The Ship Finder Read online

  "That was a bit of genius," Wilson said. He glanced at his key, which was for 1105. "Are there doors that connect between the rooms?"

  "Yes," Jacob said.

  "Where's everybody else going to be?" Wilson asked.

  "Terac is in 1102. I'm in 1103, and Louis is in 1104. He's on his way here now. He caught a cab at the airport, and he called to say he had just turned in your rental car."

  "How will we coordinate tomorrow?" Wilson asked.

  "Lena proposed that all of us meet in her room to figure out how we'll proceed," said Jacob. "I'll round up everyone for the meeting when it's time."

  "I'll go to my room and wait," Wilson said. "It's better that not too many of us gather out in the open in case the police start to look for a group of people who confronted those gangsters."

  "Okay, see you in a bit," said Jacob. He sat on a comfortable couch and picked up a newspaper to scan it while he waited for Terac and Louis, the gray haired clone, to get their room keys.

  Chapter 28 – The Meeting

  Wilson dozed five minutes as he lay on his hotel bed at the Green Dragon and waited for the rebel meeting that was to take place in Lena's room.

  A knock sounded on his door. He rubbed his eyes, pushed himself up from the bed, and walked to the door. Through the peephole he saw Jacob, who was smiling. Wilson unbolted the door and swung it open.

  "So, everybody's here?" Wilson asked.

  "Yep," said Jacob. "You're the last one on my list. The meeting should start when we get there."

  After Jacob and Wilson arrived at Lena's room Terac said, "Let's get started." He leaned against a wall while the rest of the rebel group milled about the room. "Because of the incident with the thugs, we'll leave here no later than four tomorrow morning. Bill and I bound and gagged the guy who Bill had stunned. We dragged him down the alley to a spot behind a dumpster near a Chinese restaurant. It opens for lunch at 11:30 a.m., so I doubt the gangster will be found until after we leave."

  "Sounds okay to me," said Lena. "I'd like to get a few hours of sleep. Where should we meet tomorrow morning?"

  "At the van," said Terac. "Don't hang around in the street. I'll get there before four and unlock the cargo area as well as the front doors. So, just walk up and get in."

  Jacob nodded. A few others mumbled, "Okay."

  Lena stepped in front of the group next to Terac. "Folks, I'm sorry I acted the way I did today. I apologize," she said. "I realize the revolution is the most important thing we have to deal with as a group, and I let personal issues get in the way. I won't do it again."

  "Thank you, Lena," said Terac. "We are one team. We're like brothers and sisters even if we have a dispute once in a while." He looked tired and still leaned against the wall. Then he straightened up. "Now let's go over what we should do next. The plan for tomorrow is for us to go to the tattoo parlor to have Rachel's number removed and replaced with a new number that matches another Nordic Number 10, and to change Lena's number to Rachel's number," he said. "The men will be stationed around outside of the shop to look for any signs of the enemy. Chances are we won't be detected, but we should not let our guard down."

  Lena raised her hand, "I'd like to know how long the recovery is for tattoo removal," she asked. "Rachel doesn't have to worry about that, but I'm going to replace her on The Ghost Liner."

  "We've changed clone ID tattoos before in eighteen to twenty-four hours," said Terac.

  "I've heard that they erase tattoos with lasers, and it can take a few sessions spaced out by weeks," Wilson said.

  "That would be true if we were limited to Earth's medicine. But after a laser beam breaks tattoo ink into particles, our nano meds speed the body's immune system so that in minutes it carries away the tiny bits of tattoo ink," said Terac. "The medicine also enables blisters and scars to disappear in hours. So, tattoo removal just takes one session. It also helps that the letters in the ladies' tattoos are black. Dark inks are easiest to remove with laser treatment."

  "By about what time will Lena's new tattoo heal well enough for us to join The Ghost Liner's crew?" Wilson asked.

  "By late afternoon tomorrow, just in time for you and Lena to get on the ship," said Terac.

  "Rachel, there's one more thing we must do," said Lena. "We have to take the latest nano medicine upgrade and truth serum resistance chemicals. The dose will also help speed tattoo removal and protect us from some illnesses native to planet Triod. I have two doses, one for each of us."

  Lena took two vials of nano medicine from her purse and handed both to Rachel.

  "Should we drink it now?" asked Rachel. She took one vial and handed the other back to Lena.

  Wilson decided, Lena gave both doses to Rachel so she could choose one of the vials and not fear that it might be poison.

  "If we take it now, it will have more time to blend into our systems before tomorrow," said Lena. She unscrewed the small cap on the vial Rachel had handed back. "I'll go first." Lena drank her dose.

  Rachel unscrewed her vial and took her dose.

  "I can't think of anything else, unless someone has a question," said Terac.

  "What's the name of the tattoo place?" Wilson asked.

  "Tanya's Tattoo Parlor. It's across from the public parking garage on Maunakea between King and Hotel Streets," replied Terac. "The tattoo artist is, of course, Tanya. Don't forget we meet at the van tomorrow at four in the morning sharp. Good night."

  "Goodbye, Bill," Rachel said. She touched his hand before she left.

  As more people left for their rooms, Lena tapped Wilson's shoulder. "Stay for a minute more, Bill."

  Wilson faced her after the others had left. "What is it, Lena?" He felt guilty, disloyal to her, and embarrassed.

  "I can't understand why you had to have sex with Rachel," Lena said.

  "I had a hunch that Rachel was a spy for the Great Leader's secret police, and I was right. I guessed that they suspected that I had worked with you, and I needed to act like I didn't care for you."

  Her eyes turned glassy with tears. "She did capture your heart. I know it, Bill."

  "I'm sorry," Wilson said. "I apologize. I hope you can forgive me."

  "Look, Bill, I'm hurt. You know it. Did I mean anything to you, or was I just a sex object, like the sex toy they designed me to be?"

  "No, you're not," he said. "You're unique and so is Rachel. You are both distinct persons though your DNA is the same."

  "Even if we're forced to be intimate to play our parts in front of Raven, we can't let sex cloud our minds. This war is more important than we are," Lena said. "We can't let our emotions cause us to fail. We're on the same side."

  "You're right," he said.

  She glanced at her bed. The thug's big silver pistol was on top of the mattress. "You should take that old-time firearm," she said. "You know how to use it better than I do."

  He leaned down and picked up the heavy pistol from her bed and slipped it between his belt and back. He untucked his shirt to hide the weapon. "Thanks," he said. "You're still my friend."

  She hugged him and forced a smile. "There's a lot of war to fight. The next mission to Triod will be tough, and we must trust each other."

  "We will. I trust you," Wilson said. He smiled the best he could. "Good night. See you tomorrow."

  "Okay," she said. She wiped tears from her eyes and closed her door as he left.

  While Wilson walked to his room, he felt cold and alone. And he had a bad feeling about the tattoo shop appointment the next day. It's a big risk to go to that tattoo parlor just to get rid of a number nobody will think to check, he thought.

  Just after he entered his room, he heard a tap on the door that opened into Rachel's room. He unlocked the door.

  "Let me in," said Rachel. "I need you tonight. Who knows how long we'll be apart?"

  He hugged her and led her to his bed.

  Chapter 29 – Tanya's Tattoo Parlor

  Wilson and the rest of the rebels met at their truck at 4 a.m. and left fo
r Tanya's Tattoo Parlor, a few minutes away. Terac had arranged with Tanya to close the shop for the day so she could work nonstop on Lena's and Rachel's tattoos. Tanya was to be paid well for her work.

  It was still dark when Terac drove to a café and bought breakfast-to-go for his crew. He and Lena carried brown bags of food and coffee into the cargo area of the truck and handed them to the team.

  "I'll drive to a side street down the block from the tattoo shop and park there," Terac said. "We can eat in the back of the truck and rest until 7 a.m. That's when Tanya's supposed to meet us."

  "At least we can nap for a couple of hours," Lena said.

  Terac drove to the side street, they ate, and then most of the crew dozed on the big van's rough wooden floor.

  Wilson fell into a restful sleep. "Wake up," Lena said, as she shook his shoulder.

  It seems like I've slept for just a few minutes, he thought as Lena woke the rest of the rebels. Terac and Lena left to see if the shop was open, and Wilson stepped out of the van and stretched.

  The morning was sunny, and cottony clouds filled the blue sky. The good weather uplifted Wilson's spirits, though he still felt guilty because he was the center of the clash between Lena and Rachel. He took deep breaths of the morning air and went back into the rear of the van where the rebels were sipping the last of their cold coffee from paper cups.

  A few minutes later Terac opened the rear roll-up door of the van and climbed into the cargo area to talk with his crew. "Overnight I've been thinking about what's the best way to handle the tattoos," Terac said.

  "What do you mean?" Wilson asked.

  "Well, what if Lena becomes incapacitated, and can't play the role of Rachel? In that case we could send Rachel back to The Ghost Liner to be herself, but she'd be on our side. So, we shouldn't erase Rachel's tattoo ID for now."

  "You mean I don't have to go to the tattoo parlor?" asked Rachel. "Should I just stay here in truck?"

  "That's right," said Terac. "You can get the tattoo removed after the war is over, Rachel." Terac said.

  "Sounds good to me," she said.

  "All of us except Bill and Lena will leave right away in the van for the rendezvous point with our ship," said Terac. Bill and Lena will walk to the tattoo place."

  "Okay," Wilson replied.

  Terac patted Wilson on the back and said, "After Tanya changes the tattoo, wait until an hour before it's time for you to board Raven's ship. Then take a taxi to the airport. Once you get there, give me a call on the scrambler."

  What if we get in trouble?" Wilson asked.

  "Call me. We'll come back or do what we can do to help," Terac replied. "Even if you don't call, we'll track your phone's location. We can also tell if the government ship jumps away. Then if everything is okay, our ship will leave for planet Triod."

  "What about Rachel's stuff?" Wilson asked.

  "Rachel, please double check that you have given Bill all your things, your backpack, purse, money, ship finder, all of it," Terac said. "Lena then can assume your identity and cause no suspicion in case somebody on The Ghost Liner remembers details such as what your purse looks like."

  "Here you go," said Rachel, as she handed Wilson Lena's cabin key. "Sorry, I forgot the key for her quarters."

  "Thanks," he said. He put the key in the backpack and hugged Rachel goodbye. She cried quietly.

  "Don't forget me," she whispered in his ear. "Listen to your Inner One, and stay alive. Come and find me. I can't live without you."

  "We'll meet again soon," he said. "It's our destiny."

  Terac and Wilson got out of the van's payload area. Just as Terac began to pull down on the rope to close the rear cargo door, Wilson turned to get a last look at Rachel, who had begun to sob.

  Lena stood outside on the street side of the truck. "Why didn't Rachel get out?" she asked.

  "I decided to leave her tattoo alone in case we have to send her on a mission," Terac said. "So, you and Bill will be on your own from now on. Your ship finder, key, and other things are in this backpack." He set it next to her.

  Lena stepped closer to Terac and embraced him.

  "Bye," he said.

  "See you after The Ghost Liner mission, Art."

  "Good luck, both of you," he replied. He turned and walked to the driver's door of the van and opened it. He waved to Wilson and Lena, got in, and drove away.

  "Let's finish this tattoo business as soon as we can," Lena said, as she picked up Rachel's backpack and hefted it over her shoulder. "Art told me that it should take about an hour."

  "We don't have to meet The Ghost Liner until about five o'clock," Wilson said. "We can have lunch and look around Chinatown after we're finished with the tattoo."

  "Yeah, at least we can enjoy something during this trip, even if it's just a decent meal," Lena said.

  They walked two blocks to the front door of Tanya's Tattoo Parlor. The shop's neon sign hung in the front window of the lime green building. Its latex paint had peeled, and the display window and the front door were dirty. Inside the entry was a small hand-lettered sign that read, "Closed for the day."

  Lena rapped on the glass door. A short, middle-aged woman with a Chinese face and an exaggerated smile came forward to unlock the shop. Her black hair hung down her back to her waist.

  "Are you Lena or Rachel?" she asked. "I'm Tanya."

  "I'm Lena. Pleased to meet you."

  "The pleasure is mine," Tanya replied. "Where's your sister?"

  "We had a change of plans. I'll be the only one who needs tattoo work today," said Lena. "This is my friend, Bill."

  "Hello, Bill," Tanya said. The duo entered the shop, and Tanya relocked the door. "We won't be interrupted. You're my special guests for today. I've decided to take the rest of the day off after I finish your tattoo."

  "Thank you," said Lena. She glanced around. "Where will you do the procedure?"

  "In the back, to assure your privacy, just as Mr. Terac discussed with me when he arranged this," said Tanya. "Did you bring the cash?"

  "Yes, $5,000, as agreed. Of course, I'll pay you for both tattoos because we did not cancel my sister's appointment," said Lena, and she took out ten one-hundred dollar bills and handed them to Tanya. "I'll give you the other $4,000 when you're finished."

  "Thank you. That's very generous," Tanya said, as she took the money and made a short bow. She led them behind a curtain that separated several tattoo cubicles in the rear from the front of the shop, where there was a customer counter. Inside, the place reminded Wilson of a low-cost, shabby dental office.

  "Where's the tattoo?" asked Tanya, as they went to the first cubicle on the right.

  "It's behind my ear," said Lena. She pulled back her hair so Tanya could see the tattooed number.

  "You'll have to lie face down on the examination table," Tanya said as she motioned Lena towards the cushioned brown leather tabletop. Wilson sat in a creaky wooden chair while Tanya was pulling Lena's hair away from her ear.

  "How long will this take?" asked Lena.

  "I have to wipe out most of two small black ink numbers. That will take about three to five minutes," Tanya said. "It shouldn't hurt any more than it did when you got the tattoo. Mr. Terac said I would have to add the two new tattoo numbers today, but we need to wait for the blisters to heal and for the body to absorb the dark ink. He claims you will heal in an hour. I'm yet to be convinced." She rolled her eyes.

  "I have special medicine that speeds up healing," said Lena. "In an hour my skin will be ready for the new tattoos."

  "I'll believe it when I see it," Tanya said. "If it works, I'd like to buy some of your medicine. It would increase my business." She chuckled and wiped some disinfectant on the tattoo with a cotton swab.

  "That feels cool," Lena said.

  "It'll kill germs before I begin. I'll warn you just before I lase the tattoos, which will cause minor discomfort."

  "I'm ready," said Lena.

  Tanya took a laser wand and turned on the device. "Okay, Lena,
I'll begin now." Tanya pointed the laser probe at the '7.' The machine hummed as it lased most of the number away, leaving small burn marks. She wiped out the '2' the same way.

  "Are you done?" Lena asked.

  "Yes, it was easy," said Tanya. "You can sit up now. We'll see how well the blistered area has repaired itself in an hour. I don't think you can heal that fast. You may have to come back at a later date so I can tattoo the new numbers."

  Lena sat up. She opened her purse, took out a small bottle of nano meds, dabbed some of it behind her ear, and drank the rest of the inky solution. "This should help me heal faster," said Lena.

  "You can help yourselves to tea while you wait," Tanya said as she stared at Lena who was still holding the empty nano med container. "The tea kettle and cups are on the table. There are also magazines to read."

  "Thank you," Wilson said. He poured tea into two small Chinese cups and gave one to Lena.

  "Thanks," she said. She selected a women's magazine and sat in an easy chair. Wilson picked up a sports magazine and sat on a couch near Lena.

  "I'll excuse myself to do paperwork," said Tanya. "If you need anything, I'll be in the office in the back." She walked to her glassed-in workplace and closed its door.

  Wilson and Lena sipped tea and read for fifteen minutes. Several beeps from Rachel's cell phone broke the silence and startled Wilson. Lena pulled the phone out of her purse. "Let's see what this text is," said Lena. "It's secure."

  Wilson got up to look over Lena's shoulder as she opened the text message.

  "It's from the Great Leader himself," Wilson said, astonished that he would send a message instead of asking an underling to do it.

  "Wow," said Lena.

  It said, "Rachel, superb work in the investigation of Wilson. Glad he is loyal. Good luck on Triod mission. No need to reply."

  "It looks like I'm in the clear," Wilson whispered. Then he sat in the chair next to Lena, and said, "Now that we have some time apart from The Ghost Liner crew, tell me what the plan is."

  "I'll arm a few small fusion bombs already on the ship," Lena said very quietly. "Before security arrested me, I uploaded a program to The Ghost Liner's computer that will cause the ship to uncloak at a time of my choosing so a radio signal can reach it. After I set the uncloak time, you and I will get off the ship with Raven's assault team. Then I'll set off the device with a radio trigger."