Chapter Twentytwo
As Rowan came to, the first thing she became aware of was a familiar pounding headache. Someone had used a stungun on her again. She groaned, tried to rub her head and realized she was tied down. "Damn," she muttered, "I am getting tired of this." She sat up straight. She was in her own office, bound to her own chair.
A large man was lying on the floor in the middle of the room, his head bleeding heavily. Her brass hourglass was next to his head, the crystal broken. Her little tree was on the floor too, knocked out of its broken pot.
She blinked for a moment, then the memory rushed back...she had revived faster than they had expected and had fought back fiercely. She had hit the man with the heavy timepiece and would have escaped if she hadn't been stunned again. It was a coward's weapon, used that way, she thought angrily.
"You killed him, by the way," a familiar voice said behind her. A massive white-suited man moved into her line of vision. He was wearing white gloves this time.
"I am sorry for the crude tactics, Dr. Daestar, but you've really left me no choice," said Alex Rosewater. He shook his head sadly. "I thought we had an understanding, but it seems you were too clever for me. That's what I get for trying to outhink the best negotiatior in Paradigm. I should have known better."
He reached over to the heavy wooden desk and pulled out the small side drawer. He removed the tiny silver box she kept there and examined it admiringly. Rosewater then pulled a small plastic bag from one of his pockets, opened the box and dumped the four locks of hair into it. He returned the filled bag to his pocket.
"Hey!" growled Rowan, annoyed. "Leave that alone. Those are mine!" She was too angry to be cautious anymore, fed up with his heavy-handed tactics.
"Yours? Nothing is yours, foolish girl, unless I say it is." He smiled briefly. "I told you Roger Smith belonged to Paradigm, but you wouldn't listen. This," he patted her stomach, "is the result of you taking our property. Everything of Smith's is ours. Why do you insist on ignoring this simple fact? You disappoint me."
Rowan's eyes widened, then narrowed, flashing green fire. "I disappoint you? I did as you asked. I injected your drug into Roger. I returned the empty bottle and needle as proof, as you requested. Traces of the drug and Roger's DNA are on it, or did your techs miss that too, like they did with your synthetic coffee? I made the RIGHT decision, as you called it. YOUR people created that drug, not me. Go harass them if you don't like the results!"
She jerked at the ropes, trying to pull herself free. If she could only get her hands on that cruelly placid face of his. He was standing so close to her, looking down at her coolly. Furious, she tried to bite him. He backed away, just out of her reach.
"You are quite unique, Dr. Daestar. No one else would ever dare address me that way. I am almost sorry that we will have to make an example of you. I will miss our litte chats."
He pulled a white cloth from another pocket and rolled it. "You have one last little job to perform as our northstar." He slipped the cloth over her head and tried to gag her. Rowan turned and bit his hand hard - he backed off, holding the injured limb. Red stained the white glove, much to Ro's satisfaction.
Alex looked down at the blood, astonished. For an instant his cold mask slipped...he almost looked like a little boy with the unexpected pain. He looked back at her - their eyes met, and for a moment Rowan thought she might have a chance to reason with him...but the moment passed too swiftly.
He wagged a finger at her in admonishment. "You are the bait to recapture Roger Smith, and we will finish the job right this time." He approached her again, more carefully this time. Rowan tried to twist away from him, saying: "Your drugs won't work on him anymore, Rosewater, I've seen to that...go find someone else to destroy, leave us alone!" Alex finally got the gag tied, yanking it hard.
"Don't be silly, of course it will work. As for you, you shall disappear from the memory of Paradigm. Every trace of you has been erased, even that sad little handprint in the cave...oh, and don't be concerned about the promise you made to my father. Arrangements have been made for him as well."
She started yelling at him, the words strangled by the gag.
"What's that you say? I'm forgetting something?" he spoke teasingly. "What could it be? Oh yes, you did inject the drug after all...so you will get to keep the child, not that it will make much of a difference after today. We won't need you anymore."
He smiled thinly. "Til later, then." He left, using the service elevator.
As Rowan came to, the first thing she became aware of was a familiar pounding headache. Someone had used a stungun on her again. She groaned, tried to rub her head and realized she was tied down. "Damn," she muttered, "I am getting tired of this." She sat up straight. She was in her own office, bound to her own chair.
A large man was lying on the floor in the middle of the room, his head bleeding heavily. Her brass hourglass was next to his head, the crystal broken. Her little tree was on the floor too, knocked out of its broken pot.
She blinked for a moment, then the memory rushed back...she had revived faster than they had expected and had fought back fiercely. She had hit the man with the heavy timepiece and would have escaped if she hadn't been stunned again. It was a coward's weapon, used that way, she thought angrily.
"You killed him, by the way," a familiar voice said behind her. A massive white-suited man moved into her line of vision. He was wearing white gloves this time.
"I am sorry for the crude tactics, Dr. Daestar, but you've really left me no choice," said Alex Rosewater. He shook his head sadly. "I thought we had an understanding, but it seems you were too clever for me. That's what I get for trying to outhink the best negotiatior in Paradigm. I should have known better."
He reached over to the heavy wooden desk and pulled out the small side drawer. He removed the tiny silver box she kept there and examined it admiringly. Rosewater then pulled a small plastic bag from one of his pockets, opened the box and dumped the four locks of hair into it. He returned the filled bag to his pocket.
"Hey!" growled Rowan, annoyed. "Leave that alone. Those are mine!" She was too angry to be cautious anymore, fed up with his heavy-handed tactics.
"Yours? Nothing is yours, foolish girl, unless I say it is." He smiled briefly. "I told you Roger Smith belonged to Paradigm, but you wouldn't listen. This," he patted her stomach, "is the result of you taking our property. Everything of Smith's is ours. Why do you insist on ignoring this simple fact? You disappoint me."
Rowan's eyes widened, then narrowed, flashing green fire. "I disappoint you? I did as you asked. I injected your drug into Roger. I returned the empty bottle and needle as proof, as you requested. Traces of the drug and Roger's DNA are on it, or did your techs miss that too, like they did with your synthetic coffee? I made the RIGHT decision, as you called it. YOUR people created that drug, not me. Go harass them if you don't like the results!"
She jerked at the ropes, trying to pull herself free. If she could only get her hands on that cruelly placid face of his. He was standing so close to her, looking down at her coolly. Furious, she tried to bite him. He backed away, just out of her reach.
"You are quite unique, Dr. Daestar. No one else would ever dare address me that way. I am almost sorry that we will have to make an example of you. I will miss our litte chats."
He pulled a white cloth from another pocket and rolled it. "You have one last little job to perform as our northstar." He slipped the cloth over her head and tried to gag her. Rowan turned and bit his hand hard - he backed off, holding the injured limb. Red stained the white glove, much to Ro's satisfaction.
Alex looked down at the blood, astonished. For an instant his cold mask slipped...he almost looked like a little boy with the unexpected pain. He looked back at her - their eyes met, and for a moment Rowan thought she might have a chance to reason with him...but the moment passed too swiftly.
He wagged a finger at her in admonishment. "You are the bait to recapture Roger Smith, and we will finish the job right this time." He approached her again, more carefully this time. Rowan tried to twist away from him, saying: "Your drugs won't work on him anymore, Rosewater, I've seen to that...go find someone else to destroy, leave us alone!" Alex finally got the gag tied, yanking it hard.
"Don't be silly, of course it will work. As for you, you shall disappear from the memory of Paradigm. Every trace of you has been erased, even that sad little handprint in the cave...oh, and don't be concerned about the promise you made to my father. Arrangements have been made for him as well."
She started yelling at him, the words strangled by the gag.
"What's that you say? I'm forgetting something?" he spoke teasingly. "What could it be? Oh yes, you did inject the drug after all...so you will get to keep the child, not that it will make much of a difference after today. We won't need you anymore."
He smiled thinly. "Til later, then." He left, using the service elevator.