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  Theo promised her he would think carefully before giving any advice to Mayor Lucas. He actually had no idea what he would say. He was scared to death of the upcoming committee meeting. Lucas had placed so much trust in him, and he couldn’t even unify his friends’ views. How was he ever going to have any influence among the most powerful people in the country?

  Chapter 14

  In the late hours of the night before Theo was scheduled to meet the mayor and the other advisors, Jamie arrived at Theo and Kylee’s place looking frightened. Kylee put her arm around Jamie’s shoulders and brought her in to the apartment. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “It’s Bill. He hasn’t come home.”

  “Jamie, he rarely comes home at a normal hour.”

  “Still,” she said, “it’s late even for him.”

  Theo was sitting on the couch mulling over his upcoming meeting with the mayor and his advisors. He noticed Jamie and moved over to make room for Kylee and her to sit down.

  “Bill hasn’t come home,” said Kylee.

  “Well,” said Theo, “that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. I know Bill’s track record and all but what makes you so sure he’s in trouble?”

  “What makes you sure he’s not?” asked Jamie. “I just cant… not after Mark… I want to check out the hospital but I’m so scared.”

  “We’ll go with you, don’t worry,” said Kylee. “Let’s go as fast as we can. I’m sure Bill will be wondering where you are when he gets home.”

  They left the apartment and walked as fast as they could to the hospital. Theo was convinced that nothing was wrong with his friend. There couldn’t possibly be anything wrong with Bill, could there? They raced along the dark streets and honed in on the bright lights of the hospital door.

  The same large woman who had been working the night they found Mark was sitting behind the desk when they entered. She fussed over the keyboard for a minute and then leaned back triumphantly. “Here he is. Bill Mansfield. He’s in the ER. Down the hall to the left.”

  They ran toward the entrance to the emergency room. A nurse working at the desk in the ER directed them toward the curtained bay where Bill was waiting. Nobody said a word. Theo knew they were all thinking the same thing. Even though Bill wasn’t in the ICU (not yet, his mind reminded him) they were all expecting a repeat of Mark’s long, painfully drawn out death. Another sacrifice to the island.

  Theo stepped in front of his friends and pulled back the curtain. Bill was on the examination bed, wide awake and reading an old magazine. One of his eyes was swollen and red, his face was bruised everywhere and there were bandages on his nose. He smiled at his friends and winced at the pain.

  “So good of you guys to come to my party!” Bill said, his voice slow and a little unsteady. Theo thought that might have something to do with the morphine being delivered to Bill’s arm.

  Jamie raced forward and threw her arms around him. “I thought you were dead!”

  Theo couldn’t help but smile. The distance between Bill and Jamie since Mark’s death seemed to have melted away.

  “Nah, I’m not dead. Feel like crap though,” said Bill.

  “What the hell happened to you?” asked Theo.

  “Eh, you know, wrong place, wrong time.”

  “Bill,” said Jamie, “tell us what happened! You’ve had us all so scared.”

  Bill sighed. “Fine, fine. It’s not the greatest story. I’d rather tell you something that didn’t end with me looking like this… but okay.” He took a deep breath and winced again. He spoke slowly and carefully, struggling for lucidity against the drugs in his system.

  “So you guys know how I’ve been putting in time doing repair work with the construction crew after school.”

  “You mean what you do when you’re supposed to be doing homework,” said Jamie.

  “Jeez babe, I’ve told you already: this construction gig is what matters. I’m outta school pretty soon and it’s not like I was Harvard-bound before the Event. Give a battered guy a break! Okay, so I was working on an apartment along the boardwalk, patching up some cracks in the concrete with the stuff we’ve been making from the sand, and I hear something going on outside, like someone begging. So I look outside—”

  “Seriously?” asked Theo. “That was your first mistake, man, nothing good has ever come from you looking into any kind of commotion.”

  Kylee jabbed him with her elbow. “Let him talk!”

  Theo laughed. He was just so relieved that Bill was alive and more or less in one piece.

  “To continue,” said Bill, “I look out and there on the boardwalk is that Bertier ass clown with the bald head, and that chick he hangs out with, with all the piercings. They’re giving a hard time to this old lady. Like, what a friggin stereotype, a couple bullies picking on an old woman. So, yeah, that happened.”

  Jamie frowned. “And I’m guessing you didn’t leave well enough alone.”

  Bill laughed, “Wow, you know me so well. Nah, the lady was really upset. So I went down there and as I got closer I heard her begging them to not take her food. Seems like they’ve been taking some of other people’s dinner rations. I guess Bertier’s gigantic head needs a lot of calories. Anyhow, I walked up to them and said ‘Is there a problem here?’”

  Kylee shook her head with a smile. “You seriously opened with ‘Is there a problem here?’ God you are a walking cliché.”

  “Hey, it works in the movies,” said Bill. “Anyhow, the big skank tells me to go away. Well, she said something like that but with really salty language. And Bertier gets this posture like he’s gonna try to kick my ass. I told them I’d really like to encourage them to leave the poor old lady alone, and Bertier says, and I quote, ‘Move along buddy, unless you want trouble.’” He turned to Kylee. “Now who’s the cliché? So I tell them that I’m not going anywhere until they leave the old lady alone. Bertier takes a swing at me. He’s built like a house but he’s pretty slow. So I duck his punch and I throw one of my own. Connect with the side of his face. Next thing I know I get hit so hard from behind that I see stars, and I fall to the ground. I see one of Bertier’s friends, the dude with a ponytail, standing over me. They all get in a couple more quick shots and run off. That’s how I ended up with all these bruises and whatever. But I’m fine, really. Douchebags had to hit me from behind to get the job done.”

  “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?”

  Theo’s mind raced as he considered what to say. He could feel all eyes in the room on him. “Sir, I think the people want to know what’s happened.” He looked around the room. Nobody seemed ready to jump out of a chair and attack him. He took a breath and continued. “The people deserve to know what has been found. Sure there will be a lot of people upset and scared. I think we all feel that way about it. But with the right encouragement they can come through all that and be even more united.”

  “Mr. Essex,” said Tiberius, “it’s very…noble of you to speak for the people and to seek transparency for them. As I am a firm believer in educating our youth, allow me to teach you something about governing. The populace is a mass of sheep, and the government is the shepherd that guides them and protects them from the wolves. You give the people too much credit when you assume they can handle the kind of information you propose we give them. You think that they will only be angry if they are sheltered. That is nothing compared to the misplaced anger they will feel when confronted with the truth. They will seek to tear down this government in their furor and if they succeed only anarchy will remain. Anarchy is doom, Mr. Essex. A firm ruling hand is survival.”

  “But Deputy Mayor Tiberius, the people miss their loved ones. They worry about them. Maybe it will give them something positive to know that what happened in the Event happened to us… that there’s a chance all their friends and families off the island are totally fine.”

  “Friends and families who they will, in all likelihood, never see again,” said Tiberius. “To long for such things is a weakness that will eat at our young nation like a cancer. As far as we are concerned, those ‘loved ones’ are dead and gone. The past. We concern ourselves with the present and the future.”

  Theo couldn’t help but glance at Mayor Lucas as the deputy mayor spoke. He saw the sadness in the man’s eyes at the talk of loved ones being gone forever.

  “Paul, I under
stand where you are coming from,” said Lucas. “We’ve talked endlessly about the need to push the country ahead, whatever that implies. Still, Theo’s point has value. If I don’t give some answers on Halloween there will be rumors that we are hiding things. It’s only natural for people to be suspicious of those who lead them. We can not allow suspicion to blossom into conspiracy.”

  There were mumbles of agreement around the room. Theo realized the dichotomy of loyalty. The advisors had a deep loyalty to and respect for Mayor Lucas, but had a fear of the deputy mayor that kept them from voicing full support. Lucas did not seem to be too upset about Tiberius’s objections. Theo assumed the mayor was well used to maintaining the balance of power in these meetings, and probably in the course of running the government as well.

  Tiberius was not satisfied with the mayor’s explanation. “You are proposing to go before thousands of people and tell them what, exactly? Information that I myself am not even positive is true…that we’ve been transported to another universe? You’re likely to be laughed out of the room before the riots begin, and they will begin. You give people far too much credit, Sam. We are the order they need. We need to guide them with an iron hand and that means telling them that while investigations have been underway for some time, the findings are strictly confidential and we are using that research to help us help all of them. Do you see?”

  “Perhaps,” said the mayor, “we should take a break from this line of discussion and talk instead about what we the ‘iron hand’ should be doing about Dr. Johnson’s findings.”

  “Sir,” began Dr. Johnson, “We are very close to finalizing the adjustments to the helicopter that should allow for a trip to the approximate coordinates of New York City. In addition we are making tremendous improvements to the deep-sea exploration vessels. We should be prepared by mid-November for another trip to Philadelphia, with a series of mini dives along the route through New Jersey.”

  “Very good,” said the mayor, “but tell me, what is your gut feeling? Have we truly been dislodged from our own universe?” Theo saw the weariness in the mayor’s face. He felt terrible for Mayor Lucas. Here was a genuinely good man facing unique and extraordinary circumstances. Not even the Founding Fathers had been forced to lead people through this much uncertainty.