“You said it all to me.”
“Yes, but you understand.”
“Never assume.” He frowned. “If you miss it so much . . . vy are you still here? It vill be another six months until the refit is finished, even vith Mr. Scott overseeing it. You could have taken assignment on another ship, instead of agreeing to teach at the Academy like I did. I, personally, didn’t mind the prospect of staying on Earth for a little vile. But you . . .?”
“Because,” Sulu sighed, “it’s the Enterprise. It’s working under Captain Kirk. It’s . . . everything. A position on another ship would simply feel like a step down, almost by definition.”
“Even a captaincy?”
Sulu shrugged. “Well, I wouldn’t see myself turning that down. Then again,” he added thoughtfully, “it would depend, wouldn’t it. Helmsman of a starship versus captain of a ten-man science vessel? Maybe I wouldn’t be so quick to agree to that captaincy after all.”
“So let’s see if I understand this,” Chekov said slowly. “You feel Earth has no challenge for you.”
“That’s essentially correct.”
“You feel like an outsider . . . alien . . . out of touch, with little to no connection to your homeworld.”
“More or less.”
“You vant to get back into space on the Enterprise, and until then you’re just marking time.”
“Basically.”
“All right,” said Chekov. “I understand now.” And then he sighed heavily and shook his head. “You realize you are in major trouble now.”
Sulu frowned. “How so?”
“Vell, you remember the old Russian saying I mentioned earlier?”
In spite of himself, Sulu smiled. Chekov always made comments such as these with such an utter deadpan that it was impossible to tell whether he was joking or not. “I’d always thought it was from an Aesop’s fable myself, but all right,” said Sulu. “Just for laughs, we’ll say it’s the latest in a long line of ‘Russian inwentions.’”
“Good. Because, you see, there’s another famous saying—a curse, actually—vich I am afraid you have brought down on yourself.”
“Let me guess,” said Sulu, as the last of the sunlight vanished, leaving the desert in cool, stark relief. “‘May you live in interesting times.’”
Chekov clapped his hands in appreciation. “You read my mind.”
“You are aware, of course, that that isn’t a Russian saying.”
To Sulu’s surprise, Chekov retorted indignantly, “Of course I know that! You think I am a fool? I know wery veil that it isn’t a Russian saying.”
“Well, that’s good,” said Sulu.
“It’s Polish.”
Sulu rolled his eyes and returned his attention to the sky. The sun had set completely, and the stars in their full bloom called to them.
His heart answered in silence.
Chapter Six
SULU HAD BEEN DISCUSSING cutting their stay short, but he had patiently allowed Chekov to talk him out of it. In a way, he was envious. He wanted the younger man’s enthusiasm to be infectious. Unfortunately he couldn’t begin to muster the same excitement as Chekov.
They had split up today, promising to meet for lunch at a predetermined restaurant at the corner of Humphrey and Rick’s. Sulu watched, arms folded and shaking his head in amusement, as a “police officer” made inquiries of tourists over a bit of unpleasantness that had occurred at a café. With grave and serious demeanor he had turned to Sulu and asked if he knew anything of it. Sulu apologetically replied in the negative.
He walked away then, still trying to figure out what in the world Chekov saw in the place. It was so manufactured, so artificial. Compared to the natural wonders that space had to offer, Demora was a joke. It was a pleasant getaway for those with an utterly pedestrian life. Not for someone who had basked in the glow of a thousand different suns, and had trod worlds so remote they had no names.
It was ten in the morning, and Sulu was bored already. He moved through the streets, feeling apart from everyone on them. An old-style car motored past, the driver gesturing imperiously for people to get out of the way. Sulu gave way, shaking his head and trying to wonder how others so managed to lose themselves in the nonsense of . . .
He never saw her coming.
She slammed squarely into him, rocking him back slightly on his heels. Nevertheless his concern was immediately for her as he said, “Whoa! Are you all right?”
At first she didn’t seem to focus on him. She was clearly of Chinese extraction, with long black hair and a slightly confused look about her. Her face was quite triangular, and her features were very delicate.
And her eyes . . . her eyes were green. That was unusual, to put it mildly. Green as emerald, with a sparkle in them like a diamond.
She was glancing over her shoulder. The shoulder was bare, for the loose white shirt she was wearing had slipped down slightly. And Sulu spotted a small, diamond-shaped birthmark on her shoulder. She saw where he was looking and quickly adjusted her shirt, and then started to move past him.
“Are you all right?” he said, noting her distracted air. He moved in synch with her. “Is something the mat—”
“Excuse me,” she said quickly. She placed her hand squarely on his back and pushed around him.
Sulu watched her go as she disappeared around a corner. “Now, that was odd,” he murmured to himself, and then shrugged.
But then he noticed something very curious. Three men, moving quickly, went around the same corner that the woman had vanished around moments before. It appeared as if they were following her.
Sulu looked around to see if anyone else had noticed, but no one seemed to. He started after them, picking up speed and rounding the corner just in time to see the three men standing several yards away, looking around in frustration.
The trio was a mixed bag of types. One of them was Asian, with hair shaved close to his skull. The second was Caucasian, large and muscular, with shoulder-length blond hair that gave him a decidedly Nordic look. The third was black, slim and wiry, bald but with a thick, curly beard.
There was no sign of the woman.
Then the three men spotted him, and glanced quickly at each other. Clearly they recognized him as the man that the mysterious woman had been talking to.
As one, they started to approach Sulu, the look in their eyes uniform in intent and hostility . . .
And then he realized.
He began to laugh to himself.
Oh, he had fallen for it. Fallen for it with the proverbial hook, line and sinker.
It was a setup. Another Demora setup.
No, more than that. This had Chekov’s fingerprints all over it. The Russian had made all those oblique comments about living in interesting times, saying that Sulu should be careful what he wished for.
It was now all painfully clear. Chekov had arranged this. Gotten together with some Demora employees and cobbled together some half-witted “adventure.”
Did he really think that Sulu would fall for it? Did he truly believe that Sulu was that stupid?
It didn’t seem likely. What seemed more likely was that Chekov expected him to see through it, but hoped that Sulu would be willing to play along.
Sulu could have, should have, pulled the plug on it right then and there. But his long friendship with Chekov stopped him from doing so. Here Chekov had gone to all this work to arrange this . . . this whatever-it-was. Was Sulu now going to blow it off with a quick dismissal of the players involved? Would that be what a friend would do?
It wasn’t any different than somebody arranging a surprise party that the “victim” accidentally found out about. The accepted, expected reaction was to act surprised.
Far be it from Sulu to flaunt proper protocol, especially in the face of Chekov’s efforts on his behalf.
The Asian man was in the forefront. Perhaps he was the leader; it was difficult to tell. “Excuse me, sir,” he said in a gravelly voice. “That young woman earlier .
. .”
“Yes?”
“Are you . . . acquainted with her, by any chance?”
Sulu paused a moment, weighing the variety of responses. What the hell. Might as well play it to the hilt.
He stepped in close to the other man and said in a low voice that was as dangerous as he could make it, “So you’re the ones she mentioned.”
The other two were moving in now. The black man now spoke in a silky voice, “Is there a problem here, Taine?”
The one he’d addressed as Taine didn’t look back at his companion. Instead he kept his attention focused on Sulu. To Sulu, it felt as if the air around him had become filled with a sort of dark energy.
“There may be,” said Taine evenly. “I’m not certain if we have a joker here . . . or simply a fool.”
The black man gestured with a nod of his head in Sulu’s direction. “He know her?”
“I’m not sure. For some odd reason, he may simply be trying to be a hero. Tell me, hero . . . what’s her name?”
“Her code name is Jade Eyes. That’s all you need to know.”
At this, the three men laughed. And then, shaking their heads, they started to move off.
And Sulu called out, “You’ll never get the device.”
It was a reasonable thing for him to say. In adventures such as this, there was always a device. Either that or a rare statue or religious artifact. It didn’t matter, of course. This whole thing was a setup by Chekov, and they would undoubtedly play along with whatever he came up with.
It worked like a charm. The trio froze in their tracks. The one called Taine turned to him, and this time there was genuine suspicion in his eyes. Passersby walked past them, oblivious of what was transpiring.
“The device,” said Taine slowly, but then he added derisively, “‘Jade Eyes‣ told you of it, did she?”
“Her code name is Jade Eyes. As for me, I call her Diamond . . . after her birthmark.”
And this was enough to cause the blood momentarily to drain from Taine’s face. In a voice darkly sinister, he said, “All right. Now . . . we talk.”
He briskly nodded to the Nordic-looking one. “Thor,” he said, “escort the gentleman to somewhere quiet.”
Thor. Oh, that was too much. Chekov had really gone over the edge on this one. Naturally he was named after a Norse god. Thor. That was rich.
Thor stepped forward, clamping a hand on Sulu’s forearm.
Sulu moved quickly and, with a brisk twist of his arm, yanked it free. Thor stood there, looking momentarily confused.
“Stay away from us,” said Sulu. “We’re backed by an organization so huge, you can’t even begin to grasp it.”
Thor’s face darkened and he swung a huge fist. Sulu effortlessly ducked under it. And then, before Sulu ever saw it coming, the fist swung back again and slammed him on the side of the head.
Sulu went down, head momentarily spinning. Clearly these guys were taking it seriously. They played their part well. Well, naturally that would be the case. Chekov would see to that. Perhaps Chekov even entertained the notion that Sulu might actually be taken in by it all if it seemed real enough.
But . . . all right. If that’s how they were going to be, then Sulu saw no reason to be any gentler with them than they were with him. Whatever Chekov was paying them, Sulu would make damned sure they earned it.
Thor reached down for him and Sulu saw his opportunity. He lashed out with a fist, catching Thor just behind the right knee. Thor’s leg crumbled under him. Sulu slammed a fist up into Thor’s gut, knocking him flat on his back.
“Rogers!” Taine shouted, summoning the black man to join him, and the two of them converged on Sulu. Thor, the wind momentarily knocked out of him, was trying to pull himself up.
Observers slowed down to watch the scuffle. On their faces were momentary looks of confusion.
Sulu slipped in between the charging forms of Taine and Rogers. Rogers started to turn and Sulu whipped his foot around in a spin kick. It connected solidly and Rogers‣ head snapped to the side. He went down, the world spinning around him.
Now the observers laughed and applauded. It was now obvious to them what they were witnessing: Street theater, of the type so typical in Demora.
Sulu spun to face Taine. Taine had adopted a defensive posture, his lips drawn back in a contemptuous sneer.
They circled each other for a moment, feinting, each trying to ascertain the other’s weaknesses. Taine moved with far too much confidence for Sulu’s liking.
Sulu lashed out with a foot and Taine caught his ankle with ease. He sent Sulu tumbling to his back and then leaped, slamming down with both his feet directly toward Sulu’s head. Sulu barely rolled out of the way in time, and Taine sent a fierce kick into Sulu’s side that felt as if someone had jammed a fireplace poker into him.
Several feet away was a merchant selling carpets. Sulu scrambled to his feet as Taine came after him, snapping, “I don’t know who you are . . . but you’re going to be sorry you mixed into—”
Sulu grabbed one of the carpets and swung it around. It sailed through the air and enveloped Taine’s head. For just a moment, he was blinded. Pushing off the balls of his feet, Sulu slammed a fist into the bump under the carpet that represented Taine’s head. Taine staggered, grasping at air. Sulu easily dodged in between his outstretched hands and struck again. This time Taine went down, still entangled in the carpet.
“Hah!” Sulu said, and turned just in time to see a massive fist winging toward his face. Then he saw nothing else as the world went dark around him.
* * *
Chekov sat at the café table, drumming his fingers in annoyance on the tabletop. A waiter drifted over and said politely, “Do you have any idea when your friend will be joining you, sir?”
“He should have been here by now,” Chekov said with mild impatience. “Do you know the time, by any chance?”
“Twelve-thirty, sir,” said the waiter. “Can I get you anything?”
“That vould be nice. Do you have any wodka?”
The waiter looked at him oddly. “Pardon, sir . . . did you say ‘wotka’?”
“No. Not wotka. Wodka.”
Clearly embarrassed, the waiter shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. “Sir, I’m . . . not sure we have any of that.”
“You don’t have any wodka?” Chekov was appalled.
“No, sir, I’m . . . afraid I never heard of it.”
“Never heard of wodka?”
“Never, sir. Although it does sound rather exotic. Perhaps I could interest you in something to drink instead.”
Chekov stared at him as if he’d lost his mind. “Something to drink? Instead of . . .” Then he paused and, very slowly, said, “You make mixed drinks, yes?”
“Absolutely, sir. Best in Demora.”
“Good.” Chekov searched his mind for the appropriate old-style drink that would typically be served in these environs. Finally he said, “Bring me screwdriver. You can do this?”
“Absolutely, sir.”
But before he could walk off, Chekov raised a finger as an afterthought, keeping him in his place. “If you don’t mind . . . no orange juice.”
“What? No orange juice?”
“That is vat I said, yes.”
“But sir,” said the waiter patiently, “if there’s no orange juice in it, then all that will be left is . . .”
Then his voice trailed off and a slow smile crossed his face. “Wotka,” he said understandingly.
“Ah-ah,” said Chekov, waggling his finger. “Not wotka. Wodka. Be careful how you speak. It must be very hard for people to understand you vit that accent.”
“I’ll be more cautious in the future, sir.”
“See that you are,” Chekov said sternly.
The waiter went off to get the drink, slowly shaking his head in amusement. Chekov was no less tickled by the entire exchange, until he came to realize that more time had passed and there was still no Sulu in evidence.
&
nbsp; Where the devil had the helmsman gotten off to?
“Perhaps,” Chekov said out loud to no one in particular, “he found some charming young woman to occupy his time. That vould be wery nice. Wery nice indeed.”
* * *
Sulu’s first thought upon coming to was that Chekov had gone just a bit too far, even for arranging an adventure.
His face ached a bit and he wanted to reach up and rub his throbbing forehead. He was unable to do so, however, because he realized very quickly that his hands were tied together behind him.
He sat in a chair, his hands anchored behind him as noted, his legs tied to the chair legs. Seated directly across from him, straddling the chair, was Rogers. His eyes narrowed as Sulu came around.
The room itself was nothing special: dark, probably because the windows were boarded over. A ceiling fan hung low but wasn’t turning. There was a skylight above, caked with dust so that only a small bit of sunlight was able to filter through.
Out of the corner of his eye, Sulu caught brief movement nearby the edge of the room. Some sort of small vermin; a mouse, most likely. It darted out of sight behind a narrow black case that was propped up against the wall.
“Well well well,” said Rogers in a purring, singsong voice. “Look who woke up. The hero.”
Sulu said nothing; merely glared at him with intensity. Or at least with what he hoped passed for intensity.
“You won’t get anything out of me,” said Sulu.
Rogers smiled thinly and slid a razor-thin knife from the sleeve of his jacket. Placing the flat end gently against Sulu’s throat, he murmured, “Oh, I expect we will. It’ll probably be red, and warm, and go trickling down your throat and ruin that fine shirt of yours. Shame to see such an excellent shirt go to waste.”
The door at the far end of the room opened and Taine walked in, Thor bringing up the rear. Thor closed the door behind them and remained there, massive arms folded. “Thought you’d be coming around about now,” said Taine. “You are most fortunate that Thor went lightly on you. I’ve seen him hit men with sufficient strength to make their bodies lonesome for their heads.”