The Republic of Miracles

Chapter 12, in which Arnaud discovers the taste of cappuccino

Arnaud set down his cappuccino cup, regretting that it had been so small. He had never tasted anything so delicious.

"Wow! I wish I could have lived in those times just to be able to drink this every day."

"Oh yeah?" Caitlin said. "Did you like it? You can have mine in that case. I much prefer my barley coffee."

She had barely touched her cup. Arnaud didn't need to be asked twice and took the still steaming cup. They had just witnessed the demolition of the upper door. Which surprised them, but not that much. Its greatest quality was its invisibility. Their real protection, the strongest one, was the one downstairs. And these Surves were not close to overcoming that door. Observing that Aliénor had leaned towards her grandson and was speaking to him in a low voice, they strained to listen but were unable to make out anything.

"I wish I could hear what they're saying," said Arnaud.

He addressed Caitlin, but it was Nan who provided the answer to his question.

"The child, named Philibert, asked her why they weren't trying to open the bottom door. The woman replied, in essence, that she preferred to negotiate and avoid a battle because she doesn't want to risk hurting anyone. She finished by saying 'Nobody wins in a war. Everyone loses something.'"

"You understood their words?" exclaimed Caitlin. "But it was barely audible!"

"Yes, of course. I can increase the sensitivity of my hearing, and besides, I can lip-read. It's very convenient."

"Well, now we know! We can't hide anything from you, if I understand correctly."

"I can also be very discreet, don't worry," reassured Nan with a smile.

"It's still interesting to know that she prefers to negotiate," said Arnaud. "Did you see the look she gave towards the bottom door when they managed to open the top one earlier?"

"I didn't notice, no."

"She has fully assessed how difficult it would be to force open and understands that her position isn't as strong as she wants us to believe. But if she wants to negotiate, we'll negotiate. Are you ready?"

He approached the screen and opened the communication.

"Aliénor? We've considered your offer to spare our lives. It's interesting, of course, but my client has invested a lot in this expedition and it won't be enough. She's willing to offer you twenty-five percent, that's a quarter of the contents of the bunker. We can also keep all the wealth that this shelter holds and live here for the next fifty years. So, our offer is generous. What do you think?"

Aliénor's face showed no emotion despite the implicit irony in those words. Arnaud barely noted a slight tightening at the corners of her lips. He admired her ability to remain stoic, unsure if he himself could have shown as much composure. Aliénor took her time getting up from her chair, still holding the child's hand in hers.

"I have heard your proposal. A quarter, you say? I need to discuss it first. Don't go far, it won't be long..."

She uttered the last sentence with a wry smile, as if to show them that she too could respond with sarcasm. She knew well that they were prisoners of the bunker anyway and couldn't "go far." She made a sign to the one she called Clothaire to follow her and, still accompanied by the child, they moved away from the group. She signaled to the older, muscular guy she called Clothaire to follow her, and with the child still in tow, they moved away from the group. Arnaud cut the communication and turned to Nan.

"Do you think you can report back to me on what they say?"

"I'll do my best," said the android. "But maybe you should take a look at this..."

She manipulated a few keys on the keyboard, and the image of the interior of the shed appeared on the screen. The rug that covered the hatch had been pushed to the side, and two young boys were now seated on the floor with a rifle on their laps. They seemed thoroughly bored.

"They've discovered our emergency exit," Caitlin said, disappointed. "This Aliénor might be crazy, but she's not stupid."

"You, Caitlin," said Arnaud, "you should start making a list of things you absolutely want to take with you. I can help you with that, actually. We might have to leave in a hurry, practically without notice. So, we need to be prepared."

"Why? What do you think is going to happen?"

"I don't know, but I don't trust this woman. I just want us to try to anticipate all possibilities. She could decide to set the house on fire and make the only remaining exit inaccessible. She could locate the external air intakes of the bunker and introduce toxic gases. I don't know everything she's capable of, but I want us to have a plan B, you understand?"

"You're right. I'll make a list of the essentials to take with me."

She got up and announced that she would be in the pantry behind the kitchen continuing the inventory she had started.

Arnaud thought that in terms of plan B, there weren't so many options... A forced exit meant almost certain death. Waiting at the bottom of the bunker until Aliénor and her group got tired of it, that wasn't very likely. Hiding forever didn't really interest him. He had a life outside. Dying of boredom, even in comfort, wasn't an option and he was sure his client felt the same way. He said to Nan, "Let us know if anything happens," and, having nothing else to do, got up and joined Caitlin in the pantry.

*** All the illustrations that accompany this novel were created using Artificial Intelligence on the NightCafe Studio website.