Chapter 10: Crossing the Line
Drake and Wilson stood in the cab of the tall crane and watched Phineas Bogg and the boy as they stood on the sand. Wilson located the Safety switch that was used to secure the cable of the crane, but when Drake gave the signal, he hesitated, and Drake pushed him aside. He flipped the switch to unlatch the hook. They stayed only long enough to see the boy push Bogg out of the way. Drake was scowling as they disappeared.
"What was that about!" Drake yelled at his companion after they landed back at his laboratory. Wilson looked at the floor, trying to think of some plausible excuse for his hesitation. "Well?"
"I got a cramp," he said lamely, "it won't happen again."
"A cramp? Do you think I'm an idiot?"
"Of course not," Wilson whispered. To himself, he thought "but you are crazy."
Drake stared at him, his anger plain to see. Finally he spoke. "We are changing plans," he said, and Wilson looked up, dreading what the change would be.
"That boy should have died of smallpox, and Bogg shouldn't be alive right now! Something always happens to save them." He paused, "as of this minute, we will attack both of them, at the same time. You will take down the boy," he said, "and no hesitation next time. I'll take care of Bogg. And if we're lucky enough to kill them both at the same time, all the better."
"Killing wasn't supposed to be part of the plan," Wilson spoke hesitatingly, "and he's a kid." He finally felt he had to speak. He knew disloyalty would get him nowhere, but killing was crossing the line, and killing a child was unconscionable.
"He's as crafty and evil as the full grown voyager he will become in 4 short years if we don't get rid of him. You saw how he pushed Bogg away from that hook, didn't you?" Drake's expression had a strange, desperate look to it. "Maybe you don't remember why you are here with me?" he asked, and Wilson looked at the floor again.
Yes, Wilson had seen the kid push Bogg out of the way, but his reaction had been one of awe, not of anger. And yes, he did remember why he was with Drake.
It seemed like it had happened so long ago, but it had been just about a year. He'd been guilty of stealing the omni of another voyager. It had been a bad decision, made while he was drunk, and though he'd never done anything with it himself, he'd sold it to Drake to frame the voyager with. Then when Wilson had been brought up on charges for stealing, Drake had dropped them in exchange for his services. Since Drake had been on the run, Wilson had kept his job at headquarters and helped him by passing certain information to him when he'd been asked. Each task he'd done at Drake's request had been a bit more serious, until now he was being asked to kill a child, or be exposed to the Tribunal, where he knew his punishment would most likely be banishment. Especially since he was guilty of so many additional violations over the past year.
"Well, do you remember?" Drake asked again, this time in a louder voice.
"I remember," Wilson told him in a firm voice, and he could tell that Drake was satisfied.
"I'll send them along now, according to plan. The next stop will be even more dangerous."
Drake set the dials on his machine and pressed the button. Then he and Wilson disappeared together to intercept his prey.
They appeared in a small village. Wilson followed Drake as he ducked into an alley and scanned the area for Bogg and the boy. When he didn't see them, he spoke, "go out into the square and find them."
Wilson spotted some clothing that had been set to dry on the branches of a nearby tree and when suitably attired, walked out into the square. Drake watched as he mingled with the peasants. He became more annoyed as the minutes went by, and finally entered the square himself. Once around the general area convinced him they weren't there, and he stood, deep in thought as Mt Vesuvius rumbled and belched a huge cloud of steam.
"What have you done Bogg?" Drake asked the empty air as he looked around. He thought back over his control device. He was fairly confident in his device's ability to control Bogg's omni, and to deactivate it, but he hadn't done many tests. The man must have done something to the omni that he wouldn't have anticipated, but what? As he stood thinking, the mountain rumbled again loudly. If he wanted to be sure they would die here, he would have to find them. He had to figure out what Bogg had done. He took the Omni Locator he had fashioned for himself out of his pocket and turned it on.
"An offset, of course," he said and started walking west.