Yong-jun shook his head and kept eating.
“I’d love some, thanks,” Yu-jin replied, feeling vindicated. If she’d been there, more than a few cultists would have been lying on the ground with arrows in their bellies.
And you want me to marry this guy? He wouldn’t last a day out in the wildlands.
Not that Randy would either.
Yu-jin dug into a second helping of noodles, one of the many things you couldn’t cook over an open fire in a cave. Now that she lived in the Burbs she’d have to get Hanna to teach her how to make them. The Yaos had kept so many more traditions than her family. Living in a cave and scavenging from old ruins while hiding from bandits, they’d never had time to teach her much. She’d learned to read and write scratching Chinese characters onto the walls with charcoal, and her elders had taught her a bit of history and family stories, but they amounted to so little.
There followed a chatter of pleasantries that made Yu-jin forget her troubles for the moment. She looked around at the smiling faces and let the happy chatter wash over her. Yu-jin imagined what New Year’s would be like, with everyone together and maybe the newborn already. And in five years or ten a whole group of children spilling their food and making noise and running around in the yard, while she and the other adults sat at the table and enjoyed it all.
That could be you. All you have to do is say yes.
Da-bin slurping his soup snapped her back to reality.
Can’t I just marry the family and not the man?
“What is all that noise?” Yong-jun asked, frowning at the wall.
They heard the distant buzz of many voices, as if there was a crowd outside.
“Maybe they caught a thief,” Hanna said, turning to Yu-jin. “You know there’s been three hangings since you’ve been here last? One was a spy for the Righteous Horde, plus there was a murderer and a dirty old man who—”
“This isn’t proper conversation for the table,” Yong-jun declared. “Let’s eat.”
“With respect, sir, I think I should take a look,” Yu-jin said. “It’s best to know.”
“Father said—” Da-bin started, but Yu-jin was already getting up.
As Yu-jin stepped out of the room he heard Yong-jun whispering to his son, “…wildlands habits. You’ll have to put your foot down.”
Yu-jin resisted the urge to laugh. The only thing Da-bin could put his foot down on was an ant, and he’d probably apologize afterwards. She passed through the front hall, once again marveling at the Yaos’ new wealth, and unlatched the door.
Peeking out, she saw a crowd of people passing by, all headed in the same direction.
“What’s going on?” she called out.
A woman called back, “Some fishermen spotted a freighter sailing into Toxic Bay.”
Yu-jin froze. It took a moment for the significance of the words to sink in, then without even a thought she closed the door behind her and started running.
CHAPTER FIVE
“What the hell was that?”
The Doctor looked south towards Toxic Bay, the direction from which the sound had come. It had sounded like a car horn, but deeper and far louder.
“Damned if I know,” Marcus shrugged.
They were standing near the shore looking at the meter for the wind turbines. A dozen stretched in a line to catch the sea breeze at the end of the peninsula upon which New City stood.
“Probably some pipe or something bursting at the old chemical works,” Philip said. “That happened a couple of years ago, remember?”
“Hope it doesn’t stink up the place,” Marcus grumbled.
“If it’s anything important Clyde will warn us. I’m more worried what happens to our power supply if the wind doesn’t keep up,” The Doctor said. Philip had just finished explaining how they couldn’t expect the little wind farm to maintain current generation levels since the wind level always dropped off in late winter as the prevailing weather shifted. There would be shortages come spring, just when they
“I’d love some, thanks,” Yu-jin replied, feeling vindicated. If she’d been there, more than a few cultists would have been lying on the ground with arrows in their bellies.
And you want me to marry this guy? He wouldn’t last a day out in the wildlands.
Not that Randy would either.
Yu-jin dug into a second helping of noodles, one of the many things you couldn’t cook over an open fire in a cave. Now that she lived in the Burbs she’d have to get Hanna to teach her how to make them. The Yaos had kept so many more traditions than her family. Living in a cave and scavenging from old ruins while hiding from bandits, they’d never had time to teach her much. She’d learned to read and write scratching Chinese characters onto the walls with charcoal, and her elders had taught her a bit of history and family stories, but they amounted to so little.
There followed a chatter of pleasantries that made Yu-jin forget her troubles for the moment. She looked around at the smiling faces and let the happy chatter wash over her. Yu-jin imagined what New Year’s would be like, with everyone together and maybe the newborn already. And in five years or ten a whole group of children spilling their food and making noise and running around in the yard, while she and the other adults sat at the table and enjoyed it all.
That could be you. All you have to do is say yes.
Da-bin slurping his soup snapped her back to reality.
Can’t I just marry the family and not the man?
“What is all that noise?” Yong-jun asked, frowning at the wall.
They heard the distant buzz of many voices, as if there was a crowd outside.
“Maybe they caught a thief,” Hanna said, turning to Yu-jin. “You know there’s been three hangings since you’ve been here last? One was a spy for the Righteous Horde, plus there was a murderer and a dirty old man who—”
“This isn’t proper conversation for the table,” Yong-jun declared. “Let’s eat.”
“With respect, sir, I think I should take a look,” Yu-jin said. “It’s best to know.”
“Father said—” Da-bin started, but Yu-jin was already getting up.
As Yu-jin stepped out of the room he heard Yong-jun whispering to his son, “…wildlands habits. You’ll have to put your foot down.”
Yu-jin resisted the urge to laugh. The only thing Da-bin could put his foot down on was an ant, and he’d probably apologize afterwards. She passed through the front hall, once again marveling at the Yaos’ new wealth, and unlatched the door.
Peeking out, she saw a crowd of people passing by, all headed in the same direction.
“What’s going on?” she called out.
A woman called back, “Some fishermen spotted a freighter sailing into Toxic Bay.”
Yu-jin froze. It took a moment for the significance of the words to sink in, then without even a thought she closed the door behind her and started running.
CHAPTER FIVE
“What the hell was that?”
The Doctor looked south towards Toxic Bay, the direction from which the sound had come. It had sounded like a car horn, but deeper and far louder.
“Damned if I know,” Marcus shrugged.
They were standing near the shore looking at the meter for the wind turbines. A dozen stretched in a line to catch the sea breeze at the end of the peninsula upon which New City stood.
“Probably some pipe or something bursting at the old chemical works,” Philip said. “That happened a couple of years ago, remember?”
“Hope it doesn’t stink up the place,” Marcus grumbled.
“If it’s anything important Clyde will warn us. I’m more worried what happens to our power supply if the wind doesn’t keep up,” The Doctor said. Philip had just finished explaining how they couldn’t expect the little wind farm to maintain current generation levels since the wind level always dropped off in late winter as the prevailing weather shifted. There would be shortages come spring, just when they
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