It was near noon before Whitmire could arrange for additional rangers and get them ready to go. There were few enough available on such short notice. That wasn't his main worry, however. He was treading a fine line by sending additional troops to join the original party. Too few might not be enough to meet the contingencies suggested by Cadena's revelations, and too many risked not only provoking the animals as they passed through their territory, but compounded the supply difficulties. Hunting for food was out of the question; nothing was more certain to arouse the enhanced animals than poaching on their food supply. While a large force could probably hold their own for a while, they could not be expected to hunt and fight and make any kind of speed toward their destination while doing so. He balanced the various factors in him mind and finally decided than an additional two dozen would be a suitable compromise. It was well that he got them off when he did; by the time they arrived, their help was sorely needed.
***
Jamie heard the first alarm as a startled yelp from one of the guard dogs in the rear. It was cut off in mid-bark, but was followed quickly by more barks and fighting snarls. The attack had been well planned, coming from down wind and catching the column as it was strung out single file in dense woods. He had no idea what was happening, but as the noise came closer he had his weapon out and ready, dropping to one knee in a firing position.
A human scream joined the snarling voices of the angry dogs. Yells and whoops sounded out like a flock of angry loons, then came a deep bass woofling sound, like an erratic motor trying to fire, and the next second the fight engulfed him. His first sight of the enemy almost caused a fatal hesitation in getting a shot off. Expecting an animal, he saw the figure of a skin-clad human dart from behind a tree. Dirty long hair streamed back from his head as he raised an arm. Jamie ducked and fired at the same time, throwing off his aim. The laser beam struck the tree inches from the wild man's head, with the slug following microseconds later. It exploded into the tree trunk, filling the savage's face with splinters. A short, metal-tipped spear sped past Jamie's shoulder as he fell backward. Judy killed the man with a single shot as she came up behind him, crouched low.
Jamie staggered to his feet just as a huge lumbering form burst into sight, behung with a dog at it's throat and another clinging to it's flank. The creature hardly seemed to notice, making incredible speed for so large an animal. It reared as it came upon them from the right. Jamie's shot was true, but not immediately effective. The beam and slug staggered the animal, but did not fell it. Belly armor! Jamie thought as a huge paw swung for his head. He was trying to raise his aim when the paw struck his arm, crushing it against the side of his body and flinging him against the trunk of a tree. He watched, dazed, as Judy felled it with another shot when it dropped back down to a four footed stance. He was unable to make his body work; he saw the action as if it were a slow motion dream. Judy grappled desperately with another savage who flung himself onto her back before she could turn. A white whirlwind leaped into the fray, running from the forward part of the column. Lady, Jamie thought dreamily, as the dog toppled both figures with her attack, giving Judy a chance to get her knife loose and into the savage's body. He groaned and rolled onto his back, spurting blood. Jamie got drunkenly to his feet. Lady whirled and dashed off to find another foe.
"This way!" Judy screamed, pulling him away from the bodies. He saw her hand become streaked with red and thought at first that she was hurt. He tried to help her and found that he couldn't move his right arm. He looked down and saw it jutting from his body at an impossible angle, blood running through a tear in his suit sleeve. He had lost his sidearm when struck, and thought of the little laser gun strapped to his boot, but it was miles away from his grasp. He drew his knife with his left hand, thinking crazily through the melee of human and animal screams that he must protect his pets. He couldn't see Fuzzy Britches, but Woggly was suddenly beside him, fangs bared.
From ahead, he heard the commanding voice of Captain Masters, giving orders in a tone as calm as if he were conducting a guided tour rather than in the midst of a life and death struggle. They followed the voice, backing and turning until they found him directing the defense from the smallest of clearings, Conan at his side. He ordered two dogs who had come back at the sounds of fighting to move forward again and find a better spot for defense, counted the group around him with a swift glance, then gestured to a ranger coming up from behind them. He conferred in a low voice with the man, then said loudly, "Move forward, everyone forward! Protect the scientists! Conan, stay with me." Conan crouched low, then raised up and woofed joyfully as he spotted Jamie.
Jamie passed the next quarter hour in a nightmare of pain and worry and fear. The numbness wore off from his broken arm and was replaced by a throbbing fire that came and went with every pulse of his heart. There was no time nor place to stop for treatment, nor could he look for Fuzzy Britches, except as a side effect of watching out for more of the monsters he heard someone describe as bears. The skin-clad men had to be feral humans, perhaps even altered humans, working in concert with their animals. They pressed the attack with intelligence and determination, never showing themselves unnecessarily. Jamie knew of their presence only as sounds and shots coming from the rear. His vision became blurred with pain, causing him to stumble and stagger, but he kept grimly to his feet, fighting to shake the cobwebs from his mind. At last they stumbled through a water-filled drainage ditch and out of the forest onto a stretch of pavement where the rangers drew up a protective circle among humps of weather-broken concrete.
Jamie collapsed immediately, unable to stand or even look for shelter once he stopped moving. "Fuzz," he murmured. "Where is Fuzzy Britches?" Woggly licked at his arm, whining.
"He's right here," came a voice from his side. He felt the sting of a medicinal ampoule just as he recognized his pet. He saw Kristi's face hovering over him. "Fuzzy Britches," he said weakly, and lost consciousness.
With a clear field of fire, Masters no longer worried about their immediate ability to hold off the attackers, but he cast an anxious glance at the sky, fearing an overcast, moonless night, where their situation might become desperate indeed. As he looked, he spotted a group of floaters and sighed with relief. They had evidently been attracted by the smoke from laser beams torching wet wood and followed it to the source. As glad as he was to see them, he wondered why they had appeared so early and why there was four of them rather than one, but he put that puzzlement aside, knowing he would find out soon enough. He began seeing to the wounded and counting the missing.
Jamie came back to consciousness a little later as the short lived soporific effects of the pain killer wore off. He found his arm encased in splints, with bandages showing beneath. The side of his face felt raw; he touched it and felt the stiffness of another bandage there. Woggly and Fuzzy Britches were hovering nearby. He hugged them both. Judy was standing by his side, apparently no longer worried by the possibility of more fighting. He got to his feet, feeling preternaturally alert from the analgesic and healing medications coursing through his bloodstream.
"Take it easy," Judy said. "You'll be all right, but don't try to move too fast; you'll fall on your face. We can take the splints off tomorrow and you'll be carrying a pack again the day after."
Jamie grinned foolishly. It was almost worth getting hurt to be rid of the hated pack for a couple of days. "Where's Kristi? Is she all right?"
"Here she comes, now," Judy said, pointing.
Kristi had a peculiar look on her face, as if she had just read some directions on a container which made no sense. "No back rub tonight," she said as she came up.
"I'm beginning to think I'll never get one. What happened? Why were we attacked? Did we lose anyone?"
She held up a hand. "One question at a time. It was bears and feral humans, probably the remnants of an old circus group that stayed together when things went bad. It takes a lot of food to feed a group of animals that size. The humans probably talked them into an attack in hopes of capturing some weapons to make hunting easier."
"Did they get any? I lost my own."
"Probably. We have three missing. There's not much hope for them. Look, Jamie, I have to go. Troy is sending me back for a new briefing. For some reason, they don't want to send it through an open channel on the radio. I just wanted to ask you to let Lady and Princess stay with you while I'm gone."
"Sure," he agreed. "When will you be back?"
"By tomorrow, I hope. Forsyth is missing. Why don't you and Judy team up for tonight?"
"I'll watch him," Judy told her.
Kristi gave Jamie a quick hug and ran back in the direction of the floaters. A few minutes later they climbed into the sky. Masters marshaled the new men, gave them their assignments and moved the column forward once again. The bears and their feral humans had broken off the fight with the arrival of reinforcements.
One of the floaters carrying Kristi sheared off from the others as they neared the enclave and dropped her at the nearest landing spot by the security building. She walked the rest of the way, still wearing her gear and pack. She drew some curious stares, but no comments.
Whitmire was waiting and immediately began filling her in on Jeannie's adventures. He looked very tired, but his voice was as strong as ever. "I hope you see now why I wanted to bring you back to relay the information. Tell no one but Captain Masters the whole story, but have him let the rest of the troops in on enough of it that they will know what to expect. Be prepared to go out in the morning as soon as the fog has had time to lift. I'll send the best pilot available to follow the projected route and try to locate them; if not, you'll have to wait for Masters to call in.
"Got it. Anything else?"
"As a matter of fact, there is. Why don't you try to contact Jeannie this evening and see if you can talk her out of joining the expedition? Not that I think you'll have much success."
"Let me call from here. I'll see if I can get her to come to my place. She will want to know about Jamie anyway."
"I know," Whitmire said wearily. "She's been calling every day asking about him. She's such a sweet, refreshing girl that I can't bring myself to refuse her calls, even when I'm swamped with other things."
"She is sweet. I'll talk to her."
Whitmire raised a cynical eyebrow. "Just talk?"
"Mind your own business," Kristi said.
"I don't want to see her get hurt."
"You don't know women near as well as you think you do, John. Let me make that call. I'm tired."
Kristi contacted Jeannie and made arrangements for her to come to her own apartment, putting off her questions with difficulty. She shouldered her pack and left, wishing John Whitmire didn't know her so well. On the other hand, maybe he didn't. She had changed a little in the last week or so.