We travelled down to the lowest level. I guess you would call it a basement—it was below the main entrance.
The curator led us to a large room. The walls were covered with shelving, equipment, and art objects. I imagined them cataloging their art work in this room, but perhaps the Basilians did things differently than humans.
At one end of the long work table I saw a screen, and the other end hosted what looked like a projector. We settled onto stools flanking the work table.
After the curator quizzed me on the approximate time and day of our visit, he forwarded the recording to the nearest time indicator. We watched the screen. It wasn’t very long before Ruen and I came into view, and then the albino appeared.
Both Officer Kikess and the curator took quick breaths in surprise.
“Curator, pause the recording, please. Nara, I really did not believe your statement about a Basilian with white hair and skin. However, the proof is before my eyes. My apologies.” He rubbed his head. “I can see why Ruen would be eager to investigate—my little shadow.” He smiled fondly, and then abruptly brought himself back to reality.
“Continue,” said Kikess. However, there wasn’t much more to be seen on this particular recording.
“Nara, thank you for your help. I am also inclined to believe this albino was involved in Ruen’s disappearance. Now, you mentioned you and Ruen also saw one at the Space Museum?”
“Yes, we did. And Tata and I saw the chief priest from The Temple of Enlightenment at the Art Museum yesterday.”
“We need to focus on the albino,” said Officer Kikess. “I am sure the priest had a legitimate reason for being here. Thanks for your help, Nara and Tata. I am sure your information will prove invaluable in our search for Ruen. I need to return to police headquarters.”
Kikess took off at a gallop and, a little slower, the four of us took our leave of the curator and exited the Art Museum.
“I will have to visit this museum, in the near future,” said Dad. “It looks quite fascinating.” He looked at Tata and me. “For once, you will be on time for school. I’ll see you later. Ilandus and I must get to work.”
They took off in the opposite direction from BSU. Tata and I watched them leave.
“I can’t go to school today,” I said. “I need to look for Ruen.”
“Agreed. Ruen friend.”
Tata surprised me by his answer. He brought a smile to my face. “So where do you want to start?” I asked.
Chapter 12
“Use computer school library,” Tata suggested.
“That’s a good idea,” I told him, knowing we needed equipment with better search capabilities than our coms. Lots of places that Ruen would be interested in should pop up—a most logical way of searching.
Except it turned out to be not quite that straightforward.
My first thought had been to consider places where Ruen would search for albinos. We came up with a number of ideas. But then we realized we needed to think outside the box. We didn’t even know if Ruen had had an accident and was lying somewhere hurt, or if she’d been abducted. Those possibilities made our choices difficult.
“Abducted? No clue,” said Tata.
Tata was correct. If Ruen had been abducted, we would have no idea where she could have been stashed.
I had a thought. “Officer Kikess, have you found Ruen’s com?” I asked when I reached him on my com.
“Yes. It was on the ground at the corner of Accer Street and Balla Park.”
“Did it have any messages or anything on it?” I asked. I started to sweat. I needed some concrete information.
“No. Nothing unusual. Why are you asking these questions?”
“Oh, it was just a thought I had. I’m playing detective.”
“Leave that to me. Concentrate on your studies.” He abruptly broke our connection.
His abruptness didn’t offend me. He was as upset as the rest of us—actually probably more so. He didn’t need us interfering. Nonetheless, we needed to find Ruen, and Tata and I were determined to help.
“Tata, Ruen’s com was found on the corner of Accer Street and Balla Park. Let’s check the computer and see what’s around there.”
We found a few places of interest, but two in particular caught my attention. “Tata, I think our two most likely candidates are the Zoo and the Museum of Science. I have a feeling that if Ruen has gone off on her own to look for albinos, she would pick one of those places for her next search.” I started to feel better about our chances of finding her.
“Eonus.”
A strange remark coming from Tata, I thought. “Yes, I know your name is Eonus.”
“Call me.”
“You want me to call you Eonus? But I thought that was only for family.”
“Friends.”
“So we’re now friends?”
He tipped his head.
“Well, I thought we already were.” What is he up to? This is the weirdest conversation I’ve ever had with Tata. Mind you, most of them are, but…
“Close friends.” Tata focused on my face.
“That’s good. That’s really good. Now, where do you think we should look first for Ruen—the Zoo or the Museum of Science?”
“Zoo.” Tata appeared disappointed with my response to his declaration of friendship.
“Zoo, it is. But I’m going to eat my lunch first.” The morning had disappeared and my stomach demanded food.
The zoo turned out to be an amazing place. Why did this surprise me? I am, after all, an alien on an alien world.
Eonus and I wandered through the exhibits and marveled at the animals. Most of them were familiar to him—as they had a common ancestry—but he encountered a few new ones. Of course, all of them were outside my own experience. I don’t remember seeing animals on Arandis—before we’d been asked to leave.
Eonus stood for the longest time in front of an enclosure of rolocs. They reminded me of hippos, lounging around in a pond. But that’s where the resemblance ended. Hippos never had a checker board hide or three green eyes.
The sweetest animals I saw had a resemblance to owls. They rested on tree limbs in their totally enclosed habitat—which made me assume they could fly. I wasn’t sure if they were nocturnal, since they stared at me in the daylight, but I fell in love with their chirping. The bird songs were gorgeous and complicated—I could have listened all day.
“Tata, I mean Eonus, do you think we should keep looking through the Zoo? I don’t know, I think we’ve seen most of it.” And with no sign of Ruen.
“Leave. Science Museum.” Tata’s hands fluttered—a sure sign of agitation.
“That’s a good idea.” I needed to calm Eonus. “If anything, Ruen would have started with the Museum of Science.” Were we kidding ourselves? Ruen could be anywhere, but she did love the study of science.
So we travelled a few blocks away—in the opposite direction from where Ruen’s com had been found. Again we encountered a building with a boring outer skin and a fascinating interior. I anticipated the enjoyment I would encounter during this search. I should have visited this building long ago.
“Where shall we start?” I asked.
“Top,” said Eonus.
Eonus is a top-down kind of guy—I like that.
So we took an escalator-type transport to the top floor. Riding up, I stood backwards so I viewed the central open area. I loved the way they hung displays at each floor level so you could anticipate what area of science that particular floor would focus on.
“Why don’t I go one way—like clockwise, and you go the other, and when we meet we’ll go down to the next floor.”
Tata nodded and took off.
“Yell, if you see Ruen,” I said, as he left. Tata’s anxiety showed itself.
The displays fascinated me. I would have to come back another day and study them in depth. Although I knew I needed to concentrate on the search for Ruen, I had a hard time pulling myself away. Slowly it dawned on me I had almost r
eturned to the room’s entrance. Where was Tata? Surely he’s not still looking at displays.
When I reached the entrance, I started to grumble. Tata hadn’t followed our plan. I quickly ran throughout the floor, but he was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he’d started on the next floor down—without me.
While the eighth floor had been about chemistry, the seventh depicted advances in biology, or at least the Basilian equivalent. In my haste, I didn’t focus on the displays.
Again, I couldn’t find Tata.
By the time I had run through every floor and ended up back at the entrance, I’d run out of energy, and my concern overwhelmed me.
The only thing I could conclude was that Tata was now missing too!
Chapter 13
Eonus is missing! I didn’t know who to call first—Dad or Ilandus.
“Dad, I’ve lost Tata. We’re here at the Museum of Science looking for Ruen, and Tata has disappeared. What shall I do?” My pulse had quickened with my frantic search through the numerous floors.
“You’ve searched everywhere? Maybe he’s looking at an exhibit you missed.”
“No, I looked everywhere. I called his com and then, when he didn’t answer, I ran and ran and ran through all the floors. We need to find him.”
I could hear the panic in my voice, let alone sense it in my body.
“Take a deep breath. Ilandus and I will come over and help you locate him. We’ll be there shortly. Meet us at the entrance.”
“Okay. Hurry, please. You need to hurry. Maybe the albinos took him. We need to find my friend, Eonus.”
My friend! My close friend. My thoughts were a jumbled mess. I needed to do something right now. I got out my com and called Officer Kikess. Thankfully, he answered. “Tata is missing. We went to the Museum of Science to look for Ruen, and now I can’t find him. He’s missing too!” My voice rose.
“Perhaps he’s just somewhere in the building, and you’ve passed each other,” said Kikess.
“I don’t think so. It’s not like Tata to go far. I’ve called Dad, and he and Ilandus are coming over here to help me find him. Maybe it’s the albinos.”
“You’re jumping to conclusions. Now calm down. I will send a couple of officers over to help your search. And call me the minute you see him.”
“I will. Thanks for your help.” Ruen’s father had a reassuring demeanor.
“Not a problem. By the way, weren’t you supposed to go to school today?”
I was beginning to wish we had.
The first to arrive at the Museum of Science, were Dad and Ambassador Tata. They both put their arms around me at the same time. I’d never experienced such a warm feeling before.
“No Eonus?” asked Ilandus.
“No, he hasn’t shown up. I’ve been waiting here for him to show up. I would’ve called you right away if he’d appeared.” I had gotten a lot of looks from Basilians, as I waited in the lobby. Not sure what the looks meant, I’d gone into my ignore mode.
“Where did you last see Tata?” Dad asked.
“On the top floor. That’s where we decided to start looking for Ruen.”
“Rather than go to school, I see.” He shook his head, and sighed. “Well, let’s go up there and start searching.”
“I should stay here and wait for the police.” I didn’t want to disappoint Ruen’s father.
“What do you mean?” asked my father. He looked alarmed at the mention of the police.
“I called Officer Kikess and told him what happened. He said he’d send a couple of police officers over to help with the search.”
“Okay. You stay here, and we’ll go to the top floor. Join us as soon as the officers arrive.”
After my Dad and Ilandus took the elevator to the top floor, only a few moments passed before two Basilian police officers appeared. They approached me immediately—they obviously knew who I was.
“We are here to help you search for Tata. Officer Kikess has sent us a com photo to help us in our search. Where would you like us to start, Nara Scotia?”
They obviously knew everything about the situation as well. Their politeness pleased me, as I had been involved in too many uncomfortable encounters lately.
“Ambassadors Tata and Scotia are on the top floor; I’ll join them. Perhaps you should start on the bottom floor and make your way up towards us. Here is my com number so you can call me if you find Eonus.”
We exchanged numbers, and I watched the officers leave to start their search.
For some reason, I hesitated to begin searching again for Eonus. Frankly, I was afraid of what I might find. Nothing!
I journeyed up the escalator without looking at any of the marvels to be seen around me. I found Dad and Ilandus at the top.
“We’ve scoured this floor thoroughly, and Tata is nowhere. So, we need to go down one level and continue our search there,” said Dad.
“Police?” asked Ilandus.
“Yes, they’ve arrived and they’re going to start from the bottom and make their way up to us. Between all of us, we should be able to find him.” I wanted to reassure Tata’s mother. For the first time, since I’d known her, her posture had slumped. I reached up and put my hand on her shoulder. She gave me a small smile.
The three of us went down to the seventh floor. Dad and Ilandus went one way, and I went the other. Although, from the look on Dad’s face, he wanted me to accompany them so I would be close by.
I traversed the outside wall, with an occasional glance towards the middle, looking for Tata. Where can he be?
Then someone whispered in my ear. Dad had crept up on me.
“We’ve had a glimpse of an albino. We’re going to follow him. You stay here, in case we don’t return, and then you can tell Officer Kikess what happened.”
I didn’t want to stay behind, but Dad’s suggestion happened to be a good one. “Okay, but call me with updates.”
After the completion of my tour of the seventh floor, Tata was still absent, and so were Dad and Ilandus. The sixth floor beckoned. I wonder where the police officers are. They’re doing their jobs; leave it be, I told myself.
The sixth floor appeared deserted, quite unlike the previous two. Perhaps the topic of micro-biotic life didn’t consume Basilians like it would some humans I knew. To me, the displays on this floor were a bit inadequate, but what did I know about Basilian science.
Fast approaching footsteps sounded behind me, and I turned to look, thinking Dad and Ilandus had returned. But I wasn’t so lucky.
Two albinos were headed directly for me, and it definitely gave me a bad feeling.
I turned and ran.
Chapter 14
“Nara, wake up,” someone said, shaking me gently.
I opened my eyes and saw Ruen and Eonus hovering over me. Where did they come from? Am I dreaming?
“Where am I? Where have you guys been? We’ve looked everywhere for you,” I said. Not the most intelligent things to say. I knew I was babbling, but since my stomach was in protest mode—I had some queasiness—I gave myself some slack.
“Everyone will be looking for you too,” said Ruen. “You’re now a member of the Abducted Investigators.” Ruen started laughing, although a little hysterically, it seemed to me. But, considering her age, understandable.
Laid out on a bed in the room, I sat up and looked around. We were in a small colorless room that contained three beds and not much else.
Eonus sat down beside me, and Ruen plunked herself down on the bed opposite us.
Taking a second glance around the room, I noticed light gray walls and a darker gray carpet beneath me. There were inset ceiling lights and a table and stools. Stools—interesting—we must still be on Basili.
Fortunately, my mind was starting to clear. “Ruen, how did you get here?” I asked.
“Not really sure. On the way home, after you and I left the Space Museum, I decided to take a different route than normal. I went down a side street because I thought I glimpsed an albino. Then I hea
rd footsteps behind me, and someone grabbed me. The next thing I knew I woke up lying on one of these beds.” She shook her head, devoid of her usual bubbliness. “Food shows up regularly, but I have had nothing to do, and no com. Pretty boring. By the way, there is a amenities room over there,” she said, pointing to a door in the corner. “And that…” Ruen indicated a larger closed door on the opposite side of the room. “…is the entrance to our prison cell, but it is always locked.”
“Why do you say prison cell?” I asked, not liking the implications.
“What else can it be? I think this is a holding cell.”
Ruen had probably correctly deduced the situation, but I didn’t like the concept or possible consequences.
Ruen sighed. “Then Tata showed up a while ago—he just materialized on a bed, unconscious as I had been. A couple of hours after Tata, you showed up—doing the same instant appearance.”
“Have you talked to anybody?” I asked. Who are our captors?
“No one has been in here. Not a single person. The meals come through that slot in the wall.” Ruen pointed to a ledge. I took a closer look and noticed the wall above the ledge had a slightly different coloration. Okay, so we have food covered—we won’t starve.
“Ruen, you have a very worried father. He has the police out looking for you, of course. Tata and I were out looking for you in numerous places, too.” Ruen was so young; I knew she needed some reassurance we weren’t going to rot here. At least, I hoped not. “Now it looks like that wasn’t such a good idea, although I did find you.” I needed to find humor in the situation, or I’d start panicking. Then I suddenly had a thought. “Ruen, do you know where we are? Are we still on Basili?”
“I have no idea, but where else would we be? We didn’t get on any aircraft or anything—at least, not that I know of.”
“Perhaps we’re on a spaceship orbiting Basili. Or perhaps we’re on a spaceship traveling somewhere,” I said. “Maybe we’ve been caught up in some sort of humanoid trafficking scheme.”
“No, we must be on Basili. How would we get on a spaceship? Although, I really do not remember how I got here. I do not remember what happened,” said Ruen.
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