“When we arrived at the observatory, Stanzic met us, and something seemed strange with him.”
“Not much about Stanzic isn’t strange. That’s not really a shock,” said Jonas, laughing.
“It’s not that. He wasn’t himself, and I can’t put my finger on what the problem was. For the time being, I’m going keep my guard up. Something isn’t right, and I’m beginning to get a bad feeling. I’ll be meeting Stanzic shortly, and I’ll see if I can find out what’s going on.”
“Well, before you get too far with your investigation, you might want to know that Walker and Davis were able to conceal duplicate samples and get them back to the lab for analysis. I think you’ll be interested in the results of the tests from the samples they did get. Fourteen out of fifteen plant varieties are an exact match to that of Earth plants that we’ve studied. The fifteenth varied just slightly, but so insignificantly that it doesn’t matter.”
Will sat down on the bed looking stunned. “How can the plant life be exact? It’s almost impossible that two planets could have the same evolution of any type of life. And furthermore, why didn’t you let me know this earlier?”
Will could see Jonas looking around his room for any sign of Edena, which meant he was about to explode with profanities again. Before he could erupt, Will realized he’d once again trampled on Jonas’s fragile feelings.
“I know you’re trying to shield me from work-related issues until I return. Sorry about that. Look, I’d better get going,” said Will as he looked at the time. “but please let me know if anything else strange happens over the next few days. I’ll keep you posted on what I find out from Stanzic.”
Just as Will clicked off the com console, Stanzic walked into the room, which startled Will, as he hadn’t heard him enter.
“Sorry. Did I interrupt something important?” asked Stanzic, scanning the room nervously.
Will now wondered if he had heard any of his conversation with Jonas.
“No. Just catching up at the office. Nothing to be concerned with,” lied Will.
Stanzic raised his bushy gray eyebrows in a look of distrust. “It’s pretty early in Manikar for a call to the office. You must have very devoted people working for you.”
Will wished he’d said he was talking to Janie, which would have been slightly more believable.
“Well, I don’t have too many people working for me anymore, but the few I have are very devoted and like to work odd hours. It gives them more flexibility for their active social lives, so it works out for all.”
He knew Stanzic wasn’t buying any of this, but it didn’t matter. His old friend was acting strange, and he knew he couldn’t trust him until he found out what was going on and why his people were apparently specifically targeted upon their arrival.
“I see,” replied Stanzic suspiciously. “Well, why don’t we head out to dinner. Sam is waiting for us.”
Stanzic led Will and Edena to an elevator that took them to one of the upper floors of the observatory. The doors opened up into a large restaurant made mostly of glass, which allowed for an amazing view of the mountains and valleys far below. Even the ceilings were totally transparent, allowing for an unmatched view of the stars. A heavyset teenager with curly dark hair approached them as they exited the elevator.
“Hello, Sam,” said Stanzic. Let me introduce you to my former student, Will O’Neil and his daughter Edena.”
“Hello,” said Sam meekly. “I-I’ve studied your w-work on Telos. It’s really a-a-amazing—E-Earth that is.”
“It is an amazing planet. And we’ve heard a lot about you Sam. Nice to Meet you,” responded Will, shaking his hand.
“He’s a bit of a fan, Will. Sam, why don’t you take Edena to the observation area while Will and I order dinner.”
“Y-yes Professor,” said Sam smiling at Edena. She seemed to be immediately comforted by his presence, and glad to be getting away from Stanzic, if even for a few minutes.
As Sam and Edena walked through the glass doors that led to a large outdoor observation deck, Stanzic led Will to a small table toward the back of the restaurant.
“It hasn’t been easy for him you know,” said Stanzic in a tone more reminiscent of his true nature. “It’s only been a year since his parents were killed in that accident, and he’s adjusting as best he can. I feel somewhat responsible for what happened. I sent them on assignment to the Sian flats and—”
“You aren’t responsible for the transport accident, Lars. It’s a great thing you and Ivana did taking him in. Not many people would do that for a fourteen year old orphan.”
“He’s a great kid Will, and smart as a whip. Don’t let the stammering fool you—he deserved so much better than what happened. Ivana and I are blessed to have him in our lives,” Stanzic looked sentimental as he watched Sam and Edena through the glass. His expression quickly turned to worry as he caught site of the two rough looking men in dark suits, exiting the elevator.
“Is something wrong Lars?” asked Will, intentionally turning the table of suspicion toward his old mentor. “You seem distracted all of a sudden.”
“Oh it’s nothing, just hoping for faster service. I’ll be right back,” said Stanzic, as he quickly got up and headed to the other side of the room where the men were standing.
Will watched closely as one of the men spoke to Stanzic and the other seemed to be staring across the room at him. The larger of the two men, who was talking to Stanzic, pointed toward the door where Sam and Edena were now entering from the outside. With that, Stanzic became much more animated and appeared to be furious at whatever point the man was trying to convey.
“Hi, Daddy,” said Edena, forcing Will to turn away from whatever it was Stanzic was engaged with, “Sam just showed me the coolest thing. If you drop something off the observation deck, it comes right back up to you. He spit his gum off of the edge and it came right back—look!” said Edena laughing, pointing at Sam’s forehead where his gum was securely stuck between his eyes.
Sam and Edena took a seat at the table, both still giggling.
“I-it’s a force f-field. Professor Stanzic invented it to k-keep tourists from throwing j-junk off the edge. I helped him test it—spit my g-gum off the edge nearly two hundred t-times before he got it right.”
“Isn’t that hysterical, Daddy?” asked Edena still laughing. “I wish we didn’t have to go home tomorrow, this is so fun.”
She’d only known Sam for ten minutes, but Will could tell she was really taking to him. “That’s great Sam,” said Will. “He always did have a knack for keeping people in line. Trust me, I can tell you some stories.”
“Stories about what?” asked Stanzic sitting down in the seat across from Will, looking more out of sorts than when they first stepped off of the transport.
“Oh nothing,” said Will as he winked at Sam and Edena who giggled some more.
“Daddy, is it OK if Sam and I go back outside?”
“Yes, just come back in when the food comes,” shouted Will, as he watched them run through the doors, before he could finish his sentence.
“What was that all about?” asked Will.
“Oh nothing, just trying to get our food ordered.”
Will’s look of disbelief was obvious, but Stanzic didn’t waiver from his explanation.
“Those guys didn’t look like waiters, and if they were, you must not get a lot of return customers up here.”
Two servers interrupted Will’s questioning, as they placed plates of food and drinks around the table. Another server brought a large basket of bread, which was still steaming it was so fresh.
“You see, my boy?” said Stanzic, looking relieved that he didn’t have to explain further. “This is the service I had planned for.”
Edena and Sam quickly returned to the table, both still laughing and having a good time. Dinner was full of pleasant conversations and a few stories about the professor that Will shared with Sam. Throughout the meal, Will could see Stanzic’s eyes scanni
ng the room, looking for the two men who still watched from various vantage points within the restaurant.
After dinner, Stanzic and Sam showed Will and Edena around the observatory, and as Will had promised, Edena was able to see Earth through the giant telescope. Will could see the day’s activities had taken their toll on Edena as she yawned and her eyes looked heavy.
“I think we need to call it a night, Lars.”
Will was puzzled at the look of disappointment that came over Stanzic’s face. “So soon? The night is young. Why don’t we take the kids back to their rooms, and we can continue the tour. I have so much to show you.”
“Lars, it’s very late.”
Stanzic stared intently at Will with his wild eyes wide open in an intimidating manner. “I won’t take no for an answer,” he demanded.
Stanzic’s insistence that he go on once again caused Will to suspect something wasn’t right. He almost seemed desperate for Will to continue on, but for what purpose? He knew he’d never find out unless he obliged Stanzic’s request.
“OK, Lars. I’ll put Edena to bed, and we can meet back up to continue the tour and catch up.”
“Bye, Sam,” said Edena giving him a hug.
Stanzic’s look of relief was obvious. He had some reason for wanting Will to meet with him alone; that much was clear.
It only took a few minutes for Edena to fall asleep back in their room, and Will carried a portable communications unit with him in case she should awaken while he stepped out. He securely locked the room and asked Stanzic to post a trusted security person outside her door while they went about the observatory.
“Don’t worry, Will. Edena will be fine. I have my head of internal security personally watching over the room.”
Will was uneasy about leaving Edena in the room alone, but didn’t feel she was in any danger and had the ability to see her on the view screen anytime he needed to. He left with Stanzic, and they walked along a large windowed corridor that overlooked the Folands from high atop the observatory. The view was amazing, and Will couldn’t help but be distracted as they talked. He decided it was time for some answers, and one way or another he needed to know why Lars was being deceptive with him.
“Lars, we’ve know each other a long time, and I must say you seem preoccupied with something.”
Stanzic had no change to his facial expression whatsoever, as if he was intentionally trying not to react to what Will was saying. “Preoccupied? No. Just trying to keep this place running as efficiently as possible. It isn’t an easy task, as you can probably imagine. I know you have your own problems.”
Stanzic was trying hard to convince him nothing was wrong, but Will’s instincts told him different.
“I want to show you the latest addition to our wonderful observatory.”
They headed down a small hallway that led into a large, black, circular room. There was very little as far as scientific equipment, just several chairs in the room’s center and an overhead device that seemed to be connected to the chairs.
“This is interesting. Are we going to—”
Just as Will was about to make light of the fact that this seemed extremely uninteresting, a thick black door lowered from the ceiling and sealed shut, and the room went completely dark. Will’s heart began beating faster as he realized something was wrong. The lights weren’t coming back on, and Stanzic wasn’t saying anything. He began to feel around for the door to try to find some way to open it to no avail.
“Lars! What the hell is going on?” There was no answer from Stanzic. His thoughts immediately went to Edena. As the minutes passed, he knew he had to calm down and try to find a way out of this. He pulled the com unit from his pocket and fumbled with the button to turn it on. As he did, a dull light shone from the view screen. It didn’t shine much farther than a few inches. This room was strange; it seemed to dull his light source by design and prevented him from using it to see very far. To his horror, an image of Edena’s empty bed appeared on the view screen. She was gone.
“Damn you, Stanzic!” he screamed as he walked, panic-stricken, with outstretched hands toward where he thought the door would be. He aimed the com at the wall, and with the small, dull light, he looked for signs of a door or controls that might open it. It appeared to be solid as if the door had a sealing mechanism and for some unknown reason showed no signs of being a door at all.
He continued feeling his way across the room until he saw a dark object a few inches from him. He was startled at first and then realized what this was.
“The chair!” he said, relieved.
He now began to wonder if it was Stanzic’s intention that he find the chair and sit down. Knowing there was really nothing else he could do; he pulled himself onto the chair and sat back. In the silent darkness, he could hear his heart beating faster as his mind was racing from the adrenaline. He cursed himself for leaving Edena when he knew something wasn’t right. The minutes passed slowly as he tried to compose himself and think of a way out. He wondered who had taken Edena and for what purpose. Just then the whining noise of machinery began to fill the room. He could feel the chair begin to vibrate from the mechanism above. The entire room illuminated with the most vivid images of the solar system he’d ever seen. This was obviously a holographic display from observatory telescopes. As his eyes adjusted, he could see Stanzic sitting in the chair next to him. Before he could say anything, Stanzic looked at him pleadingly and motioned for him to be quiet. He hit a button on the chair’s console, and his recorded voice filled the room. “Sorry to scare you Will,” said Stanzic on the recording. “Just having a bit of fun.”
Stanzic looked at Will and removed a device from under his lab coat, once again motioning for him to be quiet.
“A recording device?” Will thought. “Why would he be recording me and going through such measures to show me?”
Stanzic set down the recording device carefully on the chair and motioned for Will to follow him. As Will stood up, he heard his own voice echoing around the room as if he was in a conversation with Stanzic.
“No worries, Lars, but you did have my heart beating for a few minutes there,” said Will’s recorded voice.
They walked to the back wall, where Stanzic unlatched a panel in the floor, exposing a small access way. He motioned for Will to follow, and they both squeezed through to a small maintenance corridor. Stanzic once again motioned to Will not to say anything and led him around a narrow corner to a ladder. Will felt this had gone on long enough and needed answers. He grabbed Stanzic’s shoulder and spun him around to face him. He could see the desperate look in his eyes, but it didn’t matter. He pulled out the com from his pocket and showed Lars the empty bed. Stanzic frantically motioned for him to follow, and Will knew he had to if he was going to find out what was going on.
He followed Stanzic up a ladder that seemed to go on forever. They finally climbed to what looked like another access panel in the ceiling. Stanzic threw open the panel, and Will could smell the tropical, night air; they were heading out on the roof of the observatory. As Will climbed out, he looked out over the large canyons below and for an instant felt the anxiety of being up so high. He had never really felt comfortable being up high, and it didn’t get any worse than this. Stanzic walked over to the open access hatch and slammed it closed. He turned and walked toward Will, and before Will knew what was happening, Stanzic embraced him, patting him on the back. “My old friend, I’m so sorry for the deception. I assure you I had no choice. Please forgive me.”
Will was certainly caught off guard with this change in demeanor, but this was the Lars Stanzic he’d known.
“Lars, where’s Edena?”
Stanzic took a step back and released his embrace. “She’s perfectly safe. She’s with Ivana and Sam, on her way home.”
“Home! Lars, what the hell is going on here? You can’t just take my daughter!”
“Will, listen to me. It was for her safety, I can’t explain it all now, but you have to trust me. Tho
se men in the restaurant today, they and their allies will do anything to keep me from showing you. Anything, including threatening Sam and Edena. Use your com. Call this number.” said Stanzic, handing Will a folded piece of paper.
Will keyed in the number, and Ivana Stanzic appeared on the screen.
“Hello, Will. I hope you are well.”
“Ivana, I—”
“You want to see your daughter. Hold on.”
Will could see the com being passed to someone. A few seconds later Edena appeared on the screen safe and sound.
“Edena, are you OK?”
“Yes, Daddy. Miss Ivana is so funny; Sam and I have been laughing so much I can’t sleep. Will you be coming home soon?” Will looked at Stanzic as if he had the answer to that question.
“I’m not sure yet. Some things have come up.”
“I know. Miss Ivana told me all about it. I have to go now, Daddy. We’re boarding the transport.”
Will felt relieved as he realized she was OK. “Stay safe, Edena. I’ll see you when I get home” As he closed the device, he looked at Stanzic with a confused and angry glare.
“Will, you must come with me. I have to show you something. They don’t want you to know, but you must.”
“You have to tell me what’s going on. What is this all about? Why were you recording me?”
Stanzic began to walk briskly to the back of the observatory roof; this side overlooked the canyon wall thousands of feet below them. Will followed, still asking questions, his voice getting louder and more adamant.
“Damn it, Lars. Tell me what’s—”
“You will have your answers soon enough. Answers you never thought you would know. Answers to questions you never even knew to ask. Just trust me a bit longer; I’ll try to make it all clear.”
4
NEW MISSION
It had been a somber two days since the last observations were made on the object, and Devon knew morale was at an all-time low for his twenty-five person crew. He’d asked Shou not to share her calculations with the rest of the crew, but most aboard were scientists and didn’t need to be told.
Destiny Earth Page 4