Chapter 8: Shree

Lloyd paused as he passed the plaque by the stairway. "Hey—it's up to number eight," he exclaimed.

"We made another step."

"Maybe it was the lie detector," Penn said.

"Well, it didn't budge for the hearing aid, or the translator, so why should it for the lie detector?"

"Good point. It moved to seven when Chandelle deciphered the squiggle print, and not for the subsequent results of that. So what did we do this time?"

"Beats me, Grandpa."

"Maybe Chandelle will know."

They went to the kitchen, where Chandelle was happily working. "The plaque has advanced, but we aren't sure why," Penn said.

"For realizing that the house summons its residents," she said promptly. "Kailash figured that out."

Penn and Lloyd exchanged a glance, and then a shrug. She was probably right. The plaque seemed to react to the grasping of principles more than to details.

Lloyd went on to the living room. Kailash and Llynn and Obsidian were there, working on the ramifications of the lie detector. It was clear that she was getting sweet on him, and he rather liked her.

The grandparents made no objection, probably because they thought Kailash was a better prospect than that gang leader she had gone with before. Lloyd tried to suppress a surge of jealousy. He was only thirteen, but he did know what girls were for, and wished he had one of his own. But no girl he had ever thought of liking had ever had any interest in him. Girls wanted men, and he was a boy. A mouthy boy.

"How's it going?" he asked.

"We've pretty well figured out the nuances of the lie band," Llynn said. "But we're thinking that if we want to rescue Kailash's sister Shree, we'll need more than that and the translators."

"You'll need a gun," Lloyd said.

"Guns are dangerous," Kailash said. "They are instruments of war." He didn't like war, as he had explained, because of the fighting that had gone on in his neighborhood, as India and Pakistan tried to take over Kashmir. He hadn't said so, but Lloyd suspected that members of Kailash's family had been shot. Lloyd didn't know much about Buddhism or Hinduism or whatever it was, but gathered they didn't much like violence.

"We're wondering whether there's something in the attic," Lynn said. "Maybe not a gun, but something better."

"I'll ask Grandma," Lloyd said. He returned to the kitchen and explained their concern.

"The problem with guns is that they can be as deadly to their owners as to others," Penn said. "That's why they are kept under lock and key, in the military, when not in use, and the ammunition locked elsewhere. It would be better to find the perfect defense."

"Yes," Chandelle agreed. "Something that can only safeguard, not threaten. I will check the squiggles."

"So are we going to rescue his sister?" Lloyd asked.

Penn and Chandelle exchanged a glance. "I suppose we are going to try," Penn said. "Llynn will insist."

"Yeah. She's sweet on him."

"He is an impressive young man, very intelligent," Chandelle said. "Yet no doubt he will return home, once he recovers his sister."

"What about the way the house brings in the people it wants?" Lloyd asked. "Why would it let him go?"

The grandparents exchanged another glance. "Do you think the house can hold a person who doesn't wish to be held?" Chandelle asked.

"Sure. By making him want to be held. Like it made us."

Penn frowned. "Do you feel we are captives of the house?"

"Naw. It just makes us want it, like—like a girl making a man want her."

"By providing us with substance for our dreams," Penn agreed. "For you, it's that powerful Internet connection."

"Sure." But it wasn't enough, Lloyd thought. The house couldn't give him a girl. That was just too complicated, considering what it had to work with. So all he could do was maintain his usual front of girl-hating. He wasn't fooling Llynn, but it would do for the others.

"I think we are indeed committed," Chandelle said. "We can't let his sister be victim of white slavers. But you are right: we will need more than we have at present."

"First we'll need to find her," Penn said. "I have no idea how to proceed with that."

"I do," Lloyd said. "I can do a query on the Internet. Sure, I know it won't be any good to ask for her by name, but I can pretend to be a guy looking for a doll, and make sure she fits the description, and maybe I'll get a bite."

Chandelle faced away. "I think I do not wish to inquire about this process," she said.

But Penn was interested. "You can do this? You can emulate an older male?"

"Sure. I do it all the time online 'cause I don't like what I am, so I just make a different person. Everyone on the Net knows it's fake, but they don't know for sure it's just a kid behind it. It could be a horny old man."

"Then question Kailash about his sister," Penn said. "So you know exactly what you are looking for. If you can make this work, it will greatly facilitate things."

"His sister," Lloyd echoed glumly. Looking for a sister, any sister, was not the stuff of dreams. But what choice did he have? He was the only one who could do the search. And there was a current of interest, because Kailash had said she was lovely.

So he returned to the living room. "I gotta learn all about your sister, so I can do an Internet search for her," he told Kailash.

Llynn laughed. "Who says there's no such thing as hell on earth? Lloyd has to study a woman."

"Shut up," he said without force. She did like teasing him, knowing the falsity of his stance.

"I can't get over this demonstration of divine justice," she said, pushing it. "Lloyd rescuing a gurrl ."

Kailash looked slightly pained. "My sister Shree is very nice. You would surely like her if you knew her."

An eighteen-year-old secretary? She would see him as the juvenile snot he was. "Well, anyway, I gotta know enough about her so I can describe her accurately, and maybe run her down that way. Without letting anybody catch on that I'm not a john."

"But of course you're not John. Your name is Lloyd."

Llynn smiled. "There are some idioms the translation doesn't clarify. A john is a man who patronizes prosti—" She broke off, remembering that Kailash couldn't stand to think of his sister that way.

"A john is a jerk," Lloyd said. "That much I can do."

Kailash paused. Then he reconciled himself. "Perhaps so. My description is colored by my love for her, but I sincerely believe that she is a very fine person. I will try to describe her accurately. Will you need to make notes?"

"Naw. I can remember."

"There is a fair amount of detail. Perhaps—"

Llynn cut in. "Lloyd's got close to a photographic memory. He's a snot, but he's a smart snot. He doesn't need notes."

"Thanks so much for that recommendation, cousin Llynnburger," Lloyd said.

"What is that term?" Kailash asked, perplexed.

"It's a stupid pun," Llynn said, grimacing. "Limburger cheese smells really strong."

"In fact, it stinks," Lloyd added.

Kailash considered. "I hear you in my own language, so perhaps the nuances are lost in translation. But I do know of Limburger cheese, and Llynnburger—oh, I see!" He burst out laughing.

Llynn tried to hold her scowl, but had to start laughing with him. Lloyd found himself liking the man; his laugh was genuine.

They got down to the description. "She is about two inches below Llynn's height," Kailash said. "Long dark hair, brown eyes, dark complexion like mine. Her face is almond-shaped, and rather pretty, except perhaps for the small mole just above her left eyebrow. Her body is svelte, yet fuller than Llynn's; she is a well-developed woman."

He continued the description, and Lloyd set it in his memory. A picture was forming of a girl with a cute face and nice figure, two inches shorter than he was. Sure she was five years older; still, he could admire her in his imagination, like a pin-up girl.

Kailash told of Shree's personality quirks, and these too became part of the picture. He told of childhood misadventures, showing the way she reacted to joy and stress and boredom. Lloyd listened, and his picture of her deepened. This was an ideal woman, but for her age and culture. But also exactly the kind who would not even see him on the street.

Finally the description was complete. "I'll start the search," he said. "It may take a while, if it even works."

"I understand," Kailash said. "I sincerely appreciate your effort."

Lloyd went to the computer cubby and got online. First he had to establish his persona: Louie, age 23, rich, horny, with specialized tastes. He set up an online bank account, discovering to his surprise that the house actually had online funds he could draw on. He instituted a paper trail, for all that none of it was on paper, showing Louie's prior participation on the Internet. Louie liked sexy chatrooms, and porno shops, and phone sex, and he didn't much care about expense. Only when he had an identity that would stand up to inspection by anyone who was less adept at hacking than he, Lloyd, was, did he start using it. "I'm tired of the usual floozies," he typed. "I want something different."

Then he set up a search. The porno and procurement aspects of the Internet were actually only a tiny part of it, less than one per cent, but they drew a lot of business. He had not before dared to view straight porno sites, but now Louie did. They thrilled him unmercifully, but he pretended indifference.

"None of these cows," he typed. "I want something more slender, without being thin. Maybe five two, B-cup bra, dark brown hair, heart-shaped face—no, make that almond-shaped. A perfect beauty—no, let's have an imperfection, like a scar—no, that's a turn-off; make it a mole, not too big." He continued, gradually forming the description of Shree, as if by sheer chance.

There were takers. Different online pimps put pictures on. Pictures—

"Hey, Kailash!" he called. "Can you get over here? It's important."

Kailash came to the cubby, supported by Llynn. "You have found her?" he asked hopefully.

"Not yet. But check these pictures. Is any her?"

Kailash looked. "No, no," he said, checking one and another. "No—wait, perhaps, if her hair were cut short and changed. Her eyebrow—can we see that closer?"

Lloyd magnified the picture, orienting on the left brow. There, almost concealed by bangs, was a mole.

"This is Shree!" Kailash said. "Where is she?"

"In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia," Lloyd said. "You know she's a—they made her—"

"I know," Kailash said heavily. "I must rescue her."

"I can make an appointment for Louie to be with her, for a good price. But how to get her out of there I don't know. It's not like a Sunday walk in the park."

"There must be a way."

"So what's the date?"

"Make it in three days," Llynn said. "We'll be ready by then—or else."

So Louie made a date with Shree for three days hence, and transferred a hefty binder fee. Then he moved on through the Net, checking other sites, so that if anyone were tracing him, he wouldn't suspiciously disappear. Lloyd would have to animate him in the intervening days, too, to keep up appearances. Just in case.

Then he exited and went to see what else was happening in the house. Chandelle was poring over pages of copied squiggles, while Penn was lining up assorted devices from the attic. Llynn was in the living room talking with Kailash, who was excited by the discovery of his sister.

Lloyd joined the grandparents. "So have you found a gun?"

"No gun," Penn said. "But two prospects." He indicated a large white band, and a similar black band on the table. "They seem to surround the users in some way, but we haven't found out how."

"The squiggles don't tell you?"

"Here they are," Chandelle said, showing him a page. "I can read them, but they don't clarify enough.

The bands are worn like belts, around the waist. Something scintillates around the person. But when we actually try them, nothing happens."

"Like the translator, huh?"

"Like that, yes," Penn agreed. "We're sure there is a key that will be obvious in retrospect, but so far it eludes us."

"Maybe I can figure it out," Lloyd said. "Which one do I try?"

Penn shrugged. "We would like to solve either. Preferably both."

Lloyd picked up the black band. "How do I put it on?"

"You have to step into it, or pull it down over your head. It will stretch to accommodate your motions."

Lloyd tried it. Sure enough, the band was like thick rubber, and he had no trouble passing it over his head. When it reached his waist, it cinched in snug but not tight. It was really quite comfortable.

"You figure this protects me?" he asked.

"The symbols suggest that it does," Chandelle said. "But they don't say how."

"What did you try, that you might need protection from?"

Penn shrugged. "We couldn't think how to test it, until we know how it works."

"Maybe I gotta face something dangerous."

"We don't want anyone risking injury," Chandelle said.

"Maybe pretend it. Grandpa, come at me with a knife, like you mean it."

Penn shrugged. He brought out his penknife. He lifted it, and charged Lloyd. And sheered off, well clear of any flesh.

"You gotta make it more realistic than that," Lloyd said.

"I tried," Penn said. "Something pushed me away."

"Then maybe we got something." Lloyd pondered briefly, then laid his hand on the table. "Stab me. Not for real. I mean, you know."

"I know. Don't move your hand." Penn lifted the knife, then brought it forcefully down. It plunged into the table, not even close.

"That doesn't prove anything," Lloyd said. "You should miss by an inch, not a foot."

"I tried," Penn repeated. "Let me try it again."

This time he moved the knife more slowly. It came down about three inches from Lloyd's hand. "There is definitely a force. The more force I apply, the more it pushes me away."

"Let me try," Lloyd said. He reached across and took the knife from Penn's hand. He plunged it down just beyond his grandfather's fingers. "I didn't feel any push."

"As with the lie detector," Penn said. "It doesn't restrict the wearer. But it affects his input."

"I guess. But suppose you held the knife, and I walked into it? I mean if I was running, and you stood there and let me impale myself? Then the belt wouldn't protect me."

Penn stroked his chin. "Good point. Try slamming your fist into the table."

Lloyd tried it. His hand struck the table, but not with much force. He tried again, and it was as if it passed through a cushion before reaching the hard surface. "It's shielding me," he said. "I can't hit the table hard."

Penn nodded. "This is becoming more interesting. I think we need a sterner test."

"Don't try anything dangerous," Chandelle cautioned them, alarmed.

"Maybe the belt works when it's not on a person," Lloyd said. "So we could really give it the works."

"Good idea. Let's see if we can damage it, by itself."

Lloyd removed the belt and set it on the table. Penn went to the garage and got a heavy wrench. He struck hard at the belt—and couldn't hit it. "But would it stop a bullet?" he asked.

Lloyd fetched a kitchen knife and tried to stab the belt. It turned his blade aside. The harder he tried, the worse he missed it. "I don't think a bullet would get anywhere close. It pushes back as hard as something comes at it."

"So it seems. Still, its protection can hardly be complete. Suppose the wearer fell in a well?"

"Let me put it on and try jumping off the table," Lloyd said.

"Not off the kitchen table," Chandelle protested.

"Off the outer steps," Penn said quickly.

Lloyd donned the best, and they went out the back door. It remained set where Chandelle had left it, at the alien village. By common consent, they had not returned it to the original forest, where the thugs had been stranded.

Lloyd stood on the top step, and jumped off. He braced for the landing three feet below, but it was cushioned. He turned and kicked the steps, but that too was buffered. He went back to the top and jumped off, lifting his feet to land on his rear. There was no pain. It was like landing on jelly.

"I can't hurt myself," he said.

"So I see. It is a shield against any forcefully approaching object. To it, the ground is approaching your body, so it pads you. I believe it would indeed stop a bullet."

"Works for me," Lloyd agreed. "Let's check out the other belt."

Now that they had the general notion, that proved to be relatively quick: the white band enhanced the power of the wearer enormously. It was the opposite of the black band; instead of absorbing or deflecting threatening objects, it made the wearer a dangerous force.

"With this combination, a person could accomplish almost anything," Penn said. "No weapon could hurt him, and no barrier could stop him. I begin to see why these pieces of equipment were hidden from early discovery."

"Why?" Lloyd asked.

Penn smiled. "Because they represent too much power for novices. There is evidently a course of learning associated with this house, and we, the learners, are protected from the things that could hurt us.

Until we are ready for them."

"But these bands will help us, not hurt us."

"Unless one of us used them, without realizing their power. Suppose I wore the white band, and kicked the wall, or patted you on the head?"

Lloyd nodded. "Hole in the wall. Knockout."

"Precisely. So we had better practice well with these, so as to make no unfortunate mistakes."

"Maybe by the time Kailash is well enough to join in, we'll have them down pat."

"Maybe not," Chandelle said, looking up from the page of squiggles. "I think I have figured out another tool."

"Another weapon?" Lloyd asked.

"Something better. I think there is an item that promotes rapid healing."

It was a simple little sphere, like a marble. But when Lloyd fetched it from the attic, it made his hand feel gently good. It had no controls; like the others, it simply worked on the person it touched.

They took it Kailash. "Take this," Lloyd told him, proffering the marble. "See if it helps you."

"What is it?" Llynn asked.

"Just take it."

Kailash accepted the little sphere. "This feels good."

"It's a healer. See if it works on your cut."

The man brought the marble to the bandage on his side. He smiled. "I feel it mending."

"Grandma figured it out. Maybe it can heal you fast."

Kailash put his free hand to the bandage and began drawing it off. He moved the sphere in closer to the wound. "The closer it gets, the better it gets," he said, amazed.

Indeed, the cut was fading as the sphere touched it. It looked much better than it had.

"It's mending inside, too," Kailash said. "I feel the flesh getting better."

"You know what that means," Lloyd said. "You'll be able to rescue your sister."

"Yes, I believe I will."

"So we'd better make plans." Lloyd tried to suppress the excitement he felt. The idea of going out into a foreign city and doing something significant, using the devices of the house—that thrilled him. Of course it would be Kailash who went, because it was his mission. If anyone went with him, it would be Llynn.

Still, Lloyd was helping.

He had not yet figured out all the aspects of the white band, so he took it out back and experimented, with Penn's advice. He discovered that if he threw something, it could go with superhuman force. If he jumped, he could leap far higher than any normal person. So he had to don the black band too, so as not to hurt himself by falling from a height. Then, in stages, he tried for height—and found that he really could leap a building in a bound. When he ran, he could gain as much speed as the traction of his shoes allowed. He was a superman.

"Better practice your stops, too," Penn advised.

He did. Here the black band really helped, because sometimes he sent himself tumbling.

Llynn came out, and they showed her how the bands worked. Soon she was running and leaping too, exhilarated. "I'm Wonder Woman!" she cried.

They held a council of war. Lloyd demonstrated the black and white bands for Chandelle and Kailash, and they reviewed the hearing aid, translator, and lie detector. "You will have to do it, Kailash," Penn said. "But I'm not sure you should go alone."

"I will go alone if I have to," Kailash said. "But I would much prefer to have assistance. There may be unanticipated problems."

"Yes, of course. But which of us would best be able to help you?"

"Lloyd, I think."

Lloyd jumped. "Me?"

"I understand that women do not go adventuring in Arabia," Kailash said. "Especially not to a place such as we may visit. I am also not sure that your grandfather would care to go there."

"Delicately put," Penn agreed. "Lloyd it is." He turned to Lloyd. "Unless you prefer not."

"No! I'd love it," Lloyd said quickly. "It'll be a real adventure." He was amazed, and gratified.

Kailash was completely better within two hours; the sphere had done the job. He had, however, an enormous hunger. "It's not magic," Chandelle said, serving him a big meal. "Healing uses energy, and you have used a lot. So you have to eat, to restore it."

"I like your grandmother," Kailash murmured to Lloyd as he ate ravenously.

They found the setting for Riyadh and parked the house there. This was some distance from the address they wanted, but with the white bands they would be able to handle the distance on foot. The city was modern and spacious and surprisingly clean; Lloyd had had no idea that such civilization extended into this supposed hinterland.

"Lot of oil money comes here," Penn explained. "They haven't wasted it. They have transformed this section of the desert."

Lloyd got on the Internet and moved Louie's date up to tonight, local time. There was no problem; evidently they were used to changes in this business.

Kailash went out back with Lloyd and practiced with the bands. "But can I touch people?" he asked.

"To shake hands, and such?"

"Dunno." Lloyd hadn't thought of that. So they tried shaking hands. There was no problem, as long as they kept it gentle. The bands, when worn under their shirts, gave no obvious evidence of their presence.

Only when something came at them, or when they exerted themselves, did the powers manifest. These were very refined devices.

"And Shree—can I carry her?"

"We can take extra bands for her," Lloyd said.

"But we may have no time for instruction or practice."

It was true. So Kailash tried it with Llynn. He picked her up. "She's like a feather," he said, smiling. "No substance at all."

"Thanks, lout," Llynn said wryly.

"No, I mean you are very easy to carry," he said. "Try it, Lloyd." He handed Llynn to Lloyd, using just one hand circling her waist.

It was true. The band amplified his strength, so that his cousin felt impossibly light. "She's like a dummy filled with air," he said, lifting her up overhead by one hand on her bottom.

"Double thanks to you, squirt," she retorted with enormous disgust. "Now put me down."

"Sorry." He set her carefully back on her feet. "But this is really something."

"One more thing we must know," Kailash said. "Can we move each other? In case one becomes incapacitated, or there is some other problem."

They tried it, and found that they could not hit each other, but could move each other, slowly. Lloyd could carry Kailash, but could not throw him. The two bands complemented each other, never colliding, but compromising at the boundaries. This technology wasn't just very refined, it was extra ordinarily well-tuned technology.

Night came. They set up with all the devices, and made ready to go. "Be careful, Kailash," Llynn said, stepping into him and aiming a kiss for his face. But she bounced back without scoring; she had moved too quickly. Lloyd stifled a bark of laughter.

"Perhaps I can do it," Kailash said, "if it is all right." He embraced her carefully and kissed her extremely lightly on the lips. Lloyd knew why: a heavy kiss could smash her face. They did have to be careful, when outfitted.

Then they left. "We will listen for you," Penn said. "Lynn will wait outside the door, so you can talk to her if you need to."

"Thank you," Kailash said.

They looked around. The street was clear. They started running, carefully, so as to move swiftly without wasting energy or attracting attention. Kailash was in a formal suit, for he would have to pose as Louie.

Lloyd was in messenger-boy clothing, so that with luck no one would notice him.

In scant moments they were at an intersection. They slowed, looked, then crossed, and resumed their run. The streets were lighted, and that helped them, but it also meant that anyone could see them. But they were able to get most of the way there before traffic became thick enough to force them to become ordinary walking pedestrians.

When they reached the section of town they were looking for, there were too many vehicles and people to avoid. This was where they had to part. Kailash would go in the front way, presenting Louie's credit card—getting that had been a neat trick—and going to the room. He would speak directions for Lloyd to hear, and Lloyd would get in the back way, out of sight if possible. This was the tricky part; if they messed up, or had bad luck, it could be very bad for Shree.

Lloyd slunk into an alley and followed Kailash by ear. "I am approaching the building," the man murmured, and Lloyd heard him clearly, thanks to the hearing aid. "I am mounting the steps."

Lloyd found the building, and checked the back. There was a fire escape door, but it would not open from the outside, so he waited. He saw that all the windows were barred. He had a notion what that meant: no girls escaped that way. He heard Kailash identify himself, and pay the agreed fee, plus some for a suitable bribe. Then he was escorted to the chamber. It was on the third floor. Too bad; Lloyd would have to risk the fire escape route.

He took hold of the knob and pulled. The door did not give. He pulled harder, and the latch broke, allowing the door to open. He paused; would there be an alarm? No. Good. He entered, and walked quietly up the stairs to the third floor.

"Room 304," Kailash murmured. "Now entering. Escort departing."

The fire stairs opened only onto the main hall. He would have to risk it. He peered through the glass, and saw that there was a cart with sheets and blankets, evidently waiting for a hotel maid, and a guard.

A guard. How was he to get by that man, without raising a ruckus?

The maid emerged from a room she was evidently working on. She was a rather pretty creature; probably one of their girls doing menial work during her off hours.

The guard approached her. The girl looked scared. Probably she didn't dare tell him no.

The guard pushed her back into the room for a smooch. He was facing away for the moment.

Lloyd opened the fire door and zipped down the hall, getting quickly out of the line of sight. Then he straightened up, and walked quickly down to the room.

The door opened as he got there. Kailash was standing just inside, in a small antechamber; he had not gone farther yet. "I am afraid of what I will see," he said. "In my village, this sort of thing is very bad."

"I'll check," Lloyd said thoughtlessly. He walked on into the main apartment.

There stood a stunningly lovely young woman in a harem outfit. Lloyd had seen more actual flesh in pictures, but this was real, and it amazed him. Then he realized that she must think he was Louie. "I—uh, I'm not him," he faltered, halfway tongue-tied. That wasn't exactly right, but what he meant was that he wasn't the john. Then he realized that she couldn't understand him, as she did not have a translator. "I—

Kailash's here to rescue you."

"Kailash!" she exclaimed, understanding that much.

Kailash stepped out of the antechamber. "Shree."

Her jaw dropped. Then she flung herself at him, bursting into tears.

"We must go," Kailash said. "This is Lloyd. He will lead you out while I distract them. Go with him."

She understood him, because he was speaking in their own language. "But there are guards! It's not possible."

"I will see to the guard," Kailash said. He turned and left the room.

Shree flung on a robe. It could not prevent her from being beautiful. They hunched together by the door, peering out. Lloyd had to force his attention to business, lest he be totally distracted by her magnetic nearness. She even smelled good.

They saw Kailash approaching the guard. The two talked for a moment.

But whatever Kailash said, the guard wasn't having it. He drew a pistol. Kailash struck at his hand, but the gun went off. Shree screamed.

Doors opened all along the hall. In a moment it would be thronged with people. They would never get out that way. Lloyd realized that they should have worked out an alternate plan in case the first fouled up, as it was bound to do at some point. Now they were in for it.

Lloyd cast wildly around. He saw the barred window. "This way!" he said, crossing to it.

She seemed to understand him. "But—"

He opened the double windows inward, exposing the bars. He grasped a bar with one hand and pushed, hard. The entire grate ripped out of the wall. He dropped it to the ground. "This way," he said.

"I'll carry you."

"What?" She was staring at the open window, having no idea what was happening.

"It's all right. We have to get out of here. Come."

When she still hesitated, understandably, Lloyd finally got smart. He dug in his pocket and brought out the spare translator he had brought. "Put this on."

She looked at him blankly. So he approached her, slowly, and put the little unit to her left ear. "Now you can understand me," he said.

Her pretty mouth dropped open. "I understand you," she repeated.

"Right. It's a translator. Put it on, and we'll get out of here."

She brought up her left hand, touching his hand at her ear, and took the unit. Her hand was like roses and silk, all sweet and soft. She set the unit, then looked at him again. Her eyes were like those of angels, large and dark. "Out?"

"I'll carry you," he repeated.

She hesitated. He walked back, put one arm around her shoulders and the other behind her knees, and picked her up. She offered no resistance. She was feather light, just as Llynn had been, with his band strength. He strode toward the window. He put one foot on the sill. He stepped up on it.

Shree screamed.

Lloyd leaped out of the window. Shree screamed again, clinging to him.

He concentrated on his feet, making sure of his landing in the dimly lighted alley. He wouldn't be hurt if he landed wrong, but Shree might be. He had to touch with spring in his legs, so as to cushion her landing too.

He got it. He let her descend a foot, then lifted her back up, as though she had bounced on rubber.

Immediately he ran for the house, knowing the direction.

"My brother!" Shree exclaimed. Lloyd was suddenly conscious of her exquisitely soft flesh against him.

"Oh, yeah," he agreed after a moment, still running. He tuned in on Kailash, but all he heard was a confused babble. So he hoped Kailash was listening. "Kailash," he said. "We're clear. Get out of there!"

He got an answer. "Clear? How?"

"Out the window."

"Oh. Of course. I will follow." There was the sound of scuffling, and of a body hitting a wall. Kailash was getting clear of the guards. Then, after the sound of running feet, more news: "I am down. We will meet at the house."

"Right," Lloyd said. Then, to Shree: "Kailash is all right. He'll meet us soon."

She studied him in the light of the street as they came onto it. Her amazement was receding; she was beginning to accept the situation, weird as it was. "You seem so young, yet—"

"It's special technology. We'll show you, when we get there. It fixes it so I can talk to you, and carry you, and stuff. So we could rescue you."

"I think I am dreaming," she murmured.

Lloyd didn't worry who might be seeing them; he just wanted to get to the house as soon as possible.

Only then would Shree be safe. So he didn't argue; he just ran on. It was easy, but the activity was getting him winded; he was after all expending some energy, and he was not a natural runner.

He thought to tune in Llynn. "Llynn! Are you there?"

"It's about time you answered me," Llynn responded. "I've been listening to you all along. You've got a sweet armful, right?"

Oh, yes! "Sorry. We're getting there."

"There's no pursuit. I don't think they know you're on foot."

He found the street, and then the house. There was Llynn. He slowed, then set Shree down near the walk. "That's my cousin. She's okay. Kailash'll come, and we'll be safe."

She seemed uncertain, but followed him up to the house. "Hello, Shree," Llynn said. Sure enough, Shree was shorter than Llynn, but better shaped. "Come in."

Then there was a blur, and Kailash arrived. Shree gave a gasp of relief, and went to him. "It's all right,"

Kailash said. "These are my friends. We must enter the residence."

They all went into the house. Penn reset the door, and Riyadh vanished. Then Kailash tried to explain things to his sister.

Lloyd was silent. Just looking at her was enough. Even somewhat disheveled, and bundled in her robe over her costume, she was beautiful. And he had touched her, held her, carried her. Would there ever be another experience like that? He doubted it.

There were quick introductions to the grandparents and Obsidian in the living room. Shree obviously wasn't really taking it in, except that she was safe. She clung to Kailash, and sobbed.

Then she collected herself. "I thank you, all of you, for rescuing me. Now may I have a private place, and a knife?"

Kailash looked stricken. "No, Shree!"

"It must be," she said calmly. "I can not go home."

He nodded. "I had hoped it would not come to that."

"It did. May I have a knife?"

Penn and Chandelle looked grim, but did not move or speak. They evidently understood something Lloyd didn't. That bugged him.

"We have knives in the kitchen," Lloyd said. "What for?"

Kailash looked at him. "My sister wishes to kill herself."

"What? This is a joke, right?" But no one was laughing. "Why?"

"She is unclean. She can not go home. But now that she is free, she can escape the horror, and I will not tell our family, so as to preserve her honor there."

"Her honor? What are you talking about?"

Kailash looked at Shree. She turned away. "They made her do unconscionable things. She is unclean.

No man will marry her. No one will speak to her. She must end her pain."

"Because of the—" Lloyd said, horrified by the enormity of it.

Llynn spoke. "In some cultures I read about, when a woman gets raped, she becomes an outcast. They think it's her fault."

"Her fault!" he exploded. "It's not!"

"She has nothing to return to," Kailash said. "The people of our village would look upon her with loathing. No man will touch her."

"This is crazy! I'd touch her." Then, realizing what he was saying, he got flustered. "I mean, if I was old enough. If she wanted me to. She's beautiful."

Shree turned. "Would you? Knowing what I have done?"

"Sure I would! Who cares what they made you do? You couldn't help it. And even if you could, what's so wrong about it? You're gorgeous."

She looked at her brother. "He is sincere," Kailash said.

Something odd touched her face. "Can it be? He would kiss me?"

"Sure I would!"

"Test him," Kailash said. "He is from another culture."

Shree focused again on Lloyd. Then she crossed the room to him, moving like a summer mist. She stood before him, angled her face, and kissed him on the mouth, touching him nowhere else.

The universe whirled and faded away. Lloyd floated into nirvana.