by Richard Lord
“That was harsh. My point was that I worry and I can’t just click away at a moment’s notice and leave Joy here.” Adam tries to explain his position in hopes to ease the tension.
“You should have considered that before you came up with the idea of building a house on a failed iron mine.” Tomorrow ignores his attempt to make peace.
“You liked the idea. Plus, you own this property forever. And it was a failed iron mine. It was a successful gold mine and I am pretty sure you’re going to thank me for that in a few years.” Adam defends his decision.
“It’s a junk metal. I understand in your time it was valuable, but it’s not anymore. Stop being so old.” Tomorrow looks at him with anger in her eyes.
“Harsher still. You didn’t do it because of the mine. You did it because from here you could keep an eye on the roads.” Adam knows her reasons and knows she knows he knows.
Tomorrow stops all movement and draw in a deep breath. “You remember that thought! You listened in!”
“Yes. Just like I remembered you thinking about the reason you named Shang-tu and Pompeii. You know I love you. I know you love me. Joy knows we both love her. Right now she loves us because she can feel that we love her because we feed her and we deal with the after effects. I already know you are going to go, no matter what I say. Maybe, it would be good if you found something wrong. You’re looking for a fight and I’d prefer it not be with me.” Adam took a deep breath. “Don’t let this effect your judgment. I am proud of you. You’re their hero.” He points out the huge window that spans both levels of the house, overlooking the city. “You’re becoming known as two people. Wearing the mask was a smart decision. If you’re going to be a hero to them as Tomorrow and as, mystery girl, then don’t forget that they still take pride in you being a citizen of the city we’re out here looking in on. You are Tomorrow.” Adam looks at her with the pride he has always felt for her.
“Adam.” She reaches out and takes Joy and pulls her to herself. She sniffs as tears begin to trickle down her face.
Adam turns and head and looks out of the window. He can hear some of her thoughts, but he can tell she’s trying to block them.
“I do love you. What you don’t see is that the person in the mask is me and the person who they call Tomorrow is me too. I did agree to buy this place and it has been wonderful. It’s like when we were in the desert, or the jungle or wherever and it was just the two of us. But as soon as I signed on that line, people began talking about me. Now it’s here and we live in it and they talk about me. When the new city was founded, the people who founded it knew I had named Shang-tu so they asked me for the honor of naming their new city. How is it an honor for some girl who spent her time robbing travelers to name your city? Your dream? It doesn’t’ make sense. Worse is I did this all to spread Phillip’s dream, but I keep getting credited. Even though it was Tina and Venetia who did the hard work.” For a moment Tomorrow feels a tinge of a memory, but she doesn’t know what it is about or where it is coming from.
Adam looks at her. “They’re called echoes.” He comments. “And Venetia and Tina didn’t have to suddenly live in the desert with me for a month and somehow survive! They didn’t wake up to any given type of snake sleeping under them in the jungle. They didn’t teach themselves to read. They didn’t tame two brats who can click around. You did that. You are Tomorrow!” Adam tries hard to make the point that there is a reason she is highly revered, to her.
She pulls her sword off of her back. She throws it on the table with a thud. She unbuckles the heavy belt around her waist and tosses that on the table with an even heavier thud. She takes the tailored pack designed by her and the kids, when they were kids, off and sets it on the floor. She stares hard at Adam. “How about the three of us go sit in front of that window this evening. We can sit and talk and I can watch the roads. Although, what would make it better is takeout.”
“Ooooh, you drive a tough bargain lady, but that means I have to play delivery man, so how about I bring back a movie and you sit in the chair next to the window, as you prefer, but you have a distraction.” Adam grins at Tomorrow.
“Not fair! I don’t know what a movie is, so how do I know what I’m agreeing to?” Tomorrow grows a look of curiosity.
Adam laughs, “Well, I’ll show you but the screen will be kind of small and I’m not sure I can get something with a long enough battery life to see the ending. However, soon we’ll have electricity! And you will get off my butt about the gold, because then it will make sense.”
She looks up at the rafters. She again notes how thick he specified the girders to be. “I kind of get the concept, but not really. How close to done are you up there?” Then she narrows her eyes as she picks up Joy, noting that Adam clicked at the end of her last sentence. She looks at Joy and says, “Your father is a pain in the butt! But we love him don’t we? Do we? Do you? Do I? I guess there would be no Joy without him so of course you do. I love you so, or course I love him too. Have we settled this matter?” She thinks to herself for a moment and then says out-loud to Joy, “Hearing no objections this court is adjourned.” She raises Joy and makes whooshing sounds as she sails her around the room. She looks at Joy smiling and giggling and says, “Want to know a secret? Your Dad likes the sea but it’s hard to get him to go to it very often. I suspect it’s another thing he keeps ‘simple’, but one day Mommy is going to claw it out of him!” Tomorrow holds Joy against her for comfort after the long sailing adventure in the loft area. She turns hearing Adam’s mind in the room.
“Right this way, madams.” Adam holds out both arms pointing to the staircase.
As she descends, with Joy in her arms, she looks to the dining table. She notices only several large, but shallow cardboard boxes. Her curiosity peaked. She takes the last step off of the staircase and turns back to Adam. “I had been expecting what you call, ‘Asian Cuisine’.”
Adam clicked behind the boxes and open them as she walked towards them with Joy still in her arms. “This is pizza. Best for movie watching. I acquired several styles, please take a bite of each as the night progresses. And be sure to use your hands, not a knife and fork.” Adam grabs several paper towels and hands half of them to her. “No, we will not be having plates either. Tonight, this is a man cave, Tomorrow. Deal with it!” He pulls a slice of plain cheese and put it on some paper towels and lays it gently in front of Tomorrow.
Tomorrow looks at Joy and realizes she has gone to sleep, which she finds ironic given that Adam is not being, in the least bit, quiet. Adam reaches for Joy and puts her in the bassinet. Then clicks back to the counter to show Tomorrow how to eat pizza. Taking a bite, he gestures with is fingers for her to try her slice in the same manner.
“Okay, I’m sold. Why haven’t you brought this before?” Tomorrow asks and moves in for a second bite but Adam puts his hand between her mouth and the slice.
“Wait. Try this now, it’s called white pizza.” Adam grabs a slice and hands it to her and then takes a bite of his own.
“Wow! Adam! Why haven’t you shown me this before?” Tomorrow asks.
“I like that with cow on top, hence what is in this box over here. Next up is Greek pizza and then Hawaiian Pizza. I don’t know if they really come from those regions. I don’t like ham, so the Hawaiian, you do on your own.” Smiling at her he then announces, “Now for the big thing.” Adam pulls her to the couch and seats her. Then he reaches into his pocket and produces a cell phone. He touches it with is fingertips and then holds it in front of her. “This is a movie.” Adam clicks to the box she seemed to like the most and sets it down next to her on the couch. As her eyes grow big and she chews, he walks behind her to watch the beginning with her. Then he notes that she is thoroughly engaged. He clicks again.
Utilizing the element of surprise, he punches the man hard in the face, then clicks behind him and pulls up hard on the man’s throat with his forearm. “You can disagree with me, but if you don’t tell them to stand down, I’ll pull your neck unt
il your eyes bulge. It’s up to you. Do we have an understanding?” He can feel the man try to speak, but knowing the man can’t because of how tightly he is holding his neck, he listens to his mind to confirm what he already supposed would be an affirmative. The man waves off the rest of the group with his hand, arching widely to let them know to stop their advance. “Good boy. Now I’m going to say this once, but I am also going to provide a demo so you are sure not to forget my words. Amassing a group this large, without drawing attention to your plan is impressive.” Adam kicks the man’s calve in a downward motion. He is sure ripped the muscle from the bone. He does not let go of the man’s neck despite the man struggling. He pulls him back up and whispers in his ear again. “See here’s the thing. I know someone who would be even more pissed off about you interrupting trade between the two cities than I am. You’re lucky day, because I’m here instead.” With his left hand he reaches to the man’s face and pushes down on the man’s eyelid while wedging a toothpick sized splinter of wood through the man’s lower left eyelid, once through to his upper lid. Then, with the same hand he spreads the lids. The man writhes with fear and agony. But Renfield holds him firmly by the neck. Then his left hand produces a stretch of leather and he whispers, “I can do the other eye or you can put your hands behind your back, at the waist.” Adam watches as the man’s hands appear. With is left hand he quickly bands them together. Then he kicks down hard on the other calve, but not hard enough to separate muscle from bone, just hard enough so that the man falls to his knees. Then he whispers down, “Twenty-two, hell of a band of thieves. Now watch.”
Adam let’s go of the man’s neck and proceeds to click amongst the observers taking them out fast and moving on to the next. Adam can hear the chaos in the leader’s mind. Adam is distinctly aware of the leader’s heartbeat increasing in speed as his body is flooded with adrenaline. He turns to the leader and grins. Then Adam stands behind his original quarry, raises the blade in his hand and cuts the leather banding from the leader’s hands.
The leader, with no one left to lead asks, “Are you a demon?”
“No, you are. You work against her dream. Now both cities are open. Like I said, your lucky day. If she had found you, I doubt you would have the opportunity to limp back to Shang-tu.”
Adam clicks and appears behind Tomorrow. He leans in to see where she is in the movie.
“So where did you go, Adam?” Tomorrow asks without looking up. She chews on the slice of cheesy madness in her hands.
Adam clicks to the pizzas and grabs two slices, one the Greek and one the white with beef. Sandwiching them together he takes a bite noting they are still warm. Then he clicks to the other side of the box Tomorrow is eating from. He leans back on the armrest of the couch to enjoy.
“This is pretty interesting. It’s like a book, but you can see what’s happening. You’re missing it.” Tomorrow comments.
Adam leans forward and notices she has figured out that touching the screen makes it stop until she touches it again.
Tomorrow comments again, “You’ve read this one before. You went after my target of the evening. I assume it went well considering you don’t even have a simple cut or bruise. Why did you go?”
“You’re smart, Tomorrow, but I am a better negotiator. That group’s concept will catch on, as you figured out it would. I wanted to make a point to those who consider the concept for themselves. There are pros and cons to that. For one, it makes it more likely word of the idea will spread. But fear of the person who came up with the idea limping around with an eye that cannot un-see is a vantage point. You might have thought of it, but I noticed you have a tendency to choose the one you find least guilty to let go.” Adam explained.
“So you’ve watched me, even before Joy was born. How many times before I noticed you standing on the horizon?” Tomorrow asks.
“A few. I am not asking you give up what you do. The more the two cities grow the more complex the problems will become. Eventually there will be a third city, ad infinitum. I understand why you udo what you do and I don’t want to take that from you, but like I said years ago, I’m a hell of an asset in your corner.”
“You’re thinking you’re the longest living man ever. You don’t know that, for sure, Adam.” Tomorrow commented while noting that the screen on the thing he had given her to watch the book had gone dark.
Adam said, “That’s probably the sleep timer. Touch it, if it wakes up it still has power. If not, ‘To Be Continued’.” He gets up and grabs a few more slices and cradles them in paper towels then he heads to the staircase to make his venture to the bedroom they share. Adam looks over at Tomorrow realizing she is angry with him still, if not more so. “I met someone older. I created him, from myself. He’s dead. I’m not, yet. You have a lot to give the world. A lot. I don’t want you dead. I do love you.” He begins ascending the stairs.
“What makes you decide when to click places and when not to?” Tomorrow asks as Adam is a few stairs up in his ascent.
“Instinct. You don’t click everywhere when no one else is around. Had I clicked just then, I wouldn’t have heard that question. I’ve thought about it myself. I think it’s an instinctual thing, which hints that we all know more than we know we know.” Adam replies. Adam pauses on the stair and then looks up to continue and suddenly Tomorrow is there facing him.
“I love you too, Adam. And my instinct says that you should carry me.” She looks at him and then turns from him.
Looking up at her derriere he thinks to himself, “Strange woman, but I love her.” He grabs her underneath her knees and holds out a hand to catch her neck in his hand and continues his ascent carrying her the rest of the way to their bedroom. Then he clicked back to pick up the bassinet with Joy in it and returns. Tomorrow smiles at him as he grins at her.
CHAPTER 32
“You don’t know until you have more than one source of confirmation.” -- from the Book of Joy
“So we’re agreed that you won’t share that weave with anyone for a decade. Then you can get even richer than I am about to make you. I just thought I should mention that if you cross me, I will see your number. Right now I’m thinking it’s fifty-four. That’s not the way any man should suffer before he dies, is it?”
“I told you. If you pay that much, I can make this. I will only make it for you. What is the fifty-four?” The textile producer looked shaken.
“How about you don’t find out and get rich now and then even richer in ten years?” Renfield said.
“That is a fair deal. When will you need this?” Abudaman asked.
“Well we agreed to thirty-nine yards at fifty-four inches. Since that is the most common run, I want sample by tomorrow morning to see if your people can do this.” Renfield points at the complex pattern he has drawn up. “You remember use cotton so it takes to dye and remains flexible.”
“Yes, I remember. You said that two minutes ago. I don’t understand, but for that amount of money I will di what you ask. I will need some of it up front to cover the cost of retooling the looms. This”, he points at the drawing that Renfield was holding, “is not easy to do. It will take several of the looms out of production.”
“Invest in your business. Then you will learn to trust me and I will learn to trust you. Perhaps, we break bread one day.” Renfield replied. Then he slid a stack of bills to the man. “That should cover about half of the cost. So we will be in this venture together, if you want to pick up that stack, meaning in ten years, if you keep your word, I or my heirs get half of the profits.”
Abudaman stares at the stack and considers the terms of picking it up. He notes how confident his customer is. He looks up at Renfield then down at the stack. He pushes it back to Renfield, “You are a very scary man. I would like for this to be a one-time transaction.”
“Suit yourself.” Renfield picks up the stack of bills and says, “I’ll be here in the morning to inspect your work. You’re going to need some coffee.”
As Renfield begins
to reach for the stack he sees Abudaman’s hand grab it. “How about fifty-one for me, forty nine for you?”
“Not the deal I offered.” He watches as Abudaman’s hand moves away from the stack. Renfield begins to pick it up. Again the hand snaps out at the stack. Renfield grins.
“Okay. Fifty-fifty. Does a man like you even have any heirs?” Abudaman asks.
“I suppose you will know, in time.” Renfield replies and then steps out on the busy metropolitan street. He looks up at what was once his own office and he grins. Then he moves to an alley, ducks quickly into it an clicks.
Looking at Tomorrow he hears her say, “I hired that seamstress. She is considered the best. She particularly liked the offer of free room. I tried to explain that it did not mean she would have access to the rest of the house and that there is no sun down in that place. What is that all about anyway? Is that more man-cave stuff?”
“Kinda, I guess. It’s damp down there, it’s quite a ways down through stone, but I am guessing that won’t bother her. I have electricity down there now, so it’s well lit with the mystery torches, as you call them.” Adam grins at Tomorrow.
“I get the basic concept of them. There are still plenty of books and I do visit the library I established.” Tomorrow stated. “But why would she want to do that? Is living like that worth what you offered her?”
“Ironic that the girl from below would ask that. She’s a synth from another city like the one you come from. She has no aversion to living below. She does, however, have an aversion to torture. She made a mistake in judgement and pissed off the wrong people, so she’s making a wise choice on her own behalf. When she is done what she is working on, you will be happy about the arrangement to. However, I do think we should consider her human and feed her well.”
“Okay. With the ‘plumbing’ done at least it won’t smell down there and she’ll have access to fresh water. Note that it hasn’t gone past me that you surveyed this spot more than you let on. That water table so conveniently placed? I know I wanted this too, but part of me feels talked into it.” Tomorrow floats her cynicism about all of it again.