by Scott Rhine
On day ten, Cue Ball fell asleep during his shift and the shrieking alarm woke everyone. “What’s wrong with you?” shouted Ernesto after they made the virtual course correction. “If we crash, we have to do this whole simulation over again!”
Zeiss and Red played Go in the common room with the others. He scribbled notes on his research and she struggled to beat him. “It’s about planning and patience,” he’d say.
It infuriated her that he could count cards and do math while beating her at the board game. “This is impossible; I’ll never win now. Let me quit.”
“No. You learn from defeat.”
“It’s not fair.”
“I’ll let you switch colors once each game if you keep playing.”
“Deal!”
Red worked herself into a hopeless corner and then smiled, calling, “Switch.”
An hour later, they were still playing. “I don’t get it,” she complained. “You’re still ripping me a new one.”
“In Go, you play both sides and know their weaknesses. I only did what I was afraid you would.”
“Can I switch again?”
“Not this game. I’m going to make you work. This is exactly like push-ups in martial arts.”
“Can I still ask for help?”
“Always,” Zeiss said gently.
Irritated by his inattention, Kaguya said, “It’s too hot in here.”
When the people around the table agreed, she added, “How about some strip poker to cool things down?”
Green managed not to drop the cards this time. “Okay.”
Zeiss stood. “Gentlemen, I need my rest.” Pointing to Red, he said, “You are still a minor. The rest of these adults can do what they want. Be warned that Miss Mori can read every one of you like a book.”
“My legs can bend open like the pages of a book,” Kaguya admitted. “If you’re worried about my cheating, why don’t we make the stakes interesting? The winner gets a Tantric Yoga lesson.”
They played all night. When Kaguya went off with the victor, Cue Ball, Red had to leave her bedroom for the common area. The noises prevented everyone from sleeping.
While cleaning up, Ernesto found a card stuck under the Indian’s chair. Running into the bedroom, he choked the winner, shouting, “Cheat!”
Red hit the panic button while Zeiss and Green tried to separate the combatants.
“Three more days,” Zeiss said, as guards hauled the two men away.
The next night, Kaguya was on control duty. Zeiss heard some odd clinking and went to investigate. The pop-singer stood by the food door holding a bottle of coconut rum and a glass of ice that she was sliding over her chest. “I have fans,” she explained.
He looked at her in the miniscule lingerie and squeaked, “I’m going to have to confiscate that.”
After he took the bottle from her hands, she said huskily, “Aren’t you going to search me for other bad things?”
When he didn’t move, she added, “You don’t have a roommate right now. No one would know.”
“I would,” he said, leaving her alone in the common area. He locked his door and put the bottle on his nightstand. One more night after this.
The next morning, Zeiss woke to someone inside his room. “I’m not afraid to use these crutches as weapons,” he said, terrified it was Kaguya.
“You may want some of that rum, before we talk,” said Trina. He turned the dim table lamp on. “The course is over.”
“But . . .”
“We added hours to each day to add to your stress. In three hours, the airlock will open.”
“Why are you all wet?”
“I came in through the escape hatch in your floor. Clever of you to stockpile extra water there.”
He shrugged. “In case it got shut off altogether. No one could drink that much tea.” Zeiss threw her a towel from his drawer. “But you’re not here to tell me how clever I am. What’s wrong, boss?”
“I’m not here as boss. I’m here as Trina and a shoulder.”
He swallowed. “Mom’s letters?”
“She was in a coma all week. She passed an hour ago. I’m so sorry you couldn’t be there.”
Trina held him, stroking his hair, and singing in German until he fell back asleep. Once she heard the airlock open, she waited till the commotion subsided to depart.
Unfortunately, the Japanese heiress was still collecting her clothes from where Red had scattered them: the oven, the fridge, the shower, under men’s mattresses, and in the toilet. Kaguya caught Trina sneaking out and adjusting her damp uniform and hair. “Well that explains why he wouldn’t take my offer.”
Trina locked eyes with her. “Yes, gentlemen prefer blondes.”
Rumors spread like wildfire. Only Red knew the truth. Daniel laughed himself silly when he heard and refused to let them explain to the student body. “This improves my cover and gets rid of those gay pedophile rumors. If you thought Z was a hero before, this is going to make him a legend.”
Chapter 24 – Homecoming
In September, a few days before Red’s Sophomore year began, Zeiss’s plane stopped in Tokyo. Since the layover would be several hours, he texted Kaguya Mori and she agreed to meet him in the lobby of a hotel near the airport. “Bring a chaperone,” he insisted.
Kaguya arrived in a modest school uniform, with two narrow braids that confined the rest of her tresses. A tall Anglo woman in a red skirt followed her like a bodyguard. After they stepped into a conference room for privacy, the fortyish woman frisked him thoroughly.
At one point, Zeiss stood on his tiptoes and muttered, “Usually the doctor asks me to cough at this point.”
The older woman noted, “The suit is new and custom-made. I had to be certain.”
He smiled briefly. “Daniel-san paid for it. My old one didn’t fit through the chest anymore.”
“What did you wish to discuss?” Kaguya asked without inflection. The guard behind her looked ready to rip out his throat.
He bowed his head. “I wished to apologize for my unprofessional behavior in the isolation chamber.”
She tilted her head. “To what behavior do you refer?”
“I was upset and used some unflattering language.”
“I’m listening.”
“Kaguya, we both know you’re more than what you seem. You’re driven, intelligent, and many things your public image is not. You proved that by volunteering for isolation. You’re good at heart. But your actions are taking you down the wrong path.” Without him seeing, the female chaperone palmed a syringe from her purse.
“This sounds more like criticism,” said the young woman, icily.
“I was flattered by your offer; however, we both know it would have been wrong. After your speech about Chang’e, I realized how important it is for you to be on the Sirius landing team.” He held out a wooden box with a grid on top. “Do you recognize this?”
“Go?” Kaguya said, knowing full well it had belonged to Solomon. She braced herself to hold the man’s mouth shut while he died. She swallowed. She honestly liked the man and didn’t want to see it end this way.
“This is for you, to remind you. My mother was an intelligent woman as well—master level at this game. She’s the one who taught me to play. She never finished her graduate work because she had to get married. Girls your age never recover from scandal and spend decades in regret. Please accept this as a gift and a reminder of your potential.” Stunned, the young woman received the gift and handed it to her chaperone. “Life is a game of patience, and you are the prize.”
“Shouldn’t you give this to that rude, little girl you were teaching?”
“I intended to, but then I realized that she’s far too competitive. Now she’s using Sojiro to help her design a team to rival yours. I’ve shown her too much favoritism of late. You were the intended target of that attack, and I didn’t consider your feelings as I should’ve. Your father’s generous acts have increased my shame. If you need anything as a mentor o
r a friend, don’t hesitate to ask.”
The chaperone spoke up, “You are a kind and brave teacher, and our daughter has spoken well of you.”
He bowed realizing who the ‘guard’ was. “Forgive me, Mrs. Mori. It was not my intent . . .”
“There is nothing to forgive. Although I haven’t heard the tapes, my husband assures me that nothing you said was untrue or improper.”
“To be heard properly, such words should’ve been in private and kind,” he insisted.
“Private wouldn’t have been wise,” the mother admitted. “My daughter fears that once her school is concluded, my husband will bind her to the reins of his boring business for the rest of her life. She wishes to live these years to their fullest, hoping to make the joy echo for years. In a man, this would be encouraged as sowing his wild oats.”
“I would use the term tolerated,” he countered. “But Kaguya-san can excel in any male-dominated field she puts her mind to.”
The girl blushed and the mother laughed.
“I didn’t mean . . . I shall depart before I dig myself deeper. Am I forgiven?” he asked.
“Of course,” said Kaguya.
Once he was gone, her mother put away the syringe. “I see what you mean about not knowing if he’s going to slap you in cuffs, screw you, or both.” She pushed a button on her phone, “Cancel the plane crash.”
“Mother!”
“Think about it; you could do worse.”
“I meant, why did you schedule his assassination? I thought we agreed.”
“You failed to seduce him, and the opportunity to deny the enemy his talents was too much to pass up. However, that’s before I suspected he genuinely cares for you.”
Kaguya rolled her eyes. “He only wants me for my mind and to save me from my wicked ways.”
“He apologized to you after you put him in the hospital. That means he either has incredible moral fiber or likes being spanked by girls. Either way, he’s good husband material, not like your normal groupies.”
“He’s poor.”
“Now. Daniel is grooming him for a high post in Fortune Aerospace, maybe even his heir. It would be a profitable union, and the grandchildren would be gorgeous.”
Kaguya shrugged. “I’ll keep the option open if he’s properly repentant.”
Her mother tapped the gift box, “This is both invitation and instruction manual. It means he wants you to reel him in slowly and methodically. But when he finally turns, the whole board will be yours.”
****
The supper club, plus the newest members Green and Park, waited for Zeiss on the runway. He seemed subdued as he approached the team, exchanging hugs and handshakes. “We missed you,” said Red. “The whole Academy was out-of-sorts when you didn’t come back.”
“I had a house to sell and a lifetime of possessions to dispose of.” Zeiss handed two suitcases and a box to the team members to carry. “This is all I have left. It’s kind of liberating.”
“No more crutches,” Red observed.
Zeiss flexed his leg by way of demonstration. “My knee still twinges a little on stairs, but everything works.”
“Are you going to be teaching in this suit?” Sojiro said, admiring his new outfit. “Hoo! I like.”
The TA smile briefly. “No. I had to do some recruiting, pick Solomon’s replacement and a couple of others.”
“The ‘do is stylish, too,” Sojiro noted, running his fingers through the blond hair.
“Yeah, the guy on the island only knows how to shave mils.”
“Use the women’s hairstylist like I do,” the Japanese student said, modeling his own 80’s hair plume.
“We’ll see,” Zeiss laughed.
“You’ve lost weight again, Z,” Risa whispered, “and not in a good way.”
“When I went to bury my mom, they wouldn’t let us in,” he explained. “It was a church graveyard and the plot was registered as Heinrich Zeiss and wife. Dad wanted it for his new wife, so he got an annulment for his marriage with Mom. I had to arrange for a last-minute cremation.”
Risa balked. “They can’t do that.”
Herk, holding her hand, said, “They can, but it means that Z here is retroactively illegitimate.”
“That’s wrong,” Sojiro insisted. “They got divorced because he slept around. How did he spin that so the church was on his side?”
“She didn’t tell him she was ‘genetically defective’; she tested positive for early-onset Parkinson’s before they got married. Then he had a church wedding with the woman he cheated with.” The group booed. “It’s okay; I don’t have any part of him in my life anymore. I’m starting fresh . . . with people I value.”
Sojiro and the ladies gave him a group hug.
“But that didn’t take the whole time,” Red pressed. She was interrupted when a crew member hauled a metal keg off.
After Zeiss signed for the keg, he announced, “To show I value you all—except Red who isn’t old enough yet—I brought back my favorite bock beer. I entrust this nectar to my good friend Herk who did in one semester what I failed to do all year.”
“What?” asked Red.
“You didn’t tell them?” Zeiss asked.
Herk shook his head. “Sworn to secrecy.”
“This hero found the explosives hidden on our island,” Zeiss said, clapping the Polish man on the shoulder. “Thanks to him, we’re safe.”
Risa jumped a foot and threw her arms around Herk’s neck from the other side. “You sneak!”
“It was mainly the mils and the Mori team,” Herk insisted.
“You defused it,” the TA countered.
Risa’s eyes got big. “What?”
“Not a big thing,” Herk rumbled.
“Share the reward with anyone you like,” Zeiss said. “You’ve earned it.”
Herk offered, “Stop by and we’ll lift one to your mom.”
“Much as I’d love to, once I cross that threshold, I’m a teacher again.”
Clearing her throat, Red asked, “Did anybody else get a present?”
Everyone laughed. Zeiss answered, “Yes. My mom’s last job before she got sick was making chocolate for the tourists. These are from her shop. I wanted you all to have a piece of how special she was, to remember her by.” He handed out chocolate-dipped fruit to everyone, extra portions to Sojiro and the ladies.
Red saw that hers was sealed in a metal lunchbox with an evidence label over the latch. “A Han Solo, Millennium Falcon lunch box?”
“It’s all I had,” Zeiss explained. “Do you want it or not?”
“I’ll take it,” offered Auckland.
“Back off. Mine,” she growled.
“They smell wonderful,” Risa said, opening one. “Orange?”
“Soaked in rum and sugar until it crystallized, then covered in the best chocolate in the world.”
“You’re evil!” the hefty Latina moaned.
“Have one, and I’ll walk the two klicks with you,” said Herk.
Zeiss looked at Red for an explanation of the behavior, but she locked her lips with an imaginary key.
“Let’s go get my man unpacked,” Sojiro called, and everyone but the lovebirds began carrying gear back to his room.
“Red, I’ll work on your schedule as soon as I get back to my office,” the TA promised.
“Already done,” she replied, walking behind him with a smile. “Daniel helped. I have gravity theory, navigation class with you, aerodynamics, and ethics.”
“You’re eating your vegetables without help, now,” Zeiss said warmly, laying a hand on her arm. “I’m proud of you.”
Red experienced the same lift she had when her father said the same words when she got into Mensa at age ten. “To be honest, Dean Stanton insisted after the latest scandal. I need it for leadership training anyway.”
“Turning a negative into a positive. You’re maturing, Mira.” She felt glowing for a moment until Zeiss added, “Before I forget, you have a new team member a
rriving tomorrow.”
The TA rummaged through his bag and found a dossier, handing it back. Auckland intercepted the file because Red’s arms weren’t moving. The doctor said, “Yvette. She’s French?”
“Yes, a nurse-practitioner I recruited from Lyon.”
“Wait. This is my team,” Red protested.
“Don’t be so hasty, she’s cute,” said Toby, looking over his friend’s shoulder. “She likes rock climbing, camping, and sky diving—sounds like astronaut material to me.”
“Why do we need an OB-GYN specialist?” asked Auckland.
“She’s the best high-risk pregnancy specialist I could find, with a Master’s in psych,” Zeiss hinted.
“You’ve circled all the indicators for the Empathy page and scheduled classes for her already,” said Auckland. “You’ve fast-tracked her.”
“I’m waiting!” bellowed Red.
“No, you’re shouting, there’s a difference,” explained Zeiss.
“Remember the survival course,” Toby hissed. “Maybe this is something he can’t tell us.”
“Not yet,” Zeiss admitted. “Look, she stands on her own merits. I used your selection matrix. If the whole group doesn’t admit her unanimously, she’s out.”
“Not a vote,” Red insisted. “It’s my team.”
The TA paused and gazed down at her. “I used everything in my bank account to pay for Yvette’s first year. Have a little faith in me. If she makes good grades, the EU has agreed to sponsor her after that.”
She locked eyes with him for a long moment. “Give me a hint.”
“I don’t have the proof finished yet. You’ll never believe me without it. But I had to act now to get her on your team.”
****
Trina caught Zeiss while he was dropping a crate of books off in the sublevel office. “What did you think about the Bermuda Triangle?” she asked, startling him.
“Kaguya’s mother was intense and more than a little scary,” he summarized.
“Red’s on the warpath.”
“Always.”
“Why the new recruit?”
“I can’t prove it yet.”
“But you bet your life savings on it. Tell me.”
“It’s big. If I’m wrong . . .”
