by John Bowers
The operator consulted a screen Suzanne couldn’t see and shook her head.
“I’m sorry, we don’t have a Marshal Walker at this office.”
“I know that. Sorry, I wasn’t clear—he is assigned to the Trimmer Springs office, but he was called down your way to work on a case. The last I heard, he was in a town called Centauri Springs, but was heading down to the Isthmus of Latia.”
The operator looked perplexed.
“Hold on, let me transfer you to Operations. I’m going to pass you to Marshal Chiang. One moment, please.”
“Thank you.”
The man who appeared next looked about fifty. He had a professional demeanor, but laugh lines around his eyes suggested he might be something of a character.
“Suzanne Norgaard?” he asked before she could voice her query. “Aren’t you Nick Walker’s better half?”
Suzanne smiled, already feeling better.
“That’s right. I don’t believe we’ve met.”
Chiang’s eyes sparkled. “No, we haven’t, but we need to remedy that. I’ve heard a great deal about you.”
Funny, Nick has never mentioned you.
“You’re looking for Nick?”
“Yes, sir. I’ve called him twice in two days and he never picked up. Neither did Nathan Green, who is supposed to be with him.”
Chiang stared at her a moment and the twinkle disappeared.
“I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about,” he said. “I was going to call you when I have more information…”
Ice gripped Suzanne’s heart.
“Information about what? What has happened?”
“Walker and Green have gone off the grid. At the moment we don’t know where they are, but we have—”
“Gone off the grid? What does that mean? How can they go off the grid?”
Chiang stopped until she finished, then started over.
“Look, I know you’re worried, but it’s probably nothing. All it means is that we’ve lost contact. There could be a hundred reasons for that, ninety-nine of them perfectly innocent. It could simply be a matter of a satellite signal failure—”
“They could also be in trouble! What are you doing about it?”
He raised a hand to calm her.
“We have six men heading that way in a few minutes, and a police officer from Centauri Springs left last night and should be arriving right about now. As I said, I was going to call you but I didn’t want to worry you without cause. We should have a preliminary report within the hour. I promise I will get back to you as soon as I know something.”
Suzanne scowled at the screen, wanting to say more but aware that Chiang could only tell her what he knew.
“If I don’t hear from you in an hour, I’ll be in your office by noon. You’d better call me.”
“I will. Again, I’m sorry about this whole thing. I’m sure it’s just a communications failure.”
“It better be. If I have to come see you, I swear to Sophia that you won’t like it!”
She disconnected from Chiang and closed the phone, her pulse pounding with fear. Tears were sliding down Kristina’s cheeks and for a moment they sat there in silence. Then Kristina sobbed.
“I can’t lose him, Mother. I can’t! He’s my whole life.”
“I know, honey. I know. I feel the same way about Nick.”
Binary Flats – Alpha Centauri 2
Nathan dozed for half an hour in spite of himself. Sleeping with a concussion was dangerous business, but he couldn’t help himself, and his companion, the fuel station clerk, didn’t know enough about first aid to keep him awake.
It turned out okay. Nathan woke up alive, still breathing, his head throbbing but not as bad as before. His vision had cleared and he felt stronger. He drank some more water and fingered the laser pistol in his holster. He preferred the .45, but a laser was certainly no toy and he knew how to use one.
He checked the pockets on his gunbelt for power packs. He hadn’t used the pistol for quite some time and, though the charge meter showed full, those could be deceptive. He fumbled through the pouches on the belt but didn’t find what he was looking for. To his surprise, he did find a pocket phone, the same one Nick had taken from the dead perp in Centauri Springs. Nathan had forgot he had it.
Feeling his pulse quicken, he tried to remember the number of the U.F. Marshal’s office in Camarrell, but he’d only called it once and hadn’t committed it to memory. He was still trying to work it out when he heard the fans of a hovercar approaching the fuel pumps. Daylight was breaking and Binary Flats was starting to stir—this was the first car to arrive in several hours.
Nathan’s eyes narrowed as he realized it was coming from the north.
He backed away from the front of the station as the car outside settled at the pumps and the pilot got out. Nathan couldn’t see his face, but he was a tall man, broad in the shoulders. He was wearing a gunbelt. Nathan drew his laser and stepped behind a rack of prepackaged snacks as the man stretched the kinks out of his back and then walked toward the front door. A bell chimed as he entered and the old man behind the counter tried to start a conversation.
“Where you coming from, neighbor? Don’t recognize you.”
“Just got in from up north. Centauri Springs. I need a fill-up.”
The old man—Nathan had never asked his name—punched a button on his counter and nodded.
“Put’cher thumb right there and we’re all done.”
The customer pressed his thumb on the transaction plate and started to back away.
“Thanks. By the way, have you seen—”
“Virgil?” Nathan stepped out from behind the snack rack. “Virgil Bullard?”
Bullard spun toward him in surprise. His jaw dropped as he took in Nathan’s haggard condition.
“Marshal Green! I came here looking for you. Are you all right?”
Nathan felt an overwhelming sense of relief at seeing a friendly, or at least familiar, face. He almost walked up to Bullard, ready to surrender his fate into the older man’s hands. But something held him back, a not so distant memory of doing the same thing with Cybele Gannon just a few hours ago. Cybele had been a friendly face, too, an angel of mercy, and he had trusted her implicitly. That had worked out really well.
He steadied himself and lifted the pistol, aiming it in Virgil’s general direction.
“What are you doing here, Virgil? You’re a city cop, not a Federation officer.”
Bullard frowned but stood his ground, looking at the pistol.
“Everything okay, Nathan?”
“No. Everything is not okay. Answer my question, if you don’t mind. What are you doing here?”
“Camarrell sent me. Someone named Marshal Eurich.”
Nathan felt his skin tingle.
“Try again. How do you know Marshal Eurich?”
Bullard heaved a sigh and took a step back, hands away from his body.
“Okay, let me back up. Do you know Michael Smith?”
Nathan nodded. “Senator Prater’s butler.”
“That’s the one. He came to see me last night after you and Walker headed down this way. Said he was worried about the two of you.”
“Why would he be worried? And why would he turn to you?”
Bullard grimaced. “Michael and I are…close. Okay? He’s a very sensitive man and he picks up on vibes that other people miss. He said you and Walker were at the estate yesterday—actually it was Saturday, I guess—and quite a bit of yelling went on. I don’t remember everything he said, but he got the feeling that you and Walker were in danger. He told me and I notified Camarrell. That’s when I talked to Marshal Eurich.”
“And what did he say?”
“He? You mean Michael?”
“No, Eurich. What did he say?”
“Well…” Bullard looked puzzled. “He didn’t say anything. Marshal Eurich is a woman.”
Nathan stared at him a moment. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m
sure. Unless there are two Marshal Eurichs. You want me to call her up so you can talk to her?”
Nathan nodded. “Good idea. Go ahead.”
Bullard looked annoyed, but carefully pulled out his pocket phone and placed a call. Marshal Eurich had gone off duty, but he connected with Marshal Chiang. After a brief few words, he handed the phone to Nathan.
Chiang peered out of the screen at him with concern in his eyes.
“Marshal Green! Are you okay?”
“Yes, sir, I think so.”
“You look a little the worse for wear.”
“Well, I have had some excitement. I can tell you about that later. Right now I need to know if your office sent Virgil Bullard down to Binary Flats.”
“You mean Officer Bullard of the Centauri Springs police department? Yes, we did. Marshal Eurich deputized him so he could look for you and Walker. Is Walker with you?”
“No, sir. At the moment I don’t know where he is, but we’ll find him. I just needed to know that Bullard was legit. I’ve already been suckered once in the last few hours and I wasn’t taking any chances.”
“Fair enough. Glad you’re still kicking. As soon as we hang up here, you need to call Walker’s lady friend. She called me a little while ago and she was pretty upset.”
“Suzanne? She called you?”
“Yes she did. And I don’t mind telling you, I don’t like to see her upset. Let her know what’s going on with you, and try to play down Walker’s disappearance so she doesn’t worry too much. Can you do that?”
“I can. Thank you, sir.”
“Let me talk to Bullard again, if you don’t mind.”
Nathan handed the phone back to Bullard and released a sigh of relief. He holstered his laser and stared out the window at the gathering daylight. Except for his head, he felt numb all over…but had a feeling his day was just getting started.
Chapter 26
Once he was in Bullard’s car, Nathan spent ten minutes on the phone with Suzanne and Kristina. Kristina was in tears and he had to console her, then he spoke to Suzanne and explained as much as it was safe to tell about Nick’s disappearance. She was more stoical than Kristina but he knew she was wound up inside. He promised to call her back as soon as Nick was located.
As soon as he disconnected, Bullard started asking questions. Cop questions. He interviewed Nathan as a witness until he had a somewhat clear picture of the events of the past couple of days.
“And the last time you saw Walker was at the au’tel?”
“Right, when we split up. I spoke to him by communicator a couple of times, and we were heading back to the au’tel again to compare notes when he told me he was surrounded.”
“That was the last time you spoke to him?”
“Yes.”
“And you didn’t actually see him being captured?”
“No. Cybele Gannon confirmed it, but I failed to ask her if she actually saw it or how she knew for sure. I was so glad to see an ally that I just took her word for it.”
“But she wasn’t your ally.”
“As it turned out, no.”
Bullard shook his head in wonder. “The senator’s daughter. I can’t hardly believe it.”
“It took me by surprise too.” Nathan shifted in his seat. “Look, I know you aren’t a real U.F. Marshal, but you’ve been deputized and you have a lot more experience than I do. I’m the junior man here, so what do you think we should do?”
Bullard gazed at him a moment. “What we should do is get you to a hospital, but in this town that doesn’t look like much of an option. Failing that, you should stay out of the way until the rest of the backup gets here—”
Nathan was already shaking his head, in spite of the throbbing.
“I can’t do that. Even if they left on time, they still won’t get here before noon. Nick could be dead by then.”
“Nick could be dead now.”
“I know. Too much time has passed already. We can’t afford to wait.”
“Do you have any idea how many perps we’re dealing with?”
“No. I saw four on that gunsled, and there were three at the fuel depot. I don’t know if the ones who clobbered me were the same as those on the sled, but if not, then we’re talking about seven at least. And I suspect there are more than that.”
“And Cybele Gannon is with them.”
“As far as I know. The old guy inside said she left with them, and I haven’t seen her, so I don’t know what else to think.”
Virgil stared through his windscreen at the gathering dawn. It was light enough now to make out buildings and terrain features; in another half-hour the first of the suns would be peaking above the horizon. He started his turbines and pulled away from the fuel station.
“Let’s just cruise into town and see what we find,” he said. “They don’t know I’m here, so they won’t be looking for this car and they won’t recognize me. You should keep your head down.”
***
As soon as it started to get light, Nick left the substation and walked back onto the street. People and vehicles were starting to move about and he didn’t stand out too much, though the machine gun under his arm might look a little suspicious. He avoided speaking to anyone and walked two blocks, keeping a close eye out for Rukes; he wasn’t sure where he was going yet, but couldn’t spend the rest of his life hiding between the transformers—he had to find transportation and another place to hole up. To avoid complications, he removed his badge again and jammed it into his pocket.
He was starting to get hungry, but that would have to wait.
Or so he thought—he turned a corner and saw a street vendor with a charcoal grill cooking breakfast foods right on the sidewalk. He walked up to him and grinned.
“That sure smells good.”
“It sure does. What’ll you have?”
“Something quick. Don’t have time for a sit-down breakfast, but if you have an egg sandwich, maybe…”
“Got an egg burrito with some pork in it.”
“That’s even better! How much?”
“Five russos.”
“Uhhh…” Nick dug into his pocket and found his wallet was still there. “How about terros? I’m fresh out of russos.”
“Fair enough. Three terros, unless you want coffee, then it’s four.”
“I definitely want coffee.”
Nick glanced down the street and paid the man. He drew the coffee himself from a vacuum spigot and sipped it while the vendor scrambled the eggs and browned the meat.
“Is there a spaceport somewhere close by?” he asked. “Or maybe an airport?”
“Yep. We call it a spaceport, but it’s not much more than a landing strip. You from out of town?”
“I am. Which way is it?”
The man nodded with his head. “Straight south about a mile.”
“They have passenger service?”
“I have no idea. Never been there myself. Planning to take a trip?”
“No, but a friend of mine is. I want to be there to see her off.”
The vendor grinned. “Lady friend, eh?”
He handed Nick the burrito. Nick wrapped his hand around it and nodded.
“Yeah, well, I thought we were friends, but looks like she had another fellow. But…no hard feelings. I still wish her well.”
The vendor’s eyes drifted to the weapon under Nick’s arm.
“You sure about that?”
Nick glanced at the machine gun and laughed.
“Oh, that. No, after I see her off I’m going hunting rabbits.”
“Rabbits? What’s a rabbit?”
Nick kicked himself. “Little furry critter with long ears. Maybe you don’t have them around here.”
“I’ve never even heard of one.”
“No kidding. We have millions of them up north. Maybe I’ll have to find something else to shoot.”
***
Nick walked on, eating the burrito as quickly as he could and trying to gulp the coffee wi
thout scalding himself. He reached the end of the block and stopped, leaning against a building until he finished. He tossed the coffee cup and burrito wrapper in a trash can and then checked the side street.
He saw a few people moving about, but no one who looked like a Ruke. He surveyed the intersection and spotted an au’tel halfway down the next block, situated next to a clothing store. He crossed the street and kept moving in that direction. Two cars were moving in the au’tel parking lot and he heard the murmur of voices.
Then, unbelievably…
“Shoom! Shoom!”
Nick slowed and stared in disbelief. The sound was faint from half a block away, but when he heard it again he was sure his ears hadn’t deceived him. He broke into a trot and crossed the street; a moment later he pulled up at the au’tel and walked directly toward a car that two people were unloading. Andy Childers saw him first. The toy ray gun opened fire.
“Shoom! Shoom! Shoom!”
Nick grabbed his heart and staggered, and the little boy giggled. Dennis Childers heard the boy laugh and turned to look. His eyes widened in surprise as he recognized Nick. He stood stock still as fear flooded his eyes. Grace Cheatum stepped out of the au’tel room and reacted in a similar manner—clearly they had never expected to see Nick again.
Nick hurried forward, patted Andy on the head, and took Childers by the arm. He led all three of them into the room and closed the door. Childers and Cheatum looked terrified.
“I did what you said, Marshal!” Childers babbled. “You said if I didn’t see you by noon, that we could go.”
Nick held up a hand to calm them both.
“Relax, both of you. I’m not here for you. You did exactly what I asked and that’s fine. I have no business with you over what happened in the canyon.”
“Then…I don’t understand.”
Nick stared at him for a moment, debating how to put it. Asking a former convict for help was a new experience for him.
“I came down here on a different matter,” he said. “Running into you was just pure chance, but I’m glad you’re here.”
“Why?” Grace asked.
“I’ve got some pretty bad people looking for me.” He turned to Dennis. “Remember the man who killed your brother? The skin head with all the tattoos?”
