Hostile Territory

by Tom Andry

  The Sanctum was easy to find. In front of the door was a sign indicating the General Assembly. Inside was a large, round room with long, curved tables surrounding a central area. The tables were on increasingly higher platforms so that a good number of people, maybe a couple of hundred, could sit and watch whatever was below in the center of the room. The tables must have been similar to my desk as I noticed people touching the tops and shimmering walls of energy appearing around what must have been private conversations.

  In the center of the entrance aisle was a small display. I examined it and found a sort of seating chart. I reached out and my USB flashed white.

  A voice boomed out through the room. "The representative from the United States."

  A number of faces turned my way, but many did not. I ducked my head, trying to find my seat. The display now had a glowing spot, which I tried to locate using the map.

  "Don't worry, your USB will guide you."

  I glanced to my right at a stunning woman with long, straight, flowing hair the color of night and eyes that were nearly as dark. She was taller than me and wore a tight business suit with a silk shirt that hung almost low enough to make out the color of her bra.

  She smiled and waved her hand over the display.

  "The representative from Turkey."

  She put her arm in mine, "Walk me to my seat, will you?" Her breath smelled of cigarettes and mouthwash. More of the latter. Mostly it was covered by her perfume, which reminded me of spring flowers.

  She didn't give me a chance to respond. I was pulled along to the central area and then over to an aisle. She led me up, pointing out dignitaries and fellow ambassadors. Many of them were flanked closely by spandex-clad supers. Sentries were apparently all the rage. Finally, we reached her seat and she motioned me to sit.

  "So, you're the new ambassador."

  I nodded, extending my hand, "Bob. Bob Moore."

  She smiled and put her hand in mine lightly, the back arched up. Not knowing what else to do, I leaned over and kissed it. When I looked back up, she was blushing. Had I done something wrong?

  "Well, aren't you the charmer. I can see what Gale saw in you."

  I took a deep breath, trying to hold my belly in, "Well, um..."

  She nodded her head, her smile wicked, "I'm Guzel. Guzel Hayvan. It means 'beautiful' in Turkish." Her voice was rough, but confident. Her accent was slight, but she often paused to consider her words.

  "Uh...I don't think Bob means anything in American."

  She laughed, her voice a bit scratchy, "No, I imagine not. But I've made you uncomfortable. Forgive me. I was a friend of your predecessor. Well, the first one. The second I barely got a chance to know."

  That was right. Turkey was one of the countries the Vice President said was working on a deal. And someone else. If I had a chance to put in my earpiece, I'd have Mind to remind me. Why couldn't I have excused myself at some point? Which also reminded me, uncomfortably, how long it had been since I'd used the bathroom.

  "There isn't a bathroom around here, is there?"

  She looked around, "You mean the toilet? Yes. Just outside. But we are about to start. It'd be rude to leave now. Since you are new, why don't you sit with me?"

  I looked around. A few ambassadors were taking notice of our proximity. "That won't send a message? I thought there was something we were..."

  Her narrowed eyes stopped me short. I swallowed, not knowing what to do. Suddenly her eyes softened and she leaned in quickly and planted a smoky kiss on my lips. When she pulled away, my eyes were the size of coffee saucers and I could feel the heat on my cheeks. She smiled wickedly again and put her head on my shoulder.

  I turned to find Gale floating in the middle of the room, her eyes boring into mine. My mouth dropped open, my already flushed cheeks deepening. I could feel the sweat beading on my brow. I tried to think of a way to convey that she had kissed me, that I had no idea what was going on, and that I barely knew this woman, but I couldn't figure out the right combination of hand, shoulder, and eye gestures before Gale turned away.

  As if amplified, though I knew she used her power over the wind to do it, Gale opened the meeting. First they took care of the silly stuff like approving the minutes from the last meeting, taking attendance (which was all done by the USBs when we entered anyhow), and the like. Finally, she opened the floor to questions.

  The questions were sickening. Probably the same sort of crap Liz had to listen to at her meeting. The one I'd forgotten about and missed.

  Help us.

  Why won't the supers intervene on this or that conflict?

  Why did the supers do X for Z when we asked for the same thing and they said no?

  Blah, blah, blah. I honestly couldn't believe what I was hearing. They sounded like a bunch of children. I just let it all wash over me as I thought back to the dartboard and the connections. There was something there I was missing. Some piece of information that would lead to the clones. I knew it. But I just couldn't see it. But somewhere up here, maybe someone in this very room, had the answer. I just needed to find it.

  "Petty, isn't it?"

  I'd almost forgotten the woman at my side. "Seems to be. Is it always like this?"

  "With these little countries? Yes. They are fighting over the scraps. They don't really have anything the supers want, so they try to negotiate through complaining. Sometimes it works."

  She was leaning into me. I tried not to look down her shirt, "But not you?"

  She smiled, "Not us you mean? No, never us. We're lucky. Well, you were lucky in that some of the most powerful supers to survive the Day came from your country. We were lucky that many of our supers didn't go to the Tournament for different reasons. Regardless of their citizenship status, most supers still have a soft spot for the homeland. It serves us well."

  I hadn't thought about that. "So, what's the deal with Australia? The Vice President..."

  She reached over and put a finger on my lips. "Not here," she whispered into my ear.

  Again, I felt my face flush. "You've got to stop doing that," I whispered back.

  She pulled back, "What? Me? I'm just being friendly." She turned back to the assembly.

  I straightened my shirt, trying to hide my gut behind my jacket. "I have to visit Turkey," I muttered.

  A representative from a country I didn't recognize was standing, "I just want a count. That's all."

  Gale was amplifying his voice so that we could all hear both his question and her response, "You know we don't keep those sorts of records."

  I nodded to the speaker, "What's his deal?"

  Guzel smirked, "He's an academic. Someone that has no business in politics."

  "But what's he after?"

  "The number of geniuses. He claims they've been declining."

  I squinted at the man, his small, round glasses framing his small eyes, "Of course they've been reduced. The Raven saw to that."

  "He seems to think they aren't bouncing back. That the Super State won't be able to sustain their economy without them."

  I shook my head. Even if he were right, what would be the point? Maybe he was angling for more money and power for the colleges? To train tippys? Plus, wouldn't people with powers be easier to recognize than those with genius tendencies? Wasn't that why they had testing centers in every major city?

  Guzel placed a hand lightly on my forearm, "This is as good a time as any to go. We have a date to keep."

  I looked at her, "We do?"

  She smiled, her eyelids fluttering twice, "Of course. You don't think I'd sit through this sniveling without a reason."

  Apparently, the meeting was at a breaking point. Down at the center, tables of refreshments had appeared when my head was turned. Gale was still floating above it all, her eyes scanning the crowd. There were stations set up where people could still interact with her, even over the noise of the crowd milling around trying to get the best finger foods. Her power allowed her to nullify as well as amplify sound. It was on
e of the reasons that Mind was so careful around her. It hadn't taken Gale long to figure out that something was moving the air around me when Mind was in stealth mode. After that, Mind had been loath to even communicate through the earpiece for fear that Gale would notice.

  Guzel pulled me to my feet and pushed me back out into the hall, all the while making it look like I was leading her. I felt like a fish being pulled along by the current. We threaded our way between diplomats and supers, spandex-clad body parts I didn't want to identify rubbing against my leg as we pushed through the throng. I caught sight of Gale once or twice. She didn't seem to be paying attention to me, but I could feel her tension in the air. With a super as powerful as her, she couldn't help her emotions leaking out. Most wouldn't notice it, but I had been married to her. I knew.

  Finally, we exited the hall, Guzel making sure my wrist was nowhere near the panel that had sensed my arrival. Outside, there were a few people grouped in twos and threes, standing close to each other, discussing things they obviously didn't want overheard. We sped past all of them, making our way back toward the way I'd come in.

  Soon, the huge wall loomed over us, the illuminated circles on the ground beckoning. I glanced at the exotic Turk on my arm, somehow leading me from my side. She smiled at me and flipped her hair, rubbing my shoulder with her free hand.

  "There is no way I'm riding one of those things."

  She pouted, "Even if I ride it with you?"

  I felt my jaw loosen as she pulled me into one of the circles. She glanced around us and I followed her lead. We were being observed. They were trying to be discrete about it, but you couldn't miss the quickly averted eyes and turned heads.

  She reached up and pulled my chin toward her, "Now, you aren't afraid, are you? A big man like you?"

  I swallowed, "Um...big?"

  She placed a few fingertips on my belly, sending shivers up my spine, "You know, strong. Powerful."

  She said something in what I assumed was Turkish into the panel on the wall and a bubble enclosed us swiftly. I wouldn't have noticed if not for the deadening of the outside sound. The rushing of the floors and wall was like watching it on television - there was no sense of movement. Soon we were in front of a door that was so high I didn't dare to look down.

  I wasn't really afraid of heights. I'd traveled much higher with Gale. And even though I had grabbed on to her so hard she'd had a bruise afterwards, I wasn't, technically, afraid. I was just tense. This? This was terrifying. All I could think of was Ted, with a smoking blue drink in one hand and a wrench in the other, putting this thing together. I'd seen the aftermath of some of his mistakes. I shivered.

  We stepped through the door into a small room with a small table surrounded by four chairs, a bar, and not a lot of light. I took a quick step into the room and stopped, relieved to be off the disc that had carried us up. Guzel pushed past me gruffly, moving to the far right wall. I cocked my head, confused. She looked back at me, her smile replaced with a hard line of tight lips. All the playfulness was gone from her demeanor and I suddenly felt uncomfortable. I scanned the room. The far wall was nothing but a window looking out over a vast blackness. The main auditorium, I guessed. Whatever was on the other side of the glass was certainly far away and very far down.

  From the left corner of the room, a figure appeared. Dark haired and muscular, he wore a loose fitting red tracksuit with dual white stripes down the sides, arms and legs. His hair was close-cropped, though somehow shaggy. As if the ends were afraid of his skin. He had a pocked complexion and his pupils were slit. He moved with a fluid grace that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

  "Clear," he hissed, his shoulders constantly in motion as if he had to keep them moving to breathe.

  From behind him stepped a man, shorter, but no less dark, his skin heavily bronzed and seemed to glitter in the faint light. His hair was close-cropped and pulled back, gelled into place. He wore an impeccably tailored suit. The knot on his tie was perfectly even.

  "The new representative from the States." He smiled at Guzel, "How long do you give him?"

  She stepped toward the man, "I don't know. This one used to be married to Gale."

  The man's face dropped as if he'd been kicked in the stomach. His eyes flicked back to me, scanning me from shoes to head. I admit, on my best day, I didn't look as good as this guy did in his suit, but mine resisted fire, cold, electricity, and more. All thanks to Ted. Who, I had to admit, wasn't much of a tailor.

  "Really?" His accent was straight out of Spanish television.

  "You must be the representative from Argentina."

  The man smiled, "Enrico Rosa, at your service. And you?"

  "Bob Moore," I extended my hand. He shook it and I moved back toward Guzel's side. Her look told me I wasn't welcome and I moved back toward the door. "Now, what is this all about?"

  "Life and death, Mr. Moore," Enrico stated flatly. "We are afraid. And you should be too."

  "Regardless of whom you were married to," Guzel added.

  I put my hand up, "Okay, slow down. First, what is going on? What was all that down there?"

  Guzel moved to the side, equidistant from Enrico and me, "A show, I assure you, Mr. Moore." She fished a cigarette from her cleavage, "Turkey is a very patriarchal state. Do you know how a woman gets to a position such as mine?"

  I wanted to say, "on her back", but even my limited experience with diplomacy told me this would be a bad move. Instead I simply said, "No."

  She took a lighter from her shirt and lit her cigarette, "Letting the men think it was their idea." She exhaled a ring of smoke, "Women rule the world, Mr. Moore. We just let you think you're making the decisions."

  Enrico cleared his throat, "Be that as it may, the fact remains: we are all in danger."

  I closed my eyes, trying to clear my head. "Okay, back up. Gale says there was no foul play. That they looked into it. The Vice President says the other ambassadors are missing. What do you say?"

  "The second man? We can't say. He wasn't here long enough for us to make meaningful contact with him. That's why we grabbed you the first chance we got. We needed to warn you. Yes, they have a note. Yes, there is no evidence of foul play. But that doesn't mean it didn't happen. We knew Sanders. He was a good man. Dedicated. He didn't leave willingly."

  I looked over the two ambassadors. Guzel blew her smoke, unflinchingly meeting my gaze. Enrico looked less confident, but no less convinced. I dropped my head. The Vice President says yes. Gale says no. These two say yes. Who was right?

  "Who?" I exhaled the word. "Who would do this?"

  Simultaneously they answered, "Australia."

  "Seriously?" I exclaimed.

  Guzel stepped forward, her cigarette held at her hip, "Do you know what boron is, Mr. Moore?"

  I shrugged, "Moron's cousin?"

  Enrico continued as if I hadn't spoken, "It's a fairly worthless substance. They make detergent and insulation out of it. It is also in the soil throughout southern Australia. It is killing the plants and wildlife down there. So what do the Australians do? They trade with the Super State to have them mine it. Pull it out without disrupting the wildlife. They have all sorts of machines down there drawing boron from the soil."

  "So?"

  "So," Guzel continued, pulling a second cigarette from her blouse, "what the Australians don't know is that boron can be refined. We have information that the supers use it for all sorts of devices. They can make everything from tiny machines to a type of armor that is harder and stronger than diamonds. Apparently, it is the new 'wonder' substance. They want it. They want it badly."

  A small laugh eked past my lips, "And Australia is giving it to them."

  Enrico chimed back in, "Paying them to take it, actually."

  I tilted my head, thinking, "And I'm to believe that the three of us represent the controlling reserves of boron."

  The two representatives traded smiles at each other and then nodded at me.

  I nodded back. "N
ice. So the plan is to keep this all under wraps until Australia gives away all their boron and then start charging the Super State?"

  Enrico's smiled widened, "They are creating the demand. When their supply dries up, we'll step up."

  Guzel spat, "And take the power away from those damned Aussies."

  I paused, thinking, "So, the reason for the removal of the US Ambassador?"

  They both shook their head, "Sanders, we understand. He was the one with the plan. With the inside knowledge. He never told us where he got his information. We figured he got removed by someone that could be hurt by this deal. His successor...well, maybe they hadn't gotten everything they wanted."

  My face screwed in concentration. It didn't sound right. If Australia knew... "Has Australia changed their policy? Have they started looking for compensation from the State?"

  They both shook their heads.

  My brief tour of my office revealed that it didn't have much in it. But anything could have been removed. It would be impossible to know. I felt like I was out of my league here, but something didn't add up. I didn't see Australia's angle.

  "I don't know, it doesn't sound right to me."

  Enrico sighed, "You have to understand - the US has the biggest reserves of boron. If you drop out of the deal, out of the blockade if you will, it is over. All he has to do is keep your country out of it and he can hatch whatever plan he likes. For all we know, he's stockpiling the stuff and letting us bide our time waiting for this deal and letting other deals pass."

  I shook my head, "It seems awfully convoluted to me."

  "Not really." Enrico took a breath, "See, Australia already makes a fortune with their other mining. If they found out about the boron, they could continue to pay for it to be extracted from the south while they stockpile it from other sources. When the south runs out of boron and we announce that we'll sell it to the supers, they undercut our prices with their own reserves. So, we've let any number of other opportunities pass while they've laughed at us secretly. The lynchpin of our plan, however, is our coalition. Together, we can better any price they can possibly offer."