by G. E. Stills
“Anything else?”
“Isn’t that enough? I hate to admit it, but I think this is beyond my understanding.”
“Okay, thank you, doctor.” Trevor walked away to privacy. He triggered his implant. “Tracy did Lina get back from Austin?”
“Yeah, Trevor. The same day you sent her.”
“Did she go through and get in touch with Kyra?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know if Kyra had anything to say?”
“I don’t know. Nothing that Lina told me about.”
“Let me talk to Lina.”
“I’d be happy to, but she didn’t show up to work today either.”
“Either?”
“She hasn’t been here since the evening she got back from Austin. I’ve tried to call her apartment, but she didn’t answer any of the times. I just got her answering service. That’s strange because Lina never misses work. And she may not be home when I try to reach her, but she always returns my calls.”
Nausea clutched Trevor’s stomach. A blurred vision of Lina, lying on her bed, eyes open staring up at the ceiling with no clothes formed in his mind. “Tracy, send a security detail to Lina’s apartment. Right now, Tracy. Then send someone through to Teelan and get a hold of Kyra. Give Kyra a message. Tell her I need to see her right away. Next…Tracy, we have been friends for… for a long time.” A vision of two special nights formed in his mind that almost caused him to smile in pleasure. “Tracy, do not leave the Houston facility until I say different. Understood?”
“Uh, yes, Trev. You’re scaring the crap out of me.”
He knew Tracy was frightened, otherwise she would never have used his nickname on an official call. “Good. Be scared. It makes you more cautious. I’ve got to go for now. Stay alert, Trace.”
Trevor found the ME. “Is there anyone down here besides you?”
“No. Not on the night shift.”
“Okay, doctor, go home.”
“Huh?”
“Go home. I’ll clear things. You won’t get in trouble or get docked in pay.”
“Who are you? I mean I know you’re a cop, but…”
Trevor flipped out his world security id. I’m much more than a cop.”
The ME gave him a look of deep respect.
“Doc, things that you shouldn’t know about are going to happen here. If you don’t know about them you can’t tell about them. Clear?”
“Clear. I was just leaving.”
“Lock the lab door behind you.”
The ME left and he turned to Lance. “Can you teleport Glenn and myself to Houston.”
Lance rose to his feet. “Yep. Not in one jump, but yep.”
“Good. Let’s get Glenn and get out of here.”
He triggered his implant and Tracy answered right away. “Tracy, I’m sorry to bother, but send another runner to contact Kyra. Tell her I will be in Houston within a couple hours.”
“You’re coming here and you’ll be here in a couple hours?” Astonishment colored Tracy’s voice.
“You know about us, Tracy.”
“Oh, yes, yes I do. See you soon, Trevor.”
“See you soon.” He broke the connection. Trevor turned to Lance. “Ready, big guy?”
“Yep.” Lance slung Glenn over his shoulder as if he weighed no more than a feather. He took Trevor’s hand and they blipped out of the exam room.
***
When Trevor and Lance blipped into being at the Houston complex, Kyra was there waiting. “Lance, take Glenn’s body on through, Kat and Tantara are waiting.”
Lance nodded and strode toward the portal. Kyra walked purposely to one side. Trevor fell in behind her. This lady, my mother, is no one to mess with. He knew of Kyra and Kat’s first meeting. He also knew of her many assassination assignments on Earth in those first few years.
“Fill me in, Trevor,” she said and reclined against a desk giving off the aura of the vicious deadly predator she was.
He opened his mouth to speak, but before he did, Tracy called him from a few desks away. “Andy, one of the security people you sent to Lina’s is on the line.”
In two steps, he was standing beside Tracy and she handed him the phone. “Trevor here.”
“We’ve found Lina,” Andy announced.
“Is she okay?”
“I’m afraid not.”
The sinking feeling in Trevor’s stomach grew. “Where are you?”
“At her apartment.”
“Is she dead?”
“Not exactly. Sir, you will just have to see this.”
Trevor glanced at Kyra. “Don’t touch anything, Andy. I’ll be right there.”
“Yes, sir.”
He handed the phone back to Tracy and looked around at the many other people working in the complex. “Why is it Tracy that everything is going to you?”
“A lot has changed since the last time you and I were together.” Tracy’s cheeks turned bright red and she cleared her throat. “I’m one of the lead supervisors now. I ordered that anything pertaining to this case be routed to me.”
“Congratulations. When we’re not so busy I’d like to get together and celebrate your promotion. Dinner, wine, dancing, whatever else you want to do.”
The redness was back on Tracy’s cheeks. So bright was it that he wouldn’t have been surprised to see flames start to shoot out of them.
He turned to his mom. “Kyra, can you to take us to Lina’s apartment?”
“No problem if you can give me a location.”
Overhearing the conversation, Tracy already had a map up on the screen. “There.” She pointed out a location.
“Coordinates,” Kyra said joining them.
A few keystrokes by Tracy and the location began to flash with red numbers beside it.
“Thanks,” Trevor said and patted Tracy on the shoulder. He joined hands with Kyra and stepped into the portal she formed. When they stepped out, they were in Lina’s apartment.
One glance at the woman lying face up and naked on the bed turned the sinking feeling in his stomach into a ravenous monster gnawing at his guts. Her eyes were open staring sightlessly up at the ceiling. A band of burned flesh circled her head.
“She’s alive?” he asked Andy.
“Barely, but yes. As you can see she’s catatonic.”
“Damn it,” Trevor shouted. He slammed his fist down on a dresser making the decorative glass figurines on it jump and two of them topple over. Anger and frustration seethed through him. “It seems like this monster or these monsters are always one step ahead of me.”
“Tracy,’ he triggered his implant.
“Yes,” she answered.
Gruffly he ordered, “I want the entire Houston complex put on lock down. No one comes or goes and no one uses either of the portals. You can let Andy and his partner in. They will be joining you shortly. This order stands until I say different. Understood?”
“Yes, sir. Lockdown immediate.”
“Go,” he almost shouted at Andy and his partner.
“Suggestion,” Kyra said calmly.
“Talk to me, Mom.”
“I think we should take Lina to Teelan and let Kat and Tantara look at her. Maybe, just maybe, they can do something.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“Trevor are those tears I see in your eyes?”
In anger, he wiped them away only to have more take their place. “You don’t understand. I send agents into danger frequently. I don’t like knowing they may get hurt, but that is their job. They expect danger and they’re equipped to handle it. Lina is not an agent. She is just an innocent. She was simply doing me a favor acting as a courier and now… If not for me, Lina would not have come in contact with these animals. She wouldn’t be lying there like some damn vegetable.”
&
nbsp; Kyra stepped to the closet and selected a robe. “I know, son. We’ll find these animals and we’ll deal with them.”
“Mom, I have the feeling we’re too late. I wish this clairvoyance ability of mine provided more than just sketchy flashes of. I get the feeling that Teelan was always the final destination. Lina had knowledge of its existence and how to get there. I have the feeling that whoever or whomever is doing this is already on Teelan. We don’t have much security on Teelan. Nothing like I have here. We never needed it. Everyone there has been screened and invited…until now.”
In a rare display of affection, Kyra smoothed her hand over his back then pulled him into a hug. “Your abilities are what they are, and you know well how valuable they have been in the past. You’re right we don’t have the security there, but maybe we have something better. I’ll have to talk to Kat, but I think we can mobilize every member of our families that is here. I don’t need to tell you what that means.”
While he held Lina up, Kyra slipped on her robe. Trevor gently placed the small woman on his shoulder, Kyra took his hand and together they walked into the hazy black square in front of them.
***
Like an angry bull, Trevor paced through the apartment he’s been assigned. He’d done a lot of pacing in the last three weeks. Although Kyra had offered him a room at her home, he’d turned it down. Better to be among the masses, he had said. Daily he trolled up and down the halls of this and other underground complexes touching and rubbing against as many people as possible. Reading their thoughts. He did the same on the sidewalks above. Others of his cousins that shared his ability, did the same. So far our actions have yielded a big fat nothing. It’s like looking for a needle in a cosmic haystack.
Trevor poured himself and drink and forced himself to sit. No sense wearing a hole in the floor and ending up in the apartment below. I don’t think the tenant would appreciate that.
His lips pressed together in a grimace of frustration. At least there have been no more attacks. On Earth or here on Teelan. Three weeks and nothing. Three weeks and we’re no closer than the first day. We don’t even know if the sick bastard is a he or a she or a they.
He had to relent a little on his lockdown. He had allowed food, water, clothing and bedding to be taken from Teelan to the Houston complex. Still nothing and no one had entered from Earth.
Kyra stepped out of the portal that formed. “Got some information to share. It pertains to our case. I just got a report that a patrol found a ship parked in orbit behind Neptun’s moon Neso. It was powered down and no one was on board.”
“Go on. You have my complete interest,” he said, while pulling out a chair for her.
The ship is a small private craft called the Comfort. It’s registered to a Felis and Molly Chavez. We’ve been unable to locate them. The Comfort sent out a mayday a few weeks ago, but not from this solar system. It was sent from another parsec in space. That area has been searched and they found debris there. We thought the Comfort had blown up. Obviously it didn’t.”
Trevor got up went to the fridge and poured each of them a cup of tea before sitting again.
“Here’s where the story gets interesting and ties in with our case. There were three people on board. Felis, Molly and one other. Evidentially the third person was unaware of the voice recorder that all ships have. The one that comes on automatically whenever the ship is in operation. Voice modulation test inform us that the third person is female and…Men-gar.”
Trevor’s head jerked up from gazing down at the table. “Men-gar,” he said with a hiss.
“Yes.”
“But how. They don’t look anything like a human. Felis and Molly would never have let her on board.”
“Not if she looked Men-gar. But let’s suppose she has been surgically altered to look human. The Comfort’s radio transmission system was activated a few weeks ago. The message said simply, on Earth. Not detected. Proceeding with mission.”
“So you think our saboteur is a female Men-gar?”
“Don’t you?”
“Yes, now that I think about, yes I do. So we’re looking for a Men-gar that looks like a female human. At least we’ve narrowed it down to one person and one sex.”
“And if you touch her you will know right away that she is Men-gar. She may look human, but inside she isn’t.”
“Thanks, Mom, I’ll spread the word.”
“You’re welcome.” Kyra stood, a portal formed and she stepped into it.
***
He could console himself that at least there had been no further attacks on Earth nor had there been any here on Teelan. Yes, but I still haven’t found her. I can’t even find any evidence that she’s here on Teelan. It’s just a gut feeling. I also have those awful visions. It’s just a matter of time until she strikes again.
Trevor’s attention changed focus when Tantara entered the lab from one of the exam rooms.
“Trevor, I know it will be hard for you to realize how far she has come, but try to keep in mind how much damage was done. Try to think positive and know this is just the beginning.” She turned to the room she had just left. “Lina. Come on out, sweetie, there’s someone here that would like to see you.”
Lina walked into the lab. Her motions were jerky, mechanical and her eyes still had that blank stare but she was moving on her own. She took a seat in front of him and just sat there. Kat came out of the exam room and took a seat beside Lina, while Tantara seated herself beside him.
“Aunt Kat.” He nodded in respect.
“Trevor, I’ll cut through the medical jargon and give it to you direct. I don’t know how, I can only see the results. Lina’s mind was stripped of her knowledge. Everything that made her Lina. I’m certain that was done using some physical method and I suspect her knowledge was transferred to the attacker. There was major damage to her physical brain. That I am healing using my ability. There isn’t anything I can do to restore mental capacity though.”
“But she’s moving, that’s a good sign isn’t it,” Trevor asked.
Kat smiled. “Yes, but her being able to walk is mainly because of the AI Tantara and I installed. It will assist her in the mechanical functions, walking, eating, those type of things. Only time will tell if there is anything left of her thinking mind.”
“Oh.” Trevor’s hopes crashed to his feet.
“Are you aware that Lina was sexually molested?” Kat asked.
Trevor started. “No, I suspected since she was unclothed, but that was before we knew our terrorist was female.”
“Females can molest to.”
“Fuckin bitch,” Trevor growled.
“The act was despicable, but it may also prove to be the key to success.”
“I don’t understand,” he said.
“Lina remembers the rape. It was done after the contents of her mind were ripped out and therein lies the key to our hopes. Some small part of her remains or she would have no memory of the rape. We can only monitor and keep our fingers crossed, but the AI we’ve installed is programmed to work with that small remaining kernel of knowledge, that small part of Lina. The AI is programmed to build on it, expand it. We hope that over time the AI will be able to at least partially restore Lina to herself. She will probably never be the Lina we knew before, but…”
He peered at Lina. The subject of their conversation sat staring vacantly in front of her. “But she will be more than a walking nothing.”
“We can only hope. What we are attempting is experimental. We have no past results to draw on for procedure.”
Trevor stood. “I know the two of you will do your best. In the meantime, I have a very loathsome bitch to find before she causes anymore hurt and damage.” Trevor dropped to his knees and took Lina’s hands in his. “Lina, honey, I will find the monster that did this to you and when I do… Well let’s just say that justice will be served a
nd incarceration will not be the result. It will never get to trial.” Standing again, he nodded to both Kat and Tantara and marched from the lab.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Naa’dia spread her arms and fell backwards on her bed a huge smile on her lips. She was the happiest she had ever been in her life. The sad fact was, these humans treated her better than she had ever been treated at home. They never ridiculed her for her short stature. Never tormented her about the mistakes she made while learning her job.
They treat me like I matter. Like I’m a…person.
Working with the robots at the factory was enjoyable. Fulfilling. Ever helpful, Rhody treated her professionally and helped her fit right in with her fellow workers. For a moment, she thought of the bombs she had planted at the Freedom plant and at the new plant being built. She forced back the urge to enter the codes that would make the bombs explode. “No!” she shouted. “No.”
Rhody had taken her to the new plant to show her around, to take her on a special individualized tour of the new facility. Her smile widened. But mostly so we could be alone. She licked her lips remembering his kisses.
Her days off were even better, Rhody was the reason why. After completing her first shift, he had asked her out. He had taken her to eat and then dancing. Naa’dia had never danced before, but Rhody was patient. Amid much laughter, something she had never done in her life, laughter was a human emotion, she learned to dance.
Warmth flowed through her like thick delicious syrup when she recalled their second date. Felis and Molly had acquainted her with the mechanics of sex and at times she had even enjoyed it with them. Then came her experience with Lina. For a moment sorrow threatened to replace her airy, giddy feeling.
Yes, there were strong emotions there. I will always remember those tears. Always regret what I did to that vibrant beautiful woman.
Naa’dia closed her eyes and shook her head to banish those awful memories. Her thoughts turned to a different experience. What she and Rhody had done on the second date had her heart all a flutter even now. There was no planning or plotting on her part. She had no gain in mind to further her mission. What happened was pure enjoyable sex.