Watching Yute

by Joseph Picard

  The driver got out and opened the sliding side door of the van. “Come on, then.” Kirison stepped out with the other man directly behind him. They were in the middle of nowhere, on the dry flats, where sand often blew over from the open desert. The edge of the sandbox. A few hundred kilometres in the other direction would lead to actual greenery.

  Not far away was what looked like the foundation to a house. It was hard to tell if the house itself had long ago burnt down, or if this was just a crude ‘dugout’ home. Sand and dirt covered much of the cement floor, making it hard to guess the actual size of the foundation. With a little effort, it could be very well concealed.

  There was a hatch on it, laying flat. The driver went over to it, and stomped on it twice, then once more. A knock, then two more came back up. Then the man repeated his earlier stomps, and got off. The hatch opened a couple centimetres to allow the driver a place to grab the edge and open it up. A staircase awaited below. “Alright, in you go.”

  Kirison walked down the stairs into the relative darkness. He passed a crude mechanism of some sort. He couldn’t tell what it was exactly, but it looked like a trap for unwelcome guests. The man stationed next to it probably ‘disarmed’ it before opening the hatch for them. The ‘doorman’ looked at him with stern distrust, and then turned his attention to the driver and his friend, nodding at them. “This is him? Eh?” The doorman had one of the most guttural Aguei accents Kirison had ever heard. Not that it was just the accent… he sounded like a person who had been through a lot. The kind of person you’d expect to find in a hole, hiding behind a booby trap. “I heard you coming. Elder knows you’re here.”

  The driver nodded back. “Come on, Samuel.” Samuel was the name Kirison had made up to use with these people. The two of them walked through the main room. To say it lacked a feminine touch would be a gross understatement. It had a concrete floor and walls, but could bed a dozen men if need be. A couple terminals and the lights were the only other features of the room besides mattresses.

  Kirison was led into a smaller room, the driver following. This smaller room was a mix of two themes. One was traditionalist Aguei, with wall hangings and a rug that depicted various Aguei myths. The other theme was that of a cheap, cheap office, punctuated with a flimsy metal office desk.

  Behind this desk was an Aguei man of indeterminate age. He was weathered, but looked fit. Lean, but fit. He sort of looked like an ‘upgrade’ from the doorman. While the doorman was the type to hide behind a rock, this man behind the desk would be the one standing on that rock.

  “Elder Horad,” the driver said, “this is Samuel.” This was not any kind of Elder that was recognized officially by the Aguei nation. This man was a thin skin stretched over too much hate. Even Kirison could sense this, and began to fear for his life in a way that he hadn’t before. Don’t tremble. Don’t tremble.

  “Fine.” Horad grumbled, “You can go.”

  The driver turned to the door, and gave a quiet suggestion to Kirison as he passed. “Show respect, norther...”

  Horad stared at Kirison for a moment, then gestured for him to sit. Kirison walked around the ornate rug, and sat. “Call me crazy. But this is the A.R.A., isn’t it?” Of course it was, but it’s best not to look too eager.

  Horad sighed. “We are people concerned with maintaining traditional values of the Aguei nation.” Kirison nodded solemnly. Or at least what he thought would be perceived as solemnly. Don’t tremble.

  “So. Tell me, Samuel.” Horad sat back with an examining gaze. “Why is it, that a norther seems so interested in what we should do? In our concerns?” One of the men from the van must have communicated his ‘drunk rant’ at some point.

  “Norther or Aguei. A good man knows wrong when he sees it. If his eyes are not clouded by the flood of lies that is always fed to us.” Kirison was starting to have fun again. A little. Must be careful not to overdo it.

  “What wrongs? What lies do you see past?”

  “Elder Horad. Have you seen the statue in the Yute temple?”

  Horad smirked slightly, and a thin but rigid silence fell between them. The smirk seemed to tell Kirison that Horad had indeed seen it. It was imaginable that Horad had been there for any number of reasons. Maybe he had been a member of the guard there at some time? That didn’t seem right. Maybe he snuck in once? Surely he was never a member of the Grand Elder’s entourage. But if that were the case, it could open up other theories as to why he called himself an Elder.

  “Have you seen it?” Horad asked.

  After a pause, Kirison answered. “No. But I have seen government papers dealing with it.” That much was honest. “You’re familiar with the government’s attitude towards Aguei folklore?” That was close, he almost called them myths.

  “The government smiles and nods, paying the Aguei beliefs polite lip service, while laughing to themselves about how ridiculous we all are.” This came out of Horad very smoothly. It was a statement he’d spoken before.

  “Hrm. That is not true.” Kirison said, stroking his jaw thoughtfully, “Not entirely. Not on all levels of the government, at any rate.” He looked up to Horad to make sure he had his attention. He did. “By any chance, do you know the story behind the statue itself?” No one did. And if Horad did, or thought he did, it could foul up his whole plan.

  “As much as anyone else. I do believe it was built by our ancestors.”

  Aha. Bingo. “Yes, but more than that. It is the vessel of your ancestors. It is the symbol of all the Aguei who have passed on.”

  “Where do you hear this?”

  “It’s been covered up for generations! All of it stuffed neatly in a filing cabinet! After I read it all, they searched me up down, inside and out to make sure I wasn’t carrying anything out!” he considered pausing to let it sink in, but decided it was time for an emotional rant. He stood, leaning on the desk with one hand, using his other to point at his own head. “But they can’t erase this! They can’t erase what I know, and what I know to be right!” he beat his fist on his chest once for drama. “They can’t erase what’s right! They can’t!”

  Elder Horad stared up at Kirison and his red face. “So they guard it to keep people out?”

  Kirison collapsed back in his chair. Oh, there had better be an Oscar in this for him. “No, no, you think they care if someone takes a few snapshots? They’re not guarding to keep people out, they’re keeping the strength of the Aguei in. In that room, bound to that statue, unable to be free!”

  Kirison leaned forward, head in his hands. “I never used to believe this stuff. But when I saw those papers. You know the Aguei are strong! Do you think they’re second class citizens because of ‘economic’ factors? You don’t think, that if the playing field were even, the Aguei would truly become the equals of anyone else?” He was rambling a bit, but that was good. It sounded unrehearsed this way. “Maybe I’m a traitor for saying these things, but…”

  Horad had picked out enough of the rant. “The strength of the Aguei? Is being held in the temple?”

  ~~~~~

  :::C /13

  ~~~~~

  Jim and Cassidy were nearing the end of an overnight watch. The sun had a firm grip on the edge of the sky, and washed across the front doorways with promise of another lazy day. Cassidy noticed Jim craning his neck now and then towards the base.

  “Expecting a delivery?” Cassidy asked.

  “Hmm?” His response was a tad automatic. He wasn’t really listening.

  Cassidy watched him, his eyes unmoving from the base. “Gonna be a hot day, ya think?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Giant monkeys are playing hockey beside the walrus vats today. You going?”

  “Uh huh.”

  “Jim?”

  “Yuh-huh?”

  “Karl’s behind you.”

  Jim woke up and jumped, looking behind him. “What? No he isn’t. What are you taking about?”

  Cassidy chuckled. “Ohhhh poor Jimmy’s got it bad.”

 
“Jeez, shut up. Is it that obvious?”

  “Well, it didn’t take long for me to figure out that your thoughtfulness about cookie deliveries coincided with Karl’s shifts, and you always ended up talking to him for quite a while.”

  “So…?” Jim played it coy, despite his secret being blown. “He’s a nice fella! Karl’s my chum!”

  “Yuh-huh. Positively cookie-worthy, hmmm?”

  “Yes. Isn’t he? Would you deny Karl his fair share of cookies?”

  “I think you’re after his cookies, Jim.”

  “Oh shut up, Cass.”

  “Poor, poor Jim. He wants hot Karl’s cookies.” Cassidy couldn’t help smiling. Partly because a crush was always cute, and partly because it was fun to jerk Jim’s chain.

  Jim coughed. “Don’t call him that!”

  “What? Hot Karl? OOOOooooh! Hot, hot Karl!”

  “JEEEZES, seriously! Do you know what a hot Karl is?” Jim looked mortified, more than Cassidy expected.

  “Um…No?”

  Jim sighed, shaking his head, slowly. “Do us both a favour, and go look it up before you use that phrase again.”

  They stood silently for a bit, Cassidy feeling like she was in trouble somehow. Whatever. “You want his cookies.”

  “Shut up.”

  “Ya do.”

  “Yeah, well, shut up about it for two seconds, here he comes.”

  The morning shift was approaching, and sure enough, Karl was among them. As he and his watch partner passed them by, Cassidy couldn’t resist.

  “Hey Karl.”

  Jim’s eyes widened with horror, rage and fear, but he remained silent.

  “Hey.” Karl replied, slowing a bit. “Oh hey, Jim. Are you okay?”

  “Don’t worry about Jim.” Cassidy said, feeling a little merciful. A little. “He’s just feeling a bit hot. I’m sure once he gets off, he’ll get some cookies, and everything will be fine.”

  Jim shook his head slowly, and gripped his spear just a bit tighter. “Cass, you’re an idiot.”

  “Well, you two have a good one.” Karl continued on to the upper doorway as Cassidy and Jim’s replacements stepped up. Jim and Cassidy were relived, and they headed towards the base, unintentionally keeping a bit of a distance from the other four people that had just gotten off shift. Jim tried like heck not to make eye contact with Cassidy, lest he provoke further teasing from her.

  “So, um…” Cassidy looked around to make sure she could speak freely, if not too loud. “Do you even know if he’s…?”

  “I don’t know…” Jim sounded more wistful now, the teasing forgotten, “but I kind of have a hunch. A good feeling. When we talk, well, I get something from him.”

  Cassidy smirked, and tried not to giggle. She looked down, trying to ignore all the jokes she could make about a ‘good feeling’, and ‘getting something’ from him. “Well, that sounds promising.” Jim crossed his fingers.

  Cassidy liked getting back to the base in the morning after an overnight watch. Being free to be lazy and sleep on a nice morning was pretty darn relaxing. The early morning had a quiet mood to it. Day shift had just left of course, leaving a small vacuum of activity. Today however, Cassidy stepped into the barrack to find something new.

  A new member of the team was setting up her bunk next to Cassidy’s.

  The newbie was maybe a year or two younger than Cassidy. Her hair was just off the shoulder, and a deep chestnut brown. She had brilliant green eyes. Standard issue sunglasses sat on her head with a tether dangling loose. Cassidy’s eyes were drawn down to her civilian boots, black with blue trim, but her gaze took a bit of a detour at her regulation khaki shorts. Those shorts had an excruciatingly perfect pair of thighs growing out of them.

  “Hello, Cassidy.” Cipriana, seated across the aisle on her own bunk, snapped Cassidy back to earth. Cipriana's face almost betrayed a bit of a smirk, having caught Cassidy staring at the newcomer.

  “I...? Hi. Hi Cip. –riana. Uh, how’s it going?”

  No longer betraying her bemusement outwardly, Cipriana made introductions. “Cassidy, meet Sergeant Cheryl Lowe. Cheryl, this is Leftenent Cassidy Stanton.”

  Cheryl turned to greet Cassidy, and put her hand out to shake. Cassidy almost saluted. Don’t salute, stupid, she’s lower rank! Are you staring again? Don’t! Take her hand and shake it! Act normal, dammit! Wake up!

  “Nice to meet you.” Cheryl said.

  Ooh, nice voice too. And nice hand. Okay, let go of her hand. Damn. Act normal! Cassidy categorized Cheryl in her mind as a ‘cute’ type. That wasn’t generally her type, but Cheryl wasn’t a peppy annoying cute. Cassidy had a general rule not to ogle. It made things awkward. Especially when they turned out to be straight or something disappointing like that. Calm down. Act normal. Are you breathing harder? Stop it. Stop over-thinking it, and say something.

  “Nice boots.” What the heck was that?! Nice boots? Okay for the next cheesy pickup line, ask her if it hurt when she fell from heaven!

  Cheryl looked down at her civilian boots. “Oh, sorry, I’m waiting to get some new regulation ones. My old ones were toast. I didn’t think it would be a big deal, since I’m not on duty right now.”

  “No! No no, I was serious. They’re cool. I’m going to…Uh, get breakfast.” Yes, just get out of there before you make a further ass of yourself. She turned to leave, but not before Cipriana spoke up.

  “I hope you don’t mind, I suggested she take the bunk next to you, since you’re both relatively new here, you might have lots to talk about.”

  Cassidy cocked her head. “Kay!” she said in a voice that came out sounding a little frustrated. This was karmic. Cosmic justice for teasing Jim. Snap out of it. She’s not that cute. Think ugly. Take one last glance before you go. Think ugly. Bleh. Look at her once more then go.

  Ugly like a box of kittens! Just get out!

  Cheryl turned to Cipriana after Cassidy left. “Do you think she wants me to move?”

  Cipriana only smiled softly, and shook her head.

  Cassidy walked into the mess, and saw Jim attacking a bowl of corn flakes. She grabbed a cookie and sat across from him. With an intense expression of disbelief, she held the cookie out between them. “Eh?”

  Jim chewed, looking suspicious of Cassidy’s meaning. He swallowed, and pointed his spoon at her casually. “Shut up with the cookies.”

  “Nuh-uh. Eh, no. I don’t care about your cookies. What about my cookies?”

  Jim burst into a stifled chuckle. “I’m not interested in your cookies.”

  “What do you know about this new girl that arrived last night?” Before Jim had opportunity to respond, she answered herself. “Right. Nothing. You were on shift with me when she arrived, you know less than me.”

  “Yeah. I’m feeling kind of clueless right about now. Our new person’s here, and it’s a she?”

  Cassidy stuffed a bite of cookie into her face, and chewed, nodding a sharp, small nod, eyes wide.

  Jim swallowed another spoonful of corn flakes. “And this is a problem?” He felt that the teaser was about to become the tease-ee.

  “Yes. No. Absolutely. Not. I think.”

  Jim smirked, and looked around, lowering his voice. “Could she be… hot?”

  Maintaining her grievous, intense expression, she tossed a cookie crumb at Jim, and nodded. The crumb bounced off Jim’s head, and landed in his bowl.

  “Nice.” He ate it along with more flakes. “And you’re this hot and bothered?”

  “I’m disciplined dammit. That’s half of what upsets me.” She finished her cookie, and darted off to get a couple more, and returned in roughly a second.

  “You’re bothered because she bothers you?”

  “Yes. There’s professionalism to be considered. I can’t be drooling all over a co-worker. That was the great thing about dating a civilian, I could be as unprofessional with her as I wanted.”

  “And that turned out so well.”

  Cassidy grunted. This was the first time
Brandy crossed her mind in a while, and it was thankfully painless. This only brought up another negative thought. “I don’t want to be playing rebound on the first cute thing that gets in my way, either. She’s probably straight anyway, odds are.”

  “If you were going to rebound blindly on someone, you’ve had plenty of chance to do that already.”

  True, true. Cipriana was surely a nice eyeful. “Okay, well, there’s still the professionalism aspect.”

  “Want the male solution to getting her out of your head?”

  Cassidy bore a decidedly skeptical expression. “Huh?”

  Jim leaned in like he was gong to impart a great trade secret. “Get yourself some porn, and work off some tension. Reduce this girl’s attractiveness to something separate from reality, separate from the person, and just look at her as a person who happens to have porn for a body.”

  Cassidy stared a stern look into Jim’s eyes. “That’s idiotic.”

  “Oh- Hi, Cassidy!” Cheryl approached from behind. Cassidy’s expression turned to that of a deer in headlights at the sound of Cheryl’s voice.

  Jim smiled. “Oh! You must be the new one! Cassidy, introduce us, will you?”

  Cassidy shot Jim a cold glance, then put on a cordial face. “Cheryl, Jim. Jim? Cheryl.” That wasn’t so hard. Have a little look, it’s natural to look at someone when you talk to them. Just don’t stare. The initial impact had worn off. It didn’t stop Cheryl from being a tiny bit mesmerizing though. Cassidy sighed deeply. “I think I’m going to take a bit of that advice Jim. I’m going to go have a shower.” Cassidy stood, and nodded in a friendly way to Cheryl. As she backed away from Jim, she made the ‘I’m watching you’ gesture, holding a cookie and a half in her hand. He’d better not say anything.

  Cheryl sat down across from Jim. “She feelin’ alright?”

  Jim gave a very small chuckle. “Nothing some cookies can’t solve.”