36 Contact

 

Point Roberts WA. Aug 24. 2033

48°58'16.1"N 123°04'54.2"W

 

Táan woke to the sound of voices. Where in the hell am I? He yawned and rubbed his face with both hands. The mattress he’d spent the night on was too soft and smelled faintly of disinfectant. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d slept indoors. It dawned on him then, where he was. How’d we get here? His mind was fuzzy and his arms and legs felt as heavy as lead ballast. Staring up at the beams overhead, he tried to sort through the events leading up to their arrival at Point Roberts.

 

He remembered pulling a semi-conscious Dot from the ocean. And recalled that afterwards, he and Kim had paddled the baidarka toward the mainland. Initially Táan had doubted Dot’s plan. But as the weather worsened, he was soon grateful for the protection of a windward shore. Looking over his shoulder at white caps churning in the Strait of Georgia, he’d seen the wisdom of her decision. Eventually Dot had regained enough strength to join in, and with the addition of her paddle strokes they made good time down the Fraser River delta. Saka, freed at last from the painful concussions of naval sonar testing, followed closely—loathe to part from his human companions. He was back to his old self once more, content to frolic nearby. The whale came and went in search of meals, never straying too far from the sound of Dot’s taps on the hull.

By the next day, the travelers had arrived at the sprawling shipping terminal of Tsawwassen, British Columbia. Columns of faded metal crates lined the waterfront, hemmed in by gangly looking cranes made of steel and cable. Dozens of empty vessels, recently unburdened of their cargo, idled at anchor while other ships, pregnant with rows of stacked containers, awaited their turn. Táan’s breath caught in his throat as he stared upon the mainland. His quiet life in Haida Gwaii seemed so foreign and faraway to him now.

Kim pulled his wide-brimmed straw hat well over his face and kept his head bowed as they negotiated their way between the fleet. His misgivings were made obvious by his silence. Dot showed no sign of hesitation as she steered their boat across the river’s mouth. Táan marveled the ease in which she maneuvered around the steel giants. As they paddled around the anchor chain of a moored ship, Táan was tempted to reach out and run his hand along one of the rusted links—so large that he could have slipped his entire arm through the center. As they passed by, a sudden tension caused the chain to torque, the links twisted and clanked as the vessel pulled against its tether, shuddering with the final rebuke. Táan felt the reverberation through the baidarka’s hull and swallowed hard.

They cleared the anchorage and the estuary began to shallow. A long wharf stretched out into the sea for almost a mile. Behind its pilings, two gleaming white ferries rested like horses nosed into their stalls. Dot pointed offshore and they paddled seaward, putting the ferry terminal to their port side. They quickened their strokes, anxious to cross the ferries’ traffic lanes. A loud blast echoed from the terminal, and was immediately followed by four others—each as loud and imposing as the previous. Kim spun around and shouted, “What’s happening? What does that noise mean?”

“It means ‘danger’ I think.” Táan looked over his shoulder at Dot for confirmation. She nodded and dug in with her paddle. The three of them pushed the baidarka forward with all their might. Táan glanced back at the terminal and noticed a red, twin-turbo boat pull away from the pier. “Kijii—I think we might have company. What should we do?”

Dot looked back and bit her lower lip. She pointed toward the spot on her arm where they’d taped her old ID chip. Táan nodded and took a deep breath. “OK. I’ll do the talking,” he said.

They continued moving away from the ferry docks, taking great pains to look calm and nonchalant. With the edge of her paddle, Dot tapped out a series of sharp sounds on the hull. Soon enough, the familiar sound of spray from a blowhole was heard from the starboard side of their vessel. Táan rehearsed his story to himself as he forced his paddled up and down. They’d prepared for such an event—had in fact, talked it through explicitly with Kai and Ooligan on many occasions. Now that an encounter with authorities was actually happening, Táan felt ill equipped to pull it off.

The waves from the vessel’s turbo engines hit them before the boat arrived, tossing the baidarka around like a bathtub toy. Dot waved at the two men in the vessel and pointed toward the large black fin surfacing 15 feet in front of them. Her face was the very picture of delight as she pointed toward the breaching orca. Táan drew a breath and turned toward the officers, “Hullo!”

One of the men flashed a scanner toward the threesome as his shipmate climbed over the inflatable chamber nearest the baidarka. “What are you three doing out here? Do you realize that you’ve entered an exclusionary zone?”

“We’re very sorry, sir,” Táan replied. “We’ve been following this orca for over an hour and well, we sort of lost our bearings until it was too late.”

“What is your name, son?”

“I’m Gwáayaay. My last name is Jefferies”

“Why is it that only one of you has a readable ID chip?”

“We’re Salish. None of my family have chips, sir… being exempt from your government’s rules on that and all.”

The officer looked back at his colleague and shrugged. The other officer holding the scanner leaned forward and spoke. “Evangeline Cleary—that’s your legal name?” Dot nodded, looking straight ahead. The officer continued, “I see that you’re a citizen of the United States. Why is it there is no record of you showing up since the year 2022? That’s a long time to be off the grid, young lady.”

Dot shook her head and gestured to her mouth. Táan cleared his throat and interjected. “Excuse me sir, but my cuz can’t speak. She lost her voice when she was a little girl… Right around the time of the Tyee quake. She’s been living with our people ever since—for about ten years now.”

“Huh, she doesn’t look very injun to me. Are you a half-breed?” the officer spoke slowly, enunciating his words. Dot gritted her teeth and nodded. The agent called up to the baidarka’s bow, “Hello? …Hey, basket-hat. What’s your story? I’ll need your name, buddy.”

Kim turned his head just enough to show a portion of his face. He gruffly called out, “Edward. My name is Edward Abenake.”

“Edward Abenake, are you also a Canadian Salish tribal member?”

“Yessir.”

“Where did you people come from?”

“From a giant clam shell, washed ashore. Raven set us free… Or, so they say.” Táan responded quickly, allowing Kim the opportunity to turn away.

“Don’t get smart with me.”

“I apologize, I misunderstood what you were asking. We came from Port Alberni sir. We’re sorry that we got too close to those ferries. We’ll head back over to the island and leave our brother orca to his journey—if that’s alright with you. My awáng will be plenty angry with us if we get in any trouble over this. I sure hope you don’t report us.”

The two officers conferred. The one holding the scanner shook his head, looking upset. Táan studied their body language, trying to gauge the possible outcomes of their situation. At last, the discussion ended and the official with the scanner returned to the wheel. The other agent called across to the baidarka, “Alright, we aren’t issuing a citation this time, but stay out of this restricted area—I don’t care if you discover an entire family reunion of whales—this is ‘no-man’s land.’ We’ll log an incident report when we get back to the office, so don’t let there be a next time, clear?”

The paddlers nodded their heads in agreement. Táan reached up and offered his hand. “Thank you, sir.”

Ignoring Táan’s gesture, the officer said, “My advice is to head straight home—don’t get any closer to the border. And truthfully pal, I’d think long and hard about coming over to the mainland without any identification in the future. You First Nations people may get a pass on the ID chips, but life can get pretty difficult once you’re off the rez. Get my meaning?”

“Yessir, we get it.” Táan gripped the combing as their boat peeled away. Once the baidarka stopped rolling from its wake, Dot grabbed her paddle and rapped it on the hull. Saka’s nose appeared next to the stern. Leaning back to scratch his head, Táan said, “You’re a champ, boy. Thanks for the assist.” The whale rose out of the water, opened his mouth, and made a series of clicking noises before sinking back into the waves. “That orca sure does love you, Kij’,” Táan chuckled, adding, “or should we call you Evangeline now?” Frowning, Dot dug her blade into the water. Kim and Táan followed suit and the baidarka advanced toward Point Roberts.

 

Clarity finally returned and Táan inhaled deeply, aware of the muggy quality in the air. It was only 8:30 in the morning but the basement was already stifling hot. Tossing off the blankets, he rose and looked around the draped enclosure for Dot. The voices in the other room grew louder as Douglas argued on his mobile with someone he called Jun. Táan heard Kim interject sporadically, alternating between English and Mandarin. Both men looked up and nodded as Táan walked into the room, then returned to their discussion.

“Dude, I’ve already confirmed with the Austrian that we can’t get any forged RFID chips smuggled in without three days’ notice. By that time, who knows? Someone may have reported these guys. It just isn’t worth it Jun. There’s gotta be another way, bro.”

Kim walked over to Táan, handed him a cup of hot tea and whispered, “It’s looking grim. They can’t come up with a plan to get us into the states without raising HighTower’s alarms.”

“You guys will figure it out,” Táan yawned. “I’m going outside, it’s too stuffy in here.”

“Be careful. Now that we’ve been pulled over once, you shouldn’t show your face outside too often.”

“Got it.” Táan took a cautious sip of the tea and climbed the stairs. He stood on the landing, shirtless and barefoot. The sting of early autumn had already set in and the ocean breeze brought a chill. Táan stared at the sea and thought of home. Just then, Monk landed on the lid of a nearby dumpster. Placing his cup on the railing, Táan said, “Good morning, joker. Where have you been lately?” The raven twisted his head upside down and chattered, then hopped to the dumpster’s edge and peered into its opening. Pecking on the lid numerous times, Monk stared expectantly at Táan. “Oh, hell no. You should’ve been around to help us when we got stopped by the authorities the other day. You can get your own breakfast today, pal.” Táan swallowed the last of his tea and swung the door open, waiting long enough for Monk to fly through before closing it behind him. Douglas and Kim sat slumped in chairs, deep in conversation. “You guys get it all figured out yet?” Táan asked, sitting on the edge of the table. “C’mon, the hardest part of this whole mission was supposed to have been paddling the last 600 kilometers. This can’t be that big of a deal, right?”

Kim shook his head with resignation. “The difficult part may be behind us, but the closer to New Seattle we get, the more dangerous our mission becomes.”

Monk hopped onto the table and instantly spied a shiny gadget near the computer. Stepping over various components, the raven plucked up the trinket and turned to make off with it. Douglas snatched the device away. “Hey man, can you tell your bird to chill out on the whole grab n’ go thing? This shit isn’t cheap.”

The door at the top of the stairs opened and the three men looked up as Biyu’s voice echoed into the basement. She chattered excitedly with two unfamiliar voices. Táan made out four pairs of legs descending the steps. Douglas rose hastily from his seat. “Hey Beejee’, who’s that with you?”

“Don’t panic. It’s just Randall-from-upstairs and Dot of course… and somebody who wants to talk with you.” Biyu held her hands up as she reached the last step. “Now Douglas, before you freak out—he’s cool. We figured out how to get across the border… well, Dot figured it out, actually.” Biyu chatted with Randall as she led the party into the room. Dot followed behind, walking next to a tall man in a shiny jacket and matching ballcap.

“Biyu, you should have spoken to us first before bringing a stranger down here.”

“Relax Uncle Kim—this is Randall’s business partner and he’s made a deal to get you all down to New Seattle.”

Douglas scratched his beard, shaking his head. “Randall—dude… What’s the story here? We had an agreement: Nobody knows we’re here—remember?”

Randall waved off Douglas’s comment. “Everything’s fine, let me explain. Once you hear us out, you’ll agree in the end that it’s a smart plan.” He pulled over a couple folding chairs and motioned for everyone to take a seat. “Dot over there—she saw an opportunity and grabbed it. That’s one smart gal you’ve got on your side, Dr. Chen.”

 

Randall launched into his explanation, introducing the man in the satin jacket as Lance Turner; operator of a charter boat called Salish Sea Expeditions. Lance and Randall had partnered several years back to bring tourists from the States to Point Roberts for whale-watching and an overnight stays. Three times per week, Lance’s boat, the Salish Star, unloaded tour groups at Randall’s establishment for dining, gambling and accommodations. And because Point Roberts was part of the United States, the passengers weren’t required to clear through Customs. The vessel left its dock north of Old Seattle each morning and arrived in Point Roberts in time for a buffet dinner.

Lance cut in, saying, “The trouble is, lately we’ve been getting some lousy reviews. The customers want to see whales and there aren’t any around anymore, now that the salmon are gone.”

Biyu squirmed in her chair. “Ah—but that’s where Dot comes in! Y’see, she took me out in their kayak-thingy to see Saka, when Lance’s big boat comes by. Oh, you should have seen the passengers go crazy when they spotted her whale! I thought for a minute that the entire boat was going to tip right over—there were so many people on one side!”

Lance coughed to clear his throat. “Here’s the deal: I’m willing to take the three of you down to Old Seattle on the Salish Star if Dot can guarantee that her whale will accompany us. I’ll make a few calls and get some press down in Puget Sound to capture publicity photos of the whale in the foreground. It’ll be great for business.”

“No photographs!” Kim stated, “that’s not negotiable.”

Táan muttered, “Saka isn’t a pet, you know. It’s not like he’s going to do tricks on command.”

“No, no… We just want his presence, really. Look, it’s been a tough couple o’ decades for wildlife tours—I’m sick and tired of driving for days on end and not finding a damn thing—not even a harbor seal these days. Hell, the Salish Sea is just about barren… you all probably know that though. Dot, your whale would be a sight for sore eyes just by coming up for air.”

Kim looked at Táan who in turn, looked toward Dot. “Well Kij’, do think Saka would stay with us for the whole trip?” he asked. “That’s a big boat, and we’re talking 100 kilometers down to Puget Sound… Would Saka know you were onboard if he couldn’t communicate?”

Dot nodded her head slowly and moved her hand palm-downward in front of her. Táan pursed his lips and replied, “Hláa gudáng.”

Lance offered reassurance. “We’ve got a tender that can be launched off the side of the boat. I’ve already shown Dot how to use it. If you want to get closer to your whale, it’s all yours.” Clapping his hands together, he stood up. “Well folks, time and tides wait for no man as they say. I’m going to check in on my passengers and let you talk amongst yourselves. I hope we’ll have a deal when all’s said and done, but departure time is eleven-hundred sharp. I’ll show myself out.” He tipped his cap toward Dot before climbing the stairs. Randall excused himself and followed behind.

The companions sat together for several minutes without speaking. Each member of the party mulled over the new proposition until Douglas finally broke the silence. “This Lance guy seems legit—and I trust Randall completely… So, if you can get that orca of yours to play along, this might be your best chance.”

“We would have to leave the baidarka behind,” Táan said.

“I’ll watch over it, don’t worry,” Biyu replied.

Táan glanced over at the scientist and said, “Kim, what do you say? You are the one who they are searching for.”

Kim leaned forward slowly and folded his hands under his chin. “If there is a place on the boat that I can hide—away from the crew and passengers—then I think we should accept this offer. It seems to me, that if Dot and Saka can make this arrangement work, it is our only chance.”

Biyu jumped out of her seat and ran to the door. “C’mon Dot—let’s go see Saka!”

 

The Salish Star’s tender bounced about in the surf as Biyu helped Kim stow the last of his gear inside the bench-seat. She handed him his briefcase, wrapped in layers of plastic. “Uncle Kim, promise me you’ll be careful, and… find my parents and Nai-nai, please.”

Kim clasped her hand in both of his. “Biyu, I will do all that I can to bring our family back together, I promise you.” He waved good-bye as Biyu backed away, the wavelets tugging at her ankles.

Further down the beach, Táan and Dot sorted their gear. Lightened of its burdens, the baidarka tipped lopsidedly in the sand beside them. Dot stood beside the faded hull and looked at the little vessel that had been their home and protection. Táan stowed the eagle and raven paddles in the forward cockpit then returned to Dot’s side. He wistfully smiled, muttering, “I’m going to miss this boat, she’s been good to us… Brought us a long way, didn’t she?” Dot placed her hand on the baidarka’s hull, running her finger along the sinew stitches of the deck seams. Standing, she found Táan’s hand and entwined her fingers with his. He whispered, “Don’t fret, Kij’. They’ll watch over her and we’ll be back to get next summer—you’ll see.”

They gathered their belongings and hiked toward the water. It was time to leave.