About The Laws of Space
Post 211:
The Laws of Space
Episode 27
Chapter 14 Concludes
It was like her mental polarity had been switched; clean was now cold—prudent was now annoying. Her way of looking at the world was becoming skewed, but why? She had her theories, of course. The time at the EF, the strain of working out the production problems—the Medicine. Susa knew she was abusing it, incessantly ignoring her palm to win tiny shreds of fleeting peace or stability on selfish terms.
“Well, I suspected this might happen,” he sighed, walking to a nook with uncomfortable looking furniture. “Come and sit, Susa.” She followed him and gave one of the chairs a try; it felt like a stone slab.
“What do you mean you suspected?” she asked, pulling her long blond hair back into a knot. For a moment she was working again, problem solving.
“The thought hadn’t occurred to you? You’re too brilliant. Come on.”
“What thought? Apparently I’m not as brilliant as you assume.”
Pope’s mouth straightened and opened up to spit out one syllable. “Tate.”
“What? What does he have to do with this? Look, we both know he’s crazy, we’ve known since we were little ones, but he’s not even working in these facilities.”
The Administrator’s face was all red now, flushed with self-regard. “Ah, to be an L9 again, no civilization to run, no hard truths to tackle…”
“I’m sorry, what are you tackling again? I still don’t see what that Alder has to do with my run shortages.”
“It’s an infection. His mere presence in the city, down and amongst them—it has a deleterious effect on the psyche of the Regulars.”
She fidgeted in her chair, like trying to find comfort in a pile of bricks. “I don’t think you’re right, Clement. The people hate him.” Susa’s tone was increasingly scathing; she could not restrain her temperament. Pope’s explanation was going to make the second thing she had to say all the more difficult. Her resolve weakened. Dissembling was not in her nature but suddenly there was an almost overwhelming need to nibble around the edges of the situation.
Pope seemed to be acting inversely to Susa. With gusto he said, “They hate him Susa, but trust me, I’m the Administrator. They hate because they are told to hate, reminded to hate him and each other and everybody they’ve ever known… but they can’t see or look at the why behind the hate—not really—therefore it only goes so far.” He sat back in the chair opposite Susa, apparently very comfortable. “They carry with them that inbred, ingrained animosity, as you say. But then they see him, watch him, smiling and enjoying himself down amongst them. Making friends for Space sake.” Clement stopped to accept a cup of tea from one of his polished kitchen mechs, then went on. “Seeing someone so accomplished, so perfectly isolated, once so close to the job I now have…”
“I think I know what you’re getting at,” Susa said, looking defeated.
“Of course you do,” Pope retorted, eager to get past the subject. “Even though they don’t know it, ever so slightly the Regulars are questioning the System that was engineered to keep them and society functioning and safe.” He took a sip of tea, looking over the cup at his future partner. He was having a hard time feeling her out. Clement Pope was an excellent reader of the people but terrible at reading persons. “It will pass,” he said, now with a calmer tone. “And if not there are things that can be done. The fool might simply need to be eliminated.” He took a few more sips of tea and looked over at his Spacemate to be. She did not look the impervious paragon of grace and beauty; on the contrary, Susa was sinking into herself.
“Is there something else bothering you?” he asked. “Besides the run shortages, I mean?”
“Yes,” she snapped, sitting up and erect with her answer. “I don’t want to do this. I’m uncomfortable… I really don’t like saying it but I don’t like being here with you. I’m—uncomfortable.” She started crying faintly, showing weakness never before witnessed by another soul.
“When did this start?” Clement asked, genuinely concerned for himself and obfuscating a brewing anger. He leaned forward and watched a woman he had admired for twenty-five years waffling like a little child. He wrapped his words in forced sensitivity. “We’re told right from the beginning that having a Spacemate is the most difficult thing in life. It runs counter to everything we’ve ever been told, but listen… it’s necessary for the Continuation. That should be your primary concern.” He stopped, handing her a tissue handed to him by a machine. “We’ve talked about this. The rest will work itself out.”
She took the tissue, careful not to touch Pope. “You don’t understand, Clement. I don’t want you… in that way. It was always Alder. I know that now. I can’t escape it. There’s no manual for this, I don’t know what you want me to say.” At this point her gesticulations were becoming increasingly dramatic.
“And you wait until now?” Clement said, showing his formidable teeth.
She stood up. “I didn’t tell you to announce our union to the world. You made that decision unilaterally. I kept my feelings for him at bay, but now, especially now, with you talking of eliminating him. You can’t!”
He stood up. “I’m the Administrator!”
“Yes you are. Yes you are.” Susa’s voice and body were equally tremulous as she gathered her things to leave. As she did so, Pope watched with scorn.
“So what are you going to do? Go down to the Doms and find your precious Regular? My God, it’d be the most disgusting scandal in the history of the Five Cities.”
She stopped and looked up at Pope. There was no more powder white—his face was all red. “I don’t know about Alder. He probably wants nothing to do with me.”
“Yes,” scoffed the Administrator. “A rancid, disgraced Regular parrying the advances of the most beautiful and accomplished Spacer in City Five. I doubt it—this whole thing is disgusting!”
“Why do you think he left?” She asked the question straight, cutting suddenly the histrionics.
“He screwed up, lost it, I don’t know. I never understood him, not since we were little ones. He was always a bit…”
“Yeah. That’s what I thought. Or was taught to think. Or whatever.” She was growing bolder. “Before you ever made advances, Alder Tate did everything in his power to make me believe in him. I wanted to. We were making plans for a future together, but when he started talking about taking himself out of the race for Administrator—”
“You sent him packing. And left me to clean up. Yes, I get it now. Well thanks but no thanks.”
“No thanks to you.” Susa turned and made for the dome’s exit. As she did Pope watched, surrounded by a small army of mechs waiting to comfort him in his time of need. Susa could feel his eyes on her back, and suddenly the full gravity of the situation became clear. By denying Pope and professing her heart’s amenability toward Alder, she had further endangered the fallen Spacer’s life. Susa cursed herself for her stupidity and lack of foresight. There was only one thing to be done: she had to find Alder and warn him.
