The Raven-Haired Rogue: A Novella

by John Zakour

  “Not jealous, more like leery,” I tell her. “But that’s not the point here. The point is you turned down Sam Storm.”

  “Yes, of course,” Elena says.

  “HARV, get me more background information on Storm—his education, any business deals he’s made,” I think. Pointing to Helena and Sexy, I ask Elena, “Will you please unpause them?”

  “But I like ’em that way,” Elena pouts. “They are so peaceful and quiet.”

  “Elena, please.”

  Elena nods, and Sexy and Helena unfreeze.

  “Zach, I have Storm’s background. As you are aware, he was a pitcher. But in college he was actually a good student. He majored in biocomputing and got an MBA. After his career in baseball, he started a successful computer start-up company, MicroMax. It made implantable bionics that were totally undetectable by normal bioscans…Interestingly enough, he sold the technology to the World Council right before he became a member.”

  OK, that was something I didn’t realize about Sam Storm. I am not sure how that all fits into this, at least not yet.

  I turn to the now-unpaused Sexy and Helena. “Did you two know Storm’s deal with the moon was a no go?”

  They both shake their heads. “Ah, no,” Sexy tells me.

  “He e-mailed me just a day ago that the deal was dragging on,” Helena says.

  “That’s confirmed,” HARV tells me.

  “Can you trace that e-mail?” I ask HARV.

  “Yes, it’s actually coming from a server on the moon from the No Seasons Hotel there.”

  Crossing my arms, I look to Elena and say, “So you’re sure? Storm’s deal with the moon fell through?”

  “Yes, of course, Zachary.”

  “Then why is he sending e-mails from the moon?”

  Elena takes a slight step backward. “Zachary…” She puts her hand over her heart. “I had no idea he was still on the moon. Trust me, Zachary.”

  I turn my attention to Helena and Sexy. “Do you ladies have any idea why Storm would stay on the moon?”

  “He’s probably too ashamed to come back,” Sexy suggests.

  “Please, he’s a politician. He knows no shame,” I tell her.

  “Maybe he’s hoping to get another shot at the Moon Council?” Helena suggests. “He is a persistent fellow.”

  I hear Carol in my mind. “Zach, Merinda’s people are getting antsy. We need you back here.”

  Carol must be very anxious to remotely project a message into my brain. Still, there’s something about this Sam Storm business that isn’t sitting right with me…but that could be unrelated.

  “Zach, you really need to get back here,” Carol psionically shouts into my brain. “Merinda’s staff are getting anxious to come back.”

  Carol is right. It is time to return to Merinda. I need to figure out—and face—whichever of her travel mates from Mars is an immediate threat. But that doesn’t mean I can’t multitask somewhat.

  I turn to Helena and Sexy and give them a polite bow, playing up to their egos a bit. “I appreciate your help, ladies. If you hear from Sam Storm, I would also appreciate it if you would let me know. He is a person of interest to me. After all, I believe a trade agreement between Earth and Mars will benefit all.”

  Helena and Sexy exchange quick glances with each other.

  “We will take that under advisement,” Helena says.

  “Yeppers,” Sexy says.

  Elena puts her hands on her hips and leans in to me. “How does a Mars-Earth agreement help the moon?”

  “It shows the people of the moon that you are strong and don’t need ties to Earth to survive,” I say.

  “Good one,” HARV tells me.

  Elena smiles. “There is a large amount of bio waste in that, but some of it also rings true. Zach, you could have a future in politics.”

  “Now that’s a scary thought,” I tell her.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I see Helena nodding in agreement.

  “Elena, could you port me back to the Kardasian Towers?” I ask. Yeah, I hate porting, but I’ve been keeping Merinda waiting too long. A good PI puts his client’s needs in front of his own fears.

  “Gladly,” Elena says. She moves forward, putting her arms around me.

  “Do you have to hug me in front of my future mother-in-law?” I ask.

  Elena just smiles. She pushes a button on her belt. The next thing I know, we are standing in the lobby of the KT hotel. Elena releases me from her hug and takes a step back.

  “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

  “Actually, there is,” I say.

  Elena sighs. “You know, Zach, I was just being polite when I asked that.”

  Putting a hand on her shoulder and looking her in the eyes, I say, “But surely you are at least somewhat interested in what Sam Storm is doing on the moon, if he really is on the moon.”

  Elena dips her head a little and looks away from me. “So you want me to see if Stone is really on the moon and what he might be up to.”

  “That would be ideal. After all, you don’t want Earth politicians hanging out on the moon. That would just be bad.” I tell her.

  Elena nods. “Agreed.” She touches a button on her belt and disappears in a flash of energy.

  “Well, that went as well as can be expected,” I tell HARV.

  HARV appears next to me, projecting himself from my wrist P-Pod. “Yes, it did. Now let’s hope your luck holds with our next interview.”

  “Ah, HARV, what does that mean?”

  “I’ve taken the liberty of contacting Twoa Thompson,” HARV informs me.

  Twoa Thompson is one of the Thompson Quads, four women who are genetically engineered to shear perfection. The three remaining Quads are the epitome of humankind, but they all come with super quirks, also. Twoa, for her part, considers herself to be a superhero called Justice Babe. She flies around town in a skimpy costume beating the pulp out of evildoers.

  “Why, HARV? Why?”

  “Zach, for all her quirks, Twoa is one of the richest women in the world. She is a major stockholder in HyperUltraMaxMart. It sells more goods than any company on Earth. It is possible they would be less than pleased about Earth getting goods from Mars.”

  Before I can respond to HARV, I hear, “Zachary Nixon Johnson, I am so glad you called for my aid!”

  I turn and see Twoa Thompson in all her super glory flying toward me.

  Twoa grabs me, locking me in a giant bear hug. “So, fellow fighter of evil, how can I help?”

  “I probably should tell you that I didn’t tell Twoa why you wanted to see her,” HARV whispers in my mind.

  8

  “So, Zach, I repeat—why did your hologram summon me?” Twoa asks, releasing her grip and letting me drop to the ground.

  “Ah, well, I won’t beat around the bush. I understand you own a nice portion of HUMM,” I say slowly.

  Twoa nods. “Yes, superhero work doesn’t pay well, especially since I wreck so many buildings and hovers and stuff. It’s nice to have the income rolling and rolling.”

  “I assume you are aware of the impending talks between Earth and Mars,” I say.

  Twoa locks her gaze on me. “Yes, of course.” I swear I see a bit of steam coming out of her ears, and her face turns slightly redder. “I don’t think I’m going to like where you are going with this.”

  “Well, you have to admit, HUMM would lose some profits if Earth started importing products from Mars.”

  Twoa moves forward, faster than my eyes can detect. She grabs me, and the next thing I know, I’m flying upward toward the ceiling of the hotel.

  “You really do have a way with people,” HARV says in my head. “I think you should listen to my suggestion to switch colognes. It may not help, but it couldn’t hurt.”

  I brace for impact. I’m pretty sure this is going to hurt, but nothing my body underarmor can’t handle.

  I stop suddenly, mere centimeters from crashing into the ceiling. I feel myself floating
gently back to the ground. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Carol exiting the elevator and entering the lobby.

  “I called Carol when Twoa arrived,” HARV informs me. “I thought we might need some backup.”

  “You have so little faith in me,” I tell him, just as my feet touch back gently on the ground.

  Carol comes storming over toward us, her hair rippling with energy. “Not cool, Twoa!” she shouts, pointing an accusing finger.

  Twoa rolls her eyes. “You’re not the only one with telekinetic powers,” she says to Carol. “I was just funning Zach a bit, superhero to sidekick. I wasn’t going to let him crash.”

  “Twoa—one, I don’t call tossing me into the ceiling fun. And two, and more importantly, I am not your sidekick.”

  “Yes, if anything he is my sidekick,” HARV chimes in.

  “I’m nobody’s sidekick!” I shout.

  “Not with an attitude like that,” Twoa tells me.

  “Agreed,” HARV says, with a nod toward Twoa.

  “Do you want me to zap her?” Carol asks me.

  It’s a tempting offer. But truthfully, despite Carol’s power, I’m not sure if she could take on Twoa. I shake my head. “Not yet. I need to see if I can get some information out of her willingly.”

  Twoa holds open her arms. “Zach, I really did come here to help.”

  I shoot a finger into Twoa’s face. I figure if I talk fast, I might get her to give up some 411. “So what are HUMM’s interests in Earth and Mars’s relationship?”

  Twoa puts her arm around me. I’m not sure if it’s meant to be a friendly gesture, or if she wants to zap me with super pheromones. Either way, I like it.

  “Zach, we at HUMM are all for opening up trade relations with Mars. In fact, we plan to negotiate with them to be the distributor of their goods here. After all, HUMM sells eighty-eight percent of all goods and 3-D printer plans on Earth, either online or in our stores, for those old-fashioned types. The way we see it, the more goods we have to offer, the better. Our studies have shown the more people buy, the more they want to buy.”

  “That is confirmed,” HARV says.

  I have to admit that HyperUltraMaxMart working with Mars would make sense. It could be a win-win for both of them.

  “Do you want me to make sure she’s telling the truth?” Carol asks. “Let me scan her, tió.” Carol never takes her green eyes off of Twoa. “I can tell if she’s telling the truth.”

  Twoa curls her fingers into fists and shakes them at Carol. “Just try, psi!”

  I think about it for a moment, about what Twoa said about HyperUltraMegaMart actually benefiting from an Earth-Mars trade agreement. It makes sense. Stepping between Carol and Twoa, I tell Carol, “No need. I think we can trust Twoa.” I say the last part loud enough so Twoa can easily hear me without resorting to super hearing.

  “Of course you can trust me, Zach-boy. I am one of the good gals,” Twoa exclaims, holding her hand out for me to shake.

  Shaking her hand, I say, “Please don’t call me Zach-boy. I am not a sidekick.”

  “Of course,” Twoa says in a tone that doesn’t match the words.

  Twoa releases her grip on me and extends a hand to Carol. Carol eyes Twoa’s hand as a snake handler would eye a cobra. Carol cautiously extends her hand to meet Twoa’s. The two lock their grips and glare at each other. I watch them tighten their grips. Neither of the ladies gives any ground or hint of pain. I step in between them.

  “Ah, ladies, this is no time for a mental spitting contest,” I tell them.

  They both turn their attention to me.

  “We’re ladies. We don’t spit,” they say at once.

  They release their grips, giving each other a smile of acknowledgment.

  Twoa leans toward me. “So, brave Zach, are you satisfied with my answer?”

  I nod. “Yes, I am.”

  “If you need anything else, you know how to summon me!” Twoa shouts, for no apparent reason. She lifts her arm and flies off.

  “I still think I could take her if I had to,” Carol tells me.

  Pointing to the elevator, I say, “Let’s get to Merinda’s suite. I have an idea.”

  “Let me guess. You need me to take Alicia out so you can talk to Merinda in private,” Carol says, following me toward the elevator.

  “Bingo,” I say, walking into the elevator.

  Carol turns to HARV. “That means yes. Right?”

  HARV simply nods.

  “Her mind is powerful, but I believe if I touch her, then I can lower her defenses…” Carol says.

  9

  We find Merinda in her bedroom, sitting on her bed. Saturn has his head contentedly in her lap. Alicia is, of course, standing vigilant by Merinda’s side.

  “Mr. Johnson, I am so glad you found Saturn and that you are here!” Alicia tells me anxiously. “The rest of the staff will be here soon to also personally thank you.”

  Carol taps Alicia on the shoulder and says, “Sleep standing for me.”

  Alicia’s eyes shut, and her head drops.

  “We need to talk alone for a moment,” I tell Merinda and Saturn. “I have an idea.” Moving next to Merinda, I say, “I want you to cancel your meeting with the World Council.”

  “Why?” she asks.

  “This will delay whoever wants to harm you and give me more time to figure out which one of your staff it is.”

  Merinda looks at me, weighing my words carefully. “If I delay, what would I tell the council?”

  “You need to go back to Mars for personal reasons,” I tell her. “They are politicians. They will totally relate to you putting your needs in front of the needs of your people.”

  Merinda lowers her head. “I don’t know. I so hate to let my people down…”

  “Merinda, delaying your meeting with the World Council will allow me time to figure out who wants you dead.”

  Merinda stands there weighing my words, so I decide to add a little more heft to them.

  “You getting dead isn’t good for your people or the people of Earth,” I toss in.

  Merinda stands there for a moment in thought. Raising her arm, she types something on her wrist communicator. “I am texting the World Council and my colleagues on the Mars Council, telling them I need to delay for a week due to a personal matter.”

  I smile and nod. “I gotta respect a lady who puts off the World Council with a text.”

  Merinda looks up at me, eyes wide open. “I assured them the matter would not take longer than a week. I don’t want to hurt relationships between our planets. You can solve this in a week. Correct, Zach?”

  “Yes, I will solve this within the week,” I say in my most reassuring voice. Pointing to Alicia, I tell Carol, “We better get rolling. Unfreeze the aide so she can get the rest of the Mars people here.”

  Before Carol can react, Merinda’s wrist communicator starts to beep.

  Looking at the communicator, Merinda says, “It’s from my sister on Mars Council, Beka.”

  Merinda touches her communicator. The holographic image of a woman who looks like a blond (with red-and-blue streaks), fairer-skinned version of Merinda appears.

  “Beka, how nice of you to call,” Merinda says.

  “So, sister, why are you delaying our talks with Earth?” Beka asks, eyebrow raised.

  “I just had a traumatic experience. Poor Saturn went missing and was almost captured by a dogcatcher bot. Only the heroic efforts of Zachary Nixon Johnson and his staff saved us.”

  “I am not staff,” I heard HARV mumble. “I don’t get paid.”

  “I’m staff, but I barely get paid,” Carol says.

  “Big picture, team. Big picture,” I tell them.

  Merinda turns her communicator so Beka can see HARV, Carol, and me. We all wave politely.

  “Mr. Johnson, thank you for helping my sister find our dear Saturn,” Beka tells me. “Now, to repay you, I insist you come to Mars for a suitable reward.”

  Before I have a chance to respo
nd, Merinda does. “What a splendid idea. We will head to Mars immediately.”

  Beka smiles. “I look forward to greeting you and any of your staff that you care to bring.”

  Beka’s image fades off.

  “I’m not staff,” HARV says, tapping his foot angrily.

  Merinda walks over to me and puts her hand on my shoulder. “Before you say anything, Zach, think about what a perfect opportunity this will be. You will have my potential killer isolated and void of any distractions.”

  Merinda actually makes an interesting point. On the positive side, we will be locked in a ship with a potential killer who won’t be able to get away. We’d be in a controlled environment, making it easier for me to both protect Merinda and weed out her killer. Of course on the negative side, we’d be stuck in a ship with a killer. Still, no plan is perfect.

  “Are you sure this is how you want to do this, Merinda? It could be dangerous,” I tell her.

  She takes me by the arm. “Saturn and I have faith in you. Our ship informs me it can be ready in two hours.”

  “Well, I guess I can be ready in two hours, then, also,” I say.

  Carol looks at me. “What about me, tió? Do you want me there?”

  Now I have to weigh my options. On one hand, it’s always useful to have a class one psi on your side. She may be able to pick up on the killer’s thoughts. On the other hand, pretty much everybody now knows Carol is a psi. Having her around might force the killer to be more guarded, making him or her less likely to make a mistake or tip his or her hand.

  I weigh my options with Carol carefully. It’s almost always useful to have a psi on your side. Still, people from Mars—Martians—aren’t quite like normal Earth humans. From what I know, most Martians have bionics. If some of these enhancements were to their brains, it could make it dicey to deal with them, especially if they could somehow detect Carol was probing their minds. I do know Carol really had to work at it to dominate Alicia.

  Turning to Merinda, I ask, “How many of your people have bionics?”

  Merinda smiles. “Zach, we’re Martians, so we all have some sort of bionic enhancements in us. But they aren’t like Earth bionics, where they are replacement parts. On Mars, we use bionics to supplement and improve. For instance, Alicia, my faithful aide, has bionic-enhanced eyes. Maxxx, my security guard, has had his arms and legs enhanced.”