Dragon and Liberator

"You aren't like any other creatures, period," Alison said. "I'm just saying it looks more and more like you were originally designed to be companions and friends to human beings. Specifically to human beings, in fact. That's why Draycos can do things with Jack that he couldn't do with the Shontine. Certainly things you and the other Phookas couldn't do with the Erassvas. With a human host, you're finally becoming the way K'da were truly meant to be."

"You say we were designed," Taneem said. "Designed by whom?"

"No idea," Alison said. "Passing aliens, some ancient human civilization's genetic engineers, God Himself. Take your pick. The point is that you and I are the same human/K'da team that Jack and Draycos are. If Draycos can drop safely off Jack's back over a wall, so can you."

"Perhaps," Taneem said. "But whether you're right or wrong, we have no choice, do we?"

"Not that I can see," Alison admitted. "I'm sorry."

The tapping tail slowed and then stopped. "Then I will do it."

"Thank you," Alison said. "All right. You remember that it was the third and fourth indentations. The combination is three-seven-twelve-nine-twenty. You line up the little diamond on the rotator with the right place around the rim, push the center of the rotator until it clicks, then go on to the next one."

"I understand," Taneem said. "Twelve is the one and two, correct?"

"Right, but the dial isn't marked with human numbers," Alison said, feeling a fresh layer of sweat ooze out onto her forehead. She'd worked with safes for so long that she didn't even think anymore about the fact that most of them used entirely different number systems. "When I say twelve I mean the twelfth symbol around from the top. I think it's a squiggle with a short line angled through it. The very top symbol is what I call twenty, the symbol just to its right is one, the next is two, and so on."

"I see," Taneem said. "I should have realized that. I'm sorry."

"No problem," Alison said. "You ready?"

"Third and fourth indentations; three, seven, twelve, nine, twenty," Taneem said. "Yes, I'm ready."

"Then let's go for it," Alison said, pressing her back firmly against the metal again. "Good luck."

She felt Taneem move into position, peering over the wall. There was a moment of anticipation that reminded Alison somehow of her first experience gazing down from the end of the swimming pool's high-dive board.

And then, suddenly, Taneem was gone.

Alison twitched violently in reaction. The movement bumped her head against the self-destruct bomb set into the safe's ceiling.

She rubbed gingerly at the spot. As if she'd needed that reminder that her fate was now directly tied to Taneem's. If the K'da had fallen wrong and disappeared into that strange fourth-dimensional space, then Alison was also dead. Either her air would run out or someone else would open the safe and the bomb would blow her head off. . . .

She was almost startled when, with no fuss at all, the safe door swung open at her feet.

She blinked sudden tears of relief from her eyes as Taneem's gray-scaled face peered in at her. "You were right," the K'da said, her jaws cracking open in a wry smile. "Number twelve was a squiggle with a line through it."

"Ah," Alison said, filling her lungs with fresh air as she worked her way out of the safe. Stretching stiff muscles, she looked around.

The room was dark except for the handful of small red night-lights marking the door and the tastefully concealed emergency kit. Another door led off one of the side walls, its lack of red night-lights showing that it wasn't an exit.

"What now?" Taneem asked quietly.

"Shh," Alison warned, touching her finger to her lips. She pulled out her mascara tube again as she moved carefully to the door. If Neverlin had any brains, he would have left guards outside in the corridor.

He had. Two of them, she guessed, from the sounds of their breathing.

Just as carefully she backed away again to the farthest corner of the office. Taneem, her silver eyes glittering in the darkness, padded silently over to join her.

"There are bad people out there?" the K'da murmured.

Alison nodded. "Two, I think," she said. "But don't worry. It doesn't sound like they're planning to come in and snoop around."

"Unless we give them reason to do so."

"So we make sure we don't," Alison said, trying to think. Originally, a quiet look around had been first on her list of things to do. Once she had some idea of how many men and Brummgas were aboard, she would have a better idea of where the two of them might be able to hide for a few days.

Unfortunately, both parts of the plan required her to leave the office. With a pair of Malison Ring mercenaries standing guard a foot outside the door, that was going to be a little tricky.

"I see no place where we may hide for long," Taneem said into her thoughts. "Unless your breath mask can be restored?"