Morgan landed in a parking area that serviced the businesses, and slipped out into a balmy night. The loud music coming from the club at the other end of the strip was almost drowned by the boom of the nearby surf. The air smelled of salt and night-flowering plants. Ravindra walked around the skimmer to join her.
She would prefer to be a bit closer to the resort buildings. The path through the bushes behind the parking lot looked promising, leading as it did toward the resort grounds. "Let's go down there," she said. "I'll find it easier to get a signal. We can just be a happy couple wanting some privacy."
Chuckling, Ravindra put an arm around her waist and drew her against him. "That might be a good idea. Later."
She rubbed her head against his side. I really do love you, Ravindra. The smell of him, his touch, his voice. She drank it all in. Later.
An alarm intruded, relayed from her implant. She stopped, pushing away from him.
Ravindra's arm dropped to his side. "What?"
"I'm getting an intruder alert from Vulsaur."
He stiffened. "Someone trying to get in?"
"It's mixed. It's odd." She shook her head. "Then again, if they've arrested the others, they'd be impounding the ship, wouldn't they?"
"Yes. So they'll be waiting for us up there."
"Fuck."
"Can they break into your communications system?"
"No. It's completely different to anything they have here and it's got my security on it. They won't trace us from Vulsaur."
He slung an arm around her shoulders. "So. One thing at a time, my love. We have a crew to rescue."
True enough. Morgan gave him a brief hug. They walked on, along a sandy path underneath the branches. The heady scent of a blossom floated out from one as they brushed past. The fence appeared, moonlight dusting the mesh. Not far away a tower supporting a sensor grid stood silhouetted against the sky.
"I expect this is also an access path to that." She glanced at the tower.
Ravindra's head turned as he looked along the fence. "Yes. There's a gate over there. Do we need to go inside?"
She shook her head. She had already connected with the repeater, following the data packets down into the computer system. Surveillance cameras first. She entered their room numbers, one at a time. All empty, except the one she and Ravindra used. "We have a two-person welcoming committee in our room."
He grunted. "That won't be all. Do they have a vehicle in the landing area?"
Good thought. Morgan disconnected from the hotel system and roved further afield, searching for other connections. Fourth time lucky. "Got it. The records say this crew has been deployed to pick us up. They have our names and pictures. Acting on a complaint from… oh dear… Marina Seabright."
She couldn't resist directing a huge grin at Ravindra, who scowled. "She fell on her face after she tried to hit me."
"I know. But it says here you're violent and dangerous and," she raised her eyebrows, "oh-ho. It seems we're suspected insurgents. Supporters of a local dissident group." She searched the databases for the name. "It's called 'Veritas'. They don't believe in the Goddess or the Temple. They want to elect a government, give equal rights to men."
Ravindra's scowl deepened. "Any idea where our people have been taken?"
"Nowhere by this team. Let's see if I can follow this back to base."
She hitched a ride with the data packets up into the communications network girdling every civilized planet. Through a controlled gateway, into a powerful main system. What Morgan wanted was the fabled Temple. Ah. New arrivals. Pictures of Prasad, Davaskar, Jirra and Tullamarran appeared. They looked grim, and resolute. She found the cell numbers, and took a copy of the layout, all the time blocking the security program. Then she faded away, once more human.
"They're in the Temple." She showed Ravindra the pictures via his sanvad.
"Ideas?" he barked.
Back in admiral mode; you didn't even have to flick a switch. "The cells are in what probably used to be the dungeons. And you saw the lights. The place is lit up like a festive decoration, so slipping in from the air might be a bit dicey."
Morgan stopped, gazing up at him.
"Keep talking," Ravindra said. "You have an idea."
"I have. But I don't think you're going to like it."
His eyes narrowed.
"We go back to Partridge and borrow his sub again, see if we can land from the sea."
He blinked. She was right. He didn't like that idea, not one little bit.
"Do you have a better idea?" she asked.
"Can't you make us different identities, set us up as part of this police force? Forge permits for the Temple?"
"To all of the above, yes. Given time. We'd also need to change our appearance."
He sighed. "I don't like the notion of the submarine. And I don't see how it will get us anywhere."
"Maybe we can do a bit of both. Sneak onto the island, then see if we can take out a couple of guards. Like we did when we stole the ship at Zaffra Bay."
Ravindra retreated into command mode, his face calm and blank. "All right. Take us back to Partridge's house."
***
Lights were still on at the house when Morgan landed the skimmer. They waited at the front door for a few minutes while the house's IS alerted Partridge and Eastly. Partridge came himself to open the door.
"You gave us a helluva fright. We wondered if we'd alerted something. Brent said an alarm went off in that undersea lab." He stood aside to gesture them in. "Or did they realize you'd been here?"
Morgan shook her head. "There are no bugs in your house. I checked. It seems we're on the wanted list. Ashkar managed to offend Marina Seabright, who has reported us to the security police."
Partridge and Eastly exchanged a look. "I'm not surprised. I did wonder what she'd do about falling on her face." Eastly's eyes twinkled. "Derryn told me about it. I laughed till I cried. Pompous bitch."
Partridge led them to the sitting room and gestured at chairs, sitting down himself. "Seabright's great friends with a number of the senior members of government. And she's completely full of herself. I can see her rushing off to complain."
"They decided we were insurgents, here to help a group called 'Veritas'." Morgan noticed the quickly covered exchange of glances. Both their heart beats had sped up, and Partridge's grip on the arm of his chair had tightened.
"What did you want from us?"
"Our people have been arrested, and taken to the Temple," Ravindra said.
Partridge's brows lowered. "How can you be sure?"
"I found out through their systems." Morgan flicked her head. Oh, what the hell? They needed the man's help. "Yes, I'm a Supertech. So I know they're there, and I know where. We want a way of getting onto the island without being detected, and I thought you might be able to tell us a little more about the place."
Partridge crossed his legs. "The sub."
"You don't have to come," Morgan said. "You can just wait here until we come back for you."
But Partridge was lost in his own world, gazing at the desktop. "Well, that changes the odds quite a bit."
"Oh? Why?" Morgan said.
Partridge heaved a sigh. "Because Brent and I are suspected of being part of Veritas. Mainly because of what we are, our relationship. Two men, you understand." His voice trailed off. He cleared his throat. "We've kept a very low profile, but if you and your crew escape, and they work out you've been here, I think we'll be invited for a little visit to the Temple ourselves. I don't think this house will be safe for much longer."
Eastly placed a hand on the other man's shoulder. The distant murmur of the surf filled the room.
Ravindra's deep voice broke the silence. "If we can't release our crew, we can't help you leave the planet."
"And we can't stay here. So you'll have to take us with you." Partridge's gaze moved from her to Ravindra. "Or kill us."
Morgan's heart jolted. She jerked her head around so fast it hurt.
&n
bsp; Ravindra's expression was part amusement, part contempt, part something else. "It is an option. But I do not think my beautiful lady would allow it." His eyes glittered. "Apart from that, I gave you my word to take you away from here."
Morgan said nothing. Ashkar was a pragmatist above all else. He would do what he had to do. But he would try to get Partridge and Eastly out if he could. Of course, that meant having them along in the sub. Again. Oh well. Partridge was all right, and Eastly seemed repentant. Everybody deserved a second chance, she supposed. Especially if there wasn't much choice. Now all they needed was for Partridge to agree. He hadn't spoken yet, just sat there with an enigmatic smile on his face.
Partridge put his hand over Eastly's and squeezed. "We have to do it, Brent."
Frowning, Eastly chewed his bottom lip, then nodded. Morgan hid her sigh of relief.
"I can't say the prospect pleases me, any more than I imagine it pleases you," Partridge said. "But like I said before, sometimes the Universe doesn't give you much choice." He eased himself to his feet. "As it happens, I have something which might assist you in rescuing your crew."
***
Partridge walked across the hallway and into his circular office, talking as he went. "This is more of my grandmother's records. She acquired the oldest maps she could lay her hands on, haunted the deceased estate sales and so on."
He pulled a wooden box away from the wall and opened the lid. "I don't show these to anybody." He knelt, leaning over the contents.
Ravindra hoped he'd made the right decision. Killing these two and taking the sub would have been the cleanest, the easiest. Morgan was too trusting, and he thought she felt sorry for these two men. He still couldn't get used to the idea that they'd actually have… sex… with each other. The very thought revolted him. To each his own. It certainly explained a number of aspects of their behavior. However… if they could provide a way into the Temple, then he was honor-bound to help them if he could.
"Is this where you found out about the wall carvings? The statues?" Morgan asked.
Partridge looked up at her. "No. That was from that fragment of picture. It came from another sale." He rifled through a pile of documents, each carefully sealed in a protective coating. No musty smell, no chance of further damage.
"Ah. This is it." He rocked back on his heels, brandishing a folio.
Eastly took the document from him and unfolded it, while Partridge clambered to his feet. "Wow. This is old," the secretary said, his eyes wide.
Had the paper not been encased, it would have disintegrated. The folds in the protective film matched the creases of the original paper, and all the material where the creases had been, were gone. Partridge cleared space on his desk so Eastly could lay the map out.
Morgan gazed down at it. "Have you scanned this? Had an IS fill in the gaps?"
Partridge shook his head. "Absolutely not. And it's not too bad. Just extrapolate a little where the folds were."
"What do you think?" Ravindra asked her. She would have scanned the document already, processed the content.
"It's very old." She pointed. "This is the sea level, here. According to the Geological Survey for the planet, the last time the sea was so low was about fifteen hundred years ago."
"Yes. Ushas's population was well and truly entrenched by then. The Temple was already old," Partridge said.
"They built a temple on an island? Why?" Morgan asked.
Partridge's grin was cynical. "The same reason they always build temples in inaccessible places. Keep the priestesses separate from the riff-raff. And, of course, it was easier to defend."
"So your Temple was a fortification?" Ravindra asked.
"It wasn't all sweetness and light here," Partridge explained. "The Temple and its priestesses are on top now, but in the past there were wars between factions. In fact, part of the reason they're on top now is because they were isolated. An epidemic five hundred years ago killed off many men. That, and the wars. The women had to take over, and pretty soon they realized they liked the job."
"Then all they had to do was fit all of that into the myth of the Goddess. All men are created equal, but women are better." Bitterness dripped from Eastly's words.
"Oh, yes," Morgan said. "I can see it now. The Goddess has come to smite the non-believers. My mother was into something like that. Especially after I was born."
Ravindra eyed her, noting the brief twist of her lips. She'd never mentioned anything like that.
"Anyway, getting back to the task at hand, you realize this isn't a sea gate?" Morgan asked.
"What?" Partridge stepped back to the table and pointed at a feature. "What's this, then?"
Morgan shook her head. "The sea level was much lower. This is just a normal wharf, maybe in a cave. Now, it will be well below the surface."
"Yes," Eastly said, "so accessible by a sub."
Ravindra shared a look with her. This was stupid. Did the man think they could sail up and knock on the door? "But they must know about this place. It is a weakness."
"They do," Morgan said. "Where's a screen?"
Eastly lifted a display from the tabletop. Morgan projected an image of the temple's layout, and superimposed the ancient map, adjusting the scale to fit.
"See?" Using a simple circle on the screen, she pointed as she talked. "Here's the old wharf, and yes, in 3D you can see it's in a cave, now flooded."
"But there might be gates, hatches. Like you found in the laboratory." Partridge said.
"The laboratory was something else. Old, with great technology and a computer system I didn't have time to learn about." Morgan frowned. "I don't know about you, but I felt that place had been left, just in case they had to come back. Using atomic fuel cells, the systems could keep going almost indefinitely. It was designed to be hidden but not to be impenetrable. This is something else. Even if there are still passages and gates, they'll be locked." She shook her head again. "I don't know."
Eastly and Partridge looked like they'd lost their mother. Ravindra grinned. They gave up too easily. "So this place is marked? On the current layout?" he asked.
"Yep." Morgan reverted to 3D, so he could see the whole temple island.
The island itself was a mountain top, without doubt a long extinct volcano, rising from the sea floor above the waves. Impassible basalt cliffs towered out of the sea all around the shoreline. The temple rose out of what had been the cone, with a tall, white minaret rising at the center, the focal point of the establishment. On the schematic a landing pad had been constructed next to the buildings, large enough to take a small transport. Hangars carved from the rock would hold other vehicles, such as patrol craft and skimmers. By air was probably the main way in and out for people. A long wharf at sea level led to a passage into the mountain, which would probably be used for supplies or waste removal. A guard post stood on either side of the gate, and sensors ringed the sea cliffs. Guard posts also lined the cliffs surrounding the cone. Not an easy place to penetrate. If they had time, perhaps they could do something with the sea-going transport that used the front gate.
"Where is this ancient sea gate?" Ravindra asked.
"Here." The pointer glowed. "The cells are here." Morgan moved the pointer up a level and along a passage.
"How could we get from the cavern into the cell complex?"
She grinned. "It's actually not much different from the laboratory. There's a flooded lift shaft. At least, I think it would be. See this vertical passage? It's shown as unused."
Ravindra had to agree her argument made sense. "This one won't have a lift cable, though."
"Ah, but we can arrange that. Solid cord, fired into the wall." She mimed aiming a weapon and pressing the trigger.
"But they'll have security systems," Eastly said.
Ravindra chuckled. "We have a Supertech."
Another trip in a submarine. The very thought made Ravindra shudder. But, realistically, what were the options? Steal a ship, bluff their way into the fortress, rescue the
prisoners and get them out? The odds were impossible. The odds weren't good with the sub, either, but at least it all happened in the lower parts of the island.
"So. Let's assume we can get them out, past the guards and the security." He raised an eyebrow.
Morgan nodded. "They rely on system-based security. There are sensors in the cells, recording activity. I can replay old footage, make them think the prisoners are still there."
Yes, she'd done something similar before. "And we hope the guards don't appear while we're there."
She shrugged. "It's a risk. What isn't?"
"How do we get everyone back to the ship?" Ravindra glanced at Eastly. "And can the sub carry so many people?"
"We can squeeze in eight people for a short trip," Eastly said.
"A train passes by here, going to the spaceport. If we can get onto that—" Morgan said.
Ravindra snapped his hand across in a cutting motion. "They're waiting for us on the spaceport. No. If we get them out, we have to get off the planet fast. Which means stealing a ship. Can you tell if there is a ship on the island?"
"Not from here."
Damn. It was a risk, but surely there would be some sort of vehicle there, in such an isolated location. They were all staring at him, waiting for him to speak.
"It is a calculated gamble," Ravindra said. "If it doesn't pay off, we'll think again. There will be six of us, combat trained and physically more than a match for the guards. They certainly won't be expecting a prison escape and Morgan can shut down any system safeguards."
Partridge's eyes grew wider as Ravindra spoke. "What about us?" he squeaked.
"Do either of you have any combat experience?" He gazed from Eastly to Partridge, who exchanged a nervous glance.
"We all have to do a year of national service," Eastly said. "So we can both handle an automatic weapon. But that was a long time ago."
"If you want to leave the planet, you'll have to be prepared to fight," Ravindra said.
Eastly pressed his lips together. Fear leeched off him, so thick Ravindra could almost taste it. Partridge's Adam's apple bobbed but his jaw jutted. "We'll do what we have to."
Morgan's Return Page 19