“Name it,” Maddox said.

  “I want my balls back. I want to be a full man again and have everything operative like it should be. I want to have women.”

  Maddox raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t foreseen such a request.

  “That’s right,” Becker said. “You can’t give me that. I know Commonwealth science. It can’t restore such a thing. But that’s what I want.”

  “Well, now,” Maddox said, “I think we have a deal, then.”

  “How’s that?” asked Becker.

  “I’ll take you to the Library Planet. My Uncle Ural is there. The Builders can surely take your genetic material, your DNA, and regrow that which you wish. They can attach it normally and restore you. You’ll be a whole man again.”

  “Truly,” Becker said, “this is possible? Could the Builders achieve what the Prime Saa stole from me?”

  “Easily,” Maddox said.

  Becker frowned. “How do I know you’ll keep your word after I do what you want?”

  Maddox nodded. That was the problem. He sat forward earnestly. “I give you my Captain Maddox oath without tricks or subterfuge. I’ll take you to the Library Planet and tell the Supreme Intelligence about this. He owes me. Besides, I think the Library Planet is a better place for you. The Supreme Intelligence may let you stay. I don’t know. I don’t think you should remain on Earth. I’ll do this after you do me a favor.”

  “What favor is this?” Becker said. “Do you want to try to control Star Watch?”

  “No. I need to find an assassin. Your special talents can help me find him.”

  “Whether I find the assassin or not, but make the attempt, that will be enough for you to keep your end of the deal, right?”

  Maddox thought about that. It was a reasonable question and request. “Agreed. But I’m going to be with you. If you try to double-cross me, I’ll kill you.”

  “I know you’ll kill me.” Becker looked around. “Isn’t this a super-maximum security facility?”

  “It is,” Maddox said.

  “Then how are we getting out of here? Or did you really get orders to release me?”

  “This is when things will get interesting,” Maddox said.

  Becker smirked. “That’s what I thought.”

  “Listen, Becker, I’m your only friend. Deal with me, and you’ll get what you want.”

  “Sure,” Becker said.

  Maddox wondered if that was true. The key was this: what did Becker truly want? If he’d stated it, fine. If it was something Maddox couldn’t give… That might well be the rub.

  -13-

  “All right, listen to me, Becker,” Maddox said. “Do you feel capable of using your telepathic abilities with precision right now?”

  Becker stared at Maddox. “Is this about us escaping from here?”

  “Uh-huh,” Maddox said. “It turns out that I’m going to need your help. But you need to listen to me carefully, you must use telepathic precision. I don’t want you killing anyone. I know you’re capable of it, and I bet you’re angry with some of them. Maybe you’re tired or, because you’ve been out of practice for so long, this is going to be difficult for you. Use just enough to suppress the immediate threats so they fall unconscious. We shouldn’t have that many guards to go through.”

  “And if I do all that,” Becker said, “we’re going to waltz out of here?”

  “That’s the plan.”

  “You must know they record everything down here,” Becker said, “and can easily play everything back later. What happens then?”

  “I’ll take care of that. You take care of any gentlemen I indicate.”

  “They’re not gentlemen,” Becker said with heat. “They’re bastards. I’ve felt their emanations throughout my years of stasis. I’ve felt them in my dreams, and I’m beginning to recall things. You know what? Some of them opened my container and pissed on me as a joke. They probably did other heinous things to my sleeping body I don’t even want to know.”

  “We can’t do this,” Maddox said, shaking his head, “unless you agree to my methods. These are Star Watch people. I don’t want any of them getting hurt. They did a job, a tough job. And hey, let’s face it, as much as I’m willing to make a deal with you, you’re a bastard, and have been a bastard. You tried to help enslave the entire human race.”

  Becker scowled. “If that’s how you feel, I should just take you out now instead of later.”

  Maddox stared deadpan at Becker before saying, “You might want to rethink that. The Prime Saa used you, castrated you, no less. I’m giving you back what those creatures gleefully stole.”

  Becker looked away. Was he calculating? He shrugged and struggled to his feet. “This is ridiculous. My head is too big. My brain is too heavy. I can barely support myself. Look, I’m going to need help walking, and you’re the last person I want to help me.”

  Maddox wondered whether this was a ploy. Could Becker telepathically control him if they touched? Would Becker try to flip off the silver headband? Maddox decided in for a dollar…that sort of thing. “Let’s go, Becker. Let’s do this.”

  Maddox put an arm around Becker’s waist. As he did, he felt a nudge in his mind. The little prick was trying something. Once more, Maddox strove for the Way of the Pilgrim, and strove to lock down his own thoughts.

  “Are you listening to me, Maddox?”

  “Hey, Becker,” Maddox said between gritted teeth, “you try any more of that shit and I’ll make this easy. I’ll kill you, and find a different way to do this.”

  The mind nudge, the likely tendril assault, ceased.

  “I’m ready,” Becker said.

  “Yeah,” Maddox said. “Let’s do this.”

  Together, with Becker resting his big, overheavy head against Maddox, they moved to and exited through the hatch. It should have been locked, but a ghost-mode Adok AI sent a surge of electricity through it. The lock clicked so the hatch opened.

  On the other side, two tough-looking guards whirled around before grabbing their electric truncheons.

  “Now, Becker, if you please,” Maddox said. “Remember, use a soft touch.”

  Becker raised a hand, pointing at one and then the other.

  One guard’s eyes bulged. He collapsed onto his knees and fell face forward. Maddox released Becker and went to the guard, checking the pulse. There was none.

  “Make his heart beat,” Maddox said.

  The other guard had already fallen to his side.

  Becker concentrated. In a second, both men’s hearts were beating strongly, and both were breathing and sweating heavily.

  “Do that again—”

  “I know, I know,” Becker said, interrupting. “I wanted to see if you were aware. I guess you are.”

  “Listen, if you want me to keep my part of the bargain, you have to keep yours and not make me watch you like a sheepdog. Don’t be a wolf, in other words.”

  “Okay,” Becker said, before stumbling, going down onto a knee.

  Maddox went to and helped him up, cinching an arm around his waist again.

  Becker glared at Maddox before concentrating on pushing one foot ahead of another. Like before, he soon rested his huge head against Maddox’s side.

  They hurried through the corridors at the bottom level of the maximum-security prison. No camera eyes recorded them as no cameras functioned down here. Galyan had infiltrated the high-security computers and achieved the impossible. He put clear holoimages of nothing in their place so no alarms blared.

  In truth, this was easy for Galyan, as he’d practiced much more sophisticated techniques against more tech savvy foes in the Beyond. The AI was enjoying himself. He’d always wanted to test himself against Star Watch’s best. Now he was doing it.

  Galyan watched as Maddox and Becker entered a turbo lift. Galyan sent it up and warned them as the hatch opened upon two security personnel.

  Becker put the two to sleep.

  Ten minutes later, Maddox and Becker stumbled into the subterranean hangar bay as five armed men whirled around.

  “Make it a wave assault,” Maddox hissed.

  Did Becker glance with disdain at Maddox? If so, he immediately focused on the five, and all went down as if someone had switched them off, which was the truth. Unfortunately, blood poured from one of the noses.

  “Becker!” Maddox said, releasing the man, stepping to the bleeder. It was the lieutenant. Maddox turned to Becker.

  “He was the most susceptible to the assault,” Becker said. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it.”

  Maddox had his doubts. If anyone had urinated on Becker during his long hiatus, it likely would have been the lieutenant. Did that mean the lieutenant deserved death? No. Becker was an unstable, highly changed freak. Freeing him might have been a bad idea. The lieutenant had been a cruel bastard, but he’d still been a member of Star Watch.

  Maddox strode to Becker, grabbed him by an arm, and propelled him to the fold fighter. “You do anything to the man in there, and you’re dead. Got it?”

  “Hey!” Becker said. “I did what you asked. It was an accident. Quit freaking out.”

  Maddox shoved the weak man to a crash seat and thrust him on it. “Buckle up, bud.” He turned to Keith.

  “That must be our passenger,” Keith said.

  “Yes,” Maddox said. “Let’s go. What are we waiting for?”

  “The main hatch isn’t opening,” Keith said.

  “Galyan,” Maddox said.

  Galyan appeared out of ghost form. “I’m working on it, sir. The outer hatch has more security locks than the rest. It could prove a dangerous problem.”

  “I don’t care,” Maddox said. “Get it open. We don’t want to have to fold directly out of here.”

  “I can do it if I must,” Keith said, as he began to manipulate controls and power up the tin can.

  Galyan vanished. Tense seconds passed.

  Then the outer bay doors opened.

  In moments, they all lurched in their seats as the tin can rose and then shot through the bay doors into the Antarctica night. Winds shrieked—a reminder that at the bottom of the world nature was vicious and cold.

  Despite that, the tin can rocketed up as it headed for orbital space.

  Galyan appeared. “Others have sensed the fold fighter. They are requesting orders concerning it. These others have access to beams and missiles.”

  “I was afraid of that,” Maddox said. “Mr. Maker, get ready to fold.”

  “Directly into Victory?” asked Keith.

  “That’s right,” Maddox said. “We need to get out of here, and we need to go now.”

  “Give me a moment,” Keith said.

  Maddox glanced at Becker.

  Becker watched everything with wide eyes as if absorbing each piece of information.

  Was this his intuitive sense trying to tell him something? Maddox felt more uncomfortable than ever that he’d awoken and was bringing this strange man to the starship. Maddox reminded himself that the Lord High Admiral and Brigadier Stokes were dead, slain by assassins. They had been friends, his fellow workers in Star Watch for years. He must learn who had assassinated them. He’d make whomever did it pay. This wasn’t just about protecting Star Watch. It was making these bastards pay the ultimate price for what they had done to his comrades. If Leviathan were behind all this—

  Maddox sat straighter.

  He didn’t know what he could do to Leviathan.

  “I’m good any time, sir,” Keith said.

  “Then go,” Maddox said, “fold.”

  Keith had made complex computations and now started braking violently. He couldn’t simply fold into Victory with his present velocity. It would be akin to a missile piercing through bulkheads.

  Becker groaned.

  Maddox gritted his teeth at the G-forces they were pulling.

  The tin can shuddered as it braked even harder. Keith shouted with yipping cries as if he enjoyed this madness. An even greater blast of power seemed to cause the tin can to sit still in the air. At that precise moment, the tin can folded, appearing in a Victory hangar bay, moving only the slightest bit.

  It was as nearly a perfect fold from flight as anyone had ever made.

  In seconds, the tin can landed with barely a thump against the cradle.

  “Excellent work,” Maddox said.

  “I do what I can,” Keith said modestly. Adding, “When you’re the best, you make it look easy.”

  Maddox grunted and turned to Becker.

  The weak man was slumped in his crash seat as blood pour from his nose.

  What the hell? Maddox tore off the restraints and jumped out of his crash seat. “Galyan, hurry, get medics. We have an emergency. If this bastard dies now—hurry, Galyan.”

  Galyan disappeared.

  Maddox went to Becker, hoping the little creep was alive. Becker couldn’t die before he helped them solve this terrible mystery. That would be unconscionable.

  -14-

  Events continued to roll along even after Maddox’s foray into the maximum-security prison and taking Becker.

  For one thing, although Becker survived the fold, he was sick. The fold had hurt him more than usual. This was probably due to his immense brain and its functions. The enhanced brain didn’t deal well with folds. How would it do with a star-drive jump or a hyper-spatial tube journey?

  The truth was that the massive brain opened Becker up to odd problems. If Maddox couldn’t take Becker to the Library Planet, he would need to find another solution

  A darker thought intruded upon Maddox’s thinking. He could take Becker on star-drive jumps, and the jumps could give the man an aneurysm that killed him. That would solve the problem. However, Maddox was reluctant to rely on such a procedure. For one thing, he had given his oath. It wasn’t the same as being in the middle of a mission, facing some arrogant alien dick. Here, he had made a deal, one he planned to fulfill.

  As they waited for Becker to recover from the fold, a new Lord High Admiral rose in Star Watch. The heads of the services met with the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth. After a vote, Admiral William Preston Haig was elevated into the position of the Lord High Admiral of Star Watch.

  Haig immediately met with the heads of the departments, including General Mackinder of Intelligence. Mackinder, no doubt, told Haig about an incident at the high security facility in Antarctica and the disappearance of Captain Becker. Most likely, Mackinder told Haig that Maddox was behind it.

  Soon, Maddox received a summons from the new Lord High Admiral. “You must come at once, Captain, and by the way, where are you?”

  “At home, sir,” Maddox said from Victory. He stood in a holoimage fake showing his ranch home living room.

  Galyan had rerouted the call. Everything was back to full steam ahead on Victory. They were deep into practicing their trickery and trying to hide it from the rest of Star Watch.

  “I expect you here in two hours,” Haig said.

  “Yes, sir,” Maddox said.

  Maddox boarded the tin can and Keith took him down to Geneva at the spaceport. Maddox used a flitter, landing at Star Watch Headquarters. Soon, Maddox marched along corridors, spoke with the secretary, and entered the office of the new Lord High Admiral.

  Almost everything was the same. The new Lord High Admiral hadn’t changed any of the photographs, the desk, or the items on the desk. He looked diminutive, almost tiny, behind the massive structure, however.

  The new Lord High Admiral Haig was a small man, although a fireplug of an individual. He was known for his engaging energy and stern countenance. He was twenty-eight years younger than the old Lord High Admiral. Haig had lank dark hair and was thin like a rapier, with dark eyes staring at Maddox.

  “Sit down, Captain. Thank you for coming.”

  Maddox did as requested, sitting, removing his hat. He then jumped up as the new Lord High Admiral came around and shook his hand. The small admiral had a firm handshake, even though he had a narrow hand and several rings on his fingers.

  “Sit.”

  Maddox did so once again.

  Haig returned behind the desk and looked at the seated Maddox. Surprisingly, Haig did not appear dwarfish behind the great desk. That was likely due to one change in the office: thick cushions on the chair the old Lord High Admiral had used.

  Maddox looked around the office, feeling a keen pang. He missed Cook; missed seeing the Lord High Admiral who had been in the harness for so long. Then Maddox noticed that the new Lord High Admiral was staring at him with his narrow hands folded on the desk.

  “Are you finished?” Haig said.

  “Yes, sir,” Maddox said. He breathed deeply, bringing the Way of the Pilgrim to him. If ever he needed it—this man was different from the old Lord High Admiral. He didn’t think Haig would give him much leeway in any matter.

  Haig cleared his throat. “Let me begin by saying how sad it is that Admiral Cook is no longer with us. I assume you’ll be attending the funeral.”

  “That’s my plan, sir.”

  Haig nodded, and his dark eyes seemed to glitter. “I’ve been reviewing your records…” Haig paused, and shook his head. “Let me be frank, Captain. I have much to do and little time to achieve it all. Thus, I must be brusque with you today.”

  Maddox waited for it.

  “I’ll start by saying that I don’t approve of the way Cook handled you. That is unimportant, however, at least for the moment. What is important is that I know you entered the high-security facility in Antarctica. What’s more, former Captain Becker is missing from stasis. I believe you had him thawed out of stasis. So where is he, Captain, on Victory, perhaps? Should I order several Conqueror-class battleships to surround your starship and have Marines board and take Becker?”

  “I don’t know why you would do that, sir. Victory is in reserve status, nearly empty, in other words. I don’t know why—”

  “Listen to me,” the new Lord High Admiral raised a narrow hand, interrupting. “Do not lie to me, Captain. I’ve been studying your file. You are a rogue, sir. You do not listen to orders. That is going to stop, I assure you.”

  Maddox noted the stern glance, the admiral’s intensity. Instead of locking horns, Maddox smiled. “Respectfully, sir, I have done a lot for Star Watch through using my rogue methods. That would imply—”