Revolution World (24 page)

"Did you say Floracopia?" trilled Medea.

The senator had bent to tie his shoe on the way back from the bathroom and stopped right next to Shiva. He was considering giving them all a good telling off. But after listening to them, he hurried back to his table.

"That pack of hyenas in the corner there is some sort of military group for DARPA," the senator hissed to the governor. The governor returned his gaze and appeared massively unconcerned.

The senator continued with ill-concealed excitement, "I bet they're the same bunch of hotheads that caused that fiasco with Omerta a few months ago."

The governor nodded. "And they are getting friendly with those Malsanto people. The ones who were trying to steal from that Floracopia group down in Ambrosia Springs," he supplied. "It is such a small world we live in, isn't it?"

The senator couldn't agree more. His mind wandered around these facts but arrived at no unifying conclusion, so he moved on to the topic he most wanted to discuss this evening.

"So, I took your recommendation and spent some time relaxing," he said with an overly casual tone. "Decided that since so many of my constituents like playing that Revolution World game, I should try it out."

That drew the governor's attention away from the drama unfolding on the other side of the bar. "Really?" he said. "And how did you find it?"

The senator leaned forward. "I liked it quite a bit."

The governor nodded gravely. "I quite enjoy playing that game myself. I find it calms my mind in quite interesting ways." The governor reached into his pocket, turned on the scrambler, and set it on the table.

"If that thing doesn't actually work, we are totally screwed," observed the senator.

"Then let's make sure we are doing something worth getting screwed for," replied the governor.

CHAPTER TWENTY

G
loria burst into the break room and collapsed in a chair behind Max in a huff. She was having very trying day. She had spent all her energies trying to motivate the employees to have a more positive outlook and no one appreciated her efforts.

Max turned to look at her with a mildly inquisitive expression. "I hear you have spent the whole day screaming at everyone in the building. What's going on? Are you having female troubles?"

Rage boiled through her veins. The fact that Gloria was, in fact, having female troubles made it so much worse.

"You are all trying to slack off on your work and undermine my authority here, but I won't let you," she thundered. "Even if I have to chain you all to your desks, I will make this facility a success."

Max twisted his face in a way that strongly suggested he was choking back a chuckle. Gloria seriously considered backhanding the man. But even confidence in her position wouldn't overcome her ingrained respect for her elders. Max got up quietly and left Gloria alone in the break room. She felt like crying, but refused to allow herself to wallow in such weakness. Other women cried. Fluffy blond women with no self respect. Not her.

Max returned with a bowl of chocolate ice cream and a stiff shot of rum. He set these before her and sat down. Gloria considered them. He might be trying to suggest that she was in a bad mood and taking it out on others. Or he might be offering her tokens of alliance in the manner of a vassal, swearing fealty to his lord.

Yes
, she decided.
Probably that second one.
She drank the shot and began eating the ice cream in what she hoped was a dignified manner.

"I can never believe you are so young," Max said into the silence.

"The weight of responsibility ages a person," she replied gravely.

Max chuckled. "That's not really what I meant, but it doesn't matter. Why do you let it bother you that Seth has left early to have a picnic date with his girlfriend?"

Gloria sucked in her breath before she could stop herself. "It doesn't bother me at all," she said in a clipped tone. "I couldn't care less, except he is falling behind on his work. He's letting the company and our family down. If this little relationship of his causes him to forget his responsibilities, it is my job to force him to his senses."

Max studied his feet for a moment. "Why don't you just go back to the island? You are miserable here."

Gloria shrieked indignantly. "And blow my big chance? Drag back home with my tail between my legs and admit defeat?" she cried. She couldn't believe he would even suggest such a thing.

Failure was not an option. If this Texas facility didn't work, another shot at moving up in the company might never come along. If she had to personally imprison every terrorist in the state, this facility would be a success.

Max shook his head. "Seriously, Gloria, let's be honest for a minute. Why are you so obsessed with Seth? If you gave anyone else a chance, you'd have your pick of the men."

Again, Gloria was strongly tempted to sob like a little girl. She didn't know why she wanted Seth. She just did. She would have him eventually and then he would regret making her wait like this. But he was not leaping at this opportunity to be with someone fabulous like her.

Why didn't he realize how perfect they would be together? How could he prefer that blond with her stupid Texas twang? Didn't he realize that he fulfilled all of Gloria's main requirements for a significant other? Gloria blew out a frustrated sigh, but did not speak.

"I suspect your interest mainly stems from his lack of interest," Max said gently. "But, really, you just aren't right for each other. You should find someone else."

"I don't need dating advice from the world's oldest bachelor," she snapped. Gloria would have really given him a piece of her mind, but her handheld started beeping its alarm.

"Is there no such thing as a lazy day in Texas?" muttered Max.

*****

Leaning against a tree with a gentle breeze wafting along his face, Clio knew that life inside the cloud of bliss she'd lived in for the past few weeks couldn't last. She knew that eventually she would have to resume her grueling work schedule. She knew the demands of Floracopia and Revolution World would force him back to reality sooner or later. She didn't care.

They cooked dinner together and watched movies on the couch. They talked about politics and made plans for the future. They stayed up late plotting for a better world. This evening had felt like something out of one of the sappy movies Thalia and Terpsi sometimes made her watch.

They'd gone out just after sunset. The last rays of daylight dappled through the trees as Seth lay with Clio's head in his lap. The wind played with the wildflowers as they idly ate fruit and sipped wine.

They had their picnic on a large hill that looked out over the Floracopia buildings. Clio was gently dozing when Seth saw the first of the DARPA vans roll to a stop in Floracopia's parking lot.

"Clio, we have a problem," he said.

"Are we out of wine?" she asked without opening her eyes.

"DARPA is invading your lab," he replied as he began fumbling for his handheld. Clio shot to her feet. She stared at the soldiers streaming out of the vans and into the Co-op with her mouth wide open. She started to bolt down the hill, but Seth grabbed her.

Dragging her behind a tree, he said, "We really don't want to go down there."

"My lab," she cried.

"I know, but better your lab than you. What do you think they will do with you?" whispered Seth. Clio sat down hard.

If they were raiding her lab, they would take her to an interrogation facility. A torture prison. She jumped to her feet again.

"My mom is down there!" she cried.

"And you cannot help them if you are down there getting roughed up by those idiots," replied Seth, pulling her back down.

Clio shook her head to clear the panic out. He was right. She pulled out her handheld and joined him in firing off cries for help to anyone and everyone.

Working her handheld furiously, she watched as soldiers dragged specimens, equipment and people out of the building. It was agony.

"Oh my god, they are taking the Chinese mushrooms. Six months of work are in that vat. And they've got my mother on her knees in the gravel," she sobbed.

"But they don't have any of your notes or other data," Seth said grimly. She whipped her head around to look at him. He held up his handheld.

"I moved it all someplace they will never find. Whatever else they do, they won't get any of your real data," he said. Then he immediately went back to work. She wanted to kiss him for that. She wanted to curl up in his arms and pretend this was a bad dream. Instead, Clio continued firing off messages.

"Thalia is out of town and safe. Terpsi grabbed her kids and took off for the hills. Folks will hide her until we know what's going on. Kalliope got my message, but god knows what she will do," Clio reported mechanically to Seth as they both frantically tried to save Floracopia.

"I doubt Kalliope's plan will be to run and hide," Seth chuckled grimly.

Clio prayed to whatever gods may be that she didn't hear any gunshots. She did hear a lot of smashing sounds and a few gut wrenching screams. She hoped everyone was all right down there. She wondered how much of her lab would be left at the end of this day. If only she knew what was going on.

"Here comes the cavalry," Seth said. He stopped working on his handheld to watch. Clio tore her eyes away from Harmony and the man pointing a gun at her mother's head.

A cloud of dust was the first sign on the horizon. Within minutes the parking lot was filled with cars, trucks, and scooters of every description. The soldiers tried to stop them, but it was like trying to hold back a tidal wave. When the lot filled, the vehicles jammed the roads, pulling off any which way. Hundreds of people raced out of the night and over the hillside, streaming towards the building like ants on their way to a picnic. All of them were armed.

"Wow," whistled Seth. "People sure do feel strongly about Floracopia here. I didn't know Ambrosia Springs had this many citizens."

Clio stared at the angry mob. "If the government shuts down Floracopia, Ambrosia Springs is out of a job. It could end up a ghost town. There are enough of those around here to get people pretty worked up."

"This could go very poorly," Seth murmured.

Clio saw her mother stand up and dust herself off under the parking lot lights, despite the loud objections of the man with the very large gun pointed at her head.

Harmony kept her hands over her head and moved slowly. She seemed to be talking to the man, who only became more agitated. As the crowd forming pressed closer and got louder, he shot wildly over their heads. People screamed and hit the dirt. Harmony flinched, but remained standing. Clio could see that people were filming all of this, including several local reporters for the major globenet news stations.

And every single head turned when gouts of flame began shooting out one of the windows. Soldiers burst out of the doors, screaming. A fireball followed them out. At first Clio thought DARPA was blowing up the building, but the obvious agitation of the soldiers ruled that out. They were cowering behind the van, totally ignoring the crowd as they aimed their guns at the door. Another fireball shot out.

"Oh dear," said Clio. Her stomach sank like a stone when she realized what it was.

"Wow," said Seth. "That's definitely a security feature I did not add to your building. Did Kalliope do that? She really does have a scorched earth philosophy, doesn't she?"

"No, this one is on me," Clio said.

A flaming cow bolted out the door. It opened its mouth to bellow in outrage and a plume of flame shot ten feet. It scorched the front of one of the DARPA vans. The cow looked as surprised as everyone else. Pandemonium ensued as the cow charged wildly. People alternately leapt out of its way and tried to smother the flames on its back.

The soldier with his gun on Harmony lowered his weapon uncertainly. His training clearly hadn't covered this eventuality. People in the crowd hit the deck. Seth laughed out loud, and then looked embarrassed.

"Sorry, Clio. I know this is serious, but that right there is hilarious," he said. "You made a self-barbecuing cow."

"No, that's not what it's for. They are for methane recapture," she began, but gave up. "Stupid DARPA."

They heard a man shout, "Bubba, get some sauce! This cow is cooking itself!"

Seth smirked. Clio punched his arm.

"You really do create miracles, don't you? When this is over, I'll take a whole herd," he said. She turned to punch him again but Seth stepped back.

Eventually, the crowd extinguished the cow. Their attention was returning to the DARPA crisis when another burst of flame erupted from the building. As more soldiers burst out of the building, a soldier panicked and let loose another stream of bullets. Harmony fell to the ground, clutching her shoulder. Blood sprayed down her arm. Clio screamed.

Seth tightened his grip as she lurched towards her mother. The soldier who shot Harmony almost dropped his gun, but didn't fire again. There was total silence, like the calm before a storm. The building continued to burn, but nobody cared. The crowd lurched towards Harmony, but the soldiers suddenly remembered their job and turned their weapons on the mob, stopping their advance. Another man in uniform strode forward and grabbed the quivering soldier's gun before he could fire off another round.

"There's your friend, Colonel Crazypants," Clio said without tearing her eyes away.

"He's doing the sanest thing possible right now," replied Seth. The colonel was obviously screaming at the soldier who fired. No one moved to help Harmony, who sprawled in the gravel, bleeding.

The crowd was now massive and more kept coming. They held a collective breath as the soldier turned and entered one of the vans. Several older women with large bouffants edged slowly towards Harmony. When the colonel gestured impatiently, the women ran to Harmony. After a moment, they helped her to her feet.

"It can't be that bad," Clio said, a breath away from hysteria.
"That's Millie standing next to her. She's Terpsi's head nurse. She wouldn't let my mom get up if it was really bad."