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Shannon felt a crawling sensation between her shoulders. “What does this have to do with my father?”
“When your father reset my ship’s systems, he also activated the genetic alteration devices. However, those devices had been damaged during the crash, and they did not work as they were supposed to. Instead ofnudgingthe evolutionary process, theypushed… violently. Within a matter of minutes, numerous new species were created, all of them bearing a partial resemblance to the Masters’ form—a form which you would describe as humanoid. Once my electronic mind was fully awake, I quickly shut the devices down, but it was too late. The genetic damage had already been done. Even those creatures who were not visibly mutated were stilltaintedby what had occurred. That is why the mutations have continued to persist over the following generations.”
“New humanoid species,” Shannon muttered.
“Yes.” Crusoe said. “For example, some of the creatures which you call horses were mutated into human-horse hybrids. I believe you refer to them as centaurs. Your wolf companion is another example. I observed him shifting into a humanoid form earlier. And there are other examples…”
The moving picture screen flashed with images of hucows, harpies, and snakemen.
“Some humans were also mutated,” Crusoe went on. “They became alphas and omegas, such as yourself. The devices’ power was somewhat diminished by the crash, so the effects only took place across a limited range—the western part of the landmass designated as North America. According to what Samuel told me, the mutations did not extend beyond the Hundredth Meridian, a line which roughly demarcates the eastern boundary of the region known as ‘The Great Plains’.”
Shannon felt dizzy. The whole corridor seemed to spin around her, and for a second she thought she was going to fall over. Luckily, Logan and Tanner were there to keep her on her feet.
“So you’re telling me… my father caused the Occurrence?”
“In a sense, yes.”
Shannon was speechless. She couldn’t believe that her father had never told her about any of this. Then again, would she have even believed him if he’d told her? Probably not.
“Does anyone else know about this?” she asked.
“No.” Crusoe answered. “After I got my ship’s systems working again, I created a three dimensional geological projection to hide the crater from the outside. It seems to work reasonably well, though it does flicker occasionally. As for Samuel, he returned often to inform me about what was happening since the Occurrence. Sometimes he would bring biological species for me to study. In exchange, I allowed him to take some firestone with him. I understand the substance is valuable among humans.”
Shannon suddenly realized why Crusoe’s voice sounded like her father’s. Samuel Duffy must havetaughtCrusoe how to speak English. Shannon had a feeling the strange machine-entity was a quick learner.
“Do you mind ifwetake some firestone with us?” she asked.
“That is acceptable. I have no use for the firestone anymore. However, I have one request.”
“Yes?”
“You must not tell anyone about my presence, or anything you’ve seen here today. My instructions from the Masters are clear. In the event of a crash, it is imperative for me to remain in place until a recovery can be made. I am also instructed to minimize direct interaction with the lifeforms of the planet.”
“You made the same request of my father, didn’t you? That’s why he never told me about any of this.”
“Correct. I suppose Samuel must have told you how to get here, but he never told you exactly what you would find, and that is good enough. Can I trust you to exercise the same discretion as your father?”
“Yes,” Shannon said. “Absolutely.”
Tanner and Logan both nodded in agreement, and Rufus gave an affirmative woof.
“Good. I appreciate your cooperation. If you ever wish to come and speak to me again, I will be here, waiting for the Masters to come and recover me.”
Shannon didn’t know exactly how long Crusoe had been waiting, but she knew it had been a long time. She had her doubts as to whether his Masters were ever coming back for him, but she kept that to herself.
“Thanks,” she said. “Maybe we’ll come back some time. We can let you know what’s happening in the world, and you can tell me more about my father.”
“Very well,” Crusoe said. If the prospect of further human interaction pleased him, his cold voice did nothing to betray it. “Until then, farewell.”
The image screen went dark, and the lights moving over the walls disappeared.
For nearly a full minute Shannon and her three mates stood there stunned, as their minds struggled to process everything that had just been revealed to them. Then, without a word, they turned and walked up the corridor and climbed back out into the sunlight.
CHAPTER 39
Evening found Shannon and her alphas camping near the foot of the mountain in a little grove of cottonwoods similar to the one where they had passed the previous night. They had descended the mountain following the easy path, and about halfway down they’d found the horses which had been left behind by Flarity’s men—all eighteen of them.
That was how the men had managed to get up the mountain so quickly. The ones who had followed Shannon and the alphas up the dangerous path had gone on foot without horses to slow their ascent. The other half of the men had taken all the horses with them up the easy route, and they’d left the animals partway up so they could close in more stealthily on the other entrance to the crater.
