It surprised Liang that she had noticed his late night. Once she disappeared into her bedroom Mei seemed oblivious to the outside world. Studying her out of the corner of his eye, he noticed her face was a little withdrawn, and he realized that she was worried about him.
"I just want you safe. You're all I have left," he said softly, putting a hand over hers.
"I hate it when you do that." She pulled her hand from his grasp and turned her face away. He was sure she was trying to hide the tears that gleamed in her eyes.
"Cut me some slack here, little sis. You know what I'm up against." He'd tried for humor, but the words came out as more of a desperate plea.
"I know." Though her back was to him, he saw her jerking her arm and he could tell she was swiping tears away.
"How are things going for you? I mean, how are they really going?" He kept his voice low, staring at the back of her head until she finally sighed and turned around to face him. He could see that she was fighting valiantly to hold tears back.
"It sucks," she said, laughing a little. "That's the understatement of the century, right?"
"It's still a pretty accurate summary."
Mei took in a shuddering breath and dashed a finger under her right eye. "School is so tough right now, you know?" Her voice wavered and her chin quivered. For an instant, she looked so much like the little girl she had once been that it broke his heart.
"I can imagine."
She shook her head vehemently. "Still, it's worse for you, infinitely worse. I know that, Liang. You don't have to hide it from me."
It was his turn to sigh, and he rubbed a hand over his weary eyes. They were dry and scratchy, as if filled with the grit that now seemed to gather in every corner and up against the foundation of every building, inescapable evidence of the water shortages.
"I don't want to talk about it. I don't even want to think about it," he admitted, squeezing his eyes shut, as if that might protect him from reality.
"I just…I look around the classroom and I wonder. I look at every kid and try to figure out if they'll be in the dome with me, if a year from now we'll still be competing for the best grades and the biggest share of the instructor's attention."
Bile rose in Liang's throat and he swallowed hard against it. "Mei, that's so—"
"I know." She interrupted him with an impatient gesture. "But I can't just turn off my brain, can I? I know you'll try to bring as many of them with us as you can, but I also know they can't all go. The logical, scientific part of me understands that. But every other part of me is fighting violently against it. It makes me sick."
"Me too."
Silence settled between them, and Liang was just beginning to think he might doze off in spite of himself when something thudded against the side of the car, causing it to swerve. Mei was thrown into him, wedging him between her body and his door, and he braced his hand against the window frame until the car screeched to a halt.
"What the hell?" Liang asked. He lowered the privacy screen. "Are you all right, Les?"
"I'm fine, sir," the driver replied, though he sounded shaken.
"What was that?"
"I'm not certain. I think it might have been a clod of dirt, but it hit the passenger side window, so I couldn't really see it."
Leaning over his sister, Liang looked at the dirt-smeared glass. He glanced out the rear window and saw someone standing a short distance away, fist raised in the air. A mixture of anger and adrenaline flooded his system, and he threw his door open and got out.
"What are you doing, Li?" Mei asked. She grabbed for his arm but he evaded her grasp.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing?" Liang roared, taking a few steps toward their assailant.
"Who do you think you are, leaving us to starve in the streets!" the young man shrieked back. He had shaggy hair and a patchy beard, and his torn clothes hung on his emaciated body as if he were a scarecrow.
"We're not leaving you to starve! We're trying everything we can to—"
"Liang, get in the car!" Mei hissed. She seized his arm, and he glanced back to see her half-hanging from the car, her expression alarmed.
"How do you sleep at night?" the man screamed, his voice taking on a crazed edge. "You're up there in your fancy mansion, behind your security gates, sprinkling your lawns while we fight over a few drops of water. You all deserve to die!"
Suddenly, Liang noticed that the young man had caught others' attention. A couple of them began to approach the assailant, nodding in agreement. As he glanced around, the man seemed bolstered by his would-be supporters, and he leaned over and picked up something Liang couldn't see.
"Liang! Get in the car now!" Mei shouted, her voice high-pitched in fear. She pulled on his arm so forcefully that he stumbled, nearly falling to the ground before he recovered his balance and dove into the car. Les didn't even wait until the door was closed to take off, and Mei helped him haul it shut as Les gunned the engine. Something else hit the car, and Liang heard the sound of glass cracking. A spiderweb pattern appeared on the back window; the assailants weren't just throwing dirt anymore.
"Get down," he told Mei, his voice harsh and guttural as he put his palm on her back and shoved her lower. He threw his body over hers, shielding her.
"Li! Li! Are you okay?" she cried, her wild voice muffled.
"I'm fine. Just stay down."
For once, his sister didn't question him, and he stayed crouched over her until he saw their gated community looming ahead. To his utter shock, a crowd was beginning to throng around the gates. Normally just a handful of guards were on patrol, but now there must have been at least fifty, and they were wearing helmets and carrying shields, fully armed with suppression gear. Though the civilians were keeping their distance, a few of them had rocks in their hands, and their expressions were anything but kind. Liang turned his eyes away from their starved bodies.
"What's going on?" Mei asked, apparently hearing the buzz of the crowd.
"There's a crowd around the gates. Just stay down until we're inside."
"Oh no. Oh no, I can't believe it," Mei moaned, her shoulders beginning to shake. Closing his eyes, he held tightly to his sister, hoping his presence gave her at least some reassurance of safety.
Security
The minute Liang stepped through his door, he yanked his phone from his pocket. Mei clung to him so tightly her nails dug through his dark blue dress shirt and into his skin. Sliding one arm around her, he used his free hand to hold his phone up. The screen showed him he had already missed a number of calls. He was astonished to realize that the phone had rung while they were in the car. He hadn't even heard it.
"Mei, I have to make some calls," he told her as gently as he could, hugging her before trying to disentangle himself.
"I'm staying with you," she announced.
"No, you don't…" he began, but as he looked down at her, he was met with an expression of such ferocity that the words died on his lips.
"Just what reality do you think you can protect me from now?" she asked, her voice harsh. "In case you forgot, I was also in that car."
He wanted to argue with her, but the urge quickly faded. She was right, of course. As much as he'd wanted to shield her, some part of him had always known that he couldn't protect her forever. Like it or not, she was also a major part of this, and it was time to stop trying to conceal the truth.
"All right, you can stay with me," he conceded.
She nodded, but there was no triumph in her eyes. Instead, she looked frightened and weary, which was more or less how he felt. As Mei sank into a nearby chair, her entire body vibrated visibly with tension. Liang sat next to her and took her hand before calling Sylvie.
"Where are you?" she asked without preamble.
"I just got home," he replied.
"We have a situation in the financial district—"
"I know," he said, cutting her off. Briefly, he recounted what had happened, and she gasped. "They're gathering outside the compound gat
es as well."
"Ishani told me. She said she called extra security."
"She did, but I don't know if that will be enough." It made him sick to voice the thought aloud, but he wasn't willing to risk his sister's security. "I think we'll need a larger presence, and I think they may need to take some suppressive measures."
Sylvie was silent for a moment. "I'm going to bring the others on the line," she said.
Liang set his phone on a nearby table, angling it so the video camera could catch his face. He made sure that Mei wasn't visible, and gestured to her to keep quiet. She nodded, looking both eager and apprehensive about finally getting an insider's view of how the Creators worked.
After a few moments, Sylvie's face appeared in the air in front of him. "I've asked you all to join us because Liang has an alarming incident to report. Liang, if you would be so kind…"
Impatiently, Liang gave an even more abbreviated version of the story he'd told Sylvie. He was careful not to strip it down so much that the others wouldn't take it seriously, but their reactions made him realize he could have summed it up by saying, "My car was attacked".
Never underestimate the power of their sense of self-interest, he thought bitterly. But perhaps that wasn't entirely fair of him. After all, it was critical that security was tight not just because it would benefit the Creators themselves, but also because it would ensure the safety of everyone involved. Still, their reactions left a bad taste in his mouth.
"Is it possible we have a security leak? Why did they specifically attack Liang?" Ishani asked, with a look of faux concern. Liang's jaw tightened.
"They attacked me because I was there," he shot back, not bothering to hide his anger. "I'm sure they'd have been just as happy to throw rocks at you, had you been there instead of me. I doubt they're very picky about which Creators they decide to take their anger out on."
"Liang's right," Keiko cut in. "We have to stop deluding ourselves. If we've noticed that things are getting worse, then everyone outside of the compound certainly has. We should have anticipated something like this."
"You're right," Sylvie agreed, sighing. "We should not have been caught this unprepared."
"None of that is relevant at this point," Myles interrupted. He tugged viciously at his collar. "It's obvious the security meeting is now more important than ever."
"There are other factors to consider as well," Liang said, casting what he hoped was a surreptitious glance at his sister. "There were protesters gathering in front of Magnum today, and my sister and I were attacked as we were heading home from her school. If security in those parts of the city can no longer be assured…"
"We can't afford to spread our security that thin," Myles said. "I think we'll need to close down our operations in the city, concentrate our security efforts on our compound, the residential zones, and the domes."
Ishani protested, causing the others to argue for a few minutes while Liang thought silently about what Myles had said. Though none of them would want to admit that control was slipping through their fingers, he knew Myles was right. Combined, their security forces comprised an impressive number, but no matter how large they were, they would always be outnumbered by the general population.
"Myles is right," Liang said. "It doesn't matter that our security forces are highly trained and have state-of-the-art equipment. People are getting desperate. As soon as they start to feel they have nothing to lose, it won't be possible to maintain order."
Sylvie pressed her lips together tightly, and Liang thought she would contradict him but, instead, she said, "I believe we should call up our reserves."
There was a moment of stunned silence, and then Keiko said, "I agree. While I'm certain none of us is eager to suspend normal business operations, we have to recognize that an orderly removal to the domes as quickly as possible must be our ultimate goal. Once the domes have been secured, we can return to business as usual.
"In the meantime, we'd be wise to use our reserves to secure our compound, along with the homes of the staff who have yet to be moved. We should also increase the number of forces accompanying the equipment convoys. Perhaps a mix of reserves and regular security forces would be the best solution.
"Our remaining regular security forces should secure our headquarters until all necessary equipment is removed, while the remainder form a perimeter around the domes. Once we have taken all critical equipment from our headquarters, those forces should join the forces at the domes."
"You can't be serious, suggesting that we effectively abandon the business district and the schools," Ishani said incredulously.
"Do you have a better idea?" Keiko snapped. "If you can think of a way to use what numbers we have to secure the entire financial district, the schools, and the homes of all critical staff, please enlighten us." Ishani closed her mouth, her face thunderous.
"I don't like it either, but I think it's our only real option at this point," Myles said. "I suggest we adjourn the meeting so we can begin implementing this plan."
"Let's meet tomorrow morning at six in my home so that we can ensure we're all prepared for this next stage," Sylvie said.
Everyone agreed, and Liang signed off. His heart was racing, and he felt like the ground was spinning beneath his feet. Though his first instinct was to get up and pace grooves in the floor, he forced himself to remain in his chair and take a few deep breaths.
"What can I do?" Mei asked quietly.
"Pack. I have a feeling we may just be leaving this house sooner than we thought."
Knowledge
The night passed in a blur of activity. For every task Liang accomplished, at least five more seemed to crop up. Even so, by the early hours of the morning he felt reasonably confident he had done all he could. There was nothing for it now but to act. The time for planning had long passed.
As he took a five minute shower, Liang's mind wandered. He felt an enormous sense of relief at the thought of the reserve security forces. They were men and women on staff with each Creator, so their primary role was contributing to their respective Creator. Their role as security was secondary, only necessary in times of extreme duress.
Liang's hands dropped to his sides. Shampoo ran into his eyes, making them sting, and he thrust his head under the water, rinsing it away. The reserve forces had been his father's idea, one he had suggested just four years ago.
Hurriedly drying himself and throwing on his clothes, Liang rushed into his study, which had once belonged to Bao. He yanked open drawers and began rifling through the external memory chips his father had used for all of his private records and correspondence. Bao's paranoia had made Liang roll his eyes. His father had repeatedly told him that any information on a network could be hacked, no matter how many firewalls were erected or security protocols implemented.
"What are you doing?" Mei asked. Liang looked up to see her peeking around the door, her expression concerned.
"I'm looking for something of Father's. He had some sort of…journal or something, I guess. I only saw it once when I came in here one day and he was too slow to close it."
"I know exactly what you mean," Mei said, striding over to a cabinet on the opposite side of the room. Her fingers skimmed over a few of the chips before she deftly extracted one and held it out to him.
"What? How did you…" He eyed her suspiciously as he walked over and took the chip.
She shrugged, her expression matter-of-fact. "I can't tell you how many times I've come in here and snooped."
"You what?" he asked incredulously.
"Not really relevant at the moment," she said crisply, pulling a network disabled reader out of a drawer in the massive antique oak desk and handing it to him.
He knew she was right, but he still couldn't process the thought that she had been reading through their father's private records. Who was to say she hadn't been reading his stuff as well?
"Oh, relax," she said, rolling her eyes. "Your records are too boring for me to pay much attention to them
. Besides, any old hacker could get at them on the network. I hardly need to creep around in here to access them. If you hadn't been too busy battling Dad for alpha male status, you might have realized he had a point every now and then."
Liang opened his mouth to protest, but she made an exasperated noise and yanked the reader and chip from his hands, operating the machine herself. "So, what are you looking for here?" She paged through several files, her expression one of intense concentration.
"Is there anything on there about the reserve forces?"
"Hmm, let's see…" Mei's fingers flew over the reader and then abruptly stopped. She squinted at the reader for a moment before handing it over to him.
Scanning through the document, Liang's stomach knotted. "He knew," he whispered.
"What?"
"He knew this would happen." It was difficult to get the words out, and Mei looked alarmed at his strangled tone.
"Wait, what? What do you mean he knew this would happen?"
"He knew the shortages were coming. That's why he suggested the reserves be formed. He thought we might need a…a contingency," Liang said, taking the word from his father's document. "That bastard! He knew this would happen and he didn't tell anyone!"
"No, that can't be right," Mei insisted, her face pale. She snatched the reader, her eyes moving rapidly over the text. Her hands started shaking, making the reader tremble. Gently, he took it back from her.
"We cannot let anyone else know about this. No one."
"But, Li, we have to…"
"No," he said sharply. "No one can know. I don't like the idea of hiding it any more than you do, but you've seen what it's like out there. What do you think will happen if we tell the other Creators?"
Pressing her hands to her abdomen, Mei slowly nodded. "How could he do this?"
"I'm sure dying wasn't part of his plan," Liang said bitterly, rage burning in his chest. "I'm sure he had all sorts of ideas about what to do, he just didn't bother sharing them with us because he was convinced he could control it. Just like everything else."
Creators (A Contributor Trilogy prequel novella) Page 4