by Ron Goulart
“Is Jana okay? And her dad?” asked Tad.
“All in tip-top shape, hugging, sniffing back the tears,” Electro said. “Your typical joyful reuniting.”
“Typical,” said Tad. “Maybe I ought to meet her father and—”
“Plenty of time for that later.” Electro placed a hand on Tad’s shoulder. “At the moment you and I have a task to undertake. Mr. Rhymer, why don’t you pop into the reunion? I’ve mixed up a little punch, making use of the rum tank Cosmo built into me.”
“All right, very well,” said Rhymer. “Tad, don’t get into any trouble. I’ll expect you to be back here as soon as possible.” After a brief nod he went inside.
“I could have prepared you,” said the robot. “Not a warm fellow, your pop.”
“Yeah, I know. I remember him when we were all together on Barnum,” said Tad. “But I was hoping . . . I don’t know, after six years of something like this—”
“Your father is one of those admirable people who never allow their lives to be touched by what happens to them.” Electro took hold of Tad’s arm. “We can discuss the matter en route, come along.”
“En route to where?” asked Tad as the big robot dragged him through the crowd of freed prisoners.
“I assumed you’d prefer to settle this matter yourself. We’ll let your dad and Cosmo take it easy for now.”
They moved into a lane which ran between two barracks, across a flat field and up to an opaque glaz dome. Electro pressed his palm against a glaz panel and it slid open.
Inside the dome three skycars rested on the plaz floor.
“We want the blue and gold one,” said the robot. “It’s Bunner’s and the speediest of the bunch.”
“Are we going to leave Blackwatch before—”
“Only a quick jaunt, my boy. It won’t take anything like the time it took us before. Hop aboard.” He pointed his left forefinger at the ceiling and a large section of the dome opened to the starless night.
“What’s he doing here?” Tad asked, looking down at the fog below them.
“I summoned him,” said Electro. “Seemed appropriate, and it’s closer than his own estate.”
“Why not just get him to come to the plantation?”
“Too much unusual activity thereabouts. He’d have suspected something before he even landed.” Electro set the controls for a landing on the grounds of Foghill, then put his hands behind his head. “Impersonating friend Hohl I contacted your Cousin Joshua and informed him he had to meet me at Foghill immediately. Urgent business, involving you and the fate of the entire Rhymer Industries complex. All true, by the way. Except the part about my being Hohl.”
“Can we really do anything to Joshua? Prove that he—”
“My boy, I am nothing if not thorough.” Electro thumped his side, causing a small panel to swing open. He drew out a thick folder of papers and faxcopies. “While you and Jana were gathering your long lost parents to your respective bosoms I was making use of all the Blackwatch computers and gadgets.” He plopped the fat folder into Tad’s lap. “We have enough documentary evidence to send Joshua up the proverbial river for the rest of his life.”
Tad didn’t investigate the contents of the folder. “You told me he’s been able to buy off most of the local law.”
“Which is exactly why I also used my time to contact the Interplan Law Service,” said Electro. “These lads are above bribes and will be meeting us here momentarily.”
“What part do I play?”
“It occurred to me you’d get a kick out of being the one to confront Joshua with the evidence of his evil deeds. Am I right?”
Tad tucked the folder up under his arm. “Yeah, you’re right.”
Chapter 30
Biernat, the tank-shaped robot butler, dropped his tray. “One is astounded,” he said when Tad came striding into the vast living room of Foghill mansion alone. “One assumed you had—”
“That’s enough blathering,” said Cousin Joshua. “Clean up that spilled neococoa and get out.” When the robot had complied, Joshua fixed the tinted monocle to his real eye and stared at Tad. “You’ve been living up to your reputation as a trouble maker, Thadeus.”
“That I have.” Tad crossed to the giant fireplace where his half-machine cousin was stationed.
Joshua’s head squeaked as he glanced around. “And where is Hohl?”
“Flat on his ass at the Blackwatch Plantation.”
“What’s that? What sort of audacity prompts you to ruzzle wurfle muzz dingle.“
Tad reached out and whacked his cousin a few times across the chest. “Still haven’t had your talkbox fixed, huh?”
“Thank you, young man,” said Joshua. “I’ve been much too busy. Been fretting over your rude disappearance for one thing and—”
“And trying to have me hunted down.”
“I might add my dear devoted sister Cornelia has taken to her bed, prostrate with anxiety over your conduct.”
“Well, if that knocked her over what’s going to happen next will probably finish the old girl off for good.”
Joshua’s monocle flipped out of his eye. “See here, Thadeus, you can’t go around muzzle duzzle furp dank dank . . . No, I’ll do it myself, you’re much too rough with wurgle burzz.” He pounded his chest. “A Rhymer Industries product usually only needs a few gentle pats to start performing smoothly again.” His metal arm creaked when he put his hand on his hip. “I’d very much like to know why you’re addressing me in this rude and disrespectful—”
“Several reasons.” Tad tapped the folder. “One is . . . I’ve somewhat grown up over the past few weeks. A little late I’ve been, but I’m finally about as mature as I should be at this point. More important, from your point of view, Josh, is we have a great wad of evidence against you. All the shady and illegal stuff you’ve been pulling off we can now prove.”
“I’ve never done one dishonest thing in my life. If your poor departed father were still alive he could—”
“He is alive,” said Tad. “We busted him free of Blackwatch. Along with Cosmo, Alice, Jana Taine’s father and . . . quite a few more.”
The real parts of Joshua’s face grew a dappled red and then faded to a pasty white. “What you’re trying to tell me is . . . the jig is up?”
“It is definitely up.”
Joshua, after several tries with his real hand, located his monocle dangling from its string. He put it up to his fake eye and scowled at Tad. “You’re not as mature as you think, you mooncalf,” he said. “I can control almost any law officer on this—”
“Electro sent for the Interplan Law Service. They’ve sent a skyvan down from their orbiting satellite. Should be here at—”
“One begs everybody’s pardon, sirs.” Biernat came tottering back into the room. “Two gentlemen claiming to be ILS agents have arrived and wish to see you.”
“Wuzzle burple zuzz,“ said Joshua.
Tad said, “Show them in.”
The mist was spinning all around them. Tad, shoulders hunched, walked along the Foghill path. Dawn was not far off. “Okay, I’ll listen,” he said to Electro.
“My assumption is your father will want to return to Barnum,” the robot said, wiping beads of mist off his surface. “With Cousin Joshua in the hands of the ILS someone will have to look after Rhymer Industries’ affairs here on Esmeralda.”
“Cousin Cosmo will do that.”
“He’ll need help.”
“I’m sure he doesn’t think I’m capable of—”
“On the contrary,” said Electro. “I put in a recommendation for you before we departed Blackwatch. As you must know, Cosmo often follows my advice.”
They came to the place where they’d left their borrowed skycar. “Maybe I ought to go home to Barnum, too.”
“And leave all your new-found friends?”
“Such as?”
“Myself for one, first and foremost.” Electro scrambled into a passenger seat, folding his arms. �
�There is also Jana.”
“She’s . . . older than me.” Tad took the control seat, got himself buckled in.
“A temporary condition, my boy. Another few years and the distance between you won’t seem so great.”
Tad set a takeoff pattern. “She’s always talking about what a terrible person she is, about her past—”
“A defensive bit of badinage,” said Electro. “Once her hubby—a first rate scoundrel, by the way, and I unearthed some splendid proof to that effect while collecting dirt on Cousin Joshua— once she’s severed for good from Taine you’ll see many changes in Jana.”
The skycar lifted up into the misty dawn. “You’ve sure changed your attitude toward her.”
“I’ve mellowed,” the robot admitted. He looked across the cabin at Tad. “Are you going to stay?”
“I’m going to stay,” Tad said.
The End
