Emergency Transmission

by Sean McLachlan

  Assuming the Chinese even wanted it.

  And now here it was, a Sunday morning, and he was alone with no other Christians to talk to.

  David made a full turn, looking at all the people going by, busy with their own affairs.

  “Why aren’t we in church?” he asked.

  A couple of people glanced at him and moved on.

  “Why aren’t we in church? It’s a Sunday,” he said, louder this time. “I’ll tell you why we’re not in church, it’s because none of the churches have any of the answers!”

  That got a few laughs.

  “God is dead. Good riddance,” someone said.

  “Oh no,” David said, shaking his head. “He’s not dead, my friend.”

  “Because he never existed,” said a dealer tending a nearby market stall.

  “That’s where you’re wrong. He did and He does and He always will.”

  The guy shrugged. “Whatever, buddy. I don’t feel like an argument today.”

  “What, you think I’m angry at you? I don’t have any anger in my heart for the God haters. Who can blame them for feeling like that when every religious leader is twisting the Word to suit his own purposes? The churches and synagogues and mosques all failed us.”

  “Watch it, pal. That’s getting mighty close to Blame.”

  “I’m not saying it’s their fault for the fall of civilization. That’s all of our faults. But forgiveness is always open to us. If we forgive each other, we can rebuild. God let us destroy the world as a punishment for our selfishness. He let us destroy the world to show us how far we went astray. If we change, he will cleanse the world.”

  “Oh, so God’s going to make it rain clean water if we all start loving one another?”

  “Yes,” David said with sudden conviction. He wasn’t sure why he knew it to be true, he just did. “God’s Word says for all of us to praise Him together, to be as one in His kingdom. If we do that, the world will be healed.”

  The market stall owner chuckled and shook his head, although he didn’t seem as cynical as before. David noticed a few people had stopped to listen. One of them said, “You’re right about one thing. If we had trusted each other a bit more we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

  “Trust isn’t enough. We have to have faith. We have to have faith to unite with our enemies and make them friends. God is open to helping us, but we have to take the first step. We have to show that we are worthy of redemption.”

  Thus started David Nimitz’s first sermon. Standing in the stinking mud of the marketplace, he poured his heart out, telling of a faith he hadn’t known since childhood, a faith that said that all were sinners but all were capable of redemption. As he spoke, he warmed to his subject. A small crowd gathered, and while some left after a minute or two, others took their place. David felt that power of speaking come over him again, like it had when he had faced the Righteous Horde with the dead cult leader’s head in his hand and no idea of what to say in his mind. David opened his mouth and let the words flow. No one was heartened by them as much as he was.

  By the time he finished, about two dozen people stood around him in a circle. Some had stayed for the entire sermon.

  “So remember, my friends,” he concluded. “No matter what things you have done in the past, if you stop now, and come together in forgiveness and contrition, we can all be saved.” With this he paused, wondering if his sermon was over, and then added, “Even me.”

  He smiled, nodded, and said. “God bless you all. I hope to see you here again at sunset.”

  “I have to go back to my farm before then. Will you be here tomorrow morning too?” someone asked.

  David blinked. “Um, yes. I’ll be here every morning and every evening.”

  The woman smiled. “I’ll see you then.”

  A couple of others nodded. David walked away smiling. He hadn’t felt this good in longer than he could remember.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Roy couldn’t stop sweating. Today was Chinese New Year’s. He’d closed early the night before so the Chinese could set up. His bar was adorned with red paper lanterns and pictures of China cut from old magazines. Yu-jin had brought a bunch of high-quality pictures she had been given on the ship. The kitchen was full of food made with recipes Roy hadn’t heard of, and Joe was coming with some of his famous sesame chicken, which no one knew was a Chinese recipe until the ship came. Yu-jin and the others would come to open up in an hour. The Doctor was sending out some guards just before that. His bouncers were already here. Everyone was ready.

  Except Roy.

  He tried to take his mind off what might happen by listening to Pablo’s incessant chatter. That boy could talk a mile a minute and he was looking to break the record today. At the moment Pablo was standing on a chair adjusting one of the lanterns.

  “Do you think we put up enough lanterns? I like these. I’m going to ask Yu-jin for a couple to put in our house. You think Hong-gi will like them? They must have loads back in China, but I guess he hasn’t been to China yet because they were only gone for a couple of weeks. So yeah, these will be the first Chinese lanterns he’ll see. That’s cool, isn’t it?”

  “Totally cool, Pablo.” Roy gave him a thumb’s up. It won’t be totally cool if we get overrun with an angry mob and lynched before sundown.

  “This is going to be the greatest party ever! The whole Burbs is going to show up. New City too.”

  Roy looked at him with wonder. Less than a month ago he and his little Chinese friend had nearly been killed in the anti-Chinese riots. Had he forgotten so quickly? No, of course he hadn’t. The kid had simply decided that everything was going to get better. Too bad more people didn’t have that attitude.

  “Have you reconsidered trading the radio?” Roy asked, and immediately regretted it. It was the first time he saw Pablo’s face cloud over all morning.

  “No.”

  “He’ll let you be Chief Radio Officer, he said so.”

  Pablo brightened. “I already am!”

  Roy couldn’t help but smile. The Doctor needed to talk with the ship and Pablo knew it, so he’d wheedled his way into an important role.

  “It would be easier for everyone if you made it official. The Doctor will give you plenty more besides.”

  “Let’s see how he behaves today,” Pablo said in a surprisingly adult tone.

  Jaylen and Xavier came in carrying two big trays covered in cloth. A sweet smell wafted through the room.

  “What’s that?” Pablo said, hurrying over.

  “Something you don’t get to eat until later,” Jaylen said.

  Pablo lifted a corner of one the cloth and revealed a row of little square cakes.

  “They’re called nian gao or something like that. Better ask the Chinese how to pronounce it right,” Xavier said. The market trader had been one of the first to volunteer to help with the party. Roy hoped he wouldn’t lose too much business because of it. “Sticky cakes made with rice and fruit. You know they steam it? I never saw anyone steam a cake before.”

  “They look good,” Pablo said.

  “They are good,” Xavier said, setting his tray on the bar.

  “Why did you get to try one and I don’t?” Pablo asked.

  “Because I carried them here,” Xavier said with a grin as he walked out the door.

  Jaylen turned to Roy.

  “Remember that brother who came in for a haircut a few days back?”

  “Yeah. What’s he done now?”

  “Set himself up as a preacher in the marketplace.”

  “I heard there was a new preacher. Didn’t know it was him.”

  “I’ve listened to him,” Pablo said. “He talks about how we should all get along and to stop fighting and stuff.”

  Roy turned to him. “You getting religion?”

  Pablo made a face. “They all say different stuff.”

  “They all say that stealing is a sin,” Jaylen said, smacking Pablo’s hand as he tried to take a cake.


  “Is he staying out of trouble?” Roy asked.

  Jaylen shrugged. “From what I hear, yeah. Why, you worried about him?”

  “He don’t add up.”

  “I see what you mean, but from what I’ve seen he’s beginning to attract a crowd. Two sermons a day. Saying what people need to hear right now.”

  With all the craziness around Chinese New Year, Roy had almost forgotten about the scavenger. Now he found himself wondering about him again. That guy’s story didn’t add up, but something about him made Roy feel he wasn’t a threat. The guy seemed to want to start again.

  And who was he to judge anyone? The whole point of the Burbs was to give people a chance at a new life.

  “Do you think he’ll be at the party?” Pablo asked.

  “I don’t know,” Roy said. “I suspect he will be.”

  “Good. Maybe he can talk to all the haters and make sure they don’t mess everything up.”

  Roy chuckled. So the kid hadn’t been fooling himself after all. He was sharp. He’d never seen a child so sharp. Pablo headed for the door, calling over his shoulder, “I got to join Yu-jin. We’re going to the beach soon.”

  As Pablo hurried out, Baruch, who had taken position outside the front door, poked his head in. The bandage on his nose needed changing.

  “Clyde’s coming with a few men.”

  “Shit.”

  Roy hurried out, putting on a smile. He noticed some tough-looking guys lounging across the street. There were always a few loungers in the Burbs, but these folks looked like they were lounging with intent.

  The Head of the Watch led half a dozen of his men, all heavily armed and armored. He was a foot shorter and fifty pounds heavier than the rest of them. Roy tried not to laugh. Clyde did know his stuff and was one of the best shots Roy had ever met, but damn it was funny to see him waddling around in Kevlar.

  “Can I help you, gentleman?” Roy asked as they stopped in front of the door.

  “Morning Roy, we’ve come to help you. You’re going to need some extra security.”

  “Oh, Doc has already taken care of that,” Roy replied, his tension rising.

  “He’s only sending out ten guys. You’ll need more than that. Can you and I have a chat inside?”

  Roy nodded and they moved to a table where they could talk without being heard. Clyde sat down heavily and mopped his brow with a handkerchief.

  “Would you like a drink?” Roy offered.

  Clyde shook his head. “Can’t drink on duty, and my stomach has been messed up ever since that boat ride.”

  Clyde and the rest of the team had come back two days before. They had immediately called an emergency meeting of the Citizens Council to tell everyone what they knew about the derrick causing all the toxic rains. Now Doc was trying to figure out a solution with the engineers. In the meantime, the freighter sat out to sea, making everyone nervous.

  “Look, Roy, I’m on board with this. You know I don’t trust those people, but we have to work with them to fix that derrick. And to do that we need to make sure this New Year’s thing goes off without a hitch.”

  “You said all that at the meeting and I’m glad you did,” Roy reassured him.

  Clyde threw his hands in the air. “Yeah, but he didn’t listen!” Roy didn’t have to ask who “he” was. “He thinks I want to depose him or assassinate him or something. After all these years he thinks that! After all we’ve been through. I don’t want to run this damn place, Roy, that’s the last thing I want to do. But he’s slipping. You can see that, can’t you? He’s making mistakes.”

  There they go again. Explaining. He’d been part of this whole story from the beginning and they thought he hadn’t even read the first page. Hell, he knew more than any of them. He ran a bar. No more honest place than a bar. People always reveal themselves when they’re drunk, whether they mean to or not. His bar had the least amount of bullshit of anyplace in town.

  “Roy, you know I respect him. Hell, I’ve been carrying a lot of his weight for almost forty years now. We couldn’t have done it without him, we all know that. But he’s old, and you know …”

  Roy nodded. He knew. The Doctor was ill. And yeah, he was slipping. Getting weaker, getting angrier. It couldn’t last.

  “So what do you plan to do?” Roy asked.

  “I’ll help keep order. I’ll keep my guys well away from Doc’s guys. I only brought the calm ones.”

  Roy nodded. He’d noticed that.

  “So don’t worry, Roy. We’ll keep things safe for your party. And then we’ll figure out a way to fix that derrick. Kevin and Rachel will come up with something. They always do. At least I sure as hell hope they will. Then that freighter can go away and leave us in peace.”

  “Sure could use some more of that rice.”

  “Roy, don’t trust them. I’m working with them because we have to, and I don’t want to see any of the Chinese here hurt. It’s not their fault what happened. But don’t for a minute think I trust them.”

  “They live halfway around the world. Can’t see how they’re much of a threat.”

  Clyde put his elbows on the table and leaned forward.

  “But they’re closer than that, don’t you see? The drilling station isn’t that far out. If the toxins affect them half as bad as they’re hitting us, no way they’re all the way from China.”

  “You mean like the Philippine Empire? That’s got to be long gone.”

  “Sure, but they could have taken over some of their bases. I’ve looked at some old maps and they had bases across most of the sea. Probably scavenged themselves a bunch of good shit. But I’m thinking they’re closer. I’m thinking Hawaii. The toxins probably are hitting it pretty hard.”

  “With the sea up, couldn’t be much left of Hawaii.”

  “I did some figuring with the topo I have. There’d be plenty of the islands left.”

  “Surrounded by all that gunk? No one can live on an island.”

  “Who knows? Maybe the sea isn’t so bad over there. I don’t know if that’s possible or if the toxins are all spread out evenly. Nobody here knows enough to say for sure. We have no real scientists here. Some damn good engineers, but no scientists. I asked Doc about it and even he didn’t know.”

  “I don’t think they studied much meteorology in the Red Cross, Crescent, and Star,” Roy replied. Why do they all worship this man so?

  Clyde chuckled. “They ran a tight game. Hell of an operation. Amazing how long they kept it together after the last pharmaceutical plant burned. Just made do and kept on going.”

  “I know he’d like to revive it. Just no time.”

  “And no protégé. He’s been looking for one for a long time.”

  Yes, Clyde. I know you remember. Fuck off.

  Clyde chuckled. “He’s got a bit of one in that Yu-jin girl. She’s a handful. Maybe just what he needs.”

  “Maybe so.”

  “I can’t see her becoming a physician, though. You know she ain’t half bad? A bit innocent, a bit wide-eyed, but I think she’s one of the good ones.”

  “Glad to hear it,” Roy said, maintaining his smile.

  Clyde smiled at him. “It’s always good to talk to you. You see sense. No wonder you have such a popular bar. Hell, maybe you should be mayor.”

  “Oh no, I got my hands full as it is,” Roy laughed. Then he grew more serious. “Look, it would be a great help if you kept an eye on those thugs loitering across the way.”

  Clyde nodded. “I scoped them coming in. A couple of them have priors. Annette arrested one just last month. I’ll move them along.”

  “Gently, Clyde. Move them along gently.”

  Clyde stood.

  “I got everything under control,” he said as he went out the door.

  No you don’t, Roy thought as he watched him go. None of us have for a long, long time.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Yu-jin could feel herself relaxing as she settled down in front of the ancestor tablets. A dozen from her
family took up one side of the shrine, all made of slate with the details of the person’s life written on the front. The lives of those she knew and those she had only been told about. The lives of every one of her family, now all dead.

  But sitting here, it didn’t feel so lonely. As she lit a joss stick and looked at all the tablets, her eyes resting on those of her father and mother, she felt the presence of every one of those people.

  It gave her the same peace as sitting in church or a prayer group. She’d missed the Sunday morning Catholic service, having arrived back in town in the late afternoon. Knowing Randy would be angry, she’d avoided him and come here instead.

  Xinxin sat next to her on the carpeted floor, facing a larger group of her own family’s ancestor tablets and absentmindedly stroking her belly. Having always lived in towns or cities, her family had been able to preserve more. Some of their ancestral tablets dated back more than a hundred years, before the City State Wars. They were relics from the twilight of the Old Times.

  Yu-jin and Xinxin looked at each other and smiled. They’d grown a lot closer in the past year. For a long time Xinxin’s family had been pressuring Yu-jin to marry Da-bin. The fact that she already lived with a man didn’t deter them. When the whole affair with the ship happened, it acted as a break. Everything had shifted for the community and for some reason they applied that to her and Da-bin as well. Suddenly when she said she didn’t want to marry the guy, they believed her. The topic hadn’t been raised in weeks.

  Da-bin, of course, had gone into a sulk. She felt sorry for him, but not sorry enough to express it. He’d only misinterpret that as a sign of hope. Puppies in old movies acted the way he did around her. She wondered why people back then seemed so attached to those animals. Why would anyone actually volunteer to be pestered like that? Maybe living in a world without problems, people in the Old Times wanted something needy and annoying in their lives just to appreciate how good they had it.

  “Do you think they can hear us?” Xinxin asked.

  “I don’t see why not,” Yu-jin said.

  “I think they can,” Xinxin said, looking at the tablets with a smile. “You know how I explain it to Anglos? I don’t even bring up that or the rituals or anything. I just say, ‘Do you know who your great-great aunt was? Can you tell me her name and some things about her? What she accomplished? I can. I can do that for my whole family back five generations. I know all the people who went into making me who I am.’ It really makes them get it. Well, kind of.”