“Later, then.”
He sealed the vow with a kiss.
The world was under her feet as Jo all but sauntered back to the Four-Way. The wish was going well, she was settling into the Society,andshe’d finally cracked the tension with Snow in the best of ways. Jo was already looking forward to the next stretch of time between wishes. With nothing else to do. . . she wondered how much time she could spend in his room before someone noticed.
Jo was so preoccupied with the lingering blissful dizziness, the pleasant heat that had bubbled from her stomach and into her head, that it took until she had a mug in hand and coffee pot tipped for her to notice the tone of the room.
Everyone was gathered, huddled on the couches, glued to the television. Jo stared at the news and felt her own jaw go slack right before hot coffee overflowed onto her fingers and her mug shattered against the tile floor.
Chapter 23
Plan C
“WE GAVE THEM everything they needed,” Wayne repeated for what felt like at least the fifth time in the last ten minutes. This time, however, he punctuated it with a harsh kick to the edge of the couch.
“Wayne,” Eslar chastised, but even the normal tone of his scolding was off, dulled by the somber atmosphere and the second run of playbacks still flashing across the television screen. The banner at the bottom of the screen read,
Prime Minister Nakamura Denies Scientists’ Claims
Takako grabbed for the remote, pointing it at the TV and clicking furiously. A nearly identical broadcast popped up; the only difference was the talking head delivering the message.
“The prime minister has called into question the organization in charge of bringing forward the speculations that what has been deemed by the Japanese government as a cyber-attack on sovereign soil is, in actuality, founded. As of right now, the government’s official stance is that—”
CLICK.
“We should not be made to feel afraid by these terrorists. In fact, I have little doubt that they’ve penetrated this so-called ‘lab’ and—”
CLICK. It didn’t seem to matter how many news channels Takako flipped through, they were all the same.
“. . . reiterate that the Japanese government does not give heed to influence from any forces beyond our borders.”The prime minister was on, front and center. Takako’s hand lowered slowly.“It is my most sacred duty to keep safe our people and our land and I will not give in to baseless claims grounded in fear and terror.”
“Wh-why is he doing this?” Jo whispered, getting no answer, and not expecting one to begin with.
Takako cursed loudly and held up the remote again.CLICK. A new talking head appeared, a new timestamp in the lower corner of the screen. Were they watching re-runs? Or was time slipping away from them like sand in an hourglass, persistently flowing toward their ultimate failure?
“. . . minister remains tough on terrorism in advance of next month’s election,”the newscaster said, matter-of-factly.“His stance has earned him four points in the polls almost overnight.”
“An election.” It was all so bloody clear now. The vague memory of a newscaster mentioning polls and points stuck out in her mind. It had always been about a stupid election.
“A damned election.” Wayne growled, running a hand through his hair until the slicked-back quaff was completely disheveled. All manner of the man’s usual bravado and affectations from his forgotten era had vanished, replaced instead with timeless frustration and rage. “Is there no end to the greed of politicians?”
“He’s. . . he’s risking everyone dying, so he can win an election?” It was phrased as a question, but Jo already knew the answer. Wayne had said it himself: there was no end to the greed.
“And to save face,” Takako spoke without even turning. Jo didn’t even think they’d known she was there until that moment. “If he backs down now, he’ll have to admit he was wrong, and that he wasted precious time, which could mean the lives of his people.”
“That’s because he did!” Jo couldn’t help herself. “What more does he want? We gave them proof that the evacuation wasn’t wrong.”That I wasn’t wrong, her mind betrayed her, finishing. Yes, thiswaspersonal. This was her redemption slipping by for the sake of a man’s pride.
“Well what more are we supposed to do?” Wayne asked.
Jo wasn’t the only one who winced at those words. Wayne was right. They’d put all of their cards on the table with Samson’s upgraded seismograph. What were they supposed to do now?
Eslar took the remote from Takako with surprising delicacy, muted the TV, and leaned back in his chair. For a long moment, the only sounds in the room were Wayne’s footsteps pacing across the tile.
Samson was staring off into space, shaking hands fidgeting almost desperately. As usual, he held a small trinket that Jo couldn’t identify, though she could suddenly see with new ease how to break it, if she wanted. At the look of pain on Samson’s face, however, it felt as thoughshewas the one breaking.
Nico sat next to Takako on the couch, an arm wrapped around her shoulders—not that the woman seemed to notice. Her head was buried in her hands, whole body hunched over and trembling as if trying to hold back a sob of emotion that could have been frustration or sorrow.
And Jo. . . continued to stand where the sickening realizations had left her, a puddle of coffee and shards of ceramic beneath her sneakers. She could barely think, let alone move, but regardless, her mind screamed to do something, do something,do something—
