The newly formed Justice Council meets officially for the first time today. Rumours of serious conflict among the councillors already swirl through the corridors of Queen’s Park.
—Editorial comment, The Solar Flare, September 3, 2370
This morning I wake up feeling happy for the first time since we arrived here. At first, I can’t even think why. Then I remember Kayko. The Justice Council is having its first formal meeting today. I’ll have to face a lot of strangers, but I’m eager to get to work anyway. I couldn’t have imagined feeling like this yesterday.
At work, just before we reach our offices, someone calls my name through an open doorway.
“Blake, in here.” It’s Kayko. Inside, I find her wielding a dustcloth on the end of a long pole. The ceilings are high, and her cleaning method looks a little dangerous. She talks without looking down. “Expecting us to do our own cleaning is ridiculous,” she grumbles as the pole wobbles back and forth. She makes a swipe, loses her grip, and almost drops the pole. “I guess I’d better stop,” she says, to my relief. Then she notices Erica. “Excuse me, I thought Blake was alone.” She pulls off her work gloves to shake hands while I introduce her.
“I’m pleased to meet you, Kayko,” Erica says. “I met your uncle last night.”
“This isn’t the work I imagined when I begged him for this job,” Kayko says. “I could bring staff from home and they’d do everything for everyone in a day, but the Transitional Council says it’s too much of a security risk. Honestly.”
“Kayko-chan, it will do you good to clean up after yourself for once in your life.” The voice belongs to a man standing in the doorway of one of the inner offices. He is tall and slender, his hair slightly grey. The angular features of his face are touched with an affectionate smile.
“After myself?” Kayko says. “Uncle Kenji, this dust has probably been here since the Dark Times.” He laughs. I can see how comfortable they are together.
After Kayko introduces me, Erica says, “I’ll go check my mail, Blake. Why don’t you stay and visit for a few minutes?” She seems to understand how much Kayko’s friendship means to me.
“You’d better not use that dusting pole while Blake is here,” Kenji says when Erica leaves. “I’ll feel responsible if you injure her.”
“Very funny. Why didn’t they retrofit these walls with biotech? Dust is so—so retro,” Kayko says as she tackles the storage units with a duster.
“This is a historic site. They don’t want to lose the architectural detail.”
“Oh, look, a spider,” Kayko says happily. She coaxes it onto her duster. Then she says,
Don’t worry, spider,
I keep house
casually.
Her uncle laughs. “Very good, Kayko. Issa is my favourite haiku master.” He’s delighted.
“I’ll find a window for it.” Kayko disappears into an inner office.
“Was that a poem?” I ask.
“Yes, a haiku. It’s a Japanese form, a short poem usually about nature. That one was written over five hundred years ago.”
Kayko returns without the spider. “I try to write haiku, but all my poems turn into senryu.”
“There’s nothing wrong with senryu,” Kenji says. “Yours are quite good. You could write haiku if you’d just learn to leave yourself out of the poem.”
“But that’s harder than it sounds,” Kayko says. She turns to me. “Do you like poetry?”
“I love it. It never occurred to me that there might be literature in other languages.”
Kayko laughs. “Of course there is, silly. Japan is famous for its poetry. People all over the world write haiku.”
My cheeks burn with shame. My knowledge of poetry comes mainly from the bibliotechs in the work camp. I must seem completely ignorant to these people.
“Kayko, try not to overwhelm your new friend,” Kenji says. A hint of caution in his voice shows he’s noticed my embarrassment.
And Kayko responds, making her voice more gentle. “I’m glad you like poetry, Blake. I’ve never had a friend who was serious about literature.” This kindness soothes away my awkwardness. “Eat lunch with me,” she adds. “It will fortify us for the afternoon ahead.” She’s herself again, cheerful and adventurous.
“If Erica doesn’t need me,” I say.
“The Council is meeting informally over lunch. Erica will find out when she checks her office memos,” Kenji says. “We won’t require our aides, so you’re free.”
“I know just where to go,” Kayko says. “I’ll come for you at noon.”
I’m smiling again as I enter our offices. Erica looks up from the network console. “Blake, I won’t be able to eat lunch with you today. Will you be all right on your own?”
“Kenji Miyazaki told me. I’ll be fine,” I say, and I tell her about Kayko’s plan.
“Oh, that’s good,” she says, but she frowns. “What’s wrong?”
“Maybe nothing. It’s just that, well, the Miyazakis are very wealthy people. Kayko has always lived an easy life, to say the least. I can’t imagine anyone less like you. This work is going to be tedious and sometimes downright unpleasant. She might not be up to it.”
“You think she’ll get bored and quit?”
“Exactly. If you get attached to her, well, she might let you down.”
I want to argue, but I don’t know Kayko well enough to defend her yet. She might be frivolous. “Maybe you’re wrong,” I say without conviction.
Erica softens. “I hope so. Let’s try to get organized.”
I sit at my network console and begin sorting files from the Transitional Council. Maybe I should take Erica’s warning to heart, but I can’t. Kayko makes me happy. I’d have to work hard to be cautious of her, and I’m just not willing to do that.
I can hardly believe it’s noon when I look up and see Kayko standing in the doorway.
“Let’s go,” she says. “We’ll have to be quick to get back before the afternoon meetings start.” Two beefy men follow us out of the legislature building. Kayko doesn’t seem to notice them. “You don’t mind walking, do you? I could have ordered a car, but it’s just a few blocks and there’s no parking over there anyway.”
“A car?”
She points to a passing vehicle. “What do you call that?”
“A vehicle, of course.”
She smiles. “That is so quaint. That must be because technology was so disrupted in Terra Nova during the Dark Times. I did a whole course on the Dark Times once.”
“At school?” I ask.
She looks embarrassed. “With a tutor, actually. My parents didn’t send me to school.”
We’ve been walking for blocks now, and the men who left Queen’s Park when we did are still behind us. “Kayko,” I say, “I think those men are following us.”
“They are. Just ignore them.” She sighs. “They’re my bodyguards. I’m not allowed out without them. Actually, I’m surprised the Transitional Council didn’t assign you a bodyguard.”
I laugh. “I’m not important enough.”
She shakes her head. “I’m sure that’s not true. It must be an oversight.”
“Well, I’m glad. I don’t think I’d feel comfortable being followed all the time.”
“I understand. I’ve had bodyguards all my life, and I still wish I didn’t.” Kayko navigates the busy streets, talking all the while. “I can’t believe this is finally happening. It took forever to put the Justice Council together,” she says.
“Do you know the other Council members?”
“Erica is the only one I’ve met so far, other than Uncle Kenji, I mean. But I know who they are and a bit about their backgrounds. And I think I know their positions.”
“Their positions?”
“You know, where they stand on forgiveness and retribution. Or, at least, where they’re likely to stand. That’s what makes this so interesting. Nobody knows exactly what the Justice Council is going to do. Punish or pardon? We’ve been talking about it for months.”
“You and your uncle, you mean?” I ask. I’m startled to discover I’m not the only one thinking about punishment. I never imagined anyone talking openly about it.
“My parents, too. Some families follow sports. In our family, it’s politics. We’re so excited to think that democracy may be restored. Oh, here we are. I reserved a table so we won’t have to wait. I don’t want to miss anything this afternoon.” Kayko leads me into a beautiful room, everything decorated in red and gold. Thick carpets muffle conversation at dozens of tables. Servers, men and women, move through the room with carts.
Kayko’s arrival causes an agreeable flutter. We are quickly whisked to a quiet comer and a server approaches. Kayko points to little bamboo baskets which are placed on the table for us. Not enough to make a meal. “Try these,” she says, “cha shu bao—steamed buns filled with barbequed pork. You do eat meat, don’t you? I forgot to ask.”
I hope we’re going to have more to eat, but I can’t think of a polite way to say so. “I eat anything.”
Kayko laughs as if I’ve made a joke, not realizing how true this has been in my life. “Well, this is dim sum. It’s a very old Chinese style of food. You just choose what you want off the carts. Everything is little treats, but we won’t eat the chicken feet.”
“You’re joking, aren’t you?”
“Not about the chicken feet.”
The men who followed us here are gone. “Kayko, where did the bodyguards go?”
“To an observation booth. This place is completely wired. If anything unusual happens, they’ll be here in seconds. It’s nicer than having them hover around, don’t you think?”
I silently agree. As we eat, I’m glad for Erica’s lessons with chopsticks. I’m not as out of place as I would have been a few days ago. I start to relax and enjoy myself. The food is strange but delicious, and Kayko seems delighted to show me each new delicacy. Then I recall what she said when we were walking. “Do you really know how everyone on the Justice Council is likely to think?”
Kayko nods. “There are three other Council members. Monique Gaudet from Quebec. She is an important social theorist who fled to Haiti during the technocaust. Now she’s back in Montreal. She’s mostly likely to side with Uncle Ken and Erica. Her aide is Griffin Stockwood. I’m not sure how they’re connected.” She frowns. “I hate not knowing things like that.
“Then there’s Daniel Massey from British Columbia. He made his fortune designing navigational technology for the Northwest Passage. What happened out there in the technocaust was particularly bad, so he’s likely to be interested in revenge. His aide is Astral Robertson. I read that Daniel Massey is an old friend of Astral’s family.”
“Her name is Astral?”
“No, his name is Astral.” We both giggle, then Kayko looks more sober. “It’s a Truth Seeker name. I suppose I understand why he’d be good for this work. The Truth Seekers managed to stay clear of the technocaust. They didn’t try to stop it, but they didn’t involve themselves either, they just sat around in their divining parlours, trying to communicate with the spirits of the dead.” Her tone is scornful. “They are not known for intellectual rigour. Our Astral is probably going to be a bit of a bubblehead.” She gives me a wicked smile.
“The final Council member is Paulo de Lucas, who comes all the way from Cuba. Cuba has a longer tradition of democracy than any other part of North America, dating all the way back to the twenty-first century. They even managed to keep their parliament going through the environmental disasters and the Dark Times. We’re not sure if that will make him moderate, or if he’s more likely to be outraged by what happened here. The Cubans have their own history with dictatorship, long ago, and that may colour his feelings.” The bubbleheaded butterfly is gone. This Kayko is deadly serious and full of information. I wish Erica could see her now.
“And his aide?”
“His aide is his only child, Luisa. She’s seventeen. Last year, she eloped with the son of their driver. Their security people tracked the couple down and the marriage was annulled.”
I’m astonished. “How do you know all that?”
Kayko shrugs. “It was an international scandal, all over the HD tabloids. The family is very prominent. Paulo de Lucas has been a senator, and his wife sits on the supreme court. I’m sure the de Lucases want Luisa to assume a leadership role in her country. Working for the Justice Council here would help those ambitions. Plus, she’s far away from the unsuitable lover.”
I try to imagine behaving so impulsively. I can’t. I’m the sort of person who always wants my emotions to be tightly reined. I’m curious to meet Luisa.
“Which leaves my uncle and Erica,” Kayko continues, drawing me back to the present. “Uncle Kenji’s whole philosophy of life is about balance and moderation. He’s not likely to suggest anything that would upset anyone, and he’ll work toward compromise and consensus, you know, getting everyone to agree. He’s very interested in healing the rifts of the past.” She pauses to take a bite of a custard tart. “Now, Erica Townsend isn’t exactly a moderate. She’s always been passionate in her political life, a dedicated member of the resistance during the technocaust and after.” It’s strange to hear Kayko talk about Erica as if she were a stranger, but what she says is true. “She was a major force in the Uprising in Terra Nova. She and her husband worked to ensure that democracy was restored peacefully and relatively quickly, and that’s what we need here, so she’s a natural.”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course.”
“I’ve been wondering for months why Erica was chosen for this Council. Is that why? What you just said?”
“Oh, there are dozens of good reasons. Her grasp of history, her experience as a leader. But maybe the most important thing, my parents said, is the fact that she suffered in the technocaust.”
This surprises me. “Really? Why?”
“We have prisons full of people who were important in the government before the Uprising. Most of them had been in power since the technocaust. If someone like Uncle Ken calls for forgiveness, it’s easy to dismiss him. No one in our family suffered. If someone like Erica asks, though, people will be forced to listen.”
Forgiveness. Kayko just assumes I agree with Erica about it. Erica does too. “So that’s why Erica was chosen, even though she was directly involved?” I ask.
Kayko smiles. “Exactly. And she and my uncle are what you’d call natural allies. Which is great, because otherwise you and I could never be friends.”
The pot sticker I’ve just picked up stops halfway to my mouth. “What did you say?”
“If Erica didn’t think the way my uncle does, I’d have to avoid you.”
I’m glad Kayko is talking about Erica and not me. If she asked me directly, I couldn’t lie. I’d have to tell her how I feel about the people who caused the technocaust. I put the pot sticker down. “Is that why you like me? Because we’re on the same side?” I feel oddly empty.
Kayko laughs. “Of course not. I like you because you’re bright and interesting. If you were boring, I’d still be nice, but I wouldn’t want you for a friend.” She changes the subject without taking a breath. “Look at the time. We’ll have to hurry to get back before the afternoon session starts.” Kayko flies from the table, stopping long enough to have our meal placed on her parents’ account. I can only follow, wondering how I’ll manage to keep up with her, in every way imaginable.