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Brady drove up and down the California Highways, collecting his Green Credits and collecting orders for his self-titled company, the BMEE Group. It made him feel like a bigshot when he introduced himself to new Green districts as the Brady Mahone Entertainment Enterprises’ proud owner. His primary reason for his travels was to keep having the excuse to see if he could bump into Rhea Laidlaw again.
He didn’t have many customers in San Martin, partly down to the Bear’s hellfire preaching. He had warned them of the terrible consequences awaiting anybody who gave in to the temptation of feeling nostalgia for the old world. But Brady had a couple of weeks to kill before he was due to meet with Judge Jefferson again.
The first time he visited, he spent another evening with the Bear. Tyrone had tried to get him interested in astronomy but only succeeded in boring Brady. Tyrone probably should have guessed that stories about the constellations and their connections to Greek mythology wouldn’t be a subject to stir Brady’s juices. When he asked around about Rhea, the Bear’s daughter teased him about being sweet on her. Brady struggled to hide his annoyance and embarrassment. The Bear put him out of his misery by informing him that Rhea was away on business in Boulder Creek.
He made another journey to San Martin a few days later, but this time the Beardon family weren’t there. With only the townsfolk to ask, Brady, cut a suspicious figure, as some thought he was the Devil come to tempt them while their Disciple, Rhea, and their preacher, Samuel Beardon the Third were all out of town.
His inquiries only gleaned that Rhea was still in Boulder Creek - and that this was not an unusual occurrence. He was also informed that the Beardon family were staying over in Elk Grove. This was a source of news which caused a mixture of excitement and pride to the natives of San Martin. Whereas to Brady, this was a source of consternation, as this was the largest district he had heard of, which was abandoned by the Trads. He sensed this was the beginning of a new phase earmarking the demise of the Traditional Cultures.
He still had a few days to kill, so he made a final attempt to meet Rhea Laidlaw. He was worried about him getting a reputation of a lovelorn waster or worse, a stalker.
As he pulled up to the Beardon home, Tyrone excitedly came out to greet him. ‘Hiya, Brady. Big things are happening in the astronomy world.’
Brady shrugged, ‘Is Samuel home?’
‘No. He’s still in Oakdale with Alicia. It’s a huge undertaking clearing a place of that size.’
‘Why aren’t you with them?’ Brady stared at the gangly, black youth with his thick-lensed glasses.
‘It’s my holiday. I’m heading down to Encinitas. Actually, I’m heading off in the next hour.’
Brady looked at the tortoiseshell glasses perched on Tyrone’s nose and guessed he must be short-sighted and couldn’t have a problem with his more extended vision. He said, as nonchalantly as possible, ‘I have business to conduct with Rhea. I don’t suppose you’ve seen her around, have you?’
‘No. Sorry. She’s always hot footing it to some big meeting or another. I can tell her you were looking for her if you want me to?’
I’m sure she’s all too aware that I’ve already done that. I know when I’ve had the brush-off. ‘No. It’s no biggie. I’ll take my business elsewhere.’
Tyrone shrugged. He couldn’t wait to get on his way. ‘Hey. If you’re at a loose end, why don’t you come and join me? It’s going to be a spectacular sight.’
‘Nah. It’s ok. Thanks, anyway, but I’m not as into all that stargazing as you are. I’m a basic kinda guy, y’know?’
Tyrone laughed, ‘But you’ll love this. It’s the biggest vehicle crash in the history of mankind. That’s why I had to have this week off as a holiday.’
Tyrone had successfully tweaked Brady’s interest. ‘What kind of crash?’
‘I meet up with other keen astronomers, and I’ve made friends who used to work for the government at the Palomar Observatory in San Diego County. It used to be the biggest telescope in the world...’ Tyrone saw Brady’s eyes glaze and he knew he was losing him, ‘Anyway, the mASSIVE™ International Space Station (mISS) is going to crash into the Pacific Ocean tomorrow night, by my friend’s calculations, and the best place to see this, is from the coastline in Encinitas.’ Tyrone leapt in the air with excitement but was amazed that Brady still seemed unmoved. Tyrone shook his head and smiled ruefully, ‘It’s four-hundred and twenty thousand kilograms of metal, which will fall out of the sky and crash and burn in the Pacific.’
Brady whistled and said, ‘Wow. Awesome.’
Tyrone couldn’t contain his excitement, and Brady couldn’t remember ever feeling like this boy did, not even before a heist. ‘Ok. I’ll tell you no lie. I’d love to see that.’ Tyrone held up his hand, and Brady gave it a lame High-Five. He added, ‘I tell you what I’ll do. I’ll drive us both, there and back, as a way of repaying your family’s hospitality.’ When I come back here, I’ll be driving Tyrone back home, and it will give me one last chance to see if I can get to see that Rhea chick again. And she’ll see I’ve done my good deed by Tyrone.
Brady hadn’t been as far south as Encinitas before, and he figured it would be a seven-hour drive if he avoided the most troubled towns - he had Tyrone’s mental wellbeing to think about, if not his physical safety because some of those places had been plunged into depravity by violence and crime. He also needed to plan in some comfort breaks and time to get something to eat and drink. ‘I’ve got stops to make on the way, but I only need about an hour in each. I’m owed Greenbacks.’
‘No problem. Do you mind if I ask how much you make?’
‘What’s your pay-check?’
Tyrone answered proudly, ‘Twenty-five Green Credits per week.’
Brady took out his Distor™ and handed it to Tyrone. The luminous green figures displayed the total of 912,435 Green Credits. Tyrone said, ‘That’s amazing. You’ll soon be the first Green Credit millionaire I’ve ever heard of - well, except for Bodhi Sattva, I suppose.’
Brady said, ‘I’m going to get me one of those private FusionPlanes™ when I get me a million. Then I’m going expand - big time.’
Tyrone passed the Distor™ back to Brady, but not before taking one last admiring look at the number. He might never see a Distor™ this fully loaded ever again.
Brady asked, ‘Is Encinitas a big town?’
Tyrone said, ‘Yes, it’s about Elk Grove’s size, at a guess, but it’s split down the middle, either side of Highway 5. There’s a massive Trad area on the East-side, but fortunately, the West-side, the all-important coastal section is a thriving Green community.’
Brady pictured his own hometown of McFarland being split into two by Highway 99. He looked at Tyrone and tried to sound enthusiastic, ‘Looks like we’re going on a road trip.’ He added, ‘Get your sh...stuff together and let’s hit the Highway.’
––––––––
THEY TRAVELLED SMOOTHLY down the near deserted Highways. Brady stopped at various towns en-route to Encinitas and continued to add to the total of the Green Credits recorded in his Distor™. Tyrone chatted excitedly, and Brady had switched off listening to him, and only occasionally responded with a nod, or the odd, ‘Hell, yeah.’ If he picked up on words concerning the spectacular crash.
Brady was partially attentive when Tyrone discussed the tricks which could be done with NanoShells™, he spoke excitedly of Emergency Protocols and the protection of secret sites - for the health and safety of its Green citizens, of course. He said it was for mental health reasons that most NanoShells™ were clear.
‘I can see a hint of green in them, out of the corner of my eye.’ Brady said, while still concentrating on his driving.
Tyrone said, ‘That’s interesting. I can’t, and I don’t recall anybody else saying that, either.’
‘A day or so after the Revolution, I saw the Green goo rolling down the Highway. And when you had your Orange™ and Yellow™ ceremonies, I saw the Shells™ turn briefly to those colours.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Positive.’
‘Cool.’ He was thoughtful for a while as he tried to figure this new information out with the mind of a budding scientist. ‘Anyway, there are other super-cool things they could do with these Shells™ if they needed to.’
‘Like what?’
‘They can be set to any level of opacity.’
‘What’s that? You’ll have to speak English to me.’
Tyrone laughed apologetically, ‘It’s how much you can see through them from either the inside or the outside. It can go to all levels of blurry until you reach a point where you can’t see through it at all.’
‘So, you could hide a whole town?’
‘Yes, even a city.’
‘Why would you bother to hide a town or city from the Trads, if they can’t get in, anyhows?’
‘It’s covering all eventualities. If we had visitors from space...’
Brady laughed, ‘Now, you sound just like my Foster Daddy with his talk about UFOs and conspiracy theories. Next, you’ll be telling me there’s an Area 51.’
‘There is. I think.’
‘There you go. I knew it.’
Tyrone smiled, ‘I gotta admit it. I do love all that stuff.’
‘You should watch some of my entertainments. I got all kinds of things my customers love - y’know, movies about space travel and aliens.’
‘It does sound like fun, but Uncle Sam would go up the wall if I did that. It’s a kind of commandment of his.’
‘It’s up to you. I don’t want to go against the Bear’s wishes, but if ever you did fancy it, just let me know, and I’ll give you a few free samples. I don’t watch that shit, but my Rep in West McFarland, Vance - well, he swears by it.’
‘Thanks, Brady.’
‘What else do these NanoShells™ do, apart from repelling alien invaders - who don’t exist - talk about paranoid.’
Tyrone didn’t want to irritate Brady with a discussion of the probability theory on the existence of extra-terrestrial beings. ‘The NanoShells™ can be set to mirror-mode. I’m not entirely sure why, but I have it on good authority...’
Brady drifted away from listening to Tyrone’s theories. He thought about NanoShell™ mirrors for a short while before he drifted into a reverie about his Foster Daddy, and he wished he was with them now, as he would have loved to have discussed his theories with this inquisitive and knowledgeable man-child.
He left the Highway and headed down the coastal roads for the last few miles. He didn’t know how the Trad section of Encinitas was organised, and he didn’t want to find out as it was outside of his usual territory. Tyrone slept through the last few hours of his epic road trip with Brady Mahone, as he was saving himself for the long night ahead. Brady drove through the West-side of Encinitas until he found a high vantage point atop a cliff with stunning views over the Pacific Ocean. He let Tyrone continue his sleep as he left the car and retraced his steps. They might not know of Brady Mahone in these parts, and as a stranger in a strange land, it’s always good to plan for a quick getaway. He walked along the clifftop road, examining the directional signs and committing them to memory.
Tyrone was stretching outside the car and admiring the view. He saw Brady and said, ‘This will be perfect. I’m expecting a few people, in the know, to begin the watch from around midnight, as the International Space Station’s re-entry will become visible from the west. At first, it will be a speck of light, like a star, but over the following hours, it will grow and grow, until it crashes into the ocean about fifty miles away.’
‘When will that happen?’
‘About an hour before dawn. Which is brilliant, as it will still be just about dark, and that will make it look so much more spectacular.’
Brady laughed, ‘Cool. Can’t wait.’ He said, ‘Don’t know about you? But I’m hungry. Let’s say we eat?’
‘Yes. It’s a good idea. We’ll need to keep our strength up.’
‘You speak for yourself, sonny boy.’ Brady mockingly showed off his biceps and put his fists up, playfully, as if preparing for a boxing match. ‘Brady Mahone never has to worry about his strength.’ He laughed, ‘Let’s go. My treat.’
As Brady wandered around the Green Community, he made mental notes about its size, population, and potential customer base, should he return in the future. In the café, with Tyrone, he chatted with the waitress who attended their table. She informed him that the Trad community was a well-administered town run by the old and respected Mayor, in conjunction with, the local church leaders. She spoke of other family members who were Trads and hinted that she occasionally communicated with them. Brady was surprised at how the Disciple who ran this community seemed to rule in a more relaxed and informal manner to the others he’d observed. He didn’t seem to be a stickler for the rules.
After Brady and Tyrone finished eating and using the all-important bathroom facilities, Brady flirted with the waitress. ‘I may visit here again someday soon, if that’s ok with you, honey.’
She said, ‘You’ll always find a warm welcome waiting for you in Encinitas.’ She smiled coyly.
‘Hey, sweetheart, what’s your name?’
‘Why I’m Lilith.’ She teased, ‘Now don’t get it in your that handsome head of yours to go calling me Lily. Otherwise, you and I might not be friends.’ She smiled, and Brady liked that old familiar Californian smile full of gleaming white teeth, and soft red lips. She said, ‘And what’s your name? You ain’t round from these parts.’
He took her hand quickly and kissed it, ‘I’m Brady. Brady Mahone, and honey, I ain’t from this world, never mind round here.’
Tyrone returned and attempted to join in the conversation. He interrupted absent-mindedly, ‘He’s a Trad.’
Brady looked at him sharply, and Tyrone looked away, embarrassed. Tyrone spent his spare time on his science files rather than checking out the rules of engagement in pulling a short-term partner.
She said, ‘You are one special man. I ain’t ever heard of a Trad being able to come in here - not on the West-side.’
He said, ‘I could show you one or two of my magic tricks. What time do you finish?’
‘I’m on a double shift. I don’t finish until 6am. I gotta save hard for my YellowSuit™.’
‘You mean you ain’t got one, yet?’
She looked away and bit her lip, ‘I got into a spot of bother with this boy, and they fined me, which means I have to make up my Green Credits. You do know what they are, you being a Trad ‘n’all.’
He joked, ‘I’m just going to get something out of my pocket, that will amaze ya, baby.’
‘I’m sure you will, hun.’ She teased.
He pulled out his Distor™ and showed her the amount. She said, ‘Wow! That’s really something. How did you get all those credits?’
‘Well, Lilith.’ He smiled, broadly, ‘I sells entertainment products to the trendier end of the Green market.’
She faked a look of concern, and playfully raised a finger as if she were about to admonish him, ‘The Preacher here, warns innocent young girls such as my good self, to resist the Devil and his wares, and that I should not allow myself to be led into temptation.’
He said, ‘If I was the Devil. Could I lead you into temptation after your shift? I’m going to be just over yonder, near the cliffs at 6am. You might be just in time for my big show.’
She giggled, ‘I’ll be there, it’s a date.’ She looked around to check if her boss was watching. She wasn’t, so she leant in and kissed him on the cheek. She whispered into his ear, ‘And what do you do for an encore?’
‘I’ll bring fire from the skies, and hell on Earth for you girl.’ He could tell that neither Lilith nor the other locals seemed to have a clue about crashing space stations. In the old days, everybody would have known about it, and there would have been advertisements everywhere. He chuckled, as he thought about this brilliant prank, he could pull on her. ‘Will that be enough to satisfy a girl like you?’
‘That’s for me to know - and you to find out. I’ll see you later - Brady Mahone.’ She saw her boss watching, and she rushed over to pour coffees at the far end of the café.
Brady waved to her as he left, and she blew him a kiss. It took his mind off Rhea. He also could tell that Encinitas could be an excellent place to do business. Hell, I might even employ her as a rep for the world-famous Brady Mahone Entertainment Enterprises. He chuckled as he and Tyrone headed back to the Hearse.
Brady found a spot of grass on the cliff edge and kicked off his shoes and made himself comfortable. He took out a couple of rolled-up sleeping bags and handed one to Tyrone. ‘It ain’t for sleeping. You can use it to rest your head on.’
‘Thanks, Brady.’
While Tyrone chatted amiably about the stars and planets which were emerging in the darkening skies. Brady’s mind wandered back to the last time he was on a clifftop overlooking the Pacific. He didn’t look where Tyrone was pointing, he had his head resting on his sleeping bag, and he was happy to watch the stars appearing above him, and he had no desire to learn what they were called. He drew in deep breaths of the salty air and thought about the hot-tub, cigar and brandy he enjoyed with Bodhi’s mother and old Hollywood starlet, Libby Kane. He chose not to reflect on all the heavy stuff around the whole Kane dynasty thing, all he wanted to do was think about how it felt to be on a luxury holiday. He enjoyed this feeling of calm and tranquillity. He whispered, ‘This was a great idea, Tyrone. Thanks, man.’
Tyrone surged with pride, ‘My absolute pleasure.’ My work here is done.
The two stargazers barely said in word in the next contented hour. The only movement was when Tyrone went to retrieve his binoculars from the Hearse. Tonight, was a night for a sweeping vision of the horizon, and not for training his field of view on one distant object in a tiny part of the sky. Gradually, a thin crowd of people began to gather in small groups along the coastline. Brady said, ‘In the old days of social media and the Internet, this place would have been packed out by now. I suppose it’s just down to word of mouth with you Greens, and I’m guessing the Trads are doing basic stuff like barely surviving.’ He laughed at his own insightful comment, but Tyrone was exploring the whole sky before the arrival of the star of the show.
Brady scanned the clifftop for potential threats but saw nothing but family groups and the Green Community demographics’ geekier end.
I hope they don’t think I’m a geek.
He also looked over the cliff edge to the beach parties held around the fires on the beach. He guessed the Greens still had the ability to make fire - even if the NanoFireRetardants™ had cut it out for the Trads. They didn’t use it often, maybe it was a special occasion. That looks more like my idea of fun.
He figured he still had a bit of time to get a bit of shut eye. He was also getting cold, so he retrieved his Poacher’s trench coat and lay back down on the ground with his head resting on the rolled-up sleeping bag. Doesn’t matter if I nod off. I’m sure that Tyrone won’t let me miss it.
Tyrone glanced over at Brady but noticed he had his eyes closed. Within a few seconds, Brady was snoring loudly. A young boy from a neighbouring family giggled at the snoring man who was missing out on all the fun. Tyrone prayed that Brady wouldn’t wake up to witness anybody making fun of the legendary Brady Mahone.
A short while later, he tapped Brady on the shoulder. ‘I caught my first glimpse of the Space Station. Do you want to see?’
Brady would have been happy to remain in the hot tub of his mind, but sleepily replied, ‘Yeah, sure.’ He took the binoculars. Before he put them to his eyes, he turned in a circle and then stopped. He was facing in land. ‘I can see it without them. It’s to the right of the Moon.’
Tyrone didn’t want to embarrass Brady, but he needed him to look in the right direction. ‘Normally, that would be the most spectacular feature - that’s Venus ascending.’
‘What does that mean?’
‘The Sun rises in the East. That means it ascends. As it’s June 6th, 2100, then on this day, Venus ascends into the sky just before the Sun. It does look radiant. We are lucky to have clear skies this morning.’
Brady could do without the poetic rhetoric. ‘Ok, just point me in the right direction.’
Tyrone steered Brady around, and Brady tried to concentrate. Tyrone pointed and said, ‘You see that bright star?’
‘Yep.’
‘Look down a little from there, and you’ll see a box shape.’
‘I got it.’
‘Well, that is the torso of Hercules - another legendary strong man like yourself.’ He joked. ‘Train your binoculars on where the heart of Hercules would be, and you should be able to make out a bright star-like object with a hazy tail behind it.’
Brady shouted, ‘I see it.’ He added, ‘It ain’t moving, though.’
Tyrone smiled, ‘In space terms, it’s driving up to the doorway of our house. But in our way of measuring things, it’s about eighteen thousand miles away.’
‘Oh.’
Tyrone continued, ‘However, it’s travelling at about fifteen thousand miles per hour.’
‘Wow, that’s real fast, so that means...’
Tyrone wanted to say splash-down, but he knew this softer term wouldn’t excite Brady. ‘That means in just over an hour, a hurtling, gigantic piece of space junk will crash into the Pacific. It’s a once in a lifetime show.’ Tyrone and Brady took turns with the binoculars until it became clearly visible to the naked eye. They both watched it grow in the night sky with a sense of awe and wonder. Brady keenly enjoyed the sense of anticipation as he imagined this inter-galactic mash-up.
Then it seemed to snowball. Tyrone suddenly became anxious. ‘I don’t like the look of this. The trajectory is all wrong.’ He went to run away, but Brady caught hold of him. Tyrone screamed, ‘I think it’s coming straight for us.’
Brady scoffed, ‘We’ve got a NanoShell™ protecting us. I’ve seen how strong these things are. Stay with me and be a man.’
Lilith had just finished her shift at the Ocean View Café, she scanned the cliff-top and saw Brady, she watched in a mixture of horror and awe, as the skinny black guy with glasses put his arms over his head in fear, while Brady Mahone stretched out extravagantly in a Christ-like pose, summoning...
Neither man had any time to escape anyway. Tyrone flinched and hunched up into a ball, while Brady raised his arms to greet the astral traveller, and he whooped and hollered as the International Space Station crashed and burned right in front of him. The hot metal and flames erupted as the NanoShell™ rose into the sky to meet it. ‘Oh man, this is some show...woohoo!’ He heard large explosions and crashing sounds coming from behind him. He whirled to see the International Space Station’s main body cut a wrecking swathe through East Encinitas. He stopped cheering as he heard the screams and panic of the Trad families who lived there. He also heard the sounds of excited laughter coming from the beaches below him. I woulda done the same, but they can’t see what I see.
Lilith watched Brady laughing maniacally, and she ran away from him as fast as she could.
Tyrone unwound his body and began to take in the devastation of the Trad side of East Encinitas, but then his attention turned to his primary concern. He checked the westside and saw that it was intact and the NanoShell™ had held firm against its crucial stress test. He felt an immense sense of pride in the technology of his Green saviours. And then he felt the Earth tremble. ‘Brady, did you feel that?’
He hoped Brady hadn’t noticed, so he could give in to denial, but Brady said, firmly. ‘Yes.’
‘It could be the crash, maybe a wave in the ground which only just reached us?’
I don’t survive by waiting and seeing. ‘It might have triggered a quake.’ Brady retrieved his sleeping bag and headed to the car. He pushed through the frozen crowd as they seemed to still be in shock and didn’t know how to react. ‘Get your ass in the car, now.’ He shouted to get Tyrone to move, ‘If there’s an earthquake, then the Highways might be hit.’ Tyrone was rooted to the spot. Brady wondered if this was a defensive reflex of the Red NanoSuits™. He shouted into Tyrone’s face like a Drill Sergeant from the Hell Division. ‘Get your fucking skinny arse in the car fucking now - that’s if you want to see your family again.’
Tyrone stared at Brady and then appeared to awake from his nightmare. ‘Yes, sir, I mean, Yes...’
Brady was already running to the car, and Tyrone ran fast to catch up with him. He jumped into the Hearse next to Brady, and Brady expertly reversed the car and spun it around at high speed to face inland and began to drive through the unharmed streets of West Encinitas. He had to drive carefully to avoid the families, who had been awoken, and had headed outdoors to investigate what was going on. Brady flung his arms extravagantly to encourage them out of his way. ‘Move it Grandma...Out of the fucking way, cunt face...Thanks for fucking nothing you slow-assed, no good, son of a whore...’
He turned into a major road heading East and then he saw a sight that he would never forget. The ground shook violently, and a massive crack in the road began to open. It was already a few feet wide when Brady decided to leap over the void in the Hearse. He put his foot to the floor and drove fearlessly at the gaping hole and flew across it. The car landed heavily on the other side, and something was caught in the wheelrim. He could hear and feel it. He got out of the FusionCar™, and he used his strength to unbend the material of the body of the Hearse with his bare hands. Tyrone panicked and jumped out of the Hearse to go to Brady.
The Earth heaved, and they both fell. They looked up to see a house crash into the hole the Earthquake had created, and a whole family was swept away into the void as they tried to dive out of the way of their collapsing home and the trees in their front garden followed. Tyrone screamed, ‘Brady, we have to help them.’ Tyrone wobbled as the hole became a cavernous void behind them. Tyrone saw one of the family, on a ledge, hundreds of feet below him. ‘Brady, they can survive any fall in a RedSuit™, but they’ll need help to get them back to safety. Otherwise, they’ll starve down there.’
Brady said, ‘Fuck ‘em. We ain’t got time for this shit.’
‘But Brady, there were children down there.’ He shouted to try and be heard above the roar of the continued quake and buildings’ crashing.
‘No. I’m a Trad, and I’ve witnessed thousands of the dead and the dying. Hell, you just see them as rubbish to decompose and be rid of. Fuck you. Time to learn what it feels like on this side of the track. Now get back in the Hearse, or I’ll leave you here. Go be a hero, if that’s what you want, but Brady Mahone is outta here.’ He stared balefully at Tyrone. ‘Last chance, what’s it gonna be, boy?’
Tyrone got into the Hearse and slammed the door in the act of useless defiance. It wasn’t going to hurt Brady’s feelings. He was utterly focussed on his escape route. The timing of the banging of the car confused both passengers for a split second as a blinding white flash, and a vast mushroom cloud erupted in the distance. The wave swept across the land in front of them, it hit East Encinitas and then crashed against the NanoShell™. The Earthquake still rumbled and tore up the ground, but Brady sensed it was temporarily losing its power. He stared at the mushroom cloud, he struggled to get his words out, ‘What the fuck was that?’
Tyrone couldn’t reply for a few seconds, but then said, ‘The FusionPlant™ has been destroyed.’ He watched and didn’t believe his eyes. He saw Trads running into the West-side of Encinitas. ‘The Shell™ has failed.’
Brady said, ‘Are we going to die of radiation sickness? Isn’t that what happens - when one of those things blow? If you don’t get turned into a burned-out shadow, then you die of radiation poisoning?’
Brady asking a science question seemed to bring Tyrone out of his spell. ‘No. That used to happen with Fission-powered nuclear reactors. This is Fusion, it will have radiation, but not as much. We have to get out of here.’ As he said it, the Earthquake stopped, almost as quickly as it started. It made the town seem eerily quiet, except for the Trads who were looting the shops and houses of the spoilt brats of the Green Community of Encinitas. Tyrone added, ‘Your FusionCar™ has a sensitivity setting.’
Brady sneered, ‘Oh, how delightful, my good man.’
Tyrone grimaced, ‘It means as you drive it will assist you by scanning the front of the vehicle for animals and insects.’ He knew this information wouldn’t be of interest to Brady, so he added before Brady could retort, ‘It will also self-steer around obstacles and holes if it senses that you’ve not noticed them. It might help in getting us safely out of here.’
Brady visibly calmed, ‘That will be useful.’ He asked, ‘What’s likely to happen next?’
‘There will certainly be many substantial aftershocks to follow - mini-earthquakes.’
‘Do you know when? You know, in the next few minutes, or hours?’
‘I really don’t know, but they could appear at any time over the next few weeks.’
They continued to drive slowly through Encinitas on Brady’s escape out of Dodge. As the word spread about the riches on offer on the West-side they saw more and more desperate Trads running to join them before all the good stuff was taken. All the while, Brady was checking his mirrors for the sight of the mushroom cloud, as if he were adding it to a collection of his more precious memories.
They had many obstacles, holes and rifts in the roads to navigate, but they finally found Highway 5. Brady said, ‘What about that other thing, y’know, the mushroom cloud?’
‘I know you’re worried about your Trad friends, but they’ll have to fend for themselves. It’s a strict policy on non-intervention. We get disqualified if we give in to the temptation to help them.’
I ain’t getting into a discussion. I ain’t no politician. ‘What about the Greens? Do their NanoSuits™ still work? Y’know after the big-ass nuclear explosion?’
‘Yes. They are powered by the individual wearer’s energy. Individual vehicles, like this, run off their own power source. Those guys will have to find a new home, but other communities will be duty bound to accommodate them. It’s the law.’
Brady laughed, ‘There’s gonna be some pretty crowded places along here. It always causes troubles when the immigrants invade.’
Tyrone said sniffily, ‘I don’t think we see things through the same lens as the Trads.’
‘If you say so.’ Brady had a thought, ‘Say, kid, could you do me a favour? I’d do it myself, but I’m driving.’
‘Sure. What do you want me to do?’
‘I want you to write down all that happened back there in Encinitas. Under your seat, you’ll find my Order Book. There’s a pen and some spare paper in the back. It’ll give you something to do. It’s a long drive back.’ He added, ‘I don’t care if you write the stuff you think makes me look bad. I don’t care. It ain’t for me. I know what happened.’
Tyrone said, ‘You’re not a bad person. I’m not saying I agree with you, but I do hear you.’
Tyrone had a pattern of stopping to think for a while, then writing furiously, then stopping again, then followed by more writing. For Brady, this meant Tyrone wasn’t talking, and he enjoyed having a little quiet time. Occasionally, they came across some huge rifts in the Highway, which meant a detour to find another way around them, but mostly, he drove for miles with his thoughts, keeping him otherwise occupied. He wondered how fast the news of this event would travel. There was no Internet. No TV. He hadn’t even seen a newspaper at even a local level. All communications seemed to be word of mouth or at the big town meetings. He guessed that a disaster like this would shake the faith in Bodhi Sattva and Sattva Systems™ at the very least. He asked, almost absent-mindedly, ‘Y’know you said those people who fell down the crack in the Earth would starve?’
‘Yes.’
‘Would they die of thirst as well?’
‘At the moment. Yes’
‘What do you mean? At the moment?’
‘The new GreenSuits™ will extend the recycling of water and food exponentially in the body. You could even survive under water for days. It will help dramatically in Operation Clean-Up of the Oceans.’
He had a sudden recollection of the Bear’s sermon. Still, at least I know these fucks aren’t indestructible. And their power supply can be got at. Although, I ain’t got the power to cause no earthquakes. He chuckled, but when he thought of his friend, the Bear, he smiled. The Greens have been a profitable business for Brady Mahone. I’d be cutting off my nose to spite my face if I hurt them real bad. He laughed, and Tyrone looked up from his writing assignment but decided Brady was laughing to himself. Brady had a vision of drowning Siddha. I know he hates me, but one day I’m gonna drown him like a cat in a bag.
Brady pulled the Hearse over into the bus stop outside East McFarland on Highway 99. He said to Tyrone, ‘Hey, I’ll have those notes you been writing, now.’
Tyrone straightened his papers out and put some last-minute page numbers on them. He passed the pages over to him. Brady examined Tyrone’s notes, and it reminded him of the sort of writing which the loser geeks used to do on the few occasions Brady actually attended school. He joked, ‘I hope you’re not waiting for me to grade them.’
‘Only if you give me an A. Otherwise, I’d rather not know.’ Tyrone laughed.
‘I’m sure my friend the Professor, would have given you an A - but he’s dead now.’ He smiled, but Tyrone could detect the hurt Brady felt with this memory.
Brady strode out of the car and unclipped the timetable holder and packed the bundle of papers tightly behind the Perspex cover. He double-checked to ensure they were held securely before returning to Tyrone and the Hearse.
He drove away from McFarland, but after rounding the bend after a couple of minutes, he slowed the car down to check out what the Green Work Crew was working on. Tyrone knew instantly, but he didn’t say anything. Brady rode past, slowly and watched them spraying a mound of approximately twenty former East McFarland residents.