Search for the Phoenix: Phoenix Series Book 2 (19 page)

After waiting in line for nearly twenty minutes, he took his food to a nearby bench and sat. Taking out his data unit, he looked up the comm code for Megan Joy Carson. He debated what to say while he ate. This had to be handled delicately.

When he had finished eating, he threw his food wrappers into the recycle bin and opened a comm link as he walked toward a cluster of trees.

“Hello,” came a woman’s voice over the link.

“Hello. Is this Megan Carson?” he asked.

“Who’s asking?”

“My name is…” he almost said captain, “Niles Jiorgenson. I need to speak with Megan Carson. It’s regarding Nolan Peters.”

“I’m listening,” the voice said.

“I think it would be better if we had this discussion in person,” he said. “It’s a bit delicate.”

“Do you know The Cove?” Megan asked.

“Isn’t that a bar downtown?”

“Yes. Every cabbie knows where it is. Be there in thirty minutes,” she said.

Before he could answer, the link closed.

* * * *

Megan was shaking when she closed the connection. She had no idea who this Niles guy was, but it couldn’t be good. She had been calling and messaging Nolan for two days without any reply, and up pops this guy wanting to meet to talk about him.

Opening a comm link to Derick, she began putting on her shoes.

“Hey, Megan, have you heard from Nolan?” Derick asked as soon as he opened the link.

“No, and I’m worried. I just got a call from a guy named Niles Jiorgenson who wants to meet me to talk about Nolan. Does the name mean anything to you?” she asked.

“Never heard of him. When and where are you going to meet?” he asked.

She glanced at her watch and said, “Twenty-seven minutes, at The Cove.”

“I’ll be there. Don’t talk to this guy without me,” Derick said.

* * * *

Megan stood in the shade of The Cove’s entrance alcove waiting for Derick. A man wearing a blue jumpsuit walked along the sidewalk. He was a bit shorter than her, slight of build, with short, sandy hair. As he neared the door, he looked at her and stopped. “Hello, Ms. Carson. I’m Niles Jiorgenson.”

“How do you know who I am?” she asked. Then she noticed the SACOM logo on his pocket and said, “But I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. You probably know a lot about me.”

“I’m sorry to say, that’s true. Can we go inside and talk?” he asked.

“I’m waiting for my attorney,” she said coldly.

“If my intention was to take you into custody, I would have sent a security team to your apartment. This is unofficial,” he said.

She nodded in the direction of the door. “You can go inside and have a drink while you wait for me.”

“I’d like that, but I can’t drink right now. A man’s life is at stake.”

She put both hands on his chest, shoved him back into the wall, and growled, “What have you done to Nolan?”

He made no effort to resist her. “I haven’t done anything, but he is in danger. Can’t we go inside and talk?”

She glared at him for a moment before releasing him and stepping back. “Fine,” she snapped. She pushed past him and yanked open the door.

Megan looked around the dimly lit room, noting Eddie’s conspicuous absence, and wondered if Mick would be any help should this SACOM jerk try to drag her out of here. She considered stepping outside again to wait for Derick, but she desperately wanted to know what this man knew about Nolan. Walking to a booth near the bar, she sat. Niles sat across from her, his hands clasped on the table in front of him.

“You had something you wanted to say,” she prompted.

“Yes, but I’m not sure how to say this. Your boyfriend is hurt… badly.”

Leaning forward abruptly, she said through gritted teeth, “I’m going to kill you.”

“I had nothing to do with it. If you will hear me out, I’m trying to save your boyfriend,” he protested.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” she said. “He and my husband used to work together. You people killed my husband, you know.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know about your husband. I haven’t studied your file that carefully. I just looked at your picture before coming down here so I could be sure I was talking to the right person.”

“You have a lot of nerve! You killed my husband, and by the sound of it, half killed my boy… my friend, and you don’t even know who I am.”

“Look, I had nothing to do with your husband’s death, and I had nothing to do with the beating your friend took. I’m trying to save his life. If the torturing bastard gets another go at him, he won’t survive. He barely made it through last night.”

Megan gasped. For the first time, she realized the seriousness of the situation.

“May I join you?” Derick asked as he stood by the booth. Without waiting for an answer, he slid in next to Megan. “What have I missed?”

Megan nodded to Niles and said, “The janitor captain came to tell me that Nolan is barely clinging to life. He says he wants to help, but he hasn’t said how.”

Niles looked at Derick and said, “Before you say anything, I had nothing to do with Mr. Peters’ condition. He’s in our infirmary getting the best possible care. Our head of security is guarding him personally. We need to get him out of there and to someplace safe.” He looked at Megan. “I know you’re an EMT. Can you take him somewhere and care for him until he recovers?”

Before she could say anything, Derick placed his hand on her wrist and asked, “How are we supposed to get him out of your base?”

“I’ll deliver him to you personally, anywhere you choose,” Niles said.

“You said we needed to take him someplace safe. I assume you mean somewhere away from Dawson,” Derick said.

“Look, I don’t know what’s going on. The general said we need to get him away from Dawson, preferably not to his uncle’s place. If they go looking for him, they’ll be sure to look there,” the captain said.

“None of this would have happened if you people had just left us alone,” Megan said. “Nolan doesn’t know anything. None of us have seen Carl since the trial. He didn’t even come to my husband’s funeral! Why can’t you get that through your head?”

“I believe you. However, that’s not the problem we have to deal with right now. We need to get your friend to safety. He’s going to need a lot of care. Are you up to it?” Jiorgenson asked. “If not, we can leave him in the SACOM infirmary and hope they leave him alone.”

Derick said, “We’ll take him. When will he be ready to move?”

“I don’t know. The doctor was still working on him when I left. As soon as I get back, I’ll find out and contact you. You decide where you want us to bring him and be ready on short notice. We may not have a lot of time to do this,” Niles said.

“We’ll be ready,” Megan said.

“Good. I have to get back and see how he’s doing,” Jiorgenson said as he stood up.

“How bad is he?” Megan asked.

Jiorgenson looked straight into her eyes and said, “You wouldn’t recognize him right now. He’s in bad shape. I’ll ask the doctor to write a report summarizing his condition along with instructions for his care. We’ll bring supplies and medicines with him. I have to go. You have my personal data unit address. Let me know where to meet you.” He turned and walked quickly to the door.

“We need to make preparations, quickly,” Megan said to Derick. “He’s right. We can’t take him to Ethan’s place.”

“Where will you take him?” Derick asked.

“To Harmony,” she said.

“Why Harmony?”

“That’s where he left the Griffin,” she said. “If we need to get away quickly, that’s our best hope.”

“But how will you get him there?” Derick asked.

“Let’s go,” Megan said. “I have some calls to make, and then I’ll explain my plan to you on the way to Nolan’s apartment.”

Georgia Bennett glared at her comm unit when the chime rang, the display indicating a direct connection from Senator Kase. She pressed a button, transferring the senator to her secretary, and went back to reading the latest disappointing updates from Jiorgenson’s team. As she read, she wondered if she might have to relieve the captain and put Lieutenant Zorbas in his place. Perhaps the right motivation would produce results.

“I’m sorry, Senator. The first admiral is unavailable at the moment. Can I take a message?” asked the first admiral’s secretary.

“No, I wouldn’t want to waste any of the first admiral’s precious time,” the senator said and abruptly closed the link.

“That’s the third time she’s refused to take my call,” Senator Kase said to Tom Easton, his personal aide. “General Nelson tells me she’s taken over the entire civilian satellite network around Caldon and seized the data center. Her goons even roughed up civilian employees there.”

“She’s getting bolder,” Tom said.

“She’s out of control is what she is,” the senator said.

“It was a mistake to give her the security forces.”

“Hindsight, Tom. Now, would you excuse me? I need to make a private call,” the senator said.

“Certainly,” Tom said as he stood and left the room. When the door was shut, Senator Kase opened a comm link.

Lance Nelson pulled his data unit from his pocket and opened the incoming link. “Hello, Senator. What can I do for you?”

“Can we talk, General?” the senator asked.

“I’m alone on my end, sir.”

“Lance, we have a big problem. You know that situation we were discussing earlier? We need to act.”

“I agree. Things are getting out of control here. She has usurped an entire squad of my forces and has them answering directly to her, bypassing me completely. She’s also brought in a sadistic bastard whose only job is to torture people for information.”

There was a long moment of silence before the senator finally spoke. “She needs to be stopped. Can you do it with some of your forces on her side?”

“Absolutely, Senator. I can handle her goons. I trained them. I know their strengths and weaknesses.”

“Her goons are one thing, but don’t underestimate Georgia Bennett, General.”

“I won’t, Senator.”

“Put together a plan and let me know when you’re ready,” the senator said.

“Yes, sir,” Nelson said.

“General, when this is over, your team will be an independent branch again, answering directly to the senate, like it used to be.”

“Thank you, sir,” Nelson said. He waited for the senator to close the comm link, and then opened a link to his senior commander, Major Eric Anderson.

“Hello, General,” the major said when he opened the link.

“Eric, I just spoke with Kase regarding that little problem we were discussing. It’s time to take action. I want you to begin putting together our teams. I’m taking care of moving Peters. As soon as I get back, I’ll join you and we can finalize the details.”

“Yes, sir,” Anderson replied.

* * * *

Niles Jiorgenson stopped short when he reached the infirmary and found two armed guards standing in front of the door. One of the men gestured for him to approach. “The general is expecting you, Captain Jiorgenson,” he said.

Relieved, Niles walked to the door and entered. Finding the waiting room empty, he continued through the doors into the clinical section. Walking along the stark white corridor, he looked into open doorways, listening for voices. The corridor ended at the middle of another. To the right were the operating rooms and to the left, the recovery rooms. Hoping Peter’s hadn’t required surgery, he turned left. The third door on the right opened, and an orderly stepped out carrying a clipboard. He stopped and looked Niles up and down. “Captain’s eagles on a janitor’s jumpsuit. Are you Captain Jiorgenson?” the man asked.

Niles nodded.

“They’re in here,” he said as he stepped back to the door and held it open.

General Nelson’s voice carried through the open door. “I understand your concerns, Doctor, but he isn’t safe here. He’ll be well cared for, I assure you.”

“General, this man is in serious condition and shouldn’t be moved for several days,” said someone else.

He stepped into the room. “Nolan Peters can’t stay here,” Niles said. “I’ve made arrangements for his care, Doctor. Please prepare a document detailing his injuries, treatments, and needed medications. Then put together a bag with whatever drugs and supplies he’ll need to recuperate, including copies of any scans you performed. The general and I will be taking him to another facility as soon as you have packed his supplies.”

“This is against my medical judgment,” the doctor insisted.

“You can include that in your document,” Jiorgenson said. “Now, if you will quickly prepare what we need, we’ll arrange transportation.”

“I have an ambulance waiting at the back door. You can ride with Peters. Two of my people will ride with you. I’ll be up front with the driver,” the general said.

“Will we have any trouble getting him off the base?” Niles asked.

The general shook his head. “It’s my people on the gates, Captain. That’s why I’m going with you. Even if First Admiral Bennett herself ordered them to stop us, they wouldn’t,” Nelson replied.

Jiorgenson’s data unit chimed. Pulling it out, he opened a message and read it. “This can’t be right.”

“What’s wrong?” Nelson asked.

“She wants us to bring Peters to the starliner maintenance facility at Dawson spaceport. That makes no sense.”

“Delegation of authority, Captain. You told her what her mission was. Leave the details to her. Our job is to deliver Peters,” the general said before he stepped out into the corridor. “Doc! We need to get moving. Is everything ready?”

“Almost!” came a shout from another room. “Just a few more minutes. I’m packing up the supplies.”

Two EMTs from the ambulance approached, one pushing a gurney, the other carrying a large medical kit. They were followed by two armed security team members.

“Doc!” Nelson shouted, “We’re taking Peters to the ambulance. Bring everything to us as soon as it’s ready!” He pointed to a doorway, and the EMTs and their escorts continued into the room followed closely by the general. Jiorgenson took a deep breath and readied himself to see Peters again. He had been keeping his distance from the bed, but now the moment could not be put off any longer. Hopefully, knowing what to expect, it wouldn’t be as difficult to see Zorbas’ handiwork this time. After another deep breath, he continued across the room to where the general stood a few feet from the bed. Nolan Peters’ face was more discolored, this morning’s red now edging toward green and black. The gurney was positioned at the foot of the bed.

“We need some help, here,” said one of the EMTs. Nelson took Jiorgenson by the arm and led him toward the bed. “Grab the sheet. We’re going to lift him with it, and then we’ll side step until he’s over the gurney. Be as gentle as possible. We’ll lift on three. One… two… three.”

Nolan groaned in distress. Jiorgenson couldn’t imagine the pain the man must be in, undoubtedly made worse by every movement. Careful as they were, Nolan continued to groan with each step they took. When he was over the gurney, they slowly lowered him. The sound he made when they rested him on the gurney made Jiorgenson weak in the knees. He turned to the general and said, “Whatever you plan to do to Zorbas, I want to be there.”

The general looked at him for a moment, and then looked down at his trembling legs. “No, you don’t, Captain. Anyway, I’m not a barbarian, not like Zorbas. Nothing like this is going to happen to him.”

“Well… it should,” Niles protested.

“That’s one variety of justice—the kind that people like Zorbas dole out. If that’s what you want, I’ll let you come down to his cell and you can give him the beating you think he deserves.”

Niles stared into the general’s eyes for a moment before shaking his head and turning to watch the EMTs as they worked to make Peters comfortable for the trip. “I couldn’t do that, but someone should.”

Nelson put a hand on Niles’ shoulder. “That’s the thing about that variety of justice, son. There are people who are too willing for that sort of thing to happen, as long as someone else will do it. If you have to have heartless bastards dish out your justice, it’s not justice, it’s barbarism. Do you know how I made it to the rank of general and why my people are so loyal to me? I never gave a command I wasn’t willing to personally carry out myself. It’s a rule that will serve you well in your career.”

“We’re ready,” said an EMT.

“Let’s go, then,” Nelson said. Turning to the guards, he said, “Allison, you lead. Jacob, you bring up the rear.”

The group hurried along the corridor and soon arrived at the emergency entrance of the medical wing. The rear doors of the ambulance were open, and the EMTs carefully loaded the gurney and locked it into position. Jiorgenson climbed in and sat next to one of the EMTs, while Allison and Jacob sat next to the other EMT on the opposite side.

The doctor ran out and handed General Nelson a bag. “Everything is here. Take good care of him.”

Nelson took the bag, slid it into the ambulance, and then closed the rear doors and secured them. “Thanks, Doc,” he said before he went to the passenger’s door and got in. The driver activated the retrograv, and the ambulance lifted. Jiorgenson was relieved that Peters would be spared the jolts and bumps of Dawson’s pothole-riddled streets.

The ambulance moved through the base until it reached the gate onto Water Street. It quickly opened, and the ambulance accelerated. The general was definitely connected to his people, Jiorgenson realized. They knew exactly what to do, and Peters was now safely out of SACOM Central Command.

* * * *

When the ambulance arrived at the entrance for the starliner maintenance facility, the gate rolled back and two men waved the vehicle through.

“Is that Carson?” the general asked.

Jiorgenson moved to the walkway leading to the front section and looked through the window. “Yes, that’s her.”

“Turn around and back up to that hangar door, Corporal,” Nelson said to the driver.

When the back doors of the ambulance opened, Allison and Jacob jumped down and took up positions on either side of the doors. Jiorgenson climbed down to greet Megan, but she stepped around him and climbed into the ambulance. He heard her sudden intake of breath as she saw Nolan. In an instant, her expression changed from one of shock to one of steel determination. The EMTs unlocked the gurney and carefully moved it out until the wheels dropped and locked into position.

Megan stepped down to the pavement and said, “Follow me,” as she led the way across the maintenance hangar to a cargo shuttle. The rear ramp was down, and its interior lights were glowing. Leading the way up the ramp, she pointed to a bed and said, “Put him there.”

Standing alone in the center of the cargo bay was a bed, about waist high, with folding bed rails all around. Lights were mounted in the ceiling directly above. Clearly, this shuttle doubled as a medical transport when needed. The group transferred Nolan to the bed as gently as possible. The SACOM people moved away, and the ambulance driver set the bag prepared by the doctor on the floor at the foot of the bed.

“He’s in your care, now. Good luck,” the general said.

“The surgeon prepared written instructions for his care and packed supplies in that bag,” Jiorgenson said.

Megan approached him and said, “Thank you. I don’t know why you did this, but thank you.” Then, to his surprise, she hugged him.

“Where are you taking him?” he asked.

General Nelson put an arm around his shoulder and quickly pulled him toward the ramp. “We do not want to know anything, ma’am. Good luck.”

* * * *

Strapped into a jump seat, Megan read the report from the SACOM surgeon as the shuttle rolled out of the hangar and taxied to a lift-off pad. With his injuries, his recovery would take several weeks. She reviewed the instruction for his care, quickly glancing at some of the supplies in the bag. The ship rose gently on its retrograv drive. Following Megan’s instructions, the pilot kept acceleration to a gentle level. The ride was smooth enough that she unbuckled and went to work. She slipped a pulse oximeter onto Nolan’s finger. His arms were badly bruised, so she attached a blood pressure cuff around his calf. Taking out her data unit, she recorded his vital signs.

Moving to the head of the bed, she bent down and said softly, “Nolan, can you hear me?” He gave no response. “Nolan, it’s Megan. Can you hear me? Give me a sign.”

Nolan opened his mouth, but no sound came. With obvious difficulty, he slid a hand to hers and stroked her hand with one finger.

“You’re going to be okay, Nolan. I’m taking you away from Caldon. I’m going to take care of you. I won’t leave you,” she said.

Nolan rubbed her hand again briefly. He opened his mouth. After a few tries, he managed to say, “Thirsty.”