The Gadgeteer

Chapter 23

WHATEVER GAME Victor Dane was playing, Arabeth did not appreciate it. She sat on the edge of a small, rickety cot, staring at him. Twins should be a little easier to tell apart, she thought. Emotion blinded her, and fear kept her from thinking straight.

"What did that man shoot me with? That was not a pistol."

"Can I get you a cup of coffee, or some lemonade, perhaps?" Vic asked her.

She glared back, saying nothing. She leaned forward, testing her legs. They hurt in the same way a muscle cramp would, but seemed otherwise functional.

"I apologize for the nature of our reunion, but time is at a premium. This was the only way I could see you without the entire civilized world finding out." He looked away. "And Samuel wouldn't understand my wanting a chat. He trusts me, but not with you." His brief but wry smile hid another secret. "There is a mountain to the north and I need someone to go there and retrieve an item for me."

"And if you don't want Sam to know, that means it's risky. Very risky."

He nodded. "But vital."

"So you won't mind me asking for proof of which side you're on."

"Of course not, but anything I say may be a lie. How would you know if I can be trusted?"

She held her breath a moment. She hated these puzzles in games, as in real life. "A test. I will do this task for you, but you will let me ask anything I want about your project."

His eyebrows rose. "Anything?"

"Trust is two-way. Your advantage is that I have to get your part before you have to explain." She looked him dead in the eyes, gauging his reaction.

He winked. "That sounds fair."

"Life isn't about fairness," she snapped. "It's about what's right or wrong and finding a way to correct the wrongs."

"Whoa, calm down." He blinked a few times, then started laughing. "You are far more intense than I remember."

"I hadn't just been kidnapped the other times we met."

"True, true." He tilted his head to one side. "So, let me think. You just returned the police chief's family to him, and that makes you kind of golden around here. I suspect that if you get caught, excuses will free you of any criminal charges."

"Are we stealing from our own gadgeteers, or someone else's?" she asked. A little clarity went a long way.

"That's a double-sided question."

She frowned. What did that mean?

"All you need to know is that it's the right thing to do."

"You're a little crazy, you know," she said, shaking her head.

"And everyone who gadgeteers is a little off the norm, so we're even." He laughed.

"Well, considering you kidnapped me so that I could steal for you, and I'm curious enough to agree, you may be on to something." Stealing it was one thing, but if she didn't think it was safe in his hands - whatever the item was, she didn't have to turn it over. "What is it I'm after?"

"It's called a thermal widget calibrator."

"I've never heard of it."

"And you likely never will. It's new, but it's a toy only the military are allowed to own."

"I thought you were working for them."

"What led you to that conclusion? Oh, right - Mr. Hicks."

She nodded.

"I'm freelance, actually. I refused to choose a side. I hear you're working on radio waves. I prefer to manipulate things I can see. I need something that will distort the minds of other people, reorienting their thoughts... the tests we've done are pathetic," Vic said, rubbing the back of his neck. "All we managed to do was turn you all paranoid and violent. That was not the objective."

"I'm an amateur compared to Graham Halister. You should have kidnapped him."

"You are friends?"

She nodded. "I've known Graham for quite a few years now, yes."

"Good to know."

"What's that mean?"

"I like to know where the people I deal with stand with each other. Nothing more."

"So, all you want is the calibrator, and you'll give me the information I need?" she pressed.

"Easy as that." He chortled for a moment. "The hard part is going to be finding him. He's disappeared."

"I suppose this is where you tell me why he's disappeared."

"He hasn't really disappeared. He's been duped. He's become a pawn of the one man that you should be worried about. As he is the leading expert in his field, I'm guessing that the news of his expertise has reached unwelcome ears. I have competition, you see. His goals are not nearly as altruistic as mine."

Arabeth thought about the meaning behind Vic's words and felt her stomach sink. "You want me to step into a power struggle between two... two what? What are you?

"Call me a scientist. My work is all for the greater good. You know me a little, I think. I'm not evil, or insane."

"Said every mad scientist ever. I'm guessing that the calibrator is a weak excuse to mask my true intention. I'm to convince Graham that you're the good one and bring him back to you, so you can work up a defence."

"Think what you will, but when you meet Tanner Stein, you will understand the true threat to Blastborn."

" Right now, he's the equivalent of a prisoner working, presumably, against his will. I need him back in his lab as soon as possible." Vic flipped a coin in the air, catching it and slapping it down on the table next to him. "If you do that, I will show you what you need to know in order to stop Tanner Stein."

The coin toss struck Arabeth as odd, but Vic had always been a bubble off of plumb. The fact that he was Matthew's twin added to her discomfort. He was promising to share information she needed, but in a moment of indecision she considered whether it would be better to warn Graham to discontinue his association with this man. Not that Graham would listen. It would only clear her conscience.

"Fine. I'll find him and get him out, but I need a promise from you. Stop interfering with my life and those around me. If you want to talk, just say so." She was getting irritated but couldn't see another choice. If Graham was being held against his will, Arabeth had to help him get free.

"Where is the fun in that? There needs to be a limit to this so-called civilized behaviour at some point. Besides, I didn't think that was a meeting you would take."

"Where is he?"