“I’m sorry we couldn’t give you a more comfortable place to rest your head. But I’m sure you understand.”
“That you couldn’t just walk me onboard your ship with all those eyes looking?”
“Something like that,” the man replied. “Let’s go for a walk here, Governor. Stretch your legs a little bit.”
Darius glanced down at the gun that was trained on him, waving in the direction that the man wanted him to go. His nerves tingled, threatening to turn his stomach against him. He started to walk as directed.
The west, he thought. Farther from town.
“So it looks like you were right about the computers on Gabriel,” the man said casually as the left the campsite. “No one’s been in there since launch. That’s a good thing.”
“For who?”
“For you. It means that you’ve been telling me the truth.”
“Then I think there’s been a mix up,” Darius corrected. “We’re going the wrong way for it to be good for me.”
There was a slight hesitation. “No, we’re going the right way.”
“Concordia is the other way.”
“No, it’s not.” This time the response was too quick.
“Yes, it is.”
“Are you calling me a liar, Governor?”
“Yes sir, I am.”
Darius felt a hand yank on his shoulder. He was spun around to face the band’s leader. His eyes were narrowed and he had a disdainful snarl on his lips. He raised his pistol and trained it between Darius’s eyes. Darius had to fight back the grip of fear as the deadly weapon was waved in his face, with no chance of defending himself.
“Better be careful. You don’t want to upset me, do you?”
“So the truth upsets you, then?”
“If you keep this up, I won’t take you home,” his captor growled.
Darius jerked a thumb behind him. “There’s more pine the farther west you go from Concordia. To the east it thins out, and there’s more larch and alder. So we’re walking the wrong way.”
The man stared blankly at Darius for a second, then grinned evilly. “You’re very smart, Governor. I’m going to have to keep my eye on you. Keep walking.”
Darius turned around and resumed the march. It was becoming clear that these men had no intention of releasing him. Turning and fighting now would do nothing but end in his death. His only hope was that they made a mistake, and that he could escape from them. That seemed to be an impossible task, if the last thirty hours or so was any indication. He had been watched like a hawk, and tied to a tree at night to prevent escape. And now they were striking out even deeper into reaper bear territory.
Calvin McLaughlin
17 July, 6 yal, 9:57
North Concordia
“That’ll do it,” Devereaux smiled as he crammed the last bar of soap in the small, aluminum crate. “Anything you want me to keep an ear out for once I’m back?”
“No, thank you,” Cal replied. “I’m still surprised you came to see me yourself today.”
The butcher’s broad shoulders rolled like boulders as he shrugged. “Brayden could use a little practice running things by himself. It’s a good morning to see how he handles things.” Devereaux glanced down the short hallway toward the staircase and stockroom. “Where’s Andrea?”
“You’re not the only one who’s hired help,” Cal admitted.
“Oh?”
“Yeah. Well, in a way I guess. Beth decided that she wants to run a daycare. I’m her first client. She’s watching over her for a bit so I can get some work done. Maybe even some errands.”
“Beth as in Dr. Taylor’s wife?”
“No, Dr. Taylor’s daughter-in…” Cal caught himself in the realization that Devereaux was referring to Dr. Jamie Taylor, not the Dr. Taylor who taught him biostasis systems. The son who was taking over her practice at the clinic. “Yeah, I’m sorry. You’re right.”
Devereaux scratched at the stubble on his chin. “No kidding. Well, she’s the only game in town, I guess.”
“Yeah. She’s not sure it will work out either,” Cal added, noting Deveraux’s unspoken concern about the venture’s success. “It depends on how many of the moms in the colony have the luxury of staying at home with their children.”
“That was my first thought. But I’m glad that you’ve found a solution, even if it’s just to give you a little time away when you need it. So what are you going to do with your newfound freedom today?”
“I need to go shopping.” Cal stood up and walked around the counter to his display rack. He selected two bottles, one of vodka and one whiskey. “I don’t feel like trading favors today if I don’t have to, so here’s my wallet.”
“You know, you could just ask me if you need something. I’m more than happy to help.”
“Thanks, Frank. But I could use a trip out of the house, maybe get a little fresh air. Oh, and I have to go see how Saika is doing on that dress for Andrea.” Cal looked down at the bottles in his hand. He placed the whiskey bottle on the counter, then flipped around the vodka bottle and offered it to Devereaux. “I was going to stop by your place later. It’s been a while since I’ve had fresh meat. Find me something good?”
The butcher took the bottle with a smile. “No problem. I’ll put together some choices for you. Stop by on your way home to pick one.”
Devereaux departed, leaving Cal alone in an eerily quiet shop. He picked up his corn husk broom and began sweeping, listening to the rustle of the dried plant fibers with every rhythmic sweep. His shop had never felt emptier. And though it had been silent in the dead of winter, this day felt even quieter.
The silence was short lived, as Dayton and Detective Vaughn made their entry. Both men’s brows dripped with sweat; Vaughn produced a handkerchief and swiped away the offending liquid.
“Anything new?” Cal asked anxiously.
“Maybe,” Dayton replied.
“How much do you know about the computer systems on the ships?” Vaughn asked.
“Uh, not much. I could probably run the sleeper berths if I had to, but it’s been a while.”
Dayton’s beard scrunched as he pursed his lips. “Sergeant Drisko didn’t take you back into the core to show you the systems?”
“No. He didn’t want to upset you. I was back there only once, with Hunter.”
Vaughn shook his head and muttered a curse. “Another dead end. No offense, Governor.”
“Still just the deputy. And none taken. Drisko’s been gone a long time.”
“Wait, what does this have to do with Cam?” Cal asked, thoroughly confused as to why his dead friend had come up in conversation all of a sudden.
“He was the IO on Michael,” Dayton replied.
“Yeah… so?”
“I found something on Michael that I missed the first time through,” Vaughn explained. “There was a floor plate in the computer core that was missing its screws. I found the screws a few feet away, on top of a…” he paused, looking at Dayton, who shrugged. “Computer thingy.”
“Thingy?”
“I don’t know what you call it. I’m not a techie. Anyway, there were scrape marks on the other adjacent plates, but not this one. Like something had been dragged around while this plate was missing. When I pulled it up, there were also scrape marks on the beam that the plates rest on. Something was taken from down there.”
“But I have no idea what,” Dayton added. “All of the servers are still there and running. All of the ship’s systems are online, and there are no unexpected equipment errors, according to Hunter. Just a mess of power and network cables that don’t go to anything.”
Vaughn crossed his arms across his chest and shook his head. “I took a trip down south and looked at Gabriel also. I saw pretty much the same thing, only the scrapes weren’t as noticeable, and the deck plate was screwed back down.”
“That’s weird,” Cal said. “Why would they be screwed down on one and not the other?”
“Only one of two
things. Either different people opened the compartments on the ships, or whoever did it wasn’t as careful when they took whatever it was off of Michael.”
Cal realized he was leaning on his broom hard enough that it was bowed and wobbling. He quickly put his weight back on his feet and set the broom aside. “So whoever kidnapped Darius also took something off of the ships?”
Vaughn nodded. “It at least gives us a motive. If the governor stumbled on something he wasn’t supposed to, someone might have taken offense.”
“Then he must have recently stumbled onto it.” Cal added.
“That’s right.”
“So it must have been someone on Mercy,” Cal postulated. The others regarded him silently. “If there was something there of value, someone on our ships would have had six years to take it. The strike a few years back would have been the perfect cover, too. Don’t you find it weird that Darius would find whatever it is and then disappear within, what, a week of Mercy showing up?”
Vaughn glanced over at Dayton. “He’s right, you know. I was going to tell you later, but he’s hit it on the head.”
“Which then makes your contact that much more important, Mr. McLaughlin,” Dayton replied. “Have you had any luck?”
“I haven’t even seen her.”
“Make an excuse if you have to,” Vaughn said in a chilling tone. “Time isn’t on our side. There’s no telling what might happen to the governor if we don’t act quickly.”
Deputy Governor Dayton took his newfound detective with him, leaving Cal again in the silence of his shop. He leaned on his counter, eyes closed with his head resting on intertwined fingers as he processed Vaughn’s findings. This time he had no desire to sweep; the silence of the shop and the torrent in his brain drove him out after a few minutes. He turned back from the door only to retrieve the bottle of whiskey that he intended to use for barter and his cloth shopping satchel.
The walk along River Way did much to clear his head. By the time he passed the nearly rebuilt mill and was on the Boulevard, he was looking forward to the bustle of the market square. He went directly to Saika’s clothing shop. He had a pleasant conversation with her, and she excitedly showed him a sketch of the design for her own wedding dress. This time, Cal truly did feel happiness for her, and he felt somewhat like a fool for wallowing in his own grief before. Tyler Quinn was a good man, and though both he and Saika had suffered personal tragedies since landing, they had been drawn to each other with inescapable magnetism.
After Saika promised that she’d finish Andrea’s dress by week’s end, Cal continued his loop around the block. The whiskey found its home with the town’s toymaker, in exchange for two future toys for Andrea and two favors. The favors were spent at the baker’s in exchange for a large loaf of sourdough. Cal was feeling good, having momentarily forgotten Darius and Vaughn and mysterious missing components. Until he bumped into someone on accident on his way out of the baker’s shop.
“Hey,” Brittany growled. Her eyes locked with his. Her eyes widened and a faint smile crossed her lips. “Cal, it’s you. I’m sorry.”
“No,” he shook his head. “I’m sorry.”
“Hey, where’s the little one?”
“I got someone to watch her for a while.”
She got up on her tip toes and looked over his shoulder. “Man, they have some good smelling stuff in there. Hey, you get something?” She peeked into his satchel somewhat intrusively.
“Sourdough. The real thing, not that mass produced crap you got at the store back on Earth.” He noticed that her friends that came in to his store for liquor were not present.
She let out a jealous groan, and her eyes darted skyward for a second. “I’m starving and that sounds so good. Can you give me some?”
Cal looked down at his bag, and then over his shoulder into the shop. “Come here,” he said as he stepped back in.
The baker’s assistant greeted them at the counter. He wore a white apron that was tied loosely over his abdomen, and his brilliant blue eyes sparkled as he flashed a smile.
“Did you forget something on your list, Cal?” he smirked.
“Sort of. My friend here is new in town, and she’s never had your sourdough before. Think you can hook her up with a little something?”
The assistant snapped his fingers. “I’ve got just the thing.” He walked over to a rack of cooling bread, and plucked out a modest sourdough roll. He juggled it between his hands as he walked back, and tossed it to Brittany. She sucked in a breath of air and began tossing it back and forth between her hands for a moment before it cooled down to the point she could handle it. “It doesn’t get any fresher than that.”
“How much?” Cal asked.
“A friend of Cal’s is a friend of mine.” He knocked on the counter once. “No charge, just this time.”
“Thanks,” Cal grinned sheepishly.
Brittany bit into the soft roll as soon as they were outside. She stopped in her tracks and closed her eyes, savoring the moment. “God, Cal, it’s been so long.”
He nodded. “I know. We were eating mostly packaged food for the first few months here, and the entire first winter. I almost didn’t make it past the second winter.” He paused for a moment. “We almost didn’t.”
“The colony?” she said with her mouth stuffed full of food, her eyes bulging.
Cal shook his head. “Fifteen people died. There was a drought, and then a terrible winter. Lexi got sick and I…” he trailed off.
Brittany looked at him expectantly. “You what?”
How could you understand just what I went through for her? What I sacrificed to save her? He sighed. How there was a time long ago when I would have done the same for you.
“Nothing. We both almost died. Doctor Taylor pulled us through.”
“Oh!” Brittany perked up. “I’ve met him. He’s a real nice guy. Kinda quiet. His wife is kind of a bitch though.”
Cal rolled his eyes and started to walk away, toward Devereaux’s.
“What?” she asked, catching up with him.
“I dunno, Britt. Maybe it’s that you just called a good friend of mine a bitch. Or that you’re talking about the wrong doctor.”
She cast her gaze aside sheepishly. “Sorry, I didn’t know.”
“There’s a lot about me that you don’t know. About fifty years worth.”
“Hey,” she snapped, grabbing his arm and stopping him. “I know we haven’t seen each other in a long time, but if we’re going to play games, the cards need to be the same. We’ve both been asleep for most of that time, so don’t give me that exaggerated bullshit. It’s been six years for each of us. We just spent them in different places.”
“Fine,” he grumbled, then turned to continue his walk. She fell in step at his side. “Let’s ask each other one burning question about the last six years so we can start catching up. You go first.”
“Why only one? I have a ton.”
“Because I’ve only got time for one right now.”
“Okay,” she huffed. “Why’d the baker give you free bread?”
“Because I’m a good customer, and he was trying to get you to become a customer as well.”
“Oh, no you don’t,” she hustled ahead of him, turning to face him and blocking his path. “I might buy it if it was the first time I saw something like that happen.”
“Oh yeah? What else did you see?”
“The other day, at the clothing store. The woman that runs the place gave you a huge discount on your daughter’s dress. Why?”
“It wasn’t that big of a discount.”
“I checked into it, Cal,” she insisted. “It was big. Now answer the damn question.”
He came to a stop and let out a heavy sigh. “Fine. When we got here, both ships were supposed to land on this side of the river. The commander of Gabriel broke off and landed on the other side because he had some sort of spat with the other commanders way back on Earth. He didn’t want any of his own colonists to even have c
ontact with us. At one point there was a huge fight over the whole thing. Some people got killed, including the other commander, then we all finally agreed to be one big happy family. I was there when it all went down, sat at the negotiation table with a bunch of important people, and some people think highly of me because of it.”
“Huh. So you’re a hero, then?”
“Not even close. I just said that I was there. Not doing a whole lot but taking up space.”
“I bet you killed the enemy commander,” she smirked.
“No!” he snapped back. They had reached Devereaux’s, and he stopped outside, not wanting to take her in to see what his alcohol had purchased, for fear that it would be misconstrued as more gifts from an adoring population. “Look, you’re not even listening to me.”
“Because you’re not saying,” she retorted. “I want to know what you’ve been up to all these years.”
Still willing to talk your head off after all this time, I see. We may have both changed, but some things don’t. Well, Vaughn will be happy with that.
“Do I get to ask my burning question, then?”
She nodded. “Fair is fair.”
“Would you like to come over for dinner and a drink? I promise we can catch up on our life stories if you do.”
Brittany stumbled for words for a moment, as if caught off guard. “S-sure. Tonight?”
“Tomorrow night. I’ll make babysitting arrangements for Andrea.”
She smiled warmly. “It’s a date.”
“No, it’s not.”
“It’s just an expression,” she replied, wounded.
“And I’m being clear.”
She threw her arms up in exasperation. “Fine. No canned shit, though. I’m not telling my story over a pouch of fifty year-old spaghetti or anything gross like that.”
Of course not. You’re going to use me, just like old times, Cal thought bitterly. I’m going to be kind of pissed if you can’t help me find Darius.
Cal watched her round the corner before going into Devereaux’s. He sighed. Looks like I’m eating from a can tonight if she wants something fresh tomorrow.
Project Columbus: Omnibus Page 120
