Shaman Machine the Mentor Page 13

“Sounds like you had a successful trip,” she said.

  “We did! So, you’ll try the two-stripe?” he pressed.

  “Of course! I’d love to!” she happily assured him.

  “Come on,” he said, escorting her to a table; but instead of joining her he spun away at the last moment. “I'll be right back,” he said. Trotting to the counter, Joud leaned in close to confide with the proprietor. Chortling, at something Joud said, the old man looked at Carla before clapping Joud on the back and shooing him away. His face red, Joud hustled back to join her at the table. “They said they'd get right on it,” he reported.

  “You look good, Joud.”

  Joud blushed anew. “I guess I’ve been working hard, although it’s more like play,” he told her.

  “So, are you going to tell me about your adventures at sea?”

  “There’s so much to tell. I hardly know how to start. The ocean is amazing; even bigger than the desert. I love it! I might shave my head.”

  Carla blinked. “Shave your head?” She grabbed one of his hands, as if to restrain him. “But I love your thick hair!”

  “What’s to love?” he asked. “It used to be alright; now it’s just stiff. It’s gets kind of sticky after awhile. All that salt, I guess.”

  Carla peered at his head. “It does look kind of bristly; let me touch.”

  Submissively, he bowed his giant head. When she combed her fingers through his coarse blond spikes; he let escape a simple grunt.

  “I see what you mean,” Carla agreed. “Maybe if you rinse it as soon as you get out of the water; and deep condition it once a week….”

  “Ha!” Joud scoffed. “Maybe if you promise to run your fingers through it every single day, I might consider your suggestions. Otherwise, forget about it; it’s gone.”

  “Ah. O-o-oh,” Carla complained. “Guess I’ll get used to it,” she sighed, “So tell me, how’s the new bot working out?”

  “It’s not really new; same bot, different body. Which is good because I’m growing rather fond of that machine,” Joud shared. “Unfortunately, Alex is becoming less enamored. Actually, I get a sense that there’s something…mm…how to put it. There’s something not quite right between Alex and Chance-bot. There seems to be a growing tension; and I’m not sure why.”

  “Really?” Carla laughed oddly. “Truth is, I was a little concerned about how things would go with Alex. I wasn’t sure what to expect when Danel told me he’d set you guys up. But what does the bot have to do with anything? I would have thought….” Looking pained, she said, “I’ll just be blunt. I would have thought his drinking would be the main issue.”

  “He does drink every day,” Joud allowed. “But usually he waits until dinnertime. During the day, he’s funny, playful, smart and interesting. Look, I've known him since I was a kid. He’s family, Carla.”

  “Well, I don’t know him very well…just through Danel. But his reputation precedes him,” Carla said.

  “Reputations aren’t everything. People like to share drama. Alex has a good heart. Plus, he has a joy of life attitude that is truly infectious.” The proprietor came and set two overloaded plates between them. He winked at Joud then promptly left.

  “Look at the size of these fillets!” Carla exclaimed.

  Her words coaxed pride from Joud’s expression. “After you,” he said, nodding his encouragement, “I want you to take the first bite.”

  “Alright, but I’ll never finish this much food,” she cautioned.

  “Fine. Now try it!” Exuding confidence, he watched her sample a first bite.

  Chewing, savoring, swallowing, she nodded her head, and said, “I’m impressed: fat and tasty.”

  Joud dug in. After the greed of his hunger was partially sated, Joud asked, “So, Carla, what have you been up to?”

  “Working, of course. I mean that's what I came here to do,” she said, in a singsong of repressed emotions. She took another bite of the two-stripe and chewed especially slowly. Sharing an audible sigh, she explained, “I’m kind of sick of spending so much time with the design team.” After blushing, she added, “I so appreciate having you here.”

  Joud flushed.

  Carla continued, “Not that I encouraged you to come solely for my benefit. Well, okay, I did encourage you to come for my benefit.” She laughed. “Thank you for coming, Joud. I think I’d be pretty lonely without you.”

  “We haven’t been here very long. You’ll make more friends,” he assured her.

  Carla’s nod was noncommittal. The two ate in silence for some minutes. Carla's shifting expressions, hinted at something troubling her thoughts. When she spoke again, she surprised him by unequivocally naming her discontent. “I’m pretty frustrated with Danel.”

  “Oh!” he said. “What’s going on?”

  “I feel like he’s missing some really essential facts.”

  Joud put his fork down. “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “Like the fact that Varun is a pristine ecosystem.”

  “He’s a pretty accomplished underwater designer, Carla.”

  “I’ll be the first to admit, Danel's cities are beautiful. When he invited me to work with him on the Savaj City expansion, I was thrilled. But now that we’re here, I get the feeling he’s just churning out the newest iteration of the same design.” Carla put her fork down too, and looked at Joud with boldness in her eyes. “Look, the truth is every city before this one was designed for a dead ocean.”

  Joud’s stared in apparent disbelief. He defended as though he had been personally chastised. “It’s not completely dead. Parts of it have been reclaimed. I haven’t personally seen them; but I have friends who’ve done the dive monuments.”

  “Sure Earth has some walled-in reclamation zones,” she allowed, “but those can hardly be compared to Varun. Well, maybe as a cautionary tale. My point is we’re supposed to design a self-sustaining city. But Danel is fixated on taking his previous designs to the next aesthetic level.” Suddenly angry, she looked away from him to shout, “It's maddening, Joud! He’s not giving any attention to the environmental assessment.” Turning back to him, she said imploringly, “Look, we have a responsibility to do no harm. I honestly think he’s afraid to risk deviating from a successful formula. And yet….” Closing her mouth, she looked into her lap. Sighing, she looked up and said, “We have to do something different! Something brand new that’s never been done before! We can’t just recreate a city designed for a dead place.” Staring into Joud’s eyes, she said, “I know what needs to happen. Every one of us on the design team needs to fall in love with the living sea.” Her eyes slid away from Joud and back again, “I wonder if hanging out with you guys on the water for a month would shake something loose.” Grabbing his hand, she pressed, “Even a week! Or two?”

  Joud was suddenly elated. “I'd sign on for that! If you want, I can talk to Alex. I’m positive he’d be welcome all of you.”

  Carla gave a skeptical huff. “The trick will be getting Danel and Frances to agree.” Smiling hopefully, she said, “If it’s really okay…I’’ll bring it up with them.”

  “It really is okay!”

  Carla relaxed. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  They spent the rest of their meal laughing about some of the crazy things they’d seen in Kamarong City. Daylight was beginning to wane when Joud announced he had a date to go swimming with Chance-bot.

  Carla's eyes grew wide. “It's getting dark! Everyone says night swimming is insane!”

  “No need to worry,” Joud told her. “I am completely safe with Chance. It’s like swimming with Neptune! That bot could easily whisk me clear of any danger.” He had risen from his chair to leave when Tazo and Alex appeared. Joud gestured to them; and naturally, they strolled over, sitting down to join Carla.

  “Hold on a second, Joud,” Alex said, “Got a joke for you.”

  “Oka-a-ay,” he said, beaming a worried look Carla’s way.

  “Goes like this,” Alex said. “A pirate and a par
rot were adrift in a lifeboat after a dramatic escape from a mighty battle. Rummaging through the lifeboat's provisions, the pirate stumbled across an old lamp. Secretly hoping a genie would appear, he rubbed the lamp vigorously. To his amazement, a genie did appear.” Alex paused. “This particular genie cautioned that he only had one wish to deliver rather than the expected three. Without giving any thought to the matter, the pirate blurted out, ‘make the entire ocean into rum!’ The genie clapped his hands with a deafening crash, and immediately the entire sea turned into the finest rum ever sampled by mortals. Simultaneously, the genie vanished.” Alex paused to cross his arms. “The gentle lapping of rum against the hull of the still adrift lifeboat was the only sound in the stillness. Of course, the pirate and the parrot were no less imperiled. So the parrot looked at the pirate with disgust. After a tension filled moment, the parrot squawked: ‘Great, now we're going to have to pee in the lifeboat.’”

  Wearing a complicit smile, Joud shook his head slowly. “If you come across one of those magic lamps, Alex, I'll be sure to wrestle it from your possession,” he promised.

  “Hey, I resemble that remark.” Alex tossed back. “Anyway, where are you off to?” Indicating Carla, he admonished, “Looks like your date’s right here.”

  “Going swimming in the Bay of Dreams,” Joud confessed, turning to hurry away.

  CHAPTER 30

  Dodging through the anarchy of traffic, Carla and Pancho were walking back to the Poseidon after their lunch break at the Double Moon. The trident shaped hotel loomed over everything else. Though the tallest prong was a mere four stories high, it anyway towered above the tiny houses that comprised Kamarong City.

  “Oh! I’m getting nervous,” Carla squealed.

  Pancho looked at her soberly, and admonished, “Calm down.”

  “But you agree with me, right,” she begged.

  Pancho smiled and shook his head. “Oh no, you don’t,” he said, “You designers will have to fight amongst yourselves on this. I’m just the structural biologist. My job is to turn your fantasies into something feasible.”

  “You’re no help,” Carla complained.

  “Good,” Pancho told her, “If I was any help, I’d get no peace.”

  “Fine!” Carla said, “At least distract me. Tell me something…. How’s your family doing?”

  “The new assistant-bot arrived a few days ago,” he shared.

  “Oh!” Carla exclaimed. “Is Marta finding it helpful?”

  “Yes, and our youngest, Frank, is completely smitten. As it turns out, the bot is a superb tutor. And whereas my oldest is merely cooperative, little Frank follows the bot around for half the day asking questions.” Chuckling, Pancho added, “Marta says she’s taken to giving the bot advice on how to ditch the kid, so it can get some housework done.”

  Carla chortled with Pancho.

  The Poseidon was set back from the street. They turned up the pedestrian promenade that led to the main entrance. After passing through the center of the triple arch entryway, Carla and Pancho wove through the interior garden as they headed for the main escalator.

  On mounting the moving steps, Carla’s anxiety returned. “Oh dear,” she gasped.

  Coming to the second floor, Pancho hopped off and said, “Good luck, Carla. Breath deep. Just make your case. You’ll be fine.”

  Nodding her head, Carla waved goodbye and said, “Okay. I’ll try. Thanks, Pancho.”

  Feeling alone, she took the escalator the final distance to the fourth floor while doing her best to follow Pancho’s advice, by taking in slow deep breaths. When she approached the Bay View Suite on the fourth floor, the portals recognized her, and automatically opened in response. Unhindered, she passed through a series of rooms. Resolutely pulling in another deep breath, she approached the portal for the conference room. When it swept aside, she saw Danel speaking to Frances. His words instantly decayed. She stepped into the room.

  The golden white room was unencumbered by detail. Even the twelve chairs and conference table, dominating the center of the space, were void of flourish. Following a perfunctory round of greetings, Danel waved Carla to a seat opposite him. Sitting in the center chair on her side of the pale table, Carla faced the only break in uniformity, a floor to ceiling window that overlooked the Bay of Dreams. Danel had tuned the window to hold a subtle tint, dampening the glare without obscuring the view. Sitting between Carla and the view, Danel looked bored. Frances sat off to the side, where she occupied the head of the table. Abruptly, the portal whisked open and Saul poked his head in. He briefly hovered in the tension then wordlessly retreated. The portal snicked shut.

  Danel opened the meeting by asking, “What’s up, Carla?”

  Carla’s temple and throat flushed pink. “I've been…reviewing the…um…weather data and the…the satellite pictures like you asked me to Danel,” she said haltingly. “I've…um…also examined the…the…um…mineral content profiles. Between those profiles and the documented dearth of fish….” She paused to sweep her eyes to Frances and back. The blush on her neck spread; the color deepened, as she continued, “I have serious doubts about the…um…the carrying capacity of the abyssal plain.” Glancing nervously back and forth between Frances and Danel she concluded, “I don’t believe the Abyssal can sustainably support 20,000 full time residents.” Suddenly rushing over her words, she blurted, “We-will-almost-certainly-create-a-dead-zone.”

  First shooting a look at Frances, Danel bled annoyance. “Carla, I think I can speak for both Frances and myself, when I say, we really appreciate your dedication. You've put in a lot of hours since we've been here. We appreciate your sacrifice in the interest of completing the project in a timely manner. I’d like to start by acknowledging your contribution by saying, thank you.”

  Frances knew Danel well enough to realize, he was filling the air with words until he could decide on a response. She leaned forward then pressed the loose spiral of gray hair behind one ear. “Excuse me, Danel,” she interrupted. “Almost certainly create a dead zone, Carla? Or definitely create a dead zone?” she asked.

  Carla looked to be on the verge of tears. She took a deep breath and visibly blew it out through pursed lips. “Will definitely create a dead zone,” she confirmed.

  Danel pushed a frustration of fingers through hair grown longer than he would have allowed on Earth. He determined to get it cut soon, as thinning hair was better kept short. He constrained his voice to a neutral tone, but there was no mistaking his hostile stance. “That’s a pretty damning conclusion, Carla,” he said, “You might be a little out of your league. This isn’t my first city, you know.”

  Having reached her limit for blushing, Carla’s face blanched white. Gathering up her courage, she poured out an unequivocal response. “Danel, I respect your knowledge. We all depend on it. But you are pushing us to skip half of the design process based on your assumptions. The ocean. On Earth. Is dead, Danel.” Her discomfort was palpable. “Our current challenge is to design a city for a living ocean, Danel. This is a wholly different planet. Our solutions should be radically different. Just look out the window. Look at that sky. This is Varun! Why must we design a city that is round and tied to the ground?”

  Frances leaned as far forward as possible, her hands loosely clasped on the table in front of her. Though her features conveyed detachment, compassion softened her voice, “I appreciate the courage it takes to challenge us, Carla. If it’s true that the Abyssal cannot provide sufficient resources to support the city, do you have a suggestion?”

  Frowning, Danel leaned back from the table, and crossed his arms.

  “There is a primary current encircling the planet,” Carla began. “I believe we should place the city somewhere within that current! The food and resources would be beyond adequate; they’d be abundant. And-- and we could harvest the energy of the moving water to power the city!”

  Carla's passionate appeal was met by a wall of silence. Danel gave Frances an inscrutable look. Danel felt impatient and
, yes, resentful. He hated being distracted from his work by inexperienced associates trying to make their own particular mark on his project. Thankfully, Frances was patient enough for both of them. Feign a bottomless patience, he spoke slowly. “Carla,” he intoned, “placing the city in the ocean current will inflict compound stresses on the structure and on associated tie-downs.”

  “Not if the city is designed for that environment. Not if we exploit the power of the current rather than resist it,” she hazarded. Then to stop herself from saying more, Carla clasped her hands and positioned her thumbs against her lips. Thus subdued, she waited. Danel clenched his jaw. When no one spoke, Carla dropped her hands and added, “I also think we need to get off this island...to expand our horizons.”

  Frances looked intrigued. “Get off the island?”

  “We’re supposed to design a city for the water; and yet here we are tethered to an island. I think we need to spend some quality time with the sea.” Seeing the end in sight, Carla raced through her final proposal. “I-suggest-a-two-week-trip-on-the-waters-with-Joud-and-Alex. All-of-us. The-whole-design-team.”

  CHAPTER 31

  Lifting his glass, Alex waved it at me. I stepped from the shadows to pour. After taking a sip, Alex set the vessel back on the table. Eying Joud's empty glass, he jerk his chin, and said, “Looks like Joud could use another round, too.”

  Joud shook his head. “I'm good, Alex.”

  “You're such a lightweight.”

  “Yup,” Joud clipped.

  I stepped back to the murky fringe. The white skin on their cleanly shorn heads bobbed like extra lights, as they rearranged themselves in their chairs.

  Alex played his fingers on a side of his glass. Stilling his hand, he said, “Sometimes it's healthy for a person to let go of some control, Joud.”

  Joud remained silent.

  “Have you ever done any hallucinogens, Joud?”

  Crossing his heavy arms over his wide chest, Joud answered, “No, Alex, not really my thing.”