"Bomb Boy"

[Joe Manning 0]

The boy was dragged by two Guardians to a large duranium barred cell -- little more than a cage -- in the center of the holding area. His interrogation session had ended with no valuable information extracted, not even by the Constable's mind meld. The Guardians opened the door to the cell and tossed the boy inside; weakened by various forms of physical torture, he fell to his knees. Two pairs of hands grabbed his arms and helped him up and to a vacant bench against the back of the cell. This cell had other occupants -- ten of the Rainmakers who had been captured in the previous five days. The Guardians laughed at the jeers that were directed at them as they departed the holding area.

 

"He's so young," one of the Rainmakers pointed out.

 

"Unspeakable district," a woman answered. "Or maybe an import from the outer colonies."

 

"You holding up okay, son?" a man asked. "Did the bastards get anything out of you?"

 

The boy ignored their words and considered only their faces. He recognized two of the occupants of the cell. One of them was a local Disciple. That one was by himself, slumped over in a chair in the corner of the cell, with a deeply considerate look on his face, paying not attention to what was happening around him. It was the look of someone who, so far, had held out through interrogation, but was beginning to wonder how much longer he could last ... and whether it was truly worth it to protect the cult's leader.

 

The Guardians had had the run of the city for five days, and they'd achieved quite a bit toward deterring the Rainmakers' efforts. It was time for that to change.

 

The heavy door to the holding area was loudly unbolted and swung open. Constable La'nok stepped through the open doorway and immediately looked toward the boy. The Rainmakers had considered the boy a lost cause and dispersed back to the bars of the cell. A few of them called out to the Constable, railing against their unfair treatment, but the Vulcan just stared back at the boy. His face was purely Vulcan -- completely devoid of emotion -- but it was tense as if pained.

 

La'nok nodded at the guards at the door, instructing them to leave the holding area. They shared a confused glance, but followed the Constable's orders. The Vulcan had a bag slung over his shoulder; he clutched it as he approached the bars of the cell. The boy rose and walked toward the bars as steadily as his weakened legs could carry him.

 

"You allowed yourself to be captured," La'nok said. The boy responded by tilting his head and giving the Vulcan a small grin. The Rainmakers watched curiously. "What did you do to me? When our minds became one?"

 

The boy ran his hand lazily along one of the bars. "You have no idea what's really going on here, do you? You don't. They don't." He nodded in the direction of the other Rainmakers. "So focused on bombs and chemicals, with no clue about the real conflict taking place beneath the surface."

 

The Vulcan watched the boy closely with a raised eyebrow. "You are Minos."

 

The boy laughed. "You flatter me, Constable. No. I am but one of his many loyal servants. That a servant is so capable should tell you something about the master." The Disciple in the corner was paying attention now.

 

"Who ... what are you?" the Vulcan asked.

 

"I am one of the Federation's more dirty little secrets," the boy answered, "from the days of the War, when Andorian Admirals needed a defense against the mental intrusion of Vulcan spies. They began a secret project -- genetically engineering Human proximity bombs. Humans were the perfect subjects -- we were the easiest for them to genetically mold, we allowed them to avoid using their own people, and many of us were on their side in the War. They achieved success with a batch of test subjects that included me. Our purpose was simple. When we are hit by a Vulcan mind meld ... we are able to turn the bond around and exert our wills."

 

One of the Vulcan's eyes twitched as it began to dawn on him that he had become a slave in the interrogation room. The boy continued, "The irony that bit the Andorians was that their genetic engineering was designed to make us naturally resistant to exploitation. We were not willing to be used for their purposes any more than we we were willing to be used as intelligence receptacles for the Vulcans, so we escaped the lab where we were held and fled Federation space. A few of us came here to Bull's Head, to follow our -own- causes. I found my cause with Minos. Vulcans are quite common in Bull's Head; it's not difficult for us to find work."

 

La'nok glanced down at the bag slung at his side. "Why must I do this?"

 

The boy looked back at the prisoners, who were now gathered around puzzling over this strange conversation. "There is some fear that you are going to apprehend someone who really knows something damning. Or ... perhaps ... that you already have. Minos cannot allow his true plans for this night to be discovered."

 

The boy nodded to La'nok and, as if a button had been pushed, the Constable retrieved a keycard from his uniform vest and unlocked the cell door. The boy casually strolled out of the cell. A few of the Rainmakers moved to follow, but La'nok immediately blocked the way. The Vulcan entered the cell and closed the door. "I disabled the security systems along the way," he said to the boy. "You will have ten minutes."

 

"More than enough," the boy said as he slunk away, using his own considerable means to elude the guards outside the door.

 

He was already twenty blocks away when an explosion greater than the one that began the night tore the Guardian Central Precinct in half.