Despot in Space

by Donald S. Rowland

  Even as he considered the possibility of weapons being used against him there were streams of blinding white light leaping at him from the outstretched hands, and Condor hurled himself to the floor, tingling as the flickering beams missed him by a hairsbreadth. He lay still, pretending to be unconscious, but watched intently as the clay men slowly closed in upon him. There seemed to be no escape!

  Chapter Five

  ‘Master, this is Ethne Stound, whom you summoned to be brought before you,’ the general at the rear of the room said sharply. ‘You also asked for General Ozen.’

  Abelard Aubin sat up a little straighter in his sumptuous chair and leaned forward, clasping his big hands together. His face held a thin smile of triumph, and his dark eyes glittered as they regarded Ethne. She stared at the World Master, filled with a dull hopelessness, and she tried to recollect her scattered wits and cut through the numbing fear that held her. Unable to do more than blink under the power of the force field tingling about her, she was afraid that her last moments had come.

  ‘You are aware, Miss Stound, that Professor Condor has vanished from his area of employment, and under mysterious and suspicious circumstances,’ Aubin said in harsh, unemotional tones.

  ‘Yes, Master,’ she replied unhesitatingly, and felt strangely compelled to talk freely while the World Master’s dark, hypnotic gaze was upon her.

  ‘I am informed that Professor Condor is suspected of having connections with this resistance Group that has been uncovered. What have you to say about that?’

  ‘I don’t believe it, Master! Professor Condor has done much to ensure your security on Retarc. I think that of all the men about you, Professor Condor is the one you can trust with your life.’

  ‘I have held a high opinion of Condor for many years, and he has produced much of what I rely on to protect myself from subversive elements. But no man is above suspicion, and Condor has disappeared at a time when it seems likely that he wishes to avoid interrogation. Can you throw any light upon his disappearance?’

  ‘None at all, Master!’ Ethne fought down her feelings as she spoke. ‘I was shocked when General Ozen came to the Lab yesterday afternoon and told me of the professor’s disappearance. I believe that Professor Condor has been kidnapped, and I think this should be borne in mind during the search for him.’

  ‘Why should anyone want to kidnap the professor?’ Aubin’s voice was harsh and unrelenting. Ethne could feel the power of his dark eyes probing her mind, and she recalled some of the stories she had heard about this unusual man. It was said that he could hypnotize with his voice, and she fought to keep her own control.

  ‘He has planned many of the finest weapons and defences that you have!’ She strengthened her tones as she thought of Condor, and she wished she were back in the Lab, where she could try to reach the professor again. ‘It’s feasible that some of these resistance people have taken him in an attempt to unlock some of these defences.’

  Aubin nodded, and let his dark gaze rove to Ozen’s fleshy face.

  ‘Have you considered this possibility, General Ozen?’ he demanded.

  ‘I have considered every possibility, World Master!’ Ozen replied woodenly. ‘I have taken all precautions and steps possible.’

  ‘But you haven’t found Professor Condor.’ Aubin’s voice was steel tipped for a moment, but soft and even with it, concealing the menace that he evinced, making it all the more ominous than if he raged and ranted. ‘Where could he have been taken? How could he have disappeared from the Complex without the guards seeing him? That Complex is supposed to be the most heavily guarded in the world. So explain how an important man like the professor can vanish so suddenly and completely? Are there not enough guards? Is the system you employ unsuitable? What has gone wrong? Do I have to replace you, General Ozen? Have you become too old for your job?’

  ‘No, World Master! I have arrested most of this resistance group. The trouble is that one could not have suspected Professor Condor of being involved. He is the last man I would have considered being an enemy of your regime. He has proved himself to be your most able scientist, and if he wasn’t to be trusted then no man on earth could be.’

  ‘It is your job not to trust any man!’ Aubin rasped. ‘If I trusted anyone I would have died long ago. You will find Professor Condor within twenty-four hours, General, or I shall have you executed. Go back to earth and place the entire complex under rigid security, execute the guards if they don’t talk. Someone must know what happened to Condor. I want Condor found, and I want him brought to me. I’ll discover if he is still a man to be trusted. If he is being held captive somewhere then I want to know. If that is what’s happened to him, and I believe it to be the case, then some of those security guards at the Complex must know about it. Find out, General.’

  ‘Yes, World Master!’ Ozen said humbly.

  ‘And you, Miss Stound! ’ Aubin returned his attention to the girl. ‘I have been getting excellent reports about your work. I believe you know nothing of Condor’s activities, but rest assured that if you are involved in any way in this resistance directed at me then we shall discover it, and you’ll be most sorry. For the present you are to continue in your capacity as assistant at the Complex, and another Director will be appointed in Condor’s place. I want results on the project Condor was handling. So far the reports are good. You know as much of Condor’s work as the professor himself, and if you make a breakthrough before another Director is appointed then I’ll consider you for the post. That is all!’

  The black curtain descended quickly, and then the screen surrounding Ethne and Ozen was cut off and they were released. She took a deep breath as the tingling sensation left her, and threw a quick glance at Ozen’s taut face. The general was white and shaken, and she felt a pang of grim pleasure at the sight of his discomfiture.

  They were taken from the room and escorted to a dining hall, and Ozen stayed with Ethne while they ate. They had nothing to say to each other, and Ethne was stiff and cold inside until they were returned to their shuttlecraft for the return trip to Earth.

  Ozen said nothing until they alighted on the launch-pad back on Earth, and then he looked squarely at Ethne for the first time. His brown eyes were inscrutable as usual, but for the first time he looked more human, and she felt a pang as she recalled the harsh words of the World Master.

  ‘I’ll go back to the Complex with you,’ he grunted. ‘I have to start my investigations there. I want a statement from you.’ He glanced around swiftly. ‘Here comes my car. I’m warning you that I’m going to get tough over this situation. It’s my job and my life in the balance, and I assure you that I shall have no qualms about the methods I’m prepared to use to get at the truth.’

  The police car drew up in front of them, and Ozen opened a door for Ethne to enter. She climbed in and he followed her, and Ethne was silent, trying to marshal her thoughts and steady her nerves once more. She saw Ozen switch on the small wrist recorder he was wearing.

  ‘Tell me everything that happened yesterday afternoon, from the time I left the Complex after telling Condor he was to visit Retarc with me,’ Ozen rapped.

  Ethne went over the whole story, describing everything but leaving out the truth as far as it touched Condor’s activities with the Resistance. She spoke without a tremor in her tones, and she reaffirmed her opinion of Condor’s fate.

  ‘Professor Condor lived for his work,’ she ended. ‘I have never come across a more dedicated man. I shall never believe that he voluntarily left the Complex after returning as he did. He left his car with the engine running, and there was no other transport available to him, so how did he get away from the Complex? How could he have left the guarded area without being seen?’

  Ozen switched off the recorder and looked at her, a thin smile on his tight lips. He nodded slowly.

  ‘I’ll tell you what I think off the record,’ he said. ‘I know for a fact that no one could have left the Complex unnoticed by the guards. Having said that, and believin
g it, we come to an interesting point. Either some of the guards had something to do with Condor’s disappearance, or he didn’t leave the Complex at all.’

  ‘But surely he couldn’t still be around the Complex,’ she protested. ‘Those sensors you use can detect living tissue and blood cells. You don’t have to make a physical search of the complex. All you do is clear the area and then make a sweep. Those sensors record the smallest amount of life.’

  ‘That’s true, and I’ve checked the Complex several times since Condor disappeared. There’s no sign of him anywhere in the Complex.’ Ozen spoke irritably, as if he were baffled and didn’t like to admit it. ‘But I maintain that he came back to his Lab yesterday, and locked himself in with you. He was there while we were trying to get through the main door.’

  ‘That’s impossible,’ Ethne retorted. ‘If you believe that then you suspect me of being in league with that resistance Group!’ She looked squarely into Ozen’s dark gaze, and found difficulty in remaining expressionless. The general had a powerful personality, and she sensed that he was trying to overwhelm her mind with his own mental superiority. She fought him mentally, and silence existed until they reached the gates of the Complex. Then Ozen glanced at her.

  ‘You would be wise not to make an enemy of me,’ he said angrily. ‘I am a very bad man to cross. My life is forfeit in this business as much as yours, and I would rather see you die than face the end myself. Bear that in mind. I don’t know what was going on between you and Professor Condor, but it’s obvious that he’s gone now, and you have no one to rely on. If you take me into your confidence then I’ll do what I can to protect you. Shall we make a bargain?’

  The car drew up outside the Laboratory building, and they alighted. Ethne glanced around, her wide blue eyes showing nothing of the mental stresses at work inside her. She smiled slowly as her gaze came back to Ozen’s dark features.

  ‘General, I have nothing to bargain with,’ she said. ‘I’m as concerned as you about the professor’s disappearance. I only wish I could help to locate him. If I do learn anything then I’ll let you know.’

  Ozen signalled for the driver to take the car away. He took Ethne’s arm and started to lead her into the building. She took a deep breath as they passed through the doorway. A new door had already been fitted, and she was aware that despite the fact everything seemed normal, everything had in fact changed since yesterday.

  ‘You are going to see a lot of me from now on,’ Ozen went on slowly, seemingly weighing each word. ‘I’m not satisfied with this. I believe you know more than you’ve admitted.’

  ‘If you thought that, General, you would have arrested me,’ she said nervously.

  ‘If I arrest you and my men get their hands on you it is quite feasible that I shall learn nothing,’ he retorted with a tight smile. ‘I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt, and if you have any intelligence at all you’ll realize that your best course is to do what I ask.’

  ‘I can’t tell you something I don’t know!’

  ‘Have it that way if you will. The choice is yours. But you are getting a chance that I would not extend to anyone else.’

  ‘Then you must want something more than mere information.’ She glanced at him as they entered her office.

  ‘We’ll see.’ He spoke curtly. ‘I want to watch you at your work, Miss Stound. I want to know what experiment the professor was working on.’

  ‘You know I can’t divulge that kind of information even to you, General.’ She smiled tightly as she looked into his face. ‘You can’t even watch what’s going on in that Lab. Until you get permission to do so, I’m afraid you’ll have to remain out here while I’m busy inside.’

  ‘I was hoping you’d have enough sense to realize that your life is in my hands. I don’t want to resort to threats at this time, but it appears that you have left me no choice. I can swear your life away if I want to, and you would be executed without trial, without getting a chance to do anything about it. If you are prepared to die then maintain this attitude and I’ll do what I have to.’

  ‘I don’t want to die,’ she said with great feeling. ‘But what can I tell you? I don’t know anything. I’m doing my work here and nothing else. How can I help you?’

  ‘Tell me where Condor is! My life is forfeit now. You heard what the World Master said! I’ve given him nothing but loyal service ever since I was old enough to know my duty. I’m not going to stand idly by while everything I’ve worked for is torn down, my life with it. If I have you on my side then I’ve got a chance. I can see that. I know what’s going to happen to me in the near future. I’ve seen it happen to too many others not to recognize the pattern! I think I’ve become a liability to Aubin, and he’ll have me disposed of with no compunction. But not while I’m in any position to do something about it!’

  He seized hold of Ethne’s arm and twisted it cruelly, his eyes glazing a little as his emotions took control. She cried out in pain, staring up into his face, and she could tell that he was not a man she could afford to take any chances with. He held the power of life and death over her, and she was alone now the professor had vanished. There was nothing she could do about anything without Condor.

  ‘Look, I’ll do anything I can to help, General,’ she said slowly. ‘You’ve had a great career, and it would be a pity if you went the way of others who fell out of favour or failed to accomplish whatever duties were set them. But I don’t know anything. I’ve been doing my job here to the best of my ability. I have enough sense to know that I wouldn’t live long by mixing with any of the factions that keep springing up. I’m like the professor. I’m too in love with my work to care about what’s happening around me. I wish you would believe that. It would save you a lot of time and me a great deal of trouble.’

  He stared down into her flushed face for several tense moments, and Ethne found it difficult not to avert her face. Then he released her slowly, shaking his head, worried for himself now and showing it. He was human, she decided, and fear for his own skin was motivating him now. She could feel no genuine pity for him because he had taken advantage of his exalted position too many times in the past to warrant any kind of emotion from anyone. Thousands had died on his whims, and it seemed fitting to Ethne that he should go the way of his victims.

  ‘You’d better carry on with your project,’ he retorted. ‘But don’t forget that I’ll be around, and if I catch you deviating from your duties then I’ll come down on you.’

  ‘You’d be far better off trying to find Professor Condor,’ she replied seriously. ‘The World Master gave you twenty-four hours, didn’t he?’

  Ozen stared into her face, his lips pulled tight against his teeth. But he said nothing more, and then turned sharply on his heel and stalked out. Ethne stared after him for a moment, then reached forward and pressed a button on her desk. The outer door closed and locked, and she heaved a long, bitter sigh and hurried into the Lab, closing the door and beginning the sequence that would activate the Celertron. She had to try and get Professor Condor back, and if she didn’t succeed she would have to keep on trying!

  Her first attempt ended in failure, and she kept the maximum power flowing through the Celertron until smoke began to seep from the console. Then she switched off and paced the floor while she considered.

  It was obvious that something or someone was preventing Condor from returning via the Celertron. But she could not even guess at the situation in which Condor might have found himself. Short of going to where ever it was he had gone, there was nothing she could do but wait, and try to bring him back from time to time. But if he needed help she was the only one who could supply it! The knowledge nagged at her mind, making her uneasy and uncomfortable.

  Could she go through the Celertron and find Condor? The thought slowly materialized in her mind, but she knew she could not operate the reverse process and make the trip that Condor had taken. Someone had to remain in the Lab and operate the Celertron, but whom?

  There was no one she c
ould trust! No one in the whole wide world. Professor Condor was the only man she could have banked on, but he was gone, and there was no indication of his whereabouts. The members of the Group had been arrested, and she dared not take anyone else into her confidence. To trust someone in this day and age was the height of folly!

  While she waited for time to pass before making another attempt to bring Condor back, she went into her office and checked over the official reports of the progress of this latest experiment Condor had been working on. She knew she had to show some success, but she didn’t have all Condor’s knowledge and skill, and all she could think was that the true purpose of Celertron had to be kept secret. She could only hope that some members of the resistance Group had not fallen into Ozen’s hands, and that one of them might have the courage to contact her. She needed help now, and unless she got it she was ineffectual and neutralized.

  By late evening she was in despair, and ready to believe the worst about Rez Condor. She felt that he would have returned by now if he was able, and the fact that he did not appear was because he must be dead. She pictured his face, and her love for him was like a lightning bolt through the heart. She was ready to terminate her attempts for the day, but a small obstinate impulse kept her at her desk. Her mind was a daze of indecision.

  A buzzer sounded, warning her that someone was outside the suite and demanding entry, and she flicked a switch and glanced at the big wall scanner. She saw the outside of the entrance to the office, and recognized General Ozen standing there. A pang struck through her at sight of him, and she thinned her lips as she pressed the button that opened the door. The next moment Ozen was coming into the office, his heavy face showing desperation and determination. He came to the desk and stared down at her with his hard, unblinking gaze.

  ‘You’re working late,’ he said.

  ‘And you’re still looking for the professor, I presume,’ she countered. ‘Haven’t you had any luck at all, General?’