Paradise Burning (The Virtagwalla Series Book 2) (6 page)

10

              Rove sat down at his desk. The makeup artist powdered down his nose, and the Executive Press Secretary along with the Director of Communications and each of their staffs hurriedly scribbled for him a written version of his speech. A frantic intern copied it to the teleprompter. Hampton Ray worked hard to convince every major local channel on the island to delay their regularly scheduled eight o’clock hour for the short speech from the President. Zhang and the rest of the cabinet, minus Sensado were in attendance as Charlie McFurror quieted the set.

              Clearing his throat, a spot light illuminated his Rove’s face. Kay Lyons leaned over to Ray and whispered, “Hampton, Rove’s looking old!” Ray had noticed it too. In simply a few months the once youthful look of their leader had hardened and the stress lines of the job were becoming evident. His hair had too begun to show signs of aging, and even his eyes, once fiery and alive, seemed to be dulling from exhaustion.

              “Good evening my fellow citizens of Virtagwalla. I apologize for interrupting your typical evening television programming. I promise to keep my message tonight concise,” he paused and looked down at his hands. Ray flinched knowing this was a sign of weakness and confusion. Starting again he smiled slightly, “You know my speech writers prepared something very lovely for me to say this evening, however I feel that tonight I owe you the respect of speaking straight from the heart.”

              “Oh shit,” Ray said looking at Kay who immediately put her hand to her temple.

              “Oh this should be good,” Elisabeth moaned to Charlie.

              Taking a deep breath, “Tonight at approximately 6:15pm a riot broke out in Villaggio which consisted of about a thousand citizens, and was eventually broken up by the brave men and woman of our National Guard. These rioters turned violent, looting stores and defacing public buildings. One young woman lost her life. I hope this is not news to any of you, but if it is I wish for you to take a moment to digest what I have just told you. This occurrence is the first display of violent civil disobedience in over a century,” the tension of the room was escalating. Hampton envisioned little old grannies with their crocheting needles out, gawking at their handsome President speaking of such unpleasant things.

“The images of the riotous activity earlier may have caused many of you to be becoming worried, or concerned, and maybe ever a little scared. Let me assure you, you have nothing to be alarmed about. I respect and support those who gathered to demonstrate their feelings on the quad of Villaggio College. We are constitutionally guaranteed that right. It is a right I celebrate and cherish as a Virtagwallan. But when that righteous act becomes violent and destructive than the message becomes blurred, and frankly, horribly negative.”

Rove paused again. He looked at Hampton Ray whose face was riddled with panic. Starting again Rove spread a smile on is face, “I wish I could come before you to tell you things are going great, that nothing is wrong. However, I would be lying to you. As many of you have personally experienced the economy of Virtagwalla is facing mounting challenges not seen in nearly four decades. We are finding it more and more difficult to have faith in our futures. As our wealth retrenches, our prospect for a better future becomes bleaker. We are venturing into very dark times, let there be no doubt about this.”

Again he paused and he could now see it on the faces of the people in the office. Each of them wore a look of confusion, fear, or concern. He knew he was not saying what needed to be said, and began to nod again. “My fellow citizens we are venturing into a territory very new to many of us. Let me assure I am right there with you. We are all in this together. Many years ago our ancestors came forward to build for our nation the foundation for what would eventually develop into the richest, and most celebrated city on earth. We must too begin building the foundation upon which our future generations can thrive to success. We owe our children that.”

The level of anxiety of the room began to lift as he steam rolled forward, “In just a few months this nation will change forever. The United States Congress will vote on whether to make Virtagwalla the newest state in its union. I realize this topic is exceptionally divisive, but let me assure of something. No matter what flag flies above our heads, the heart of Virtagwalla will not change. Let us be the light for our next generation. God bless the nation of Virtagwalla, and Godspeed.”

The light turned off, and the hoard of people that were waiting on baited breath as Rove stumbled through his speech quickly approached him. Although many of them congratulated him on the speech, Rove could tell he hadn’t done very well. Xavier stuck around the office until the very late hours of the night. He was sitting in one of his lounge chairs, when Hampton came into the office with Kay. Ray looked at Rove, who was holding a cup of scotch staring into his fire.

“Okay, time to stop moping and move forward,” Hampton said smacking him on the back.

With his reading glasses and cup of scotch the President appeared much older than he really was. When he spoke his tone was nowhere near as powerful as it usually was, “I have 558 days left in my presidency Hampton. 558 days until I am done with this horrible, horrible job.”

“Mr. President, that’s no way of looking at it,” Kay said slumping down on a couch by his chair. “True, you may not have been your usual Xavier Rove crowd pleasing, cheesy emotional peachiness, but it was what we needed to hear. It was frank and honest. I think the people appreciated that. They don’t need a cheerleader; they need a human being running their nation and certainly not a robot.”

“I think Kay has a point,” Hampton said agreeing, “But to be honest with you, Mr. President, you don’t have time to dwell. Look at what I just received.” Ray handed the President a manila folder with a sheet of paper inside.

“What is it?” Rove exclaimed opening it.

“It is a briefing for a real estate transaction,” Ray said leaning back on the couch.

“Are we buying a lake house?” Rove sassed, looking up at Hampton.

Rolling his eyes, “Not quite.” Leaning forward, he continued, “This evening, shortly after your speech the plot of land the University of Virtagwalla owned in Villaggio was purchased.”

“What?” Rove exclaimed, looking down, “Who bought it? Even after it was destroyed?”

“Well that’s the interesting thing. I guess the University has been in talks to sell the plot of land to this company for a while, but after the riot the University slashed the price by eighty percent, and sold the property at a bottom shelf rate.”

“More like an under the table price if you ask me,” Rove said removing his glasses, “What is the company?”

“According to the brief, the company is known as the Aurum Properties Holding Company. I have never heard of them, and all my Internet searches haven’t yielded anything positive,” Ray said glaring up at the ceiling.

“Well so much for a collapsing real estate market,” Rove said closing the folder. Sighing he moaned, “The Aurum Properties Holding Company. That sounds really familiar.”

“I know, right? I was hoping it jogged something in your memory,” Ray said folding his arms.

Looking at the fire, then at his watch, Rove jumped up, “My god I didn’t realize it was this late. The two of you need to get home. I need to get home. I bet Mikey is already in bed. Ugh Rachel is going to kill me,” he said taking the last swig of his scotch.

“Knaub!” Rove bellowed, as he moved towards his desk.

The National Guardsman popped his head into the office, “Mr. President?”

“Will you please go fetch the car? I need to get home as soon as possible,” Rove said putting the folder down on the desk. Turning back towards Ray, “Hampton, besides all the other thing I already have you doing, I need you to figure out where we have heard of this Aurum company before. Can you do that?”

“Yes sir,” Ray said standing.

Rove turned to Kay, and smiled, “And for you Ms. Lyons. I need you to focus on making the strongest pot of coffee for us tomorrow morning because we are going to need it.”

The three of them exited Capital Tower and Xavier climbed into the SUV Knaub had pulled around. He looked about the Eastern lawn as it sloped down to the Grand Via circle drive, and found a growing encampment of people with their signs. He sighed, and laid his head against the headrest.

11

              Eric Larynx picked Rachel up at their usual spot, the southern drive of Morgan Jobst Memorial Hall, on the UV’s Campus. Today, however, Larynx had planned something special for his mistress. He held her hand as they exited the elevated highway and headed into the mounts. As they cut along highway 100, Larynx took an unusual turn, and ventured down a far less beaten path than Highway 100, or even Everett Pass. Eric realized that day was not only their three-month anniversary, but also a very special day in his life. Before the real show he wished to take Rachel to a very special place.

              He shifted the truck into four-wheel drive and quickly bound off the path and began following a trail no bigger than a bike path. It was thin, and it was narrow, and easily missed. The truck roared through the vegetation, taking out small trees and shrubs as it barreled up the side of the mount. After what seemed like a half an hour of climbing, the truck bounded into a clearing. Larynx pulled back on the throttle, and the truck slowed significantly. The sun was blazing over the island, and as the truck quickly approached the edge of the cliff they found themselves on. Rachel was amazed by what she saw. Opening the door, she stumbled out.

              “Oh Eric this is breath taking,” Rachel gasped walking towards the ledge.

              Eric turned off the truck, and got out himself. He walked over to her, and placed his arm over her shoulder, “Only the best for you my dear.”

              Rolling out before them was a magnificent view of the floating city. The whimsical skyscrapers could be seen in the distant like the heads of tall silvery dinosaurs. Their narrow pyramid shapes mystified the scientist, awestricken by the city’s awe. Settlerstown laying out to her left, looked like a subtle rolling wave. The roofs slowly shrunk as the distance increased from the mount side. Even Maynard had about it a picturesque sense, as it too sprayed before her. However, it was the way the sunlight played off the glass windows and colorful rooftops of downtown Ponchertrain that really took Rachel’s breathe away.

              She turned to Larynx, “This is absolutely beautiful. What do you call this place?”

              He smiled, and kissed her on her forehead, “Inspiration Point.”

              She gave a soft laugh, “Why is that?”

              Eric Larynx chuckled a bit, “This is where I came as a lost young man. Shattered from my father’s death. Confused, and scared about where to go or what to do. But it was this spot that calmed me, and I spent many days here straight. Living in my car. Wrapped in the silence of this spot. It was here I decided to do something crazy! I decided to hatch an insane plan and go after it. To build the most advanced light rail company in the world. To be come rich beyond even my wildest dreams! It was this place that gave me the confidence to do it.”

              Rachel bit her lip, her stomach bubbling a bit of nervousness, “Eric I can see why. It’s stunning up here,” she smiled, a wicked little smile.

              Eric grabbed Rachel around her waist, and peered into her eyes, “You are stunning my dear. You have taken my breath away. You have inspired me. Rachel, I love you.”

The first lady instantly changed her carefree demeanor. The butterflies in her stomach took flight, and she instantly became uncomfortable. For the first time in her new lover’s presence she felt uneasy. Taking a deep breath, she looked at her feet, “Eric, I am married. I made a commitment to Xavier many years ago. I am sorry. I am all for this fooling around, and what have you. But this, I can’t do this to Xavier,” she expanded her hands.

              Larynx grabbed her hand, “I can appreciate that,” they looked into each other’s eyes. He sighed, “But I needed to tell you how I feel. And I wanted to know where you were at. We have never actually talked about it. I care for you. I can’t get my mind off of you. I want to spend every moment with you, even if its just laying on the couches in my office and staring a the map of the rail lines. You are the first woman I have ever found that makes me think of someone else more than myself and my work.”

Rachel smiled sheepishly, and grabbed his right hand raising it, “Eric you are an amazing man. You, too, make me happy. And I care for you so greatly.”

“Then what’s the problem?” Eric’s tone became a bit sharper.

Rachel recoiled. She had been so wrapped up in the promiscuity of the affair she hadn’t thought it could evolve further. Emotions, real emotions, were beginning to swirl into the equation. Sex was one thing. Flirting another. But when terms like love start to be thrown around, than extramarital affair takes on a whole new meaning. She took a hard swallow, as she put together the words.

“The problem is that I am married. And to the President. This, this is just fun. I know we’ve discussed a future. But I am not ready to make that jump. Not yet at least. My relationship with Xavier may be a shadow of what it once was, but to say its over, to end it, I don’t think I am ready. Not yet at least,” she took a deep breath. Flashed a little grin, and suggested, “Eric, let’s just take it slow. I think that is what’s best for both of us right now. I am not shut off for any future possibilities. When the time is right, if that time comes, we will know what we need to do. But for right now I think we should just take it slow.”

              His flat face smoothed out, and curled into a small smile. Taking what he could from her backpedal, Eric was as happy as he could be. He leaned forward and kissed her. Leading her back to the truck, he cranked it to life, and set off back down the path. The ride was relatively silent as they sliced back along the bike path to the road, then back to Highway 100. Up Everett Pass they arrived a their usual destination, the LLR Power Generation Hub hidden deep in the Mounts. This time however there weren’t any cranes above, and most of the heavy machinery long since left. Only a few large earthmovers still were parked near the cliff face behind the nearly completed thermal power generation plant. Parking the truck the two of them climbed out.

              Handing her the clipboard, a hard hat and some goggles, Eric said with a smile, “You ready to see the first product of our hard work, Dr. Rove?”

              “You’re the boss, Mr. Larynx. Lead the way,” she said smiling.

              The two walked into the plant to find the construction workers and future plant operators all gathered near the center on the slightly elevated platform. Larynx and Rove climbed the stairs and were greeted by a gathered mass. Receiving a glass of Champaign, Rachel gazed onto the entire group.

              Larynx put his hands up and a rolling wave of applause filled the air. He smiled and motioned for quiet, “Thank you everyone for gathering today for this special occasion. I entrust that many of you are excited to not only see your project finally completed, but for those who are operators, to see the facility up and running. This is the most technologically advanced power station on earth and each of you should be proud for helping to make it a reality,” he turned to Dr. Rove, “Including you Dr. Rachel Rove, because without you this would not have been possible. A toast to the brilliant and beautiful Dr. Rove for making me a very happy man.” The audience chuckled, and took a sip of their Champaign. “Now for the real show. Dr. Rove if you will please have the honors of flipping the switch to activate the power station?”

              Rachel’s eyes grew. He pointed to the handle of the swing lever. She grabbed it, and much to everyone’s applause threw the switch elegantly. The power station came to life. Exploding with sound, the generators rumbled to life. Larynx raised his glass again, “A toast to the Hub; may it live a long and productive life.” The group took the last swigs of their Champaign. Throwing his glass down on the ground, shattering it, “Now, let’s get to work. We have some Carriages to be moving. Ladies and Gentlemen we have one month to switch an entire system over to be powered by this Hub. Let’s move!”

              Larynx clapped his hands and people began to scatter. The celebration was over. He approached Rachel and told her he had more to show her. Just as they were moving away a squat man ran up to Eric, “Mr. Larynx did you just say one month. You originally said five months?”

              Attempting to quail his concerns, Larynx smiled, “Who doesn’t like a little challenge Bernard?”

              Clinging to his clipboard as if to prevent from falling over, Bernard simply gaped at Larynx as he left with Rachel. The two of them thread their way through the Hub saying hello to all the workers who had regained their posts. Leaving the actual power generation portion of the Hub, they entered the administrative section. Arriving at the end of the long hallway, they found themselves at a beautiful mahogany door. Opening it, Rove gazed at an office identical to that of Larynx’s from the Central Station in downtown Ponchertrain. It looked the same in every way.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

              “Don’t like variation, do we?” Rachel asked walking into the office, dropping the clipboard and hardhat on the couch.

              Larynx laughed, “I thought you would say that, so I had this installed. It’s going to be our little secret. Only the contractor and myself know it’s here. He picked up a remote from the table and clicked a button. Instantly one of the bookshelves began to move, revealing a large, ornately decorated room. Rove walked over to it, “What is this?” Noticing the principle piece of furniture in the room she completely understood what it was.

              “I told the contractor I wanted an apartment to be attached to this office,” he smiled walking in. And the room was just that. The bed took up the majority of the space, but there were in fact a couple couches, a wardrobe, sink, and even mini-refrigerator.

              She smiled and looked at the bed, “So, do you want to take it for a test ride?”

              He walked up to her and kissed her, “I thought you would never ask.”