The Antarcticans (8 page)

“Ashamed? Gavin, I love you dearly, but sometimes I just wonder how far you would go to stay true to your church’s teachings. This is our son. And I’m used to unusual names.”

“I know, but you’ve got to remember, God first, spouse second, children third. That’s the order.”

“No, that’s
your
order.” She pulled her hands away from him.

“You sure you want to go into the lion’s den?”

“I’ll put my head in the lion’s mouth if it saves Joshua.” She didn’t miss a beat.

He looked over his shoulder at his son lying in the hospital bed. Joshua looked pale and lifeless, with tubes and sensors attached to every part of his body. The image had been burned into his brain from previous trips—something he tried to erase from his memory, even though he knew it was the foundation of his greatest fears. He could tell Noila was serious. If they stuck together, he hoped that it would be enough and that they would be okay.

“You’ll like the ship. It’s amazing. I didn’t even know something like it existed. I just have a gut feel that Lucifer has ulterior motives.” He waited. “Are you absolutely sure?”

“Sure.” She looked him eye to eye.

He felt something in her had changed. She had a direction now, and she was going with it no matter what.

They walked out into the hallway. Lucifer was on the phone with someone. He disconnected upon seeing them and slipped the phone into his pocket.

“So? Should I put the plan into action?” he asked.

“Yes, on one condition,” Gavin said.

“Really, you’re ‘conditioning’ me? I mean, I’m ready to save your son’s life, invest what you could never dream of spending in treatment, and you’ll only accept on one condition? You can’t be serious.” He was half joking, but he was making a point.

“Noila and I will have access to him at all times, and nothing will be done without our consent,” Gavin said, ignored the jibing.

Lucifer shrugged. “That goes without saying. We aren’t running a prison out there. I think your bigger problem will be getting him out of here. If you’d like, I can handle that.”

“How?” Noila asked.

“I’ll be back in a moment.”

Lucifer went to the reception area for the unit and spoke quietly to the receptionist. When he came back, he smiled at Noila and Gavin, who were seated in Joshua’s room.

“All set. The doctor will be over soon. We should have Joshua on his way within thirty minutes.”

Gavin and Noila looked at each other, surprised.

“See what I mean?” Gavin whispered to her.

Twenty minutes later, the attending psychiatrist came over and huddled with Gavin, Noila, and Lucifer. “I just want you all to know,” he began, “that I think this is the best thing for Joshua. I hate to say it, but he’s not going to get better here. We just treat the aftermath of what happens. I can trust you’ll keep that between us.” He patted Lucifer on the back and handed him Joshua’s discharge papers.

Leo appeared at the door with another man dressed in what could be described as couture scrubs. Where the logo for a hospital usually would have been was the symbol of Lucifer, as Gavin began to recognize it: a gold dragon with an
L
shaped out of the dragon’s tail, along with a pair of ruby-red eyes. Underneath the logo, Gavin saw some ancient Greek writing, which he could make out from his seminary training: “You examine the face of heaven and earth, but you have not come to know the one who is in your presence.”

“Let Leo and Francisco do their work. Joshua seems to be asleep at the moment. I’ve asked the nurse to give him a little something extra to make the journey more comfortable.” Lucifer winked at them before turning around and heading down the corridor.

…

Gavin was pacing in his quarters on the
Dragon
while Noila was examining the small luxuries of the room. They had checked Joshua into the ship’s medical facility and made sure he was comfortable. He disliked the idea of having his whole family in such close proximity to Lucifer. It appeared that Lucifer was willing to help Joshua get better, but at what cost?

“You were right—this ship is amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it.” Noila held a decorative vase in her hands, which had been placed on the coffee table in their room. “This must be at least seven centuries old. How is this possible?” Her long hands and manicured, espresso-colored nails showed the antique off.

“Yes, it’s as impressive as I think we’ll ever see. Don’t let all this go to your head, though. We have to remember who we’re dealing with here.”

“Gavin, if you’re so wigged out about this whole situation, why did you come here in the first place? Either stay true to your beliefs or don’t, but I’m going to take care of Joshua, and I don’t want to be second-guessed. Can we just enjoy something for once and not have to weigh the metaphysical value of it?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m just trying to do what’s right for Joshua. You want to help him too. I’m sorry, but this whole situation has the inside of my head mixed up.”

He was running his hands through his hair and staring down at the bed. He picked up the larger of two sets of pajamas that had been laid neatly on their bed. He started to take off his clothes then folded the nightclothes over this arm and headed into the bathroom. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Let’s just get Joshua his treatment then get off this boat.”

“In the meantime, let’s stay close to each other,” Noila said. “I can only handle one person going off the deep end in our family at a time.”

Gavin smiled and walked over to hug her tightly.

A small reception had been arranged in a private dining room for Ruftan, Nazia, and the Pennings. The long rectangular table was set for six. Gavin noticed some of the decorations from the event two nights ago had been repurposed for the smaller room. When Gavin and Noila were shown into the dining room, Ruftan and Nazia were already there, speaking with a young woman who was dressed in a long sequined gown with a white mink boa draped over her neck and extending to the floor. She turned from Ruftan and Nazia.

“Hello, you must be Mr. and Mrs. Pennings. I’m Arkita, Lucifer’s personal vocalist.”

Noila extended her hand. “Nice to meet you. Are you singing tonight?”

“Yes, I’ll be doing a few numbers for you.” She curtsied. “Lucifer should be here any moment. He’s notorious for getting tied up in other events. He’s just so busy doing so much good, it seems he never has enough time for everyone. We try to support him however we can.”

“And how do you support him?” Ruftan asked.

“Entertain the guests, create music and entertainment. Lucifer always says that the boredom of modern life is overcome by fooling the mind into believing it’s still engaged in the survival it was designed for.” She gave a polite bow then disappeared through a service door at the back of the room.

“Let me introduce you to my beautiful wife, Nazia,” Ruftan said. “You might notice she is very quiet.”

Nazia stepped forward. She was about the same age as Ruftan, very petite, and wearing a yellow sari that was adorned with complex patterns and small circular mirrors, the size of a dime, sewn into the fabric. Her hair was white and contrasted beautifully with her darker skin, giving her a striking powerful appearance.

“I just don’t think you learn anything by talking,” she said, smiling.

“That is her truth, for sure, and she notices while I am pontificating. We make a great team.” He turned to Gavin. “I never told you the rest of the story from the other night,” Ruftan said as they all sat down. “Lucifer performed a great honor for Nazia and me. In his generosity, he sent us on the same flight our son was born on. The pilot dispersed our son’s ashes in the same place over the ocean where he was born. I haven’t flown since then. Luftan’s life is too entwined with any memory I have of flying. Do you know how much I loved our son? I watched him through every step, every learned word, every cry and exuberant joy. It was my greatest achievement, and most humbling experience. Every moment spent with him was a blessing.” He looked off into the distance, as if there were a grand scene of beauty he was emotionally taking in. “And now every day is a grueling climb to overcome my attachment to him. I cling to him, like a wild animal to a lifeless newborn, not knowing when to let go and just honor his memory and life. It’s a hard road, one I hope you never travel.” As Ruftan put his arm around Nazia and pulled her in tight, Gavin saw his eyes well up.

The doors opened, and Lucifer walked in smiling, his arms outstretched. An oversize silver belt buckle with a rhinestone-studded star came in and out of view from beneath his long, buttoned, black velvet tuxedo jacket, the tails of which extended to his ankles.

“My newest guests on the
Dragon
. An absolute joy.” He was shaking his head as if he couldn’t believe they were there. “I trust you’ve all met. Now let’s enjoy the meal our chefs have prepared. We have some very important items to discuss as well.” He sat down and joined them at the table.

A handsome young man in a opened the service door and stood with his back against it to make way for Arkita. He took her hand, kissed it, and slowly led her to a small dot on the floor a few feet away from the table, directly opposite Lucifer. She nodded to him in a gracious gesture of gratitude. He returned through the service door, and when it gently closed, a few low notes decorated the room. Gavin felt a slight breeze wind through the room as Arkita hummed “La Vie en Rose”. Her pitch was exquisite and controlled. Her low, quiet notes were an exploration, drifting around in her throat before she decided to make them known in the world. Lucifer reached for the glass in front of him and inhaled the dark-cherry aroma of the wine; his exhalation backed up the notes Arkita was moving through. The lights from the chandelier dimmed, and Noila reached under the table and put her hand in Gavin’s. Across the table, Nazia leaned her head on Ruftan’s shoulder. Lucifer was at the head, facing Arkita, who was caressing her own hips as if they were her lover, enraptured in the moment. The five seated at the table stared up at Arkita like adorning suitors. Her hair was golden, her skin translucent, and her eyes sparkled brighter than the largest crystals making up the sequins of her dress. Her face was held in erotic poutiness, and then her mouth opened and a force emerged as she broke into a modified version of the Steven Sondheim classic “I’m Still Here.” The waves of sound from the lyrics were so powerful that the pendants of the chandelier and the cutlery and glasses on the tablecloth vibrated in resistance.

Good times and bad times, I’ve seen them all, my dear…

I’m still here.

Plush velvet sunshines, dragon tears…

I’m still here.

I’ve been to heaven, hell, and back,

through the Sheol of the never haps.

Will I or won’t I? Perhaps…

I’m still here.

I’ve been cast from the stars, blemished and burned by fear.

I’m still here.

The words caught Noila by surprise, as she was familiar with the actual lyrics, which she had sung in a high-school musical. Even so, she was taken by the power of Arkita’s voice.

When the song was over, the table broke into applause.

“Bravo. Isn’t she magnificent?” Lucifer asked.

Arkita bowed as much as her tight-fitting dress would allow her, and the man who had walked her out returned with a seat for her to join the guests at the other head of the table.

“First, the most important item,” Lucifer began. “I spoke with Dr. Cristofari, who indicated that Joshua is cooperating with the testing. Unfortunately some of the scans and probing can be quite invasive and uncomfortable. But the end will justify the means, and Joshua seems willing and able to walk over the coals to salvation.” Lucifer raised his glass in a toast. “To our new son, Joshua.”

“
Our
son?” Noila said.

“Yes, Ms. Pennings. You’ve joined our family now, and we take care of our own. But there are other concerns of the world that need attention, and I was wondering if I could garner your support for them.”

The headwaiter led his team of five waiters to the table to bring the first vegetable course. When they were each standing behind a guest seated at the table, they set the food on top of the chargers in front of them. The headwaiter announced, “
Bon appetit
.”

“Ruftan, could you share an update on your project?” Lucifer asked. “Your work is so close to my heart.”

“Yes, of course.” He turned to Gavin and Noila. “I’m sure you’ve heard of the recent viral outbreaks in Malaysia.”

“How could I miss it? It’s the top story on every news report. It seems they just keep coming, one disease after another, killing thousands every time,” Gavin said.

“Concerning, yes? Every time they stick around a little longer and kill more people. I’m a biologist by training, and Lucifer has funded a project, the aim of which is to find the next virus before it strikes. We’ve been tireless in running simulations. If we can predict the next virus before it even comes into existence, then we can build the cure, and eliminate the threat before the world ever hears the name of the virus. Our team has been spending most of our time in Antarctica, on the
Viking
, our small research ship. The name makes it sound much more impressive than it is.” He laughed. “The melting ice shelves eventually will give way to the land beneath, which is sure to contain organisms that we haven’t encountered in millions of years and that we’ll be completely unprepared for. Noila, I understand you’re a marine biologist?” Ruftan looked at her for confirmation.