“I know that shithead,” Harold groaned at the mention of Diego’s name. “He volunteered with the peacekeepers and deserted with his weapon. Then he set up a gang of rejects like him and started stealing. Our little guy thought he was practically a hero, used to dream of being in his gang. The girls went crazy for him too, did their damnedest to get into his bed…” The old man drifted off into thought, mumbling through toothless gums.
“Mr. Furtado, we know all this,” Hairo said, losing patience. “Do you have anything to say about the matter at hand?”
“I do!” Harold said, bringing a fist down on the table. He was shaking with nerves. “What I just mentioned is water under the bridge. Things of the past. People thought of Diego like a Robin Hood figure while he was helping the people. My ass! The power went to his head. That bastard decided pretty quick that he was as good as a god, and anyone else was just dust under his feet. His people could shove any girl he liked into a flyer in broad daylight… or boy, and they didn’t care about the age. Anyone who complained or tried to stop them would take a short step and a long drop out of a flyer, to save on bullets. The gangsters got so drunk on power that nobody could say a word against them. Who could stand up to ‘em anyway? We have no weapons, and…” The old man spat on the floor. Maria, who had just cleaned it yesterday, shot him a burning glance and went to get a cloth. “Alright, I’ll get to the point. Diego’s people paid us a visit. They looked around, asked questions. They were looking for my grandson. I can’t speak for everyone, but nobody told ‘em anything! Take me out of here feet-first if I’m wrong.”
The old man’s words gave us hope. But the security officers decided not to rely on hope alone. “Naivety hasn’t saved anyone from disappointment yet,” Hairo said.
“We need all of Cali Bottom,” I said and yawned. “We need to bring all the locals into the clan, make them followers of the Sleepers and…” I yawned again, this time so wide that my jaw cracked.
“And have them sign mental contracts,” Hairo finished for me. “We’re best off looking for recruiters among those already in the clan.”
“We don’t need recruiters,” Manny shook his head. “The people will come themselves. Just whistle…”
Once everyone had gone, I staggered to my bed and collapsed into it without getting undressed. I was asleep before my head touched the pillow.
I managed to get three hours of sleep before Maria woke me. I hadn’t asked her to — I’d been planning on getting a good long rest before another long game session. Rubbing my eyes, I sat down. She understood by my baleful stare that an explanation was required.
“Sorry, Alex, Morales’s orders. Breakfast, studying, training.”
“Studying?” I said, not believing my ears. “How can I study when I have so much to do?!”
“Your mom contacted Hairo. I didn’t hear it myself, but Roj is a witness. You know, Hairo has been through hell and back, he’s a war veteran. But your mom yelled at him so hard that he rolled over like a puppy!” Maria giggled. “You need regular meals, proper sleep, a schedule and studying — so that’s what you’ll get, Alex Sheppard!”
She was obviously imitating mom. She also told me my parents had extended their vacation. Until further notice, until everything was settled. The police chief of the Silver Harbor lunar resort had given them round-the-clock security, and they’d become something of celebrities in the hotel. The parents of Scyth himself!
I could be as angry as I wanted, they still didn’t let me go back to sleep. They dragged me off to exercise and then made me study! But in my heart, I knew mom was right. And Hairo and Maria too.
After breakfast, I spent the time torn from sleep and Dis on the lessons I’d missed. I knew I had a lot of catching up to do, and it seemed doubtful I’d manage it even if I worked hard every day right up until the citizenship tests, but the important thing wasn’t to actually learn everything, it was to pass the intermediary exams well enough to get through to the graduation exams. And my own personal method of study would be good enough for that.
In my school years I usually quickly and easily grasped the point of lessons, and it soon became clear that the teachers focused hardest on anyone lagging behind. Material that took me quarter of an hour to learn might have taken Tim, the captain of our football team, an entire lesson. He tried to memorize every one of the teacher’s words. I just figured out the gist. So maybe I missed a lot, but I could still catch up to my classmates before the citizenship tests.
With that thought, I entered my virtual office. Twenty-one subjects, each with at least ten missed topics. You can’t grasp the ungraspable, so I decided to take it step by step: fully study the program for one subject, then move to the next.
And I started with modern history, from the coronavirus pandemic of the twenties to the present day. Just fifty years ago, there was no unified government. The UN had neither the power nor the resources that it has now; it was just an organization of a hundred and ninety-three member states. It was hard to believe that people lived in countries with separate governments back then, with their own laws and even their own currencies! And in many of the countries, the laws existed only on paper. They declared all people equal, but
