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Cain flew back to Ramona. He would have preferred a direct order from Bodhi because he could tell Sissy and Siddha what to do. However, when he thought long and hard about his day with Bodhi, he realised that he didn’t have a single good reason for persuading them to leave Ramona and embark on the Rehabilitation of Brady Mahone tour with him. Bodhi had signalled his desire for what he wanted to happen next but left him, without a compelling reason to persuade his colleagues other than to implore them to follow him on blind faith.
He considered doing this alone but knew that with Sissy being part of the inner sanctum of the Sattva Systems™ elite, coupled with the fact that some of the older members of the Green communities would remember her being the ex-Governor of California then he needed her. He also knew that bringing along Siddha, whose distrust and dislike of Brady had spread far and wide, would, or should, give him enough firepower to calm and reset attitudes against Brady.
But first, he had to persuade Sissy and Siddha, to abandon their current project, which even in his own opinion, he considered far more critical.
As he arrived in Ramona, he was consoled by the positive development that the NanoShell™ was working.
Before he could approach the subject of leaving and taking Siddha and Sissy with him, he knew he had to fulfil his leadership duties to the new Green Community of Ramona. As he went around the community giving praise to all those who worked so hard to make it happen, it made him relate to Bodhi’s methods. He began to wonder whether Bodhi was sincere in his thanks to his loyal team or whether it didn’t matter at all because his reason for doing it was primarily to get him to do his bidding.
And here am I, doing just the same, praising people for their hard work, but all I’m really doing is a perfunctory duty to enable me to steal key people from the project.
Before leaving Ramona, he arranged for a Town Meeting. There were thousands of refugees from Encinitas who believed that Brady Mahone was the Devil incarnate, and he had to begin the process of Brady’s rehabilitation here.
He found Siddha and Sissy together, they were discussing the quality of the water supply with a technician. They acknowledged Cain’s arrival but continued their consultations until they were satisfied. Siddha went with the technician to the next filtration system, while Sissy went to join Cain. ‘How did it go with Bodhi?’
‘Not good. I’ve never seen him so angry and disappointed.’
She smiled consolingly, she moved her hand to her stomach, ‘They are kicking.’
‘Is it twins?’
‘No. I’m educating myself for the next upgrade in NanoSuits™, by the time this little one becomes a teenager we should have the BlueSuits™. This will enable gender fluidity, both mentally and physically. My little one will live in a different world to the one we grew up in. I want them to be fully immersed in it. It will be beautiful.’
Her optimism warmed him. He needed a vision of the future to remind him why they were here. ‘Just because we won the revolution, it doesn’t mean we have to stop evolving.’
She rubbed her stomach, unconsciously, ‘Now. What has Bodhi been up to this time? He can be a little irascible if he’s not getting his own way. The inclusion of the BlueSuit™ development caused massive disruption in his one-hundred-year plan, but he came around, eventually.’
Cain’s crystal green eyes sparkled as they caught the orange light of the setting sun. ‘He didn’t seem at all concerned about the work we were doing here in Ramona. He was fixated on our lack of progress with the Brady Mahone situation. He believes I failed him.’
‘What makes you think that? What did he say?’
‘He didn’t say anything precisely. He just made me tag along as he used many clumsy analogies about missing pieces of puzzles, missing elements in compounds, and lots of other examples. He made me feel like an incompetent fool, one who was letting the team down. They were professionals, and I was not.’
Sissy smiled, ‘He can do that to you. I’ve been on the receiving end of that treatment - it’s not nice.’ She added, ‘What you have to remember is that he has flaws of his own. This is why he needs us. He can’t do this alone.’
‘What kind of flaws?’
‘He struggles with art and literature, for instance. He cannot appreciate art, and he converses like a scientist...industrialist...same ballpark.’
‘I can see why he needs his engineers and scientists, but what use am I to him?’
Sissy laughed, ‘Oh my dear Cain. He really has got to you?’ She rubbed her stomach again, ‘They are active, they must want to join us. Don’t worry, little one, you’ll soon be with us, and then I can’t wait to introduce you to Uncle Cain.’ She returned her gaze back to Cain, ‘You have a spiritual bearing which plays well in your Communities. You are also a natural communicator. Trust me, he needs you. Have you ever wondered why he makes so few public appearances?’
‘No. Not really. I just thought he was too busy.’
‘He is busy, but that’s not it. He knows he doesn’t come across well to audiences. He struggles with empathy. He needs his Disciples to do that part of the heavy lifting for him. You persuade the people to do the work. I mean, look what we have done between us, here, in Ramona. We have evacuated thousands of refugees, reconnected power and water supplies, and have erected NanoShells™ in record time to keep them safe. Without our communications and planning skills, this couldn’t have been made possible.’
Cain smiled and said, ‘I’m in need of a hug.’
Sissy laughed and said, ‘Come here. You can hug the baby as well - if you can get your arms around me.’
He hugged her tightly, and let his head rest on her shoulders, he didn’t want his tears to show. After a minute, he pulled himself away from her soothing arms and said, ‘I need your help. I can’t, for the life of me, figure out why he is so fixated on Brady Mahone.’ He reminded himself of just how close Sissy and Bodhi were, and he wondered if he had made a mistake in questioning Bodhi’s judgment to her, of all people. I’m committed to this path, it’s too late to turn back now.
He wasn’t immediately reassured as she took long seconds before answering him. Finally, she seemed to reach a decision, or maybe it was a conclusion. ‘What are your thoughts on the subject?’
She’s answered a question with a question. Is she interrogating me? Trying to find out if I know, but using her to confirm my suspicions? I’ve come this far, maybe it’s time to find out whether honesty really is the best policy.
‘I’m ashamed to admit that my thoughts have spanned all the sins of the humanity of the old world when I have considered the apparent link between Bodhi and Brady Mahone. I’ll refine that by adding that I’ve considered the links between Xavier Kane and Brady Mahone. I’ve had doubts relating to cronyism, nepotism, conspiracies, criminality - it’s even given me doubts about everything we’ve achieved.’
She smiled, ‘I think we need a coffee, and I need a sit-down.’
They wandered into the refreshed town centre of Ramona and went into a refurbished café called New Start New Day Café.’ They ordered coffee, Cain’s was black, whereas Sissy’s was white with lots of sugar, ‘I’m hoping I’ll stop craving this after they are born.’
Cain said, ‘I’m sorry if I have gone too far and put you in an uncomfortable position. If you don’t want to discuss Bodhi’s intentions, then I would fully understand. I shouldn’t doubt him, not after everything he has done for us all.’
She stirred her coffee. ‘I don’t know why Brady is important to Bodhi. I really don’t. All I can say is that Bodhi rarely turns out to be wrong. You know my history. I was a radical Democrat who won the state of California, only because I had the support and considerable financial backing of Sattva Systems™.’
He said, ‘I’m sure you had something to do with becoming the Governor of California.’
She stared out of the window, she waved at the passers-by who recognised her. ‘In the arrogance of my youth, I certainly thought so. But with the benefit of hindsight, I realise I wouldn’t have stood a chance without Bodhi. He needed me. He needed my oratory back then - I’ve become less confident with age, and he needed my good looks; appearance was always over-valued in the old world. He needed all of these things because he didn’t possess these skills. There were so many times back then where I doubted him. I was a firebrand of a politician, and I would argue fiercely with him, and at first, I defied him. But I learned that if I enabled him, then wonderful things followed. We made a difference in the effects of climate change in California. I recognised in him the greatness he could achieve for his people and the potential for what he could do to the whole planet. All I had to do was believe in him. He never disappointed me. We owe him our loyalty.’
Cain looked crestfallen, ‘I’m sorry. You are right.’
She took a drink of her sweet coffee, ‘Having said that. I am troubled by Brady Mahone. He brings nothing of value to our future plans. We are not supposed to indulge in nostalgia for the old world, and yet, Bodhi encourages him to sell his entertainment wares to our people.’
‘They are security controlled.’
‘Yes, the Security Protocols™ do not permit illegal stimulants. Therefore, his customers have learned not to become over-stimulated by any scenes of sex, violence or hatred. Otherwise, they risk being Filmed. I’m sure his bestselling lines are all Middle-of-the-Road and relatively harmless titles.’
‘Why let them have them at all?’
‘Maybe, for Bodhi, they are an important element in his chemical compound. He will have his reasons.’
Cain said, ‘Ok. Why doesn’t he sell and distribute these items via Sattva Systems™? He could do a better job than Brady Mahone and his tin-pot amateurish operation. And why make Brady a rich man in the process?’
She said, ‘The only thing I can think of is that nobody has ever been perfect. The human spirit has always hankered after the forbidden fruit. Maybe Bodhi considers this a harmless outlet - a satisfying of a human need.’
‘But I don’t need it.’
‘That’s why you are a Regional Disciple.’
They finished their coffee and strolled through the new town to be re-christened Green Ramona at tomorrow night’s ceremony. It was getting dark, and Sissy looked tired. Cain said, ‘You need your rest.’
She said, ‘Have you decided what you need from me, specifically?’
‘I need your help to convince the people here in Ramona to alter their view of Brady Mahone. Then I need you to help me to convince Siddha - that will probably be even harder.’ He laughed. ‘Then I need you both to travel with me to visit all the Green Communities to rinse and repeat.’ He looked at her, ‘Although, I think your baby might have other plans.’
‘I don’t think we’ll be able complete the whole tour.’
Cain took her hand, ‘This is why I must get Siddha on board.’
She smiled, ‘I’ll sleep on it. I want to help because Bodhi wants this to be sorted. Whatever his reasoning.’