Stark (40 page)

202: WHO DO YOU LOVE?

L
ook,’ said Rachel, getting down to the main point. ‘Why me? I mean a new life on another planet is a lot to offer a girl you hardly know.’

‘Who would you take?’ asked Sly.

‘What do you mean?’ replied Rachel.

‘Exactly what I say, who would you take?’ he continued. ‘You’re not particularly attached, you have to take someone, or else you’ll be all alone in space, so who?’

‘Well…‘ said Rachel with hesitation.

‘Not so easy, is it? Sure, at first you think that there must be someone. You think, after all, I’m very fond of any number of people. But that’s not enough is it? If, despite knowing them well, you’re only fond of them and not in love with them, then there’s a reason for that. Sides of their personalities that you can avoid on earth, you couldn’t get away from when you’re drinking out of the same bottle of air. So, for a single, essentially lonely man, there is no clear choice, in fact there is no choice at all, I simply don’t know anyone I love enough to take…In fact I’ll go further, despite being fond of quite a few women, I love them so insufficiently that I actively don’t want to take them…’

‘And me?’ asked Rachel, seizing the obvious line of questioning like an ace lawyer.

‘Well, I don’t know that I love you, but I certainly fancy the knickers off you, besides you’re a spunky type…Now I’m a clear-headed enough bloke, I’ve fallen for girls before, it could all be over in a week, but you see I don’t know that, do I? Maybe these feelings will last for ever, that’s the difference, you see. With all the other girls that I care anything for at all, I know I know that I will never love them. With you I have a chance. That’s why I want you to come with me. Until you busted your way into my life, frankly, I had no idea of what I was going to do…’

‘Well, I must say you certainly have some terrific root lines. Live with me because I might not end up hating you…‘ replied Rachel.

‘But that’s not what I’m offering, that’s not the reason you should come with me. The reason you should come with me is because that way you’ll stay alive and what’s more, it’s the only way…Listen I’m not going to try and jump on top of you the moment we blast off…’

‘Well thanks,’ said Rachel, dryly.

‘I’m just saying that, well with a bit of understanding, we might be able to build something together…’

‘Please spare me the hearts and flowers, Mr Moorcock.’

‘Look, don’t take the piss out of me, girl! Because this is not a piss taking situation! I’m offering you life for Christ’s sake.’

‘All right, all right!’ Rachel snapped, ‘you’ve been living with this for a long time you know. It’s still fairly new to me.’

She sat down, stood up, wandered around a bit, trying not to think about her family and the people she knew…they were all so far away.

‘Well…‘ she said, and looked at Sly for a long time. He was certainly quite tasty. What’s more he’d been straight with her about his emotional end of it. He didn’t seem quite the bastard he had before. And after all, somebody had to survive the Vanishing Point.

‘Well…‘ she said again…

203: BETRAYAL

S
ly’s conversation with Rachel had taken place whilst Zimmerman had been going mad and threatening Du Pont with electrification.

When Rachel had thought a bit more, she and Sly made their way over to the complex of security cabins. They entered just as Zimmerman and his little party were gingerly emerging from the room containing the bound and furious figures of Tyron, Du Pont and the guards. For a moment the two groups stood at either end of the corridor, very surprised to see each other — CD was ecstatic.

‘Rachel!’ he shouted, ‘you’re back, you look fantastic, no really, fantastic. It’s OK, don’t worry, we’ve escaped! God you look great.’

‘Keep it quiet kid,’ said Zimmerman, pointing his gun at Sly. ‘Thanks for bringing our comrade back, man, if she’s been hurt you’re going to suffer for it. You OK, Rachel?’

‘Umm, yeah, great,’ said Rachel rather nervously. ‘Listen, Zimm…’

‘Then what are we doing hanging about?’ replied Zimm, ‘we’ll just tie-up the fat cat here and we’ll all be on our way.’

‘Zimm,’ said Rachel more firmly. ‘It’s not going to be like that, I need to talk to you all.’

‘Rachel, for Christ’s sake, we have to split,’ said Walter.

‘No really,’ said Rachel. ‘I need to talk to you.’

Zimmerman gave her a puzzled frown, then he waved his gun towards the open door of an empty room. As quietly as possible, they all hurried in.

‘Uhm, Colin,’ said Rachel. ‘Mrs Culboon, Walter, Zimm. This is Silvester.’ She looked slightly nervous, on edge, all sorts of terrible thoughts entered CD’s head…‘What have they done to you, Rachel?’ he shouted. ‘What’s he done to you, I swear I’ll…’

‘Oh do shut up, Colin, we don’t have much time. I’ve found out what we wanted to know.’

CD nearly had an apoplexy.

‘How! How did you find out, what did he make you do!!’

‘Shut up, Colin, I’m telling you…’

And she went on briefly to outline the things she had learnt. She did the best she could to convince them of the true facts about the earth’s condition, explaining that most of the terrible evidence had long been suppressed in order not to interrupt commerce. She described some of the things that she had seen on the video, and some of the things that Sly had told her. She spoke passionately, but of course, they were very sceptical, she had been herself. It is extremely difficult to convince people that their world is in a hopeless condition and virtually dead.

She explained a few of the details of Stark which sounded even more far-fetched. It wasn’t until the end of her little speech that she managed to impress on the four sceptical listeners that she at least certainly believed every word that she was saying.

‘I’m going,’ she said, ‘I’m going with Silvester. He offered me a place and I accepted.’

Obviously it was a shock. Walter was the first to speak.

‘Man, you have got to be crazy?’ he said inadequately. ‘With this dude? With this bread-head? What about all your…all your stuff, man, the things you believe in. I mean the whole Eco-trip…’

‘It’s got nothing to do with the things I believe in,’ said Rachel not very convincingly. ‘I still believe all the same things…this is simply a matter of life and death, that’s all. My principles won’t be any use to me dead will they! I’m sorry, but if you get the chance you might as well choose life…You’re going to die…I’m telling you, you are, and I think given my opportunity you’d make the same decision…Yes you would, you fucking well would. It’s easy to say you wouldn’t because you don’t have the choice to make, but you would…’

CD found himself crying.

Sly tried to help her out.

‘She’s right you know,’ he said, ‘any one of you would jump at the chance, if you had it. But you haven’t, so shut up and listen.’

‘I’m not listening to you, you…prick!’ shouted CD.

‘Colin, if that’s your attitude, just shut up, all right!’ Rachel shouted back. ‘And that goes for all of you! Silvester and I have made an understanding. He’s my…friend. So if that’s your attitude, any of you, just insulting him, well screw you! I only came down here because I made releasing you lot a condition.’ There were many tears starting in Rachel’s eyes.

‘We don’t need any favours girl,’ said Mrs Culboon, ‘this fellah’s giving you stuff, and he gets what you’ve got in return, right? Well, there’s a word for that kind of woman where I come from, and it isn’t a pretty one.’

‘All right, you watch your mouth,’ shouted Sly, ‘right now! You start watching your mouth.’

‘You telling me what to do? Ha!’ said Mrs Culboon, who loved saying, ‘ha’. ‘I got a gun this time, Mister, and you ain’t. So this is what it feels like to be a boong, OK!’

She poked Sly in the ribs with her rifle. Walter decided it was time to pour oil on troubled waters.

‘Hey, come on everybody, be cool. Please can we just be cool? You know it’s still a free world, right? even if it is dying. A chick can hang out with whatever dude she pleases and for whatever reason you know man? I think that’s in the American Constitution or something. Like what I’m interested in Rachel, is your prior implication that you might be able to help us get out. Is that for real?’

‘We don’t need any help, Walter, we’ve being doing just fine on our own,’ said CD. ‘Oh yeah, kid?’ Zimmerman was in a lucid mood, ‘well certainly we’ve being doing OK so far, but may I remind you that we are still in the centre of the pig-pen and I reckon two hippies, a middle-aged black woman and a guy who won’t take off his sunglasses are not necessarily guaranteed a safe passage out of here.’

CD had not taken off his shades since the mission began, not even at night, possibly this was how he had come to shoot down the helicopter.

‘Can you help us get to the wire?’ Zimmerman asked Rachel.

‘Of course. We’ll be gone very soon,’ said Rachel. ‘There’s nothing you can do to stop it and anyway, I can’t be involved if you lot are all locked up like animals. I’ve told Silvester that he has to let you go.’

‘I won’t go!! I’m staying here, I can’t leave Rachel with that…that…!’ About five minutes later CD would think of a magnificent and perfect insult but for the time being his mind was blank. Zimmerman gave him little time to think.

‘Shut up, man,’ said Zimmerman, ‘if we can split, we will split.’

‘Stop telling me to shut up,’ shouted CD even louder, but it was clear that everybody thought that he should shut up.

‘I have security passes here, they should get you through if you’re careful,’ said Sly.

‘Hey, uhm, forgive me if I appear cynical man,’ said Walter, ‘but, like, why should you do this thing for us?’

‘I can’t see a problem with letting you lot go,’ replied Sly. ‘After all, what we’re engaged in is not actually illegal. We were always more concerned about the panic that we would spark if what we were up to was known. There’s no time left for you to even convince the people of Bullens Creek, let alone anyone else. We own most of the papers, we own most of the TV, we’ll be gone in a matter of days. What can you do? Anyway, Rachel wants it — ’ He looked at Rachel.

‘How very fucking touching,’ observed CD bitterly. Rachel tried once more to convince them that she really had no choice. It was difficult of course because it rather meant rubbing in the hopelessness of her friends’ own situation. After all, her argument for picking up on Sly’s offer was the absolute certainty that the world was dying.

She soon gave up and took her leave without a word, Sly followed her. Zimmerman considered detaining them, but could see no point, they had been given the passes, there was no reason for Moorcock to come after them. Anyway, it was still difficult to see Rachel as one of the enemy.

204: FURTHER DIVISIONS

M
rs Culboon,’ said Zimmerman, ‘we have to find our way back to the wire where I’m presuming you have wheels. This is your patch, you’d better lead.’

‘Hey, it wasn’t a rocket launching site when I lived here,’ Mrs Culboon protested, ‘things have changed.’

And so they had. Already the consequences of the proposed eight-day count-down were being felt, the whole site was alive with thunder and light.

‘Well, I know it’s tough, Mrs Culboon,’ said Zimmerman, ‘but you have to try and guide us, we need to get out and to consider this. It’s like an incredibly heavy conspiracy that we have uncovered here and we have to consider it very carefully.’

‘We have to do something about Rachel,’ insisted CD desperately.

‘That woman’s doing just fine by herself, boy,’ said Mrs Culboon. ‘You’d better start thinking about your own problems.’

‘We can’t just leave her!’ CD protested. ‘I mean he’s probably brainwashed her or something.’

‘Listen man, I know you are hot for the chick,’ said Walter, trying to be soothing, but failing utterly, ‘but you have to curb your urgings you know? Like put the lid on the whole passion thing, turn down the sex heat until we have a plan.’

CD bridled.

‘It has absolutely nothing to do with a passion/sex heat thing,’ said CD sniffily. ‘I will have you know, Walter, that my emotions and intentions towards Rachel are entirely honourable.’

‘Ha!’ barked Mrs Culboon, who could be as irritating as anybody when she wanted to. ‘Boy, I reckon your tongue’s been hanging out so far for that woman I’m surprised you don’t have cleaner shoes.’ And she laughed long and loud. Discretion was not a major part of Mrs Culboon’s nature and despite the fact that they were trudging through the enemy camp she could not keep her voice down. Luckily people were far too busy to notice.

CD was surprised, he had thought that he’d been discreet about his obsession. Of course, he had confided in the guys, but he could not recall sharing the secrets of his heart with old Mrs Culboon.

‘How did you know?’ he asked in all innocence.

‘Listen son, when a fellah eats up a girl with every look and follows her around the room like his eyeballs were attached to her legs with string,’ Mrs Culboon explained, ‘I guess he ain’t paying a casual interest in her.’

CD blushed to be so transparent. Then Zimmerman lost patience.

‘Oh man, I mean, what is the point, no, like for real, you know? What is the point? Like I have to lay some information on you people right? We are in heavy shit here, you know? But are we doing a little hurrying? No way, man! Is there a degree of urgency in our actions? Is there fuck! No like there’s just a whole lot of hanging out and chatting about sex, a subject incidentally, right, that some of us find like a drag and irrelevant, OK? I mean just what is the point! I rescue you all from death by electrocution and…’

‘Zimm, you’re getting hung up, man, you have to deal with it…‘ Walter, like Zimmerman, was anxious to move things along. They were, after all, still in the midst of the enemy camp and, despite their security passes, by no means out of danger. He for one had no desire to find himself back in a chair facing the electric wool.

‘We really do have to split.’ And so with Mrs Culboon as a very nervous guide, they set off to make their way out of Hell’s kitchen. She did think about trying to make a route by the stars but was forced to discard the idea as it was still daylight.