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T'LINGINA LOST
T'LINGINA SCARED
T'LINGINA TALK MUST
"I wonder what the child does for talking?" asked Robert Norsmith, the
boss.
"How should I know?" snapped Jean.
"Is there a monitor in there? One it can see -- or whatever it does?"
"The readout set on the gateway computer."
"Can we put something on that monitor?"
"Yes, they're networked. What?" Robert signaled to the technician.
"Put this up: 'Child talk how?' Make it all capitals, too.
CHILD CHANGE
"I wonder," mused Jean. "Maybe it talks by changing the shape of
something. Like picture drawings but in three dimensions."
"I believe you are right. So do we let it loose or not?"
"No!" came Jean's immediate response. "It'll try to talk to us. We'll
end up like Julia, or worse."
"We have to try something."
"Containment dropping. Pressure at 35% and falling," the computer
announced.
"We haven't much choice, do we?" Robert asked. "It'll get out on its
own in a few minutes and then what? Maybe if we help it, it won't do anything
too extreme." He made a quick slash across his throat. "Cut it now!" he
ordered.
The technician hesitated a moment then hit the cutoff switch. The swirl
of crystals in the containment didn't expand in the slightest. A small piece
detached itself and flew at high speed from the monitor and through the closed
window. All were surprised when it passed through the glass without damaging
itself or the pane. There was a pause of some minutes until a pair of crystal
clusters returned. One was obviously weaker, it's glow subdued.
CHILD I
ZERO TALKERS YOUR
LEAVE I
CLOSE HOLE I
The cloud of crystals in the containment room began to thin. Unnoticed
by anyone, a small cluster of crystals from the cloud detached itself and
zoomed through the wall straight at Jean. It then returned to the parent body
that soon evacuated the chamber.
"Residuals dissipating," announced the technician who'd regained
consciousness and had pulled himself into a chair by the monitor. "Residuals
gone."
Jean tried to respond but could only make a strange coughing sound. Her
throat seem dry and she was having trouble breathing. She looked up at
everyone who seemed strangely taller and waved to catch their attention.
Robert was the first to respond.
"My God! Get a gurney!" he shouted. They lifted Jean onto the gurney.
"Cut the evacuation alarm. We've got to get her to the recreation pool."
Jean's vision faded in and out as they rushed her to the pool. Without
a moment's thought, they pushed Jean, gurney and all, into the pool. Her
breathing eased as she sank to the bottom of the pool.
"It left one last message," one of the staff stated. "On the monitor."
TOO SLOW
THE END
--------
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