The Chair by Michael Ziegler Read Free Book Online Page B

escapade. She’s on the make for you, isn’t she? Are you attracted to her?
    I could see she was drumming up a lot of fears and emotions that for now, needed to be allayed; so I sat down next to her and put my arm around her.
    “Don’t worry Cath. I’m try’n to help the girl find her bloody father; and the technology of that chair can’t stay in the wrong hands!”
    She pursed her lips and turned her head away. “That’s another thing. That…that whatever it is, disappears into thin air…it’s got to be dangerous Richard; we need to contact the authorities and inform them of this device, especially with dangerous people in control of it.”
    “Catherine you just have to trust me on this one. There are good reasons we can’t go to the authorities just yet, reasons I can’t go into right now.”
    We all had to get some sleep and Ara took the couch while Catherine slept in her own room and I slept on the floor with plenty of blankets. I wasn’t in the mood to get anything started again between the two women and we were all so tired anyway it didn’t take long for us to fall asleep.
    The next morning we slept in a little and then had a quick breakfast courtesy of Catherine. Later, while she was in the bathroom doing her hair Ara and I were in the living room discussing how we might go about things when we reached the conduit.
    “I really want to thank you for staying with this, you really shouldn’t have to, I know.”
    Before I could answer, she walked up, put her arms around me and kissed me. Of course as things go, Catherine walked in right at that critical moment, saw us, turned right around again and walked away.
    “Catherine!” I quickly followed her and grabbed her arm.
    “Let go, leave me alone. You should go now if you’re going to go Richard. I’ve obviously got some thinking to do.”
    “Catherine, it’s not the way it appears, I didn’t― I haven’t―”
    “I’ve got to go to work Richard; we’ll have to discuss it another time.”
    No one said a word while driving to the music school. Catherine, with tears in her eyes said a quick good bye and was clearly distressed. I was beginning to wonder what was really going on myself as Ara and I went to find the two trackers.
    “Father still has to be somewhere here in London. We’ll have to go to the location he last traveled and ask around. There must be someone where he worked that might have a clue as to what became of him and I’m going to find out.”
    She was quite attractive looking when she had a determined look on her face, but there I went again. What was I doing, allowing myself to be lured by another woman so easily? I was beginning to doubt the integrity I thought I had; the trustworthiness and loyalty, was it all now shot to hell? If I was that impulsive it was best I found out now rather than too far down the road with Catherine.
    We found the room where we stored the two trackers keeping in mind there was an element of risk involved with jumping back to the conduit. Anders and Paxton could still be there at that moment waiting to eliminate us the minute we appeared. We both dragged the trackers out in the middle of the room. It was still strange to me that merely sitting in these chairs would take us immediately to wherever the chair was. Whatever it was enabling this to occur was truly miraculous and using it in the right way could change travel in a most profound way.
    I held her back from sitting down just yet. “Maybe I should go first just to ensure that everything is safe.”
    “Richard, not so fast, if one of us goes first it should be me.”
    “Alright, we both go at the same time. Keep your weapon ready, if they’re there, they’ll have the advantage over us while we’re becoming visible. As soon as we’re sure of arriving wherever it is, get down on the floor as quick as you can!”
    “You’ve got that right!”
    Both of us stood in front of the trackers and sat down together. We had to take that chance