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Lisa and Karen; meanwhile; were firing charges at the crab…ship; trying to position themselves for a shot at the mecha's scanner; a pouting red mouth low down on the ventral surface of its armored head。 But the Scouts who had joined the first were advancing; and the two women were forced to hurl themselves out from under a pair of cloven feet。 One mecha was stomping the ground; trying to pulverize them; even while Rem and Kami were stinging its ladybug…shaped carapace with Wolverine fire。

Rick disentangled himself before the first Scout could strike again; dropping; tucking; and rolling out of harm's way; and somehow managing to e up with his weapon raised。 He nailed his giant assailant in the knee joint and brought it down in an earsplitting crash; then put a second shot through its scanner; and ducked for cover as the thing blew up。

The force of the blast threw one of the other Scouts hard against the trees; where it stumbled and fell after ripping open half…a…dozen bulbs。 Rem saw to it that the ship didn't get up; lancing it open from crotch to scanner。 Rick had been left dazed and temporarily deaf from the explosion; but he came to in time to see the remaining mecha raising its left foot to smash Karen and Lisa; who had also been leveled by the blast。 He ran up behind the Scout; as if preparing to clip it behind the knee; and emptied his handgun straight up into the underside of the ship's rear tapered head armor; eliciting a cascade of energy bolts and a muffled roar that decapitated the ship; spilling its Invid pilot to the ground。 Kami and Karen holed the creature; even though it was probably already dead; and moved quickly to Lisa's side。 Rick did likewise; suddenly terror…stricken。 Her suit was torn open; she was bloodied and unconscious。

〃We've got to get her back to the cycs!〃 Rick said; looking up at his teammates。 But all he got in return was a look of resignation。 Rick saw Kami and Karen toss their weapons aside。 He whirled around; still in a crouch; in time to see more than a dozen Invid soldiers emerging from the orchard to surround their patch of green…stained ground。

〃Throw your weapon down;〃 one of the Praxian…size soldiers said in Tiresian; brandishing an evil…looking rifle/cannon and gazing down at Rick through an elongated helmet。

Rick did so; just as an officer came shouldering its way through the circle。 It regarded Lisa a moment; then swung its snout toward Rick。

〃The hive has been expecting you;〃 it announced。


〃Our Regent has said that he finds your race most curious; and now I understand why。 You are a little more like worms than I'd imagined; and indeed there is the stench of death about you。〃

The interior of the hive was greenhouse…hot; but the scientist's voice was cold and analytical。 Rick; Rem; Kami; and Karen had been marched at gunpoint through the same entrance Rick had spied from the crater rim。 There; their helmets and transpirators had been removed。 One of the soldiers had carried Lisa in over his shoulder。 She was still unconscious; groaning every so often in her delirium。 Rick was being kept from her side。 Kami; already succumbing to the hive's artificial atmosphere; had been shackled and dumped in a corner。

〃That smell is the stink of your own soldiers' blood;〃 Rick snarled at the scientist; gesturing to his green…smeared suit。

〃The cornered creature's final attack;〃 the Invid said to his white…robed group of barefoot assistants; in Tiresian for Rick's benefit。 〃The being uses words as weapons。〃

〃What do you want with us? Why didn't your soldiers kill us?〃

The scientist's snout sensors twitched; as if he was sniffing the air。 〃Perhaps we shall。 But there is some information we require first。 It would save us much bother if you'd simply agree to answer our questions…it might even save your lives。〃

Rick snorted。 〃Dream on; slug。〃

〃As I thought;〃 the scientist directed over his shoulder。 He studied Rick a moment; then began to move down the line; pausing in front of Kami。 〃You were one of the Garudans selected by Tesla for the Regent's zoo; were you not?〃

Kami leaned in as if to whisper something and snapped at the Invid's face; missing it by inches。 Just as suddenly; a soldier threw a stranglehold on Kami from behind; in his weakened state; the Garudan was easily subdued。

The scientist shrugged it off and continued his appraisal of the group; leering; Rick thought; at Karen; and puzzling for a moment over Rem。 〃Why; you're Tiresian。〃 he said at last; and whirled through an excited turn to face his group。 〃We have a marvelous opportunity here to acplish something invaluable for the realm。 For the record;〃 he added; looking to Rick; 〃where are the Robotech Masters?〃

Rick beetled his brows。 〃The Masters?〃

〃Yes。 Where is the Protoculture matrix?〃

Rick groaned。 The thing had bee a thorn in the galaxy's side。 〃I don't know what you're talking about。〃

〃That is hardly the response we require to justify sparing your lives; Earther。 Be reasonable; you have Protoculture…fueled ships; Protoculture…based weapons。。。How did you e by these if not through contact with the Masters or the matrix? Unless; of course; the Flowers of Life grow on your homeworld。。。〃

Rick fought to keep his surprise from registering。 So that's what they're after; he thought; and recalled something Roy Fokker had told him almost ten years ago about the warning Lang had inadvertently keyed in the SDF…1…Zor's warning about the Invid! The Tirolian knew!…he knew the Invid would eventually go in search of the matrix。 Cabell's words to Lang rang in Rick's ears: You must destroy the Invid here; destroy them while you still can!

〃I see something in your eyes; Human;〃 the scientist was saying。 〃You know something。〃

Rick tightened his lips to a thin line。

〃Then perhaps your dreams will tell us what we wish to know。〃 The Invid waved a hand at the soldiers。 〃Take the Humans outside。〃

〃You can't!〃 Kami bit out; his windpipe pinced in the soldier's grip。 Others had stepped in to take hold of Rick; Karen; Rem; and Lisa。 〃They'll die!〃

〃Yes;〃 the scientist said matter…of…factly; 〃they probably will。〃


CHAPTER TEN

The psy scanners the Invid employed on Garuda (on Hunter and the rest) were patterned on similar devices developed by the Tiresians。 Ironically enough; the Robotech Masters had used the scanners on Zor shortly after his death; (and would use them again to monitor Zor Prime after the clone had been inserted into the Fifteenth ATAC); much as the Invid were using them on Rem。
History of the Second Robotech War; volume XXXI; 〃Tirol〃

Dream a little dream with me。
Late twentieth…century song lyric

The male human was dreaming of pursuit。 He was being chased by some sort of bird creature with an enormous wingspan; and…an Invid scientist had noted…a body shaped curiously like those of the raptorial birds depicted face…to…face on the Human's uniform insignia patch。 The Human was running downhill; hopelessly out of control; with the bird pecking at his neck and back; flapping its great wings all the while。 The backdrop for the dream was a world of ravaged landscapes; barren; cratered expanses of solidified volcanic flow。 The Human was; and at the same time was not; both the pursued and pursuer。 Crowds of other Humans seemed to be viewing the event from the sidelines; gesturing; pointing; applauding; laughing。 One wore the face of the injured Human female who was presently being terrorized by dreams of her own…although she was sympathetic here; eager to help the running man; so it appeared。

〃There's nothing of use to us in this one's thoughts;〃 the head scientist said dismissively。 Disappointed; he turned from the images in the instrumentality sphere and moved to the sphere his assistants had set up to monitor the dreams of the injured female。

Lisa; like Rick; Karen; and Rem; was strapped on her back to a kind of gurney; with her head positioned beneath a thick and heavy…looking ring…shaped device that resembled a scaled…down version of an MRI scanner。 What the Invid scientists were calling dreams; however; were of the wide…eyed variety…altered states of consciousness; hellish ones by and large; normally kept locked away behind those proverbial doors of pe

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