The Phoenix Conspiracy

by Richard Sanders

Chapter 10

  “He isn’t talking,” Major Jenkins said when Calvin arrived.

  “You revived him already?” Calvin saw the lycan on the other side of the translucent force field. In his current form he looked perfectly human, except for glowing red eyes.

  “He came to on his own. Turns out a standard dose ain’t enough to keep him down for more than a few minutes.”

  Calvin nodded and stepped up to the force field, hoping to get a good look at their new passenger through the blinking haze. He was a few inches taller than an average man with thick dark hair and smooth brown skin. Even through the blur of the force field, Calvin could see the lycan’s twisted smile.

  “Hello, Captain.”

  “So what’ve we got, Major?” Calvin didn’t take his gaze from the prisoner.

  “No idea who he is, just a bogus name. Scanning his eyes is no good, and his fingerprints are next to worthless. According to the computer, his left hand is a 65 percent match with one person, and the right is a 30 percent match with someone completely different, both of whom are dead from natural causes.”

  “Okay, lycan, we’ll start at the top. What’s your name?”

  “Now, now, you don’t have to say it like that,” the prisoner said; his voice had a rough, scratchy texture.

  “Shut up and answer his question!” The major inched closer and tapped the stunner holstered on his thigh.

  “I’ll take it from here, Major.” Calvin motioned for the major to step aside, which he did with a disgruntled look. Calvin had no jurisdiction over Special Forces, even on his own ship, so he couldn’t order the major to stand down. He just had to hope the man would cooperate.

  “Lycan, if you do not appreciate being called lycan, you have to give me an alternative. How about your real name?”

  “John Johnson.”

  “Right … okay, John Johnson, maybe you can tell me what you were doing in a two-person skiff in the middle of nowhere.”

  “And maybe you can tell me what I did to warrant being put behind this force field.”

  “So that’s the way it’s going to be?” Calvin paused, not sure where to take this. He was much better with puzzles than interrogations. “We answered your distress call and probably saved you from a very slow, painful death by asphyxiation. But, if you don’t tell me who you are and what you were doing, we could always put you back.”

  “Is that a threat?”

  “Oh, you picked up on that?”

  “I see this is a classy establishment.” The lycan rolled his fiery eyes.

  “If I don’t know who you are and what you’re doing here, I can’t really help you.”

  “Then it’ll be pretty interesting to see what you decide to do. But I do have one recommendation, Captain.”

  “And what is that?”

  “There’s one thing you should know about me.” His eyes narrowed. “I don’t like to be caged. So why not drop this force field and give me quarters while we’re still friends.”

  “I’ll think about it,” said Calvin, even though he had no intention of doing so. The lycan couldn’t get past a force field unless someone else turned it off. “But a little cooperation from you would go a long way in the meantime, John Johnson.”

  “I doubt it. I know you’ve already made up your mind, Captain. Regular humans are too easy to predict. I have nothing more to say here. If you don’t mind, I’d like some peace and quiet, so I can sleep on this pathetic excuse of a bed you have in here.”

  Calvin shook his head in disbelief and left with the major at his heels. Calvin waited for the door to close before speaking. “I want him under constant camera surveillance with a minimum of two guards on duty. Let them know they’re not even allowed to blink.”

  “What are we going to do about him in the long run?”

  “Dump him off on Aleator. I’ll let the port authority know exactly what he is, and they’ll take him off our hands. I won’t take no for an answer. He’s a nuisance to our investigation, and we’re not designed to keep prisoners long-term anyway. In half a day, he’ll be out of our hands. After that I don’t care. Just keep him under lock and key until then.”