Glass Sky (31 page)

“Are you OK?” asked Ruth.

“No, of course I’m not OK,” sighed Tania. “We’ve lost. Even if Khan Tengri believes I’m still effective, what’s the point of working on Pax Gaia? I’d just be going through the motions.”

She felt a tap on her shoulder.

“I’m sorry to interrupt.” A woman, gray hair streaked with green stripes, looked at Tania uncertainly. “I just had to ask. Are you Doctor Black?”

Tania nodded, and the woman’s face broke into an immediate smile, as if Tania were a long-lost friend. “What you said at the White House was very brave,” she said. “Thank you. For me, and my family, and the millions of people who care. I’m glad somebody is speaking for us.” She leaned in close. “What’s your plan? How are we going to fight this?”

“I don’t have a plan,” said Tania.

The woman’s face fell. “Really?”

“Really,” said Tania.

“Oh…” The woman’s smile returned. “I understand. It’s secret, isn’t it?”

***

They finished the tour of the city and found their way to Meaghan’s neighborhood. As soon as they biked around the final corner, Tania knew something was wrong. A single lane of asphalt snaked between the ancient stone tenements, the rest of the street converted to neat gardens. But four police cars and an ambulance were parked in the middle of the block, their flashing lights shattering the calm of the quiet Chelsea neighborhood.

Ruth let out a low moan. “No… No…” She wobbled, almost falling off her bike, but she quickly recovered. She scanned the street and turned her bike around. “Let’s go,” she said. “That tall guy on the corner is monitoring the crowd. And he’s not a cop.”

As Tania turned to flee, an Asian woman came out of the knot of people gathered behind the police tape. “Do you know what happened?” Tania asked, balancing her bike with one foot on the ground.

“Ohhh, it’s terrible. Absolutely terrible,” said the woman. “Terrorists, I think. They hooked some poor lady to a paingiver. We heard her screaming for nearly twenty minutes. By the time the police arrived, she was a vegetable.”

Twenty minutes on a paingiver?

“Come on, Jill, come on,” Ruth called out, sounding panicked. “We’re late for our reservation.”

Tania caught up to her halfway up the next block.

“Ruth, I’m so sorry.”

“No time right now,” said Ruth. “We’ve got to get out of here. Make sure we aren’t being followed. We’ll deal with whomever did this later.” Her voice had a darkness that Tania had never heard before. Her eyes seethed.

They fled in slow motion, biking through the brownstone suburbs like any other tourists, changing direction at every corner. Nobody followed. But maybe they didn’t need to. Maybe they’d recognized Tania and Ruth, despite the bike helmets and sunglasses.

Will I even know if Juarez gives the order? Will I see the targeting laser dance across my chest? Or will my life just end, like a half-downloaded movie?

***

Ruth led them onto a busier street, outdoor patios crowded with tourists and locals enjoying the cooling night. They checked the bikes at the corner rack and Ruth herded Tania into a graffiti-decorated stairwell. “I know this place.” The peeling sign on the basement door said “Mohammed’s Kosher Mexican Dumpling Coffee House.” A bouncy afrobeat met them half way down the stairs.

The restaurant was busy but not yet crowded, so they settled in the corner, their privacy guaranteed by the burble of conversation around them. Ruth waved at the waiter, a flamboyant Chinese man. He brought two frosty beers.

“Two specials, Ruth?”

“Of course, Ning.”

“Two specials!” he singsonged.

A woman in a bright headscarf nodded from behind the bar and vanished into the kitchen.

“No menu in case you’re wondering,” Ruth explained as the waiter headed to the next table. “The Chef makes what he feels like. ‘Out of your comfort food,’ they call it. Meaghan and I come… Came…” She rubbed her eyes. “Fuck. I’m finally losing it. Sorry.”

“Thank goodness,” said Tania. “If you hadn’t started crying soon I would have had to check you for batteries.” She took Ruth’s hand. What do I say at a time like this? After Tania’s dad had died, she’d appreciated the few people who’d had the courage to talk about it. Most had pretended nothing had happened.

“Were you and Meaghan close?”

Ruth wiped away a tear. “I saw her maybe once a month. She’s a longtime supporter. We had a fun physical attraction.” At the next table, a black couple in North African tunics laughed loudly as the blonde woman they were with imitated the latest dance meme.

“How did you meet her?” asked Tania. She let Ruth talk, prodding with questions as necessary, allowing her to experience the loss. Her own ordeal in the Washington van already seemed a world away. I guess I’m getting used to beatings.

“What do we do now?” she asked finally.

“We quit,” said Ruth mournfully. She waited a moment, as if trying to read Tania’s reaction. “Or we fight. We make those bastards regret it.”

“Fight? Against the US and Chinese governments?”

The waiter arrived with two colorful bowls topped with peppers and leaves. “Mopani worms,” he explained. “An African delicacy, prepared with Chinese spices.”

He arranged the dishes on the table. Tania picked up a plump noodle with her chopsticks. Hilarious, they do look like worms. It wasn’t until she was chewing it that she saw the legs! More than a few. Her stomach rolled as the dish transformed in front of her.

“Ning, do you recognize my friend?” asked Ruth.

The waiter turned. “Hey, yeah. I saw you on the net. You pissed off that bitch Juarez. You’re cool!” He knuckled Tania over the table.

Ruth popped a worm in her mouth, chewing with obvious relish. Keep an open mind. Tania tried another. Fried legs crunched. The chewy flesh had a pleasant nutty taste, highlighted by the spices. Not bad.

“There’s your answer,” said Ruth as the waiter wandered off. “That’s how we fight.”

“Worms?” asked Tania.

“We use your moment of fame to turn Pax Gaia into a single, worldwide movement. In July we got hundreds of environmental organizations to coordinate their protests for the UN Climate Summit. Imagine what we could do with thousands. Environmental groups, businesses, sympathetic governments, farmers – we’ve got a lot of natural support.”

“And you want me to lead this?” Tania blinked. “That’s crazy talk, Ruth. For starters, Juarez will kill us if we try, as I think she’s already demonstrated.”

“Wrong,” said Ruth. “She’s demonstrated that you’re too high profile. That’s the only reason why you’re not in that grave right now. You became the face of environmentalism when you upstaged Juarez in her own house. And as UNBio Director, you have credibility. Some of the best scientists in the world are working on Pax Gaia. You have access to political leaders. This role isn’t yours to take. It’s yours to give up.”

Tania used her tongue to pick brittle Mopani legs from between her teeth. “I’m a scientist. I don’t know how to pressure people behind the scenes. I don’t know how to deal with lobbyists, or corporate interests. I have no experience.”

“You don’t do something like this with experience,” said Ruth. “You do it with passion. And you’ve got that. Witty can handle publicity. Khan Tengri’s great at lies and deception.  A team effort. How many organizations have offered you their support?”

Tania glanced at her omni: “1442.”

The lights dimmed, the music loudened, and a dance floor formed in the corner. A rainbow of colors and cultures, united by a funky tribal rhythm. Does Ruth really believe I can do this? Or is grief making her crazy?

Ruth leaned forward. “We’ll have leverage too. Once we dig up the rest of the evidence on Ethiopia. We’ll teach those bastards a lesson.”

Tania stopped midworm. “Whoa, no way. It’s one thing to be the face of the opposition. But I’m not digging into those land deals any further. Meaghan was an expert, and look what happened to her.”

“I’m not an idiot, Tania.”

“No? It sounds like you’re ready to march into Terillium’s headquarters like the heroine in a Sally Pitt movie.”

“I’m going to ask Witty to dig into it. Though I’ll have to wait until I see him in person. He has investigators for his show. Exmilitary.” Ruth waved over the waiter. “Ning, do you have an office we can use?”

“I guess you could use the owner’s office. She’s never here in the evenings.”

“Hey,” said Tania. “I’m still deciding.”

“No, you’re not. If you know an alternative, tell me now. Otherwise it’s time to stop the foreplay and put out.”

Ning glanced at them. “What exactly are you using this office for?”

“It’s not what it sounds like,” said Tania. “We’re making some calls.”

***

A mix of papers and strange ceramic penguins covered the desk, nearly burying a computer ten years out of date. It took two software updates before Ruth’s omni would talk to the monitor.

To Tania’s surprise, Witty answered right away. She’d always assumed that somebody of Witty’s importance would route everything through an assistant. But even Witty had friends.

“Hi, Ruth. Oh, hello, Tania. Nice job, beating my ratings. With a press conference even. Very humbling. I’m making fun of you again tomorrow as revenge, but it’ll be tasteful. Somewhat.” He vanished from the frame, and Tania recognized the lounge where she’d had a drink with him after the show. Sure enough, he returned with a beer. “I’d offer you one – Ruth, is that your penguin collection?”

Ruth picked one of the penguins off the desk. “Nice huh?” Her expression hardened, and some of the anger and sorrow returned. “We’re in trouble, Will. I’ll have to tell you some of the details in meatspace. But we need your help. Tania’s not giving up on Pax Gaia. She’s going to lead the opposition to Tamed Earth.”

“Really…” said Witty. “How?”

“There’s a UN Climate Summit at the start of October,” said Tania, the details already forming. “If we pressure enough governments to think longterm…”

“Good luck with that,” laughed Witty. “You’ll convince Chinese voters, maybe, if the training materials aren’t too slanted. But politics is the business of mortgaging the future for the present. Look at the debts we inherited from our grandparents. I’m entertained though. Continue.”

Tania elaborated, making most of it up on the spot, skipping over anything better discussed in person. Witty listened, nodding from time to time, amusement morphing into interest. “Our simulations show that we have to start implementing Pax Gaia almost as soon as it’s announced,” said Tania. “We can’t afford to drift another year.”

Witty steepled his fingers. A long silence. “The US and China will have no shortage of tame scientists. Can you prove that Pax Gaia will be better than Tamed Earth?”

“We don’t have details on Tamed Earth, so what do we compare against? And the shield isn’t finished…” Tania shook her head.

“Bzzzt.” Witty made a loud buzzer noise. “Sorry. You’re not even convincing yourself. Try again.”

“Okay, okay. We run simulations on the latest version of Pax Gaia every week. We measure our models using Human Development Index statistics. We’re getting…”

“Bzzzt,” interrupted Witty. “Yada yada yada.” He shook his head. “Sorry. HDI statistics? Too complex. Your opponents will distort your arguments and confuse everyone. And nobody protests if they’re confused. You’re not inspiring me Tania.”

“What do you expect?” snapped Tania. “I have no details. We don’t even know when the shield will be completed.”

“What if the shield doesn’t work?”

“We have to assume it will,” said Tania. “The shield is our only tool.”

Witty frowned. “Tania, walk away from this.”

“I’m not walking away,” said Tania.

“Why not? You won’t win. It’s a lot of risk for nothing.”

“I think,” said Tania, “that we need to finish what we started. You. Me. All of us. One last battle. We may not win. But we can hold forth a shining vision of the world that is still possible. And when the last wild lion ends in a shopping mall zoo, we’ll know we could have done no more.”

“Ding ding ding.” Witty started slowly clapping. “Finally, a yes! That’s what it’s going to take to get the crowds out. Sell the dream.” He smiled. “I’ve been donating to Ruth’s cause long enough. I think it’s time I joined the game for a while. What do we need to do?”

***

Tania had to argue with Khan Tengri’s computer four times before she even reached an assistant. Tengri called her back an hour later, after she and Ruth had already checked into a Chelsea motel. Ruth looked up from the desk where she’d been sending emails. “Is it him?”

Tania nodded. “Sorry, you have to go. He’d expect this to be private.”

Ruth grumbled, but left the room.

“Tania, you are not on my Christmas list right now,” growled Tengri. “You’ve put me in an impossible position. If I hadn’t intervened personally and told the President that you had UN immunity, you’d still be in the White House basement.” His stern expression cracked. “What a stunt though!”