The Country of Ice Cream Star (64 page)

Simón Zelote say behind me tired, ‘It’s fine.’

Only then I realize, some skulls here be from Marianos. This fasten in my mind as we go forward in our zagging line between land mines unseen.

Be a minute’s walk before we come to our first barricade. I been dreaming sorry, and ain’t notice till we be upon. Barricade be two layers of rusten cars, with various junk among – brick and bicycles and wood. Patricia call back sharp, ‘Like to ask our guests to wait and only climb with instructions. It’s a little persnickety here.’

Then she leap up squirrel quick. Pause light above, stood on the rusten belly of an upturn car. I glance where she gone, and see a skeleton hand thrust out beneath all cars, splay on the road. Beside it, sans no useful sense, be various boots, stood like they wait for feet.

Then Pasha climb up slow, Patricia pointing where each foot must go. They pass out of sight, and my Quantico twelve skip up. I watch his steps and go the same, while he frown worrying at my skewen weight, the dragging coat behind. Come thankful to the ground and he say fretting, ‘Worry about those shoes, ma’am.’

I shrug discourage. ‘Guess they boots ain’t for that.’

‘What boots? The boots …’ Child catch my meaning and glance back peculiar. ‘No, they’re from dead folks, ma’am. You won’t like that.’

Pasha frown, but when he see me looking, he smile foolish. I catch mischieviose, call low, ‘Ain’t finicky when they kilt them.’ Roo make a face, nay slightish with one hand. Then the others join behind, and we shift on again.

‘Shoo, most my clothing always been from people who was dead.’

He look flustering to Patricia, who say, ‘Thass the worst, ma’am, you’ll be fine.’

Ain’t much farther that we go. Pass two more HOW TO SURRENDER signs, and various posten warnings: ‘Do Not Enter: Certain Death’, ‘Trespassers Will Be Burned Alive’. On one wall, be painten big in letters worn with age: WELCOME TO QUANTICO – ROACHES GET IN, BUT THEY CAN’T GET OUT. Ya, always be the faceless rifles poking out above. One follow us with its black eye, and Patricia call up strict, ‘You know better than that, I do hope.’ Then it be funny how this rifle get a hangdog look.

Be only one more barricade, and I take this barefoot. Is easy going so, though I must tread on bones with naked feet. Come down a final street, with usual burns, rust wire and misery skulls. But forward, it change to perfect grass, still green in Cember month. Ya, all the grassen blades be short the same. Is laken in its smooth. Come up to this with easing breath, and when Patricia step out on its healthiness, she move aside. Wave us forward, saying, ‘Okay, you can move freely here. I’m sure thass like to be a relief. Now, where you see this grass, you’re in Washington. You can walk like home. But
do not
venture into the maze there without one of us. You keep
that difference foremost, please. Sergeants, thank you, and you can now rejoin your positions. Seen some paramount work today, and I hope you three will appreciate this historical memory.’

Before they leave, these twelves all come up separate to Pasha–me–Simón. Shake hands and thank us for the opportunity to serve. Then they sprint off, zagging careless back through wreckage streets.

We continue along the grass, while Patricia explain our privilege, that we get to see their White House. Come past some trees, and soon we find this edifice grandiose. Patricia talk on in friendly boomery, naming Presidents who been here, like these be bragging definitions any person know. Here Simón Zelote cavil, how black children all been slaves and prisoners of these mally Presidents. Then be entertainment, how Patricia choke polite. ‘Sir, as you say it,’ she say thin, ‘must be a measure of truth. But I hope we all agree to disagree today.’

We head up to a shorter mansion, callen West Wing by Patricia. She say our parley there, in Situation Room. We enter in a hall morose, and halt before a normal door. Patricia give some whispern hints of our behavior, skitty grown. Take Kalash from me, in strictness to their parley manners. Then, with forcen smile, she open the door.

65

THE SITUATION ROOM

Parley room be drab, and got no windows. All its light be false. Be a longish table, and three children to the farther end, all twentyish in size. They all come to their feet respectful, ya all wear the same – blue soldier clothes with whitey belt.

Patricia doing introductions, hasty in her voice. Child at the enden place be leader, callen Commandant. He taken with his posies, got all crusting sores along his brow. Next be the general ruling Arlington – tallish stick with prettieuse mustache callen Hatter Diaz. Last be a girlish general, Verna Mitchell, lead their telligence work. This be a child with biting face, hair braiden back so tight it give her head a snaken look.

When this courtesy done, Patricia rid herself away. We sit with heavy scrape of chairs. But before no parley start, Simón start speeching on their older wars, and how all wrongs forgot. Yo, he mention every wrong the Quanticos ever done, in saying how they be forgot.

When Simón exhaust his speech, the Commandant say nice, ‘Well, we certainly do appreciate that, General. Hoping we keep that spirit. But getting straight to it, we all like to know what conditions you placing on your help.’

I say quick, before Simón can start again, ‘We want the cure. Be glad to rid they Russians, but we mostly want their pharmacies.’

Hatter general make a friendly smile that perk his mustache. ‘Well, thass okay, if they got anything. You know, ma’am, wooden be no surprises if it wadden even true.’

‘Yeah, their miracle cure,’ say Verna Snakehead. ‘Our opinion, it’s a ruse. Russians started out here offering us that medicine – with one small condition of total surrender. Well, I’m
still
waiting for a reason to believe it’s there.’

‘Ain’t your worries,’ I say shortish. ‘We know it be there.’

Verna scorn her lip. ‘Well, I’d thank you
not
to go saying that to my Marines. Get our kids believing that, you can kiss morale goodbye. Get people deserting to the enemy – which I do believe was the Russians’ whole idea.’

‘Now, wait,’ say Hatter. ‘Assuming it’s there, which I guess the lady’s got her reasons. Still, there’s the problem, how you get it. Situation now, we hadden got in their camp, except as prisoners. But saying that changes, saying we even win. Well, they all likely to pack their bags and go. Why it’s no guarantees, being honest with the lady.’

‘Maybe the gennleman could comment on that.’ The Commandant nod to Pasha.

Pasha get bewaring face. Say slow, ‘Cure be on boats.’

‘Well, thass it,’ Hatter say exciting. ‘Boats, they’re way off down the coast. And they never come anywhere close to shore, we all been watching that. Even getting a shot in, I don’t see a way.’

‘Ya.’ Pasha nod impatient. ‘Cannot take boats. But Russians trade for prisoners. What we plan.’

Verna huff infuriating. ‘There’s a fine idea, I’m sure. Begging your pardon, but we trade our prisoners for prisoners. While there’s one Marine kept in captivity, that’s what we do. Trade prisoners for some potion you’d be a fool to drink? Well, thass a great idea – if you’re a Russian.’

‘General Mitchell,’ say the Commandant, ‘asking you to remember where you are.’

‘Sir,’ she answer cold, ‘I’m hoping you don’t listen to this with any credulity. I do hope.’

‘Well, there’s trades and trades,’ say Hatter with impatient smile. ‘That Russian colonel you got, Verna, he’s worth something to them. Supposing we all winning, you ask anything you want for him.’

‘Not guaranteeing he survives the duration.’ Verna scorn her mouth. ‘But if he do, yall certainly can trade him for magic beans – when my people are all back home.’

The Commandant say sharp, ‘You’re forgetting circumstances, Generals. We don’t win this war, we’re losing
all
our people, without exception. So, in the interests of concluding this alliance, interests of winning this war, I want to personally promise our guests, we will cooperate in any reasonable means to get this medicine. Thass including use of future prisoners, if thass what the situation calls for. And, Generals, I do expect you abide by that.’

Hatter–Verna heed all this with looks of stiffen conscience. Then both muttern, ‘Sir, yes, sir,’ and give each other mally eyes.

The Commandant cough in his hand and turn with tired smile to me. ‘Now, we certainly do appreciate you coming, in what’s an hour of need. But I’m hoping it won’t be any surprise, we got a request our own.’

‘Request?’ I say unready. ‘Shoo, we going to help your war.’

‘Now, ma’am, if you hear me out. So, unnerstanding you believe in the medicine, thass a thing we knew and expected. But what alarms us there, it gives the enemy a place to drive a wedge. They get nervous, they just offer you medicine – if you all join up with them. Then we got two armies at our gates, and whatever intelligence that we shared, necessarily shared …’

‘Concern being, you change sides.’ Verna narrow eyes at Pasha. ‘Particularly seeing you got your Russian sympathies, preexisting.’

‘Excusing the general’s frankness,’ say the Commandant. ‘There it is.’

‘That won’t happen,’ Simón Zelote say with insult face. ‘If you knew anything about our city’s history, you’d know that.’

‘Well, sir,’ the Commandant say, ‘thass very reassuring to hear.
But my request is for the lady here. Ma’am, all we’re asking is that you’d stay with us for the duration of the war. You’d be a very honored guest in the White House here, that’s my own home.’

Hatter smile to me with sweeten eyes. ‘See, ma’am, you staying here, we don’t believe your folks will abandon you. It’s a pledge of faith, how we see it.’

Before I think no answer, Pasha say, ‘Cannot.’

Marines all flinch then, look to him in various dislike.

‘Sir?’ the Commandant say short.

‘You asking, she stay here?’ say Pasha. ‘Maria stay herself?’

Simón Zelote add in stiff, ‘You’re proposing to keep Maria hostage.’

‘Well, hostage, thass a word,’ say Hatter, touching his mustache nerviose.

‘It’s options we could have, if there’s that trust,’ the Commandant say. ‘Hostage, that sounds nasty, but you think about our position. Can’t plan much, if we expect that information goes to the enemy.’

‘It’s maps, it’s anything,’ Verna say. ‘Use of that tunnel you seen. Cause those tunnels’ whereabouts, that cannot fall into enemy hands. Thass an area where I’m already unhappy.’

‘Maria cannot stay here,’ Pasha say, eyes furiose on me.

‘Ma’am?’ The Commandant nod to me. ‘We could have your thoughts, we all be thankful.’

Then every child fix eyes to me, their faces grim in overlight.

First, my thoughts be easy yes. It always been my expectation, I war here myself. But how Marines be gleering on me, something trouble in my gut. Remind that I be here alone, without my Sengle children. Remind the land of skulls and bombs around.

‘Nay,’ I say nerviose. ‘You thinking wrong. We help your fighting, then you asking asks. Is backward somehow.’

The Commandant take slower breath. ‘Well, ma’am, I’m hoping you give it thought. It’s a thing we really appreciate.’

‘Cannot,’ say Pasha straight to me. ‘Cannot.’

I frown to him unhappy. Yo, when I see his white disquiet, I
remember sudden, how he going back to roos. Said he will think, but never sworn he stay. All been some arguments.

Then a mally conscience whisper:
If I stay in Quantico, he never leave me here alone. Must stay for my protection
. This thought go scary and it pass, leave shivers in my blood.

‘If I ain’t?’ I say unsteady. ‘We still fighting, with–without.’

The Commandant cough and swallow at his throat. Say in thicker voice, ‘Well, you seen our streets, ma’am. Your troops can’t help so much, if they can’t set foot. Thass only a first example.’

Simón Zelote look back to me feroce. ‘Maria, there’s no necessity for our troops to enter the city. We can attack the Russians from the rear. We can attack supply lines.’

‘I’m sorry to disagree there.’ Hatter give a shortish laugh. ‘Supply lines, you’re talking helicopters. So, good luck with that. And I was thinking myself, your boys come in on the rear. But if–’

‘Excuse me,’ Verna say in harsh. ‘If we’re discussing tactics, I’d like to ask that the Russian gennleman leave.’

This catch my temper, and I say, ‘Shee, better you leave yourself.’

‘Now, I wonder what your interest is, ma’am,’ Verna say with skinny eyes. ‘Why you want the gennleman to hear all this, I certainly wonder.’

‘Oh, Verna, learn a different tune,’ say Hatter sudden sharp. ‘We wadden discussing tactics. Hardly got to any discussing at all. Personally, I’m here to win a war. If I wanted a catfight, I’d get cats.’

Verna give him ugly looks. ‘General Diaz, thanks for your maturity. But if we’re talking disposition of troops, I think we better do it without a Russian representative. If thass catfights, fine.’

‘Now, hold on,’ say the Commandant. ‘Is that acceptable to the lady?’

All faces turn to me again. Even Simón give me some hinting look.

‘Nay, he helping us these weeks,’ I say unnerve. ‘Ain’t needful.’

The Commandant begin to speak, but cough into his starting word. Swallow and say breathless quick, ‘Excuse my saying, General
Mitchell does have a point. Thanking the gennleman for his help, but it’s getting into an area that wadden anticipated … hope you all can see.’

As he saying this, I feel it clear. Truth, Pasha being Russian self. Is natural suspicions.

But when I try to think agreement, something narrow in my chest. Get superstition feeling, Pasha go to roos if he leave now. He take among all Quanticos, beyond my watching eyes, and lost. How Driver lost, while I been gone.

When I look at Pasha, he lost his rage. Stare to me weak. And in my mind, that mally whisper come again, insisting.

I say, lost in fear, ‘I stay here. If it be a help, I stay in Quantico. Be right.’

Pasha sit back sharp, while Hatter say in voice of big relief, ‘Well, now, thass something! Ma’am, and I’d say, thass brave of you, I was going to say that.’