by Mike Luoma
Chapter Fifteen
"Guess I'm available. I can go out on a mediation job if you've got one for me," Alibi finds himself telling M'Bekke over the com a couple of hours later. "Katie's staying here with Aunt Anita. She's got security. Should be safe."
"Really?" M'Bekke comments. "Well! Good, then. We'll be very glad to have you back. There is a negotiation to oversee on Cat's Eye. I will tell them the mediation corps' best man will be on the job!"
"Aw shucks. You're just trying to make me feel better."
"Maybe you should accept a compliment when one is given, eh?" M'Bekke admonishes him. "I do not offer them lightly. I am sending you the case details now."
"Thank you, M'Bekke. Alibi out."
Alibi Jones looks around his aunt's apartment as if he's missing something, but he can't put his finger on what. Katie walks into the room as he stands there in his daze.
"You look kinda lost," Katie says.
"I don't know," Alibi says. "I guess I am."
"Who were you just talking to?"
"M'Bekke. You know, the Pope."
Katie laughs. Alibi finds himself smiling.
"It blows my mind... still cracks me up that you know the Pope so casually! 'You know, the Pope'," she says, mimicking Alibi.
Alibi shrugs.
"He's my boss," he explains. "Head of the SAIF Mediation Corps."
"Yeah," Katie says, agreeing but still puzzled. "But how come? Why is that? Why have the Pope head the Mediation Corps?"
"Tradition, I guess," Alibi speculates. He doesn't know for sure. "I never really thought about it all that much. Just the way it's always been, you know?"
"Yeah, but the Mediation Corps hasn't been around forever. It's what, only as old as you are!" She says.
"A little younger, even," Alibi admits. "But it used to be called the Office of Papal Operations, before the Solar Alliance," he explains, "and that was around for a long time. My father used to work for the OPO."
"Your father? You haven't mentioned him much before. Maybe not at all. What's he like?"
"He's 'like' dead, a long time ago. I never knew him," Alibi says.
"I'm sorry," Katie says. She leans into him. "I didn't mean to bring up something that brings you down." She kisses him, and this time Alibi doesn't resist. They come up for air after a few minutes.
"Better?" Katie asks him.
"Better," Alibi confirms. He smiles. "Actually don't like talking about my father too much," he says, then adds, "But that doesn't mean I minded that kiss."
He smiles and leans in to kiss her again. He holds her as she responds in turn. They break off again as they hear Anita unlocking the apartment's front door.
"I hear from M'Bekke you've accepted a new assignment. I think that's good," Anita tells Alibi as she enters the room.
"News travels fast," Alibi says a little snidely. Regretting his tone, he adds more pleasantly, "I'm leaving for Cat's Eye tomorrow morning."
"We'll have a big dinner here tonight, then," Anita declares. "Before you go."
"Great," Alibi says, trying to sound enthusiastic. Katie elbows him.
"I think it's wonderful. That'll be really nice," she says to Anita. "I haven't had a real sit down dinner in years!"
"Well, you will tonight!" Anita says with a grin. She clearly enjoys having the young woman to dote on. "Then maybe you two can go out, afterward," she says slyly.
"Aunt Anita!" Alibi says in mock embarrassment.
"I think that sounds wonderful, too," Katie says, looking over at Alibi with a grin.
Alibi's Wand alarm sounds. Kit is on the com.
"I see your ship listed for departure for Cat's Eye tomorrow morning," Kit says. "Could I ride there with you? It is on my way, and I presume it will be easier to find transportation to Dakhur space from Cat's Eye than it is proving to be from here at Ceres Central. As I am discovering."
"That's fine, Kit! I'll be glad for the company," Alibi tells him. "See you at the Cruiser at around oh-nine hundred hours Ceres Central time?"
"I will see you then," Kit confirms, and signs off.
Alibi, Anita and Katie enjoy a big dinner at Anita's apartment that evening. Anita arranged for some of the Ceres Central kitchen staff to cater the meal: steaming piles of freshly carved turkey, boats of succulent gravy, a heaping bowl of stuffing, squash, green beans and potatoes from the station's hydro gardens – Anita's gone all out.
"This is a thanksgiving meal," Anita explains to Alibi and Katie as they eat. "Because we still have a lot to be thankful for. Even if things don't always go our way."
Alibi gets upset, but holds it in. This is more than things not going his way, even if she can't see it. But it's done, for now.
The food is very good. Alibi tries to let go of his anger, shoveling another forkful of food into his mouth, chewing away his offense.
Dessert is warm pumpkin pie with vanilla ice cream. Katie has greeted nearly every dish introduced with oohs and ahhhs. She lets out an "Oh yeah!" as dessert arrives. Anita smiles as she watches Katie enjoy her pie. Alibi finds himself smiling at the two of them as he chews and savors the flaky crust, spicy pumpkin and cold creamy vanilla ice cream.
"This has been very nice," Anita declares at the end of dessert, as their utensils and plates are cleared away.
"Thank you so much," Katie says to her. "And thank you for giving me a place to stay."
"You're very welcome, dear. But I don't want you to think we eat like this every night!" Anita cautions her with some humor. "It's usually a quick dinner in the commissary."
"Thank you, Aunt Anita," Alibi says.
Anita gets up from the table.
"I am full! Think I'm going to retire for the evening," Anita announces. "But you two feel free to hang out as long as you like," she says, with almost a twinkle in her eye. "Katie dear, you make yourself at home, okay?"
"I will, ah, Aunt Anita," she says.
"I like that. You can call me 'Aunt' Anita anytime, dear," she says chuckling, amused at Katie's use of the term. "Goodnight!"
"Goodnight Aunt Anita," both Katie and Alibi say almost in unison. She smiles and leaves them alone in the apartment's main room.
"Wanna see my room?" Katie asks Alibi after a brief moment of silence.
"Seen it before," Alibi teases. "Used to be mine, remember."
"Wanna see my room," Katie repeats, ignoring his teasing and giving him a second chance. Alibi jumps at it.
"Let's go see your room," he agrees, leaping to his feet and banging his knee against the table leg in the process. He doubles over as he rubs his banged up knee.
"Wow, you are smooooooth," Katie says as she comes over to him. "Come on. It's not that far to limp."
He straightens up and leans on her for support, and because he can. They walk together to the bedroom. Katie closes the door behind them.
"It is a little weird," Alibi says, looking around the bedroom. "I mean, I grew up in this room."
Katie lifts the one piece dress she's been wearing up and off, over her head. She reaches over and lifts Alibi's shirt up. He raises his arms so she can pull it off him. Then she takes off her bra and slides off her panties, as Alibi unzips his fly and slips off his pants. They come back together and their naked skin nearly crackles as they touch, body to body, nothing in between them for the first time. Alibi and Katie entangle each in the other and fall together onto the bed.
It's morning in no time. Alibi isn't sure he's slept much at all when he wakes up to his Wand alarm. Katie is plastered to his chest with sweat where she fell asleep after they made love late into the night. He slides out from under her, trying not to wake her up, and quietly enters the room's refresher to get ready for the day.
Katie is up and awake, wearing the bed sheet around her like an old roman toga, when Alibi gets out of the refresher.
"Morning, sunshine," she says with a big grin.
She comes up and crushes Alibi against the refresher door with an insistent kiss.
"When do yo
u have to meet Kit and take off?" she asks in his ear as she breaks off.
"In about ten minutes."
"Too bad." She leans in again and they spend at least half the time he has left in their embrace.
"I've, uh... Damn. I've gotta go," he says as he pulls away. "Gotta stay on schedule."
"That sucks," she says. "At least you've got something to look forward to when you come back," she points out, smiling. She frowns a little. "How long will you be gone?"
"It looks like a week. Maybe two," he tells her. "It's hard to know for sure. That's part of the negotiations this time, no end date."
Katie sighs. "No end date?"
"Nope... but that's a good sign," Alibi explains to her. "That means they're serious. Means their goal is a settlement, not an end date. End dates give sides an excuse to bail out of the proceedings. So, it's good."
"Hope so."
Alibi gets dressed, kisses Katie goodbye, and leaves his aunt's apartment for the Ceres Central port. Kit is waiting for him next to his ship.
"Alibi?" Kit greets him with a question.
"What?"
"You look... different," Kit says.
"I do?" Alibi asks, puzzled. "Different how?"
"I am not sure," Kit says. "More relaxed, perhaps. Less tense."
"Oh!" Alibi gets it. "Yeah. I'm a little more relaxed today than yesterday," he smiles. But then he darkens a bit. "I'm still pissed about not finding the Eldred on that planetoid. Where did they go? And who are they working for now that Masakov is dead? The Tek'Tah?"
"Ah," Kit says, "now you are sounding like the old Alibi."
"So," Alibi asks as he opens the ship's airlock to let them on board, "you still want to kill me?"
"I have never wanted to kill you," Kit explains. "It is merely that I may have to kill you. Honor, tradition. These things may require it. But not today," he adds, quasi-reassuringly.
"That makes today a good day, then, huh?" Alibi jokes, as he seals the lock behind them.
It's a quick jump from Ceres Central to Cat's Eye. Alibi lands his Cruiser in his regular berth at the Cat's Eye port. It's handy to have the space at the ready, pre paid and waiting. Cheaper to rent a berth out here in the colonies than back in the Solar System, but it's still out of Alibi's usual price range. He's lucky – The SAIF Mediation Corps covers the costs of this one as it's his home base.
"I do not like this place," Kit tells Alibi as they disembark the Cruiser and begin to walk to the main terminal of the port.
"Why not?" Alibi asks. He gestures up at the nebula in the sky above them. "I love the Eye in the Sky! Isn't it beautiful?"
"I do not think I see it the way you do," Kit tells him, blinking rapidly. "It... bothers my eyes."
"Really?"
"Really. You humans call we Dakhur 'cats' do you not?" Alibi nods. "That makes the fact that I do not like to gaze at what you think looks like my eye somewhat ironic, if I understand what you mean by that word. We Dakhur have a similar concept," Kit says.
"So I guess you won't be spending too much time here, then, huh?" Alibi jokes.
"I am going to try to book immediate passage back to Dakhur space. There's a Snakt outfit that provides service from here on a fairly regular basis," Kit says.
"You know we humans shake hands to say a formal goodbye, right?" Alibi asks Kit, extending his hand. Kit reaches out and wraps his paw around Alibi's hand.
"I do," he confirms. They shake hand and paw and start to go their separate ways. "Remember, if you need my help, you can call me. I would be glad to help you again," Kit says.
"Likewise," Alibi tells the cat man. "Good luck."
Kit saunters off towards the Snakt. Alibi walks out of the port and back into his normal life. He catches a transport over to his apartment, grabs a bite to eat, and looks over the files for his new assignment.
The next day, Alibi dives into the negotiations. A human delegation is negotiating trade rights in Flaze space with one of their commercial delegations. Alibi trusts the Flaze less after what Kit said took place after the negotiations he oversaw between they and the Dakhur, but he grits his teeth and works through it.
It only takes Alibi a week to get the sides together and work out the agreement. A further week of negotiations is required for the minutiae. But they do work it out, and Alibi is finally able to lead both sides to the signing table. Alibi gets so caught up in negotiations he doesn't have a chance to check back with Katie or his Aunt Anita for over a week.
When his aunt calls on the eve of the signing, Alibi is shocked and stunned by her news.
"She's gone?" he asks, feeling the bottom drop out of his stomach and a flush of adrenalin and panic overwhelm his senses. "Katie's gone? But I thought she... unh... I thought she was going to wait for me to get back. She said she would."
"I'm sorry, Ali," Anita says softly. "She was fine at first, but she seemed, I don't know, restless. Uncomfortable, for the last week. Now she's just packed up and gone. We'd gone shopping so she had some new clothes and things. They're all gone."
"Maybe I should have expected this," Alibi says, trying to figure out what he missed. "Maybe I should have let her come with me."
"Really? Don't beat yourself up, Al. You shouldn't blame yourself. I doubt if her being there would have helped. You haven't called for over a week. I'm thinking you've been busy? How much time could you have spent with her? Realistically? And how could you have protected her? That Laveillur probably has more people around there on Cat's Eye than back here on Ceres Central."
"That reminds me. Have you seen Piccolo around?" Alibi asks her.
"That bounty hunter? No, not at all."
"That's good, I guess," Alibi says. He sighs. "I just hope she's okay."
"Katie strikes me as a girl who can take care of herself," Anita reassures him.
"Did she say anything to you about why she was leaving?"
"No, Al. She just left a note saying thanks for everything."
Alibi doesn't know what to say. He wants to cry. His brain is disappointed at his heart. Weak organ! Falling for the girl!
"Al?" Anita calls over the com.
"Sorry," Alibi responds. "I guess... I just, um, well, I thought we had gotten closer, you know?" He feels like a dumb teenager.
"I know, honey, I know. When are you going to be done there?"
"Tomorrow. We're supposed to have the signing tomorrow morning. I'm hoping the Flaze don't back out. They've been grumbling. Say I'm favoring the human delegation. They've been threatening to file a complaint with the corps."
"Are you favoring the human delegation?" Anita asks.
"I don't think so," Alibi says, suddenly defensive. "I'm sorry. I don't know. I really don't think I am."
"Then I'm sure you haven't," Anita says, trying to cheer up Alibi. "I know you always do your best, Ali. Why don't you come back here after the signing ceremony. We can have another nice dinner, maybe?"
"I don't know. I've got some dinner back at my place here..."
"Al-i-bi," she says, stretching out his name as if scolding him.
"Okay! I'll come back there. We'll have dinner tomorrow night. How's that?"
"Good! Goodnight, Al. Good luck tomorrow," Anita says.
"Goodnight, Aunt Anita," Alibi answers, signing off.
Alibi can't sleep. He can't turn off his thoughts. His brain buzzes with questions.
Why did Katie leave?
Where could she have gone?
What did I do?
What could I have done?
Somehow he makes it through the night to morning. He also makes it through the boredom of the signings without falling asleep on his feet. The Flaze seemed to have calmed down in their late protestations, although the leader of the delegation still makes some noise about filing an official complaint. But done is done, and Alibi has an official trade agreement between the two groups finished, with their signatures on it, by the middle of the day.
Alibi heads back to his place on Cat's
Eye. He takes a shower and changes into a fresh Mediator Corps jumpsuit for the trip back to Ceres.
Feel like I'm just going through the motions.
He powers down his apartment, locks it up and heads for the Cat's Eye port, moving in a sort of tired-wired, cloudy haze. He's still beating himself up.
If you open yourself up to the highs, you open yourself up to the lows.
He thinks as he walks.
I prefer the middle. Not too high. Not too low. I don't know. Maybe it's a good idea to head back to Ceres Central. Feeling useless here.
As preoccupied as he is, Alibi almost walks right past a familiar figure that ducks into the shadows next to a warehouse as Alibi passes. Some part of his subconscious alerts him. Piccolo! Alibi stops, turns and walks over to the shadows where Piccolo is trying to disappear among a handful of large shipping containers parked on pallets in front of the warehouse door.
"Piccolo! I saw you! I know you're here somewhere," Alibi shouts as he looks around the containers.
Piccolo steps out from behind one of them.
"Okay! Okay, jeesh. No need to yell," Piccolo says. "Alibi. How are you?"
"Been better, actually. You?" Alibi asks him.
"Good. Yeah. I'm, you know, good."
"You working?" Alibi asks him, looking around at the shipping containers. Piccolo begins to look uneasy.
"Well, yeah, but I can't really talk..."
"Shipping something for the boss?" Alibi prods.
"You know I can't say anything about..."
"These all yours?" Alibi asks him. Alibi looks more intently at each of the shipping containers.
"Uh, well, uh, yeah..." Piccolo stammers.
"Hey Piccolo? Who's your friend!" a deep, throaty voice calls out from behind Alibi. Alibi tenses and turns slightly so he can see who the new arrival is and still keep an eye on Piccolo. A tall, dark and muscular thug type walks into the shadows towards them. "Peterson wants his package loaded ASAP," he barks.
"Who's Peterson?" Alibi asks innocently.
"You don't know? You don't wanna know!" the new arrival says, eying Alibi suspiciously."Who are you? Besides Mister-I'm-Way-Too-Curious?"
"I'm Alibi Jones!" He declares. "SAIF Mediator Corps."
"A mediator?" The big man laughs a throaty laugh."Why don't you just mediate on along, then, huh?"
Alibi's hand is on the Wand in his pocket. He's poised to call in SAIF forces, if he needs to. He's authorized to call in SAIF soldiers, if his life is threatened. His finger's on the button.
"Why, Piccolo here is an old friend of mine!" Alibi proclaims with phony friendliness and naiveté loading his tone. "We go way back!"
"It's fine, Anton," Piccolo tells the big man. Anton doesn't look convinced.
"Then how come he don't know Peterson?" Anton challenges him.
"I try to spare people that if I can. You know," Piccolo says somewhat unconvincingly. He tries to look relaxed by leaning back against the shipping container but bangs his shoulder into it awkwardly. "Ow!" He looks up sheepishly at Anton and Alibi. "Sorry."
"Don't you have something to mediate... somewhere else?" Anton says to Alibi in a menacing tone of voice. Piccolo tries to give Alibi a "get out of here" look.
"Yeah, great seeing you, Alibi. We'll have to get together sometime," Piccolo says, trying to move him along. Alibi isn't moving. Something is bothering him. Something he can't put his finger on. A feeling. A sense of something.
Or someone? Katie? Would Piccolo dare?
"Yeah, right," Alibi agrees with Piccolo, although he's not really listening to him. He's pressing the button on his Wand. "What's in that package behind you Piccolo?"
"Oh?" Piccolo acts surprised. "I don't even know if this is one of ours."
"What's it to you?" Anton says menacingly, leaning in towards Alibi a little too closely. Alibi can smell his sour breath.
Gah! What did you have for lunch?
"Guess that depends on what's in there," Alibi says, nodding at the shipping container. "Or who's in there. Mind if I take a look?"
"Nothing you need to worry about, Alibi," Piccolo says. "It's some pieces of art from some museum or something, for the boss."
"Valuable?" Alibi asks.
"Well, yeah, I'd..."
"Listen, mediator, you're way overstepping your bounds here," Anton says, planting his finger in Alibi's chest as he crowds him away from Piccolo and the shipping container.
"Am I?" Alibi asks the big man. He steps back away from Anton's pointing finger. "I'll go away... right after you open the container there. If it's pieces of art, I don't care. I'll be on my way."
"You'll go now," Anton says, again closing the distance between them.
"Is there a problem here?" an authoritative woman's voice calls out. A squad of six armed SAIF troopers has materialized thanks to Alibi's Wand call. Their two transports sit just beyond the warehouse shadows. Two of the troopers dismount and approach, rifles at ready. Alibi is glad he's wearing his SAIF Mediator Corps Uniform. "You called for back up, sir?" The trooper asks Alibi.
"That I did," Alibi answers her. "Get your men over here, trooper. We need to open this shipping container."
"You can't do that. This is private property!" Piccolo protests.
"Peterson's gonna hear about this," Anton growls at Alibi. "He's gonna know who you are... You don't want Peterson to know who you are, mediator. You'll be a marked man!" He's threatening enough that one of the troopers advances, rifle aimed at the big man's chest. The squad leader comes over to Alibi.
"I'm not sure we can legally do this, sir," she whispers. "Private property and all."
"This is a kidnapping, squad leader," Alibi whispers back to the woman. "Trafficking in human beings. These guys are hired scum. C'mon, it's me! I'm Alibi Jones!"
The trooper cracks a smile. Alibi knows her from somewhere, but can't quite place her face.
"So you are... Alibi." She grows serious and barks to her squad members. "I want that container open now!" The rest of the SAIF troopers dismount transports and approach. She leans back to whisper to Alibi, "You better be right about this."
"Aw hell," Piccolo protests. "You can't do this!"
Anton looks like he's going to explode. Two squad members keep an eye on the big man, rifles ready. Another trooper tries to open the container.
"Sir? It looks like it's time locked. I don't think we can open it," the trooper reports. "Want us to blast it open?"
"No!" Both Alibi and Piccolo answer at the same time. "It's precious cargo," Alibi says. "Could be, anyway. Piccolo! You open the container," Alibi orders him. Piccolo looks at the SAIF troopers, at Anton, at Alibi, back at Anton. His eyes flit from person to person as he panics and tries to figure out who's the biggest immediate threat to him. "Override the time lock, Piccolo!" Alibi orders again.
"I... I can't!" Piccolo protests.
Alibi walks over to the nearest trooper, one of the ones near Anton.
"Trooper? Could I see that firearm?" Alibi asks the man. The trooper looks over to the squad leader. She looks at Alibi and he nods confirmation with a silent plea in his eyes. She nods to the trooper and he hands Alibi his weapon. Alibi hefts the energy rifle, dials up the deadliest setting and tests the firing action by shooting a quick bolt into the ground.
SHHHAAAAK!
The gathered group jumps involuntarily at the sound of the blast. Alibi brings the rifle up, aiming at Piccolo.
"Open it. Now."
"I can't! You wouldn't..." Piccolo objects, until he sees the look of deadly anger in Alibi's eyes and realizes that maybe he would. "Shit," Piccolo sighs. He turns to the shipping container's lock and begins punching a code into the door's keypad.
"Hey!" a SAIF trooper shouts. Anton has slipped away. Alibi looks over and sees him far off, running. His attention quickly snaps back to Piccolo.
Piccolo stopped punching in the code when the trooper shouted.
Alibi gestures with the rifle.
"Ke
ep going!" he barks at him.
Piccolo turns back to the container and continues putting in the code.
"Let him go," Alibi calls over his shoulder to the troopers.
"That's a mistake," Piccolo cracks. "For all of us. Anton's a bad man, Alibi. Ah, here you go, you bastard." The container door's lock clicks. "Fuck you, Alibi." The door opens with a loud CHUNK!
"Step away from the container, Piccolo," Alibi orders, keeping the gun trained on the man. Piccolo steps back from the opening. Alibi walks up to the container and draws open the door. There's a soundproof, oxygenated transport cube inside, the type used to move exotic livestock from planet to planet. The door is latched, but doesn't appear locked.
"Keep an eye on him," Alibi tells the squad leader, looking over at Piccolo. "I'm going into the container to open the transport cube."
Alibi ducks his head and enters the container. He lifts the latch on the cube and opens the door. It lets out a quick HISSSS! as it opens up.
There is a body bound and gagged and curled up in the fetal position on the floor of the cube, a small personal case next to it. Alibi recognizes the case. It belongs to his Aunt Anita! Then he recognizes the body.
"Katie!" Alibi shouts. A muffled cry comes from the figure on the floor. Alibi rushes in and tries to reach her face to loosen her gag, but he can barely fit into the doorway of the cube. He reaches in as far as he can, trying to grab her shoulders and slide her out of the transport cube. "Katie, it's me, it's Alibi! I found you! You're safe!" He tries to lift and pull and whaps the back of his head on the door-frame of the cube.
"Ouch! Damn!"Alibi curses.
"I'll get her legs," Alibi hears one of the troopers behind him. The two of them lift and pull together and slide Katie free of the cube and container. Alibi quickly moves to untie and remove her gag and blindfold as the trooper undoes the bindings on her ankles and wrists.
"Alibi?" she says hoarsely.
"It's me, Katie!" Alibi says. He and the trooper are rubbing her wrists and ankles trying to help her circulation. They're forced to let go and back off as she starts flailing her arms.
"Get away from me!" she shouts in her raspy but loud voice as she tries to sit up. "Just leave me alone!" She doesn't seem to see her surroundings, as if she's half asleep. She slumps back over. "Get away," she mumbles.
Alibi backs away, hurt and trying to understand. He sees Piccolo looking at Katie with disappointment. He walks over and stares down at him.
"Place this man under arrest and put out an APB for his friend 'Anton'," Alibi shouts into Piccolo's face, although his words are meant for the squad leader. "Charges include Assault and Battery. Assault with a deadly weapon. Kidnapping. There may be more, but that's enough for now."
"You're making a mistake, man," Piccolo tells him. "I tried to help you out by bringing her back to Laveillur. Now, you're stopping me. You're gonna be on his shit list, man, and UNH!" Piccolo's warning is cut short when Alibi whips up the butt end of the energy weapon and hits him alongside the head with the rifle stock. Piccolo goes sprawling onto the ground, knocked out.
Alibi turns to find the squad's troopers staring at him, aghast.
"My, uh, rifle slipped," he says with a shrug. "Sorry," he says halfheartedly, not really apologizing. "Go on," he says to the squad leader, "pick him up and take him in. Solar Alliance law applies." The squad leader motions to two of her men. The troopers pick up Piccolo on either side and drag his unconscious form over to one of their transports. Alibi checks on Katie, slumped over. She's unconscious again.
"Looks like she's drugged," the squad leader says, appearing at Alibi's side.
"She's a friend of mine," Alibi tells the squad leader. "Can you help me get her back to my apartment? I can keep an eye on her there, keep her safe from guys like these."
"Why do they want her?" the squad leader asks him.
"They work for a man who thinks he owns her. The man considers her his property. I don't believe in slavery, myself," Alibi explains. The squad leader nods in agreement.
"I'll take Piccolo in for charging in one of our transports," she tells him. "You can use the other transport to get her back to your place. I'll send a couple troopers with you."
"Thank you!"He shakes her hand hard in thanks.
Alibi heads back to his apartment with Katie on the transport. She hasn't regained full consciousness since her outburst. She's groggy all the way back to Alibi's apartment. The two troopers from the transport help Alibi carry her in and he puts her to bed so she can sleep off whatever drugs they used on her.
It takes almost nine hours for the drugs to wear off. Alibi calls Anita while he waits and lets her know Katie's safe. He apologizes for missing dinner.
"Be sure to bring her back with you!" Anita tells Alibi. "We'll reschedule and do another big dinner!"
"Will do," Alibi tells her. "Can't believe Piccolo was smart enough to make it look like she left on her own."
"I still don't know how he got in and out of here unseen."
"Check your security," Alibi says, concerned. "Or have SAIF check it over. Find out how he could get to her. I don't want anyone to get to you!"
"You're sweet, hon. It's already done, trust me. You have a goodnight. Let me know when you two are coming back here, okay?"
She signs off. Lack of sleep, the morning signings and afternoon drama take their toll on him. Alibi finds himself nodding off as he waits. He tries to fight it but falls asleep.
Alibi wakes up to a crash! He jumps up off the couch in his main room, suddenly jolted into awareness. Another CRASH! Coming from the bedroom!
Alibi rushes to the bedroom door.
"Katie?"
Alibi throws open the bedroom door. Katie's not on the bed. He doesn't see her in the room.
"Katie!"
"Alibi!?" her voice sounds muffled. Alibi puts on the room lights.
"Katie? Where are you?"
"Alibi? Oh, oh shit, sorry," she says as she steps out of the bedroom closet. "I didn't know where I was," she says. "I think I wrecked your closet. Sorry."
"Stop apologizing," Alibi says to her. "I'm glad to see you awake."
She looks up and looks him in the eye for only a second before looking down and away again.
"Did you rescue me again?" she asks him without looking up.
"I kind of did," Alibi tells her. "We're on Cat's Eye. I was wrapping up business here and ran across Piccolo and a suspicious shipping container."
"Well... thanks for that, for finding me. I'm sorry you had to."
"Hey," Alibi reaches out to rest a comforting hand on her shoulder, "I told you, you don't have to..."
She shrugs out from under his hand and interrupts him.
"Don't. Stop being so nice to me! I fucked up," she protests.
"You were kidnapped. How is that fu..."
"I left your aunt's and went off on my own. That's why he got me."
"Why did you leave my aunt's? You were safe the..."
"She was too nice to me. It was too much. She was buying me stuff... And she kept talking about you and me as if we were... We slept together one night, Alibi, and she was acting like we were engaged or something! It was freaking me out."
Alibi is devastated, but refuses to show it.
"She just likes you," Alibi tells her. "She never had a daughter to dote on. I'm sorry she was too much."
"Don't smother me! I hate being so..." she tries to find the word.
"What?" Alibi says. "Loved? Wanted? Cared for?" he asks her. "Not being used as a gambling chit?"
Katie gets mad.
"Aaarrgghh!" she shouts. She pushes past Alibi and storms out of the bedroom. He follows on her heels.
"Katie? Come on. I'm sorry!" He follows her into the main room where she's looking for the front door. She sees the door and bolts for it. "Come off it, Katie," he pleads with her. "Don't go out there! It's not safe for you out there. Please?"
Something occurs to her. She stops and turns back to
Alibi.
"Where is Piccolo now?"
"Under arrest. SAIF troopers brought him in."
"Shit," she says, thinking. "How long ago was that?"
"I dozed off. Gotta look at a clock. Let's see..." Alibi checks. "It all happened about ten hours ago."
She shakes her head.
"You are so naïve," she says, disappointed. She talks to Alibi as if he's an idiot. "He's not there anymore. They'll have let him go by now."
"Let him go? We're charging him with kidnapping. Assault! They don't just let you go free when you're charged with felonies like that," Alibi argues.
"They do when you work for Laveillur," she counters. "Go ahead. Call the SAIF garrison, see if he's still there. I'll wait."
"You shouldn't go anywhere," he tells her.
"Please," she says with disdain. "Gimme a break. Call them."
Alibi calls in to the SAIF garrison and gets bad news. Piccolo is gone.
"Someone paid his bail or something," he says as he gets off the com. "You were right."
"You think you can protect me? You can't protect me," she says a little over-dramatically. "I'm just as safe, either side of this door." She turns and tries to open the door. It's locked. "Let me out!" she demands. Alibi walks over to the door and unlocks it. Katie notices her bag, Alibi's aunt's case, nearby. She walks over, picks up the bag and sweeps back past Alibi to open the door and walk out.
"You're making a mistake," Alibi calls after her.
"Yeah, I do that," she calls back. "Thanks for rescuing me, Alibi. Be good."
Alibi walks out into the hallway outside his apartment and watches her go.
If I go after her... try to keep her here, make her stay somewhere against her will? I'm as bad as they are, then. Aren't I?
She looks back at him for a split second before she steps into the elevator at the end of the hall. Alibi goes back inside his apartment and closes and locks the door behind him. He sits on his couch and hates the way he feels.
"Stupid. Dumb. Dumb and stupid," Alibi talks to himself. He calls Anita but gets sent to messaging. "Hi, um, Aunt Anita. Katie took off again. I, uh... huh. I'm not sure what I'm doing next. I'll check back with you later." He signs off, and then sets his own Wand to do not disturb message mode. He doesn't really feel like talking to anyone.
