The Saviors of Mankind

Chapter 6

The next morning, Cliff looked down at the floating city from his perch high atop Freedom Tower. HIS city. Once a small flotilla of like-minded people, now grown large on the profits of sea-mining and asylum-granting and waterball.

All his adult life he'd been a champion of freedom. The poster child for never letting anyone else tell you what to do, going your own way, doing your own thing, making your own rules.

And now the GSK was sending a jet to pick him up this afternoon. And there were messages from so many journalists. Desiree's people were eagerly trying to schedule an interview on the "Losingest Loser" segment of The Narrative.

"How did it come to this?" he asked, theatrically sweeping one arm out and away from his body, while touching his chest with his other hand. "Oh, sweet rollercoaster of life! How did I fall from winningest winner to losingest loser so quickly?"

"Because you're a jerk," said a familiar Australian voice behind him.

Cliff whirled around to face Norah, who was emerging from the elevator with a small potted cactus in her hands.

"That was a rhetorical question," he harrumphed. "I planned to answer it myself, and rest assured, the answer was NOT because I'm a jerk."

Norah rolled her eyes. "Argument 17, Cliff."

"Is that the one where you tell me I'm not paying enough attention to you?"

"No. It's the one where I tell you to be nicer to people and pay attention to what's going on. Instead of making everything all about you." She walked closer to the big desk. "But you never listen."

Cliff began to pace. "Do you know that Desiree's people called me and asked for an interview for 'Losingest Loser'?"

"Well," said Norah. "After this week's events, I must say that I'm not surprised..."

"There. Is NO WAY," Cliff said, "that I will EVER. Give them an interview." He sighed loudly. "The shame. The dishonor."

"The ratings," said Norah.

Cliff glared at her. "Is this the story you want? Disgraced IWA founder departs for Korea, and his number-two takes command, restores the league's former glory, and earns her place in history as the Comeback Queen?"

"You've got to admit it has a certain ring to it," said Norah.

"Is THAT why the two of you colluded to get me shipped off to Korea... HEY! This is MY desk!"

Norah had set the cactus pot on top of the big desk and was moving it around. "Not while you're in Korea, it isn't. Do you think the feng shui is better in this position," she moved the pot again, "or this one?"

Cliff pouted, dropped heavily into the big chair, and crossed his arms. "Well, your plans have been foiled. Because I'm not going."

Norah's eyes narrowed. "Who says you're not?"

"What do you think this is?" Cliff asked. "A nation-state, where the government orders people around and tells them what to do? Do you think you can DRAFT me to serve like this?" He forced a laugh.

"I think," Norah said, "that the man who's been bragging everywhere about how his seastead is going to dominate the intergalactic sports world..."

"Trans-lunar, Norah. Let's be fair."

"...had BETTER take this opportunity to go and BRING BACK the ONLY person who can help him do that. Because if you don't, I will personally organize a shareholder vote exiling you from Liburbia and barring you from having anything to do with waterball ever again."