Rogue Angel - Polar Quest Part 19

Garin took a deep breath. "You don't know what you're missing."

"A tangle of anonymous limbs? No, thanks. I'll pa.s.s." She kept walking. "Now, really, what the h.e.l.l are you doing here? And don't feed me any lines. If I don't like what I hear, I'm liable to turn you in once we get up there."

"My background is without flaw," Garin said. "You could tell them anything and they wouldn't believe you. I've already been thoroughly vetted."

"How'd you manage that?"

Garin stopped her. "After all this time, do you really think I'd just show up without having the necessary backstopping to make certain I pa.s.sed intense scrutiny? I'm a little insulted by that. You know I'm much more careful than to play amateur hour, especially with something like this."

"All right, so you've got the paperwork. How much did that cost you?" Annja asked.

Garin shrugged. "What is money but an excuse to have some more fun?"

"Too many questions," Annja said. "What I want are answers. And real answers, not more questions for questions."

Garin leaned closer to her. "You're extremely agitated about something. Is it your time of the month?"

Annja drove a right cross into his gut so fast he had no time to stop it. He doubled over and Annja kneed him as his head came down. Garin dropped to the ground, clutched his face and stayed there trying to get his wind back. "That...wasn't...necessary..."

"Apparently, it was," Annja said. "Make any more cracks like that and your world is going to get a lot more painful."

Garin held up his hand. "All right. A truce."

"Fine."

He got back to his feet, rubbing his nose. "You really want to know why I'm here?"

"Yes."

He sighed. "Fine. I will tell you."

19.

"So go ahead and tell me."

Garin looked around, as if convinced someone might be listening to their conversation. After a full minute of his not saying anything, Annja shook her head.

"There's no one there, Garin. Now spill your guts already or I'm going to get impatient."

He frowned but kept his voice low. "I heard there were strange artifacts being found down here."

"From where?"

"I'd rather not say," Garin said. "It's a very privileged source and if I reveal it, I'm quite certain it will dry up. I'd never have access to that information ever again. And I think it's in my best interests to protect it."

"Yeah?" Annja sighed. "All right, whatever. So you heard a rumor. And what-you just decided to come on down and see for yourself?"

"Something like that."

"But what made this dig such an interesting one to you? What piqued your interest in this rather than a dinosaur dig in Montana, for example?"

Garin sighed. "Annja, how long have we known each other?"

"Probably too long. You're like a bad set of luggage-I can't get rid of you. You and Roux. I'll be stuck with you guys forever at this rate."

A small smile played across Garin's face. "You know, it's quite likely you will at that."

"Lucky me," Annja said. "So what made you come down here?"

"The possibility that an otherworldly race created these artifacts. I need to be certain whether or not they were, in fact, created by extraterrestrials," Garin said.

"Well, join the club. But as we were discussing, I don't think we've got anything even remotely significant that might prove these are alien artifacts. In fact, I'm quite certain there's a more rational explanation for all of this," Annja said.

"Are you really?" Garin looked vaguely amused. "And just what makes you so certain?"

"It's nothing I can verbalize," Annja said. "Call it a gut reaction. Sometimes I have very strong intuition about this stuff, and right now, it's not saying these are from another world."

"And this intuition, is it a result of being with the sword that you possess?"

"Maybe."

"No maybes maybes about it," Garin said. "I would suggest that your instincts and intuition have become far sharper since you've come into possession of the sword than in the time before you had it." about it," Garin said. "I would suggest that your instincts and intuition have become far sharper since you've come into possession of the sword than in the time before you had it."

"Even still, it tells me these are not alien in nature."

Garin nodded. "Well, it just so happens that I agree with what your intuition is telling you."

"You do?"

Garin laughed. "You seem so shocked. Why is that?"

"I thought you had your own theories about this stuff. And I guess I thought you were hoping that maybe they were alien in nature."

"Perhaps at another time I would have. But I'm far more excited about the prospects of what these artifacts truly represent than the wishes of people who like to dream about little men in s.p.a.ceships."

"There's the condescending tone I was waiting for." Annja grinned. "At least you're being truthful. As near as I can tell."

Garin pointed at the triangular serpent item Annja held in her hands. "We'd better get this up to the surface and then get back or your little buddies are liable to think you've gone and had your way with me."

"Well, good heavens, we wouldn't want them thinking that now, would we? Those fantasies are never going to materialize anyway," Annja said.

Garin placed his hand over his heart. "Woe that you tease me so."

"Yeah, right." Annja walked away and along the trail toward the surface. Garin followed along behind her, his footsteps echoing throughout the caverns.

"When was the last time you spoke with Roux, anyway?" Annja asked.

"Why?"

"Call me curious."

Garin sighed. "The less time I spend communicating with the old man, the better. He has no appreciation or zest for life. All he wants to do is commune with the voices of the past. He lacks the ability to see his own future."

"What do you see for your future?" Annja asked.

Garin shook his head and was silent for a long time.

Annja waited, curious to see what Garin would say next.

He finally spoke. "I would like to see what else there is. What happens now. Clearly Roux and I have a part to play in your development. Neither one of us aged before the sword was recovered and you a.s.sumed ownership. And thus far, neither of us has aged since then."

"You thought you might, though, didn't you?"

"Honestly? Yes. I think both of us did. Of course, I don't think Roux would ever admit that. He's much too much of an obstinate fellow to ever allow us entry into his grand vision for himself."

Annja smiled. "But you have no such troubles."

Garin spread his arms. "I am without guile, milady."

"Yeah. So where's that bridge you wanted to sell me, too?" Annja walked farther up the trail.

Garin caught up with her. "Annja, if I laid all my cards on the table, would you even recognize them as such? Face it, from the very first time we met, you've done nothing but suspect me of foul play at every opportunity."

"Uh, that's because you've been plotting foul play every time I've run into you." Annja shook her head. "Cripes, Garin, it's not like you're off fund-raising for orphans or something. You've tried to kill a lot of people I've known. Probably even me on occasion."

Garin leveled a finger at her. "You don't know nearly as much as you think you do. Let's get back to the reason we're here."

"Fine," Annja muttered, unwilling to let Garin know how much he unsettled her.

"Annja, if these artifacts aren't from an alien world, then they must be from Earth, right?" Garin asked.

"That would be the logical a.s.sumption, yeah."

"But then there's the problem of the history. Humans didn't start developing until long after the carbon date stamp of these items."

"Well, supposedly."

"Oh, please, you don't mean to tell me that you think there could have been an early race of humans with the intelligence to design and manufacture these things, do you? Where's the proof? Wouldn't we have found skeletons by now that would corroborate such a theory? Wouldn't the scientists have been able to tell that they were older bones but more developed?" Garin asked.

"Yes."

"Well, where are they?"

Annja said nothing.

"They aren't there because there weren't any prehistoric races of humans out there living in some fantasy world," Garin continued.

"You don't think so, huh?"

"No. I don't. And I don't think you do, either."

Annja shook her head. "Don't tell me what I'm thinking, Garin. I don't like people who put their own thoughts into my head."

"Fine, fine. But I can see it in your eyes." Garin leaned in closer. "And you do have such beautiful eyes, Annja."

She looked up at him. d.a.m.n him for being so utterly charming when he wanted to be. The way he looked at her, it was as if he was trying to decide if he could eat her in one bite or if he would just slowly devour her.

As much as she hated to admit it, there were times when she loved being ogled like that. She knew enough about the vibe Garin threw to know that any time spent in bed with him would be utterly and completely earth-shattering.

She also knew that there was a strong chance she would never emerge from his lair alive.

Trust was a big issue between them.

Annja blinked and Garin withdrew. Had he been trying to hypnotize her? She wouldn't put it past him. He'd been around long enough to learn a whole array of tricks. He didn't need a crystal dangling from a pendulum to put her under.

Dangerous, she decided. Garin was simply far too dangerous.

"I wish you hadn't blinked, Annja. It could have been magical."

Annja ran a hand through her hair. "Oh, Garin. Here we are in the middle of a dirty, filthy dig in a mountain in Antarctica and you think that you can just charm me into your bed?"

"Why not?" he asked with a sly smile.

"For one thing, it rates about a zero on the romance meter. I tend to take things a bit slower."

"We can go slow. I've got all the time in the world."

Annja smiled. "Nice try, buddy. It ain't gonna happen, though, so let's say we cut the corny attempts at seduction and stick to the important thing here-figuring out who made these items."

"Fine," Garin said. "But I still say I could have had you in another couple of minutes."

Annja ignored his comment. "Your theory then is that these weren't made by aliens or by a race of prehistoric humans. Is that it?"

"Yes."

"Then who made them?"

Garin smiled. Ahead of them, the entrance to the shelter loomed. Annja could see people moving about inside the shelter. She turned to Garin. "Come on, tell me what you really believe."

Garin shook his head. "I'm afraid we're out of time. Please see the receptionist for a slot next week."

"Garin." Annja punched his arm. "I want to know what you think is so d.a.m.ned important about these artifacts."