John Hawks - The Traveler

Gabriel looked angry. “I saw what happened to my father. The Harlequins didn’t save us. Nobody did.”

“I think you should come with me.”

“Why? What’s the point?”

Still holding the sword, she spoke slowly, remembering what Thorn had taught her. “Some people believe that the natural tendency of mankind is to be intolerant, hateful, and cruel. The powerful want to hold on to their position and they will destroy anyone who challenges them.”

“That seems pretty clear,” Gabriel said.

“The urge to control others is very strong, but the desire for freedom and the ability to show compassion will always survive. Darkness is everywhere, but Light still appears.”

“And you believe this is because of the Travelers?”

“They appear in every generation. The Travelers leave this world and then return to help others. They inspire humanity, give us new ideas, and lead us forward-”

“Maybe my father was one of these people, but that doesn’t mean that Michael and I have the same ability. I’m not going to Arizona to meet this teacher. I want to find Michael and help him escape.”

Gabriel glanced at the doorway as if he’d already decided to leave. Maya tried to find the calmness she felt when fighting. She had to say the right thing or he would run away.

“Perhaps you’ll find your brother in another realm.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I can’t promise anything. If you’re both Travelers, it could happen. The Tabula are going to teach Michael how to cross over.”

Gabriel looked her straight in the eyes. For a moment, she was startled by his courage and strength. Then he lowered his head and, once again, became an ordinary young man wearing jeans and a faded T-shirt.

“Maybe you’re lying to me,” he said quietly.

“You’ll just have to take that risk.”

“If we go to Arizona, are you sure we’re going to find this Pathfinder?”

Maya nodded. “He lives near a town called San Lucas.”

“I’ll go there and meet this person. Then I’ll decide what I’m going to do.”

He stood up quickly and left the room. Maya remained on the couch with the jade sword. The blade was oiled perfectly and the steel flashed as she swung the sword through the air. Put it away, she told herself. Hide its power in the darkness.

VOICES CAME FROM the kitchen. Stepping softly so that the wooden floor wouldn’t creak, Maya entered the dining room and peered through a crack in the door. Hollis and Vicki had returned. They were preparing lunch while they gossiped about their church. Apparently two old women had argued about who could bake the best wedding cake, and the congregation had taken sides.

“So when my cousin picked Miss Anne to bake her cake, Miss Grace came to the reception and pretended to get sick eating it.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. But I am surprised she didn’t slip a dead cockroach into the cake batter.”

They both laughed at the same time. Hollis smiled at Vicki, and then looked away quickly. Maya made the floor creak to let them know she was in the next room, waited a few seconds, and entered the kitchen. “I talked to Gabriel. He’ll put the new tire on and we’ll leave tomorrow morning.”

“Where are you going?” Hollis asked.

“Away from Los Angeles. That’s all you need to know.”

“Okay. That’s your choice.” Hollis shrugged his shoulders. “Can you give me any information at all?”

Maya sat down at the kitchen table. “It’s a security risk to use checks or make bank account transfers. The Tabula have gotten very skillful at monitoring things like that. In a few days, you’ll get a magazine or a catalog in an envelope with a German postmark. Hundred-dollar bills will be hidden in the pages. It might take two or three deliveries, but we’ll pay you $5,000.”

“That’s too much money,” Hollis said. “It was a thousand dollars a day and I’ve only been helping you for two days.”

Maya wondered if Hollis would have said the same thing without Vicki watching him. If you liked another person, that made you foolish and vulnerable. Hollis wanted to look noble in front of this young woman.

“You helped me find Gabriel. I’m paying you for your services.”

“And that’s it?”

“Yes. The contract is canceled.”

“Come on, Maya. The Tabula aren’t going to give up. They’ll keep looking for you and Gabriel. If you really want to confuse them, you should give out some false information. Make it look like you’re still in Los Angeles.”

“And how would you do that?”

“I’ve got a few ideas.” Hollis glanced at Vicki. Yes, she was watching him. “You Harlequins are paying me $5,000. So I’ll give you three more days of work.”

The next morning, Vicki woke early and made coffee and biscuits for everyone. After eating, they went outside and Hollis inspected Maya’s van. He poured a quart of oil into the crankcase and switched the van’s license plates with those of a broken-down car owned by a neighbor. Then he rummaged through his closets and came up with supplies: plastic water bottles and extra clothes for Gabriel, a long cardboard box to hide the shotgun, and a road map that would guide them to southern Arizona.

Maya proposed that they carry the motorcycle in the back of the van-at least until they got out of California-but Gabriel rejected the idea. “You’re overreacting,” he told her. “Right now, there are more than a hundred thousand vehicles traveling on the Los Angeles freeways. I don’t see how the Tabula could find me.”

“A human isn’t doing the searching, Gabriel. The Tabula can access the surveillance cameras that are attached to the freeway signs. Right now, a computer scanning program is processing images, looking for your motorcycle’s license plate.”

After five minutes of arguing, Hollis found some nylon cord in his garage and attached Gabriel’s knapsack to the back of the motorcycle. It appeared to be a casual, improvised way to carry the knapsack, but it also concealed the license plate. Gabriel nodded and kick-started the bike as Maya climbed into the van. She rolled down the side window and nodded to Vicki and Hollis.

By now, Vicki was used to Harlequin manners. Maya found it difficult to say “thank you” or “goodbye.” Perhaps her behavior was just rudeness or pride, but Vicki had decided that there was another reason. Harlequins had accepted a powerful obligation: to defend Travelers with their lives. To acknowledge a friendship with anyone outside their world would be an additional burden. That’s why they preferred mercenaries who could be used and thrown away.

“From now on, you should be very careful,” Maya told Hollis. “The Tabula have developed a tracking system for electronic transactions. They’re also experimenting with splicers-genetically altered animals that can be used to kill people. Your best strategy is to be disciplined but unpredictable. Tabula computers find it difficult to calculate an equation involving randomness.”

“You just send the money,” Hollis said. “Don’t worry about me.”

Hollis pushed open the driveway gate. Gabriel went out first, and Maya followed him. The van and the motorcycle cruised slowly down the street, turned the corner, and then they were gone.

“What do you think?” Vicki asked. “Will they be safe?”

Hollis shrugged his shoulders. “Gabriel has been living a very independent life. I don’t know if he’s going to accept orders from a Harlequin.”

“So what do you think of Maya?”

“On the fighting circuit down in Brazil, you walk out to the middle of the ring at the beginning of a match and the referee makes the introduction and you stare at your opponent’s eyes. Some people think the fight is already over at that point. One man is just pretending to be brave while the winner is looking through the obstacle to the other side.”