The Altian Plague by DM Arnold (best book club books for discussion .TXT) 📖

happened to Senta.”

“Hmm...”

“Hmm what?” he asked.

“I'm thinking.”

16 -- Doctor Hanri

Nyk stood with Andra on the palace landing strip. “Nykkyo,” Wygann said, “thank you for your efforts. With any luck we will dispose of this threat in short order. We'll rid the hegemony of these terrorists.”

“I'm afraid not, Chancellor,” he replied.

“What do you mean?”

“It's something I've observed on Earth. That world seems perpetually threatened by this group or that who believe violence and terror is the way to impose their will. If you seize or kill one of them another will take his place. Even if you capture or kill the leader, another will step forward.

“Floran authorities are holding Egon Hanri -- the man who invented the virus. Perhaps another man of his stature won't come forward, but others will -- others who are just as vicious and just as clever in their own way. No, Chancellor -- before we can eliminate these groups we must understand and eliminate the root cause.”

“Of course,” Wygann replied.

Janna extended her hand. “Nykkyo -- you are welcome here any time.”

A transport cart stopped near them and an attendant helped Dyppa to her feet. “The medics think I'm well enough to travel -- and, I'm not contagious.”

“Do you feel well enough?”

“I think so.”

Nyk turned and climbed the steps into the diplomatic deep-space courier. The hatch closed and the vessel rolled down the landing strip, lifted off and headed into orbit.

The courier touched down at the Floran City shuttleport and taxied to a stop near the diplomatic terminal. Nyk supported Dyppa as they walked through the boarding tunnel and into the concourse. Among the sea of blond hair he spotted black. “Suki!” he yelled and waved. “Over here!” She pushed her way through the crowd and embraced him; then, she hugged and kissed Andra. “This is Dyppa Hawryt.”

“I'm Sukiko, Dyppa. Nykkyo told me of you.”

“Dyppa will spend a couple days recuperating at Central Clinic, and a few more convalescing at the Residence before we head to Earth together.”

Andra turned to Suki. “Did you bring what I asked?” Suki reached into her lifxarpa and handed over a packet.

“What's that?” Nyk asked.

“Something,” Andra replied.

“I can see it's something.”

“Something we may or may not need.” Andra tucked the packet into her own sash.

“More need-to-know?”

“You might consider it that,” Andra replied with a smile.

“Has your questioning of Hanri revealed anything?” Nyk asked.

Kronta shook his head. “He maintains an air of cool innocence. 'When will I be permitted to return to my work?' he asks. I've had to plead before a magistrate to extend his detention, and that extension is about to expire.”

“You've confirmed the implant?”

“Yes -- we've performed blood tests. No interrogator would touch him.”

“You've searched his home and office?”

Kronta let out an exasperated sigh. “Of course we have and we've come up empty.”

“Maybe Lom was wrong.”

“I believe Lom,” Andra said. “It's the only explanation. Senta must've conferred with him on the viral genetics.”

“Yes,” Nyk replied. “I recall her telling me she discussed it, early on, with her advisor. He gave her advice that steered her in the wrong direction.”

“Misinformation,” Kronta suggested.

“She obviously got it right, eventually.”

“May I suggest something?” Andra asked. She withdrew the packet from her sash. “These are cartridges containing Zander's mind-control mixture. It can serve as a truth drug. Perhaps one of these will loosen Hanri's tongue.”

“Those are hypnotics,” Kronta replied. “Hypnotics have been outlawed.”

“So has kidnapping been outlawed.”

Kronta drummed his fingers on his desk. “Let's have a talk with Hanri.”

Nyk followed Illya to a detention center located beneath the Government Center tower. Inside a cell was a distinguished looking slender man with grey hair. “Good day, professor Hanri,” Kronta said.

“Mr Kronta again... Can you tell me when I'll be released -- or speak with my solicitor?”

“That depends on you.”

Hanri's gaze fell on Nyk. “I'm Nykkyo Kyhana.”

“Ah, yes... I believe we've met, years ago. You're with Senta. She was my best student.”

“We thought you might know where she is.”

“Me?” He shook his head. “I haven't spoken to her in... I don't know how long.”

“She informed me the two of you spoke not more than ... twenty-five to thirty days ago.”

Hanri looked at the ceiling. “Now that you mention it, I do remember a vidphone conversation with her. She was asking about some ... rather esoteric aspect of DNA replication if I recall.”

“And you haven't seen nor spoken with her since?”

“Not at all.”

“Doctor Hanri -- My name is Andra. Andra Baxa.” Nyk observed Hanri's body language and saw a stifled recoil at the sound of her last name.

“I ... I don't think we've met.”

She tilted her head. “Did you know my husband? His name was Zander.”

Hanri licked his lips. “N...no, I don't recall a Zander Baxa.”

She reached into her lifxarpa and held up a red cartridge. “Do you know what this is?” She withdrew an injector, loaded the cartridge into it and pulled off the needle guard. Hanri shrank back as she approached him. “It's nerve toxin. One of my husband's colleagues developed it -- from Earth materials. My husband died of a dose of this.”

“Surely you ... you're not going to threaten me with that.”

She replaced the needle guard. “No. But -- this was one of Zander's contributions to a certain Altian separatist group.” Andra withdrew another cartridge -- a green one, and loaded it into the injector. “This is another. Do you know what this is?”

Hanri's jaw dropped. “No...” Andra cocked the injector and advanced on him. “Stay back...” He stood and backed until stopped by the cell wall. “Keep her back from me.”

Andra threatened him with the injector, waving it back and forth before his eyes. Nyk could see fury building in hers. “I think you do know. I'll bet for the past few days you would've ransomed a world for some of this. But -- you didn't have it, did you? I do -- I have the last of Zander's stash.” She approached him, drawing back her arm.

Then, cobra-fast she struck, jabbing his shoulder and triggering the roller.

Hanri reached for his arm. “This is an outrage.”

Andra stepped back, calm returning to her face. “Wait for the drug to seize him,” she said and ejected the spend cartridge.

“I know how this works,” Nyk replied. He stood and watched as Hanri's eyelids drooped and his jaw slacked. “Start recording this, Illya.”

“Remember -- this isn't truth drug,” Andra added. “In order not to contaminate his memory you must ask neutral questions. If you ask leading questions you can lead him the wrong way.”

“Dr Hanri,” Nyk said. “You will obey me. You will answer truthfully the questions I pose. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” he answered in a monotone.

Do you know where Senta is?”

“Yes...”

“Tell me where.”

“Zoltertown. Sector 16112, block 47001 apartment 404.”

Kronta pulled his handheld from his xarpa and began making a call. “Wait,” Andra said. “Find out if anyone's with her.”

“Is anyone with her?”

“Yes.”

“How many?”

“Five.”

“What will they do to her if enforcers show up?”

“Kill her.”

Nyk turned to Andra. “How long does that stuff last?”

“The effects begin to fade after a segment or so.”

“Do you have more of it?”

“I have four more cartridges.”

Kronta left the cell and returned a short time later. “We're bringing him with us.” He gestured to someone outside the cell and a pair of Service enforcers stepped in. “If he makes a false step -- stun him.”

“Yes sir.”

“It shouldn't be necessary,” Nyk said. “Doctor, please follow us.”

Hanri stood and followed the enforcers down a corridor, outside and into an awaiting skimmer. “Zoltertown,” Kronta instructed the pilot. He consulted his vidisplay. “Sector 16112, block 47001.”

The skimmer lifted off and flew between the towers of central Floran City. Zoltertown was in the southwest quadrant, an older and run-down part of the city, built upon one of the first residential settlements.

Kronta reviewed a message on his vidisplay. “Internal Affairs is on their way.”

The skimmer flew over low rooftops. The streets narrowed as they approached the older sector, and were congested with slow-moving groundcars cautiously avoiding each other.

“Sector 16112,” the pilot announced. He pointed to a sprawling, four- story apartment building. “Set down by that square,” Kronta ordered. “I imagine they have lookouts posted. Internal Affairs will land on the roof.” He ordered an image of the buildings floor plan from the Internal Affairs database. “Apartment 404 is here,” he said, pointing. He turned to the enforcers. “You go in first -- Knock on the door of a nearby apartment. If it's occupied, make some excuse about having the wrong address.”

The enforcers set their stun wands on standby and headed into the building.

“Okay, Nyk. Escort our distinguished guest.”

“Dr Hanri -- My name is Nemo. I'm from Altia... Who is your head man there?”

“Jann Devri”

“Jann Devri sent me. Altian Security is closing in and he wants the woman as a hostage. Do you understand?”

“Yes...”

“It's essential Devri have the woman as a hostage. Now -- let's go.”

Hanri approached the apartment and pressed the doorchime twice, a pause, twice again, a pause and once. Daylight in the peephole was obscured. “What are you doing here?”

“Devri wants the girl,” Hanri replied.

“Who's with you.”

“Nemo -- Devri's man.”

A long moment passed. “We don't know Nemo.”

“He's Devri's man.” Hanri began to sound impatient. “Open up -- there's foot traffic in the corridor.”

Nyk heard a bolt being released. The door cracked open. Hanri pushed it the rest of the way and Nyk stepped in.

The two enforcers pushed their way into the apartment with stunners drawn. Internal Affairs officers streamed down the roof stairs. They carried the occupants, unconscious, to the awaiting skimmers and began searching the apartment. Kronta turned Hanri over to an enforcer. “I can understand why Zander wouldn't want that drug mixture out of his own hands,” he said. “That was remarkable.”

“Andra can tell you stories.”

An Internal Affairs lieutenant approached Kronta. “No sign of her.”

“She has to be here.”

“Maybe when Hanri was taken they moved her. He's been incommunicado for a few days now.”

Nyk looked around the apartment. “Senta!” he yelled. “Senta! It's Nyk! Where are you?”

Sounds of motion came from behind a wall where it made a jog in the apartment. He heard a muffled woman's voice, moaning.

“SENTA!” he yelled and put his ear to the wall. “I think she's behind there.” He threw his shoulder against the wall. He threw himself again, and again. The material began to crack. He threw himself again. “Hold on, Senta!” he shouted and threw himself again.

“Nyk...” Kronta said.

He threw himself again. “It's starting to give,” he panted.

“Nykkyo!” Andra called. “Look!”

Nyk looked up. Two internal affairs officers supported Senta. Her face was bruised and she had black-and-blue marks on her arms and legs. Another officer removed a gag covering her mouth and cut cords restraining her wrists.

“Internal Affairs had the building manager open the apartment next door,” Andra said. “She was stuffed in the closet there.”

“An ambulance skimmer is on its way,” Kronta said. “Lie her on that sofa.”

Andra sat beside Senta and held her hand as she dozed on a therapeutic pallet. A pouch of clear fluid drained into a tube threaded into one of her nostrils. Aahhn poked a vidisplay. “She's dehydrated,” he said to Nyk. “They had her in that closet for four days without food or water. We're giving her fluid. She also lost some weight.”

“Not something she can afford to do,” Nyk replied.

Ahhnn smiled and nodded. “Not much surplus on that frame.”

“Did you find other injuries?”

“Other than contusions, no. We'll release her in a day or so. She should take it easy for a while.”

“I think we all should take it easy.”

Senta stirred. She opened her eyes. “Nyk ... Andra...”

“You rest.”

“The doctors said I should eat three squares a day. What happened on Lexal?”

“What we expected to happen.”

“Did the vaccine work?”

Nyk nodded. “The only fatalities were Altian. A few hundred required hospitalization, and several thousand reported minor symptoms. The vaccine exceeded everyone's expectations. We're shipping supplies of it to the other colonies. This genie struggled to escape his bottle. Thanks to you we kept the lid screwed on.”

She reached for his hand and squeezed it. “Thanks to everyone.”

“What happened to you?”

“You were right, Nyk -- I shouldn't have called Hanri. I did try