“That’s why nobody comes here. You can’t live in a metal box.” Gavin looked up at the cloudless sky. “The rain’ll cool us off.”
“It’s clear,” Summer said, also looking up at the sky.
“See those dark clouds way over there?” Gavin pointed. “They’re coming.”
Summer nodded.
“It rains every afternoon during the wet season.”
They shoved the canoe inside with the paddles and loitered outside. Javier removed his backpack and took a drink from a large water bottle. Gavin removed his backpack and did the same. Javier gave Summer his water bottle. She didn’t realize how thirsty she was, nearly downing the whole thing. They sat on the asphalt, leaned against the shady side of the sea container, the sun low enough for the metal box to cast a shadow.
“What about Connor and Mark and Zoe?” Summer asked.
Gavin cleared his throat but didn’t say anything.
Javier shook his head, not looking at Summer. “The Aryans have like fuckin’ gladiator games almost every Sunday, like they’re the fuckin’ NFL.”
“What happens at the games?”
“People fight to the death.”
“We have to help them,” Summer said, her eyes bulging.
“We can’t,” Gavin said. “It’s a suicide mission. You’re lucky we got you. If you didn’t have experience with submersibles, no way Roger would’ve authorized giving up that Glock.”
Summer looked at Javier with a confused expression.
Javier mouthed, Go with it.
“We can’t leave them there,” Summer said.
Gavin blew out a heavy breath. “We don’t have a choice. You’ve been on this island for like six hours, so maybe you should listen. If we tried to get your boyfriend, or anyone the Aryans have for that matter, we’d all end up dead.”
Summer hung her head. “He’s my fiancé.”
“I don’t care who he is. We don’t have the manpower. We might get killed just walking through the city to the stadium. The Aryans have at least three thousand men just in San Juan. What do you think they’d do to you if they caught you? Think of your worst nightmare, and I guarantee it’ll be ten times worse. Your fiancé and your friends will have to save themselves. If they fight well, then the Aryans will take them on as members. We might be able to get them then.”
“He’s right,” Javier said.
“What are the chances that they fight well enough to survive?” Summer asked.
“Depends how many people are fighting,” Gavin said.
Summer stood from the asphalt and looked down at Gavin, her hands on her hips. “Give me an estimate for fuck’s sake. Ten percent? Fifty percent?”
“Five percent.”
“We have to help them,” Summer said again, now addressing and pleading with Javier. “Connor and Mark are your friends. Zoe’s Mark’s sister.”
“Connor and Mark would both want you alive,” Javier said, looking up at Summer from his seated position.
“I can’t believe this is happening.” Summer turned her back and walked a few steps away.
“I’m sorry.” Javier stood and approached Summer. “This is my fault.”
Summer turned to face Javier. “It’s nobody’s fault.”
Javier shook his head. “Do you know how Mark lost his job?”
“No.”
“He reprogrammed the home robots of these rich people to spy on them. He thought they knew secrets about the US government and the Fed. The only reason they didn’t send him to Psycho Island is his lawyer convinced them he was just a perverted voyeur, not an enemy of the state. He lost his job and went to prison for four months.”
“I didn’t know that,” Summer said.
“They put him on the sex offender registry, and that’s why he always thought he was being watched. I think he was right. I think they were watching him. When they arrested me for hate speech, they asked me questions about the video, like Mark had said something, like they were listening in on him. It was like he said something but not enough to incriminate himself.” Javier exhaled a heavy breath. “I never should’ve posted that shit about false flags. They labeled me an Unlawful Enemy Combatant, and then it was like I had no fuckin’ rights. No lawyer. I couldn’t see my family. Nothing. They fuckin’ waterboarded me.” Javier bowed his head, his dark eyes filling with tears. “I couldn’t take it. They kept asking me all these questions about Mark and the video, and …” Javier swallowed hard, tears slipping down his cheeks. “I told ’em everything. That’s why they arrested Mark and you and Connor. I’m so sorry, Summer.”
Summer clenched her fists for an instant, then she reached out and hugged Javier.
68
Naomi’s the Solution
Katherine said, “We’ve moved two percent in the polls since your speech on Wall Street last week, and we’ve had a nice spike in social followers too.”
Vernon nodded, nonplussed. “It’s a start, but, if we’re serious about winning, we have a long way to go. We need to build relevancy with the public. When they think of a problem, they should also think of Naomi as the solution.”
Naomi gave Vernon a quick smile of agreement. “We could do something on climate change.”
They sat in the sitting area of Naomi’s congressional office, Vernon and Naomi on the couch, Katherine in a leather chair opposite them.
Katherine flipped her blond hair off her shoulders. “We’re definitely on board with combating climate change, at least with our rhetoric. In general people say they care about the planet, but, when push comes to shove, they’ll vote for increasing UBI payments over some esoteric climate legislation every single time. It’s one of those issues that people like to talk about to show others that they care, with no intention of personally sacrificing for the planet.”
“I agree,” Naomi said. “Also, climate change has long been an establishment democratic issue. We won’t beat Corrinne with the same platform as her. I think we need something more concrete, something that fits our image, but also something Corrinne would never touch.”
Vernon grinned and said, “What about bot marriage?”
Naomi and Katherine giggled.
“You two laugh, but we should at least have a stance on it. It’s legal in fifteen states.”
“It’s a pretty small voting bloc,” Katherine said, smiling.
“Creepy rich guys who can’t get a date?” Naomi said. “I’m sure they’re staunch Republicans anyway.”
They all laughed again.
“We should still have a stance,” Vernon said. “Is it like gay marriage fifty years ago?”
Naomi frowned at that. “No. But I couldn’t care less if some lonely guy wants to marry his robot.”
“There’ve been a few women too,” Katherine said.
Naomi held up one finger. “I think I got it. It’s a human rights issue that nobody wants to touch.”
Vernon and Katherine waited with bated breath.
“What about the island prisons?”
69
Derek and the Chosen Ones
The chosen ones sat on benches inside a square locker room. Derek sat next to Connor and Mark, no longer bound with handcuffs or chains. Approximately one hundred prisoners, still wearing their blue uniforms, sat on the benches. Like the gangs, the prisoners self-segregated by ethnicity and gender, gender taking precedence over ethnicity. The men stared at the ten females who sat together in the corner. Two dozen Aryans stood near the exit, scanning the audience, machetes and knives at the ready.
“Why did they pick us?” Connor asked, his voice high and stressed.
“I don’t know,” Mark replied.
One of the Aryan guards approached them, his machete leading the way. “Shut the fuck up.”