The Face of Earth (15 page)

“Ah, so you finally managed to finagle a date. Impressive. Maybe I’ll wait awhile before taking her away from you.” Flavoi chuckled.

“Just you try. I’m not letting this one get away.” There was the sound of a splash as Tresar dunked himself in the tub, but Agnar barely heard it. He was already out the door, carrying Tresar’s and Flavoi’s clothes with him. He had a date to keep.

On his way to the hotel, Agnar dumped the clothing in a garbage bin. It was somehow satisfying to get rid of them, as if they were a substitute for the men themselves. He stepped through the entry door and into the garishly opulent lobby of the Bellisimo Hotel. He looked around and saw Karina sitting on one of the benches, looking bored. Agnar ignored her and walked into one of the communication booths. He turned on the screen and asked the operator to connect him to the Bellisimo Hotel. She complied and a clerk’s face replaced hers on the screen.

“How may I help you?” the clerk asked politely.

“I would like to speak to Karina McKay, please,” Agnar said.

“One moment,” the clerk said, and transferred Agnar’s call to a communication booth.

Agnar disconnected the call and stepped outside, looking at the booth numbers along the top of the doors. The number three was lit up, indicating a call in progress. Agnar slipped quietly into the booth, setting himself behind the door. He pulled a pill capsule from his pocket and placed it inside his mouth, in the pocket of his cheek. Thus prepared to set his hastily concocted plan in motion, he waited for Karina to enter the booth.

CHAPTER 11

Karina paced the lobby of the Bellisimo Hotel, wondering what was keeping Tresar. They were supposed to meet for dinner, and this was a good opportunity to get him alone so she could ask him what Flavoi thought of her. Flavoi was easily the best-looking guy she’d ever seen, and she was hoping he found her attractive as well. Tresar was late, and that was unlike him. She grimaced. Maybe the bathhouses had brothel services, and a woman was the reason he was late. She didn’t begrudge him the companionship, he obviously had no luck with women, and if he had to pay for it, well then, at least he was getting it. She had never met anyone who needed it more. He wasn’t ugly, and even with his lack of social skills he should have been able to get a girlfriend. Maybe he was just too into those inventions of his to have time for women. He
was
a little obsessive when it came to his inventions. She sighed and sat on a plush bench. It could be awhile.

A few minutes later a hotel clerk approached her. “Karina McKay?”

She looked up at him. “Yes?”

“There is a communication for you in booth three. Will you take it?”

“Yes, thank-you.” The clerk bowed slightly and left. She stood up and headed to the other side of the room where doors with numbers over them lined the wall. She opened the number three door and entered the small room, thinking that at least Tresar had the courtesy to call. She closed the door behind her and sat in front of the communication screen. It was dark in the room, the only light coming from the screen itself. She touched the connect button on the console attached to the screen.

A woman’s face appeared. “How may I connect you?” she asked.

Karina looked at her, puzzled. “I was told I had a call.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am, no one is currently connected to this booth. Would you like to connect?”

Karina furrowed her brow in confusion. “No, thank-you.” She touched the disconnect button and the lady’s face disappeared. A white glow emanated from the screen. Karina stood up and turned to leave. She gasped as a large muscular frame slipped from the shadows to block the door. The light from the screen reflected off a bald head. Despite that, Karina recognized him instantly.

“Agnar!” She choked out his name in shock.

“Hello, Karina,” he rasped, “so very nice to see you again.”

Karina took a deep breath and tried to hide her fear. She folded her arms across her chest and took a brave stance. “You can’t do anything. This room has a security camera, and any threat to me will bring the guards in seconds.”

“That’s true,” Agnar grinned devilishly, “but they won’t bother to stop two people so obviously in love from leaving.” Agnar crossed the distance between them before Karina had time to blink. Before she could react, he was holding her against him with her arms pinned in their crossed position. He smelled strongly of soap, his face and head freshly shaven. He grinned down at her, enjoying her anger. She was finding it difficult to breathe in his suffocating embrace. She struggled, attempting to put her knee where it would do the most good.

“Ah, ah, ah.” Agnar shook his head at Karina. “We can’t have any of that. You need to behave yourself. We have a ship to catch and we don’t want to be late. So I brought a little something to calm your nerves.”

Agnar leaned his head down and kissed her, forcing her mouth open with his tongue and pushing the pill from his mouth to hers. She gulped involuntarily and swallowed it. Agnar continued kissing her, savoring her discomfort. He was also enjoying the kiss itself far too much. He had to be careful with this woman, or she’d get to him. After a few moments he pulled back and watched her eyes glaze.

“There now, don’t you feel better?” He put his arm around her waist. “Come, my dear. We don’t want to be late.”

As they left the room, Karina tried to resist, but it was as if her body wasn’t hers anymore. Inside she was screaming to run, to get away, while outside she docilely did everything Agnar said. She wanted to scream for help at the people they passed, but he told her to keep quiet and walk with him. Helplessly she followed his direction. As they passed through the lobby she saw Tresar talking to the man at the desk, and she willed him to look her way, but he didn’t. Within moments they were out the door and off into the night.

Agnar took Karina to the docks and sat her down in a dark spot underneath a sleek ship. He grinned at her. “Now, you’ll wait for me here, won’t you, my dear?” Karina glared at him and didn’t answer. He pointed his finger at her and issued a command. “Stay.” Karina stayed.

Agnar walked away, glancing back to make sure Karina followed his order. She remained beneath the ship. Satisfied, he entered the bar where he knew the princess would be looking for a new pilot. He found her inside talking to some men at a table. They shook their heads at her. Looking disappointed, she moved on to the next table. Agnar approached the men she had just left. Lowering his head and speaking in a quiet voice, he asked one of them what she wanted. They had already had a few drinks, and were happy to engage in some gossip.

“She says she’s a princess in need of a pilot,” one of them confided. “As if any of us would work for a filthy Bitowan, no matter what her status.”

Agnar smiled and bought the men a round before going to sit at an unoccupied table in a dark corner. He watched as the princess made her way around the room. Looking defeated, she finally approached his table. Holding her head high and in her most regal tone, she asked if she might join him. He nodded and gestured to a chair, pleased that she didn’t recognize him without his hair. She sat down and came right to the point.

“I am in need of a pilot. Are you one, or do you know any who would be willing to take on a student?” Agnar grunted noncommittally and nodded, pointing to himself. He didn’t want to speak; he was afraid she would recognize his distinct voice.

“Would you teach me to pilot?” Agnar grunted again and nodded. The princess looked relieved. “Good. The pay is excellent and we leave now.” She rose, preparing to go. Agnar grunted again and grabbed her wrist, stopping her. He gestured to the wait man to bring two drinks. The princess sat back down, understanding that he wanted to drink on it. When the drinks were set on the table, Agnar reached to take one and deliberately knocked the other over so that it spilled onto the princess’s dress. While she was occupied in brushing off the liquid, he slipped a pill capsule into the remaining drink. It fizzled and quickly disappeared. Agnar made apologetic noises and handed her the drink. The wait man replaced the spilt beverage and Agnar held it up for a moment before draining it. The princess hesitated, disliking the smell of the fermented beverage but bravely taking a sip. Agnar crossed his arms disgustedly at her, waiting. She grimaced and downed the noxious beverage as quickly as she could, pounding the empty glass on the table for emphasis. Agnar smiled and gestured to the door.

The princess led the way out and to the docks, weaving in and out of the parked ships toward her own. She palmed the plate and the plank slid down. As she was walking into the ship, she lurched against the door frame, feeling dizzy. The man she had hired took her arm to steady her. As she looked up at him, he spoke for the first time since their meeting.

“Is something wrong, Sharra?” Her heart skipped a beat in fear as she realized who he was. She reached to her belt for her weapon, but realized too late it had already been taken. Her vision swam and she lost consciousness. Agnar caught her as she fell, lifting her up into a cradled position. He peered down the boarding plank into the darkness. “Time to go, Karina. Follow me.”

Karina came out from under the ship and followed Agnar, glaring balefully at him. He took the unconscious woman’s palm and pressed it to a glowing plate on the wall, closing the door. He then carried her to the bridge and set her down in the chair facing the security console. Karina watched as he took the strange woman’s hand and pressed it against a lit plate, and then tapped something into the console before pressing his own hand against the plate. He turned and grinned at Karina. “Now this ship is mine. It’s time you ladies retired for the evening. Move.” Karina moved, unable to disobey.

“Walk that way.” Agnar gestured to Karina with his head, his arms full of the princess’s tall frame. Karina walked ahead, following Agnar’s directions to the ship’s living quarters. They entered a room and Agnar set his unconscious burden down on the bed, tying her to its frame with some cloth he ripped from a dress in the wardrobe. He turned to Karina. “Your turn.” He gestured to an elegant chair. “Have a seat.” Karina sat and he tied her to the chair with more strips of the cloth. He grinned at her and left the room, chuckling to himself. Outside the room he palmed the entry plate, locking the door. “A Bitowan princess, her ship, and an Earthling. This must be my lucky day.” Agnar strolled to the bridge, humming to himself.

Agnar took his time checking the instruments in preparation for takeoff. No one knew what he had done, so no one would be looking for him. He grinned as he imagined the looks on Tresar’s and Flavoi’s faces when they discovered Karina’s disappearance. He wondered how long it would take them to find out that he was responsible. He imagined it wouldn’t be long, considering the hotel’s security net. It had been an hour since he had taken her, so they may have already discovered his involvement. He leisurely continued his checks, secure in the knowledge that even if they were right outside the ship at this very moment, they still wouldn’t be able to enter and apprehend him.

Once the ship was prepared to leave at a moment’s notice, Agnar spent a little time exploring its recesses. He poked his head into crawl spaces and rummaged through cupboards. He looked in every room and every panel. He felt it was important for a captain to know every inch of his ship.

In one cupboard, he found a couple of garish black necklaces. He picked them up. They felt warm and hummed with energy. He grinned, realizing that these weren’t ordinary necklaces, but halabands. They were used to control criminals on Bitowa. He ran his fingers over them, feeling the smooth links of the technological wonders. He closed the cupboard and walked down the corridor to the living quarters. These ugly baubles were just the thing to make his guests more cooperative.

*
         
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*

Karina’s head cleared as the drug Agnar had fed her wore off. She no longer felt the compulsion to obey, and she began to struggle against her bonds, trying to loosen them enough to slip her hands out. Her wrists were raw where her twisting had caused the fabric to bite into her skin. The woman on the bed was still unconscious. Karina had never seen anything like her before. She was taller than the average human, and her skin was a pale yellow. Her chin and nose were almost pointed, and each strand of her long black hair was as thick as a pencil. Karina kept twisting her wrists, trying to make them as thin as possible. Mid-twist the strained fabric ripped, and Karina’s hands were free. She quickly began untying herself from the chair. She looked up at the sound of a moan from the bed. The strange woman tried to sit up, discovered she was tied down, and said something in a language that Karina didn’t understand.

“Hello.” Karina’s voice startled the woman and she looked up, her black eyes narrowing at the stranger. Karina continued untying herself as she spoke to the woman. “Do you speak Yalsan?”

The woman’s accent was strange, but her words were clear. “I am the daughter of the Emperor of Bitowa. I speak every language in this galaxy.”

Karina smiled at her, trying to make her feel at ease despite their circumstances. “My name is Karina. I’m from Earth.”

“Earth?” The woman’s accent was thick on the unfamiliar word.

Karina shrugged. “Different galaxy.” She worked at the last knot and finally freed her foot from its attachment to the chair leg. She turned to the strange woman and gestured to her bonds. “May I?”

“Please,” the woman said. Karina went to work on her hands first, so the woman could help free herself.

As Karina loosened the knots, the woman spoke. “My name is Sharra.” She looked at Karina worriedly. “What of Agnar? He is the last thing I remember seeing.”

Her hands freed, Sharra helped with her feet while Karina filled her in on all that had happened. When Karina told her about the security console and the palms on the lit plate, Sharra groaned. Free from the bed, she rose and ran to the plate next to the door, laying her hand against it. Nothing happened. She lifted her hand and tried again, pressing her palm flat against the plate. Nothing. She groaned again and sank to the floor.