“We’re getting some weird radar activity,” the HEAV 3 pilot said. “We’re going to circle back—”
The pilot was abruptly cut off as something came tearing from out of Nathan’s right field of vision and snatched HEAV 3 out of the air. The craft exploded, blinding him for a moment, buffeting his HEAV so hard he feared the pilot would lose control, but their flight quickly smoothed out, and now he could see what had just obliterated HEAV 3.
At first glance, its wings reminded him of those of a butterfly, both in shape and because they were bright orange in color. It had a long, sinuous, snake-like tail, but the front of it, where the wings were, widened considerably. It was turning, obviously not particularly fazed by its crash with the HEAV, and he could not quite see the head, although it gave a brutal, blunt impression. He watched it turning, trying to get behind them, and saw the deceptively beautiful wings were supported by boney spines, extensions of the rib cage, maybe. No modified arms, like a bird or bat or pterosaur, not like any true flying vertebrate on Earth, although there was a species of lizard that had similar rib-wings used only for downward gliding. But this thing was not gliding; it was as agile a flier as any he had seen, especially given its size.
The pilot yelped, and Nathan whipped around, then screamed as he saw another one, coming straight for their windscreen, its mouth open, full of ragged teeth. And then—suddenly—it was receding. Kong had snatched it by the tail and was yanking it back toward him.
He watched, panting, as the Titan heaved the monster in an arc over his head and slammed it hard into the stony ground.
The first creature was coming back, bearing down on Kong, but he still held the tail of the one he’d grabbed. He swung it like a bat, smacking the oncoming beast away before flinging the other in the opposite direction.
The monster he had hit crashed into a cliffside, but quickly recovered, rising up like a cobra as Kong pounded his chest. Nathan could now see its head was more like a lizard or an alligator than a snake, although it looked closer to a dragon than anything else.
It struck like a snake, though, latching its toothy mouth into Kong’s arm. Once it had purchase, it quickly wrapped around the Titan like a constrictor, pinning his arms to his sides, and then folded those enormous, beautiful wings around Kong, covering his face and smothering the giant.
“All ships!” Nathan snapped. “Prepare to attack!”
An instant after his command, both HEAVs launched missiles. He watched them streak toward their target, exploding all across the monster’s wing. That must have caused it to loosen its hold, because when the smoke cleared, Kong had it by the throat, and was pulling it off of him. He crushed it against the ground, snapping the spines that supported its wings, and then picked it up again, slamming it back and forth like he was beating a rug. Not quite content with that, he then pounded it to a pulp with both of his fists.
Then the Titan turned his attention to the HEAVs. Nathan swallowed, but then he saw Kong didn’t seem to be displaying his usual annoyance. He was looking at him, Nathan, and held the contact for a moment.
You’re welcome, Nathan thought silently. But he couldn’t help feeling an unexpected swell of satisfaction. He had done good, and Kong had acknowledged it, or at least that he had not screwed up again.
So he would take it.
Kong ripped off the monster’s head and began sucking the green gunk out of it.
“That is so gross,” Simmons said, as Kong devoured the reptile.
“He’s a big, active boy,” Nathan said. “He needs his protein.”
He took a breath and found the plastic spaceman in his pocket. He gave it a squeeze.
We made it, Dave, he thought. He wished he’d thought to bring along some of the awful whisky his brother had liked.
* * *
Finished with his meal, Kong oriented himself and then started off. Ilene thought she saw a certain eagerness in his manner.
Looking for family, Jia said. Hope it’s true.
What about you? Ilene asked. Does this feel like home to you?
Jia shrugged. Home is wherever we are, she signed. You and me.
I think so too, Ilene replied.
And Kong, Jia added.
Ilene realized the HEAVs weren’t moving.
“Kong’s on the move,” Ilene said. “We gotta go.”
* * *
They chased Kong across a vast, flat plain of stone and scrubby vegetation. Ilene watched in delight as the Titan loped through what looked like a field of boulders, except that as he passed through them, some of the “boulders” scrambled away on crab-like legs. This turned out to be a bad idea for the crab-creatures; several large lizard-like monsters converged on them, now that they had given up their cover.
Across the plain, at first dim with distance but increasingly coming into sharper relief, was a mountain, jutting up from the flat landscape—and another mountain hanging down from the “sky” nearly touching it, like a stalagmite and stalactite on the verge of fusing into a pillar.
“He seems to know where he’s going,” Nathan said.
“He certainly can move,” Ilene said, feeling a swell of pride.
When Kong reached the slopes of the peak, he immediately began to climb it.
“Do you see that?” Nathan asked.
“Yes,” Ilene replied.
The stone of the mountains was seamed in blue; not blue stone, but an azure glow that seemed to be seeping from beneath the mountain. She noticed a flicker of the strange light here and there on the lower slopes, but the higher they climbed, the more pronounced it became.
* * *
“That’s the energy we’re looking for?” Maia Simmons asked.
“I’m sure it is,” Nathan replied.
“Then why not stop here?” she asked. “We can get our sample and be done with this.”
“You remember my analogy of the house wiring?”
“Of course,” she said. “You’re saying this isn’t the wall socket.”
“That’s
