Tabby took the shuttle to the Raptor and brought down the two cats. Move-over sauntered out of the shuttle with his normal nonchalance but Tumble was scared of the wide-open sky. When we got to our cabin, Move-over would lie just outside the door teasing the trembling Tumble to come out.
“Move-over you are pathetic teasing the kitten that way."
His only reply was a yowl and a twitch of the tail. Tabby and I left the cats to work out their problems, went inside and held each other by the trickling pool.
I had hired Oggie's son, Harold, to deliver supplies to Uncle Ben when we were gone. He had just made a delivery but we still loaded up a canoe and drifted down the river. We knew he was close when we smelled a wood fire, cedar, birch, maple with the fragrance of roasting meat. Ben met us on the riverbank across from his cabin. He had a campfire with a venison roast cooking on a spit. We ate in silence listening to the trickling water and the crackling of the fire. We never said more than three words in a row to each other but it was still the best homecoming we had.
As we packed up to leave, Ben said, “Bring some salt salmon when you get back from space next time.
It goes good with venison."
“How do you know we will leave again so soon?"
“I know. Whatever got you started isn't done with you yet."
Tabby hugged him real hard and gave him a big wet kiss. He turned pink.
We were in the canoe. “Hold it. I forgot to give you this.” He ran into the woods and came back with something wrapped in an old gunnysack. It was an ash walking stick like the one he gave Tabby except that it was sized for me. “Remember to bring both your sticks with you when you go this time."
On the woodpecker tree there sat an eagle. His eyes tracked our every move as we paddled up stream to the boat landing.
Tumble started to run after Move-over when he walked outside under the sky so we knew it was time to go again. We loaded up the Raptor. In the bridge I had the display screen run through a loop of the various constellations in the sky.
“Okay, where should we go?"
Move-over jumped up and swatted at Orion.
“Gotcha. Orion it is.” I put on Holst's Planets for the kantele fuzzier. And started down the checklist before our actual leaving earth's orbit. Venus was just starting to play when I engaged the kantele drive.
“Tabby, I wonder what music God played when he made the universe?"
“Now don't get philosophical on me. Remember this is just a joy ride."
“What do you want to hear next after Holst is finished?"
“Rachmaninov Piano Concerto number 2 in C minor."
“Thinking about a little romance are we?"
“Of course.” She had a saucy simile. “Let's put Grieg on after that. I always wanted to be bounced during Hall ofthe Mountain King."
“You're twisted. Maybe that's why I love you."
I moved the power setting to full and set the automatic collision warnings and the alarm for just before we got to dimensional travel.
“Hello out there. You better watch out! The Terrans are about to crash the party."
I heard a growl. Move-over was growling at Tumble who was crouched down, shifing his hind legs. Suddenly there was a blur of speed and they were gone into the depths of the ship.
On a near by planet a User infiltrator felt a flutter deep inside. Indigestion? He looked around and saw no one. He still felt a chill. “What in the damned of the Chameleon was that?"
Epilog
She was skilled for her age. The fakers of India and the mystics of the Orient didn't come close to her abilities. The mystics only knew hints of the skills that she had already attained. When she concentrated, she could sense every beat of her heart, every change in her body. She had felt her body fighting against itself as the hormones of adolescence surged through her to bring her past puberty to adulthood.
During her daily meditation, she felt the virus enter her body. Using her skills, she sensed the possible problems the disease could inflict upon her. She selected a couple of T cells and the accompanying antibodies to deal with the infection. The T cells in her body were independent entities. They had to be to handle the changing tasks of war with the foreign invader. Non-intelligent entities, although useful, were just too hard to control to fight an infectious virus. To activate the cells, her body released a set of hormones to prepare the T's for the battle ahead.
When she was only a few years younger, she had tried to directly contact her T cells about a problem in
her body. But she found out that direct contact changed the cells and made them less flexible in the fight against infections. Her body took what seemed forever to recover from the break down that resulted within her body 65 million internal cycles ago. She still used that method of control for the fight against her own internal problems with the ever-present struggle against cancer and the other degenerative disease's. But she was very careful to keep the contact minimal. A small spiritual awakening and the T cells developed a control group geared to stabilize her metabolism. But with external infections the T cells had to keep their own ability to think creatively. Direct contact with T cells created T cell religions, philosophies, and countries. Those methods frequently stifled growth and flexibility. T cells had to grow and expand to deal with external threats. That was why she had to communicate with them using the intermediaries of the antibodies. Antibodies were simpler creatures, semi-intelligent organic or mechanical things, easy to control and manipulate. They could also communicate with the T cells by their physical presence.
Her selection of T cells was easy to make. She tweaked the curiosity of the primary T cell in such a way as to attract the attention of the virus. She gave the T cell a full compliment of antibodies to help with the job and then to play it safe she introduced the cell to another T who had a natural sensitivity to the virus. Her next step was to activate their defensive structure by introducing a vaccine created by local group of T cells that had been damaged. The destruction of the damaged cells proved to her that her choice of defense was sound. But she was surprised at how easily the newly tested group of cells destroyed the virus.
She was getting older and had started noticing the neighborhood boys eons ago. She had been watching the young man who lived in the neighborhood her T cells called the Orion constellation. Maybe it was time to formally introduce herself to him? This last group of T cells showed themselves to be exceptionally adept at survival. They needed only a few more exposures to other internal cancers to get them ready. They should make the trip easily to his body. She would have to make sure her cells used her proper name, Terra. She always hated the nickname the family hung on her of Earth.
When this group of T cells came back from introducing her, she would have to give them a reward. Maybe some time off to regroup and multiply. She had a feeling that those viruses were still around.
THE END
PAGETURNER EDITIONS AWARD WINNING & NOMINEE STORIES AND AUTHORS
People of the Darkness-Ross Rocklynne (Nebulas nominee author)
When They Come From Space-Mark Clifton (Hugo winning author)
What Thin Partitions-Mark Clifton (Hugo winning author)
Eight Keys to Eden-Mark Clifton (Hugo winning author)
The Toymaker & Other SF Stories-Raymond F. Jones
The Alien-Raymond F. Jones
This Island Earth-Raymond F. Jones (Hugo nominee author)
Renaissance-Raymond F. Jones
Rat Race &Other SF Novelettes and Short Novels-Raymond F. Jones (Hugo nominee author)
Rat in the Skull & Other Off-Trail Science Fiction-Rog Phillips (Hugo nominee author)
The Involuntary Immortals-Rog Phillips (Hugo nominee author)
Inside Man & Other Science Fictions-H. L. Gold (Hugo winner, Nebula nominee)