Web of Fire Bind-up (36 page)

It was all very pleasing.

‘The worm then begins to carry out selective neurological damage' – here she noticed Reisner looking confused and suddenly remembered she was not dealing with scientists – ‘sorry, it alters the brain cells in such a way that it makes the ant begin to behave in ways which one would not normally expect.'

Martock stared at her.

‘And tell us, Miss Blin. What ways might they be?'

‘When evening comes, the infected ants climb to the top of a blade of grass and stay there until the following morning. When the sun comes up again, the ant releases its grip on the grass and returns to the ground
whereupon it resumes its normal behaviour until the next evening. This process continues indefinitely until either the ant dies or it is eaten by a sheep.'

‘Why doesn't the ant just stay there?' asked Reisner.

‘Because the worm needs the ant to stay alive. If the ant remains motionless in the heat of the sun without food or water, then it will die and the parasite will die along with it. Simple as that.'

Alya glanced across at Martock and saw that he had a strange glint in his eye.

‘Would I be right in thinking then, Miss Blin, that these parasites of which you speak are able to act as puppet masters, controlling the actions of other creatures purely for their own ends?'

‘Yes,' replied Alya. ‘That is a good way of putting it.'

She noticed that Lieutenant Reisner's brow – which was furrowed for much of the preceding conversation – had now been smoothed over by the warm iron of understanding.

‘Well, I must say that is a great relief,' he said. ‘I presume that now we are in possession of this knowledge, we will be able to carry out a programme which will rid our squadrons of these parasites and return them to full strength as soon as possible.'

‘You have my assurance that the programme to eliminate these parasites will start immediately,' said Doctor Jancy. ‘The technology department has already written some new software, which will regulate the feeding habits of the piloted ants so that they are no longer
attracted to slime deposits. This should prevent any incidents of re-infection.'

He smiled happily at the assembled company and felt deeply satisfied by the way things had gone. Admittedly the girl had got things off to a bad start – he would have to have a word with her about that later – but she had redeemed herself with her confident presentation of the facts, so there was no real harm done. The cream of the Vermian Empire had seen that Doctor Jancy's team could fix problems quickly and efficiently – which would certainly be useful when applying for any future government funding.

‘I think we can safely say that this unfortunate chapter is now closed,' said Jancy. ‘I am sure you will be pleased to learn that this is the last time you will have to hear anything about parasites.'

Major Krazni, who had so far contributed nothing to the conversation, now stepped forward from his place by the mantelpiece and shook his head.

‘On the contrary, Doctor Jancy,' he said. ‘That is exactly what we wish to hear about.'

He turned to Alya.

‘Tell us, Miss Blin, do you know anything about toxoplasma?'

‘Toxoplasma gondii
?' asked Alya, surprised.

Krazni nodded.

‘It's a parasite that lives in cats. Its life cycle means that it normally moves between cats and rats.'

‘Very good,' said Krazni. ‘Please. Continue.'

‘The cat releases the eggs of the toxoplasma parasite in its droppings and these are eaten by rats. The parasites live hidden away in the rat's brain until a cat comes along and eats it. Then they all burst out into the cat and the whole process starts again. Incredible, really.'

‘Indeed,' said Krazni. ‘But that's not the most incredible part, is it, Miss Blin?'

Alya looked at the green, snake-like eyes watching her so attentively and began to feel slightly anxious. But at the same time, she felt pleased to be able to demonstrate her knowledge in front of these very important people. Maybe it was the first step toward a research fellowship of her own.

‘I suppose not,' she said.

‘So enlighten us, Miss Blin. What is the most incredible part of all?'

Alya stared right back into Krazni's eyes, determined not to be intimidated.

‘I presume you're referring to its ability to control the mind of its host.'

Krazni nodded. ‘Suppose you tell us about that,' he said.

‘A rat that is infected with the toxoplasma parasite,' replied Alya, ‘loses all its natural fear of cats. In fact, sometimes it will even seek them out. You might say that the parasite forces its rat host to commit suicide in order to make sure that it ends up inside a cat.'

Krazni smiled.

‘All very interesting,' he said. ‘Yet another example of
a parasite which can influence the behaviour of another creature. I wonder, does the toxoplasma have any other natural host? Besides rats and cats I mean?'

All of a sudden, Alya saw what he was driving at. She had heard of Odoursin's hatred for the people of Earth. Could this be part of a new plan to destroy them?

‘Miss Blin?'

‘I-I don't know. I'm not sure.'

Alya was flustered now. Staring at the patterns on the carpet, she heard Krazni walk forwards and then the black leather coat was right in front of her.

‘I will ask you again, Miss Blin. Does the toxoplasma parasite have any other natural host?'

Alya's throat was so tight that she could hardly swallow. But she guessed he knew anyway. There was nothing to be gained from keeping quiet.

‘About a third of all humans living on Earth are infected by it,' she replied. ‘Maybe even more.'

Krazni inclined his head and smiled.

‘Thank you, Miss Blin,' he said. ‘Thank you very much.'

Alya made no reply. But as Krazni walked back to his place next to the mantelpiece and the murmurs of excitement began to spread around the room, she stared silently into the flames of the fire and wondered what she had done.

At first, Sam was understandably cautious about sitting on the back of an insect that could shoot him up into the sky at such incredible speed. But once he got the hang of the controls, it was nothing short of fantastic. He discovered that if you kept the lever pulled back against the handlebars, the flea would automatically jump every six seconds. You could tell when it was about to take off because a series of illuminated red bars would gradually stack up on the display panel until they reached the end of the little glass window. Then the red bars would flash once and bam! You were up among the clouds again. Zip reckoned that each flea had enough stored energy to jump continuously for three days non-stop.

The acceleration was simply extraordinary. One second Sam would be staring at a large rock in front of him, the next he was catapulted high into the air and the rock would be a tiny speck, hundreds of metres below.

The hardest part was getting used to the landing. Once the flea had reached the highest point of its jump it would start to fall again, plummeting out of the sky at such a terrifying rate that it seemed he would be smashed to pieces on the ground that rushed up to meet him. The first few times it happened, Sam shut his eyes and pressed his face against the flea's bristly back, expecting it to crash violently into the ice and rocks below. But instead – to his relief – the landing was as soft as jumping off a sofa onto a huge pile of cushions. The suspension in the flea's legs was so efficient that it absorbed all of the impact by compressing its muscles, ready for the next spectacular burst of energy.

Sam landed with a gentle bump and stared ahead through the display goggles.

He was high above the lake on an outcrop of rock, looking down at the shining waters from which he had earlier emerged. His stomach flipped as he peered down over the precipice, but he was already becoming more used to the fact that the flea could jump from a great height and still land quite safely.

Squeezing the lever once more he rocketed over the edge at great speed, soaring through freezing air as the wind whistled around his ears and blew ice crystals into his hair.

Seconds later, the flea crunched down on the cold lake shore and Sam swung himself off, kicking out the side-stand to leave the flea parked at a jaunty angle on the stones.

Now that he was here, he wasn't sure exactly why he had come.

But as grey flakes of snow began to fall thickly from the lead-coloured sky, he felt a strange longing which grew stronger with every second that passed.

Find the one who is true of heart.

He found himself drawn towards the waterfall which tumbled down the side of the mountain before plunging into a pool of foam and glitter at the base of the cliff. Approaching along the shoreline he noticed that the air was filled with a fine, cool mist which carried upon the wind to form small, delicate clouds against the grey winter sky.

As he listened to the roar of the falls and watched a rainbow arc bright colours across the water, something in the centre of the pool caught his eye. The light was failing and at first he thought his eyes were playing tricks upon him. But as he looked more closely, he saw the body of a young girl floating beneath the surface, her arms wide open and her face tilted up toward the sky. Hidden currents dragged her downwards and strands of blonde hair waved gently around her pale, expressionless face as she drifted in the watery breeze.

‘Oh no,' whispered Sam. ‘Oh please, no…'

Running across the stones he launched himself headlong into the pool, gasping as the icy waters closed around him. Sucking cold air deep into his lungs, he dived beneath the surface and swam frantically toward the girl as she sank lower into the pool's murky depths.

The freezing water enveloped him and as he groped desperately around in the gloom he could feel the thud of his heart and the roaring of blood in his ears. With a final effort, he grabbed the girl by the arm and swam for the shore, dragging her cold, limp body onto the stones before collapsing in an exhausted heap next to her. Resting his face wearily on the pebbles, he listened to the thunder of the waterfall behind him and then, as his breath returned, he lifted himself up onto his elbows and turned to face the girl who lay so still and silent beside him.

Her face was grey and her eyes were closed. She looked peaceful, as though she were asleep.

‘No,' he said quietly. ‘No…'

Gathering her up in his arms, he carried her to a small cave at the base of the cliff where he laid her gently down upon the stones. As he did so, he noticed another robe lying in the shadows at the side of the cave and, still shivering, he carried it across to her and tenderly covered her with it. But as his fingers touched her face he felt how desperately cold she was.

And then he realised that he was crying, and that it was too late.

Hours passed, slipping away like ghosts into the grey afternoon.

Alone on the cold lake shore, Sam stared silently into the water's black depths. As the day grew dark and the setting sun rimmed the mountains with crimson, he felt empty, as though he had come to the end of everything.

‘Please,' he whispered. ‘How shall I save her?'

But as evening spread itself across the sky and the wheel of stars turned slowly above him, the only reply was the roar of the waterfall, splashing and tumbling over ancient stones.

Overcome by exhaustion and despair, Sam slid into a cold and dreamless sleep.

He woke early to the sound of birdsong; a single, warbling call that floated through the trees and into his consciousness. Confused, he stood up and stretched his cold, aching muscles. Then the grief rose in his throat as he remembered, and he ran quickly across the deserted shoreline towards the cave.

Reaching the entrance, his heart fluttered wildly and for a few moments he stood motionless at the threshold, unsure of what to do. He pressed his forehead against the cool rock and felt its smoothness against his skin.

Then, taking a deep breath, he stepped inside, steeling himself for what he knew he must find there.

But the cave was empty.

There was no one there.

With a cry of anguish, Sam fell to his knees and began to scrabble furiously at the stones with his bare hands, searching frantically for any sign of the body he had placed there so carefully the night before.

But there was no sign of her; nothing to suggest that she had ever been more than the cruel invention of another wretched dream.

In his anger and frustration, Sam picked up a rock and threw it at the side of the cave where it smashed into a thousand fragments, clattering away into the shadows.

‘Let me wake up!' he cried. ‘I don't want to dream any more – I want to know what's
real
!'

As his cries died away, fading into the dark recesses of the cave, the hairs prickled on the back of his neck and he sensed that he was no longer alone.

Slowly, he turned to face the entrance of the cave and there, silhouetted against the light, stood the figure of a young girl. Her hair was blonde and straggly, and she wore a robe like his own.

‘Sam,' she said softly. ‘Is that you?'

Hardly daring to hope, he got unsteadily to his feet and shielded his eyes against the light. Then, with a little squeak, the girl sprang forward and ran barefoot across the stones towards him.

‘It can't be,' he whispered. ‘It
can't
be…'

But as she launched herself at him and threw her arms around his neck, he staggered backwards, shouting her name until it echoed and sang through the shadows of the dark and lonely cave.

‘Skipper,' he cried, ‘Skipper – you're
alive
!'

It was late. Through the laboratory window, Alya could see the three coloured moons rising high above Vermia. She thought of a night in summer long ago, a night when she was four years old and the light of magic had yet to fade from the things around her. Her mother and father had walked with her to the edge of their village and pointed up at the sky.