The Ship Finder: Young Adult Edition

by John Bluck

  "Would you like a glass of red wine?" he asked.

  "Yes, that would be lovely," she answered.

  He opened a bottle and poured some dark red wine into two graceful glasses.

  "Here’s to peace," he proposed.

  "Amen," she replied, as they clinked their glasses together.

  After a couple of small glasses of wine she said, "Let’s dance some more. We don’t need music.”

  He took her hand, and they slowly waltzed. He stroked her hair. Behind her ear he saw her tattooed number, 214993, a stark reminder that she was a woman who men had designed as if she were the latest automobile model. She was a Nordic Number 10, another slave whose main purpose was to please men. She and Lena were somewhat alike because they were sisters who were supposed to be meek and obedient.

  Then again, Rachel was not an exact replica of Lena because each of their two minds was unique. Their brains had grown to be unlike those of their fellow clones, as they matured and learned about their world.

  In addition to a different personality, Rachel had a thicker accent than Lena had. Wilson was enjoying Rachel primarily as a platonic friend. He had a gut feeling that she was not dedicated to the Sunevian government but just wanted to enjoy life. Still, he wondered if she had been trained to please any man. After all, she was created to be a beautiful object, not to be an intellectual woman.

  On the other hand, Lena was a much closer friend as well as a rebel. He liked her for her resolve to be free, and he had to admit that he thought that their friendship would continue to become even closer.

  He puzzled, how can I take sides? Earth is not involved. Yet the struggle is between a dictatorship and a freer society.

  As he thought about the war, Rachel spoke. "I need to say something."

  "Okay," Wilson said. He looked deep into her eyes.

  Rachel continued, almost in a whisper. "If you guessed that the Secret Service sent me to befriend you and check on your loyalty, you're right." She squinted and stared at him. "But I care for you as a friend, and I won't betray you."

  "My country is more democratic than yours, so it may sometimes seem that I'm not grateful for what Sunev has given me," he said.

  "What's that?" she asked.

  "Your people gave me nano meds and the chance to live a long time. I'm thankful for that, but I wish that Sunev were more democratic."

  "I get it," Rachel said. "I, too, feel grateful. I've been given a chance to move up, to live well. But I don't want to be a second class citizen even if I get to live better."

  "In my country most people are lower class citizens because they're not rich," he said. "An oligarchy has arisen worldwide on Earth. A small group of super-rich people has undermined democracy because their money can buy anything and anybody, including politicians."

  "We don't have money anymore, yet there's an oligarchy, a small class which thinks it deserves to rule," she said.

  I feel sick about where this conversation is heading, he thought. Is she trying to get me to confess that I oppose the ruling class?

  "I see you're worried," Rachel said. "I assure you, I don't care if you are a rebel, neutral, or a backer of the Great Leader. I’m your friend."

  "I've been drawn into a quarrel that isn't mine," he said. She was silent for a moment. He thought, I can't be sure if she's playing me, but I think she's truthful. Now, Lena seemed like a fantasy, somewhere far away.

  Rachel began to pace back and forth. "I'll call the Great Leader himself and report that you're loyal," she said. "Believe me. I am under his direct command. I'll lie to him because I think that if you aren't a rebel, you at least pity the cyborgs of Triod." She grabbed both of Wilson's shoulders and kissed his lips.

  "I believe you," he said. "But I'm surprised the Great Leader has gone to such lengths to check on me."

  "You're the first person from Earth to learn about us," she said. "You're almost as well-known as Lena Lavelle in the popular media, whether you know it or not. I'll call the Leader tomorrow, and you can listen."

  "I hope it doesn’t backfire," he said.

  "Don’t worry, Bill. It’ll be fine." She paused. "I think I should go soon. I’ve got a room in the Vacationland Hotel across the street."

  "What time should we meet tomorrow?" he asked.

  "About nine I’ll knock on your door."

  "I’ll have breakfast ready when you get here," he suggested.

  "That’ll be nice," she replied, and she walked to his door.

  Wilson opened it for her, and she gave him a hug and then left.

  The next morning they ate breakfast at his small, wooden dining table. Rachel sipped coffee. "Did you think I would forget to call the Great Leader?"

  "I figured you'd do it when you were ready," Wilson said, trying to sound calm, but he was nervous.

  "I'll put my phone on speaker," she said. "Be quiet, okay?"

  "I will," Wilson said, and he felt sweat forming in his armpits. She tapped a number into her portable phone.

  "Hello, this is Rachel 214993 calling the Great Leader." she said.

  "I'll check to see if he's here," said a woman's voice. A moment later she said, "I'll put him on."

  "Hello, Rachel," a rough baritone voice said.

  "Greetings, Great Leader," Rachel said. "I have a report about Dr. Wilson of Earth."

  "What are your observations?" he asked.

  "I haven't heard or seen anything that would show that he supports the rebels," she said. "Everything he says indicates that he's a strong supporter of the Upper Echelon."

  "So, you've found nothing incriminating. And he has fought our enemies well, according to Raven," the Leader mused. "Do you want to add anything?"

  "No, sir."

  "One more thing, Rachel," said the old dictator in a gravelly voice. "I'm going to give you advanced notice about what Raven will soon tell you. I've decided to immediately send The Ghost Liner to Earth on a second mission to further train the crew how to operate the ship, but there are two other important objectives. I want you to keep this information secret."

  "Yes, sir," said Rachel.

  "First, you are to deliver a package for me to a courier," the Leader said. "Second, Raven will pick up some gold for the war effort."

  "What's in the package?"

  "For the time being its contents will remain secret," the Great Leader said. "I'll have it delivered to you before the ship jumps to Earth."

  "May I ask, sir, what's our destination on Earth?"

  "You and Wilson will go to Oahu, one of the Hawaiian Islands, where you'll deliver the package. Raven and another man will get the gold at another location. You'll receive further instructions later."

  "Yes, sir."

  "Please keep your eyes and ears open, Rachel. Report to me in a week or when you learn anything important about Wilson. I must say goodbye now."

  "Yes, sir, farewell," Rachel said. She shut off her phone.

  "I guess I'm not off the hook yet," Wilson said.

  "You can be sure, dear, that I'll not report anything to him that would put you in danger," Rachel said. "Do you trust me now?"

  "Yes," Wilson said. "I'm glad we can get away from this war for a few days before we leave for Triod on the waterworks raid."

  "Hawaii will be a nice place to visit, but I still have a mission to do there," Rachel said. "So, maybe it won't be much of a vacation. I wonder what this package is that they want me to deliver to a courier."

  "Possibly it's something to do with the war effort?" Wilson guessed.

  "It could be a delivery to one of our research groups on Earth," she said. "Perhaps they decided to send instructions on old-fashioned paper to make sure their message isn't intercepted by the enemy."

  "Maybe they won't tell you what's in the package at all just to make sure the enemy can't coerce you into divulging its contents," Wilson speculated.

  "I'll find out more about it later," said Rachel. "Actually, I'm more curious about Raven's destination and the gold. I think h
e might be taking a quick look at California's Gold Country."

  Wilson looked at his watch. "It’s almost 10 a.m.," he said. "Why don’t we leave for the ship now? They’ll call us to come anyway."

  "I’ll drive us," said Rachel. "I have a feeling that Raven will tell us about the new mission right away."

  Rachel drove her small car to the hangar's parking lot. They found Yarnell eating brunch with Raven at a long, cafeteria style table in The Ghost Liner's mess hall.

  "Sit down with us," Raven said, as Wilson and Rachel approached.

  "Hi, Richard," Rachel said, as she sat.

  "I'm glad you're both here," said Raven. "I have news. The Ghost Liner has been ordered to go to Earth on a quick mission before we conduct the waterworks raid on Triod. While Roberto, I, and the rest of the crew are prospecting for gold for the war effort, Rachel will deliver a package to a courier in Hawaii on the island of Oahu. Bill, you'll go with her because she has had limited experience on Earth."

  "This mission is a pleasant surprise," said Rachel. "It's nice to have a little vacation. I've heard the Hawaiian Islands are beautiful. How long will we be there?"

  "Three days," said Raven.

  "What's in the package?" Rachel asked.

  "I don't know yet," said Raven. "It'll be delivered to us soon because we have to leave today at 2 p.m."

  "Where are you going to let us off on Oahu?" asked Wilson.

  "At Honolulu's airport," Raven replied. "We'll deliver you two, cloak between dimensions, shift our position away from Oahu, and end up in Gold Country."

  "Where and when will you pick us up?" Wilson asked.

  "At the airport in three days at five in the afternoon," Raven said. "Set your ship finder alarms right now so we'll all be on the same page."

  "Okay," Rachel said, and she took her ship finder from her purse.

  Wilson nodded, and took his silver ship finder from his hip pocket. Rachel helped him set his alarm, and then she set hers.

  "See you folks later," said Raven, who had finished his meal. "Yarnell and I have to get ready for the mission." He and Yarnell left.

  "Let's get coffee," said Rachel.

  Rachel and Wilson also ordered coffee cake. They gulped their coffee and ate quickly. Afterward he slipped out of the ship and walked away from the hangar so he could phone rebel leader Ramon Black.

  "Hello, Bill. What's up?" Ramon said.

  "Rachel, our crew, and I will soon jump to Earth to prospect for gold for three days and deliver a package of some kind for the Great Leader," Wilson reported.

  "Do you have any idea what's in the package?"

  "Rachel thinks it could be a message for one of Sunev's research teams on Earth, but that's only a guess. She still seems trustworthy to me."

  "Be careful, Bill," Ramon said. "She's been trained to gain your confidence."

  "I haven't told her anything about my actions with your side. But she's led me to believe that she could be ripe for recruitment by you under the right conditions."

  "We'll think about how to test her," said Ramon. "For now, be vigilant."

  "Okay," Wilson said.

  "What's your destination?" asked Ramon.

  "Rachel and I will visit Oahu, one of the Hawaiian Islands," Wilson said. "Raven said he and the rest of the crew will prospect in California's Gold Country."

  "Do they still plan to attack the water system on Triod next week?"

  "It's still a go," Wilson said. He paused and added, "Maybe I can convince Rachel to let me know what's in the package."

  "She could lie to you," Black commented. "So, you'll need to actually see what's inside it. And don't forget, she'll do her best to check you out. I might send someone to contact you, so be on the alert."

  "How'll I know who my contact is?"

  "Keep your special mobile phone with you. We'll call," he said. "It'll work on Earth, too."

  "Okay," Wilson said.

  "I've got to go now, Bill. Take care."

  "Bye," Wilson said.

  Just minutes before The Ghost Liner was to jump to Earth at 2 p.m., a locked briefcase containing a secret package for Rachel was delivered to the ship. Raven did not have a key for the case. Meanwhile, he contrived a simple plan to drop off Rachel and Wilson near car rental agencies by Honolulu's airport. Sometime later, a courier would contact her to arrange for the pickup of the briefcase.

  Chapter 23 – Oahu and a Girl's Best Friends

  After the vibration of the jump ceased, The Ghost Liner cloaked near Honolulu International Airport. Wilson and Rachel exited through one of the ship's small doorways, which poked into Earth's realm from a place between dimensions. Most of the ship lay just outside of Earth's bounds.

  The small exit looked like a tool shed near a thick grove of trees and bushes. Its appearance would fool onlookers if they happened to see Wilson and Rachel as they got out of the semi-cloaked ship.

  Rachel carried a locked leather briefcase, which Raven had instructed her to deliver to a male courier, who was thirtyish with black hair. He was supposed to phone Rachel to set up a meeting location and time. During their rendezvous he was to use the password, "palm." Rachel was to reply to the password with, "reader," and give him the case.

  Emerging from behind the leaves of a tree at the edge of a blacktop road, Wilson and Rachel crossed the street and approached several car rental agencies. The pair wore straw hats and carried backpacks with enough clothes for three days. The sky was deep blue, and the colors of the vegetation were vivid in the tropical sunlight. The afternoon temperature was in the upper seventies, but it was on the rise. Forecasters had predicted an unusual heat wave.

  "Let's rent a car," Wilson said, and they walked towards a chain link fence that protected fleets of rental autos.

  "Anything you say, Bill."

  "We'll get a luxury electric vehicle, so we can tour this island in style," he said. Rachel nodded yes, closed her eyes, and sucked clean air into her lungs.

  He, too, inhaled the fresh sea air from a soft but humid breeze. He was relieved to be away from the terrible cyborg war that was invisible from Earth. He asked himself, Why should we return to the ship's rendezvous point? Wilson had plenty of cash. He and Rachel could drop out of sight.

  Maybe I should say the devil with it all. He tucked that thought away for the moment, as he and Rachel approached the closest automobile leasing company building that housed Jolt Electric Cars.

  The duo strolled into the rental office. The air conditioning was on, and it was cold inside. They stood in line behind people waiting to be served at the counter.

  "Why don't you get a smart looking sports car?" Rachel said. She looked up at Wilson as if she were an excited teenager. He noticed her perfect teeth, as white and fresh as those in a tooth paste commercial. She was thrilled to be in Hawaii.

  "The Great Leader can afford it," Wilson whispered. "He makes great fake currency even though Sunev has banned money."

  Rachel smiled and said, "The cash is real." He was surprised the money was genuine. Yarnell had given them twenty thousand dollars each in cash as well as credit cards and fake IDs. The two were now Mr. and Mrs. William Smith of White Plains, New York.

  "How can I help you?" asked the car rental agent, a young, attractive brunette.

  "I'd like to lease a nice, fast sports car," Wilson said. "What do you recommend?"

  "I have three beautiful electric-powered Blackstone Bullets," she said. "They're two-seaters, but the trunk is big enough to hold three large suitcases. The range is 400 miles on a full charge. They also have a new option, the chameleon switch. You can press the color-coded buttons, and the car will change its color. Cost is eighty-seven dollars per day."

  "I've never heard of the chameleon switch," Wilson said.

  "That's because the option is still being tested. In fact, we're one of three rental agencies in the U.S. that are beta test centers for this new option. The manufacturer wants to know if there are any problems with it before it's put into ge
neral production."

  "That's going to be a big seller," Wilson commented. "How does it work?"

  "I'm not quite sure of the details," the brunette admitted. "But an engineer from the car company told me that scientists were able to mimic how a chameleon works, and with a special electrical current, they can change the color of the car."

  "I'll take one," Wilson said.

  "You can set it to red, green, blue, white, or black," the brunette said. "Would you like me to preset the color so you can see it quicker? We have them all set to white to reduce the inside temperature because they're sitting in the sun."

  "How about fire engine red," he said.

  "You'll love it," the young rental agent replied.

  In ten minutes Wilson and Rachel were on their way, guided by a map of Oahu that the young lady had supplied. It was mid-afternoon, and Wilson figured that by nightfall they could find a nice hotel along Waikiki Beach in sight of Diamond Head. He decided that they also would do a little touring before it got dark.

  "I wonder when the courier's going to call," Rachel said. "It's a good thing we have a car. We should be able to meet him soon after he contacts me. This island isn't that big."

  "I wouldn't stress about it," Wilson said. "But I'd feel a lot better if we knew what's in the case."

  "Are you suggesting we pick the lock to see what's inside so you can report it to the rebels?" she asked.

  "I don't know how to pick a lock," he replied. "And if I were a rebel and I dared to tell the rebels what's inside, wouldn't that put you in danger?"

  "That depends on what's inside," said Rachel. "I'm going to take a look. Please stop the car."

  He pulled off the road near a park, and stopped the car in a public parking lot.

  "I carry a couple of small burglar's tools in my purse," Rachel said, as she unsnapped her handbag. She removed a small tension wrench and a lock pick and then quickly opened the briefcase without damaging the lock.

  "Where did you learn how to do that?" he asked.