by Rob Guy
She shivered, and pulled her arms around her shoulders
“You see it don’t you, Heidi,” said Larry. “You need to get our man off the Station as soon as possible.”
“Larry? Is that you?” Harry said, jolting upright, eyes half shut.
“Go back to sleep,” Larry and Heidi said together.
Larry smiled at her. Heidi looked around, her expression intimating recognition of something not quite right.
13
Choices
It took Harry a couple of hours to come round from the anaesthesia, and thus return to full cognitive function. He had asked Heidi to analyse the vial Noe had given them, and it was found to contain a substance, (highly illegal), that increased brain function dramatically depending on the dose. Heidi informed him there was enough of the mixture to supply ten, two-hour doses.
“What do you need it for?” she asked over dinner.
“That is very difficult to explain,” Harry replied. “Can I ask you to trust me?”
“Yes,” said Heidi. “You may ask.”
“Will you trust me on this?”
Heidi looked deep into his eyes, and Harry returned the stare. The two maintained lingering glances at each other for the remainder of the meal.
Once dinner was completed, Angel announced she was going to finish packing.
“Chi Chi, come with me now,” she said. “You can see Harry in the morning.”
“I want to stay with Harry-san,” said Chisato.
“We have shopping in the morning, remember? We both need new shoes. Come now.”
Chisato put on her best glum face, which both Heidi and Harry mimicked. For a while all three of them sat staring at each other with deep frowns and arms folded. Slowly, Harry began to pull a face until Chisato started giggling.
“Go on now,” Heidi said. “It’s time for bed, my little cherub.” She held out her arms, and Chisato came into them for an embrace. Then it was Harry’s turn.
“We’ll be gone around 08.00,” Angel told them. “Right after breakfast. Let you oldies have a lay in. Goodnight, Harry, goodnight, aunt Heidi.”
“Goodnight you two.” She got a kiss from both of them, as did Harry.
He looked bemused as he watched the sisters go and close the bedroom door. “So, er, where do I sleep?”
“You’re a smart guy, Harry,” said Heidi, collecting blankets from the linen cupboard, “you figure it out.”
“Yes, the couch looks comfortable. Thank you.”
“How are the ribs?”
“They feel great,” he said, drumming his fingers on them.
“That’s good.” Heidi folded the sheets over one arm, but didn’t put them down on the couch. Instead, she started walking into the other wing of the house, towards her own bedroom. Halfway down the hallway she stopped and turned round. The faint luminance from the far wall caught her exquisite figure in a tight silhouette. She put one hand on her hip. “Well, are you coming or are you going to stand there all night?”
“Wha…”
“This way, you idiot. I’m getting tired.” She turned round and walked to the end of the corridor. She opened a door and walked in. Just to be sure that he understood the situation, Harry waited to hear it close. It didn’t. Then another thought struck him.
Is this some sort of loyalty test, to see if I can stay true to Angel? God, this is madness. I don’t know these people.
He walked slowly down the corridor to stand outside Heidi’s room. She was busy between the wardrobe and the bed, adding a few last minute items to her case. “You’re here, finally,” she said, not looking up.
“Answer me one thing, before I come in.”
“I’ll try.”
“Is this some kind of test? Am I expected to sleep with you or stay on the couch?”
“You have the choice, Harry. You’re the first man to get this far. To be perfectly honest I’m not bothered what you do. Angela likes you, a lot, and your reaction to little Chisato was simply perfect. That decided it for me. It decided it for Angela. You would never have seen it, but she gave me her permission soon after that. You can share us both if you wish, or you cannot. You decide.”
“Wow. I don’t know what to say.”
“Well say something.”
“Erm, well… This is probably not the best time to tell you this, but I have a daughter, and an ex-wife.”
Heidi chuckled. “You’re right. Your timing is lousy, but I appreciate your candor. Not many men would tell someone they want to sleep with about an ex-wife and a daughter. However, I do know that.”
“You know? How?”
“I have my sources. We can discuss it or you can come in.”
“What about you? Do you have secrets?”
“Like I said, lousy timing.”
Harry took a step forward. “I have to know. Do you want me? Will you stop doing that please?”
Heidi stopped her packing. She looked ahead of her, not at him. “Yes, I want you.”
Harry closed the door. He got within a few metres of her when she turned to look at him. “But know this. If we do this, we are together, all four of us. I could never say it before, but we need you too. You have proved yourself worthy of our trust.”
“Heidi?”
“Yes?”
“You talk too much.”
Harry took her hand and found she was trembling.
14
A Rude Awakening
Harry was woken by the sound of the doorbell ringing incessantly. Beside him, Heidi still slept soundly, one arm across him. He carefully lifted it to one side and slipped out of bed. It was only 05.00. What the hell?
He dressed quickly, but only had his pants on when he heard Angel answer the door. There were raised voices and the clatter of hard soled footsteps entering the house. Harry knew this was not good. He barely had time to wake Heidi when the door to the bedroom was flung open and several storm troopers, clad in full riot gear, filed in, rifles raised, ready for anything. The first one stopped short on seeing Heidi rise up, bearing all above the waist, and the others all ran into the back of him. The result was a pile of mumbling and fumbling bodies that blocked the doorway. Behind them the lieutenant cursed their ineptitude, and pushed past them into the room.
“What is the meaning of this?” Heidi demanded.
“Ha!” said the lieutenant. “As if you didn’t know.” He strode further into the room, his tight neoprene uniform squeaking. His men had managed to get back up and arrange themselves in a neat semi-circle behind him. Their guns were trained on the bed, but Harry was standing to the side.
“Hey!” he shouted. “I think it’s me you want. Cut that out.”
Heidi had by now pulled the sheet over herself. The lieutenant whacked the nearest trooper with his nightstick, and all guns moved to the left.
“That’s better,” said Harry. “Now what’s this all about?”
“Ha! As if you didn’t know,” the lieutenant repeated, throwing back his head.
“Is that all you can say?” Harry sneered.
Heidi looked up at him, her mouth open in surprise. Harry squeezed her arm, which told her everything. ‘Leave this to me, sweetness. This is my department.’
“You will be silent,” said the lieutenant. He was tall and lean in his pressed black uniform and peaked cap. The only things missing to complete the archetypal villain look were a monocle and a scar across one eye, and/or possibly an eye patch. But his theatrics did not fool Harry. He already had the measure of the man.
“And you will address me properly and show me a warrant,” he demanded. “I want your name and rank before either of us says another word.”
“Absolutely,” said Heidi. She patted his hand, which was all Harry needed to know that he had been given the green light.
The lieutenant faltered slightly. “I am First Lieutenant Alex Gruber. And you are?”
“You know who I am, otherwise why are you here?”
“You can be as smart as you l
ike. But we have you surrounded.”
“No shit.”
Heidi pulled the sheet to her mouth and giggled.
The lieutenant narrowed his eyes. He thought this always made him look steely. “My sergeant has the warrant. He is checking the other rooms.”
“There is a child. You’d better not scare her.”
“We will do what we have to do.”
“Yes, and that will involve not scaring her.” Harry picked up his shirt, mumbling something in French. Six well-trained riflemen followed his every move. Pulling it over his neck, he wrestled it into place before continuing. “All this jack-boot bullshit. What’s this about?”
“Ha! As if…”
“I didn’t know, yeah. Well you can tell me anyway, if your vocabulary stretches beyond a dozen words.”
The soldiers started looking furtively at each other through their riot helmets. Who was this guy to speak so cockily to their lieutenant?
“Such insolence,” Gruber said with a curled lip. “You are only making it harder for yourself.”
“I deny myself little when it comes to pleasure,” said Harry, cryptically.
“What?” asked Gruber.
“Yep, have to agree,” said Heidi nodding. “You got me too there, Harry.”
It was at this point that the rest of the soldiers arrived outside the door, at least another six that Harry could count. “Wow, you really do have us surrounded. Twelve men plus a sergeant and a lieutenant to arrest two women, a baby and a semi-cripple. Congratulations, Lieutenant. Another successful sting.”
Heidi was beside herself. “Christ, Harry, you’ve got balls.”
Gruber eyed them both, still hoping, apparently, that his hard stare would have its desired effect. “You are being sarcastic. I recognize that.”
“Well, risible certainly, I like to think,” said Harry as calm as you like.
Heidi’s body was shaking with the attempt to prevent herself from committing all out laughter.
“Ha! You and your fancy words.” Gruber walked over to a bookshelf and ran a gloved finger along the wood. “Is there anyone else in the room?” he said, staring intently at the end of his fingers.
“Look behind you,” Harry told him.
First Lieutenant Gruber spun round, poised like a mantis, karate chop at the ready, only to be confronted by the wall.
That did it. Heidi collapsed back onto the pillows, laughing her heart out.
Before Gruber could respond to this latest ridicule, Harry saw Angel’s face appear between two troopers. She looked frightened. He tried to re-assure her, and felt a sudden pang of guilt.
I should have been with her last night. She looks terrified. But how could I have known this was going to happen? Heidi would have been left alone.
It was then that Chisato appeared between a gap of uniformed legs. On seeing Harry, she ran forward, too quickly for Angel to stop her.
“Harry-san, Harry-san,” she cried, her tiny arms outstretched.
The nearest trooper stepped out, and grabbed her roughly by her nightie, making her squeal with alarm. Harry, with a rage that surprised everyone, not least himself, leapt upon the unfortunate soldier, and laid him out with one punch to the solar plexus and another to the side of the head. He screamed as his clenched fingers smacked into the soldier’s helmet. Heidi yelled out as more than one rifle butt and a nightstick beat Harry senseless, and eventually unconscious to the ground.
15
Interview
When he woke, Harry, groggy for just a few seconds, soon realized where he was. He’d seen plenty in his time. The holding cell was a grey cube about two metres on a side. He knew this because as he stood up off the bunk he brained himself on the ceiling. He fell back onto the bed, rubbing at his scalp, and uttering curses that would shame a space marine. For a moment he saw stars. He checked to see if all his teeth were still where they should be before gingerly standing up again. He knew that somewhere some sadistic bastard was having a good laugh at his expense. He guessed (quite correctly) that the ceiling and walls were on hydraulics. They would have measured his height and adjusted the ceiling accordingly. This system of detention was tried and tested where space was at a premium. Either side of Harry’s cell would be several others, each adjustable according to occupancy.
It didn’t take long before an officer arrived. Harry was handcuffed and led away to an interview room. All the time he asked the policeman about Heidi, Angel and Chisato. The man said nothing, employing another tried and tested method of detention; let the offender think the worst before you tell them anything.
Once inside the room, the handcuffs were taken off and the guard waited by the door. A few minutes later another man came in, dressed in the same uniform that had been at the house, minus helmet, gloves and shield. Harry’s heart sank until he saw the man’s rank: Sergeant.
Good. At last someone I can talk to, get answers from.
“Hi,” he said, rather too eagerly.
The sergeant made no reply and did not even make eye contact, but simply sat down in the opposite chair. He looked about thirty, well built, and Harry just knew this guy had seen it all before, even for one so relatively young. He took out a grey, misty piece of plastic from his satchel, not unlike a large photo negative, and unrolled it onto the table in front of him. At this point, Harry decided his one word was enough, and waited now for his interrogator to talk.
The sergeant took his time reading through the report on his flexi-tablet. Once he was satisfied he had all the facts, he rolled it up and placed it back in his case.
“Now,” he said, interlocking his fingers and looking at Harry for the first time. “To begin with I would like to apologize for my men attacking you. It was inexcusable.”
“Well, that’s the last thing I expected to hear,” said Harry. And it was. “But shouldn’t your lieutenant be sitting where you are? I’d like to hear it from him. You’re not responsible for that asshole. You have nothing to apologize for.”
The sergeant smiled and looked away. “You don’t know, of course you don’t. How could you? Your friend, Miss Matsui, managed to incapacitate three of my men, and attacked the lieutenant when she saw what had happened to you and her sister.”
Harry laughed. “The result?”
“Two of my men with fractured ribs, and the lieutenant has concussion and a broken wrist.”
Harry shook his head. “Damn shame. Boy, I know how that feels.”
“She…?” The sergeant pointed to Harry’s chest. He nodded. “Wow, one hell of a lady.”
Harry nearly said thank you to the sergeant for calling Angel that. He could think of plenty in his position who would have called her a lot worse, just to test his mettle. But he reserved the platitude. Another piece of advice came into his head from his first sergeant. Nothing too prophetic, but always relevant nonetheless.
“Never, I repeat never, underestimate your protagonist. It’s a sure-fire way to get you killed.”
Or receive several broken ribs at least.
But he simply had to know if Angel was all right. “How is she?” he asked, trying not to sound too concerned.
“She was eventually restrained by the remaining troopers. No injuries I hear.”
Harry nodded his head. Silence.
He now wants me to ask about Heidi and Chisato. It’s pretty useless to expect him to believe they mean little to me. After all, I was found in Heidi’s bedroom, and I only received my injuries trying to stop that bastard harming Chisato.
“And the other two?”
“Same. All three are in a room just down the hall. When we’re through here you can see them.”
“Any charges?”
“Miss Matsui is up on assault charges and actual bodily harm. A good lawyer can get her off if he can mitigate her actions as self defence.”
“Which they were.”
“That’s for the Judge to decide.”
“They were attacking her baby sister.”
“Sh
e was being restrained.”
“A four year old? Best of luck with that in Court.”
The sergeant took a deep breath and sat back in his chair. “We can discuss your friend’s actions or we can talk about you. I have all the time in the world, but I understand you are all heading for Mars.”
“Humph. Like that’s going to happen.”
“Not for you, perhaps, but certainly your friends can still make the trip, if you co-operate. Why don’t you tell me what you know, what happened?”
Okay, where’s this leading? I’m not about to do your job for you, sunshine, no matter how friendly you appear to be. And I’m certainly not going to risk incriminating myself.
“I think I’ll plead the fifth on that, thank you.”
“I see.”
“You know your history.”
“The old American Constitution. I am familiar with it. Pity for you it’s not law up here.”
“Well I’m still not going to say anything. Sorry.”
“That’s okay. Well,” said the sergeant standing up. “That will do for now. Can I get you anything? Coffee? Sandwich?”
“Just a visit with my friends. Thank you.”
The sergeant smiled, but made no answer.
Son of a bitch!
He reached the door, and was about to open it when he turned around. “By the way.”
