by Lee Kerr
The Chinese leader shouts something at his subordinates, who all stand to attention, before he turns his attention back to Tyrell. ‘You will excuse me if I perhaps think you are a little biased in your assessment. We must consider the feasibility of bringing so many workers and resources to this part of the world, when they will ultimately not make it up onto the platforms. Our people are not stupid.’
Tyrell rushes back to the table, looking neglected and full of a need to be understood. ‘Many of my people will not make it up on the first sky cities and that is why we will build strong defences.’
Jin smiles in return. ‘That, Mr Tyrell, is the choice you have made. I believe we have landed so you will excuse us as we take time to make ours.’ He walks out, followed by his men. I watch as both Lawrence and Tyrell also follow, just for a little way, until they realise they have not been invited to join. This deal is still far from being accepted, leaving them with only each other and their leaking dreams.
*****
Get me a fresh shirt and make sure it’s white,’ Lawrence shouts as we walk into his room. ‘They need to realise who has all the ideas, the plans and the patents. We didn’t just design this overnight. It’s been years in the making and we risk losing it all at the last hurdle.’ He throws his used shirt across the room before coming towards me. ‘We can build them ourselves if we need to,’ he says, a pointed finger aimed in my direction. ‘There will be enough skilled labour still left in the USA, and they will have far more spirit than those bastards could ever show.’
I shake my head, almost without realising.
‘You have something to say?’
I take a deep breath. I know that I shouldn’t say anything but I don’t have a choice now. ‘Well, I’m not sure patents will stop them if they want to build something similar.’
‘Whose side are you on?’ Lawrence shouts, spitting all over me. His arms are waving frantically in the air; his dream is clearly breaking apart before his eyes and it’s so easy to lay the blame on me.
‘I’m on your side but I have also had the benefit of observing them and getting an idea of what they think. It’s obvious that they have other options available to them.’
‘What?’ he says, his face creased, denying what is clearly true.
‘They could build here with us or perhaps they could replicate our technology in their own country. You picked here because it’s surrounded by water, but they probably think their remote land is surrounded by a vast amount of emptiness, so they can do the same thing. And they’re probably in discussions with Britain and other countries as well as us.’
He pushes a finger into my chest. ‘By us you mean me, and what you’re telling me is that they flew all the way here just to consider their options? This project isn’t just an option, it is a lifeline to the people we have chosen.’
‘Do you mean the people who have paid or the people you have chosen?’
His eyes widen, as I realise I have perhaps pushed him too much this time. ‘Might I remind you that I picked you as one of the chosen people. You cannot afford the payment so you are here only thanks to me, and don’t you ever forget that.’
I gulp and I nod.
‘Now get out of my sight and go make sure lunch is ready. Can you at least do that?’
I walk away, wondering if all that I will ever be good for is something between the menial and the hopes that never were. That place between chores and dreams that will never be enough to get a ticket into his new paradise.
I close his door and start making my way down the corridor, but I don’t get far before a hand comes out of nowhere. I realise it is Destiny as she pulls me into a room.
‘I was wondering where you’ve been,’ she says as she closes the door and smacks my ass. ‘My busy boy has been negotiating hard with all those powerful businessmen.’ She sniffs the room. ‘I can smell the testosterone. It’s oozing from you!’
‘I’m not sure I’ve done a lot of negotiating.’
She stares at me and I look back, wondering if she understands any of this. I try to see through those fluttering lashes and those big, brown eyes to spot something of substance, some glimmer that she gets the gravity of our situation.
I shake my head, deep in my own reflection. ‘We have a lot to do if we are ever going to make this become a reality.’
She paces around me, her eyes stalking my every move, what she is seeing and what I am seeing are two entirely different things now. She says nothing, although maybe she just has nothing to say.
‘Whose room is this anyway?’ I ask, realising that I have no idea.
She lies herself on the bed, looking up at me. ‘Does it even matter? It’s just a room. Everything is everyone’s and I am yours, so take me now.’
‘Destiny, this really isn’t the time. I mean, do you even understand what’s happening?’
She leans forward, staring up at me and then she laughs. ‘Not really. I’ve never really understood what the big issue is. I see everyone is getting so upset but we are still alive, so why get on such a downer?’ She suddenly gets up and runs over to me. ‘I don’t want to live in the clouds. Let’s run away to somewhere deep in the country. Let’s just get off this island and travel the world!’
I shake my head, blocking out the multiple impossibilities of what she has suggested. It wouldn’t work on so many levels; so many reasons for how wrong it would be.
‘Why not?’ she asks, trying to understand my doubting thoughts.
‘Because the world is fucked. Where would we go and what would we do?’
She takes her turn to shake her head. ‘The world is different and it will always continue to change. Whatever happens next, do you really think living up there with my dearest daddy as the emperor of everything will help us? For one thing, we won’t be able to be together.’
‘Why do you say that?’ I ask, already knowing the answer.
She grabs my tie, pulling me closer. ‘You probably won’t even make it into his final list. The only thing that’s keeping you here now is his duty to his brother. You know that, don’t you?’
‘I don’t even want to think about that right now.’
She moves me closer, pulling me towards her, forcing us against each other. ‘Because it makes you think about us and how wrong we are together?’ She kisses my neck and then my ear, slowly, carefully. ‘And how right it feels to be so wrong.’
‘Please, Destiny, I don’t want to talk about this right now.’
‘Well I do!’ she says, stamping her feet. ‘Every time you take me I think about what Daddy would say, me being shafted by my long-lost but utterly gorgeous cousin.’
I prise her off me. ‘It’s best not to think about that.’
‘Why are you so paranoid?’
I sigh, knowing we will need to go over all of this again – her simple mind asks for explanations but the reasons that would matter to most people won’t matter to her.
She grins, carefully stroking my cheek. ‘You do know that none of this would matter if we just ran away and left this place.’
‘It’s not that simple, you know it’s not.’
‘It’s very simple,’ she says. ‘Let’s just leave and take our secret with us and bury it somewhere on our way to paradise. You know that I’m sick of this and sick of my father.’
I look at her, the girl who has got me so obsessed. At times she makes such sense; moments when all those serious and adult ideas mean nothing to us when we’re together.
She brushes a finger through my hair, filling the silence with her boldness. ‘You know he won’t let me go willingly, don’t you? We will have to sneak out of this place in the dark of the night and keep running until we are far from his reach.’ She bends down and starts unbuckling my trousers, still looking up at me. ‘Would you run away with me? You know I’d make it worth your while. After all, I’m your Destiny.’
She stands up and puts her lips onto mine. I know somewhere deep down in my core that she’s right, that our
paths have crossed for a reason. I think that maybe they have crossed before, over and over again for an eternity. We have been different beings but have the same essence of life, regardless of the image we are recreated with, and are always meant to find each other. When our eyes meet and our tongues wrap themselves around each other I feel an overwhelming urge to love her, to remind myself that we are meant to be together for all time.
But she moves down low too soon, long before these calming thoughts have travelled throughout my body, ready to protect me from the reality and fear of what is actually happening. She kneels down and pulls at my pants, quickly finding what she wants and wrapping her lips around it. That’s when all of this starts to feel really wrong, when it starts to feel that what we’re doing is forbidden by both logic and law. In the silence, while her mouth is occupied and my mind has time to think, I start to question what I have allowed us to become.
She works quickly, obviously knowing we don’t have much time, her angry mouth determined to finish its mission, whilst one of her hands holds on tight to my shaft, as if she will never let go.
I grab her hair, trying to pull her up or maybe away from me – anywhere but where she is now. ‘Don’t go too fast,’ I whisper.
She resists me, working harder, more fluid, more tongue, more lashing of my manhood. I beg her to stop, to leave me at this point and go no further. But she doesn’t listen, in favour of pushing my desperation towards a limit I don’t yet know, before swallowing it all and looking up to me with a giggle and then that look of wanting reassurance.
It’s something I cannot give her, because after my release comes the anxiety. I look down at her and I know the haze has been removed and reality has returned. It leaves my mind clear that what we are doing is wrong and that what she is planning for us can never happen. I can’t nod or smile but neither can I share these darkest of thoughts with her, and so I silently reach down for my pants, feeling embarrassed and alone with my guilt.
She stays kneeling down and looks up at me as I look down at her, but neither of us says anything. Maybe there is nothing to say and maybe there is everything still to say. Our silence seems to make me oblivious because the next thing I hear is the door opening. I don’t even try to put my clothes on, to cover my shrinking manhood. I simply stand here, knowing that fate has brought Destiny and me to this point.
The door swings open and he stands there, not really even looking shocked. He smiles and nods, as if he knew this was happening all along.
*****
The status bar moves slowly; it’s like a clock ticking towards better times. I cannot take my eyes off it. It will lead to a new world, I am sure of it. We were caught and now I am committed to a different cause, one which I cannot back out of without consequences. I mentally run through my next steps, from pulling out the memory stick and removing any trace I have been in this room, to my journey through the hopefully abandoned corridors of this once lively hotel. I mentally choose the best route, the one that is likely to attract the least suspicion. Destiny will have packed up her clothes by now and whatever she has not already taken from her opulent wardrobe will have to be left behind.
The green bar is by now around the 90% mark, the memory stick still flashing as it absorbs all this priceless information into its belly. I take a deep breath, feeling hopeful that I have completed the first stage of our escape.
Just as I allow myself this small victory I hear someone on the other side of the door. A code is being inputted into the keypad. I look back to the screen, desperate for a solution. Despite all of my hastily put together plans I hadn’t given enough thought to getting caught again. The answers need to be on the tip of my tongue – logical excuses that would give me a reason for being in this secured room.
I take a deep breath and pull out the memory stick, clearing the screen as the door swings open. I figure that having 90% of the sky city schematics is better than having none, especially if I get caught by the wrong person.
‘What are you doing in here?’ Tyrell asks, standing in the doorway, his ample girth blocking any plans I have for a quick exit.
‘I’m just updating the master server with some files for Lawrence,’ I say, turning my attention back to the screen, acting as if this is a regular occurrence.
He doesn’t say anything at first, but I feel his eyes probing me. He moves forward, into my space, sniffing like a caveman around a place he doesn't belong. I hope these are things he doesn’t fully understand.
I turn towards him, figuring that assertiveness is more likely to win the battle than silence. ‘Do you have a problem with my work as Lawrence’s executive personal assistant?’ I ask, staring into his eyes. As I watch and wait, I study the thick red blood vessels that surround his dark pupils – they tell me of age, recent desperation and of much sacrifice.
He grins back. ‘I do not care about your position with Lawrence. You forget that this is my island and around here it is my rules that matter.’ He stares up to the corner of the room, forcing me to look with him. ‘The camera begs to differ on what you have apparently been doing in here.’
The door opens again and this time it’s one of Tyrell’s men. He gives his boss a nod, but remains standing in the doorway, doubling the odds against a simple escape.
‘Hand it over,’ Tyrell says, has thick arm outstretched, clicking his fingers, full of new-found power and obvious enjoyment.
I shake my head, not knowing what to say or do. I think of Destiny waiting in her room with both of our half-packed suitcases. The TV will still be playing loud music and she will be painting her nails, innocently waiting for me to fulfil my end of the plan. She will have no concept of my failure, no understanding of getting caught. To her this is a simple stroll out of the building. I told her to write her dad a letter but, since I have been away for a longer than I planned, she is more likely to be dancing around the room or straightening her hair; anything but taking this seriously. My failure will be obvious when her father enters the room without her hearing him, her clothes not packed, our grand plan still strewn across the bed.
‘Do not test my patience any longer, little boy,’ Tyrell says, taking a step closer to me.
I shake my head again, trying to preserve the impression of innocence for as long as possible. ‘This memory stick,’ I say, holding it up like a prized trophy. ‘The one I have been using to upload new files. Your conspiracy theories are getting ridiculous. My network connection isn’t working again, because of your people.’ I raise my arms, flapping them around like I’m an angry guest in his chaotic world. ‘And I have had to come down here myself to do such a basic thing!’
His eyes narrow but he says nothing. I know he is giving my excuse genuine thought. You have to give Tyrell credit: he’s been a police chief in such a straightforward world all his life and now he’s trying to turn detective in a new place of constant lies and hidden meanings.
I move forward boldly, towards my freedom. ‘I’m done here, so unless you intend to confiscate a memory stick that I use every day, on an island that I cannot leave, then I suggest you let me do my job.’
Tyrell says nothing as I start to believe I have succeeded and that I will soon have Destiny in my arms, our new life starting without delay. But as I reach the door I find Tyrell’s man blocking my way, his gun pushed in my face. I stagger backwards, my heart racing, as I realise I will have a steep price to pay if I’m caught trying to rob Lawrence of his most prized possessions. I stare down that barrel; the black steel offers me a void in which to send my thoughts, as I wonder which of the things I plan to take will result in a longer sentence – the data or his Destiny.
I suddenly feel Tyrell’s hands on my shoulders; he pulls me around and throws me across the room. I land on a desk, sending the equipment flying onto the floor. I hear the crash of things that cannot easily be replaced in the coming months and years, and for a second I feel protective of the world we are trying to create.
Before I have regained my balance an
d calmed my thoughts I see Tyrell appear before me, his hands reaching around my throat. I feel his rough skin join with mine as he squeezes tight. ‘You are a liar and you plan to sell this information to the Chinese. I have watched you for a long time and I know what you have been doing.’ He releases his grip, only to throw me to the other side of the room.
I feel my back crunch as I land on yet more precious items. He quickly follows me and spits in my face. ‘You are Lawrence’s problem and when he hears what you have been doing I hope he passes you back to me for punishment.’ He bends down, wearing the widest smile I have ever seen on his face. ‘You have no idea about how the rule of law works on this island. On my island.’
He shouts something I don’t understand and then his man is suddenly on top of me, pulling me off the desk and putting my hands behind my back. As he puts my wrists in cuffs I feel Tyrell’s hand reaching into my pockets. He soon finds the memory stick.
He holds it up, smiling at his own work. ‘Your fate is sealed.’
‘Please,’ I mutter, shaking my head, my mind empty of options. ‘We can work something out. We both know that Lawrence is not going to get this deal.’
I feel his fist crash into my jaw before I see it coming. For a moment I don’t feel any pain, my brain still trying to figure out what has happened. It’s my first punch since high school and my first one from a real man. My jaw feels different. My mouth has filled with blood, which I have to spit out. I look down, expecting to see my teeth scattered beneath me but all I see is a small, red puddle on the floor. I know there will be more to come.
‘You have given up on your master so easily, little man,’ he says.
I lift my head up; my arms are still held tight by my silent captor. I stare right back into Tyrell’s dark, judging face. ‘He gave up on me and my family a long time ago and I promise you he will give up on you too. Do you really think your people will ever make it into the sky city? You will be living on this island, forever fighting for scraps of food like a dog!’
