Yuen-Mong's Revenge (42 page)

18

The time approached when the various modules for the equipment were
ready. Rather than pick them up himself, Atun arranged that delivery was
made at the same time after dark in unmarked vehicles directly to Vishnu
still parked on the tarmac of the Soro Space Port. They hoped that in this
way at most one of the vehicles could be followed by their shadow and
therefore only a fragment of information could be gleaned. That would
not allow anybody to deduce what the project was all about. Atun would
spend three or four days assembling both units while he lived on the ship.
Yuen-mong and Anouk were scheduled to join him after that, and they
would then depart for Palo.

     
Late afternoon of the scheduled delivery, Yuen-mong left the apartment complex with Atun and went to the main crowded shopping area in
the BD, where they separated abruptly, Atun going by detours to the BD
ground shuttle terminal, while she entered a fashion store. Almost immediately she sensed that the shadow was not tailing her any longer and
called Atun to warn him. She returned to the apartment and practiced
self-hypnoses with Anouk. They went out to a small restaurant advertising Italian cuisine. Through their intense training practices, they had
developed a warm friendship.

     
Atun reported that all equipment had arrived safely. She informed him
that she had also ordered gourmet foods which would be delivered the
following day.

     
Next day she made her weekly visit to her grandfather. When she
came out of his apartment on her way to see Mai for her third modeling
sitting, she felt strong negative emanation coming from several minds she
recognized as males. Passing by a window, she looked into the courtyard
and saw her uncle with three athletic men in their late twenties or early
thirties, who were just getting into a taxi. She probed her uncle’s mind
and had a sense of danger, not for herself but for Atun. He needed to be
warned.

     
She quickly went to Mai’s rooms. The young woman beamed when
she saw her.

     
"Oh Yuen-mong, you are here. Come in. Look, I have done some
more work," she said excitedly and removed the sheet draped over a
rough life-size statue.

     
"Mai, I’m sorry, but I
cannot
stay. I have to leave right away."

 
     
"Why? I was so looking forward to this session."

 
     
"Mai, I don’t want to lie to you, but I
cannot
tell you. I will be back
another time." She hugged her and rushed away.

     
Once out of the courtyard, she called Atun, warning him and telling
him that she and Anouk would join him as quickly as possible, that he
should file a clearance report so that they could lift off immediately once
they were there. He did not question her why, and she was glad that she
did not have to explain her ominous premonition. Maybe there was
nothing to it, but she could not convince herself of that. At the Mall she
hailed a taxi that took her agonizingly slowly through the heavy late
afternoon traffic to her apartment.

     
When they approached the building, she knew something was wrong
with Anouk. So rather than go first to her own unit she went straight to
hers. At the door she stopped and probed. There were three people inside,
the familiar but frightened emanations of Anouk and two males. She
removed the sling and readied three stones. Then she slowly and silently
opened the door and entered the dark corridor that led to the lounge, past
the bathroom. As she gained a clear view of the lounge, she saw two men
standing over Anouk who was tied to a chair, her hair disheveled, the
make-up streaked with tears. One guy was slapping her.

     
"I don’t know anything. Please don’t hurt me," Anouk cried out.

     
Yuen-mong whipped the sling into action and the stone hit the guy’s
temple. Without a sound he collapsed on Anouk, who screamed in fright.
The other man turned, his hand reaching for his shoulder holster, but
Yuen-mong’s second stone hit him between the eyes before he could
draw his weapon.

     
After pushing her first victim off Anouk’s lap, she cut the ties and
took the sobbing girl into her arms. "It’s OK, Anouk. You’re safe now."
She stroked her hair. After a while, the girl calmed. "Thank you, Yuen-mong. I was so frightened."

 
     
"It’s my fault you got into this, but I promise I will protect you. Come,
help me now dispose of those two. Check that nobody is on the landings
outside, and then open the staircase door for me."

 
     
"Shouldn’t we call the police?"

 
     
"We don’t have time to lose with that. Go, please."

 
     
She picked up her second victim under the shoulders and dragged him
to the door. When Anouk reported that all was clear, she pulled him to
the nearby staircase and dumped him in a corner. They repeated the
operation with the other guy. He was dead.

     
Back in the apartment, she picked up the two stones and then helped
Anouk pack essential things. They did the same in her apartment, adding
some of Atun’s clothing, as well as the two loaded pistols she had taken
from their assailants on Old Earth. She again notified Atun that they were
on their way. She ordered a taxi to take them to the BD terminal of the
shuttle trains. When Anouk wanted to know what these two men had
wanted of her, she only put her index finger on her mouth, shaking her
head.

     
The trip out to the space port was difficult, with Anouk in severe
distress. It took all of Yuen-mong’s empathic skills to instill some sense
of calm in her. The girl again wanted to know why these men had
attacked her.

     
"Anouk, it is better you don’t know yet what this is all about. I
promise, I will protect you. And you must now also use your skills to
look out for people whose mind doesn’t forebode well toward you or us.
All I tell you is that they want to know the nature of the project all three
of us are engaged in and then prevent us from realizing it."

 
     
"Is this why you have been training me?"

 
     
"Yes, I told you when you came to us that I would train you, and then
you would help me."

 
     
"But will it be dangerous?"

 
     
"The project
is
not dangerous and will help all mankind, but there are
some people who want to prevent us from doing it. Haven’t you noticed
that the last several weeks we have always been followed when we went
out?"

 
     
"I felt something was different, but didn’t know what it was."

 
     
"Different men were following us to find out what we were doing.
That’s what I mean by looking out for minds that send out negative
vibes."

 
     
 By the time they reached the Soro Space Port, night was closing in
and she experienced a sudden sense of urgency. They were driven out to
Vishnu by a self-guided open vehicle. As they skirted past dozens of
parked spaceships, the ominous emanations reaching her became
stronger. Atun’s were missing, and she became aware of Anouk’s sudden
state of terror.
The girl has learned. All she still needs is to use it
positively.
She stuck the two pistols into the top of her pants. Anouk
watched, frightened. About two hundred yards from Vishnu, she
overrode the automatic control and sped the vehicle on a course that took
her past the ship at a distance of some fifty meters, partially hidden by a
row of other craft. She could see a covered ground transport, its
headlights illuminating the open door of the ship and five men standing
nearby. They briefly looked in her direction.

     
She went well past them, shut off the vehicle’s lights and then turned
it around. About a hundred meters from the ship, she killed the engine
and let the vehicle roll on silently.

     
"Anouk, you stay with the vehicle. And don’t be alarmed if you hear
shooting. If I don’t call you within five minutes, take the vehicle back to
the terminal building and call the police."

 
     
Anouk’s face mirrored the terror she sensed in the girl. She kissed her
cheek and then silently loped toward Vishnu, keeping in its shadow. One
gun held by both hands, she sneaked partially around the ship until she
could hear the men.

     
"Let’s pack these things and disappear."

 
     
"And what do we do with him? Shouldn’t we take him along to the
boss for questioning?"

 
     
"Yeah, I guess so. But tie him up and gag him, I don’t want any noise
when he wakes."

 
     
She stepped silently from the shadow. In quick succession she fired
five shots and then jumped back. Yelling and swearing erupted. She
sensed two minds in severe agony, another had disappeared. With the
other gun in her hand she jumped out again, firing another three shots
while still moving. She felt heat singe the material on her left arm and
fired again at the last man still standing. His laser gun dropped from his
hands and he fell backward from the impact of the bullet. One guy was
struggling to remove his gun. She fired another bullet, shattering his
hand. He screamed. Then she surveyed the scene and checked each of the
assailants, removing their weapons and throwing them past the truck.
Three were dead and two bleeding profusely. She went to Atun and felt
his pulse. It was still strong. There was severe swelling on the side of his
head.

     
She quickly ran back to the vehicle, where Anouk was cowering in the
seat. A minute later, she stopped the vehicle in front of the open door.

     
"Come, Anouk. Courage. You must help me now."

 
     
She went to Atun and lifted him up by the shoulders. After a moment’s hesitation, Anouk followed her and took his feet. They carried
him into the first sleeping cabin and carefully secured him in webbing on
the bed. She fleetingly caressed his cheek.

     
"Put our baggage into our rooms, and then come back and help me
shift the boxes inside."

     
She dragged the two bleeding guys away from the vertical thrusters
of the ship. They protested weakly. Then she placed the equipment in the
door opening, while Anouk shifted it farther down the corridor. She told
her to secure it in the cupboards. Next, she put the ground vehicle on
automatic again and sent it back to the terminal, watching it roll away for
a few seconds. With one last look at the carnage outside the door, she
closed it. On her way to the flight deck she checked on Atun. He was still
unconscious. There was not much she could do for him until he woke up.

     
"Come to the flight deck," she ordered the girl who had just stashed
away the last box, "and strap yourself into the seat next to mine."

 
     
"Are we leaving?"

 
     
"Yes, and the faster the better."

 
     
"I haven’t told my mother."

 
     
"We can do this once we are in space. Come, have courage now. We
are safe and you are not harmed."

 
     
She strapped herself in, checked that Anouk was secured in the seat,
and contacted port control. "Soro Space Control. This is Vishnu, asking
for permission to take off immediately." While waiting for a response she
started up the thruster engines for liftoff and set the main engines on
standby.

     
"File clearance report first and give credit details."

 
     
"Clearance report has already been filed earlier tonight. Here come
the credit details."

 
     
"Wait for credit clearance."

 
     
"I will not. My credit is good. I’m taking off right now."

 
     
She lifted the ship slowly and then starting rising more rapidly.

     
"Vishnu wait… you are in violation of Androma flight procedure."

 
     
"Your port is not a safe place. We were attacked by five men. Good-bye and clear the mess on the ground. Out."