Part 58 (1/2)

Dakii continued down this new pa.s.sage, mumbling under his breath Finally, he stopped beside a large tubby and pointed. ”Father.”

Nate grabbed the flashlight back from Anna. He dropped to his knees, s.h.i.+ning his light inside, oblivious to the questing root hairs that wrapped around his wrist.

Within the ma.s.s of roots lay a shadowy figure. Nate moved his light over its form. Curled in a fetal position on the soft loamy floor was a gaunt naked frame, a pale man. His face was covered by a thick beard, his hair

396.

tangled with roots. Nate focused on the face hidden beneath the beard. He was not entirely sure it was his father.

As he stared, the man inhaled sharply, mechanically, and exhaled, wafting root hairs from his lips. Still alive!

Nate turned. ”I have to get him out of there:”

”Is it your father?” Anna asked.

”I . . . I'm not sure:” Nate pointed to the bone knife tucked in Kouwe's belt. The professor pa.s.sed it over to him.

Nate stood and hacked into the root ma.s.s.

Dakii cried out, reaching to stop him, but Kouwe blocked the tribesman. ”Dakii, no! Leave Nate be:”

Nate fought through the outer cords of woody roots. It was like the husk surrounding some nut. Beneath this layer was a ma.s.s of finer web-bings and draperies of rootlets and thready hairs.

Once through, Nate saw the roots penetrated the man's body, growing into it as if it were soil. It must be how the Yagga sustained its specimens, feeding them, supporting organ systems, delivering nutrients.

Nate hesitated. Would he harm the man, kill him, if he hacked the root's attachments? If this was indeed some type of suspended animation, would its interruption trigger a ma.s.sive systems failure?

Shaking his head, Nate slashed through the roots. He would take his chances. Left alone, the man wouldsurely die a fiery death.

Once the body was free of the root hairs, Nate tossed the knife aside, grabbed the man by the shoulders, and hauled him into the pa.s.sage. The last clinging roots broke away, releasing their prey.

In the tunnel, Nate collapsed beside the man. The naked figure choked and gasped. Many of the tiny rootlets and hairs squiggled from his body, dropping away like leeches. Blood flowed from some spots where larger rootlets had penetrated. Suddenly the man seized, contracting, back arch-ing, head thrown back.

Nate cradled the man in his arms, not knowing what to do. The thras.h.i.+ngs continued for a full minute.

Kouwe helped to restrain the man and prevent further injury.

The figure jerked into a final convulsion, then collapsed with a mighty gasp.

Nate exhaled with relief when the man's chest continued to rise and fall. Then the eyes fluttered open and stared up at him. Nate knew those eyes. They were his own eyes.

”Nate?” the figure asked in a dry husky voice.

Nate fell atop the figure. ”Dad!”

”Am . . . am I dreaming?” his father asked coa.r.s.ely.

Nate was too choked to speak. He helped his father, who was light as a pillow, all skin and bones, to sit. The tree had been sustaining him, but just barely.

Kouwe bent down to help. ”Carl, how are you feeling?”

Nate's father squinted at the professor, then a look of recognition spread across his face. ”Kouwe? My G.o.d, what's going on?”

”It's a long story, old friend:” He helped Nate get his father on his feet. Too frail to move on his own, Carl Rand clung to Nate and Kouwe. ”Right now, though, we have to get you out of this d.a.m.n place:'

Nate stared at his father, tears streaming down his face. ”Dad. . :'

”I know, son,” he said hoa.r.s.ely and coughed.

There was no time for a proper reunion now, but Nate wasn't going to let another moment go by without saying the words he had regretted with-holding the day his father left for this expedition. ”I love you, Dad:”

The arm around his shoulder tightened, a small squeeze of affection and love. A familiar gesture. Family.

”We should fetch the others,” Anna said. ”And head out of here:'

”Nate, why don't you stay with your father here?” Kouwe suggested ”Rest. We can collect you both on the way out.”

Dakii shook his head. ”No. We not come back this way.” He waved his arm. ”Other way to go:” Nate frowned. ”We should stay together anyway.”

”And I can handle myself,” Carl argued hoa.r.s.ely. He glanced back to the cubbyhole. ”Besides, I've been resting here long enough:”

Kouwe nodded.

With the matter settled, they began to climb toward the surface. Kouwe gave a thumbnail sketch of their situation. Nate's father only lis-tened, leaning more and more heavily upon them as they walked. The only words his father spoke during the discourse were at the mention of Louis Favre and what he had done.

”The G.o.dd.a.m.n b.a.s.t.a.r.d:”

Nate smiled, hearing a bit of the old fire in his father's voice.

When they reached the surface, it was obvious the two Rangers had been busy. They had all the Ban-ali gathered. Each bore packs full of nuts and weapons.

Nate and his father remained in the entrance, while Kouwe explained about the addition to their team and what they had found below. ”Dakii says there's an escape route through the root's tunnel:”

”Then we'd best hurry,” Sergeant Kostos said. ”We have less than thirty minutes, and we want to be as far away from here as possible:”

Camera joined them, her weapon on her shoulder. ”All set at our end. We have a couple dozen of those nut pods and four canteens of the sap:”

”Then let's haul a.s.s,” Kostos said.

7:32 1?M,.

As they wound through the root tunnels, Kouwe stayed with Dakii, peri-odically glancing back at the trail of Indians and Americans. Watching Sergeant Kostos help Nate with his father, Kouwe wished he had had time to rig up a stretcher, but right now every minute was critical.

Though Sergeant Kostos believed the subterranean tunnels would s.h.i.+eld them from the worst of the napalm's fiery blast, he clearly feared the maze's integrity. ”The rock here is riddled and weakened by the roots. The explosions could bring the roof down atop our heads or trap us here. We need to be well clear of these tunnels before those bombs go off.”