The Variables

“Should we check on her?” Galen asked.

Lucy shook her head.

They were interrupted by a knock on the door and Lucy hesitated. She did not know what was beyond the other side, but she was certain that it wasn’t anything good. Two armed guards were stationed just beyond their doorway in the hall; anyone knocking on their door would be there with authority. Her first instinct was to hide the children. Then she lamented that she hadn’t thought of plotting an escape sooner. Could she have tu

With a deep breath, she walked over and opened the door an inch.

It was Gordy and Blair. Their faces were stern; Lucy couldn’t see the guards.

“I have nothing to say to you,” Lucy said, and she started to close the door, but Gordy was quick and he pushed the door back open and let himself inside the house. Blair followed and shut the door quickly. She slid the lock into place and sca

“Where’s your mother?” Gordy asked.

“I’m in charge,” Lucy answered. “To get to my mother, you go through me.”

Gordy smiled. He tilted his head. “Oh yeah?”

From behind her, Lucy could hear Blair opening and shutting the cabinets and the refrigerator, checking each drawer.

“What are you doing?”

“Looking,” Blair said and she continued. She wandered to the coffee table and peaked underneath. “I don’t know, Gordy,” she said. “I’ll check upstairs.”

“What are you looking for?” Lucy asked, her voice tense.

Blair walked into the downstairs bathroom. Her voice echoed out into the living area. “Did your father keep any of his viruses around the house?” She exited empty-handed. “His lab has been stripped clean.”

“I wouldn’t know about anything related to that. But I doubt he’d bring a dangerous bio-weapon into our home…not with small kids ru

Galen stood up and tried to stand tall, too. He lifted his head upward and looked up his nose at Gordy. “We didn’t do anything wrong. Go away.”

Blair stopped and looked at her brother. She shrugged and raised her eyebrows. Gordy turned to them and sighed. “Sit down, Lucy,” he said, and he motioned for the couch.

“No,” she replied. She stood firm.

“I’ll make this quick,” Gordy said. “You have five minutes to take what you need from this place and follow me and Blair to the lower deck. There’s a boat waiting to take you and your family to the shore. Five minutes and the clock is ru

Lucy’s heart pounded. “What?” she asked, confused. “I don’t understand...I thought no one was supposed to leave...”

“No one is supposed to leave,” Gordy replied. “But my father intends to kill you, and Blair and I are convinced that your death and the death of your family is not in the best interest of our Islands.”

“Wait,” Lucy stared straight at Gordy. “You’re willing to spare us because it benefits you?”

Gordy smiled and shook his head. “You’re young, Lucy. When you’re older you will understand.”

“What if we refuse?” Galen interrupted. Lucy tried to hush him.

“You will die,” Blair said. She walked down into the living room and stood beside her brother. “We are not your enemy…we’re here to help you. This isn’t a trick.”

“This doesn’t make sense. Why not let us die? No one seemed to have any problems killing people before,” Lucy said to directly to Blair. Her voice had a bite to it, but Blair ignored the implications. Lucy looked to Gordy next. He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand and looked at his sister.

“I’ve made it clear that my motive is selfish,” he replied. “Four minutes.”

“Selfish, how?” Lucy ignored the countdown.

“My father has certain things he cares about...chief among them is control. It’s more about knowing that he has managed his own world and less about understanding what we need for the Islands to survive. But you see, I care about this place and I intend to take control of Kymberlin...perhaps sooner than later. I don’t need a mutiny on my hands within the first week. Killing the King family in a public display…within the first month of its existence? It’s bad policy.”

“So, this truly has nothing to do with us. No sense of compassion.”

“No,” Gordy said matter-of-factly. “It has everything do to with the future and sanctity of this world. Killing you serves no purpose in the larger scheme of the Islands…showing you mercy and kindness will serve our purposes better. But you see, I’m not in charge yet. My father will still override my wishes and he will kill you.”

Galen and Lucy exchanged a look.

“How can I trust you?” Lucy asked.

“You can never trust another human being fully and without reservation. You can only hope that their needs match with your needs. In this case, we are aligned. You want to live…and I need you not to die on Kymberlin. Escape is our mutual best interest.”

“People will ask where we’ve gone…”

Blair cleared her throat. “We will tell them that due to the circumstances of Scott King’s death and the explosion that took the lives of Ethan, Teddy, and Grant…that in your deep grief and mourning we thought it best to relocate you. To Copia.” She beamed, pleased with herself.

Galen looked confused and he started to ask a question, but Lucy stopped him. “And when people discover that Copia is a sham?” Lucy could see Galen’s mouth drop with surprise, but he didn’t say a word.

“They won’t,” Blair added. “Copia will succumb to a raging fire within the next four months. We already have footage and the pictures to prove this.”

“All that work…”

“Will be to preserve a quality of life that is good and needed. You can’t convince people to live a life of beauty and simplicity without selling them the lie. That’s what no one has ever understood. If you want to better the world, if you want to make changes for the good, you can’t trust that people will see their inherent value and intrinsically desire change. People are stubborn. If you want to change the world, you just do it.” Gordy said. He looked out their large window to the dimming day. He sighed and shook his head. “Time is ru

“Did my father jump?” Lucy crossed her arms in front of her body and waited for Gordy’s response. She felt so immediately unafraid of him and his family.

After a pause, Gordy nodded. “He was wounded. It was his last moment to exercise free will. Jump or fall. And he jumped, yes.”

“The explosion...”

“Jesus…” Blair whined and she stamped a foot in protest. “The guards will be back soon, Gordy. Lucy, please…”

But Gordy didn’t blink. He looked right at Lucy and took a breath. “The bodies were unrecoverable,” he answered slowly. Methodically. As if he knew. As if he were repeating the lie knowing that it was a lie. “Three minutes, Lucy. Or I will be unable to help you.”

“But you’ve admitted you’re only helping yourself,” she said. “Don’t spin it. If it didn’t matter what the public thought of our deaths, you wouldn’t be here.”

“We are creating a world where people can feel free and happy. Is that selfish? To want this place to succeed? To save you in an effort to save the Island from self-destruction? You see, Lucy, I care about this place. My father would rather crash everyone and everything into the sea than give up control. But I intend to see this through...my sister designed this place, the towers. It was Kymberlin’s idea. Not this perverted government with a leader who uses force, but she designed the building...the idea of sustainable energy, of a community where people could follow their dreams. It was an unattainable utopia that my father turned into an obsession.”

“It’s an illusion,” Lucy whispered.

“It’s possible,” he responded. “I believe.”