Mark Howell sat at his desk staring at the empty chairs across from him. He had just returned from his doctor's office. The results of his tests were not good. Everything that William had told him was the truth. He leaned forward to ease the pain in his abdomen. The act only reminded him of the disease eating away at him.
Alone, William entered the room. It wasn't necessary for his father to attend this meeting. He looked at Mark and said, "I'm sorry."
"It is not your fault," Mark Howell said feeling tired. He still hadn't told his family of the diagnosis.
Looking the man in the eye, William asked, "What will you do?"
"I'm stepping down," Mark answered coming to a decision. Suddenly the power politics of Washington had lost their appeal. All he wanted to do was to spend the remainder of his time with his family.
William had known that Mark would do that. Nodding his head, he said, "We need to work out a strategy to get Dan Colson to take over your seat."
"Dan Colson?" Mark asked surprised at William's choice. The man was the last one he would have chosen to take over his seat.
"Yes," William answered.
"My position is a lot more conservative than his. There are a lot of people I'd rather see take over my seat," Mark said. He wondered how many of his political supporters would feel betrayed if he were to support Dan Colson.
"You have to support Dan Colson," William said.
"Why?"
William leaned forward in his chair and looked Mark in the eye. He said, "I see a horrible future for this country and the world as a whole. If things don't change, we'll see war on a global scale like you wouldn't believe. Dan Colson will be a pivotal vote. He'll prevent a global disaster."
"What kind of disaster?" Mark asked thinking that William was being melodramatic.
William closed his eyes as he answered, "There are many possible futures. In the most likely future, the Middle East will turn on the West. Rather than being divided along religious grounds, they will be united in their economic and political grievances. There won't be a hundred different militias fighting the West. There will be one united army.
"The Far East and Asian-Pacific Rim will join them. Africa will burn as internal strife leads to genocide. Divided in ideologies, South America will sit to the side watching. It won't join until it is too late to affect the outcome.
"It will be a war in which four billion people are fighting against one billion. The war will escalate from men versus men to machines versus men. The weapons will kill without regard or remorse. There won't be a world left after the nuclear dust settles."
Mark frowned and asked, "How do you know that?"
"I see the future. I see all possible futures. It is my service to the Gods and Goddesses to select the best future for all of mankind," William answered.
Mark thought about what William had said. As a representative of the people, it was his duty to select the best future for his country. He said, "That is my job."
"To a certain extent it is, but politicians alone are not responsible for the future. Everyone has a role to play," William said nodding his head. He asked, "In all honesty, how well does your public position on the issues agree with your private ideals?"
It was a very good question. Mark thought about the ideals with which he had entered office. He thought about the positions that he had taken early in his political career and how he had become trapped in them despite what he had learned over time. Too many compromises had diluted his position. He sighed and said, "I've matured, but my politics haven't. I've taken positions that I don't like because I thought I was representing the positions of my constituents. I've taken positions that I don't support to get support for issues that I think are important."
"Politics is a balancing act."
"That's true," Mark said.
"While opposing you on some things, Dan supports your core beliefs," William said.
Mark said, "I'll think about it."
"I believe that you'll do the right thing," William said rising from his chair.
"Where are you going?"
William answered, "I'm going to visit Dan Colson."
"You're pretty sure that I'll back him," Mark said studying William.
"That's right," William said.
Joe and Melissa sat at the diner staring at each other with very little to say. This was worse than a blind date. Melissa said, "So what are we supposed to do?"
"I don't know," Joe said shrugging his shoulders.
"Your friend seems to think that we are supposed to be a couple or something," Melissa said.
Joe nodded his head and said, "He's a Druid. So is his father."
"They are?" Melissa asked surprised by that little piece of information. She had never met a Druid before.
Joe gave her a weak smile. He answered, "When William says something; you should believe him."
"Is that why we're here?" Melissa asked looking around the diner.
"I guess," Joe said.
Barbara was seated next to Sandra feeling a little like a kid waiting to see the principal. She looked over at Sandra and asked, "Why do I feel like I'm in trouble?"
"I don't know. I feel the same way. There's this sense of doom emanating from the door," Sandra answered. She looked over at the closed door wondering why she felt so nervous. The pair of them had found a note when they woke that morning to wait in the conference room. They had already been there for more than an hour.
"It has been nice working with you," Barbara said. She was pretty sure that one or both of them were going to get fired.
"Yeah, same here," Sandra said turning to stare at the door some more.
After saying nothing for ten minutes, Barbara said, "You've got to admit that our relationship with William and Lucy is a little sick."
"I wouldn't say sick. I'd use the word unhealthy," Sandra replied looking over at Barbara. It wasn't healthy to only want individuals who didn't want you. Barbara had it worse than Sandra.
"You're right," Barbara said staring at the door. She sighed and said, "So many men spent so much time trying to get me into bed. All they saw was a sexy woman. They never saw my mind. I really hated them."
"Me too," Sandra said with a sigh.
"No one has ever appreciated my mind like William," Barbara said. She wanted to cry at the thought of going back to a world where men hired her for her looks and ignored her mind.
"I know," Sandra said.
"I'm going to miss that."
"Me too," Sandra said. Feeling angry, she said, "We're just going to have to accept being fuck bunnies from now on."
"I'll never forget what one of my fellow students said during my senior year at college. He told me that I could talk the talk well enough that a senior executive wouldn't be embarrassed by promoting me as a result of sexual favors," Barbara said. He had even leered at her when he said all of that. She had so angry at the guy that she had kneed him in the groin.
"I heard similar things," Sandra said, "The women in my classes were worse. The ones who weren't good looking enough to attract the attention of the professors were more than willing to trade sex for grades. They really hated me because they were sure that I was doing it."
"They were bad, but I really hated the women who were trading sex for grades. I'd work and they'd get the grades. Half of them couldn't pass a test to save their lives," Barbara said.
Sandra sighed and said, "You know I'd work with William all day and rub myself raw with my vibrator all night."
"I know what you mean. At least we were flying private jets. Could you imagine the embarrassment of having someone search your luggage and find your vibrator?" Barbara said.
Shaking her head, Sandra said, "I had that happen once. I just about died on the spot. The woman there asked if I had problems getting the real thing. I wanted to slap her."
Both women jumped when the conference room door opened. Cole entered the room carrying a box. He looked over at the two women studying their features for a full minute. Satisfied with what he saw, he said, "Kelly asked me to talk to you. You might say that I'm a Druid head doctor. She seems to think that you two are pretty screwed up in the noggin. From what she told me, I'd have to agree. You got a few screws loose that need a little tightening. Are you willing to talk with me?"
"Sure," Barbara said thinking this guy didn't pull any punches.
"What choice do I have?" Sandra asked.
"Well, you could go the rest of your life trying to have relationships with men who aren't interested in you," Cole answered.
"I guess," Sandra said.
"So what will it be? Will you talk to me or walk out of here?" Cole asked.
"I'll talk," Sandra answered.
"Good," Cole said. He pulled out two baggy outfits from the box and tossed one each to the women. Smiling he said, "The first thing we're going to do is give you a make over."
"Huh?"
"You are not going to be yourselves for the next week," Cole said with a grin. Seeing the shocked expressions on their faces, he said, "Don't worry. I took makeup lessons at clown school."
"Clown school?" Barbara asked looking down at the outfit he had thrown her. Frowning, she said, "You're going to have us dress up in clown suits?"
"That's right," Cole said holding up two red noses.
"Why?" Sandra asked looking at Cole in horror.
Cole answered, "You have a hard time with people taking you seriously because you're pretty. Well, I figure that they'll take you more seriously if you aren't quite so pretty. The hard part is getting two such attractive women to look less attractive. I thought long and hard about that little problem before I came to the conclusion that having you wear a clown outfit is a lot easier than making you fat or ugly."
"No one takes a clown seriously," Barbara said.
"Put on the outfit and then we'll talk," Cole said with a grin. When neither woman moved, he said, "Hurry up. I've got lunch reservations in one of the nicest restaurants in Phoenix."
"You expect us to go out in public wearing these outfits?" Sandra asked.
"Sure. Ugly people go out in public all of the time," Cole answered.
Feeling a little bored, Ed sat in the back yard sipping a glass of iced tea. It was late afternoon and the world was quiet. The air was calm, but the sweet scent of honeysuckle tickled his nose. He wasn't quite sure where the scent was coming from.
Lucy came out and sniffed the air. Smiling, she looked around before spotting the bushes in the yard next door. She went over to the honeysuckle bush and broke off a small branch with flowers. There were two colors of flowers on the vine — yellow and white. She went over to the table to join Ed. Sitting down, she said, "Hello."
Ed looked at the branch in her hand and asked, "What are you going to do with that?"
"I'm going to enjoy the nectar," Lucy answered. She pulled off one of the flowers and pulled the stamen through the trumpet. It forced a drop of nectar to collect. She stuck out her tongue and tasted the nectar. She smiled over at Ed and said, "I love doing this."
Ed leaned forward and said, "Show me what you did again."
Lucy plucked another flower off the branch and ate the nectar from the end. She was amused by how intently Ed watched her do that. She asked, "Would you like to try it?"
"Sure," Ed answered. He tried it, but the stamen broke off before the nectar appeared.
Lucy plucked another flower and said, "Gently."
Ed managed to get a drop of nectar to appear at the end of the flower. He tasted it and said, "That's interesting."
Lucy sat back and said, "My mom and dad have a honeysuckle bush in their backyard. When I was a little girl, I used to sit out there with my friends and we'd do that all day. I'm surprised that we didn't kill that little bush considering how many of the flowers we used to pull off of it."
"There isn't much nectar in a single flower," Ed said.
"No there isn't," Lucy said. She pulled another flower off and examined it. She said, "I find it amazing that bees collect nectar and produce honey. Imagine collecting enough nectar to produce a teaspoon of honey."
"It is amazing," Ed said examining the remains of the honeysuckle flower. He was used to the cactus flowers of his beloved desert.
"So what are you doing today?" Lucy asked.
"Just sitting around," Ed answered.
"Same here," Lucy said. She didn't have much of anything to do at the moment. William was off talking to politicians; her research was back in Arizona; and she didn't really know anyone in the area except Birdie.
Ed took another sip of his tea and looked up at the sky. He said, "There really aren't many interesting rock formations in this area. Normally, I'd go off to explore the geology of the area."
"How about we go up to Dallas?" Lucy asked with a grin.
Ed grinned and said, "I have a better idea. How about we head up to Fort Worth and check out the Sid Richardson Museum. They've got one of the finest collections of western art."
"That sounds like fun," Lucy said.
Ed leaned over and examined the bronze statue of a cowboy riding a horse. It was one of several dozen pieces in the museum. Smiling, he said, "I've always liked Frederic Remington's work."
"It is impressive," Lucy said.
The desire to run a hand over the bronze statue was almost overwhelming. Ed said, "Echoes of a lost time. We have a hint of a world that has long disappeared. It harkens back to a time before the land was partitioned by fences."
Smiling, Lucy said, "I guess it reminds you of your youth."
"I'm not that old," Ed said with a laugh.
Lucy laughed and asked, "Why don't you have a collection of western art like this?"
"I do," Ed said with a smile.
Looking around at all of the works of art, Lucy asked, "This is yours?"
"No. My collection is spread across museums all around the country. There are a lot of places where the old west is just a myth. The people don't believe in cowboys or Indians. They think the real world is an urban setting rather than an open prairie or desert. They go to indoor riding rinks and spend an hour or two on horseback. It is an entertainment rather than a lifestyle," Ed answered.
Lucy thought about their life in Arizona. There was still an element of the untamed west to it. Their place had thousands of undeveloped acres. She said, "It kind of makes me homesick."
"Arizona or Pennsylvania?" Ed asked looking over at Lucy.
"Arizona," Lucy answered. She wondered when that had become home. She didn't miss the wooded land of Pennsylvania.
"The desert grows on you," Ed said. He walked over to a painting and studied it.
Lucy was silent for a moment and then said, "I think this is William's last major trip away from home."
"Why do you say that?" Ed asked.
Lucy looked at the painting of cowboy roping a steer. The scene was dynamic. Dust kicked up by the animals filled the air. She said, "He's going to hide away in Arizona manipulating the world. He'll need the stability of the open space to keep him sane."
"You might be right," Ed said.
"The economic and social model we are developing is really extensive. He could use it to control the whole world," Lucy said.
"It is that powerful?" Ed asked.
"It is that accurate," Lucy replied.
"That sounds very dangerous," Ed said.
Nodding her head in agreement, Lucy said, "It is very dangerous. Can you imagine what would happen if a greedy person were to get control of the program that William is developing? What if they could identify every major and minor economic trend? They could do anything. We'd see the emergence of multi-trillionaires who could buy and sell individuals with the same ease that we purchase pets in a pet store."
"Scary," Ed said. Having fought human slavery in the past, the idea of people with the power to enslave others through money scared him.
Lucy looked at the painting and said, "When I look out at the canyon from the windows of our house, I'm reminded of what really matters. It isn't money and it isn't power. It isn't anything that is specifically human.
"What really matters is the majesty that is our world. It is the outline of a mesa against the setting sun. It is the scream of a hawk plummeting to earth to make a kill. It is the sand blowing across the ground."
"It is the scent of honeysuckle in the air," Ed said with a smile.
"Yes," Lucy said.
"There's more to it. There is the greatness of our dreams. Our ideals for a more perfect world," Ed said.
"That is true," Lucy said. She looked over at him and added, "William needs the isolation and the desert to keep him centered. After this trip, he will not travel far from home. We won't be away from home for more than a day or two."
"Has he told you this?" Ed asked.
Shaking her head in the negative, Lucy answered, "No, but I know William. He stopped here because it was his last chance to revisit the world that John Carter once knew."
"Oh," Ed said.
Lucy stepped over to another painting and looked at it. She smiled and said, "I remember reading stories about great expeditions to meet wise men living in remote regions of the world. I always wondered why wise men secluded themselves from the rest of humanity. Living with William, I've come to appreciate the reason."
"And what would that reason be?" Ed asked.
Lucy smiled and said, "The only reason those men are wise is because they separate themselves from the concerns of men. They live in remote regions where the physical world can remind them of what really matters."
"I think you're right," Ed said.
Lucy looked at the painting and said, "I like this one."
Looking at the picture, Ed said, "The man in it reminds me of William's grandfather, William Redman. It isn't so much the features of the face, but the tired wisdom written upon it."
"That is William's face forty years from now," Lucy said gazing upon the painting. It was a face that she could love.