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Marlow’s hands shake just a little as he lights a cigarette.
And I—all I can think about now is Archer. He’s here. And seeing Ty getting his loved one back, my chest tightens at the thought that I might have lost mine.
I do what I’ve done so many times in the last month. I break the silence and ask the usual question:
“How is Archer?”
9
ARCHER
After never-ending meetings,I want to be alone. My house is just fine. Four gray walls. Dimmed lights. No music. It’s good to be back.
Ty barged into my office earlier and pulled me into a bear hug, tears in his eyes, hands grabbing my head and pressing his forehead to mine.
“I owe you man, big one, the biggest fucking favor you ever need, my life, anything,” he blabbered like a madman, hugging me again.
“It was Mr. Ortiz, not me,” I said when he finally let me go.
Now I stand by the window of Cliff Villa, a drink in my hand. Just like before I left. Nothing much changed. Definitely not my mood.
It’s pouring outside, but the sound of the rain is muffled and barely reaches inside. My cave is my fortress.
Except when I turn and catch sight of the painting on the wall, the red splash amidst the shades of gray reminds me of…
Her, yeah.
I’ve been through hell in the past several weeks. Kat’s harsh words that fateful night are always in my head, chased by the images of her beautiful face in front of me when I came to it after the plunge, on her knees, red lipstick, red dress, my heart bleeding red as she brings me out of the darkness.
No matter how I try to shake her off, she tiptoes back and, in drunken times, barges into my head. I want her to go away but crave her at the same time. She has some strange power over me that weeks of not seeing her didn’t erase, only made worse.
After the mainland, Ayana seems strange. It’s home, but so small and suffocating, with so many dramas and traumas but also happy moments. It’s all in here.
I try to read the latest bio-genetics research article Amir sent me, but words get lost in my thoughts.
I wanna go to the Southern Cabanas where the on-site scientists reside. When I’m among the regular folks, I feel like I’m in a normal world. With normal people.Olderpeople. There is something unsettling about not seeing many elder people around except in the lab. Or children. Zion is an island of youth but with no future. We need change, that’s for sure, and that idea got lodged in my mind during the weeks on the mainland. I just don’t know what to change.
I dial Bishop. It’s an enigma, really, but he gets along well with me and actually likes me. He’s a recluse, but O’Shea’s business brings him to Ayana more often now, and he’s one of the few people I can trust.
“Bishop,” I say with a smile when he picks up. A decade older than me, he is the one person I don’t shy away from when it comes to security advice.
“Do you entice security breaches at Ayana out of boredom, Archer?”
The humor in his voice makes me smile. His is one of the very few voices I actually don’t mind hearing right now.
“I like living on the edge,” I joke, noting in my mind how ugly the truth is, considering what happened.
Bishop laughs into the phone. He has an intense past, a sharp brain, and a fuck-all attitude, but is one of the easiest people to shoot the shit with. Maybe that’s because he’s not in my circle and doesn’t feel pressured.
“Well, welcome back,” he says after we chat for a minute. “Right back to Ayana mess. That security breach two months ago, now the spies. Jesus. I don’t know if you want to hear it, but most of the issues with your security have to do with Butcher.”
“Why do I hear that name too often lately?”
“Trust me on this one. You heard O’Shea, Butcher is involved. He’s not as dumb as we think, despite being a thug. He lets the Savages do all the dirty work. He probably pays off your guys at the port.”
“No fucking way.”
“Archer, corruption is an integral part of any structure. Otherwise, we could’ve built a Utopia a thousand years ago. There are too many dealings going on in Port Mrei, too many fuckheads, ready for anything and getting restless. You need more patrol in town. Raven handles the peace talks and has leverage. He does what he has to, but he’s not enough. Raven is a one-man-army who has too many important responsibilities, and we don’t have many guys as smart as him who are not afraid to deal with the thugs and get their hands dirty.”
