The Navigator (The Apollo Stone Trilogy Book 1)

by P. M. Johnson

  “Damn,” said Cap when Logan opened his door. “That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever seen you do. Glad you made it out of there alive.”

  Logan had already turned around to continue packing. “I’ve gotta get out of here,” he said.

  “Where to?” asked Cap.

  “I’m heading straight to active duty,” he replied. “I don’t know who was after us. If it was SPD, they’ll just pick me up when I report. But if it was someone else, maybe they won’t be able to get me.”

  “Yeah,” said Cap. “I think I’ll do the same. Time to get the hell out of this place.”

  “Where’s Lena?” asked Logan as he threw some shirts into a duffle bag.

  “We split up right away,” said Cap. “I swung by her place but no one answered the door.”

  “I’m sure she got away,” said Logan. “She’s smart, fast, and tough as shit.”

  “Yeah,” said Cap. “I feel sorry for the poor bastard who tangles with her.” Despite what he said, Logan could tell his friend had lingering concerns but he didn’t press it.

  “Do you still have the bust?” asked Cap.

  “Yeah,” said Logan as he pointed with his thumb at the backpack on his bed.

  Twenty minutes later, Logan and Cap had finished packing and had stacked their bags against the wall. They were doing a final walkthrough of the apartment when they heard the keypad on the apartment door beep and then click. They turned toward the now open door and saw Lieutenant Fischer and another SPD officer standing in the doorway.

  “Good evening, Mr. Brandt,” said the SPD man as he placed his PDD in his inner coat pocket. “Mr. Caparelli,” he added with the nod of his head to Cap.

  “Hello,” said Logan guardedly.

  Stepping past the two young men and into the apartment’s living room, Lieutenant Fischer said, “It appears that you have completed your studies and are preparing for the next chapter in your lives.”

  “That’s right,” said Logan.

  “I congratulate you, but before you go we would like to have another conversation about your grandfather,” said Fischer.

  “Okay,” responded Logan. He shot Cap a quick look. Then he said to Fischer, “Please have a seat.”

  “Not here,” said Fischer. “There is someone I’d like you to meet. Please come with us.” He pointed toward the door with an open hand.

  Logan hesitated.

  “Don’t be concerned, Mr. Brandt. This will be a very informal conversation. And your friend Mr. Caparelli is invited as well, so you won’t be alone.”

  Cap raised his eyebrows but kept quiet.

  “That won’t be necessary,” said Logan. “I’m happy to come along. Cap can stay here.”

  The Lieutenant shook his head. “No. I am quite sure Mr. Caparelli’s presence will be required.” He pointed toward the door again. “There is a chill in the air this evening. You will need your coats.”

  The second SPD officer pulled their coats from the closet near the door and threw them at the young men. They put them on and walked out of the apartment, followed by the SPD officer. Alone in the apartment, Lieutenant Fischer glanced at the packed bags they had lined up against a nearby wall. Among them was the backpack Logan had been wearing earlier that day. Fischer walked into Logan’s room and quickly cast his eyes over the dresser, armchair and bed. He did the same to Cap’s room. Then he walked toward the door, giving the small apartment a final look before exiting.

  The two young men were sitting in the back of the SPD patrol car when Fischer seated himself in the front passenger seat.

  “Go,” he said to the driver.

  They drove about three blocks when Logan saw two vans with SPD painted on the fronts and sides pass by in the opposite direction. He turned his head to see where they were going.

  Fischer noticed Logan’s interest. He smiled and said, “We’re going to take an inventory of the contents of your apartment. Nothing to worry about, I’m sure.” Although he continued to show his crooked yellow-toothed smile, the SPD officer did not try to hide the malice in his eyes.

  Chapter 21

  SPD Colonel Linsky looked up from reading his personal data device. “Ah. Mr. Brandt. Mr. Caparelli. Please sit.” He indicated two chairs on the other side of his desk.

  The young men sat down as instructed. They had been searched prior to entering the building and an SPD officer placed the contents of their pockets in front of each of them. The two piles consisted of keys, identification cards, buy cards, Cap’s money clip, and, in front of Logan, the medallion.

  “You are no doubt curious about why we’ve invited you here to talk,” said Colonel Linsky. He looked at Logan and winked. “Don’t worry. It’s not about your little adventure at today’s banner race. I hope your shoulder was not severely injured.”

  Logan shook his head slightly but didn’t say anything.

  “Good,” said Linsky. Then he took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “As you know we are investigating your grandfather’s death. You see, Arthur Chambers was not only a renowned physicist, but he was also quite highly regarded in government circles for his many contributions to the defense of this nation. Were you aware of these contributions, Mr. Brandt?”

  Logan shrugged and said, “I knew that he worked in a government lab, but I was not aware of the details of his work.”

  “Understandable, quite understandable,” replied Linsky. “I had the honor of working with him the last few years of his life. He was brilliant in many ways, but his true genius lay in his ability to take concepts that are quite abstract and find practical applications for them. Many of his breakthroughs have helped ward off considerable threats to the People’s Republic of America. His untimely death in a fluke car crash was a terrible blow to this nation and its people, worse than you could ever know.”

  Colonel Linsky stood and walked over to a large view screen attached to a wall. “Given the significance of his work, we have been carefully investigating the cause of the crash, and although that work continues, you will be relieved to know that we have found no evidence suggesting his car was tampered with. It appears there was some sort of malfunction. He lost control while turning a corner and crashed into a bridge support. It’s the sort of thing that happens every day, unfortunately.”

  Linsky looked at each of his guests and said, “We never know when our time will come, eh?” He smiled at the two young men, but their faces remained expressionless.

  “But we are not here to discuss life’s precariousness. I asked you to come here so I could get your opinion on something quite unusual we recently observed while reviewing security footage of the lab where Dr. Chambers worked. I’d like you to look at this recording from a safety camera in the late doctor’s office.”

  Colonel Linsky nodded toward Lieutenant Fischer, who clicked a button on a view screen controller. A video feed appeared on the screen depicting a desk, a bookshelf, some cabinets and a few chairs. As the video played, Logan saw his grandfather busily packing his briefcase, apparently preparing to go home for the night. Chambers turned his back to the camera as he made final preparations. Then he turned and walked out the door and out of camera view.

  “Did you see that, Mr. Brandt?” asked Linsky, slightly excited.

  Logan looked confused. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  Linsky walked over to Lieutenant Fischer and took the controller. He reversed the footage and ran it again. “Look at this right here.” He pointed at a spot on the view screen. “Do you see this object on the bookshelf?”

  Logan had seen it and knew exactly what it was. “Yes, I see it.”

  “This bust moves!” He zoomed in on the bust on the shelf and pressed the play button. They could see that before Chambers turned his back to the camera and obscured the view of the bust, it was facing straight out from the shelf. When Chambers turned around and left his office, the bust came back into view, but it was facing slightly to the right.

  “I’m not sure I understand,” said Lo
gan.

  “Allow me to add some more information, which I think will shed some light on all of this.” Linsky folded his arms over his chest. “When Dr. Chambers arrived at the laboratory that morning, his bag was unusually heavy, according to security data we recently reviewed. It was also quite heavy when he left. We interviewed the morning and evening security details. The morning detail recalled inspecting the bag and the bust. Apparently, Chambers said he was bringing in the bust to decorate his office. The evening detail also examined the bust and found nothing unusual about it, though records indicate it was heavier than it had been that morning. Chambers explained to the evening security guard that he was bringing it home and planned to give it to a friend as a gift.”

  Logan said nothing.

  Linsky tapped the view screen controller in his open palm. Then he said, “Mr. Brandt, do you know why your grandfather brought a duplicate bust to the laboratory, switched it with the one on his shelf, and took it out of the building?”

  He ran the video again to emphasize his point. “Do you know where this bust is now, Mr. Brandt?”

  Logan looked Linsky in the eye and said, “No. I don’t know.”

  Linsky locked eyes with Logan for a few moments and said, “Did he mention his plan for the bust when you two had lunch together last month?”

  Logan’s heart skipped a beat, but he maintained his composure.

  Colonel Linsky smiled and continued. “Recordings from a nearby safety camera show you met at a restaurant near Veterans Park last month. April third, to be precise. Your cautious grandfather sat with his back to the street, but the camera caught your handsome face just as clear as day. You each ordered something, ate your lunch, and one hour and seventeen minutes later you departed.”

  Logan swallowed involuntarily but remained silent.

  “Did you two hatch a plan involving the bust during that lunch?” asked Linsky.

  Logan opened his mouth but quickly closed it. His cheeks and neck grew red.

  “Why did Chambers switch the bust?” asked Linsky in a loud voice. He bent down and screamed in Logan’s ear. “Where is the bust!”

  Logan clenched his jaw muscles and stared straight ahead, but refused to speak. Linsky stepped back and slapped Logan across the face. Surprised but not hurt by the blow, Logan slowly raised his eyes and glared at Linsky. Then he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. He folded his hands together and looked at the floor.

  Linsky leaned against his desk and looked at Logan. Then he smiled. “I found Chambers’ switching of the bust interesting, but I must say your behavior is even more so. We’re just following up on something we found puzzling. There could be an innocent explanation for all of this. If you don’t know anything about the bust, just say so.”

  “No,” said Logan, still looking at the floor. “That’s not how it works. No matter what I say, you’re going to grill me until you’ve poked your nose into every facet of my life. You know it. I know it.”

  Linsky shrugged his shoulders. “Very well. I can see you need some time to consider your responses. We will continue this conversation later.”

  Looking at Lieutenant Fischer, Linsky said, “Please escort Mr. Brandt to the holding facility for further questioning. As for Mr. Caparelli, take him back to the apartment. We’ll decide what to do with him after we’ve completed the inventory.” He looked at Logan and shook his head. “You’re throwing away a promising career, a life many people would kill for,” he said to the defiant young man. Then he said to Fischer, “I think he has the bust. Go find it.”

  “Yes sir,” said Fischer. He opened the door and motioned for two SPD guards to come in.

  As one guard locked manacles around Logan and Cap’s hands, Linsky picked the medallion up off his desk. “Be sure to bring Mr. Brandt’s personal effects to the detention center.” He dropped the medallion into the second guard’s hand and said, “I’d like to learn more about this ornament. It’s quite intriguing.”

  The guards led the two young men down the hall to a stairwell. They descended several flights and entered a parking garage. There was a variety of vehicles parked in different sections. Most were patrol cars, but there were also a number of armored trucks with machine guns and water cannons mounted on top.

  The guards placed Logan in the back seat of one patrol car and Cap in the back seat of the car next to it. The two young men gazed through their windows at each other for a moment, stunned by what was happening. Then Logan’s vehicle sped away toward the exit.

  Chapter 22

  Lieutenant Fischer sat in the front passenger seat of the second patrol car. He turned and looked at Cap. “You’d better hope we find what we’re looking for. Your friend is stubborn. He has a hard road ahead of him, but you might be okay. It all depends on whether you fully cooperate.”

  Ten minutes later, the patrol car pulled in front of the apartment building and parked behind the SPD vehicles they had seen earlier. The driver turned off the headlights and was preparing to get out, but Lieutenant Fischer told him to stay with Cap in the car while he went in to check on the progress of the inventory.

  Just before Lieutenant Fischer closed his door, he looked at Cap and said, “Think carefully about your next move. You’ll get your chance to help in a minute. Your decision will determine your future.”

  Cap watched Fischer disappear into the building. He looked to the right and saw the face of a woman peering through the curtains of a first-floor window. Seeing Cap in the back seat of the patrol car, she quickly pulled the curtain shut. Cap looked around and saw there was no one on the street or the sidewalk. He felt a slight breeze as the driver rolled down his window to let in the fresh but chilly night air. Cap sunk into the car seat, took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled. He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again to look out the window next to him.

  Suddenly a dark shadow glided by Cap’s door. He saw a long metal rod reach into the driver’s window. As soon as the tip of the rod touched the unsuspecting SPD officer’s neck, sparks shot out of the end causing the man to go into convulsions. A moment later, the SPD officer was unconscious. The rod was pulled back out the window and Cap’s door swung open. Cap was stunned when he saw who was crouching by the open car door.

  “Lena?”

  “Where have they taken Logan?” she asked in an urgent but hushed voice. Cap tried to respond, but his thoughts were jumbled as his mind sought to process what was happening.

  She repeated the question with greater emphasis. “Where have they taken Logan?”

  “They, they, uh,” Cap struggled to remember. “They took him to a detention facility. Not sure where it is.”

  “I do,” she said as she pulled out a small PDD. “What kind of vehicle did they take him in?”

  “A patrol car like this one,” Cap said. Then he added, “It had a five in the number painted on the side. I don’t remember the rest. Wait…it was a letter then two five. D twenty-five!”

  She pressed a few buttons on the PDD screen. A woman’s voice said, “Yes.”

  Lena pressed the device to her ear. “He’s in a patrol car. Number D twenty-five. They’re headed for the detention center. We need to move fast.”

  Cap heard a muffled voice through the PDD. Lena nodded. “Yes,” she said, looking at Cap.

  The voice said something. Then it was silent. Cap could see that Lena was reluctant to answer. The voice repeated itself. “I understand,” said Lena.

  Cap looked at Lena as she ended the transmission. “I don’t like that look in your eyes,” he said.

  She took a moment to consider what she was going to say. Then she looked Cap in the eye and said, “Cap, I need to know where you stand. I could leave you here and you could take your chances with the SPD, but they’ll want to know what happened, and I don’t think you would withstand interrogation. Nobody does.”

  “I’d give them a false description,” he said. “Buy you some time to get away.”

  “Here’s the pro
blem with that,” she said. “I don’t plan on getting away. I plan on staying. They’ll keep working on you until you’ve told them everything you know, including what you know about me.”

  Cap pulled his eyes away from Lena’s and saw the grip of a pistol sticking out of a shoulder holster under her jacket. “But there’s another option you’re considering. One that ensures I won’t say anything.”

  “I’m not going to choose that one.”

  “So there’s a third option,” said Cap. “Let me help you free Logan and escape with him.”

  She nodded her head. “The odds are stacked high against us. And if we somehow pull it off you’d be on the run, forever. You’d have to leave the Capitol District, get out of the country. And if they ever catch you, we’re both dead.”

  Cap smiled. “They won’t catch me. Don’t stand a chance.” He twisted his body slightly to reveal his handcuffs behind his back. “Now get me out of these things.”

  Chapter 23

  Colonel Linsky stood next to his desk, a small PDD pressed to his ear. His face was expressionless as he listened to the person speaking on the other end of the line. At length, he said, “I understand, Guardian Bishop. I will take immediate action. We will be back on track very soon.”

  He ended the call and dropped the device on his desk. He walked to the door, flung it open and yelled, “Get me Komatsu! Now!”

  He walked to the filing cabinet behind his desk. He pulled a ring of keys from his pocket and unlocked a drawer. He removed one of the files, marked “QA” and sat at his desk to read it. A few minutes later there was a light rapping on his door.

  “Enter!” he said loudly.

  An older man with thick disheveled graying hair wearing a white lab coat entered the room. Linsky looked up from the QA report and stared at the man for a moment. Then he said, “I’ve been reviewing recent test results from the quality assurance department, and I must say I am extremely concerned with what I am seeing.”