Authors: Marilyn Campbell
Topaz Dreams (2 page)
Until
now, Romulus had not been certain that those messages had anything to
do with the mysterious disappearance of the pleasure female Delphina.
Two weeks ago, following a routine reassignment from the Indulgence
Center to the remote Gladly volterrin mining camp, Delphina stepped
into the glass transmigrator cell and vanished. The technician
testified that he hadn't yet programmed the control panel to send
Delphina to her destination, but she definitely transmigrated out of
the departure cell.
Delphina never arrived at Gladly, and no one had
uncovered a single due as to her whereabouts. But it was known that
someone with an Innerworld ring could have brought her to them. If it
could be assumed that this someone was the same person transmitting the
messages, then Delphina had been migrated to the source of the
interference on Outerworld- The problem of the missing female was made
more difficult by her limited intelligence. She would have no way of
knowing who or where the nearest emissary was to help get her home.
Romulus
had put off sending any trackers out to search for her, hoping another
message would come in that could be traced to a more specific area
within the northwestern quartersphere of Outerworld, but the
transmissions stopped abruptly following Delphina's disappearance.
This day's disaster proved he had waited too long.
Only
one possible explanation remained. A ring was in the hands of a novice,
one who had not been trained to use it properly, but was attempting to
do so anyway. There was only one ring unaccounted for, Romulus's, and
he knew who had it: Gordon Underwood, the unscrupulous man who had
abducted Romulus when he and Aster were on their secret mission in
California six months ago.
Because of his background in astrophysics
and his diplomatic accomplishments, Romulus had been chosen to contact
Doctor Katherine Houston, a scientist at the Palomar Observatory, with
a solution to prevent an enormous asteroid from destroying the Earth.
Aster, more familiar with Outerworld and its people, had accompanied
him. All would have gone well except Dr. Houston's secretary had
eavesdropped on their conversation and had relayed to Gordon Underwood
the fact that an alien was in California.
At times Rom was almost
grateful to Underwood for kidnapping him. Aster's subsequent show of
bravery and loyalty to Innerworld had weighed heavily in the Ruling
Tribunal's momentous decision to permit Aster to join with him and be
named co-governor of Norona's most valuable colony.
It had to be
assumed that Underwood still possessed the ring he had stolen from
Romulus, decided it was not merely jewelry, and was trying to learn its
secrets.
Until the ring and Delphina were found, all transportation
using either the transmigrator or the doorways would be limited to
emergency use only. Norona would not be happy with the temporary
suspension of trade with its mining colony, but Romulus had no choice.
He would not risk any further loss of life.
Rom called to his
assistant in the outer office. "Page Falcon in his quarters. Tell him
to come immediately. We have another job for him."
Falcon frowned at
the stack of books and files on Outerworld he had brought home
following his meeting with Romulus. He was to review them as a
supplement to the information he would find in the computer files.
Learn only the bare essentials, Rom had said to him, enough to get
around in the United States without attracting attention. Fortunately
Falcon did not have to learn the language or wear a translator to
communicate with the natives.
Falcon had journeyed to Outerworld
twice-—once to help Aster locate and rescue Romulus, and once as her
guardian when she had returned to meet with Dr. Houston to complete the
mission she and Romulus had begun. Both trips took place on the same
day, and each had only taken a matter of hours. This time he would not
have Aster to guide him or his behavior in that strange place, so he
had no option but to familiarize himself with the country and its
culture.
Aster. Would he ever be able to hear her name without
recalling the private moments he had shared with her? Falcon would not
have revealed it to Romulus, but he was certain that his current
personal problem began during his encounter with Aster in Outerworld.
Separated
from Romulus and deep in the throes of the mating fever that bound her
to Romulus, Aster's emotions had suffocated Falcon. She had disproved
the belief that only Noronians experienced the tormenting fever which
two true soul mates experienced. Sexual release could temporarily cool
the burning and desensitize the flesh, but only joining could cure the
mating fever.
Falcon had not been able to use his powers to find
Romulus until he had helped Aster alleviate her pain. By touching her
mind, he had planted a very realistic, erotic fantasy which had
relieved her sexual tension. But Falcon had found himself surprisingly
captivated by the passionate hallucination she had experienced.
From
time to time Falcon would discover that he possessed some new ability,
and that had been one of those times. His own sexual desire had been
awakened and it was becoming increasingly distracting, in spite of the
mental control he exercised to suppress it. At least he had a complex
assignment to occupy him for a while. Perhaps all he really needed was
a sufficient diversion for him to get back to normal.
In order to
fulfill this mission, he had to locate the missing ring and the female,
Delphina. The only way he would find her, it seemed to him, was if she
was already where he was going. At least he should recognize her. He
knew she was almost as tall as he was, with a slender body, straight
waist-length auburn hair, and bright green eyes. What little evidence
they had suggested Gordon Underwood was the most likely starting point.
He
picked up the dossier on Underwood. Aster had related some facts and
hearsay about the man after it was determined that he had been behind
Romulus's capture. Knowing that any small detail might help him locate
and outsmart his adversary, and assuming Underwood still had the ring
and the female, Falcon settled into his most comfortable chair to begin
memorizing the contents of the first file.
Falcon studied the cover
photo that accompanied the Time magazine article on Underwood. He was
not only extraordinary in his accomplishments but in appearance as
well. Although a large man at six foot four inches and 280 pounds, his
massive shaven head still appeared oversized. It was implied that the
large skull was necessary to accommodate his enormous brain. His
features were sharp, his eyes narrowed as if in deep concentration.
The
article noted that Underwood's parents had recognized his genius when
he was a mere toddler, and with the help of a few special teachers, he
soon surpassed all their expectations. He completed graduate school and
obtained his first patent by the age of twenty in the young field of
computer science. Besides his propensity for learning he seemed to be
gifted with the Midas touch. He exhibited great foresight when
investing his earnings, first in real estate and stocks and later in
oil, with each venture being more profitable than the last.
There
seemed to be continual speculation about his lack of interest in the
opposite sex, because no one could give evidence of a close sexual
relationship with any other human, male or female.
The journalist
had written that the man seemed to be both selfless and selfish, a
generous employer and a cruel taskmaster; a philanthropist who
regularly made huge donations to various charities and nonprofit
organizations and a ruthless egomaniac who allowed nothing to stop him
from obtaining a desired goal.
One of his philanthropic enterprises,
the Underwood Foundation, was established to offer support to groups,
colleges, and agencies that focused on scientific achievements and
space exploration. Through this foundation, Underwood kept his finger
on the pulse of the future.
From their adventure, Falcon and Aster
had surmised that the billionaire had a network of his own agents
within the organizations he supported. Those well-paid individuals kept
their antennae tuned to everything their superiors and coworkers did,
then reported to Underwood when anything of interest occurred. At least
that had been the circumstances regarding Walter Adams, Dr. Houston's
devoted secretary at Palomar Observatory. Adams had revealed Romulus's
presence to Underwood in repayment of some sort of debt. They were not
able to uncover the exact circumstances since Adams had died suddenly
of a heart attack.
The article then went on to report that the
Underwood Foundation was located in an enormous complex beneath the
desert in central Nevada. It was purported to be the size of a small
city, with hundreds of people living and working there, but its
existence was well guarded from prying eyes by an elaborate and
sophisticated security system. Underwood had planned the development as
a child, during the nuclear bomb scares of the fifties. The fortune he
later amassed made the dream a reality.
Falcon could not verify how
large the facility was since he and Aster had entered only one small
room in the private hospital there, and had taken Romulus out with them
in a matter of seconds. That time, however, Falcon had been tracking
Romulus through the homing device implanted in his ear. Delphina had no
such device as no one had expected her to leave Innerworld. Without the
homing device and because of the size of the Nevada complex, searching
for Delphina would be made more difficult because of the security
system. The place was a veritable fortress.
Delphina's aura was
unknown to Falcon so he could not hope to track her that way, either.
He remembered that Underwood's aura radiated a very black presence, but
he had never come close enough to the man to recognize the negative
emanations through the thirty feet of sand and metal which covered the
facility. No, even though he knew of the existence of the compound,
Falcon could not easily begin his search in the desert.
When he had
tracked Romulus to the foundation, Falcon had been able to rely on his
ability to see events that occurred in a particular place during the
previous twenty-four hours. But Delphina's trail was too cold for him
to depend on that sense. He would have to track down Underwood the way
an ungifted Outerworld detective would, or at least get to a location
where the man had been very recently.
The article stated that
Underwood had offices all over the world, but his headquarters were in
San Francisco, California. To Falcon, that sounded like as good a place
as any to begin. If Falcon was very fortunate, Underwood would be there
when he arrived. If he was only moderately fortunate, he might sense
where his prey actually was.
Falcon had been assured by Aster that
his long hair with its multiple shades of blond would be considered
quite normal in California. His eyes would not. Before leaving the
Administration Building he had been fitted with special lenses which
would mask his own spindle-shaped pupils with circular ones and dull
the brightness in his irises. Unfortunately, the lenses also diminished
his night vision because they shielded the reflective membrane in the
back of his eyes, and his ability to see through lightweight materials
was completely forsaken. Falcon rationalized if either of those talents
were required, he would simply have to remove the lenses. His other
extra-keen senses would have to make up for the deficiency.
For his
journey he had been given an Innerworld ring which, among other things,
he would use to tap into the transmigrator's computer to move from
place to place, eliminating the need to depend on inferior Outerworld
transportation, and the risks associated with such vehicles. Due to the
ban on using the transmigrator unit, he would not be able to return to
Innerworld until he had completed his assignment. Romulus had not liked
the idea of Falcon using the transmigrator at all, because they could
not be sure when the next accidental interference might occur. But
there was no other way for him to get out of Innerworld since the
tunnels were off limits until the missing ring was found.
Falcon
reviewed the data regarding the identity he would be assuming, on the
off chance he was forced to deal with someone in a position of
authority. He was to be A. Falcon, an Interpol agent, originally from
Wales. An Innerworld emissary employed in that agency had orders to
enter a file on Falcon into their computers. His place of birth was
meant to explain his pattern of speech. Apparently, there were so many
accents and dialects in the United States that his clipped
pronunciation would barely be noticed. Money had been supplied to him
along with various pieces of identification.
One thing Falcon did
not care for was the bag he needed to carry. Outerworld did not have
supply stations that provided fresh, disposable clothing by making a
verbal request, and Romulus assured him he would not enjoy the
experience of shopping out there. He would have to take along clean
clothing and grooming aids if he wished to be comfortable during his
search.
It appeared that he had everything he needed with the
exception of a working knowledge of Outerworld. He intended to spend
the rest of that day and the next steeping himself in Americana. Then
he would depart, ready or not.
Falcon allowed himself a moment to
analyze something that he had set aside earlier. When Romulus relayed
the facts of the ship's disaster, Falcon felt his friend's grief, but
he himself was strangely affected by the news. Moisture accumulated in
the corners of his eyes, and an unfamiliar tightening occurred in his
stomach before he reestablished his usual firm control. Perhaps desire
was not the only emotion simmering within him these days. He would have
to maintain a very tight rein if he was to complete this job
successfully. His personal problems would have to be put on hold.
now, Romulus had not been certain that those messages had anything to
do with the mysterious disappearance of the pleasure female Delphina.
Two weeks ago, following a routine reassignment from the Indulgence
Center to the remote Gladly volterrin mining camp, Delphina stepped
into the glass transmigrator cell and vanished. The technician
testified that he hadn't yet programmed the control panel to send
Delphina to her destination, but she definitely transmigrated out of
the departure cell.
Delphina never arrived at Gladly, and no one had
uncovered a single due as to her whereabouts. But it was known that
someone with an Innerworld ring could have brought her to them. If it
could be assumed that this someone was the same person transmitting the
messages, then Delphina had been migrated to the source of the
interference on Outerworld- The problem of the missing female was made
more difficult by her limited intelligence. She would have no way of
knowing who or where the nearest emissary was to help get her home.
Romulus
had put off sending any trackers out to search for her, hoping another
message would come in that could be traced to a more specific area
within the northwestern quartersphere of Outerworld, but the
transmissions stopped abruptly following Delphina's disappearance.
This day's disaster proved he had waited too long.
Only
one possible explanation remained. A ring was in the hands of a novice,
one who had not been trained to use it properly, but was attempting to
do so anyway. There was only one ring unaccounted for, Romulus's, and
he knew who had it: Gordon Underwood, the unscrupulous man who had
abducted Romulus when he and Aster were on their secret mission in
California six months ago.
Because of his background in astrophysics
and his diplomatic accomplishments, Romulus had been chosen to contact
Doctor Katherine Houston, a scientist at the Palomar Observatory, with
a solution to prevent an enormous asteroid from destroying the Earth.
Aster, more familiar with Outerworld and its people, had accompanied
him. All would have gone well except Dr. Houston's secretary had
eavesdropped on their conversation and had relayed to Gordon Underwood
the fact that an alien was in California.
At times Rom was almost
grateful to Underwood for kidnapping him. Aster's subsequent show of
bravery and loyalty to Innerworld had weighed heavily in the Ruling
Tribunal's momentous decision to permit Aster to join with him and be
named co-governor of Norona's most valuable colony.
It had to be
assumed that Underwood still possessed the ring he had stolen from
Romulus, decided it was not merely jewelry, and was trying to learn its
secrets.
Until the ring and Delphina were found, all transportation
using either the transmigrator or the doorways would be limited to
emergency use only. Norona would not be happy with the temporary
suspension of trade with its mining colony, but Romulus had no choice.
He would not risk any further loss of life.
Rom called to his
assistant in the outer office. "Page Falcon in his quarters. Tell him
to come immediately. We have another job for him."
Falcon frowned at
the stack of books and files on Outerworld he had brought home
following his meeting with Romulus. He was to review them as a
supplement to the information he would find in the computer files.
Learn only the bare essentials, Rom had said to him, enough to get
around in the United States without attracting attention. Fortunately
Falcon did not have to learn the language or wear a translator to
communicate with the natives.
Falcon had journeyed to Outerworld
twice-—once to help Aster locate and rescue Romulus, and once as her
guardian when she had returned to meet with Dr. Houston to complete the
mission she and Romulus had begun. Both trips took place on the same
day, and each had only taken a matter of hours. This time he would not
have Aster to guide him or his behavior in that strange place, so he
had no option but to familiarize himself with the country and its
culture.
Aster. Would he ever be able to hear her name without
recalling the private moments he had shared with her? Falcon would not
have revealed it to Romulus, but he was certain that his current
personal problem began during his encounter with Aster in Outerworld.
Separated
from Romulus and deep in the throes of the mating fever that bound her
to Romulus, Aster's emotions had suffocated Falcon. She had disproved
the belief that only Noronians experienced the tormenting fever which
two true soul mates experienced. Sexual release could temporarily cool
the burning and desensitize the flesh, but only joining could cure the
mating fever.
Falcon had not been able to use his powers to find
Romulus until he had helped Aster alleviate her pain. By touching her
mind, he had planted a very realistic, erotic fantasy which had
relieved her sexual tension. But Falcon had found himself surprisingly
captivated by the passionate hallucination she had experienced.
From
time to time Falcon would discover that he possessed some new ability,
and that had been one of those times. His own sexual desire had been
awakened and it was becoming increasingly distracting, in spite of the
mental control he exercised to suppress it. At least he had a complex
assignment to occupy him for a while. Perhaps all he really needed was
a sufficient diversion for him to get back to normal.
In order to
fulfill this mission, he had to locate the missing ring and the female,
Delphina. The only way he would find her, it seemed to him, was if she
was already where he was going. At least he should recognize her. He
knew she was almost as tall as he was, with a slender body, straight
waist-length auburn hair, and bright green eyes. What little evidence
they had suggested Gordon Underwood was the most likely starting point.
He
picked up the dossier on Underwood. Aster had related some facts and
hearsay about the man after it was determined that he had been behind
Romulus's capture. Knowing that any small detail might help him locate
and outsmart his adversary, and assuming Underwood still had the ring
and the female, Falcon settled into his most comfortable chair to begin
memorizing the contents of the first file.
Falcon studied the cover
photo that accompanied the Time magazine article on Underwood. He was
not only extraordinary in his accomplishments but in appearance as
well. Although a large man at six foot four inches and 280 pounds, his
massive shaven head still appeared oversized. It was implied that the
large skull was necessary to accommodate his enormous brain. His
features were sharp, his eyes narrowed as if in deep concentration.
The
article noted that Underwood's parents had recognized his genius when
he was a mere toddler, and with the help of a few special teachers, he
soon surpassed all their expectations. He completed graduate school and
obtained his first patent by the age of twenty in the young field of
computer science. Besides his propensity for learning he seemed to be
gifted with the Midas touch. He exhibited great foresight when
investing his earnings, first in real estate and stocks and later in
oil, with each venture being more profitable than the last.
There
seemed to be continual speculation about his lack of interest in the
opposite sex, because no one could give evidence of a close sexual
relationship with any other human, male or female.
The journalist
had written that the man seemed to be both selfless and selfish, a
generous employer and a cruel taskmaster; a philanthropist who
regularly made huge donations to various charities and nonprofit
organizations and a ruthless egomaniac who allowed nothing to stop him
from obtaining a desired goal.
One of his philanthropic enterprises,
the Underwood Foundation, was established to offer support to groups,
colleges, and agencies that focused on scientific achievements and
space exploration. Through this foundation, Underwood kept his finger
on the pulse of the future.
From their adventure, Falcon and Aster
had surmised that the billionaire had a network of his own agents
within the organizations he supported. Those well-paid individuals kept
their antennae tuned to everything their superiors and coworkers did,
then reported to Underwood when anything of interest occurred. At least
that had been the circumstances regarding Walter Adams, Dr. Houston's
devoted secretary at Palomar Observatory. Adams had revealed Romulus's
presence to Underwood in repayment of some sort of debt. They were not
able to uncover the exact circumstances since Adams had died suddenly
of a heart attack.
The article then went on to report that the
Underwood Foundation was located in an enormous complex beneath the
desert in central Nevada. It was purported to be the size of a small
city, with hundreds of people living and working there, but its
existence was well guarded from prying eyes by an elaborate and
sophisticated security system. Underwood had planned the development as
a child, during the nuclear bomb scares of the fifties. The fortune he
later amassed made the dream a reality.
Falcon could not verify how
large the facility was since he and Aster had entered only one small
room in the private hospital there, and had taken Romulus out with them
in a matter of seconds. That time, however, Falcon had been tracking
Romulus through the homing device implanted in his ear. Delphina had no
such device as no one had expected her to leave Innerworld. Without the
homing device and because of the size of the Nevada complex, searching
for Delphina would be made more difficult because of the security
system. The place was a veritable fortress.
Delphina's aura was
unknown to Falcon so he could not hope to track her that way, either.
He remembered that Underwood's aura radiated a very black presence, but
he had never come close enough to the man to recognize the negative
emanations through the thirty feet of sand and metal which covered the
facility. No, even though he knew of the existence of the compound,
Falcon could not easily begin his search in the desert.
When he had
tracked Romulus to the foundation, Falcon had been able to rely on his
ability to see events that occurred in a particular place during the
previous twenty-four hours. But Delphina's trail was too cold for him
to depend on that sense. He would have to track down Underwood the way
an ungifted Outerworld detective would, or at least get to a location
where the man had been very recently.
The article stated that
Underwood had offices all over the world, but his headquarters were in
San Francisco, California. To Falcon, that sounded like as good a place
as any to begin. If Falcon was very fortunate, Underwood would be there
when he arrived. If he was only moderately fortunate, he might sense
where his prey actually was.
Falcon had been assured by Aster that
his long hair with its multiple shades of blond would be considered
quite normal in California. His eyes would not. Before leaving the
Administration Building he had been fitted with special lenses which
would mask his own spindle-shaped pupils with circular ones and dull
the brightness in his irises. Unfortunately, the lenses also diminished
his night vision because they shielded the reflective membrane in the
back of his eyes, and his ability to see through lightweight materials
was completely forsaken. Falcon rationalized if either of those talents
were required, he would simply have to remove the lenses. His other
extra-keen senses would have to make up for the deficiency.
For his
journey he had been given an Innerworld ring which, among other things,
he would use to tap into the transmigrator's computer to move from
place to place, eliminating the need to depend on inferior Outerworld
transportation, and the risks associated with such vehicles. Due to the
ban on using the transmigrator unit, he would not be able to return to
Innerworld until he had completed his assignment. Romulus had not liked
the idea of Falcon using the transmigrator at all, because they could
not be sure when the next accidental interference might occur. But
there was no other way for him to get out of Innerworld since the
tunnels were off limits until the missing ring was found.
Falcon
reviewed the data regarding the identity he would be assuming, on the
off chance he was forced to deal with someone in a position of
authority. He was to be A. Falcon, an Interpol agent, originally from
Wales. An Innerworld emissary employed in that agency had orders to
enter a file on Falcon into their computers. His place of birth was
meant to explain his pattern of speech. Apparently, there were so many
accents and dialects in the United States that his clipped
pronunciation would barely be noticed. Money had been supplied to him
along with various pieces of identification.
One thing Falcon did
not care for was the bag he needed to carry. Outerworld did not have
supply stations that provided fresh, disposable clothing by making a
verbal request, and Romulus assured him he would not enjoy the
experience of shopping out there. He would have to take along clean
clothing and grooming aids if he wished to be comfortable during his
search.
It appeared that he had everything he needed with the
exception of a working knowledge of Outerworld. He intended to spend
the rest of that day and the next steeping himself in Americana. Then
he would depart, ready or not.
Falcon allowed himself a moment to
analyze something that he had set aside earlier. When Romulus relayed
the facts of the ship's disaster, Falcon felt his friend's grief, but
he himself was strangely affected by the news. Moisture accumulated in
the corners of his eyes, and an unfamiliar tightening occurred in his
stomach before he reestablished his usual firm control. Perhaps desire
was not the only emotion simmering within him these days. He would have
to maintain a very tight rein if he was to complete this job
successfully. His personal problems would have to be put on hold.
Chapter Two
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