Emily Kimelman - Sydney Rye 03 - Insatiable (28 page)

I rolled over and looked out the little window. It was dark out. Not even a rat was stirring. I felt like I had to get up. I couldn’t just lie there. Blue jumped up when he saw me climbing down. I grabbed a beer out of the fridge and stepped into my sneakers. Without tying the laces I went outside. There was no moon, no street lights. It would feel like the country if not for the smells of so much humanity.

I popped the can of beer open and took a long sip. Leaning against the side of the RV I tried to think of something useful to think about. Something I could do to make this plan happen. Mulberry said I already did my part but I hated sitting around waiting. I heard a sound and turning quickly saw a stray dog. Its ribs exposed and its hip bones jutting through its skin. A shudder ran through me. It watched us cautiously then jogged away, large loose udders swinging from its belly. I didn’t want to think about the fate of her.

I reached out a hand and rested it on Blue’s head. He leaned his body against me. It was nice to feel his warmth. Looking down at him I felt a smile cross my face. “You’re a good boy,” I said.

He looked up at me. His eyes, full of emotion but empty of thought, brought a lump to my throat. Blue did not shy away from eye contact. He did not understand embarrassment. I turned away before he did, my eyes wet. I sipped from my beer again. James popped into my head as he so often did.

We were young and in the yard. Our father was still alive. James and I were working together to make a fort. One that would hold against the invading army. We’d brought all the kitchen chairs outside. Then James carried out the Transformers blanket from his bed. I helped drape it over the chairs. Inside the light was blue. We sat on the grass. James put his arm around me and told me that when the enemy came we’d be ready. With a big smile on his face, he showed me the slingshots he’d made for us. We gathered rocks and waited. James saw them first. Giant, hairy beasts coming across the yard. We fired through the chair legs.

“I’ve been hit,” James cried, and fell back onto the grass holding his arm. I fired at the imaginary beasts. James pulled himself back up and using only one arm launched stones at them, too.

“I’ve been hit,” I yelled, grabbing my leg.

“Oh no, lava,” James yelled.

“Sydney?” Mulberry was in the doorway looking down at me. “You OK?”

I turned away from him and swiped at my eyes. I took a sip of beer and tasted it mixing with the salt of tears. “Hey, you OK?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.” I smiled for him.

He rested his back against the RV next to me. Taking the beer from my hand he took a sip. We stood there for a while not speaking. A breeze came and blew some of the clouds away. The moon, barely a sliver, became exposed. Mulberry handed me back the beer. “Bobby’s been calling,” he said.

“Have you been answering?”

“I did, after it was confirmed that the police were looking for Joy Humbolt. I thought he should hear our side of the story.”

“What’s that?”

“I told him about Ana Maria and what she did. He knows we are together but I didn’t mention them,” he motioned with his head toward our sleeping friends.

“Do you think he believed you?”

“Unlikely, Blane is his apprentice. He’s trained him for years. Bobby has total trust in Blane.”

“Jesus.” I pushed off the RV. “What else are you keeping from me?”

Mulberry grabbed my arm and pulled me toward him. I bumped against his chest dropping my beer to the ground. “Let go of me,” I said, pushing against him.

“Listen-”

“No, you lie to me, you are just so full-”

“Sydney, stop.” His voice was soft but persistent. “Everything I don’t tell you, everything I hide from you, is me trying to protect you.”

“You don’t need to protect me,” I said.

His green eyes glinted yellow and he tightened his grip on my arm. “I don’t know how to stop.”

I stayed pressed against him. I felt suddenly exhausted and rested my head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around my waist and leaned his face against my hair.

“I think Bobby has people looking for us right now,” he said quietly.

“Another thing to worry about,” I said into his shoulder. “I guess we’ll have to take what comes. I’m ready.”

“Me, too.”

CONNECTIONS

The next morning Dan woke up in a hurry. He said he knew what he had to do. He’d figured it out. Then he grabbed Mulberry, jumped in a cab, and headed into the center of the city. The bags they brought back filled the small space. When all the monitors were unpacked, they covered the table and spread across to the bench. The cords clogged every plug.

Malina, Izel and I stood in the kitchen watching Dan connect all the monitors to each other. His tongue peeked between his lips and his eyebrows met in conference over his nose. Mulberry was helping by passing cords when Dan told him to.

When he was finished connecting everything, Dan pushed the power button on his laptop. The generator chugged trying to keep up with the power drain. The lights flickered and the four new monitors glowed to life.

It filled the small space with a creepy blue glow. I felt like we were inside a TV. Mulberry grinned. “What’s all this for Dan?” I asked.

He turned to me, a little boy’s proud smile on his face. “This is where we are going to watch the show.”

“We need this many screens to watch it?” Izel asked.

“Yes. Because we are going to watch it from the booth.”

“Booth?”

“See, a show like this there are a bunch of cameras, right?” We nodded. “And since it is a live show there is a director who sits in a little booth and tells people which camera to put up on the screen, the TV that people see at home.” The monitors blinked and then came back to life. Dan turned to look at them. He guided the mouse attached to his laptop and we all watched as the corresponding arrow jumped from one screen to the next.

Dan continued: “So this booth with the director also controls what goes up on the screen behind the performers, or speech makers, whoever is on the stage. So if all goes to plan we will be able to see what the director sees and if all really goes to plan than we will be able to change what goes up on the screen.”

“So when Ana Maria is giving her talk we will be able to play her confession?” I said.

“That’s right, it will go up right behind her head.”

“There is a small catch,” Mulberry said.

Dan bit his lip. “See we need to somehow get into the booth. I can’t access it remotely. I tried but their security is too tight. The thing is about this event is that ‘the booth’ is actually a trailer outside of the theater. So we could sneak in-”

“I’ll do it,” I said, excited at the prospect of having something, anything to do. Dan and Mulberry both looked at me.

“I don’t think so,” Mulberry said.

“What? I’m the most qualified.”

“And the most exposed,” Dan said. “If you get caught, you’re in jail forever.”

“I’ll do it,” Malina said.

“I’ll help,” Izel said.

“No, wait. Look, I can do this.”

Everyone looked at me and I knew I was beat. Dan put it into words. “No way, Sydney, you’re sitting this one out.”

“But-” there was nothing left to say. “Mutiny,” I muttered. Which, of course, they all heard.

In addition to all the monitors Dan bought he also invested in some audio equipment. He held up the small ear piece. “This way I’ll be able to direct you through it,” he said to Izel. He handed one to Malina. “And if you need any help we’ll be in your ear, too.”

They both nodded. Dan typed away on his computer and within seconds, two of the monitors showed images of all of us. Malina and Izel looked down at the small cameras hidden in their clothes. I noticed that my hair looked really uneven in the back. I reached a hand up to touch it but Izel turned and all I could see was Mulberry’s chest.

I was sitting on the bench next to one of the monitors, a hand gently resting on it to keep it steady. Izel and Malina were by the door, Mulberry stepped out of the RV and held it open for them. “Good luck, guys,” I said.

They turned and smiled at me. Blue tried to follow them but he too was banished from the adventure. The door closed behind them and I watched in the monitor as they all climbed into Izel’s car which they’d picked up from her place earlier in the day. Blue and I were banished from that ride as well. “You hear me OK?” Dan asked into a tabletop microphone.

“Loud and clear,” Izel said.

“Roger that,” Malina said, and then giggled.

The car started, a soft rumble over the computer’s speakers and we watched the landscape move across the windows. They listened to the radio on their way toward the theater. It was a rock station and after two songs a woman’s voice came on. “It’s about the benefit,” Izel said. “She says that the woman who sang the last song is performing there tonight. She sends her and the stations best wishes to Ana Maria.”

“That won’t last,” I said to Dan.

“Let’s hope they can plant this thing.”

“Dan, even if it doesn’t happen tonight we can use it another time. Worse comes to worse we’ll just send it to the police.”

Dan shrugged. “I guess, but I think this is really the way to go.”

“It’s dramatic.”

“And if you don’t have drama in life, what do you have?” Dan said with a smile.

“Boredom?”

“Exactly,” Dan nodded his head.

“Yeah, I think after this I might be up for a little boredom.”

“Yeah, right.”

“What?”

But Dan didn’t answer me, he was watching as the car slowed. “They’re at the drop off.” Mulberry was letting the girls off a couple of blocks away. They climbed out and we watched the people that they passed on the street. It was funny to watch all the men staring straight at the camera pinned to Malina’s chest.

The theater came into view. It was surrounded by a crowd of fans even though the benefit did not start for hours. Malina and Izel bypassed the crowd in front of the entrance and began to circle the building. Metal gates separated the fans from a red carpet which a man was vacuuming. They followed the gate around the side of the building and there it was. A big white trailer with no windows. Miles of thick black cable led out of the trailer and snaked along the metal gate and out of sight.

“That’s it,” Dan said.

A guard, wearing a uniform, stood by it. Malina led with her camera. “Hola,” she said. I could picture her leaning on the gate towards the man. He smiled and returned the greeting. Izel’s camera showed her hanging back watching the scene. The man stepped toward Malina. And Izel slipped between two pieces of the gate.

She was hurrying along the side of the building and Malina was bringing the man ever closer to her. She began to walk away from the trailer and he followed. Malina was asking about his job and he was answering freely. “Unless my Spanish really sucks I think she just asked if he was the only one guarding the trailer and he said yes,” I said.

Dan nodded, watching Izel’s camera. She was right at the steps leading to the trailer. He pushed down on the mic and said, “Malina, ask if there is anyone inside.”

I heard her ask him. He shook his head no and explained that they wouldn’t be there for another hour or so. He had it all to himself. “I think he is implying that they could go have sex in the trailer,” I said.

“Can’t blame a guy for trying,” Dan said to me with a wink. I shook my head at him and he shrugged then laughed. Turning back to the mic he said, “Izel, there is no one in there. Go for it.”

We watched, holding our breaths, as she climbed up the three short steps and turned the handle. Inside was dark and it took the camera a moment to adjust for the sudden light change. Before it even had a chance, Izel closed the door and the screen went black. We heard her shuffling around; meanwhile, Malina’s chest was getting grinned at.

Izel’s monitor turned white and then the camera adjusted and we could see a cramped space. Along one wall was at least fifty monitors, at seat level was a control panel that stretched the length of the trailer. Three chairs marked where the technicians sat. Izel scanned her camera over the controls. Buttons and more buttons. And at each seat a joy stick.

“Alright, you’re doing great Izel. What I need you to do is pull out the middle chair.” Izel did as she was told. “OK. Now look under there. The camera lowered as Izel climbed onto her knees. It was dark under the table but I could just make out what looked like computer towers. “Turn your flashlight on.” The sound of clothing rustling was followed by a spot of light roaming under the dark space. “Slow down, slow down,” Dan said leaning toward the screen. “Stop. That’s it. No go back a little. Right there.”

On the screen Izel’s light was centered on a row of slits in the side of the computer. I recognized them as USB ports. “Get a little closer,” Dan said. Izel moved the camera closer. “Alright, let’s see.” Dan reached out and touched the screen, running his finger along the ports. “Izel, it’s the second in from the left.”

The melody of Malina’s conversation faltered and I turned to her screen. The guard was no longer looking at Malina, something to his right had grabbed his attention. Malina turned and I saw another uniformed men heading toward her. “He is my replacement,” the guard said. “Let me buy you lunch?” Malina’s camera turned back to him, but she did not respond. “Are you alright?” he asked.