by T E Stouyer
“We’re trying as well, I assure you. Nothing’s more important to us than deciphering our father’s message.”
“I’m sorry to say this but, it doesn’t look like it from where I’m standing.”
“We just have a different way of approaching problems,” Arianne said. “We were taught to compartmentalize our thought processes. At least to a certain extent. Even now, as we speak, part of me is still going over it in the back of my head.”
Kincade gave her a dubious look.
“Also,” she continued. “It can become harder to see something when you stare at it too closely, and for too long. Sometimes it helps to … take a step back.”
Kincade wasn’t very convinced by her explanation. Far from it, actually. But he tried to keep an open mind, in spite of his skepticism. “All right,” he said. “I guess we’ll leave it at that, then.”
“Is Lucielle in the kitchen?” Arianne asked. “I haven’t seen her yet this morning.”
“No, they’re in there,” Kincade replied as he walked past her and opened the door to the dining area.
Arianne followed him inside.
Lucielle was seated at the far end of the glass dining table. She was half-turned in her seat, talking to Rock and Soran who were standing behind her. Also seated at the table, to Lucielle’s right, Professor Fournier was rubbing his beard and staring intently at the chess board placed in front of him. Doc Chen stood next to the professor with his arms crossed. And he too was completely focused on the pieces arranged on top of the eight-by-eight board.
“Ah, there you are!” Arianne exclaimed when she spotted the young girl.
“Good morning!” Lucielle said.
“Good morning,” Arianne replied. “Hello, everyone. Professor.”
Doc and Soran returned her greeting. And Rock responded by waving his hand. But Professor Fournier never looked up. He mumbled something unintelligible and kept his eyes fixed on the chess pieces as he contemplated his next move.
“Wait a minute,” Kincade said. “I thought she was playing Doc.”
“I did,” Lucielle replied.
Kincade’s eyebrows went up in surprise. “It’s over? Already?”
“I have to admit,” Doc said. “I didn’t exactly cover myself in glory that last game.”
“That last game?” Kincade noted.
“That’s right,” Soran said. “She’s up three-nothing against Hulin, and two-nothing against the professor. This is his third try.”
Doc scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed. “Yeah, it hasn’t been pretty.”
“Not pretty?” Rock giggled. “This is a massacre. I’m telling you, Nate. It’s been painful just to watch.”
Kincade still couldn’t shake his surprise. He turned to Doc and said, “But … you’re pretty good at chess, aren’t you?”
“He might very well be,” Arianne said. “The Professor’s also an excellent chess player, with a very high rating.”
Kincade observed the contrast between Professor Fournier’s intense concentration and Lucielle’s apparent lack of interest in the game. It only added to his confusion. “I don’t get it,” he said. “What gives?”
“Good question,” said Soran. “Simple answer: she’s cheating.”
“What? She’s cheating?” Rock exclaimed.
“No, I’m not!” Lucielle protested.
“Is it even possible to cheat at chess?” Doc asked. “I don’t see how.”
“Of course, she’s not cheating,” Arianne said. “Although, she does have an unfair advantage.”
The three mercenaries turned in unison and directed questioning glances at her.
“Chess is mostly a game of strategy,” the young woman explained. “And if you consider Lucielle’s predictive abilities …”
“Oh, of course!” Doc said. “Why didn’t I think of that? She can anticipate our moves.”
“Not only that,” Arianne continued. “But thanks to her photographic memory, she can also play several moves ahead in her mind and see how the game will turn out.”
Doc turned to the young girl and asked, “You were running simulations in your head while we were playing?”
“Well, yes. Of course,” she said, in the most natural manner.
“What? You mean like a computer?” Rock asked.
“Not just a computer,” Soran remarked. “A creative computer. And the more games she plays against a person, the more information she gathers about them, and the more accurate her predictions become.”
The giant stared at the silver-haired girl for a while, and then finally said, “He’s right. You are cheating!”
“I’m not cheating!” she fired back. “It’s not my fault if I know what they’re going to do.”
Professor Fournier chuckled. “You’re right, my dear girl, it’s not. And you should never feel guilty about it. It’s quite all right. I’m well aware that Hulin and I can’t win.”
“Then why bother?” Kincade asked.
But before the old man could answer, Doc turned to him and said, “Hold on a second. You didn’t think either of us could win?”
“No,” Fournier calmly replied. “Why? Did you?”
“Well, yeah,” Doc said in a reproachful tone.
“Oh … Sorry,” the old man said.
Rock turned back to Lucielle and asked, “In that case, what’s in it for you, then?”
“Nothing,” she replied. “I just thought they liked playing chess, that’s all.”
“Why would anyone like to lose all the time?”
“I don’t know,” she shrugged.
Fournier chuckled again. “As a matter of fact, I do like playing against her. It reminds me of Adam. We used to play on occasion. Of course, I didn’t provide much of a challenge. Even Alek, who was a world-class chess player, never managed to win a single game from him.” The professor paused and stared at the board with a nostalgic look in his eyes. “It was still nice, though. We would talk for hours during our games. Come to think of it, those were probably the longest conversations I ever had with Adam.”
“I remember this … but vaguely,” Arianne said, searching her memory. “You and Professor Karpov playing chess with our father. And Damien too, right?”
Fournier smiled. “Yes. Apparently, your brother was a much more challenging opponent, even at his young age.”
All of a sudden, Arianne tensed up and froze, as though something had jolted her.
Kincade noticed that the young woman had turned rigid and was staring straight ahead with a blank expression. He was about to ask her if she was feeling all right when he heard Rock say, “Hey, what’s wrong with you?”
Kincade looked across the table and saw that the giant wasn’t talking to Arianne, but rather to Soran. The young man was frozen like his sister. And he had that same weird look on his face. What’s gotten into them? Kincade wondered.
Everyone around the table stopped and gazed at the two siblings.
But their trance-like state only lasted a few short seconds.
Then, Soran looked up at his sister and said, “Arianne!”
“Yes,” she said. “I just realized.”
Before the others could ask her what she meant, they all heard a cry coming from the next room. “Oh, no!”
It was Marie’s voice.
Chapter 8 – Crude Tactic
What now? Kincade thought to himself as they all rushed into the living room.
Marie stood less than ten feet away from the television, and was staring at the screen with a horrified look on her face.
Both Ashrem and Sonar had just gotten up from the big sofa.
“What’s the matter?” Fournier asked.
Sonar turned to the group and nodded at the screen. “I don’t know. She saw something on TV and just started freaking out.”
There was a segment on the news about the jewelry store heist, and the resulting panic that had spread across the area, including to one of the most prestigious hotels in
the French capital. The news anchor spent a great deal of time talking about a man who had been stabbed in the chest by one of the thieves during their attempted escape. The victim, identified as Stephan Ritter, was said to be in critical condition. The doctors weren’t sure whether or not he would pull through.
Marie was aghast. “Hans! But how? It doesn’t make sense.”
“Hans?” Professor Fournier echoed. “Who is he?”
“He’s my partner,” she replied, her eyes still fixed on the screen.
“Your partner? The one you said was nearly killed by Johann?”
The detective nodded. “Yes. He’s being treated in the same hospital as your friend.”
“Our friend?” said Kincade. “You mean Da Costa?”
She nodded again.
Professor Fournier moved close to her and said in a soft voice, “Why didn’t you tell us this before?”
“I don’t know,” Marie said. “I was trying to protect him. The last time I saw Hans, he had just come out of surgery. He was still weak, but the doctor assured me he was out of danger. I don’t understand how his condition could have deteriorated so quickly. I … I just can’t believe it.”
“Then perhaps you shouldn’t,” Ashrem calmly said.
Marie turned to him, looking baffled.
Ashrem picked up the TV remote control off the table and switched to a different international news channel, which was also in English.
A similar report was running.
He tried a third channel. But this time, a local one, in French. Again, there was the same story about the failed heist and about the stabbed victim in critical condition.
“I guess that settles it,” Soran declared. He turned to Marie and said, “Don’t fret, your partner’s fine. For now, at least.”
Rock glowered at the young man. “Are you going crazy again? You heard what they said on TV.”
“Yes, but don’t you find it strange?” Soran asked.
“Find what strange?”
It was Ashrem who answered. “We know the jewelry store theft was just a diversion. It was orchestrated by Damien’s group so they could snatch Renard. But there hasn’t been a single mention of her abduction.”
“What did you expect?” said Kincade. “They need time to come up with a plausible cover story. They can’t just go on TV and tell people that a high-ranking French official was kidnapped by clones.”
“Exactly,” Ashrem said. “They’ll go to any lengths to keep this as quiet as possible. So why make all this noise over the stabbing of one individual? Especially if it was Johann who attacked him, and not a thief like they claim.”
Kincade thought about it for a moment, and then said, “OK, you’ve got a point there. I still don’t get how you guys go from that to claiming her partner’s fine.”
“Yes,” Marie forcefully agreed. She turned to Soran and asked, “Why did you say that?”
“There’s a reason they’re running this report as a breaking news story on every local and international news channel,” the young man said. “They want to make sure everyone sees it. More specifically, they want to make sure you see it.”
Marie’s eyebrows went up. “Me?”
“Yes. It’s a message meant for you. They want you to know they have your friend.”
“Who’s ‘they’?” she asked.
“Andrew Leicester!” Lucielle replied. “Though, I have to say, it’s very unlike him to make this kind of threat. He must be really worried to resort to such a crude tactic.”
The detective suddenly looked even more worried. “Threat? What threat?”
“Don’t you see?” Arianne said. “If your partner—”
“All right, that’s it!” Rock interrupted. “How about just one of you answers the questions. I’m getting dizzy turning my head left and right like this.”
“Sorry,” Arianne said.
The giant nodded at her. “OK, you. What’s that you guys were saying about a threat?”
Arianne turned to the detective. “The doctor told you your friend’s life was not at risk, correct?”
“That’s right,” Marie replied. “He said that the blade had missed all the vital organs. He seemed confident that Hans would make a full recovery.”
“And yet, the news report claims his condition is now critical. That’s a threat. And a thinly veiled one, at that.”
“Are you saying Leicester’s threatening her partner’s life?” Kincade asked.
“Yes. Leicester’s telling her that she needs to get in touch with him if she wants to save her friend.”
“Wait a minute, guys,” Doc suddenly said. “If they got their hands on her partner, and he’s in the same hospital as Da Costa …”
“Argh, crap!” Rock exclaimed. “Maybe they’ve got him too.”
“I doubt it,” Soran said, with a sly smile.
The mercenaries all turned to him, surprised.
“How can you be sure?” Kincade asked.
The young man crossed his arms over his chest and grinned, looking rather pleased with himself. “Ahem!” He cleared his throat and looked as though he was about to begin a lengthy explanation.
Arianne promptly cut him off. “Not now, Soran.”
She then turned to Kincade and explained that she had asked Soran to change Da Costa’s file when he had hacked into the hospital’s network. They had filled Da Costa’s admission form with information from one of last year’s patients, and had changed the time of his arrival to make it coincide with that of the other injured brought in from the hotel that night. If anyone checked, they’d think Da Costa was a hotel worker who happened to get hit by a stray bullet. And since he had been wearing a waiter’s uniform, the hospital staff wouldn’t question that narrative. Arianne and Soran had also paid Da Costa’s bill, so that no one would be in a rush to contact the hotel.
Soran frowned at his sister and pouted his lips. He was a little annoyed that she had deprived him of a chance to boast to the team.
“Thanks,” Kincade said, letting out a huge sigh of relief. “To both of you.”
“You’re welcome,” Arianne replied. “I’m sorry we didn’t mention it sooner. But it was just a precaution. We weren’t really sure it would come in handy. But keep in mind, this is by no means a permanent solution. It should keep your friend safe for a while, as long as no one looks too closely into him. Hopefully, it’ll buy us enough time to get him out.”
Rock gave Soran a big tap on the back. “Thanks, man. I’m glad I didn’t shoot you, after all.”
The young man frowned at him. “You did shoot me.”
Rock shrugged. “You know what I mean.”
“Yeah, sure,” Soran said, sounding unconvinced by the giant’s half-hearted show of gratitude.
Marie turned around and stared at the TV screen once again. She was furious with herself. Why did I leave Hans in that hospital? This was the second time her partner’s life had been in danger in almost as many days. She regretted not taking him back to Berlin. Instead, she had left him alone. Defenseless. And now, he had been taken hostage, and was being used as a pawn to get to her.
“What does this Leicester want from me?” she asked.
“A trade,” Arianne replied. “Hulin made you ditch your phone at the professor’s house. So they have no way to track you. But Leicester knows we wouldn’t just leave you there. Not after what happened. He also knows we’re close to finding the data card. He wants you to contact him, so that he can convince you to meet with him, and trade whatever information you might have in exchange for your friend.”
“Wouldn’t he just ask her to give up our location?” Doc said.
“No, I don’t think so,” Arianne replied.
“I dunno,” said Kincade. “Doc’s got a point. It would make more sense for Leicester to send his goons here. He could pick up the necklace, and us, all in one fell swoop.”
Ashrem shook his head. “No. As tempting as it may sound, that option also carries the greatest risk. L
eicester’s not a greedy man. He wouldn’t take the chance. Not at this juncture.”
“How is it riskier?” Kincade asked.
“It would require Marie to deceive us until Leicester’s men made it here,” Ashrem replied. “Again, Leicester wouldn’t take that chance. Not now, and definitely not with Arianne present. If anything were to tip us off, or just make us suspicious, he would miss out on a great opportunity.”
“Wouldn’t it be just as suspicious if Marie suddenly went missing?” Doc pointed out.
“Sure,” Ashrem said. “But by then, it wouldn’t matter. Obviously, we wouldn’t be around when Leicester got here, but he would still have the information he seeks.”
“Don’t forget,” said Lucielle. “We’re not the only ones Andrew’s chasing after. In fact, he’s probably far more worried about Damien.”
Marie half-listened in silence as the others made arguments and counter-arguments regarding what she might or might not do. It didn’t really bother her that they were talking as though she wasn’t in the room. All she could think about was Hans. She had to save him.
The professor had explained to her that the strange messages hidden inside the pendant were riddles. Clues to finding a memory card left by the person who had created the clones. Clones. She couldn’t even say that word in her head without thinking how absurd it sounded. She didn’t understand everything the professor had told her—and quite frankly, she wasn’t sure she believed it all. But she did understand one thing: that card was very important. And there were some very dangerous people who would stop at nothing to get it. But none of that mattered to her. She had gotten Hans into this mess. She was going to get him out of it. Whatever it took.
Arianne had been watching Marie from the corner of her eye, trying to catch a glimpse of her intentions. Eventually, the young woman walked up to the detective and said, “It was rude of us to talk about you in the third person when you’re standing right here. Please accept my apologies. We were just trying to follow Leicester’s reasoning, to look at things from his perspective.”
“It’s OK,” Marie said.
