“They really should put up a rail, or something,” I said to nobody.
Calmly, I picked up the first lizard’s rifle and walked back into the tunnels. I was concerned that anyone reviewing these recordings might become irate, seeing my actions as a breach of honor. But I hoped it would be clear that I’d agreed to just two things: one, to kill Maurice Armel. Second, to return to Earth and try to get him revived there.
No one had said anything about just how these events were to occur, or how long they might take to complete. Therefore, my conscience was clear as I stepped into the passages of the moon base to have myself a look around.
-9-
Other people with less flexible minds might have felt bad about what I’d done to old Armel—but not me. I’m a person who engages in a general strategy of allowing people to live and die as they wished.
Armel had done me a solid, there was no way of denying that. He’d brought me back to life when no one else was interested enough to do so. But, he hadn’t done this because he had a big heart and a kindly nature. Quite the opposite. He’d trusted me to keep my deals, so he’d chosen to deal with me—that was the long and short of it.
His trust in me wasn’t badly placed. Someday I would get around to helping him out, if the good Lord was willing, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t think about anything else in the meantime.
One element of the day’s picture had stood out to me among all the others I’d witnessed: Raash. That tricky lizard and I had crossed paths many times. But this was the first I’d seen of him working for the enemy. The last time I’d run into him he’d been working revival machines for Earth’s legions.
What had changed? Had he been plotting his rebellion against Earth for a long time? Some of my conversations with that oddball saurian had indicated as much. There were also other possibilities, of course.
As I walked down the tunnels, I passed a number of Armel’s lizard guards. Practically all of them swiveled their ugly snouts, following my path. They didn’t attack or demand to know what I was doing, however. They’d seen me with Armel, and in their rather straightforward minds I must have been labeled as a guest. Other humans had worked with Armel before, forming the majority of his officer corps.
That fact was helping me today. As long as I looked calm and certain about my business, they let me pass unmolested. At some point, naturally, one of these pointy-toothed geniuses was bound to figure out Armel and his guards had taken a tour of the abyss, but for now, I was free to roam.
The biggest challenge I had was retracing my steps. My mind was pretty clear by now, but I wasn’t certain of every twist and turn—and the idea of stopping to ask for directions was unthinkable. Not even these scaly dumbasses would offer me help without checking up on my status.
So I kept walking and thinking until I found the revival chambers again. I peered inside the chamber, and sure enough, I thought I recognized Raash in there.
I flung the door wide and strode in. Raash hunched and spun, using his heavy tail to speed up the process. Lizards liked to grab the leg of a chair or something to help them turn faster, and this time was no exception. Old Raash latched onto one of the underlying struts of the big machine, curling his tail around it like it was his mama.
“McGill?” he said, peering at me. “What are you doing here?”
“Armel sent me. He’s thinking about making me an officer in his legion.”
“That is unwise. You should be recycled and expunged from our data core.”
“Aw now, that’s a bad attitude, Raash. Surely you aren’t holding onto hard feelings about our past, are you?”
Raash eyed me with his twin reddish slits. He didn’t like me at all, and he never had. The first time we’d met, I’d been chasing Floramel, unaware that this pervert lizard had a carnal interest in her. That unfortunate situation had ended up with a big helping of death for everyone involved.
On later occasions… well… all that was best left to the past. The long and the short of it was we’d never gotten along.
“There are no feelings within me. I am a saurian. My people aren’t weak mammals, full of idle sentiments. We are as cold of heart as we are of blood.”
That was an outright lie. Raash fancied himself logical and calm, but nothing could be further from the truth. He was a hothead, that was for sure.
But I smiled and nodded anyway, accepting his bullshit. Nothing could be gained by ripping open old wounds now.
“You’re one hundred percent right. I’ve always told everyone I know that good old Raash is as cool as a cucumber. You’re as chill as they come, my friend.”
Raash’s eyes blinked a few times. I’d reset his brain, I think. “We are not friends. However, the rest of your words are correct. Your supplication is unexpected.”
“Long overdue, I say… hmm… what’s coming out of the oven now, do you think?”
The revival machine behind Raash was shivering. As I watched, it burped, or farted, or something like that. Goop spilled from the bottom like a half-gallon of drool.
Raash looked at the machine in surprise. “I don’t know… there have been no battles lately. No live-fire exercises. I am perplexed.”
“Ah well, don’t worry your pointy head about it. Some lizard probably just fell off a cliff or something.”
Raash looked back at me, and his eyes were narrowing again. I knew right off that I
