When the rains may come (Science Fiction)

58. Necessary lies

Blake Nortan turned off his computer and took off his coat. It was seven o'clock in the evening and he was ready to go back to the barracks and collapse in his bed. He flicked off the lights to his office and walked out into the metal walled corridor of C3MC.

He could feel the day's fatigue grating at his nerves, making his shoulders slouch and his eyes droop. He arrived at the assigned barracks in the residential wing of the meteorological center. He unlocked the door to his room and stepped inside. The standard furniture of his living quarters greeted him with the usual monotony and lifeless silence that he'd gotten used to in the past few months.

He poured himself a cup of hot water and stirred in some green tea leaves and settled on the small single cot in the narrow closet he called his bedroom. Emilia smiled at him from the picture on the nightstand. He felt his own lips curling up as he raised the cup to his mouth. Emilia must be having her own cup of tea right now in Kraunberg. "Cheers, darling," he said softly as he took his first sip.

The drink left a pleasantly warm trail at the back of his throat as it went down. He looked at the small calendar on the nightstand next to Emilia's picture, looked at the red circle he'd marked around a particular date two weeks from now. His smile faded only a little. What was going to happen two weeks from now was indeed grim but not something that was going to regret now. Not after working on it for so long after everything that had happened in the preceding months.

No, he wasn't looking at the past anymore. All he cared about was what came after that red circle on the calendar. He looked at Emilia's smiling face again. Everything felt a lot easier when he saw her smile. He was about to take another sip when his cellphone rang.

Nortan froze. This was his other cell phone. The one that the government had granted him to stay in touch with family. And the only family he had was Emilia. And they'd decided not to talk until they were past the date with the red circle. Not until...something really urgent happened.

Nortan put his cup of green tea on the nightstand and made haste into the living room. He'd dumped his coat on the couch. The phone was still in its hip pocket as it rang. He took it out and indeed, it was the only saved number that was calling him. He answered immediately. "Hello, Emmy?"

"Dr. Blake Nortan?" The voice belonged to a man and he sounded cold and calm as a tree on a windless mountain.

Nortan felt a stab of fear in his chest. "Y-Yes, I'm Dr. Nortan. It is my wife's number that you are calling from. What happened to Emi–"

"Indeed, this is about your wife, Dr. Nortan," said the man on the other side.

"Well, what happened to her?!"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you on the phone. You'll have to come here."

Nortan quickly glanced at his wrist watch. It was closing in half past seven. Emilia was all the way back in Kraunberg. It would be a two day sail if he decided to take a boat. But he thought of this again. He was bound by a contract to the C3MC right now. That meant both parties had to abide by some rules. And one of the rules for his benefactor was to provide protection to him and family. He could just ask his chief to–

"You wouldn't wanna involve the government in this, Dr. Nortan," the man from the other side said. "You may not like the consequences that will follow."

Nortan rubbed the perspiration off his brow. "I wasn't considering any such alternative.The thing is, I will have to take the ferry back to the unsectorized states and the sail may take two days–"

"Why do you worry about such trivial things, doctor?" the man said. "We'll take care of your transport. Just be prepared to do as we instruct and your wife will be safe."