The Great Game

by O. J. Lowe

  Scott’s hotel wasn’t far, by the looks of it, the Arnholt family were heading there as well. A rousing coincidence, he found a grin flashing onto his face as he wondered what Jess might say if she found out Mia was staying in the same building as him. Probably nothing complimentary. And while he might grin, it likely wouldn’t even be funny if it came down to it.

  He wasn’t going to relate that fact to her. If she was going to find out about it, she could do it from someone else. Ignorance would be his ally in this whole messed up situation.

  Upon staggering into the lobby of the hotel, Scott realised he’d been misunderstanding the use of the word bliss for a very long time. Someone had jacked the heaters up to full power and it was like stepping into a sauna, a warm welcoming hot room that felt like the tender embrace of a long-lost love. For a moment, he wandered to the middle of the room and let it wash over him. He wasn’t the only one enjoying it by the looks of it, dozens of other people lingered about the lobby, a running mix of emotions heavy in the air from confusion to anger to dismay and outrage. With his eyes closed, he could hear some of the comments coming out from the various discussions going on.

  “… Outrageous, just outrageous that we have to suffer this…”

  “… Can’t even get the weather right here…”

  “… Poor guys having to replay that bout…”

  “… How many we reckon are going to get injured in this then?”

  “… Should have seen it coming…”

  “… I blame Vazara. What a huge fucking cock up holding it here…”

  “… And Ritellia’s a cunt as well…”

  None of it was particularly interesting, he had to admit. Funny how some people could always find something to complain about. He turned, stretched and looked at Matt and his father.

  “Well that was bracing,” he said. “Not every day you see something like that, is it? Not here anyway.”

  “I think you sometimes do get freak tropical storms though,” Matt said thoughtfully, moving closer to the heater. He held his hands out in front of it and sighed contentedly as he rubbed them together. “Must be one of them.”

  Arnholt stroked his chin. “Maybe. Perhaps. I don’t know. It came on rather quick for that. Usually there’s some sort of sign, some warning…”

  “It started during my friend Pete’s bout earlier,” Scott offered. Again, his thoughts drifted towards where Pete might have gone during all this. He felt conspicuous by his absence. “You know, that one he lost against that battle dancer.”

  “No shame in losing to a more skilled opponent,” Arnholt remarked. “I saw some of that battle. I don’t think he can have too much to regret.”

  “He should have asked Mia about that Ulikku guy,” Matt said. “I mean she’s fought him a bunch of times on the circuit. She’d have been able to tell him everything, right sis?”

  He glanced around, came up empty. Then it dawned on his father and Scott as well, the sudden realisation Mia had been remarkably silent since they’d got into the hotel.

  “Mia?!” Arnholt yelled.

  No response. Arnholt said a bad word very vehemently, Scott felt a sinking feeling pushing through his stomach.

  “Find her!” Arnholt hissed, looking down at his son. It was the sort of tone that hinted at the consequences if it wasn’t heeded. “Check she’s not in here! You too, boy!”

  He didn’t need telling twice, Scott was already following Matt away through the crowd.

  David Wilsin had just finished drying himself off when he saw the boss approaching. Slowly at first, but as their eyes met, Arnholt’s pace quickened and he covered the distance between the two of them in double quick time. With a sudden heavy heart, he resisted the urge to salute. It wouldn’t do in public, but still he stood up a little straighter, clapped his hat to his heart.

  “Sir,” he said quietly. “Don’t suppose you know what’s happening here, do you?”

  “Not a weatherman, David,” Arnholt said. “At ease. You’re being conspicuous. Either way, this isn’t natural. I did see the forecasts this morning. There wasn’t anything like this on the horizon. It really came out of nowhere. And so, I need you to do me a favour.” He sighed. “Hate to ask, but it’s a personal one.”

  “Go on.” Wilsin was suddenly beset with visions of how he’d wasted his time getting used to the warmth and dryness of the hotel, a vision that very slowly came true as Arnholt’s next words came from his mouth.

  “My daughter,” he said. “She isn’t here in this hotel. I think we were separated during the run over here. I can’t get in touch with her. Think you could run over to some of the other ones and check if she’s there.” He sighed. “Not asking you as your boss but as a father. Find her!” Those last two words came out through gritted teeth. Wilsin could empathise. It probably wasn’t easy to be abusing your position like this. It didn’t help things that he was willing to do it either. In the time Wilsin had spent with Unisco, he’d felt a tremendous respect grow for his boss. And having him owe you a favour in the long term probably wouldn’t be a bad thing either. Might be handy next time promotion opportunities came up.

  “Terrence,” he said, looking him in the eyes. It felt weird to call him that to his face but hey, like he’d said, not being conspicuous. “I’ll go have a look. Don’t worry. Consider her as good as found. No strings attached.”

  Arnholt clapped him on the shoulder, a relieved look plastered against his damp face. “Thank you, David. I won’t forget this.”

  “Don’t worry,” Wilsin muttered. “I doubt I will either.” He gave the island outside a dark look and reached down to his pack to check he had everything he needed. That was a hostile environment out there and he wanted to be prepared for the worst.

  He must have been crazy. That was the only thought that struck him as he stepped back out into the rain, fresh icy sleet lashing into his face and neck. He’d grabbed one of the big waterproofs from a desk as he had left, wrapped it around himself but in the absence of any sort of fastenings, the wind tore it open exposing his front to the elements. Absolutely crazy. He took off into a run, realising the quicker he got on with the task, the faster he could be back inside, warming up again. Already he was yearning for it as he felt the chill spreading through his flesh.

  Super crazy!

  As he cut down the street, he couldn’t see any sign of her anywhere. Arnholt had been specific on the details of where they’d come from, they’d been at that bout that had been abandoned. He’d been watching it in one of the bars, been disappointed to see the way they’d decided that it was to just be abandoned so near the end. Hard luck for that Jameson kid, better luck for Arnholt’s son. Then the end had come and he’d stepped out into the maelstrom. Had he known it’d be like this, he’d have remained. Yeah, he’d be dry and Mia would probably still be out there and her dad wouldn’t be abusing his power like this.

  He’s not though, Wilsin told himself. I could have said no. He made a request, asked a favour, didn’t order me to. And I am sworn to protect. Just because she’s the boss’s daughter doesn’t make any difference.

  It did. That was the reality of it. But it was something comforting to tell himself. Maybe she’d gone into the Goldsand. Or the Burnt Sienna. He’d double back down to the stadium first, check she hadn’t been injured en route and then work his way there. Wouldn’t be farfetched to assume she might have tripped or slipped in the chaos and be laid injured somewhere.

  For urgent rescue missions, Unisco agents were sometimes equipped with life detectors, small portable scanners that could search the surrounding area faster than any human. They’d lock onto any parameter entered; clothing, DNA, jewellery and they’d find them in double quick time. Yet if there was one on the island, it’d be locked up far away from here in the safe house they’d set up. Wilsin didn’t have time to go get it, even if he did, it’d be over-kill to use one in this situation. He was good enough to find her in a storm; the detectors were used in natural disasters and b
rutal killings. At least the landscape hadn’t changed too much.

  He was good enough… A bold statement, one he suddenly wished he hadn’t made, even to himself. Should he wind up wagering Mia Arnholt’s life on that, it would be a bad way to lose.

  She felt so cold. So, so cold as the rain continued to lash her clammy skin, plastered soaked clothing against her skin.

  Dad… Matt…

  Stupid, stupid, stupid.

  They’d been running through the rain, she could vaguely remember it as if watching it through someone else’s eyes and she’d fallen behind, damn shoes and the next thing she knew she’d felt pain, something sharp catching her on the side of the head. She tripped, her heel had broken and she’d stumbled to the ground to the sounds of panic and chaos yet amidst the flashing lights intent on exploding in her head, she also could have sworn she’d heard manic lilting laughter.

  Somewhere in the distance she also thought she had seen someone, someone she thought she knew. A second look at told them she was wrong. They weren’t there. With the rain pouring down on her, she’d tried to ignore the thought and get her head together. It was worse than being hung over. She’d rose to her feet, tried to catch up with Matt, Scott and her father only to realise they had long gone and she had no idea where they’d gotten to. With nothing more than a guess to go on, she’d started to head for the hotel, it being the last thing her father had said…

  Yeah, what her father said, she thought, a little more bitterly than she’d wanted to. After everything, he still expects us to do everything he says without question. He’d done that a little more when I was younger, I’d probably do it. Instead…

  She swallowed it down, it wasn’t important now. All she could do was get to shelter, try to ignore the shivers wracking her body. She hadn’t dressed for it, her flimsy clothing felt ridiculously inadequate as she stumbled, the feeling going in her feet. Her teeth chattered together out of control in her mouth, the rain clouding her vision. She couldn’t remember ever feeling so cold before, cold, cold, cold. She clutched her arms together about herself, trying to find some semblance of warmth, anything to just get her through the next numb footstep. There had to be somewhere she could get to. She couldn’t even recognise where she’d found herself, an unfamiliar part of the resort loomed up around her. Still somewhere… shelter… there had to be. Hotel, somewhere…

  She looked up, peered through the rain. Someone… Anyone? Where was everyone? She tried to quicken her pace, her sodden sandals scraping the ground beneath the great sheet of water that now ran across the surface like a great wet carpet. Lights in the distance, if she could just get there, everything would be fine. How many more steps would it take? As many as it needed, all she could do was one at a time.

  She sneezed viciously, tried to wipe her eyes to little effect. There was something in the distance, a lit-up building. Maybe she could hear voices. She tried to strain her ears for the sounds of life, wanting to hear anything but her own breathing and the constant patter of raindrops hitting the water.

  Huh…

  Was that movement up ahead? She rubbed at her eyes again, blinking furiously to try and see through the murk. One shadow looked larger than the others, slowly advancing towards her. Beneath the night sky, she saw the outline of the one casting it, something vaguely familiar about him. There was something about that walk and the outline of the frame, just something she couldn’t quite place. Whoever it was, they carried something in their hands…

  “Help,” she coughed, a fresh shiver tearing through her as she tried to call out. “Help me, please!”

  “MIA!”

  That voice… Familiar. Where… Boat… Up ahead, the tall shape had vanished, gone as if never there and the next thing she knew something had been thrown about her shoulders, something tight and restricting. Instinctively she fought, struggled to break free of the warm confines.

  “Mia,” the voice said, not as loud or urgent. “Calm down. It’s David Wilsin. Your dad asked me to come out and look for you. Are you hurt?”

  Wilsin… Why would he come? Not that she was complaining. She grinned weakly through chattering teeth. “Da… David?”

  “The one and only,” he said. “Come on, let’s get you out of here into the warmth.”

  “No arguments there,” she said thickly. Her face was so cold she couldn’t feel her lips.

  They were about a minute away from the hotel when Wilsin spotted them and stopped, bringing Mia to a halt with him. She was a tough girl, she was struggling badly but still going despite the presence of a bruise already forming on her temple, but he was having to support her more and more the closer they got to their goal. It had knocked her for a few, anyone could see that. At least she wasn’t as heavy as she might have been; he could support her weight quite easily. At least for the time being anyway, long enough to get where they needed to be.

  “Huh? Wha’s happ’nin’?” she mumbled, her words slurred above the chattering of her teeth. He shushed her, stared out towards the three figures heading away from them, each of them indistinguishable in the dark of night and the pouring rain, but for the way they walked. You could tell a lot about a person by the way they moved and Wilsin had to admit it was the first time he’d seen three individual people move in the same way.

  Even when a group moved in uniform, there were always slight individual traits of those involved that set them apart from the rest of the group. Yet these three displayed none of those individual traits that would set them aside. Rather they had the same traits replicated thrice over. And that set his teeth on edge. His thoughts fell back to those three identical men he and Roper had spied earlier in the week. Now what were they doing sneaking off into the distance while everyone else was out of the way? That they carried large bags that looked to be full judging by the awkward bulges protruding out the fabric just added suspicion on top of suspicion.

  He couldn’t check it out, not right now. Not with Mia lolling her head onto his shoulders, he couldn’t. Wilsin glanced up, caught the direction they were going and took note mentally before starting to move again.

  “Are they crazy?” Mia muttered in his ear. She’d seen them as well, though it was to be doubted she’d made as much of them as he had. “Stupid to be out in this.”

  “You and I have no room to talk,” Wilsin said. Just another fifty yards and they’d be at the hotel. In the distance, he could see Arnholt pacing about on the sidewalk outside beneath the protection of a huge parasol. He’d see them shortly, he had to. It could have been harder. He was glad it hadn’t been. Forty feet. Thirty.

  “Dad!”

  It was little more than a gasp as they hit twenty feet, the sound escaping Mia’s lips but Arnholt heard it, his ears pricked up and he turned with a relieved look on his face. In five long strides he was over to them and Wilsin was glad to hand over the weight that had been growing steadily on him in the short time he’d been supporting her.

  “Mia,” he said, the relief palpable in his voice as he hugged her. “Divines, you’re freezing. Come on inside. And that bruise…” Just for a second, Wilsin saw a dark look pass across the face of his boss. Suddenly he was glad he wasn’t the one who’d put that bruise there. He tried to think of something scarier than a protective father with a certain set of skills and came up empty. “We’ll get it looked at.”

  He followed them to the entrance, felt the warmth on his face as he stood in front of the open doors. It’d be so easier to forget what he’d seen and go inside, just warm up, drink something hot and relax.

  But…

  He had to know. Even if there wasn’t anything suspicious going on, his instincts told him he needed to investigate. And he’d believed firmly for a long time in trusting those instincts. They might be misguided on occasions but they’d very rarely been wrong. Arnholt and Mia were already inside, the two of them looking back at him.

  “David?” Mia asked. She already sounded a little stronger, the words coming through blue lips.


  Looking a lot happier than he felt, Wilsin grinned at her. “I’m just going to check those guys are okay,” he said, turning to leave. “They shouldn’t be wandering around like that in weather like this. Be safe, Mia. Your dad’ll take care of you.” He nodded at Arnholt. “At least I’d hope he would after all the trouble I went to in pulling your ass out the fire.”

  It didn’t take him long to trace his steps back to them and onto the same path they’d followed, a little applied logic telling him where to go next as he found himself at an intersection leading in three directions, one left, one right, one straight on. Both the left and the right were small, out of the way alleys he probably wouldn’t have noticed in the hustle and bustle of the daylight. Here and now though, emergency lights lit up the entrance to one of them, the words Drainage Control up in neon.

  Maybe they’d been maintenance workers. Those had been some pretty big bags they’d been carrying, could have held their tools. In which case, he should head back to the hotel and let them get on with it.

  But… Maybe he was getting jumpy. His first impression was that they’d looked decidedly sinister. And the way they’d walked, all identical in stride and poise, those three guys he and Roper had seen the other day… They hadn’t looked like maintenance workers then. At the very least, he should check it out. The building in question was small and nondescript, just inside the alley, hugged between two much larger buildings. It was little more than a shed really. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have given it much more of a glace.

  These weren’t normal circumstances however and he found himself drawn to it curiously.

  The door was ajar and still Wilsin found his curiosity piqued as he jogged over and tested the handle, pulling it open. The lock had been broken, he could see that from here. Nobody inside the entrance. Maybe they’d just come in to get out of the rain. Maybe. But the hotel wasn’t that far and to break into somewhere… That was suspicious indeed. Very suspicious. He stepped inside, glad to be out of the downpour and shook himself off like a dog, wiping his hair from his eyes and smoothing it back to keep it away from his face. Already he felt a little better.