Demeter (16 page)

Before the final words passed Ryder’s lips, Mr. Small had Ryder by the arm. “We
are
doing something. We have requisitioned all three of the rafts on the docks and will be scouring the river, and all the caverns downstream. I’ve called for backup, and have an entire company of the DDF on their way here to check out every cavern. Unfortunately, there are hundreds of caverns between here and the sea. We’re monitoring for flights that have left. We’re on top of this. You, on the other hand, are done. You’re a high risk asset, and you need to get home.”

“You’re right, I need to get home. Home is Earth!” Ryder spat. “But I’m not going without Debbie.”

“You won’t have to. But get back to Europe. Now! If you don’t leave, I’ll have you detained and escorted back. What’s your pleasure?”

“I’m on my way!” Ryder shook loose his former teacher’s arm and again started marching away. When he got to the girls’ hopper. he called for Aster and Steerman to come with him.

Aster and Steerman actually had to run to catch up. “What gives?” Aster asked.

“We’re out of here,” Ryder said, looking back toward Major Small and his security detail. In a lower voice he said, “I want to go to Shimmer’s Head. Can you take us there?”

“I don’t know,” Aster replied. “We’re overdue now. You got a good reason to go rafting?”

“I want to go hunting,” Ryder replied with a determined expression.

Aster turned to Steerman, who nodded. “You’ve got it.”

The three girls were locked in a box, although Miss Li claimed it was a cabin before shutting them in. There was no furniture and no windows. It was a container of some sort. The raft had been moving down the river easily, suggesting relatively calm waters. Cynthia could hear the faint purr of an engine, suggesting that they were traveling under power, but she could not see anything from the makeshift room they were occupying.

Debbie regained consciousness about forty minutes after the raft departed Kuu’Aali Falls. She sprang to her feet swinging her arms, almost knocking Becky off her feet. Debbie sat as suddenly as she rose, placing her head between her knees. “Oh, what a headache,” she moaned. “Where are we?” As if on command they could feel the vessel arch to the left.

“Are you okay?” Cynthia bent down, looking suspiciously at Debbie’s eyes.

Debbie nodded, “I’m all....” Then she moaned, bending back over. “Maybe I’m not quite all right. It feels like somebody hit me on this side of my head with a hammer.”

“That would have been the guy they call Winger. He tackled you when you tried to get out of the hopper.” Cynthia glared at the wall. Turning back to Debbie, she responded quietly, “I’m not sure where they’re taking us. We were going down river for quite a while, but they’ve accelerated the engine and taken us airborne.”

“Either I’m still woozy or the raft is making a big turn,” Debbie whispered.

Becky joined the two girls in a tight circle. “They are turning. I can feel it. I believe that we’ve turned around and are headed back the way we came. I wish I could see outside to get my bearings.”

“Maybe we can jump out,” Debbie suggested.

“That might work if we weren’t locked in this crate,” Cynthia responded.

“So what do we do?” Debbie asked, staring at the wall.

“Sit tight,” Becky and Cynthia harmonized.

There was a pause, then Becky and Cynthia said, “We’ve been talking,” in unison. They giggled. “Go ahead,” Becky whispered to Cynthia.

“If they wanted to kill us, they would have already done it,” Cynthia began. “We know this has something to do with Ryder, but we’re not sure what. We also know that they expect Ryder to find us. So if this is a game of chess, I’d bet on Ryder to be smart enough not to run into a trap. The best response is to sit tight.”

Debbie flushed. “If you think I’m going to sit around and wait for Ryder to rescue me, you’re nuts! I’d never hear the end of it.” Debbie’s voice must have been a little too loud, because they abruptly heard noise on the other side of the door. Moments later, the door slid open. Debbie almost laughed as Cynthia and Becky literally jumped to their feet.

Miss Li entered the room accompanied by Winger. Winger looked different, but all three girls recognized him now. The black facial paint and wig were gone. Winger was a Cryellian. He was one of the Cryellian gang they had met the first week they were on Demeter. These were the friends of Ensign Steerman and Aster Freeport.

Miss Li was focused on Debbie. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine as long as you keep that creep away from me!” Debbie snapped.

Winger smirked. “You should thank me. If I hadn’t tackled you, Shooter would have killed you the instant you stepped out of the hopper. Besides, I’m your prince in shining armor; I carried you to your new throne. Well, maybe not all the way.”

Cynthia, turning to Miss Li, piped up. “What is this all about? I know you like kidnapping children Miss Li, but this is ridiculous!” Debbie was surprised at Cynthia’s volume, not to mention her vehemence. Even when angry, Cynthia had always maintained control.

Miss Li and Winger turned toward Cynthia. “This is about freedom, and the right to choose,” Miss Li started in a controlled voice. “You should understand that, considering how you were brought to Demeter. What you don’t understand is the political structure of this asteroid. Rule has been maintained for over two hundred years based on heritage.” Miss Li pointed a finger at Cynthia. “You have a right to sit high in the Demeter chambers of government.” Then she shifted her finger toward Debbie. “And so do you!” She wiggled her finger accusingly. “This must change. We need to have a better order. We will have change.”

Winger nodded affirmatively throughout Miss Li’s short speech.

“Me?” Debbie and Cynthia answered in sync. “You must be crazy,” Debbie continued.

“Oh, we’re not crazy,” Miss Li said. “Anyway, I just wanted to make sure you are all right. We’ll be a few more hours, so you may want to try to rest, but don’t let Debbie go back to sleep. She may have a concussion. I’m glad she’s not in a coma.” With that, Miss Li backed out and Winger slid the door closed and locked it.

The girls’ heads quickly came together. “So what did you see?” Cynthia asked Becky in a low whisper.

“What do you mean?” Debbie asked.

“Sorry, just before you woke up, Becky and I figured out what to do if they opened the door. I’d be against one wall, trying to hold their attention, while Becky sneaked a peak outside this box on the other side.”

Becky continued in a conspiratorial whisper. “Anyway, what I saw was the mountain face on our right, so that means they’ve turned this thing around. It’s raining outside, so I couldn’t tell a lot, but I think we’re fairly close to the ground. I would guess they’re trying to avoid any surveillance or pings.”

“Can they do that?” Cynthia inquired.

“Normally not for long if we were in a hopper or a flyer, but we’re in a raft. It’s more like a powered balloon. I think any pings this bucket might actually create would be disregarded. They would seem weird.” Becky paused. “Any other ideas?”

Cynthia shook her head. “I don’t see much we can do. We’re locked in here. They have weapons. We don’t know where they’re taking us. We need to keep looking for some way out of this mess. I’m confused, though. Are we the targets or the bait?”

“Well, from what Miss Li said, I think we’re both,” Debbie hypothesized. “Although, I can’t figure out what she was talking about.”

“You know what?” Cynthia said. “We know one more thing. These walls are not soundproof. How about if we take turns listening against the wall to see if we can pick up any useful information? It’s not much, but it’s something.”

They all agreed. “I’ll go first,” Becky volunteered.

To reach Shimmer’s Head, Aster had to divert the flyer off the route back to Europe. Ten minutes before they landed, Mr. Small was trying to call in, but Ryder ignored the transmission. The flyer had to close into a tight configuration for the craft to land on the small pad near Hondo and Maggie’s lodge.

“Okay, we’re here. Now what?” Steerman asked.

Randy and Joel had joined them as they ate what seemed like petrified food from the emergency packs. Athena was still asleep, and Ryder was hesitant to wake her.

“I’m waiting for some information from Lieutenant Pinoke,” Ryder began. “I’m starting to wonder if she slept at all last night. She seems to be getting slower and slower.”

Almost on cue, Pinoke clicked back in. “I had to circumvent some systems to get to the records. Apparently, Hondo is not excited to be found.”

“I’ll take whatever you were able to dig up, no matter how seemingly insignificant,” Ryder responded, wanting to see out a window that wasn’t there.

“I would not call it insignificant. In fact, it is very interesting. Hondo’s real name is Marion Robert Roundy. He retired six years ago. He is married to Margaret Olmsted, and they have been at Shimmer’s Head ever since he retired. Marion was a colonel in the DDF forces, and fought with distinction in two campaigns. His retirement came after a dispute with the Director-General at the time. They fought a duel, and Roundy survived.”

“A duel? Like back-to-back, ten paces, turn and fire duel?” Ryder asked incredulously.

“They used sabers,” Pinoke responded flatly. “So Hondo killed the Director-General in a duel. So what?” Randy jumped in.

Lieutenant Pinoke continued. “He could have been court marshaled, but an old friend of his returned from Earth, accepted the Director-Generalship, and pardoned Colonel Roundy under terms of retirement. Margaret Olmsted chose to retire at the same time, leaving a vacancy in the office of DDF security.”

“Wait a minute. Roundy? Wasn’t there a Roundy who was related to Becky?”

Pinoke paused. “Yes, a Mr. Roundy.”

“Marion Robert? M. R. Roundy. He’s Becky’s uncle or something. I thought they had similar noses and eyebrows. Okay, that’s what I needed. Heliotrope?”

“Yes, Apprentice Ryder?”

“I’d like you to take your own advice. Shut down for two hours and get some sleep.”

“I thought you considered me a robot. Robots do not need sleep,” Lieutenant Pinoke taunted.

Ryder blushed and paused for a moment. Finally in a firm voice he replied, “I’ve changed my mind about that. Get some sleep!”

“Yes, sir,” she responded tiredly. “Pinoke out.”

Ryder was tired, but he felt he was onto something, and he didn’t want to let it go. He filled everyone in, including Athena, who had stirred and moved to get up. “So, I need to talk with Hondo, alias Colonel Roundy, and figure out what he knows.”

Steerman seemed hesitant. “I think this may be a blind coincidence. You would have thought that the old man would have paid more attention to Rebecca if they were related.”

“I’m not so sure that he didn’t,” Ryder refuted as the cabin door began to open. “He seemed to ask her a lot of questions. I took it for just a passing interest in what was happening back on Earth. But I know he cornered her for an hour or more the morning we left. Of course, that might also mean that he’s behind this entire thing. Aster, do we have any weapons on board?”

Steerman began to speak, but Aster cut him off. “We are off duty in a military flyer. It would be a violation of operating protocols to have live weapons on board the flyer. I’ll have to say no.”

“I understand. I don’t think I want everyone in the same location if this goes bad. Aster, could you and Steerman take a leisurely walk along the rocks downstream? Joel, can you take Athena on a romantic walk upstream?”

Joel turned pink, but Athena actually smiled and winked at Ryder. “I think I can handle that,” she replied coolly.

“Randy, you come with me”

Ryder started walking out of the flyer.

Aster yelled after Ryder, “By the way, I don’t think much of your idea of a leisurely walk, more like a rock climbing adventure from the looks of things.”

Ryder looked along the rocky shoreline. “It will be good exercise.”

As they approached the lodge, Hondo was sitting in the rocking chair, right where they had seen him on their arrival during their first visit. The hat was again pulled over Hondo’s eyes, and he appeared to be in a deep sleep.

“Colonel Roundy, we need to talk with you,” Ryder spoke to the hat.

Hondo did not respond, but his soft breathing had hesitated ever so slightly.

“Colonel Marion Robert Roundy, we need your help. Now!” Ryder was not asking; he was telling.

Hondo opened one eye and raised the hat high enough to look at Ryder. Ryder felt like sinking into the ground and pulling the rocks in behind him.

“You trying to call me out?” Hondo spoke levelly. “You’re a might small for that. I think I’ll do your grandpa a favor and let you live.”

“I am not trying to call you out. I need your help, and I need it now,” Ryder tried with a more soothing voice.

Hondo let the brim of the hat fall back over his eyes, and bowed his head back toward his chest.

“Your niece has been kidnapped!” Ryder’s voice rose.

No response.

“And I’m thinking you’re behind it.” Ryder was getting angry.

Still no response.

“Hondo! You help these young folks,” a stern voice came from the half open doorway.

“Margaret, we agreed. We’re out, so we’re out!” Hondo’s deep baritone voice grumbled.

“Nonsense! We’re retired, not dead.”

“I don’t know. I feel half dead after those young knuckleheads I took down the river yesterday. Almost lost one of them while he was trying to pet a fish in the river. They get stupider every year,” Hondo muttered without moving.

Margaret turned to Ryder and Randy. “Come on in and sit down. He’ll be right with you. Are your friends going to join you?”

“Not right now, ma’am.” Ryder could feel his face redden, but said nothing more.

“Smart move,” she observed, seeing Ryder’s four friends scattered in both directions. Maggie then walked back into the kitchen and returned with some fresh homemade bread and a jar of jam.

“What’s this all about?” she asked.

Ryder noticed that she raised her voice so that Hondo could hear her clearly, then motioned for Ryder to respond, but quieter.

“Our friends who were with us when we came up for the river run have been kidnapped.” Ryder tried a voice that was low, but not a whisper.

“My, my, my. That’s so sad. Kidnapped right out of Europe,” she said, raising her voice again and winking at Ryder.

“No, ma’am, they were kidnapped at Kuu’Aali Falls,” Ryder corrected quietly.

“So not at the Europe complex after all,” she said loud enough for the front porch to hear. “Who all did they take?”

“They took my sister, Debbie, Cynthia Flores, and the old grouch’s niece,” Ryder volunteered, finding it difficult to keep his voice low.

Ryder’s back was to the front door, sitting at the square table with the plastic red and white gingham tablecloth, but he clearly heard the screen door creak open, then slam shut.

“All right, Margaret, you’ve used that ploy before.”

“And it works every time.” She smiled and winked conspicuously at Ryder.

“So why did you come here?” Hondo complained loudly. “Obviously we’re too old and feeble to have anything to do with that.”

“I think you’re plenty smart enough, Colonel Roundy. Even if you didn’t have a former head of DDF security around to help out.” Ryder looked steadily at Maggie. “I think you could easily have planned this, and found some gullible stupid youngsters to carry it out for you. I just can’t figure out why.”

“No one’s supposed to know,” Margaret started.

“What? That you kidnapped all three of the girls?” Ryder challenged, leaning toward Maggie.

“No, no, no! No one is supposed to be able to access our files. How do you know this?”

“I have my sources,” Ryder responded cryptically.

“He’s Steve and Marie’s grandson. He’s probably playing up there in the SPC on the simulations. I’ll bet he’s got a friend up there right now running variables and seeking details for him and breaking into secure document databases even while he’s sitting here, Maggie. His buddy is probably Archie’s grandson.”

“Archie?” Ryder looked askance at Hondo.

“Or somebody else,” Hondo muttered. “Why did you pick on me, anyway? I don’t know that being Rebecca’s great uncle”—Hondo emphasized the “great”—“is a good enough reason to traipse all the way out here. And if you really thought I was the kidnapper, you should have come loaded for bear. It don’t even look like you’re loaded for squirrels.”

“Actually, we just found out that you’re Becky’s ‘great’ uncle,” Ryder said. “We’re here about the hats.”

“Hats?” Margaret, Hondo, and Randy all asked at once.

“Hats!” Ryder restated. We have footage of the four kidnappers. Three of them were in a poorly constructed disguise, but it was effective. They were all wearing your hat.”

Hondo stared at Margaret, and Margaret stared back, then they both burst out laughing. “My hat?” Then Hondo paused. “Maybe you do have a brain in your head, even if you are related to that old mule Steve. Margaret, how many of these things have we made and sold in the last six years?”

Ryder expected Margaret to open her computer, but instead she looked toward the ceiling and started counting with her fingers. “Twenty-two.”

“How many have you sold this year?” Ryder continued.

“Three,” Maggie responded immediately. “Just two months ago.”

“Who did you sell them to?” Ryder could sense that he was getting somewhere.

“Why, your Ensign Steerman of course.” Maggie smiled, then frowned.

All four people in the room stared suddenly out the nearest window.

“With Steerman involved, does that mean Aster is involved as well?” Randy asked.

Ryder had to rewind through all his experiences with Aster. “I’m not sure. Nothing he has done or said leads me to believe that he is involved. But the math is fascinating. Steerman buys three hats, almost certainly the three hats worn by the kidnappers. When we met Aster and Steerman, they were with three companions. Guilt by association? I wonder if we can find out the names of the three companions who were with them at Arion?” Without pausing, he called, “Pinoke, you there?” With the link opened on the other end, he heard a sudden snort.

“Wha…oh....Yes, Apprentice Ryder?”

“Sorry to interrupt your nap, but I need you to look up some information, back when my party first arrived on Arion.” Ryder provided the date, then asked, “Can you find out for me who was traveling with Lieutenant Aster Freeport and Ensign Duncan Steerman? There should be three other members of the party.”

Lieutenant Pinoke was quiet for several seconds before she responded. “I assume this is for limited distribution.”

“That’s correct. How fast do you think you can get that for me?” Ryder asked as he stood and walked to a second window and scoured the area where Aster and Steerman had walked.

“Open access records. You could probably do it yourself in five minutes. I’ll have it in two,” Lieutenant Pinoke responded.

“Thanks, Heliotrope.” Ryder couldn’t seem to find Aster or Steerman in line of sight.

“You are welcome…William.” Pinoke then disconnected the line.

“Randy, can you go out to the front porch and take a nap?” Ryder asked.

“While I wonder whether those two are going to cut my throat? Sure, no problem.” Randy leered at Ryder.

“No, I mean rock on the chair and let me know if Steerman or Aster head back this way or move back toward the flyer,” Ryder clarified.

“Ohhhh, a ‘nap.’ Yes, I can do that.”

Ryder turned back to the table, where two sets of very alert eyes were staring at him. “Like I said before, I need your help. I’ve got several problems, and I’ve got loads of information. I’ve also got some big holes.”

Hondo pulled up his chair, scraping the floor, and put both arms on the table leaning forward. “So what do you know?”

Ryder quickly brought Hondo and Margaret up to speed. When he mentioned that Miss Li was part of DDF security, and that she had bolted and was now part of the kidnapping team, Margaret made him pause. “Go over what you saw and what you know regarding Miss Li. I was not aware that she was part of DDF security.” When Ryder indicated that he suspected Mr. Small was somehow involved, Hondo commented, “Never could trust those security types.” Hondo was rewarded with a sharp smack from his wife.

“What I don’t know is where the kidnappers took the girls, or why.” Ryder rose and started to pace.

“Can’t help you with the why, but I have some ideas of where,” Hondo spoke slowly but definitively. “At least if it’s Steerman and his friends. It appears likely that he is at the center of this somehow. Whether or not he’s the leader depends on the motive. Aster is a tougher question. Hate to throw out the barrel for a rotten apple, but if eighty percent of the barrel is rotten, it seems like the other twenty percent is bad too. But that takes too much supposition.”