Chapter Twenty-One: Certain

I've loved, I've lost, I've followed down

The captain and his crew...

An argument was taking place.

"I don't think I can stand it any longer."

"You'll just have to, won't you?"

"It's not right, I tell you!"

"You, who spent your entire life defrauding mental patients, tell me about right?" The voice jeered. "There's a laugh."

"Don't be that way. You know what I mean."

"No— what do you mean?"

The first voice shook with anger. "Its not right to do this to her—"

"Too late to do anything about that now. If we set my poor little niece loose, she'd be lynched on sight. Haven't you read the papers? The public's in an uproar. Anyway, why mess up a setup like that? It was the centerpiece to the Plan. It was my pride and joy!"

"She ought to be able to live her life—"

"And she will. With you and me."

"And as for the other aspect of your Plan–"

"Are you going to bring that up again?"

"Mass destruction was not my intent when I joined this debacle."

"And it isn't mine, either. Pay attention, Simon. Nobody has to die. They just have to give me what I want. Before I kill them."

"And bringing Mr. Hampton into it—"

"The friar?" A short, derisive laugh. "What does he matter? A technical genius, maybe, but one mess of a human being. Too short. Anyway, I don't believe he is a friar. Never saw a friar that looked like that. And he was wearing trousers instead of a dress."

"Robe."

"Whatever. And don't blame me for your delicate stomach."

"Torture just— just— its on my bad list, alright?"

"Fine, if you want to be weak about it. Tell you what, once he's built the weapon, we'll let him go."

"Fine, if we let the friar go—"

The first, deeper voice chuckled. "Maybe even give him a head start. Did you look at those blueprints? When that thing goes off, its going to be a mighty big bang."

There was a static silence.

"You don't mean to let him go, do you?" said the second voice. "Ever?"

The first voice was silent for a time, then it said, "To tell you honestly, Simon, I don't see that our friend Mr. Hampton deserves freedom any more than you do."

There was a definite chill in the air.

Simon gulped.

"And you never intend to let Tamerlaine free."

"Of, of course not. There's no way we can let her go, it would ruin everything. It'd be certain death to my Plan."

Another silence.

"Right," said Simon, and went out of the room.