Lost Past (17 page)

             
When they were all in the entrance room, Arthur virtually ignored the Founding Foundlings display. When he described it to Natalie, her analysis was, “They don’t sound like foundlings. From what you said, they had a few smudges, but were clean and
well-fed
. I don’t think a starving child would share that readily, even with her brother. The
Plict
kidnapped children who were probably only minutes away from their parents.” He agreed with her analysis.

             
“I need access to a computer,” Arthur said in his halting
Vigintees
. “The timings and fuel change everything.” He was pleased he remembered as much of the language as he did, with the implant removed.

             
“
Goran
, see that he gets one, but watch him and see that he only does science,” Hernandez ordered.

             
Arthur told the computer to use English. When
Goran
objected, Arthur told him to use another computer to translate. An hour later, he realized that he was lost in genuine calculations. This won’t do, he chided himself. It will take me weeks of work and escaping is a higher priority. He started doing relatively random things, which would not translate into anything
Goran
would understand, throwing in such terms as Fourier transforms and
Lagrangian
submanifolds
into the mix, to make it sound like he was actually doing something.

             
When
Goran
took a brief break, he had his chance. He
told
Goran’s
computer to only look at every other line Arthur dictated onto his computer.
When
Goran
returned, Arthur saw from the glazed expression that
Goran
didn’t notice Arthur’s computer now showed different things. The maps showing the exits to the basement utility area might help, but he doubted he could memorize all the maps in time. The entrance near the water purifying
plant would be easiest to find and was close. He erased the computers recent history and went back to the wormhole calculations. When Hernandez came in, he was so unaware of his environment that his startled response was completely natural.

             
“I checked and he’s right,” Hernandez told
Goran
. “The fuel consumption and the time have gone up a bit every trip.”

             
“Do you have the figures?” Arthur asked.

             
“It’s gone up. What more do you need?”

             
“Has it been linear? Exponential? Logarithmic? Parabolic? Logistic?” Arthur switched to English because he could not remember ‘logistic’ in
Vigintees
.”

             
“I’ll get you the figures,” Hernandez said with a smile. Arthur could understand the smile, because Arthur wasn’t giving them any trouble. What would be the point? He’d protest, they’d confine him more thoroughly, and he would have no chance to escape.

             
Arthur debated his strategy. He had three logical choices. First, he could be passive and hope the
Plict
would rescue him. The problem with that choice was the
Plict
. If Arthur didn’t resist, Hernandez could argue he was happy where he was. The
Plict
wanted him to study the wormhole and that’s what he was doing. His previous agreement with the
Plict
might not be honored. Second, he could wait and hope for an opportunity to escape. Third, he could try immediately.
Goran’s
continued presence suggested they did not yet have secure quarters for him. That could change any minute.

             
Goran
fell asleep, with his legs stretched out. Method three then, since he doubted another opportunity would come. He wanted a full water bottle and food, but the half-full bottle would have to do. He stepped over
Goran’s
legs and slid open the door. Stepping into the stream of people,
he accidentally
went the wrong direction. He turned around to go the other way, but the man behind him turned also and said, “No, you were going the right direction. They are talking about your case this way. Let me show you.”

             
“I forgot something,” Arthur replied.

             
It was that easy. The man turned and went his original direction. After all, where would Arthur go? All he had to do was turn into the corridor near the water purifying plant. Nothing was locked, because the sheep that lived here would never go through a door that said, “Authorized Personnel Only.”

             
No, it was not that easy. He didn’t turn around when he heard footsteps behind him, because there was no point. He couldn’t outrun any of those he feared, so he didn’t run. He continued walking as if oblivious to the pursuer, which gave him time to plan. Logically, it would be
Goran
, but he couldn’t be sure. One of the clones caught up with Arthur and grabbed his arm to unceremoniously drag him back. Arthur kicked backwards, feeling his foot slide off the leg. Not a clear hit, but now they would no longer treat him as a cooperating prisoner.

             
The clone turned him around, and Arthur, instead of resisting, swung around and used the motion to punch the clone in the chest. The punch allowed Arthur to break free and step back. Arthur pulled his right arm back as if to punch again, knowing there was no way that this punch would connect. The clone smiled in anticipation, but Arthur kicked him
in
the stomach. He didn’t hit square and the clone turned slightly sideways, hitting his head against the wall. With his opponent bent over and briefly incapacitated, Arthur clasped his hands together and used all his strength to hit him on his head with the sides of his hands. When he fell against Arthur, it seemed like another attack, and Arthur jerked back, but the clone was apparently unconscious at his feet. He started to run away, relieved at the
reprieve, but found he was breathless and continued at as rapid a walk as he could manage.

             
Arthur was never more grateful for the self-defense classes he took with John, and never more astonished to see that the technique actually worked. Had he breathed at all during the fight? He didn’t think so. He remembered the instructor telling them they must not forget to breathe. His breath now came in rapid gasps that seemed totally inadequate to fill his need.

             
There were no mirrors in this access corridor, which meant it didn’t have cameras. The
Plict
apparently thought there would be nothing of interest here. He found the door to the basement and opened it. Running down the stairway, he bumped his head on the ceiling. He forgot that this was made for the
Plict
who were shorter.

             
There was no light, but his cell phone should give him enough. He hoped it wouldn’t use too much battery looking for a signal. His hands were shaking when he retrieved it, and he had trouble turning it on. He thought he knew where the exit door was, but it took an inordinate amount of time to find it. When he exited, it was still night, precluding an immediate escape. There was no way he could get his bearings at night; he’d have to wait
until morning. The day was
about twenty-two hours, whic
h meant morning must come
soon. All he had to do was wait for sunrise and go east.

             
There were a few questions Arthur wanted answered first, and there might never be a better time. It took him half an hour to find it, but there was a loading dock where food was delivered. There was a computer designed to show the storage levels of food and if there was any trouble with the conveyor belt that brought food into the city. A tap with a hose, designed for periodic cleaning of equipment, gave him a drink and filled his bottle. The conveyor belt wasn’t operating, but he accessed the computer, deciding the risk of it being monitored was worth what he would gain. Fortunately, it was tied into the system.

             
Hernandez justified his actions in kidnapping Arthur by saying Arthur wanted John to publish his knowledge and would tell John that he should do so. Arthur first thought he would never take advantage of John’s amnesia that way. On second thought, would he? John wanted to publish, but was honor bound not to. Maybe Arthur would have pushed him into publishing, because it was what John really wanted.

             
The most important justification was that the
Plict
wanted Arthur to study wormholes, and what the
Plict
wanted, they got. Hernandez neglected to say how many people he killed to please the
Plict
.

             
On a hunch, he looked up Natalie. When he read what happened to her, his anger at Hernandez and his clones made him sorry he hadn’t killed
Goran
, if it had been
Goran
. No wonder John felt guilty! It wasn’t actually John’s fault, but he never looked for her, not really. John simply asked the authorities if they took her, they denied it, and he believed them. It didn’t occur to h
im that the person he asked didn’
t know. If John actually looked for her himself, he would have found her, because there were not many places to hide her.

             
Well, Arthur guessed as much years ago. Not when John told him that he had a disagreement with the
Vigintees
and was coming to Earth permanently, that was very plausible. It came gradually, when John stayed and helped with Tom and Linda. At first he didn’t notice, because John was just being John, but eventually, he realized that he was being too good, even for John. Natalie was the only possible explanation.

             
Arthur reasoned Hernandez and his clones were responsible for whatever happened to Natalie, because no one else who could go to Earth was criminal enough to do it. Arthur knew Hernandez wanted to please the
Plict
, and Natalie had a unique talent the
mouthless
Plicts
wanted. Arthur assumed Hernandez’ love of mayhem contributed to his desire to kidnap Natalie. The write-up, which confirmed Hernandez’ guilt, was in an unencrypted file available for anyone to see. It made him angry to learn that anyone could read
about
her. Natalie valued her privacy and Arthur was illogically unhappy that her torture and death were so public. Her death from drowning after she escaped was mentioned in a single sentence with no mention of taking her body to the recycling plant, but Arthur wanted a grave to visit, even if there were no graves on this planet. He was surprised that he still grieved over her death.

             
He chided himself for his emotional response, since Natalie was dead and he loved Mary now, and that’s where his loyalties should be. Yet Natalie was the mother of his children and they had a right to have a place to mourn. No, he was rationalizing, and that was, well, irrational. Focus on the present.

             
Arthur was basing his escape on the assumption that when he reached the
Plict
, they would return him to Earth. He knew they thought well of John, which was a good intimation of their morality. Arthur’s time with the
Plict
allowed him to learn they reluctantly admired John, not just for the knowledge he gained, but for the social responsibility that made him refuse to acquire knowledge without curing people. This small rebellion had John torn between his loyalty to the
Plict
and his sense of responsibility. The admiration of the
Plict
was one of the reasons Hernandez was jealous of John and wanted to show his power over him. John understood Hernandez’ jealousy but modestly didn’t understand the
Plict’s
respect. Sadly, John stopped thinking when dealing with the
Plict
.

             
A door opened from above and four people came down the stairs. One of them headed for the door to the outside, blocking it. Arthur considered himself safe here, because he could move through the basement with a slight crouch, but Hernandez and his clones needed to stoop to subtract an additional five inches. This should give him the speed he needed, but he forgot to consider the door. He chided himself for not considering it, but quickly went with his backup plan. He climbed on the conveyer belt, which was fortunately not moving, and crawled toward the exit. He doubted anyone would notice the splash, since waves were
cr
ashing against the rocks. Luck was with him, and he saw the beginnings of a sunrise, giving him a goal. He inflated his life jacket, and jumped into the water for the three-mile swim that would bring him to the mainland, the
Plict
, and if all went well, a return to Earth.

INTERLUDE
2