[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
of others. Sure, he wanted a green world, but who was he to ask a mother to risk her child's
life? Was he any better than Lumina? Was his life or the life of anyone else on this stinking
planet more valuable than any other?
"So we've solved nothing, right?" Olga said, her voice loud enough with frustration to
bring Jobs around. "Just in case I'm missing something here ..."
"It's not up to us to solve anything," Jobs said suddenly. "It's up to Echo to say yes."
An uneasy silence followed, broken finally by Violet.
"Let's say Echo does agree. If we don't identify the critical moment for the ritual soon ..."
Jobs smiled grimly. "It's sticks and berries forever."
47
Downloaded from Richard's Animorphs Forum
http://animorphsforum.com
CHAPTER 16
"J'OU WILL REGRET THIS NEW WORLD!"
It was almost too easy. The Alpha girl got up to do her business away from the sleeping area.
And she left her baby behind! Wedged In between an old woman Aga and a little kid
Walbert.
Newton was big but he was stealthy. As soon as Snipe turned away from the sleeping area to
check on the Source, he made his move.
He slipped in among the women and children and snatched up the tiny bundle that was
Echo's baby.
And without Echo's baby, Mo'Steel and Sanchez and all the others would have no chance of
getting their stupid green world.
Nimbly, Newton leaped over the sleepers and ran full speed until he got out of easy sight.
Then, he slowed his pace to a walk.
But something was wrong.
The baby was silent. Newton panicked and wondered if it was okay and then wondered why he
should even care. Because, he reminded himself, the plan such as it was was to give it to the
Savagers, not to kill it.
Newton didn't pretend to be a good man but he refused to believe himself a monster.
He held the baby's face close to his ear and felt slight puffs of air. Good.
His plan was going to work after all.
He was strong. Well-fed. He'd been taking part of Grost's and Yorka's food portions for years. He
knew he stood a good chance of finding the Savagers before long. And when he did, he'd make his
presence known from a safe distance drop the baby, and hightail it back to the Source.
What the Savagers did with the baby was their own call. At least Newton wouldn't have blood on his
hands. At least he'd have given the kid a chance. More important, he'd have stopped the regreening
ritual.
An unsettling thought reared its ugly head again, and this time Newton couldn't beat it down. How
would he explain his absence from the Marauder camp? How would he explain the baby's absence
without incriminating himself?
Newton set his lips firmly. There seemed only one way. Newton would tell a story better than any
that Violet girl had ever told! He'd say that a sound had woken him from sleep. That he'd gotten up to
investigate and found Snipe nowhere in sight. That he'd seen some evidence of Savagers and that he'd
followed their trail out of the camp. That after a while he'd heard the sound of a baby crying and con-
tinued his pursuit.
And then, he'd tell the Marauders and Mo'Steel and the rest that there'd been a fight. A brutal fight to
the finish. That he'd killed the kidnapping Savager. But that he'd been too late to save the baby.
That story would make him a hero, all right. It would earn him back some of the respect he'd lost
since the kid Mo'Steel had come along. It
"Just where do you think you're going?"
Newton whirled and almost lost his balance. Mo'Steel stood not two yards away, knife drawn, eyes
boring into him.
"I'll drop it!" Newton raised the baby over his head and felt a brutal pain behind his knees as
someone or something slammed into them, causing them to buckle. Involuntarily, he released the baby
but other hands were there to catch it.
No ... This couldn't be happening& .
48
Downloaded from Richard's Animorphs Forum
http://animorphsforum.com
Nice work, Edward, Mo Steel said. You didn t know you've been trailed since we got to the Source,
did you?" he asked Newton. "No. Of course you didn't. Or you wouldn't have been so stupid."
Newton caught a glimmer of a small boy waving at him and walking backward toward the camp.
Slowly he rose to his feet, knees wobbly. Badger a Marauder! stood a few feet away gripping a
thick piece of metal in both hands. Jobs stood just to Badger's left, holding the baby. And now Newton
saw Cocker and Mattock emerge from the gloom behind Mo'Steel.
Everybody was staring at him....
"It's over, Newton," Mo'Steel said calmly. Almost casually.
His tone enraged Newton, "J'ou will regret this new world!" he spat.
"Nah. I don't think so."
In a split second it came to Newton that he had no choice but to run. To stay with these people would
mean being a prisoner. With a wild look to his left, Newton dashed into the semi-gloom.
"Hey! Come back!" Mattock shouted.
Cocker took a step after Newton but Mo'Steel grabbed his arm. "Let him go, 'migo. Running away is
what Newton does best."
"Do you think he'll survive?" Jobs said.
Mo'Steel shrugged. "For a while. He probably had some food and water with him. And he's been in
this desert all his life. He knows the ropes. But I doubt anyone, no matter how skilled, could last here
alone. Besides, Newton's stupid. And he's a coward. I'm betting he won't live to see his next birthday."
"Yeah," Jobs said absentmindedly. He shifted the now sleeping infant. She's only about two or three
weeks old, isn't she, he thought. So little. So frail. Just like her mother. Who cares about Newton? I
wonder if Lumina will make it to her first birthday....
The moment from which the voice was heard....
Billy's enigmatic words tickled through Jobs's brain. They sounded and echoed and ...
Echo.
That's it, isn't it, he thought. What Billy meant. The moment from which... A point of origin. A
birthday...
"I'm so stupid!" Jobs cried. "Why didn't I see it before?"
Mo'Steel grinned. "Well, I wouldn't say stupid, exactly.... See what. Duck?"
The other men and boys eyed Jobs curiously.
"I think I know what Billy meant when he said. The moment from which the voice was heard.'"
"Spill." Mo'Steel ordered.
"Okay. There's an ancient legend, a Greek legend, about a nymph named Echo. She was in love with
a guy named Narcissus but he was totally involved with himself."
Mo'Steel frowned. "There is a point here, right?"
"Yeah, yeah. See, eventually Echo just pined away for love until all that was left of her was her
voice. Get it? The voice. Echo. 'The moment from which the voice was heard.' I think Billy is talking
about Echo's birthday as the critical moment for the regreening ritual!"
Jobs looked from dubious face to dubious face.
"Uh, Duck? How do you even know that old story?"
"Violet told me," he admitted. "A long time ago, back when she had that villa on board Mother.
What does it matter?"
"This Billy," Mattock said. "He would know the story, too?"
"There are worlds in Billy's head," Mo'Steel said. "And who knows how his head works. Maybe he
doesn't even know. Besides, the Mayflower and then Mother the Source the ship's computer
had stored tons of files about human culture."
"This could be the answer, then," Cocker said. "But we will talk to Sanchez."
49
Downloaded from Richard's Animorphs Forum
http://animorphsforum.com
"Mattock?" Badger asked. "Do you know Echo's birthday?"
The Alpha shrugged. "Maybe ask Lyric. But I don't think she'll know."
Jobs grinned. "Okay. We have some investigating to do. But first, I'd better get Lumina back to her
mother I, er, think her diaper needs to be changed."
50
Downloaded from Richard's Animorphs Forum
http://animorphsforum.com
CHAPTER 17
"YOU'RE STILL WILLING TQ TAKE THIS CHANCE?"
The camp was abuzz. The story of Newton's attempted kidnapping had spread quickly.
2Face had always known the big lug was good for nothing. He couldn't even sneak off with a
mewling infant!
Now that the kid was safe and sound, the re-greening ritual might still go forward. If
Sanchez could figure out the final part of the puzzle. Which meant that Billy might still have
his way with them. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl chiara76.opx.pl
of others. Sure, he wanted a green world, but who was he to ask a mother to risk her child's
life? Was he any better than Lumina? Was his life or the life of anyone else on this stinking
planet more valuable than any other?
"So we've solved nothing, right?" Olga said, her voice loud enough with frustration to
bring Jobs around. "Just in case I'm missing something here ..."
"It's not up to us to solve anything," Jobs said suddenly. "It's up to Echo to say yes."
An uneasy silence followed, broken finally by Violet.
"Let's say Echo does agree. If we don't identify the critical moment for the ritual soon ..."
Jobs smiled grimly. "It's sticks and berries forever."
47
Downloaded from Richard's Animorphs Forum
http://animorphsforum.com
CHAPTER 16
"J'OU WILL REGRET THIS NEW WORLD!"
It was almost too easy. The Alpha girl got up to do her business away from the sleeping area.
And she left her baby behind! Wedged In between an old woman Aga and a little kid
Walbert.
Newton was big but he was stealthy. As soon as Snipe turned away from the sleeping area to
check on the Source, he made his move.
He slipped in among the women and children and snatched up the tiny bundle that was
Echo's baby.
And without Echo's baby, Mo'Steel and Sanchez and all the others would have no chance of
getting their stupid green world.
Nimbly, Newton leaped over the sleepers and ran full speed until he got out of easy sight.
Then, he slowed his pace to a walk.
But something was wrong.
The baby was silent. Newton panicked and wondered if it was okay and then wondered why he
should even care. Because, he reminded himself, the plan such as it was was to give it to the
Savagers, not to kill it.
Newton didn't pretend to be a good man but he refused to believe himself a monster.
He held the baby's face close to his ear and felt slight puffs of air. Good.
His plan was going to work after all.
He was strong. Well-fed. He'd been taking part of Grost's and Yorka's food portions for years. He
knew he stood a good chance of finding the Savagers before long. And when he did, he'd make his
presence known from a safe distance drop the baby, and hightail it back to the Source.
What the Savagers did with the baby was their own call. At least Newton wouldn't have blood on his
hands. At least he'd have given the kid a chance. More important, he'd have stopped the regreening
ritual.
An unsettling thought reared its ugly head again, and this time Newton couldn't beat it down. How
would he explain his absence from the Marauder camp? How would he explain the baby's absence
without incriminating himself?
Newton set his lips firmly. There seemed only one way. Newton would tell a story better than any
that Violet girl had ever told! He'd say that a sound had woken him from sleep. That he'd gotten up to
investigate and found Snipe nowhere in sight. That he'd seen some evidence of Savagers and that he'd
followed their trail out of the camp. That after a while he'd heard the sound of a baby crying and con-
tinued his pursuit.
And then, he'd tell the Marauders and Mo'Steel and the rest that there'd been a fight. A brutal fight to
the finish. That he'd killed the kidnapping Savager. But that he'd been too late to save the baby.
That story would make him a hero, all right. It would earn him back some of the respect he'd lost
since the kid Mo'Steel had come along. It
"Just where do you think you're going?"
Newton whirled and almost lost his balance. Mo'Steel stood not two yards away, knife drawn, eyes
boring into him.
"I'll drop it!" Newton raised the baby over his head and felt a brutal pain behind his knees as
someone or something slammed into them, causing them to buckle. Involuntarily, he released the baby
but other hands were there to catch it.
No ... This couldn't be happening& .
48
Downloaded from Richard's Animorphs Forum
http://animorphsforum.com
Nice work, Edward, Mo Steel said. You didn t know you've been trailed since we got to the Source,
did you?" he asked Newton. "No. Of course you didn't. Or you wouldn't have been so stupid."
Newton caught a glimmer of a small boy waving at him and walking backward toward the camp.
Slowly he rose to his feet, knees wobbly. Badger a Marauder! stood a few feet away gripping a
thick piece of metal in both hands. Jobs stood just to Badger's left, holding the baby. And now Newton
saw Cocker and Mattock emerge from the gloom behind Mo'Steel.
Everybody was staring at him....
"It's over, Newton," Mo'Steel said calmly. Almost casually.
His tone enraged Newton, "J'ou will regret this new world!" he spat.
"Nah. I don't think so."
In a split second it came to Newton that he had no choice but to run. To stay with these people would
mean being a prisoner. With a wild look to his left, Newton dashed into the semi-gloom.
"Hey! Come back!" Mattock shouted.
Cocker took a step after Newton but Mo'Steel grabbed his arm. "Let him go, 'migo. Running away is
what Newton does best."
"Do you think he'll survive?" Jobs said.
Mo'Steel shrugged. "For a while. He probably had some food and water with him. And he's been in
this desert all his life. He knows the ropes. But I doubt anyone, no matter how skilled, could last here
alone. Besides, Newton's stupid. And he's a coward. I'm betting he won't live to see his next birthday."
"Yeah," Jobs said absentmindedly. He shifted the now sleeping infant. She's only about two or three
weeks old, isn't she, he thought. So little. So frail. Just like her mother. Who cares about Newton? I
wonder if Lumina will make it to her first birthday....
The moment from which the voice was heard....
Billy's enigmatic words tickled through Jobs's brain. They sounded and echoed and ...
Echo.
That's it, isn't it, he thought. What Billy meant. The moment from which... A point of origin. A
birthday...
"I'm so stupid!" Jobs cried. "Why didn't I see it before?"
Mo'Steel grinned. "Well, I wouldn't say stupid, exactly.... See what. Duck?"
The other men and boys eyed Jobs curiously.
"I think I know what Billy meant when he said. The moment from which the voice was heard.'"
"Spill." Mo'Steel ordered.
"Okay. There's an ancient legend, a Greek legend, about a nymph named Echo. She was in love with
a guy named Narcissus but he was totally involved with himself."
Mo'Steel frowned. "There is a point here, right?"
"Yeah, yeah. See, eventually Echo just pined away for love until all that was left of her was her
voice. Get it? The voice. Echo. 'The moment from which the voice was heard.' I think Billy is talking
about Echo's birthday as the critical moment for the regreening ritual!"
Jobs looked from dubious face to dubious face.
"Uh, Duck? How do you even know that old story?"
"Violet told me," he admitted. "A long time ago, back when she had that villa on board Mother.
What does it matter?"
"This Billy," Mattock said. "He would know the story, too?"
"There are worlds in Billy's head," Mo'Steel said. "And who knows how his head works. Maybe he
doesn't even know. Besides, the Mayflower and then Mother the Source the ship's computer
had stored tons of files about human culture."
"This could be the answer, then," Cocker said. "But we will talk to Sanchez."
49
Downloaded from Richard's Animorphs Forum
http://animorphsforum.com
"Mattock?" Badger asked. "Do you know Echo's birthday?"
The Alpha shrugged. "Maybe ask Lyric. But I don't think she'll know."
Jobs grinned. "Okay. We have some investigating to do. But first, I'd better get Lumina back to her
mother I, er, think her diaper needs to be changed."
50
Downloaded from Richard's Animorphs Forum
http://animorphsforum.com
CHAPTER 17
"YOU'RE STILL WILLING TQ TAKE THIS CHANCE?"
The camp was abuzz. The story of Newton's attempted kidnapping had spread quickly.
2Face had always known the big lug was good for nothing. He couldn't even sneak off with a
mewling infant!
Now that the kid was safe and sound, the re-greening ritual might still go forward. If
Sanchez could figure out the final part of the puzzle. Which meant that Billy might still have
his way with them. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]