Robinson Crusoe 2244

by E. J. Robinson

  “If you think any of us will stand on a stage and repeat your lies,” Roland Fallow said, “you really are crazy.”

  “Don’t be silly, Roland. Every single one of you has wives and children with estates—so much to lose. You’re all proud men—I understand that—but in the end, each of you would sacrifice yourself for the ones you love without pause. Thankfully, it’s not any of you I need.”

  “It’s me,” Robinson said.

  “Forget it,” Leodore said. “He’ll never do it. I won’t allow it. I’m already dead, Vardan. You’ve said as much. You’ve given away your leverage.”

  “Have I?” He grinned.

  Robinson realized what that smile meant in an instant.

  “Father. He has Tannis and Tallis.”

  The proof was written on his face.

  “I swear, boy,” Saah shook his head. “I seriously underestimated you. Had things been different, I would have married you off to Tessa and that intellect and cunning you so obviously possess would have been put to much better use. Still, you’ll serve a purpose. The Isle sees you as a young boy yet. When you tearfully corroborate your father’s deeds, no one in all the Eight will even think about questioning it.”

  The silence in the room was deafening.

  “Shall we say mid-afternoon? Good. Jaras, have something more appetizing sent up for these good sers. They deserve that much.”

  Saah and Jaras turned and left. The door slammed shut behind them. The faces in the cell were grim and hard to take in, none more so than Leodore’s.

  “He’s got us,” Roland Fallow said.

  “Not necessarily,” Robinson said.

  “He’s right, Robinson,” his father interjected. “Why kid ourselves? He’s thought of everything.”

  “Father, what would you say Tier Saah’s greatest weakness is?”

  “I don’t know. Vanity, maybe. Arrogance.”

  “That mustache,” Roland Fallow said. “Makes him look like a real poof.”

  Everyone laughed.

  “His greatest weakness is that he thinks too highly of himself. He could have come in here, told us what he wanted, and spared us the speech. But he’s proud of his gamesmanship. And that just might give us a chance.”

  “What are you saying?” Leodore asked.

  “If I’m right, Tier Saah still has one move yet to play. One move to tie up all the loose ends and really drive the dagger home. I’m betting that sometime in the next turn, that door will open by the one and only person capable of making certain everything goes according to plan.”

  “And who would that be?”

  “Only his favorite pawn.”

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Tessa

  Two turns later, the door unbolted and Tessa walked in. She was dressed in a yellow, cotton dress with long sleeves and a high-collared neck that featured tiny, ruby red studs that ran down one shoulder and arm. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, but it still shone radiantly in the sun that cut through the barred window and filled the room with light. Robinson had almost forgotten how luminescent her skin was and how her eyes glimmered like a field of grass. Even though every man in the room knew the part she’d played in their downfall, the fragrant draw of her perfume still made them all sit up a little straighter.

  For Robinson, it brought only memories of longing and pain.

  “Good sers,” she said with a curtsey before showing a One and Four. “I’ve brought you an array of meats, breads, and cheeses from the kitchen. Also some wine, should any of you choose to partake.”

  “Oh, we’ll partake, lassie,” Roland Fallow said as he and the others collected the delivery from the bottom of the bars. “Of this and anything else you care to offer.”

  To her credit, Tessa managed to blush but offered no rebuke. Her eyes eventually turned toward Robinson as the others retreated.

  “Jaras said you had changed, but I hardly recognize you. Your hair is so long.”

  “Think I’ll start a trend?”

  “Lord, I hope not. I have a difficult enough time competing with the women.”

  They both smiled.

  “Is it true you survived in the wild all by yourself?”

  “Not entirely. I had some help.”

  “Ah, yes. The native. Jaras told me about her too.”

  “Did he also tell you how he and your father sold her to a group of savages? Or how under their authority, Taskmaster Satu was tortured and killed?”

  Her mood immediately soured.

  “Please. I don’t wish to speak of such things.”

  “Too sordid for your dainty ears? I’m surprised. I was sure a woman so deft in the arts of deception would bask in the successes of all her hard work.”

  “I knew this was a bad idea,” she said and turned to go.

  “Wait!” Robinson called and she stopped. “I apologize. That was unfair of me.”

  “No,” she said. “It was perfectly fair. Although I wish you could understand I take no pleasure in any of this.”

  Oddly, he felt himself wanting to believe her.

  “Was it always a ruse?”

  “Ruse is too strong a word. What I did, I did out of duty, as any son or daughter of any Tier would do. As a child, I hated you for your recklessness and cavalier frivolity. But as we grew older, I started to recognize that it was your free spirit that drove those things. You had passion and courage, like few in this world do. But marrying you? The thought always terrified me.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I knew whatever path you took in life, you would shine. And I’ve never been one for the shadows.”

  “I do believe that’s the most honest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

  She looked away, embarrassed.

  “And now you get to watch me walk the Road.”

  She pulled close, her face nearly up against the bars.

  “You don’t have to. When you reach the stage, speak the words my father asks of you. Tell the people what they need to hear and maybe he’ll spare your life. He admires you, Robinson. I can see it. You still have much to live for. Maybe after a few years of exile you can return. And then … who knows?”

  “And Tannis and Tallis?” Robinson asked.

  “They have committed no crimes. With my urging, they might even hold on to their titles.”

  He stole a glimpse at his father and then agreed. Tessa’s relief was immediate.

  “Might I ask one thing of you? For old time’s sake?”

  She nodded.

  “I would like to see Slink one last time before I go. You know he was my only friend.”

  “I’ll see what I can do.”

  Twenty minutes later, the door opened and Slink entered. He was wearing a suit cropped tight at the shoulders and a pair of spectacles on his face. He had grown even bigger, though Robinson wouldn’t have thought it possible. This time the Red Guard left the door open, though they glared at him as they stepped away.

  “You’re doing me no favors asking me here,” he said when he reached the bars.

  “It’s good to see you too.”

  He looked Robinson up and down. “You’ve grown some, Nobe. You’re nearly as big as me.”

  “Everywhere but the head.”

  He chuckled. “I like the outfit too. Very woodland chic. Is that boiled leather?”

  “Harder for enemies to grab onto in a fight.”

  His smile fell. He took in Robinson’s scars and couldn’t imagine what he’d gone through.

  “I hear they let you stay with the Feed,” Robinson said. “Do you get to travel?”

  “Often. Tier Abett likes my work because he says I can frame a picture well, though personally I think it’s because I can hold a camera for turns without griping.”

  “I’m sure the spectacles help in that regard. And your namesake profession?”

  He peered at the Red Guard to see if they were listening.

  “I occasionally take in the night air. The old muscles need their
exercise too.”

  “On that subject …” Robinson carefully reached into his belt and pulled out the small disc his mother had given him and set it on the flat of the bar. “You recognize it?”

  “It’s older, but I’ve seen one or two.”

  “My mother gave it to me before she died. I believe it was meant for you.”

  He didn’t take it. He simply stared at it and then shook his head.

  “Still trying to get me to follow you on your little adventures. Even if they lead all the way to the ocean floor.”

  Robinson felt suddenly chagrinned. Then a Red Guard poked his head in the door.

  “Wrap it up, Grey. These men have business waiting.”

  Slink nodded and prepared to go.

  “Mayfus?” Robinson called and his friend turned. “I’m sorry.”

  “For what?”

  “All of it. The jokes, the excursions, the trouble. I never appreciated you the way a real friend should.”

  “That’s because we were never really friends. More like brothers. Take care out there, Nobe.”

  “You too.”

  And then he turned and walked out the door. Robinson looked down to see that what he’d left for Slink was gone.

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Confessions

  The city square teemed with citizens as the prisoners were marshaled out in shackles. Saah had ordered a stage erected under the Feed monitor, which showed shots of the other Townships as their entire populous gathered. Robinson recognized most of the faces in front of him, but he was surprised to see how angry they seemed.

  “They’re out for blood today,” Father said.

  “I don’t understand why.”

  “Look in the back.”

  And then he saw it. Casks of wine and ale were flowing like the Tongue itself. It was barely noon and the crowd was already drunk.

  They were greeted with boos and catcalls and a few volleys of trash, but many knew it was a farce. And yet an undercurrent of fear ran throughout the throng as confusion about the societal upheaval had grown out of proportion. Many were looking for answers but none were brave enough to ask the proper questions.

  The buzz grew until the Iron Fists appeared and escorted Regent Saah onto the stage where his supporters were gathered. Among them was Jaras, fighting back his giddy delight for the show of blood that was to follow.

  At the far end of the stage, Robinson spotted Tessa crying in her mother’s arms, lamenting her true love’s fall from grace. The crowd ate it up and even Robinson had to admit it was a masterful performance.

  Saah held his hands up and the crowd went quiet.

  “Citizens of the One People. Today, I stand before you, bringing the worst of tidings. On the dais with me are five men you know well. Tier Shamus Bartell. Tier Siev Cloustern. Tier Roland Fallow. Tier Leodore Crusoe, and his son, Robinson. These men stand accused of a terrible crime—the gravest of crimes—treason. Treason against the One People and violators of the Eight Laws on which our society was founded!”

  The crowd grumbled again. Tier Cloustern’s wife fainted in the throng.

  “These five men have conspired to overthrow the Crown using the influence of their offices. They have travelled beyond the boundaries of our continent in search of weapons and technologies to aid their plotted coup. Tier Crusoe supplied the flyers that transported Tiers Cloustern and Bartell’s recruits to establish a base of operations on one of these foreign continents. The food shortage we have all suffered under this past year? It was not due to flooding, as Tier Fallow’s reports concluded, but his illegal appropriation for their seditious conspiracy! If any among you doubt the veracity of these charges, look no further than Tier Crusoe’s own son. He was declared dead by his father, a victim of a house fire that took three other lives! Only here he stands, miraculously alive, in the clothes of the race he mingled with half a globe away! Do you deny this, ser?”

  The crowd roared its disapproval, but the prisoners were meant to say nothing.

  “Perhaps the most grievous act,” Saah went on once the din had settled, “was in returning to our shores with one of these pre-Rendering weapons. An instrument so vile and so destructive that it can eradicate all of us from a single machine up in the sky!”

  At this the crowd turned truly ugly, showering the prisoners with refuse and rocks as a chant of “Expiry” rose through the ranks. To punctuate his point, Saah drew out the silver case and set it on the stage.

  “Our forebears knew the dangers of such of technology. They knew the perils of weaponry, religion, and vice. And yet slowly we have allowed these things to snake their way back into our lives under the corrupted system of the Tiers. With their multitude of voices, we have forgotten that only one voice matters: yours. And as your Regent, I humbly submit that it is time to do away with the Tiers system and embrace what we were always meant to be. One land speaking with one voice for One People! And I will be that voice for you!”

  The crowd exploded in frenzy. On the balconies overlooking the street, many Tiers were growing concerned for their own safety. One was pulled from his loft and trampled in the street.

  Saah held up his hand once again.

  “But we are not savages. Every accused has a right to defend themselves or to speak their piece. Shamus Bartell, come forward. You stand accused of treason against the One People. How do you plead?”

  “I confess, the accusations are true.”

  Tier Bartell’s family wailed as the crowd denounced him.

  “For your crimes, you are sentenced to Expiry immediately.”

  A cheer went up as he was pulled back.

  Tier Cloustern was marshaled forward next.

  “I … am guilty of these crimes. I ask for mercy.”

  “The only mercy you shall have is that your family does not stand with you!”

  Roland Fallow was shoved forward next.

  “Ser Fallow, do you also confess?”

  “I confess … that you are an asshole, Vardan. And always have been.”

  An Iron Fist smashed a pommel into his belly. When he recovered, he was thrust in front of the microphone again.

  “It’s true.”

  “Then you too are sentenced to walk the Road.”

  Leodore stepped forward without prompting, his head held high.

  “Ser Crusoe. I see you’ve stepped forward willingly to embrace these charges. Of all the betrayals, yours is the most grievous and the most personal to me. We were friends once. Many years we sat the council together, serving for the benefit of all. I beg you, Leodore, admit to your crimes and free yourself of this burden. If not to return honor to Crusoe name, then for the good of your own children.”

  At that moment, several Iron Fists ushered Tannis and Tallis out. Both were crying. It made Robinson’s stomach lurch. It was a masterful stroke on Saah’s part. He knew Leodore was an impassioned speaker. If anyone could have rallied the crowd it was he. Instead, he simply nodded and stepped back.

  “There you have it, citizens. Each man has confessed—”

  “What about the boy?” someone yelled.

  Robinson looked to see who had spoken. It was a manservant of Tier Soren, one of the boys who had beat Robinson up alongside Jaras. Even this move had been planned.

  “The boy acted under orders of his father,” Saah said. “He will face the same fate. Now—”

  “Let him speak!” a woman yelled. Robinson didn’t need to see her to know she was a provocateur as well. “Let him confess!”

  The crowd agreed and Saah motioned him forward.

  “Robinson Crusoe, citizen of the One People. You stand accused of treason. Do you deny that you willfully left the Isle of your own volition, even though it was in violation of the Eight?”

  “No.”

  “Do you deny that you travelled to another continent?”

  “No.”

  “Do you deny that you recovered ancient technology from that continent and used them to aid your endeavors?”r />
  “I do not.”

  “Do you deny that while on that continent, you had physical relations with a girl from another race?”

  “No.”

  This one seemed particularly shameful to the crowd. Their jeers continued to grow in pitch. Then Saah held his hand out and Jaras handed him the briefcase, which he opened for the crowd.

  “And do you deny that you procured this device, a former weapon of mass destruction, with intent to activate it without full awareness of its consequences?”

  “I do not deny it.”

  “Then confess your part in this treason. In front of this Township, the Eight Regens, and your brother and sister! Confess and be done with it!”

  In the crowd and on the Feed monitor, Robinson saw citizens gathered in every Township across the Isle, chanting, “Confess!” Their faces were full of anger and resentment, but he knew he wasn’t the true target of their rage. They had been subjugated to tyranny for too long and he was the only available outlet.

  Robinson looked again for sign of Slink, but he was nowhere to be found. Could he still count on him after all this time? Was he willing to risk his life on a ploy? Equally important, was Robinson willing to risk his siblings’ lives on it?

  “Confess!” Saah screamed.

  Robinson took one glance at his father and saw him nod. He put his lips against the microphone and said, “I confess … nothing.”

  Chapter Fifty

  Icarus

  The crowd gasped. Even Saah reacted like he’d been lashed. His head turned as if he were looking for help. Robinson knew he had to speak before Saah recovered.

  “You are the one guilty of treason, Vardan Saah. You were the first to travel to the forbidden continent. You raised an army of conscripts to collect weapons and technologies to ensure your reign of tyranny here and abroad. You sought that weapon at your feet. You framed my parents and these men of their supposed crimes. And you’re the one who deserves to walk the Road for it.”