In the recent past, when he awoke from other dreams and tried to understand, and remember, he’d summoned to his mind grisly visions of bodies, all dead women, while not always knowing how they had died. The visions of murdered women had seemed so real, as real as the marching armies. And he recalled a whispering female voice, telling him he was a murderer, that he had killed many women, all of them his lovers.
And sometimes he’d found scratches on his arms and face when he awoke, and the wound to his left shoulder that still hurt a little, but was almost healed. All unexplained, making him wonder if he might have gone into the land of dreams and been injured there—and if he had killed people there.
Really killed people.
He had a strong sensation that all of the dreams were linked, but he was not certain how. And it seemed to him that they were more than dreams, more than nightmares flashing across the mind of a sleeping man.
And he remembered the dark thoughts he’d had of killing himself, and how something seemed to have taken hold of his muscles, causing him to drop the razor. So many odd things were occurring, and he didn’t know if he could survive them—or if he even wanted to.
CHAPTER 27
On Earth, Piers Johansen was surprised to be contacted by a General on a far-off moon, demanding the payment of $10,000,000 before he would release two of Johansen’s employees from custody, Meredith Lamour and Riggio Tarizy. In a click-com message that appeared in virtual reality for Piers to read, the General claimed that Riggio’s identification documents were not in order, and that he had no business being in the Saturn sector unless he was some sort of a spy—either industrial or military. General Neron gave a deadline of forty-eight hours for payment, or legal and punitive action would be taken against them.
If Riggio was a spy, and the General said his people were still looking into it, he could use this as justification to execute him. And by association, as his accomplice, he might very well put Meredith to death as well. But the General said he was a busy man, and in his position as government leader he would pardon the pair, subject to the payment of the money, and subject to them never again attempting to visit one of the properties he owned or controlled.
After reading the message, only an hour ago, Piers contacted Zack Lamour. Now they sat together in Piers’ office, with the door closed. Cups of coffee sat untouched near them. It was late morning, with a gloomy overcast of clouds outside.
~~~
Zack was still thinking about what the elderly man had just told him, the startling and deeply troubling news.
“This is an obvious extortion attempt, so I’m wondering if we should notify the police or FBI,” Piers said, “but before doing that I wanted to find out what you think we should do, on behalf of Meredith. As for Riggio, he has no known family, so I have no one to consult about him.”
“Except for the police or feds, I suppose,” Zack said. He scowled. “But Meredith and Riggio are being held far across the solar system, in an area of International Space that is beyond the jurisdiction of the United States. What could our authorities do to help? This General sounds unbalanced, could kill them while we’re trying to make our way through bureaucratic red tape and delays.”
“It’s a bad situation, very bad.”
“I have half a mind to get together with some of my Army Special Forces buddies and make a raid on that two-bit General’s moon. We know how to do things like that. I could probably put together nine or ten guys.”
“And you’d come roaring out of the moon’s clickport with guns blasting?” Piers shook his head. “We don’t even know where Meredith and Riggio are being held, nor do we know what sort of resistance you might face.”
“I guess you’re right.” Zack thought for a moment. He would do anything possible to save Meredith. “My career as an artist is just starting to take off, with money starting to come in. Not a lot yet, but it’s looking better and better. Maybe I could raise the cash, getting advances from art dealers where my works are exhibited, taking out loans, maybe even fund-raising. But I couldn’t get the money together in forty eight hours. I’m sure it would take longer. I’d have to meet with people in person.”
“There also a problem with the whole concept of paying to have hostages released,” Piers said. “Such payments generate the taking of more hostages, and provide petty Generals like this guy with a lucrative business model. He probably already has that sort of thing going, and wealthy families pay him behind the scenes.”
“But Meredith isn’t wealthy, and I’m only her ex-husband, moderately well known as an artist, but not what could be called famous. I’m just starting to get my career going.”
“She’s one of the top two or three agents I’ve ever had,” Piers said, “and she’s my good friend. I don’t want any harm to come to her.”
“Nor do I.”
They sat there silently, in dark moods, when the office-com rang. It was the secretary in the outer office, and he wanted to put a call through.
“I told you no interruptions,” Piers said.
“But this is Sam Howe, and he’s asking about Meredith.” Piers’ secretary, James Liang, knew about the message from General Neron, and its contents.
Piers exchanged glances with Zack, who nodded. Then the old man said, “All right. Put him on VR.”
An image of Sam Howe appeared in the office, standing by the window. He wore casual clothing, not his customary costume. And he looked concerned. “Meredith sent me a click-com message three days ago, saying she needed to cancel an appointment to inspect one of my new resorts.”
“The one at Sun Under, I believe?” Piers asked.
“That’s right. Our original appointment was for yesterday, and she didn’t give me a substitute date. Is she all right? I hope she’s not ill.”
Piers wasn’t sure what to say, and didn’t answer. Neither did Zack.
“She is ill, then? I’m very concerned about her. The click-com was strange. She used words that sounded like she wasn’t telling me everything, like she was hiding something.”
“She’s in trouble,” Zack said. He told Sam what had happened, and about the demand for a ransom payment.
“It’s pure extortion,” Piers said, “based on charges that two-bit officer is trying to trump up. He has no proof of anything, and admits as much. He only has a suspicion about Riggio.”
“I’ve never liked Riggio,” Zack admitted. “There’s something weird about him, something I noticed the first moment I set eyes on him.”
Piers looked at him quizzically. Apparently he had not noticed anything like that.
“I’ll pay the ransom,” Sam said. “Just tell me where to how to get the money to that bastard, and it will be done.”
“That’s a very generous offer,” Piers said.
Surprised by the turn of events, Zack didn’t say anything for several moments. He knew that Sam was Meredith’s most wealthy client—and from what she’d told him Sam was also her friend, even though she said he was a bit too forward at times. Yet she always insisted that there was nothing romantic between them. He had a good heart, she always said, and was harmless.
Finally, Zack told Sam about his own rising career, and how he would take steps to repay the money.
“We can talk about that later,” the tycoon said. “First, let’s get her home.”
“Thank you,” Zack said, fighting back tears. “Thank you so much.”
CHAPTER 28
When Meredith and Riggio stepped out of the click chamber in Seattle, she saw a large number of soldiers on the platform, uniformed men and women boarding outbound click chambers. Some of the larger chambers were filled with military vehicles. Doors closed and click chambers went into operation with smooth whirring noises.
Meredith wondered if it had anything to do with the ordeal that she and Riggio had just been through, or if it involved one of the other trouble spots around the solar system. There were many, and the United States government was always trying to put out wha
t they called “brush fires.”
They didn’t mind being called the Solar System Police, and were actually fronting for other countries in addition to their own, with funding coming from a variety of sources. In some trouble spots where the U.S. did not have commercial interests, or other interests, she thought they were acting more like mercenaries. It was just one of many modern realities that had come to pass when click chamber travel opened up the solar system.
It was shortly before noon, the day after the ransom was paid, by Sam Howe, she’d been informed. The whole situation made her furious. She was glad to be home, but felt frustrated and outraged by what the petty tyrant had done. It was very nice that Sam had stepped up and done that, but now she had an obligation to him.
She could see blue sky through the clear-glass roof. Their large travel case hovered behind them, and Meredith operated a belt control to set it down. She opened it, and Riggio removed his own smaller personal travel bag. She closed the travel case they were sharing, said, “I’ll hold onto the equipment and bring it into the office tomorrow.”
He nodded. “Thanks for taking me with you. I learned a lot.”
“You did a good job. The political situation was awful, but at least we survived it.”
As Riggio looked for something in his bag, she noticed her ex-husband Zack Lamour walking toward her on the crowded platform. He stopped in front of her, looking as if he wanted to hug her, and she wouldn’t mind if he did. But there were still things to work out between them, serious obstacles to overcome.
“I’m so glad you’re safe,” Zack said. “We were really worried, until Sam Howe stepped in. But we can discuss that later.”
She nodded. “I heard. Wonder what he wants in return.”
Zack frowned. “That worries me. Do you like him, I mean in the way he seems to like you?”
“No. That’s been an ongoing battle, him making constant advances, all harmless, I thought. I mean, I appreciate what he did, but I never had the feelings for him that I have for you, Zack, and this isn’t going to change that.”
“You just got off that moon in time. Vanni, or Neron 3, or whatever it’s called now, is going to be a combat zone, as the U.S. government has decided to go after General Neron. It seems he’s taken over one moon too many, and made too many enemies. Apparently he’s made other outrageous ransom demands, and powerful families have been involved. They’re fed up, and pulled strings to get the government to retaliate.” He looked at her closely. “You weren’t hurt?”
“Not a bit. I suppose, the General was pleasant enough in his own way, asking me to handle his insurance on the new factories he took over. And even when he came up with a reason to keep us from leaving, we were not sent to jail. He put us up in a first class hotel... separate rooms of course... with all expenses paid.”
“After this fight is over, there won’t be anything left on his moon to insure,” Zack said. He smiled grimly. “I’m so glad you’re all right. Look, Meredith, I know you said we’d get together after your Sun Under inspection trip, but I’ve been worried about you, so I hope you’ll forgive me for coming to meet you, when I found out when you were being released.”
“That’s all right. I’m glad you’re here.” She smiled warmly.
Meredith saw Zack shoot a hard glare to Riggio, who was just closing his travel case, after removing a bottle of water from it. Her ex-husband didn’t like her assistant, said earlier he thought the young man was strange. And Zack was right about that, but it didn’t mean he was dangerous. She felt certain it was just jealousy, because Riggio was quite good looking. Not that she cared about his looks; she’d never stopped caring about Zack.
“I was in Army Special Forces, remember? When I heard about the military coup, I was ready to lead a commando team to rescue you. I was talked out of that, but you’re lucky, getting out just before the big U.S. strike force went in.” He pointed toward the soldiers and military vehicles. “This is the first wave, from Fort Lewis. Other army and marine units are being sent from around the country.”
Meredith looked at Riggio, saw him staring blankly at Zack, listening to him. Riggio looked tired, and so was she. He took a drink of water from the plastic bottle, re-secured the top on it.
“Maybe we could have our get-together a little earlier?” Zack suggested. “Before you go out your next inspection? It still needs to be rescheduled, from what I hear.”
“I’m extremely tired,” she said. She gave him a quick kiss on the mouth. “I really need to get some rest.”
Zack looked disappointed, but nodded. He took her hand, squeezed it and then let go. “I’ll get you home, so you can get some sleep. We’ll get together later, as you said.”
Meredith felt reassured by his presence and wanted to be with him, but it would have to wait until they had time to sort out their feelings and work through any lingering problems, any finger-pointing for what happened to their son. They’d been sharing a tragedy in their lives, and maybe it would be better if they moved forward together and helped each other through it. Or maybe not. She needed to slow things down; she needed to slow him down, no matter how much her emotions said otherwise.
She didn’t want to make a big mistake, didn’t want to make things worse.
Meredith and Riggio did not live far away, only a couple of miles. They had been planning to take a public tram, but the large travel case would have been a challenge to bring along, though possible. To make it easier, Zack drove them in his solar-van instead, a new all-terrain vehicle he’d purchased the month before. It had every technological gadget the company offered, including systems that rivaled those he’d seen in the Army Special Forces.
He dropped Riggio off first at Mrs. Monroe’s house. A short while later, on the front entry of Meredith’s apartment building, Zack held her close for a long time.
To Meredith it felt good to be with this strong and caring man again, after so much had gone wrong in their lives, after so much had fallen apart between them.
“I’ve missed you so much,” he said, pulling back to look at her face, “and I really hope we can work this out.” Then, obviously realizing the difficulties that lay ahead, he said, “But I promise you, I’m not going to be pushy. Meredith, I just want you to know that I’m available for you, in whatever way you want—even if it’s just as a friend.”
“We’ve always been friends,” she said, feeling near tears. She smiled wistfully, and added, “Even when we weren’t talking.”
He nodded, his face filled with emotion. Then he turned and hurried down the stairs to his van.
CHAPTER 29
Agent Jantz had not expected this. After all the trouble she’d been through, first suffering the grievous injury that left her a paraplegic and then searching for the insane scientist who was responsible, it was like manna from heaven.
Two days ago, a man had shown up at the FBI office in Sacramento, saying he was one of the “lab-children” bred and grown by the notorious Dr. Kato Yordanius. Silvo Ramus said he was one of hundreds of such children, and he’d escaped from the hidden, underground facility in northern California.
Jantz had been notified within an hour of the news, and she’d taken the first flight to Sacramento.
Now she led a hastily organized FBI team, filling two large helicopters that had just landed at a clearing in the woods, miles from the hiding place of the lab and far enough away to avoid being heard. It was almost sunset, and to avoid losing time everyone had eaten on the way. They would have to make the raid at night.
Ramus sat across the aisle from her in the lead aircraft, looking around nervously, sweating and wiping his brow. He’d provided information about the location of the hidden lab, but because of its remote, wooded location Ramus would have to lead them to it himself.
Assuming he was telling the truth. Ramus looked like an ordinary human being, though one who was very agitated. This made Jantz wonder if he was leading them into a trap, so she’d alerted her fellow agents to this possibilit
y, so that they could take precautions.
One thing she knew for certain, and this gave Agent Jantz some comfort—the DNA of Silvo Ramus had been checked, and was in the same family as one of the fetuses Dr. Yordanius took with him when he escaped from her first FBI raid against him, almost three decades ago.
Now Jantz had forty men and women with her, all heavily armed and highly trained. She was confident that this raid would not go like the first one.
The team members were dressed in warm clothing to ward off the expected low overnight temperatures. Heavily armed, they would hike to the wooded location, which Ramus said should take around six or seven hours. They wore night-vision goggles.
~~~
Dr. Kato Yordanius knew Silvo Ramus was missing. It had been two days now, and search teams of laboratory personnel had not located him. Yordanius had called off the effort this afternoon, feeling certain he’d been lost in the remote, forested wilderness. The weather had been below freezing overnight, and even though it was not yet winter, there had been snow flurries, enough to make the ground and trees white.
Over the years half a dozen of his experimental subjects had vanished in separate incidents, lost in the deep woods and never heard from again. After Manga Vetti accused Ramus of sexual harassment, he had been upset and despondent, apparently more than anyone realized. Now he was gone, which Yordanius didn’t like, but at least it solved the workplace problem. He tried to put Ramus out of his mind, to consider more important matters. The man had not been violent; rather he was just overly interested in the opposite sex, and confused by restrictions.
Yet it was not entirely possible to stop thinking about him. Yordanius always worried that an escaped lab-child might bring attention from authorities, and they could discover the lab’s location. The more of his subjects that got away, the higher were the odds of that occurring.
It was late at night, and he sat at his desk making entries in a journal, a large leather-bound volume that when open took up most of the surface of the desk. There were so many journals now, from all his years of laboratory work, that they filled bookcases on the walls of the office.
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