Atlantic Island (40 page)

"So you question my methods. Fine. Where you, and Lucas before you, are wrong is that you don't see that those methods are a means to an end. Lucas only thought about and saw the short term. Happiness for everybody! A chicken in every pot. A beachfront penthouse for every family. It was a mad, shiny notion that led him to the point where I had no choice but to remove him from the playing field. We always lived in a world of limited resources, Theo. Atlantic Island doesn't improve that but complicates it to an exponential degree. If you had your way, we would all starve within a year."

"It still doesn't give you the right to kill people," Theo said. He leaned forward. "It didn't give you the right to kill the mayor."
 

"I make the rights on this island!" Tiberius said. He slammed his fist on the desk, which Theo saw no longer had its glass top. The force of the impact shook the room. Theo could feel the vibration through his chair. "You are an ant, a worm, and you have no place to question me!" Tiberius's face shifted suddenly, and he smiled again. "Forgive me, Theo, I seem to have lost my temper. I hold this all very close to my heart, you see."

Theo gripped the arm of the chair with his good hand. He was in the presence of a profoundly dangerous person.
 

"Were there any other questions?" Tiberius asked.
 

Knowing that his inquiries might be the only thing prolonging the time before his death and delaying Tiberius from going after Kylee and the rebels, Theo asked perhaps the most obvious of questions.
 

"How…how did you get like this? How do you have so much strength…how do you heal from bullet wounds?"

Tiberius laughed heartily. It was a horrible sound. "I have to tell you Theo, not many have asked me that question. The few who did… well, they aren't around to talk about it. Seeing as how you probably won't be around much longer either…why not?"

Theo couldn't believe it, but he found he was intrigued to hear what Tiberius had to say.
 

"A while back, a team of archeologists made a fascinating discovery. They sent robotic vehicles into underground caverns in Mexico, beneath an ancient temple. What they found was bizarre: a metallic orb. Thousands of years old. They could only speculate at its purpose."

Theo began to think the man's insanity had drawn him far off-topic, but he listened on.

"The bidding on such an artifact went on and on. Every museum wanted to display it. Every science lab wanted to analyze it. The orb remained carefully preserved away from prying eyes. Nobody dared handle it by hand in case it were to fall to pieces. For months, its future remained unknown. Finally, an inspired entrepreneur developed a strategy that appealed to numerous parties. The orb would go on a…road show. It would appear on display in one place, then move to the next to be analyzed for a while, and on and on.

"Well, the government of Atlantic City got to take its turn with the orb. Some people wanted to organize a huge tribute to the origins of Mexican culture at the Convention Center, and the orb would be the centerpiece. I was not directly involved in any of these discussions. I did not see the purpose of the whole idea. And then, fate smiled upon me, as I had always known it would. A package, incorrectly marked, arrived at my office in the old city hall."

Tiberius left his chair. He walked over to the wall and removed a painting. A digital keypad was mounted on the wall. "I had this installed when I assumed command of this office after Lucas was no longer around," he said. He typed in a code, and after a series of beeps a section of the wall slid back. On a wooden shelf was a small metal box. Tiberius removed the box and walked back to his desk. He placed the box on the desk with its front latch facing Theo.

"When I opened the package, I found this box," Tiberius said. "Not knowing its contents, I opened it." He unlatched the lid and raised it up. "I saw… this." Inside was a sphere. It was not perfectly round, and Theo couldn't make sense of what material it was made from. It appeared both metallic and ceramic.
 

"Now, if you ask me," Tiberius said, "I do believe those ancient Mexicans did not invent this orb. I think it came from somewhere else. In any event, I kept the box with me as I attended a meeting that night in the heart of the island. I didn't know that it was part of the Mexican exhibit and I didn't know yet what I wanted to do about it. As I walked out of the limousine, the driver tried to help me out of the car. The box fell and the contents rolled onto the ground. I bent down to pick it up, not knowing, of course, that I was the first living being in modern history to touch the orb's surface. And that's when it happened."

"When what happened?" asked Theo.

"The orb began to glow, hot against my skin. I grabbed it with both hands as it tried to pull away from me. Much like the reverse polarity of a magnet. A massive pulse of energy came out of it in all directions. It washed through me and knocked me unconscious. When I came to, the world had changed."

"The world had…you…you mean the Event, don't you?"

Tiberius snickered. "Ah, so you are not completely lacking brain power! That's right. The orb triggered what I thought was a natural disaster, but what we both now know was a portal to another universe. When I woke up, the limo driver was standing over me, trying to rob me. In the course of protecting myself, I learned what gifts the orb had granted me. It has remained with me ever since."

Tiberius came around the desk. "And now, I think this question and answer session is over." The man's eyes flashed with violent intent. "The only thing that remains to ponder is what to do with you."

Theo stood up as Tiberius came closer. "Your army is destroyed, Tiberius. It doesn't matter what you do to me. You're just one man, and it's over for you."

Tiberius moved faster than Theo had imagined was possible. The Supreme Leader moved forward and slammed his palm into Theo, catching him on his bad shoulder, which shattered instantly. Theo had a moment to feel glad that his arm was numb as he was thrown backward, twisting in the air and knocking the chair over.
 

"I am the light that shines in the darkness!" yelled Tiberius. He walked over to Theo and kicked him. Theo lifted off the ground and crashed to the floor on the other side of the room. There was a horrible pain in his side and he knew that several of his ribs had broken.
 

"I am the future of this world!" said Tiberius. "You and your miserable followers are done here." Somehow, impossibly, he was standing over Theo again. He grabbed Theo by the shirt and lifted him off the ground. He slammed Theo into the wall. Theo felt the drywall crush behind him as the wind left his lungs. Tiberius tossed Theo across the room. He fell over the desk knocking everything onto the floor, including the metal box. The orb rolled onto the carpet.
 

Theo tasted something bitter in his mouth. He wiped his lips and his hand came away covered in blood. Tiberius had damaged more than his ribs. He was now certain: he was going to die here.
 

Tiberius was approaching again. Theo realized the only reason he was still alive was because Tiberius was too angry to think clearly. That would only last him so long.

"You are a fool, Theo Essex," yelled Tiberius. Theo heard crashing all around. The man was throwing furniture into the walls. Theo tried to make a run for the door, but his body wouldn't respond to any requests to move fast. His running days were behind him. Instead, he crawled in the direction where he had seen the orb roll.
 

"I'm going to kill you, Theo, and your death will be the message I send to your pathetic rebels. I am the Supreme Leader! I am God and you shall not defy me!"

Theo folded himself over the orb just as Tiberius grabbed the back of his shirt with both hands. He hoisted Theo from the ground effortlessly, as if he was lifting a sack of flour. Theo clutched the orb to his aching abdomen in his left hand. He felt a strange sense of warmth down there.

"Goodbye, Theo," said Tiberius. He tossed Theo head first through the large glass windows that showcased the beach and the ocean. Theo felt the glass slice his face to ribbons. His right arm could not protect him and his left was holding on to the orb. He began to fall, and then suddenly he felt something else. The warmth in his midsection spread rapidly. Though his eyes were closed he saw a burst of light. He felt unconsciousness take over, and he embraced it. He had nothing left with which to fight.
 

Theo tumbled as the orb activated. The pulse extended out a hundred feet in every direction. The golden ball slipped from Theo's unconscious hand and immediately everything in the range of the pulse vanished, including the orb, Theo and a massive semicircle comprising part of nearly ten floors of the Palace below the spot where the Supreme Leader stood, a look of disgust on his face.

Tiberius stood at the broken window, and for a brief moment it seemed the structure might stay just as it was, even without all the supports below. Then, the remaining structure cracked, crumbled and collapsed. Tiberius was dropped into a maelstrom of debris as the Palace fell to the beach.

One month later

"Are you ready?" Bill asked.
 

"I will be," said Kylee. "Public speaking was never really my thing."

"I think it's going to have to become your thing," he said. "You're pretty much the 'it' girl around here."

She laughed. "Did Ry make it?"

"Yeah, absolutely. He's sitting with me and Jamie."

"How's his…you know."

"What? Frame of mind? He's getting there, Ky. Little by little. I know you want him to be involved with the nerd patrol again and he will be. Just give him time."

Bill escorted her down the hall. She could see the door through which she would enter the stage. Already she could hear the excited chanting of the crowd.
 
How she wished Theo could be here with her. The thought saddened her.
 

When the Palace fell, she had known immediately that Theo was gone. All she wanted was to recover his body. In the weeks that followed, as the rebels rounded up the rest of the Security Force and secured the island, Kylee's attention became more and more focused on digging through the rubble of the Palace.
 

Though many bodies were uncovered, she didn't find either Theo or Tiberius. Gradually, Kylee started to believe it was possible that Theo was still out there somewhere. "Where could he go on an island?" Jamie had asked her. Maybe she was right. Maybe he really was dead. If so, she was determined to honor him.

Bill wished her luck and went to take his seat. It was all on her now. The direction of the country from this day forward would grow from what she was about to say. Andrew told her this was the kind of speech that would find its way into history books. Would there be history books of Atlantic Island one day? She thought it was possible. A full world of possibilities waited. She took one final second to compose herself and she stepped through the door and out on the stage.
 

The crowd applauded and cheered. The sound reverberated through Boardwalk Hall and energized her. Kylee stepped to the podium. The notes that she had revised a hundred times waited for her. Two of her soldiers guarded her on each side of the stage, wearing uniforms similar to those of the Security Force, minus the fearsome helmets and masks.
 

She waited at the podium while the crowd hooted and hollered. Finally, the sound began to diminish. She held up a hand and the crowd continued to quiet. She looked around. It seemed like everyone in Atlantic Island was here. Men, women and children filled the stands.
 

"People of Atlantic Island," she began, "today marks the end of a long, frightening period in all of our lives and the beginning of something bright, new and promising. Today I can officially say that the forces of Paul Tiberius have been defeated. The country is once more in the hands of its people!"

The crowd applauded heartily. She allowed them their time. When they had once again grown silent she continued. "Next week we will be holding elections, to allow you, the people to decide who it is you want to lead you. We plan to put your newly elected leaders in office within the month so that they can continue the work of rebuilding this island." She paused. "We fought a difficult war for this independence, and I would be remiss if I ignored the sacrifice of so many. I lost loved ones just as many of you did. I want you to know that I will do everything in my power to make sure that a monument is built on the site where the Palace once stood. A monument that will contain all the names of the brave men and women who died to make a future for all of us.
 

"I believe in all of you, just as Theo Essex and Sam Lucas believed in you. We have overcome so much and I know that we will all work together to overcome the challenges ahead. It is time for all of us to rise up and make of ourselves a great nation. I know you will make us proud. All hail the people of Atlantic Island!"

He had a brief sense of cold water rushing over him, filling his nostrils, pouring into his lungs. The next thing he knew, he was being pulled out of that same water. In the next flash of consciousness, he was on a hard surface, a table, with a bright light in his eyes. Concerned faces all around him. Then there was darkness.
 

Theo awoke some time later in a small room. He was lying on a cot. He stretched his arms. Stunned, he pulled both arms in front of him. His right arm was completely healed. It seemed his ribs were better as well. All told, he felt great. He sat up and looked at his body.
 
He was dressed in loose fitting grey sweatpants and a white tank undershirt.
 

There was a knock at the door. A man dressed in some kind of military uniform came in carrying a tray with food: a turkey sandwich, an apple and a glass of water. Theo couldn't remember having ever been so hungry.