Wanderer - Echoes of the Past

by Simon Goodson

  Finally Elizabeth stopped before a bar, then went in. To Sal it seemed on the seedier side. Music blasted out and the bar area was packed with hard looking men and women, many with an impressive array of empty glasses before them.

  Elizabeth headed for the bar, elbowing her way through to the front. Sal followed in her wake, trying hard to ignore the muttered comments and glares from those Elizabeth had shoved past. Once she reached the bar next to Elizabeth she felt sure most of those behind were watching her. She took a surreptitious glance and found that in fact no one was. The drinkers had apparently forgotten the intrusion already.

  “Two beers,” Elizabeth called out to the young barman as he passed.

  “Sure.”

  He soon returned with their drinks, two chilled bottles of beer.

  “Eight dollars,” he said.

  Elizabeth passed some notes over. Sal couldn’t see properly but she was pretty certain there was a lot more than eight dollars there.

  “Maybe you can help me,” she said. “I’m looking for a friend. Unfortunately I don’t know the name he’s using here. You see he’s an artist, and he likes to work without too much… attention.”

  “An artist you say? Produces real works of art? Digital and physical?”

  “Yes! Do you know him?”

  “Not personally, but I think I know who you mean. Speak to Dennison at the Blind Spot. He owns the bar. I think he’ll be able to help you.”

  “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

  “No problem. I hope you find your friend.”

  As the barman walked away Sal raised her eyebrows.

  “That’s it?” she asked. “It’s that easy?”

  “Not really. If you’d tried that you would have got a blank look and your ‘change’ returned to you. You wouldn’t give off the right vibe.”

  “And you do?”

  Elizabeth shrugged. “You can’t be a successful trader without sometimes bending the rules. Now enjoy your beer, it might be the first of many. We’ve got a lead but it could be a long day.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  The Blind Spot turned out to be another bar, though a much more pleasant one. It was busy but far from packed. Once again Elizabeth made a bee line for the bar, though this time she was able to pick an area several feet away from any other customers. Only two young barmaids were behind the bar so it took several minutes for one to wander over.

  “What can I getcha?” she asked in a bored tone.

  “Dennison. I need to discuss some business with him.”

  The girl paused for a moment then shrugged. “He’s not around at the moment. If you want to wait you’ll have to order some drinks.”

  “When is he likely to be back?” asked Elizabeth.

  Again there was a pause before the girl replied. Sal wondered if she was high on something.

  “Dunno. Later today maybe. Maybe not. He doesn’t come in every day.”

  Elizabeth smiled and leaned across the bar towards the girl. Sal leant in too to hear what was said.

  “Bullshit,” Elizabeth hissed. “He’s watching us right now and listening to every word we say, then he’s feeding you your answers through that earpiece you’ve tried to pass off as an earring. Now Mister Dennison, I’d appreciate having a quiet word with you.”

  The girl’s eyes went wide and her jaw dropped. For a few moments she simply stared at Elizabeth, then she jumped slightly.

  “He’ll be right down,” she said in a subdued voice. “I’ll get you two beers now, on the house.”

  “Thank you,” Elizabeth said sweetly, pulling back from the girl.

  Their beers arrived very soon after, and were closely followed by the bar’s owner. Dennison appeared to be in his late twenties or early thirties but something about him made Sal sure he was actually older. He wore a sharply pressed navy blue suit and his dark hair was slicked back.

  “It’s not every day I have two such beautiful women demanding to see me,” Dennison said. His voice was deep but smooth. Like his look, it made Sal want to get as far away from him as possible.

  “This is business, not pleasure,” Elizabeth said bluntly. “We were told you might be able to help.”

  Dennison studied Elizabeth for a moment, then turned his attention to Sal. Whatever he saw in the two of them made him drop some of the charm.

  “All right, straight talking. I can appreciate that. I doubt very much that I can help you ladies…”

  “But you don’t even know…” Sal started to interrupt. Elizabeth squeezed her hand firmly, shaking her head.

  “Interesting…” Dennison said. “As I was saying, I doubt very much that I can help you but I may well know someone who can. What exactly is it you ladies require? And you can be honest. I have this place swept for bugs regularly. It’s clear, as are you — I wouldn’t be speaking to you if the scans hadn’t come up clean.”

  “Through some exceptional bad luck, not to mention a significant amount of treachery, all the documentation for our ship has been destroyed,” Elizabeth said. “We could go to an imperial office, but you know as well as I do how much effort that would take… and that they would be as likely to take our ship as to give us replacement documentation.”

  “Ah… I see. So you are looking for a slightly less… shall we say cumbersome route to getting the paperwork?”

  “Exactly.”

  “Then you are in luck. I can’t help, but I can arrange an introduction.” He leaned forward, eyes boring into Elizabeth’s. “It won’t be cheap though. You need to cover my costs and those of the intermediary I will pass you onto. That will be eight hundred in total. Then there will be the cost of the documentation… that will be much higher.”

  “I know. We can pay. In precious metals, if that will be acceptable.”

  “Acceptable and, in fact, preferable. So much harder to trace. Well ladies, enjoy your drinks. Then I believe one of you will feel the need for some relief in a few minutes. The toilets are through that door, down the stairs and along the corridor. Have the money for myself and the contact with you. In return I will give you details of when to meet the contact tomorrow.

  It would probably be best if you stayed for a few more drinks then. Rushing off would seem… unusual. Relax, enjoy the atmosphere. Have some food. If you like I could keep you company.”

  “Thanks, but we’ll stick to drinking,” Elizabeth replied firmly.

  Dennison mock saluted then walked off, disappearing through a door.

  “Interesting fellow,” Sal said.

  “Complete prick,” Elizabeth replied. “But he has what we need, and he wants our money. Not just ours, he’ll get a big kickback from whoever he’s arranging for us to meet.”

  “Can we trust him?”

  “Yes, I think so. If I don’t come back from the toilets in five minutes though you need to get out of here and back to the ship.”

  “Should I go instead?”

  “No. I’m more likely to spot if anything feels wrong, and to be able to fight my way out if it is. And no offence but… you’d look far too guilty and furtive doing it. We don’t want to attract anyone else's attention.”

  “OK, if you’re sure.”

  “I’ll go now. Might as well get it out the way. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

  Elizabeth gave Sal a bright smile. Sal managed a sickly one in return. Then Elizabeth was up and moving. Sal returned her attention to her drink, or seemed to. She watched Elizabeth from the corner of her eye, until Elizabeth disappeared through the doors.

  Sal immediately started to worry. To try to calm her nerves she picked up one of the beers and sipped it. The sip became a full blown swallow, and she had to fight herself to put the bottle back on the table. She would quite happily have downed it all.

  Sal looked up again, watching the two barmaids. Neither seemed to be paying her any attention, and neither seemed on edge.

  How long had it been now? Thirty seconds? A minute? Sal wasn’t sure. It felt a lot longer, but she
didn’t think it was. So Elizabeth was probably only just meeting Dennison.

  Sal took another swig from the bottle, then another. Time seemed to be crawling by. Surely Elizabeth must have reached the toilet by now. Would she actually go? She would have to at least spend long enough in there to be realistic, wouldn’t she?

  Sal sat nervously, trying not to be too obvious in watching the door Elizabeth had left by. She took another swig from the bottle but was surprised to find it empty. She’d finished the beer without realising.

  It must have been too long. Should she leave? Probably, but she couldn’t go without being sure. Head fuzzy from drinking the beer so quickly Sal made up her mind. She stood, slightly unsteadily, and started to move. Not towards the exit. Towards the toilets.

  Pushing open the door she started down the stairs. Still no sign of either Elizabeth or Dennison. Sal reached the bottom of the stairs. The corridor ahead was clear, but there were several side doors. If Elizabeth had been grabbed, or worse, then she could be in any of those. The toilets were at the end of the corridor, women’s to the left and men’s to the right.

  Sal paused for a moment, uncertain what to do. Should she look into the side doors? No, not yet. She needed to prove that Elizabeth wasn’t in the toilet first.

  Slowly she moved down the corridor, heart hammering and chest tight. Tensed and ready to run at the slightest sound.

  She paused by the first door but could hear nothing beyond. The door was solid so she couldn’t peek in. The second door was the same, as was the third. Heart in her mouth Sal crept forward.

  She reached the toilets then carefully and very slowly pushed the door open. She crept through, adrenaline pumping through her system.

  “Hey!”

  Sal jumped at the loud shout, spinning to face the threat with her arms raised.

  “Bloody hell Sal, what are you doing down here?” Elizabeth asked. Then she took in the way Sal was standing and the way her hands were shaking. She laughed, shaking her head.

  “Damn. You got spooked, right? Thought something had happened?”

  Sal nodded, unable to speak. Elizabeth had been bent over a sink, washing her hands. Now she dried them.

  “Well, no harm done. You’d better give your face a wipe while you’re down here, you look white as a sheet at the moment. Then we can saunter back upstairs and order some more drinks.”

  “I… I… I finished mine… but yours is still there,” Sal managed to say, pulse and breathing starting to slow.

  “First rule of visiting bars, never drink anything that’s been out of your sight,” Elizabeth said. “God alone knows what might have been dropped into it while we were down here. Now, wash up and let’s get back to getting drunk.”

  “Is everything…”

  Elizabeth cut her off with a gesture, then nodded.

  “Yes, everything is fine. We can drink here for a few hours without the captain getting upset. I checked before we left.”

  Sal stared in puzzlement for a few seconds, then realised that Elizabeth thought they might be being overheard. She nodded in return.

  “Great. Just let me splash some water on my face then we can get back to drinking.”

  “That’s my girl,” said Elizabeth approvingly.

  *****

  Sal lost track of how many beers they’d had at around four or five. The barmaids quickly cleared any empty bottles from their table so she couldn’t even estimate how many she had drunk. Elizabeth had switched to paying for the drinks using the card so Sal thought they’d probably spent all the cash.

  Sal knew she was well and truly drunk. Elizabeth had knocked back just as many but seemed to be in a much better state.

  “Won’t the others be worrying about us?” Sal asked.

  “Nah. Teeko is quite happy to spend large chunks of his day sleeping in the bath, and as for Ali and Jess… I think we both know what they’ll be getting up to with the ship to themselves.”

  Sal grinned.

  “Seriously though,” she said. “I don’t think I can drink much more and still make it back to the ship.”

  Elizabeth laughed at that.

  “We need to build up your tolerance! I could drink as much again.”

  Sal’s face fell at that.

  “Don’t worry, I’m not going to,” Elizabeth said. “I really don’t fancy having to carry you all the way back. Let’s finish these, then get going.”

  Sal smiled gratefully, then set to work on finishing the rest of her beer. Elizabeth grabbed her own half full bottle and downed it in one. Determined not to be outdone Sal did the same. She managed it, but her head was spinning from the sudden influx of more alcohol.

  “Let’s go then,” Elizabeth said, standing.

  Sal carefully followed suit. The room seemed to spin slowly for a few seconds before everything returned to normal.

  “Wow… you don’t look too steady,” Elizabeth said. “We’ll cut back through a market and get some coffee to straighten you out. Or maybe something stronger.”

  Sal just nodded. She followed Elizabeth from the bar and onto the crowded street outside.

  “Right,” Elizabeth said. “Stay close and whatever you do don’t wander off.”

  Sal just nodded again. As Elizabeth set off Sal concentrated on staying close behind, letting Elizabeth force a path through the crowds that she could follow.

  When they reached the market area the crowds were everything Elizabeth had said they might be. There seemed to be thousands of people jostling each other in the narrow walkways between stalls. In her detached state Sal simply took the sights in, not worrying about them at all. She felt relaxed, incredibly relaxed. All she had to do was stay close to Elizabeth.

  They plunged into the crowds. Within a minute Sal had lost her bearings. Even through her relaxed haze she felt a niggling worry that she’d lose sight of Elizabeth, a worry that made her stick even closer to the older woman.

  Suddenly Sal stopped dead in her tracks, shock freezing her in place. Standing not four feet away was an impossibility, something that just could not be.

  “Markus?” Sal asked quietly. Then she shouted, heart pounding with excitement. “Markus! It’s me, Sal! Markus!”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Emotions churned inside Sal. Disbelief at what she was seeing. Excitement at seeing Markus. She felt nervous too, would he still feel the same way as she did?

  Markus had turned towards her. She stepped closer and grabbed his arms.

  “Markus! I don’t believe it. How are you here? How did you get away? Did you escape somehow? How are you? I’ve thought about you every single day! I missed you so much. I…”

  Something in his face brought Sal stumbling to a halt. Confusion and surprise. After a few moments he spoke. It was the same voice that Sal remembered.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t know who you are. Have we met? And my name isn’t Markus.”

  “But… but… what…”

  Sal struggled for a few moments, then found her voice again. She could feel a dark pit opening below her. Desperately she spoke.

  “Please… you must remember. It hasn’t been that long. We were salves together. You said you loved me!”

  Sal’s voice was raising towards a plea now. Markus just shook his head.

  “I have never been a slave. I’ve been a trader all my life. My name is Sovon.”

  His voice was gentle, understanding, but also distant.

  “No, that can’t be. Please!”

  “I truly am sorry, but I am not the person you think I am. The universe is a big place. There are so many people that you will come across many who look like someone you know. Whoever this Markus was he was clearly very important to you. I am sorry for the hurt my appearance has caused you.”

  “Really? You aren’t him?”

  Sovon shook his head. “Really. Now please excuse me, I am already late for an important meeting. Taking a shortcut through the market seemed like a good idea at the time but it’s actually takin
g far longer than the long way.”

  With that Markus… no, Sovon… turned away and was gone. Sal stood with tears streaming down her face, feeling like someone had ripped out her heart.

  The resemblance had been uncanny, or so she thought. Was it just that she had been thinking of Markus so much recently, that she had seen someone quite similar and projected what she wanted to see upon him?

  She turned to explain to Elizabeth what had happened, and her stomach hit the ground. Elizabeth was nowhere to be seen!

  *****

  “Oh shit!” Elizabeth cursed. “Sal, where the hell are you?”

  She wracked her brains but couldn’t be sure when she had last checked that Sal was following close behind. It had seemed unnecessary — every time she turned Sal had been there, right on her heels. Truth be told, the beers they’d drunk had affected Elizabeth more than she let on to Sal. She could function without any problems, but they had boosted her confidence levels.

  Now she was stuck in the middle of the market with no idea how to find Sal. She’d been making random turns, letting the crowd sweep her along, and had absolutely no idea which direction she had come from.

  “Damn it. Gonna have to be the hard way then,” she muttered.

  The only way she could think of was to start walking the market, talking to the stall holders. Asking them if they’d seen a scared looking young woman that matched Sal’s description.

  For a moment she considered finding an access terminal and contacting Jess and Ali, asking them to join the search. She immediately dismissed the idea. That would be a recipe for getting two or three lost rather than just one.

  With a sigh she walked towards the nearest stall, preparing a set of statements and questions she was sure to be asking hundreds of times that afternoon.

  *****

  Sal stood frozen in place, completely overwhelmed by the situation. She had no idea where to go or what to do. Her head still felt fuzzy from the beers and the pain of thinking she’d found Markus then having her hopes dashed was still tearing into her.