by G. S. Fields
Up ahead, at the farthest point from the city, stood the main communications tower. The stainless steel sheathing reflected the gray and white clouds. Up on the roof, I spotted a tall, omnidirectional antenna. It appeared to cut a gash in the clouds that floated by. I picked up my pace.
I entered the stairwell and began my climb up to the observation deck on the fifth floor. A young couple came down the stairs and squeezed past me on their way down. They avoided eye contact, but started to giggle as soon as they were flight below me. The observation deck was Male’s version of Lover’s Lane.
As I entered the observation deck, the musty smell of damp concrete mixed with the fresh scent of sex filled my nostrils. A flattened cardboard box was carefully laid out on the floor near the far wall. I noticed a few damp spots on the cardboard. I smiled.
I walked to the far side of the room and climbed the rusted ladder. Up on the next floor was the main data center for the IICN. I punched in the combination and heard a click. I turned the handle and lifted the hatch, After I climbed up, I closed the hatch behind me.
Evenly spaced along the data center walls were a dozen directional VHF antennas, positioned in front of the ventilation openings. A cable from each antenna snaked its way to the servers in the center of the room. My eye followed two thick wires from the servers up to the ceiling, where they disappeared through a small hole. The wires were connected to the two omni-directional antennas up on the roof.
Those antennas were used for voice and video communications. The ones down here were the backbone for the IICN message service. The six, bulky servers blinked silently as if to say welcome back.
I dropped my backpack on the floor and walked over to the servers. As I checked the display lights, I noticed something new, a white cable that snaked its way over to the corner and up through a hole in the ceiling. I walked over to another metal ladder on the fall wall. This one was in even worse shape than the one that led up this room. I climbed up and onto the roof. There were no railings up here. My knees felt wobbly the moment stood up.
It only took me a second to spot the white wire. It led to a small parabolic satellite dish in the center of the roof. I walked over to it and knelt down. I’d only seen this type of dish in text books back in college. This was a technology from the turn of the twenty first century. I remembered a professor once describing how these dishes were once used to communicate to satellites back in the late Twentieth and early Twenty First Centuries.
I knelt next to the dish and examined it like an archeologist would examine a sarcophagus. It was smooth and elegant in its simplicity. On the base, I spotted two green lights that blinked on and off. It was operational.
I felt the dish rotate slightly and I pulled my hands away. It was tracking something. Jin must have configured it to follow the satellite signal. Damn, he was good.
I felt tiny drops of water on my face. I thought that it was raining, but as I looked closer I noticed that the rain was falling much slower than usual. I held out my hand and watched in disbelief as tiny snowflakes landed in my palm. They melted as soon as they touched the skin, but it was definitely snow. Not the thick heavy stuff I remembered from our family ski trips to the Sierras, but a wet snow mixed with the drizzle.
I watched it for a few minutes and wondered what the crazy bastards who were partying in the streets thought about this. They probably thought it was a sign from whatever god they worshipped.
I looked at my hand again, but there weren't any more snowflakes. It was just sprinkling now.
I headed down the ladder into the data center and closed the hatch behind me. The patter of rain on the metal roof filled the room. I peeked through one of the many long, vertical ventilation slots along the wall and watched the rain fall for a little while. I didn’t see any more snow. Maybe I had imagined it.
It didn’t matter. The rain was coming down harder now. I could tell that it would last for another couple of hours. So I settled onto the floor, pulled out my blankets, and opened the data mat. It was time to get back to work.
***
“Aron? Aron, are you up there?”
Someone pounded on the hatch. It pulled me from my erotic dream about Shannon.
“Aron, come on! I know you’re up there!”
It took me a second to realize that the voice I heard was the same one from the dream.
“Yeah, just a second.” I crawled to the hatch and opened it. “How the hell did you find me up here?”
Shannon popped her head through the opening and climbed up without waiting for an invitation. “Where else would an antisocial techno-geek like you go during the only decent party this island ever throws?” She dusted herself off and looked around. “I like what you’ve done with the place. Very...postmodern shitty.”
“If I knew you were coming I would have cleaned up,” I said, smiling.
“I’d offer you a seat, but as you can see...”
“I wouldn’t have taken you for minimalist. I figured you more the late twentieth century romantic type.” She plopped down on the blankets that I had slept on. Then she patted the ground next to her. “Come on. Have a seat. I promise...I won’t bite.”
I sat down next to her and said, “That’s not what I hear.”
“Lies and rumors spread by my enemies.” She spotted my backpack, reached over, and grabbed it without asking. She found my bottle of moonshine on the first try.
“What’s this?” She said as she unscrewed the cap. She sniffed it before taking a swig. “Mmm. Just what I needed.” Raising one eyebrow, she said, “Weren’t you the one who criticized me for smuggling booze onto the island?”
I grabbed the bottle from her, took a drink, and then said, “I have a prescription for this stuff. It’s for my blood pressure. Besides, it’s keeping me warm.”
“I know, can you believe it? Snow…in the Maldives. Everyone is talking about it. Some think it’s a sign from a God, a new covenant that things will get better.”
I knew it. Shaking my head, I asked, “And what do the others think?”
“You know…another sign that the end is near. I don’t know, I just hope that this isn’t a new trend. I hate the cold. That’s one of the reasons I left Ireland.”
“Well don’t worry,” I said. “A few more sips of this and you won’t feel the cold anymore.”
“I can think of better ways to stay warm,” she said with a wink. “But it’s a good thing that you brought it along,” she said. “You’re going to need it after I tell you the news.”
“What news?”
She shook her head and motioned towards the bottle. “First you drink and then we’ll talk.”
I took a sip and savored the warmth that it spread down through my chest. I handed the bottle back to Shannon who gulped it like it was water. She wiped her mouth and said, “You drink like a girl.”
“Just give me the bottle and tell me what you know,” I said.
I drank while she spoke. “This morning, before the celebration kicked off, I saw Ahmed in the square. He called me over and told me that Michio had resigned.”
I coughed. Booze filled my sinuses. I squeezed them shut, but managed to ask. “Resigned?”
“I know,” she said. “I couldn’t believe it either. I made him show me the letter of resignation. It was definitely from Michio.”
I blinked a few times and could finally see again. “Goddammit! It was Viyaja.”
“Viyaja?”
“Yeah. He came to my room yesterday and tried to scare me.”
“He threatened you?”
I polished off the last of the bottle and said, “Yup. For a little guy, he has some big balls. He said they were going to take action if I didn’t do what they wanted. I’ll bet he threatened Michio too.” I put the bottle down and looked over at her. “Did they threaten you?”
She shook her head and smiled. “No. Viyaja knows better. I’d kick his ass if he threatened me. And Ahmed...well, you know him. He’s too smart to get his hands dirty
.” Then she frowned. “Whatever they told Michio must have scared the shit of the poor guy. I sent him a dozen messages, but he hasn’t replied to any of them. I don’t know, Aron…” She looked away.
“You don’t know what?”
“I think we should quit while we’re ahead. You said it yourself…what’s the point?”
“Hold on,” I said as I got to my feet. “You’re the one who talked me into joining that goddammed Council and now you want me to just give up?”
“I never said we have to give up,” she looked up at me. “I’m just saying that they’ve finally given in a little. Did you see the latest list?”
I shook my head. I’d been completely obsessed with trying to figure out Jin’s decryption plan. I never even glanced at the list.
She stood up and took my hands in hers. “Ahmed dropped over a hundred candidates from the list. My group of islands picked up sixty two seats and you gained over twenty.”
“Really?”
“Really,” she said. “And I have every reason to believe that we’ll get more than that before the next vote.”
“But why would they suddenly give in?”
Smiling, she said, “I may have suggested to Ahmed that some people might view Michio’s resignation as suspicious. And I may have told him that if we don’t get our fair share of people on the list then I might raise the suspicion myself…at the party tonight.”
“You threatened Ahmed?”
“I wouldn’t call it a threat. It was more of a promise.”
“But you said that you hadn’t heard from Michio. How do you know they actually threatened him?”
“I don’t know.” She laughed. “But Ahmed doesn’t know that.”
“Then let’s really stick it to them. Let’s–”
“Take it easy, Aron. One thing I learned back on the streets of Dublin is that you should never back your opponent into a corner. We got almost everything we asked for. Who cares if they still have a few people on the list who aren’t qualified? As far as I’m concerned we won.”
She leaned in and kissed me. The sweet scent of coconut and jasmine filled my nose and I felt the sting moonshine on her lips.
She pulled away.
“Wow,” she said. “You really haven’t been with anyone in twelve years, have you?”
“Where’d you hear that?”
“Rick may have mentioned it.”
I smiled. “That bastard promised to keep that a secret.”
“Don’t blame him. Rick and I tied one on after the first Council meeting. The moonshine made him chatty.”
I wasn’t sure if it was the kiss or the thought that we got more people on the list, but suddenly I felt like a giant weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Shannon was right.
Why the hell should we fight to the death? So what if Ahmed had a few unqualified people on it?
Shannon stroked my arm, stopping when she came to the scar on my wrist. Without looking at it, she traced the outline with her thumb and kissed my neck.
“Is William on the list?” I asked.
She nodded.
“Okay.” I said. “I give up…I mean…I agree. Tomorrow we throw in the towel.”
She grabbed the bottom of her shirt, and pulled it up over her head. “And tonight?”
I smiled, “And tonight I throw in the towel.”
***
I breathed in her aroma and was ready to go again. But I didn’t move. I wanted to lay there next to her for a little while longer, soaking up the warmth of her naked body. Her head rested on my chest and I listened to her shallow breaths, grinning at the occasional soft snorts.
Why the hell did I wait so long to get back on the horse?
With my free hand, I stroked her short, soft hair. I let it wander down past her neckline and trace the wonderful contour of her back. I was about to explore further when a series of high-pitched beeps made us both sit up.
“What the hell is that?” she asked.
“It’s my data mat. It beeps like that when I receive an urgent message. Probably just another communications server going down.” I smiled. “Good thing we’re here. It’ll be a short commute.”
I stood up and looked down at her. The blue evening light streaming through the ventilation slots and lit up her body in a silky light. She rolled over and reached for her clothes.
The beeping was driving me nuts. I reached down, grabbed the data mat, and acknowledged the alert. I read the message twice before throwing the data mat across the room.
“What’s wrong?” Shannon asked. “I thought you said it was a bad server?”
“She’s dead.”
“Who’s dead?”
“Sarah. Rick’s wife.”
She came over to me. “I’m so sorry, Aron.”
She tried to hug me, but I stepped away and began to gather my stuff. We both finished dressing in silence.
When I was done, I lifted the hatch and said, “I’ve gotta go. I’ll send Ahmed a message to let him know that I may not make the meeting.”
“Don’t worry about the Council. It’ll take a couple days to find a replacement for Michio anyway. Go take care of William.”
I climbed down through the hatch without another word.
Chapter 10
Helen was waiting for me on the dock when I arrived. Her usual bright, cheerful face was a red, blotchy mess. Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks when I stepped off the boat.
“Aron, thank God you’re back. Sarah went so quickly that there just wasn’t time to call you.” She wrapped her arms around me and squeezed tightly.
I hugged her back and looked up at the sky. After clearing the lump from my throat, I asked, “Where’s William?”
She released me and took a step back. “Up in his tree. You know the one. He won’t come down and he won’t talk to anyone... Not even me.” She started to cry again.
I nodded and said, “When’s the funeral?”
Sniffling back the sobs, she said, “Sundown. Some of the men are building the pyre now.” More tears fell and then she said, “What are we going to do about William?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll talk to him.” I paused and finally said, “Sarah asked me to—”
“I know,” she said. “She told me.”
I could tell that she wanted to say something else. Maybe she wanted to ask how the hell I was going to take care of him. Thankfully, she didn’t ask, because I didn’t have an answer.
I headed down the path, walking past thatched huts and ignoring the sympathetic stares of everyone I passed. In a clearing near the beach, some kids kicked a soccer ball back and forth seemingly oblivious to the drama unfolding.
As I approached Sarah’s hut, I saw Mohamed standing at the base of the tall palm tree in front of the deck. He was looking up at the foliage.
“William, it’s time to come down,” Mohamed said. “Be a good boy. We need to talk about the ceremony.”
I looked up and saw William’s skinny legs poking down through the palm fronds. His dirty feet clenched the trunk like a vise. The rest of him was hidden somewhere up above. I switched my attention to Mohamed.
Shaking his head, Mohamed looked at me with sorrow-filled eyes. “Aron, I am so very glad that you are here.”
That made one of us, I thought.
I nodded.
The palm fronds rustled and I looked up again. His legs were gone. In their place I found William’s dirt-encrusted, angelic face peering down at me. Even from way down here, I could make out the trails of tears on his cheeks. His eyes were red, but he wasn’t crying. He just stared at me. I held his gaze as I spoke to Mohamed.
“Why don’t you give me and the kid a little time alone so we can talk, okay?”
“But of course, my friend,” Mohamed said. “I will be in the infirmary if you need me.” He hurried off.
On the boat ride out here I had tried to think of what I would say when I saw him. But what do you say to a ten-year-old kid who lost his mother so soon afte
r his father was brutally slain?
I recounted all of the stupid platitudes that everyone had said to me after the storm. Things like, they’re in a better place now and you’re still young enough to start again. Their words didn’t help. They stung like ocean water on a fresh cut. But the one comment that really pissed me off came from a guy who said that their death was all part of God’s plan. I felt like strangling that son of a bitch.
No…I couldn’t say anything like that to William, especially not with that look in his eyes. I knew that look. It was the same look that I had seen in my own reflection the morning that I had slit my wrists.
Rick had pulled me back from the brink that day and now I guess it was my turn to do the same for his kid. I just wished that I had something deeply profound or at least comforting to say to him, but I didn’t. So I said, “I’m going fishing. Want to go?”
William studied my face for a few seconds and then said, “I thought that fishing was too dangerous? You said that I would get hurt on the reefs”
“Yeah, well...who gives a shit what I said? Do you want to fish or not?”
He studied me for another few seconds and then shimmied down the tree. He came up beside me and we walked in silence to the beach. We didn’t speak at all. We had paddled a hundred yards off shore. William sat in the front seat of my kayak and I sat in the rear. I figured he would talk when he was ready, and an hour later he was ready.
“Won’t they be mad?” he asked.
I set my paddle across my lap, grabbed my fishing pole, and baited the hook. “Probably. Helen’s definitely going to be mad, but she’ll only be mad at me.”
Silence.
“Why?” I asked. “Do you want to go back?”
Shaking his head, he said, “No.”
I handed him the pole and said, “Here. You can use my lucky rod. Just hang on to it, okay? If it goes overboard then you go overboard. Understand?”
He twisted around, took it from me, and nodded. I watched him play the reel and get used to the feel of the pole. He lifted it above his head and cast out the line. It was a good cast. Rick must have taught him how to do that. I readied the other fishing pole and cast out on the opposite side of the kayak.