13 Degrees of Separation (70 page)

“Thought you'd like a care package since your roughing it
up groundside. Also, got that portfolio for you to look at. Love, Alice and
Ralph. PS, Merry Christmas!” he read out loud.

“Alice and Ralph?” his wife asked, coming over. Randor
looked up in surprise. She had a dollie. “Excellent,” she said, smiling as she
eyed the totes.

“Something tells me I shouldn't be surprised your involved
in this,” Randor said dryly.

His wife pouted a little and then hip bumped him out of the
way. “Just a little something to help our days go by a little easier. Including
a bottle of Ralphi's finest if you and your cohort over there behave.”

“Oh.” Randor turned his torso to Duncan who was now all
smiles. The security officer's mustache twitched as he grinned. “I think that
sounds good,” Randor said. Duncan nodded.

<=={----------

Pope had Biff the beast-man, his ape man sycophant go into
the city and find someone to help rebuild his fortress hideaway. “Get someone
smart, but someone people wouldn't miss,” Pope ordered. “You read me?”

“Yes sir,” Biff replied, growling softly. He spoke with a
lisp, his muzzle had been scared by a beast. His R's usually sounded off or
rolled into a growl.

“Get it done beast-man,” Pope said, kicking the larger ape
away. Biff raised an arm to protect himself, but made no move to strike back.
He knew better. He bobbed a bow and then moved to obey.

It was several hours to return to the city. Biff had plenty
of time to think and come up with a list of candidates. He had a few in mind,
techs, but all would be missed. All but one. He remembered the Vinatelli girl
with the robot bird.

“Here Birdie Birdie...” he cooed then grinned. His large
canines stuck out past his lips.

Carefully the ape stalked the girl. Twice she nearly
noticed him. He hid in the trees, watching her with glittering eyes. When he
knew her routine he acted.

As Jane walked to the new school she skipped occasionally,
avoiding the puddles. She smiled at her bird, circling overhead. Things were
certainly looking up. It was a nice day, it had rained the previous evening but
now the sun shown threw the clouds and a rainbow had greeted her day. She was
in a sunny mood to match the sunny day.

As she passed a copse of trees suddenly she was grabbed
from behind by hard hands. A hand and cloth covered her mouth, it stank of
chemicals. There was ether on the rag, stolen by Biff from a nearby dentist.

Jane's bird tried to protect her by diving at the attacker.
Jane tried to fight, she tried to urge the bird to get help but instead her
willpower left her and she wilted into sleep. The bird did another dive, then
rose, circling overhead.

Biff had angrily batted at the silver thing when it dived
at him, ooh ooking and grunting in irritation as he climbed the trees with the
girl slung over his shoulder. He heard the thing coming again and turned in
time, slapping it with a branch.

Birdie was knocked out of the air and spiraled into the
ground. The little robot flopped there on its back.

The ape man swung through the trees, passing quickly over
some people. They looked up in time to see the ape man with the girl. At the
edge of the city the ape man bundled the girl in a bag before Biff tied it
shut. He unceremoniously tossed the bag into the back of his stolen truck and
then drove out of town. Pope wanted the best, he was going to get it. A
Vinatelli, one who would fix the complex. Biff could just imagine Pope and how
he would praise the ape for his good deed. Pope was looking to the future,
thinking of an eventual attack by the authorities when they figured out where
he was.

<=={----------

When the Neoape returned to Snake mountain he dumped the
bag in front of a bored looking Pope on his throne. “What have you got for me
beast man?” Pope asked. The contents of the bag moaned and cried softly. “A
girl? Are you serious?”

“Not just any girl,” Biff said triumphantly, ripping the
bag open and dumping the girl to the hard floor. “The girl.”

Pope stared at her for a long moment. Jane stared around,
rubbing her eyes. “Okay, this had better be good,” Pope said, lounging his head
back and running a hand through his hair in frustration. “A girl?”

“She's a Vinatelli! Jane I think her name is,” Biff said,
poking the girl with a foot. “Speak!” he growled.

The girl looked up at the ape and stared briefly before she
screamed.

Pope got off his throne and backhanded the girl. “Silence!”
he snarled, then turned his attention on the ape. He backhanded the ape too.
Shocked, Biff fell back to the ground. “You imbecile! You ignoramus! Do you
know what you've done?” Pope snarled. He cursed the Neo ape. He kept him around
because he was from Terra, and old. But he wasn't bright, after all, he wasn't
human. “Damn it! Never send an ape to do a man's job!”

“But... but you wanted the best! I've seen this girl boss,
she's good! And no one pays attention to her!” Biff said, rubbing his cheek,
eyes wide. His mouth was open, hair on end. Pope kicked him a few times. The
ape curled into a fetal ball.

The girl tried to crawl away but Lynn stopped her. The
woman grabbed her by her hair, forcing her to her knees. Jane whimpered. “Going
somewhere hussy?” the woman demanded.

“No, noo. Please let me go! Please! I won't tell anyone!”
the girl gibbered.

“That's right, you won't,” Pope snarled, turning back to
her. He indicated the men around. Some looked at each other and started to
gloat. “Boys, initiation time,” he said, waving his hands to the girl. “Have at
it. But I want her in one piece. In good order when you're done,” he said.

He eyed the girl as she whimpered and looked around. “You
better be worth it bitch,” Pope snarled, stomping out.

<=={----------

Jane's kidnapping was witnessed by several people, but it
took hours for them to compare notes and realize something was going on,
something possibly criminal. When one woman realized it had been a child she
looked into it. When she quizzed her deputy cousin, he called it in. That
quickly led to others now suddenly concerned for the girl's welfare. People
rang their hands in frustration as they called it in. The deputies stood there,
looking sympathetic but bored as they took their statements. Adam was nearby,
he came over to see what was going on.

“Kidnapping.”

“Alleged kidnapping. It could be a prank,” the second
deputy said. Both didn't like the outworlders, they were nosey.

“And?” Adam asked as Teela came up behind him.

“What's going on?”

“Kidnapping. Alleged kidnapping,” Adam replied, filling her
in.

“Direction? Location?” Teela demanded, eyes flashing.

“Female vic, Neo ape. Spotted carrying the girl south west
to the perimeter of the city,” the first deputy replied. He pointed in the
vague direction.

“Do you have anyone in that direction?” Teela asked. The
man shrugged. “Aren't you going to find out?”

“Not our problem. By now he's long gone,” the man said. The
witnesses scowled blackly, but then nodded, wringing their hands in
frustration.

Adam looked around, annoyed with them. “So no one is going
to do anything? Nothing? Adam demanded. “Nothing at all?” he snarled, looking
from one face to another.

The natives looked away, suddenly ashamed.

“Well, if you won't, I will,” Adam snarled, clenching his
fists. He turned and stalked off.

“Hang on a minute,” Teela said, raising a hand. He turned
on her with a glare. “Adam...”

“Every minute we waste here talking about it means she gets
further away. We need to pick up the trail!” he snarled.

“I know that. But we can't go off half cocked. Get some
gear. We'll start at the scene of the crime and look for clues. Stick to your
training.”

Adam eyed her coldly. She suddenly felt herself straighten,
Adam was rarely ever like this, he was usually laid back and lazy. But now...
now something had changed. “Look, I'll call dad,” Teela said.

“Do that,” he said moving off. She keyed the wrist communicator
and then hurried to follow.

It was a bit difficult, but they finally found the scene of
the attack. Adam knelt at the side of the little parrot sized robot flopping
around. It's wing was broken. It made strange cooing sounds.

“What the hell is it?” Kringer demanded, wrinkling his
nose. He sniffed the robot, then chuffed. “Oh, it's that dingbat robot bird.
Put it out of its misery. And mine,” he grumbled.

“No, it's a clue,” Adam murmured, reaching for the bird.
The bird twisted, but Adam pinned it with one hand and then tucked it's wing
in. He picked it up and set it on its feet. The broken wing hung there on its
side. It looked at the wing then to Adam, then around to the others.

“Think it will be any use?” Teela asked.

“It's here for a reason.”

“It's Jane's,” a woman said, coming up behind them. They
turned to her. She flapped her apron nervously. “The girl's always talking to
it and fiddling with it.”

“So it belongs to the Vinatelli girl. Was she the one
kidnapped?” Teela asked. She looked at Adam. From his scowl he had known it was
Jane's.

“I don't know,” the woman replied. She frowned. “Wait,
kidnapped?” Her eyes went wide.

“Yes. Jane Vinatelli,” Teela said. One of the other
witnesses identified her,” she said.

“Great,” Adam said. He noted Duncan coming. He waved the
older man over as he gingerly picked the little robot up. “Duncan, here, over
here,” he said.

Duncan came over frowning. “We're getting conflicting
reports. Whoever did this was good. We're not getting many signs on the
ground,” he said.

Kringer was scenting the air. He had a familiar scent, a
stink he tried to block out. He sniffed the perimeter, then stopped at a tree.
He frowned, looking up and growling. “That's because he took to the trees,” Kringer
snarled.

Duncan turned in surprise. “What's with him?” he asked.

“Never mind that,” Adam said, handing the little robot
over. “Can you fix him?”

Duncan took the robot and tucked it under his arm. “Why?”

“It's a witness. Can you check it's memory for footage?”

“Sure. Good catch kid,” Duncan, said, looking down at the
little robot in his arms. “I hadn't thought of that.”

“See if you can fix it too. If we can get it flying it
might lead us to the girl,” Adam said.

“Ah,” Duncan replied, now nodding. “Good idea. I'll check
it at the truck,” he said turning.

“We're going to track the scent,” Adam said, following Kringer.

Teela had pulled gear from her dad's truck. She turned to
see Adam and Kringer on the move. She followed.

<=={----------

Duncan plugged the little robot into a universal port and dumped
it's memory. He scowled at the images and froze them. One was a clear shot of
the ape man's enraged face. He froze that and then ran a trace through the
police database. He wasn't sure of a hit but he had to try.

While the facial recognition program ran he worked on the
little robot. It took a bit of work, but he managed to tack weld it's tiny wing
back together. The little bird flapped it daintily, checking it out. “It'll
hold for now. We need to get you more parts,” Duncan said.

The bird cocked it's head this way and that at the man,
then whistled. It looked to the sky. “Go,” Duncan said gruffly. “Before the
trail becomes too cold. Get with Adam and my daughter. Work with them.”

The bird nodded and took off. Duncan shaded his eyes as he
watched it go. He then turned to the computer. There was a hit in the database.
He scowled as his fingers pulled the report.

<=={----------

Duncan called them and told them he Id's the perp as an ape
man, a wanted fugitive. “Consider his extremely dangerous you three. He's got a
record as long as your arm.”

“Lovely,” Teela sighed.

“Don't go hand to hand with him. He like bear hugs. Hugs
that can snap your spine.”

“I'll remember that,” Teela said. “Stay out of arms reach.
Good survival tip. Cuffing him will be fun though.”

“When in doubt, shoot to kill. And follow that bird,”
Duncan said.

“Roger that,” Teela said, looking up to the silver and gold
speck in the sky. “Shouldn't be too hard.”

“I want regular reports. I'm working on getting a posse
organized. You'd think with all the kids people would be concerned.”

“She's a shy one,” Adam said, leaning over to take Teela's
bracelet arm and speak into it. “I think that's why someone grabbed her. They
didn't think she'd be missed.”

Duncan rubbed his jaw for a long moment. They could hear
his fingers rasping against his unshaven chin. “Possible. She's got talent,
I'll give her that. I've got a deputy in her workshop, the kid's damn good. You
three be careful. Watch your backs,” he growled. “This beast man Biff likes to
drop on you from above. Be careful of trees and high places,” he warned.