Wild Cards IV by George R. R. Martin

Author:George R. R. Martin
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781466824362
Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates

The car sped along down the road, jolting them at every bump and pothole. They were still a few miles outside Ratnapura. Jayewardene was in the front seat, directing the driver. Paula and Danforth sat silently in the back. As they rounded a corner, he saw several saffron-robed Buddhist priests ahead. “Stop,” he yelled as the driver braked the car. They went into a skid and off the road, sliding to a stop. The priests, who had been working on the dirt road with shovels, stood to one side and motioned them through.

“Who are they?” asked Paula.

“Priests. Members of an appropriate technologist group,” Jayewardene said as the driver pulled back onto the road. He bowed to the priests as he went past. “Much of their time is spent doing such work.”

He planned to call ahead from Ratnapura. Let the government know the situation and discourage the military from attacking the creature. That would be difficult, given the amount of damage it could cause. Tachyon and the aces would be the answer. They had to be. His stomach burned. It was dangerous to hinge his plans on people he’d never met, but he bad no other choice.

“I wonder what set him off?” Danforth asked, his voice almost too soft to hear.

“Well”—Jayewardene turned to speak to them—“he looked at the cameras, then at Miss Symmes. It was as if something clicked in his brain, brought him right out of the stupor.”

If anything happens to her, it’ll be my fault.” Danforth looked at the muddy floorboard. “My fault.”

“Then we’ll all have to work hard to make sure nothing does happen to her,” Paula said. “Okay?”

“Right,” Danforth said weakly.

“Remember,” she said, patting his shoulder. “It’s beauty that kills the beast. Not the other way around.”

“Hopefully we can resolve the situation and keep both beauty and beast alive.” Jayewardene turned to look back at the road. He spotted the buildings of Ratnapura ahead. “Slow down when you get to town. I’ll direct you where we need to go.” He intended to inform the military of the situation and then return to Colombo. Jayewardene sank back into the car seat. He wished he had slept better the night before. Today’s work was going to spill into tomorrow and maybe even the next day.

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