Singular

by Larry Buenafe

  After another hesitation, Mr. Kane continued. “Those are exaggerations, of course. In Melbourne, you never would have gotten off the boat without our intervention, and Lucas would never have gotten to San Diego and back with Mr. Harutyunyan if we hadn’t facilitated their transport. Look, these arguments are not helpful in terms of solving the current problem, so I suggest we table them for a later time.”

  I wish dad were here… all these people are really smart, but they need a leader, someone to point the way, and that was him… What would he say right now? He probably would tell everyone to calm down and think clearly, then come up with some elaborate plan with ten different alternatives… the only person I know who’s as smart as him is Ava… hey, wait a minute…

  I covered my mouth and whispered, “Ava, what should I do?”

  “Oh, so finally you decide to ask. Don’t mind me, I’m just an A. I. who knows everything. Number one: information. The Bright Hand has fingers in lots of pies, and I suspect they know much more than we are being given access to. Number two: get all these people to settle down. Antagonizing the Bright Hand will not help us and could definitely hamstring us. Number three: we need to offer them something tangible in exchange for their full assistance. They are not a charitable, altruistic organization, so the fact that they’ve gone through some major pains for us means they expect that a big payoff is in the offing. We need to give them something and dangle the possibility of more, otherwise they may decide to go with the highest bidder, and that’s not us, at least not right now. Number four: until you make the next call, we have no way of knowing what to do, or what will be asked of us. Any speculation, absent good intel, will be nothing but a drunkard’s search. The Bright Hand may be able to get us that good intel, but if so, they will need to do it post haste. Otherwise, everyone may as well go have breakfast and then take a nap.”

  “Oh, boy. I understood some of that, but… what should I tell them?”

  Before Ava replied, I glanced up to see the assembled group looking at me with a confusing array of expressions. I held up a finger, and said, “Just a second.” Then I covered my mouth again and breathed, “What should I tell them?”

  “Oh, this again? Just tell them what I told you, and hurry, before you get cold feet. We have to find a way to win this no-win situation.”

  Cold feet? It’s warm in here… oh, boy…

  “Mr. Kane, we need all the information you can get. If I have no choice in cooperating with them, I at least want to know as much as I can.”

  Mr. Kane nodded. “Alright, we have people on the ground and will gather every piece of info that is relevant and may be helpful. In fact, I believe we’ll appoint Ms. Early’s brother Jim to oversee info and communications for this project. Anything else?”

  This brought a smile and an unexpected tear from Tarni, and when she noticed, Ms. Houng put her hand on Tarni’s shoulder.

  “Umm… yeah, we need to work together. It’s not doing us any good to argue. Like you said, we can talk about that stuff later, but right now it’s time to help each other. And you’re right, we said that we would give you some technology in exchange for your help, so we need to keep our end of the bargain. Right, guys?”

  Benji cleared his throat and said, “Well, yeah, all ya hadda do was ask, mate. Look, Kane, how about this for a starter: I’ll work with your engineers to get a thorium reactor set up. It’ll drastically reduce your radiation problem, it’ll be smaller and more efficient, and it’ll basically run itself. How’s that sound?”

  Mr. Kane put his movie star smile back in place and said, “That would be wonderful… for a start, as you say.”

  “Yeah, let’s get ol’ John-o back and we can talk about a lot more, I reckon. Smart of ya to put little Jimmie on the case, too. We know we can trust ‘im.”

  Mr. Kane leaned back and said, “I didn’t get to this position by being ignorant or insensitive. Anything else, Lucas?”

  “Uhh, let’s see… oh yeah, since we don’t know what they’re going to want from me and we won’t know until the next call, everyone might as well relax. Eat some breakfast, take a nap. I bet everyone’s tired.”

  This brought clapping and general agreement from the group.

  “Oh, one last thing. Have you gotten any information from the four soldiers you have from the fight at the docks in Melbourne?”

  “Nothing particularly useful yet, but perhaps a chat with you folks might help. You must realize, they fought hard against being detained, so they may look a little worse for wear right now. We were put in the position of needing to use some, oh, let’s say aggressive techniques to subdue them once we acquired them from your nation, Dr. Walker. Still, it seems they may be better off with us; I don’t think your nation was very happy with them.”

  Mr. Harutyunyan limped forward, his eye still swollen partially shut, leaned against the table and growled, “Would not be good for me to talk to them. I am not very happy with them, either.”

  Mr. Kane stood and said, “Understandable. Excuse me for a moment, please.”

  He left the room, and Chi Kim leaned close and whispered, “Lucas, if there is any way you can get them to agree to it, please accept my offer to go with you wherever they want you to go. I can be a big help, and as you know, I’m good at disguises. You don’t have to do this all on your own. I’m trained, ready.”

  Hmm… it would be good to have someone with me, and she’s the best one we have… Mr. Harutyunyan is too big, he would draw too much attention, but she can fade into the background, and she has skills… still, I don’t really know if it’s a good idea to take anyone… I’ll have to worry about her getting hurt or in a bad situation… plus, I wonder if she’s asking for herself, or as part of the Bright Hand…

  Before I could decide on an answer, Mr. Kane came back into the room, and said, “I have assigned someone to shepherd this project. I believe you are acquainted.”

  Then in walked Zoey Perez.

  2

  A lthough she looked like she had just been dragged out of bed, much like Mr. Kane, she was still as pretty as ever. She tried to hold a straight face but couldn’t help from grinning as the whole group surrounded her.

  Amid the back pats and friendly words, Benji sidled up to Mr. Kane and in a low voice said, “Smart, Kane. Bring in someone the group already likes. This isn’t a problem to be managed, though. We’re talkin’ about my boyo over here and my best mate, John Taylor. These are people, not widgets. You know very well who we’re dealin’ with over there, and what they’re capable of, and you also know how precious these two people are. They know they can ‘t tamper with Lukey; we built in a way to counter every kind of attempt anyone could make, including catastrophic self-destruct if there’s no other option. So, the only thing they can really get out of him is to use him to do their dirty work, and I reckon that’s what they aim to do, and they’ll use him until there’s nothin’ left. You know it and I know it. I dunno what choice we have at the moment, but we gotta figure somethin’ out here, Kane.”

  Mr. Kane hesitated, his hand over his mouth and eyes unfocused. “Look, there are forces at work here that… we can’t talk about this here. I’ll meet with you and Lucas privately. This is all deeper and much more tangled than you can imagine. Layer upon layer upon layer…”

  His eyes darted around the room, and although I’m terrible at reading facial expressions, I got the feeling that he was nervous and that surprised me; he doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would ever feel that way. After a second or two he snapped out of it, and the dazzling smile returned as he said, “Please, everyone, let’s sit. We have much more to discuss.”

  We have no choice but to trust this guy, but I’m not sure we really can… what if all this stuff is just an elaborate test to see what I can do before they put me to doing their dirty work? Could Mr. Kane be pulling the strings, organizing the whole thing?

  The group settled quickly, and Mr. Kane continued. “Do we have any indication that they know of
your A. I.?”

  I glanced around the table because I wasn’t sure. Of course, Benji spoke for us. “Not sure, but we don’t think so. You never mentioned it to any of ‘em, didja, Lukey?”

  “No, not that I remember. Ava, do they know about you?”

  “No, they might as well be ostriches in the Sahara.”

  Ok, at least she said no first… I understand that…

  “She says no.”

  Mr. Kane leaned back and tapped his lips with his index finger. “That’s good. You can use her to stay safe. Keep that information from them as long as you can; she is your ace in the hole.”

  I heard a cell phone vibrating, and the huge security guard to Mr. Kane’s left pulled it out of his jacket, glanced at the screen, and handed it to Mr. Kane. “Sorry for this second interruption, I’ll be back in a moment.”

  He stood and walked out of the room again, the bodyguard who handed him the phone following him into the hall. Benji turned to the second bodyguard and said, “Why don’tcha have a seat, mate? You’ve been standin’ the whole time, I reckon you could use a break.”

  The mountain of a man glared at Benji and said nothing.

  Benji shrugged his shoulders and said, “Hey, just tryin’ to be friendly. Not much of a conversationalist, are ya, mate?”

  As the rest of the group focused on Benji and the bodyguard I tuned my hearing to Mr. Kane; I could just make out his words through the thick steel door, and it was clear that no one else in the room could hear him. “…yes, but we have to be careful… of course I know the value… you and the rest of the LFP need to recognize that we… no, the father is just as important… and the aboriginal as well, the rest we could replace… it’ll be a good systems check… yes, we’re moving as fast as we can, but… yes, we’ll get there… we’ll be watching from here as well… right.”

  A moment later he returned, his grin plastered on. “Yes, sorry again, the duties of a CEO never end, do they? Where were we? Oh, yes, the A. I.”

  As the rest of the group spoke, I covered my mouth and with the lightest breath I could make, I whispered, “Ava…”

  “Interesting but inconclusive. He has that phone scrambled worse than breakfast at a greasy spoon; I didn’t have enough time to break through and hear what was on the other end. We can talk later, now is the time to pay attention.”

  “…is waste of time to plan now. All could change, depends on what they want from Lukey. Rest and food now so we are ready later,” Mr. Harutyunyan growled.

  I gazed at the exhausted faces around the table, including Mr. Kane, Zoey Perez, and the two ogre-sized bodyguards. “I think so, too. You all need some rest, and we have over seventeen hours until I’m supposed to call.”

  Mr. Kane rubbed his hands together and said, “Very well. Ms. Perez, can you show our guests to their quarters? A two-or three-hour nap will be refreshing for everyone.”

  Ms. Perez led us back through the concrete halls, out onto the platform above the floor of the immense cavern, and down a set of stairs carved into the rock wall. We entered the first of the identical, white modular homes we came to, and found it organized inside like an apartment, with three bedrooms, a small living area, and one bathroom. As we prepared to settle in, Ms. Perez said, “I’m not sure how, but we must find your father, Lucas. I’ve been assigned to oversee the project partly because we already know one another, and partly because I asked for it because I have… let’s say I have a personal interest. I have people at all levels with their ears to the ground, and they will find something. Jim Early will organize the info as it comes in according to credibility, and we’ll work up a plan. Well, get some rest. I’m sure we all need it.” Then she did something weird: she put her arm around my shoulders and kind of hugged me quickly, and then walked out.

  Mr. Harutyunyan, his eyes drooping, said, “She is right, we must rest.” He and Ms. Houng slumped toward the far bedroom, Tarni Early the one in the middle, and Benji looked at Chi Kim as the others could be heard flopping down on beds. “You go ahead, I reckon I can use this sofa,” Benji offered.

  Chi Kim waved him off, saying, “It’s ok, you go ahead. I’m not really tired anyway; I slept most of the way out here. It’s a good thing Ava knew the way.”

  “That’s a bloody oath. Ok, last chance.”

  She waved him off again, and he did a little dance and headed for the first bedroom. Within a minute his snoring shook the whole structure.

  Chi Kim clapped her hands over her ears and said, “Whoa, that’s crazy loud. How do you sleep with that noise going on?”

  “He doesn’t do it all the time, just most of the time. And, I don’t sleep much anyway.”

  “Oh yeah, that’s right, Mr. Nano. Hey, since we have, oh, let’s see; sixteen and a half hours, what do you say to a tour of the secrets of the Bright Hand Cavern?”

  Mr. Nano? That’s not my name… oh, boy…

  “Also, my name is Chi, but my family and friends always called me Cheri. You can call me that too if you want.”

  “Cheri Kim… hey, that sounds like a dessert or something.”

  She giggled and said, “Yeah, well, I am pretty sweet. You want to go? There is some pretty interesting stuff here, things that would surprise even a tech miracle like you.”

  Tech miracle? I guess it’s logical to think of it that way… I am kind of unusual…

  “Sure, let’s check it out.”

  Other Books by Larry Buenafe

  You can find all of these on Amazon—the acclaimed Ferdie and The Seven series, and How I Got Hurt, a collection of hilarious true stories.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  L arry Buenafe has been writing seriously for several years; before that, he was writing in a frivolous and immature manner. He is an avid reader of science and science fiction of all kinds. He has four other books currently available, including the Ferdie and The Seven series, When the Angels are Gone, Time Flies, and Fractals, and a collection of hilarious true stories entitled How I Got Hurt. In the real world, he is a full-time high school administrator (there are some unwritten books contained in those experiences, I can assure you) and part-time musician. Would he make his living via writing if he could? Why yes, yes, he would. Perhaps you could help with that endeavor. He lives in central California with his wonderful wife and has two amazing daughters. Wonderful? Amazing? Yes, he insists it is so.

  Connect with Larry Buenafe

  Website: larrybuenafe.com

  Facebook: facebook.com/FerdieandtheSeven

  Goodreads: goodreads.com/LarryBuenafe

  Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/LarryBuenafe

  Twitter: twitter.com/larrybuenafe

  Instagram: Instagram/larrybuenafeauthor