The Windup Girl (40 page)

He's met calorie executives like this. Men intoxicated on their power and influence, their ability to bring nations to heel with the threat of a SoyPRO embargo. A hard, brutal man. Anderson wonders if the Child Queen will actually reach the fullness of her power with this man standing so close. It seems unlikely.

Conversation around the table continues to carefully avoid the reason for their midnight rendezvous. They speak of harvests in the north, and discuss the problem of the Mekong now that the Chinese have placed more dams at its source. They talk about new clipper ship designs that Mishimoto is preparing for production.

"Forty knots with favorable winds!" Carlyle pounds the table gleefully. "A hydrofoil package and fifteen hundred tons of cargo. I'm going to buy a fleet of them!"

Akkarat laughs. "I thought air freight was the future. Heavy-lift dirigibles."

"With those clippers? I'm willing to hedge my bets. During the old Expansion there was a mix of transit options. Air and sea. I don't see why it won't be the same this time."

"The new Expansion is on everyone's minds these days." Akkarat's smile fades. He glances at the Somdet Chaopraya, who gives a barely discernable nod. The Trade Minister goes on, speaking directly to Anderson. "Some elements in the Kingdom oppose this progress. Benighted elements, to be sure, but inconveniently tenacious as well."

"If you're asking for assistance," Anderson says, "we remain happy to provide it."

Another pause. Akkarat's eyes stray again to the Somdet Chaopraya. He clears his throat. "There are concerns, still, about the nature of your assistance. The history of your sort doesn't invite confidence."

"A bit like climbing into bed with a nest of scorpions," the Somdet Chaopraya supplies.

Anderson smiles slightly. "It seems you are already surrounded by a number of nests. With your permission, some of them could be removed. To mutual benefit."

"The price you're asking is too high," Akkarat says.

Anderson keeps his voice neutral. "We are asking for nothing other than access."

"And this man, this Gibbons."

"You know of him, then?" Anderson leans forward. "You know where he is?"

The table falls silent. Akkarat glances again at the Somdet Chaopraya. The man shrugs, but it's enough of an answer for Anderson. Gibbons is here. Somewhere in the country. Probably in the city. No doubt designing a follow-up triumph to the
ngaw
.

"We're not asking for the country," Anderson says. "The Thai Kingdom is nothing like Burma or India. It has its own history, one of independence. We respect that absolutely."

The assembled men's faces turn stony.

Anderson curses himself.
Fool. You're speaking to their terrors.
He changes tacks. "There are significant opportunities here. Cooperation benefits both parties. My people are prepared to offer significant assistance to the Kingdom if we can come to agreement. Help with your border disputes, calorie security that hasn't been enjoyed since the Expansion, all of this can be yours. This is an opportunity for all of us."

Anderson trails off. The general is nodding. The admiral is frowning. Akkarat and the Somdet Chaopraya are blanks. He can't read them at all.

"Please excuse us," Akkarat says.

It is not a request. The guards indicate that Anderson and Carlyle should leave. A moment later they are out in the passageway with four guards surrounding them.

Carlyle stares at the floor. "They don't seem convinced. Can you think of any reason why they wouldn't trust you?"

"I've got weapons and the money for bribes ready to be landed. If they can open communication with Pracha's generals, I can buy and equip them. Where is the risk for them?" Anderson shakes his head, irritated. "They should be jumping at the opportunity. It's the most equitable deal we've ever offered."

"It's not the offer. It's you. You, and AgriGen, and every bit of your damn history. If they trust you, it happens. If not. . ." Carlyle shrugs.

The door opens and they're invited back in. Akkarat says, "Thank you so much for your time. I'm sure that we will take your offer under advisement."

Carlyle slumps, deflated by the polite refusal. The Somdet Chaopraya smiles slightly as the news is delivered. Pleased, perhaps, to slap the
farang
down. More polite words are passed around the cabin, but Anderson hardly hears them. Rejection. He's so close he can almost taste the
ngaw
, and still they throw up barriers. There has to be a way to reopen discussion. He stares at the Somdet Chaopraya. He needs a lever. Something to break this impasse—

Anderson almost laughs out loud. Pieces click into place. Carlyle is still mumbling disappointment, but Anderson just smiles and
wais,
hunting for a way in. A way to keep the conversation going a bit longer.
"I completely understand your concerns. We have not earned sufficient trust. Perhaps we could discuss something different. A project of friendship, say. Something less high stakes."

The admiral grimaces. "We want nothing from your hand."

"Please, don't be hasty. We offer in good faith. And regarding that other project, if you change your mind about our assistance, whether it happens in a week, or a year, or ten years, you will always find us supportive."

"A very fine speech." Akkarat says. He's smiling, even as he shoots the admiral a sharp look. "I'm sure there are no hard feelings, here. Please, at least have one last drink. We've troubled you to come so far, there's no reason we shouldn't part as friends."

Still in the game then. Anderson feels a rush of relief. "Our sentiments exactly."

Soon the drink is flowing, and Carlyle is promising that he would happily ship an order of saffron from India as soon as the current embargo is lifted, and Akkarat is telling a story about a white shirt trying to take three bribes from three different food stalls who keeps losing his count, and all the while, Anderson watches the Somdet Chaopraya, waiting for an opening.

When the man goes to a window to look out at the water, Anderson moves to join him.

"It's a pity that your proposal wasn't accepted," the man says.

Anderson shrugs. "I'm happy to be walking out alive. A few years ago, I would have been trampled by megodonts for simply trying to meet with you."

The Somdet Chaopraya laughs. "You're confident we'll let you walk out?"

"Confident enough, anyway. It's not a bad gamble," Anderson says. "You and Akkarat are honorable, even if we don't agree on every particular. I don't consider it a particularly risky bet."

"No? Half the people in this room suggested that feeding you to the river carp tonight was the wisest course." He pauses, hard sunken eyes staring at Anderson. "It was a very close thing."

Anderson makes himself smile. "I gather you weren't in agreement with your admiral?"

"Not tonight."

Anderson
wais
. "Then I'm grateful."

"Don't thank me yet. I may yet decide to have you killed. Your kind have a very poor reputation."

"Would you at least give me a chance to bargain for my life?" Anderson asks wryly.

The Somdet Chaopraya shrugs. "It wouldn't do you any good. Your life is the most interesting thing I could take."

"Then I would have to offer something unique."

The man's hollow eyes flick back to Anderson. "Impossible."

"Not at all," Anderson says. "I can give you something you've never seen before. Could do it tonight even. Something exquisite. It's not for the squeamish, but it is astonishing and unique. Would that keep you from feeding to the river carp?"

The Somdet Chaopraya gives him a look of annoyance. "There is nothing you can show me that I have not already seen."

"Would you care to wager?"

"Still gambling,
farang?"
The Somdet Chaopraya laughs. "Haven't you risked enough for one night?"

"Not at all. I'm just trying to make sure my limbs stay attached. It hardly seems like a risk, given how much I might lose otherwise." He meets the Somdet Chaopraya's eye. "But I am willing to bet. Are you?"

The Somdet Chaopraya gives him a hard look, calls to his men. "Our calorie man is a gambler! He says he can show me something I haven't seen before. What do you all think of that?"

His men all laugh. "The odds are very much against you," the Somdet Chaopraya observes.

"Still, I think the bet is a good one. And I'm willing to place good money on it."

"Money?" The Somdet Chaopraya makes a face. "I thought we were talking about your life."

"What about the plans for my kink-spring factory, then?"

"I could simply take that, if I wanted." The Somdet Chaopraya snaps his fingers, irritated. "Just like that, and they're mine."

"All right." Anderson grimaces.
All or nothing.
"What if I offered you and your Kingdom my company's next iteration of U-Tex rice? Would that be a worthwhile bet? And not just the rice, but the grain before it is rendered sterile. Your people can plant it and replant it for as long as it's viable against blister rust. My life can't be worth more than that."

The room falls quiet. The Somdet Chaopraya studies him. "And to balance that risk? What is it you want if you win?"

"I want to go forward with the political project we discussed earlier. Under the same terms as we already proposed. Terms which we both know are entirely favorable to you and your Kingdom."

The Somdet Chaopraya's eyes narrow. "You're a tenacious one, aren't you? And what's to keep you from simply withholding the U-Tex you're offering, if you lose?"

Anderson smiles and waves a hand toward Carlyle. "I assume that you would have myself and Mr. Carlyle here torn apart by megodonts if we fail to make good. Would that be satisfactory?"

Carlyle laughs, his voice tinged with hysteria. "What kind of bet is that?"

Anderson doesn't take eyes away from the Somdet Chaopraya. "The only one that matters. I trust absolutely that his Excellency will be honest if I manage to surprise him. And we will place ourselves in his hands as a token of that trust. It's a perfectly reasonable bet. We're both honorable men."

The Somdet Chaopraya smiles. "I accept your bet." He laughs and claps Anderson on the back. "Surprise me
farang
. And good luck to you. To see you trampled would be a pleasure."

* * *

They make a strange party as they move across the city. The Somdet Chaopraya's retinue guarantees them access through checkpoints, and the surprised shouts of white shirts echo in the darkness as they realize who they are trying to halt.

Carlyle wipes his forehead with a handkerchief. "Christ, you're a crazy bastard. I should have never agreed to introduce you."

Now that the bet is made and the risk defined, Anderson is inclined to agree. The U-Tex rice offering is a real risk. Even if his handlers back the play, the finance people will fight. One lost calorie man is infinitely more replaceable than primary seedstock. If the Thais start exporting the rice, it will undercut profits for years. "It's fine," he mutters. "Trust me."

"Trust you?" Carlyle's hands are shaking. "Trust you to put me under a megodont?" He glances around. "I should just run for it."

"Don't bother. The Somdet Chaopraya gave his guards instructions. If we have second thoughts now. . ." He jerks his head back toward the men riding in the rickshaw behind. "They'll kill you as soon as you try to run."

A few minutes later, familiar towers rise into view.

"Ploenchit?" Carlyle asks. "Jesus and Noah, you're seriously taking the Somdet Chaopraya here?"

"Calm down. You're the one who gave me the idea."

Anderson gets down from his rickshaw. The Somdet Chaopraya and his retinue all mill before the entrance. The Somdet Chaopraya gives him a pitying look. "This is the best you can do? Girls? Sex?" He shakes his head.

"Don't be too quick to judge." Anderson indicates that they should come inside. "Please. I'm sorry that we'll have to climb the stairs. The accommodations do not befit your rank, but I assure you that the experience is worth it."

The Somdet Chaopraya shrugs and lets Anderson lead. His guards crowd close, nervous in the dark confines. The junkies and whores in the stairwells all catch sight of the Somdet Chaopraya and collapse into panicked
khrabs
. Word of their arrival rushes up the stairwells. The Chaopraya's guards run ahead, searching the darkness.

The doors of Soil open. Girls drop to their knees. The Somdet Chaopraya looks around himself with distaste. "This is a place you
farang
frequent?"

"As I said, not the finest. I am very sorry for that." Anderson beckons him. "It's this way." He strides across the room and pulls aside the curtain, revealing the inner theater.

Emiko lies on stage with Kannika kneeling over her. Men crowd around as Kannika draws out the telltale movements of the windup girl's design. Her body twitches and jerks in the light of glow worms. The Somdet Chaopraya stops short and stares.

"I thought only the Japanese had them," he murmurs.

28

"We found another."

Kanya starts. It's Pai, standing at her doorway. Kanya rubs her face. She was sitting at her desk, trying to write another report, waiting for word from Ratana. And now drool soaks the back of her hand and her pen leaks everywhere. Asleep. And dreaming of Jaidee who simply sits and pokes fun at all her justifications.

"Were you sleeping?" Pai asks.

Kanya rubs her face. "What time is it?"

"Second hour in the morning. The sun's been up for a while." Pai waits patiently for her to gather her wits, a pockmarked man who should be her senior, but who Kanya has overtaken. He is of the old guard. One who worshipped Jaidee and his ways, and whom remembers the Environment Ministry when it was not ridiculed, but feted. A good man. A man whose bribes are all known to Kanya. Pai may be corrupt, but she knows who owns which parts, and so she trusts him.

"We found another," he repeats.

Kanya straightens. "Who else knows?"