Waking Gods (Themis Files #2)(17)

—That is a fair assessment of the situation. You will understand when I say that we are hoping your presence will not be seen as a sign of aggression.

—You’re hoping? I don’t wanna sound pessimistic, but what if it’s not happy to see us? How are we supposed to fight this thing if we can’t even touch it?

—You are not. It would seem prudent to delay the introductions.

—Is that your opinion or the EDC’s?

—Mine.

—I thought so. And how do you suggest we do that? We’ll be in London and assembled in less than twelve hours. I don’t suppose they’ll let us sit there for very long before they send us.

—Then I would suggest postponing your arrival.

—Not sure the boat captain will listen to me.

—Probably not.

—Oh, no! We’re not highjacking the boat. There’s a, well, a boatload of soldiers aboard. Kara’s good, but she’s not that good.

—Do not sell yourself short, Mr. Couture. You have proven yourself quite capable as a soldier in the past. But I did not have an armed assault in mind. A mutiny would be, shall we say, frowned upon, under the circumstances. I was thinking more along the lines of the European labor movement of the nineteenth century.

—Yes. We should unionize. That’ll show them.

—In the late 1800s, the French anarchist émile Pouget submitted a report at a labor congress in France in which he advocated for work slowdowns, a strategy that had proved successful in Britain. The British unionists referred to the slowdown policy as Ca’Canny, which did not translate directly into French. However, the French had long likened slow and clumsy work to that of a man wearing wooden shoes, or sabots, and Pouget, in his report, coined the term sabotage.

—You want me to break the boat?

—If done properly, it would delay your arrival and offer plausible deniability. Please accept my apology.

—For what?

—For giving French lessons to a French-speaking linguist.

—Oh, I didn’t know. I never studied French etymology.

—I am aware of that. I still find it impolite to give anyone lessons in their field of specialty.

—You can make it up with some mechanical knowledge. There’s a room called Engine Room so I can probably find the engine—engines?—in there, but I don’t know anything about engines, let alone boat engines. I sure as hell don’t know how to break one “properly.”

—I will provide you with all the information you need. I can ask Ms. Resnik if you do not feel up to the task.

—I can do it. Now that I think of it, why didn’t you? Ask Kara, I mean.

—I would like this operation to be handled as discreetly as possible. Ms. Resnik is more inclined towards impulsive decision making than you are.

—Hmmm. I’m not so sure. She’s been … reasonable the past couple years. You might not recognize her.

—Do you? Recognize her?

—Yeah. She’s in there. I’ll catch a glimpse of her every now and then. It’s not that I dislike the tame version of her—she’s doing it for me. I’d have to be a real asshole to blame her for it—but sometimes I wonder if she’s wiser or just broken. The thing is, she doesn’t seem unhappy. She says she’s happy, and a lot of the times I believe her.

—And what have you done for her?

—Not sure what you mean.

—Have you altered your expectations in any way?

—Expectations about what?

—Life, love. What it means to be a couple, a family? It may not be any of my business, but I get the impression that she has seriously altered her expectations about a great many things in order to meet yours. Perhaps you could meet her halfway. In any case, she seemed in good spirits when I last spoke to her.

— …

—Are you giggling?

—I am. She is in good spirits. That’s just it. I haven’t seen her as giddy in a long, long time. Of course, we’re gonna die tomorrow, but if that’s what it takes to make her feel like that. It’s not like I ever wanted her to change. I didn’t ask for this. The last thing I want is for Kara to be … domesticated. I told her that. I told her a hundred times.

—You also talked to her about building a family.

—Yes. I want kids. Someday. That doesn’t mean I want the person I love to turn into something she’s not.

—I understand your point of view, but, if Ms. Resnik is contemplating motherhood, she might have her own expectations of what it means to be a mother, a good mother. Those might not be compatible with her former self.

—Kara’s a smart woman. She knows there are many ways to be a good mother.

—Before Ms. Resnik became … Ms. Resnik, she was a little girl, with a mother of her own. No relationship is perfect, and I imagine that this little girl knew exactly what kind of person she wished her mother to be. Do not underestimate how powerful the wishes of that little girl are, to this day.

—I seem to remember your telling me you were in no position to give relationship advice to anyone.

—True. Relationships are not my forte, but without divulging too much information of a personal nature, I can tell you that I did have a mother and father.

—You know, I like that you’re taking an interest and you make a really good point. Well, good enough to make me feel like an ass anyway. That would have been a great conversation to have, like, five years ago. We have a briefing in a few minutes. I also have a boat to stop. If you can get me instructions tonight, I can try it while everyone’s asleep.