“David, what do you want us to do?” asked Elena.
“The next time they send for us, I want you two to play up your innate scientific curiosity. Ask a million questions about anything and everything. If Jim can’t stage a prison break, then we need to spring him and all the other prisoners. Either way, we need time, and you two are going to buy it for us.”
“That, I think I can do,” said Hayes.
Grant’s voice became sober. “One last thing, if Carus touches you, he’s doing it to read your mind. I could sense him moving through my head as if he were looking for something. If he reaches for you, try and clutter your thoughts. I’m not sure if that’ll help, but anything we can do to slow the bastard down, the better.”
50
Maclean sat up and looked over at the closed prison door as it was unlocked and swung open. A quick glance at his watch told him it was six in the morning.
“Work details, outside now, and form two lines,” barked a guard.
“What, no breakfast?” said Maclean to Wright.
“Why feed people you intend to kill anyway?” replied the sergeant.
“Sure, but I work better on a full stomach.”
“Outside, now!” yelled the guard.
Maclean joined the procession of prisoners as they trudged out and formed two lines. A fat, baldheaded man holding a clipboard in his meaty hands walked down the line assigning men to various workstations. No one was exempt. Even the oldest and frailest captives were forced to work. When the man got to Maclean, he read over the notes on his clipboard and grinned.
“Take this man for testing,” ordered the fat man.
Maclean didn’t like the sound of that. “What the hell do you mean testing?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
An elderly African man broke ranks and grabbed Maclean by the arm. “No! For the love of God, please don’t take him. He’s young and fit; take me instead.”
“Let go of him,” snapped the baldheaded guard.
“Please, sir, no one ever comes back from testing. I’m old. Kill me instead.”
Maclean’s stomach dropped. He wasn’t going to be willingly taken away to be murdered. He gently removed the old man’s hands from his arm, turned on his heel, and smashed his fist as hard as could into the fat man’s windpipe, crushing it.
Instinctively, the guard reached up for his crushed throat. He gasped and wheezed as he dropped to his knees in agony.
Maclean bent down to pull the guard’s pistol from its holster when he was struck in the chest by a Taser. Twelve hundred volts shot through his body. White light flashed before Maclean’s eyes as his muscles painfully constricted. He let out a pained cry as another guard stuck him with his Taser. Maclean’s vision narrowed. A moment later, his world went black.
51
“You are to come with me and get cleaned up before breakfast,” said Kassim, standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips.
“I could use a shower,” said Elena.
“A decent cup of tea and some toast with strawberry jam would also be nice,” added Hayes.
Grant stood. “I’m surprised our hosts didn’t ask to see us last night.”
“My understanding is that Doctor Vogel and Carus were busy,” said Kassim. “Now, please come along with me. You all have a busy day ahead of you.”
After a long, hot shower, Grant shaved his face and put on a set of clean blue coveralls that had been laid out for him. He wasn’t surprised that they fit him like a glove. He joined his colleagues and walked over to a dining hall. There were two guards at the entrance to the building. One of the men saluted Kassim, while the other held the door open.
Grant followed their escort inside and saw the dining room was empty, except for a table against the wall, where Vogel, Carus, and Susan sat. The instant Susan spotted Grant, she let out a loud cry of excitement, jumped from her chair, and ran to him. He bent at the knees and caught her as she jumped up into his arms.
“I knew you’d come,” said Susan.
Grant gave her a big hug. “Your grandmother would be very angry with me if I hadn’t.”
Susan squirmed out of Grant’s arms, took his and Elena’s hands, and led them back to the table.
Grant and Susan sat across from Vogel and Carus, while Elena and Hayes sat at either end of the table. There was a mix of fruits, bread, cheeses, and meats for breakfast.
“Please help yourselves to whatever you want,” said Vogel.
Grant’s stomach rumbled at the sight of food. He helped himself to a plate full of strawberries, cantaloupe, and pineapple slices, along with a sandwich of cheese and smoked meats. He poured himself a cup of coffee and sat back to enjoy his meal.
Susan nibbled on some cantaloupe and drank a tall glass of orange juice.
The plate in front of Carus had some odd-looking purplish berries on it, which he ate one at a time.
“I hope you all slept well,” said Vogel.
“The cots leave a little to be desired, but I can’t complain,” replied Grant. “I’ve had to do with a lot less on more than one occasion.”
“I take it you’re talking about your time in Kandahar Province in Afghanistan,” said Carus.
A chill ran down Grant’s spine. “Yes, I was. I won’t ask how you knew that, as we both know that you read my mind last night when we met.”
“You’re quite perceptive. There were, however, some areas I couldn’t penetrate.” Carus looked over at Susan. “Perhaps later, with encouragement, we can open those doors together.”
Carus’ veiled threat wasn’t lost on Grant. He forced a smile. “Sure, why not? Who knows where this will lead.”
Elena brought up a hand to her mouth and coughed delicately. “Thank you, Doctor Vogel, for this delicious breakfast. I hope you won’t find it inappropriate if I were to ask you or Carus a few questions?”
“Please ask anything you like,” said Vogel.
“My first query is for Carus. Is that a common name among your people?”
He shook his head. “I chose Carus from among the emperors of ancient Rome, as my name is unpronounceable in your language.”
“When you landed, six smaller aliens disembarked from your ship,” said Hayes. “Was that the entire crew complement?”
“No, there are two others still on board preparing the ship for our return flight back home,” replied Carus.
“How long will it take you to return to your planet in the Zeta Reticuli Star System?”
“Once we enter the wormhole above the South Pole, the journey takes less than a day’s time back on Earth.”
“That’s amazing when one considers the distance you will have to travel.”
“Our advanced propulsion system combined with a highly accurate map of stable wormholes in this quadrant of space allows us to move vast distances in an incredibly short amount of time.”
Grant set his knife and fork down and took a sip of coffee before asking, “What I’d like to know is, why did you take Susan away from her grandmother?”
“Perhaps this is a conversation we should have when Susan isn’t present,” said Vogel.
“I’m full,” said Susan, getting out of her chair. “Can Kanisa take me back to my room? Ben’s there, and I want to draw some more pictures for him before he leaves again.”
“Of course, you can,” said Vogel. “Miss Kassim is waiting outside. Just tell her you want to go back to your room, and she’ll happily take you there.”
Grant smiled at Susan and watched her leave. He was heartened to hear that she was with the one alien she trusted the most.
“As for your question, Captain, Susan was brought here because I began to suspect that her psychic powers are beginning to grow exponentially,” said Carus. “I wanted her to be examined to determine if she should be allowed to continue developing her powers or be eradicated.”
“What are you afraid of?” said Elena. “She’s just a child.”
“When my people altered y
our species’ DNA to allow for the introduction of humans with A-negative blood, we did so knowing that the possibility existed for one of you to gain psychic powers that would rival anyone on my homeworld. If she is, as I believe her to be, an anomaly, then she poses a risk to our operations here on Earth.”
“How can a little girl be a threat?” asked Grant.
“She won’t stay a little girl forever. As she grows, so will her powers. She could turn against us and expose to the world who we are and what we have been doing here since the dawn of time. My people are dying. We need to continue our operations here on Earth, or we will go extinct, and I will not allow that.”
“I know this is going to sound horrible,” said Hayes, “but if Susan is such a threat to you, why is she still alive?”
“A good question,” said Carus. “I am duty bound to ensure that all our human contacts are not harmed physically, if it can be avoided. My superiors would have me arrested and put to death if I were to kill an A-negative human without having just cause to do so, especially one so unique as Susan. The problem is that until now, we have been able to clandestinely interact with your species without anyone pushing back. You, Captain Grant, are the reason that I am being forced to decide whether or not to terminate her life.”
“Me?” said Grant.
“Surely even you can see that a person like Susan working for an organization like yours would be a grave threat to my people. A while back I began to have visions of people and places. I suspected Susan was up to something but couldn’t be sure, so I laid traps all along the trail that led you to us. You don’t really think the craft we left inside Mount San Fernando had been there for a millennia, do you?”
“I take it the creatures on Bouvet Island were yours as well?”
Carus nodded. “Naturally. I could never detect how Susan was guiding you, so I tried to kill you before you got this far. Regrettably, all of my attempts failed.”
“Can’t you just interrupt her DNA coding to prevent her from becoming a threat to you?” asked Elena.
“I wish it were that simple,” said Carus. “Her eggs could be modified, but not her. It’s far too late to alter her coding.”
“So how do plan on determining if she truly is a threat to you or not?” said Grant.
“I’m glad you asked that. You, Captain, will be how I make my final decision.”
Grant’s pulse quickened. “I’m not sure I follow you.”
“You will.”
Vogel stood and waved to the guards at the far end of the room. “Mister Grant, please stand up, and don’t try anything stupid, or I will have your friends shot.”
Grant saw the fear in his colleagues’ eyes. He nodded at Vogel and got out of his chair. “I’ll do as you say as long as you don’t harm Elena or Jeremy.”
“I have no intention of hurting either of them. In fact, they will be present when Carus tests Susan’s abilities.”
Grant clenched his fists and glared at Vogel. “If either you or Carus harm so much as a single hair on her head, mark my words, I’ll kill both of you.”
“Of that, I have no doubt,” said Carus. “That is why you will die first.”
“Take him away,” ordered Vogel.
Grant felt a pistol barrel jammed into his side. For a brief second, he thought about attempting to escape, but doubted he could take down both guards before either he or his friends were shot. He turned and walked out of the room.
“You’re a monster,” said Elena to Carus.
“You had best be nice to me, Doctor, or you may meet the same fate as your friend,” replied Carus coldly.
Hayes looked over and shook his head.
Elena threw her napkin on the table, crossed her arms, and sat back in her chair. If looks could kill, Carus would have been dead.
Vogel waved to another set of guards and had Elena and Hayes driven back to their quarters. When they were alone, Vogel let out a tired sigh and shook his head. “What a waste. Both she and Professor Hayes would have made an excellent addition to our team.”
Carus placed his long fingers together, forming an arch. “I’d kill a hundred humans if it would expose the girl for what she is becoming.”
“She scares you, doesn’t she?”
“You have no idea how much of a threat that girl has the potential to become, Doctor Vogel. Yes, she scares me, but until I have the proof I need to have her eliminated, I must follow the protocols laid down by my people when we began this grand experiment. Come, let us continue the work we started last night. The festivities can wait until later.”
52
A sudden, unexpected smash to the back of his head sent Grant flying. He fell headfirst into the dimly lit room. He rolled over and came to a jarring stop against the far wall. He cursed his luck, sat up, and brushed the muck from his clothes. The hair on the back of his neck went up when he heard something moving in the shadows.
“Didn’t take you long to get busted,” said Maclean, offering his hand to help Grant to his feet.
“What can I say,” said Grant, taking his friend’s hand. “I guess I’m prone to rubbing some people the wrong way.”
“Take a seat,” said Maclean, brushing the dirt off a rickety, old, wooden bench.
“So, how did you end up in here?”
“I was randomly selected for testing,” he replied sarcastically. “Which I hope doesn’t include math, as I really suck at it. And you?”
“Our host intends to use me, and most likely you as well, to force Susan to admit she’s a threat to The Founders.”
Maclean swore. “I’m beginning to really dislike that tall, gray bastard.”
“Get in line.”
“Do you know what’s become of Elena and Jeremy?”
Grant nodded. “When I was marched away by the neo-Nazis, they were still having breakfast. I’m sure they’re safe for now. But time is most likely not on their side. Did you manage to accomplish anything before ending up in this cell?”
“As a matter of fact, I did.”
“Like?”
“I spoke with some of the key people locked up here, and we came up with a plan to escape.”
“That’s great news.”
“No, it’s not,” said Maclean, standing up. He began to pace the cell. “The plan kind of all hinges on one of us being alive to release the prisoners, so we can take control of the Swedish sub and sail it out of here.”
“I guess one of us had best stay alive, then.”
“Yeah, I think that would be helpful.”
“Well, we’re stuck in here for the time being, so why don’t you fill me in on your foolproof escape plan?”
Maclean sat down. “I never said it was foolproof. It’s one hell of a long shot that requires a lot of moving parts to come together at once for it to work.”
“Okay, then, let’s hear it.”
53
Susan sat on the floor of her room and reached for an open box of crayons. She stopped and wiped a tear from her eyes.
“What’s wrong?” asked Ben. “You look sad.”
“Ben, I don’t like Carus,” said Susan. “He’s mean to my friends.”
“Why would you say that?”
“He wants to hurt some people I like.”
Ben placed a thin hand on Susan’s arm. “I’m sure your friends will be okay.”
Susan shook her head. “No, they won’t. He plans to kill them tonight.”
“Why would he do that?”
“He wants me to say that I’m not just a simple little girl, and once I’ve done that, he will kill me, too.” Tears streamed down Susan’s cheeks. “Ben, I’m scared.”
Ben took Susan in his arms and hugged her tight. “I won’t allow that. I’ll protect you, Susan.”
Susan wrapped her arms around Ben’s waist. “Promise me you’ll make sure no one hurts me.”
“I promise. I’ll die before Carus lays a hand on you.”
“Please don’t die. I love you.”
“I love you too, Susan.”
Susan smiled up at her protector and let go of him. She picked up a picture from the floor and handed it to Ben. “Do you like it?”
He took the drawing and smiled. “Yes, I do. It’s very nice.” It showed Susan and her grandmother standing outside their home and waving up at the stars. It couldn’t be any clearer to him. She was going home, and Ben knew sometime soon that he had a part to play in it.
54
Grant glanced down at his watch and saw it was nearing 1900 hours. His stomach rumbled, reminding him he hadn’t eaten in a while.
“This waiting is killing me,” groaned Maclean.
As if on cue, the door to the cell slid open, allowing light to flood inside.
“Poor choice of words,” said Grant, getting to his feet.
“You two are to come with me,” said a guard with a bull neck and arms like tree trunks.
“What if we don’t want to?” said Maclean.
“Then I’m authorized to kill you and bring Captain Grant with me.”
“Well, why didn’t you say so?” said Maclean with an insincere smile.
In the corridor stood a squad of heavily armed men. Before either soldier could react, they were handcuffed and forced to march in the middle of the detachment of guards. They walked in silence toward the ancient settlement. When they came to a large, open square, the guards stopped and forced Grant and Maclean to their knees.
Out of the corner of his eye, Grant saw Vogel and Carus accompany Elena and Hayes out onto the square. A couple of the guards unslung their weapons, moved over, and took post beside Vogel. Grant ground his teeth together when Susan and a small gray alien joined the others.
“Let them stand,” ordered Carus.
Grant and Maclean were unceremoniously hauled to their feet.
“What are you doing?” said Susan. “Let my friends go.”
“All in good time,” said Carus.
The Founders Page 24
