Cervetti will turn. “No, Captain.”
“Pardon?”
“My orders are clear. This is a joint operation. I don’t want to block the sale. I need the target to complete the transaction. We’re going to break in a minute later, not one before.”
“But... why?”
“Because your man doesn’t interest me. I want the one he works for.”
“I don’t know, I haven’t had these directives.”
“In that case, Captain,” Cervetti will say, observing the landscape flowing under them. “Please inquire and confirm for me.”
The girl will look from the veranda on the quay side of Yeşilköy Pier, in Bakırköy District in Istanbul, Turkey. He will observe the boats in the distance on the bay, still looking at the clock.
Move, it’s time.
He will open the sliding door on the veranda, enter the room, and access the green platform.
“Yes, and I was born here.”
“I didn’t mean...”
“Oh, yes. You meant it... And I think like you; it’s a shitty neighborhood. But I have to live there, and I arrange things as best I can. But you know what? I’ve lived with dangerous people. And I know how they talk, how they dress, what face they have. I recognize them from a mile away. Those who’ve lived in this neighborhood all their lives don’t often meet those who handle books, you know? Maybe those who peddle, or who have a knife in their pockets, and know how to use it. I have met them, and I know how they reason. And, let me tell you, with that face and behavior, you don’t really look like a dangerous one.” She will pour some coffee.
“A desperate one, perhaps. Yes,” the black woman will continue. “But you look more like you’ve seen some bad stories in a video program. On the other hand, I have lived them, believe me. Otherwise, I probably wouldn’t be here. And so, having lived with dangerous people, I know when I can open the door where my daughter lives.”
“I didn’t mean to offend you.”
“You didn’t,” she will simply retort. “Where have you been today?” the woman will ask, handing him a cup of coffee. “It’s not much, but at least it’s hot. Have you solved your problems?”
The man will sit at the coffee table in the living room near the sofa. “Thank you,” he will say, taking the steaming cup. “Let’s say it was an interesting day. I may be leaving tomorrow.”
The black woman will nod, sitting down and sipping coffee in turn. “Oh, really? I’m happy.”
The man will move his head slightly, winking.
“I mean, I’m glad for you. That you’ve solved your problems.”
He will lean back on the couch. “Let’s just say I’m probably leaving tomorrow, okay?”
“Ok. Plans for the evening?” the woman will ask, changing the subject.
Whiley will look at the clock.
Climbing onto the platform, he will sit, wearing a helmet and gloves, and will open the connection program, destination being the Paris node on a pre-programmed educational course.
Two hours later, the bearded young man will close the holographic sheet of the notes and salute the student with a nod to his left. He will wait for other students in the front rows to move, while many others close the connection. Then, slowly, he will go down the steps of the classroom, taking the side aisle to the semi-circle. The teacher will be closing his documentation and turning off the holographic screens, greeting the students in the first rows. The bearded young man will notice that the elderly teacher will have already returned his glance, but will patiently wait for the students to leave the area adjacent to the chair before moving.
“Professor Kane,” he will finally say, “may I ask you for clarification?”
The old professor will greet him jovially. “Hello, what is it, young man?”
The young man will approach the chair. “I received your urgent note this afternoon,” he will explain. “And here I am.”
“Oh, yes. Yes, you see it’s always better to hang around, you know? Especially when you’re forgetful. There’s a part of the program that I’m not properly prepared for.”
The young man will show amazement. The evolved holographic program will also handle emotional states well. “Could it be?”
The professor will take a file uploaded to the holographic screen and placed in the right -hand corner.
“I thought it appropriate, young man, given the shortcomings of your last assignments, to prepare you some notes. Study them and you’ll understand. Do you have a way to copy them?”
The young man will open his own free sheet for copying the file, and the professor will take it with his fingers into space, moving it to the destination folder.
“What is it?”
“In less than an hour and a half I must call someone. May I borrow your communicator, please?”
The woman will sip her coffee, placing the cup on the table. “Of course.”
“Oh, and maybe I might need another favor,” he will say. “If you can, of course.”
“Well, let’s hear it. Do I have to go pick up another dusty book in some old downtown bookstore or what?”
He will attempt a tired smile. “No. You just have taken me by car to the flying bus stop. It’s a bit far from here, and I’ve been walking all day today.”
“For so little... All right, but listen... well, I don’t know how to tell you.”
The man will look at her, crossing his hands on his knees. “Just say it, and that’s it.”
“I thought... Tonight, a friend of the girl who watches Niki will be here. I wouldn’t want him to see you here. You know, I already have a lot of problems with custody, and I wouldn’t want there to be talk, and..,” she will say with embarrassment. “Anyway, you can sleep in the shed, behind the house in the yard. It’s clean. I put a cot in there, and I turned on the electric converter; it should be warm now. I realize it’s not the best, but…”
“The shed will be fine. As long as it’s lukewarm.”
“Oh, no. It’s hot, I assure you. And I thought I’d leave you a flashlight, if you want to read, I don’t know...”
“You’ve thought of everything,” he will say neutrally.
“Yes, well, I’m sorry.”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s fine.”
“I know that for someone who has paid almost nineteen hundred Eurodollars is not really the best...”
“I said it’s okay,” he’ll interrupt her. “Really.”
There will be a few seconds of staring at the empty cups.
“What time will the girl get here?” he will ask.
“Oh, by seven fifteen. I have to be in the pub at eight fifteen; otherwise, the Greek gets pissed off, and at that hour there’s still some traffic.”
The professor will look at him with a good-natured air. “A couple of arguments, which are lacking details. A couple of paragraphs that need to be explored.”
The young man will look at the colleagues who are leaving the classroom. “This might lengthen the delivery time of my assignment, though.”
“It’s probable. But the committee says they’re part of the exam program.”
The young man will close the sheet, looking at the teacher with perplexity.
“I’m sorry, young man. I’m afraid you’ll have to study a little bit more.”
The Japanese woman will be seated in a reserved room at her Onna Son restaurant at lunchtime. A waitress will place two plates of sashimi and beers on the table, pouring some of the contents for the two sturdy men sitting in front of the owner. Then, pouring the tea into the lady’s cup, she will make a deep bow and walk away.
At that moment, the woman will receive the call and will see the icon with the recipient’s image on the viewer. She will decide not to open the communication immediately.
“Gentlemen,” she will say, addressing the two corpulent men sitting in front of her. “I apologize, but I have a call which I unfortunately must answer. Can you excuse me for a second? Please start in the meantime. I�
�m coming right now.”
The woman will walk away, pass between the tables full of guests, enter the kitchen, head toward the opening at the back of the room, reaching a sliding glass door, sliding it, and opening the communication. Yellow teeth will be the first thing that will come out on the white wall of the back of the room, in the loading area of the goods.
“My dear,” the thin man will say, dragging out the words, “you really are desirable...”
The woman will pretend not to understand the joke.
“What do you want?” she will ask, trying to hide her irritation. “I’ve told you several times not to call at lunchtime.”
“Ok, then I’ll have to go to sleep with the hens,” the man will comment, scratching the nape of his neck. “Not bad, it’s been two rough days, and I’m tired. By the way, what about opening the shed? Do you have a voice command?”
“Oh, no.” The black woman will stand up, open a dark furniture drawer and return to her seat, placing a key on the table. “Nothing technological. But it works, believe me.”
The man will look at the old key, take it in his hand, and smile slightly, putting it in his pocket.
“Please lock yourself in from the inside,” she will suggest, finishing the coffee.
“Without turning on the light.”
“That’s it, yes. Use the torch. And by the way, there are no windows. It was a tool shed. Here,” she will say getting up suddenly, picking up a package laid on the furniture. “I thought you would need it.”
The man will look at the package. “What is it?”
“Well, open it,” the black woman will answer, tearing the wrapper herself. She will put two pairs of underwear and T-shirts on the table.
“I thought you’d need them. Not knowing, I took the large size. Better a little wide than tight, I thought.”
The man will look at her astonished.
“It’s part of the hotel service,” she will explain. “All included in the nineteen hundred Eurodollars.”
Whiley will take the package. “You didn’t have to.”
“Well, let’s also say it’s compensation for the hat you gave me. We’re even. It seemed the least I could do.”
“Okay, thank you.”
The woman will look at the window; the little girl will be playing on the porch. The sun will already be low on the horizon, and the rays will pass through the timeworn pink curtains.
“So, are you leaving tomorrow?” she will suddenly ask.
He will look at her, trying to gather his thoughts. “If I get good news from the call in an hour, yes.”
“Oh, yes, I know, I know. You have your own rules; you’re so strict, Saki. But you see, a little change of schedule arose, and I had to inform you.”
The woman will close the door and take a few steps into the empty room. Her steps will echo between the shelves. The door at the end of the room will be closed, and the light will enter from the side windows, outlining areas of light and shade.
“What change are you talking about?”
“Oh, don’t worry. Everything is going as planned.”
“Now what? Do you have the goods ready?”
“Yes, yes. Certainly. I’ve done an amazing job, you’ll see. Your customer will be impressed when he sees it mounted on your item. A real work of art. By the way...”
The woman will look the hologram in the eyes, and find them more elusive than usual.
“... I’ve heard around about your blond, you know, white, well-dressed, always elegant. You know who I’m talking about, don’t you?”
“Yes, I know. And you, how do you know?”
“Oh, Saki, Saki. You’re a very beautiful woman, and people look at you. And when you meet someone a little bit—how would you say—different from usual, people tend to notice. And while we’re at it, they also tend to notice that the handsome guy spent a lot of money, you know, here on the island. A friend of mine swears that he saw him spend a lot of money on frivolous things, the classic dumb tourist who doesn’t mind the prices. I mean, according to this friend of mine, you’d say the guy was rolling in dough, luxurious hotel, classy wine, you know.”
“Are you a tax collector, by any chance?”
The man will laugh heartily, as if he finds the joke really hilarious, and will end the laugh by coughing several times. “Oh, no. No, that guy can make his money whatever he wants. I was just talking to myself. A guy coming from far away. Where? Looks like he registered with a Euro-American passport, says a friend of mine at the Condo Hotel.”
“You have lots of friends.”
“Oh, yes. Well, you know, to be precise, a bunch of people owe me favors. I’m asking for more than bank interest.”
She will nod, looking through the worn curtains to the porch where the little girl is playing with the doll. The sun will be an orange sphere over the trees at the bottom of the driveway.
“I’m leaving tomorrow,” he will add. “I promise.”
Niki, on the porch, will be smiling.
The thin man will cough again.
“But coming back to us, I thought our friend wouldn’t mind the expense if he went all that way to have a handcrafted object, artfully commissioned at the famous Nishizawa School. Your father before you made your objects known in many environments, didn’t he?”
“Leave my father out of it. And come to the point.”
“The point is, my dear,” the thin man will still drawl the words, “that the price seems to me to be dishonest, for a job on which you certainly have a great profit margin, that’s all.”
“I’ve already promised you fifty percent more than the initial budget. Now it’s three hundred.”
“Oh yes. Yes, you’re right,” the hologram on the wall will raise the palms of the hands. “But that’s for unforeseen expenses, you know? Optics.”
“Well, how much do you want?”
The man will pour a glass of a yellow drink, swallowing a sip of it before answering. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot, you know? All night. And then I decided that five hundred is a more correct figure, given the quality of the work.”
The woman will stand in front of the wall, not responding and continuing to think. “Five hundred.”
“But you have to consider the expenses,” the thin man will specify. “And then there is the labor, and...”
“That’s fine,” the woman will interrupt him. “When?”
“Saki, Saki,” the thin man will raise the glass as if to toast. “I’ve always said you’re a classy woman. Shall we do it tomorrow night? About eleven o’clock, I would say.”
“Perfect. In the place as last time?”
“Oh, no. No, better not. Too far downtown, you know. A bunch of people in the evening, on the street. I don’t want to explain why I have a nice lady late at night in my club... They might think you’re interested in other kinds of fish, you know?”
The woman will look coolly at the man, who will let out a laugh, again choked by coughing.
“Then where?”
Thursday, 4:48 p.m.
Seen from above, the residential neighborhood on the outskirts of Chicago, with its low houses built in the past thirty years, will look like a flat wooden board resting in a bend of the river, like an ugly mend in the middle of silverware, hidden from the sight of guests. The small house in the trees, with the graveled road entering the desolate suburban road among the dilapidated buildings, will have a yard surrounded by a low wooden fence, with peeling paint in some places, and a shed under the trees. The black woman and white man will be at the shed door. The white man will put the key in the door and open it, pausing to look at a small windowless room, with some iron shelves on which are stored, in a disorderly way, boxes and garden tools, and old pots on the floor.
“It’s not much,” the woman will admit, “but it’s relatively clean. There’s the air heater. It’s running. I’ve already turned it on, as you can see, and in an hour it should be quite hot. Well, I mean, it’s not the best.”
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“It will be fine,” the man will comment, looking at the brooms and an old wooden wheelbarrow in the corner.
The woman will enter the room. “I put the cot there for you. It’s clean. I put sheets and a couple of heavy blankets on for you, so you shouldn’t be cold. The flashlight for reading is on the cot,” the woman will indicate. “Don’t turn on the ceiling light.”
“Got it.”
“Lock yourself in and don’t make any noise. Nobody will come looking for you till morning. I’ll be back no earlier than two thirty tonight. I mean, about two thirty.”
The man will look at the place and put his hands on the cot.
“Well, that should be everything, I think,” the woman will finish.
The man will look around. “What if I have to go to the bathroom?”
The woman will look at him.
“Well, there is none,” she will admit. “You’ll have to settle for the garden, if you can’t wait until I get back.”
The man will come out of the shed followed by the black woman and lock the door, putting the key back in his vest pocket.
“Do you know the old house on the hill behind the pagoda on the pier? The one down the white gravel street, near the grove, the all-wood three-story one, with the red roof; you know which one I mean?”
“Yes, I know.”
“Good. Then I’ll see you there. I make my deliveries there to the appropriate customers. Nobody will bother us.”
“At eleven o’clock tomorrow evening. Bring the goods. And this time, don’t let any more program changes come to mind.”
The yellow teeth will still extend along the wall.
“Saki, you know I have something else on my mind, honey?”
“I imagine so,” the woman will say, smiling frostily. “But the two of us are business partners, right?”
The man will lift the glass again, laughing. “Ah, what class you have. Really, you drive me crazy. So see you tomorrow night, partner. Bring the money.”
Futura: Parallel Universes. Book 2 Page 10