by J. J. Holden
Nate leaned back in his chair, gazing at him and obviously sizing him up. That was good, as far as Joe was concerned. He could trust a direct man more than some fop.
“I’m told you’ve been making the most of your time since you arrived, teaching my people some new kind of farming. It’s the way the Clan does things, am I right?”
“Right as rain, mister. A fella’s gotta eat, and I figured I’d make the most my time, like you said. It’s not why I’m here in Philadelphia, though.”
Nate put his hands behind his head. Given the way he was leaning back, it seemed like he was looking at Joe through drooping eyelids. “Well, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out why you’re here, but why don’t you go ahead and tell me in your own words. I hate operating from assumptions.”
Joe’s left eyebrow twitched once. Maybe this guy wasn’t the yahoo he seemed like. Actually, how could he be? He had pretty much single-handedly sent packing all those ’vaders who had the run of Philadelphia almost since the war began. Oh ho, Joe thought, so it was an act. He decided not to take anything Nate said for granted.
“Sure, I’ll tell it true. The Confederation ought to keep things civil with you and your people, after all, and they want me to make sure you know to keep an open mind if New America sends an envoy. And the Clan, as the southernmost part of the Confed, wants to keep a neighborly relationship with Philadelphia. That’s you, mister.”
Nate smiled, a good-natured expression. “Of course, of course. That’s pretty much what I thought you would say, but here we are in my office, talking for the first time, and I don’t really know what you want. Just some vague crap about being neighborly.” Nate paused then inhaled deeply. “Let’s try a different approach. If you had some sort of mutual agreement written down on paper, ready for me to sign, what would that paper say?”
Joe reached up and scratched his head just above his right ear. It was a bit of a delaying tactic while he gathered his thoughts. A moment later, he said, “The Confederation, the Clan, me—we all want to have a strong friend to our south. From where I sit, it looks like you got three choices. You can get friendly with the people to your north, or with the people to your south, or you can take your chances by trying to stand alone. Everything else boils down to one of those three choices, as far as I can reckon. But my momma always did say I was an idiot, so maybe you see something else?”
Nate took his hands from behind his head and sat up again. He smiled, but faintly shook his head. “That’s fairly observant, but there’s a problem with your logic. As you know, we only recently pushed the invaders out of the great city of Philadelphia. That’s still a sore spot for their leaders and their soldiers alike. They might enjoy trying to get a little payback, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, but—”
Nate cut him off, “And I know you must be aware that the Southern Cantonment has been building up their forces along their northern border. Maybe they will send those troops to deal with me, maybe they want to deal with you. It could even be both if they get enough fighters together. As long as they’re gathered so close to us, if I were to publicly ally with the Confederation, I’d be inviting another invasion. We only just got rid of the last occupation.”
Joe tried again. “If you joined the Confederation or New America, we could—”
“Uh huh, and would either one of you go to the mat for people you don’t know? People who didn’t help you get through the Dying Time?”
“Damn straight we would. Maybe we couldn’t free you, but we can sure as hell work to keep you free.”
“And what help could you send, since both of you have other problems to deal with like the Northern Cantonment? The information I get says the invaders up north are rattling their sabers against New America and the Confederation. It seems like if I join you, there wouldn’t be much you could do to help me given that you must first and foremost defend your own territories.”
Joe’s jaw dropped. Maybe this dude really was a yahoo. Couldn’t he see that the Confederation and New America had been kicking invader ass for the last two years? Joining the ’vaders would only make an enemy of the Confederation and New America.
He said carefully, “Maybe, sir, but it seems to me that if you join the ’vaders, that pretty much gives you the same problem, just only on the flip side of that coin.”
Nate cocked his head and said, “And you think my problems will be smaller if I join you instead of the Maryland invaders?”
Joe weighed his words carefully. He had a nagging feeling that his answer might decide things one way or another, that they had reached a key moment in their conversation. “I think… You’re going to have challenges no matter which way you go, just like the rest of us, but it seems to me that those challenges will be easier, their weight bearing down later, if you support Americans and not the ’vaders. To them, you’d never be anything more than a pawn, a resource waiting to get plundered again whenever they reckon it’s convenient. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned since the war began, it’s this… No one stands for long on their own. It takes a community, a support network of people rooting for each other because we’re all Americans, and we all have what my buddy Ethan calls ‘enlightened self interest.’ You’re a smart man, mister. You gotta see the truth in them words.”
Nate folded his hands in his lap and sat still, looking at Joe. The clock on the wall ticked by, seconds melting away with only the ticking noise to mark their passing.
Joe counted twenty of them ticks before Nate got around to answering.
“I do believe I see a third path, one that prevents me from having to pick sides and suffer the accompanying war. You see, Philadelphia lies between the two biggest fighters on our block. If I join one side or the other, all that fighting will probably be done right here in my front yard. My people have suffered too long and fought too hard to merely walk right back into a war. You give me options in A, B, and C. I’m going with D, none of the above.”
As he spoke, Joe racked his brain trying to figure out what another option might be, but he came up blank. “I’m sorry, sir, but I just can’t figure that fourth option. I’d sure appreciate it if you filled me in. Maybe I can offer some advice, or figure out a way to take advantage of it, if I’m being honest.”
Nate nodded and smiled. “No surprises there. We all just do what we can to take care of our own, and hopefully help some others out in the process those times when we can. This isn’t one of those times, not for Philadelphia. I’ve thought seriously about this for many days, and I’ve come to the one resolution that protects my people… so long as I can pull it off.”
Joe cocked his head to the side without thinking about it. He waited a couple seconds, and when Nate didn’t continue, his curiosity got the better of him. “I’d surely appreciate it if you shared that fix with me. I didn’t figure on a fourth option, so now you got my curiosity up.”
Nate chuckled. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk and his chin on his hands as he looked at Joe. “The thing is, I don’t need to pick a side. I think I’m just as valuable to all of you—invaders, New America, and Confederation—if I simply don’t pick the other side. If I just do me, I think everyone would leave me alone purely so they don’t drive me into the open arms of their enemies. My job is to protect Philadelphia and its people, not New America. Not the Clan. And definitely not the invaders.”
Joe forced himself to smile. It would have been nice if the Dude had told him this when he first arrived, rather than making him cool his heels waiting for this meeting. Then he felt a slight tickle at the back of his scalp, a growing wariness. He couldn’t quite put his finger on why, but something didn’t sit right, not after that last thought.
Still smiling, he said, “I can respect your choice to protect your people first, but I think—and this is just my own opinion, not as a representative of the Confederation—your people would be better served getting in on the ground floor of a growing, strong New America. The goodwill that would
create will last a generation.”
“Perhaps, but my people can’t eat goodwill. They can’t defend themselves with it, either.”
“It would put you in a good way to take on the boss role in this region. After we beat them Maryland ’vaders back, assuming it comes to a war, someone’s got to control that territory for New America. I think a body as smart as you could do darn well in that situation. Or so I reckon.”
Nate smiled at him, nodding. “That’s very astute of you, Joe, but I think by walking the middle line, my people are going to be in a good position to control this region regardless of who wins out there. Whether that’s New America or the invaders, we represent a pretty juicy plum. I won’t take sides until it’s clear who’s going to win, and then I’m going to jump in on their side. Or, after the fighting has gone on for a while, if it’s still a close-run thing then I can jump in to help the underdogs, and that works out even better for me.”
Joe couldn’t believe what he was hearing. For some reason, he had thought they would be chomping at the bit to join New America. After all, they had been enslaved by the Maryland invaders. Why wouldn’t they want a bit of payback? Well, Nate had explained why; he was an opportunist, nothing more. Not a patriot, he stood for his own and no one else, and that was just not the way things were done in New America. And definitely not how they were done in the Confederation.
“I’m sorry, Dude, but I’m having a hard time believing you could really come at it that way. Those people enslaved you, but you talk about making deals with them? I don’t know. I guess I had just thought you would be more… American.” He tried to smile again, the diplomatic thing to do, but just couldn’t bring himself to do it.
Nate said, “I see your point. The problem with that is, America turned its back on us during the invasion. They fought for New York, they helped you folks out near Lancaster, but they left Philadelphia to suffer under the invader’s heel. You and I are here talking about the future of free Philadelphia, not because of any help from you and your masters but because I stepped forward and took the reins. A lot of people believed in me, fought, and died. But because of that sacrifice, which was one I was willing to make for my people’s sake, now we’re free. And now that the fighting is over, now you want to talk about helping us? No, I think you’re here to talk about us helping you, not the other way around.”
Joe’s sense of foreboding grew, and he anxiously glanced at the door to reassure himself of where it was. Just in case he had to hightail it out of there in a hurry.
Nate said, “Nervous about something? I promise you, the door is still there. Whether or not you get to use it is up to me, however. You’re right to be nervous.”
Joe’s eyes narrowed at the Philadelphia leader. Damn it, he’d betrayed himself with his damn fidgeting. Had Nate just threatened him? It darn sure felt like it. “Well how’s about I go and put together one of them propositions that Cassy’s always talking about. We’ll put together some real numbers and show you why it’s in your best interest to join us. I’ll ride back to Clanholme, put that together, and be back in a week. I think I can show you why I figure our interests and yours are about the same.”
Nate’s face took on a sad expression, one of regret, but Joe thought it looked pretty insincere. Nate said, “You see, that’s going to be a problem. I need you here to keep showing my people how to do that permaculture thing you folks do.”
“You telling me I can’t leave?” No damn way… This guy was crazy. He had to get out, but how?
“Like I said, I do what’s in the best interest of my people. If you stay and spend some time teaching us about your methods, like you have been, I’ll definitely consider that to be real help from your people, and it might well impact my decision as to which way Philadelphia will go—invaders or New America.”
“Making me a slave ain’t going to earn you brownie points.”
“Yes, but that is why you’re here, right? To convince me to join your side? Stay here as the Confederation’s official ambassador, help us with learning how to farm sustainably without tractors and pesticides and fertilizers, and it will go a long way toward proving your point. What do you say, Joe? Can I count on you? Can the Confederation count on you?”
Through sheer effort of will, Joe forced himself to smile. He didn’t think he had much choice in the matter, but if he could make the Dude think he wanted to be there, they’d likely keep his leash not quite so tight. It was clear that Philadelphia was going to pick its side, and it didn’t much matter what he thought of it.
The problem was that Nate’s side needed the permaculture knowledge Joe had. Since Philly wasn’t going to join New America right now, the Dude couldn’t rightly ask for consultants, which only left Joe as their source of that information. He’d been right to feel paranoid.
“Of course, Dude. Anything I can do to help our cause. But it figures that I’ll need some more long-term accommodations and plenty of supplies, if I’m gonna be here for a while. As long as I’m here helping Philadelphia, I don’t see how that’ll be too much of a problem, though, will it?”
Nate stood and put his left hand on the desk, leaning forward to extend his right hand. “Of course, Joe. I’ll put you up in some decent accommodations and make sure you have what you need. Shall we shake on it?”
Joe could only nod and stand to shake Nate’s hand. He was pretty sure he would be staying in Philadelphia whether he agreed or not, so it was time to play nice. “Yes, you got yourself a deal, mister.”
The next few minutes were terrifying as he tried to negotiate the best possible deal for himself. The longer the leash they gave him, the better his chances of getting out of there, getting back to Cassy to let them all know what he found out. Play along. Be a good old boy. Get home alive.
When Joe finally was told he could leave the Dude’s office, he found half a dozen rough-looking people standing around the lobby, and they stood as he opened the door. His heart sank as he realized he’d been right. He said, “So, I guess you’re gonna escort me to my new house? I surely appreciate it.”
He smiled at his captors, burning their faces into his memory.
* * *
Carl looked around his house, the Speaker of Liz Town’s opulent manor, and bared his teeth in a savage snarl. His staff kept it immaculate, and that pissed him off; it no longer bore any resemblance to what was going on inside of him, a mirror’s reversed image of the raging storm of desperation that, behind closed doors, had virtually consumed him ever since Sunshine had died. She was the only woman he had come to truly love, and her death at the hands of the Empire and the Mountain troops, during that last desperate defense against their invading troops, had shattered whatever soul he had left. As far as he was concerned, he had been a damaged man before falling in love with her, but she had healed him. Now that she was gone, he was far worse off than he had been before she came along.
A fifth of Jameson’s Irish Whiskey in one hand and a pack of cigarettes in the other, he climbed the stairs to the only sanctuary in his entire miserable damned house. Once he got to the top, he padded down the hallway and stopped at the door at the end of the hall. The door to her room. The room he had set up for her in the desperate hope she might someday be found alive.
Her body had never been found, and he had since given up hope of ever finding her. He went inside and closed the door behind him, then kicked aside cans and bottles as he made his way to sit in the luxurious leather recliner in one corner. The rest of the room was perfectly kept, but that recliner was his sanctuary. It was as close as he could get to Sunshine now, and it was where he dwelled on what he had gained and lost in that war.
He no longer truly cared about the Confederation, nor even about Liz Town, really, and spent his days just going through the motions. Signing whatever his assistants put in front of him, making the decisions his cabinet suggested. They were all highly skilled, and he trusted them, so why bother? Let them run that shitty town, if they cared to.
H
e had hoped that taking over the leadership position from Mary Ann, so she could focus again on leading her own Band, would take his mind off of his loss. It hadn’t.
He uncapped the bottle and took a long swig, enjoying the burning feeling washing down his throat. The pain felt good. He had already finished off the last part of another bottle of whiskey, but wasn’t yet drunk enough to suppress his feelings. All he wanted in life these days was just to be numb.
There was a knock at the door. Carl yelled, “Go the hell away. Whatever it is, put it on my desk. I’ll get to it in the morning.”
A woman’s voice on the other side of the door replied, “Alpha, you have a phone call from Ethan in Clanholme. He says it’s important, but that he can wait until morning if you wish.”
Carl grit his teeth. Yeah, Ethan was his friend and knew better than to call him at this time of night. Unless it was important… Screw it—his dawning buzz was already killed thanks to the interruption, so he might as well get it over with. Then he wouldn’t have to deal with it the next day. “Very well. I’ll take the call. Enter.”
Carl had one assistant in the house at night, and tonight it was a woman whose name he couldn’t remember. Linda? Lisa? It didn’t really matter.
Linda or Lisa opened the door and brought him the cell phone. Ethan had found a carton of the things buried in a galvanized trash can on some farm they had reclaimed. The phones still worked. Although there was no cell reception, with the improved Wi-Fi connection that the major Confederation leaders had access to now thanks to Ethan, the phones had a new app installed. It was something Ethan had coded, somewhat like VoIP but for a Wi-Fi network. Call quality was dubious, but it was quicker than the usual messaging system everyone still used. The phones were for emergencies and vital secure communications.