Robert Charrette - Arthur 01 - A Prince Among Men

by Robert N. Charrette

Thirty seconds. The readout clicked over to 79%.

  Too slow. He tapped in a guess at the frequency. 78%. Again. 77%. Damn! Again. 85%.

  Fifteen seconds. 92%.

  Ten seconds. No more time.

  He hit engage with only a 95% probability.

  The lock disengaged.

  He opened the door and was through instantly, Bear sticking to him like a shadow. He got the door closed with two seconds to spare.

  The room was sparsely furnished, more like a hospital suite than a guest suite. The console monitor station at the side of the bed that dominated the room furthered the impression. That bed held a single figure, long and thin. Holger noted the silvery hair. In the low light, the profile looked like Reddy's. The boy lay very still, but all the lights on the monitor station were green. The traces on the screen suggested normal sleep.

  "Reddy?"

  He didn't stir.

  With unspoken coordination, Holger moved to one side of the bed while Bear went to the other. They each took an arm while Holger put his hand over Reddy's mouth to forestall any exclamations. The boy jerked at their touch. Finding himself held, he strained under their grip. They held on. Reddy tried to bite Holger's hand.

  "It's all right, Jack," Bear said urgently. "It's Bear and Kun. Friends, Jack. Friends."

  Shit! Didn't this guy know about bugged rooms? No, he probably didn't. At least the kid had stopped fighting them. To minimize the damage done, Holger whispered, "Keep quiet, Reddy. We don't know who's listening. No more names, okay?"

  Reddy nodded agreement, and Holger removed his hand. To Holger's amusement, Bear looked around, searching for listeners or their hiding places. Sorry, old man, no arrases to hide behind, but then today's lurkers don't need them.

  "You used my name," Reddy complained.

  "They already know who you are. Can you walk?"

  "Yeah," he replied.

  "Run?"

  "I can try."

  "Good boy." Holger handed him a bag. "Get dressed. We're going to get you out of here."

  Reddy stripped out of the hospital-style gown and drew on the clothes they'd brought for him. Bear paced the room. Still looking for listeners? Reddy's voice was muffled by the turtleneck sweater he was pulling on.

  "What about Trashcan Harry? They've got him, too."

  "He'll have to look out for himself," Bear said without stopping his prowling.

  "We can't leave without him," Reddy said.

  "We're going to have to," Holger said. "We haven't got more than twenty minutes left before they find out we've penetrated their security, and we have no idea where they're keeping him. There's no time to go looking for him. He might not even be here."

  "How did you know I was here?"

  "Spae had some luck locating you. She couldn't find him. Said everything around him was a jumble."

  "Forget him, Jack," Bear said.

  Reddy shook his head. "I don't think we should leave him."

  "You want to stay here?" Holger asked.

  "No."

  "Then we go now."

  Kun went through the door first, pointing a gun at something down the corridor. He looked to be aiming at the vid camera, but nothing happened that John could see. Kun waved Bear and John on out.

  A frantic, familiar presence engulfed him when he stepped into the corridor. Faye!

  John, I'm so glad you 're safe! I couldn't get in there. They had something that kept me out. When they took you, I was so worried! They had something then, too. That's why I didn't know they were there until it was too late. I'm so sorry! I helped Holger, though. I showed him what they used on you. And I helped Dr. Spae find you. She said you were all right. You are all right, aren't you? I couldn't get near you!

  Whoa, slow down. You can tell me about it later, when we really are safe. We've still got to get out of here.

  Bear gave John a push to get him moving after Kun. John stumbled into motion.

  Are you going to leave Trashcan Harry?

  John stopped. He's here?

  Downstairs. He's hurt.

  "Reddy, stop talking to yourself." Kun sounded annoyed with him. Too bad.

  "I'm not ta— Never mind. Harry's here. He's downstairs."

  Bear looked at John suspiciously. "How do you know that?"

  "Does it matter? I know. We've got to get him before they do worse to him."

  "We're leaving," Kun said.

  "I'm not. Not without Harry."

  "I can drug you and have Bear carry you out." "Some rescue." John looked beseechingly at Bear. "How i an you abandon him? I mean, I know you don't like him, hut he helped us when we were in trouble."

  "We're wasting time," Kun said impatiently.

  Hear stared into John's eyes. His expression was hard, closed. Finally he asked, "Is he guarded?"

  No.

  "No."

  Bear turned to Kun. "Much as I hate to say it, we should

  try."

  Kun looked as if he wanted to kill something.

  It wasn't in the plan. It wasn't in the schedule. But they were doing it anyway. He could hear Spae's voice insisting that they had to keep the sleeper's goodwill. It was the reason for the whole expedition to ACE. For goodwill, I lolger told himself over and over. For goodwill.

  It would take more than goodwill to get them out of the facility if they didn't find the old bastard and get him out soon.

  Following Reddy's directions, they avoided two guard posts and a roving patrol. The room Reddy said held Black was locked, as his had been. But having opened Reddy's lock, this one was easier. The lock snicked back and they entered.

  The room stank of sweat and excrement and fear. And chemicals. Familiar chemicals. From behind a perspex barrier, a single bulb burned mercilessly down on the huddled lump in the corner. No bed here, no bedside monitor. Nothing but a lump, lying in a puddle of his own waste.

  "Harry?" Reddy sounded appalled.

  The lump stirred at the sound of the kid's voice. A bloodshot eye appeared among the twisted swathes of the threadbare blanket. Groaning, Trashcan Harry uncoiled and sat up. The man looked as though he'd gone four rounds with a heavyweight trash compactor.

  "Jack?"

  "And B—- And friends. You okay?"

  "Didn't tell," Black mumbled. "Didn't tell 'em nothing, Jack."

  Unlikely. But Holger didn't think this was the time to make an issue of it.

  "Come on, Harry." Reddy helped the man to his wobbly feet. "We're getting you out of here."

  To Holger's surprise, they were as good as their word.

  They'd been on the road for half an hour, but it wasn't until they took the long curving exit from Route 128 to 1-95 South that John had any idea where they were going. It hadn't bothered him until then; he had been happy to be away from that place, where he had apparently spent several days that he couldn't remember. Bad enough what they'd done to him; that still might have had a rational, reasonable explanation. Certainly Martinez had sounded rational and reasonable. But seeing what they had done to Trashcan Harry made John question everything they had told him. How could people do what had been done to Harry?

  "We going back to the safe house?"

  Without taking his eyes from the road, Kun shook his head. "Couldn't take the chance that it had been compromised. We've moved."

  "Another safe house?"

  Kun nodded. "One of the advantages to working for a big organization."

  Wherever this new haven was, it was in the general direction of the last one, since they were headed south. Direction didn't really matter as long as they were headed away from Boston and the Mitsutomo torturers.

  Of course, they were headed away from Worcester, too, away from where his mother was. According to Bennett, though, she was just the woman who had raised him. But wasn't that what a mother was? Certainly he didn't know any other mother.

  She was still under Mitsutomo's coldhearted shadow.

  But he didn't see what he could do about it. They'd be watching her, waitin
g for him to try to reach her. He didn't have any illusions that he could sneak by the sort of net they could cast. Kun could do it; he'd proven that by getting John and Harry out of Mitsutomo's clutches. But Kun, like everyone else tugging on John, had his own agenda; and rescuing helpless people didn't seem to be part of it.

  Maybe he could be tricked into helping?

  Worth a try. Got any ideas how?

  Not yet.

  Me neither. Let's think on it.

  John thought all the way down to Providence without success. He just didn't know enough about Kun and Ms organization to guess at their real motives. They headed east on 1-195, cutting off almost immediately onto Route 44. Still, John couldn't think of a handle to use. Their surroundings began to shift from concrete and brick to clapboard and trees. It seemed that this safe house was going to rely more on isolation than on camouflage.

  Kun headed down a side road that had no name John could see. Several turns later, he pulled off to the side of the road, stopping just before a gravel track that led into the trees.

  "Why are we stopping here?" John asked.

  "I'm not getting a handshake from the security system." Kun sounded worried.

  "what's that mean?"

  "Someone has disabled it."

  "Mitsutomo?"

  "How could they have beaten us here?" Bear asked.

  "Any number of ways," Kun replied. "Let's hope it's not them. It may just be a glitch in the system. Sit tight while I try something."

  He punched a number into the car phone. The number he reached rang five times before someone picked up.

  "Hello?"

  "Is this the Jones household?" Kun asked in a voice that didn't sound much like him at all.

  "No, it's—" The person on the other end paused. "Kun, is this you?"

  Kun sighed. "Yes, Doctor."

  Spae's voice was recognizable more by tone and content than by sound as she snapped, "What do you want? Did everything go all right?"

  "I'm fine, Doctor. How about you?"

  "Are you feeling all right, Kun? You don't usually worry about my health."

  "Have you checked the security system recently, Doctor?"

  "Didn't I get it back on?"

  "You turned it off?" Kun sounded more exasperated than surprised.

  "Of course. How else do I let someone in?"

  Kun's head snapped up. "You have someone with you?"

  "Yes. A very interesting gentleman, but I don't think you'll like him."

  "Why is that, Doctor?" he asked warily.

  "You'll see."

  "Did you put out the cat, Doctor?"

  "Put out the— Kun, you know what I think about your foolish word games. I'm a mage, not a spy. I'm telling you, I'm fine. The house is fine. Everything's fine. Better than fine, actually. We're going to make Magnus eat our shorts."

  "What's going on, Doctor?"

  "You'll see when you get here."

  "I'll be there in about an hour," he said, cutting the connection.

  An hour? "But we're only a half block away."

  "A hedge. You'll note that I didn't mention you or Bear."

  "Wise," Bear said.

  "Or Trashcan Harry," John said.

  "He's in no shape to be useful," Kun said.

  "Agreed," Bear said.

  They both sounded grim enough to be going off to war. They brought out pistols from holsters under their coats and started checking them.

  "But Dr. Spae said she was fine," John protested.

  "She might have been coerced," Kun said.

  "She didn't sound coerced."

  It's best we don't take chances." To Bear, Kun said, cover me, like I showed you?"

  Bear nodded.

  they opened their doors simultaneously and got out of the car.

  "Stay here with Black," Holger ordered.

  He and Bear headed down the road.

  Like hell.

  "You going to be okay, Harry?"

  John took the mumbled reply for a yes. Getting out of the car, he followed the other two.

  John, is this wise?

  No.

  Hear and Kun made their cover-and-sprint approach to the house that lay beyond the trees. John waited until they got through the front door before running across the unkempt lawn to join them. They spun on him, weapons pointed, and lor a second he thought they might actually shoot him. They didn't; they lowered their weapons, although Kun's eyes suggested that he did indeed want to kill John. Those eyes were cold enough to make John shiver.

  It wasn't as though he had disrupted some vital tactical maneuver. The room was empty of evil nasty villains and nothing looked disturbed. He could hear Dr. Spae speaking conversationally in the next room. Shifting, he tried to see whom she was talking to. Before he succeeded, the two men entered the next room. Since they had abandoned the stealthy approach, he did too, bustling in behind them.

  Doctor Spae and a tall, rail-thin figure sat at the table. Spae's visitor was facing her. His silver hair lay close against his head, making his pointed ears prominent. As John entered the room, the man turned, revealing his face.

  John gasped.

  It was Bennett.

  "You!" Bear snarled.

  "And a pleasant good morning to you, too, Artos."

  Bear started to bring up his weapon. John and Spae both shouted, but Kun acted. He got a hand on the barrel and pushed it aside, retaining his grip to keep Bear from firing. Bear and Kun stared at each other until Bear shrugged and let go of the gun.

  "I take it you two know each other," Spae said.

  "We've had dealings," Bennett said lightly. "We did not part on the best of terms. A misunderstanding."

  "He's a liar," Bear said.

  Bennett turned to Spae. "You see, I told you he would accuse me of that. He's almost pathological that way."

  "Deal with him at the peril of your soul," Bear said. He stomped out of the room. John heard the front door slam behind him.

  John looked around to see how Bear's pronouncement was being taken. Spae was shaking her head, a bemused look on her face. Kun was staring at Bennett, wide-eyed and ashen-faced, as though he were scared of the elf. The man's reaction made John uneasy. Did everyone hate elves? Bennett was looking at John and smiling.

  "Ah, John, I'm glad to see you well. Sit down. We have a lot of catching up to do. Things have changed since last we talked."

  John sat, feeling Kun's burning gaze on him. A glance showed the man's expression had closed up, locking away whatever emotion he felt.

  "You too, Kun," Spae said.

  Kun shook his head slightly and made no move.

  "Suit yourself," Spae said. Smiling, she turned to the elf. "Now, Mr. Bennett, where were we?"

  CHAPTER 18

  John stood on the back porch of the safe house, staring out at woods. The trees were dark, entwined shapes, their leaves patches of night prematurely stolen from the deep-blue sky. It was quiet out here, which was okay by him; he could hear I aye just fine, and no one complained about him talking to himself. In a way it was like old times, just Faye and him, talking quietly like they used to. They speculated on what might hide among the boles of those mighty trees, and made guesses as to what strange creatures ran along the ancient branches. In the midst of an elaborate description of the courtship rituals of the Pear-Chested Wallagarber, Faye suddenly stopped and went away.

  The back door of the house whined open and the boards of the porch creaked ever so slightly as someone joined John. He knew without looking that it had to be Bennett; no one else walked so softly on the old boards.

  Bennett stopped beside John and looked where he was looking. He stared at the trees for a few moments before speaking.

  "The woods have a strong lure."

  In full daylight you could see the next house over. Even now, you could hear the sound of traffic moving along the road to the west beyond the trees. "It's not like it's the primeval forest."

  "Those woods are deeper than you think, if
you know the path."

  "Which you do, of course."

  "Don't sound so bitter. You can learn to walk the path. Soon, I think, you will have an opportunity."

  John turned to look at him. "You going to teach me?"

  "I am not the best of teachers. There are others from whom you could learn more quickly."

  "Other elves?"

  "Of course."

  John turned back to stare at the trees. "Haven't seen too many around."

  "Nor will you. Not yet, anyway."

  They stood in silence for a while longer. Clearly Bennett had come out to talk to John, but he seemed in no hurry. John decided to let the elf start things, but the minutes dragged on and Bennett's patience proved greater than John's.

  "You want I should start calling you Dad?"

  "Without your heart in it, there is no point. Until you find a form of address that is comfortable for you, Bennett will do."

  John inclined his head toward the house. "You tell them that you're my father?"

  "No. Beyond the fact that it is none of their business, I would not presume to force an end to your relationship with Artos by doing so."

  "He calls himself Bear."

  "So he does. And he calls you Jack. Do you prefer that name?"

  "It's fine."

  "Then I shall use it from now on, Jack."

  "Suit yourself."

  Who was being called what certainly wasn't what Bennett had come to talk about, and they lapsed into silence again. the air felt full of unseen ice, poking and scratching. John really wanted to be elsewhere. He resented Bennett's intrusion, but felt guilty at the same time. The guy was his father. Wasn't a kid supposed to be comfortable around his father?

  Irritated at his discomfort, he snapped, "So, what brought you here? You get tired waiting for me to rat on Bear?"

  "Not at all," Bennett replied calmly. John thought they were headed for another bout of lockjaw, but Bennett surprised him by speaking again after only a short pause. "Circumstances have changed. As you know from your recent adventure, there are other players in the game now. We no longer have the luxury of time."

  Grateful that there was something impersonal to talk about, John asked, "Are you saying Mitsutomo wants Cal-iburn too?"

  "I think it likely, and frankly, I would rather see it in the hands of Artos."

  "I thought you didn't want him to get it. I thought you hated him."