The Genesis Illusion

Chapter 22

The key fought it's entry into the lock but finally surrendered. Sam leaned on the door as he turned the key freeing his support so he staggered into the apartment. The trip from the warehouse, although less than a block, was a blur to his fractured memory. He collapsed with a thud in the closest chair.

Ann popped her head out of the bedroom, and said, "Sam, are you okay?" Sam didn't respond so Ann tiptoed out. Sam held his head partially covering a bloody wound with his hand. "What happened? Are you all right?" Unaware that a glob of blood dropped from the fingers of his hand onto the chair he gradually regained strength.

"Yes, Someone attacked me in the warehouse," Sam replied in a quiet somewhat hesitant voice.

"But who?"

"I don't know, he wore a mask." Ann retrieved a wet cloth from the kitchen to clean Sam's wound. It was a nasty scrape from his head slamming into the concrete floor. Mike saved my life.

"How did you get away?"

Should I tell her about Mike? "No... I don't know. I must have been unconscious for a time. He wasn't there when I awoke." That's true. But I saw Mike scare him away. "He had a knife. But something must have chased him away."

Ann brought a gauze bandage and first-aid cream from the bathroom to cover Sam's wound. "But who would want to kill you? A government assassin?"

"Maybe. Your mother hates me." The moment Sam blurted out the inflammatory accusation he knew it would trigger a violent response.

"Bastard," shouted Ann, backing away from Sam. Her eyebrows clenched, lips narrowed and reddened from an unrestrained internal fury. "She's no murderer."

~~~

"Your highness, our investigation of the ionization cannon malfunction during the takeover test has found that Mr. Arom refused to fire the ionization cannon." Ling Wong said. Bright Sun didn't demand a royal greeting, but she didn't object either. "General Kyi recommends we dismiss him."

Speaking in an authoritative tone Bright Sun said, "Why didn't he follow orders?"

"He said he didn't want to use a drug to force opponents to join Arcadia. He discussed his objection with Sam."

"Sam again. Undermining my authority. I've got to..."

Ling Wong, seeing the determination boil within Bright Sun, grew fearful. Her hands quivered and her voice cracked. "Mr. Arom has a family. I think the General is right. You should fire him."

"No, dereliction of duty is a capital crime." Bright Sun pointed at the guard near the door. He responded immediately striding to her side. "Tell General Kyi that I want to see him." After the guard departed, she turned to Ling Wong, "I must be obeyed. This traitor must pay the ultimate price." Ling Wong gasped and crumpled to her knees sobbing into her hands.

~~~

Sam didn't want to get involved in a fight but he had to recover from his slip-up. "What about the falsified photos and fake receipts that showed I was two-timing you? She's desperate to break us up. She sees me as a threat."

"Yeah, that was unforgivable, but it doesn't mean she would resort to murder." Ann was calming down conceding that Sam had reason to be suspicious. Bright Sun had attempted to separate the two by planting bogus information about Sam. Luckily they uncovered the deception before it created a permanent rift.

"You're right." Sam conceded trying to settle the argument before it went any further. "I'm really rattled. I'm not feeling well and it's been a long night."

Ann put aside her anger, attributing Sam's incendiary comments to his near-death struggle and fatigue. "Perhaps you should lie down. You need rest."

Sam retired to the bedroom stopping in the bathroom to look at his bandaged head. What was Mike doing in the warehouse? He saved my life but...? Sleep came quickly as Sam wrapped the security of the apartment around him.