by SW Matthews
Andy put a hand on Doc’s shoulder. “He needs to do this, Doc.”
The old man nodded and wiped a tear from his eye.
Chapter 73
“I must admit, I do not know much about the Xanwiti,” said Ushi Ru.
He, Kat, and Pol were seated in the passenger cabin as the helijet flew toward UNA.
Kat shrugged. “I know nothing at all about them.”
Pol thought a moment. “It is strange. I am no expert either, even though I am apparently one of the… symbols? But it seems rather simple in principle. Put others first, think about your actions, then act.”
“So it is not a religion?” Kat asked.
“No. They don’t claim to know the intentions of a supreme being, or even say there is one. Yet they don’t condemn others for following any certain religion. They just encourage everyone to follow the three principles.”
“Hmm,” said Ru. “Egg, the prime minister, told me it was a very devout religion, intent on destroying the leadership of China and taking control of the country.”
“I do not believe that to be the case, sir. They did want a revolution, but only because they believed China was starving and killing its own citizens.”
Ru nodded. “I suppose we were, but our intentions were good.”
“But the thought was not,” said Pol. “The thought must be pure, and the intention as well, only then should the action be taken.”
“But the thought was to protect China…”
“Forgive me, sir, but I believe the intention was to protect China, which is not a bad intention. Unfortunately, the thought was to secretly prepare for an inevitable war with UNA, which was the beginning of the downfall.”
Ru nodded slowly. “I see what you are saying.”
“Thank you, sir. The action was then to devote the replicators to that goal and creating the servo-squadrons, instead of providing resources to your citizens.”
“But what choice did we have?”
“The intention should be to save all of humanity, not just China, by completing the Mars Project.”
“Which was Dad’s intention,” said Kat.
“Yes,” Pol admitted. “But his thought was poor. He didn’t think the people were capable of understanding the urgency of the problem, or that they could work together to achieve the goal. He thought they had to be controlled.”
Ru regarded Pol carefully. “You are quite an enigma, Pol,” he said. “A twenty-year-old man in the body of a four-year-old boy, but your wisdom eclipses even your true age.”
“I have read that difficulty strengthens the mind. Perhaps that is true. I have had a life of difficulty, with little to do but read and think.”
“I think you will accomplish great things. If you truly plan on entering the science fields, it would behoove you to seek out the scientists who were abducted from our lab. I think everyone would benefit if you began working with Dr. Ling Wu and Pik Tong. And I think General Rao would very much like to meet you as well, if he’s still alive.”
“We don’t really have much political power right now,” said Kat, “but I will certainly emphasize the need to find your scientists and work to gain their trust. It would be outstanding if we could all work together.”
“I look forward to learning from all of them,” said Pol.
***
In the cockpit, while Doc and Piper spoke quietly to each other at her station, Gill took a seat in Andy’s lap to learn about being a pilot.
“You’ll teach me, right?” he said.
“I can teach you a few things,” Andy replied. “But I can’t teach you how to be an astronaut.”
“How do I learn that?”
“You have to join the Space Corps.”
“Can I do that?”
“Well, first you’ll have to go to school and take some tests, I guess. Then once you’re in the Corps, they’ll figure out what you’d be best at and train you.”
“I’d be best at being a space pilot—especially if you teach me!”
Andy laughed. “I’ll teach you what I can.”
Gill pointed at a screen. “Is that where we’re going? Calgary?”
“Yep. We’re going to drop off President Ru, then head to Denver.”
“Is that where I go to take the tests? So I can join the Space Corps?”
“No,” said Doc, coming to stand next to Andy. “That’s where we take your mom back to the hospital and check on our injured friends.”
“Oh, okay. Can I fly?”
Piper looked over and smiled. “Go ahead and let him practice, Andy. I want to see how you are at passing on your skills to the younger generation.” She winked slyly at Doc.
***
Several hours later, after dropping Ru off with the Secret Service in Calgary, the helijet touched down at Denver University Hospital. Doc retrieved a wheelchair and loaded Kat into it.
“Boys,” he said, “climb into her lap, and I’ll cover you with blankets.”
“I don’t want to hide anymore, Uncle Doc,” said Pol. “I’m not ashamed or scared, and I don’t want anyone to be scared of me.”
“Me either,” said Gill.
Doc looked at his sister, then back at the boys. “Okay then.” He sat the blankets on Kat’s lap and began pushing her toward the ramp. “Let’s go. Skorz said he would meet us in his office.”
As they all stepped onto the landing pad, Piper grabbed Andy’s hand and hugged his arm.
“What’s up with you?” he asked.
“Just… happy,” she said.
They entered the hospital and made their way to Skorz’s office. He was sitting at his desk studying a tablet computer.
“Charlie!” Kat called out.
“Jesus fucking Christ!” He nearly dropped the tablet, then leaped to his feet to welcome his friends. “Come in, come in!” He hugged Kat and Piper, and shook hands with Doc and Andy. The boys he patted on the head.
“I’m sorry about your friend,” he said to Andy and Piper as everyone settled in. “Rosie told me what happened.”
“Thank you,” said Piper.
“Where is Rosie?” Doc asked.
“In surgery. She wouldn’t leave Jaq’s side, so Booker made her scrub in and help.”
“They’re still in surgery?”
Skorz nodded. “Bad case. His thyroid cartilage was shattered, and he has multiple facial fractures from the frontal sinus down to the mandible. Sounded like he may lose an eye.”
“Oh my god,” said Kat.
“Rosie saved his life on the flight here. Somehow she managed to get a temporary trach in. After seeing that mess when they arrived, I’m certain I couldn’t have done it.” He looked at Doc. “She’s a helluva surgeon, Billy.”
“Thanks, Charlie. So Jaq will be okay?”
“Booker is an asshole, but he does a good job. Jaq won’t be a pretty-boy anymore, but he’s young. He’ll be fine in the long run.”
“What about Bash?” Andy asked.
“Whoo, boy, that is one crazy son of a bitch,” said Skorz, shaking his head. “I haven’t heard that much Bible-beating since my second wife dragged me to church.”
“So he’s okay?”
“We stabilized him, not that there was much to do. He is one quick healing bastard! I checked on him after turning Jaq over to Booker. For losing both arms, he was surprisingly spry and talkative. He wasn’t here long though.”
“What? He’s not here?”
“No, some secretive fellas came and transferred him to Saskatoon. I think it’s a military hospital.”
Skorz’s commlink sounded, and he answered it. “Okay, thanks,” he said after a moment, then put the device in his pocket. “They’re finished. Let’s go see Jaq.”
He led them to the SICU, where they found Jaq. His entire face was bandaged, and a tube from his neck was attached to a ventilator. Rosie was holding his hand.
“How’d it go, kiddo?” Skorz asked.
Rosie sniffled and cleared her throat. “Ant
erior and posterior table of the frontal sinus, comminuted NOE, bilateral ZMCs and a palatal fracture, bilateral mandible, shattered thyroid cartilage and trachea, including the cricoid. He got twelve plates, sixty-eight screws, and his mouth is wired shut. Lost nine teeth and the left globe.”
Skorz blew air through pursed lips and grimaced.
Doc embraced his daughter. “Charlie said you saved him.”
“He lost his airway. It was impossible to intubate him, and his neck was a mess. There was no way to perform a trach. Somehow I managed to get some IV tubing into his trachea through the fractured cartilage. It bought him some time, that’s all.”
She knelt down and hugged Pol and Gill. “I’m so glad you boys are safe. Where’s Leef?”
“He stayed in China, to help the survivors,” said Pol.
Rosie looked at her father. “Survivors? So it’s true? Grandpa fired the nuclear missiles?”
Doc nodded, and Rosie began to weep. Piper went to her, and they cried together for a moment.
Then Rosie stepped back and looked around the room. “We failed. We didn’t stop anything. He blew up China, just like he wanted to, and we lost so much. Tucker, those panther soldiers, your friend Bash, Jaq. I know we won, but… it doesn’t feel like it.”
“We have lost a lot, Roswitha,” Kat admitted. “I lost the last twenty years of my life, but I don’t think we should look at this in terms of win or lose. We stopped Dad. We’re bringing China back to the table to work with us on the Mars Project. We have three new citizens who will be tremendous assets to our cause. This is not over—it’s a new beginning. The trajectory of our future has changed. No, we were not totally successful, but we didn’t fail.”
Chapter 74
Andy and Piper left early the following morning, having said their goodbyes at dinner in the hospital cafeteria the night before. Both were ready to get home but silently dreading the absence of their close friend.
“What do you think about Doc and Kat’s proposition?” Piper asked as they sped toward Lakeland.
“Still thinkin’,” Andy replied.
“You said you just wanted to sleep on it.”
“I know, but I’m not done sleeping on it.”
“It sounds… interesting, at least. Don’t you think?”
“Free house wherever we want? Monthly stipend? Clear my name? Yeah, it definitely sounds interesting, and generous. I’m just not sure I want to leave Lakeland, you know?”
“Yeah, the place has grown on me too.”
“I think I need to let the… what’s it called, unconscious part of my brain work on it a while.”
Piper laughed. “I think you mean subconscious.”
“Whatever, let’s just talk about something else for a while.”
Piper smiled. “Okay, sweetie.”
Andy eyed her suspiciously. “Is there something you want to talk about?”
Piper thought a moment. “No, I don’t think so.”
They flew in silence for a bit.
“What about Bash?” Andy said. “Should we contact him? Maybe see if we can help him? He doesn’t really have anyone else.”
“Hmm. I suppose we should, if you think we can trust him.”
“I think so. He could have Tuck’s cabin.”
They flew in silence again.
“I can’t believe Tuck’s gone,” Piper said.
“Me either.” Andy’s voice cracked.
They looked at each other, and they both started crying.
***
Chief was waiting for them at the end of the ramp as they exited the helijet in Lakeland. But when they started up the hill to the cabin, the dog didn’t move.
“C’mon, boy,” said Andy, patting his leg. “Let’s go!”
Chief looked from Andy to the helijet, then whimpered.
Andy walked back to him and rubbed his head. “Tuck’s not coming, boy. Let’s go home and I’ll get you something to eat.”
But Chief just sat and stared at the helijet. With a shrug, Andy and Piper continued to the cabin.
Andy grabbed a bottle of mead and filled two glasses. He offered one to Piper, but she declined. “No thank you.”
“After this ridiculous shitshow we just got sucked into, are you really going to make me drink alone?” Andy said, still holding both glasses.
She grabbed his arm. “I changed my mind—I do want to talk to you about something. Come with me.” She led him outside, and they sat on a bench overlooking the lake.
“What’s going on?” Andy asked.
“I wanted to wait and tell you here, so you’ll remember it.”
“Remember what?”
“How beautiful it is. The lake, the sky, all of it.”
He was confused, but he had to admit, it was beautiful here. The sun was shining off of the shimmering lake, and a slight breeze was gently rustling the leaves. The distant sounds of boats and people and birds reached his ears. “It’s great, babe. That’s why I don’t want to leave. But what do you want to tell me?”
She smiled the perfect smile, but something was different. Somehow it was even better. “I’m pregnant.”
A shock rushed through his body. What she was saying didn’t make sense—but that smile never lied. He didn’t know what to do, so he drained the glass in his right hand.
“What?” he managed to ask after wiping his mouth with his sleeve.
She giggled. “I had Doc confirm it at the hospital. I’m pregnant!”
He drained the glass in his left hand, then dropped them both and hugged her. “But I thought… You said you couldn’t…”
“Doc said it was possible to get pregnant with only one ovary, and I only lost one in the attack. He said the reason I wasn’t getting pregnant was because Braxton put some of the same things in the food he gave to the military that he put in the food to the Chinese. One of them was a type of contraceptive.”
“He put birth control in our food?”
“Yes. And I guess it takes a long time to wear off. But it did, and I’m pregnant!”
They kissed and hugged again.
After a moment, Andy pulled back. “We’re going to have to add on to the cabin. We don’t have enough room.”
“I’ve already thought about that. Doc and Kat said we could have any house we wanted, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Let’s take Doc’s cabin!”
“Doc’s cabin?”
“He’s not going to use it. He’s going to want to stay around Kat and the boys, and I’ve got a feeling Rosie is going to be with Jaq for quite some time. Plus, Bandit is in China with Leef. The cabin is just sitting there, empty. We can’t let it go to waste.”
“It’s definitely big enough.”
“It’s huge! We won’t have to leave Lakeland, and with the monthly stipend they’re giving us, we won’t have to work much either. We can keep this place for business only.”
“We’ll have our own beach,” said Andy, warming to the idea.
Piper hugged him, knowing the decision had been made. They sat on the bench, embracing happily as they looked out over the lake.
“So, what should we name him?” Piper asked after a few moments.
“Tucker.”
She laughed. “I knew you would say that. What if it’s a girl?”
“Tucker.”
“I knew you would say that, too.”
Conclusion
Days later, the new UNA president, Henri Belloq, and the director of the Space Corps, Admiral Maurice Becquerel, stood in front of a door at an undisclosed location.
“I’ve been told by my advisors that there’s a good chance he will not accept,” Belloq said.
“He really has no incentive to, sir. He’s already regarded as a hero throughout the world. His lack of aggression toward us, even in the wake of the horrendous actions against his country, have made him a symbol of peace.”
“Which is why he must accept! I want you to lay out our entire program. Hold nothing back,
and let him witness our trust in him.”
“He is under no obligation to keep our secrets, sir.”
“Secrets from whom? There are no more secrets, Bec. We must come together for this to work. No more secrets.”
The admiral nodded. “Yes, sir.”
The men opened the door and entered.
Waiting for them in the small room were President Ushi Ru and Vice President Jing Zhen.
Belloq shook hands with the two men. “First,” he said, “I want to apologize on behalf of the entire country of United North America. The travesties carried out by William Braxton the Sixth and his cohorts were reprehensible. I assure you that everyone associated with that regime will be discovered and punished. Many are already in custody.”
“Thank you, Mr. President,” said Ru.
“Please, both of you, call me Henri.”
“Thank you, Henri,” said Ru. “You may call me Ushi, and this is Jing.”
“Very well, Ushi. Now, in an effort to prove our willingness to cooperate, Admiral Becquerel here will bring you both up to date on our Space Corps progress. Maurice…”
“Thank you, sir.” Becquerel tapped on a tablet computer, and the room lights dimmed. A picture of the moon appeared on the wall behind him. “We currently have five fully functional low earth orbiting stations, each capable of supporting thirty thousand people, although they are not currently at capacity. They are simply acting as staging areas for our lunar expansion system.” Pictures of the space stations flashed on the wall.
“You have five space stations?” said Zhen.
“We have many more than five, but the majority of them are for military use. Mostly missile defense and launching platforms. They only require a minimal crew and are not helpful in their current state for the evacuation. They will be repurposed eventually.”
“And what is the lunar expansion system?” asked Ru.
“That is the initial component of our Mars Protocol,” Belloq explained. “It will give us a better environment for continued study of off-planet habitation.”
“I see.”
“The first step is a lunar space station, which will be completed soon,” added Becquerel. “We will then construct the lunar elevator and docking stations, and then the gravity research lab.”