arbitrate (daynight) (24 page)

He stops pacing and stops in front of Brad again. “Any use of military force or weapons against the Exilers—or the Arbiters—and the Genitors will be asked to step in. And folks…while our role on Earth
may
be limited, I can assure you that the Genitor’s role is not in
any way
limited. Pass that nugget on to those who need to know.”

The Arbiters file out of the room one by one. In their place, the glowing boy returns. He stands front and center and holds out his hand, shakes it, and then faces it palm up. From the center of his palm, a tall, bright sunflower grows and then blossoms right before our eyes. It is stunning. How did a child do all that? Or is that the point? This
child
is more powerful than all of us combined.

This boy is a Genitor.

Once fully grown, the boy smiles at his creation.

And then the flower bursts into flames and is reduced to dust in his hands. He blows the dust at us, and the dust becomes a swarm of locusts that surround us. I can no longer see him.

A bright light flashes and a loud boom sounds.

I’m suddenly in a long tunnel full of images of
every mistake I’ve ever made.
The journey happens in slow motion, and I feel so full of shame by the time I reach the end that I don’t feel worthy to
live
.
 

Is this my final judgment?
Please don’t let it be.

Just as I’m ready to submit to my despair, I’m back in the Ten’s meeting room, free of my restraints as are the rest of the Ten. I feel sapped of energy and collapse to the floor.

Five weeks prior: Los Angeles, California

I took Alexa to
a neighborhood French restaurant around the block from my apartment. It was a Tuesday night, so the place was pretty much deserted. We were given a booth in the back corner for maximum privacy. She wanted to “get to know” me better, a difficult proposition given I couldn’t share most of my life with her. It had been a few weeks since returning from taking Alexa to Thera, and we’d been spending time together.

I’m not sure I was the best of company. I’d spent all day at Henry’s campaign headquarters wading through his “official statements” on dozens of different policies he planned to push as President. I feared immensely for the American population. Every “positive change” Henry had planned had dark undertones and hidden agendas. The one stuck in my mind was the “mandatory health screenings” that accompanied his far-reaching health system overhaul.
 

Part A of each screening was a blood test touted as the “most comprehensive” blood screen ever. It purportedly found more than a hundred types of cancer, chronic illnesses, autoimmune disorders, allergies, and other health ailments. The “cheap and effective” test would save millions of lives and billions of dollars with swift, early detection. Quality of life would improve across the board.
 

Part B, however, was an updated
“flu” shot targeted to each individual’s blood type.

I was positive the SCI planned to collect and test every citizen’s blood—and not just for disease but for DNT. So when they said a person would receive a shot
based on their blood type
…what were they up to? Would they give different formulas to those with DNT versus those without? I had nothing to go on other than some obscure wording in a brief, but I was concerned. Very concerned.

“You with me?” Alexa asked. She looked stunning with her hair in soft curls cascading down her back.
Kira wore her hair like that.
I squeezed my eyes shut and wished away the image of my dead Cleave.

I bit the side of my lip and said, “Yeah, sorry. Long day.”

She leaned towards me, emphasizing her cleavage, and took my hand. “You’ve been working around the clock. Surely the SCI can’t expect you to help both Henry’s campaign
and
the Clean Slate Complex?”

The conversation was still innocent, but I put up a listening barrier anyway in case she asked anything that would raise eyebrows. Had I not been taught this Arbiter skill, I’d have had to shut down the whole conversation. “The
SCI
expects me to work seventy hours a week at the Clean Slate Complex. My
Uncle Henry
expects me to moonlight as his campaign assistant since he housed me and paid for all my schooling.”

Alexa shifted even closer to me and looked up at me with her large brown eyes. “Tell me about the Daynighters. I mean, I know I’m one…that my blood was what allowed me to go visit Thera. But how does it work?”

I gave her the basics, but the more I told, the more questions she asked.
How many Daynighters are there on Thera? On Earth? Can you detect a Daynighter by looking at them, or do you have to test their blood? How many portals are there? Why did we go in one portal and out another? How many offices does the SCI have? Are they all staffed by Daynighters, and if not, are they run by Daynighters? Why are the SCI
here?
If I die, will I end up on Thera? How do those that die get to Thera? How is Jax able to transport people the way he does? Is he a Daynighter? If not, what is he? Is he dangerous? Who are the SCI leaders on Thera? What about here on Earth?

By dessert, I was even more exhausted, and Alexa was cuddled up next to me.
So much for getting to know
me
, but she does have a decent picture of the SCI now.
I paid the bill, and we walked back to my apartment hand in hand. I was nervous. I mean, I
liked
Alexa but certainly didn’t love her. No one could replace Kira.
But Kira is gone, and you need to move on eventually
.
 

“Can I come up?” she asked as we approached my building. We’d watched movies together in my apartment a couple times, so why was I so unsettled?

I smiled in an effort to show confidence. “I’ve got an early morning meeting, but…sure, I’d love you to.”
 

We got in the elevator and rode in silence all the way up. I shook as I put the key in my door to give us entry. I let her go in first, and I followed behind. She looked gorgeous in her strapless “little black dress” that showed off her every curve.

“Are you checking me out?” She turned around to look at me, a coy look on her face.
 

I loosened my tie and then shoved my hands in my dress pant’s pockets, rocking back and forth on my heels. “Maybe.”
 

She stepped towards me and gave me a hug. Instead of letting go, she looked up at me, never making it past my lips. I have to admit, I was rather fixated on hers as well. It had been a long time since I’d had female companionship. And Alexa was nothing like all those floozies that my uncle pushed on me…or Kira.
Forgive me Kira. I’d never do this if you were still alive.

My head dropped towards hers without delay and my lips met hers, with trepidation at first, but when she responded with a groan I deepened the kiss. I fought off the images of every kiss I’d shared with Kira. The one I couldn’t kick was kissing her after our Cleaving ceremony.

I pulled back from Alexa. She gave me a sweet smile.
Was she waiting for me to kiss her again?
Her phone beeped and she looked at the text message. I couldn’t read the contents, but I saw Joshua’s name flash across the screen. A frown immediately appeared on my face. Why was he texting her at this hour? I knew he was her “supervisor,” but couldn’t she have a little free time? She put her phone back in her purse and said, “I should let you get some sleep. I need to get back to the Complex.”
 

“Sure. No problem. I’ll see you soon?”

She nodded and then gave me a chaste kiss on the lips. “Thanks for the perfect evening, Ethan.”
 

I held the door open for her and watched her get back on the elevator. Then I went back inside, pulled up every picture of Kira I had, and sobbed until dawn.

Present

“Brad must not have
asked them to clean before they left the city. This place is trashed,” Blake says, pointing to heaps of garbage in the main plaza of Art City. Jax brought us all here. Brad agreed to give the Exilers Art City, the caveat being that they couldn’t use the SCI’s portals. The Arbiters had to find “another way” to transport them here.
 

It’s just before sundown. Blake, Jax, and I are standing at the edge of the city that once housed the artists and musicians of Thera. The poor former residents have all been dispersed amongst Theran cities that allow music and art. As much as I wanted a peaceful solution to the Exiler camp problem, I feel terrible for the people that got kicked out of here.

The city itself is a series of “floating” islands sitting atop giant, twenty-foot tall pylons and connected by rope bridges. The pylons were driven deep into the marshy ground that sat below to give stability. The city is in the equivalent area of the Gulf of Alaska on Earth, far north of every other Theran city.
 

I peer over the edge of the platform rail and look down in the dense, grassy marsh and see two long, scaly creatures slip into the water. “Were those alligators?” Jax throws something over the edge and several gators congregate around the offering. When they realize there isn’t enough to go around, they start to fight and a couple beady eyes seem to look up at us in hopes we’ll send down another offering, preferably one of us.

“This place is full of them,” Jax responds. “Fish, gators, and birds. Oh, and snakes. Poisonous ones.”

Shivering, I imagine all the small children from the Exiler camps and hope they never figure out a way off the platforms.

“Why’d Brad pick this place?” Blake asks, keeping a wary eye on the gators.

Jax responds, “Because it’s not like Brad’s going to do the Exilers any favors. He’ll uphold the ‘letter’ of the Arbiter demands but only loosely. He has armed guards stationed at the in-city exit portals—anyone without ‘permission’ who goes through will get shot. The portals in are clear, so he and his troops can show up at any time. The closest portals to Earth are a three-day hike away. Sure, this is the only city without an Eco barrier, but no one would make it far given the alligator and snake population. And the closest Theran city? It’s over a thousand miles from here. He
did
leave rations, but they are meager. We’d best rename this place Prison City because that’s what this will feel like for the Exilers.”

“When do the Exilers start to arrive?” I ask Jax since Arbiters are facilitating the move although I don’t quite understand how, and Jax has not volunteered the information. An individual Arbiter can open a portal and bring someone through but to do that for more than fifty-thousand people? Doesn’t seem possible. My mind flits to the Genitor.
He
would have no problem pulling it off. “And how can we help?”

“An advance team with Doc, Bailey, and Adam will be here within the hour to do cleanup and setup. Blake will run work with that crew. A large team of Arbiters will arrive shortly thereafter to get people moved into residences. They will also staff the medical facility until Doc can assemble a team of skilled Exiler doctors and nurses. The injured will arrive first, and then the rest will stream in over the next forty-eight hours. Ethan, you and Kira will man the intake station at the Art Museum. Record names and information. I’ve loaded the intake program onto both your tablets.”

I respond a lot louder than I intended. “You brought
Kira
here? Are you kidding me?”

Jax reaches over, grabs my arm, and gives me a bolt of calming energy. “Chill, Ethan. She insisted. She wants to see for herself if any babies are here. And besides, I don’t trust her alone at your apartment with Brad in the vicinity. Word is that he has taken up residence next door to you. So I brought Kira here with us, and the babies are with the nurses in Heart. If you sense danger, get her out of here, which means being at her side at all times. You need a break, and I’ll be there to take over.”

Movement on one of the rope bridges catches my eye. The setting sun provides a beautiful backdrop as Kira comes bouncing across the bridge, her hair flying in the slight breeze and a giant smile on her face. It’s the first time I’ve seen her genuinely happy in well over a year although I don’t know how she can be given that she’s dressed in a gold-belted, full-length, rainbow-colored tunic. “Can you believe this place?” she says as she finally reaches us. “It is
awesome
. There’s
real music
playing in the museum, and the SCI left the art! The air is fresh and under a hundred degrees. I can actually breathe…outside. And did you see the adorable alligators? There must be thousands of them!” She twirls around, and I watch her sniff the air—which smells floral.

“What are you
wearing
?” I ask.

She laughs. “An Art City uniform. I figure there’s no way that I can hand someone one in good conscience if I’m not willing to wear one myself.”

Blake mumbles. “I’m not sure that the fifty-thousand plus people arriving will care about their outfits when they are
starving
.”

She stops twirling and playfully shoves him in the arm. “They will appreciate the
improvement
of their conditions.
You
of all people should appreciate this after living in Exile for so long.
 
There’s indoor plumbing, air conditioning, and the SCI left the communal housing furnished. Sure it has the whole hippie compound feel going on, but beggars can’t be choosers, right?”

Her happy demeanor doesn’t rub off on him though. “Sure, Kira. It’s definitely a step up accommodations-wise. But along with those furnishings are thousands of SCI-installed listening devices. Who knows what else I will find on our ‘cleaning’ run. Plus, there’s no room to expand, the place will be horribly overcrowded, and how on Thera will we accomplish our mission to take down the SCI from here? We’re a thousand miles away from the
boonies
, Kira.”

Kira rolls her eyes and turns her back on Blake. “Jax, surely the Arbiters can handle the SCI, right?”

Jax doesn’t lie. He omits, avoids, talks in circles or riddles, but he doesn’t lie. “Kira, love. The puzzle pieces have shifted, but it’s still a puzzle.”