man would find his way into the house. Obviously, Humans were strongly tempted to do things they were warned not to do. And Akin was more vulnerable now than he had been since infancy. He could be tormented from a distance. He could be shot. If an attacker was persistent enough, Akin could be killed. And at this moment, he was alone. No companion. No guardian.
He began trying to move again?trying desperately. But only his new sensory tentacles moved. They writhed and knotted helplessly.
Then Tate came in. She stopped, stared at the many moving sensory tentacles, then settled down in the chair Gabe had occupied. Across her lap, she held a long, dull-gray rifle.
?You heard that crap, didn?t you?? she said.
?Yes,? he whispered.
?I was afraid you would. Relax. Those people know us. They won?t come in here unless they?re feeling suicidal.? She had been so strongly against guns once. Yet she held the thing in her lap as though it were a friend. And he had to be glad she did, glad of her protection. Confused, he kept silent until she said, ?Are you all right??
?I?m afraid someone will be killed on my account.?
She said nothing for a while. Finally she asked, ?How soon before you can walk??
?A few days. Three or four. Maybe.?
?I hope that will be soon enough. If you?re mobile, they won?t dare give you trouble. You look thoroughly Oankali.?
?When I can walk, I?ll leave.?
?We?re going with you. It?s past time for us to leave this place.?
He looked at her and thought he smiled.
