Chapter 29: Lost and Found
Once, when he was around six or seven years old, his dad had taken him to a local carnival. He remembered it being crowded and noisy and bright, a place where everything seemed designed to be tempting to a little boy's senses. Almost every aspect of the fair had been new to Gary, from the food to the rides to the games, and he had been dazzled. Entranced. Overwhelmed. At some point, he had either wandered off or gotten separated from his dad, he wasn't sure which. By the time he noticed he was alone, he'd been that way for half an hour or more. When finally his dad found him, Gary couldn't quite understand why his father seemed so worried or why he hugged him so tightly or held his hand the whole rest of the night, but it was nice, so he made no complaint.
Only now could he appreciate the sheer terror John Goodspeed must have felt in those minutes while his only son was missing. This was different in a way from Little Cato being trapped in the time shard. Then, Gary had known where Little Cato was, it had just been a question of getting to him. Now, it was a matter of finding him, one small child in a spaceport that was suddenly far too large. Little Cato wasn't lost, but had been stolen, and that meant the people who had taken him would do their best to hide him away. People who saw Little Cato not as a person, but as a thing they could profit by.
Bad enough Avocato was compelled to endure that treatment. No way in hell was Gary Goodspeed going to let that happen to his kid.
Geegua Spaceport wasn't far removed from the crowd and noise and color of the carnival he remembered save that instead of being brightly lit, this warren of shops and streets and alleys was dark and in his heightened state of alertness, ominous. Any other time, he would have loved a chance to wander the market, even the seedier side of things, to see all the exotic and sometimes downright weird wares for sale, and watch the assortment of beings moving about on their way to only-they-knew-where. He would have delighted to sample the foods and talk with the vendors and find new music and maybe even some new clothes so he'd have more than one pair of pants to his name. So many possibilities, but for Gary there was no other consideration outside of finding Little Cato.
For Gary, the sense of helplessness and fear churning in his belly gave the whole scene a surreal, nightmarish quality. He was teetering on the edge of panic, each step another moment when something truly awful could be happening to his son. His mind raced with what-ifs and hideous scenarios, each more horrifying than the last. They could be completely wrong about the kidnappers. They might not be slavers at all, but something worse. He could be going in the wrong direction. The kidnappers could have left Zee Secundus already. How the hell had Avocato kept it together for three-plus years of this torture? Stuck back in the Crimson Light, how was he keeping it together right now? God, Gary understood now more than ever how Avocato had chosen saving Little Cato over saving the earth. Had he been faced by the same choice at this instant, Gary would have done the same and tendered his apologies afterwards. Anything to have him back - or even just to know he was safe from harm.
He had experienced the end of the world before, and this was worse.
It struck him that this all-consuming terror for his son's wellbeing was a sensation his mother had never once experienced. He shoved the thought aside and kicked it to the curb. She wasn't worth his time. Especially not now.
The deeper he and Mooncake ventured into the maze of streets and shops, the dingier and more crowded it became, forcing Gary to slow his pace to a quick walk. They were definitely parked on the posh side of town.
"AVA, how's our progress?" he called into his comm unit.
"Nothing to report from the other teams," purred the AI. "I had some help hacking into the port's security system. We're checking your target area for signs of our . . . next sparring partners, but there are hundreds of working cameras."
He recognized the source of input and that AVA was being circumspect in case the comm line was somehow tapped. Both Catos were in a world of danger. Poor Avocato had probably either worn a hole through the deck with his pacing or was on the verge of an ulcer. Or both.
"Let us know when we start to get warm. I –" Gary paused, spotting a tall insectoid standing above the crowd, antennae aquiver. "AVA, you got eyes on me in this square?"
"Do now. I see you."
"Straight ahead of me, by that shop with the green awning. Is that the Insecticon we saw before?"
There followed a weighty pause that seemed to stretch into forever. He knew the AI and the general were reviewing the footage of Little Cato being seized, scouring it for anything to distinguish the kidnappers.
"AVA?"
"Consulting with our resident expert. It's hard to tell them apart, even for people familiar with the species. You'll have to get closer. Look for spiked forearm braces on the primary set of arms and mismatched shin guards, one black, one green."
Gary exchanged a quick glance with Mooncake, then jerked his head toward the little blob to go have a closer look. Mooncake cast the Kssess a little snarl from afar before giving Gary a sharp nod of understanding. "Fly casual," he warned, and Mooncake floated away, trying to be as inconspicuous as was possible for an adorable green blob. A few paces behind, Gary edged closer to the Kssess, trying to study it without being glaringly obvious. The Kssess went about its buggy business, seemingly unaware it had picked up not one, but two tails. It took a few minutes, but he and Mooncake finally confirmed the shin guards and the braces.
"Think we got a winner," Gary said softly as Mooncake returned to his side. The little alien gave him a quick nod to confirm this was their kid-snatching bug. "We're gonna follow. Track me and alert the other teams."
"Done and done. We'll keep doing what we can from here."
They walked through the crowd for what felt like forever. Gary hadn't the least idea of where they were at this point.
"We've spotted the Foog waiting ahead of the Kssess," AVA abruptly said. "About fifty meters ahead of your target."
"See any more of them? Or . . . ?" He didn't dare say his son's name for fear of being overheard.
"None of the other ones we saw in the hangar," was her carefully phrased reply, and he heard Avocato's growled warning behind the words: Keep sharp. Keep alert. Don't be stupid, Gary. Despite his anxiety, Gary felt a little tingle of pleasure knowing that Avocato cared, and not just because they were married, even if the general was on the verge, if not in the midst, of an epic meltdown.
Yeah, yeah, right there with ya, Cato.
The Kssess moved with more purpose when it spotted the waiting Foog. Garden gnome was the only words that came to mind as he got a good look at the short little Foog. Ugly gray garden gnome, with goggles. Good lord, was Clarence an adult version of this little spawn? Ugh. Realizing he was staring, Gary pretended to be absorbed in the nearest stall and found himself examining a colorful, smelly array of powders and lotions and scents belonging to a cosmetics vendor. The shop owner looked at him like he was the ultimate challenge and seemed poised to give him a makeover when, fortunately, the slavers moved on. Escaping the wakeup to makeup, Gary did his best to look nonchalant and like he was out cruising as he followed the towering pest and the squat lawn decoration.
The street was growing narrower and darker, and he had to dodge more people and their wares to keep up. A glance upwards explained the dark – ominous clouds had rolled in, blocking out the moons and the next sunrise. Great. Rain was all they needed now.
"Where am I in relation to Fox's intel?" asked Gary into his comm unit.
"The intel was spot-on. You're getting close to the hangar bays and warehouses for the big merchant ships," AVA said.
"So there's a chance they're close. I – crap, crap, double crap and crap," he hissed in desperation. "AVA, they're splitting up."
"We see," snapped the AI as the Foog entered a crooked and close little path to the right while the Kssess continued straight along the main street.
"Umm . . . anyone else close?"
"Fox and Ash are still heading towards your position. They're about twelve minutes behind. Nightfall and Chuckie got caught up in a flock of flying fish. She had to land to check his eyes."
"Which one should I follow? AVA?"
"Either will do and I quote, they'll have to report back to their ship eventually."
"But – but - crap." His heart was racing anew and panic mode was fully reengaged as Gary struggled to keep both aliens in sight. What was logic again? What if they followed just one of them and they didn't report back in? What if one of them was leaving the slavers for good? Or an agent who lived here on Zee Secundus? He couldn't risk it. "Okay. New plan. Two of them, two of us. We'll split up and follow both."
"Not advised. There are no cameras in that alley, Gary."
"They're moving off. We gotta do something!" he said tightly. His angst was mounting exponentially, and he was affecting his companion. A thoroughly agitated planet killer was not a good thing. Drawing a deep breath, Gary addressed AVA and Mooncake together. "Command decision time. Mooncake, follow the bug. Be super careful, bud. I got the mutant garden gnome."
With an anxious series of chirps, Mooncake floated off after the Kssess, glancing back but not really reassured by Gary's thumbs up gesture. Then Gary moved to the right, trailing the Foog down a narrow, winding alley that was called a street only out of courtesy. Here in the deepest shadows, people turned away or cast him suspicious looks. Some even hissed or spat. He'd definitely found the seedy side of the seedy side of town. Grime lay upon everything in a thick layer, clinging to his boots and coating street and buildings alike. There was an ungodly stench of rot and waste in the fetid air, and all the while, it was growing darker as he ventured in deeper. The Foog would be right at home in this gloom, he realized, and this was the perfect spot for an ambush. Instinct told him to stop, to get out, but Little Cato was on the line and he didn't dare back down. The thought of returning to Avocato without his son . . . yeah, no, he'd rather be here, thanks.
"AVA, you there?" he whispered into his comm.
Static replied. Not good. Not good at all. His signal was being jammed. This was a mistake. The realization that he'd just stepped into an open casting call for heroes hit him dead on. He stopped, the hairs standing up on the back of his neck as he realized he was terribly alone and completely vulnerable. Shadows moved about him, cutting off all retreat, and for the first time it occurred to him that maybe, just maybe, there were more than four slavers on the roster.
The events of the next few seconds were a blur of confusion and pain, only to be analyzed and dissected later. The only saving grace was that it was over almost as soon as it began.
"Oh, my cra-"
The blow landed hard against the back of his head and he staggered, reaching for his blaster. Before he could fully draw the gun, three more heavy shots had landed to his face and stomach. Stunned, tasting blood, Gary fought to stand when something heavy landed on him from above, it sheer, solid weight forcing him down. A clawed hand gripped his hair, smacking his head on the street. Then something cold and metal was clapped around his neck and his arms were pinned. There was a hum, a dull glow, and -
Stasis cuffs, he remembered, not that it was important. What was important was that all his energy was drained away instantly, leaving him limp and heavy and helpless, a feeling like those few odd seconds before falling asleep.
"Get its comm unit," said a gruff voice. "I got its gun. Search it."
Rough hands all over him, but he had nothing on him outside of his gun and a spare power pack.
"What is it?" asked a high-pitched accent. "Bionic arm."
"Primey," was the derisive reply, letting him know humans weren't any more popular now than they were in his own time. He was hauled to his feet and somehow managed to keep his footing. "Looks human. Still might get a decent price, even with that arm."
Blood dripping down his face to the stone below, Gary got a look at his captors, a weird assortment of characters if ever there was one. There were five of them here, all thuggish and ugly and right at home here on this end of Geegua.
The one with the rough voice, the one who had landed on him, let out a laugh of twisted pleasure. "Maybe we should keep at it. Sure is shaping up to a profitable night for us. First a Ventrexian, now a primey."
Gary said nothing - not that he could speak with his throat so numb from the collar –but he felt a little stirring of hope that at least he'd had the sense to get captured by the same slavers who had taken his son.