A long sigh nearly lifted Varian from the hard shuttle plasfloor. Lunzie! Yes, the medic’s head had turned and her right hand jumped, her feet twitched. It was time for the restorative. As she prepared Lunzie’s, she looked over at Triv. His head had fallen to one side, his lips parted and a groan issued from deep inside the man. “Lunzie, it’s Varian. Can you hear me?”
Lunzie blinked, trying to focus her eyes. Varian remembered her own attempts and resisted the impulse to smile. Lunzie wouldn’t appreciate humor at the expense of her personal dignity.
“Hnnnnn?”
“It’s Varian, Lunzie. You’ve been in cold sleep. I’m reviving you and Triv.”
“Ohhhhh.”
Varian gave her the second of the two required shots and then turned to give Triv his. She could appreciate their sensations as long-unused nerves and limbs began to respond to mental dictates.
Once the second shots had taken effect, Lunzie and Triv were soon sitting up.
“I only hope you took it easy at first,” Lunzie commented to Varian in her usual way.
“Oh yes,” Varian assured her blithely, aware that “easy” in Lunzie’s lexicon probably differed from her own interpretation. “I feel great.”
“So what happened?”
“That Thek, Tor—the one Kai knows—came.”
Lunzie’s eyebrows arched in mild surprise. “Not to our rescue, certainly!”
Varian grinned at the medic, pleased that someone else shared her cynicism about Thek. “It wanted the old core!”
The one Gaber and Kai disinterred.”
“What would it want that for?” Triv asked, his words slurred in his first attempt at speech.
Varian shrugged. “A Thekian reason. But Kai went over with Tor to find it. I hope that wretched thing’s buried nineteen meters down. No, I don’t,” she contradicted herself quickly, “for that would 24
Anne McCaffrey – Dinosaur Planet II – The Survivors mean we’ve been asleep far too long. At any rate, Kai took along a power pack to unearth a sled for us.”
“If the heavyworlders didn’t wreck ’em,” Lunzie said sourly.
“They wouldn’t do that,” Triv said. “They’d be too sure that they’d locate us, and the power packs.”
“A sled would be a powerful encouragement.” Lunzie looked down at the darker mounds of sleepers. Then she began to manipulate her arms and legs in a Discipline limbering exercise.
“Do I smell fruit?” Triv asked, running his tongue over his lips.
Varian instantly set to peel fruit for Lunzie and Triv. While they ate slowly and appreciatively, Varian related the adventures she and Kai had had, and their conclusion that the heavyworlders had penetrated to the giffs’ territory. With great relish she recounted the visitation of the Elder giffs after Tor had left the cave. Triv was amused, but Lunzie interpreted Varian’s report differently though she offered no comment.
“Can we use the main cave safely?” she asked Varian as she rose stiffly to her feet. “Or are those fliers of yours apt to recon frequently? No matter, I’d rather be out in Ireta’s stink than sit in this morgue.” She gathered up the thermal sheet and stalked to the entrance.
Triv and Varian followed. Once outside, Lunzie regarded the vines for a long moment, her expression betraying nothing of her thoughts. Suddenly she began to sniff, at first tentatively, and then with deeper breaths. “What … the …”
Varian grinned at her consternation. “Yes, I’d noticed, too. We’ve got accustomed to Ireta.”
“Don’t those vines give you any idea how long we’ve slept?” Lunzie demanded.
“I wish my botanical expertise was not limited to edibility and toxicity,” Varian said, not wishing to add that the expedition’s botanist had mutinied. “Tropical growth has a vitality unlike others.
Why don’t you limber up more? You could shower with the next rain …”
“Say, Tanegli broke your shoulder …” Lunzie’s strong fingers found the break point in Varian’s shoulder. Her expression was inscrutable. “Reabsorbed! How long ago did Kai leave?” she added in a quick shift of topic.
“Early morning. Before the net giffs left for fishing.” Varian swung a vine beyond the lip of the cave and, squinting against the sun which was burning through the heat haze, decided it must be midafternoon. “He could be back any time now.”
“We’ll hope so. D’you have anything more than fruit? Any protein? I feel an urgent need for something substantial.”