CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
"Things are not always what they seem; the first appearance deceives many; the intelligence of a few perceives what has been carefully hidden." - Plato in Phaedrus
The Shadow pulled Winston's limp body into the hovercar. He sat the unconscious man in the seat. Then pulled a laser ax from inside his Stealth cloak and placed it on the side of the man's jaw. He then reached over with his other hand and touched the smooth area toward the back of the ax weapon and tool. It hummed to life on stand-by.
Winston jerked awake at the vibration, saw Death bending over him and his eyes rolled to the back of his head.
That wouldn't do.
The Shadow pulled him sideways in the seat and slapped him hard across the side of his face, then a backhand to the other side. He did this repeatedly until Winston looked up once again at the hooded Grim Reaper, the Shadow of Death, and accepted his fate. Winston knew what he wanted as he found his face being forced to submit to the retinal scan on the dash to activate the vehicle. The hovercar flashed a light to indicate it was ready for flight. Just as the Cyber vehicle was about to greet its driver, the laser ax sliced into the dash and severed its communication connection completely—Winston's Outside lifeline to Makr, permanently disabled. The ghoulish stranger pushed Winston away from the controls to the right side of the car. Winston's head hit the side of the clear canopy hard and he lost consciousness again.
.
Alone in her chamber, Mother-General smiled, quite pleased with herself. Harry had been spotted. She had seen him with the Touchables. Now, better yet, he was with Carlos, where he should be. Do they know yet? She wondered. No, probably not. Carlos has many good character traits. He is strong, determined, and a natural leader. Perhaps, he’s not the brightest of men. And Harry doesn't have enough information to put it all together. Not yet anyway.
"Mother-General, you wished to see me?" Kieran stood at attention in the doorway.
"How is he?" Apparently not fazed by the sudden interruption, Mother-General seemed rather pleasant. How unlike her to ask how Carlos was. She hadn't asked before, Kieran thought.
"Fine. He's doing fine. He's working with the team..."
"Not Carlos. Harry."
"How do you know about Harry? I haven't given my report yet."
"For things as basic as that, I don't need you as my spy." Mother-General smiled, clearly pleased with herself, excited, almost giddy. If only the rest would come together, all this time and hard work wouldn't be lost, she thought.
"I don't understand, Mother-General."
"You're not meant to, my dear. A simple question, Lieutenant. How's Harry?"
The Shadow supreme leader presented a pacific demeanor, contented on the outside, but inside she was ready to burst with excitement.
"He's fine." Kieran looked into the older woman's wise eyes and saw a tear—a happiness tear. Never seen her like this. She's usually cold, calculating, she thought..."He's brave. Saved our lives in the tunnels," She said aloud.
"Really? How? I thought you were holding him prisoner."
"We are. We were attacked by a big croc in the tunnel. When Carlos was knocked unconscious, Harry jumped on top of the croc and tied its jaws together." A pleased look appeared on the supreme commander's face, which irked Kieran. "Carlos is okay now, too, by the way."
Mother-General was obviously still thinking about Harry.
"He's brave. Good. Good! Very good!"
Yes! It's working, she thought. All this time means something! Wait, don't go so fast, she told herself. You'll spoil it.
"If I may ask, Mother-General, how do you know about Harry?"
"You may ask, my dear, but forgive me if I don't answer right away. Some things should remain secret until the time is right. Makr has too many ears."
"Yes, ma'am."
"The girl. Tell me about the girl."
"Marlene...she's a problem, I think." Kieran hated to say that. Against her better judgment, she liked her. But it seemed inevitable that the pair were heading for trouble.
"Oh," the older woman said disappointedly. "How so?"
"She's smart, very smart, but Carlos can't seem to see it. The man—er—Harry is harmless, I think. Lot of history upstairs but not too much else going on, a real Insider, but I worry Carlos trusts both of them too much. He's too loose. Soon he'll start sharing too many of our secrets."
"I wouldn't worry about Harry or the girl—what's her name? Marlene? I'm sure everything will be fine." Her statement was a dismissal, but just to throw Kieran off, she added, "Carlos can take care of himself, and all of you."
"How do you know this, Mother-General?"
"Don't concern yourself, my dear. It's a mother's job to know." The voice of sarcasm, too.
"I know Carlos is good at his job. That's why I'm with his team."
"Oh, I thought you were there under my orders."
"That's true. I am, but I have my own reasons as well."
"Do you love him?"
"That's personal, Mother-General."
"It's okay if you do, but save it for when this is over. I'll welcome you to the family with open arms. When it's over. Have I made myself clear, Lieutenant?"
"You make this sound so absolute." Kieran was confused. "How do you know Carlos will even want to come back here?"
"Be careful with that tone, my dear. I love you dearly like a daughter, but I can't have a lack of discipline here, can I? It'll ruin what we're trying to build."
"I'm sorry, Mother-General. It's just..."
"I know, it's been a long arduous journey for you, but it's almost over—for all of us. Why don't you stay here for a few days and rest?"
"Yes, Mother-General."
That is odd. Mother-General didn't give leave and rest; it just wasn't in her vocabulary.
"May I be excused now?"
The matriarch of Shadows nodded. Kieran turned sharply and left the room. She was baffled. This report was not at all what she expected. She felt she had to get out of there. Mother-General was up to something and she needed to know what. Damn! Why am I always left out of things? First, Carlos—now, his mother.