by Bob Blink
The next couple of days had them out and exploring the Boulder/Denver area, which included a stop at a couple of sporting goods stores where Asari found a couple of knives and spent a great deal of time fondling some of the top quality bows he found. In the end he decided he still liked his own better, but he was impressed by the selection, especially for a place where the major purpose of the equipment was sport. On the third day, Randy took them to see Gene’s chemist friend who had completed the separation of the Karonabark ingredient, and had made up a potent solution containing some of the ingredient and a healthy dose of the animal tranquilizer. He turned these over without a lot of questions that Randy half expected, happy to get the money he’d been promised for the effort. That night Randy and Asari carefully charged a half dozen of the copper plated darts with the solution. They had two of the pistols for the darts, but would only be taking the one. If the first dart didn’t work, they would have other problems, and having a backup seemed unnecessary.
The night before they planned to depart for California, Randy and Asari were going over the plans for the trip. They were going to fly from Boulder to Los Angeles in the small Cessna that Tishe had taken her ride in. Travel time would be cut significantly by using the plane as opposed to a car, which was important because the weather was already showing a storm later in the week and Randy didn’t want to try and drive back in a blizzard. In addition, using the private plane would allow them to bring the weapons along without awkward questions being raised. It also would be far easier to bring Ryltas back under restraint in the plane, where there would be no likelihood of encountering police who might ask awkward questions. They were about to commit a serious crime, and had to plan this so it wasn’t discovered at all, or at least until they were back on Gaea.
“A single hop from Boulder to the airport in Torrance exceeds the range we can safely get from the plane,” Randy explained. That means a stop for refueling along the way, going and returning. It might even work to our advantage.”
Randy planned to stop in Las Vegas on the way to California. Vegas would be an interesting experience for Asari, and staying in Sin City would place them within a couple of hours of their destination without leaving any traces associated with staying over night in the area. They could spend the night among the thousands of tourists, get up early and make the flight, pick up the pre-arranged rental car, and take care of their business.
“On the way back, we’ll continue on into Utah. There’s a small unattended airfield in Beaver, Utah where we can land and fuel up by ourselves using their self service pumps, then continue on. Given the time of day we’ll leave California, and the flight time, we won’t get back to Boulder until very late at night, which means the airport staff will have all gone home. We can activate the landing lights automatically with the CTAF system even though no one is there. After landing, we won’t have anyone around when we transfer our unconscious passenger into the car and bring him back here. Once we are here, we will simply take him on to Gaea, and he will disappear.
The flight looked entirely reasonable, and while there would be records of their trip to California, there would hopefully be nothing to connect them with a man that somehow went missing in El Segundo. In an area where tens of millions of people lived, and hundreds of planes came and went, Randy didn’t think they would be able to make the connection.
“This is where he lives?” Asari asked, looking at the photos Gene and Randy had taken some weeks before.
“He and his girlfriend. The detective we hired indicates he spends a great deal of time at the house, usually going out to meet people two or three times a week, most often for only a couple of hours at a time. On those trips he goes alone. He and the woman go for dinner most nights, and seldom have visitors. She goes out alone three times a week to a gym. Very dependable. Doesn’t seem to ever miss a day.”
“You said we want to try and take him while she is away.”
“That would make it easier. We’d have only Ryltas to deal with, and we don’t know what he will be like. I suspect he has a supply of the power crystals, but how cautious will he be and how might he react to an attack? Hopefully the dart will block his magic and put him out so the abduction will be simple, but if not, it would be best for the woman not to be around. I’d hate to have to harm her. If things do flare up, let me deal with Ryltas since I have the amplifier and should be able to command more magic than he can deal with. I’ll pass you the dart pistol. If it doesn’t work the first time on him, then there is little point in another shot. You can use that on her if for some reason she didn’t go to the gym and shows up.”
“What if things start to go badly?”
“As a last resort we can simply shoot him. That would be bad, and we’d have to get out of there right away. A shot there might attract attention. I really hope we’ll have time for a look around his place. We might learn a lot about what he has been up to. It could help prepare for the spring attacks.”
“Why do you think he’ll answer the door? You said he doesn’t have many visitors. Won’t that alert him to possible danger?”
“I’m hoping he won’t be able to detect the small amount of power I’ll be using to project a glamour on you. He’ll see you as a package delivery man, not an uncommon sight. The man could even have the wrong address. By the time he senses something, remember his powers are dulled considerably and I doubt he will be wasting the small amount of power he has stored, I should have already shot him with the dart from off to the side. I can hide in the bush here on the left. Even if he has a weak shield up, the copper dart will pass through.”
“We should just shoot him,” Asari said. “This is too complicated. Why don’t you just wait until he comes here again?”
“I want to have him eliminated and the Nexus closed before Cheurt or his people go to meet him. When they get there, I want the Nexus to have seemed to disappear. That should confuse and concern them, and it will eliminate any chance of someone else coming through to check on Ryltas. I don’t like these guys being able to get to Janie and the kids. They would be the most likely victims if one of the wizards wanted to ask questions.”
* * * *
They had arrived early at the airfield and had already taken possession of the airplane they planned to use for the trip. Asari sat in the right seat of the Cessna TR182 Skylane outfitted in his jeans, tee shirt, baseball cap and Nikes, not to mention his new leather flight jacket, Ray-Ban Aviator sunglasses and David Clark headset. They had purchased the new items the previous afternoon at a local pilot shop when they had stopped by to pick up a current set of charts Randy would need for the trip. So far, Asari’s time on Earth was everything he could have hoped for, and it was about to get even better. Randy was about to give his friend his first flying lesson. He smiled as he looked over at Asari who he hadn’t seen look so pleased in a very long time.
Having completed the preflight checklist, Randy started the engine and demonstrated to Asari how to taxi the plane with his feet on the rudder pedals to control the nose wheel steering and brakes. Asari quickly caught on as they taxied out to the run-up area adjacent to the departure end of runway 8. Communication was no problem because they each wore a David Clark headset, something Randy had decided was essential given the planned duration of their flights and some of the things he wanted Asari to learn. With a voice activated intercom for internal communications and a yoke mounted push-to-talk button for external transmissions, it made their interactions much more effective. Besides, this way Asari could overhear the exchange with the tower when they landed on the far end. Randy completed the pre-take off checklist, following the same sequence he had followed when Tishe was aboard some weeks back, but this time he explained to Asari what he was doing at each step of the procedure.
Randy then taxied onto the departure end of the runway, ready for their takeoff. He advanced the throttle until he reached maximum takeoff power, released the brakes, and began accelerating on his takeoff roll. As they lifted off, R
andy completed the practiced sequence and finally trimmed the plane for his preferred 100 knot climb.
Asari was fascinated by the experience, and was torn between watching Randy and the rapidly dropping away scene outside the aircraft. This is what Tishe had told him about, and although he knew he was soon going to have a chance to actually fly the plane, for the moment he was enthralled by an experience to be savored.
The previous day Randy and Asari had spent a number of hours on Janie’s computer with the Microsoft Flight Simulator. While it wasn’t the real thing, the simulator had showed Asari what was involved and gave him some perspective as to what his actions would cause the plane to do.
As Randy continued climbing to the south, the wall of mountains off their right wingtip appeared to be slowly descending. Ten minutes after take-off as they were climbing through 11,000 feet, they donned their nasal cannula oxygen systems and plugged into the aircraft oxygen ports in the overhead panel. This would augment their oxygen and keep them from dozing off at their cruising altitude of 16,500 feet.
As the aircraft passed through 13,000 feet they began a turn to the west and entered a vast forest of snow covered peaks that extended in the clear mountain air for as far as they could see. The mountains here remained snow-covered year round, and although there were occassional patches of brown and gray rock below, even those would disappear soon once the first of the major winter storms passed through. It was an inspiring sight, but brought home just how insignificant they were in the midst of their surroundings.
Asari was now eager to have his chance, and after a quick reminder of what actions he should take and those he shouldn’t, Randy said, “you have the controls.”
With a wide grin Asari responded as Randy had taught him the previous day, “I have the controls.”
His hands on the yoke, Asari couldn’t believe it was real. He found it was a simple matter to maintain their flight attitude, but then he wasn’t trying to alter the plane’s course or climb rate at the moment. Randy had told him they would experiment a bit after reaching cruising altitude.
Twenty minutes after takeoff Randy helped Asari lower the nose to level at their cruising altitude of 16,500 feet. As the plane accelerated in level flight to 202 mph, he used the elevator trim tab on the yoke to trim for hands free level flight. A check of the Garmin GPS system map showed their expected flight time to Vegas would be three hours and ten minutes.
For the next fifteen minutes he had Asari make small course correction turns, and adjustments in altitude, so that he could get a feel for the controls under flight conditions. As quickly as Asari took to flying, it was unfortunate they wouldn’t have more time for him to practice. On the return trip they would probably have a passenger to watch, and with the situation on Gaea he was uncertain when they would be able to come back to Earth for simple enjoyment.
Asari held the controls until they approached Las Vegas airspace at which time Randy took over once again so he could react to traffic in the area and the directions from the tower. Before long they were on the ground and in a taxi to their hotel.
* * * *
Vegas had been everything Randy could have hoped for Asari. His friend couldn’t believe the people, the lights, and the incredible buildings and sights. They didn’t have time to see more of what was there because they’d had an early flight and had to call it a night early. This morning they had taken a cab back to the airport, and made the flight into California. Now they were driving up the 405 freeway on their way to El Segundo where they hoped everything would go smoothly.
Randy circled the block a couple of times, and was pleased to see that only one of the two cars the detective had described was present. Of course, one could be in the garage, but the reports had indicated they always parked on the wide concrete driveway inside the tree lined enclosure to the yard. It appeared that Ryltas was still home, and the woman had held to her schedule and gone to the gym. They had around two hours before she would be back.
Asari stepped up to the door and knocked solidly. He was wearing the full sized Kimber under a windbreaker jacket. Of course, to anyone looking at him, he was dressed in a brown uniform and appeared to be holding a large envelope as he waited for someone to answer the door. Randy was off to the side. He had the smaller Kimber stuck into his belt, but at the moment had the single shot tranquilizer pistol in his hand waiting for an opportunity to inject Ryltas with the Karonabark extract.
It took long enough that Randy was starting to think this wasn’t going to work, when he heard a latch being thrown and the door opened. A face he recognized appeared only a couple of feet away, staring straight ahead at Asari as he’d hoped. He couldn’t sense any shields. Ryltas had been here a long time now, and was getting careless. He’d had no problems since he’d arrived, and everything had been going his way. A deliveryman was a common sight here and Ryltas’ lowered guard demonstrated his time on Earth hadn’t taught him that an unexpected delivery was something to be cautious about.
There was no point in waiting. He raised the pistol and shot the dart into Ryltas’ exposed neck. He saw the dart sink into the flesh. Immediately he sensed a weak shield snap into place. Ryltas hadn’t been that lax, and he must have one or more of the power crystals on him to be able to raise the shield. The wizard turned his face in the direction from which the dart had come and saw Randy lurking in the bush next to the wall.
“You!” he hissed, obviously recognizing Randy.
This was not a time to play around. Randy let the glamour on Asari fade, and quickly raised his own shield, placing it around both Asari and himself. That stretched his already weak shield even more, but he doubted that Ryltas could hold a shield and generate much of an attack at the same time. He could be wrong, of course. Already it appeared Jolan had been right to be worried about the Karonabark. He’d known that Cheurt knew how to resist the effects. He’d wondered if he’d shared the knowledge with his people and it now appeared as if he’d shared with Ryltas at least. That was not surprising given their long friendship. Well, it had been a gamble. Randy wondered how long before the tranquilizer would take effect. For the moment, Ryltas looked unaffected, and his eyes blazed in anger.
Ryltas was obviously surprised to see Randy, and he must have also been surprised to sense the shield that Randy had raised, which was clearly stronger than his own. The wizard hesitated only a minute, then turned and ran back into the house.
Randy followed right after him, blocking Asari who had pulled the pistol and was slipping into the classic two-handed hold for a shot.
“Wait!” Randy said, and hurried after Ryltas, handing the dart pistol to Asari as he ran past. Moments later Randy saw the wizard run through the kitchen and out the back door. He’d been stupid, Randy realized. He should have stepped back and let Asari take the shot when Rytas had turned back into the house. A single report would most likely have gone unnoticed here on the almost empty street. They could have stepped inside, closed the door, and it would have been over. They might have even had time to look around while they waited for things to settle down before they walked away. Now Ryltas was running down the back alleyway and might get away. If he managed to escape, Randy had no idea how he’d find him in a place like Los Angeles. Somehow Ryltas seemed to be resisting the drug from the pistol.
Randy raised his shield-pair, knowing that Ryltas would be using some of his power to try and watch for the normal shield. He ran out the door and hurried down the alley the same way Ryltas had gone. As he approached a corner in the alley, he sensed a weak power about fifty feet down the alley. Ryltas appeared to have dropped his own shield for the moment, whether to conserve power or to try and hide his location, Randy didn’t know. Knowing he would be seen if he made the turn, Randy considered his options. He could probably withstand anything Ryltas could throw at him, and the man’s supply of power had to be draining away, but a power battle could draw attention he didn’t want, and he had already misjudged the situation. Ryltas could have another surpr
ise waiting for him. As he approached the turn in the alley, Randy climbed over a small fence and darted through a couple of yards, finally slipping back into the alley beyond where he’d sensed the power draw.
He could see Ryltas waiting behind a large trash container fifty feet ahead of him. As silently as possible, Randy closed the distance. Ryltas looked a bit wobbly, so maybe the drug was finally starting to have an effect. Randy could tell that Ryltas wasn’t still holding his shield. He suspected that power was too dear, and the wizard was trying to conserve what little he had for the actual encounter. He watched as Ryltas swept back his coat and checked something at his side, which Randy realized was a pair of the power storage crystals. Without hesitation, Randy dropped his own shield and wrapped the strongest shield he could around the power source, cutting it off from the wizard. Even as he was locking the shields into place, Randy charged the wizard. Realizing he was suddenly blocked from the only thing that he could use to fight, Ryltas turned toward the sound of Randy’s approach, but was slammed against the trash container, where he hit his head and collapsed.
Moments later, Asari’s head peeked around the far corner, and he headed toward Randy when he saw the fight was over. As Asari approached, Randy called another glamour, which made the two of them appear as policemen. He probably had the uniforms wrong, but doubted anyone would notice. He reached down and stripped the nearly depleted power cells from the wizard.
