Part 46 (1/2)
The people who'd arrived with Alex began screaming. I turned on the link. ”Belle, answer up, please!” Turam pounded on the door. Outside, I could see a couple of older people herding the kids away. One of the others threw a chair through the window. ”We've got an emergency, Belle,” I said, trying to sound desperate. I don't think I had to try hard. ”Please respond.”
Alex jumped in: ”Quick, Chase. Out the back! Get out while you can!”
Barnas broke in: ”Too late, b.i.t.c.h,” he said, ”you're dead.”
Two of the guys stuck their rifles out the window and blasted away at the sky. I screamed, ”Alex!”
More shooting.
”You've killed him,” I shrieked. ”You b.a.s.t.a.r.d.” I tried to burst into tears.
Turam said, ”Sorry, baby. Good-bye.”
I screamed for him not to shoot. Then Turam fired his weapon at the sky again. I cried out. Alex signaled for me not to overdo it, and I went silent.
Alex and I stayed quiet, while Turam and his people laughed and said how they'd take the bodies outside and burn them.
”Praise to the All-Father,” said one of them.
Alex pointed at the door. Everybody out. We left my bracelet on the side table but didn't turn it off. Outside, in the hallway, a crowd was gathering. They looked a little scared. We shushed everybody and got clear of the area.
In one of the side rooms, Alex thanked everybody for helping. Every now and then, someone went back to our apartment and screamed something unintelligible that sounded bloodthirsty. Then, finally, we stopped.
Barnas and the others congratulated one another and took turns a.s.suring us that if anybody showed up who wanted to give us trouble, they'd deal with him properly.
”What do you think?” said Turam. ”Did it work?”
”You did a good job,” Alex said.
”Now,” Turam continued, ”what happened to the rescuers? Who is this who's coming to get you?”
”Yeah,” Barnas said. ”How about enlightening us?”
Alex sat down. ”Belle's not responding. That tells me that whoever's up there with her isn't StarCorps. And I can only think of one other likelihood.”
”The Mortician,” I said.
”Yes-if I'm wrong, I'll apologize later.”
”It won't work, Alex.”
”Why not?”
”The Mortician doesn't speak the local language.”
”She's probably been doing the same thing we have: letting her AI listen in and act as an interpreter. Even if not, it doesn't matter. She couldn't possibly have misunderstood the point of all the shots and screams.” He stopped. Touched the silver chain. ”We've got an incoming call.”
”It's probably Belle.” That was my optimism working overtime.
”Text message.” Alex looked at it. Showed it to me.
Benedict:You can't seriously expect that ploy to work again? Talk to me. Or I'll take out your little social center down there.
”It might be a bluff,” I said. ”She has no way to be certain we're not dead.”
Alex shook his head. ”No, but she has nothing to lose by destroying the compound.”
”Sure she does. She wouldn't be able to tell whether she'd gotten us.”
”You willing to bet that'll stop her?”
”I guess we'd better call.”
We were speaking in Standard, and Turam had figured out that that wasn't a good sign. ”It's not over,” he said. ”Is it?” wasn't a good sign. ”It's not over,” he said. ”Is it?”
Alex delivered a casual nod intended to suggest everything was under control. But he didn't want to mislead anyone. ”Probably not, Turam,” he said. He activated his link. ”This is Benedict. What do you want?”
”Mr. Benedict.” The female voice in the link was not Belle's happy-go-lucky tone, but was rather a combination of amus.e.m.e.nt and mockery. The room fell silent, and I saw the surprise on faces that had grown accustomed to talking jewelry but expected it to use a familiar language. The female voice in the link was not Belle's happy-go-lucky tone, but was rather a combination of amus.e.m.e.nt and mockery. The room fell silent, and I saw the surprise on faces that had grown accustomed to talking jewelry but expected it to use a familiar language. ”I wasn't sure we'd ever get a chance to discuss matters.” ”I wasn't sure we'd ever get a chance to discuss matters.”
”What happened to Belle?”
”I shut her down.”
”Why?”
”I'm sure you can guess why. Let's not waste time on details.”
”Who are you working for?”
”I'm not at liberty to reveal that.”
”So what do you want?”
”Unfortunately, we can't have you spreading what you know back home. I will be at your facility in precisely three hours. You and Ms. Kolpath will present yourselves outside the front door. Then we'll try to work out an agreement. If we're successful, I'll return control of your AI to you, and you can await the arrival of StarCorps. That should be about two days, is that correct?”
”Yes.”
”Three hours, Benedict. I'll see you then.”
”Just a minute: What happens if we can't reach an agreement?”
”I don't think there should be any difficulty on that score. I'm prepared to buy your silence, and to be very generous about it. Let's let it go at that. Oh, and one more detail: I know you might be tempted to leave the facility, to hide in the forest. If you do that, you can almost certainly stay out of sight until the authorities come, and there would be little I can do to find you. However, if you choose that course, be advised I will have no choice but to destroy your new friends. All of them. Do you understand?”
”Yes. We'll be here when you arrive.”
”Good. I'm sure we can reach an amicable agreement. Oh, by the way, please be sure you bring your links with you.”
”Why's that matter?”
”I don't want any formal record of this transaction to show up later.” She disconnected. She disconnected.