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assured that a new day was dawning for the Human race, Rand could still hear
the voice of the Regis. From the ashes of the Humans, the Invid would rise
like a Phoenix.
What happened subsequently seemed dreamlike, but it hurt so much that he
decided it wasn't. The sandstorm had passed and he was being helped back to
the cave by Rook, who had come looking for him, and his scalp was matted with
blood.
But when he saw the look of concern on her face, Rand reconsidered the
possibility that he was still unconscious.
When the team-except for Lancer and Marlene-ran out from the cave
demanding answers, Rand found himself slurring, "Listen, a new day is dawning,
for the Dragon is slain at last. Shut up and listen! The, the day of
oblivion's come f'r us all. Who th' hell were we, t'believe we could rule the
Earth forever?"
There was a lot of crosstalk and some friction, some of them mad at
Rand, others-especially Rook-telling them to lay off. But Rand plowed on, "The
Invid have come here from across the Cosmos to regenerate themselves into a
new form. They want to rule the physical Universe, and the higher planes of
existence, too!"
"Wow! His brain's been fried!" Annie whispered.
"Naw, Annie," Rook countered. "The boy just hasn't woken up." She gave
him a therapeutic slap on the cheek that she tried not to enjoy too much. Rand
found himself back in the real world.
He took a few deep breaths and started again. "I know now why the Invid
are here. They're trying to survive by plugging themselves into the Earth's
evolutionary system. Don't look at me like that; you can't hardly blame 'em!
We'd do it, too, if we faced racial extinction!"
Which we do, he realized.
Scott was close to taking a swing at Rand. "I couldn't care less whether
the Invid survive or go the way of the Zentraedi and the Robotech Masters,
just as long as they leave Earth. This is our planet!"
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"Well, I wasn't saying that we-"
"I don't know what happened to you out there, Rand," Scott seethed, "but
it seems to have knocked your loyalties out of whack."
"He was lying on a bunch of Flowers of Life," Rook blurted. "A whole
little field of them. And the sandstorm hadn't bothered them, not even a bit."
While the others were thinking about that, Rand said, "What about
Marlene? Is she all right?"
Rook looked at him for long seconds before she said, "She's still pretty
weak, I'm afraid."
Rand went down on one knee next to her. Under his gaze, she stirred,
wakened, smiled up at him as she had hours and an eternity ago. It had taken a
look and a thought, not a kiss, to wake the sleeping damsel.
Well, Fair Milady, I don't know if you'll ever realize it, but you and I
have just been on quite a spin. And I wouldn't have missed it for the world.
Rook, leaning against the cave wall with her arms crossed, glowered at
the two. Maybe Marlene was brain-damaged, but that was no excuse to gaze up at
a bumpkin like Rand with liquid, lambent eyes. He was nothing but a wasteland
Forager!
"Hi," Rand smiled down gently. And now Scott, too, was scowling. In true
military style, he didn't bother to consider his reasons for being irked at
Rand. It was easier than examining his feelings for Marlene.
Rand touched Marlene's cheek. Her gaze gave him the eerie feeling that
she had truly been along on the all-time championship motocross run. Marlene
smiled up at him.
A thought crossed Rand's mind. What was it Rook said he had been lying
on?
Eventually, as Scott had fatalistically expected, a patrol of Shock
Troopers spotted them. The freedom fighters jumped the Invid right away.
They knew little about the Regis, but they were beginning to suspect
something. The simple fact was that the Regis's attention was often diverted
to matters elsewhere in her world-embracing scheme, and offworld as well.
Although the whereabouts of her Simulagent and this persistently bothersome
group of enemies were high on her priorities list, the Regis had a staggering
number of projects and operations to control and guide.
All the freedom fighters knew was that there was still a chance to avoid
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