“Can you please go make sure she is up there?” Levi asked, ignoring the girl’s fanciful tone.
The woman hesitated. “No way. That’s just…no way. Sorry.” Click.
Levi stood thinking for several moments. Whoever had kidnapped Bockie and Mantys made her put in the request so her absence would not be suspicious. Bockie could not be with Manty-poo because Manty-poo was in a secured location and not in the hotel.
“We have to find out where Mantys’ extension location is,” Levi said. “That is where we will find him and Bockie.”
Fletch scrunched his face. “I don’t think that’s going to be possible. It is top secret.”
“Do you think Bale could find out? He said there are spies integrated into the system…maybe he has a contact at the Extension Affairs office?” Levi said.
“That’s a good idea,” agreed Talon.
The three of them called Bale and told him to hurry home immediately. When he arrived, they filled him in on their theory. He seemed doubtful of there being any reason to worry, but finally relented to their continued persistence.
“Let me call Mike and I’ll see what I can do,” Bale said, patting the air in a calm-down motion. “In the meantime, you could run by the Stellar and double check that Bockie is not actually there. I’ll give you all a call when I figure something out.”
Fletch, Talon, and Levi quickly rode to the Stellar Grand and saw a smoke-break employee in the back of the building. Levi did not recognize him. He ran up to the boy and put on his best stressed face.
“My grandmother, Bockie, has been staying with Mantys in his secured room,” Levi told him. “He is gone for the conference and she forgot her medicine today…it keeps her alive. She might even be dead at this very moment! I have to see her,” Levi begged urgently.
“Bockie?” The man asked horrified. “Come with me…they have to stay here though,” he said pointing to Talon and Fletch.
“That’s fine. Here are the keys to my apartment,” he directed at Talon and Fletch. “See if Axella is there and I will meet you,” Levi told them.
The hotel employee and Levi practically sprinted down the hall when the elevator dinged on Mantys’ secret floor. Levi banged on the door. Nothing. His heart sank.
“Oh no! I think I’m too late!” he exclaimed dramatically.
“Here I’ll let you in,” the employee said, frantically pulling out his key.
With the door opened, Levi ran inside and checked out all the bedrooms, tripping over champagne bottles littered across the floor. She was nowhere to be seen.
“I thought she would be here,” Levi lied to the employee. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay. Looks like they were having some fun, eh?” he said, looking at a broken lamp on the floor.
Gross. He went down a few floors to meet Talon and Fletch in his family’s suite.
“Anything in here?” he asked them from the foyer.
“Absolutely nothing. Not even the duffle bag your mom was carrying last night. There’s no toothbrush on the sink or one piece of trash in the garbage. It’s like she never came home last night,” Talon said with a sunken expression. “Levi…”
She didn’t have to finish. Why hadn’t he come home with her last night? Now she was gone too. A whole new level of panic washed over him.
“We need to find Kierra. She came home with her last night.” Levi said, praying she was not missing along with the only two members of his family.
“I will call her,” Talon said, pulling the cell out of her purse.
Fifteen minutes later, Kierra was standing in the hotel suite. For the first time, Levi was actually relieved to see her bubbly face.
“Dad and I are on floor three so I got off of the elevator before her…but everything seemed fine. Are you sure she’s missing?” Kierra asked. She had been filled in on everything last night at the hotel, so the three of them informed her of their new theory that Mantys, Bockie, and Axella had been kidnapped by the bombers.
“Oh, my God,” she said, putting her hand over her mouth in horror when they were finished. “If what you say is true they will kill all of them.”
Levi had not wanted to even acknowledge the possibility, but Kierra was right. The kidnappers wouldn’t risk any of them talking. No, they would all die with the secret that Mantys Ti’s last words were not actually his own. They would throw Mantys and Bockie’s lifeless bodies back in the Stellar Grand suite. He pictured the authorities finally finding them entwined in each other’s arms, claiming the long lost lovers had died of old age together. Certainly the noise complaints and state of the room itself would be enough evidence that they had over-exerted their already frail bodies. He pictured them finding Axella’s body somewhere underground…maybe in front of the Inde Riders lot, gunshot wound to the temple and a forged note in her hand. The remorse was too much for her to handle, they would say. An obvious suicide case for the guilty bomber. Adrenaline coursed through Levi’s veins as a whole new set of urgency set in.
“I’m going to extend to the conference tomorrow, get Mantys into a private room, and talk directly to these assholes,” Levi said between gritted teeth.
17 behind the metal
Levi did not sleep that night. His family was kidnapped, and the same people could be looking for him too. Somehow he doubted it though. He was too famous and, therefore, too much of a liability if he went missing. The whole city would go out in swarms to find him.
A knock sounded at the door right after the asteroid’s illuminator turned bright. It was the three bodyguards who were supposed to take him to practice again with the Life5000 before the tournament began tomorrow. He had completely forgotten amidst all the drama that had unfolded yesterday evening.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t go today,” he said to one of the muscle-engorged men.
“We have strict orders to take you to practice.”
“From whom?” Levi asked. As far as he knew, no one could make him do anything.
“Mantys Ti,” another one of them said in the same efficient manner.
It wasn’t a message from Mantys Ti…it was a message from his kidnappers to stay out of the way.
“Well, you tell Mantys Ti that I will not go practice today because my family seems to be missing,” Levi said slamming the door in their faces. He immediately felt bad for doing so, remembering that they were only following orders from whoever they thought was Mantys Ti. He opened the door back up to find them still standing there, unfazed by his rude gesture. “Do you want breakfast?”
An hour later he was walking to the Office of Extension Affairs with Fletch. It wasn’t long before he had a following of girls behind him like a trail of bright-eyed ducklings.
“I love you, Levi Avondale!” one girl shouted at him from across the street.
“Can you sign my boobs?” another one cooed next to him, her neckline dangerously low.
It was hard for him to stay focused on his task with all the people running up to him wanting pictures and autographs, but he played the part. His mom needed him when she got out of this kidnapping mess and had to deal with her trial once more. How could this have all happened? Two weeks ago the Avondale’s were living a normal, rather bland life.
Levi and Bale had tried to put in a missing persons, but twenty-four hours had not passed and there was no sign of foul play. With the protests going on the police were rather preoccupied and not concerning themselves with grand theories of kidnapping. Even Mike informed them that their only Extension Office contact had recently moved back to Dedrake, leaving them back to square one.
When they arrived at their destination, Levi signed in and was escorted to his Extension cube. He hooked up to the machine, and was looking out through the eyes of a hovering robot in the convention center.
“Reach behind you and unhook it from the wall,” Fletch said in the Extension to Levi’s left.
“I’m plugged in like a toaster?” Levi asked. He could tell that his voice was slightly distorted.
Fletch laughed. “You’ve been spoiled so far. These are really old, cheap ones.”
Levi reached behind him and unplugged his Extension from the wall. When he looked down he noticed a name tag on his shirt. ‘Student.’
“Everyone has name tags today, so it’s hard to tell who’s who from far away. Mantys is in a Surrogate 9,” Fletch explained in a scratchy robotic voice. “Come on, the conference starts in twenty minutes.”
The two of them hovered out of the room. The robot bobbed up and down in sync to his own steps, causing Levi’s field of view to bounce as well. Compared to the other Extensions he had tried, this one was garbage. The hall outside the room was bustling with robots of all shapes and colors. Even with their inhibited expressive capacity, Levi could feel the tension in the air as people talked about yesterday’s events. Levi was determined to find Mantys before the conference started, and so he weaved his way in and out of the sea of avatars. When Levi noticed that the only men who were not in robots were the security guards, he turned to Fletch.
“Why isn’t security in Extensions too?” Levi asked.
“Extensions cannot hold guns.”
“You mean legally?”
“Yes, but they actually can’t physically hold a gun either. All guns are built with a pulse sensor. Also, the Extension’s fingers will lock up if a gun is within a certain distance. It’s so wars cannot be fought with artificial beings,” Fletch explained.
“Hmmm.” Levi said. It made sense…otherwise criminals could stay hidden while they roamed free to shoot people. Suddenly, Levi had an epiphany.
“Pila and Jivine were killed by Extensions…hovering ones.” He said to Fletch. “They both had their throats slashed because an Extension cannot hold a gun!”
Fletch’s eyes went wide. “It makes sense, Levi. And it would also explain why there weren’t any fingerprints or much evidence at all left at the scene. Not only do robots not have fingerprints, but they could hover over the crime scene without disturbing it!”
Levi’s heart started pumping fast with the new development. “So, someone must have accessed an Extension in each of the Stellar Grands, murdered the women, and then returned the Extension without anyone noticing.” Levi thought about all the numbers he had entered in order to hook up to an Extension. “I wonder where the murderers got all the access codes. It had to be someone who had an intimate connection with Stellar Grand’s security.”
“Jivine!” They both said simultaneously.
“She was the former security manager at the Stellar and had access to all the codes,” Levi began, “but she couldn’t be the murderer because she had been the second victim. Who had she been working for?”
“I guess whoever has Mantys right now,” Fletch deduced.
“Where is Mantys?” Levi asked frustratingly. They had been wandering around unsuccessfully for the past fifteen minutes.
“Would you be walking around chatting to people if you were in a room with guns pointed at your loved ones’ heads?” Fletch asked.
“Good point. I have an idea,” Levi said, turning the corner. There was one person who could help him.
“Vernean, it’s me, Levi,” he said, after approaching the robot that had the Ambassador’s name pinned to the shirt.
“Levi. I spoke to Kierra this morning. Come with me,” he said, hovering with a little more grace across the hall and into a private room. “You can imagine I’m not too happy to hear about my daughter’s…err…condition,” he said.
Suddenly Levi was glad he wasn’t standing in front of Vernean in the flesh. “Yes, sir, I’m sorry. I promise you I didn’t know.”
“Yes, well, she has begged me to help you. Unfortunately, I have tried to speak with Extension Affairs and the OSP, but I don’t seem to be getting anywhere.”
“Sir,” Levi began, “are you speaking today?”
“No, I am scheduled to speak tomorrow. But I have a sub-committee meeting after the conference. Why?” Vernean asked warily.
“Could we switch nametags just for a little bit so I can get close to Mantys?” Levi asked.
“Absolutely not,” Vernean said in a robotic growl, crossing his metal arms.
“Sir, whoever has captured Mantys is going to kill him, my mother and my grandmother. I have to find out where Mantys is being held. Please, sir, I am desperate,” Levi said.
“Look, you really have no evidence of foul play, but if it’s true, what makes you think he will say anything that will clue you in to his whereabouts?” Vernean asked.
“I have a plan,” Levi lied.
The ambassador stopped to think. “I suppose I can let you try. I’m still not convinced about any of this, but if what you believe is true it would be a disaster. If these negotiations fail it will take many years to repair them.”
“I know. Please let me try,” Levi begged.
“Very well, but you must meet me back here in ten minutes,” Vernean said.
Ten minutes wasn’t very long, but it was better than nothing. The two of them exchanged name tags and Levi took off in a hover. He got so tired of thwarting conversations as Vernean that he covered his nametag with his hand. Finally he reached a door that was blocked by a Hamza in the flesh. Levi looked down and saw a gun in his waste belt.
“I need to speak with Mantys for a few moments before the conference begins,” Levi said in his deepest voice.
“I’m sorry, Ambassador, but he is not taking any visitors at the moment,” the man said.
“I understand. This meeting will be short. I uh,” Levi turned around and pretended to look over his shoulder looking worried, “agree with everything he said yesterday. I have a proposal for him…off the books. Something he will not want to pass up.”
The man glared at Levi from beneath his woolly brows, assessing the validity of his words. Levi began to fidget uncomfortably in a way a man would who was about to betray his own race. “One moment,” he finally said, disappearing through the door. Several moments passed before he returned.
“Follow me, Ambassador,” he said, leading Levi into a large room. An Extension was sitting behind a desk with a name tag that read ‘Mantys Ti, Sydces Sect Leader.’
“Ambassador. What can I do for you?” Mantys said. His voice did not seem shaky or stressed in any way.
“Your words resonated with me yesterday,” Levi began, stealing the words straight from the taxi redneck driver he had met days ago.
A flash of something came over Mantys’ robot’s face but Levi could not place it. Had his grandfather recognized his voice?
“I’m sorry, Ambassador, but I do not…” he stopped suddenly, looking over his right shoulder. “I have changed my mind. Please proceed.”
Whoever was in the room with Mantys must been responsible for his change of mind. “I am not a human, Mantys.” Levi said in his deep voice, trying to replicate Vernean’s as best he could. “I have infiltrated my way into their political system to await a moment like this. I know from the many years I have spent on their planet that the humans are everything you accuse them of,” he said, noticing the robot wince in front of him.
“I do not believe you,” Mantys said flatly. “If you were a Sydces, I would be talking to you in our ancient tongue.”
Crap, Levi had not thought about that. He tried to muster a laugh. “Please, Mantys, it’s been thirty-five years. Sheshan namay fi tulee, I am not lying.” He hoped he had remembered what Bale had said to Marion the day the creature knocked over the wall art. He had no idea what he had just said, but he was praying it was along the lines of ‘calm down, it’s okay.’
Mantys laughed. “Yes, I have been a rather bad boy, haven’t I? Very well, what is your proposal, Vernean?”
“Can we meet in person this evening? I do not trust that these walls are secure,” Levi said, turning his robot to look around the room.
“No. Our locations are top-secret, you know that, Ambassador,” Mantys said.
Levi didn’t want to seem desperat
e. He didn’t actually have a plan at all, but could use the remainder of the conference to figure it out. “Very well. Let’s meet tomorrow after sub-committee. It’ll give me time to prepare a more formal proposal. In here?”
Mantys raised a robot brow. “Sounds like a plan.” The sect leader stood up and held out his hand. Levi noticed the robot’s outer metal was covered in burn marks. When Levi took it, Mantys’ Extension held onto him for a scant longer than normal, causing Levi to look deep into the inanimate emptiness of its eyes. “Fare thee well.”
Levi bowed respectfully and took his leave, rushing as fast as he could back into the office that held Vernean and Fletch.
“How did it go?” the real Ambassador asked.
“I know where to find Mantys,” Levi said. “Fletch, we have to go.”
“Where?” both of them asked in unison.
“Bockie had left a clue for me earlier today but I didn’t pick up on it. She said in her request for days off to bring a burger up to her room. Then, when Mantys shook my hand he said, ‘fare thee well.’ I’ve only known one person to use that phrase in my entire life. We need to find the apartment of Caleb Burger. The Extension that Mantys is in right now is Caleb Burger’s. It has burn marks all over it from the bomb that went off at the Stellar. He was the one working with Jivine. He’s our murderer!”
Levi was certain of his theory. He and Fletch skipped out on the rest of the conference and rendezvoused with the rest of the crew back at Bale’s apartment. After telling them everything that transpired at the conference, Bale finally conceded that all the circumstantial evidence seemed to support Levi’s theory.
“Okay, we need to go about this carefully,” Bale said. “If this guy and his gang are capable of slashing peoples’ throats and blowing people into smithereens, I have no doubt they’ll finish all of us off without flinching.”
“I agree,” Levi said. “Once we find out where Caleb’s apartment is, we need a plan to get in and get my family out safely.”
“These terrorists are highly wanted men by the OSP,” Mike added. “We can’t just rescue your family without a plan to bring them in. Bale, we’ve got to contact the agency.”
Journey to Ohmani (Across the Infinite Void Book 1) Page 26