Free Hunter's Run by George R. R. Martin Page A

brought the coppery taste of panic to Ramon’s mouth.
And yet, his logical mind told him that the constabulary was his best hope
now. Usually the last thing he’d want to see were the police, but there were
situations dire enough, like this one, when even somebody like him, who had
frequently run afoul of the law, would be damn glad to see the cops coming over
the hill. If word could get as far as Fiddler’s Jump, aid would come. The
military forces of the colony. Ramon had to hope that the man who had been set
to follow him was as good at fleeing as he’d been at shadowing him.
     
    And if the cavalry came, and
Ramon was freed, what then? He had killed the European. Would the governor
still be hot to have Ramon hanged for it? Or would his part in discovering the
alien nest win him amnesty? He was trapped between the Devil and the deep blue
sea.
     
    ‘Alright,’ Ramon said. ‘You want
the guy found, I’ll find him for you. He’s no friend of mine.’ He rubbed his
chin shrewdly. It wouldn’t do to give in too easily, though. Even things as
strange as these might recognize that as subterfuge. ‘If I do this thing for
you,’ he asked slyly, ‘what do I get out of it?’
     
    The alien stared at him for
several long moments, long enough that Ramon began to fear that he had overplayed
his hand. ‘You are an improper and contradictory creature. Aubre may
manifest in you. We will insure against such manifestations by accompanying
you.’
     
    ‘You? All of you?’
     
    ‘We. Not-we. Your language is
flawed, it admits contradiction where none exists. We will separate part of the
whole. Maneck will sacrifice himself to maintain the flow. Maneck is we, and
not-we. Maneck will accompany you and watch over you. Through him, your tatecreude will be protected.’
     
    Well, the thought that the aliens
would send him out alone into the bush, trusting him to keep to the task they
had assigned, was one that had always been too good to be true. But the fact
that there would be only a single guard was a blessing. Two or three of the
things would have been difficult to evade. More than that, impossible. Only
one, however…
     
    The alien who had led him here
moved silently to Ramon’s side. It was eerie - nothing so big should be so
quiet.
     
    ‘Maneck, eh?’ Ramon said to the
thing. ‘Your name’s Maneck? I’m Ramon Espejo.’
     
    While Ramon was still wondering
if he should attempt to shake hands with it, Maneck abruptly reached out and
took him by the shoulders, lifted him like a doll, and held him immobile in the
air. Ramon fought instinctively - nights at the bar and in the street coming
back to his arms and legs in a rage. He might as well have punched the ocean.
Maneck didn’t budge.
     
    Up from the pit rose a pale white
snake.
     
    Ramon watched in horrified
fascination. It was obviously a cable of some sort - two bare wires protruded
from the visible end - but its movements were so supple and lifelike that he
could not help but think of it as a pale and sinister cobra. It reared almost
to eye-level, swayed slowly from side to side, and aimed its blind pallid head
at Ramon. The head quivered slightly, as though the snake was testing the air
in search of its prey. Then it stretched out toward him.
     
    Again Ramon tried desperately to
break free, but Maneck wrenched him effortlessly back into position. As the
cable-snake came closer, he saw that it was pulsating rhythmically, and that
the two naked wires in its head were vibrating like a serpent’s flickering
tongue. His flesh crawled and he felt his testicles retract. He felt his
nakedness vividly now - he was unprotected, helpless, all of the soft
vulnerable parts of his body exposed to the hostile air.
     
    ‘I’ll do it!’ Ramon shrieked. ‘I
said I’d do it! You don’t have to do this to me! I’ll help you!’
     
    The cable touched the hollow of
his throat.
     
    Ramon felt a sensation like the
touch of dead lips, a double pinprick of pain, a flash