Hidden Empire - Kevin J. Anderson [78]
"Think of how upset the Hansa will be," Sarein said, alarmed. "Do we want to invite so much trouble and ill will, considering that we don't use much ekti for ourselves anyway?"
"Still," Mother Alexa said, plucking a slice of pair-pear from a tray, "every step of independence benefits us in the long run."
36 RAYMOND AGUERRA
When the nauseating effects of the stunner wore off, the pounding in Raymond's head masked the fact that he was lying on a plush, warm bed. He slowly returned to consciousness and noticed that he seemed to be floating. His body was surrounded by slick sheets, lying on a comfortable gelatin-filled mattress. His fingers twitched, his thighs clenched.
Raymond opened his eyes, and the flood of light sent sledgehammers of pain into his skull. He groaned deep in his throat, but it came out only as a faint sound. The last thing he remembered was the blond-haired man threatening him with the stunner, his professional-looking companions hustling Raymond toward the unmarked vehicle. Kidnapping him!
He sat up and forced himself to endure the wash of nausea. Someone had taken him here. Was it a group of perverts out to snatch any young man—or had they been after him in particular? Why would anyone be interested in a poor kid with no prospects and a family that could barely make ends meet?
His family! Now he remembered the flaming wreckage of his apartment complex, the barricade lines and security troops, the fire-suppression engineers and their copters dumping extinguishant foam all over the smoldering remains.
There's nothing left inside but ashes and dental work.
When the orchestra of ragged nerve endings quieted to a mild clamor, he opened his eyes again and looked around him. He lay in a small chamber without windows. The walls held fine tapestries; delicate vases stood on pedestals in the corners. A basin filled with trickling water made quiet music.
He needed to know what had happened to his mother and brothers!
He smelled faint perfumes and noticed several stubby candles—real candles—set into small alcoves. He eased himself from the sloshing bed, which tried to wrap itself around him. The light seemed to come from everywhere, a muted illumination from the fabric of the wall itself. He couldn't understand where he was.
A door opened from a corridor outside the room. Standing on the threshold was a lean, suave-looking man with hair the color of new steel. His active gray eyes and smooth skin challenged any estimate of his age. Beside him stood an old-style Teacher-model compy with a dull body casing.
The man studied Raymond with a calculating smile, but the compy spoke first. "My estimate of the duration of the stun pulse was accurate to within ten minutes, Chairman Wenceslas."
"Excellent, OX, considering you had to guess so many important parameters."
Recognizing the man's name, Raymond clamped his mouth shut to prevent himself from making indignant demands. Such protestations would make him look foolish and helpless, and these people would tell him whatever they wished, whenever they wished. Warily, he bided his time, meeting the Chairman's intent gaze.
Wenceslas gave Raymond a thin-lipped smile. "Very good, Peter. You're exercising some restraint already, even without training." He turned to the compy. "OX, you will have a very good student here."
Raymond's head still pounded. "Who's Peter? My name's Raymond Aguerra. I live—"
Wenceslas held up a well-manicured hand. "Peter is the name we have chosen for you. It's best if you get used to it from the start."
The old Teacher compy came forward with heavy but precise steps. "I am aware, Peter, that the aftereffects of a stunner are physically unpleasant. I have an analgesic injection, or if you prefer, a sweet-flavored syrup containing the same medication. I would not want discomfort to distract you from the important business Chairman Wenceslas wishes to discuss with you."
Raymond recoiled