‘The election campaign. The date has been postponed until after the investigation into Admiral Westland. But it will still go ahead eventually. Dad’s had some bad publicity with protestors outside Wolfe Energy in New Marseilles, so he’s down there to deal with that. And then he’s escorting Orion to the moon.’
I looked away.
‘I’m sorry, Eden. I have to go with him. He’s taking a film-maker and a load of journalists with him and using this as a publicity stunt. This isn’t just the election; it’s the whole of Wolfe Energy. A lot of people think the Lunar Facility is inhumane. He’s using this as an opportunity to show that he’s tough on crime and that the Lunar Facility is a good thing.’
‘Great.’
‘Don’t judge me. He’s my father. I don’t have a choice.’
‘I don’t want to talk about it,’ I said. ‘Let’s go down to the lake. I’d like to see what it’s like without hundreds of party guests milling around.’
Clarence stood. ‘If you want.’
‘Do you have anything to drink?’ I said. ‘Maybe we could take some more of that beer with us?’
‘This time traveller has expensive tastes,’ said Clarence, winking.
We had already shared two bottles of beer, though in very unequal measures. I followed Clarence into the dining room alcove. He pressed the kitchen intercom and requested a magnum of Alaskan beer along with two glasses. Two minutes later the beer and glasses arrived on a heavy silver tray in the dumb waiter. Clarence shoved the bottle into one of his jacket pockets and hooked his fingers around the stems of the glasses.
‘Come on then,’ he said.
I snatched his big straw hat off the hatstand as we passed and pulled it over my head. It would help to cover Peg’s dark hair later on. Clarence was bright blonde.
Everything outside was still, with nothing to disturb the quiet but the song of the cicadas and the gentle lapping of the lake against the sandy shore. The air had cooled; in the distance I could hear the low rumble of thunder.
‘We need a storm to clear the air,’ said Clarence.
‘Let’s just sit by the water’s edge,’ I said.
We both removed our shoes and walked barefoot over the cool sand.
‘This OK?’ asked Clarence, when we reached a sandy place by the shoreline.
‘Perfect,’ I said.
Across the lake, out on the Forest Service road, Antoine and Belle would be waiting in their car, ready to drive Ryan to the shipyard. The trees nearby rustled and I hoped Peg wouldn’t do something premature. Clarence had a high tolerance for alcohol and the two bottles he’d drunk earlier had not dulled his senses in the slightest. The only way this was going to work was if I managed to slip the sedative Belle had given me into his beer without him noticing.
We sat at the water’s edge, the lake water gently washing over our toes, two glasses of cold beer beside us. He was alert. Much too alert.
‘I’m going to be a real pain,’ I said.
‘You are?’
‘Do you think you could get a blanket? I want to lie back and look at the stars, but I hate getting sand in my hair.’
‘You can use my jacket as a pillow,’ he said, unbuttoning it.
‘Thanks, but I want a blanket. I want to stretch out.’
Clarence sighed deeply and I knew I was pushing my luck. I reached across and ran my fingertips lightly up his left forearm. ‘We can lie next to each other.’
He sighed again, but this time it was not annoyance I detected. ‘I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere,’ he said, leaping to his feet.
I heard him jogging up the beach and across the lawn.
‘Hey!’ came a voice from the nearby forest.
‘We need more time,’ I whispered.
‘Have you slipped him the powder yet?’
‘I’m just about to do it.’
I tore the packet of sedative open and sprinkled it into one of the beers. Using my index finger, I stirred it around. Bella had said it would dissolve within a minute or two and had no obvious taste.
A few minutes later, Clarence was back with a picnic blanket. He spread it over the sand close to the lake.
‘Cheers,’ I said, holding up my glass.
‘To new friends,’ he said.
He downed half the glass in one mouthful. I sipped at my glass, careful not to swallow any of it. Belle had told me the sedative took about five minutes to work once the full dose had been ingested. Clarence put his glass down in the sand.
‘I’m not going to embarrass myself tonight by drinking too much,’ he said. ‘I like a few drinks but I’m completely humiliated by last night.’
‘Don’t be silly,’ I said, touching his arm. ‘It was a party and we both drank a lot of beer on empty stomachs. This is different.’
‘Even so.’
I glanced at his beer. His glass still had half the sedative in it. Possibly more if it had sunk to the bottom.
‘Let’s play a game,’ I said.
‘I like the sound of this.’
‘It’s a drinking game. Do you have drinking games in 2123?’
He smirked. ‘Of course we do.’
‘If you get the answer right, you get to ask a question. If you get the answer wrong, you have to chug the rest of your beer.’
Clarence raised his eyebrows. ‘Are you trying to get me drunk?’
‘I might be. Just a little.’
He rested a hand on my knee.
‘Who was the president of the USA in 2012?’ I asked.
‘What? How obscure is that? Not fair.’
‘I could have asked you who the Prime Minister of the UK was, but I’m being kind.’
‘I’m crap at history.’
‘Oh, dear. Guess you’re gonna have to down that beer.’
‘Hang on a minute. I know. Barack Obama. First black president of the USA. Elected for two terms.’
‘Congratulations. Your go.’
I heard a rustle from the treeline. I knew it was Peg, reminding me that time was short.
‘Who is the current president of the USA?’ asked Clarence.
I smiled. ‘A trick question? The USA no longer exists.’
‘Touché. Your go.’
‘What was the name of the war that began in 1914 and ended in 1918?’
Clarence snorted. ‘Another history question? Please.’
‘Long before my time,’ I said. ‘Before my grandmother’s time. It’s a valid question.’
Clarence sighed. ‘Korean?’
I shook my head. ‘The Great War. Or the First World War. Either would have been fine.’ I picked up his glass and handed it to him. ‘Time to chug.’
Clarence leant his head back and poured the drink down his throat. ‘Something’s wrong with this beer. It’s all powdery at the bottom.’
‘I might have accidentally kicked some sand earlier.’
He shrugged. ‘My turn, right? I’m gonna ask you the name of the war that began in 2050 and ended in 2053.’
I racked my brain. Peg had given me a quick history lesson of the main events in the last hundred years. ‘The Arctic War?’
‘How the hell?’
‘Lucky guess.’
Clarence rubbed his eyes and yawned. ‘I don’t know about you, Eden, but I’m beat. How about we head back upstairs?’
‘In a minute or two. I’m hoping to see another shooting star.’
‘Fine. You know, when I get back from this . . .’
He flopped on to his back and his eyes closed. It had only been about thirty seconds. Inwardly I hoped that Belle had been right about the dosage and the interaction between the sedative and alcohol. I didn’t like Clarence especially, but I didn’t want him to die.
I lay back next to him. Above us a meteor made a quick dash across the sky. I took that as a good omen.
‘Clarence,’ I said, touching his arm. ‘Did you see that?’
‘Hmm?’
‘Never mind.’
The sound of a twig snapping told me that Peg was making his way towards us. A vice-like panic seized my chest. What if Clarence wasn’t completely under? He could identify Peg and me later. He had to be completely unconscious.