We Had Flags (Toxic World Book 3)

by Sean McLachlan

  “How do you know she’d do that?”

  Yu-jin gave his hand a squeeze. “Because that’s what I’d do if I’d lost you out here.”

  Pablo’s lower lip stuck out. “I thought she was going to kill all the Asians. I didn’t trust her.”

  “People can be wrong sometimes, even about those they care about the most.”

  “I feel bad I didn’t believe her about Mitch. I guess I was wrong about that too.”

  “She understands.”

  Pablo looked up at her and grinned. “Well, let’s go find her and say hello. Ni Hao.”

  Yu-jin laughed.

  “Did Hong-gi teach you that?”

  “Yep.”

  “Not bad.”

  “Will you teach me more? I bet when we get back Uncle Marcus and Aunt Rosie will invite us to dinner. They always do that. You can teach me the names of all the food.”

  Yu-jin shook her head. “I’m not sure Uncle Marcus likes me much.”

  “I’ll make him come around. You’re one of us now.”

  I was always one of you, kid, but I know how you meant it, so thanks.

  They walked in silence for a time. After a while Pablo asked, “You think the ship will come back soon?”

  “I hope so. That ship has the only family I got.”

  “That’s not true. You got Uncle Marcus and Aunt Rosie and Mom and me. You can be my big sister. I never had I big sister.”

  She squeezed his hand again.

  And you can be the annoying little brother I never had.

  They crested a dune. To the south the land gradually flattened out into a gritty plain. In the distance, a woman hobbled towards them. Her leg was in a splint and she was using a gun as a crutch.

  “Mom!”

  Pablo let go of Yu-jin’s hand and sprinted towards the distant figure. Annette’s head raised and she waved. She started hobbling faster.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  I can’t believe she’s making me do this.

  The Doctor stood just inside the door of his private quarters, staring at the blank metal rectangle that was the only thing between his private peace and a world full of shit. It had been two days since he’d gotten back from the ship and everything had settled back to more or less normal.

  Meaning everything was still fucked up.

  He’d foisted Jessica onto her deadbeat dad and kicked the whole stinking lot of his followers off his territory. That gave him some satisfaction but of course he was no wiser as to what the hell had happened between Radio Hope and the scavengers. The Giver and his crowd hadn’t even made it all the way to the bay. They’d doubled back like they knew the ship had left. One guard who was there told him that he thought he heard the hiss of a radio from the scavenger camp.

  So they had received a message. It couldn’t have been from the ship, though, because Captain Wang had no idea about the scavengers or being directed to the wrong bay. That left only one possibility.

  Great, Radio Hope talks to scum like The Giver and not to me?

  The trade fair had gone better, with plenty of citizens and Burbs residents doing well off the Chinese. There had been no more riots or attacks on Asians. Nothing like profit to bury animosity, at least for a time. Annette kept her extra deputies just in case. New City had gotten a bunch of rare earths for the solar cells and some badly needed machine parts. Philip, Kevin, and Rachel acted like it was Christmas.

  They got a ton of rice too, literally a ton, in exchange for one of their industrial-sized cranes. Keven and Rachel had hoarded two away, both in perfect condition even though the city hadn’t had any use for them since they built the wall.

  But there was still lingering hatred in the Burbs and the toxic rain that soaked the fields last season and the all the machine parts they needed that Captain Wang couldn’t offer him and a million other troubles.

  Plus there was the bullshit Little Miss Peaches was pulling tonight.

  Maybe she didn’t mean it. I bet if you kick back, burn one, and watch a good movie she’ll come over tomorrow morning and act like nothing happened.

  He tried to convince himself that was true. Tried and failed.

  Yu-jin had accepted the job as his personal assistant on certain conditions, and trust a woman to come up with these—join her at Joe’s Chicken Shack for dinner. Come alone and come sober.

  What kind of conditions were those?

  Oh, he could see what she was thinking. This wasn’t all just mischief and trying to boss him around. His strolling through the Burbs at night would be a smart political trick. It would reestablish his dominance while making him appear more accessible, assuming they didn’t use that accessibility to lynch him. No doubt Yu-jin had warned Annette and her small army of deputies to be on the alert. It also set her up as being a part of both the Burbs and New City while an ally of The Doctor. She’d be the woman to come to, the go-between. Having dinner together at one of the most popular places in the Burbs would also make her seem like one of them again, something her image desperately needed.

  Smart girl. You’ll do well in all this.

  But don’t you understand I just put in a fourteen-hour day and want some peace?

  The Doctor ran his fingers through his hair and paced. Maybe just one hit. She wouldn’t notice.

  Oh yes, she would. She may have a daddy complex for you but she tries to act like your mother at the same time.

  Ah! He had a solution. He went to the cupboard and took out a tin. Inside were a few cookies, baked to his own special recipe.

  Go easy. You get too stoned in the Burbs and you’ll be in for some serious paranoia.

  He broke off a quarter of a cookie and ate it.

  “You said to come sober,” he chuckled to himself. “You didn’t say I had to stay sober. Got to learn the value of words, kid.”

  OK, that will hit in about an hour. If you leave now you can be just about done when it takes effect. Then you can feign tiredness, have a dreamy walk back here, and maybe listen to a few tracks before bed.

  The Doctor looked back at the door. He stood still for a minute, then went and took care of some medical files that needed sorting, plumped the pillows on the sofa, and looked around for something else to waste his time on.

  Come on. She’s one of those rare people whose company is actually worth the time, so what’s so hard about going out there?

  There are people out there.

  “I should have been a fucking hermit,” The Doctor growled as he forced himself to take three long strides to the door and open it.

  Roger fell into step behind him, his M16 at the ready. The Doctor waved him off. “I don’t need you tonight.”

  He left the warehouse, waving off a succession of guards at each door and making it to the gate. He saw the light to Clyde’s Operations Center was on. His old companion could be seen silhouetted in the window. He had a feeling Clyde was watching.

  The Doctor strode up to the guard on duty. “Open the gate, please. I’m going out. Alone.”

  The guard blinked. “Sir?”

  “You heard me. I don’t think your boss did, though.” The Doctor cupped his hands and shouted up to the Operations Center. “Hey, Clyde! I’m going to have dinner in the Burbs tonight. If you want to stage a coup, now’s the time!”

  The guard looked shocked. Several others gathered on the wall to stare down at him. The Doctor smiled. Nothing more satisfying than embarrassing some nitwit out of doing the wrong thing.

  Here’s hoping it works.

  The gate opened with a groan to reveal the Burbs, lit by a few electric bulbs and a scattering of campfires. He stepped out from the lamplight of New City and started walking across the dark field between the two settlements.

  He heard footsteps behind him. Roger was following him, M16 at the ready.

  The Doctor stopped. “Go back.”

  Roger looked worried. “But sir…”

  “You know how much I hate giving orders twice.”

  “Yes sir.” />
  The Doctor continued into the Burbs. The smell of cooking, wood smoke, and unwashed bodies assailed his nostrils. Drunken shouts and laughter rang in his ears. He walked around a damp spot in the soil that smelled of urine. God, what a dump! Maybe he should make some civic improvements.

  He passed the first few fires before anyone noticed him. Then behind him he heard a whispered, “Hey, look,” followed by some hurried conversation. He resisted the urge to glance over his shoulder.

  At the next fire he passed, a trio of workmen, their faces and hands illuminated by the flames, glowered at him.

  “Chink lover,” one of them muttered.

  He approached the market, the whispers following him. He thought he heard footsteps but didn’t dare turn around.

  Don’t show fear. Never show fear.

  Damn it, why can’t I have some peace?

  He touched the hard metal in his pocket. Its weight and feel reassured him.

  The market lay ahead, a clear area with a few stalls and tables that hadn’t been taken away for the night. At the far end he saw slivers of firelight from between a crowd of silhouettes. That was it.

  Too many people. When is that cookie going to kick in?

  The Doctor slowed his pace, wanting more than anything to turn around and head back to New City and privacy. He glanced over his shoulder and saw a small crowd following him. One man was arguing with another and gesturing towards him. The other cut him off and gestured for the first man to go away. He thought he caught sight of Roger near the back.

  Up ahead, The Doctor saw a big crowd around Joe’s. He was getting close enough that people were beginning to recognize him.

  Shit.

  A sound of running feet behind him made him tense. A short, grizzled old scavenger hurried up to his side. He gave The Doctor a gap-toothed grin.

  “Hey, Doc, remember me?”

  “Um, sure.”

  “You treated my clap last season, remember?”

  “Oh, yeah, right. How are you feeling?”

  “Good as new and hard as a rock. It’s like I’m in my teens again!”

  “I’m happy for you.”

  The scavenger grabbed his hand and pumped it. “Thanks a million, Doc, thanks a million.”

  The Doctor put his hand on the scavenger’s shoulder, surreptitiously wiping it and hoping his jacket was cleaner than his hand.

  “Stay safe.”

  “Have a good evening, Doc.”

  The crowd around Joe’s Chicken Shack parted for him. All around him people were whispering: “I can’t believe he really came”, “Do you think they…”, “He’s old enough to be her grandfather”. Past all the staring people he saw Yu-jin sitting at a stool. That boyfriend of hers didn’t seem to be around. She smiled at him and his tension eased.

  A fat drunk with a bow strapped to his shoulder got up from the next stool.

  “Hey Doc! Kept your seat warm for you. I was just apologizing to your Chink friend for all the shit I said about her people. Turns out their women don’t have shrunken feet after all, har har!”

  As the man pushed through the crowd, Yu-jin shrugged.

  “Making new friends?” The Doctor asked with a smile as he sat down.

  “Glad to see you could make it,” she said in a way that meant, “You’re late.”

  “Yes, well, I had a few things to get squared away in the office. My evenings are always busy.”

  Joe came up and served up two portions of sesame chicken and two large glasses of beer. The Doctor gave his maimed hand a clinical look. That had been a tough operation, one of many tough operations after a bandit raid twenty years back. It seemed to have healed well enough, but he bet it still pained him from time to time.

  Too many good people bearing scars in this world.

  “Dinner and drinks are on Leon Hudson tonight,” Joe said.

  “Who?”

  “Me!” called a grinning scavenger from a few seats down. He had his arm around a female scavenger. Both looked pretty tanked. “You made us rich, Doc!”

  “Did I?”

  “We found an old safe in the city filled with gold bars. We thought it was a bust. Didn’t have a use for them until you made a deal with that ship. Just goes to show you never know when your luck will change.”

  I could use a change of luck too.

  “Cheers,” Yu-jin said, holding up her glass.

  “To the Burbs,” The Doctor said in a loud voice. The crowd cheered.

  “I was wondering if you could dispel a rumor,” Yu-jin said.

  “Oh, right,” The Doctor sat up straight and turned to address the crowd. “Everyone, I want you to know I’m not sleeping with her.”

  Goggle eyes all around. Yu-jin blushed scarlet.

  “Not that, dummy. Your name.”

  “My name?”

  “Rosie told me your name’s Reginald,” Yu-jin said, covering her mouth and giggling.

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake,” The Doctor rubbed his temple.

  “My God, it’s true!” someone shouted.

  “No way!”

  “No wonder he goes by his title!”

  Yu-jin smiled. “I think it’s kind of sweet. It suits you.”

  “If anyone uses my name, I’ll turn the lights out again,” he growled. The crowd laughed.

  “So you were talking with Rosie?” he asked.

  “She invited me to dinner, but how can I go when, well, you know,” Yu-jin said, looking worried.

  “What did Marcus say?”

  “He wasn’t there.”

  “And what did Rosie say, I mean her exact words.”

  “She said ‘My husband and I would like you to come for dinner.’”

  “Then it’s OK.”

  “You sure?”

  “I’ve known Rosie for twice as long as you’ve been alive and I’ve never known her to twist the truth. She must have been working on him. Never underestimate the determination of sweet little old ladies.”

  “She invited you too. Will you come?”

  “Hell, no.”

  “You’re just mad she let everyone know your name’s Reginald.”

  “Very funny, let’s eat!” The Doctor said with a laugh. He felt a giddy, grinning from ear to ear. Had the cookie kicked in already? No, his metabolism wasn’t that quick. It wouldn’t hit for at least another half hour.

  Joe had cooked up a special batch of sesame chicken and it was delicious, as usual. Strange to think the whole settlement had been eating Chinese food all this time. The beer was drinkable too, although he had never been much of a drinker. Bad for the health. Not that breathing in the rank body odor of a bunch of Burbs residents was particularly healthy either.

  As he ate and chatted with Yu-jin and the others, his tension eased. He spotted Roger through the crowd. It irritated him a little that the guard had disobeyed orders, and yet he couldn’t fault him considering recent events. He patted the metal object in the side pocket of his jacket and smiled.

  Once they had finished, he pulled it out. It was the Blue Can of peaches.

  “And now for dessert,” The Doctor said.

  Yu-jin’s eyes lit up.

  “Joe, can I borrow a can opener and two forks?” he asked.

  Joe brought them over. The Doctor held the Blue Can in his hand, a relic of the declining years of civilization. Some clever corporation realized there was a demand for canned goods that wouldn’t go bad after a few years and had come up with some technique, now forgotten, to preserve it for centuries. Every can was like a message from a lost time.

  Although he had always scoffed at ritual, he couldn’t help but feel a bit of reverence as he fitted the can opener on the rim and broke through the metal. He spun the little handle and the can turned, a tidy cut appearing along the rim. A heavenly smell rose to his nose.

  The top popped off. He and Yu-jin looked in at the peaches, fresh as the day they were packed.

  He smiled at her. “How about you do the honors? I think you’ve earned i
t.”

  Yu-jin jabbed one with her fork and put it in her mouth. “Mmmm.”

  “You like it?”

  “My father was right. Sweet, soft heaven.”

  The Doctor took one for himself and luxuriated in the sweet flavor.

  Oh damn I’ve missed these.

  Yu-jin put the fork in the can again and there was a little click. She cocked her head and fished around in the can.

  “What’s wrong?” The Doctor asked.

  Yu-jin held up a peach pit on her fork. The conversation around them went silent.

  She picked the pit off her fork and stared at it. “This couldn’t still be fertile, could it?”

  The Doctor stared. “I…don’t know.”

  “My field’s clean,” said a man standing nearby. The Doctor recognized him as a farmer with land close to town. “I’ll go get a pot full of earth and some fertilizer.”

  The man ran off.

  The Doctor and Yu-jin bent over the pit, preserved for almost a century in a sealed can. The crowd peered over their shoulders.

  “Have you ever found seeds in a Blue Can before?” Yu-jin asked.

  “Never.”

  “Maybe some factory worker put it in there on purpose, just in case we needed it.”

  The Doctor chuckled.

  “Sesame chicken, solar panels, and now peaches. What else are the Chinese going to give us?”

  Yu-jin smiled at him. “The same thing we’re going to give them, a second chance at a future.”

  The Doctor smiled back. Yeah, they could all use that.

  POSTSCRIPT

  Hong-gi didn’t think they would stop so soon. They’d only been sailing north along the coast for a day before they weighed anchor close to shore.

  But what a day! He’d met absolutely everyone and Grandfather Captain Wang took him all around the ship. The engines were ginormous and there were so many hallways and stairways that he knew it would take him weeks before he could go where he wanted without getting lost.

  Everyone had been really nice. They told him he was very brave to walk through the wildlands and fight the tweakers to come save the ship. They all called him “little sir” which made Hong-gi laugh until Captain Wang told him that he was part of the captain’s family now and that it was important they show him respect in this way. Hong-gi wondered if he would become a captain someday too.