by Grant Stone
Mika pulls a blanket – a welcome gift from the villagers – tighter around her shoulders, comforted by the heaviness of the weave and the scratchiness of its fibres. Like the blanket, the quiet stillness insulates her against the urgency to keep going, to get the job done and return home.
She inhales deeply, savouring the smell of wood smoke on the air. There’s a beauty here, in the barrenness of the landscape, in the widely spaced homes in various stages of decomposition, half hidden in the scrub and spindly trees. On the night of their arrival, Mika had been close to tears when each person had taken the time to greet her with declarations of their lineage reaching back into the ages. Some of the families had claimed a distant kinship to her, using it as an excuse to offer her clothes for Bree, and the meal that followed included music, laughter and shared stories.
So like home, but not home.
Bree head pops into view as she climbs Torua to join her.
‘Hey, sweetie. Did I wake you?’ Mika’s amazed at how quickly the child has put away her past and begun to stretch into her new identity: loving and fearless. Mika opens her blanket, like the wing of a Haast’s eagle, and tucks Bree into her side. The girl snuggles closer, leaning her head against Mika’s shoulder.
‘I wish we didn’t have to go.’
‘You don’t have to if you don’t want to.’
I wish I didn’t.
‘You’re going to leave me?’ The words fall like dead soldiers.
‘You like it here, don’t you?’ Mika brushes Bree’s hair out of her eyes, no longer rimmed with black smudges. ‘Let’s not talk about it now.’
They sit and watch the light creep over the horizon, waking man and dog as the sun climbs. Soon though, the noise of life begins to thicken and hunger calls them back inside for breakfast.
‘Is this all of it?’ Lionel says impatiently.
He stands at a large meeting table, rearranging strips of paper covered in the script copied from the images decorating Mika’s body.
‘Yes.’ There’s nowhere else to hide them. Does he expect her to shave her head, too? Kikmongwi or not, it twists Mika’s conscience to let the professors apply the images to paper for analysis. It doesn’t feel right. She wishes she had better counsel than her own.
‘It must have taken years to carve all this on your body. How would they know you would grow big enough to fit it all?’ Lisa asks, shuffling a row of papers from top to bottom.
‘Yes, it took years, but I’m not the only one in my family to wear the moko. It was the only way to keep my father’s work safe.’ Mika shudders at the memory of the pain as the tattoo was etched into her skin. It was pain mixed with pride, as she’d sat alongside Huia, the two of them laughing through their tears.
‘It’s all nonsense,’ Lionel announces, and Mika catches Lisa’s cutting glance in his direction. ‘I’m sorry, Mika,’ he softens. ‘But we’ve been looking at these for a week and we’re no closer to understanding what Atticus was getting at.’ He picks up a strip. ‘Look here, this is a basic protein sequence, but...’ He grips another between fingertips. ‘...this one is a mathematical sequencing formula.’ He lets the papers flutter back to the table.
‘Lionel, we mustn’t blame Mika for our frustration,’ Lisa says. She takes Mika by the elbow, and leads her towards the door. ‘Can you give us a bit more time? We need to figure this out.’
Mika turns to her. ‘Okay, I guess another day or two can’t hurt. But after that, I really have to go, whether or not you’ve deciphered the message. I hope you’ll understand.’
Lisa frowns. ‘We’re not sure you should even go to Las Vegas. Selwyn, B-Cell, they’re not to be trusted. Stan says there was an attempt on your life...’
Mika looks past Lisa, back into the room where Lionel is muttering to himself, scavenging through the papers, picking up and discarding each one in turn.
‘I was told they might have some of my father’s research notes – the last pieces of the puzzle.’
Lisa snorts. ‘Unlikely.’ She takes Mika’s hand. ‘Give us time, Mika. If the answer’s here, Lionel and I will find it.’
Mika kisses the older woman on the cheek.
All this can wait until tomorrow.
Bree is down at the river with Lisa, so now is as good a time as any. Mika’s put off asking long enough. She steps up to the old converted school bus, Stan and Irina’s home on the reservation. But Irina is there, blocking Mika’s way, her arms crossed across her chest.
‘I’m sorry, but you can’t come in.’
‘I have something to ask you both, and then I’ll be on my way,’ Mika says, straightening her shoulders.
‘You’re leaving for good, then?’
Mika pauses. ‘Maybe. It depends.’
‘I’ll tell him. We’ll find you later.’ The other woman hasn’t moved, yet Mika feels she’s being pushed away.
‘That’s okay. I’m happy to wait.’ Mika knows a village line when she sees one; mothers keeping close eye on their children playing in the dirt, the group of elders sitting in the shade talking about the weather. Everyone here is waiting their turn to visit the bus.
At that moment, the door swings open and a teenage girl steps out, followed closely by a woman – her mother – whose smile matches her daughter’s.
‘What would we do without you?’ the woman says, taking a small package from Stan, but then, noting Mika’s presence, she freezes.
Irina steps closer to Mika. ‘Please don’t judge him,’ she says gently. ‘You’re not from here. You have no idea what we’ve lost, what we’re forced to do to keep our families safe.’
Mika thinks of what she’s left behind, what brought her to this country, heart in her hand, begging for salvation. She knows exactly what people are willing to do.
Anything.
Stan has seen her. He pulls the doors of the bus closed and, excusing himself from his customers, closes the distance to Irina and Mika. He takes his wife’s hand.
‘Is everything okay, here?’
‘Depends on what you tell me,’ Mika says, allowing herself to be guided away from the bus towards Torua. Turning to Stan, she takes a deep breath. ‘You’re a paramedic who deals drugs. Fine. I don’t have a problem with that, providing you can keep Bree safe.’
‘Me? Keep her safe?’
Mika looks from Stan to Irina. ‘I was hoping that you and Irina would keep her here with you on the reservation.’
Irina gasps, gripping her husband’s hand, but Stan says nothing. Instead, he kicks at a stone, letting it lead them to Torua.
After a time, he says, ‘What brought this on?’
Mika swallows hard. ‘You know I have to go. I would have left weeks ago, if Lisa and Lionel hadn’t seen a pattern in my moko and thought they could help. And when I do go, I can’t take Bree with me. You see, once I’ve found the professors’ old boss, and made the deal, I’ll need to get home to Aotearoa as quickly as I can. It’s an uncertain journey...’ Just asking them is hard. Mika’s heart is aching. She hates the thought of leaving Bree. Their relationship may be new, but still the idea of leaving the girl is excruciating. ‘So, will you do it? Will you and Irina look after Bree? Give her a family here?’
She rubs at her eyes, hoping to fool the couple into thinking that a particle of dust is the reason for her tears.
‘I ... I don’t know,’ Stan says.
‘But Bree likes you. She’s happy here,’ Mika insists.
Irina tugs at his hand, her eyes brimmed with tears. ‘Stan, please, we could do this.’
Stan shakes her off.
‘But I thought you liked Bree,’ Mika says.
‘I do. Don’t get me wrong, I love Bree. She’s a great kid.’
‘Then why not?’
Stan doesn’t say anything, but his cybernetic eye jerks crazily.
Irina speaks now, her voice dropped to a whisper. ‘Stan, we could do this. We could. I know we could. You can’t give save them all, Stan, not singlehandedly, you can’t eve
n raise enough stealing from the Brotherhood to get all the prosthetic limbs we need. But we could help Bree: you and I could give this one little girl a chance.’
‘No!’
‘Is it because of Belle? We wouldn’t be replacing her. We could never do that—’
Stan pushes his wife away and storms ahead.
Mika goes to follow him, but Irina puts a hand on forearm. ‘I’m sorry. I’d help you if I could. I’d love to have Bree. But Stan ... since we lost Belle, he hurts so much. I don’t think he can bear to risk loving another child, not while there’s a chance they could get ill, too. It’s why he drives himself, leaving the reservation to find the money, so other families don’t have to face what we did, at least not so soon.’ She sighs sadly. ‘It’s got so I haven’t just lost my daughter, I’ve lost my husband, too.’
She turns and heads back up the slope to the bus.
Mika catches up with Stan, who’s kicking up stones. They’re on the edge of the village now, facing an endless landscape of rock, where fierce plants grip the dry soil in a battle for survival. Scooping up a stone herself, Mika hefts it from hand to hand, then hurls it into the wilderness.
‘Sorry. I didn’t mean to push. Irina explained. It was insensitive of me to insist.’
Stan nods. He juggles a stone in his hand.
‘If not you, what about the professors?’ Mika says, stopping in front of Torua. ‘They’re older, but they’re kind. Do you think they’d look after her?’
Stan looks up. ‘You’re trying to pawn the child off to the next person in line now? Surely Bree deserves more than that!’
‘Well, what am I supposed to do?’ Mika raises her voice, miffed now. ‘You say you won’t take her, and I have to get to Las Vegas and find the man who worked with my father. I can’t take Bree with me. I can’t take the risk.’
But Stan is tilting his head towards the gorge, where Bree, still in her wet clothes and wrapped in a towel, skips between the two professors. Paddy, equally bedraggled, yaps at their heels. He doesn’t want Bree to know that they’re arguing about her.
‘How was your swim, sweetie?’ Mika asks Bree when the two groups come together. Rubbing the dust from her hands, she picks up the puppy, scratching vigorously behind his ears.
‘It was cool. Can I go again tomorrow?’ Bree says, taking the puppy from Mika, and giggling as it licks her face. Mika hesitates. Will Bree still be here tomorrow? After all she’s been through, Mika can’t leave her with just anyone. Stan’s right: Bree deserves more.
‘Let’s talk about it later, shall we? Right now you should go and get changed – and mind you don’t turn poor Torua into a swimming pool!’ Mika can’t resist giving the girl a tight hug before helping her and the puppy inside.
‘Mika, have you got a moment to come back with us?’ Lisa asks. ‘Lionel thinks we’ve made a mistake somewhere.’ Mika notes Lionel’s scowl, as if he doesn’t approve of the implication.
‘Can I ask you something first?’ Mika says, ignoring the low growl from Stan.
‘What’s that?’
Lisa isn’t referring to Mika’s question. Her brows crinkle as she stares into the distance. Following her gaze, Mika spots the irregularity on the horizon. Stan has seen it too.
‘Ah shit, the Brotherhood,’ he curses, his face pale.
‘Oh no, Stan, you didn’t!’ Lisa gasps, cupping her hand to her mouth.
‘I was careful,’ Stan whispers, but his fists are clenched.
Lionel turns on him, suddenly thunderous. ‘You can’t steal from them, Stan! How could you be so stupid?’ he yells. ‘You’ve put us all at risk, you fool! So you’ve stolen enough money to buy us a few spare parts – the Brotherhood will make us pay with our lives. You’re going get us all killed.’ He grabs for his wife, yanking her away.
‘No, no, it’s fine,’ Stan insists, taking a step towards the professors, his palms outstretched. ‘I’ll leave.’ He flicks a glance towards Torua. ‘If I’m not here to find when the Brotherhood come, they’ll keep on looking.’
‘Great idea,’ Lionel retorts. ‘You should go. We’re none of us safe while you’re here,’ he says coldly, still pulling on Lisa’s arm.
‘But Stan won’t be allowed to return,’ Lisa protests. ‘The elders are happy enough for Stan to deal drugs to bring cash into the community, but if there’s any trouble with the Brotherhood, they’ll ask him to stay away.’
‘Then the elders would be right,’ says Lionel calmly, as if talking to a child. ‘Darling, we have to let him go. The important thing is to keep the community safe, and to avoid any unnecessary attention from B-Cell.’
‘Mika,’ Stan says, turning to her. ‘The Brotherhood will know you were with me when I stole their money and their drugs. It’s not safe for you here either.’
Lisa twists out of her husband’s grip. ‘I’m coming too,’ she says, her voice firm. ‘If you’ll let me.’
‘No!’ Lionel’s face is full of anguish.
Lisa lays her hand on her husband’s forearm. ‘Yes, Lionel. It’s time for us to face up to our mistakes. We’ve been hiding out here too long.’
‘That’s not true! All these years, we’ve been searching for a solution!’
‘We’ve been hiding, Lionel, and you know it. Well, I’m not going to stand by and watch this disease decimate our friends any longer. If I know anything at all about Atticus Tāura, then he kept on working until he found the answer, and that answer is here for us now, written on Mika’s skin. All we have to do is decipher it.’
‘Please, Lisa! If the Brotherhood catch you—’
Lisa interrupts. ‘Come with me, Lionel,’ she pleads. ‘The two of us have been asleep here all this time. But now Mika has come along – like a miracle all the way from Aotearoa, from Atticus – wearing the clues to his research. Come with us. Help us unlock Atticus’ secret. Please.’
But Lionel just stares at her. A second later, he turns on his heel and dashes back towards the village.
Lisa sobs. She watches, her expression sad, until he disappears inside the house, then, bowing her head, she climbs the exterior of Torua after Bree.
Mika turns to Stan. ‘What about Bree? We can’t take her with us. It’s too dangerous. We’ve already seen what those guys are prepared to do.’
‘Right now, we don’t have time to interview anyone for the position,’ Stan says, grim. He nods towards the horizon. During their exchange, the growing silhouettes of the Brotherhood have become more distinct. There are several of them, coming at speed.
Stan’s right. If they’re going to leave, they have to go now. Bree will just have to come with them.
Mika spins, and climbs into Torua. The hatch slams behind her and she dives into the driver’s seat. Hastily, she enters the embarking protocols. No time for finesse, she engages the engines, striking for the middle distance between the village and the oncoming visitors.
Stan joins her in the co-pilot seat. ‘Right, let’s show these guys some dust.’
Chapter Seven
They haven’t gone fifty yards when Lisa squeals.
‘Stop, please! It’s Lionel.’
Mika checks her mirror. His shirt flapping, Lionel is running after Torua, waving them down. Mika brakes hard, jerking the passengers forward against their seatbelts. Then, leaving the waka idling, she and Stan push up the hatch, just as Lionel reaches them.
The fifty-yard sprint has exhausted him. Bending over, he rests a hand on his knees and breathes deeply.
‘I’m coming with you,’ he huffs, getting his breath back. ‘But I need to find Craig first.’
‘We haven’t got time for you to say your goodbyes, Lionel. I haven’t even got time to tell Irina,’ Stan says, his good eye squinting towards the horizon. ‘If you want to come, you need to get in the transport now.’
‘No, no, you don’t understand. It’s my smoking ambition coal.’ He holds up a piece of red rock half-wrapped in a grubby cloth. ‘If we can get the fire-pit to the right temperature,
chemicals in the smoke should pacify the Brotherhood long enough for us to get away. They might even forget why they came if they inhale enough.’
‘Chemical warfare?’ Stan says.
Lionel grins. ‘If you like.’
‘Absolutely not!’ says Mika, butting in. ‘What about the people? The children? I thought you cared about this community!’ She can’t believe Lionel would be so heartless.
But Lisa calls up from below. ‘Any memory loss is only temporary. It’s perfectly safe, Mika.’
‘I’ve been working on it for years,’ Lionel goes on, unable to hear Lisa from where he’s standing. I thought if we’d had something that would curb people’s drive to achieve their goals, then maybe B-Cell might not have become so powerful. We might’ve stood a chance.’
‘I don’t like it,’ Mika says, shaking her head.
‘It’s safe. I promise. You’ve been exposed to it yourself. Lisa and I have been sprinkling it in the fire pit every night for the past week. We wanted to delay your departure and give us more time to study the tattoos.’
Mika’s stunned. So, that’s why she’d found it so hard to leave! Anger creeps up from deep within her. She clenches her fingers into fists.
But Stan is throwing out a hand to Lionel. ‘Right. Get in. I know where Craig is. ‘We’ll take you there. He turns his head and calls to Mika, who’s already sliding into her seat. ‘He’ll be at his mechno-workshop...’
Mika frowns, trying to think where that might be. ‘...near my caravan,’ Stan finishes.
Lionel is barely in his seat, hasn’t even put on his seatbelt, when Torua roars to life, circling the villages in just minutes and sliding to a stop outside Craig’s workshop. Stan, Mika and Lionel jump down before the billow of dust has had time to settle. Stan’s friend rolls himself to the front of his shop.
‘What’s up, man?’ he says, pulling off his gloves.
‘Brotherhood,’ Stan says. ‘Sold some drugs for them in New York and I might have forgotten to give them the money. Might have held some of drugs back, too.’