BEYOND THE PALE: ( The Outlander ) Page 27

  “It was probably that security incident closing the district 17 turnpike. I think they were using signal jammers.”

  Shondran listened to what he assumed was yet another lie. He decided that this wasn't the right time to ask him what he was doing down at the port this morning. There would be plenty of time to confront him later. He wasn’t happy with him though, and he stared watching the back of his head slowly disappear as he closed the darkened glass partition between the driver’s compartment and his own.

  When they arrived at the conference hotel, the sedan pulled up in front of the foyer and he got out accompanied by Cortez. They were met by a hospitality concierge who directed them to some comfortable seating whilst he booked them in and arranged their convention passes. Refreshments had been provided for them and Shondran drank a glass of bourbon and stared at River as he entered the lobby. He briefly examined his new expensive suit and designer automated luggage holdall which discreetly tracked his movements and followed close behind. It occurred to him how much this man had changed since he was in his employment. He looked both urbane and suave and now had a very contemporary youthful hairstyle. He didn’t look like a chauffeur, but then he didn’t look like an outlander either, nor did he talk like one anymore. River with his light complexion looked less like an indigenous native than Ramon did. However he still thought like an outlander; like some accidental tourist who was still keeping an eye on the departure schedules. It was difficult to trust him.

  The Hotel was built in a Spanish architectural style with most rooms having small balconies overlooking a large inner courtyard. The top floor had fewer hotel suites to allow for personalised adjoining rooftop gardens. When River got the call after breakfast to join Shondran in his suite, he realised that his personalisation theme was golf. It wasn’t apparent at first because outside his veranda he had a 30ft swimming pool in which he had recently been lounging as evident by his wet shorts. However at the flick of a switch a sturdy floor of Astroturf rolled out across to hide the pool completely. Then the new veranda setting became a putting green. Shondran took two putting irons from a nearby golf bag and offered one to River, “Do you play?”

  “I have played golf virtually.”

  “Well that’s better than nothing. Ramon doesn’t play at all. He doesn’t understand it.”

  Shondran placed his ball about 15 feet from the sinkhole he was aiming for. His shot fell short but he got it in two. River placed his ball likewise and overshot substantially. In fact it took quite a few shots before River felt he could begin to master it. Shondran however had seen enough and suggested that they move on to a driving range which was next to the resort's golf course.

  They didn’t need to take the sedan, but instead drove over in a golf buggy. Shondran was now wearing respectable golfing attire whilst River's stylish suit now made him look out of place. As they took up positions next to each other on the raised driving platform, they started whacking longer shots with the heavy pitching irons. The sun which was behind them was getting higher, and as they pitched due west the open vista was stunning. The citadel wall was only a mile or so in front of them. Normally if you were that close, it would totally dominate the view. However there appeared to be a large breach in this particular section of wall due west of them. So instead they could see far into the distance. The view this late morning was stunning as the sunlight illuminated the Rocky Mountains in the distance. They switched over to driving clubs and competed on long distance shots with each other.

  “I have an important game of golf tomorrow, so I need to practice. And I would like you to be my caddy for that game.”

  “Of course Boss, although I didn’t imagine golf would be your game,” pointed out River.

  “Golf is the perfect medium for business. You have privacy and solace, and sportsman's rules to observe which gives you a measure of whom you are dealing with.”

  One of Shondran's drives swept much further out and to the left. The ball seemed to disappear and at the same time the view seemed to shimmer. The distraction was enough to make them both forget what they were talking about and Shondran sharply changed the topic, “What is your interest in the transit port?”

  “My friend works there,” replied River defensively.

  “Ramesh hmm, and that is your only reason?”

  “No Boss, I would also like to see the underground complex and tunnels; and one day I would like to work on a heist with the others,” River replied sheepishly.

  “So you want to become a criminal like Ramesh, or a gangster like me.”

  “I thought I already was one.”

  “Firstly, you are not a criminal or a gangster; you work for a gangster. If you were a gangster, I would probably kill you, unless you were already gainfully employed killing for me.”

  “I don’t want to be a gangster or a killer. If I became a gangster, I would probably kill you.”

  Shondran was slightly taken aback, but then smiled. He respected that answer but he didn’t believe River anyway. He reckoned River was still heart set on finding his way out of the citadel and back to his people. He didn’t judge him for this, but he did feel that as long as his aspirations were to leave, he could never fully trust River.

  The path of the conversation had put River off his game and his next shot veered widely off course. The golf ball arced high and to the right and then just vanished. This time the vista view in front of them noticeably shuddered. This time they had both seen that clearly and they now tried to recreate the same effect with different shots. They ascertained that the view would shimmer at varying distances and could plot a semi circle range to the effect. Their growing interest in this effect was superseding that of the golf. Eventually Shondran called over a leisure assistant and demanded an explanation. The assistant explained to them that the stunning view in front of them was artificial. It was in fact a hologram. This was a little disappointing for both of them.

  “So what is the real view?” enquired Shondran

  “There is the city wall of course without the breech in it, and in between here and there are the livestock pens and a solar energy farm.”

  “There is an animal farm there?” asked River incredulously.

  “No they are just holding pens. The farm and the abattoir are under here.”

  “Under where exactly?” asked Shondran with interest.

  “Everywhere,” replied the bemused leisure assistant.”There are automated livestock pens under the whole leisure resort. There are 16 acres of cattle and pig pens and a poultry farm below us. You name it; they are reared, milked, and killed by machine automated processes down there. They produce enough meat to feed all of New Denver.”

  River was stunned and shocked, “But how can you treat livestock like that. It is cruel.”

  “Its not cruel sir, those animals don’t have brains, they are genetically reared with a small brain stem that is only adequate to keep them alive with some mobility. They have no intellect and are not aware of their existence or environment. I should know, I have worked down there. The animals are just fine. Me though, I couldn't take the smell.”

  The man's explanation weighed heavily on River's mind as he drove the buggy back to the hotel. It didn’t seem ethical or right; what about the animal's spirit. Shondran on the other hand was past caring. He was more concerned with getting ready for the upcoming lodge meeting. As usual it was scheduled to start at three and the lodge would be convening in a purpose built temple at the LRH estate manor which was located nearby. He would have a few hours to get prepared first and there were likely other lodge members arriving at the hotel soon that he wanted to greet.

  River had used the time to get the sedan looking immaculate. He delivered Shondran on time to the gravel forecourt in front of the small granite temple which looked more like a mausoleum. He dutifully opened the door for his employer and stood by the sedan with Cortez whilst Shondran greeted and shook hands with other arriving members.

  Neither of them cared for bein
g treated as underlings but there was a certain amount of pomp and ceremony expected at these meetings. The lodge members and guests were usually fawned over and attended by their lackeys. The ornate grounds, the gothic inspired mansion, and the Temple annex were all off limits to them, so when the guests disappeared inside, River and Cortez stayed with the sedan for the duration. Although Cortez had been here before, he had no idea what transpired inside the building; Shondran would never tell.

  Ninety minutes later, River got to act the perfect chauffeur by standing once again by the open sedan door, whilst Cortez shielded Shondran like some secret service agent ready to take a bullet on his behalf. River noted the two small enamel icons which Shondran now wore on his jacket collar; one was a pyramid and the other an owl. It was best not to enquire as he usually declined to speak about the Society of Moloch, and they drove back to the hotel in silence.

  Every Lodge meeting was followed by a sumptuous Lodge meal which only members could attend. That was except for the discreet hotel staff that served them and the entertainment booked for the evening. It was River and Cortez's job to wait in an antechamber outside the sealed doors of the hotel's prestigious banquet room. They weren't alone; there were two retainers for each invited guest sitting in rows of hard back chairs that were placed along the walls of the room.

  River thought Cortez was the most dismal company that he had ever had the misfortune to spend time with. The man rarely spoke and you had to drag a conversation out of him. So River was pleased to find that many of the other bodyguards and chauffeurs were better company. However four of the sixty plus retainers were very noticeable for their dour and sullen disposition. They sat together both rigid and still, and were even less animated than Cortez. They did not even talk to each other. River turned to a friendly and chubby chauffeur sitting beside him by the name of Ray and asked him who they were. He was informed that they were underlings to the two government ministers whom were lodge members.

  “They are so quiet. Don’t they ever talk?” asked River.

  “Judging by their demeanour, they are probably secret service agents. Most senior government officials use guys like them. They rarely speak in public in case there are lip readers present.” Ray changed the subject to something much closer to his heart, “You know I am really famished; do you fancy taking a walk with me to the kitchens to get a plate?”

  “I don’t think we can leave here,” pointed out River.

  “No your bodyguard friend can’t leave here, but you and I can; it is one of the benefits of being the chauffeur. Come on, you can bring him back a doggie bag.”

  Ray was already on his feet and walking towards the staff only exit, and River got up to follow him, looking back at Cortez and shrugging apologetically. He seemed to take an awkward route to the kitchen, but his strategy became clear when he led River through a staff changing room which was bustling with a dozen burlesque dancers making final adjustments to their costumes before they entertained the lodge members. River apologised repeatedly for the intrusion and was copied by Ray who lacked any sincerity at all because he was still leering at the half dressed women. The dancer’s outfits consisted of not much more than high heels and gold or red lingerie covered by long black hooded capes which had a scarlet lining inside. They all wore golden masquerade masks. Unlike Ray, River didn’t find the look attractive or appealing at all. He thought the costumed look seemed almost sinister. Another set of swing doors and Ray and River had found the kitchen. Ray seemed to know some of the catering staff and seemed quite at home. He pulled up a stool beside a kitchen table and River copied him. Ray asked for a steak but River chose a vegetarian option because he was still perturbed by the thought of the underground livestock complex.

  “The dancers were a nice distraction weren't they?” said Ray grinning from ear to ear.

  “It makes you wonder what they get up to at those lodge meals.”

  “Oh those dinners are very formal affairs, full of set speeches and toasts. They are mostly ceremonial and even the dancers are more esoteric than exotic. I have been told that there is not a lot of free association. If members want to chat with each other, they are encouraged to do that in their own time.”

  After his meal, River brought back a freshly made sandwich for Cortez and handed it to his grateful colleague before he headed off to use the bathroom. The gentlemen’s rest room was extraordinarily plush with marble flooring and gold plated faucets. However before River could begin to relax in his own company, he was joined by two of the secret service bodyguards. One guy joined him at the urinal, standing right beside him and not even pretending to urinate. The other guy stood by the door and when he seemed satisfied with the environment, he held the door open for a lodge member to come in. The member looked well groomed and influential in his well tailored dark suit and expensive looking shoes. Strangely he only seemed to want to wash his hands which he did for an extraordinary long time. River looked over his shoulder to access what a typical government minister looked like. In reply the man who had been using the hand basin's mirror to watch River the whole time, now turned his head to look directly at him. The duration of his examination was disconcerting but stopped once River zipped up and walked over towards the wash basins. As he started washing his own hands, the government official once again turned to directly face him and stared penetratingly at him whilst continuing to hold his hands under the running water. River observed him in return by way of the mirror. He then followed him with his gaze as the man walked over to observe the urinal that River had just used and then nod to his security agent to follow him. River watched him continuously in the mirror as the elite member now walked past him again. He noticed that his eyes now looked different; they were yellow and the pupils were thin elliptical slits like a cat. As he looked closer, he thought his facial features seemed more triangular and his nose broader and flat. His skin looked grey and leathered like snake skin. River realised what he looked like; it was a lizard, and in shock he turned around to look directly at him as he walked towards the exit. However the man's face was completely normal. River realised that he was just imagining it. He chose to follow behind, as the last secret service man walked out of the rest room. The bodyguard took exception to this though and blocked his passage with his out stretched hand, intending to hold him there until the government elite had re-entered the banquet room. River took exception to this and twisted the man’s arm to force the bodyguard aside. When they returned to their respected chairs, the bodyguard stared with malice at River. Ray noticed this and so did Cortez.

  “That was Diplomat McCreadie. He is a very important member and the Secretary of this Lodge. You should have left the rest room when he went in.” River noticed that Cortez only seemed comfortable talking to him when he was laying down some criticism. He really didn’t care or like him, but then he guessed the feeling was mutual.

  Chapter Thirty Nine

  It was the sensation of movement in the dark which awoke him. Yet there was no imminent danger and nothing initially seemed out of place as he lay on his side with his eyes open staring out across the darkened room. However River sensed that something was wrong. He did not feel fully awake yet, and his vision flickered as if he could actually see flickering energy patterns all around except for an area close to his bed. Here there was an outline of a four foot high shape that was as dark as he had ever seen. The shape was so dark that it formed a silhouette against the flickering background. River lay there very still just watching and thought that he could see the silhouette moving slowly abreast of him. He was wondering whether he was simply imagining this when the hotel room door begin to open. Then as he watched it open, an all pervading sense of fear fell over him. His initial reaction was to hide, and then it was to run. Neither of these emotional responses seemed natural to him, but then this whole situation seemed very unnatural and out of the ordinary. He hadn’t even moved yet, but stayed dead still as if gripped in fear.

  When he saw the dim shape of a man ent
er the room and walk over to him, he now tried to move but couldn't. He felt completely paralysed and immobilised, but this was nothing like the time when Audrey had immobilised him with the custodial bracelet; this time there was no motor response from his nervous system to his muscles in his attempts to leap to his feet. Instead he lay helpless while the man approached and leaned over him. He felt him insert an electronic swab into his mouth and another into his nose. He could see the man clearly now despite the darkness. He was wearing the uniform of a hotel porter, although River knew that he wasn't a porter. He recognised him as the same bodyguard that had stood beside him at the urinal when the diplomat had entered the gentlemen’s rest room. Now he was shining a bright light scanner into his eye and held it there as if taking a scanned reading. When he removed the light, Rivers vision went dark as his eyes tried to adjust to the change in light. As it slowly returned he realised that as well as this man, he could still see the ultra dark silhouette shape which stood beside the bed. As he looked at it he had a growing desire to shut his eyes and sleep. An old memory convinced him that this was a 'Nagas'. That was the indigenous term for a spiritual entity that was known for bringing night terrors. He had a vague memory of experiencing one as a child, and searched his memory for what advice he had been given by his mother the next morning. She had told him that you had to keep your eyes open so as not to be entranced. She had told him that it was controlling your mind, but by keeping your eyes open you were less susceptible to its power over you. Prayer or even anger had the ability to nullify the fear and break its hold over you, and River now opted for Anger. He ignored the ministrations of the man currently manhandling him, and instead stared defiantly at and into the dark void. His mother may have called it an evil spirit and a Nagas, but he now knew instinctively exactly what it was. It was the Lizard man that he had seen in the mirror earlier that evening. The reptoid which was mimicking the government diplomat and whom had taken such an interest in him in the rest room. It was now remotely accessing his mind and holding him immobile and paralysed. River's anger rose like a surge which ripped through his body. He felt the Nagas's hold failing as he regained full motor control of his nervous system and muscles. He leapt to his feet in one succinct movement and thrust his hand deep into the dark shadow of the silhouette. He felt an icy coldness engulf his arm; saw what seemed like sparks of static electricity across the shape, and heard a screaming noise that was something akin to a violent rush of air in his head.