Zephyr said, “I gather that he’s sick today.”
“Wonderful. So was this dispute with your fellow, uh, Pilgrims?”
“They cast me out, but I can’t betray them any further. There’s nothing you can do.”
“The hell there’s not.” One of the redeeming features of this group was their sense of purpose. “Come with me. We’re off to see the wizard.”
He made for the South Tower entrance, but neither of the others moved. “Come on.”
Leda said, “He’s down there.”
“Who?” He reached to take her hand. “We need to confront this creep. He has no power over you. You’ll be safe with me, all right?” He took a step and this time she followed, and Zephyr. They went down to the altar room, where Garrett flicked the light on to find Duke facing the altar.
Duke was smirking for a moment as he turned, though the expression vanished.
Garrett saw it and said, “What did you say to her.”
“This is an internal matter of the Confederacy. It’s none of your concern.”
Garrett had no desire to be involved with this nonsense, but — “You’ve endangered the life of one of my crewmen, and that makes it my concern. Explain yourself.”
“I merely spoke to Miss Leda. We determined that her beliefs are no longer compatible with our movement.”
Garrett looked to Leda, who stood behind him and stared at the floor. Duke was casual, or trying to look that way. Garrett said, “And?”
“We decided that she should no longer participate as a member of our group.”
“Ah. So it was a friendly discussion—”
“Well, Captain, matters of the spirit—”
“-- That made her nearly throw herself off the roof?”
Duke stopped with his mouth open for a moment. Maybe he had a conscience. But his next words were: “Clearly this was an emotional overreaction.”
“Did you overreact, Leda?” She said nothing and he stepped towards Duke and the altar. “Now, I’m just an ignorant heathen, so please enlighten me. What exactly did you say to her? Or if you didn’t say anything much, shall I assume it was a physical discussion?”
“Not your business,” Duke squeaked. Garrett came a bit closer and Duke said, “I warned her that Hell is real! I told her of the torment that awaits unbelievers — I was trying to set her straight, you understand. Such a promising young soul—” He looked down to find Garrett’s fist clenching his collar.
Garrett slammed Duke into the concrete wall and drove a punch into his gut, then let him crumple and loomed over him. “You sadistic bastard, get the hell off my island!”
Duke gasped for breath. Garrett said, “I’ll have someone run a boat to Cuba within twenty-four hours. Be on it.”
“I agree,” said Phillip on the stairs behind them. Everyone turned. Though pale and sweating, Phillip held himself up and his voice came steady.
Duke gasped, “Sir — Sir Phillip! I’m being threatened by this — unbeliever.”
Phillip said, “There’s sin in your heart, Brother Duke. The Captain is within his rights.”
“You’re — unwell, Brother Phillip. I’m — trying to resolve this matter smoothly.”
“Too smoothly by half. Do you think that God has been blind to your jealousy all along, to your machinations against our family?”
Garrett listened to their back-and-forth, sick of it. “You know what? I want you both gone.”
Phillip said, “That wouldn’t be prudent, Captain. Am I to understand that Brother Duke has expelled Leda here?” Garrett nodded. “I am the arbiter of doctrine. Leda, you’re welcome to rejoin us. It was a mistake on Brother Duke’s part.”
Leda couldn’t meet his eyes. “It wasn’t. I don’t belong.”
“Nonsense. All who accept God and Lee are welcome.”
“But I can’t! I can’t make myself believe any longer!”
Phillip’s mouth set in a thin line. “You’ve really turned your back on us?”
Garrett intervened. “Both of you, I don’t care what she believes. You both think you can kick her out of your little club — and maybe you can — but you have no right to abuse her over some niggling bit of doctrine.”
Phillip glared at him now. “Belief in God is not a minor point.”
“Minor enough that I don’t have to take this shit from you.” Was he the only one with a clear enough head to see what jackasses the two Pilgrim leaders were?
There was movement elsewhere in the room. Zephyr was taking Leda away by the hand. Garrett supposed Zephyr was doing the right thing, whatever thought process lay behind his actions. He’d keep Leda safe.
“I’m tired of hearing this,” said Garrett. “Theology is not my department.”
“Then let us work this out,” said Duke.
“You can work it out by getting out. I suggest you make plans to go home.” He stomped away, ignoring both Phillip and Duke’s protests. “And stay away from Leda.”
Tess was the first to his door to berate him. “What are you doing? How can you screw everything up without asking us?”
Garrett stood from his desk, then opened the door to find her there with her usual headset. “So Zephyr told you.”
“We were there. We heard you tell them all to leave. Would you throw everything away over a religious dispute? You said yourself it’s not important.”
“Did you see how that woman looked? These freaks are to blame.”
“Yeah.” Tess looked uncomfortable.
“What?”
She stood there silently for a moment. But then she stepped fully into the room, shut the door behind her, and stood up straight to look at him. “You’re my friend. I can tell you things.”
“Of course,” said Garrett.
“Then: I was able to see through his eyes. Zephyr’s. I saw Leda standing there wanting to die and for a moment I thought, good riddance.”
Good riddance. Get thee behind me. Garrett felt that way about the whole gang of them — Leda excepted, he supposed — and he’d been ready to throw Duke into the sea. Garrett felt as though the strength had gone out of him thanks to his stupid, irrational feelings. “I know what you mean.”
“But we thought better of it. We need these people.”
“If you were ‘there’ then you know how revolting they are.”
“We’ll work this out somehow.”
“Yeah. We’ll find other people to live here.”
Another knock at the door. “Captain Fox?” It was Phillip.
“I’m busy,” Garrett told him.
Martin’s voice was there too. “Open up. We’ll speak privately first.”
Garrett reluctantly let Martin in, ignoring Phillip, and shut the door again. “I see it’s Lean-On-Garrett Day.”
“I need you to do the right thing.”
“How much do you know?”
“Your robot briefed me.” Meanwhile Martin spread a computer on the desk, pointing to the thin door. The conversation turned to silent scribbles. Martin wrote, “I have no love for them either, but we have a deal.”
Garrett wiped the words away and wrote, “You said we’d be able to jettison them if needed. It’s time.”
“No. Their internal arguments don’t qualify as grounds for expulsion from Castor.”
“Then what does? If I’d been writing that deal—”
Martin snapped aloud, “You didn’t. You chose not to get involved. Not your department, remember? If you really had insight into the problems we were going to face, you should have offered it then.”
Garrett fumed, knowing Martin was right.
Tess broke in, adding her own blocky manuscript. “If we can get rid of Duke, maybe this will work. Zephyr says Duke and Phillip are rival alpha males.”