Chapter 12

The sun was dipping below the horizon when Keetha arrived at Amnon’s home.  He opened the door, looked at her, and whispered, “Are you alone?”

Keetha smirked and made a show of looking down both ends of the very empty corridor before saying, “I think so,” she took a step forward, but Amnon didn’t budge.

“Followed?”

Keetha placed her hand on Amnon’s chest and pushed her way inside.  She shut the door and looked at Amnon with a raised brow, “How we doing?”

“Let’s just get this over with,” Amnon said and walked over to the central table.  On it lay the fetterseal link from Drax.  Keetha followed slowly.  “Having second thoughts?”

“I’ve lost count,” Amnon said rubbing his cheek.  He stared at the device.  “You know once we do this, this is a point of no return.”

“Drax said it was untraceable,” Keetha said.  Amnon shifted his gaze to her.

“Have you looked at this thing? I mean, don’t get me wrong. Your guy is probably a genius, but the build quality of this device does not inspire confidence.”

“Are you saying you could…?”

“I’m not saying I would do better.  But I also would like to avoid being executed for treason.”

Keetha stroked Amnon’s arm and spoke softly to him.  “You’re right.  This is a big deal.  I also have every confidence in Drax’s abilities.  But we’re in this together, so here’s what I want you to do for me.  Should something go wrong, this thing or something else, something should go wrong, and I die before you do; I want you to do something.

“What?”

“In my desk, there is a signal gun—”

Amnon turned to face her, “Why is there a — how did you get a weapon in the office?”

“It’s not a weapon.  It’s a signal gun.”

“It’s explosive.”

Keetha took a breath.  “I want you to take out the signal gun, open the window by my desk, and fire it over the square.”

“Why?”

“The gun was a gift from my father.  Well, not really, it’s the last thing I have that belonged to my father.  He told me once to use it in case of danger.  In particular danger about Dol.  I don’t want my dad’s death to have been in vain.  Even if I die, I want other Merlian to continue to rise up and take out Zungher Dol.”  Keetha pleaded with Amnon’s eyes.  “Promise me you’ll do that.”

Amnon nodded.  “But you have to do something for me, too.”  Amnon hadn’t thought about what would happen after he died.  All he had imagined all evening was getting caught; of using the device, security officers knocking on the door because the device didn’t work right and being hauled off to months of torture before a very painful and public execution.  What happened after that had escaped his imagination.  But he liked the idea of making his life or death something more meaningful, so he did his bes copy of what Keetha had said.  “Take my badge,” he placed his hand on the cold, metal emblem on his jacket, “take my badge and lay it on my father’s grave.”  Amnon didn’t think his sounded as poetic as Keetha’s; still, it sounded better than he thought it would.

“I will,” Keetha said, placing her hand over his.  Then, “It’s time.”

They both turned their attention to the fetterseal device.  “He said all we needed to do was press that button to activate it?” Amnon said, taking the device in his hands.  He couldn’t believe he was actually going through with this.

“All we have to do is make contact,” Keetha said, “and we get to start the revolution.”

Amnon’s body was a mess of a thumping heart and an anxious, churning stomach.  He reached out and pressed the button.  It clicked and a series of green lights came on followed by a whirring sound.  Moments later a light emitted from the top of the device revealing a scene that made no sense to Amnon.

The scene was of a spartan room – plank floor, few wall hangings.  A man and a woman stood staring back at Amnon with quizzical expressions.  It was clear that man in the scene, Amnon hoped it was Evan Gold, was the one with the fetterseal signature.  Amnon didn’t expect the woman and didn’t know if she was to be brought into the message.  Since the surroundings didn’t look like anything on Merlain, Amnon ventured forward.

“Lillian is a prisoner, but all is not lost,” Amnon blurted.  You’re in it now, Amnon thought to himself and continued, “Evan Gold, make your way to the Cassantian Dimension and join the fight.  If you are unable to do this, pass this along to someone who can.  The time is critical.”

Suddenly, the device cut out and the transmission stopped abruptly.  Amnon looked at Keetha.  Both of them looked at the device.

“Should we try again?” Keetha asked.

Amnon shook his head.  “I’m not risking that again.”  He reflexively placed the device back in his jacket pocket.

“They didn’t look like…” Keetha said.

“That seemed like… was that Evan Gold?”

Keetha shrugged.  “I should have asked his name.  What if it wasn’t him?  What if… what if… what if the message gets back to Dol?”  Amnon started to feel lightheaded.

“Breathe,” Keetha said, going to him.  “Breathe.  Let what happens come to you.  You can’t do anything at this point but take the next moment as it comes.”

Amnon looked into Keetha’s blue eyes. They were so soothing and confident. He took some slow, deep breaths and slowly got his emotions under control.

“Okay,” he said eventually, “what do we do now?”

Keetha shrugged. “Pretend like nothing happened. If you get the chance to tell Lillian, tell her, I guess. But it’s on Evan Gold to get here. We can’t get him, right? It’s just him with the signature.”

Just then, there was a pounding knock on the door.  Amnon and Keetha, in tandem, spun their heads to the door.”

“Amnon Saxe?” came a booming voice from the other side of the door.  “Amnon Saxe.  This is security.  Open up.”

Keetha looked at Amnon. “Breathe. Take it as it comes. This might not have anything to do with the device, okay?”

Amnon nodded.  The knocking continued.  Amnon approached the door.  When he opened it, he saw the very model of a Merlain security officer: wide shoulders, form-fitted uniform revealing intimidating arms, steel gray eyes, and a humorless expression.  The effect was perfect.  Amnon furrowed his brow and tried to look bothered at the interruption.

“Is there a problem?”

“May I come in?” the officer asked.

“Is there a problem?”

The officer took a breath, lowered his volume, and said, “I think you’ll want to discuss this inside rather than out in the corridor, sir.”

Amnon waited a moment, thinking that he would rather be arrested in his home than in the hallway, and then let the officer in.

The officer entered and then noticed Keetha lounging on the couch.  Her shoes kicked off, and it appeared the officer was interrupting a casual and possibly romantic evening.

“Sorry to bother you,” he said, “but we… I’m not sure what to make of it, actually, but we got reports from some of the supervisors in the building’s laundry that several of the slaves’ signatures lit up suddenly with a very sketchy transmission.  When the building was scanned to see what the trouble was, it seemed that possibly a transmission was sent from this address.  I was sent to check the place to see if you knew of anything and search for anything that might have caused such a problem.”

Before Amnon could answer, Keetha asked, “So there was a, whatever it was with the slaves?  Why is that a problem?”

“You don’t have salves, huh?” the officer grunted. Fetterseal signatures are attached to one and only one owner. In this case, the owner didn’t do anything to trigger the fetter seals, so it looks like the system was tampered with by a device nearby since it was localized to this building. Did you hear or see anything, Mister Saxe?”

“It’s Director Saxe, Officer. I’m in charge of the prisons.” Amnon hoped his ranking authority, particularly in law enforcement, would cause the officer to back down. It did not work.

“Sorry.  Director Saxe.”

“I didn’t,” was Amnon’s reply.

“Mind if I take a look around?”

“Help yourself.”

In silence, Amnon and Keetha watched as the officer gave a cursory look throughout the home.  He didn’t find anything.  After finishing his search, the officer stared at Amnon.  Amnon wasn’t sure if he suspected something was up or was just this emotionless.  “Sorry to have bothered you, sir.  Miss.  If you hear of something or learn of something, I’m sure you’ll let the right people know.”

“Thank you, Officer.”

The officer nodded and headed for the door. “Thank you for your concern,” Keetha said. It’s a comfort knowing that Merlain, like you, is so quick to root out trouble.”

The officer turned, quickly smiled at Keetha, scanned the place one last time, and let himself out.

Amnon’s eyes got as big as saucers as he turned to Keetha.  He was about to speak when she put her finger to her lips and pointed to the door.  Amnon realized she was right that the officer might be listening outside.

“That was weird, huh?” Amnon said.  “Can I refill your glass?”  He and Keetha walked away from the door and spoke in low tones.

“Every confidence in Drex’s abilities?”

Keetha pursed her lips.

“We can never use that thing again.”

Keetha nodded.  “Destroy it.  Dispose of it.  Do whatever so they can trace it back here.  That was close.”

“That was more than close,” Amnon said.  “That put us on the map.  Even the slightest — I don’t want to think about it.  If I were you, I would put as much distance as I could between you an Drex.”

Keetha gathered up her things.  “I’m sorry,” Keetha said.  “Even so, I thought you were very brave tonight.”

“I’m glad,” Amnon said.  “I’m sure that will be a comfort after I get over feeling stupid.”

Keetha kissed him on the cheek and slid out the door.  Amnon slunk in to the couch and stared out at the majestic night sky and did what he could in his mind to will Evan Gold, beyond hope, to find a way, to prove Lillian right, to bring about freedom to Merlain.  But the more he willed it, the more he fell into despair.  He fell asleep on the couch certain that he’d put his neck on the chopping block for a fool’s errand.