The Light Blue Jumper Page 12
“Did you just give me instructions? Would that be considered similar to a command perhaps, as in, an order or a directive?” I asked, giving him the benefit of my most intimidating expression.
“No. No. Not at all. This was more in the sense of a suggestion, akin to a request, which you are at liberty to ignore,” he stammered. My continued staring had the desired effect.
“I thought as much. Anything else, Doctor?”
“Nothing at the moment. I think I’ll head back now,” he said, turning towards the exit.
“I have a question though. If your observation is correct, just where did she get the books from?” I asked.
“My guess is that she brought them on board with her, either that or she has some help on the inside.”
“She was searched before she boarded. She had nothing with her.” I had searched her myself, there was no doubt there.
“Right, an inside job it is then. I will start investigating immediately.” The Good Doctor strode out of the room before I had a chance to respond.
The thought of an inside job raised my alarm antennae. Had someone on our ship supplied her with those books in an attempt to compromise Zaaro? Could that someone be the same person who had admittedly visited her room and was the only person on the ship with a library that housed the same books in triplicate?
I listed his sins one by one. He had blown Lethal’s cover and almost had him killed. He had sat out the last mission while the IPF had been lying in wait for us. He had been adamant that the Princess was a Jumper and was planning to eliminate Zaaro, but instead of working towards recruiting the Princess he wanted to cast her into prison, isolating her from us. For Zaaro, the person who had saved the day, he had also planned imprisonment, cleverly disguised as heightened security.
I beeped Lethalwulf for confirmation of the Doctor’s recent whereabouts, as seen from his observation post on the bridge. He informed me that The Good Doctor had not even set foot inside Dinaara’s quarters, but he had in fact, paid a secret visit to Zaaro’s room some time earlier.
My head was in a whirl as I stared again at the list of IPF deep cover operatives in my hand. The first name on that list was that of The Good Doctor.
49. Princess Dinaara
‘Salaar has special powers. Repeat. Salaar has special powers. Information received from the Zaaronian. Is he on IPF payroll? Confirm’.
I leaned back in my bed after making my first contact with IPF Headquarters since I had boarded the rebel ship. I had managed to smuggle a communicator in with me, concealed in my uniform around my injured leg. Madam had avoided my injury altogether when she patted me down before boarding, so much for her being formidable, I smirked to myself.
I had fought tooth and nail for this assignment. A rapid-response team had been scrambled as soon as the destruction of the IPF secret data storage site along with possible theft had become known. Headquarters had been opposed to my taking on this mission due to my history with Salaar and Lethal. I had convinced them to send me for precisely the same reason. I knew that if anyone could gather the maximum information safely from this rebel crew, it was me.
It had been easy enough getting on the rebel ship. All I had to do was to give them the impression that I was the only IPF agent who was aware that one of the lists had survived. Kill me or abduct me, I was quite sure which they would choose. Salaar and Lethal were totally spineless.
I hadn’t factored in getting shot though. The Zaaronian was a bit of a mystery at the moment. Either he was incredibly naïve and clumsy, or he was so skilled in the art of dissembling, I could learn a thing or two from him. He had ruthlessly unleashed the most violence on board the IPF ship, successfully stolen IPF data, and destroyed the secret storage site. Yet he pretended to be harmless, almost childlike. Whoever he was working for, he was a force to be reckoned with.
I wondered if the list that I had seen had been successfully decrypted. If they had managed that, I wouldn’t mind having a quick look before I returned it. It must have valuable information that could come in handy as a bargaining tool at some point. Just then, I got a beep from Headquarters: ‘Explain special powers’.
I messaged back: ‘Working on it’. Zaaro and I were about to become inseparable.
50. Zaaro Nian
It was such a nice feeling having a pleasant conversation with the Princess for a change, rather than the usual talk of murder and mayhem. She did have a lovely smile, even if the rest of her was a bit of an eyesore. I wondered when I would get to see her again. I didn’t have to wait long. She was the first person I met as I stepped out of my room for my morning walk.
“Good morning, Your Highness, enjoying the fresh air?”
“Yes, I find walking about on the ship gives me such a sense of peace and tranquillity.”
“Of course.” I wondered if she had noticed Lethal and his men following her.
“Before you ask, yes, I know. They aren’t very subtle,” she said as she waved at Lethal.
He pretended to be deeply engaged in conversation with another officer and feigned surprise at seeing the Princess, waving back after a suitable pause. I personally thought that was some brilliant play-acting right there. “Wonderful acting, Lethal, very convincing!” I looked over at the Princess to support me.
“Yes, Lethal, very natural. I am quite convinced that you are not here following orders and haven’t the slightest bit of interest in me,” she said.
“Now, now, Princess, each of us has their duties to fulfil, information reports to pass on and the like,” he said.
“I agree, Commander. My duty at this moment is to show the Princess the error of her violent ways. To that end, I have decided that we shall become friends.” I saw no harm in sharing my thoughts on the subject with the Commander, as I had already taken Salaar into confidence.
“Princess, I would be very wary if I were you. If there is anyone on board this ship who can make you defect, it’s my lord and master here.” What a lovely compliment from the Commander.
“Lord and master?” she asked, confused.
“Oh, he didn’t tell you? I have pledged my lifetime service to Zaaro and his family,” Lethal said.
“Right, well, good luck with that Zaaro. You may find that devotion is not one of Lethal’s strong points.” She turned towards Lethal for a final word, “I would say bye, Lethal, but you’ll be right behind us.”
“Always at a distance of five paces, have you forgotten our training Princess?”
It was the first time I had seen her laugh. Probably for the best, as it was most unattractive.
I lowered my voice so that we could have a private conversation. “I cannot help but wonder Princess, why were you trying to take our list away from us?” I asked, getting right to the point, as is my habit.
“It is an IPF list. Surely you know that.”
“That’s what all the confusion is about. I can tell you categorically, without a shadow of doubt, that the list that we have, the one I gave to Madam, is part of our secret mission.”
“Why do you believe that to be the case Zaaro?”
“It’s because I am the one who handed Salaar the list, taken quite by chance, from our own shuttle. It was randomly thrown in with miscellaneous junk in our storage area. Now let me ask you one question Princess, and we will solve the entire mystery.”
“Go ahead.”
“Would the IPF store their precious list in a helter-skelter manner, thrown in with miscellaneous rubbish?” I asked. I had to interject as she started to speak, “The second question that you have to ask yourself is, why fight over details when we are all essentially on the same side?”
“May I speak now or is there a third question you may have forgotten to mention?” she asked, brow furrowed.
“Yes, yes, please, there were just the two,” I confirmed.
“Zaaro, first, let’s not get philosophical and stick with the facts. Second, are you telling me that you never went to the IPF secret storage site?”
“Then who stole the list and blew up the secret storage site along with a whole lot of other data?” she asked.
“Could it be disgruntled IPF employees or perhaps Martians?” I attempted to make light of the situation and followed it up with a chuckle.
“It’s all right Zaaro, it was more of a rhetorical question. You don’t have to answer it.” She patted my arm.
“Right, of course, I knew that, and the part about the Martians was in jest, hence the chuckle. We all know that there is no life on Mars.”
“Actually, there was, but they were wiped out thousands of years ago by incursions from a neighbouring planet. History of the Universe course I took at Military School, very informative. Speaking of history, Salaar and I were at school together. I distinctly remember he had no special powers of any sort.”
“He doesn’t want me to speak about it, Princess. He’s very modest, as you must know.”
“I’m just a little curious as to what those powers may be, exactly.”
“I couldn’t say Princess. You can ask him yourself though. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind sharing his secret with you, considering you’re old friends.”
“I can’t. I’m shy around him. I’ve always admired him you see,” she admitted coquettishly.
“Say no more Princess, I completely understand.” I had a flashback of the Princess pointing a gun at the Lieutenant and threatening to kill him some time earlier. It was such a charming reminder of my first meeting with my wife. She had displayed a similar enthusiasm at the prospect of our marriage, I thought fondly. Luckily, I had now become a bit of an expert at outer rim customs and behaviours with all the insight my wife had provided over the years. “How can I be of service?” I asked gallantly.
“If you would just fill me in about Salaar, so I can get to know what he’s like after all the years we’ve spent apart, it would be wonderful.”
“Of course. It would be my pleasure, Princess.”
Just then Madam emerged from a turn in the passageway. “Princess, let’s head to my room. I’d like to have a little chat. Please excuse us, Zaaro,” she said politely as I made to join them.
It was about time I met up with The Good Doctor anyway, I hadn’t seen him since we had gotten back from our mission, I thought, as I walked away.
51. The Good Doctor
“How wonderful it is to see you Zaaro!” It really was nice seeing him hale and hearty. I had every fear I would be hearing about his untimely demise soon enough. Dinaara was a ruthless and cunning adversary. She would not miss her mark.
I had done my duty by informing Madam of my discovery but seeing Zaaro’s innocent face, I decided to do more. I was going to take matters into my own hands. I reminded myself that I outranked Madam. Even though she was a bully, there was one being on this ship she could not browbeat; I would speak to Central Command about my fears and misgivings.
“Should I come back at another time? You seem preoccupied, Doctor,” Zaaro said.
“Yes, that might be best, I have some top secret business to attend to,” I told him.
“Oh, I’ll be on my way then,” he said, turning back towards the door.
“Funny you should ask, it has something to do with you.” It would be rude to keep him guessing.
“It’s quite all right, Doctor, I just dropped in for a quick chat, I’ll come back some other time,” he said, ready to leave.
“I’m afraid time is what you don’t have Zaaro,” I said as I drew in a ragged breath.
“Why? Do I have to be somewhere? Have I forgotten a training session?” he asked in panic.
“Not yet, you haven’t, but after you hear what I have to say, you will most likely abandon the thought altogether,” I told him sadly.
“Oh no! Did I do something wrong? Am I being replaced?”
“In a way. You could call it that. I believe someone is trying to remove you from our midst,” I informed him. I considered that to be fair warning, but I absolutely could not share any more information with him no matter how much he insisted.
“But why? Don’t tell me, I know it! Someone wants my job!”
“And more, Zaaro. There is someone on board this ship who may share your abilities.” That was absolutely the very last scrap of cryptic information I could divulge to him.
“I knew it! She thinks she can do a better job than me! Well, I will not allow that to happen. I’m certain I must have tenure. I do, right?” he asked anxiously.
“Yes, yes, every one of us does, along with healthcare and other benefits,” I assured him.
“Good to know. What did you mean by more? What more can anyone possibly take from me? Wait, I know it. She wants Lethal as well.” He held his bald head in his hands. This was an unprecedented show of emotion for a Zaaronian. I could see that he was broken, his spirit crushed. He continued, “I thought I had a job for life in the weapons development field. You know what life is for Zaaronians, The Good Doctor? One thousand years of careful planning. Now I have been forced to switch-over, literally at gunpoint, to the IPF Secret Service, and someone is trying to steal this job too. And my healthcare and other benefits, I might add. This is an outrage!”
“I take it you are smart enough to have figured out who your nemesis is, without my having to spell it out. I will give you a little hint though, just to be sure; she is the queen of treachery and deceit,” I told him as clearly as I could.
“Of course, Doctor! Thanks to you I am forewarned. I must leave now. There is a job to be saved,” he said purposefully.
“The Princess is that way,” I pointed out helpfully.
“Princess? I’ve seen her already. It’s Madam whom I now have to see. She will know how foolhardy it is to try and steal a Zaaronian’s job!” he said, puffing out his chest.
“Wait! It’s D. I. N…” I started to spell out Dinaara for him but it was too late, he had already bounced out of the room.
I decided to connect to Central Command. It was still up to me to take decisive steps to protect Zaaro. “I need your help,” I told her.
“Yes, Doctor. I was, in fact, just about to ask how I could help you.”
“I have uncovered information that has led me to believe that Zaaro is in mortal danger,” I continued.
“Have you informed anyone of this threat?”
“Yes, but Madam has decided to ignore my warning altogether despite the clear proof I have provided. I have to tell you her behaviour is reminding me of a double agent I had read about somewhere.”
“What is the proof of your assertion, Doctor?”
“An eyewitness account.”
“Whose?”
“What does it matter?”
“It does. We cannot proceed without the details,” she said, being needlessly pedantic, I thought.
“Mine,” I informed her.
“Do you accuse Madam of being a double agent?”
“No, of course not! It was just a random thought I had shared,” I said truthfully.
“The Good Doctor accused Madam of being a double agent; backtracked when asked for proof. Report sent,” she confirmed. “Anything else I can do for you today, Doctor?” she asked.
“Whom have you sent this report to? I am the final reporting authority on this ship!” I shouted hysterically, suddenly afraid.
“All reports go through Madam, Doctor. No doubt she will forward this communication to you in due course, as is the standard reporting protocol.”
I decided to lock my door to stall Madam’s imminent arrival. The only question that now remained was, would she shoot me here or at her leisure in the ship’s prison? Zaaro, I have failed you my friend, I thought to myself as I waited to die.
52. Princess Dinaara
I was intrigued by Madam’s sudden need to see me. Meekly, I followed her back to the control room, composing my face into a mask of sympathy and concern, in total readiness for any problem she chose to share with me.
; “Please take a seat Dinaara.” She waited until I was seated, then continued, “Can I trust you?”
I had been rehearsing many different scenarios in my mind; this was not one of them. “Yes, of course,” I said, and then the absurdity of the situation dawned on me. I decided to be honest. “No, obviously you can do no such thing. I am a prisoner on board this ship. I am an IPF Black Ops officer, your sworn enemy. Why do you even ask?”
Madam smiled. “I’m glad we respect each other enough to be honest, that’s a start. I have called you here because I have successfully decrypted the IPF list and I get the feeling you may be interested in its contents.”
So she admitted it was IPF, unlike Zaaro, who was adamant it belonged to the rebels. He really was one to watch out for. He had almost convinced me of his innocence with all that talk of being on the same side. “You seem to have forgotten that I have access to all such information in any case. I don’t need to look at the contents of this particular list,” I bluffed.
“Say no more! It was silly of me to presume that you may want to have a look at the list of all the super spies and double agents. You must know every name on that list already.” She chose not to call it.
“Precisely. But why would you show me such generosity? What do you hope to gain in return?” I had to find out.
“Let’s just say that I hope for the outlying kingdoms and the rebels to be on the same side one day and this would be a gesture of goodwill towards that end.” She sounded sincere.
“That is never going to happen. But I will take a look at it to honour your request,” I said, trying not to lose the advantage.
Madam came and sat down beside me, looking over my shoulder as I read through the list. I couldn’t see what the big fuss was about. It was mainly the same list that was used for roll call at the Secret Service Headquarters every day. Then I did a double take and read through the list again, and then again. “Anything the matter, Princess?” she asked politely.