Emergency Transmission

by Sean McLachlan

  “Enough!” Weissman snapped.

  The guard hesitated, then stepped back. Weissman turned back to David, to find the scavenger or whatever the hell he was holding out a set of car keys.

  “I’ll give you these and tell you where to find the vehicle. In return you’ll stop all hostilities and return any people and property you have taken.”

  “But what about those men you killed?”

  “I wouldn’t have hurt them if they hadn’t attacked me.”

  “How do I know you didn’t jump them?”

  “There were four of them and they were in a vehicle. How could I do that?”

  Weissman shrugged. “I suppose you have a point. I’m afraid some of my men are a bit … overzealous in policing.”

  “If they embraced God there would be no need for violence.”

  That seemed to catch Weissman of guard. He cocked his head. “Who are you, really?”

  “Just a man looking to find his way. You want these keys?”

  “All right.”

  Roy blinked. Would it really be that easy?

  “Do you agree to our terms?” David asked.

  Weissman shrugged again. “Of course. I’m the last person to want any fighting. It’s bad for business.”

  You hypocritical piece of shit. You raided us to prove you’re in charge of your territory.

  Weissman took the keys from David, who gave him a detailed description of where to find the Hummer. Hong-gi, looking remarkably confident for a little kid, spoke up.

  “Captain Wang wanted me to say that he would like the two city states to get along. If peace continues, the Admiral Zeng He ship will be sure to come back with more goods to trade.”

  Weissman smiled. “I remember you. I’m glad you’ve found your place in the world, young man. Tell your stepfather that I will keep the peace to the best of my ability and that it’s my sincerest hope that New City does the same.”

  Roy blinked. He’d only heard that the captain had adopted Hong-gi a few days ago. This slimy motherfucker sure had a good spy network.

  Weissman looked around. “Are we done?”

  “I believe so,” The Doctor said.

  Weissman smiled, the sunlight flashing off the gold of his spectacles. “That’s fine. I do sincerely hope that this mutual understanding will open up a—”

  The Doctor was already walking away. Weissman glanced at Lieutenant Jingchen and gave a little shrug as if to say “I told you so,” then looked down at Hong-gi.

  “Tell your stepfather that I won’t initiate any more hostilities as long as my territory and property are respected. And he is welcome to come and trade any time.”

  Hong-gi nodded. The New City detachment moved off back the way it came.

  After they got out of sight of the Weissberg faction, Roy breathed a little easier. David was walking near him, eyed uncertainly by a couple of guards walking behind. The Doctor had obviously told them to watch his every move. Good idea.

  Roy huffed along to catch up with him.

  “Well, that’s that. How about when we get back we all have a round on the house?” he announced.

  “Sounds good to me,” one of the guards said. The others nodded.

  “I got work to do,” The Doctor told him. “Feel free to join me for a drink later in the evening, though.”

  Roy had a ready excuse. “Oh, with all the partying that will be going on in the Burbs this evening I don’t think I’ll have the time. We’ll have to take a rain check.”

  The Doctor made a face. Forty years of excuses and he still couldn’t take them with good grace.

  Roy put an arm around David. “Well, I hope you come on down to the bar. You’re the man of the hour.”

  “I’ll be there. You’ve built quite a community. Is it true you’re a citizen?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you gave up living in a nice house behind the walls in order to be with the common people. I respect that.”

  The Doctor snorted.

  That night, the party was just as big as Roy predicted. People poured into $87,953 to celebrate the peace deal. All the tension that had been bottled up for the past few days got released in an effusion of drinking, laughter, and dancing. Roy put the stereo on high with some upbeat music. Lately he’d been keeping the volume down because people could talk. That’s what they had needed. Now they needed to dance.

  He’d known all along that no one really wanted to fight Weissberg. They’d all rallied and grabbed their weapons, but that had just been an automatic reaction to danger, something they’d been doing all their lives. Weissman and the Merchants Association had always been unpopular, but they had been neighbors. Everyone knew that fighting against them would only make a weakened New City even weaker.

  Roy sensed another feeling in the air as well. Chinese New Year was over and there had been no disaster. Everyone’s worst fears had been brushed away. Relief was changing into gratitude, and he could see a few Chinese in the crowd. In fact, that Chinese guy with the used clothing stand at the market was dancing with a white farmer’s daughter. Her dad and two big brothers were drinking beer and looking on like they didn’t have a care in the world.

  Roy didn’t get much time to scan the crowd, though, not with everyone crowding the counter calling for more drinks. He called Tammy in to take care of the extra load but even then they were swamped.

  So Roy didn’t see when David came through the door.

  He didn’t need to. A roar rose from the crowd and all heads turned. David moved towards the counter, the crowd parting for him. Everyone reached out to pat him on the shoulder or give him a high five, or simply to touch him. He looked around with a calm smile and put his hands on everyone he could, like he was giving a blessing. David was saying things to everyone he passed, but the noise was such that Roy couldn’t hear him. He doubted anyone could. His presence was enough.

  Roy cupped his hands and called out to the throng.

  “And here’s the hero of the hour. His trade’s no good here. What are you having, David?”

  Everyone cheered. David finally got to the counter.

  “I’ll take a beer, thank you. And as for trade, I always like to pay my way. But I can see you’re insisting, so I’ll buy a drink for this man here.”

  As he said that, he threw down a little packet of salt and put his arm around the white man next to him.

  “What’s your name, brother?” David asked him.

  “Arnold, and thanks for the drink.”

  “I’ve seen you at my sermons, Arnold.”

  “That’s right. I’ve been a sinner, but I’m trying to be better.”

  “Just like me, Arnold, just like me.”

  Roy missed the next bit of the conversation as he turned and poured two drinks for them. When he turned back, Arnold was saying,

  “… and I’ve been telling all my friends. That crowd will just grow and grow. Think how much bigger it will be in a month’s time. I’m so glad you’ve decided to move here. You have a long life ahead of you here.”

  David paused, and then nodded, giving the man a weak smile.

  He’d hidden his first reaction quickly, so quickly that Arnold probably hadn’t noticed it.

  But Roy had.

  David’s eyes had clouded, his smile had tightened, and as soon as the words “long life” had passed Arnold’s lips, a slight shudder had passed through his muscular frame.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Yu-jin really, really didn’t want to do this.

  The last time she had been in the New World United Church, Reverend Wallace had screamed from the altar that the Chinese were Satan’s tools on Earth.

  Yu-jin had been “Korean” then, and the Reverend had even pointed her out as a “good Asian.” She had slumped in her pew, yearning to tell him she was Chinese and as good a Christian as anybody else there.

  She hadn’t, though. She had sat there, feeling the lash of his hate, and hiding behind the safety of her appropriated identity. />
  Now she had to walk back into the church and face him.

  She told herself it was the Christian thing to do. It was also the practical thing to do.

  She gripped Randy’s hand as they walked the familiar path up to the church.

  At least they would be physically safe. None of the Reverend’s goons were around. The door to the church was flanked by two of Reginald’s guards.

  Not that she needed them. She had been a scavenger before all this, and could snap any soft-bellied citizen’s neck like a twig.

  So why was she trembling?

  “Don’t let him give you any shit,” Randy whispered as they came to the door.

  I don’t have to. Even the way he looks at me hurts.

  The guards nodded, expecting them, and opened the double doors.

  The Reverend Wallace sat in the front pew, his back to them, hands clasped in prayer as he faced the beautiful steel cross that adorned the wall behind the altar. It was a relic of the Old Times, scavenged from one of the old industrial cities far to the north. Those cities had been hit hard with nukes. That this cross had survived without so much as a scratch was viewed as a miracle by many.

  They stopped just inside the church. The Reverend Wallace turned his head slightly, then went back to praying.

  Randy looked uncertainly at Yu-jin, who shrugged. Her boyfriend cleared his throat.

  That didn’t work.

  Fuck this, Yu-jin thought.

  “Hey, you wanted to talk with us, right? Well, here we are.”

  Wow, I’m getting really good at this “disrespect your elders” thing. People are going to start thinking I’m an Anglo teenager.

  The Reverend grabbed a crutch and lifted himself to his feet. He turned and looked down the length of the church at them.

  “Randy, good to see you again. How is the art business going?”

  “Fine.”

  Why don’t you tell them about that guy who ripped up his portrait right in front of you?

  “We still have that nativity scene you made a few years back,” Reverend Wallace said with a smile. “We put it up every Christmas. You know, just the other day, Ezra was saying—”

  “I’m here,” Yu-jin interrupted.

  The Reverend turned his face in her direction and yet didn’t quite manage to look at her.

  “I see that. Why don’t the two of you come over here and sit down. My leg still hurts quite a bit and I’d rather not come to you.”

  Yeah, I noticed.

  As they walked down the aisle, Randy gave her hand a squeeze and she felt a rush of gratitude. He’d been through a lot in recent weeks and while her troubles were bigger than his, she needed to remind herself that he’d held up pretty well and was still there for her as much as he could be.

  What was she going to do about Randy, anyway? Yu-jin wanted children and Randy was infertile. She’d heard something like one in ten people couldn’t have children, so it was nothing to be embarrassed about, but it meant that either one or the other would have to sacrifice their dreams to keep the relationship going.

  All this flashed through her mind in the few steps it took to come to where the Reverend sat. All the same problems, and as usual no solution. It was ironic that this very same man of God giving them an uncomfortable smile should have been the person they could come to for advice. Not anymore. Yu-jin would never look up to this man again.

  “Sit,” the Reverend Wallace said, gesturing at the pew next to him.

  They sat. An awkward silence followed. Randy filled it. He had always been a talker and silences unnerved him. Hell, this silence would unnerve anyone.

  “Is there something you wanted to talk with us about, Reverend?” he asked.

  Reverend Wallace took a deep breath.

  “This was easier in the heat of the moment, wasn’t it?” he said in a small voice. “All that shooting, me trying to make it stop before the whole settlement tore itself apart, and then you rushing out to patch me up. That was brave, Yu-jin. I think the Lord worked through both of us that moment. I realize now that the Lord hasn’t worked through me in a long time.”

  Yu-jin didn’t reply. She had a feeling that he had more to say and was having trouble getting it out. His lips worked for a moment. Yu-jin noticed he was sweating.

  “I suppose you heard about … my family?”

  “Reginald told me.”

  The Reverend let out a little laugh. “I heard you’re on a first-name basis with him. I also heard a bunch of nonsense about you two that I don’t believe.”

  Randy shifted in his seat. Yu-jin didn’t look at him as the Reverend went on.

  “Perhaps you can bring him to the fold. The Lord works through him too, most powerfully. Odd how unbelievers can often be the greatest tools of faith, isn’t it? The Good Samaritan was one. Judas was another. One should see hope in everyone.”

  “I try,” Yu-jin said.

  The Reverend gave her a searching look. “Even me? When I cast you out of this church did you pray for me?”

  “No.”

  The Reverend looked hurt. Yu-jin found herself struggling between regret and smug satisfaction. He sure as hell hadn’t prayed for her, so where did he get off asking for blessings?

  But still, you were supposed to pray for your enemies. The Bible said so. And faith was supposed to improve you, not give you the self-righteous arrogance so many supposedly Christian people felt.

  Yu-jin forced herself to speak.

  “Perhaps we should pray together.”

  The Reverend smiled. “That’s an excellent idea. But first I need to apologize to you properly. I’m sorry for casting you out and for what I said about the Chinese. I’d like to invite you, all of you, to come to my church again. I’ll give a sermon on the topic this evening.” He chuckled sadly. “I suppose after that there will be some spare pews. I understand if none of you want to come, but the invitation remains open. And if there is anything else I can do to help, please tell me.”

  “I think that will help a lot,” Yu-jin said, her eyes brimming.

  “I made a mistake,” the Reverend said. “I saw the Devil in every Chinese face, when the Devil comes in many guises, not just one. What you have done has gone a long way to helping me see the light, Yu-jin. You’ve acted selflessly in all this, working to protect your people and the whole community at great risk to yourself. David helped me see the light too, thanks to his shining example.”

  The Reverend got painfully on his knees, and Yu-jin and Randy followed suit. They bowed their heads. Yu-jin waited for the Reverend to lead the prayer, but he said nothing.

  So they prayed in silence. Yu-jin thanked God for turning the Reverend’s heart and that He do the same with all the the other haters in town. She couldn’t help but add her usual prayer to make Randy fertile. She so wanted to have a child. It was a background ache that never left her.

  She didn’t hold out much hope, though. The Lord gave blessings and burdens, she reminded herself. She’d been given plenty of both.

  One miracle at a time, she told herself. At least I have one less enemy now.

  At last the Reverend pulled himself back into his chair. Once Yu-jin and Randy had finished too, he turned to them.

  “What do you think of him?” he asked. They didn’t need to ask who he meant.

  “I think he’s wonderful!” Yu-jn said. “He’s exactly what the town needed, and he came just at the right time.”

  “Yeah,” Randy agreed. “He sure knows how to preach. He’s a natural, and it helps that he’s an outsider. He sees all our problems really clearly. And destroying his weapons? Wow! If only our great-grandparents had done that.”

  “I’m afraid I judged him unfairly at first. As soon as he stood up for the Chinese I threw him out of my house. Well, actually he was walking out of it before I got a chance to. It was almost as if he could read my thoughts. When I give my sermon, I’ll not only invite the Chinese back but sing his praises. He stopped a riot.”

  “Yo
u helped too, Reverend,” Yu-jin said.

  “And you. Will you come?”

  Yu-jin bit her lip. “Let’s see how the sermon goes down. To be honest, I still don’t feel safe here.”

  The Reverend nodded sadly. “I understand. That’s my fault. Will you speak with The Doctor and Clyde and make sure I’m allowed to speak?”

  “If that’s going to be your sermon then I’m sure they’ll agree. But don’t expect me to have any influence over Clyde.”

  “Oh, you’ve made a good impression on him.”

  “I have?”

  “Yes, he’s said many good things about you. He thinks you’re very brave and are helping make the settlement more secure.”

  “He does?” Yu-jin couldn’t believe it.

  The Reverend smiled. “Young lady, I’ve known Clyde for longer than you’ve been on this Earth. Twice as long. He loves this settlement more than anything else in the world. His entire life has been tied up in its protection. You frighten him, the Chinese frighten him, but he can see the possibilities, the light at the end of the tunnel. He doesn’t want your people to hide any more than you do. He wants a society where everyone can be themselves. ‘A stable society makes for a better security situation’ is how he put it.”

  Yu-jin laughed. “That sounds like Clyde.”

  “He’s taken quite a shine to you. You see, Yu-jin, the old generation that founded New City is passing. Within a decade we’ll be all but gone. It’s your turn now. You and Annette and Kevin and Rachel and even Jackson. You’re the ones who have to keep civilization going.”

  Yu-jin didn’t reply. She had been so focused on the potential disasters happening right at that moment that she hadn’t given much thought to the far future. When she had been a scavenger out in the wildlands she had lived day to day. Even living in the Burbs she could only plan for a season. That’s how most people lived. Those who ran New City needed to plan years ahead. She didn’t know how to do that.

  And now she would have to learn.

  The Reverend Wallace was studying her. “Yes, Yu-jin. Your work is only beginning.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE