13 Degrees of Separation (71 page)

“Roger dad, thanks. Out.”

“Good luck, out,” Duncan replied. The bird flew on a
mission, straight as an arrow. Adam spotted it in the air. They used it and Kringer
to track the girl's captor.

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

Kringer balked when he scented a familiar scent and
recognized the area. “There is something about this, something isn't right.”

“Well, for one thing, we're on foot and he obviously had a
vehicle,” Teela said in disgust. This is taking forever,” she said. The bird
preened on a branch nearby. It had landed to get plugged in. Adam had drained a
back up radio battery to get the bird recharged.

“We could stop, find a vehicle, or wait for one to come,” Kringer
said hopefully.

“Kringer, you were gung ho before, what happened?” Adam
asked, looking at the young Neocat. Kringer crouched, bristling. He toyed with
a stick, not looking at his friend.

“He got scared. It finally sunk in that this ape could kill
us,” Teela said in disgust.

“I'm  not sure it's that,” Adam said slowly. “We've been
going in circles for a day now.”

“You noticed?” Teela asked. Her dad was still having
trouble getting his people moving. They were just leaving town now. She looked
around, brushing moss away. “Damn swamp.”

“Yeah,” Adam said. He'd come close to getting eaten twice
that morning. “Is that it? Echo's of being in the swamp? Or the smell?” he
asked, looking at the cat. “Come on buddy, talk to me,” he said.

The bird cocked it's head this way and then and then
cheeped. Teela looked at it and snorted.

Kringer had trouble with the swamp location, he wanted to
avoid it. He was remembering things, remembering what he'd left the swamp to
forget. “Are you scared Kringer?” Adam asked softly.

“Who isn't?”

“Why?” Adam asked simply. “It's not the swamp is it? I
noticed you didn't like the smell back at the site of the crime. Something's
been eating at you,” he said.

“You mean something other than blood suckers?” Teela asked,
using a lighter to get a leech off her bare arm. It curled and wiggled then
fell off. Adam winced, looking away.

“He killed my mother,” Kringer said softly. He shivered.

Adam looked at his girlfriend in surprise then back to Kringer.
“He. The ape man Biff?”

“Biff. I never knew his name,” Kringer growled softly. He
turned, eyes wide. “Don't make me face him. He'll kill me. He'll kill
you
.
I don't want that,” he said, ears flat on his skull. He shivered.

Adam crouched by his side. He wanted to pet Kringer, make
him feel safe, make him feel okay, but he knew now was not the time for
coddling.

Adam knelt there for a long moment. When Teela cleared her
throat he clucked his tongue. She quieted in irritation. “Do you remember when
those two things tried to eat me this morning?” he finally asked.

“Yes,” Kringer replied sullenly.

“Do you think I was scared?”

“The... Yeah. But there was no time to be scared for the
second...”

“Yes it happened fast. I had to react. I
had
to. I
had no choice, it was him or me. Life is like that sometimes. Sure I was a bit
scared after, I didn't have the shakes, I realized we didn't have time for it.
I'm going to have nightmares, I know that.”

“But you're still going. I wish I was as brave as you,” the
Neocat said bitterly.

“You think that's it? It's that easy? Buddy, real courage
isn't bravado, it's not looking for trouble and diving in. It's doing what is
right even though you are scared. Even though you know you can die. Doing it
anyway. Don't let your fear rule you. You'll always be running away if you do.
You have to rise to the occasion and overcome it,”

There was an aching long silence as the cat digested that.
He played with the stick, tossing it and then he skipped a rock. Adam looked at
Teela.

“Mom would have wanted me to live,” Kringer said
petulantly.

“I tell you what, you lead us to where the girl is then go.
We'll take it from there.”

“You aren't serious Adam!” Kringer demanded.

“We'll deal with it,” Adam said, nodding his chin to Teela.

“Fine. That way,” Kringer growled and then pointed. They
moved on.

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

They camped out overnight in the bush. It took another day
to find out where they were going. They tracked the girl to snake mountain, one
of the offline Planetary Defensive installations. It was a planetary graser
complex that had been abandoned after the power network had been worn out and
later destroyed in a hurricane. Torn cables covered the mountain, giving it
it's name. It's graser mount stood up, pointed to the sky. The tip looked like
the head of an old earth cobra.

“You have got to be kidding me. Here?” Teela demanded. She
shook her head. “Why here?”

“Why not?”

“Well, we're supposed to come here and fix it soon. Dad was
setting up the security entourage for the exploration team just before the girl
was nabbed.”

“I wonder who's behind this. And why?”

“My guess? The raiders,” Kringer said softly. He pointed to
the mountain.

“Explain,” Teela said, crossing her arms.

“Mom was killed by the ape man. He was working for the
raiders. They put us in a ring to fight. Mom fought the ape man while they
laughed, drank, and jeered. I got away.”

“Oh.”

“I wish you had told us that sooner,” Teela said.

“Something's you just want to forget,” Kringer replied.

“I see,” Teela murmured. “I'd want to forget that too I
guess,” she finally said. “And I don't fault you for running when you were outnumbered
and a kid. You did the right thing.”

“I didn't ask for approval,” Kringer growled.

“No. I suppose not.”

“But... thanks.”

“I'm glad to be out of the swamp,” Adam said, picking a
clinging vine off his shoulder. He brushed leaves out of his hair. “I see why
you turned green,” he joked.

“How did this come about?” Teela asked.

“Do we care?”

“Always ask the right questions. It might help. Besides,
we've got time,” Teela replied.

“True,” Adam answered. He frowned thoughtfully.
“Transients. People who were outcasts I bet. Homeless people, maybe shipwrecks
or those who were stealing stuff before.”

“And?”

“And they probably found this place and set up shop. I
noticed the mountain's not overrun with a lot of jungle growth. I don't know
why. That's odd.”

“True.”

“I'm betting over time, a pecking order emerged. A um...
warlord I guess. Someone bigger and meaner than the rest.”

“Uh huh,” Teela said. “Go on. I'm with you.”

“And I'm betting they got into raiding for supplies and
well, just the sheer fun of it.”

“Right.”

“The self justification defense like your dad likes to
say.”

“Okay.

“Pope,” Kringer said. They turned to him. “His name. Pope.
Or what they called him. Sometimes Skeletor when he wore the mask. He scared
the crap out of me.”

“And now the enemy has a name. Now we need to put a face to
the name.”

“You do that. I'm not interested,” Kringer said, fading
back into the bush.

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

Kringer followed them into the low brush. He found a nice
tree with deep exposed roots off to the left of the main entrance. A guard was
posted in the shadow of the entrance, but he was too busy smoking something and
talking to someone deeper in the tunnel. There was plenty of grass and shrubs
between them and the well worn path to the door. “I think we found the right place,”
Adam murmured. “Go back and call it in,” Adam sent Teela back to call for help.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, looking at the Neotiger as the tiger
passed Teela and dropped into her place.

“Just shut up,” the tiger growled. “We all die sometime.”
His grass green eyes roved the defenses. It wasn't fair that the two humans had
body armor and weapons and he didn't. All he had was his utility belt.

He studied the mountain, trying to focus on it. There was a
crude moat on either side of the front entrance, it forced anyone approaching
it to go up the road, fully exposed to the defenders. That was certainly out.
He sniffed, getting the faint scent of humans off to the right.

“Thought it over?” Adam asked, looking at the tiger. The
green fur was standing on end, bristling. The tiger had his mouth partially
open, nose wrinkled, ears back. He was scenting the air.

“Yeah. I figure if I can rip the throat out of that ape,
I've lived a good life,” Kringer said.

Adam's eyes flared briefly wide and then he slowly nodded.
He nearly shot Teela as the woman came back and dropped into the root hollow
they were using as a hide. “Spirit of space Teela!” he said, holstering the
pulser.

She looked at the weapon and then to Adam and shrugged.
“Help's coming. My dad's rounding up a posse. He's trying to keep it quiet
though, we don't want to tip them off.”

“Okay.”

“What's his problem?” she asked, looking at the bristling
tiger.

Adam looked at her and then to the tiger. “It's...
complicated. Revenge usually is.”

“Um... okay,” Teela said wrinkling her nose.

“ETA? On your dad and the Calvary?” Adam asked.

Teela shook her head. “No idea. He said to wait until they
get here.” She turned a severe eye on Adam. “And I'm to sit on you if you even
think of going in.”

“Um...” Adam frowned as Kringer suddenly moved. “Too late I
think,” Adam said, following the tiger.

“Ah shit,” Teela snarled, following in their wake. “Guys!”
she stage whispered, looking around. “This is stupid! Get back here! Guys!” she
hissed. She sighed, closing her eyes briefly. “Great we're following a cowardly
green tiger turned hero. What next?”

“I heard that,” Kringer's voice drifted back to her.

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

Jane closed her eyes, fervently wishing someone would come
riding in on a white charger and save her ass like in the stories. But every
time she opened her eyes, here she was, in hell.

Apparently they wanted her to repair the defenses of the
mountain complex. She did what she could but the complex lacked power and
parts. Without power you couldn't diagnose what was wrong, without parts you
couldn't fix what was broke. She'd been a wreck the first couple of hours. They
kept her on a short chain, literally chained by her neck to whatever was handy
around her.

Pope protected her, kept her on task, but he was a bastard.
He did seem almost... guilty about letting the men have their way with her. It
didn't stop him from letting them do it though. Her first three days here he'd
let his bastard of a brother and his friends have their way with her. She'd
been raped repeatedly. Even the sick sadistic black haired woman had taken a go
at her, raping her with the handle of a knife. She shivered, trying to drive
the imagery out of her mind.

Pope had been casual about the rape, kneeling next to her
as she had sobbed in a crumpled heap after the second day. He rather politely
told her that he was doing this for multiple purposes. He looked back of his
shoulder to the crowd of snoring men. “First it let my men get their jollies
off. A release valve of sorts,” he said. “Second, he took her hair and pulled
it back until she whimpered. “Second, it teaches you to pay attention and to
mind your manners. Right?” She nodded. “Good girl,” he murmured, letting her
hair go and stroking it a few times as if she was a pet.

“Third, this will as a reminder to you that if you don't do
as you are told, well,” He frowned. “I really can't see protecting you if you
don't. I'll just let your fertile imagination think of what they will do next.”
She'd shivered uncontrollably for hours after he had left.

He'd let her sleep for a couple hours, then kicked her to
her feet. Another female slave was cooking nearby. A third was serving the
group. From the look of them they were actually relieved she was here, sharing
in their nightmare. She hated them, despised them for sometime before her
genius mind thought it over. In their defense they had just had two days of
peace. It took her another grudging day to get over the pain to come to
understand that, and understand she didn't blame them.

There were half a dozen women slaves in the group. A couple
of kids, most served as pick pockets and servants to the group. Pope
occasionally sent them out as informants. He had them hooked on drugs to keep
them on a short leash. He was the only supply so he knew the craving would
eventually drive them back to him, or kill them.

The slaves weren't hooked on drugs. He'd considered it, but
told her casually that it was a waste of rare material. “After all, the stuff
may grow on trees here in the jungle, but it took months to ripen.” He had a
chemistry set up, they made everything from Meth to the jungle hallucinogens,
to designer drugs. One of the things he wanted her to do was to repair the food
replicators in the complex so he could make supplies for more.