The other man had dropped the cables that he was holding when he fell. He rolled with Owens’ punch and countered with a punch of his own, hitting Owens squarely in the chest. Owens was staggered by the unexpected impact. He had underestimated the man’s strength and knew he couldn’t afford the time to grapple with the man. The men called from the other room; they heard the commotion. As the man began to close in, Owens dropped to his knees and with as much leverage as he could muster, hit the man square in the solar plexus.
It had the desired effect. The man gasped for air; his face grimaced in pain from the unanticipated force of the punch. As he started to double over, Owens thrust forward, hitting the man solidly under the jaw with the top of his head. The man’s head snapped back, his eyes closing. Reflexively, Owens grabbed him before he reached the floor. He straightened, still holding the unconscious man.
Owens was about to drop him when he heard a loud buzz that sounded like a bunch of angry hornets and the body he was holding immediately began to jerk with galvanic spasms. He saw that one of the other kidnappers was standing in the bedroom, near the doorway, firing a weapon at him. The body he was holding continued to jerk, shielding him from most of the weapon’s discharge. Still, his arms tingled from the contact with the unconscious man.
He shoved the body forward into the other man. The unconscious man was large, well muscled and coupled with the force provided by Owens’ Loder-powered muscle, the unexpected mass of the inert body easily knocked the weapon away, toppling the man in the doorway. The heavy man’s body effectively covered the smaller man, momentarily pinning him to the floor.
The gun had fallen into the sitting room, a little over a meter from the bedroom entrance. Owens leapt for the weapon as another buzzing sound came from deeper within the bedroom's interior. Owen felt a fiery pain in his left leg as the shocker’s discharge, fired from one of the men in the bedroom, struck its target. He hit the floor and rolled, grabbing and barely holding on to the shocker with sweat-slippery hands. He struggled to his feet and pressed himself against the wall to the right-side of the doorway.
A voice called from the bedroom, “Give up. You have nowhere to go. Give yourself into our custody and no harm will befall you.”
Owens remained silent, stalling for time. The pain in his leg was already starting to subside. He knew from their angle in the bedroom, they couldn’t know exactly where he was, only that he stood somewhere to the side of the door. The man, who was pinned on the floor, blocking the doorway, was still fighting to throw off his henchman’s inert body. Owens fired the shocker at the struggling man’s head. The man gasped in pain and fell back, immediately losing consciousness.
He heard a sound, as if someone was moving and had accidentally brushed against some object within the bedroom. The sound was closely followed by a hushed admonition. The stalemate had lasted less than ten seconds. They were getting ready to attack. He figured they would both rush into the room, hoping that he would only have time to take one of them out before the other’s weapon took him.
He backed up along the wall until he was abreast of a nearby, oversized upholstered chair. He pulled it close to the wall and crouched behind it. No sooner than he had completed the action, then there was a blur of motion, and two men burst from the bedroom, leaping over the low obstacle created by the bodies lying across the threshold. They were firing their buzzing weapons in the general direction of Owens’ protected position.
He had to act fast. Once they stopped their headlong rush, they would separate, pinning him down. He gripped the bottom of the heavy chair and heaved it toward the two men with all the power he could muster. He was pleased to see that aim was dead on.
There was a muffled scream as the chair smacked solidly into the man closest to his position. There was a crunching sound as the man fell to the floor, the weight of the chair pressing him down. The other attacker had avoided the full brunt of the flying chair and had only received a glancing blow. He stumbled backward fumbling with his weapon.
As the man concentrated on regaining control, his feet became tangled in the webbing that had been dropped by one of the first men whom Owens had brought down. He cursed loudly, bringing his weapon up, but before he could fire, Owens quickly shot him. With his feet still hobbled by the cables, the man fell with a satisfying thud.
Owens looked at the five men on the floor. The big man who had first struck his chin on the floor earlier was moaning, beginning to regain consciousness. Owens used the shocker, and the moaning stopped. He slipped the weapon inside his tunic and limped out into the hallway. Although the pain was mostly gone from his leg, there was still a lot of numbness. He rubbed it vigorously as he looked down the hallway in either direction. As he expected, it was deserted.
He looked back into the room at the five motionless lumps sprawled haphazardly on the floor. It probably wouldn’t be wise just to wait around for someone in command to show up. He didn’t know how long his kidnappers would remain unconscious, nor how many times he could keep stunning them without causing permanent damage. Kidnappers or not, in his position he still didn’t think it wise to maim or kill anyone from Golstar.
He shook his head in disgust. Once again, he was operating with minimal information. He had no idea how long the area he was in would remain isolated. For all he knew, there could be a backup group of henchmen ready to follow-up if the first group didn’t report in as scheduled. He really needed to find someone from the Grand Patriarch’s staff or even the big boss himself and dump it in their laps. But in this situation he didn’t have a clue as to what direction to take. Fortunately, he remembered the directions to a certain high-ranking member of the government that Hec had provided him earlier.
He gave his thigh one last hard slap and then proceeded to limp down the hall, heading for what he hoped were Sharné’s quarters. An unexpected idea came to him as he approached her door.
● ● ●
The Guardian of the Way strode into the minister’s rooms. After checking that the rooms remained clear of any surveillance devices, he sat down in a chair facing Lauren and without preamble, said, “As we speak, the man from Confederated planets is being taken into my custody. I will receive confirmation within the hour.”
“What of our plan for the Patriarch?”
“I have done as you suggested. Ministers who have proven most resistant to the mental conditioning and sympathetic to our cause have been contacted. Each was provided with a signed copy of your letter and it pleases me to report the great majority have already confirmed their support.”
She clapped her hands. “Excellent.”
He nodded, “Yes, the number of ministers who will openly support the Patriarch’s removal from office was surprising.” He smiled, “It appears the Grand Patriarch was justified in fearing you and your influence in the Assembly.”
“It is not me that he should fear, but rather the people that he has misled toward the path to ruin.” There was sadness in her voice. “However well-intentioned his motives were, he will now have to answer for his misuse of power.”
“As to the Grand Patriarch himself,” Talin began. “He is being monitored around the clock. Currently, he is in his residence in the south wing. I expect him to remain in seclusion until the morning. He ordered a dinner to be brought to the residence earlier this evening. I arranged to have a mild sedative added to his meal. He should sleep soundly into late morning.”
“What of his personal guards?”
“Since I confirmed he has retired for the night, the west and south wing barracks have been sealed and sleep gas was introduced into the ventilation airways,” he replied grimly. “The remaining on-duty guards and the two posted at his door were removed.”
“I am truly astonished at what you have accomplished in so short a time.”
“The Grand Patriarch’s rash actions have forced me to act quickly. It is essential we first have control over the outsider. With him in hand and the code, we can reacquire access to the ali
en technologies and assert our control once more. We can then place the Grand Patriarch in protective custody and issue a declaration of abdication under his seal. In effect, the Patriarch will abdicate and quietly retire under our close supervision.”
“You have found the code?”
“Not as of yet, but I believe it will soon be in our hands. Based on the clues the Grand Patriarch dropped during his discussion with the Outsider, a trusted aide is now conducting the search within the Patriarch’s offices, and I am confident of our ultimate success.”
She nodded, “I am hopeful as well. I do not want to be forced into the contingency plan.”
“Yes,” he agreed. “It would best if the Patriarch was removed from power without unnecessary complications. However, we have to face the possibility, we may not discover the code in time. And should that happen…”
“If that were to happen, then we must extract the information from the Grand Patriarch himself. As he will not provide such information willingly, a deep cerebral memory scan should provide the answer, eventually.” She sighed. “However, the resulting brain damage will drastically alter his personality, perhaps even render him catatonic.”
“I know. It saddens me also. In his time, before his sanity deserted him, he was a great leader and my friend. To reduce him to such a state would be regretful. But I remain confident such a measure will not be required.”
“I pray you are right.”
Talin then turned to look at the antique clock sitting the mantle. “I should receive word on the Outsider very soon now.”
● ● ●
Sharné stood dumbfounded, looking at Owens in mute shock. Before she could say anything, he entered the room, closed her door and threw the inner latch. Turning back to her, he said, “Surprise.”
She had not yet prepared for bed. She had been pacing her rooms, still agitated after the brief audience with her father. She had answered the door, thinking that it was her father, coming to provide her more bleak news. “Owens,” she almost shouted, “what are you doing here? How did you get here?”
“It’s a very short story,” he shrugged and then proceeded to describe the failed kidnapping attempt.
When he had finished, she asked. “You encountered no other guards? There was no one in the hallways?”
“Not a living soul,” he confirmed. “It looks to me like the corridors near my rooms were deliberately cleared. My guess is it was done by an insider, somebody with a hell of a lot of clout.”
Sharné experienced a sudden feeling of queasiness. “You say they were dressed in military uniforms?”
He nodded, “Yeah. The way they entered, they were probably the genuine article, at least at one point in time.”
Military personnel were under the control of the Guardian of the Way. It was hard to believe her uncle was involved with the failed kidnapping. Could it instead have been an unknown faction within the military? Her attention returned to what Owens was saying.
“…good thing that instead of catching me by surprise, I caught them flatfooted. I was lucky, real lucky. Still,” he absently rubbed his leg, “luck aside, it was a little closer than I would have liked.”
She looked at him in genuine wonder. “By now I should not be surprised. Owens, I confess you never fail to amaze me.”
“Yeah,” he agreed. “I’m kind of amazed myself.” He hadn’t told her about the advanced warning he had received via the Controllers. He shrugged, “But my current situation remains untenable. Although I escaped my cell, I’m still in prison.”
“I am so sorry, Owens,” she looked down at the floor. “It is because of me that you were imprisoned.”
“Well, I can’t deny that you certainly played a role, but if not you, I’m sure your father would have found someone else to do his dirty work. Look, I laid it on a little thick during our little get-together with your father. I’ll admit I’m not happy with your role in all this, but I can understand a little of why you played it. Believe me, there are others who share a greater responsibility for my being here. For one, my own beloved government was also a key player. It was committed to satisfying Golstar’s request and a little thing like how I felt about it didn’t enter into the equation. Believe me, their means of persuasion are not so far removed from those of your father’s.”
She finally looked up, her voice still pained. “But Owens, it was I who guided you on the final leg of your journey. It was I who embraced and kissed you and yet without a word of warning, allowed you to come here, to end up as a prisoner, under the control of my father.”
He shook his head, “No, sorry. One way or the other, with or without your participation, you and I both know I would still have ended up here as your father’s special guest. But,” he added, “at least your way was more fun.” He drew her, unresisting into his arms.
After lingering kiss, she looked up at him and said, “Even at a time like this, you can still make light of the situation?”
He nodded, “Especially at a time like this. It relieves a little of the tension and Lord knows I’m feeling a little tense right now.”
Her voice lowered, became serious, “Owens, I believed in the Way. It was faltering before my eyes and I was told that you were the only one who could save it. But all the while I was blinded to the underlying decay, the true reality of our existence. The Founder’s pact… ”
“Hey,” he put a finger to her lips. “Enough with the regrets; if there’s a later, save it for that time. I’m here right now because I need your help and I don’t have a whole hell of a lot of time. If you truly want to atone for your role in all this, then help me now.”
“But how can I help you? I do know the palace’s layout intimately, but even if we were fortunate enough to escape the palace proper, its grounds and perimeter walls are under close surveillance and foot patrolled. Escape is next to impossible.”
He noted the ‘we’ and said, “I’m not looking to escape, at least for the moment.”
“Then why are you here? What is it that you believe I can do to help?”
“I had a brainstorm on the way here. I want you to help me find the numerical access code, the other half of the key to the Primes.”
She stepped back from his embrace, “The numerical access code? Owens, I do not know it. Please believe me, I would tell you if I knew.”
“I already figured that and that’s not what I asked. What I want is for you to help me find it.”
She started to interrupt.
“Let me finish, he said. “Remember what your father said. He all but gave us the code. He said that the numbers were comprised of the birth and death dates of the Founder’s parents and an aunt, in the order of their occurrence. You’re the Keeper of the Way and to me it sounds like you’re fairly high placed within the government. Surely, you know where documents can be accessed or can find them through your position.”
She shook her head sadly, “Owens, I am a descendant of the Founder, but even so, I do not have a clue where to begin. The Founder’s, our family records are not kept in public archives. To my knowledge, as the Keeper of the Way, not even the official records contain the information. Over the generations, it has been the tradition for each of the ruling families to keep their own records.”
Owens frowned. “Surely there are other sources. Don’t you report births and deaths through your public news media?”
“Of course, but the ruling families are not required to certificate actual birth and death dates. Personal physicians preside over such matters in private clinics. Public hospitals and doctors are not generally used. Whatever the families decide to provide for public consumption may or may not be totally accurate.”
“Damn!”
“That is not the real problem, Owens. The founder’s parents were born and died back on old Earth. I believe his aunt died enroute, just before reaching Golstar.”
“Well, then I guess that does it. No wonder your father volunteered the information. He knew all along, there was
no way to access it.”
“I am afraid so,” she agreed. “Only the head of each ruling family appoints an archivist from within that…” She stopped.
Owens watched anxiously as she frowned in concentration. He asked, “What is it? Did you think of something?”
“As a matter of fact, I did. I may be able to find the information after all.” She was smiling now. “Yes, I just remembered. I know our family’s personal historian.”
“That’s great,” Owens breathed in relief. “Who is it?”
She replied, “My mother.”
● ● ●
Talin fought conflicting emotions. He was torn between rage and incredulity. Moments before, Captain Collins had contacted him with devastating news. Somehow, Janus Owens had overpowered Collins and his men and managed to escape. Such news was completely unexpected. The man had been unsuspecting, weaponless and outnumbered. His heavy gravity physique notwithstanding, the element of surprise alone should have assured their success. Yet he still managed to overcome the odds.
Talin looked over at Collins across from across his desk. The captain was trying to stand at attention and not quite succeeding. He was obviously still not recovered from the effects of the shocker. “Sit down Collins before you pass out,” he snapped. The man nodded and collapsed into the indicated chair, grimacing as he settled into the seat. “Do you have anything to add to what you have just told me?”
“No, Guardian. As I stated before, he was waiting for us. Ledman, one of the two men I left in the sitting area, said they were hit from behind. He swore that the Outsider had flown. I had a chance to take a quick look at the room before we left. The molding over the threshold was splintered. I surmise Janus Owens was standing on it, waiting for us… the molding must have given way when he pushed off.”
Shadows of Golstar Page 59
