The Variables (3 page)

“I thought I heard you two,” Gordy said. “Ready?” He motioned them inside, and they settled in at their places at the boardroom table. Scott watched as Blair entered the room and set up shop in the corner without a word. She arranged her yellow legal pad on her lap and kept a collection of colorful gel pens just within reach. Although the meeting hadn’t started, she was already jotting down various tidbits in multicolored glory.

Huck sat with his back to the men, his eyes trained on the six screens set up along the conference table. As Claude, Gordy, and Scott took their seats, the other Elektos members began popping up before them. Within minutes every member was present, and the room filled with greetings and smiles. Scott watched Huck spin—his mouth taut, his eyes narrowed as he examined each face in turn—and he knew that the cheery Board members could not sense Huck’s ever-souring mood. The vials in Scott’s pocket felt heavy, weighted with questions and worry.
 

“That’s enough, that’s enough. Let’s begin,” Huck announced, and the voices settled. Everyone turned to his or her camera and watched their fearless leader float before them.

While Scott had only met the other members once in person, he knew them well enough by face and reputation. He waved to his computer’s built-in camera and watched as his broadcasted image lifted his hand to the screen, too. Except his image was delayed by a full second.

Victor Barbosa waved back to Scott from the corner of his screen. A contingent from the EUS One in Brazil, Victor was broad shouldered and frog-like, with a mouth full of tiny, even teeth. In his former life, he had been a local politician—independently wealthy, without a family, and touting a liberal platform that kept him aligned with the left. His transition to leader of the EUS One and Elektos Board member was seamless: from one area of power to another. He relished his role and it was evident in his eagerness.

Victor spoke first.

“If I may, Mr. Truman, begin with a request. My people here are restless,” he said in English with only a hint of a Portuguese accent. “Explain to me, again, why we cannot arrange trips above ground? I see no harm in allowing—”

“We discussed this last time,” another voice interrupted. Scott’s eyes moved to the center of his screen where Roman, from the Australian EUS, lifted his finger and launched at Victor. “If your System jeopardizes the safety of all the Systems—”

“That is ridiculous,” Victor said, raising his voice. “We confirmed a lack of life. There are not people barging...” he looked to the side for confirmation that he had used the right word and then nodded, “yes, barging, down our doors. It has been long enough. Let my people breathe.”

“Are your filtering and air purifications systems unsatisfactory?” Claude asked.

Blair scribbled on her notepad. Huck looked at her with a sidelong stare, but either she didn’t notice or didn’t care.

“They are fine—”

“We are on a timeline,” Roman continued. “We discussed this
last
time. How will we ever get to new business if you continue to want special treatment for your
one
System?”

Mueez, from Pakistan but living inside the Saudi Arabian EUS, clapped his hands. “Thank you, Roman,” he said. “I, for one, did not come to listen to Victor’s whining...”

“You have asked me to help be the voice for my people here. And so I will raise concerns as I see fit,” Victor continued. He leaned his face closer to his camera, his wide-set eyes looming on the monitor with such ferocity that Scott pulled back from his screen.

“You were not elected,” Roman said in a lengthy drawl. “You are a mouthpiece for Huck. You’ve been given voting powers and a place at the table.”

“The EUS Four is equally tired and cranky, Victor. But I have provided them with fine words of hope. Weren’t you a politician in a former life? Can’t you do the same?” Mueez asked.

“Hope for what?” Victor asked and threw up his hands. “Huck? Huck?” he called and tapped his camera; the echo of the
thud, thud, thud
was loud and shrill.

“If I left my handpicked leaders to their own devices, you would all crumble into the same fate as our predecessors,” Huck said, frowning. “Peace, dear men. And patience. We are all on the same side. Do we need reminding of that?”

He paused.

No one interrupted.

“Perfect. Now, Victor.” Huck turned his eyes to the Brazilian leader on his screen. “I appreciate your concern for those you have been charged with caring for, but I assure you that if you trust my plan, you will not be led astray. Get control of your System. Appease them with whatever means you have. And if that does not work...” Huck trailed off and shrugged. “At one point or another, these people made a decision to save their families. If they have had a change of heart, we are more than capable of taking
back
that choice.”

“Threats?” Victor shook his head. “Dearest Huck, you know I trust you, but they are only asking for sun—”

“And sun they shall get. When it’s time. And it’s almost time.”

The Board went silent as they processed Huck’s statement. It was Morowa, the lone female Elektos representative, living in Botswana in the EUS Four, who was the first to clear her throat.

“The Islands are ready?” she asked. She cocked her head and examined Huck’s face from across the world on her small computer screen. “We will be able to leave these Systems soon?”

Huck nodded.

“We have several Islands ready. The others are still under development. But I believe we will be ready for our move within the month,” he replied.

“A month is a long time to wait,” added Gabriel, the second representative from EUS Four. “But some things are worth waiting for.” He smiled wide.

Huck couldn’t help but smile back. “I share your enthusiasm for this plan. The Islands are our lifeline, or labor of love. The Systems were always intended to be temporary shelter. Don’t lose focus so close to the goal, my friends.”

Everyone murmured excited agreement.

Then Huck put up his hand and waited for the voices on the screens to halt. When he had everyone’s attention, he leaned close and grimaced, as if his next words were already giving him pain.

“The issue I need to bring forward today is of
variables
.” He said the word like it disgusted him. “We have discussed this before and the conversation, unfortunately, is not over. You see, they are dangerous, and they threaten the good we wish to accomplish.”

“We have no unknowns here,” Morowa said with authority. “Our population is grateful for shelter, water, food. We are deeply committed—”

“The EUS Five can also boast of no variables, Huck,” said Yuri, from Russia. “You cannot think that we are harboring people without your knowledge?”

Huck looked at Gordy and snapped his fingers. Gordy tried to shake him away, but Huck snapped again. Covering his camera and his microphone, the screen on the computer cutting to black, he leaned over to his dad. Blair’s pen stopped writing and remained poised above the paper at attention.

“Now?” Gordy asked. “This is not the time, Dad. You said as a last resort. You said if they disagreed...you haven’t even given them time to disagree.”

“They don’t understand,” Huck said. “Let’s help them understand.”

“You have to execute this perfectly or you will risk everything. Are you ready for that?” Gordy whispered.

Blair looked between her brother and her father with just her eyes, the rest of her body frozen into position. She was holding her breath.

“Bring them in. Now,” Huck commanded and pointed to the door.

“Are you ready to take this risk?” Gordy asked again.

Scott watched them volley. He felt his heart lurch as his thoughts wandered to the vials in his pocket. When he looked over to Claude, he saw the man staring at him, his eyes dark and penetrating. Whatever Claude was trying to convey, Scott had missed the message. He exhaled and settled into his seat, watching the faces of the concerned Elektos Board as they whispered among themselves.
 

Gordy withdrew his hand from the camera and rose from his seat. He exited the boardroom and slammed the door.

“Not
outside
variables,” Huck continued. It was as if his conversation with Gordy hadn’t happened. “I’m not discussing the possibility of survivors. To my knowledge, we have systemically handled the issue of unknowns. And my rangers will continue to do periodic sweeps. No, I’m here today to discuss those who were initially necessary to the cause, so we might have overlooked their unsavoriness before. But now, as we move into Phase Three, as we move to the Islands, they are no longer welcome here. They are not part of our elite group...they are intruders to our way of life and my plans for the future.”

Huck turned to Scott and held out his hand. Scott cleared his throat and his hand went to his pocket, he felt the smooth plastic on his fingertips. Huck made a grabbing motion. Scott hesitated.

“Keep them then,” Huck said flippantly. “If you’re willing to administer the vials yourself.”

Scott wanted to answer that it wasn’t the first time he’d been forced to get his hands dirty on behalf of Huck’s whims, but he refrained from upsetting the fragile balance. “I haven’t been able to test on human—”

The door to the boardroom opened and Gordy walked in first, followed by a bulking man in a thin white shirt and a jittery female whose hair was teased off her crown, a long forgotten dye job exposing the darkness of her roots against brash faux red cascading down her back. The woman looked to Claude first and then narrowed her gaze. She snapped her fingers and a teenage boy slogged through the doorway on her heels; his hands were shoved into his jeans pockets: his deep-set eyes flashed from one person to another, sizing them up with an undercurrent of latent hostility.
 

Gordy situated the family in front of a monitor and made them go live to the Elektos board with a flip of a switch. Without explanation, their faces were broadcasted to the six underground Systems, and every board member examined the new arrivals with cautious curiosity.

“Mr. and Mrs. Brikham...their son Charles,” Huck announced. “They requested a meeting with the Board and I have granted them their request today. Welcome, Brikhams.”

The husband cleared his throat. “Hello.”

The boardrooms went silent. Someone tapped a writing implement on his desk and when he realized it was the only sound on the monitors, he stopped.

Gordy rolled his eyes.

Blair noted it all.

Huck motioned for the man to continue. “You have their attention,” he prodded. “Certainly you aren’t having second thoughts?”

“No,” the man snapped and Scott drew in a quick breath. Raising his chin, the man cleared his throat a second time and his wife pursed her lips and crossed her arms. Scott couldn’t stop looking at the harshness of her hair and how hard she tried to tame it. “My name is Eugene Brikham. You heard of me?” the man asked the faces in the monitor. The Board looked at him with soured expressions, no one answered.

“Yeah, well, I’m a big name here in the US.” He paused and postured, leaning closer to the camera.

Someone sniggered.

“What?” Eugene said defensively, scanning the faces in front of him. “That’s funny to someone?”

Mueez pointed to himself. “Yes, me. You are aware that the
United States of America
no longer exists. Your fame died with it.”

Eugene stiffened at the tone and looked to Huck. “What is this?” Huck raised his eyebrows, but didn’t say a word. The visitor motioned to the faces watching him on the monitors. “Some kind of joke? I thought I was going to meet the people in charge. This little set-up is ruling the world?”

Huck leaned back in his chair and let out a slow sigh. “You asked, Mr. Brikham, and I delivered. You have an audience with the Board, but I cannot promise you more than that. You currently have their attention, too, and I would suggest you keep it...you won’t have it for long.”

Only Scott truly understood the reality of that threat.

Three vials. One for each of them.

Scott looked away from the visitors and found a small mark on the wall on which to fix his attention.

“Yeah, okay, well,” Eugene stammered. “Look, Huck and I have been in communication for
years
. There were promises made, okay? This place? I built this.” Eugene motioned to the ceiling, the walls. His wife nodded, her lips still drawn together. The teenager hadn’t moved a muscle. He stared at the screen without a hint of interest.

From the corner of his eye, Scott saw Claude sit up a bit straighter and lean his body forward. Clasping his hands together, Claude rested them upon the table and watched the trio with interest.

“Which part?” Claude asked.

“What?” Eugene asked, balking at the question, turning his attention from the screen to Claude, and back again.
 

“Which part did you build?”

“Not like, built it with my hands...I meant...my money built this place. It was financed by me and my company. Every penny—”

Huck shook his head. “Not every penny.”

“I was promised things.” Eugene looked wildly from each face in the room to each face on the screen. “I want what me and my family were owed.”
 

His wife leaned forward. Scott’s eyes rose from his spot on the wall and he watched her in person. She raised a finger and pointed at Huck, the bangles on her wrist clanging inharmoniously. “I should be able to eat in the Sky Room when I want to.” Her voice was lower than Scott had imagined it would be. “And I want a bigger place. And you’re out of your mind if I have to be regulated to that five-minute shower rule. The people who helped supply the finances, the
means
, we deserve things. It’s our right. I’m not some lowlife...tell them, Eugene, tell them what we were promised. Luxury. And this? This underground shithole...”

Huck cleared his throat, “Well, that took a turn. Let’s just settle down.”

“Is he telling me to watch my language now? Jesus Christ.” The wife crossed her arms and looked over at her husband with a perfected coldness.

Her husband patted her arm to placate her and turned his attention back to the group. “This entire enterprise is a far cry from what I was promised. How hard is it to give us a better apartment?
Reward
the people. You know?”