Welcome To Quantum Holidays

CHAPTER 9: ROOM SERVICE

"To time travel!"

Michel Lizarazu clinked his champagne glass with that of Lukas Kaminski's. As he drank, he flashed a sideways glance to see if the Polish official would drink it all. He did, and so Lizarazu was obliged to follow suit. He put the empty glass on the table and placed his hand on the thigh of the young woman sat beside him. He let out a satisfied gasp.

He ran his hand carefully down her leg and he thought her perhaps a little on the skinny side. He eyed up the woman sat next to Kaminski enviously. He wished he had been seated with her, but tonight was all about making Kaminski happy. This was business, not pleasure. Well, not primarily so anyway.

The music in the club was loud and thumping, but in the privacy of their booth, Lizarazu and Kaminski were able to talk. Lizarazu leaned towards the Pole.

"Now, Lukas, you are sure the Russians will not be able to block the parliamentary vote?"

Kaminski placed his large hand on the back of Lizarazu's neck and brought him closer still.

"Michel, my friend, I tell you. There is nothing to worry about. As long as you make the contributions we discussed, then it will be passed in both chambers."

He gave Lizarazu a reassuring smile and patted him hard on the back.

"Now, let us forget about business for tonight, yes? Let us drink!"

He poured two more glasses of champagne and handed one to Lizarazu. He held his glass up expectantly and Lizarazu met it with his own. There was no need to look this time to see if Kaminski would finish his drink. He began to feel a little drunk and he regretted drinking so much vodka over dinner earlier. His mind began to wander to the young woman next to him and he wished to leave before he became too drunk to make the most of her. Already Kaminski was pouring fresh glasses of champagne and Lizarazu decided to intervene before it was too late.

"I think I am going to have to call it a night, Lukas. I have to catch an early flight tomorrow and already it is quite late."

Kaminski looked somewhat deflated.

"Are you sure, Michel? Will you not stay for a while longer?"

"I apologize, but I am quite sure. Please, do not leave on my account though, stay and enjoy the champagne and the company. It is all already paid for."

This came as sufficient consolation to Kaminski and both men rose to say goodbye. Lizarazu extended his hand and Kaminski took hold of it firmly.

"Thank you, Lukas. I'm glad we are able to bring Quantum Holidays to Poland."

"The Polish people deserve the miracle of time travel. We will not be intimidated by the Russians or held back by cowards within our own government."

"Well said, Lukas. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Michel."

Lizarazu stood up and led the young woman ahead of him, placing his hand on the small of her back. They left the booth, which had been guarded by two tall, wide men in black suits and ties.

"We're going back to the hotel, Rafferty."

"Yes, Mr. Lizarazu. I'll have Johnson bring the car around front."

The two bodyguards escorted Lizarazu and the woman through the busy crowd and out of the club. Waiting by the exit were two long black cars. Rafferty held the door wide open whilst the couple climbed into the back seat and closed the door. He sat in the passenger seat of the car whilst the other bodyguard got into the second car. The cars pulled off the curb and drove into the night.

In the back of the car, the young woman curled around Lizarazu. He took out a cell phone from inside his suit jacket and dialed a number. It rang four times before someone answered.

"Good evening, Stanley. I've just left the meeting with Kaminski."

"Good evening to you too, Michel. I assume all went well."

"He's promised me that the vote will pass. We had to buy off a couple dozen Independents, but this protects us from the Russians."

"So all is going according to plan. Did they set a date for the vote?"

"Kaminski will call it next week. Afterwards, we will be able to set up an office in Warsaw and also a desk at Chopin airport."

"Great work, Michel. As always."

"Thank you, Stanley. I'll see you in a couple of weeks."

"Take care, Michel."

"You too, goodbye."

Lizarazu hung up the phone and resumed playing about in the back of the car with his lady friend. Up front, Rafferty and the driver sat stoically. When the cars reached the hotel, Lizarazu stepped out with the woman. Rafferty and the other bodyguard joined them as drivers went to park the cars.

It was late and the hotel lobby was quiet. The other bodyguard and he took up a seated position near the entrance while Rafferty called for the elevator and held it whilst Lizarazu and the woman entered. Exiting the elevator, Rafferty followed them as Lizarazu stumbled down the corridor, and stood guard as the Frenchman fumbled with his room key. Eventually, Lizarazu opened the door.

"I'll be in the room next door if you need me, sir."

"Thank you, Rafferty, Goodnight."

"Goodnight, sir."

Lizarazu held the door for the young woman as she stepped into the room. He followed her in and closed the door behind. While she inspected the room, he dimmed the lights and sat on the edge of the bed expectantly. Impatience got the better of Lizarazu and he motioned for her to come over to him and she did so obediently.

She began to dance slowly for Lizarazu, but he found it did nothing for him. He became restless. He reached out and pulled her by the front of her dress on the bed with him. He told her to quit messing about and to get on with it. She sat on top of him as she removed her clothes and he wriggled free of his suit.

In his drunkenness, Lizarazu had failed to notice the red eye gazing at him from the bathroom. As he kicked off the last of his clothes and the young woman climbed up on to him, the red eye stepped from the bathroom and into the bedroom. Between his blurred vision and her loud moans, Lizarazu did not see or hear it approach. With each thrust, it grew closer to the bed. By the time he saw the red eye, it was too late.

---

Lizarazu woke up to the cold shower water running down his face. He hung from the faucet with his wrists tied around its neck. The water was freezing on his naked body and he gasped and struggled to free himself. He tried to push himself away with his feet, but they too were bound together and the bathtub's surface was wet and slippery. He looked about him and recognized the tiles of the hotel bathroom. There were two other men in the room, watching him.

"Good evening, Mr. Lizarazu."

The man who had spoken sat next to the bathtub on a red felt stool that had been brought in from the dressing table next door. He was a skinny Asian man. It was hard to judge his age. He wore black trousers and a thick grey trench coat.

In the corner knelt another man busying himself over a box with his back to the rest of the bathroom. The man was dressed the same, but had removed his grey trench coat. He wore a black shirt and he had rolled up the sleeves. Even crouched, Lizarazu could see he was a giant of a man.

"Let me go right now!" ordered Lizarazu.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Lizarazu. That is not possible."

"I have a security team of ex-Marines protecting me. You let me go now and maybe I will tell them to go easy on you," threatened the Frenchman.

"But they are already dead, Mr. Lizarazu. There is no one left to save you."

Lizarazu eyed the man up suspiciously. The shower water continued to flow and his body had gone numb from the chill.

"I can tell you don't believe it. Don't worry. I have something for you that will make you a believer."

The man left the room momentarily and returned with a white folded napkin. He came near the tub and folded it so Lizarazu could see what was inside. Nestled in the middle of the napkin were five severed ears. Each had an earpiece still in place with the tangled cord hanging loose. Lizarazu tried his best to hide that he was scared. He replied defiantly.

"How do I know those belong to my men?"

The man chuckled.

"Come on, Mr. Lizarazu! Do you really think we would go to such lengths to fake these? Even if these weren't your men's ears, they have to be someone's. Think about that. I would have imagined that alone would make you take us seriously."

Lizarazu remembered that he had been with the girl.

"What happened to the escort?"

Jerry smiled.

"Who knows? Perhaps we killed her too? Or perhaps we let her go? Or maybe she was in on this all along? Does it really matter right now?"

Lizarazu did not argue further. He leaned backward and then sidewards on the faucet trying to move out of the shower's chill. It was hopeless. He gave up.

"Who are you?" asked the Frenchman.

"You can call me Jerry."

"What about him?"

Lizarazu motioned with his head towards the man crouched in the far corner.

"Oh, he doesn't have a name. Some people call him Red Eye though. I suppose you would call it a nickname."

When he heard his name being spoken, Red Eye flashed a suspicious glance over his shoulder, like a child who didn't want to share his toys with the other children. His bald head was profoundly disfigured. The right side of his face looked as if it had been forcibly moved up several inches. The eye was enlarged and burned a bright red. He too was Asian.

Red Eye stood up and came over and without saying a word or acknowledging Lizarazu, turned off the cold water. He returned to his box.

"What do you want with me?"

"You are an important man, Mr. Lizarazu. You know many secrets. We are here to find out those secrets."

"You want to know about Quantum Holidays?"

"Quantum Holidays, Stanley Mandeville, time travel."

"You know I can't tell you that."

"We know you won't talk now, but you will talk later."

"Who do you work for?"

Jerry smiled cheekily.

"Now now, Mr. Lizarazu, you know I can't tell you that."

Red Eye spoke angrily in Chinese. Jerry replied and raised his hand towards him in a plea for patience.

"What did he say?"

Red Eye picked up and carried over his black box. There were plugs and wires coming out that dragged along the tiles. He set it down next to the bathtub.

"He told me to hurry up so that he can start."

"Start what?"

Red Eye again spoke to Jerry impatiently. Jerry nodded in agreement.

"The interrogation. Red Eye is not a patient man."

"Hold on a minute. What exactly is he going to do?"

Red Eye lifted two cables with crocodile clips. He stepped into the bathtub. He leaned towards Lizarazu, inspecting him with his angry bulbous eye.

"He is going to use the electricity to make you tell your secrets."

Red Eye took one cable and attached it to Lizarazu's breast.

"Wait, don't."

He squirmed and wriggled to avoid the crocodile clip, but it was hopeless as Red Eye attached the second cable.

"If you do not want the electricity, then answer the questions, Mr. Lizarazu. What is the secret of Quantum Holidays?"

Lizarazu stared at Jerry.

"I cannot tell you."

Jerry spoke to Red Eye. Red Eye smiled and revealed a set of decaying mismatched teeth. Each tooth looked as if it had come from a different person's mouth. He stepped out of the bath carefully. He crouched over the battery pack. Lizarazu took a deep breath, bracing himself. Red Eye turned the dial. The light failed and the bathroom went dark. Sparks flew up at the point which the electricity met Lizarazu. They lit up the bathroom like fireworks. He screamed as it passed through his body. After a few moments, Red Eye turned off the battery pack. The light returned to the room.

Lizarazu's chest was burnt badly and he let out a feeble gasp as his body trembled. Jerry continued his line of questioning.

"How does Stanley Mandeville travel through time?"

Lizarazu struggled to compose himself. It took several false starts before he could muster his words.

"Please stop. I cannot tell you."

"What is the secret of Quantum Holidays?" repeated Jerry.

Lizarazu looked at Red Eye, sat on his haunches, starting back at him expectantly.

"I cannot tell you."

Again, Jerry spoke to Red Eye. Again, Red Eye turned the dial. When Red Eye turned off the battery, Lizarazu was passed out. He swayed side to side unconscious beneath the shower head.

---

Lizarazu woke up dazed. As his vision returned to him he remembered where he was. He was covered in burns and he was unable to stop shaking. Someone had wheeled a dining cart into the bathroom. Jerry had pulled up his stool and was eating a steak dinner. Red Eye was nowhere to be seen. He noticed the battery pack and jump cables had also disappeared. Lizarazu watched on as Jerry ate his food in silence.

"You ordered room service!?"

"Yes, I was feeling hungry and I am told the steak is very good here. I hope you do not mind, Mr. Lizarazu, but I charged it to the room."

Jerry carefully cut another piece of the steak. He added some mashed potato before dipping it in the black pepper sauce. He placed it in his mouth and savored the taste. No one spoke as he ate his food. Eventually, Lizarazu broke the silence.

"So what happens now?"

Jerry finished eating the last of his steak, chewing the fat carefully. He washed it down with a glass of water and wiped his mouth with the napkin.

"Whatever you want to happen now, Mr. Lizarazu. You can tell me the secrets I want to know or we continue the interrogation. You survived the electricity, but who knows if you make it through alive what Red Eye has planned next?"

"I told you. I cannot tell you anything. If I could, don't you think I would have told you by now?"

"We obviously have not reached that moment yet, Mr. Lizarazu, because when we do, you will tell us what we want to know. What is the secret of Quantum Holidays?"

"I cannot say."

"Okay. We continue the interrogation."

Jerry shouted out of the bathroom in Chinese. Red Eye returned with a toolbox. He set it on top of the dinner cart and began to rummage through it feverishly.

"So, Mr. Lizarazu, I ask you again. What is the secret of Quantum Holidays?"

Lizarazu ignored Jerry. He was fixated on the toolbox. Red Eye pulled out a large, heavy hammer and laid it down on the white tablecloth. The claw was caked down a dry brown. Red Eye returned to look through the toolbox. Lizarazu did not like the look of it one bit.

"Hold on, wait a minute. I might not be able to give you the information you're after, but I can give you money. I'm a very rich man."

"I am not interested in your money, Mr. Lizarazu. How does Stanley Mandeville travel through time?"

"I can't tell you, God damn it. Why can't you understand that? I'll give you a million dollars to stop right now."

Jerry looked at Lizarazu unimpressed.

"Two million dollars!"

Next, Red Eye placed a screwdriver on the dinner cart. Stuck to the drill were small chewed up chunks of flesh. Red Eye seemed unsatisified. He continued to explore the toolbox.

"Five million dollars! Each!"

"We are not interested in your money, Mr. Lizarazu. We only want to know the truth about Quantum Holidays and Stanley Mandeville."

Red Eye let out a childish cry of delight. He lifted up a hacksaw from the toolbox triumphantly. Held aloft in the bright bathroom light, Lizarazu could make out the rust on the jagged blade. He turned to Jerry to present the saw for approval and they fell into conversation. After an agreement appeared to have been reached, Jerry turned to Lizarazu.

"I'll ask one final fime, Mr. Lizarazu. What is the secret to Quantum Holidays?"

Lizarazu stared at the translator with dead eyes. He opened his mouth as it to speak, but no words came out. Jerry motioned to Red Eye. Carrying his beloved hacksaw, Red Eye stepped into the bath and up to Lizarazu. The Frenchman shut his eyes tight and started to breath hard and fast as he tried to prepare for what would happen next.

He felt the sharp angled metal prick his belly. He opened his eyes. Red Eye had placed the saw across his stomach. He looked to be measuring it up like a butcher a piece of meat. Lizarazu stared at him, but Red Eye was focused on the job at hand.

"I have seen him does this before. It is not a nice thing to see, but it seems to make him happy. Some people talk when he does, but honestly, most people just die," said Jerry as a matter-of-fact.

Red Eye stepped away from Lizarazu momentarily. Now that he had made his measurement he was prepared to make the cut. Lizarazu tried to not think about what was about to happen, but he could not stop himself from imagining it. Red Eye stepped towards towards him again with the hacksaw and as he did, Lizarazu screamed out.

"Stop! Stop! I'll tell you everything. Please. Just stop."