"But you know that he'll die. Oh, Daddy, please don't!" Johnny looked up, pleading, at his father.
Frederick Watson's eyes met Johnny's. They were kind but stern. He shook his head firmly.
Johnny looked around him through his tears. Baba was warm and furry in his arms. The men stood about; their faces were grave and determined. Most still held ato-tubes in their hands. Even at that, Baba had a chance. Johnny began to click in the ear of the little bear.
"Baba," he clicked very softly, "you can get away, over the wall by the rock. It isn't very far. I'll throw you as far as I can. If you bounce like crazy they could never hit you."
But the little bear jumped to the steel tank top.
"No, Johnny," he clicked. "You are my friend-pet-brother, no matter what happens."
Then, just as if he had been told to go by Johnny, the little bear walked over to the cage. Captain Thompson was holding a sliding door open. Baba climbed in. He squatted there and made a little whimpering noise that was the only sound he could make beside his clicks. He waved a paw at Johnny.
"The little devil acts almost human," the old guard, Jeb, said from the crowd.
Only Johnny knew how true that was.
"Better hustle that kid inside a tank," someone shouted. "He hasn't got any armor on."