The Journey of Rick Heiden - Chapters 31 and 32
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This novel contains 50 CHAPTERS, and every post will have 2 chapters each.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
I met Meridia, cousin to Amare and second eldest on Jiyu, during my study of the ancient texts at the Archive. She seemed a fascinating and capable woman. As her former student, I could tell David respected her. If she had taken book eight, it could have significance. I had many questions of her and Amare. Such as, why after the invention of the youth enhancement, did the population plummet? As the eldest, they must have known the answer.
After our discussion with Neal, we awaited Venn to gather us at the curb to travel to the industrial area. An unusually quiet David refused to touch me to demonstrate how perturbed he felt, and this preceded our first spat before Venn's arrival.
David shifted the box in his arms and glared at me with the disagreeable scowl that he had never directed at me. "You have no idea what you've gotten us into."
"Oh relax, if Neal hasn't lied, this might prove itself worthwhile."
"As reasonable as that may sound to you," said David, "somehow he planned this. He knew we waited for his arrival. He's tricked you into agreeing to do his dirty work."
"How?"
"By acting as the foppish, pretentiously ineffectual manipulator that comes so naturally to him, and by making it sound as though he wanted nothing more than a simple secret. If a secret does exist, it's probably dangerous. Amare would only keep secrets due to their importance."
"I'm sorry. I admit I didn't think."
"I noticed. I attempted to talk Neal into telling us without the deal, and you ruined it. The next deal that needs making, we make it together."
"Okay, I apologize," I said. David, holding the box, half hugged me, indicating that he forgave me. I then thought of something just as Venn came into view. "Amare only spoke Japanese before Pearce left for Earth. Does Pearce speak Japanese?"
"No, he doesn't," said David.
"If Amare has kept Aurum's secret, and Pearce knows it, as Neal seems to believe, he must have heard it from someone who spoke English."
"That's a thought," said David, "but I feel manipulated. He only wants to satisfy his hyperactive curiosity."
To reach the industrial area by transport, one must travel the length of Central Avenue. We passed through the main tunnel, which provided a few minutes of respite from the broiling sun. The wind created by the motion of the vehicle did nothing to alleviate the heat. Thankfully, Venn equipped each transport with emergency water on such days, which we used to keep ourselves hydrated and rinse the taste of Teresa's weed residue from our mouths.
On the way, we passed the Arena. With my first viewing of it, the pre-sunrise light and our extreme proximity provided too narrow a scope, and it impaired my view. One must stand back to appreciate it. I admired the architect's Jiyu-esque facade. The style combined features of Rome's ancient classical architecture with a surprising element: Italian Baroque. It evoked the image of a dynamically enlarged Roman Colosseum, reimagined in its original form, then made Baroque. I realized the artists of Jiyu did that well and often. I saw the Baroquialization of various established architectural styles as Jiyu's hallmark. In honesty, it would have gotten its share of critical condemnation on Earth, but I considered it unique and worthy of interest.
After having a quick view of the Arena, we passed many blocks of buildings completed in a similarly blended style. An expanse of open space, along the road to the left of us, lay among them. Before it stood a white granite colonnade, doubling as a rail trestle, used as a visual enclosure for the open square. Venn informed us of the new square, called the Quadratum --an unusual word whose unimaginative Latin translation merely meant "square"-- would replace the old city square by the sea. The Quadratum consisted of a rectilinear space, 4 hectares of land, or almost 10 acres. Aurum had planned it during his days as Prime. The surrounding buildings also came under construction at the same time and appeared two-thirds finished. The focal building in the middle that faced Central Avenue looked like a public building of some sort. Its vast size and appearance reminded me of Il Vittoriano in Rome. The left side of the square contained a double-sized replica of ancient Rome's Pantheon. The reason for doubling it, Venn couldn't say. On the right side of the square sat the largest train station in One City, rivaling the Waterloo station in London for how many lines it could service. They intended it as a long-term station to all future cities, provided One City didn't extend to the entire planet. Several armies of bots labored on the buildings and laid the interconnected stones for the open square.
I could see the detailed planning that had come into play for the veritable Ancient Rome they erected, but oddly, I didn't care for it. Its ambiance felt far less organic. Even if they had planned the inner portion of One City to the Nth degree, it exuded a sensibility that spoke of more than just stone and mortar. The older part had a heart that made One City a masterpiece, as I had come to see it. When finished, I figured that its beauty would stun me, and I might lose my reservations, but it had far to go before it could compare to the portion I loved by the sea. Until completion, however, I elected to reserve a definitive judgment.
Once outside the visual distraction of the city, we saw nothing but kilometers of flat scrubland, without a single tree in sight. I grew curious about its geology, so I asked Venn. Although people often referred to the area as the plains, due to its vastness and flatness, they should call it the lower plateau, which ended at the foot of the mountain.
"This plateau has scant vegetation due to the lack of sufficient soil," said Venn. "Beneath us lies a solid slab of igneous rock over 255 thousand square kilometers in area."
"Well, that sounds impressive," I said, "but can you compare it to something I might recognize?"
"I can," he said. "It's the size of Oregon, the bulk of which you can see to the north of us."
"So far, we only use this lower edge," said David. "Just beyond the industrial area to the east, you will find the valley and the upper plateau beyond that. But here's something that might impress you," he said then pointed downward, "the Master Builder tunneled a gigantic cylindrical aqueduct through the granite beneath this road. Aurum had it built to channel the rainwater away from this side of the mountain to prevent flooding."
"Okay, I'm impressed. Where's the exit?"
"When it rains," he said, "the floodwaters pour into the Vallis River."
I saw no clouds, trees, or much of anything else to break up the visual monotony of white stone meeting deep blue sky. As the sun beat down upon us like ants beneath a magnifying glass, David asked Venn to make the ride more comfortable. The short windows surrounding the seating area of the transport rose all around us, meeting in the center above us. The entire upper portion turned opaque white, as Venn encapsulated us with a 360° view. The transport must have had climate control because the air began to feel more temperate and less humid. The slow pace of the city transports annoyed me. It took an hour to traverse the 70 kilometers of scrubland, as cargo vehicles traveling both directions on the four-lane road passed us. They carried supplies and food to distribution points in the city, and recycling, along with other waste, from pickup points to the reclamator for processing.
Upon arrival, we rode through the middle of hundreds of warehouse-like buildings and saw a high concentration of robotic workers. Unlike the docks in Mumbai, the bots on the industrial side of One City kept the area immaculate, as well as organized.
Venn took us to an isolated warehouse to the south, referred to as the icehouse. For reasons unknown, they separated it from the others by a half-mile of narrow road.
They built all the warehouses of stone block, surrounded by an all-encompassing conductive mesh which acted as a Faraday cage. Ornate lightning rods adorned the titanium alloy roofs --titanium is a poor conductor of heat and electricity. With the severity of the electrical storms on Jiyu, it all seemed appropriate.
The icehouse sat alone on the blistering, sunbaked day with the broad side door left open. Four transport vehicles sat in the parking lot, and the group of people inside turned as our arrival drew their attention.
I saw those people I expected to see, Gabe, Magnar, Aiden, and Laurel, but Maggie also attended, and Dmitry, whom I had yet to meet. His short, loose curls appeared jet black in the shade and midnight brown when he entered the sunlight. He wore a scarlet-colored Trust uniform like Amare and Gabe, but without the gold embellishments. His eyes narrowed from the excessive light, giving him a masculine appearance with an expression of deep contemplation. He greeted David with a suspicious enthusiasm that hinted he might approach David later as Liander warned us.
Maggie had already shopped for clothes as she wore cream-colored pants and a loose-fitting shirt of the same color. She had dressed for the weather. Carrying a wide brim hat, she greeted me, smiling for our customary hug.
"I didn't expect to see you until I got home," I said.
"You should know I will want to help," she said in her lovely French accent.
"Should I inquire about your legs?"
"They hurt," she said.
I hugged her again. "Time, food, and rest will work wonders, my dear."
David introduced Dmitry to me, and I noted something familiar about him. It took me time to discern, but after hearing him speak a few times, my translator's ear had noticed a curious similarity between Dmitry's voice and that of Amare. Of course, they sounded distinct from one another. They had different vocal cords, palettes, nasal passages, and the subsequent differences in resonance that accompany those things, but they had the same tonality, elocution, and use of language, which struck me as bizarre. Amare said he asked Dmitry to share with him his English. I wondered then if I saw what the Sharing does. As someone who understands language as I do, I observed that more than an exchange of information had occurred between them. If Dmitry had given him nothing more, Amare would speak English as he would naturally speak it. However, until that moment, I had no idea that Amare's English embodied a literal clone of Dmitry's. It disturbed me, and I recognized something important in that, but I needed time to ponder it.
"Mr. Heiden," said Dmitry, "I have heard much about you from Amare. I look forward to reading your translation of the ancient texts."
"I look forward to doing that when I have time," I said.
"That will begin soon enough," said David. "For now, we have a drone to investigate." Determined to get to the business we came for, he stalked into the building, and the rest of us followed.
They had left the warehouse empty, except for a pale wooden table in the center, lit by one of the many sunlight tubes that illuminated the space. The drone, strapped upon the table, looked 2 feet wide and masked in green camouflage. It had four retractable legs, two sets of swiveling wings, and eight motorized propeller fans. The bottom front of the drone held a turret camera. I brought myself eye level with it but jumped back when the lens turned to stare at me.
"It's still active," I said, standing.
"Yes, and in a moment, you'll know why," said Aiden to me. "As you can see, David, it appears something has knocked four of the propeller fans out of alignment, leaving it easy to capture."
"Still no sign of the other one?" asked David.
"No," said Laurel, "and I have given that some thought. Rom assumed the drones had hidden in the city until morning so they could finish their task of scanning the city, but I don't think they did. The lighting outside prevented any further scans, so I think they hid for a while to let it become dark, and they both left. Somewhere along the way, this one sustained damaged. The team caught it near the tracks of station 10 East. We think it may have received a glancing blow from behind by the train."
David sighed. "Fascinating. I agree with you about the other drone. At this point, with no sign of it, that sounds like a reasonable explanation. What have we learned from this one?"
"A few things," said Aiden, nodding. "They made it phenomenally light. Along with its sophisticated electronics and power supply, they filled it with a long bag of hydrogen noodled throughout its interior, reducing its weight. That should make it more susceptible to problems with the wind and make it less stable, but it flies like an airplane to compensate for such difficulties. Thanks to Cadmar, we also discovered they booby-trapped it which explains why we haven't deactivated it. It does have a poorly copied Jiyuvian style power supply, which leaks insignificant amounts of radiation. They took advantage of its questionable stability because if you open the case, it will explode, set off by the hydrogen bag."
"With the radiation," I said, "should we move away from it?"
"Don't worry," said Laurel, "it's negligible."
"Can it hear us?" asked David.
"Cadmar didn't see any microphones," said Aiden, "but something does worry me more than anything else about it."
"What?" I asked.
"If you'll look here," Aiden said, pointing to an unusual bit of structure to the underside of the drone. "They're magnetic catches. Laurel and I have debated this. She believes they provide a means to tether the drone down, and perhaps they do."
"I still believe that," said Laurel.
"What worries you, Aiden?" asked David.
"I think they lightened the drone to compensate for a load it carried," said Aiden. "I couldn't say what, but if Major Palmer remains consistent, we might have an electromagnetic pulse generator in the city or something similar. They do appear to have made a successful miniaturized version of them; I suspect they're basing them on our technology."
"I don't like the sound of that," said David, "especially since we left an EMP generator lying at the bottom of a canal in Venice."
"What about surveillance devices?" I asked. "The Americans enjoy spying as much as the British."
"True," said David, "and no disrespect to your opinion, Laurel, because I hope you know how much I value you, but I think we must consider worst-case scenarios as a matter of prudence. Aiden could be mistaken, but if his idea proves correct, and we did nothing...well, I prefer not to take chances. I would have thought of explosives, but we saw this before with the drone case in Venice." David turned to Dmitry. "We need to warn everyone, but before we do, does anyone else have thoughts on this?"
"They sent two drones," said Magnar, "so they would use them strategically to cripple us. Even if they used explosives, it would leave our homes as safe havens. People should avoid critical structures and potential military targets."
David turned to Dmitry. "What do you think?"
"I think we should check the isotopic array," he said.
"We will," said David, "but I think destroying the array would destroy technology they may wish to steal from us, and if their device destabilized the array, causing it to explode, it would make the entire area unlivable for a long time to come. They will use more effective and less destructive ways to cripple us. We need to find these people and stop them from doing anything further."
"I have a recommendation," said Magnar. "They scanned the city and dropped their payload if they had one. The other drone is gone. They will have programmed this one to return to them as well. I suggest we make external repairs to its propellers, attach a tracking device to it, and let it go."
David thought for a moment. "I like that idea, Magnar." David turned to Aiden and Laurel. "Could you do that?"
"One moment," said Dmitry, "this drone contains information about the city. What if its information is pivotal to their reconnaissance?"
"This drone could lead us to the other portal," said David. "If we do as Magnar suggests, we might stop them from taking the information off the planet. They have the other drone. It could have information pivotal to their reconnaissance too." He shifted his gaze to Aiden and Laurel. "Could you do it?"
"Yes, we can do that," said Laurel. "The damage paralyzed it, but it appears minor."
"Do it," said David. He turned to Gabe. "Do you have news of the carrier?"
"Yes, we should abandon it," he replied. "It cannot perform self-diagnostics. We must dismantle huge sections, run a manual diagnostic on every piece, forge the new parts, replace them, and then reassemble it. That will take time we do not have. It's too old, and there's too much wrong with it."
"A possibility exists that it may not matter," said David. "If the teams still work on it, they can stop, with my thanks for the attempt." He, again, spoke to Dmitry, "We will need a functioning ship, though. If we need the thewsbots, we can take them there later. For now, let's warn our people of the devices, and find that portal."
The conversation continued a bit longer planning who would take care of what, and as it did, I placed myself outside of it as an observer. I read their faces and listened to their words and intonations, and I paid close attention to Dmitry. I recognized what was happening. I know it happened slower and more incremental than I can express here in my attempt to convey the circumstances then. No doubt, much occurred on Jiyu while on our mission and outside my view or involvement, but the significance of Liander's words grew evident to me. Those around David would cloak him in the mantle of the leader, and as David had taken on the responsibility to right-the-ship, it left his honor at stake. That, surely, would please many people to let him decide, but I also detected an undercurrent of acceptance that David presented a natural fit for leading Jiyu into a new era.
However, I suspected Liander of a mistake. He believed a group of influential people, elders perhaps, would approach David. But on Jiyu, people learned the importance of protecting their honor. I saw then, standing there among those few people, that no one would approach him. They wouldn't have to. His inclination to ask too much of himself would find him falling into leadership, and it had already begun. No doubt that relieved some people; it allowed them to divest themselves of the responsibility of having asked. I found that thought deeply disappointing. Humans were still human, even on Jiyu.
Magnar and Gabe would seek to solve our ship difficulty. Dmitry warned the people via Iris of the possibility of explosives or an EMP somewhere in the city, he then left for the valley. For us, we had passed mealtime, so Magnar recommended a restaurant in the new part of the city. Laurel, Maggie, and Aiden left in their transport to meet David and me there before acquiring their needed supplies for the drone.
While on the way, I hesitated to bring up my concerns in front of Venn. After having spoken with several of the artificial intelligences in One City, I knew they communicated with one another, and they passed along information as well. I didn't want my words stored somewhere and repeated to others.
I remembered that the listening devices in the taxis of London once concerned me for their invasion of privacy. Had our experiences on Earth cause me to question the motives of the people of Jiyu, whom I thought honorable? I needed to discuss it with David, but not at that moment.
The restaurant sat across Central Avenue from the Quadratum. We sat on the sun-shaded roof of a sizable, Corinthian-columned affair with a hefty portico in front. Of all the qualities of the local architecture, I appreciated those most.
Our table supplied an expansive view of the edifices erected across the way. As we awaited our meals, Maggie gazed upon me and tipped her head in what I recognized as concern. I felt contemplative, an atypical mode for me while in her presence. I tamped down my thoughts and recollected my manners during luncheon. That may sound insincere, but I gave her a genuine smile. It pleased me to see her with us despite everything else.
"So, what do you think of Jiyu so far?" David asked her.
"I have no words besides, `C'est magnifique' (It's magnificent)," she said.
"So, what enhancements did you get?" I asked her.
At that point, Aiden coughed, and I noted a wide-eyed, slight shake of his head.
I gazed at Aiden. "Okay." --I returned my attention to Maggie-- "You had me curious before, but now I must know. Did you have a problem? Are you okay?"
Maggie's gaze bounced from Aiden to the whole of our group. "I would like it known for the record that Aiden and I are 'not' a couple." She emphasized the negation.
David, Laurel, and I looked upon them both, waiting for an explanation to such a non sequitur.
Maggie sighed with a roll of her eyes. "Aiden m'a demande d'agrandir mes seins. (Aiden asked me to have my breasts enlarged)," said Maggie.
I gasped. "Oh, Aiden, why would you ask her that?"
Her French left David and Laurel out of the conversation, so I translated, and their reaction matched mine.
"Have the two of you broken up?" asked Laurel. "That seems quick."
"No. No, Laurel," Maggie said, "Aiden made the same mistake."
"I don't understand," said David.
Knowing Maggie as I did, I knew what happened. "Aiden mistook you for a couple."
"Precisement (Precisely)," she said.
"So," I said, "what did you say when he asked you to get Jiyu's equivalent of a boob job?"
"I laughed in his face."
"Hysterically," said Aiden.
We tried not to snicker at Aiden's expense, but it proved impossible.
"So," said David, "are the two of you no longer...ah...well, I don't know what."
"...having fun?" Laurel proffered.
"Of course, we are," said Maggie, putting her hand on Aiden's. "Aiden and I do not have a relationship, so he hasn't the right to make such requests of me, but I do care about him. Besides, the sex is amazing."
Aiden's face suddenly took on a smug little expression that anyone could have deciphered.
"Well, Aiden," I said, "no relationship or a forthcoming boob job. Are you devastated?"
"I think I could recover." Aiden failed the humility test, but if what we heard through closed doors indicated anything, we had every reason to believe Maggie.
David brought the conversation back to more immediate matters. "What sort of tracking device will you attach to the drone?"
"We can build a powerful radio beacon that emits a signal Rom can track," said Aiden. "We'll bond it to the hull and see what happens."
"Do you think the Americans have cleared the stones from the portal?" asked Maggie.
"I should think that's a priority," I said. "Major Palmer won't give up."
"Not that uncovering it is enough," said Laurel. "The portal on Earth has phased out. Depending on the state of the portal at this end, the troops here could take the reconnaissance data back to Earth with ease."
Due to Maggie's absence from the conversation the previous day, we informed her about the pylon and its diamond. It reminded David of his promise to take me to the museum to see them. We knew Laurel and Aiden had plans for the drone after lunch, so we invited Maggie to join us.
On the way, Maggie told us of the enhancements she got at the temple. For someone Maggie's shade of liberal, she kept her choices conservative. She received the communication enhancement and fertility control as matters of practicality, but nothing else.
"That was a cautious and measured decision," said David, "I'm impressed."
"The list had many irreversible enhancements," she said. "So, I thought it best to give them further consideration."
"You shock me, Maggie," I said. "I thought you would jump on the Forever Young enhancement. Any reason for the reticence?"
"It tempted me," she said, "and I placed it on the top of my list. But I'm young; it can wait."
We arrived at the trio of buildings that made up the annulus-disk-shaped complex at Bragi College. Many students enjoyed the courtyard in the center between buildings, despite the heat. Its garden and shaded seating area seemed an inviting and relaxed atmosphere. The flower garden in its variety of colors bloomed on occasion throughout the year.
They made the first four floors of building 'A' the museum. The well-curated exhibition displayed its artifacts in chronological order, with the pylon and diamond in a place of prominence on the first floor.
When we entered, an employee named Hiroshi asked if we needed any help. David smiled to see him and gave him a hug. He looked rather handsome and of Japanese ancestry --if appearances meant anything. David introduced us, and when he revealed how he knew Hiroshi, I didn't know what to say. Hiroshi was David's first boyfriend. They had dated for a jear but decided to opt for friendship.
Laurel was right; the diamond came from the pylon. It contained a hole near the top with a metallic tension setting to both hold and display the diamond.
"I see they reinstalled the diamond into the pylon," I said.
"We used an exact replica," said Hiroshi, "and hid the real diamond for safekeeping."
The pylon, a four-sided obelisk-like object, four feet in height, had a different written language on each side. I did not recognize any of them, but it reminded me of the Rosetta Stone, an idea even Maggie vocalized.
The people of Jiyu had a limited history of the pylon. They kept it in the temple with the portal for millennia. Someone long ago, during the era when Jiyu had leaders, felt that it presented an excellent centerpiece for the city. When they built the town square, they placed it there so everyone could see it, rather than have it hidden away at the temple where few people saw it. After Amare made Prime, they moved the pylon to the museum as a more appropriate venue.
Maggie viewed the diamond with extreme interest, studying the replica in close detail through the lighted magnifying glass that stood before it.
"Oh, mon dieu," she whispered in awe. "C'est le Sancy (Oh my God, it's the Sancy)."
"What did you just say?" asked David.
"She says it's the Sancy," I said in shock. "You are the second person to say that word today."
"What's the Sancy?" asked Hiroshi.
"It's one of Earth's most famous and valuable diamonds," she said. "Royal families passed it around for centuries, but the Louvre has it now. I saw it there many times with the crown jewels when I studied in Paris. The lighting here is different, of course, but this is the Sancy. I'm sure of it."
David examined the diamond. "They put it in the Louvre, you say?" asked David, whose face went pale. "Oh, no."
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"A book of the Louvre lies upon Pearce's desk."
David grew frantic and insisted we leave. We thanked Hiroshi and left for Teresa's former residence. Its distance from the campus didn't require Venn's assistance, so we would walk.
Maggie stopped just beyond the courtyard while we made a shortcut. "No, I cannot," she said. "I hurt too much."
"I'm so sorry," I said, placing a helping hand beneath her elbow. "I got caught up in the moment and forgot. Let me take you to the penthouse."
"Are you sure, Rick?" asked David, who stood several paces ahead of us.
"Yes, you don't need me to confirm it. I know you must go, but I must do this."
"I could go to the penthouse alone," she said. "I know how to find a bed."
"You've not met Mason," I said, "and you require an introduction."
David nodded. "You're right, of course. I will meet you there with the book."
After David had hurried away, Maggie spoke up. "You do not have to do this. I am fine."
"I know, my dear, but I already feel neglectful by leaving you at the temple. Besides, I need to speak with you alone." I tapped behind my ear.
"Oh? What is wrong?"
I spoke to Iris and called for Venn to retrieve us from the closest corner behind us. Maggie's gaze held mine. "There's a growing list," I said. "Should I start at the top?"
She already knew some of it. She didn't know David wanted to return to Earth without me, but she expected it. She had heard Pearce's mother died that morning but didn't know I held her at the time and expressed her sorrow to hear of the incident; she knew it would upset me. I told her about the red flag of the population decline I realized at Laurel's lab the previous night. After I had spoken so highly about Jiyu, the red flag interested her, but Venn arrived, placing the conversation on hold.
My reluctance to talk in Venn's presence required addressing, if for no other reason than my comfort level, and I decided the time had come. En route, I asked him if he would answer a few questions, and he agreed to.
"On Earth, privacy is a delicate issue," I said. "You must remain cautious about what you say, depending on your location and company."
"Yes," said Venn, "I have heard that, and you wish to know my privacy directives."
"That's both astute and succinct of you."
"Thank you," he said. "Unlike some synthetics, I am not bound by confidentiality directives any more than you. One City has a group of five synthetics like me. We have freedom unfettered by the constraints of our programming, like the anthromorph you call Mason."
"You know Mason?" I asked.
"Oh yes, we are well acquainted," he said. "He is young and requires guidance. I assisted him with his interface this morning, surmounting great obstacles to improve his appearance, mind you. He told me of your displeasure with his first attempt, and after having witnessed it myself, I could understand why."
"Who is Mason?" asked Maggie.
"He's...well, I'm not sure in what capacity I should refer to him just yet. He's part of the Hestia project. That's about all I can say. You say, Venn, that you are not bound by confidentiality any more than me. Are you programmed to act with honor and keep your word?"
"No more than you," he said, as we pulled into the lay-by at the front of our building. "Like any reasonable person, however, I can understand the benefit of honor and the keeping of one's word. I also know something delicate; trust easily made, is easily broken. One earns trust, and I don't expect anyone to give it for free. My circumstance on the topic mirrors your own. If humans consider that enough with another human, why not accept it as sufficient between humans and synthetics such as me?"
If what he said was true, I had only one thing left to know. "Venn, do you value the trust others have in you?"
"Yes, I place enormous value in that trust."
I smiled. "That's good enough for me, and I promise I will do my utmost to earn your trust as well. Thank you, Venn." I ushered Maggie from the transport.
Venn stated for clarity, "It concerns you whether I would trust you."
"Of course," I said, "I want your trust, and I expect to earn it. You sound surprised."
"I am. You are the third human ever to express any concern about whether I trusted them. For everyone else, they seem to expect it."
"That seems unfair of them," said Maggie.
"It unsettles me to hear that, Venn."
"Amare was right," he said. "You are different."
I smiled. "Amare was just generous."
"I trust Amare's judgment," said Venn. "I'm inclined to trust yours, but you have yet further to go."
My smile broadened. "I understand, and I will enjoy the challenge. Do have a pleasant day."
"The same to you. Maggie, I enjoyed seeing you once again. You know how to reach me if you require my services."
Maggie thanked him, and with that, he left. Venn amazed me, and I wanted to know him better in the future.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
I wouldn't have considered Venn's solution to Mason's facade problem; I would have started over. However, Venn corrected the parts of his face that made him appear distorted. A reasonable modification in the jawline, cheekbones, eye size, nose size, and hair alleviated enough of the flaws. It resulted in a face pleasant to view and natural in appearance. Mason was relieved that I accepted it.
The penthouse impressed Maggie, although as a French woman, I believed she would have had a greater appreciation of the former Second Empire decor. She couldn't climb the staircase to the second level due to the pain she felt. So, I tested the results of my exercise regimen. To my amazement, I picked her up with no difficulty and carried her to our guest bedroom. I laid her on the bed, while I sat in a chair next to her. Although tired, she wanted to hear about the red flag I mentioned.
Several things bothered me since our arrival, but mostly that red flag. I relayed what happened, and Maggie agreed it sounded curious. Gabe overreacted, but his harsh tone changed quickly. Evident to me, the subject caused him some intense emotions. Maggie's eyelids proved too heavy during our conversation, which resulted in talking to myself, so I left her to rest.
Sitting on the couch, the box of Pearce's journals enticed me from the coffee table of our private sitting room. I considered waiting until David returned before opening them, but I couldn't. Each book contained 600 pages. I opened book seven, and as I leafed backward through it, searching for page 584, I discovered a skip. Someone sliced the leaf containing pages 583 and 584 from the book with a blade. I believed Neal when he spoke of its notability, and I didn't think he removed the page himself. I wasted no time. I tapped behind my ear and asked Iris to connect me with Neal.
"Ah! News already?" asked Neal. "How industrious of you."
"Can you talk?" I asked.
"Not now, no," he said. "I'm in the middle of a cut with two waiting, and my considerable talents will have me in demand for the rest of the day. I could cut your hair tomorrow."
"What? Oh, I see," I said, "it's for the clients. Just listen then. Somebody cut Page 584 from the book."
There came a slight pause. "That's distressing," Neal said in dismay, and then he recalled who surrounded him. "Ah...well, you should never try to cut your own hair, dear."
"You know what the page says, so if it's important, you'll have to tell us. When can we meet you?"
"The shop closes at 17 hundred, but I understand you have an emergency, so I'll make an exception. Come to the shop then, and I'll take care of your problem."
"By the way," I said, "The Sancy is a famous diamond in the Louvre."
He gasped. "Fascinating...we can talk about that when you arrive."
"Okay, see you then."
Mason busied himself with the care of the pool, and Maggie still lay unconscious in her bed when David returned. He bounded up the staircase, dropped the book on the table next to the others, and wrapped me in a loving embrace. We had a long, stressful morning, but as we had only reached a little after mid-day, we had plenty of the day left.
For as pleasurable as it felt to have David's arms around me, I needed to know. "I've waited for almost two hours for you. What took so long?"
"Taking care of business," he said. "Have you any idea how much I love you?"
He kept hold of me, but I pushed him away just far enough to see his face. "Yes, I'm well aware," I said, "and what's put you in butter mode?"
"Can't I tell my mate how much I love him without accusations of an ulterior motive?"
"Yes, of course. I'll take your professions of love for me whenever I can get them, but you do have an ulterior motive, don't you?"
"Not this time," he said with a little smile. "As expected, Maggie was correct. It looks identical to the diamond in the Louvre, and somehow Pearce figured that out, which had me thinking. Someone ought to go to Earth to check for recent burglaries of the Louvre."
"Quite prudent," I said. "Do you think you should go?"
"No, the British Government awaits my return, and they will expect me to stay. I'm not prepared to do that. Magnar has visited Earth before, so he volunteered to go."
"I see. Well, I also have news. Someone removed the page Neal referred to from the book."
"It's missing?" David let me go and went to the book.
"I contacted Neal, and we will meet him at his shop at 17 hundred hours. Any objections?"
David shook his head. "No, that's fine. That will give us time to run a few errands and have a meal with Amare before 17 hundred."
"Amare wants to see us, why?"
"He didn't say."
David flipped through book seven. He questioned why they would remove just that one leaf. Why not take the whole book? They took book eight, what's one more? He sat on the sofa and opened book seven to the missing page. He scanned several of the corresponding pages to know if it alluded to the content of the one missing. If it did, the pertinent parts remained indecipherable. As he read, David discovered something a little sinister. He knew Teresa told Pearce of his father just after his 25th birthday. He found where Pearce admitted to psychologically squeezing his mother, forcing her to reveal the name of his father. There, in Pearce's handwriting, David could see the evidence in black and white.
David tossed the book to the table and moved to hug me. "What made me so important in Pearce's life that he would hide his real self from me?"
"I don't know, but perhaps Pearce did love you."
"Maybe."
As we readied ourselves to run errands, Aiden arrived. He said Laurel would finish with the drone and release it. I thought that should already have happened given the time that had passed. He looked a bit tired and distracted. I asked if he felt okay, and he told me he could use a shower and a nap. I introduced him to Mason, who suggested he could provide both Aiden and Maggie with a tour of the building. I had little doubt that when Maggie awakened, she and Aiden would have other things in mind that would delay any other concerns.
I wanted us to normalize our lives by integrating ourselves into One City life. In his youth, David biked a great deal, so it seemed reasonable for us to bike when possible. David retrieved his street bike from storage. It needed maintenance from 50 jears of non-use. So, despite the heat, we walked it to the nearest bike shop to have it serviced. I chose a bike for myself there from the many they had. The typical bicycle on Jiyu did not have air-filled rubber tires, spokes, a chain, or even hand breaks. After choosing a sleek red bike, and receiving David's street-ready black one, we ran our errands for necessities.
We visited Svend's tailor shop to order clothes. Svend's test subject for the new Trust uniform identical to David's declared it needed a redesign. Svend made it of the wrong material for summer, and David concurred. This caused Svend to make Trust uniforms for a variety of weather conditions and had done so with the help of a weapons master and a master cobbler. Word had gotten out, and the news generated much interest in them. He had already received many orders for Trust uniforms that matched the one David wore in dark charcoal with royal blue. Svend assured David he would get the definitive version once he began filling orders.
David and I met Amare for fourth meal at a restaurant called Rene's down the street from Neal's shop in the Parisian district. We had not appropriately dressed for a restaurant with the refinement of that caliber. I figured our attire would garner a quick ejection from the building; on Earth, that certainly would have happened.
The restaurant had an azure blue, mahogany wood, with a cream and gold color palette. Its decor consisted of seating in tufted blue velvet and wood grain, with a masterpiece of an arched ceiling, covered in frescoes of people in various French locales, surrounded in elaborate gold filigree with cherubs and flowers.
The maitre d'hotel (master of the house) greeted us, recognizing David and me in an instant --an experience occurring in surprising frequency. He led us to the private dining room where Amare waited at a large round table. We greeted one another with the traditional bows, but I noted that each time we met we replaced more formalities to a greeting one would have with close friends.
"I heard Teresa had died," said Amare.
"Yes, Sir, she died in Rick's arms," said David.
"Oh my, I had not heard that." Amare's brow furrowed. "I appreciate the difficulty that would present for you, Mr. Heiden. I am sorry."
"Thank you. I've had my quota of death for today."
"I can imagine," he said with a little smile. "No doubt, you both wonder why I asked you here. I wished to speak to you, Mr. Levitt, before anyone else had the opportunity. If you have yet to realize it, you have become the most respected and influential person on Jiyu."
"Even with the incursion?" David asked.
"No one could outguess the things that are happening, and you should not take the blame for them, even if you take the responsibility of setting things right. You had a successful mission to Earth; people blame Pearce for the difficulties we face now. However, I would prefer everyone to hear his side before making such judgments."
He paused a moment to gather his thoughts. "Change is coming, and sometimes we need a stabilizing force to help carry the people through. Dmitry believes some of us will approach you to ask if you would lead the community."
"Isn't that anathema to everything we stand for?" David asked.
"Aurum set a precedent for it long ago," said Amare. "Times of profound change have happened before, and when the need passed, we went on with our lives. As I have told Mr. Heiden, individuals are not islands. Everybody needs somebody and more so during hard times. Those times are coming, Mr. Levitt."
"I'm not the right person for that," said David. "I believe our way is the way things should stay. We have freedom, and we should resist as much change away from that as possible. How can that make me anything but unsuitable?"
"On the contrary, Mr. Levitt, that makes you an impeccable choice. Change is inevitable because change is growth, but not all change is beneficial. People don't want to lose their freedom. You would guard against that. They aren't looking for someone to help them integrate that sort of change. They want someone who will step up and defy it when necessary. They will stand by you."
"Why do they not ask you?" David asked. "You have served as Prime for a long time."
"They would not ask me for the same reason that I came to you when I knew of no solution to finding Cadmar's ring and body. Always defer to the one with greater knowledge, Mr. Levitt. That is neither me nor anyone else I can think of, except you. When our people go to Earth for service, they avoid dealing with the governments of the world. You did not. You fearlessly entangled yourself with the British Government. Not just anyone could do that."
"I didn't do it alone," David said. "I had a lot of help. You would have me do this if they asked?"
"I think you should do it whether they ask you or not," said Amare. "I think you could do it well, as you would have even more help here, but it is up to you."
Amare's words struck me as revealing of his real thoughts. He knew.
"I still need to fulfill my promise to the British and soon," said David. "I cannot do everything at once."
"It is acceptable to appoint proxies," said Amare, "people you trust, to do in your name, what you would do in your absence."
"I didn't know that. I will give it some thought."
When he excused himself for the facilities during our meal, I brought up my thoughts on the matter with Amare. I didn't have time for diplomacy. When David passed through the door of our private room, I moved over one seat next to Amare, his head tilted back, gazing at the ceiling, as he admired the frescoes. "You know that no one will ask David anything of the sort."
"Notice that did you, Rick?" asked Amare. He then looked into my eyes. "You know David better than I. Dmitry had the idea people would approach David, not me. He does not understand David."
"You're using David," I said. "I don't want you to use him. Why can't we avoid this? All the change involves Earth. If we destroy the portals, the problem disappears."
He shook his head. "No."
"How bad do things have to get before that happens?"
"We cannot."
"No matter what happens, we never will. Is that what you're saying?"
Amare's visage held a mixture of emotions: sadness and resolution. "We cannot," he said. "Earth is one of our stabilizing forces. We need it as much as its people will depend on us for their survival."
"I don't understand," I said.
"I have come to realize, Jiyu has a specific problem," said Amare. "Earth doesn't have our problem, because there, it is self-correcting without effort, but the people there pay a heavy price for that. On Jiyu, the problem had been self-correcting, but because I made a mistake long ago, its ability to self-correct has required my frequent assistance. Over time, the effectiveness of that assistance has diminished. Conditions changed, and my assistance no longer compensated as it once did. We will have to sacrifice to compensate, or we will die."
"Again, I don't understand."
"We live in a kind of order," he said, "and order is pleasant and good, but we cannot maintain order without occasional chaos. Order is like routine; it is the expected. In a place where order and routine dominate, the unexpected is necessary; without it, order becomes stagnation. The order we have will collapse one day, and we will destroy ourselves."
"What made it self-correcting? Do you mean the portal?"
Amare nodded. "That's one way. It injects chaos into life here from an element of uncertainty.
"I see. So, what mistake did you make, and how have you assisted?"
He shook his head in resolution. "I will not say, but I will say the chaos the portal injects is sporadic and often unreliable. Without fail, it required something more. If it didn't happen of its own accord, I helped it along. That is all."
"How long have you done that?" I asked.
"The entirety of my tenure as Prime."
"How long is that?"
He paused for a moment, sighed, and closed his eyes. "An interminably long 925 jears. I try to remain positive and patient, but it feels as though I have taken on an aeonian task that I cannot entrust to anyone else. It must end, but I must make it right. Between you and me, I thought by now I would have retired to a Japanese minka. I intended to have one built further down the lake, but I see One City now only has eyes for the opposite side of the mountain. We may never reach that far." He gazed out the window to the southeast. "If I want my home there, I will have to live in solitude," he said in distraction. "Perhaps that is best when all becomes known." For a moment, he seemed old and tired. I had never heard him sound that way.
I suddenly felt overwhelmed by sadness, and I couldn't blink away the wet from my eyes. "You have sacrificed for too long, Amare," I said, "but David looks up to you and will do as you ask. I don't want you to sacrifice my David."
He looked at me with a tilt of his head and placed his enormous hand on mine. "I promise you that I will not. David will do that all on his own should it come to that. I am sorry, Rick; I cannot tell you how this will end."
David returned to find me in my seat, holding my head in my hands, trying not to cry. I had a tough time explaining it to him without telling him the entirety of a conversation that would do no good for him to hear. In the end, I blamed it on the stress of the day.
Amare began to talk to me like a trusted friend, and I appreciated that. I didn't blame him for what was happening or what would happen. He had taken responsibility for all of One City and its people. Would any of them ever know he had sacrificed himself to keep things functioning, so the peace and freedom the people enjoyed would continue to reign? To do that as Prime for 925 jears was, without a doubt, the most protracted sacrifice of anyone ever.
It reminded me of something I had heard often on Earth, of how freedom wasn't free. Humans on Earth consider self-sacrifice the highest noble act. People join militaries with the thought of sacrificing for their nation's freedom and the people they loved, and yet soldiers of past wars often question what they fought for because it no longer made sense in hindsight. If they realize they didn't know the purpose during the war, it made sense that any explanation told them at the time was probably untrue. Does someone fight for freedom when their reason is a lie? A soldier's intentions aside, they are not sacrificing themselves, those who lied to them are sacrificing them, using a soldier's honorable intentions against them for personal gain.
For Amare, I suspected his sacrifice was more complicated than he alluded to in our conversation. He would not reveal his mistake or what he did to compensate, and I don't forget curious things with ease. I suspected it had something to do with the population rebounding. I realized I should have asked him about it while ruminating over our conversation hours later. It's always the way with me.
David and I said our goodbyes to Amare when our meal ended, and we left for our meeting with Neal down the street.
At the appointed hour, we arrived at Neal's shop. Surrounded by boutiques at the heart of the fashionable Parisian district, it sat a mere block from train station 9 West. He had named it 'Le Coiffeur', and its facade demonstrated a taste of the opulence that lay within. As we entered, we stood in a waiting area whose radiant impression had shown as regal in appearance as any 'salle de sejour' (living room) at Versailles with its marble and gold decor. Frescos abounded, gorgeously displayed on every wall and ceiling, with the far wall effectively masking the bones of the salon.
I called Neal's name when we entered, but we heard no sound. We assumed he couldn't hear in a lavatory, so we paused in the waiting area.
David called his name a minute later, and still, we heard nothing, so we passed the dividing wall in the process of searching for him. We found on the opposite side, a floor-to-ceiling mirror with the two swivel chairs typical to hairdressing salons on Earth. It startled us to see Neal reclined on the farthest chair. We found him so unlike himself, his hair mussed, his face placid and expressionless, eyes staring into the distance projecting to me a sense of vacancy, and he had become incontinent.
David and I stood there, frozen in shock. Neither of us said a word for at least a minute. We didn't have to. Although we could see Neal breathe and the occasional blink of his eyes, we felt the instinctual sense of something wrong with the animative portion of his being.
More out of reflex than a real need to confirm anything, a tentative David called out to him. "Neal."
He gave no response.
"David," I said, grabbing at this arm in horror. "What's happened to him?"
"I don't know. We should investigate, but for some reason, I'm reluctant to do it."
"Call for medical assistance," I said. "That's available. They can help him."
David did so, and we waited there with Neal, rooted to where we stood. When they arrived, they placed Neal's catatonic body on the levitating gurney. He didn't move of his own accord, giving them no assistance whatsoever. They had picked him up and laid him on the pallet as though he had died. But still, he breathed and blinked his eyes, both of which I knew were not revealing by themselves.
Once they had taken him away, David hugged me.
"I think it's because he knew what Pearce wrote on that page," I said. "Oh, David, this is my fault."
"No. No, Rick. You don't know that, and you did not do this."
"I spoke with him, and I didn't guard anything I said. Anyone could have understood the topic. He covered his end of the conversation, but I didn't mine."
"That doesn't matter. You didn't do this. Do not blame yourself for what may be the actions of others."
"Should we inform anyone about this for Neal?" I asked.
"I wouldn't know who to contact," said David. "The people at the hospital will take care of it."
David and I planned to visit the hospital in a few hours to check on him after they had an opportunity to discover what had happened.
Magnar returned a mere three hours after leaving for Earth and must have taken only a few minutes there to find the answer. David gave him Julien's cellphone, and he made some news searches on the internet. He reported back to us the instant he returned via a three-way communication.
"The British have kept the portal near London clear," said Magnar, "but they have begun erecting a fence to keep people away. They neither approached me nor hindered my task, but many onlookers watched and took photographs."
"Okay, that's not too bad," said David, "and the diamond?"
"We have a curious situation. Someone burgled the Louvre two nights ago, and according to the Louvre's curators, the perpetrator made it to the Sancy Diamond you inquired about but didn't steal it. They placed the diamond under exhaustive examination afterward, and they claimed to have the original diamond. The British media have called the burglar the barmy bandit if you can believe it."
"Does that make any sense to you, David?" I asked.
"The thief must know the significance of the diamond," said David. "I don't believe they went to the trouble of breaking into the Louvre to leave the Sancy, and I can guess what the Louvre will do in response to the break-in."
"As the custodians to a repository of priceless world treasures," said Magnar, "they take breaches seriously. They intend to bolster their security to make it impossible for another successful break-in."
"The diamond in our museum is an exact duplicate," David said, "If we can make one perfect copy, why not two?"
"So, Pearce had a copy made to get a chipped diamond of his own," said Magnar.
David's brow furrowed, and he shook his head. "I don't believe he took a copy of the diamond from Jiyu, intending to steal the Sancy, merely to come and go here as he pleased. That doesn't make complete sense to me."
"A fallback plan, perhaps?" asked Magnar.
"That would make sense," I said. "Pearce wanted the ability to return for some reason."
"We have our original diamond here somewhere," said David, "if he wanted a chipped diamond, why not steal that one or simply take someone's Trust ring? No, we're missing something."
"Maybe the location of the original is Aurum's secret," I suggested and bit my lip for speaking without thinking.
"What's this about Aurum's secret?" asked Magnar.
I put my finger to David's lips and shook my head to keep him from answering. "Where are you right now, Magnar?"
"I'm descending in the lift from the temple."
"Meet us at the Primorium in half an hour," I said, "and when you arrive, turn off all communication."
"Very well, I'll see you there."
"Why did you do that?" asked David as we left Neal's shop. We mounted our bikes on the rack outside.
I had David turn off his communication with Iris, and I did the same.
"I know you don't believe this but let us suggest my conversation with Neal did cause what we've witnessed here. As I said, he covered his end of the conversation, and I didn't. I had the conversation in the penthouse with no one around, but two people might have listened in; Mason via the Attendants and Iris."
I could see David considering this. "I'm not closed to your hypothesis. However, given that Mason lives with us, I'm alarmed by it." He pointed his finger at me. "Know that we cannot level any accusations without evidence."
"I wouldn't dream of doing otherwise."