"You, Alex, have the ability to cause greatness to come once again to our universe. Once we determine the extent of your ability, for I am certain it is in you, the key to light speed travel, the mysteries of the element they are calling Kinemet. Yes. Once we have explored your powers, all you need do is to share your secrets, and everyone would benefit."

Chow Yin smiled benignly upon Alex, but the boy was not looking at his captor. His determination to say nothing was breached with a thought. He had to be sure, be certain that Chow Yin was truly malevolent, and wanted the information inside Alex's head all to himself.

"Why can't I just share it from Earth?" he asked the man. "It would be easy enough to go on the newsvids and tell my story."

Chow Yin shook his head disapprovingly. "But then you would be mobbed by a thousand different organizations, all demanding that you submit yourself to their tests. You would spend the rest of your life under gla.s.s, an animal in a zoo. Is that how you envision your future?"

Without waiting for a reply, Yin stood and waved his hand to encompa.s.s the room. "Why not share your secret from here, and live in luxury? You would have my protection; I will keep away all the crackpots and unreasonable organizations that would only want to tear you apart to see how you work.

"Stay here with me, and you can choose when and where you share your information. I will be your agent," he suggested. "Your guide, your mentor. Your friend."

"Agent?" Alex had to ask, "Why would I need an agent if I share the information freely?"

"Oh Alex, you have so much to learn about people. If you give someone an ounce freely, they will demand a pound of your flesh, if they take you seriously at all. But if you require that they pay a nominal fee for the license of your information, and a small royalty, then they will be more inclined to deal with you on a professional, serious basis. You will cut through ninety percent of the riffraff.

"I will guide you through this confusing process. You won't have to worry about anything. I will take care of all that needs to be done, present a proposal to the world, and deal with those who are serious enough to line up in wait for your wonderful gift."

Alex could barely believe his ears. It sounded like a speech rehea.r.s.ed from some bad vid. Did Chow Yin really think Alex only had the mind of a ten-year old? The body, perhaps, but Alex was far more intellectually advanced than that. And he had more insight into people than most pre-adolescents could be credited with.

He had to be careful in dealing with Chow Yin. The man had achieved his incredible wealth somehow, and there was no indication that the means was legitimate. He had hired pirates to kidnap him, attacking a NASA vessel. The man was unscrupulous, and very dangerous.

Best to play along.

"I guess," he said in that offhand agreeable way that most young, naive, children had. "Could I have my own room?"

Chow Yin broke out in a big smile. "Of course." And rubbed his hands together.

Quantum Resources, Inc.: Toronto : Canada Corp.:

"Michael!"

It was Calbert.

Michael straightened from the desk over which he was leaning, trying to figure out coordinates for a secondary Kinemet survey mission. His a.s.sistant's eyes were wild, exhilarated.

"What is it?"

"We did it!" Calbert replied. "We struck Kinemet. They have positive spectrometer readings, identical to the ones George discovered on the Macklin's Rock data. The MS can't define the element, but the characteristics are exactly the same."

Michael never thought this moment would happen. Macklin's Rock was a fluke, he had said to himself half a dozen times a day. An astronomical anomaly. Isolated phenomenon.

But it was true. It was real. It was here.

Kinemet.

"Are you sure?"

Calbert waved a digiscreen report. "Read it for yourself."

Michael had to, in order to completely believe. He was so excited, it was difficult to keep his concentration, and he had to start again three times before he read the entire finding report.

"If the number of asteroids on our list of candidates is only partially valid, there will be more Kinemet out there than we know what to do with!"

It was the time for decisiveness. "All right, begin the excavation procedure as we discussed. I'll talk to the colonel, and get Ottawa on the comm. If this is it, we're going to need max security on this. From now on, everything is top shelf. Need to know. I don't want any screw-ups, especially if our communications are being monitored."

"Gotcha, boss." Calbert pirouetted, and was off at a run, a big grin on his face.

Michael undertook the task of finding the colonel, who was in charge of Quantum Resources, Inc.'s security. He was in the coffee room talking with a couple of his lieutenants, discussing what seemed to be the security of the perimeter of the Quantum Resources outbuildings. He looked up from his conversation when he noticed Michael approach.

"Aces," Michael said, his face caught between a professional stoicism, and a juvenile grin. "We have confirmation of the existence of Kinemet, and I've just ordered the team up on the asteroid to being excavation. It's time to put your security contingency plan into effect."

The colonel glanced at the digiscreen, raised an eyebrow, and wasted no more time. His implanted comm speaker turned on with a movement of his tongue, and he began issuing orders to his men.

Michael practically vibrated, awaiting the colonel to complete his directive so that they could contact CSE and EMR in Ottawa, and plan a conference to coordinate their security with NASA and the USA, Inc. military.

Before the colonel finished his briefing to his men, he blinked twice, his face taking on a surprised look for an instant. Then his eyebrows furrowed and his chin set in a hard vice. It was obvious he was getting a private comm on his ear implant receiver.

Trying to contain his anxiety, Michael waited patiently until the colonel's eyes focused on him, his communication terminated.

"Michael, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but we've been ordered a complete cease and desist of all operations until further notice."

"What! You can't be serious. Not right now! We're on the brink of the most important confirmed discovery in the entire history of the world. We-"

The colonel cut off his growing tirade with a sharp chopping motion.

"There's been an incident on Luna. And," he added with a twist of his mouth, "some politician put a comma in the wrong place in a memo, and p.i.s.sed off a communist.

"Michael, we're now officially at war with China."

Luna Station : Chinese Sector : Luna :

Klaus Vogelsberg was in deep concentration. was in deep concentration.

His DMR screen was aglow with explosions as he tried to maneuver his Starspear through the ma.s.s of enemy warships and battle cruisers. If he couldn't get past the globule defenders this time, he swore he was going to kick in the d.a.m.ned computer's cas.e.m.e.nt.

It was a long game, and he hadn't beaten it in eight tries. Each attempt, he had spent hours every night for a week to get to the globule level, only to be defeated. He had never taken so long to beat a computer game. When he mastered this one, he was going to celebrate with a huge toke he'd been saving for just the right occasion.

He was approaching the final vectors of the globule cl.u.s.ter when the door to his room swung open and Marty Middlefield flicked on the overhead lights. Klaus's eyes, unaccustomed to the brightness, were momentarily blinded.

"Hey, jerkoff. Enough time for play." Marty cackled in pleasure.

Klaus leaped out of his seat, the thoughtlink patch falling to the floor as he bunched his fists.

"You little pain! That's the last time-"

"Stuff it. The big cheese wants you; probably to take a bite out of your bitter a.s.s. And on the double, slacker!"

Klaus hurled a half-full gla.s.s of cola at him. The gla.s.s, which had no metal content-and thus contained no attractors to Luna Station's magnagravs-sailed out into the hall straighter than any arrow, flying at its target. Marty ducked out of the doorway an instant before the projectile would have impacted with his head. The gla.s.s shattered spectacularly against the door of the room opposite Klaus's, the shards falling impossibly slowly to the ground.

"a.s.shat!" Marty shouted as he ran down the hall.

"I'm gonna make you cry for your mama!" Klaus yelled after the kid, who was three years younger than he was, and had been a constant sore point the past few weeks. To himself, Klaus swore, "If I get my hands around his neck, he won't be dishing out too many of his little comments, I tell you."

But the message Marty had delivered was more important at that moment than the messenger, however much Klaus wanted to throttle the newcomer.

Yin wanted Klaus. There was no delaying.

Pushing his rage to the back of his mind for future use, Klaus turned off his game, careful to save it, and headed out to Yin's offices, making sure to lock the door to his little room behind him. He didn't want any of the others crawling around his personal s.p.a.ce. His room was the only thing he could call his own.

All the while he made his way through the underground complex of Yin's secret empire, Klaus swore to himself. Things had been getting worse and worse over the past few months. Once it was brought into public knowledge of his near-screw-up with the Alex Manez - Macklin's Rock affair, he had been treated with disdain by the others who worked for Yin.

Trying to distance themselves from him if the figurative meteorite ever hit the dome, the others had treated Klaus as an outcast, a pariah. Wherever he went, the disdainful glances and mocking comments followed like vultures to carrion.

Klaus had tried to broach the problem with Yin himself, but the old despot had laughed and told him that if he couldn't handle his own problems, he would have to take away Klaus's position and seniority.

A week later, a fistfight with one of the other guys over the incident resulted in a severe reprimand from Yin, and a revoking of certain privileges and Klaus's status as senior monitor. No longer would Klaus be able to create the shift schedule, which had given him the opportunity to dole out to himself the best times; now, he had to take orders from Rick Janzen, a hacker a year younger than him. That grated on Klaus like a sandpaper enema.

In the last month, Marty Middlefield had been brought on Yin's team of adolescent outlaws, and quickly learned that he could tease Klaus Vogelsberg with impunity. n.o.body would defend Klaus, or allow the older boy to exact his revenge on the newcomer.

Klaus had nearly had enough. He had, in fact, even gone to the lengths of carefully planning every stage of Marty's murder, right down to the celebration he would throw after the little brat was no more than a red stain on the carpet.

A few days before, Klaus had been wandering the main floor of the station, and followed a security officer on his way to dinner. Placing himself at a table nearby, Klaus watched the man withdraw his flechette holster and put the weapon on the table while he dined.

With a patience of dire purpose, Klaus waited, praying mantis-like for any opportunity, and was rewarded when the officer dropped a utensil, and got up to get another one.

Adroitly, Klaus palmed the flechette and holster, and casually found his way out of the diner, and back to his room.

The flechette was the only projectile weapon officially allowed on the station. A bullet, even from a .22, packed enough power to damage any of the protective sh.e.l.ls that domed the station and kept out the vacuum and radiation of s.p.a.ce. Even Yin proscribed against illegal firearms; Luna Station was the only home he would ever have.

The flechette was loaded with a clip of fifty small needle-like projectiles, each containing a small amount of tranquilizer, enough to immobilize a fugitive for up to fifteen minutes.

If Klaus decorated Marty's body with all fifty flechettes, that would be a definite end to the little brat's continuous hara.s.sment. That was a fact.

Putting his thoughts of murder on hold, Klaus entered Yin's main office, stood at the doorway until he was noticed and acknowledged.

"Ah!" Chow Yin said when he looked up. The old coot actually looked pleased to see him. "You have arrived."

The potentate stood from his couch, and it was only then that Klaus saw a young boy present and sitting on the couch beside Yin patiently.

At first, Klaus did not recognize the youth, but after a moment, realized who he was looking at before Chow Yin introduced him.

"Come on over here for a moment, Klaus. I have someone I would like you to meet. I am sure you have already heard of our guest, by name as well as reputation. You have intimate knowledge of our most honored visitor, since it is by your own devices that he has joined us today.

"Klaus, I would like to present to you, for the first time in the flesh, young Alex Manez. Alex, this is Klaus Vogelsberg, my young ingenue who so aptly discovered you, as it were. Even though you have never met, your destinies have been intertwined for the better part of this last half a year. I do so hope you will enjoy each other's company."

Klaus took a few steps into the room, because it was expected of him as well as to get a better look at this kid who had sent the entire world-the entire solar system, to wit-into turmoil.

Unimpressed by the kid, Klaus pursed his lips. He glanced up at Yin and blinked.

"Company?"

"Yes." Chow Yin smiled in his patrician manner, and folded his hands in front of himself expectantly. "You see, I am placing you directly responsible for our young charge. He has agreed to enter into a joint venture with us to mutual benefit, and until his potential can be realized to its full fruition, I would like you to see to it that Alex wants for nothing.

"Treat him as a prince; treat him as you would...me, for instance. Cater to his every whim. I want you to be his personal guardian, Klaus."

Without waiting to see Klaus' reaction, Yin turned immediately to Alex Manez, and began rea.s.suring him that he was in the best hands with Klaus Vogelsberg, but Klaus could hear nothing above the roar in his ears.

Guardian! Baby-sitter was more like it. To a freaking ten-year old! Take orders from a little brat! Baby-sitter was more like it. To a freaking ten-year old! Take orders from a little brat!

It was too much to take. The abuses that had been piling up on Klaus were reaching critical ma.s.s. This was no straw on the proverbial camel's back!

The outrage that Klaus felt at that moment threatened to sent him into a psychopathic fit, but somehow, he managed to get a reign on it.

Yin was speaking to him once more. "All right, Klaus, see to Alex's accommodations, will you? And bring him around for dinner around seven-thirty. He and I have much to discuss. Much to discuss, indeed!"

At least Klaus' father had been direct with his intentions of brutality. Klaus had almost trusted Yin, almost come to respect him as fellow soul, a fellow victim. But now, it turned out Yin was no better than Klaus's own father. Worse, even, for he employed trickery.

It was everything Klaus could do to keep his mouth shut; he had to bite down on his tongue to stifle the cry of indignation that longed to well out of him. The acrid, metallic taste of his own blood served to calm him. A cool wind of icy purpose settled over his thoughts.

Like an automaton, Klaus nodded acknowledgment of Yin's decree. "All right."

Without a word to Alex Manez, Klaus turned on his heel and headed out of Yin's master chambers, leaving the kid to follow as he would.

"Oh," Yin called after Klaus, simultaneously giving his newest prize a gentle nudge forward, "ensure that the other boys do not mistreat young Alex. Should he come to harm of any sort, you can be certain you will receive a severe punishment of the sort only found in your darkest nightmares." He grinned sublimely. "I trust you will take every care with your little ward."

Klaus paused only long enough to reply, "I will treat him like my one of my own."

"Good. Now, off with you two youngsters." Yin waved paternally to them.

Klaus smiled, but it was motivated by a private thought. Yeah, I will treat him like one of my own-like my alcoholic father treated me. Yeah, I will treat him like one of my own-like my alcoholic father treated me.

Outraged at Yin, Klaus turned to Alex as he led the boy silently down the hallway. You, You, he thought, he thought, will regret the day you were born. will regret the day you were born.

When Klaus got to his room, it was in chaos. The door he had locked was busted wide open, his bed was disheveled, the mattress turned over, and all of his personal belongings were strewn all over the floor.