“Veridian? Is everything okay? I wasn’t expecting you back so soon. Where’s Kayla?”
“Yeah, it’s fine. At least, I think its fine. I don’t know.”
“Come on in and have a seat,” Carl suggested, and motioned for them to follow him to the common room. Veridian followed him and slumped down in a chair. Jinx handed him a hydrating pack and he threw her a grateful look as he drank it.
“I don’t know what happened. We got there and she met her mother. That seemed to go well, although Kayla was a little freaked out. Then we went to dinner. I don’t know what the hell happened after that.” Veridian crushed the hydrating pack in frustration and tossed it on the table.
“Did something happen at dinner?” Jinx asked.
Veridian shook his head. “I don’t know. I got caught up talking to one of the potential traders. Kayla and Alec disappeared after dinner. Seara, that’s Kayla’s mother, came over to me and asked me to accompany her back to her family’s quarters. We sat around for awhile talking and waiting for Kayla to come back. Suddenly, Seara got this strange look on her face, jumped up in a panic, and ran out of the room.”
Veridian scratched his head and continued, “Seara came back a little later with Alec. She was quiet and it looked like she'd been crying. Alec said Kayla started remembering things. He told me Kayla wanted to be alone for awhile and asked me to come back here.”
Carl frowned, his unease growing. “You didn’t talk to Kayla?”
Veridian threw up his hands in frustration. “No. Alec said she didn’t want to talk to anyone. Next thing I knew, I was on my speeder heading back here.”
Carl shook his head. “This doesn’t make sense. There’s no way Kayla would have told you to leave. She’s always been adamant about not being separated from you.”
“I thought so too. But maybe remembering her past changed things? I don’t know. It seemed to make sense at the time.”
Carl drummed his fingers on the table. Jinx rested her hand on Veridian’s arm and suggested, “Veridian, why don’t you call her and find out if she’s okay?”
Veridian pulled out his comlink and was immediately redirected to her messaging center. He left a message asking her to contact him and closed his comlink.
“I’ll try again in the morning. Maybe she’s sleeping.”
Jinx offered him a reassuring smile. “You should get some rest too. You look exhausted. We’ll find out what’s going on. Don’t worry.”
“Yeah.” Looking lost, he headed out of the room. When he was gone, Xantham said, “Anyone else think this reeks?”
Carl nodded. If there was one thing beyond reproach, it was Kayla's loyalty to Veridian. “Kayla wouldn’t have sent him away. I don’t care what she remembered.”
“Maybe you should go to the towers a day early,” Jinx suggested. “Go check on her and find out what’s going on.”
“That’s not a bad idea. We’re low on inventory anyway. I could use that as an excuse,” Carl mused. “In the meantime, we should get some rest. Maybe Kayla will call Veridian in the morning and straighten this out.”
Carl said goodnight to the group and headed back to his office. Pushing aside the inventory list Jinx had given him earlier, he pulled up a copy of Kayla’s OmniLab contract. He stared at her picture for a long moment and then shut it off in annoyance. He was acting like a lovesick teenager.
You were the one that encouraged her to go
. Mentally kicking himself, he headed to his bedroom. He pulled off his shirt and threw it on the floor in frustration. Resting his head in his hands, he sighed. Sleep would be a long time coming.
* * * *
Several hours later, Carl woke to the sound of his comlink. He grabbed it and flipped it open. Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes and read the message from OmniLab.
So they narrowed down the selection of potential traders
. The message requested his presence at the towers in two days for the final decision. He studied the qualifications of the proposed trader candidates and chuckled when he saw Rand’s name on the list.
He scrolled through the rest of his messages and was about to close his comlink when he noticed a draft message marked urgent. He couldn’t remember creating an urgent draft. Curious, he opened it up and stared in shock at the short message.
Carl,
Hope you’re doing well. If you happen to stop by OmniLab, I’d love it if you could break me out of here. Seems like these zap-happy circle freaks are into some weird shit and have decided they want me to join their little club. Apparently, they don’t like to take ‘no’ for an answer either.
Oh, you might not want to tell Veridian about this little mix-up. I don’t want him to worry—not to mention I’ll never be able to live this down once he finds out.
K.
His fingers tightened reflexively on the comlink. Jumping to his feet, he headed out into the common room. Cruncher and Zane were sitting at the table having breakfast and talking.
“Morning, Boss,” Cruncher said. “I heard Veridian came back last night.”
Carl tossed Cruncher his comlink. “Read the draft message.”
Cruncher opened the comlink and read through it quickly. When he finished, he looked up at Carl, his eyes filled with worry. “Shit, Boss, is this for real?”
Carl nodded grimly. Given Kayla's penchant for getting into trouble, he shouldn't be surprised. “Get Xantham and Veridian. We’re going to the towers early. I want to find out what the hell is going on.”
Zane looked confused and asked, “What happened?”
“I don’t know. Kayla hacked into my comlink somehow and sent me a message. She indicated she’s being held against her will.”
“But I thought her family was one of the higher-ups in those towers.”
“They are,” Carl informed him. “That’s why this doesn’t make any sense.”
Jinx walked into the room and saw the tense faces. She frowned and asked, “Did something happen?”
“We got a message from Kayla. I think she’s in trouble,” Carl explained. “Cruncher, I want Xantham and Veridian ready to leave in thirty minutes. It’ll take us a couple of hours to get to the towers.”
Cruncher nodded and headed out of the room. Jinx walked over to Carl and put her hand on him reassuringly. “Don’t worry. Kayla’s proven to be pretty resourceful. I’m sure she’ll be fine.”
He hoped she was right, but the incident with Ramiro was too fresh in his mind. If he managed to get her out of this mess, he was going to have to find a way to keep her permanently out of trouble.
* * * *
Less than thirty minutes later, Carl, Cruncher, Xantham, and Veridian were on their speeders heading toward the OmniLab towers.
As they approached the towers, Carl frowned. It had been almost a year since he last visited the towers. Surprisingly enough, he realized he didn’t miss it. He understood why many traders ended up extending their contracts and staying in the field longer. There was something about being on the surface and working daily with your crew that ended up making it feel more like home than anywhere else.
As they pulled up to the towers, Xantham whistled and said into the headset, “Damn. I never thought I’d see these towers this close.”
Carl chuckled and replied, “Wait until you see the inside.”
They climbed off their speeders and entered in the lower level entrance area where they were met by an elderly blonde woman with a stern expression.
She pointed to the panel on the wall. “Identify yourselves.”
Carl pulled off his helmet and hung it up on the rack. He pressed his hand against the panel and spoke his name in a clear voice.
The woman glanced at the tablet she was carrying. “You’re early, Trader Carl Grayson. We weren’t expecting you for another day. Welcome back to OmniLab Towers.”
Carl motioned for everyone else to do the same. They each checked in one by one. Once they identified themselves, the woman said, “Traders don’t usually bring so many of their crew members to the towers. Is there a problem?”
Carl gave her his most disarming smile. If they were turned away now, there was little he could do about it. “We need to pick up some supplies. I’ll need their help to bring the items back. Veridian Levanthe is a close friend of Mistress Kayla Rath’Varein. He intends to visit her while he’s here.”
The woman eyed Veridian speculatively and didn't appear impressed. “We haven't received a notification from the Inner Circle about any guests. I’m sorry, but without authorization, access to their tower is denied.”
He'd expected as much. “That’s fine. We’ll contact her directly after our other business is concluded.”
The woman hesitated and then nodded.
Carl headed out of the entrance area and into the main tower. Xantham and Cruncher looked around in amazement as Carl led them to an elevator. They stepped inside and it shot upward.
“Where are we going?” Veridian asked. “This isn’t the same elevator Kayla and I took yesterday.”
“We’re going to my family’s quarters. Notification of our arrival has already reached the Inner Circle and High Council. I’m guessing someone will contact us fairly soon to find out why we’re here.”
The elevator stopped and they stepped out. Carl led them down a long hallway and stopped at a door. He pressed his thumb against the panel and it slid open.
He looked around the familiar room and called out, “Hello?”
“Oh my word! Is that you, Carl?” a woman’s voice answered. He couldn't help but smile when his mother emerged from another room and she saw him. She was tall and slender with light streaks of gray in her dark hair. Her hair was pulled back in a bun and her brown eyes twinkled.
“Carl!” she exclaimed. She rushed up to him and gave him a hug.
He kissed her on the cheek. “Hi, Mom. I’m here for the trader’s meeting. I’ve brought some of my crew with me.”
She stepped back, ran her hand over her hair, and chided, “Shame on you, Carl. You didn’t tell me you were coming today and you brought all these handsome men with you. What are you thinking?”
Carl laughed. “You’re beautiful, Mother. I’d like you to meet Xantham, our communications expert, Veridian, our newest recruit, and Cruncher, our amazing tech and former scavenger.”
“I’m so glad to meet all of you. Please, call me Rina. If there’s anything I can get for you while you’re here, let me know.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Rina,” Cruncher said, and kissed her hand.
She blushed. “Oh, I like your friends, Carl.”
Veridian gave her a polite smile. Xantham piped up. “Thanks, Rina. Maybe while we’re here, you can tell us all the embarrassing stories about your son?”
Carl gave Xantham a dark look. “Don’t count on it.”
Rina laughed in delight. “Well, come on in. Carl, you can stay in your room. We’ll get your friends set up in some of the other guest rooms.”
Carl followed his mother down the hall and asked, “Where’s Dad?”
“Oh, he’s over at the school. He can’t seem to stay away. Seems like he’s constantly taking on new students.”
Carl nodded. His father was a scientist and professor at the school. Learning was his passion and even when home, he was usually engrossed in some sort of project.
“Here we go.” Rina opened one of the doors. “Maybe two of you can share a room, if you don’t mind. We’re a little low on space right now. Your father's projects are scattered all over.”
“That’s fine,” Carl replied. “Xantham and Veridian, do you mind staying together?”
Xantham chuckled. “Works for me. Cruncher snores.”
Cruncher scowled and made a move to swat him, but he quickly ducked away.
Rina smiled at them. A strange chime sounded at the door and she faltered. Her eyes grew large and she turned to Carl.
“Someone from the Inner Circle is here? What’s going on?”
“I’ll handle this, Mom,” Carl replied, returning to the entrance. He opened the door to see Alec and Director Borshin.
“Master Veritan, Director Borshin,” Carl greeted them and invited them inside. “I was wondering if a representative from the Inner Circle would be showing up. I wasn’t expecting anyone quite so quickly or so notable though.”
Alec entered and looked around the room at Carl’s crew. When he spotted Veridian, his eyes narrowed. “I received a report you had arrived early and brought unexpected guests, Trader Carl. Is there a problem?”
Carl kept his tone casual, not wanting to confirm his real reasons for arriving early. “Not at all. I have some inventory to pick up and Veridian was having second thoughts about leaving Kayla. I thought it might be a good idea to come a little early to check in on her and see how she’s doing.”
“Mistress Kayla Rath’Varein is no longer your concern,” Alec replied coldly. “I’ll let her know you asked after her. She may contact you if she wishes.”
Carl frowned. “That doesn’t sound like Kayla. She wouldn’t have cut Veridian off like that. What’s going on?”
“You overstep yourself,
Trader
Carl Grayson. As a courtesy, I have tolerated your questions, but that ends now. You are free to remain here and conduct your trader business. But after the appointment of the new trader within the next two days, you are to leave and return to the surface to fulfill the terms of your contract. I suggest you focus only on your trader business while you’re in the towers or we may find ourselves looking for someone to replace you too.”
“I see.”
Alec nodded, seeming to be satisfied he'd made his point. He turned and left with Director Borshin following him.
When the door closed, Rina stepped forward. “Carl? What’s going on? That wasn’t just anyone from the Inner Circle. That was
Alec Veritan.
He’s to be appointed to the High Council any day now.”
“Politics,” he muttered in disgust. He was beginning to think Kayla had a point in not trusting OmniLab. He'd originally hoped to join the political arena to make some changes, but if the corruption went as high as he feared, he wasn't sure what he could do. At the very least, Alec Veritan's presence confirmed the High Council's knowledge of Kayla being held against her will. He turned to his mother. “I think it would be best if you knew as little as possible.”
She frowned. “All right. But you’re going to have to explain how you know Mistress Kayla Rath’Varein. The entire tower has been talking about her return and how she was living on the surface all these years.”