Child's Play: 5/?
by Linda Garrick
Edited and Revised by Nancy Smith
They headed back toward the lake, moving at a fast walk. Linley glanced curiously at Scotty. "You live around here, kid?"
"All my life. I was born here."
"How about your parents?"
He looked down. "They came here a long time ago -- before I was born. The Jils were after them."
"Why?"
"'Cause Dad's a psychic."
"What are their names?" Alan asked.
"Del and Jiji," Scotty said.
"Del and Jiji Pinks," Alan repeated thoughtfully. "I've never heard the names. You say the Jils were after them? What did your dad do to draw attention to himself?"
Scotty looked uneasy. "Dad told me not to talk about it to anyone."
"Come on, kid," Mark said. "We're on your side remember. You can tell us what happened."
"Well ..." Scotty seemed to consider and apparently decided that they were trustworthy. "Okay. Dad didn't do anything. His father betrayed the Jils. Dad thinks he was working for the Underground."
"Your dad's father belonged to the Underground? What was his name?"
"I don't know. Dad never told me." He began to sniffle again. "The Jils thought Mama and Dad were dead! Why did that stinkin' bunch of 'trols show up, now? No one ever looked for us here! No one knew! How did they find out?"
"It'll be okay, Scotty." Jill's voice was comforting. "The Underground'll get your mom and dad loose."
Scotty glanced scornfully at the little girl. "You don't know what you're talking about! That was a Jil!"
"Who cares? Jils aren't gods. They can die just like anybody else," Jennifer said. "My mommy's killed three of them. My daddy's done it, too, and so has Uncle Alan."
"That's right!" Jill said smugly.
Linley glanced at his daughters, one eyebrow up. "And just where did you hear about that?" he inquired.
"Everybody at the base knows it," Jill said. "We'd be pretty dumb not to know about it, too! That's why they call Mommy the Giant Killer!"
Alan shook his head, slightly dismayed. He and Mark had carefully avoided telling the stories where they had actually killed Jilectans, although it had been impossible to conceal the fact. He supposed it was inevitable that the kids would also find out about Julia. It would have been nice if it had taken them a few more years, though.
Scotty stared at the two little girls. "Alan Westover killed Lord Salthvor, but -- you mean there's more, now?"
"Sure," Jill said.
Linley glanced thoughtfully at Scotty. "Where've you been the last fifteen years, kid?"
"Four of 'em I wasn't born," Scotty told him. "I'm only eleven."
"And you've lived on Bellian for eleven years and never heard about it?"
The boy shrugged, looking a little embarrassed. "I've never been out of the woods. Mama and Dad wouldn't let me. We've only been living this close to the lodge for the last three weeks. Dad moved us closer because Mama's gonna have a baby, and she's been feeling sort of sick. Dad thought we could get more supplies if we were closer to other people."
Light dawned. "You were the one that took our medical kit!" Alan said.
The boy looked worried. "Yeah. And I took some food, too. I'm sorry. I was hungry, and Mama -- Dad said we might need medical supplies when the baby came." He began to sob again.
"It's all right," Alan said, quickly. "We'll get your mom and dad out, Scotty. Don't worry. There's the lake ahead."
They came out of the woods onto the shore of the lake and Alan opened his shields, scanning. The Jilectan was still in the vicinity, and getting gradually closer. "The Jil's looking for us. I hope Eldridge hurries."
"The Jil's coming?" Scotty's eyes widened. "He's after us?"
"It'll take him a while," Alan said. "He can't trace us with our shields up and unless he can sense us, all he's got to go on is the direction his 'trols went when they took off after you. Besides, our ride's almost here."
In the distance he could hear the hum of the approaching aircars. Alan led the group out onto the clear area around the lake as the two cars settled to the ground. Both were modest, fairly late-model cars, designed not to attract attention. Alan got into one car with Marky and Scotty, while Mark took the other with the two girls. The vehicles rose and flew low over the trees, heading back toward the station.
Alan turned back to Scotty. There was something oddly familiar about the little guy -- something that nagged at him. "You're eleven, Scotty?"
"Yes."
"And you say you were born here?"
"Yes."
"Where'd you find him, sir?" the driver asked.
"Running from a bunch of 'trols. Scotty's a psychic," Alan added. "Thanks for coming so quickly, by the way."
John Kelsey, a corporal from the Bellian station, grinned faintly. "We were looking for you, sir. We didn't want to call. A Patrol ship landed on Bellian about ninety minutes ago."
"A Patrol ship? Do you know why they're here?"
"No, sir. They've been very careful what they say over the air."
"Oh yeah?"
Kelsey nodded. "And they're jamming the whole planet's hyperspace transmissions. Nothing's going out or coming in."
Alan found that information disquieting. "Why are they doing that do you suppose?"
"Apparently they don't want anyone to know they're here. At least, not anyone on Bellian."
"I don't like that."
"Me, either. They're up to something, that's sure."
"Could they possibly have found out that Mark and I are here?"
"That's always a possibility. All it takes is one guy with a keen sense of observation and no social responsibility."
"When did the jamming start?"
"About twenty, maybe thirty minutes ago. They were out here, looking. That means they had at least some idea of your whereabouts." He glanced at Scotty.
"They started jamming just about the time Scotty's parents were picked up," Marky said, unexpectedly.
Marky might be not quite six, but you couldn't put much over on a trained psychic child, Alan reflected. The kids were mature beyond their years in some respects -- a necessary evil of the training and education they received from an early age. Alan regretted, not for the first time, that the children of the Terran Underground weren't allowed to be children for very long. It was important for them to know the dangers of being what they were, and their survival was more critical than their innocence. Still, he, Lyn, Mark and Julia tried as hard as they could to give their children as many normal experiences of childhood as possible, which was the reason behind the camping trip to Bellian. Whatever was going on, Alan thought, he and his fellow parents would bring the children back another time for their vacation, Jils or no Jils.
Now, however, he regarded his son thoughtfully. "You're right," he said. "I wonder if there's any connection."
"There could be, sir," Kelsey said. "Still, you'd think that if the Jil didn't want anyone to know he was here, he'd have ordered the jamming as soon as the ship landed, wouldn't he?"
"I'd think so," Alan said. "But they didn't start until they picked up Scotty's parents. I'm betting there's a connection. Scotty, you say your parents escaped from the Jils, once."
The boy nodded.
"And the Jils thought they were dead."
"Someone we'd recognize?" Kelsey suggested. "Someone they don't want the Underground to realize they've caught until they can get 'em safely offworld, maybe."
"The names don't ring a bell," Alan said. "Del and Jiji Pinks? Scotty, did your dad change his name, maybe, after he and your mom escaped?"
The boy nodded. "Yes."
"What was his name, before?"
"I don't know," Scotty said. "He never told me. He said they had to forget about everything that happened before. He was afraid for Mama. He thought someone might notice her. Mama's real pretty."
"Hmm. Can you lower your mind shielding?"
The boy frowned at him. "My what?"
"Your mind shields. Look, I won't probe deeply. If I can see your parents in your mind, I might recognize them. Please lower your shields."
Scotty looked puzzled. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Your mind shields," Marky said. "You know -- around your thoughts. They keep people from reading your mind. You had 'em open when you called for help. That's how we heard you."
"I don't have anything like that."
"Yes you do," Alan said. "They're very good ones. Your control is excellent. Did your father teach you?"
Scotty shook his head. "Nobody taught me anything."
Alan stared at the boy, nonplused. "You *really* don't know what I'm talking about?"
Scotty shook his head.
Kelsey glanced sideways at Alan. "Maybe he's a natural shielder."
"But natural shielders can't control their shielding," Alan said. "Scotty lowered his shielding to call for help while the Patrol was chasing him."
Scotty frowned. "My dad said something about that once," he said. "He said my mind must be just like his, because he never could read mine unless I was scared. He said he thought his mind must be the same way, 'cause he'd lived around Jils a lot when he was a kid, and none of them ever spotted him."
Alan regarded the child, awestruck. "I've never met any psychic with that kind of control, but I guess it could be. After we get you back to base, our psychic instructors will probably be able to teach you how to lower and raise your shields at will, but I don't have the time right now. I wish I did."
The aircar was settling before a neat, rambling farmhouse that was the Kreene Underground Station. They got out and Alan lowered his shields for a moment, scanning. "Okay, it's clear."
The other aircar that carried Mark and the girls settled beside theirs, and his companions emerged. Together, they went up the flagstone walk to the front porch. The station, to the casual observer, gave every visual indication of a prosperous Terran home. Wide, green lawns and cultivated fields stretched out on all sides. To their left was a clothesline, with overalls and striped T-shirts flapping benignly in the warm, summer breeze. Tall bushes covered with fragrant white blossoms grew on either side of the porch and a vine crawled over the entrance, its glossy, dark leaves adorned with deep purple blooms. A grey-striped cat darted off the doorstep, retreated to the clothesline, swarmed up one of the poles and perched there, watching them with round, emerald eyes.
"Kitty, kitty?" Jill extended a coaxing hand and, with a soft trill, the cat leaped down and trotted across the grass toward her. Jill stooped and stroked the creature's fur as the cat stropped affectionately against her ankles.
"Not now, honey," Mark said. He went up to the front door, knocked, waited ten seconds and knocked again. The door opened immediately, revealing a young woman in blue jeans and a loose top, with a baby cradled in her arms.
"Come in," she said, stepping back.
Alan glanced at her face, sensing something wrong. She made a quick shushing gesture and turned to the children, producing a smile. "Kids, I've made some brownies. Come with me." She took Jennifer's hand and led them toward a doorway. Jill, Marky and Scotty followed, but Scotty glanced back at Alan with a puzzled expression.
A young man appeared from another doorway and beckoned. Alan and Mark went into a large sitting room and the newcomer entered behind them. He closed the door quietly.
"Major Eldridge," he introduced himself quickly. "That was my wife, Wilma. I've always wanted to meet both of you. I just wish it could have been under better circumstances."
"What happened?" Alan asked.
The man looked at Mark. "We heard it not ten minutes ago. Your wife's been taken prisoner, sir."
Mark stared at him. "What? You mean the base has been discovered?"
"No, sir. She was here."
"She's back on Nova Luna."
"No, sir." The major cleared his throat. "We picked up the transmission. At first we thought it must be a mistake, or maybe a hoax, but one of our people saw her, and she was on the video." He swallowed. "It's her all right, sir."
"It can't be!" Mark said.
Alan interrupted. "Did you tape the broadcast?"
"Yessir." Eldridge went to the videoscreen and pressed a button. The screen came on, revealing the landing field of a spaceport and the dark, shining bulk of a Patrol cruiser. The black-clad, silver-helmeted figures of patrolmen came into view, and in their midst stumbled a shorter, very familiar figure, disheveled, blond hair tumbling over her shoulders. The saw her face for a brief moment as she turned toward the camera. She was crying, Alan saw, and someone had draped a heavy, black Patrol coat around her, concealing her pregnancy from the cameras. There were dark circles beneath her eyes, and her nose was running.
"Dammitall!" Linley stared at the screen as Julia was again surrounded, cutting off the view of the watchers. "Yeah, it's her, all right. Where the devil did they pick her up?"
"Here," Eldridge said."
"*Here*?"
"Yessir. We didn't even know she was on Bellian, and I take it you didn't either."
"No! Dammit!" Linley glared at the screen. "She was so hall-bent on goin' in spite of orders, but who woulda thought --" The sentence trailed off and concluded with a whispered cuss word.
Alan crossed the room to the video and pressed the control to repeat the recording. Something was nagging at him, but he didn't know what it was. Again Julia appeared on the screen, her lovely, blond features briefly revealed to the camera.
Eldridge touched a control and the sound came on.
"Julia Austell, the infamous murderer of three Jilectans has been apprehended on Bellian, near the town of Kreene. Lord Linthvar, the illustrious son of Lord Lorinthvor, received an anonymous tip from a patriotic citizen of the Terran Confederation. The tip led to this historic capture. It is suspected that the two criminals, Alan Westover and Mark Linley are also on Bellian at this time. These men are in the company of two small, striking girls, believed to be the twin daughters of Linley and Julia Austell --"
"We were seen," Alan said. "I thought someone was watching us."
"I want that informant," Mark said, grimly. "I want him personally. Got it?"
Eldridge nodded. "We're already on it. We have a suspect -- a guy who works at the spaceport named Hazelbaar -- alias Herbert Malone. He's got a criminal record, recently discovered by Bellian authorities. He'd just received his immigration refusal. He was in the tower right after you landed, and asked about your ship and passengers. He must have seen you and somehow recognized you." Eldridge hesitated. "He's booked on the next flight out, tomorrow."
"He ain't gonna make it," Mark said. "Pick him up."
"Already in the works," Eldridge said.
Alan glanced at his partner, thinking that *he* wouldn't be in Mr. Malone's shoes for anything, right now. "Okay, but right now we have to get Julia out. Mr. Malone can wait until later." He switched off the recorder and a local station came on, revealing the handsome features of a newscaster. The man didn't look happy, Alan thought, and the young woman at his side appeared to have been crying.
" ...This newsflash. Julia Austell, a member of the criminal organization known as the Terran Underground, and murderer of three Jilectans, has been apprehended on Bellian near the town of Kreene. Miss Austell apparently arrived at the Kreene spaceport yesterday in the company of the two criminals, Mark Linley and Alan Westover. Linley and Westover were identified at the spaceport by a citizen of Bellian, who reported the sighting to the authorities. Linley and Westover were in the company of a small, dark-haired boy, believed to be Westover's son, and two blond girls, identified as Linley's daughters. Westover and Linley are believed to still be on Bellian. If you see these men ..." Their own faces appeared on the screen, "please call this toll-free number. Your identity will be kept confidential --"
"Where is she?" Mark asked, turning to Major Eldridge. "Do you know?"
"Yes, sir. She's on the 'Titan', and it's docked at the spaceport where you came in, yesterday. Linthvar's on board, I'm told. Apparently, he brought along some items to trace you with -- stuff your wife left at the Embassy, and a few things of yours from Terran Space Academy, General Westover."
"They don't have anything of mine," Alan said. "At least nothing that matters. The Underground was on the scene right after I left, and managed to grab everything of sentimental value. I suppose they still might have some of Julia's stuff, though, since she left behind everything when she ran, and the Underground couldn't get there until later. They probably salvaged what they could before the Embassy burned."
"That's why they found her and not us," Mark said. He cussed softly. "That damned fool woman! She must have been out there all the time, lookin' for us, and Linthvar musta sensed Scotty's father at the same time."
"I guess that explains it," Eldridge said. "And since the hyperspace frequencies are jammed, and they've banned all flights to and from Bellian, we have no way of getting word to the Underground of her capture. That's why Linthvar's done it. He doesn't want us calling for reinforcements. He knows the odds are in his favor and he intends to keep it that way."
"Well, we gotta do somethin'." Mark glared at the videoscreen, which was again showing Julia being led toward the battlecruiser. "Man, she looks awful! I hope no damned 'trol's been beatin' on her or nothin!"
"They wouldn't dare," Alan said. "Pregnant as she is, they could kill her. Linthvar knows that."
Eldridge switched off the video. "Come into the family room," he said. "There's coffee there, and we can work out some kind of plan."
**********
tbc
