Hathor Legacy: Outcast (13 page)

"I need a location search for properties owned by Matt Bento in the North Country." Jason had already done this search the night before. But Jonathan had to be sure.

"There is no known location for that individual in the North Country," she said, flashing a set of extremely white teeth.

Maybe there was a way to narrow things down. "Give me a list of the private houses in the North, excluding farms."

"I'm sorry. I'll need an additional cross reference. Those results will create an overflow."

"Sila, how large is the North Country?

"The North Country, also known as Sector 3, covers approx
imately 321,868.2 kilometers and contains the largest concentration of farm land, manufacturing plants, and developed shoreline than any other area on the Novacorp HQ planet. The planet, also known as, Hathor was discovered by astronomers at the Space Administration in the solar year 2234 and--"

"Stop! That's enough." There was no way they were going to find Matt's house without a d
efinitive location.

"How would I find somebody if I didn't know where to look?"

"Are they lost?"

At first he thought she was joking. "I'm lost."

"Oh! Well, in that case, please inform me where you are now."

"That's what I'm asking you!"

Sila's eyes rolled back and forth. She was either thinking or on the verge of a system failure. "You are in the 7th District, Public Communications Station Four. Where would you like to be?"

"Wait. The North is divided into districts?"

"Of course, isn't everything?"

Now he was sure she was joking. Just what he needed, a co
mputer with a sense of humor.

A search by district would be a hell of a lot easier. Jon was about to make a
nother request when out of the corner of his eye, he saw a woman in a dark uniform heading towards the food stalls. Shit. It was time to break this off.

"End the query, Sila."

"Query ended. Have a wonderful day!" She flashed one last smile before her image disappeared.

Keeping an eye out for the security officer, Jon headed to the com booths. L
ocated away from the busy food stalls, the coms were tucked away in a corner of the building.

Following the instructions on the screen, he requested his co
nnection. At least his ID wasn't required on the public com. That would keep security from tracking him.

It took several moments to route the call to Cat's com ID. Inte
rplanetary communication wasn't always quick or efficient. He knew he was taking a chance by waiting, especially with the officer just steps away.

"Please wait" continued to scroll across the screen. What if she didn't answer?

Just when he was about to break off the call, Cat's face appeared. Unfortunately the layer of finger smudges on the screen made her image look like it was out of  focus. 

"Jonathan!"

"Hello, Cat," he said.

"Where the hell are you, you little shit? You disobeyed me and you took that woman with you!"

So much had happened; he'd forgotten that Cat would still be angry at him for leaving. "There's no time to talk about that now. Did you know there's an alert out saying--"

"When I saw Ilana Travac's name on the shuttle passenger list, I knew you were responsible. Jonathan, what were you thinking to take up with that slag?"

"I get it! I was wrong. Look, there's an alert out about my father. What the hell is going on?"

She paused, a strained look on her face. "We found remains. I'm sorry, Jonathan. It's not co
nfirmed, but…but we have to accept that Brandon was probably killed in the explosion."

Her words jolted him. "No. That can't be true. "How long have you known?"

"I was required to report it to headquarters. Brandon has a partial ownership in the mine. I made a report to company security the day after your shuttle arrived."

Jonathan slumped in his chair. That was the day he'd been in Nadira's apartment recovering. The same day she'd talked to the Guardian Sentry Leader. So she had to have known.

"How about my mother and sisters?"

"Your family is worried about you, Jonathan. You have to come home now. Don't wait for the company shuttle. I can have a private one ready to bring you to Astarte. Just tell me where you are."

She was right. But if he left, Ilana would get away.

"I know who's responsible. If I leave now, they'll never find her."

"Look, I'm trying to protect you."

"I already have the protection I need, Cat."

"Do you mean that Guardian you're running around with?" She scowled at him. "First Ilana, and now this woman. You've been manipulated and you don't even know it." 

"Wait a minute--how do you know I'm with a Guardian?"

"I've taken enough of your crap. I'll have you picked up and detained."

"Answer me!" Jon demanded.

Cat shot him a look of contempt. "When you get back, you'll never leave Astarte again without my permission. And after this stupid shit you've pulled, you'll never get it."

The screen blanked out.

"Damn it!" He brought his fist down so hard he thought the screen would break. Jon glanced around, luckily the booths nearby were empty.

Should he contact his mother and ask her what was happening there? As much as he wanted to, he couldn't take the chance. It was best to leave now.

It was warmer outside than when he'd first gone in. Jonathan pulled his jacket off and climbed into the transport.

"Lora, take me back to the house," he said.

"Yes, of course. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." His head was pounding and he felt like throwing up. "Just get me back there as soon as you can."

"Yes, sir."

His father was dead. And Nadira had known about it. Why hadn't she told him?

17
Fragile

When Lora pulled up behind the house, Jonathan barely waited for her to stop before he hopped out. During the ride, he'd replayed every conversation with N
adira in his mind--every look, every touch--had it all been done to break down his resistance? Just as Ilana had done.

And they both had the same powers.

He trudged along the gravel path leading from the parking area to the front door. With each step, he felt like he was slogging through thick mud. Had he been that much of a fool?

Turning the corner, he stopped in his tracks. Nadira was stan
ding on the front stairs looking out at the sea. Her arms crossed, her short dark hair ruffled by the breeze. What was she thinking? If only he could tell. But his ability to see her thoughts came and went without his control.

"What happened?" she asked, still gazing at the water.

"How did you know I was here?" Stupid question. Would he ever get used to her powers?

She turned to face him, her eyes wet. "I felt it. Something's wrong. Isn't it?"

"Let's talk over there." 

Purple fronds of beach grass shot up through the slate grey sand. He led the way,  pulling back the slender shafts as they tramped down to the water's edge.

Stopping at a point just above the water line, he watched as the waves rolled onto the shore, then retreated, leaving bubbling foam in their wake.

"What is it?" she asked.

"While I was at the com station I called Cat Mantee."

"The Mine Security Chief? You shouldn't have done that. What if she reports your location to security?"

"I asked her about my father."

Nadira took a step towards him. "There's something more."

Tingling spread across his face and down over his chest and arms. What the hell? She was reading him.

"Cat said they found my father's remains the day after I arrived. She reported it to the Guardians." He braced himself before co
ntinuing. "That was the day I was at your apartment. The same day you talked to the Sentry Leader. He told you, didn't he?"

"Jonathan, I didn't believe him. I didn't trust what he was sa
ying."

"But you should've told me! You didn't have the right to decide what I needed to know."

"You don't understand, Jon. Zina was telling Brant what to say. They have their own agenda."

"Everyone has an agenda, Nadira. Even you."

"What are you saying? Do you think I did all of this to betray you?" she asked. "I'll probably be banished for what I've done."

"You were the one I thought I could trust. My father's been dead all this time, and you never told me."

The only way he could keep himself clear was to leave now. If he stayed, if he listened to her, he might change his mind.

"I wasn't deliberately hiding anything, Jon. I wanted to protect you. That's why I brought you to my apartment and that's why I'm here now."

After what had happened between them, withdrawing from her wouldn't be easy. But he could do it.

Hunching his shoulders against the icy sea air, he turned away from her.

"Jonathan!"

"Go back to the city. I'll be okay." 

"I'm not leaving. We're going to find Ilana together."

"I don't need your help." Was she following him? It didn't ma
tter. From now on he'd focus on finding Ilana and Matt and shove everything else out of his mind.

*****

Nadira stood by the water's edge, watching as Jonathan headed back up the path. He ran up the stairs and went inside, the door slamming shut behind him.

Why couldn't he understand she'd only wanted to protect him?

"My pardon!" Jason rushed down the path, his apron flapping. "Jon said he's leaving to go find your friend, Matt Bento. Did something happen?"

"We had a difference of opinion."

Jason picked his way through the grass and joined her by the waterline. "He refused to have Lora take him back to the com station. He's a CEO's son. I'm concerned about him walking about without an escort."

"Is it so dangerous here?"

He seemed shocked by the question. "Of course not. No one would dare to harm him, but still, he should receive a certain courtesy."

Jason certainly was a good fit for his role. Though she wasn't sure if he really did feel the executive class deserved more consi
deration, or if he wanted to stay on the good side of those in power.

"I'm not leaving until we have a plan," Nadira said. "So he's not going an
ywhere either."

"Then there is no problem between you? He seems agitated." Jason glanced back towards the house. "Sometimes relations are difficult for Guardians. And, forgive me for mentioning it, but it is obvious that there are relations between you."

It should've been more than obvious by now. "That's something that should remain private, Jason."

"You are not the first Guardian to come here with that request. There are times when discretion is the better choice." He clasped his hands over his apron. "I'm aware that relations with Fragiles are not encouraged. At first I thought perhaps that was why you came here and I--"

"What--what are you saying?" Nadira held out her hand to stop him from continuing. "Fragiles?"

Jason leaned closer, like he was sharing a confidence. "Trad
itionally people from the North have little affection for off-worlders, particularly the ones who are connected to Novacorp. They're called Fragiles in our language. Well, some people call them that. I don't, of course."

"Of course." Was this what her mother had endured? Facing r
ejection from the Guardians and her own people over her choice of partner? Nadira sighed. "We didn't come here to hide, Jason."

"Your pardon, I did not mean to imply that," he gasped, gen
uinely alarmed at her response. "Jonathan is worthy of you if you have chosen him."

Chosen him? She wouldn't have put it quite that way. "Do you have any suggestions for fin
ding Matt Bento's home?" she asked. "He recently acquired it from Novacorp."

"Really?" Jason's eyes grew wide. "That is quite unusual. They don't often sell property to a private owner. He must be a very wealthy individual."

"He is," Nadira replied. "And he does have company connections."

"If I could use my tablet, I might be able to find something."

"I'd rather you didn't. You've done enough to assist us."

"Then let me ask Lora. She might know about a house like that. That would certainly be som
ething people would talk about." Jason rushed back to the house.

Four boats were out in the open sea, their blue and green sails puffed out by the wind. What if she just took a minute to slip out of her shoes and dig her toes into the sand? Just stand here and think about nothing more than the rush of w
ater over her feet…like she used to do long ago.

The breeze was picking up. Nadira rolled down her shirtsleeves as she scanned the sapphire blue sea. Though right now the sky was clear, way off in the distance she saw streaks of dark grey clouds. A storm was coming.

But there was something wrong. She could feel it.

"AAAGGG!" Nadira pressed her hands against her head as a jolt of energy hit her, sending her down to her knees. She dug her fingers into the wet sand, stead
ying herself.

Another energy was bombarding her, striking at her vulnerabi
lity to force its way through. The shield she'd put around herself and Jonathan was crumbling.

Without the shield around him, any Guardian could track him. And when they found him…

She got back to her feet and ran down the path, ignoring the grass fronds that lashed at her legs. It didn't matter if Jon was still shutting her out. He'd have to let her shield him again.

Just as she reached the door, Jason appeared, sweat covering his ace. "Jonathan took one of the cycles! I tried to catch up with him, but he was moving too quickly. Can he drive them? Most people from the city are not good at handling vehicles."

Nadira groaned. Could he drive one? Probably not. But since when had that stopped him from doing anything. "Can a cycle move as fast as a transport?"

"Faster."

"Jason, I'm going to need your help again. We have to find Jon before he runs into trouble."

"If he doesn't have experience driving a cycle, he'll run into something else b
efore then."