Quantum (24 page)

Raj couldn’t help but be impressed. Whatever it was this giant of a man wanted Simla to help him with, she didn’t have much choice now. She would have to suck it up and get on with it.

“You’d really do that?” Simla muttered angrily, looking away from Potomal’s glare.

“You better believe it!” he growled back at her.

She shook her head and looked at Raj in dismay. “Okay, I’ll go along with it as long as neither of us is put in any danger,” she conceded.

Potomal’s facial expression relaxed, but his voice was as hard as before. “You’re in no position to bargain with us. I suggest you now shut up and complete your training with Madison. Once you’re done, you’ll execute your project and then you’ll be free to go home. Your dad will be offered the hospitality of staying in the suite downstairs until you are done. I take it that it’s to your satisfaction?” he asked, looking over at Raj.

Raj nodded. It wasn’t like he had any choice. His only concern was how long all this would take. He needed to head back and deal with the blueprint sale. “How long do you think Simla will be?”

“Not long at all. We’ll get to work immediately,” Madison said from behind them, and nudged at Simla’s elbow to follow her. “Dr. Sen, please accompany us, we’ll drop you back at your quarters.”

“Simla, no more warnings. Any tricks and your father will be marched straight into the FBI’s capable hands. Capish?”

Simla looked over her shoulder in defeat and nodded at Potomal.

I
t was almost surreal to hear Kellan’s voice over the phone. I hadn’t for a moment thought that I would actually be able to make contact with him.

“Hello?”

“Kellan, it’s me, Arizona!” I said, breaking into a huge grin.

“Shrimp?” his voice crackled and then went silent.

“Kellan, you still there?”

“Yeah, is that really you, Arizona?”

“Kell, yeah. Listen, I don’t know how much time I have….”

“Arizona, where are you?”

“In Paris.”

“Paris, France?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m still in Mountain View, but we’re going to head straight over there to get you. Where are you exactly?”

“We?” I asked, wondering whom he was bringing with him.

“David. Shrimp, where should we meet?”

“I don’t know. How long is it gonna take you to get here?”

“I don’t know. Depends on when the next flight leaves from San Fran. I think the flight itself takes at least ten hours if it’s direct. We’re gonna head to the airport right away. I’ve got your number on caller ID, so I’ll call you once we get there, and then figure out where to meet. Are you being held captive or did you manage to escape?”

“Yes, I’m under guard, so I can’t come out to you. You’ll have to find me. Kellan, I won’t even be here tomorrow. I’m being taken to London.”

“That’s actually better. The flight time is a bit shorter. I’m going to call you as soon as we land. Will you be able to keep the cell phone turned on?”

“Kellan, I don’t know how much juice it has. It might be better if I call you. Okay? I’ll try you in about twelve hours. Hopefully you’ll be in London by then. If I don’t get you then, I’ll try you again every half an hour after that.”

“It’s a plan.” Kellan paused. “Arizona,
make sure
to take care of yourself. I love you.”

“Love you too, Kell,” I said, and hung up.
Wow
.

“So?” Justin asked, before I took my next breath.

“Can you believe it? That was Kellan! He and David are going travel to London and contact us when they get there. Can I hang on to the cell?”

“I guess. They’re less likely to search a
royal
than me anyway, it’s safer with you.”

“So, all’s good between us?”

He nodded.

“The aim’s to get back home. You’re going to try to go along with their schemes until we find a way of escaping?”

“Yeah. I’m also going to try to figure out what happened to Simla and help her. They’ll most likely separate us once we get to London. If we don’t see each other, I’ll try to steal another cell and contact you. Hopefully David and Kellan have some sort of a plan or we’re screwed.”

“Yeah,” I replied, sighing.

Plan? I was guessing the plan was to grab me and hightail it back home. Kellan and David hadn’t even known where I was, so whatever plan they may have was obviously in its formative stage. From Kellan’s reaction, I could tell that he never expected a phone call from me. I could only hope that David and he had additional help and it wasn’t just the two of them out on a wild goose chase of a rescue mission.

“Well, I guess it’s time for bed,” Justin suggested.

I nodded. It had been a long day. I’d walked for miles and miles–I was exhausted. As soon as Justin left my room, I threw myself down onto the soft mattress and buried my head in the feather pillow. I just needed five minutes of downtime before I would get ready for bed.

The five minutes must have turned into hours. I slept like a rock, my head was still buried in the pillow when I woke. I felt like I had slept for days in a heavy, dreamless slumber. I was stiff from the awkward position I had laid down in, but managed to turn over and squinted to avoid the Parisian rays from the skylight. Turns out, I didn’t have to–the skylight had magically disappeared–not. I had clearly been moved. I could only assume that I was transported to London while I slept. I felt for the cell phone in a panic–I had put in my pocket, thank goodness–and breathed a sigh of relief as I felt the metal casing against my palm. Phew!

I looked around. It was clear that I still maintained my
Royal
status. If anything, I had become more royal–this room made my last one look quite plain. I looked out the bay windows to a view of the London Eye, which I got to ride in the last time I had visited this city. I went to the bathroom, which was the size of my bedroom at home, and tried Kellan’s number. He picked up on the first ring.

“Arizona, it’s been fourteen hours! What happened?”

“Sorry, Kell. I’m just getting up. I can’t keep up with the whole time thing when we are being transported
about randomly. I’ve no idea what the time is. I’m just happy that we’re still in the same dimension and you picked up my call,” I said, feeling intense relief at hearing his voice.

“Shrimp, any idea where you are?”

“Well, I can see the London Eye and the Thames from my windows, so I am guessing on the north bank.”

“Are you high up?”

“I guess, I really don’t know. Hold on, let me check.” I snuck back for another look out the window and then went back to the safety of the locked bathroom. “Kell, I’m guessing about eight or ten floors up. I can’t be sure. The window is locked. How are you going to find me?” I asked, knowing full well that there was no way for him to do so. I had to think of a plan, somewhere we could arrange to meet.

“I don’t know,” he sighed. “We need more clues. Look out the window and tell us
everything
you see.”

It was too late for that. I could hear noises from outside the bathroom. Someone was in my bedroom. “Kellan,” I whispered, “I’m going to try to find a way to get to the London Eye, so hang around there and I’ll try to find you. I’ll try to call you later.”

I made my way back to the bedroom where Luna was waiting for me with a big smile on her face.

“Good morning, Your Highness!”

“Hey, Luna. Wassup?”

“We’re in London! I wasn’t expecting to come, but my father asked me, so we get to spend some more time together. I love London, such a great city, amazing history.”

I loved London, too. This was my first home. I was born here, at Saint Mary’s Hospital in Paddington. Even though we moved away a long time ago, I was still very familiar with this city. We came back for frequent visits, usually around the time of the annual Wimbledon Tennis Championships, which my mother procured tickets for every other year–happy memories of Pimms and strawberries–however, no need to share that with Luna. I was glad to see her. If anyone could be persuaded to do a bit of sightseeing, it was Luna. Now I needed to convince her to take me to the London Eye. “So, Luna, what’s the plan for today?” I asked, hoping that there were no major ones.

“As I promised you in Paris, you will get to see Potomal this morning, once you are ready. He’s waiting for you.”

Typical! I tried to remain emotionless as I took in this bit of information. I had no idea if I should feel apprehensive or not. More importantly, I needed to get word to Justin about the London Eye plan. “Great, I’m looking forward to meeting him,” I lied.

“There is a selection of outfits in the wardrobe for you to choose from. I’ll take you to him, once you’re dressed.”

“Help me out, Luna. I don’t have a clue what to wear. Just choose something for me while I take a shower. Okay?”

By the time I came back, she’d laid a smart olive suit on the bed for me, with complementing shoes and a bag. I hurried into them and sat still while Luna arranged my hair into a bun. Since I was clearly not dressed for flight, I’d have to come back and change before trying to get to the London Eye. Okay, it was time to face the big boss.

I had expected someone much more stuffy and formal-looking. Luna’s dad looked like an ex-rock’n-roller imprisoned in a linebacker’s body and squashed into a Donald Trump suit. It was just all wrong.
 
I was surprised; he was so unlike either Luna or Stan, who now stood beside his father, beaming at me.

“Your Highness, it’s a pleasure to have your company. Please do join us for breakfast,” Potomal said, ushering me into the large dining room.

This was some serious wealth. Everything was opulent, even the door hinges. We walked past the main dining table–which I guess would seat about fifty–to a side room with a smaller table where we took our seats. It was just the four of us. I wanted to ask if Justin was going to join us, but decided to wait. I didn’t want to disrupt the current pleasant mood in the room. When we had been served and taken a few bites, I noticed Potomal sitting back in his chair, studying me–and my most unroyal table manners, no doubt.

“Are you looking forward to seeing your grandfather?” he asked, catching me off guard.

“I wasn’t aware that I was,” I said vaguely, hedging my bets.

“Of course, you weren’t,” Potomal agreed. “We will be returning you to your grandfather in a few days. Until then, it’s an honor to have you as our guest. Luna and Stan will entertain you, perhaps show you around the city.”