“I’ll ride the yellow one,” Doc said. “It’s old like me.”
Jimmy nodded, and after Doc checked himself over, they were ready to leave. Doc was covered in bumps and bruises, but thankfully nothing seemed to be broken. Jimmy carefully explained how to run the stubbornly slow yellow machine. Jimmy chose the snowmobile he had wanted from the start, and soon he was breaking a trail for Doc who followed along on the Skidoo.
The ride would take them almost forty minutes as Doc managed to get stuck no fewer than four times. They were stopped half a mile from Bailey’s by two men who stood by a makeshift gate across the snow-covered road. Jimmy shut off the engine and took off his helmet. The men were dressed in blaze orange hunting gear which Jimmy thought was odd. The taller man wore a purple stocking hat and walked with his hands in his pockets.
The men, both strangers to Jimmy, approached him cautiously. They looked past Jimmy to the Skidoo as it approached. Doc was waving and now rode the snowmobile like a seasoned pro. He killed the engine, and peace once again returned to the world. Doc took off his helmet and smiled. “I can’t believe what a fool I’ve been. These things are great!”
Jimmy looked again at the men and was surprised to see that neither one carried a gun. “Where’s your rifles?” he asked. “You didn’t know who we were. We could have been anyone.”
“Exactly,” said a tall, elderly man. “All are welcome here. We’re done fighting each other, and no one carries a gun here. That’s the new rule.”
Jimmy laughed. “Yeah, right,” he said. “No guns; that’s funny.”
“No guns,” growled the younger man, without any humor in his voice. He stood with his arms folded across his chest.
Jimmy thought these men had lost their minds. “You can’t be serious. How do you expect to defend yourselves?”
“I told you, no guns!” shouted the other man, and Jimmy quickly turned to face him. He was short and thick and built like a feed bag. He looked to be in his forties; his clean-shaven face was cold and impassive, but his simple statement hung in the air as a challenge.
“You guys are nuts,” said Jimmy, saying it directly to the short man. “When did things change?”
“Two months ago,” spat back the stumpy man in a crushed-gravel voice. “You have to leave your guns with us. Do it, or you have to turn around. So get up and spread ‘em or get the hell out of here.”
“I have no problem with that,” said Doc, politely. “I’m a doctor, and I don’t believe in bloodshed.”
Doc stood and hunched over the hood of the Skidoo. The old man quickly patted him down. “He’s clean,” he said after a brief search. “You,” he said, motioning to Jimmy. “Set your weapons on the seat of your snowmobile. We don’t want any trouble.”
Jimmy looked at all three men, groaned, and slowly began to disarm. He was carrying three loaded handguns, and he felt suddenly naked as he set the last one of Jon’s prize Colts on the shiny seat of the new Polaris. “I’m going to want these back. Are you going to give me a receipt or something?”
“You can have them back when you leave,” the old man said, assuredly.
Doc and Jimmy split up once they were inside the compound. Doc was anxious to get back to the medical facilities, while Jimmy wanted to clear the air with Julie. He was surprised to find her alone inside the cabin she shared with Cindy. Julie was wearing her dark hair braided, and Jimmy tried to remember if he had ever seen it that way. He found that he liked it. A fire blazed in the stove, and the heat felt good on his skin. He shed his winter gear and seated himself on the sofa. The first minutes were awkward, but Julie seemed happy to see him and offered him a can of soda. Jimmy took that as a good sign. He had been worried that she wouldn’t see him at all.
“So,” Jimmy said, snapping the ring of the aluminum can. “How have you been? I’ve been worried about you.”
Julie looked at him for a long moment. “I didn’t think it would take you this long to come back. How are the others?”
“Pretty good,” said Jimmy. “Doc rode out here with me. I think he’s going to stay this time.”
“What happened?”
Jimmy thought about that and shrugged his shoulders. “I think Doc caught a bad case of cabin fever. You know what I mean, just like you did.”
“That’s not fair, Jimmy. I just wanted to be around other people. I wanted a chance to survive all of this. I wanted my freedom back. Doc probably feels the same way. That wall we built back at Ken’s works both ways. Can’t you see that?”
The revelation hit Jimmy hard, and he stared down at the floor, unable to meet Julie’s gaze. He had no doubt that Ken had them construct the wall with the best of intentions, and it had served them well when they had come under attack, but there was a bitter truth to what Julie was saying. The wall now served to imprison those who lived there. “I know Ken wasn’t thinking that way when we built the wall.”
“Of course he wasn’t,” Julie said, opening up the belly of her little woodstove. She took the poker from against the wall and stuck it inside the flaming stove, her face glowing in the firelight. “But you can’t deny what has happened.”
Jimmy shook his head, eager to change the subject. “Tell me about your new job,” he said. “What are you doing now that the swimming season is over?”
Julie wrestled a chunk of wood into the stove and quickly shut the door. A haze of wood smoke hung in the lamplight. Julie brushed her hands against her hips and smiled. “I am now working in human resources, thank you very much.”
“I suppose that means you work next to Mars, doesn’t it?” Jimmy said, and he immediately wished he could take back the question. It had just slipped out, and he miserably fumbled the recovery. “I know you like him, Julie. You don’t have to hide it.”
Julie’s smile disappeared, and she crossed her arms. “No,” she said. “I am not working next to or underneath Mars, if that’s what you’re trying to say.”
“I didn’t mean that.”
“Like hell you didn’t! I know you, Jimmy Logan. You can be a jealous bastard, and I hate that about you. You know what? I do like Mars. He’s a good man. Look at everything he’s trying to do here. Why can’t you see that? I’ll tell you why—it’s because your damn jealousy gets in the way. You’ve got to let it go. Besides, I’m not his type. He has his choice of any of the college girls. He also knows that I’m in love with you, and believe it or not, he respects that.”
“I like your hair that way.”
“Don’t change the subject!”
“I’m sorry. That guy just got under my skin. I didn’t mean to accuse you of anything. I love you, too. Things are just so crazy, and with you being out here alone for so long, what was I supposed to think? I saw the way he was looking at you, Julie. Fine, you want me to give him another chance, I promise that I will. Maybe we just got started out on the wrong foot.”
Julie’s face softened, and she let her arms fall to her sides. She walked over to Jimmy and cupped his face in her hands. “Thank you,” she whispered, kissing him softly on the mouth. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“I’ve missed you, too,” Jimmy said, taking Julie by the hips and pulling her close. He fell flat to his back on the sofa, and Julie moved with him, their mouths never losing contact with each other. Jimmy could feel his heart pounding against Julie’s chest as she passionately pressed against him.
The door behind them suddenly opened and quickly slammed shut. Julie leapt to her feet, tossing her long hair back over her shoulder.
“I heard Jimmy was back,” Bill said, standing on the rug by the door in snow-covered boots. He had grown a pair of fat sideburns which made him look like a poor Elvis impersonator.
“Have you ever heard of knocking?” Julie asked, angrily. “You have no right to just walk in my home!”
“My daughter lives here. I don’t have to knock.”
Jimmy groaned. They were picking up right where they had left off. He sat up and gave Bill a half-hearted wave.
“There you are, man,” Bill said, his face lighting up like a hundred watt bulb. “Hey, I want you to know that I don’t blame you for what happened to my car. That’s all water under the river, okay?”
Jimmy had wondered about how Bill would accept his return. The last time he had seen Bill, he had been furious with him, and as much as he hated to admit it, he had felt terrible about what had happened. He smiled and nodded his head.
“That’s water under the bridge, you idiot,” Julie grumbled.
“Why don’t you go jump off a bridge,” Bill shot back. “Why do you always have to be so mean?”
“Maybe if you had knocked, I wouldn’t be so mean. What do you want? Don’t you have something to fix?”
“I do have something to fix; that’s why I’m here.”
“There’s nothing wrong here,” snapped Julie. “Can Jimmy and I have some time alone? That doesn’t seem like too much to ask.”
“Jimmy needs a job, and unless he wants to go back to the kitchen. I came to tell him that I got him a gig in the shop,” Bill said, turning to Jimmy. “Big Al is excited to meet you, man.”
“That’s great,” Jimmy said, honestly. The thought of going back to the kitchen was eating at him. “Thanks a lot, Bill.”
“Don’t mention it, brother. I’m just so glad to have you back. You’re going to like it in the shop. This is going to be just like old times, man.”
“This is just like old times, and you picked up right where you left off,” Julie said, scornfully. “Is that all, Bill? Jimmy and I have a lot to talk about.”
Bill frowned and gave Julie a cold stare. “Why do you hate me so much?” he asked. “What did I ever do to you?”
“I don’t hate you, Bill,” Julie said. She softened her tone and held her hands out in exasperation. “I haven’t seen Jimmy in a long time and I’ve missed him. I’m a woman and he’s a man. Get the picture?”
A smile slowly crept across Bill’s face, and he nodded his head. “Were you guys getting ready to do something?”
“No,” Julie said, shaking her head. “Get your mind out of the gutter, Bill. I said that I wanted to spend some time alone with him. That’s it. A lot has changed around here, and I wanted Jimmy to hear it from me, first.”
“She’s right, man,” Bill said, turning to face Jimmy. “We’ve got our own Council called the Equals. We’re ruled by the planets, brother.”
“Ruled by the planets?” Jimmy asked. “What the hell is going on around here?”
“Don’t look at me,” spat Julie. “He knows everything; go ahead and ask him.”
Jimmy was disappointed by Julie’s open hostility towards Bill. While Jimmy knew that she had never cared for the man, she’d always treated him with courtesy. “Who are the Equals?”
“We’re all Equals, man,” Bill said. “That’s the first thing you’ve got to know, man. Isn’t that right, Julie?”
“Yes,” hissed Julie. “That’s how it’s supposed to work around here.”
“Whatever,” replied Bill. “So there is a group of these cats who makes sure everyone is treated as an equal. It’s pretty cool, man.”
Julie took three steps and stood toe to toe with Bill. “Will you stop it? They aren’t cats, they’re people,” she said, hooking a thumb back towards Jimmy. “And his name is Jimmy Logan, not dude or man. And another thing, those sideburns make you look like a mangy lion. Now, will you leave us alone?”
Bill’s jaw dropped open, but just for a second. “Rrrr!” he growled, clawing at the air with both hands.
“That’s enough, Bill,” Jimmy said.
“I can take a hint,” Bill said. “I’m out of here, man. I’ll catch you later.”
Jimmy watched as Bill turned on his heels and swaggered to the door. He looked back at Jimmy, held both hands to his cheeks, pointed to his mutton-chops and back to Julie. “Oh yeah, I’m a lion,” Bill said, drawing the words out with satisfaction. He smiled and walked out into the afternoon sunshine, closing the door behind him.
“I can’t even look at him,” said Julie. “Please tell me that he’s not peeking in the windows.”
“He’s gone,” answered Jimmy, more confused than ever. “What the hell has gotten into him?”
Julie walked to the door and twisted the lock, shaking her head. “Big Al has gotten into him. Please tell me that you aren’t going to work for that Neanderthal. He’s gross, Jimmy. Look what he’s done to Bill. Do you want to look like him?”
Now it was Jimmy’s turn to shake his head. “Look,” he said, grabbing Julie by the shoulders and directing her to the sofa. “Sit down with me and explain what the hell is going on around here.”
Julie took a deep breath and nodded. “A lot has changed here. Most of it is for the good. Don’t get me wrong. I love it here. I want you to love it, too. I just get so angry with people like Bill and Big Al. They’re going to ruin it for everyone.”
“Going to ruin what?”
“They’re going to ruin Utopia.”
The urge to laugh was almost too great, but Jimmy managed to contain it. The serious tone in Julie’s voice warned him that laughing would be a bad idea. They sat down, and he took her by the hands. “Start from the beginning,” he said. “I want to know everything.”
The conversation lasted nearly an hour, with Julie spelling out the rules of communal living inside the compound. The Equals, as Jimmy understood them, were like the town council back home in Crown. There were three council members, or Equals, as they preferred to be called here. Julie explained how they were selected and what each of the three brought to the group. She also went on to tell Jimmy why they had chosen to adopt new names for themselves.
“Pluto is the unofficial leader, but you’d never hear him say that. He wrote our charter and is pretty much responsible for everything here. You’ll really like him; everyone does. I can’t wait for you to meet him.”
“You have to be kidding me,” Jimmy said. “Another planet? That’s just crazy. I suppose Mars is one of these Equals, isn’t he?”
“Of course he is. He’s not the man you think he is. I want you to forget about everything that has happened and get a fresh start. Can you do that for me?”
Jimmy groaned, but he nodded his head. He would try to forget; he just doubted if he could forget the way that Mars had been looking at Julie in the mess hall.
“Good, thank you for that. Pluto is pretty old. I think he’s got to be close to seventy. I guess he was some kind of political activist during the Viet Nam War. He’s behind all of the slang, and he encourages us to use it. I don’t, but a lot of the others do. Anyhow, he made a lot of money writing books on the environment. He made enough to buy this place and outfit it to support us for years if necessary. He’s pretty damn smart.”
“Ken did the same thing,” Jimmy said, defensively. “He’s pretty damn smart, too.”
“Did I say he wasn’t?”
Jimmy shook his head.
“Pluto hired Mars to set everything up. He was in the Army or something. Mars spent two years getting things ready up here in case the economy crashed. They both knew the crash was coming and that it was just a matter of time. They operated the resort right up until the end.”
Jimmy nodded, thinking how strange it was that an old war protester and an ex-soldier would be working side by side. “You said there were three of them,” he said. “Don’t tell me—is his name is Uranus?”
“That’s not funny.”
“Trust me, I’m not laughing,” Jimmy said, wondering how Julie couldn’t find humor in his little joke.
“She goes by Venus, Jimmy. She’s a little on the tough side, so be careful what you say when you’re around her. She’s got a lot on her mind. I work for her, so please don’t embarrass me. She enforces the codes, and it’s her way or the highway, trust me.”
Jimmy took a deep breath. He’d heard enough. “Let me get this straight,” he said, letting go of Julie’s hand. He stood up and walked to the sto
ve. “The three Equals are in charge and they changed their names to planets. I’m supposed to take these people seriously?”
“Okay, I understand that this all must sound strange. You’ve just got to trust me. Give it a few days. You’re going to love it here. I love it here, and I’m not going anywhere.”
“What happens when the National Guard changes their mind about this place? Have you thought of that? You saw what happened in Ely. I’ve got to tell you, I’d feel a whole lot better about this if we were armed. I don’t know Pluto, and I sure as hell don’t trust the Guard. Does your council have public meetings?”
Desperate Times 2 Gun Control Page 13