Free Fall of Hades by Richard Paul Evans Page A

“Next time,” he shouted, “I will aim lower! Now throw.”
    The frightened natives immediately began picking the fruit from the baskets and throwing it at Quentin, who cowered at the back of the cage, covering his face with his arms. Still, only a few pieces of fruit hit their mark. Quentin couldn’t understand why they weren’t trying harder to hit him. After how he’d treated them, why would they show him mercy? Their lack of resentment was completely foreign to him.
    After the baskets were empty, the Zone Captain angrily dismissed the crowd, which quickly vanished. All of the guards, except the one assigned to the cage, marched back to their posts. The ceremony was over. Only Admiral-General Hatch, who was watching the ceremony on a security screen in his office, and the monkeys found the event amusing.



Christmas Ranch
    I t was a little after noon when Gervaso knocked on the door to Chairman Simon’s office in the resistance’s main ranch house.
    â€œWho is it?”
    â€œGervaso. I need to talk to you.”
    â€œCome in,” the chairman said.
    Gervaso stepped into the small wood-paneled office.
    The chairman looked up at him from his desk. “How are the kids?”
    â€œBored. Anxious. Exactly how they should be.” Gervaso laid a piece of paper on the chairman’s desk. It was a printed copy of a newspaper ad that had been cut out. “I think you should see this.”
    VEY ELECTRIC
    Your Full-Service Electrical Experts
    â€¢Â Emergency Installations
    â€¢Â Lighting Designs
    â€¢Â Generator Systems
    â€¢Â Electric Water Heaters
    â€¢Â New House Wiring
    â€¢Â Switches and Fixtures
    â€¢Â Outlets and Circuit Breakers
    â€¢Â Surge Protectors
    Serving the greater Meridian, Idaho, area for fifteen years.
    Call 886-555-6423 ext.1
    The chairman looked up. “Where did you get this?”
    â€œGabino, our mechanic up in Idaho, came across it in the Idaho Statesman . I had him e-mail it over.”
    The chairman looked back over the ad, then up again. “Is it a relative of Michael’s?”
    Gervaso shook his head. “There aren’t any other Veys in Idaho. In fact, there’s no such company as Vey Electric anywhere in the US.”
    â€œThen what is this?”
    â€œIt was the name ‘Vey’ that caught Gabino’s eye, but there’s something even more peculiar about this. Look at the phone number. The whole state of Idaho’s area code is 208. This is an 886 number. I looked it up. Eight-eight-six is the country code for Taiwan.”
    â€œTaiwan?”
    â€œI think someone might be trying to get in touch with us. But it’s not just anyone. It’s someone who knows that Michael Vey is electric, and that makes it a very short list.” A more serious look crossed Gervaso’s face. “And then I found the hidden message.”
    The chairman looked back down at the ad for a moment, then looked back up again. “I don’t see it.”
    â€œRead the first letter of each line.”
    He looked back down, reading each letter aloud. “E.L.G.E.N. S.O.S.” He looked up with wide eyes. “It’s a call for help.”
    â€œI think it’s Welch. He’s trying to reach us.”
    â€œOr it could be a trap.”
    â€œIt could be, but the Elgen aren’t usually that subtle. They don’t have to be. I think whoever did this only wanted the right eyes to find it.”
    â€œHave you tried the number?”
    â€œNot yet. I wanted to make sure that you were on board and ready to send a team to bring Welch back.”
    The chairman thought a moment, then said, “There’s a good chance the Elgen have found this as well.”
    â€œThat is a risk. Still, it’s one I think we should take.”
    The chairman took a deep breath, then said, “Call the number.”
    *  *  *
    Gervaso walked a hundred yards up the hill behind