who shook his head no.
'Not in the box.'
I looked down again and realized that I did know where the key was. I raised my eyes to Iron John and he nodded solemnly. 'See you do know where the key to the cage is. You can let me out now, Jim. Because you know the key is there. Inside…'
'Teddy,' I said.
'Teddy. Not a real bear. Teddies are for children and you are no longer a child. Inside teddy.'
I reached out, blinked away the tears that were blurring my vision, seized up the toy, felt the soft fabric between my fingers. Heard a loud voice that slashed the silence.
'Not quite right, Jim, not right. The key is not there - it has to be under your mother's pillow!'
Steengo had come forward to join me, had to shout the last words to be heard over the roar of voices.
'Mother doesn't want her son to leave her. She hides the key to the Iron man's cage under her pillow. The son must steal the key… '
The shouting voices drowned him out. Then it went dark in an instant and someone ran into me knocking me down. I tried to stand, to call out, but a hard foot walked on my hand. I shouted aloud at the sudden pain but my voice went unheard in the clamor. Someone else jarred into me and the darkness became even more intense.
'Jim - are you all right? Can you hear me?'
Floyd's face was just above mine, looking worried. Was I all right? I didn't know. I was in bed, must have been asleep. Why was he waking me?
Then I remembered and sat upright, grabbed his arms.
'The Veritorium! It got dark, something happened. I can't remember - '
'I'm not much help because I can't either. It seemed like a good show. Hard to follow the plot but you were in it, do you remember that?' I nodded. 'Seemed to be enjoying yourself, although you didn't look happy about tearing the stuffing out of the teddy bear. That's when Steengo joined you onstage and all the fun started. Or stopped. It all gets vague about that time.'
'Where's Steengo?'
'You tell me. I saw him last on the stage. I was sleeping myself, just woke up. Looked around, no Steengo. Found you here snoring away and I gave you a shake.'
'If he's not here…'
A muted knock sounded at the door, and a moment later it opened and Veldi looked in.
'Gentlemen, a happy good morning to you both. I thought I heard your voices and hoped you would be awake. I bring you a message from your friend…'
'Steengo - you've seen him?'
'Indeed I did. We had a friendly chat before you awoke. Then, before he left, he made this recording. Told me to give it to you. Told me you would understand.'
He placed a small recorder on the table, stepped back. 'The green button is to play, red to stop.' Then he was gone.
'A message?' Floyd asked, picking the thing up and staring at it.
'Press the button instead of fiddling with the damn thing!'
He looked startled at my tone, put it back on the table and turned it on.
'Good morning there, Jim and Floyd. You guys are sure sound sleepers and I didn't want to wake you before I went out. You know, I'm beginning to think that this city is not for me. I need some space to get my thoughts together. I'm going to take a walk back down the wall, get some air to breathe, some space to think in. You hang in there and I'll be in touch.'
'That old Steengo,' Floyd said. 'What a character. That's him all right. His voice, sure enough, and his way of thinking. Some guy!'
I looked up, looked him in the eye. His face was as grim as mine. He shook his head in a silent no. I did the same.
Steengo had not left that message. It was his voice all right. Easy enough for the electronic technicians to fake that.
Steengo was gone.
What had happened?
Chapter 18
I really slept,' I said. 'Like a rock. Thirsty.'
'The same. I'll get some juice and a couple of glasses.'
'Great idea.'
I had scribbled the note by the time he came back, slipped it to him when I took the glass. He opened it behind the pitcher, read it.
Place bugged. What do we do?
He nodded as he passed me my glass of juice.
'Thanks,' I said, watching him turn over the note and write on the back. I don't know if there were optical bugs as well as the audio ones. Until we found out we had to act as though there were. I kept the note in my palm when I read it.
Steengo much concerned. Left these for you before we went to the show.
I finished the juice, put my glass down, lifted my eyebrows quizzically. He pointed quickly at his closed fist. When he stood and passed me he dropped something small into my lap. I waited a minute before I poured more juice, drank it, sat back with my hand in my lap. Two small, soft objects. Familiar. I rubbed my nose and glanced at them.
Filter nose plugs. For neutralizing gas. Steengo had known something - or guessed something. He also knew how affected I had been by the sessions in the Veritorium. He had suspected that something physical, not just the training session itself, had gotten to me.
Of course! Obvious by hindsight. I knew of a dozen hypnotic gases that lowered the ability to think clearly, that left the brain open to outside influences. So it hadn't been emotion but plain old chemistry that had carried me away. Steengo had suspected this - but why hadn't he told me? Depressingly, I realized that the state of mind I had been in, probably caused by drugs in the earlier session, rendered that impossible. He knew he couldn't tell me. But had been suspicious enough to wear the plugs himself.
And when he saw me getting deeply involved in the ritual he had interrupted before it was too late, had brought the whole thing to a screeching halt. I felt my teeth grating together and forced myself to stop.
He had talked about mother and the key under her pillow to these people who denied that women even existed!
With the realization of the enormity of his crime in the eyes of the Paradisians I felt a sudden overwhelming fear for his safety. Would they kill him - or worse - had they killed him already? They were certainly capable of anything, I was sure now of that.
What next? Communication with our backup team in the spacer above was very much in order. I had to get into the open, away from the bugs, and contact Tremearne. Bring him up to date. Something had happened to Steengo. And the rest of us surely were in danger as well - and Madonette, this might affect her. This entire affair was getting a nasty and dangerous edge to it.
And thinking about dangerous, there was the other dangerous always hanging over my head. My computer flashed me the highly unwelcome message of a flickering red nine. I had been asleep longer than I had realized.
Artifact or no I was just nine days away from my personal destiny. When I had first heard the thirty-day deadline on the poison I had not been too concerned. Thirty days is a lot of time. I thought.
Nine days was definitely not a lot of time at all. And with Steengo suddenly vanished I had more problems, not less.