“But you could have let us know where you were!” said Jamie.
“I didn’t exactly have access to a cell phone or anything,” said Bill.
Jamie’s face reddened. “Well… still…”
“I think we’re all just glad you’re okay,” said Kylee.
Theo couldn’t believe they were all so relaxed. “What about Bertier and his gang? Are we just going to let them get away with this?”
“I gave a report to a member of the Security Force when I came in,” said Bill. “They know about the gang and somebody’s gonna talk to them. I don’t know where it goes from there. My experience with the legal system in Atlantic Island has been a little…bumpy.”
“Well I’m going to follow up this weekend at the precinct,” said Kylee. “We don’t exactly have a serious crime problem here, not since the Security Force established control. I really don’t see how a bunch of kids making trouble expect to get away with anything. They shouldn’t.”
Theo nodded. “I’m going to mention it in my meeting with the mayor. I have so much I should say that I’m afraid people are going to argue about; it’s nice to have something that everyone should agree on.”
“Yeah,” agreed Bill, “picking on little old ladies really isn’t a popular pastime.”
“Neither is theft, assault, battery…” said Kylee.
Theo put his arm around her. “So glad you’ve been paying attention at work, sweetheart.” She scowled at him and then laughed. It was a good feeling to sit there knowing that Bill was okay, Theo thought. They were due for a few good breaks.
Chapter 15
Theo arrived at the mayor’s office and checked in with the receptionist. He didn’t know anybody else in the room as both the mayor and, thankfully, the deputy mayor had not yet appeared. There were seven others in the room, five men and two women. Theo recognized Dr. Johnson immediately, and felt sure he had seen at least most of the others at the science committee’s presentation.
One of the men came over to him and introduced himself as Larry Dougherty, the former chief of police of Atlantic City and now the Assistant Chief of Security and Defense. Theo felt immediate sympathy for the man who had to answer directly to Tiberius. At least he had Officer Menendez working beneath him.
Assistant Chief Dougherty told Theo that Menendez spoke highly of Theo and his friends. “He says your girlfriend is working at the station!” exclaimed Dougherty. “You should be very proud of her. It’s a noble calling to serve on the Security Force in any capacity.” Theo assured him that he was very proud of Kylee.
Over Dougherty’s head, Theo saw the doors to the mayor’s office opening. The receptionist ushered them all inside. Mayor Lucas was sitting behind his desk. A number of chairs were arranged in a circle extending from the desk. The mayor greeted each person as he or she entered. His eyes lit up when he acknowledged Theo. “Theo! Come in! Have a seat.” Mayor Lucas nodded his head as he spoke, emphasizing the seat directly across the circle from his desk. Theo took that seat, placing himself in the middle of the group of advisors.
The advisors, working on finding their seats and engaging each other in conversation, suddenly parted. In their stead entered Deputy Mayor Tiberius. He wore unusual attire: a black button-down shirt and black jeans with black cowboy boots. As always upon seeing the deputy mayor, Theo felt both a chill in the air and a strong desire to see if the man had anything in his closet that wasn’t black.
Tiberius stood in front of the chair next to Lucas’s desk. He made a point of staying upright while the mayor asked everyone to be seated. Only when the other advisors had taken their seats did Tiberius take his. Mayor Lucas rose from his chair and clasped his hands together. “I am so glad you all could be here,” he said. “These are trying times, my friends, but people look to us to provide guidance… to provide leadership. Most of you sat with me when the Event struck. It was your advice; your decisions and your actions that helped guide this island back from the brink of absolute chaos and devastation. I may be the figurehead (believe me, both a blessing and a curse) but you seated here today are the light that leads the populace out of the darkness. For that, I am forever humbly in your debt.”
“Excuse me,” said the chilling voice of Paul Tiberius, “but before we go any further I simply must protest your choice to include this…child in our proceedings.” The deputy mayor’s long finger pointed across the circle of chairs at Theo. Theo felt the man’s cold eyes penetrating into him. He did his best to stay planted firmly in his chair and not run from the room.
“Paul,” said Mayor Lucas, “I understand your concerns and the personal issues you have with Mr. Essex over last month’s trial. Having said that, I hope you will take the time to realize that we need proper representation of all concerned parties in our country. Theo is one of the finest young men I’ve had the pleasure to meet in all my years as mayor. He understands on a deep level the needs of his contemporaries and has a comprehension of government affairs and developments beyond his years.”
Though Theo appreciated the mayor’s kind words, the awkwardness of being praised while sitting in the room made him even more uncomfortable than when he was being called out by Tiberius. The rest of the advisors sat silent, watching the battle of power between the leaders of the country.
“Sam,” said Tiberius, “you’ve been under tremendous stress since the Event. Under those circumstances it is easy for even a man of your numerous wonderful capabilities to be led astray by those who would attempt to harm our nation. I fear that this young man may be confusing you.”
“I assure you my mind is my own,” said the mayor. “As leader of this country, it is my decision who I wish to sit on my advisory council. I have selected Theo Essex as I have selected all others in this room. I suggest we move on to more pressing matters.”
“Very well,” said Tiberius. His lips made a thin smile that was not reflected in his eyes. “I just hope you don’t come to find that this choice you have made was the beginning of your undoing.”
There was a brief, uncomfortable silence in the room. Mayor Lucas looked around and mustered the will to present the advisors with a broad smile. “Alright, on to business! Dr. Johnson, I’d like to thank you for the presentation you gave the other night and for all the work you and your team have done and continue to do in the service of Atlantic Island. The task for our meeting tonight is very clear, though hardly simple. We need to decide what to tell the citizens of the island at the town hall, and we need to plan how we proceed with what the science committee has shown us.”
Officer Dougherty raised his hand. “Mr. Mayor, if I may,” he began.
“Yes, Officer Dougherty, please.”
“Well, sir, our top concern for the town hall should be keeping the people from breaking out into a riot. The information we now know is confusing, improbable, scary, and seems to answer the question of ‘when will we get home?’ with ‘never.’ I can make sure the Security Force is well represented at the town hall, even beyond what we had initially discussed. Still, I encourage you to consider the psychological ramifications of what you’re going to tell people.”
“It is an opportunity to remind people of how much we have accomplished in such a short time,” said the woman two seats down from Theo. “We have created a country out of the ashes of the old world and we need to keep the focus on that. Most people have fully accepted this life as the only one they have available to them. We need to encourage this in every way.”
The mayor nodded and then looked at Theo. Theo wished a trap door would open under his chair. “Theo, what do you think? You, more than any of us, have knowledge of the concerns of the citizens. What do they want? What do they need?”