Honeymoon: 4/?
By Linda Garrick and Nancy Smith
Alan went into the lobby and glanced around. The two male Procyons were there, but the female was missing again. One of the Arcturians was seated in a recliner, drinking a mug of murky yellow fluid. Alan avoided him, seating himself before the fire. A small, automated serving robot approached, and Alan ordered a hot buttered rum. The little machine buzzed away to relay the message.
Young Teddy Dupres entered the room. He saw Alan and his handsome features twitched slightly. He turned and went out again almost at once, heading for the game room.
Alan considered. Supposedly, Teddy had been hunting when the girls had disappeared, but since they weren't sure of the exact time of the disappearance, he was still a suspect. And Teddy's personality was of the sort that, humiliated as he had been by Lyn and Alan, he might take his ire out on someone smaller and less able to defend herself....
And he had had plans for the older girl. Alan had seen that much in his mind.
He stood up and went after the boy.
Teddy was standing before a table when Alan entered, demolishing holographs of animals. Alan surveyed him with disgust. The boy turned toward him, made his favorite gesture, and turned back to his game.
Alan went over to another game table, inserted coins and pressed the start switch. The holograph of a stylized fighter craft appeared before him, and he proceeded to maneuver it between buildings, trees and through unheeding traffic in pursuit of the villain. The pursued dodged and swerved skillfully.
Pretending to be completely absorbed in the game, Alan extended a light mental probe toward Teddy. Angry emotions met him, and he grimaced a little at their impact. Teddy hated him. The young man was not used to being thwarted but there was nothing in his thoughts about the missing girl. Nothing at all. Teddy apparently hadn't given her another thought since he had mentioned her back on the trail.
Alan said an unkind word to himself. He had been hoping, he realized, that young Teddy would prove to be involved in the girl's abduction. It wouldn't have bothered him at all if this adolescent spoiled brat had gotten into trouble.
He sighed, concluded his game and turned to leave the room.
"What's the matter, Mr. Woodruff. Didja lose?"
Alan glanced back at the boy trying not to feel annoyed. The kid wanted to get to him. He knew that. "Yes, I did."
"Not surprising. You're a wimp Mr. Woodruff, sir! You probably don't even know how to fire a rifle! You're probably one of those people who thinks the thing will turn on you and fire of its own will." The gesture appeared again. "That to you, wimp, no matter what my father says!"
Alan regarded the boy levelly. "A firearm is a tool. If it's wielded by an irresponsible child it becomes a deadly tool."
The gesture again. Alan turned and went out. A string of bad words followed him.
Who next? He must check out everybody. The Raghiki? No, that seemed unlikely. Raghiki were more direct in their aggression. Subtlety wasn't one of their strong points. Well, perhaps Mr. Scrooge? He seemed an undesirable-type character. And the Arcturians. He needed to check them out, too. They, after all, must have known the girls were psychics.
He went back to the lobby. Lyn was coming, and would be here soon. He'd be glad to see her. This was nerve-wracking.
The Arcturians were no longer in the lobby, but the honeymooning couple was back, along with the solitary Mr. Scrooge. Alan sat down, trying to be inconspicuous, and ordered a glass of wine. He was feeling a bit shaky. Young Luke saw him, stood up and came over to him. His pretty wife followed, taking her husband's arm. The young man's face was chapped and red, Alan saw.
"Brandy tells me you found one of the girls." Luke sat down in the armchair, pulling Brandy onto his knee and holding her hand. "I just got back from searching, myself." He shook his head. "They called us in -- afraid we'd get lost, too, I suppose. Man! What a wind! I'm afraid if that kid hasn't found shelter, she's dead by now."
Alan agreed with him. "Still, she was warmly dressed, and from what her sister says, she --."
"What did her sister say?" Brandy asked quickly as Alan paused. "I thought she was unconscious."
Alan hesitated, wondering how much he should say. Oh well, it was probably better if the others knew -- and besides, it was going to get out. The governess would talk, even if the doctor didn't. "She came to long enough to tell us someone took her sister. It sounds like a kidnapping to me."
"Oh my!" Brandy's eyes were huge. "How did she get away?"
"I don't know."
"She may have it wrong," Luke said. "She's just a kid, and she's been through a lot -- Brandy said the doctor diagnosed a concussion."
Alan was busy probing the minds of the two people before him. They were an interesting couple -- first cousins, married on Landersteel a few days ago, and here for their honeymoon. Luke's father had made it big there, fifty years ago, and now was a prosperous landowner with mining interests. He had four children of his own, plus young Brandy, who had been adopted at the age of six. His wife's sister, Melissa, had been the black sheep of the family. She had taken up with some fellow from Shallock and had run away with him. Once on Shallock, he had dumped her and gone his way. Brandy's mother had taken up with someone else almost at once, and once again was dumped. Brandy had been born some time after that. The girl had confused memories of her early life -- a series of different men and appalling living conditions. Then, when she was five, her mother had taken off with her newest flame and never come back. But apparently she had taken some steps to see that her little girl was cared for, because within a week Brandy's aunt and uncle had arrived from Landersteel and taken the child home. She'd been with them ever since, and had been treated well. She loved her aunt and uncle, as well as her four cousins. Luke, her husband, was the youngest of them, and they had been close since her arrival. It was only natural that they should marry when they grew up. Of course, Brandy's pregnancy had hastened things some, but not too much. Luke did not yet know about it, and Brandy wasn't sure how to tell him -- much less her aunt and uncle. She was afraid they'd say she was just like her mother, and she didn't want that....
Interesting history, but no real help. Alan turned his attention to the young man. Luke's thoughts more or less conformed to those of Brandy. He didn't know about the pregnancy, and certainly wasn't planning on starting a family until he finished school -- which was another eighteen months away. He was deeply in love with his wife, and wanted to make her happy. There was some concern over the missing girl -- as much as could be expected considering that he didn't know her at all.
Nothing here. Alan sighed and withdrew his probe. The whole process hadn't taken twenty seconds and the two young people before him were blissfully unaware that their most intimate thoughts had been investigated. Brandy was ordering a glass of wine. Alan glanced sharply at the girl. She shouldn't be drinking, of course, but it wasn't his place to interfere.
Luke also ordered wine. Alan excused himself and moved away. He needed to check out the other people here. Someone had grabbed a psychic girl -- either a guest or a member of the staff. Either way, he had to find out who it was, and the motive behind it.
The solitary man with the bad temper was seated in a corner of the lounge, drinking coffee and glaring at nothing. Alan went across to the table beside him, ostensibly to collect a magazine. He thumbed through the article, not really seeing it, at the same time extending a probe toward the man.
Not a nice mind, he found. Mr. Sears was a bachelor, shunning all outside contact, and at the moment he was quite irritated at Alan's proximity. He was here at the lodge because he liked the hunting, but he was annoyed because so many damn people were here this time. He was glad that stinking kid had vanished. One less nuisance for him to deal with. Besides, he suspected she was a psychic, and her sister probably was, too, so they deserved anything that happened to them.
Alan intensified his probe, seeing the man's most intimate thoughts, while pretending to study an article on horticulture in the magazine. The man's name was Norton Sears, and he was quite wealthy. Most of his wealth had been obtained by shrewdly investing a large sum of money obtained some ten years ago. He had been engaged then to a pretty young lady -- wealthy and aristocratic, whose brother hadn't liked him and had warned her against him. The young woman had confronted him -- told him that she suspected he had killed his first wife. He had denied it, of course. It was true, but he had covered it up so that it had been ruled a suicide, and no questions had ever been asked. However, the girl hadn't believed him, and had broken off the engagement. Furiously he had denied the charges, telling her she was imagining things. She had shaken her head and refused to discuss it further. He had never seen her again, but a few days later, mulling the affair over, Norton Sears had become convinced that either the girl or her brother, or both, were psychics. He had reported his suspicions to the Jils, and, to his delight, had received a sizable reward when it was discovered that the brother was indeed a psychic. He had taken his money and departed, leaving the girl behind.
A furious movement beside him and Alan started back to see Sears glaring at him. "What the hell do you want mister?" The fellow came to his feet, his face reddening. "I want to be alone! Get away from me!"
"I'm reading a magazine. I'm not bothering you."
"The hell you aren't! Go away!"
"If you want to be alone, why don't you go away?"
"I was here first! Get away!"
Lyn appeared through the entrance, covered with snow, her two companions beside her. Alan shrugged and went over to her, helping her to peel away the snowy garments. The lodge manager and the governess also rushed forward, flanked by a couple of employees. "Any sign?"
"Nothing," one of the men answered, pulling off his woolen cap and rubbing a hand across his reddened face. "It's a blizzard out there. You can't see anything." He looked apologetically at the governess. "I'm sorry, Ma'am, but if she's lost out there...."
"She's not lost!" The governess' shrill, strident voice rose over the murmur of conversation in the lounge. "She was kidnapped!"
Faces turned to look at her. Alan drew Lyn aside. "Let's go."
Behind them the babble of voices rose as the honeymooners and the two male Procyons moved forward to question the governess and the newly returned searchers.
Lyn, psychically linked with him, had been aware of his probes. She looked askance at Mr. Sears as they passed him. *What are we going to do about him?* she asked him silently.
*I don't know. There isn't much we can do right now. Report him to the Underground, I guess, and leave it up to them. You know the rules for people that turn in psychics for money.*
*But he didn't do it for the money. He did it because he was angry with his girlfriend.*
*I know but, regardless, he got a man killed and he didn't turn down the reward. He's lived pretty well ever since because of what he did. That sure doesn't seem fair.*
*No,* Lyn agreed. *It sure doesn't.*
*We'll leave it up to the Underground,* Alan told her. *They'll deal with him as they see fit. Right now we have other problems. We've got to find that girl, and make sure the other one is kept safe.* He glanced at the infirmary. A young man in a lodge busboy uniform stood uncertainly beside the door. Alan went over to him. "Hello."
"Hello, sir. I'm sorry, but --"
"I know. No one is allowed in the infirmary."
"Except for Miss Pick and the doctor, sir. The little girl apparently came to for a minute and said her sister was taken by someone."
"I know," said Alan. "I was there."
The young man nodded. "It's ridiculous," he told them in a low voice. "The kid must've either been dreaming or lying."
"Maybe," Lyn said. "But stay on your toes, anyway. If she had it right, you'll feel pretty silly if someone sneaks in and snatches her." She smiled easily.
"Yeah, sure." The young man grinned at her in return. "Are you Mrs. Woodruff?"
"Yes," Lyn said. "I was with Alan when we found Megan. She was hurt and almost frozen."
"She probably got lost and then fell off of something when the storm got bad."
"Maybe."
The young man sighed. "Oh, well, we were all young once."
"Yeah," Alan agreed. The young man flushed slightly.
"Sorry. I guess you're both still in your teens, aren't you?"
"Actually, no," Lyn, said, her eyes twinkling. "I'm twenty one and he's nearly twenty six. We just look young."
"Yeah," the busboy said, but he sounded skeptical.
"We'd better be going," Lyn said. "Good evening, Mr. Grey."
"Good evening, Mrs. Woodruff."
They moved away. Alan nudged her mentally.
*He had on his nameplate!* Her voice spoke in his mind. *So I didn't blow it this time!*
Alan grinned. *I was just going to say that he thought you were cute.*
*I know. He was kind of cute, too.* Her mind nudged his back. *But you're cuter.*
*Thanks. Well, let's see, who shall we probe next?*
Lyn considered. *The Arcturians are next on my list. They must have known the girls are psychics.*
Alan looked around. *There's one of them.*
The alien was crossing the big sitting room. Gonnar, he thought. The one without the long muzzle. He would have to handle the probe, of course. Lyn was able to read an Arcturian but her less-precise control made it impossible for her to do so undetected.
"Wonder where his brother is," Lyn said softly.
"It doesn't matter. If one of them's involved, the other one almost certainly is, too."
Gonnar didn't pause in the lobby. He headed for the stairs, his long cape hanging loosely from his shoulders. He was dressed lightly in a thin Arcturian snowsuit. His head was bare, his ruffled crest standing up straight.
"He must have been out searching," said Lyn quietly.
"Yes. But if he's involved, he'd have to. It would look suspicious if he didn't. Look, I'll go check him out. You go probe the Procyons."
The two Procyon males had just stepped from the lift. Lyn nodded to him and went toward them. Alan started after Gonnar.
Ginnar was coming down the stairs toward them. He paused beside his brother and hissed something in the Arcturian tongue. Gonnar looked back and saw Alan. Both Arcturians increased their pace, now both heading up the stairs.
More than a little suspicious now, Alan increased his pace. "Ginnar? Gonnar? Can you wait a minute?"
Neither of the aliens appeared to have heard him. They reached the top of the stairs, walking rapidly left toward their room. Alan ran up behind them and also turned left.
The lift doors hissed open and the Raghiki charged out. With his attention centered on the Arcturians, Alan hadn't sensed him, and he apparently didn't see Alan at all. The collision was unrestrained on both sides, and Alan, less than half of the alien's mass, was flung backward against the wall. The Raghiki stumbled, going hard to one knee. Blazing yellow eyes focused on Alan, and the alien emitted a shriek of rage.
"I'm sorry!" Alan wheezed, but his apology was drowned out as the shriek escalated to a maddened howl. The Raghiki charged him, long arms extended and teeth bared.
Alan managed to roll sideways, but Hunga was after him instantly. Alan was dimly aware of other figures emerging from the lift, but had no time to see who they were. The Raghiki leaped on him, his giant hairy hands gripping at Alan's throat. He heard someone yell, and saw Mr. Dupres, the elder, grabbing for the enraged alien's clutching hands. Hunga roared and swung viciously at the man. Dupres staggered back to fall hard against the opposite wall and someone laughed.
Then Miss Pick appeared, swinging her purse with both hands. It struck the Raghiki on the side of the head, and, with another roar, the alien turned his attentions to the governess. Lyn landed on the Raghiki's massive shoulders, her slim arms gripping around the being's neck. The creature brushed absently at her, still roaring unrestrainedly.
Alan made it to his feet. There were sounds on the stairs, and he knew help was on the way, but somehow he must stall Hunga until they arrived. He ran forward and jabbed beneath the Raghiki's armpit at the big nerve center there. Hunga screamed and went to his knees. Shrieking and gagging, he reached for Alan.
Somewhere there was a crisp "zzing" and a small dart appeared in Hunga's massive bicep. The Raghiki appeared not to notice, grunting and straining for Alan's throat. Alan scrambled back and tried to roll sideways. Hunga's massive hands closed about his neck from the rear.
Then the heavy body became slack and Hunga folded on top of him, crushing him into the carpet. The final shriek died to a gurgle. A rope of spittle oozed over Alan's ear.
Hands lifted the Raghiki off of him, and Lyn was beside him. Through a blur he saw the stunned faces of the lodge's clients and staff. The hotel manager was there, too, a tranquilizer gun held in both hands. Teddy Dupres was leaning casually against the opposite wall grinning broadly, arms folded. Neither of the Arcturians was present.
"Are you all right, Mr. Woodruff?" The manager came forward, accompanied by two of his staff. Another man was leaning over Teddy's father, who was just sitting up, his expression dazed.
"I'm fine," Alan wheezed. "Thanks for the help."
"I'm terribly sorry about this." He glanced distastefully at the Raghiki. "I will not allow any of those creatures in my lodge again! I was very reluctant this time, but apparently he has relatives with influence in their government -- such as it is. I acquiesced to their official request -- and this is the result."
Alan's eyes focused on one of the men leaning over Dupres. The guard! It was the busboy who was supposed to be guarding the door of the infirmary!
Lyn realized it at the same moment. She jumped to her feet and Alan staggered to his at the same moment. Together they ran down the stairs. His heart leaped into his throat at the sight of Gonnar standing at the doorway, leaning against the wall, his flexible arms folded.
They ran forward. Gonnar glanced at them. "Iss somezing wrong, Mr. Woodruff?"
Neither answered. Alan reached the door and pressed the switch.
The panel refused to open. Alan pressed the switch again, afraid to open his shields too wide due to the presence of the Arcturian. Gonnar's eyes were narrowed as he watched Alan. "Iss somezing wrong?" he repeated.
"Why won't the door open?"
"I do not know. Perhapss it iss shammed."
Arcturian or not, Alan sensed that lie. And something was happening beyond that door. The girl was in trouble -- bad trouble. Through his half-opened shields he sensed the presence of the other Arcturian within.
Lyn gave a cry and leaped forward. The lock on the door clicked and the door swished open.
Gonnar grabbed for Lyn, but she ducked easily beneath his hands darting forward into the infirmary. Alan yelled and followed. The pound of many feet on the stairs reached him. The staff and patrons were coming.
Lyn screamed, and he saw it, too -- Ginnar, holding a pillow over the face of the unconscious girl. The alien's face jerked toward them, his fanged muzzle drawn back in a vicious snarl. His hand darted for the flowing pocket of his cape.
The psychic partners acted together. Lyn leaped forward to yank the pillow away, and Alan reached for the Arcturian's weapon with telekinesis.
It flipped from the alien's clawed hands as it emerged from his pocket and flew straight into Alan's -- a small blaster, such as ladies carried in their purses. Ginnar voiced a furious snarl as the weapon smacked solidly into Alan's hands.
A heavy weight struck Alan from behind, hurling him forward and against the bed. The blaster flew from his grip.
People were charging into the room. Alan spun around, twisting desperately in his captor's hold, then became still as a retractile claw pressed against his throat.
"If you sstir, Terran pssychic," the alien informed him, "I shall kill you."
Lyn was crouched beside the bed, her eyes fixed on Gonnar. The assembled staff and patrons stared at the scene in horror. Alan saw the manager, several bellhops, Teddy Dupres, all three Procyons, Luke and Brandy, and Miss Pick. The retractile claw tightened, biting into his neck just over the carotid artery.
"He was trying to kill Megan!" Lyn screamed. "He had a pillow over her face when I got in here!"
"Shut up!"
Ginnar was retrieving the blaster from the carpet. Brandy saw it and screamed, clutching at her husband. Miss Pick's eyes narrowed, and Alan saw her hand slide into her pocket.
Gonnar saw it, too. "Iff you try it, Miss Pick, I will tear hiss zroat out, and zen my brozzer will kill you. All of you will now come in here and shut zee door. Come! Quickly."
"No!" Alan croaked. "He'll kill you all! Don't!"
The claw bit into his flesh until he could feel the artery pulsing beneath it.
"One more word from you, pssychic, and you die."
Alan didn't think Gonnar really would kill him. The Arcturian had recognized him -- he had no doubt of that. Alan Westover, the most wanted being in the Jilectan Autonomy, was not to be disposed of lightly.
But it was hard to be objective with the feel of that claw beneath his skin. The patrons stared, and Teddy voiced a sudden yell, turning to bolt.
Ginnar fired. Teddy screamed and crashed to the floor clutching his shoulder. Very carefully, Ginnar stepped forward, his blaster aimed straight at the writhing boy. He fired. Teddy screamed in terror.
Ginnar probably intended to terrify his hostages into submission through the cold-blooded murder of one of their number. Lyn, however, possessed a very unique psychic ability, and through their mind link Alan felt her use it now. The invisible shield of psychic energy leaped from her, forming instantly around Teddy's twisting form. The bolt struck, detonating centimeters before the boy's face, and there was Teddy, still lying on the floor, shocked into silence by the events taking place around him. Ginnar fired a second time, and once again the bolt detonated without touching him.
The door crashed open and the Raghiki charged through, screaming in fury and thrusting the hostages aside like so many dolls. He trod on Teddy as he passed, and leaped at Alan, disregarding Ginnar's blaster, and all else. Gonnar leaped backward, dragging Alan with him, and the retractile claw withdrew simultaneously from his neck. The Raghiki's headlong rush caught Ginnar, hurling him backward against the wall. The blaster spun from his grasp. Alan reached for it telekinetically.
Something cracked him across the temple and stars exploded before his eyes. He heard Lyn scream his name as a second blow fell. The lights went out.
**********
tbc
