Price of a Bounty

-April-

Art Fantastique



“Where to?” I wiped away my own tears. “What would you like to see?”

“I’m not really in the mood for sightseeing,” Keira said.

“How about Art Fantastique?” Guy suggested.

I looked at him. “The shop is open right now. There would be customers around.”

“That’s all right. Let’s show Keira what you’ll be doing when you return to Tkaron. Then we can go to a restaurant or to a park…somewhere we can talk.”

“All right. Follow me.” I led them to a busy street a few blocks from the house. There, I was able to hail a cab.

I knew Keira’s mind was elsewhere. Even so, as I gave the tour and explained some of the artwork that we had for sale, she acted impressed. I took them into the back room and shared a little of what Dani had begun to teach me.

“We were told that these two paintings were created by the same artist, a man named Pierre-Auguste Renoir. But you can see that the lighting in this one is significantly different than in this one. Since the first has already been authenticated, we know that the second isn’t an original,” I paused. “Sometimes, it isn’t so easy though. See these?” I walked them over to another set of paintings. “These three paintings: Lamppost, Central Park and Birds at Topock Marsh, were all created by a woman named Chen Chi. They look very different don’t they?”

Guy nodded, and Keira looked at me with…was that pride?

“What?” I said.

Keira smiled. “I’m just really happy for you. This is the perfect job for you, isn’t it?”

“Yes, I think it is.” I turned to Guy. “Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.”

He put his arm around Keira and said, “I’m glad it’s working out for you.”

“There’s a small café just down the block. Would you like to get some coffee or tea?”

Keira nodded, and Guy said, “Yes, that would be fine, Aimee.”

I was starting to like the sound of my new name.

We sat outdoors at a table with a colorful umbrella spread overhead. Keira asked some of the same questions I had when I first arrived, and Guy’s responses were very much like Scott’s.

“How is it that the Mediterrans are so much more advanced than us? I mean, just look at all of this: hovercars, maglev trains, inexpensive and reliable public transportation…”

“Energy pulse showers that clean and massage.”

Keira raised her eyebrows.

“No water needed, and safe food for everyone,” I finished.

“How is this possible? Is it like this everywhere except Terene?” Keira looked to Guy for an explanation.

“No, not everywhere. Some other realms are faring poorly due to natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis. A few, like Mediterra, are doing really well. As far as I can tell, there are only two realms where a large percentage of the population is kept down. And only in Terene is the Divide caused by wealth or lack thereof.”

“But why aren’t people fighting back? I mean look at how life could be. It could be good for everyone!”

Guy shrugged. “The people who would fight aren’t shown this.” He waved his arm at the expanse of city in front of us. “They don’t know how it could be. Think about it, only the Elite have easy access to modern techno, andnd no one in Terene has anything close to what every citizen has in Mediterra.”

“Then that’s the answer,” Keira said. “That’s what the Resistance should be doing. We should be working to educate people.”

I knew what Guy was going to say because Scott had already explained it to me. “Someday, Keira. That’s the goal. For now, although our convictions are strong, our numbers just aren’t high enough to start a revolution. And unfortunately, we don’t have an easy way to educate everyone. You have to remember that our economy is still recovering from the war. Leaders in the Gov use fear to justify their decisions and control the population. They’ve set it up so that every single person is trying to get ahead by stepping on each other, when the only real way to make progress is to band together and cooperate.”

There was something more pressing on my mind. “But what do we do now? About Elaine Ramsey, I mean.”

Guy looked at me. “Nothing. Other than Scott leaving early, we’ll stick to the plan, and in a few days, Keira and I will fly back.” Keira reached out and took my hand as Guy continued, “Whatever happens after that, you’ll stay here with Danielle. Let us worry about events back home.”





-Scott-

Returning to Tkaron



Both Elaine Ramsey and Major Phelps were waiting to greet me when I arrived at the airport. A few other soldiers milled around and pretended they weren’t here for me. I saluted and stood at attention.

“Follow me.” Major Phelps turned on his heel. I fell in line. Elaine Ramsey followed. The major led us into a small grey conference room. He stopped suddenly and turned toward me. I heard the door close but kept my attention on the major.

“Sgt. Maddock.” Major Phelps spoke in his familiar deep rumbling voice. I’d served under him for many years. He knew how to lead and was well respected. However, he was not part of the Resistance. “I’m glad you decided to return.”

“Those were my orders, sir.”

“What were you doing in Mediterra?”

“I went on holiday, sir.”

“You didn’t have permission.”

“No, sir. I did not request leave.”

“And where is the young lady?”

“She decided to finish her holiday without me.”

He sighed and looked down for just a moment. “Under normal circumstances, I would order an investigation into your activities overseas.”

The major and I both knew the Mediterrans would never allow the Terenian military to run an investigation in their realm. They would do it themselves, and even with the agreement between the Resistance and their President, they would have to look like they were making an effort. Cover ups could be messy.

“However, these are not normal circumstances, and we seem to have plenty of evidence without the hassle of an investigation.” Major Phelps opened a manila folder and reviewed some papers. “You’ve traveled to Mediterra on more than a few occasions during the past three years.”

“Yes, sir. Usually under orders.”

“I see that some of these orders were issued by me,” he paused and studied me carefully, “but I don’t recall having issued them.”

I didn’t respond.

“Well, Sgt. Maddock. It appears that we have a traitor in our midst.”

I did not look away.

Elaine Ramsey stepped forward and placed a document on the table. “I’m prepared to offer you a deal. If you sign this and give yourself over to Ramsey Corps, you will be honorably discharged, and no further disciplinary actions will be taken.”

I read the document and picked up the pen.





-Guy-

Missing



We’d returned to Tkaron over a week ago only to find that Scott had disappeared. After two days, I called him. When he didn’t answer, I left a message.

“Sgt. Maddock? This is Mr. Burke. I’d like to meet with you, if you have the time. There have been some updates to your portfolio we should discuss.”

When he hadn’t returned my call by the sixth day, I used a public transceiver to make another call. I kept the vidscreen turned off.

“Sgt. McGraw?”

“Yes?”

“Call me.”

20 minutes later, my secondary transceiver buzzed. This line was secure and was rarely used. I turned on the speaker and vidscreen.

A woman in uniform appeared. “Guy Bensen?”

I nodded. “Thank you for returning my call. Maddock said you were my link to the military if anything were to happen to him.”

“I’ve been expecting your call.”

“Do you know where he is? I haven’t heard from Scott in over a week.”

“The last I heard, he was on his way to Parisio. I figure something must have happened, and he decided to stay.”

“No, I was there with him. He received orders to return to base, and he did, the very next day.”

“He may have received orders, but he never returned to base. I checked the records when we were told he’d gone AWOL. The funny thing is, there have been no orders to search for him. With his rank and the number of years he’s put in, that’s odd. I thought maybe whoever was looking for him knew he was already overseas, but if he came back whoever wanted him probably has him.”

“It’s Ramsey.”

She let out a low whistle. “If Ramsey has him. There’s not much we can do, not without blowing our cover.”

“Do you know where she may be keeping him?”

“I’d guess the Ramsey Corps lab, but I don’t know how you’ll get in there.”

“I need you to do something for me, Sergeant. Be my eyes and ears on the inside. Contact me immediately if you learn anything.”

“Yes, sir!”



***



Waiting was mentally exhausting. April and Danielle hadn’t heard from Scott either. By the tenth day, I was restless and on edge.

I kept a regular schedule at the firm, and Keira spent her days training with Eberhardt and Ricardo. But every evening, Keira and I talked in circles.

Why had Elaine Ramsey taken Scott? To get to Keira. But that wasn’t working, so why was she keeping him? And why did she want Keira anyway?

It was late, and once again, I was having trouble settling down. Keira brought over two glasses of wine. She handed one to me.

“No, we need to keep sharp.”

But she was insistent. “Don’t kid yourself. You’re not sleeping, your mind is constantly going. You need to relax.”

“Have you been able to relax?”

“I’m trying to!” She held up her nearly empty glass.

After four glasses of wine, I fell into a fitful sleep filled with disturbing dreams. I was chasing people, trying to get them to safety, but one by one as I reached them, they’d disappear. I could do nothing to help.