Free Under Vanishing Skies by G.S. Fields Page B

in on, snake, hog the wave from, or simply run over another surfer. It is not a good idea to pretend that nothing happened. That will likely lead to a brawl on the beach. So if you find yourself in this situation, paddle over to the person and apologize. Accidents happen out on the waves, but that doesn’t excuse not having good manners.” Shannon looked over at me and winked. Then she looked back at Ahmed and said, “And so Mr. Chairman, I think that’s all I have to say about surfing etiquette. I hope that it is useful information that we can use to assess prospective candidates. I now relinquish the floor.”
      I almost laughed out loud. She had filibustered to buy me time to get here.
    Ahmed turned to me and said, “I am so glad you were able to make it back in time. We were about to have another vote on the amended list.”
    Glad my ass.
    Ahmed started the procedure to call for a vote. Shannon motioned for me to follow her to the back of the room where the refreshment table was setup.
    “ What took so long?” she asked when I got there. “I had about run out of things to talk about. Another few minutes and I would’ve had to stall for time by doing a lap dance for Ahmed."  She cringed.
    “ I’m sorry. Jin had something important to tell me.”
    “ What was so important that you’re willing to risk a vote on the list without you?”
    “ You got to promise to keep this under your hat,” I said.
    “ I never wear hats, but I promise not to tell,” she said. “So come on, what is it?”
    “ Jin hacked into a satellite…a reconnaissance satellite.”
    “ You’re kidding, right?” She studied my face and then said, “You’re not kidding! How?”
    “ It’s complicated.”
    Putting her hands on her hips, she said, “Are you saying I’m stupid?”
    “ No, it’s just that Jin isn’t ready for this to be made public yet. To be honest, neither am I. There are some things he needs to figure out first.”
    She stared at me another few seconds and then said, “But can he control it? Take pictures and whatever else a reconnaissance satellite does?”
    I nodded.
    “ That is pretty big news. I can see why he wants to keep it quiet,” she said. “Don’t worry. I won’t say a word. Just promise me that once he figures things out, you’ll tell me what’s going on.”
    “ I promise.”
    Ahmed’s voice carried across the room. “So we have a second on the motion to vote, so let us begin.”
    Shannon and I returned to our seats. We spent the rest of the afternoon embroiled in the same old debate, whether we should allow exceptions for unqualified candidates...and there were still a lot of them. When it became clear that the debate would stretch beyond four o’clock, I sent Jin a message that I was running late. It wasn’t until after five that Ahmed eventually called for the three-day recess in honor of the Remembrance Weekend.
     
     ***
      Before heading down to the café, Michio, Shannon, and I made plans to meet up in the hotel dining room for dinner around seven thirty. I figured I’d have plenty of time to talk with Jin about his idea before dinner. I checked my watch for the third time and realized that I was wrong. Jin was late...over an hour late. I took a sip of tea and grimaced as I swallowed the lukewarm brew.
    Where the hell was he? This morning he couldn’t wait to tell me about this conspiracy theory and now he was a no-show. I checked my data mat to see if he’d replied to any of the messages I had sent him. My inbox was empty. The only thing new was a reminder from my calendar that I was late for dinner with Michio and Shannon.
    It wasn’t like Jin to be late, but it happened sometimes, usually when he was working on something particularly complex. Maybe he was still working out the details on his decryption plan. He hated presenting anything that wasn’t thought completely through. I hoped that was the case. Either way, I had to go.
    On the walk back to the hotel, I passed