Journey Through the Mirrors (53 page)

Valerie picked up on the implication and quickly removed the black hoods from their heads. “It’s not them,” she said. Logan and Valerie were looking at the faces of a boy and girl they had never seen before.

“Where are all the cameras?” the girl asked, pointing at Kashta. “He promised that we could sit in the director’s chair.”

Simon laughed as he closed the book and handed it to Kashta.

“Where are they, Simon?” Logan shouted.

“Did you really think that I would be so stupid?” He directed his question at Valerie. “Did you think for one second that I trusted your word about coming alone? Women. Your gender always thinks you have everything under control.”

“The children, Simon!” Logan said again.

Valerie gently guided the kids to her right, handing them over to one of the WCF agents, who escorted them down the stairs.

“Your children are safe for now,” Simon told Logan, as Kashta took out his PCD. “We are going to do this my way. Ms. Perrot, you are first going to dismiss all of your henchmen, starting with these four. You will then clear the street outside of any other agents you brought with you. Then Kashta and I are going to leave. If I see any agents following us, the children are going to die. If Kashta sees any agents, the children are going to die. If I believe that we are being followed for any reason whatsoever, the children are going to die. Do you remember the neuro devices that were attached to their heads?” Kashta activated his PCD and displayed an image of Jordan, Jamie, and Ms. Sally. They were all sitting on a mattress on the floor of a nondescript room, the same one they’d been in when Logan had last seen a projection of them on NovaCon Island. The neuro devices were still attached to their temples. “The next move is yours, Ms. Perrot.”

Valerie motioned for the remaining agents to exit. She placed a call on her PCD. “Luke, get everyone to stand down and back away. This operation is over.”

“Very good. Your mother would have been very proud of you.” Simon gloated. “You know, Andrea bedded a lot of men in her day. Robert was not the only one. In fact, I think my father had a few tumbles in the hay with her during their time on the Council. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?”

“Enough, Simon,” Logan said. “You have what you came for; now, tell me where my children are.”

“Do you still have that mosaic your mother made?” Simon asked him. “You know, the abstract one that is really wide and only about yay tall?” Simon used his hands to describe the dimensions.

“What does that have to do with any of this?” Logan asked.

“It has everything to do with this,” Simon said. “Now that your mother and father are gone, I might be the only person alive who knows what that mosaic means.”

“How could you know?” Logan asked. “There is no way my mother would have told you. She didn’t even complete the mosaic until years after the Council splintered and you and Fendral were long gone.”

“But your father figured it out,” Simon said. “And as we both know, Camden wrote everything down.”

“His journal,” Logan said in a low voice.

The sound of screeching car wheels came from outside. Simon smiled. “Ah, my ride has arrived.” He took a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and started past Logan and Valerie toward the stairs. “I know you’re fond of riddles, so here’s one I know your children will want you to solve.” He tossed the paper onto the floor by Logan’s feet. “By the time you do, we will be long gone.”

*  *  *

Simon hopped into the backseat of the black vehicle that had pulled up in front of the M Street Creamery. Kashta took a seat in the front, and the car sped away. A small red sedan, which had been parked across the street, pulled out of its spot and followed the black SUV as it turned left onto Wisconsin Avenue.

64

Success and failure walk down the same garden path inextricably entwined. One cannot exist without the other.

—THE CHRONICLES OF SATRAYA

WASHINGTON, D.C., 10:26 P.M. LOCAL TIME, MARCH 26, 2070

“I think you would enjoy coming with us,” Simon said. Kashta stood next to him, carrying a briefcase.

“Simon’s right,” Catherine added. “We could use a person of your prowess.”

“You mean someone who knows how to deceive?” Nadine asked.

“No,” Simon said. “Someone who knows how to deceive convincingly.”

Nadine smiled.

After getting the books from Logan, Simon and Kashta had arrived at a private jet terminal at Dulles International Airport. Inside hangar 10A, they had joined Catherine and Nadine. Two jets, fueled and ready for takeoff, were parked outside the brightly lit hangar.

Simon took the briefcase from Kashta and handed it to Nadine. “Payment for helping me get the books,” he said. “I could not have done it without Logan’s kids.”

“Have the children been returned to Logan?” Nadine asked.

“I needed to ensure our safe departure,” Simon answered indirectly. “The fact that the WCF is not here tells me that he is still looking for them.”

“You’ve made a king’s ransom off of us,” Catherine said to Nadine. “What are you going to do with all those EBBs?”

“Live,” Nadine said. “Something that Madu didn’t know how to do.”

“If you change your mind about joining us,” Simon said, “you know how to contact us.”

Just then, a small red sedan sped into the hangar and came to a screeching halt. Kashta stepped in front of Simon and drew a polished silver weapon. The door to the car opened. It was Madu.

“Nadine!” he called. “What have you done?”

“The only thing I could,” Nadine replied.

Kashta pointed his gun at him. Madu did not stop. He continued until he stood just before Nadine.

“Kashta,” Simon said, “put your weapon down. Can’t you see that these two are about to have a tender moment?”

Madu ignored him, his eyes on his wife. “Why didn’t you come to me first? It didn’t have to be this way. Many people have died because of us.”

“I did go to you,” Nadine said, showing no remorse. “Many times over the years. You kept telling me to be patient, that money would come, a better life would come, but it never did.”

“I took action,” Madu said. “I accepted the proposition from Rigel to—”

“Rigel,” Simon interrupted, shaking his head. “Right there is your problem, Madu. Rigel Wright is a cheap bastard. How much did he pay you for all your years of work?”

“It wasn’t about the money,” Madu said softly.

“It’s always about money,” Simon countered. “And don’t fool yourself for one moment. Rigel knows that, too. He lets everyone do the work, while he takes the credit. Have you ever stopped and looked around to see who sets the moral compass that humanity lives by? The
very people who live contrary to the morals they spout. I guarantee that it was a king who first said there was more to life than money. I guarantee that the greatest liar in the world was the first to advise people to always tell the truth. You see, Madu, in order for a person to retain his power, he needs to make sure that no one else goes after it. And the best way to do that is to tell people it’s better to do something different and not to follow. Your lovely wife finally figured that out.”

Madu looked at Simon, then at Nadine. “I hope they compensated you well for all that you did for them, Nadine.”

“They did,” she answered softly. “They were very generous.”

“They’ve corrupted you,” Madu said, shaking his head, still in denial. He grabbed Nadine by the arm, but she pulled away.

“It’s over, Madu,” Nadine said. “I am not going back to our old life. I’m not going back to promises that only eternity can fulfill.”

Kashta leaned over and whispered something into Simon’s ear. “Yes, I’m sorry to break up our little party, but I have to leave,” Simon said. “Catherine, come along. Nadine, I hope to see you again. Madu, maybe Rigel can find you a morally acceptable project that will help consume the rest of your existence.” Simon pointed to one of the jets, addressing Nadine next. “As promised, that jet over there will take you wherever you wish to go.”

Madu and Nadine watched as Simon, Catherine, and Kashta boarded the plane. Within moments, the aircraft door closed, and the plane taxied away.

“How much did they pay you?” Madu asked finally, breaking the silence.

“Ten million Universal Credits,” Nadine answered.

Madu nodded. “That’s a lot of money. Where do you think you will go now?” The engines of Simon’s jet revved as the plane tore down the runway.

“Not sure,” Nadine said. “Maybe Indonesia—I hear there’s a pyramid there.” Nadine grabbed Madu’s hand. “You could still come with me.”

Madu watched the plane take off. “What about what we have done? What about the people we placed in harm’s way?”

“After selling Dario and Catherine the original plans,” Nadine explained, “I thought that was the end of it. When they contacted me again because the design didn’t work, I had no choice. They would have wanted more than just their money back. I did what we had to do to save both of us. Maybe one day, we will be able to compensate the world for our actions. Wasn’t it you, my love, who taught everyone that the King’s Gambit is a risky move?” Nadine pressed her husband’s hand tighter. “Wasn’t it you who taught that it is necessary to sacrifice pawns in order to advance? Did we not sacrifice much to see a free Egypt all those years ago?”

Madu stared into his wife’s eyes for a long moment. “You’re right,” he said finally. “You’ve always been right.”

Nadine smiled. The two of them walked to the remaining jet.

“They offered me a spot on the Council of Satraya, you know.”

“Really? Well, that would have been interesting.”

Madu escorted Nadine up the stairway to the jet.

65

Do not take on another person’s need for redemption. That is a battle he alone must fight.

—THE CHRONICLES OF SATRAYA

WASHINGTON, D.C., 10:32 P.M. LOCAL TIME, MARCH 26, 2070

“Read that journal entry again,” Valerie said.

Logan unfolded the page that Simon had torn from Camden’s journal and read it out loud. He and Valerie had returned to the Council of Satraya offices and now stood in the drawing room in front of his mother’s abstract mosaic. Mr. Perrot, who had remained at the offices, was with them.

May 16, 2040

Today was a fun day. I finally figured out Cassandra’s abstract mosaic. The one that looks like an orange sliced down the center. Robert and I have been trying to decipher it for years. During my morning walk, I passed Cloud Gate at the old Millennium Park. I’ve walked past that odd stainless-steel sculpture a thousand times. But this time, something clicked, and the secret to Cassandra’s mosaic dawned on me. I rushed home and tested my theory, giving Cassandra my interpretation at breakfast. She asked why it had taken me so long to figure it out and made me promise not to tell Robert. She wants him to have the pleasure of figuring it out himself. I’m not going to even hint that I solved it. If he knows that I know, he won’t let it go until I tell him.

“So Camden
did
know the answer,” Mr. Perrot said, shaking his head. “He never even gave me a clue.”

Logan continued to read.

After Cassandra told me how she did it, I had to try it myself. It’s a lot harder than you think. After a bunch of failed attempts, I finally got it right and drew my first multifaceted triad.

Logan flipped the page around so everyone could see what his father had drawn.

“That doesn’t look much like a triad or even a triangle, for that matter,” Mr. Perrot said. “But then again, Camden wasn’t much of an artist—origami was his strong suit.”

Logan continued reading.

I have to give Cassandra a lot of credit. It couldn’t have been easy creating a mosaic of the . . . in Washington, D.C. Trying to draw a cascade of triangles was hard enough. To do what she did in a mosaic must have been an incredible challenge.

Cassandra told me that her inspiration came after she had learned a thing or two about Reflecting from Deya. Much to my chagrin, Deya figured out Cassandra’s mosaic in less than an hour. I am not surprised. Deya has clearly mastered working with reflective surfaces.

“I think you might have skipped a key word in there,” Mr. Perrot said.

“No,” Logan said, handing him the piece of paper. “The word has been blotted out. Simon had no intention of making this easy.”

“Well, we know one thing,” Valerie said. “This mosaic is pointing to a place here in Washington. Simon is holding the kids somewhere in the city.” She stared at Cassandra’s artwork sitting on the easel.