I got up, went over to his bed, and looked over his shoulder. “Did you find any more hidden files?”
He tapped the window to display another screen. “Two more files.” He tapped the screen a few more times and said, “There you go… I just sent them to you.”
My data mat beeped, but before I could open the files, there was a knock at the door.
“Hello? Anybody home?” Helen asked before knocking again.
I walked over and opened the door. “Good morning, Helen.”
“More like good afternoon. I’ve been worried sick about you two. You missed breakfast.” She walked in with a tray full of food and set it down on the small table in the corner. “Well, come on then. You must be hungry. I can tell that you’ve both been up all night. You have the same look my old Bob had when he crawled home from the pubs at five in the morning.”
She lifted a cloth, unleashing the smell of sweet bread. My stomach woke up and grumbled. William must have had the same reaction, because he grabbed a piece and gobbled it down before I reached the plate.
“We were working on that thing that I told you about yesterday. You know the—”
“Aron Atherton, didn’t your mother teach you not to talk with your mouth full?”
“Sorry.” I swallowed and took a drink of mango juice before continuing. “We found the information that Jin left behind, thanks in large part to William here.”
William rolled his eyes and took another bite of bread.
“I told you he was smart, didn’t I, Aron?” Helen said. “Well then, what is it? What did you boys figure out?”
I paused before taking another bite and said, “We don’t know yet.”
“But I thought you said you found some information.”
I nodded and said, “We did. Now we have to figure out what it means. From what I’ve seen so far, it isn’t so much a plan as it is pieces of a plan. I’ve just got to—” William looked up at me. “I mean we’ve got to figure out what Jin planned to do with this stuff.”
I’ll leave you two at it, then,” she said, turning toward the door. Before leaving, she looked back and added, “Try to get some sleep. You two look like road-kill wallabies that have been lying in the sun too long.” She smiled and closed the door behind her.
“She’s right,” I said. “We should get some sleep.”
“But I’m not tired. Let’s keep going?”
I shook my head. “Trust me. I learned a long time ago that brains don’t function very well without sleep. Let’s take a power nap and pick up where we left off.”
“I’ll lie down,” William said. “But I’m not taking a nap. I told you… I’m not tired.”
“Suit yourself.”
After finishing the food, I laid down. My mind was still spinning and I was having a hard time slowing it down. What did Jin have in mind? Most of the files didn’t make any sense, at least not on the surface. One of them contained a spreadsheet with the names of Chinese cities with some kind of number sequence next to them. The numbers appeared random, but at the same time they seemed familiar. Other files contained information like communications equipment inventories.
I yawned. Before I closed my eyes, I turned my head and glanced over at William. I smiled. He was already snoring.
I slept but my brain kept working on the problem. The number sequences turned into snake-like creatures. They surrounded me and formed themselves into a web-like cocoon, trapping me within the shell. A giant spider was about to plunge its fangs into my neck when my eyes flew open and I found Shannon caressing my cheek with the back of her hand.
“What are you doing here?” I blinked to make sure this wasn’t just another part of the dream.
“What do you think I’m doing here? You wouldn’t answer my messages. I came to see if you were alright.” She traced her fingers down my arm and stopped at my wrist. I shook her off and sat up. William mumbled something in his sleep and rolled over.
“Come on,” I whispered. I got out of bed and motioned for her to follow. We went out onto the front porch, and I quietly closed the door behind me.
Turning to face her, I said, “I’m serious, Shannon. What the hell do you want?”
“Most men I sleep with wait a few months before they avoid me.” She smiled, but I didn’t.
I didn’t need this and I didn’t need her. My heart knew I was lying, but I ignored it like I ignored the little voice in my head. First she popped into my life after three years without a word. Then she suckered me into joining the Council, convincing me that I could make a difference. And just when we had chance to make that difference, she fucked me over in front of the entire Council. What does she want? Does she think I’m going to forget all about that so we could play kissy face again?
She shrugged and went on, “I wanted to make sure you were okay, that’s all. You took off so fast after the Council meeting that I didn’t have time to talk to you about your crazy stunt.”
“My crazy stunt? Jesus H. Christ! Are you shitting me? I told you what I was trying to do. I needed time… time to figure out what was going on, but you couldn’t wait, so what is there to talk about?”
“Come on, Aron. You weren’t making any sense. You sounded like some kind of lunatic conspiracy theorist. What did you expect me to do? Block the vote so you could go off on a snipe hunt while we risk having an outsider decide the list for us?” She took a step toward me and said in a soft voice, “Listen, I know that you’re dealing with a lot right now.” She nodded toward the door. “I get it. It’s a big change for you.”
“You don’t know anything about what I’m dealing with. Did you have three close friends die over the past month? Huh? Did one of your friends disappear in the middle of the night? Did you wake up one morning to find yourself the parent of a ten-year-old boy? No! So don’t tell me that you know what I’m going through.” I turned to walk away, but she grabbed my sleeve and stopped me.
“Rick and Jin were my friends too, you know. But you’re wrong.” She let go of my sleeve and turned to face the ocean. “I know what it’s like to be a parent. Saravan and I had a baby. I never told you that, but we did. That’s why I didn’t come to see you after I got back from that walkabout.”
“You have a child?”
“Had,” she said turning her back on me. “We lost her.” Her shoulders slumped and she began to cry.
“I didn’t know,” I said walking to her and put my hands around.
She stopped crying, pulled herself up straight, and turned to face me. Her face was a mix of embarrassment and anger. “Well screw you, Aron Atherton!” She pushed me away. “You’re not the only one who goes to bed every night and wakes up every morning with a broken heart,. Every person who survived the goddammed storm lives with the same pain you have. Your problem is that you’d rather feel sorry for yourself than enjoy what little time you have left.”
“Listen, Shannon… I’m sorry about what I said. It’s just—”
“Save your apology for someone who wants it. I offered you the most precious thing I have left on this planet, my time. Time I wanted to spend with you. But you would rather spend your time trying to prove that Ahmed is a crook. Well here’s a news flash for you… he is a crook. Everyone knows it, but nobody cares. Don’t you get it? The list is final and nothing you dig up now is going to change that. Why can’t you just let it go?”
“Because,” I said softly, pointing to the hut. “There’s a boy in there that deserves a chance to grow up and become the man that I know he will be. But he’s not going to get that chance unless I find out what’s going on.”
I placed my hands on her shoulders again. “And you’re right. I did spend too much time feeling sorry for myself, but you’re wrong if you think that’s what I’m doing now. For the first time in a really long time, I care about what’s going to happen to someone besides me. And I’m not just talking about William. I mean everyone. I don’t think I actually understood how big a deal the list was until it was finalized. It’s not about who gets to go and who stays behind. It’s about whether or not the human race survives. I know how grandiose this sounds. But it’s how I feel. Do you understand?”