TROPHY

by Paul M. Schofield

  “She has bonded so well with him,” VanDevere said. “And she did it in such a short time.”

  “Much faster than we had contemplated,” Guardian VII said.

  “Panther,” Rogerton thought. “Look at this.” She imagined an image of two pedestals standing beside each other. The head of the panther was in one and Martin’s head was in the other. The river of consciousness became troubled and dark, like a storm brewing. She adjusted the mental picture showing the panther in his newly remade state and then Martin, also whole, in his forest-green uniform. He was smiling and standing peacefully by Panther. She dwelt on this image for a long time finally changing the image to one that included her standing with them, all harmonious, and at peace. Slowly the river calmed and began to clear as the suspicion and fear in Panther’s mind subsided.

  She signaled to Martin. He opened the door and cautiously entered the room. The Lieutenant focused intently on Martin alone in the pedestal, then made whole, and finally the three of them standing together in peace. Panther didn’t move but stared at Martin as if making a decision. Finally he began moving slowly toward him. The river of their joined consciousness remained calm and clear, so Rogerton smiled at Martin, indicating a positive response from the great cat. He walked over to Martin and rubbed against him with his large head and then sat beside him.

  As this was happening, Guardian VII adjusted her controls and transferred Rogerton's side of the link to Martin’s side. He, too, showed the great cat his entrapment in the pedestal and his newly made body and mobility. Panther seemed to understand and rubbed against him. Their bond was beginning. The panther started to run and Martin kept up with him. They crouched and jumped, playing games with each other while still mentally linked. Martin easily kept up with the great cat. Panther had found an equal and they played for a long time.

  Rogerton left the holographic jungle soon after Martin and Panther bonded. She joined the others in the control room, viewing the scene on the large screen.

  “Marvelous!” VanDevere said, rubbing her hands together. “What a formidable team they will make. I would not want to be the prey!”

  “They are bonding deeply,” Guardian VII said. “At this rate, nothing will separate them now, at least in their loyalty to each other.”

  “I am glad Martin can keep up with him,” Rogerton said. “It makes me sore to watch them. One session was enough for me, I have the bruises and the headache to show for it.”

  After the others left, Guardian VII continued to monitor Martin, the ancient man, and Panther, the great black cat. They ran, and played, and jumped with no letup or tiredness at all, continuing on for hours. Guardian VII was yawning when she turned down the great cat’s power and he curled up in sleep.

  Chapter XXXVI

  Earth Date: 475 N.V.A.

  Location: Earth, high orbit

  “We're in position and we got the geosynchronous orbit permits and clearances, Mr. Cedric,” the freighter captain said, sitting at the controls of his ship. “The other three ships have moved into position. Our permits are good for a week, we got four days left.”

  “Excellent, we’ll move today at 15:00 hours,” Cedric said, watching the NAV screens. “According to our contact, Franelli is locked down at night, but is with one of the Guardians during the day. Bestmarke implanted a locator chip under Franelli's skin. He does that with all his crew, and we have the code to pinpoint his location. The four operatives and the cloaking device are in position. Our contact mapped a course to the lab area where Franelli works. The cloaking device is an older model, originally in a Victorian cruiser, and will hide anything within a fifteen hundred meter circle. That's big enough to leave it in one location. After we get Franelli and we're out, we'll focus all the energy into the can-opener and leave the Empire a little surprise.”

  “Aren’t can-openers nuclear? Nuclear-cutters?” the captain said. “If that cutter overheats and explodes, it’ll make a big mess! Every ship in orbit will be ordered to remain, we’ll be stuck here! The Empire will board and search every one of us down to the last square centimeter!”

  “Yes, I know. That is why all of us will be clean, free of suspicion. We'll just be freighters, doing our usual business, like we have been doing for months.”

  “But what if the Empire uses mind-scans on us? We can’t hide from those!”

  “Their own high principles will protect us,” Cedric said. “Empirical law states there must be overriding justification to use mind-scans. They cannot be used casually. Their rigid, unbreakable laws will be used against them, and will be our protection.”

  “I don’t like it,” said the captain. “We already have enough to worry about in order to pull this off successfully. This just complicates it more. Why can’t we just quietly do our job and leave?”

  “Don’t you think they'll quarantine us anyway once they realize Franelli is gone?” Cedric said. “As long as we can hurt them, we might as well throw them an extra punch. If we bring down CENTRAL, we can collapse their miserable New Victorian Empire. At least we can give them a crippling blow!” he said, striking his fist in his palm.

  “I still don’t like it, but you're the boss.” The captain shrugged and returned to his seat.

  “Don’t worry, Captain. With all the credits you make on this job, you can retire early. You’ll see.”

  **********

  Location: CENTRAL, Earth

  “These are the critical circuits, Sondra. They must be adjusted ever so carefully. Hand me that calibrating tool, please,” Louis said, bending low over the lab table.

  “But how much tolerance should we leave in it, Louis?” she said, handing him the tool. “Won't it need some flexibility?”

  “You're correct,” Franelli said. “It's crucial where we build in the flexibility so it will...”

  “Who are you? How did you get in here?” Guardian V said. She walked toward four figures entering the lab. They wore black shielding-suits and darkened helmets.

  She was answered with a stun-phaser pointed at her face. Strong hands taped her mouth and bound her hands. The same was done to Louis. The four figures pushed and led them back through the door and down a corridor to a round hole in the thick shield-wall of the Computer. The edges of the hole were still glowing from the nuclear-cutter as they climbed through into the blackness of the Computer’s interior. Red lights on the abductor’s helmets illuminated the narrow maze-like path ahead of them. Guardian V and Louis were quickly marched through the gloom toward a round opening of light in a far wall. Its edges were also glowing faintly and the round plug of the wall was lying in the corridor. Clearing the hole, they started down another corridor towards yet another round hole in the distant wall.

  **********

  “What are they working on now, Guardian?” VanDevere said. “They seem very intent and serious.”

  “Communication skills,” Guardian VII said. “Martin is trying to determine how detailed he can be with Panther. He is starting with very basic questions and commands.”

  “Are they using the link again, Guardian?” Rogerton said, standing beside her and watching the screen.

  “Yes, they use it most of the time during training exercises. The link circuits are built into both of them. When the link needs to be initiated, either Martin or I can do it.”

  Suddenly the big cat ran up to the door, pawing at it, and looking back at Martin as if to hurry him along.

  “Guardian! Guardian!” Martin said, running to the door. “Panther is sensing trouble! Our collective consciousness is definitely showing something upsetting to him! Is it his body or mine? Is it something outside the room?”

  “Both of your bodies are normal, no fluctuations, but Panther is showing elevated stress patterns,” Guardian VII said, quickly scanning her controls.

  “Is everything alright with the Guardians and with CENTRAL?” Martin said.

  “Bestmarke!” VanDevere said, glancing at the Guardian. “Where are Franelli and Guardian V?”


  “No response!” Guardian VII said. “The sensors are not showing them anywhere! How can that be?”

  “They have to be somewhere!” Rogerton said. “We saw them an hour ago in his lab!”

  “Let me and Panther find them!” Martin said.

  “Can we risk letting him out yet?” VanDevere said.

  “I can handle him,” Martin said. “We need to trust him and do it now!”

  The two officers and the Guardian looked at each other and agreed. Guardian VII opened the door and Panther bounded in with Martin right behind. Without a glance at the three women, the great cat sped for the other door, waiting for Martin.

  “Put a map in our link so we’ll know where to go!” Martin said, racing for the door.

  The Guardian inserted the schematic plans for CENTRAL into their link and then sent an emergency signal to the other Guardians.

  “Lieutenant Rogerton, strap on your headgear and follow them as best you can. I will hook you into Martin’s side of the link. Take this with you,” she said, handing her a laser-rifle from a cabinet.

  “Lieutenant-Commander Gornect! Go to full alert: Code-Red-Bestmarke!” VanDevere said to her acting commanding officer aboard the Victorian Cruiser Daniela in high earth orbit.

  “Yes, Ma’am,” she said. “Code-Red-Bestmarke!”

  Martin and Panther ran down the corridor by the Chambers where the two pedestals were still sitting. “Wait!” Martin said. Panther stopped and looked back as Martin ran to his pedestal and opened the back panel. The 8mm rifle and ammunition were still there. He shoved the ammo into his pockets, grabbed the rifle, and ran back out the door. “Let’s go!” he said to Panther. They followed the map in their link, racing to the lab where Guardian V and Franelli had been working, only to find it empty and the door half open. Panther sniffed and studied the lab floor for a moment, then ran back out the door and down the corridor, his nose close to the floor. They turned a corner and discovered a round hole in the metal wall, the plug was lying in the corridor.

  “There’s a round hole in the metal wall. The edges are glowing hot,” Martin said over his link to Guardian VII.

  “Oh, no!” VanDevere said. “A nuclear-cutter! We should have sensed that immediately, how could they have hidden that?”

  “Only a cloak could hide that,” Guardian VII said, trying to remain calm. “Perhaps that is why we cannot locate Guardian V and Franelli. It would take a fusion reactor to generate that kind of power. Nobody could smuggle that in.”

  “Could they somehow use an energy feed from outside CENTRAL?” VanDevere said.

  “It is possible, but it would be extremely powerful and noticeable. It would set off numerous sensors.”

  “Can an energy feed be broken down into different components that are difficult to detect?” VanDevere said, beginning to pace back and forth.

  “Yes, that is possible. There are many different beam frequencies that could be used. They could even be standard transfer beam frequencies, but much more powerful,” Guardian VII said.

  “Lieutenant-Commander Gornect, scan for transfer beams from all ships in earth orbit,” VanDevere said. “See where they are located and what the beams look like at different wavelengths. Look for especially strong power transfers.”

  “Yes, Ma’am, beginning searches. I'll get back to you.”

  **********

  “Go in the hole, Panther,” Martin said. The great cat went first using his keen night vision and sense of smell. Martin followed behind, holding the end of his long tail. Their progress was slow but with his heightened senses the powerful cat led them through the maze of the interior of the Computer to a faint round hole on the far side. It led into another corridor.

  **********

  “I am not sensing them anymore,” Guardian VII said, her face was full of concern. “The screens are showing a circular blank area of nearly fifteen hundred meters. That is huge! It must be a modified form of cloak, for they just vanished. We must trust them both now to use good judgment and caution.”

  “Judgment, yes,” VanDevere said. “Caution? They may throw that to the wind. I wish we could see where they are.” She continued pacing the floor. “Did Martin have a weapon with him?”

  “Not when he left the room. But he and Panther ran down the corridor by the Chambers. His projectile weapon was still in the pedestal there. He could have quickly taken it and the ammunition before they disappeared.”

  “Great! VanDevere said. “Now we have a dangerous panther and a zealot with a hunting rifle on the loose!”

  **********

  “Where are you?” Rogerton thought. “I am in front of a cutter hole in the wall. It's pitch-black in there, I don't have a light.”

  “Panther led us through,” Martin thought. He mentally indicated where they were on their map. “Can you take a different route? It shows connecting corridors, but they’re longer. It may be the only way. We’re going through another dark area, through the heart of the Computer. If it weren’t for Panther I couldn’t do it. Here is where I think we’ll come out.” He mentally indicated the position again. “We seem to be traveling overall in a straight line. Try and meet us here at this corridor.”

  “I'll do it, but I'll have to run,” she said, carrying the laser-rifle and following the map in her linked consciousness.

  **********

  “Star-Commander, we have located four ships in parking orbits with unusually strong transfer beam emissions all pointed directly at CENTRAL. We did not see them until we isolated the various wavelengths. They are all different frequencies but combined together give enormous power.”

  “Is it enough for a cloaking mechanism, Lieutenant-Commander?” VanDevere said, still pacing.

  “Yes Ma’am, but if we can remove one of the beams the combination will then be incomplete, not capable of powering a cloak.”

  “Move against the nearest ship. Use the Phase Interrupter Laser and shut them down. Call in two Cutters each on the other three ships. Order them to stand down. If they refuse, take whatever action is needed to disable them. If that does not work, destroy them.”

  “Yes, Ma’am, we are moving to intercept the nearest vessel. ETA is 10 minutes. The six Cutters are on their way to the three remaining vessels. I'll keep you updated, Ma’am.”

  **********

  Panther emerged through the round hole into the dimly lit utility corridor with Martin right behind him, still hanging on to his guiding tail.

  “Thanks, my friend. Now, which way?”

  The panther sniffed the ground and bolted down the corridor with Martin right behind. They came to an intersection and abruptly stopped. Either direction ended shortly at a heavy blast gate. The trail led to the one on the right but it was locked tight. They tried the other one, it was the same.

  “Lieutenant, where are you?” Martin thought.

  “Here is my location on the map,” she said, mentally pointing it out. “I've found a device of some sort, about the size of a luggage crate. It's humming and has what appears to be a beam generator aimed down a corridor at a nuclear-cutter. It must be the cutter they used to break in. The cutter is by one of the primary walls of the Computer. It's too heavy for me to move. I don't like the looks of this.”

  “Stay there! We’ve hit a dead end – two locked blast gates. Can you tell from the plan where we are? What’s on the other side of these gates?”

  “You have to get on the other side of the gate! It's an emergency hangar for space-planes, but rarely used. Usually there is a secret security duct around the gates for emergencies. It's marked differently on the schematic plan, if it's there at all. I'm looking – there it is! See the fine dashed lines – right here?” she mentally pointed out.

  “I see it!” Martin ran back down the corridor a short distance. Kneeling, he felt carefully with his hands until he found a shallow dimple in the wall just above the floor. He pressed the center and a hatchway opened in front of him, swinging in, revealing another pitch black opening. Feeling
around the opening’s edge, he clicked a small switch that turned on a faint luminous strip in the floor, stretching out ahead of him in the blackness.

  “Come on, Panther,” he thought. They started single file down the narrow duct. It soon came to an end with a hatchway similar to the first opening. Quietly opening it, they crept out into the spacious, dimly lit hangar.

  They kept to the shadows, but Panther heard something as they moved away from the wall. Suddenly they saw lights and people moving toward a small space-plane six hundred meters away. Martin and the great cat began running toward it as fast as they could.

  “Panther, go right and come in from the side,” Martin thought, visualizing it for him. Panther responded and disappeared into the darkness on the right. Martin loaded the magazine of the 8mm rifle as he ran straight for the space-plane.

  The sound of his quick footsteps finally caught the attention of the dark figures. Two of them shouted in distinctively feminine voices and began firing stun-phasers at Martin. He hid behind a large concrete column and flicked off the rifle’s safety. Swinging the rifle around the column, he fixed the cross-hairs of the scope on one of the dark figures and squeezed the trigger. The figure was abruptly thrown backwards to the floor behind, it didn’t move. Two more figures started firing at the column. Martin swung the rifle around the other side fired, dropping another one. Another figure joined them, firing furiously at both sides of the column. Martin peeked around and saw Panther bounding from the shadows at the two remaining figures. The great cat mastered a tremendous leap, his front legs outstretched with fully opened claws, his teeth gleamed in the dim lighting, his eyes were a yellow fire. He screamed a deafening roar. The two figures turned quickly at the sound, their eyes widening in fear.

  Without warning, the engine of the space-plane ignited, stirring up dust from the floor. It lifted up on a pillar of flame and hovered above Martin and Panther. The aircraft steadily moved to the cavernous hangar opening and shot up into the sky.