Another day, another chapter. Yay, me!
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"Report." The old man had seated himself behind his desk again, using it as a barrier to keep the younger man before him in his place. The wood glowed under the warm lights that were recessed into the ceiling, but they did little to lighten the countenance of the man standing at attention. His dour expression was deeply seated on his face, for all that it didn't seem to be habitual.
"We have lost her," he said flatly, without preamble or explanation.
"You…" he drew out the word, "lost her? One little girl, two adults, and somehow they managed to slip through your fingers?"
"Yes sir."
The older man shook his head. "I must admit, I am growing seriously disappointed in you. First, your crack team of experts is taken down by one person, and a woman at that. Now they have managed to disappear. It makes me wonder why I've been paying you so much money for so long. Perhaps I should find this woman and offer her your job."
"We have done our best, sir. My people are still combing towns for some mention of them, but so far we've had no luck, and after this long we aren't likely to have any. I take full responsibility for the failure. I had the woman in my hands and still failed to make the capture. She was a very capable opponent. It leads one to wonder who trained her."
The old man looked at him appraisingly. "Do you think it was them? The plant lovers?"
"No sir. Their organization is too weak. If it had been them we would have heard about it by now."
"New players, then?"
"Possibly, sir." The man said no more, but his posture betrayed him.
"You think it was those plants themselves still, don't you?"
"Not the Stampede, certainly. But the man's description fits that of the reclusive brother."
"And I have told you that the brother is not a worry at the moment. He is confined to the Lost Ship. Besides, had it been Millions, he would have been much more proactive in protecting that child. His defense of plants is legendary." The old man stood and turned to look out the window behind him. December lay stretched before him, a testament to human ingenuity. The streets were laid out with mathematical precision, but here and there one could see where illicit additions to homes and businesses encroached on the recognized streets and alleys. It was a perfect picture of humanity, ordered and chaotic at the same time. He never tired of the view.
"You will find them," he ordered. "I don't care what you have to do. We have two plants running amok already, and they have nearly destroyed humanity between them. The last thing we need is a third, especially not a third raised by people we have no knowledge of. Speaking of which, have you had any luck tracking down the two who stole her?"
"No sir. We have positively ascertained that they used a false name when they registered at the hotel, and no one in any of the surrounding towns has any knowledge of their passage. It's as if they arose straight out of the desert."
"Then why don't you search the desert?" he asked. Even with his back turned, he could see the incredulous look on the face of the man behind him. "No, no. Don't worry. That was a rhetorical question. For now." He turned to face the younger man.
"We need that girl back. Research was so close to turning up an answer to out little problem. They had discovered a very encouraging line of study that was promising to neutralize their threat while still keeping the bulbed plants in line. But without her, we will have to wait another twenty years or so until they throw another sport. We don't have that much time, not when the plant lovers have access to plant records that we have lost. If we don't get her back, we're lost."
"I know sir. We are doing our best."
"Do better. Humanity can't afford this loss." He paused. "How is your aunt holding up?" he asked solicitously.
The lines on the younger man's face deepened. "I am no longer allowed in her home."
"She's taking your cousin's death hard," he commented.
"She blames me for encouraging him in dangerous pursuits. She is suspicious of the kidnapping story, but I can hardly tell her the truth, now, can I?" he asked bitterly. "The secret is so very important."
"That it is. It's bad enough we have those vapid plant-cultists about. If the general populace knew about the plants we'd lose a good quarter of them. Something about those plants inspires fanaticism in those around them. Speaking of which, did you ask that orphanage woman? That Thompson?"
"Yes sir. She hadn't seen anyone. I also asked a few of the children, and they indicated that no one had been by recently."
"Coached?"
"I don't believe so, sir. It's hard to get children to lie consistently."
"But possible."
"I didn't say I ruled out the possibility. I just don't believe that they went there."
"Keep a watch on that place anyway. Anyone who has traveled with a plant is automatically suspicious."
"Already done," he said. "Is there anything else you need, sir?"
"No; you may go." He paused, poised for the right moment for his next comment. "Try to do better, hmm?" he said as the younger man passed through the door. The slight stiffening of the spine was gratifying. He waited until after the door closed, then gratefully sunk into his chair, needing the support. Things had been going so well, and then got messed up so completely. If only that one researcher hadn't grown a conscience; if only those two buffoons hadn't stolen her from him in turn; if only that eerily competent woman hadn't stolen her from the thieves… It would not seem so horrible had things not been proceeding so well up to the point of her disappearance.
He sighed. They had to get her back. The fate of the species depended on it.
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Explaination of the author's note: In no way was I intending to imply that I was thinking of stopping. Perish the thought! No, it's just been awhile since I heard from some folks (Miss Ericks, EmpressGalaxia, FukySin all come to mind) and I was wondering if they were still around. Really, that's all I was getting at.