“Holy fuck,” Myra whispers, “what is happening?”
“The short story is that there’s more calcium than we thought,” Brady answers.
“I wouldn’t worry about your shift,” I tell her. “This place might have to do some downsizing pretty soon.” Sensing her shock and confusion, I hold her by the shoulders. “I’m sorry I doubted you, Myra. And I’m sorry I haven’t been a better friend lately. I owe you so much.”
She looks around, at the agents arguing with Dispatchers over cashing in their takes, at the video feeds on the monitors, at this room where she’s worked for years. She’s tough, but I can sense her vulnerability. “Is this goodbye, then?”
“Only if we let it be. I’d probably be dead if not for you. I owe you at least another drink.”
She smiles. “I won’t turn it down.”
“I can go out in public now, and I feel like taking advantage of it. And, you know, society as we know it is ending. Why don’t you come out tonight, have some fun?”
She seems tempted, but then shakes her head. “I’m not going AWOL in a crisis. Not my style.”
“Of course not.” I put my arms around her in a hug, something I’ve somehow never done before. “You were there for me when I needed you, Myra. Thank you. You’re a good friend.”
She plants a quick, impulsive kiss on my cheek. “Get outta here,” she jokes. “I got no work for you.”
That gets a smile out of me, which seems to amuse her. She sits back down at her post, and I turn and walk away. Brady follows me out of Dispatch, and as we enter the hallway and the big metal doors to Dispatch close behind us, I wonder out loud, “I don’t guess your car is working.”
“Totally wrecked, and impounded anyhow,” he says. “I saw them tow it away from the spaceport.”
“No point going through the lot, then.” We go through the lobby and out the front exit onto Oasis Avenue. It’s dark this time of night, with most businesses closed and the street lights casting little dim pools of illumination every thirty meters or so. Only a few intermittent vehicles pass by. The air is cool, and somehow the city is peaceful, at least in this part of town. Strangely, for the first time I can remember, it feels like home. “You gonna be okay, Brady?”
“I expect so,” he says. “There will be a lot of financial turmoil and flux over the next couple of years. Economists will be in demand.” We go down the steps, to the sidewalk, and continue on aimlessly, neither of us bothering to address where we’re headed. “What about you?”
“I don’t know,” I answer, a bit surprised that I’m not more worried about it. “I guess we’ll see.”
“You know,” he muses, “I didn’t expect Aaron Greenman to try to bribe you with a ticket off-world. For a minute, I thought you were going to take it.”
“So did I,” I confess. “I’m still not sure I made the right choice.”
He stops, and I stop with him. We stand in silence for a second, as a cool, dry wind sweeps through the street. “Taryn,” he says, struggling with his words, “I have a lot of money saved, and tomorrow morning it’ll be nearly worthless. There may still be time… I’d… I think I’d… I’d like to buy you a ticket. Anywhere you want to go.”
My heart jumps. “You serious?”
He nods. “I’m getting what I wanted. Why not you?”
Time seems to slow. The idea that I could leave is suddenly tearing me apart. Minutes ago I was reconciling myself to living on a broken world as it collapses and remakes itself. But now I could leave before things get bad here. I’ve done my part. Why not take my dream?
Where will I go? To Ryland and its vast, towering cities and shallow, thriving oceans? To Farraway with its mild climate and bountiful open fields and low gravity? To Earth with its extreme density and cultural and political influence? To some outworld backwater or moon where I can work hard and make a decent living and put down roots? I always assumed I would pick Farraway because the price of a ticket there is within reach and the journey is relatively short, but with cost less of a concern, would I still choose it? Where do I want to be?
This world is about to go through some major changes. Things may be on the verge of getting better here, but most of the planet is still a wide-open space with incredible challenges and difficulties and dangers waiting to be tamed. For the first time, I can see the promise my parents saw in this rough red ball of rock.
For the first time, I think I want to be here.
“You know, Brady… ” I take a deep breath, aching with doubt. “I’m gonna kick myself for this when everyone’s running around with their hair on fire a month from now, but… but I don’t want to go.”
His eyebrows arch. “You’re sure?”
I throw my arms up. “I don’t know!” The words come out in a yelp. “Maybe there’s more to do here. Maybe if everyone ran from problems, they’d never get solved.” I stare up at the sky. The stars shine high in the clear Brink night, so many of them sharp and bright even through the light pollution of downtown Oasis City. The dots might just connect to form a picture that’s not so ugly. “Maybe I found a few reasons to stay.”
When I look back down Brady is leaning in and he kisses me, pressing his lips to mine and pulling me close. I kiss him back, letting myself lean back slightly, letting him support my weight.
I break it off, catching my breath. “I didn’t say you were one of those reasons, Kearns.”
“Kearns? Come on, I’ve put in my time.”
“There’ll be a lot more time for you to put in.”
He smirks. “I guess I can accept that.”
I start walking. “Let’s get out of here. Before they turn it into a tube company or something.”
“Tube company?”
“Or something, I said.” The Collections Agency falls behind us and the brighter lights of downtown loom ahead, the arcologies of Rumville towering behind the skyscrapers, gray and black sparkling with lights and topped with dimly lit green. “So where are we going?” I ask.
“Well,” he says, “I’ve got a whole lot in the bank… ”
“I’ve got a bit myself.”
“And it won’t be worth much tomorrow.”
“Spending spree?”
“Hell, we’ve earned it.”
I turn north, toward The NewLanding, where everything will be open, where everything is high-end and expensive. “So what are we going to use for money now?” I wonder aloud, thinking Brady might be well equipped to hazard a guess. Because of his recent promotion and his role in all this, he’ll probably even have input on the decision.
“Maybe still calcium,” he answers. “We don’t really know yet how much is going back into the supply. It may not make a big enough difference to eliminate the utility of the system in place… But, if not calcium, maybe a fiat, maybe a precious metal. Maybe Dutch tulips. I don’t know, but I hope someone pays me a lot to help figure it out.”
“Try and make it something they’ll pay me a lot to go get.”
He laughs, then winces and clutches his chest. “Ouch, bruises.” He gazes upward, at the oblong sliver of moon hanging above the skyline. “Lyto,” he says, “looks like we’ll have both moons tonight.”
“You can bet your bottom dollar on it.”
He cocks his head, confused. “What?”
“Doesn’t matter. Metal, paper, bones… they may not last forever, but tomorrow there’ll be sun.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I get to thank people on this page. So here is a chronological list of people to whom I’d like to express gratitude.