Hathor Legacy: Outcast (4 page)

5
Questions

Thirty minutes later, Lt. Kira led Jon to an empty office in the Novacorp Administration buil
ding. After she left, he sat down in front of a long glass-topped table. A row of windows along the left side of the room faced the dark grey wall of another building.

When the door opened, a man and woman walked in, both dressed in smoky grey suits. The man, rounder and heavier, sat down at the desk.

The woman remained by the door, her arms folded across her chest. Her short dark hair was combed back flat against her head, revealing a rounded and attractive face. Unfortunately her suit didn't allow Jonathan to see very much of her body.

"Mr. Keel, my name is Brant. I'm the Guardian Sentry Chief." Brant's brown bushy eyebrows moved up and down as he spoke. "I will be leading your questio
ning."

"You're the what?" Jon hadn't heard that title before. But Novacorp was filled with burea
ucrats. 

"The Sentry Leader, Mr. Keel." Brant pressed his palm against the desktop, causing one of the window panels to become opaque.

"Why am I here?" As he watched, Jonathan saw his name and picture scrolling down the panel. Followed by other stats including the property he owned, the name and location of his club and his father's name and title.

What he didn't see was his mother or sisters mentioned. But he knew better than to bring it up. No need to volunteer any inform
ation.

"You own a club in the Astarte port city called, "The Answer." You're 32 years old. Height 190.5 centimeters. Born on Astarte. Birth mother not noted. No co
ntracted partner." Brant read off the details with no emotion, his finger swiping over the desktop.

"Your father, Brandon Keel is the CEO of the mine where the property destru
ction and robbery occurred. No contracted partner. He is still unaccounted for," Brant continued. 

"That can't be right. My father left for Hathor before the theft. He should've arrived days ago."

"There is no record of his arrival, Mr. Keel." The Sentry Leader kept his attention on the display. "You must have been given incorrect information."

It had to be a mistake. "Look. I came to Hathor to talk to sec
urity. I know someone who has information about the theft. Let's talk to them and get this cleared up."

No one said anything. Out of the corner of his eye, Jonathan noticed the woman shifting her body. He could feel her staring at him.

"You arrived on the shuttle from Astarte with someone who calls herself, Cintra Ansi," Brant said, ignoring Jon's statement. "Where is she now?"

"That's what I'm saying. I brought her here because the thieves were after her. But we got sep
arated at the terminal."

The Sentry Leader's bland expression didn't change. "Are you contracted with her?" he asked.

"Contracted? With Cin--I mean, with her? No, I'm not. I know her from my club. She saw the people who did the robbery. They threatened her."

Brant nodded, glancing over at the woman. Instead of a
cknowledging him, she continued to stare at Jonathan.

"When did she see them?" The Sentry Leader touched the des
ktop again and Jonathan's information disappeared.

"She was traveling from Hathor to Astarte and she overheard them on the shuttle."

"I see." Brant came to his feet and clasped his hands behind him. "And you don't know where she is?"

"No, I don't." Jonathan looked at the woman. Why was she looking at him like that? "You have to find her. She needs prote
ction."

"Mr. Keel, do you know that her name is not Cintra Ansi?"

"We used an alias in case the thieves tried to track her."

Brant looked over at the woman again. This time she nodded.

"Mr. Keel, Cintra Ansi was the name of the Operations Director at mining installation  103-44. Her body was found in one of the mineshafts two months ago." He leaned across the desk. "The woman who entered Hathor with you is called Ilana Travac, a suspect in Ansi's disappearance."

"You're wrong!" No way could Ilana do anything like that.

"You were deceived by this person, Mr. Keel. If she's responsible for Cintra Ansi's death, she may be responsible for your father's disappearance as well."

"I know her. She came to me for help. Why aren't you looking for the people who did this? Or are you questioning me to cover your incompetence?"

Brant's face twisted into frown. "Mr. Keel, perhaps your involvement in this should be investigated further. I--"

A loud buzz interrupted him. Brant motioned for the woman to approach.  They spoke quietly, then he left the room.

"What the hell is going on?" Jon asked. "Who are you?"

"My name is Nadira and you are talking to a Guardian. Does that answer your question?" She came over and sat on the edge of the desk.

Jonathan stood so that he wouldn't have to look up at her.  "I'm a private citizen, not a criminal."

"Then why did you use the CEO's clearance to get passes to travel here?" she asked. "That sounds like something a thief would do."

"Are you a Guardian or an accountant?"

Nadira pursed her lips. He was starting to enjoy this. Why should he be the only one who was pissed off? But now that she was closer, he could get a better view.

Appraising her, he noticed that her standard company grey suit was cut to fit her rounded bosom, tapering a little at the waist. Her smooth skin was the color of the golden brown crystal Cat had admired back at his apartment. Maybe being dragged here for questioning wasn't such a bad thing after all.  

"Looks like he left you here to guard me," he said. "Sure you can handle it?"

"Do you think I can't?"

Ah, this was going to be good. "I'm not sure what you can ha
ndle. But I'd like to find out."

She blinked a few times, her mouth partly open. Good. He'd thrown her off a bit.

"What did you say?"

"When is he coming back?" Jon pointed towards the door. "I'd rather talk to the Leader and not one of his little helpers."

He knew he'd hit a nerve when she uncrossed her arms and came to her feet. They were practically eye-to-eye, which surprised him. Other than his mother, he hadn't met many women close to his height.

"It would be better if you stopped talking," she said.

Of course it would, but he had no plans to do that. "What will you do if I don't?" He liked seeing the flash in her brown eyes. Especially the way the golden flecks  shimmered against the brown.

Nadira took a step towards him just as the door opened again. Brant strode back into the o
ffice and addressed Jonathan. 

"You can go now," he said.

Finally he could get out of here. With a nod to Nadira, Jon left the room.

Out in the corridor Matt was talking to a short woman in a dark brown suit. When she saw Jon, she abruptly turned and scooted down the corridor.

"Matt!" Jonathan was glad to see him. "How did you know where I was?"

"One of my company contacts told me you were picked up." He pressed his palm against the lift sensor plate. "Someone is g
oing to answer for hauling you in here."

"I used my father's account to get the shuttle passes, so what?" The lift doors opened and Jon followed him inside.

"So what?" Matt waited for the doors to close before he continued. "They're strict here when it comes to stealing. That's the worst offence you could be charged with."

Jonathan sighed and leaned against the metal paneled wall. "It's my father's account and his security clearance. What the hell was I stealing? They had Guardians question me over shuttle tickets?"

"Guardians questioned you?" Matt grimaced. "We'll talk more when we get to my place."

*****

"Why did you let him go?" Nadira asked. Jonathan Keel used his father's security clearance fraudulently. He should've been sent back to his planet and barred from returning to Hathor.

"One of the company executives ordered us to release him." Brant was staring out the wi
ndow, his hands clasped behind him. His usual pose when he was deep in thought. "You read him. Was he involved?"

"No. He was deceived by Ilana Travac." Using her abilities to read Jonathan had been very easy. His emotions were close to the surface, as was his arrogance.

But she'd detected something about him that was unexpected. It reminded her of a time when she'd tried unsuccessfully to read another Guardian. A rebound of energy had hit her, making her head ache for hours afterwards.  Jonathan's energy had also rebounded, which was unusual for someone without abilities.

And the way he was looking at her--how dare he? Instead of giving her the r
espect she was due as a Guardian, he'd behaved like a spoiled company brat.  

Tall and muscular, he looked more like someone suited to physical labor than the pampered son of a company executive. On Hathor, members of the executive class shunned ma
nual work. Maybe things were different on Jon's home planet, Astarte.

His dark, curly hair was cut shorter than the longer styles most company men favored. And when she'd been close to him, her eyes had been drawn to the hint of stubble on his squared face. For the perfection-obsessed, clean-shaven was the norm, the better to show off the results of various chemical and surgical proc
edures. But what they had to create, Jonathan came by naturally. And he certainly knew it.

The Leader strolled back to his desk and touched the tabletop. More stats scrolled across the opaqued window. "A company r
ecords search confirmed that Ilana Travac has a Novacorp ID chip implanted."

"She works for Novacorp?" Company workers, other than Guardians, executives and miners, had ID chips implanted in their forearms. If only Brandon Keel had one, he probably would've been discovered by now. 

"No. It must have been done fraudulently."

"She couldn't have stolen Ansi's identity and uploaded it to her own ID chip without a Novacorp security clearance," Nadira said. "Only certain managers have access to those r
ecords."

"Correct. Ilana Travac has been assisted by someone in the company." Brant cleared the di
splay. "Unfortunately her ID chip is no longer functioning, or we'd be able to track her."

"Is she marked?" Nadira asked, referring to the tats thieves were given after their first offense. Placed on the side of the face by the ear, they could not be r
emoved. But they could be hidden.

"No," Brant replied. "She's never been apprehended for stea
ling. Not yet."

"Brandon Keel is still missing," Nadira said. "He has clearance. He might've helped her."

"That is true. He may make contact with his son." Brant folded his arms across his broad chest. "But Novacorp will not detain the CEO of a profitable mine on suspicion alone. His guilt must be proven first."

"Who ordered Jonathan Keel's release? Why not question them?"

The Sentry Leader unfolded his arms and stared at her as though he'd been struck. "No company executives are to be questioned ever. We have no authority over their decisions."

Why did he always defer to the executives at every opport
unity? Didn't the Guardians have any authority? Nadira couldn't stop the tired sigh that escaped her lips.

Brant raised a bushy eyebrow at her response. "Track Jonathan Keel's movements. He may lead you to Ilana Travac or to his f
ather. But do not let him know you are following him. We must be discrete when dealing with people at that level."

"But she doesn't need Keel anymore. Why would they hook up?" The last thing Nadira wanted to do was deal with him again.

"Ilana Travac is a suspected thief and killer." The Leader propped himself on the edge of his desk. "She's a dangerous woman who is smart enough not to get caught. If he meets her again, I have no doubt he will need your protection."

6
Deceptions

After she left the Novacorp Administration building, Nadira went straight to the City Park, an area that stretched for several kilom
eters in the heart of the city. It was her refuge when she wanted to escape from the glass and metal towers that filled the Nova City landscape.

She often spent hours walking through the gardens. Or strolling along the w
aterfront where the ferry boats regularly transported people to the seaside towns of the North.

Sitting on a wooden bench, staring out over the lush green grass-covered knoll, she hadn't expected to see her Guardian me
ntor, Zina. In fact, she'd been able to approach without Nadira detecting her presence beforehand.

In keeping with her disciplined manner, Zina's fitted, brown jacket was closed almost to the neck. She kept her long black hair clipped back, where it hung down past her shoulders.

An empath by nature, she was skilled at zeroing in on the vulnerabilities of her targets, allowing her to use their own energy against them. Zina never wore jewelry or engaged in affectation, other than her expensive residence and its furnishings.

Without uttering a word of greeting, her mentor sat on the edge of the bench, her back rigid. She reminded Nadira of a very tightly coiled spring.

Tell me what happened at the meeting," Zina said, her almost-black eyes focused like lasers.

Nadira slid closer to the end of the bench, putting more space between them. Close contact could, at times, create physical di
scomfort between Guardians, a fact that Nadira had learned early in her training.

"Jonathan Keel was brought in for questioning. But an exec wanted him released. I don't u
nderstand why Brant let him go on the orders of a company bureaucrat."

"The Sentry Leader is also a bureaucrat. He's not a real Sentry and he certainly isn't leading anything," Zina said, a slight smile on her lips.

Nadira had always been suspicions of Brant. But this was the first time Zina had revealed this information. "Then why is he in that position?"

"Someone has to appear to be in control. And it's in our inte
rests to let the company think they are. But you will find out why in time." She whisked away a leaf that had drifted down from one of the trees. "Did anyone else come with Jonathan Keel?"

"Yes, a woman named is Ilana Travac."

At the mention of Travac's name, Zina's head whisked towards Nadira like it had been jerked. "She wasn't brought in?"

"She and Keel were separated at the terminal."

"Can you track her?"

"Brant told me to track Jonathan Keel."

Zina slapped her hand down on the bench. "He's a fool. If we allow the thieves to elude us, it will reveal to the company that the Guardians are vulnerable. That must never happen."

She'd heard these words often enough over the years. Any fai
lure could be interpreted as weakness, and that could lead Novacorp to question why Guardians were needed at all.

"There's something else," Nadira continued. "Travac doesn't work for Novacorp, but she has a company ID chip implanted. And she's a suspect in the death of a mining operations director named Cintra Ansi."

Zina clasped her hands in her lap. "She must be involved in the robbery on Demeter. We must locate her."

Though Nadira usually couldn't read the emotions of other Guardians, Zina's growing displea
sure was hard for her to ignore.

"We can look at connections between her and Novacorp ma
nagement. Find out how she got the ID chip," Nadira offered.

Zina shook her head. "If her contact in the company was still helping her, she wouldn't have needed to use Jonathan Keel to get here."

"Then should I continue to track him?" Nadira could almost feel sorry for him for being deceived by Travac, but she didn't want to.

"Yes. She'll dispose of him now that he's no longer necessary. That is how she works. He can be our bait to catch her."

*****

Walking into Matt's apartment, Jon was drawn to the floor-to-ceiling windows that lined the entire space. Dropping his bag on a nearby chair, he strolled over to take in the Nova City skyline, where silver, gold and jewel-tone spires glistened against the dar
kening sky. 

"Overwhelming, isn't it?" Matt was at his bar pouring himself a drink. "Want one?" He held out the crystal liquor decanter.

"Not right now," Jonathan replied. "There's nothing like this view on Astarte. How long have you had this place?"

"Got it after I opened my club." Matt led them over to the sea
ting area opposite the window. "Tell me what happened with the Guardians."

"I used my father's security clearance to get our passes for the shuttle. Then I used his a
ccount to reserve the room at the Emerald Club. Mine security locked his account this morning."

Matt sighed. "Your father is missing and under suspicion. Are you surprised they alerted sec
urity?"

"When you put it that way, no."

"Wait a minute--you said, 'our?'"

Should he tell Matt everything? Could he trust him? Did he have a choice? "A woman came with me. She overheard the thieves on the shuttle. They found out and threatened her."

"What the hell? Where is she?"

Good question. Now if only he had an answer. "I don't know. She's the one I was chasing at the terminal."

"Why did you bring her here? She should've talked to security at the mine," Matt said.

Jonathan shook his head. "She was afraid. She needed my help. I came with her to make sure she'd be all right." Sitting here telling Matt about it now, he rea
lized how ridiculous it sounded. He should've convinced her to talk to Cat.

Matt sipped his drink. "Who is she?"

"I met her about a month ago when she came to my club." Jonathan stared out at the city scene in front of him. "Her name is Ilana Travac. The Guardians think she's a criminal."

"Ilana?" Matt slammed his glass down on the table in front of them and jumped up from the couch. "Damn it, Jonathan! Why didn't you tell me about this?" Matt looked like he was about to punch a hole in the wall.

"What's wrong? Do you know her?"

Matt held out a hand to silence him. "Wait here." He stormed out of the living area, his foo
tsteps pounding against the stone floor. 

In another part of the apartment, a door slammed hard enough to rattle the glasses on the bar shelves. What was going on? Wha
tever was happening, he had no intention of waiting. Instead, Jonathan went after him. At the end of the corridor, stood an imposing set of gold metallic double doors.

Tempted to lean against them to hear what was happening on the other side, he stopped. If he went too close, he might  trip the sensor and they'd open. But as it turned out Matt's voice was loud enough to be heard very clearly.

"You don't understand. We have a problem here," Matt bellowed.

Was someone in the room with him? No, he was probably u
sing a com unit.  But who was he talking to?

"Yes, he brought her here! You should've stopped it."

Straining to listen, he moved closer, his fingers slight millimeters away from the shiny metal door. When Matt spoke again, his voice was so low that it could barely be heard.

"I know, I know. I'll take care of it. He's going to have to go…"

Jon backed away from the door.  He'd trusted Matt and that had been a mistake.

Heading back out to the living area, Jonathan shot a glance over his shoulder. Matt was his father's friend, but if he tried an
ything, Jon would have to defend himself.

There was no point in staying here any longer. He grabbed his travel bag and left the apar
tment. If he wanted to find out what happened to his father, he'd have to do it on his own.