machine pistol out of a shoulder holster. “No one is allowed aboard,” the Leopard Man shouted, aiming his handgun-sized piece. “Not even you, Mokele-mbembe.”
Tom’s left hand came up holding a PPA five-franc piece, the size of a U.S. quarter. He flicked it at the Leopard Man. With all his buckle-tank-armor-with-a-punch strength.
The coin cracked as it went hypersonic.
The Leopard Man’s body jerked. A darker stain appeared in the front of his dark T. The coin had hit going fast enough to blow through rib cage, heart, and spine. He folded.
A curious skritching sound made Tom look up. A vast multilegged blot descended toward him from the roof of the cabin. Just in time, Tom got his hands up to fend off a round furry body.
Thick blunt legs with spiky fur belabored Tom’s face. Ayiyi’s weight almost toppled Tom over backward. He barely managed to keep his feet. Huge fangs curving from furry bases clawed for his face. He pulled his head backward. The spider-monster hissed at him. All the time Ayiyi’s little-boy face stared impassively. A drop of green venom dropped to his left shoulder. It sizzled.
Shouting with pain Tom finally found a grip. He hurled the monstrous spider away. It flew across the water to strike the front of the warehouse, hard. Tom anticipated a gratifying splat.
Instead the child ace flipped his spider body in the air, landed using all eight legs to cushion the shock. Then, dropping to the dock, he shot a tendril of web at Tom.
It stuck his bare, painted chest. And clung. He tried to brush it away. His hand stuck to it. “Hey,” he shouted. “I didn’t know you could do that!”
With a single spring the spider landed on the brass railing. It scuttled quickly behind Tom, then leaped back to the cabin roof.
Tom found the sticky stuff pinning both arms to his sides. He tried to break free. But it had the legendary strength of spider silk, plus monster cross section. And Tom couldn’t get decent leverage.
The giant spider reared to fling itself on him. The fangs reached for him. He saw the skin where the poison had struck was blistered. He drew a deep breath.
He was in space. The monster spider floated, tethered to him by webbing that, flash-dehydrated and rapidly freezing, was already losing its adhesiveness and becoming brittle. With a soundless shout of triumph Tom tore free.
The child ace began to turn over as he drifted away. Tom saw his mouth straining open in a scream. He transfixed the monster thorax with a sunbeam. Then he was back on deck, brushing stiff web remnants from his skin.
Candace Sessou, the Darkness, appeared atop the cabin. Flanking her stood a pair of Leopard Men. They raised weapons. Tom blasted each with one hand.
Then he looked at Candi. “Why didn’t you help me? Or try to stop me?”
“I’m done being a puppet on a string,” she said. “You and he are the same. You don’t care who you hurt. Well, you have no more power over me!” She turned her back on him, crossed her arms beneath her tiny breasts.
And she was half hung-up on me, Tom thought. Ungrateful little bitch. “You’re either with me or against me!” He flung up a hand.
She wrapped herself in Darkness. The sunbeam stabbed through it. He heard a splash near the portside rail. He ran to look. The Darkness spread out across the river like mist. He heard the girl’s mocking laughter. Then she was lost. “Hell with her.” He thrust through the hatchway.
Lights led him down a stairway. At the bottom little white dogs flooded the corridor, leaping at his legs and yapping. “Jesus!” They relented when he kicked one yipping through the bulkhead and out through the hull. Then they retreated to safe distances behind and ahead of him and growled.
Before him a hatch stood open into the yacht’s cargo hold. An unmistakable shape stood before him in a spill of dim amber light. Big head, slight body, uncharacteristically dressed in shirtsleeves. The dull yellow gleam beyond the President-for-Life told all.
“Checking the ballast?” he asked.
Kitengi Nshombo spun. His fine hard features went slack and took on a grey matte tone. “Tom, it isn’t what you think. I had nothing to do-”
“Yeah,” Tom said. “Yeah, it is. Exactly what I think.” He nodded toward the gold ingots stacked neatly on a tarpaulin. “You’re stealing from the People, comrade. That’s what you’re doing. You’re a traitor to the People’s Paradise and the Revolution.”
“No!” Nshombo cried. Spittle flew from his mouth. “You must listen to me. I did not do this. I received a curious telephone call-from Alicia, I thought-telling me to come to the yacht. When I arrived I found”-he gestured at the piled plunder-“this. I was as surprised as you are. And quite as displeased. Surely you can see I’ve been set up.”
“Sure,” Tom said, smiling. The president’s taut shoulders relaxed. “Sure, the gold just teleported here all by its fucking self!” He shook his head. “You got too rich and powerful, man. You forgot the Revolution. You forgot your roots.”
“No, no, it’s a lie, I’ve been framed-”
Tom reached out and grabbed that big head with both hands. Lifted the president right up off the deck by it so his legs kicked futilely in the air. “Tom! Put me down! Please -”
He tried to say more. It soared into wild screaming as Tom increased the pressure on the sides of his head.
President Nshombo’s head burst like a zit.
Wet clumps hit Tom’s face and clung.
He wiped his face and spat out something that tasted of salt and iron. “I shoulda known better than to trust the Man. Even when I fucking helped make him the Man.”
32
Sunday,
December 27
Kisangani, Congo
People’s Paradise of Africa
The orgy lasted almost through the night.
After Alicia left, Michelle faced her chair away from the fire. She was afraid of what Alicia might do to Joey if she left.
Near dawn, it started raining and doused the fire. That seemed to dampen everything else. The drummers disappeared back into the jungle, and some of the new Leopard Men resumed human form and began gathering up their torn clothing as the sun came up.
Michelle stood up and stretched. As she looked at the neat little compound buildings, she jerked back. Staring out of several windows were the faces of children. None of them could have been older than nine.
“Jesus,” she whispered. How long had they been there? What had they seen?
Alicia strolled into the clearing followed by a little girl. The girl was wrapped in bandages. Her melonlike head was impossibly large for her tiny body, and she didn’t walk so much as stagger.
“I know you appreciated my survivor hospitals,” Alicia said. “I’ve been working on many things for my people. I’ve even been working on a little project for children.”
“For children.” Michelle was at a loss.
Alicia gave a belly laugh. “These children are building our nation. My project is making us strong. Some of my babies were born of rape, and abandoned in orphanages because they were the product of the mother’s shame. Instead of being outcasts they will be the defenders of the People’s Paradise. This is a great honor for them.”
“What you did last night…”
“A sacred rite. The children saw me bestow my gift. I give my Leopard Men power. I give my babies power.”
