The Many Worlds of Dean: Book 1 - Mars (14 page)

Meriyl opened a panel in one of the walls
and stepped out. Following, Dean found that they were in some kind
of maintenance room. Led by Meriyl, the pair wove their way around
various pieces of machinery. Arriving at an outer wall of the large
space, Meriyl moved up the wall until she came to a door. She
opened the door and led Dean inside. He saw a small room with a
single table set in the center.

“This is a break area for maintenance
workers,” she explained. “But, since all the machinery is
automated, they rarely come down here. We are safe to stay here for
long enough to plan out what we are going to do next.”

“Next?” Dean asked in confusion. “I don’t
even know what’s going on here.”

“Have a seat spaceboy, “Meriyl said. “You
are in for one heck of a story.”

“First,” she began, once Dean had slid down
to the floor with his back to the wall, “You need to know who I
really am.” Seeing Dean about to speak, she held up her hand to cut
him off. “Yes, my name is really Meriyl, and yes, I am really a
slave. What you don’t know is why. Everything I told you about my
home world is true. It was really attacked and cut off from The
Path. When I figured out that I couldn’t go home, I was in real
trouble. I had no money and nowhere to go. Even more unfortunate,
the world I was on had a crime boss named Bex. He figured out
pretty quickly that any of my race still on the planet would become
desperate pretty fast. He began to actively search us out. By the
time he found me, I was homeless, starving, and willing to do just
about anything to change that. He took me in, gave me clothes,
food, and a place to sleep. I didn’t realize at the time what he
wanted in return.”

“But, what does that have to do with you
becoming a slave?” Dean interrupted.

“I’m getting there,” she replied testily.
“For several weeks, Bex treated me like his own daughter. He spoke
of paying for me to finish my education and then helping me get
started with a life of my own. I was extremely happy given what I
had recently endured. Then one day he asked me to come along with
him and his associates. I agreed readily. He had me drive a large
vehicle to an office building in the city. He and his ‘friends’
were in the back. Once there, he told me to wait, so I did. He, and
what I later found out were his primary group of criminals, went
into the building wearing masks. They came out a short time later
carrying handfuls of files. They told me to drive back home. I was
informed later that they had stolen files on a secret research
project that they planned to sell to the highest bidder. I was also
informed that a camera on the front of the building had captured my
image. I wasn’t given a mask to wear, so I was now a wanted
criminal.”

“I still don’t under…”

“Please,” she interjected. ”Let me get this
out and you will understand. After he informed me that I was a
wanted criminal, he told me he could clear my name if I did a job
for him. Having very little choice, I agreed. I was escorted to
another world by one of his thugs. Once there I was informed that I
was not wanted on this world. I was told to steal a specific set of
items from a specific stand. I was also told to make certain I was
caught. The thug explained that I would be arrested and turned over
to the owner of the stand to serve as a slave until I had paid back
my debt.”

“Why would they want you to become a slave?”
Dean asked.

“Because they needed a spy,” she answered.
“You see, Quinsil and Quillitonoxic are business partners. It is a
very well hidden secret, but everything Quinsil owns, Quillitonoxic
owns part of, and vice versa. Also, a great deal of what they own
isn’t exactly legal. In fact, some of their business ventures
compete directly with Bex. Needless to say, he doesn’t much care
for competition. My job was to get close to Quinsil so I could find
any information Bex could use to bring them down.”

“Okay,” Dean said. “I understand how you
became a slave, and I’m very sorry you were put into such a
situation, but what does any of this have to do with me?”

“Well, because Quinsil eventually tended to
forget I was there, he developed a bad habit of using his
communicator within earshot. I learned a great deal about his
criminal wrongdoings. I had learned so much in fact, I was going to
take you up on your offer to help me pay my debt sooner. By the
way, this is why I rejected your help to begin with. I needed to
stay long enough to find the information Bex wanted.”

“I see,” Dean said sadly.

“This morning, I overheard Quinsil speaking
with Quillitonoxic. I heard them talk about a failed attempt to
kill you on a bridge. Then I heard Quillitonoxic say that
everything was taken care of. He said he had arranged to have
poison pumped into your room. Apparently, once the poison
dissipated, it was supposed to appear as if your heart had simply
stopped. I had just enough time to find that old filter mask and
get to your door. I heard you banging on the door, so I rigged the
controls.”

“But Meriyl, why would they want to kill
me?”

“That part is simple spaceboy. Your business
is a huge success. They want your half. With no known heirs,
Quillitonoxic automatically gets your half of the business when you
die. And since Quinsil secretly owns part of everything
Quillitonoxic does, he gets part of your half too.”

Dean quietly thought this through for a
moment. He was devastated that he could be betrayed so profoundly
by someone he had considered a friend. As he continued to process
this new information, a sudden revelation struck him. “Why?” he
asked in a near whisper.

“Why what?”

“Why did you come to save me? Won’t that
make both Quinsil and Bex want to harm you?

“Probably,” she replied almost nonchalantly.
“But after everything you have tried to do for me, I couldn’t just
let them kill you. You are the only friend I’ve got.”

As bad as the current situation was, Dean
couldn’t keep himself from smiling.

“So what do we do now?” Dean asked.

“All I know is that we need to get off
world, or they will kill us both,” Meriyl replied.

“So we just head for The Path and get out of
here?”

“Not going to be that simple. I’m sure
Quillitonoxic has paid some guards to prevent us from going through
The Path. Besides, even if we do get through, we’ll be arrested as
soon as we arrive on a new world. That fancy suit you’re wearing
looks military. They’ll think they are being invaded. We have to
find something to cover you up.”

“I have some jumpsuits in my room.”

“You mean the one with the poison gas and
probably crawling with guards?”

Dean hung his head. He had no idea what they
should do. Despair began to pull him into its clutches. He didn’t
understand why bad things kept happening to him. He looked up at
Meriyl. Seeing the distraught expression on her face, similar to
the one he was now wearing, instantly hardened his resolve. He
absolutely would not let her come to harm.

He began to carefully review his options.
They hadn’t killed him yet, so he still had money. They didn’t know
about his armor, or the training he had been taking. They also
didn’t know how far he was willing to go to save Meriyl. Slowly, a
course of action began to form in his mind.

After a few more minutes of silence, he
looked up and said, “I have a plan.”

Meriyl looked at him with doubt splashed
across her face. “Okay Dean, what’s your genius idea?”

Dean smiled warmly and said, “Trust me, I’ve
got this.”

With doubt and hope obviously warring for
control of her face, she said, “Alright, but if you get me killed,
I will never forgive you.”

“Deal,” he replied with a smile.

*****

After receiving directions to the shopping
area, Dean left Meriyl in the maintenance breakroom while he made
his way back to the public areas. Coming to a door, he opened it
just enough to see out. He was right where he needed to be. He was
relatively close to the clothing shop he normally purchased his
jumpsuits from. Looking around carefully, he saw nothing other than
the regular shoppers normally found in this area. He quickly
stepped out from the door. He had left a small wooden block on the
floor between the door and the jamb, preventing it from closing all
the way. He would need to be able to get back to Meriyl. He just
hoped nobody discovered the slightly open door. If it closed, he
wouldn’t be able to go back through it.

He rapidly crossed the distance from the
door to the shop, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible as he
did so. As he entered the shop, the shop’s owner looked up and
began to smile. The smile faltered as he took noticed of the
menacing armor Dean was wearing; along with the two pistols
attached to his hips. Regaining his composure, the shop owner
walked over and asked, “How may I help you?”

Dean smiled politely and replied, “I need a
new jumpsuit. I need this one as fast as you can make it, and I’m
willing to pay triple.”

The shop owner’s initial hesitation seemed
to evaporate instantly. “Certainly; I can have it ready for you
shortly.”

“Just one thing,” Dean said. The shop owner,
already headed for his manufacturing area, turned back quickly. “I
will need a special modification done as well. And, I would like to
use your computer while I wait.”
Okay
, Dean thought,
that
was two things, but the shop owner didn’t seem to care.

Dean explained what he wanted, and the shop
owner scampered off to complete the request. Less than ten minutes
later, he returned with the new garment in hand. Dean pulled the
new jumpsuit on over his armor as quick as he could. He thanked the
shop owner and made his way out the door.

Taking a quick look around, he performed a
rapid march across the shopping area. He stopped at a vending
machine and, looking around to make sure no one was watching him,
he quickly removed his pistols and tucked them behind the machine.
He then turned and walked directly to the bank that held his
account. He knew the bank’s security system would detect his
pistols. He just hoped the special gadgets in his armor wouldn’t
set off any alarms.

As he passed through the door to the bank,
Dean winced expecting a loud alarm to sound. When nothing happened,
he smiled and proceeded to the counter.

When Dean returned to the maintenance
breakroom, Meriyl immediately ran up and hugged him as soon as he
opened the door.

“I thought something had happened to you,”
she exclaimed. “Where were you?”

Dean was taken aback by her hug, but
gathered his wits and replied, “I have been getting things set up.
I want you to know that the next part of my plan is extremely
dangerous. I will try to do it alone if you want to stay here.”

“No way,” she said quickly. “I am not
letting you leave me here alone again. Whatever we have to do,
we’ll do it together.”

Dean smiled and said, “Okay, let’s get this
show on the road.”

Meriyl screwed her face up in confusion.
Dean smiled even bigger and said, “Never mind, just follow me.”

He led Meriyl back the way he had just
traveled. They made their way back to the door leading to the
public areas. Dean cracked the door and carefully looked around.
Seeing nothing suspicious, he opened the door and walked out. As
soon as he had stepped past the door, one of the guards he had seen
manning the desk next to The Path came around a corner. The guard
immediately noticed him and shouted for him to stop. He promptly
turned around and pushed Meriyl back through the door into the
maintenance area. As he went through the door himself, he used his
foot to push the small piece of wood back between the door and the
jamb. Luckily, he had left it lying beside the door when he had
removed it earlier.

He shoved Meriyl off to the side and waited
beside the door. It wasn’t long before the guard came crashing
through door at a run. Dean reached out and took hold of the
guard’s nearest arm. Just as he had been shown in his martial arts
classes, he swung the guard around using the guard’s own momentum.
He put his other hand right on the elbow joint and pushed. He tried
to force the guard down to the ground, but he didn’t realize how
hard that would be when the being he was trying to do it to had six
legs. Luckily, his training had taught him to keep his opponent
moving. When he couldn’t force the large, insectile guard down, he
simply ran him headfirst into the wall. The guard’s head smacked
into the stone wall with a loud thwack. The guard immediately
collapsed to the floor unconscious.

Dean turned back to Meriyl and saw her
staring at him in shock. “Where did you learn to do that?” she
asked stunned.

“Ask me again when we have more time,” he
replied shortly. “Right now, we need to go.”

Dean didn’t realize at the time that even
with the augmented strength provided by his armor, the Gorroshtic
guard was immensely stronger than him. He shouldn’t have been able
to do what he did. At least, that’s what Meriyl was thinking as she
followed him out the door.

Dean made a beeline for Quinsil’s restaurant
with Meriyl in tow. Once they were close, Dean pulled her up
against the nearest wall. “Okay,” he said with his mouth close to
her ear. “I need you to go in and distract Quinsil. Keep him
looking away from his office. I will sneak into his office while
you have his attention. Once you see me go into his office, try to
get him to follow you in there. I will take care of the rest.”

She nodded her head in understanding, took a
deep breath, and headed for the restaurant. Dean edged his way over
to where he could see into the restaurant’s front window. He
watched as Meriyl approached Quinsil. He saw the Gorroshtic become
immediately angry. He couldn’t hear what was being said, but he
could tell that Meriyl was being yelled at. He also noticed her
slowing circling. As she did, Quinsil turned with her, slowly
turning his back to the front door.