We Had Flags (Toxic World Book 3) (26 page)

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Within half an hour Yu-jin and the boys were safe on the ship. He and the Chinese crew had seen the fight through binoculars and The Doctor came in the motorboat to bring them to the freighter moored just outside the entrance to the bay. Captain Wang, uncertain of what was going on, had decided to be cautious.

He listened impassively to the whole story as Yu-jin explained. The Doctor, Pablo, and Hong-gi stood beside her on deck. She told them about the riots, the bomb, everything. A team lowered themselves on ropes from the stern and removed it. As the conversation continued, The Doctor watched with obvious impatience, frustrated he couldn’t understand. Finally he spoke.

“Look, I need to get back. Will Captain Wang stay now?”

Yu-jin translated his question.

“Yes,” the captain replied. “He’s proven his worth and we shall have a three-day trade fair. Tell him than we can start once the situation is stabilized in the city. Until then we’ll moor a little offshore.”

“We need solar cells most of all,” the Doctor told him.

“As I mentioned, we cannot trade that technology, but we can supply you with the rare earths for you to make your own replacements. My superiors didn’t specify that I couldn’t trade those. Would that be satisfactory?”

The Doctor nodded eagerly. “I have a good electrician. Thank you.”

“We want the lights to still be on when we get back. If your economy is doing well, everyone benefits.”

“You’re a smart man, captain. Now I really must get going. There’s a big mess back in New City to clean up.”

The Doctor turned to Yu-jin. “You coming?”

She blinked. Was she coming? Her gaze moved to the two sailors named Song. They stood a little apart, smiling at her.

You could have a new life here on the ship. In a month you’d see China.

She looked back at the shore. Her whole life was back there, such as it was. And there was more work to do.

“I’ll have them row me ashore once I’m done here. I’ll see you later.”

She said this in English, and then in Mandarin. Her heart clenched when she saw the disappointment on the faces of her two distant relatives.

“Sorry, I have to make my own way,” she told them. 

“We’ll see you on the next voyage,” Song Jianfu said.

As The Doctor turned to go, Pablo asked him, “What’s going to happen to Jessica?”

“She’s going back to her father where she belongs,” The Doctor replied with a scowl.

“Oh,” Pablo said, looking disappointed.

The Doctor motioned towards the motorboat. “Come on, kids, hop aboard.”

Pablo and Hong-gi exchanged glances.

“Um, we’ll come back with Yu-jin. We have some stuff to do,” Pablo said.

The Doctor shrugged. Without another word he got back in his boat and motored away. They watched him go.

“Your mayor is a remarkable man,” the captain said.

Hong-gi spoke up. “Please don’t blame New City for what happened, sir. The Doctor tried to protect us.”

Captain Wang smiled down on him. “It seems your friend did a better job. What’s your name?”

“Wang Hong-gi.”

The captain’s eyes widened with surprise. “And do you want to stay with your friend or stay here on the ship like you planned?”

Hong-gi looked at Pablo for a moment. “I have nowhere to live, even if The Doctor keeps all the Asians safe.”

“You don’t have any family?” Yu-jin asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Hong-gi looked at his feet. “No.”

“Yes you do,” Captain Wang said. “Don’t we share the same surname?”

Hong-gi gave him a confused look. “But you were born on the other side of the world.”

The captain gave him a sad smile. “Too many of us have died to turn our backs on distant cousins. You can work on this ship as Gebre’s assistant. He’ll teach you how to use the radio and you can teach him to speak proper English.”

Yu-jin glanced at Gebre, who looked a bit abashed. When she looked back at Hong-gi he found him crying and hugging Pablo.

“Why does everyone have to leave?” Pablo sniffled.

As she tried to comfort the two of them, the captain whispered something to Gebre, who and hurried off. She soothed both boys, telling them how they would see each other at the next trip and congratulating them for being heroes. That cheered them up, but only a little.

Gebre returned holding a box.

“Translate for me, Yu-jin,” the captain said. “Pablo, you have been very brave and saved your friend. Because he is of my family, you are now a friend of mine and I want to give you a gift.”

With a grin, Gebre opened the box. A marine radio sat inside, its antenna coiled around it. A small solar cell sat in the box next to it.

“You can use this to talk to your friend, and we’ll tell you when we’re coming back.”

“Cool!” Pablo said, his eyes lighting up.

Yu-jin looked at the lowering sun. “We best get going. Can you row us ashore? We need to pick up his mother, who was injured fighting the guards.”

Pablo’s eyes went wide. “Mom’s injured?”

“It’s not bad. She’ll be fine.”

“And you just left her out there?” Pablo said.

Yu-jin smiled. “No, she left herself out there. She knew there were more important things to be done. She got a slight wound in her leg. Instead of having me take her back to New City she told me to go finish the job. That was more important in her eyes. She’s a lot like you.”

Pablo turned first to Hong-gi and then Captain Wang. “I got to go. Captain, can I come back before you sail off?”

“Certainly.”

Pablo and Hong-gi gave each other a high five. The two sailors named Song escorted Yu-jin and Pablo down to one of the boats and rowed them across the water as the sun sank low in the west. Pablo couldn’t take his eyes off his new radio.

“That’s quite a present,” Yu-jin said.

“I’m going to talk to him all the time. This one looks even better than the one Jessica had.”

“That thing’s really going to be useful. The Doctor will be glad to hear you have it.”

Pablo gave her an odd look and didn’t reply. As they came ashore she embraced her two relatives and told them she’d see them the following day. Then they hurried ashore, eager to find Annette before the light failed. The crew had left them off a bit north of the opening to Toxic Bay and they walked through gritty sand dunes interspersed with bits of old building material.

Suddenly Yu-jin realized Pablo wasn’t walking next to her anymore. She started to turn when his words made her freeze.

“I’ll break it.”

She continued her turn, moving slowly like if a man had a gun on her.

Pablo stood a few paces behind. The radio sat on the sand. He held a chunk of concrete over it. He was shaking, but his jaw was set and his eyes locked into hers.

Boy and man,
Yu-jin realized.

“Don’t come near me or I’ll break it,” he said.

“Why?”

“Adults mess everything up. They’re the reason the world’s all poison and ruins and stuff. Kent took my last radio and was going to use it to blow up the ship. I’m not letting anyone have this one.”

“The Doctor wouldn’t—”

“This radio’s mine! Captain Wang gave it to me! And I’m keeping it.”

Yu-jin stared at him. She could probably stop him. Kick sand in his face or dive for the radio and block the stone with her body. Distract him. Any one of a number of things.

And she realized she wouldn’t.

Learning to stand up to your elders, eh? I’m twice your age and I still don’t have the knack for it.

She jerked a thumb over her shoulder in the direction they had been heading. “I’m going to walk two dunes that way and wait for you. Meet me when you’re done hiding it.”

Pablo looked suspicious.

“You’re not going to peek?”

“I promise.”

“People promise lots of stuff.”

Yu-jin sighed. Yeah, they did. Like how she had promised Randy that she was going to live with him, and how she had convinced herself this was true even though she knew it wouldn’t work out, when she knew she would eventually break the heart of a man who had been nothing but good to her.

Pablo still held the chunk of concrete over the radio. His hands shook. It was a lot of weight for such a small kid.

“OK then, I’ll make you a deal,” Yu-jin said. “I won’t peek if you promise to tell me when the ship is coming back. I have…family…on that ship.”

“I will if I think it’s safe to.”

“Fair enough. See you in a minute.” Yu-jin turned and walked away.

She walked over two dunes and sat in the sand. She waited for a long time, thinking about little other than the fact that the life she was going to live in the Burbs would be nothing like the one she had carefully planned out over the past five years. Hell, she didn’t even know if she was going to live in the Burbs. The Doctor was already talking about giving her citizenship.

So much for the quiet, easy life.

Pablo appeared over the dune in front of her.

“You circled around,” Yu-jin said with a smile.

“Makes it harder to track me. I hid the radio really good. You’ll never find it. Not in 28 million years.”

She got up and dusted the sand off her pants. “Guess you really do have the scavenger’s life in your blood.”

Pablo brightened. “You think so?”

“Yes.”

They headed south. Pablo surprised her by taking her hand.

“You sure my mom is OK?”

“Yeah, the shot wasn’t too bad. We’ll probably meet her coming this way. She’ll take a couple of sticks and the shoelaces from one of the guards and make a brace for her leg, and then use one of the assault rifles as a crutch. She’s probably making pretty good time.”

“How do you know she’d do that?”

Yu-jin gave his hand a squeeze. “Because that’s what I’d do if I’d lost you out here.”

Pablo’s lower lip stuck out. “I thought she was going to kill all the Asians. I didn’t trust her.”

“People can be wrong sometimes, even about those they care about the most.”

“I feel bad I didn’t believe her about Mitch. I guess I was wrong about that too.”

“She understands.”

Pablo looked up at her and grinned. “Well, let’s go find her and say hello.
Ni Hao.
”

Yu-jin laughed.

“Did Hong-gi teach you that?”

“Yep.”

“Not bad.”

“Will you teach me more? I bet when we get back Uncle Marcus and Aunt Rosie will invite us to dinner. They always do that. You can teach me the names of all the food.”

Yu-jin shook her head. “I’m not sure Uncle Marcus likes me much.”

“I’ll make him come around. You’re one of us now.”

I was always one of you, kid, but I know how you meant it, so thanks.

They walked in silence for a time. After a while Pablo asked, “You think the ship will come back soon?”

“I hope so. That ship has the only family I got.”

“That’s not true. You got Uncle Marcus and Aunt Rosie and Mom and me. You can be my big sister. I never had I big sister.”

She squeezed his hand again.

And you can be the annoying little brother I never had.

They crested a dune. To the south the land gradually flattened out into a gritty plain. In the distance, a woman hobbled towards them. Her leg was in a splint and she was using a gun as a crutch.

“Mom!”

Pablo let go of Yu-jin’s hand and sprinted towards the distant figure. Annette’s head raised and she waved. She started hobbling faster.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

I can’t believe she’s making me do this.

The Doctor stood just inside the door of his private quarters, staring at the blank metal rectangle that was the only thing between his private peace and a world full of shit. It had been two days since he’d gotten back from the ship and everything had settled back to more or less normal.

Meaning everything was still fucked up.

He’d foisted Jessica onto her deadbeat dad and kicked the whole stinking lot of his followers off his territory. That gave him some satisfaction but of course he was no wiser as to what the hell had happened between Radio Hope and the scavengers. The Giver and his crowd hadn’t even made it all the way to the bay. They’d doubled back like they knew the ship had left. One guard who was there told him that he thought he heard the hiss of a radio from the scavenger camp.

So they had received a message. It couldn’t have been from the ship, though, because Captain Wang had no idea about the scavengers or being directed to the wrong bay. That left only one possibility.

Great, Radio Hope talks to scum like The Giver and not to me?

The trade fair had gone better, with plenty of citizens and Burbs residents doing well off the Chinese. There had been no more riots or attacks on Asians. Nothing like profit to bury animosity, at least for a time. Annette kept her extra deputies just in case. New City had gotten a bunch of rare earths for the solar cells and some badly needed machine parts. Philip, Kevin, and Rachel acted like it was Christmas.

They got a ton of rice too, literally a ton, in exchange for one of their industrial-sized cranes. Keven and Rachel had hoarded two away, both in perfect condition even though the city hadn’t had any use for them since they built the wall.

But there was still lingering hatred in the Burbs and the toxic rain that soaked the fields last season and the all the machine parts they needed that Captain Wang couldn’t offer him and a million other troubles.

Plus there was the bullshit Little Miss Peaches was pulling tonight.

Maybe she didn’t mean it. I bet if you kick back, burn one, and watch a good movie she’ll come over tomorrow morning and act like nothing happened.

He tried to convince himself that was true. Tried and failed.

Yu-jin had accepted the job as his personal assistant on certain conditions, and trust a woman to come up with these—join her at Joe’s Chicken Shack for dinner. Come alone and come sober.

What kind of conditions were those?

Oh, he could see what she was thinking. This wasn’t all just mischief and trying to boss him around. His strolling through the Burbs at night would be a smart political trick. It would reestablish his dominance while making him appear more accessible, assuming they didn’t use that accessibility to lynch him. No doubt Yu-jin had warned Annette and her small army of deputies to be on the alert. It also set her up as being a part of both the Burbs and New City while an ally of The Doctor. She’d be the woman to come to, the go-between. Having dinner together at one of the most popular places in the Burbs would also make her seem like one of them again, something her image desperately needed.

Smart girl. You’ll do well in all this.

But don’t you understand I just put in a fourteen-hour day and want some peace?

The Doctor ran his fingers through his hair and paced. Maybe just one hit. She wouldn’t notice.

Oh yes, she would. She may have a daddy complex for you but she tries to act like your mother at the same time.

Ah! He had a solution. He went to the cupboard and took out a tin. Inside were a few cookies, baked to his own special recipe.

Go easy. You get too stoned in the Burbs and you’ll be in for some serious paranoia.

He broke off a quarter of a cookie and ate it.

“You said to come sober,” he chuckled to himself. “You didn’t say I had to stay sober. Got to learn the value of words, kid.”

OK, that will hit in about an hour. If you leave now you can be just about done when it takes effect. Then you can feign tiredness, have a dreamy walk back here, and maybe listen to a few tracks before bed.

The Doctor looked back at the door. He stood still for a minute, then went and took care of some medical files that needed sorting, plumped the pillows on the sofa, and looked around for something else to waste his time on.

Come on. She’s one of those rare people whose company is actually worth the time, so what’s so hard about going out there?

There are people out there.

“I should have been a fucking hermit,” The Doctor growled as he forced himself to take three long strides to the door and open it.

Roger fell into step behind him, his M16 at the ready. The Doctor waved him off. “I don’t need you tonight.”

He left the warehouse, waving off a succession of guards at each door and making it to the gate. He saw the light to Clyde’s Operations Center was on. His old companion could be seen silhouetted in the window. He had a feeling Clyde was watching.

The Doctor strode up to the guard on duty. “Open the gate, please. I’m going out. Alone.”

The guard blinked. “Sir?”

“You heard me. I don’t think your boss did, though.” The Doctor cupped his hands and shouted up to the Operations Center. “Hey, Clyde! I’m going to have dinner in the Burbs tonight. If you want to stage a coup, now’s the time!”

The guard looked shocked. Several others gathered on the wall to stare down at him. The Doctor smiled. Nothing more satisfying than embarrassing some nitwit out of doing the wrong thing.

Here’s hoping it works.

The gate opened with a groan to reveal the Burbs, lit by a few electric bulbs and a scattering of campfires. He stepped out from the lamplight of New City and started walking across the dark field between the two settlements.

He heard footsteps behind him. Roger was following him, M16 at the ready.

The Doctor stopped. “Go back.”

Roger looked worried. “But sir…”

“You know how much I hate giving orders twice.”

“Yes sir.”

The Doctor continued into the Burbs. The smell of cooking, wood smoke, and unwashed bodies assailed his nostrils. Drunken shouts and laughter rang in his ears. He walked around a damp spot in the soil that smelled of urine. God, what a dump! Maybe he should make some civic improvements.

He passed the first few fires before anyone noticed him. Then behind him he heard a whispered, “Hey, look,” followed by some hurried conversation. He resisted the urge to glance over his shoulder.

At the next fire he passed, a trio of workmen, their faces and hands illuminated by the flames, glowered at him.

“Chink lover,” one of them muttered.

He approached the market, the whispers following him. He thought he heard footsteps but didn’t dare turn around.

Don’t show fear. Never show fear.

Damn it, why can’t I have some peace?

He touched the hard metal in his pocket. Its weight and feel reassured him.

The market lay ahead, a clear area with a few stalls and tables that hadn’t been taken away for the night. At the far end he saw slivers of firelight from between a crowd of silhouettes. That was it.

Too many people. When is that cookie going to kick in?

The Doctor slowed his pace, wanting more than anything to turn around and head back to New City and privacy. He glanced over his shoulder and saw a small crowd following him. One man was arguing with another and gesturing towards him. The other cut him off and gestured for the first man to go away. He thought he caught sight of Roger near the back.

Up ahead, The Doctor saw a big crowd around Joe’s. He was getting close enough that people were beginning to recognize him.

Shit.

A sound of running feet behind him made him tense. A short, grizzled old scavenger hurried up to his side. He gave The Doctor a gap-toothed grin.

“Hey, Doc, remember me?”

“Um, sure.”

“You treated my clap last season, remember?”

“Oh, yeah, right. How are you feeling?”

“Good as new and hard as a rock. It’s like I’m in my teens again!”

“I’m happy for you.”

The scavenger grabbed his hand and pumped it. “Thanks a million, Doc, thanks a million.”

The Doctor put his hand on the scavenger’s shoulder, surreptitiously wiping it and hoping his jacket was cleaner than his hand.

“Stay safe.”

“Have a good evening, Doc.”

The crowd around Joe’s Chicken Shack parted for him. All around him people were whispering: “I can’t believe he really came”, “Do you think they…”, “He’s old enough to be her grandfather”. Past all the staring people he saw Yu-jin sitting at a stool. That boyfriend of hers didn’t seem to be around. She smiled at him and his tension eased.

A fat drunk with a bow strapped to his shoulder got up from the next stool.

“Hey Doc! Kept your seat warm for you. I was just apologizing to your Chink friend for all the shit I said about her people. Turns out their women don’t have shrunken feet after all, har har!”

As the man pushed through the crowd, Yu-jin shrugged.

“Making new friends?” The Doctor asked with a smile as he sat down.

“Glad to see you could make it,” she said in a way that meant,
“You’re late.”

“Yes, well, I had a few things to get squared away in the office. My evenings are always busy.”

Joe came up and served up two portions of sesame chicken and two large glasses of beer. The Doctor gave his maimed hand a clinical look. That had been a tough operation, one of many tough operations after a bandit raid twenty years back. It seemed to have healed well enough, but he bet it still pained him from time to time.

Too many good people bearing scars in this world.

“Dinner and drinks are on Leon Hudson tonight,” Joe said.

“Who?”

“Me!” called a grinning scavenger from a few seats down. He had his arm around a female scavenger. Both looked pretty tanked. “You made us rich, Doc!”

“Did I?”

“We found an old safe in the city filled with gold bars. We thought it was a bust. Didn’t have a use for them until you made a deal with that ship. Just goes to show you never know when your luck will change.”

I could use a change of luck too.

“Cheers,” Yu-jin said, holding up her glass.

“To the Burbs,” The Doctor said in a loud voice. The crowd cheered.

“I was wondering if you could dispel a rumor,” Yu-jin said.

“Oh, right,” The Doctor sat up straight and turned to address the crowd. “Everyone, I want you to know I’m not sleeping with her.”

Goggle eyes all around. Yu-jin blushed scarlet.

“Not that, dummy. Your name.”

“My name?”

“Rosie told me your name’s Reginald,” Yu-jin said, covering her mouth and giggling.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” The Doctor rubbed his temple.

“My God, it’s true!” someone shouted.

“No way!”

“No wonder he goes by his title!”

Yu-jin smiled. “I think it’s kind of sweet. It suits you.”

“If anyone uses my name, I’ll turn the lights out again,” he growled. The crowd laughed.

“So you were talking with Rosie?” he asked.

“She invited me to dinner, but how can I go when, well, you know,” Yu-jin said, looking worried.

“What did Marcus say?”

“He wasn’t there.”

“And what did Rosie say, I mean her exact words.”

“She said ‘My husband and I would like you to come for dinner.’”

“Then it’s OK.”

“You sure?”

“I’ve known Rosie for twice as long as you’ve been alive and I’ve never known her to twist the truth. She must have been working on him. Never underestimate the determination of sweet little old ladies.”

“She invited you too. Will you come?”

“Hell, no.”

“You’re just mad she let everyone know your name’s Reginald.”

“Very funny, let’s eat!” The Doctor said with a laugh. He felt a giddy, grinning from ear to ear. Had the cookie kicked in already? No, his metabolism wasn’t that quick. It wouldn’t hit for at least another half hour.

Joe had cooked up a special batch of sesame chicken and it was delicious, as usual. Strange to think the whole settlement had been eating Chinese food all this time. The beer was drinkable too, although he had never been much of a drinker. Bad for the health. Not that breathing in the rank body odor of a bunch of Burbs residents was particularly healthy either.

As he ate and chatted with Yu-jin and the others, his tension eased. He spotted Roger through the crowd. It irritated him a little that the guard had disobeyed orders, and yet he couldn’t fault him considering recent events. He patted the metal object in the side pocket of his jacket and smiled.

Once they had finished, he pulled it out. It was the Blue Can of peaches.