The Tolerance Wars - 29
careful what you wish for
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begin at the beginning—Chapter 1
The Tolerance Wars
29.
careful what you wish for
“What are you going to do with it?” We were out of the driveway and heading home. Hat box secure behind the passenger seat. Marcus had hugged her and said he was glad she was okay. I tried to remember if I’d said it out loud. He didn’t look so pleased at sparechange. Neither did Rachel. Guess that was gonna take a while. She was taking Tony home. Sparechange rode with Limner. Meant we had the wagon. We piled in and headed out. I turned left. Looked over at her. She nodded. I do so have a sense of direction.
“I don’t know. I mean technically it belongs to the artist.”
“Right. It’s the hat of meh. Not the original.”
“The what?”
“Never mind.” Then a random thought, “How can you tell them apart? If they’re identical.”
“Well…” Must’ve weighed the thought before and was revisiting it to make sure. Or she was humouring me for missing the obvious. Likely that. “If we’re unsure we check the values.” Like I said, obvious. Only she said it like she just heard what the words meant for the first time. Which only confused me.
Made it to her place faster than last time. Her front door. She opened it. I could hear the hum of wires. Somewhere a transformer wasn’t happy. I was expecting a hug. She walked inside. So I followed. She closed the door. And locked it. Headed right for the couch grabbed a blanket along the way in one move sat herself down with the blanket wrapped around her shoulders in the centre of the couch staring at nothing in the middle of the room. I grabbed a spot between her and the arm of the couch. Didn’t know what to do. So I leaned back into the corner. She didn’t move. For a while. Then slowly she leaned towards me. Still looking off in the distance. I felt her head on my chest. Felt her breathe. I did the same. Put an arm around Her. I think she closed her eyes. A small sigh.
After a while she fell asleep.
Eventually I must’ve too.
Shards of morning light through blinds. Flashing in my eyes. Blanket on the floor at the far end of the couch. Golden light. It’s still early. I try to sit up from the corner of the couch. Takes a minute. Feels like I haven’t moved for a while.
“Fresh toothbrush by the sink.”
When I came back into the living room she was at her desk. At a small side table a plate smelled like toast. And looked like marmalade. I grabbed one to be sure. Obviously between pieces herself, she had a meter. Two probes. And the hat. Well, a hat.
“Do you wake up with those in your hands?”
“Used to. Sometimes,” seemed to smile at the thought. Placed the probes. Checked the meter.
“And now?”
“You’re a nice change.” Placed the probes two more points on the hat. A different smile. Checked the meter.
I tried not to lean into that thought. Grabbed another piece of toast for distraction. “And your friend here?”
Two more readings. She put the probes down. Took the last piece. “I’m not sure what to think.” And sat chewing. I figured I wouldn’t be much help. Wondered if I should offer to make more. Would be an interruption. Finally, “it’s just not what I expected.”
I went for a wild card, “It’s not yours, is it?”
“No.” She shook her head. Still thinking. Not being interrupted. I waited. Eventually, “I need to talk to her.”
“Are you sure?” Rachel had come over when archer called. Looked at the hat on the desk. The meter. Took a piece of toast. I’d made more. “You checked the values?”
“You said you’d lowered them.”
“Uh huh.”
“That’s not what I get.”
“Oh?” Still chewing.
“You raised them.” She didn’t look pleased. “You turned it up. Way up.”
Rachel finished chewing. Swallowed. Then looked at the scientist with a funny smile. “Careful what you wish for.”
I thought about what that might’ve meant. Turned way up. Felt like a bad idea no matter how I sliced it.
Archer was angry. “That’s not right!”
“I lowered them. Like I said. I swear.” The artist was calm. Still the funny smile. “Thought about it.” Then looked over at me. “Careful what you wish for.” And sort of laughed.
I got it. Art imitating life, weird and dark and funny. Yeah made me kinda laugh too.
“Why would someone do that?” Archer. Less amused.
“Deiner’s crew were the only ones who had access.” Being among competences I could at least contribute the obvious.
“Would they really have someone who could do that?” Rachel, doing science of her own. Or maybe art. “And you couldn’t tell by looking at it?”
“I had to use the meter.” Less angry.
“Someone who would know what changes to make. And be able to make them. That’s pretty special knowledge. And quite a skill set.”
I heard Archer’s voice. We’d been talking about her work. Just after we’d met. What made me think of that? “Wasn’t there someone…” I was still lost in the thought. But apparently speaking.
“…I used to work with.” The sound of her voice brought me back. Mostly. Looking at me but I could tell she was thinking. Taking in new data. “I thought he worked for a government.”
“More money in the private sector. Or more interesting work.” Rachel shrugged, “Maybe with Deiner, sure.”
I remembered something he’d said. “Not a fan of devices.”
“But he had it,” Archer said, “And he’s not a person to let something go without knowing what it’s worth. He would put out a call. I know who they’d ask.”
“So he finds out what it does. Then someone modifies it. Turns it up.” That funny smile again for a moment. “Then he gives it back to you. I don’t understand.”
“He’s trying to tell you that he had your device and wants you to know that he has command of this information by turning it up and giving it back to you knowing you’ll discover the changes and that will be a demonstration.” Limner had a more complex take on it than I’d managed. He tossed the thought to Marcus.
“Or he doesn’t know anything. And just wants to get rid of it.”
“There’s always that.”
Limner had told Archer to call him when she started her day. While Rachel and I finished the last round of toast she grabbed his card and dialled. He picked up. I wondered where he was. Did he sleep in an office. With the phone. She said nothing about hats. Suggested a meetup. Looked at me. Sure why not. My place.
So I handed out the coffee and when Archer had laid it all out and then Rachel wondered why they’d do that turn it up and give it back, after a minute that was Limner’s response. “A demonstration.”
“Or…” was Marcus.
“There’s always that,” also Limner.
“Dunno why you’d even put that thing on.” Sparechange considered it fresh to make sure, but then just shook his head. “Yeah, no way man. That’s weird science. Mess with your mind.” He’d come with Marcus. Apparently they were speaking.
Rachel not so much. “So we can assume they have a hat of their own.”
“If they don’t, and they want to, they will.”
“And that’s the demonstration.” I guess I was asking. Limner shrugged.
“It also means we don’t know which hat they were using. Assuming they used it at all.” Archer looked at Marcus. “Did anyone get any sense? Of anything?”
“It was more of a,” Marcus searching for a word, not a better word any word, wasn’t something I remembered seeing before, “an exchange of products. Than an exchange of ideas. And apparently there were enough buyers for the sellers to be happy.” I remembered the trip across the hall to the stage, yeah the talkers had listeners. Enough to keep talking. Sure did. By the time I came back Marcus was on to something else. “Though the party was less about encouraging new members than we’d been led to believe, there was a steady stream of people heading upstairs into one of the suites, disappearing into another room individually, then coming out and heading back downstairs.”
“Drugs?” The obvious. My job.
Buddy pointed out, “Into the room where we made the switch.”
“We?” Rachel speaking to sparechange. Barely.
“Where the switch was made.” He was taking it. Barely. “C’mon sister, it’s my english when I’m rattled. You know that.”
She was looking like saying something. Then seemed to take in a thought. Then a small breath. Then I saw her let them go. Both of them. Nodded. “Where we made the switch.”
Marcus picked it up. “We identified several people who’d gone into the back room and interviewed them later.”
Interviewed. Seriously? “You mean you just…” That didn’t seem right.
“Asked them. Yes.” Marcus, “Many people don’t mind a survey,” with his own obvious. “They were helpful. Various forms of enthusiastic about the party. Non-specific about their experience upstairs. But clearly less enthusiastic.”
“How many did you speak to?” Limner asked. Archer nodded.
“Eight” said marcus.
“Maybe nine.” I told ‘em about looking at the moon with the guy who’d said about the same. “So yeah, disappointed. You think that’s down to the hat?”
“We can’t know,” said Limner, “but it’s certainly possible.”
“More marketplace than movement.” Marcus looked to Limner for confirmation.
“The networks are more important than the organizations.” Which seemed to serve as a reply. But only confused me. They both nodded. That didn’t help.
By the time I gave up on it and moved on, Rachel was saying, “So basically an opportunity to reaffirm pre-existing prejudices.”
“Who couldn’t use a little more of that in their lives?” Was the obvious line. Sparechange said it first.
“We’re all wired for it. Looking to reaffirm pre-existing prejudices. So of course.” Archer took a hit of her coffee. Then, “Just like we all have an in-built resistance to facts.”
“Really?” Just came out. I couldn’t help it. Which proved her point. I resolved to shut up more often. Still got me an eyebrow. And a smile. Hadn’t seen that for a while.
I moved to make another round of coffee. Marcus said what I figured we’d all been thinking. “So what now?”
“Deiner thinks that I did him a favour. I get a pass. I’ll tell my people what happened.” Limner looked at sparechange. “You’ll get a pass.”
“Dude was…” sparechange started
“I had him!” Rachel was on it before he finished.
“Both of you.” Didn’t raise his voice, Limner shut them up with a look. One I’d seen before. He held it. For a while. ”This time,” he said, “a pass. Don’t let there be a next time.” There was quiet for a minute. Then to Marcus, “I’m not having a paramilitary organization on my turf. Do you understand?”
“We are not…”
“I’m telling you the same thing I told Deiner. Any sign of it and I will shut you down.”
The big man considered. “You know who we are.”
“I do.” He kinda smiled, “That’s why the warning.”
“Ah. Of course.” Marcus half bowed. “There will be no more trouble.”
Thought about it. Then nodded his head slightly. Turned to Archer, “And you?”
“No more trouble.” Which got a laugh. “Seriously. I’m going to write up the report on the work. Send it off. Then I’m done.”
“Done?”
“Done. Time for a change.”
Limner thought about that. “Wouldn’t it be good if you made decisions about your work not based on outside interference?”
“Wouldn’t it be good if my work didn’t get anyone killed?” I remembered her sitting on the couch last night. Staring. She was still for a second. “I didn’t get into this to get threatened. Or shot at. Or bombed.” I noticed she was trembling. “Or held hostage to someone’s anger.” She held the thought, then was still again. Nobody moved. I heard traffic outside. Finally, “Time for a change.” I noticed she didn’t look at me. And I was holding my breath.
“He’s going to use this.” Marcus changed the subject.
“Deiner? Of course he will.” Limner went with him. “When he finds the right person to spread a message that he approves he’ll find a way to fold what happened into his mythology.”
“His mythology.” Marcus clearly didn’t approve. “The man has an ability to spin out a sweeping overview of the course of civilization in a narrative that responds to the anxiety of someone who feels their life has become meaningless. Even the few times I’ve met him I’ve encountered that.”
Rachel was on another part of Limner’s thought. “What he wants is for someone to take up the message.”
“Uh huh. He’s not a populist. He knows that. He’s preparing the message for someone who is.”
“So he’s not doing it himself. He’s encouraging it to happen.”
I remembered dude in his space. How he moved. “And when it happens he’ll own it.” Me and the obvious again.
“Something like that,” Limner agreed. Sometimes I can’t tell when I’m being patronized.
Rachel had another thought. “How do you know all this?”
“He told me.”
She blinked. “You asked him.”
“Didn’t have to.” He shared a look with Marcus. “Spend a minute with him. He’ll tell you too. Just what he wants.”
“Which is what?”
“Tear it all down. I disagree. Which i told him.” He shrugged. “We have an understanding.”
“What did you say?”
“That if he was talking about inciting violent change powered by a deranged darwinism straight out of the 1800s…”
“…you’re gonna have to go through me.” Sparechange finished it for him.
“Those words actually,” Limner nodded. “I’ll admit I can be predictable. Comes with the job.”
“Good to be reminded that we have things in common.” Marcus smiled.
“No appreciation for deranged darwinism.” Me. And the obvious.
“Straight out of the 1800s.” Sparechange. Playing along.
“It’s all I had in the moment. He put me on the spot.”
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