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would surely have misinterpreted it.
"But Oceanus wanted you for himself."
The battle raged beneath the surfaces of Oceanus and Hyperion. It was fought
in the great conduits that supplied the nutrient fluid known as Gaea's milk
.
Each of the human captives was encapsulated in a protective jelly while the ir
fates were decided. Their metabolic rates were slowed. Medically, they w ere
comatose, unaware of their surroundings.
The weapons of the war were the pumps that impelled nutrients and coolants
through the underworld. Great pressure imbalances were created by both comb
atants, so that at one point a geyser of milk broke through in Mnemosyne an d
spurted a hundred meters into the air, to fall on the sands and fuel a br ief
spring.
They battled for the better part of a year. Then at last, Oceanus knew he was
losing. The prizes began to flow toward Hyperion under the staggering pressure
Gaea built from lapetus, Cronus, and Mnemosyne.
Oceanus changed his tactics. He reached into the minds of his captives and
woke them up.
"I had been afraid all along held do that," Gaea said, as the room lights thre
atened to gutter into oblivion. "He had a link into your brains. It became imp
erative for me to sever that link. I used tactics that I don't think you'd und
erstand. in the process, I lost one of you. When I got her back, she had been
changed.
"He was trying to destroy you all before I got you-your minds, not your bo
dies. That would have been easy enough. He flooded you with information. H
e implanted the whistle speech in one of you, the songs of the Titanides i n
two more. That any of you survived with your sanity is a source of amaze ment
to me. "
"Not all of us did," Cirocco said.
"No, and I'm sorry. I'll try to make it up to you, somehow."
While Cirocco was wondering what could possibly be done to put things rig ht,
Gaby spoke up.
"I remember climbing a huge stairway," she said. "I passed through golden g
ates, and stood at the feet of God. Then a few hours ago it seemed like I w as
in the same place again. Can you explain that?"
"I talked to all of you," Gaea said. "In your condition, mentally pliable fro
m days of sensory deprivation, you put your own interpretation on it."
"I don't recall that at all," Cirocco said.
"You blanked it. Your friend Bill went further, and blanked most of his mem
ories.
"Interviewing you through Hyperion, I decided what must he done. April was too
far indoctrinated with angel culture and customs. Trying to return her to what
she had been would have destroyed her. I transported her to the spo ke and let
her emerge to find her own destiny.
"Gene was sick in his mind. I took him to Rhea, hoping that he would remain
separated from the rest of you. I should have destroyed him."
Cirocco sighed.
"No. I let him live when I could have killed him, too."
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"You make me feel better," Gaea said. "As for the rest of you, it was impe
rative that you be returned at once to full consciousness. There was not e ven
time to bring you together. I hoped you would make your way up here, a nd in
time, you did. And now you can go home."
Cirocco looked up quickly.
"Yes, the rescue ship is here. It's under the command of Captain Wally Sven
sen, and-"
"Wallyl " Gaby and Cirocco said it simultaneously.
"A friend? You'll see him soon. Your friend Bill has been talking to him fo r
two weeks now." Gaea looked uncomfortable, and when she spoke again there
was a hint of petulance in her voice. "It's a bit more than a rescue missi on,
actually. "
"I thought it might be. "
"Yes. Captain Svensen is equipped to wage a war with me. He has a large nu
mber of nuclear bombs, and his presence out there is making me nervous. Th
at's one of the things I wanted to ask you. Could you put in a good word?
I couldn't possibly be a threat to the Earth, you know."
Cirocco hesitated a moment, and it was Gaea's turn to look uncomfortable.
"Yes, I think I can straighten it out."
"Thanks so much. He didn't actually say he was going to bomb me, and when he
discovered there were survivors from Ringmaster that possibility became more
remote. I've picked up some of his scout ships, and they are in the process of
constructing a base camp near Titantown. You can explain to him what happened,
as I'm not sure he believes me."
Cirocco nodded, and said nothing for a long time, waiting for Gaea to contin
ue. She did not, and eventually Cirocco had to speak.
"How do we know if we can believe all this?"
"I can give you no assurances. I can only ask you to believe the story as I
told it."
Cirocco nodded again, and stood up. She tried to make it casual, but no one
had been expecting it. Gaby looked confused, but got to her feet.
"It's been interesting," Cirocco said. "Thanks for the coke."
"Let's don't he hasty," Gaea said, after an astonished pause.
"Once I return you to the rim I won't be able to speak to you directly."
"You can send me a postcard."
"Do I detect a hint of anger?"
"I don't know. Do you?" Suddenly she was angry, and was not sure why. "You'
re the one in the position to know. I'm your captive, no matter what you ca ll
it."
"That's not quite true."
"I have only your word for that. Only your word for a number of things. Yo u
bring me to a room straight out of an old film, show yourself to me as a dumpy
old woman, give me my only vice to indulge in. You bring down the l ights and
tell me a long and unlikely story. What am I supposed to believe
?"
"I'm sorry you feel that way."
Cirocco shook her head tiredly. "Skip it," she said. "I'm feeling a little let
dow n, that's all."
Gaby cocked one eyebrow at her, but said nothing. It irritated Cirocco, and it
didn't help when Gaea seemed interested in the statement, too.
"'Let down'? I can't imagine why. You've done what you set out to do, aga inst
formidable odds. You've stopped a war. And now you're going home."
"The war bothers me," Cirocco said, slowly.
"In what way?"
"I didn't swallow your story. Not all of it, anyway. If you really want me to
g o to bat for you, tell me the real reason the Titanides fought the angels
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