03. Gods at the Well of Souls (9 page)

"My name is Chief Inspector Janwah Kurdon," the newcomer told them, "of internal  security." 

"We are-" Anne Marie started, but the newcomer waved her off. 

"I know who you are. I know who all three of you are and how you came to be  here. What I don't know is why you are here in Agon or still anywhere in this  region. After all this time, I'd think that you would have grown weary and be on  your way home by now." 

Anne Marie gestured toward a sullen Alowi. "She has lost her husband. In her  culture that is about as close to being killed as you can get. Her honor demands  that she find him or, for her, life would not be worth living. Since she's alone  and friendless and because we don't like being pushed around and, yes, betrayed  ourselves, we've remained with her." 

Alowi said nothing. She didn't want to disillusion the Dillians or make them  feel as if they'd wasted their time for nothing, and frankly, she'd taken an  instant dislike to this chunky little reptile. 

The secret policeman sighed. "So what did you think you could do?" "Us? Probably not much. Not without a great deal of help, anyway. On the other  hand, we must do something. Even if we fail, we can't simply let this go. Surely  you understand that." 

"I understand that you were stuck in a strange country with no resources and you  actually thought you could find and take on one of the most powerful criminal  organizations in the history of the Well World," Kurdon replied. "Amateurs," he  sighed. "You realize, I hope, that these people will kill at the drop of a leaf  and that they can do things far worse than death." 

"We more or less assumed that, yes," Tony put in. "We are not unfamiliar with  such groups. They exist on our original native world as well." Kurdon glanced around. "Come. We will walk a bit together. It is a nice  afternoon for the highlands." 

They walked from the police station, one of the few buildings that was large  enough for the Dillians to comfortably enter, and out into the street, following  the inspector. For a while he said little except to comment on the nice weather  and give a little inconsequential local history, but eventually they reached a  large public park. Some locals were there playing various games or sitting  around, but much of the area was empty in the predinner hour and the inspector  was able to find a large area without trees or nearby people. 

"I prefer to discuss other things in settings like this," he told them. "Of  course, we can still be spied upon, but it is much more difficult to do so  without being obvious. Subar is a nice peaceful city, but it is also one of our  most corrupt." He reached into his pocket and brought out a small conical device  that seemed to have no features except a red tip, which he pushed. "This will  keep anyone from overhearing us by electronic means. Not totally foolproof but  more than adequate here, as I know from experience." 

"I take it that we are in the midst of our enemies," Tony said nervously. "You are in their hometown, as it were, at least the homegrown sort. They live  here, work here, do many good and charitable works, and launder their cut of the  illegal money through the banks here, which are among the richest and most  successful in the nation. They used to be very good at what they do, but in  recent months they have become even more efficient and creative. We believe that  it is because another of your origin species has affiliated with them. Do you  know the name of Campos?" 

Both Dillians nodded in unison. "Mavra Chang spoke of him. A vicious man, she  said. Is that what this is about?" 

"Man? Interesting ..." The security man thought for a moment. "As to the  other-yes, I believe that it is exactly what all this is about. In fact, it  explains much that was puzzling, particularly why both of your friends were  kidnapped. Chang we could understand-there are reasons I believe you might be  aware of why such an organization might like to get hold of her, although it  seems they don't know just who or what they've got or they'd have done something  with her by now. It was the Erdomese that puzzled us. Now it becomes much  clearer. Not politics, not power in the sense that we'd originally thought.  Revenge. Pure revenge. How typical of that type. Reassuring in a way, too." "How's that?" 

"We have no particular drug problem here. Can you guess why that might be?" Tony saw his point at once. "Because they are protected here. The government and  the cartel have an agreement." Kurdon nodded. "Exactly. It is not official and  is never mentioned, but it exists. Not everyone is involved, of course, but they  have clever ways of getting around just about anything. Once, a year or so ago,  I came very close to breaking some of the big shots involved in it. Their  laboratories and most of their operation are run out of a vast headquarters  complex not very far from here, along the border with Liliblod. I had everything  ready to go and spread out for my superiors to approve. We would have gone in  with an army team and cleaned them out. Instead, I found my plans and papers  confiscated, my informants met quick and untimely deaths or simply vanished, and  I was made division chief of the coastal watch unit in the southeastern city of  Magoor. Nobody said I'd done a poor job or that I wasn't right; technically the  new job was a promotion in pay and authority-but a shift away from all my  previous investigations and contacts. I wasn't stupid, and I knew the choice was  to accept or follow my informants. I am still a young man." 

"Our message indicated as much," Anne Marie told him. "But I must say it doesn't  sound very encouraging." 

"On the contrary. A few days ago I was called to the capital and told to stand  by. Much of my original paperwork mysteriously reappeared. Then, yesterday, I  was promoted to chief inspector, given a great deal of power and authority,  briefed on your situation, and told to form a special unit and proceed here.  Some very important government ministers whose honor has not been for sale have  been involved in the watch for these two alleged immortals that the council at  Zone has been most concerned about. They lost not one but both of them. Then  word comes that two creatures were taken off a courier boat by agents of the  cartel just off the northwest coast, and the remainder of the party fits the  description of three members traveling with the Chang woman. The three of you  are rather difficult to mistake in this region. Everyone from the ministers to  the council was initially panicked that Chang had fallen into the hands of the  best organized criminal organization on the Well World. Then, for  months-nothing. The only logical conclusion was that the ones who had Chang had  no idea who or what they had and for some reason hadn't even bothered to  interrogate them in the manner that they have of extracting your closest  secrets. Why? The bottom line was that they felt any search or heavy pressure  would simply alert the still-ignorant criminals of the value of their captive.  Now we know why. A revenge kidnapping probably arranged directly by Campos  without any of the higher-ups even being aware of it." 

"But surely someone would know!" Tony exclaimed. "Or at least notice!" "Not necessarily. You have no idea of the range and scope of their operations.  It probably seemed quite routine for the people at the headquarters, and it is  not healthy to ask questions. Now, I ask you: If you were Campos, bent on  revenge and now having the means, and you had seen or heard of what services  these so-called physicians could and probably routinely perform for the gang,  what would you do? Campos was once of the same race as your birth race. You tell  me." 

"Turn them into monsters. Unrecognizable, tortured, probably addicted," Tony  said flatly. 

"Why not just torture them to death? Wouldn't that satisfy?" 

"I do not know this Campos, but I know his type," Tony told the agent. "He would  not want to just kill them, even painfully. If he had the means, he'd want to  see them in a continual torture, to spread his sadistic revenge out over a very  long time. They could be killed any time, but until then ... no. He would want  to enjoy it." 

"I thought as much," Kurdon said, nodding. "It is not common here, thank  heavens, but it does occur. That is another reason why Campos got away with it  so far. It is not a common attitude in Agon or Clopta; both races are far more  pragmatic. They torture for information, kill when someone is in the way or no  longer useful, but this sort of prolonged torture for personal gratification  isn't something they would think of doing. Risky and wasteful. We have found  that your doctor friends were mostly using such creatures for experimentation  and eventually doing away with them but that they did some pragmatic work as  well, primarily in converting creatures into couriers. I wondered why two women  were targeted, since clearly only one was of interest to them if they suspected  her true nature, and now you have told me that what I suspected is true. It is  something I did not bother to suggest to those who are suddenly my friends." "Couriers?" Tony repeated. "Why turn people into couriers? Couldn't anybody do  that?" 

"Not this type. They are designed-reengineered as couriers, dedicated to that  specific task, while being physically limited from doing much else. Essentially  pack animals smart enough to be autonomous yet limited enough that they had  nowhere else to go and nothing else they could do." 

"You know what they've been doing, then!" Anne Marie said excitedly. "We do now. Thanks to you, we were able to wage a clandestine operation in their  clinic and tap into their computer banks. Very difficult to break their codes,  but Zone has capabilities beyond anything else on the Well World. We found the  entire genetic codes of many individuals from a number of races in there, but we  found only one male Erdomese and one female Glathrielian in the memory banks. It  would take a very long time, however, to match up precisely the original and the  changed structure and get a true picture of just what they became. The work is  extremely advanced and, I must say, extremely frightening. Frightening enough  that this alone has outweighed any loyalty to, and even much of the fear of, the  organization in Agon by high officials. This explains my free hand." "What do you propose to do?" Anne Marie asked him. "I have a clear directive.  This Chang is to be found, arrested, and brought to Zone no matter what her  shape or form or condition. I may use whatever resources I require to get this  done, step on any toes, go through any barriers. When I suggested that this  might require going straight through the cartel's headquarters, they did not  even flinch. To not do it ourselves would at this point almost certainly mean it  being done in spite of us, with Agon the object of an invading army of other  races. There is already a council military man in the south setting up this  possibility. I find myself, therefore, with a very strong hand. Our objectives  are not quite the same. If we can recover both, well and good, but it should be  understood that Chang is my objective." 

"Our first objective is to recover Lori for this poor dear's sake. We've been  through a lot together already," Anne Marie told him. "As for Mavra, well, I  don't see any other choice for us or for her. She is quite a capable individual,  and if she must deal with the council, so be it." 

"Agreed. Most pragmatic and satisfactory, actually. You should be aware, though,  that they are both unlikely to be anything like you remember them, and it is  entirely unclear whether anything can be done for them." 

Anne Marie sighed and looked at Alowi, who seemed still curiously ambivalent  about all this, then turned back to Kurdon. 

"Somehow I do not think that will stop Mavra Chang," she told the agent. "Not if  half her own stories are true. But ..." She decided not to finish now. There was  no sense in panicking Alowi, at least not yet. 

"When do you move?" Tony asked Kurdon. 

"In a few days. I want more information from the local agents here before I  begin. I do not underestimate this bunch." 

"What about going directly for Campos?" Tony asked him. "I cannot imagine such a  type not having the objects of revenge close by so he could lord it over them." "Campos is a Cloptan. Out of my jurisdiction. If we turn in a report linking  Campos and the kidnapping, it will be out of our hands immediately. Besides,  there are dangers to the direct approach. The quarry could go underground in its  own home territory or even be killed in such an attempt, in which case we might  never find those we really seek. Or our objectives could be destroyed in a final  act of vengeance before we can reach them. Remember, too, that they could be  literally anywhere, just as long as Campos can get to them. No, when I move on  Cloptans on Cloptan soil, I want it to be my party, fast and unexpected, but  with the full authority of the council. At the moment I have no idea where  Campos even is, except somewhere in the port city of Buckgrud, a high-tech  metropolis with a population of more than a million. Think of this as well: Can  you honestly tell one Agonese from another aside from size, weight, and  clothing? Honestly, now." 

"Uh, um, not without great difficulty, I admit," Anne Marie managed. "So how do you expect to directly penetrate a criminal organization and pick out  the one correct Cloptan from the masses? You see? In the end we will require  Cloptan help, but that will have to be very carefully done. I don't believe that  they are even as honest as we are, and that is not going very far. I would  prefer we deal with the Cloptans after we strike here. Trust me on this. This is  my territory and my profession. It will be difficult enough having to somewhat  involve Liliblod. Nobody can really deal with them, and they will not like this  at all." 

"It seemed a nice, quiet peaceful place when we went through," Anne Marie noted.  "Yet we keep getting horrid warnings about it." 

"Yes. By the terms of their agreements, the roads are kept absolutely safe for  travel. They are not without their own odd vices, and so some commerce is  permitted as a concession to their own needs. But they are not-rational-in the  sense that we are here. They have a rather egocentric view of the universe and  are quite unpredictable beyond certain bounds. The organization pays them well  for protection in a sort of currency that they could not legally acquire, and  they will not like to see that cut off."