“How so?” Jade Nomun sat up carefully, holding his ribs. “The memwort. It may be as old as fourteen hundred standard years. It is certainly no younger than eleven hundred. This I deduce from the size of the terminal node, the diameter of the dorsal toroids, the degree of parasitism. And other factors beyond your comprehension.” Blue Nomun’s chin dropped onto his metal chest. “I am eight hundred and seventy-three years of age.”
Nomun looked around at the faces. Pump Nomun did not seem to care; the rothead was absorbed in resetting the keys of his chempump. Scar Nomun did not believe. False Nomun had already admitted that he was a clone. Young Nomun did not seem surprised. On Jade Nomun’s drawn face, angry comprehension grew.
“No!” Jade Nomun shouted. “No! I
“If not,” said Blue Nomun heavily, “then we witness an astounding coincidence. All of us rose from the same genetic root; each calls himself Nomun. If the Nomun of the memwort is not our clonebrother, then what other explanation for our presence here would you suggest?”
Nomun saw a fearful madness kindle in Jade Nomun’s cloudy eyes. “No, I will never believe it.”
Blue Nomun shrugged. “As you will. I care nothing for what you believe. Here is an undeniable fact: at least nine of us are clones of the original Nomun. Nomun the Great. Nomun the Emancipator. Nomun the Scourge. Some of my titles now seem ludicrous to me. Nomun the Only, for example.” Blue Nomun stopped, and silence filled the shelter.
Finally Blue Nomun spoke again. “Are any of us old enough to be the true Nomun? You, for example?” He gestured at Scar Nomun.
“I will not say,” answered Scar Nomun.
“Just so.” Blue Nomun lay back on the cot with a sigh, as if his metal body was tired.
“Perhaps it’s him, the old one.” False Nomun was watching Nomun, his eyes full of fearful conjecture.
“Nonsense. I am the Nomun,” snapped Jade Nomun. “Besides, the wrinkles he wears are cosmetic; I know this from bitter experience.”
No one else spoke. After a bit the others settled in their cots, though no eyes closed. Young Nomun looked up at Nomun. The boy was still confused by the blow to his head, or so it seemed to Nomun. “I would like to sleep,” Young Nomun said. “But I’m afraid. I might never wake.”
“Sleep,” Nomun said. “I’ll watch. Later you can do the same for me.”
Somewhat to Nomun’s surprise, Young Nomun smiled agreement, and his eyes fluttered shut.
YOUNG NOMUN SLEPT away the short Coal day. Nomun felt little desire to rest; he was too conscious of the others and their hatred.
When the shadows were long, Nomun went to the entrance to the shelter and looked out.
Dead Nomun stood motionless on the beach, not five meters away. The black photoreceptors regarded Nomun steadily, but the killmech did not otherwise react to Nomun’s presence.
Nomun’s gaze dropped to the three plastic bags attached to the killmech’s chest. Except for the Nomun killed by Scar Nomun on the terminal beach, the faces did not look dead. They seemed to sleep, though Soft Nomun’s eyes were open.
“Why are we here?” Nomun asked. Dead Nomun showed no reaction. Nomun tried another question. “Who is your master?” The armor that protected the killmech’s speaker grille lou- vered open. “Nomun is his name.” The louvers closed.
Nomun retreated within, chilled. False Nomun stood there, hands twisted together. “Who were you talking to?”
“The mech’s here. The sun is going.” Nomun brushed past him, going to Young Nomun’s cot.
Nomun shook Young Nomun’s shoulder lightly. “Wake up,” he said.
Young Nomun came to with a start and struck out blindly. Nomun caught his arms. “Calmly, calmly...,” Nomun said. Awareness flooded back into Young Nomun’s eyes. He sat up too quickly and winced.
False Nomun spoke in a wheedling voice. “Are you the one? Will you spare me? I only took the name to get a little respect, to have some of the things that come so easily to others. I did no harm; I took none of your money. Please, let me go. Why must I die?”
Nomun found False Nomun repellent; the sweating staring face, so like his own, made him a little sick. “I can’t help you,” he said. False Nomun shuffled away, muttering incomprehensibly.
Young Nomun was still pale. “I don’t want to die either,” he said.
“Nor do I. Are you strong enough to climb the next node?” Young Nomun smiled, touched the gash on his forehead. “I’ll have to be, won’t I?”
“Listen,” Nomun said. “We can keep within shouting distance. If you’re attacked, call out, and I’ll come. You can do the same. Do you agree?”
“With relief....”