Kingdom of Gods by F Stone

Author:F Stone [Stone, F]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780995150942
Publisher: Judy Weir
Published: 2019-03-14T16:00:00+00:00

15. Sidney’s Execution

Wednesday Morning, July 10, En Route to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii: The next morning Sam awoke early as usual and jogged along the Nonnah’s main deck. It had been six days since Sidney had arrived on his ship. He’d planned to be rid of her by now. Sweat began to drip down his chest. With each stride he recalled the unexpected twists and turns of the interrogation sessions — and Sidney.

Her strange ways had often caused him to lose sight of his objective. He’d even discouraged the admiral from initiating the execution order. It annoyed him how his life aboard the Nonnah had become unpredictable. Every day something bizarre occurred. The Nonnah sailing through storm unscathed, the prisoner’s rapid healing, the hawk’s feather, the visit with Paulo, the constant changing of his crystal’s position. Then there was Sidney’s demonstration of her ability to unlock doors. And, the energy thing — Reiki she called it.

Perhaps, Sam thought, if Sidney was eliminated all these disturbing phenomena would end. He almost craved the monotony of the days before Sidney. Anesthetized by boredom, he could tolerate the admiral’s paranoia and the endless string of executions.

On the other hand, the possibility that he could use Sidney as a means of freeing himself from the admiral was too tempting to ignore. He doubted she’d agree to an alliance with the admiral in exchange for Sam’s freedom, but a ruse might be possible. If he could gain the admiral’s confidence, it would work. He’d have to get rid of Butchart though. The man had too much influence. Somehow, Sam needed to make the admiral question Butchart’s loyalty.

Sam thought back to the connection of some type which seemed to be present between Sidney and Butchart. He’d not pursued that query, but now a plan swirled in his mind. He could see at last the possibility of grabbing his sons and disappearing from the admiral’s suffocating grasp. A twinge of guilt pricked at him. Sidney would be in the midst of the crossfire. So be it!

Sam returned to his office to find the admiral had sent an urgent coded e-mail. It was an order to execute Sidney before midnight that very day. Instead of being intrigued by her telekinesis, the admiral had come to the conclusion that she was too great a risk to keep alive any longer. And perhaps Butchart had been deliberately feeding the admiral’s paranoia.

The hope of acquiring his freedom, hazy as it was, vaporized. But his disappointment was mollified by his sense of relief. The awkward pretense of benevolence was over, and so were the endless questions without answers, as well as the disruption of his meticulous routine. When Sidney arrived for her breakfast, Sam was more abrupt than ever.

Briefly making eye contact, he said, “You have fifteen minutes to eat.”

He motioned her to go to the boardroom and continued with the business at his desk. When she returned, he ordered her to sit down. Holding the admiral’s communiqué in his hand, he hesitated. It wasn’t as easy to notify her of the execution plans as he’d thought it would be.

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