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La Disconquista

The Unconquering

By stephen clarkPublished 4 years ago 35 min read
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The Sum of All Money = 1

This is the first four chapters of a novel that has a Citizen's Dividend as its central character. The rest is available at

worldmeetworld.wordpress.com/la-disconquista/

Spanish version available at:

worldmeetwoworld.wordpress.com/la-disc-esp/

This is mostly internet translation

I am Stephen Clark at [email protected]

La Disconquista

Chapter 1

7:18 AM PST, 9:18 CST, 10:18 EST

Jan. 6, 2015, Greenfield, California

Vic got half way down the block and looked east to see the sun peek over the Gabilan Hills. And then he saw something else! Vic slammed on the brakes. That something else was falling out of the sky. Well it wasn’t falling. It came down slow in a cloud of dust and sort of settled in. Vic did a double take. He almost hit the siren, but then said to himself. “Calm down. You’re already here and nobody’s in your way.” He rubbed his eyes to make sure he was awake.

A multi sided building with a screen in the middle of each side. There was more underneath each of the screens. They looked like Automatic Teller Machines. Vic sat in his vehicle in the middle of the El Camino waiting to see what would happen next.

As the dust settled an old man strolled out from behind the building playing a fiddle for all he was worth. Vic glanced to his right and noticed a young boy on his bicycle had stopped and was taking the whole thing in.

The old man let the fiddle drop to his side and looked straight at the young boy. He motioned for him to come over but the boy was frozen. The old man tipped his hat and walked over to the closest screen. The boy could see the outline of a hand on the screen and the when the old man placed his hand on the outline money came out of a slot below the screen. The boy let out a yell and rode his bicycle over closer.

“Feller says if’n you put yer hand on that machine it’ll give you money.” The old man stuck the money he had gotten in his pocket and started playing his violin again.

The boy pulled even closer and said. “I ain’t no thief man. My mom hates thieves.”

The old man stopped playing and said to the boy. “Hain’t stealin if ‘n the machine gives it away. It’s just bein frennly.” The old man resumed his tune and walked away.

The young boy thought about it for a moment. His mother had sent him to the store. She had wanted to send him for milk and cereal, but there had only been enough money for the milk. With more money he could buy both. He summoned every bit of courage he had and walked boldly up to the machine and placed his palm on the outline of the hand.

The screen read “Good Morning Rodolfo. Welcome to Casino Fortunatus. You may retrieve your Daily Bread from the slot below.“ Money came out of the slot. “Please do not visit the machine again today. You will be welcome again tomorrow. We appreciate your custom and hope you like our numbers.”

Rodolfo was elated and scared out of his wits at the same time. He had just finished putting the money in his pocket when Vic pulled his police car up over the curb and stopped next to the cash machine. Rodolfo wanted to run but he could not move. He just kept shouting “I didn’t steal nothin, I didn’t steal nothin, I didn’t steal nothin.”

Vic tried to calm him but he couldn’t get a word in so he shouted. “Hey kid. Nobody said you stole anything.”

Rodolfo stopped yelling and then repeated quietly. “I didn’t steal nothin.”

“I know you didn’t kid. I was watching. I just want to know what the old man said to you and if the money you got is real.”

Rodolfo pulled one of the bills out of his pocket and handed it to Vic. It sure looked like a real $20 bill to Vic. “Just wait right here.” Vic went over to one of the cash machines and put his palm on the screen.

“Good morning Vic. Welcome to Casino Fortunatus. You may retrieve your Daily Bread from the slot below. Please do not visit the machine again today. You will be welcome again tomorrow. We appreciate your custom and hope you like our numbers.”

“Hey kid. Did it know who you were too?” Vic asked turning around. But Rodolfo was nowhere to be seen.

Vic went back and sat in the cruiser. He wasn’t sure what was going on but he was sure it was no ordinary occurrence. He knew he was going to have to take this out of town, get in touch with some people in “high places”. Greenfield was his home, and as chief of police it was “his town”. If he was going to maintain any influence at all the next few minutes were critical. Before he got on the phone to anyone he wanted to have clear in his own mind what he meant to accomplish. He had options.

The County Mounties, the Monterey County Sheriffs. He had friends there, but they would expect to be in charge. The California Highway Patrol. They had the same control problems and a smarmy attitude of smug superiority. The Mayor, the County Supervisors the Governor would all have to know but Vic hated politicians. The FBI? There wasn’t a single official channel that Vic could think of that would not tell him to keep a lid on it until they got there. And as soon as they did get here they’d probably be sending him for coffee and little else. Vic was first on the scene and wanted to establish himself before he got shuffled off to Buffalo.

Vic knew there was a risky avenue but it might be the only one that would not leave him shining bureaucratic boots or sniffing official behinds. He could go straight to the news media. Not the generic news media. A person he knew. A contact.

Vic searched his wallet for a card. Sofia Robles. Channel 23 Salinas. He had helped her with sources for a report on sexual abuse of illegal aliens. Sofia Robles had been fearless and relentless. These women were considered fair game by almost everyone they came in contact with. Employers, fellow workers, police, immigration agents. Vic was one of the only officials with any trust in that community. His mother had been illegal, and he didn’t forget that.

It had been a great story. Vic helped her find women who were willing to take the risk and talk to her. She had truly appreciated his work. She thought she had blown the lid off and that things would change. He remembered how sad they both were when the story was over and they realized that no one was planning to do anything else for these women, and nobody did. Sofia had maintained a few relationships and helped some of them relocate, and Vic saw some of them around town now and then, but end of story.

He had reconnected with Sofia when a cement mixer had hit a tanker truck at the Walnut Avenue overpass. Three fatalities and multiple injuries. Sofia had been unflappable.

The cash machines had been discovered and what was a trickle of people was turning into a steady flow. Vic held the card a moment and decided to dial. Everything else was a dead end and the clock was ticking.

“Sofia Robles please.”

“Speaking. Chief Castenada, what can I do for you.”

“Hope it’s not too early.”

“I’ve been up since five Chief. What is it I can do for you?” Sofia sounded impatient.

“Well I think I have something here in Greenfield that might be of some interest to you.” Vic was at a loss on how to explain it.

“We’re up to our eyeballs in human interest stories right now Vic and I’m pretty busy, so why don’t you shoot me an e-mail.”

“How about a group of Automatic Teller Machines that are giving anyone who shows up $100. That have enough human interest in it for you?”

“Are you drunk?”

“No”. Vic knew he had her attention.

“Stoned?”

“No.”

“Have you gone nuts?”

“No. I saw this ah.. thing come down myself. Right at sunrise. You’re my first call. Don’t make me regret that decision. I don’t think this will stay under wraps very long.”

“OK Chief Castenada. Comb your hair, brush your teeth, and put on your best shirt. We go live in 15 minutes.”

“15 minutes?”

“I’ll get the helicopter. I may have to lie just a little, but I’ll get it. I’m walking out the door, where is it.

“Half way between Palm and Apple on the El Camino.”

“See you in 14 minutes.”

Vic actually gave himself a quick glance in the rear view mirror and decided he looked as good as he was going to look. He started to make a list of who else he was going to call after he’d talked to Sofia.

“Who or what the hell is Casino Fortunatus?” Vic asked himself. He didn’t have a clue. Well he had a clue but he dismissed it.

He sat in his car and watched as stream of people came coming to get their money grew. Many left running, no doubt to bring their friends and relatives.

Miguel from the Hacienda Restaurant ran by and yelled. “I guess the three Kings did make it here today. My wife’s bringing the Kids. Feliz dia de los Reyes Magos.”

Vic called his dispatcher and let her know what was up. She ran down what his morning schedule. Velma wanted to know when she could get a break to get down there. Vic laughed and said,“soon.”

Velma said, “Now Vic if you wait til that, that… whatever that thing is, leaves and I don’t get down there you owe me a hundred bucks.”

“You put the first patrolman who comes in on the radio and hot foot it down here. I don’t want to be owing you no hundred bucks.”

“Roger that Chief.”

“I love it when you talk radio Velma.”

Vic’s conversation with Velma was interrupted by a swirl of dust. A helicopter sat down right next to him and Sofia and her cameraman jumped off. She was yelling and gesticulating wildly to be heard over the helicopter, which was already taking off.

“Over here.” She had a microphone in hand and situated herself with her back to the automatic tellers and motioned Vic to her side. She wasn’t wasting a second. “Count us in Vern.” Vern held his hand in front of the camera with his five fingers extended and folded them in one at a time.

“This is Sofia Robles, News Channel 23, Salinas, coming to you live with an exclusive News Channel 23 report from the sleepy little town of Greenfield in the heart of California’s Salinas Valley. I am with Greenfield Chief of Police Vic Castenada. What is it we see behind us Chief Castenada?”

“We’re seeing a group of automatic teller machines that are giving $100 to anyone who shows up and puts their hand on the screen.”

“I’m not sure I’m following you Chief.”

“The best way to understand is to just do it for yourself. Come on over with me“.

They walked toward the machines with her cameraman Vern following every step. They got in a line for one of the teller machines. The lines moved fast. People got their $100 and left in a hurry.

“Chief Castenada, do you have any idea who is behind these machines, who is giving away all of this money?”

Vic hesitated and then answered. “The screen mentions something about Casino Fortunatus. That’s about all I know. Here we go. It’s your turn Ms. Robles. You’ll see what I mean.”

Sofia Robles switched her microphone to her left hand and put her right hand on the screen. The Screen read “Good Morning Sofia, Welcome to Casino Fortunatus. You may retrieve your Daily Bread from the slot below. Please do not visit the machine again today. You will be welcome again tomorrow. We appreciate your custom and hope you like our numbers.”

She motioned to Vern to bring the camera closer. “Get a shot of that screen Vern, and another shot of the money coming out the slot.

“Well folks. Now you’ve seen it live. Frankly I didn’t believe it until I saw this. I have a 50, two 20s, and ten 1s. $100. And the machine knew who I was. This is simply beyond comprehension. How long has this been going on Chief?”

“I saw this, this building just kind of settle down on this spot at sunrise. I’ve been right here ever since and every person who has gone up to the machine has gotten their $100, including me. There are 10 screens and so far there has been little waiting.”

“So you were the very first person to use these cash machines?”

“No, actually I was third.”

“Who were the other two?”

“An elderly gentleman and a young boy. The old man went first and he kind of persuaded the young boy to go after him.”

“Anything notable about them.”

“Well the old, er elderly gentleman had a violin, which he played. I’d never seen him before. The young boy was a local youth. Hispanic I believe.”

“But the elderly gentleman you’ve never seen before?”

“No, I would remember him.”

“Do you think he was associated with the cash machines?”

“They seemed to show up together, the cash machines and the elderly gentleman. I don’t know if that was just coincidence or not. But let me put it this way. I’ve lived h Greenfield most of my life and I know just about everyone here. On the same morning that ten automatic teller machines show up and start giving everyone $100 the man shows up and starts playing his violin. Using my years of investigative experience Ms. Robles, yes they are connected.”

“You mentioned the name Casino Fortunatus. Do you have any idea who is behind Casino Fortunatus or why they chose your town of Greenfield?”

Vic cleared his throat and answered “No, Sofia, I have no idea who is behind this or why they chose Greenfield.”

Sofia caught the hesitation. “Do you think the, how’d you call him, the elderly gentleman, is worth a further look?”

“Worth a talk yes. But I don’t like to speculate about things I know nothing about. At this point I have not formed any opinion about whether or not these Teller Machines constitute any type of infraction. I’m not sure if there have been any laws broken.”

Sofia decided not to press it now. She signaled Vern to follow her. “This is Sofia Robles coming to you live from Greenfield California. We’ve been speaking with Greenfield chief of police Vic Castenada who was one of the first witnesses to the Casino Fortunatus automatic tellers that are creating such a stir.” Sofia waded into the crowd.

Velma walked up to Vic. “Well what’s the process Chief? Baby needs a new pair of shoes.”

“Just get in line and when it’s your turn put your hand on the screen and collect the money. And when you get back to the office I want you to get me a phone number.”

“Sure Chief. Whose?”

“Etienne Duvall.”

“Whata ya want to talk to that asshole for.”

“I guess you know him Velma?”

“Like you said on TV Chief, It’s a small town Chief. I’d rather say I know of him and leave it at that. Got any idea where to start looking?”

“I heard he was in Mexico.” Vic ventured.

“Good spot for him. I was hoping you could be a little more specific than that.”

“I think his brother is still doing business in King City. Maybe he knows.” Vic could tell Velma didn’t relish the task, but he knew she would handle it.

“I’ll give him a call. Any message you want to leave?”

“Nah. I just want to talk to Etienne.”

“You think he’s in on this?” Velma asked.

“I’m not sure what this is yet Velma but I’d bet you that $100 dollars you’re about to get that he’s either in on it or knows who is.”

Velma nodded her head and went to get her cash.

Vic knew Velma to be opinionated but he had never heard her call anyone an asshole right off the bat like that. Vic chuckled at the whole thing. He sure didn’t know how this day could get any stranger, but he wouldn’t bet against that happening either.

End Chapter 1

Chapter 2

7:33, 9:33, 10:33

Rodolfo gets home with milk

Rodolfo got home with a whole gallon of milk and three boxes of cereal. His mom gave him a big hug. Then she took hold of his shoulders and held him at arm’s length. “Ok Dolfi, what did you do. I’m not gonna get mad at you because I know why you did it.

Don’t think I haven’t thought of it myself. The world is not fair Dolfi, but it’s the only world we got and that world starts to get a lot worse when we steal.”

“What have you done Dolfi. Oh my God, we’re taking it back. We’ll talk to whoever you robbed and give them this and pay back the rest when we can.”

“A cash machine gave it to me Mami. It gave some to the old Gringo and that Chief guy too. You know, the cop.”

Belinda was worried. She put her hand on Rodolfo’s forehead. “Are you sick mijo? Did you hit your head?”

“No Mami, it’s true. Go down there if you don’t believe me. Maybe you can get it too. We need the money Mami.”

Belinda had never known Rodolfo to lie. She was worried and excited. What if he was telling the truth? Rodolfo had earned the benefit of the doubt. He was the best boy she knew and she couldn’t be mean to him. “OK Dolfi we’ll go see what is happening. The baby’s hungry. Let’s all eat and then we’ll go check out your crazy story.”

Belinda set the table for Rodolfo and Herself and a high chair for the baby. She passed by the TV and turned it on on her way to the table. They were all chewing when Belinda and Rodolfo glanced over at the local news channel and saw Sofia interviewing Vic. Their smiles just grew wider and wider until they ran out of face.

“Baby I’m sorry. I should never have doubted you.”

“Mami, I understand. I know it’s crazy but it’s real cause it’s on the news. That Sofia lady is saying it.”

End Chapter 2

Chapter 3

7:44, 9:44, 10:44

Vic considers Etienne

Vic thought he knew why he hadn’t caught it earlier. This building with the cash machines had made him lose track of where he was. This was his old friend Etienne’s spot. Well he didn’t own it, but as long as Vic had known him, Etienne never tired of telling people that he was born there. Not in an empty lot. There had once been a house there and Etienne’s parents had lived in that house when his mother was pregnant with him and he had been born right there, in that house. This made Etienne one of the few people actually born in Greenfield. The nearest hospital was in King City, 12 miles south.

One of Etienne’s “rituals” was to stand on the spot on his birthday and drink a bottle of tequila. Etienne was so wrapped up in himself that he called things like that his “rituals”. Vic used to think it was funny or at least not stupid. On one of his birthday “rituals” Vic had joined Etienne to drink his bottle of tequila. How long ago was it Vic thought? At least 25 years, and maybe more.

Vic had been a little nervous about drinking tequila in public but Etienne could talk him into anything in those days. Sure enough the cops showed up. Vic remembered getting belligerent and telling them that they were interrupting a very important birthday party “ritual”. The cuffs came out and Vic was the one wearing them. Etienne started his routine of talking the cops out of arresting Vic. He showed them his driver’s license to prove it really was his birthday and gave each of the cops a shot of tequila. He offered them more, which they declined. Before Vic knew it the police were gone and the cuffs too. Etienne could talk himself out of anything.

Vic leaned against his cruiser and congratulated himself on his good judgement in not calling another branch of law enforcement. He watched Sofia Robles work the crowd. It was not hard for her to get people to talk. Everyone was on a money high.

People were coming and going from the cash machines. He paid particular attention to their expressions and body language. They were all drunk on money. It was Etienne who had told him that money was the most powerful drug in existence. He thought back to their conversations. “People build up a tolerance quickly and they ‘need’ more and more. After they’re hooked on money most people would do anything to get it.”

Etienne was obsessed with money. While most people’s obsession involved trying to make a lot of it Etienne was more interested in money’s effect on human beings. He was searching for the formula for money. He wanted to know how it was made and how it operated. Looking at the morning’s events Vic knew that somehow Etienne was wrapped up in this.

Vic hadn’t seen Etienne in at least 10 years. The last that he had heard was that Etienne’s whole family had moved to Arkansas and Etienne had followed them there. Then someone else had told him that Etienne was in Mexico. Vic needed to make a few phone calls. He thought he’d heard that Etienne’s brother was still doing business in King City so he’d start there. The $64,000 question: who or what the hell was Casino Fortunatus ? If anyone had an answer he was sure it was Etienne Duvall.

End Chapter 3

Chapter 4

7:20, 9:20, 1020

Amy calls Etienne

Amy was keeping herself as busy as she could. This was her last day as a barista at the e Fect coffee bar and she didn’t want to be a slacker. She was still working just to show Balthazar that she could do it, hold down a job that paid her bills and help develop a Video Game at the same time. She had to admit that she was pushing herself. Tonight was their launch of La Disconquista and Balthazar had wanted her to take the day off so she could help him with any last minute details.

The job was her way of not being dependent on the fickle world of game development. She didn’t need the money. Her severance package from her last job at Pay Pal was enough for years. The barista job had led to her only major argument with Balt. All or nothing was his philosophy and he didn’t like that Amy was able to strike a balance and maintain focus on more than one thing at a time. “You got plenty of money,” he would tell her.

She had told Balthazar that the reason she didn’t want to live off her savings was to heed some advice that her father had given her, “Thou shalt not touch thy principal”. But it was really something her mother had taught her, “In difficult times always find work that has something to do with food. That way you could always eat.”

Her times were far from difficult, but she had never regretted the decision to work while developing the game. She had met their other partner Frank there. He was the owner of the e fect. Like many other Seattle residents Amy had been attracted to the e Fect because of its refrigerator. It was an Einstein/Slizard Refrigerator. No moving parts. It drew it’s power from the heat of the espresso machines.

Szilard had been a student of Einstein and they had developed the refrigerator together in their spare time, between atomic bombs and theories of the universe. Einstein had used his experience working at the Swiss Patent office to help navigate the Patent process. The refrigerator was not really an efficient design for a coffee bar but for the e Fect it was a major draw. Seattle gamers and technophiles couldn’t get enough coffee iced by an Einstein Design.

Amy was one of the few who came for the Szilard connection, she could take or leave Einstein. Leo Szilard was one of her heroes. He had written his PhD. theses on Maxwell’s Demon and Amy had followed suit. Szilard was the first to associate Thermodynamics and Information and Amy bridged that connection to the phenomenon of money.

Finding Frank at the e Fect had taken their Gamer team into a whole new realm. He ended up writing almost all the code for La Disconquista. Code writing was something that neither she nor Balthazar was very good at, so this had really helped. The other factor was that the e Fect served as the Gaming Rumor Mill for all Seattle, and the World for that matter. All the best gossip ran through it. The e Fect’s motto “Continuous Coffee and Discrete Conversation” caught more than one customer who counted on some confidentiality because they did not know the difference between “discrete” and “discreet”. Amy was the main beneficiary and she knew more than she knew she knew. And speaking of Frank, where was he? It was not like him to be late and here it was closing in on 8:00 and he had yet to show.

Amy thought a quick call to Etienne might help her get some control over her excitement. Although he would never officially join their effort, they all considered him the fourth member of their trio. She punched in his phone number. She was about to hang up on the ninth ring when a groggy voice came over the phone. “Bueno.”

“You’re still sleeping aren’t you?”

“Not anymore.”

“It’s two hours earlier here and I’ve been up for two more.”

“So what’s your point?”

“I’m just jealous is all. I’m too excited to sleep.”

“Me too Amy, only I took it off the other end. I just got to bed.”

“I’m sorry I woke you Etienne. I just needed someone to talk to. Frank’s not here and you know Balt, he’s all, ‘Don’t talk it to death Amy, you’ll jinx it’.”

Etienne was always glad to talk to Amy. “Don’t sweat it. I‘m not the one that needs the rest. It’s you and Balt that’s on the spot tonight. And what’s up with Frank. He’s gonna be there, right?”

“He said he’s going to. He better. Half the people coming are for him.” Amy thought one more shot. “If you hopped a plane right now.”

“Don’t think I’m not tempted. This is the moment I’ve been waiting half my life for. You guys will be setting people free.”

“You guys?” Amy would have none of that.

“OK, Us guys. But you gotta remember Amy, it’s hard to liberate people who don’t know they’re locked up. And the guards who don’t know they’re guards might be a tough sell too.”

“When the guards see that they’re the most trapped of anyone they’ll want to come with us Etienne.” Amy smiled

“I’d tell anyone else they had a Polly Anna complex, but not you Amy. You make it sound practical.”

“Play or be played Etienne. Maybe tonight we can open some eyes. We got 50 RSVPs already. A lot of the best gamers in Seattle. They’re curious. And a dozen journalists, the gamer press will be here. And the Coders, Etienne. We got 20 Coders coming to meet Frank. Frank is a wizard. They want to see the source of the coding. They all want to meet him.”

“That’s great Amy. Did you get someone from Wired? We really want them there. They’ll give us an audience we can’t get anywhere else.”

“We got a maybe. They’re not sure we’re important enough yet. They’ve got a finger in the air checking for any breeze in our direction.”

“The fools. If they don’t come, this time tomorrow they’ll be regretting missing the Launch of the greatest Alternate Reality Game ever.” Etienne gushed.

“Now who’s the Polly Anna? I know we don’t have to convince ourselves Etienne, but I gotta believe that I’d be interested in La Disconquista whether I was part of it or not. I think there’s a ton of people ready to Play Money.” Amy seconded Etienne’s enthusiasm.

Etienne loved to see Amy at work so he went with her. “I think the key moment is when people find out they’re already in the game, already playing money, except someone else is making all their moves and collecting all their winnings.”

“And feeding them all the losses. You don’t have to be in the stock market or have a ‘nest egg’. Every time you buy a stick of gum or a banana someone is raking off the top. 24/7.”

Etienne thought any more might just make Amy more nervous so he decided to wrap it up. “We the best Amy. Nobody else even talks about offering everyone a seat at the table every day. They wouldn’t know how. I think we’ve got the doors as wide open as we can. We can put out the welcome mat but people have to walk through the door themselves.” Etienne could sense that little smile creep onto Amy’s face again.

“Grasshopper has had her wisdom lesson for today master.” Amy never missed an opportunity to goose him when he got all Zen.

“You’re the one who woke me up out of a sound sleep. This is what you get. I’m just barely out of the dream world and the dream world is chock full of wisdom. I thought you’d appreciate me sharing a little of it with you, even though I had to break protocol to do it..”

“I forgot Mr. Pythagorean, by all means take your leave and go make your bed.” Amy quietly hung up. He went up stairs for the ceremonial making of the bed. He knew what a pompous ass he was at times. Pomposity was not a new trait or specially attached to the current endeavor. He had a Professor in college who had labeled his writing style, “Pompous Prose.” He was pretty sure it wasn’t a complement.

Etienne had begun the ritual “Making of the Bed” after he read that the followers of Pythagoras made their bed first thing every morning to separate the world of sleep from the waking world. OK. Pull up covers, stack pillows. Fold throws and place them on the foot of the bed. Amy had gotten him up early enough that he might catch some of the basketball game at Benito Juarez Park if he got a move on.

He thought back to his first conversation with Amy about a year before. She had somehow gotten the number for his landline in Mexico. It wasn’t even registered in his name but somehow she had come up with it. “I hope this doesn’t sound too weird,” she started out. “Which means you know it’s going to be weird. I’m working on an Alternate Reality Game called Maxwell’s Wallet. The players, you know, like never run out of money.” Etienne remembered laughing out loud and the long silence that followed. He didn’t try to fill the space because he was afraid he’d be jabbering nonsense. To his great relief Amy finally started speaking again. “It’s my attempt to make money into a perpetual motion machine, you know, like Maxwell’s Demon. So Maxwell’s Wallet. Get it?”

“Yes I get it,” somehow tumbled out of his mouth.

“I want to create a game that doesn’t stop when somebody wins. Everyone can keep playing forever until they, you know, like die. Like, like I’m dying of embarrassment right now. If you want I’ll hang up cause this is, like crazy. OK bye.”

“No, no, no, don’t, like, hang up.” Then it was Amy’s turn to laugh. Etienne continued, “I’m just kinda speechless cause I’ve been waiting for this call for so long I almost fainted.”

“So you see some connection between Maxwell’s Wallet and your ah.. excalibrator?” Amy asked.

“No, I don’t see a connection, I see the same thing.” Etienne wanted to be adamant so he repeated it. “It looks to me like we’re working on the same thing.”

Amy was overjoyed, “You really think so. So cool. Everybody else just thinks i’m kinda crazy.”

Etienne just had to give the downside. “Another similarity then. I don’t want to chase you away, but the very best reaction I’ve ever gotten is for people to think I’m harmless. This conversation is the most serious inquiry I’ve ever had. Now’s your chance to back out.”

That had begun their friendship. He’d spoken to her almost every day since.

As soon as the bed was made to sufficient standards he was down the stairs and out into the morning air. Through the big gate, left on Orizaba and up to the Ancha de San Antonio. Left on the Ancha, down a hundred yards and right on Calle Nuevo. About half way up the slow hill to the park his cell phone rang. Since he’d already spoken to Amy he was pretty sure who this was.

“Bueno.”

“Etienne. Sounds like you’re in the open air.”

“Balt. Sounds like you’re on a boat.”

“On a pier overlooking the Sound. Sun on my shoulders. Gotta be a good sign. Where are you?”

“Just passing the Rosebud Hotel”

“What, you got Citizen Kane fans in Mexico?” asked Balt. “Very cool.”

“No such luck. The real name is the Rosewood, but we all need our white whales.”

“There you go mixing your metaphors again Etienne. Rosebud? What does John Maynard Keynes’s boyhood snow sled have to do with Captain Ahab’s White Whale?”

“Not to be picky about mixing things up Balt, but John Maynard Keynes was the economist. You’re thinking of Charles Foster Kane, from Citizen Kane.” Etienne wished he could see Balt’s expression because he didn’t hear a sound. “Citizen Kane and Captain Ahab were both on quests for the unattainabl. Like trying to re-invent money, La Disconquista dude.”

“OK you got 10 seconds to connect Citizen Kane with Moby Dick on any other level. Go. 10, 9, 8…

“Can I speak?”

“Only if you can make the connection.”

“Well the Rosebud was the sled that Citizen Kane was looking for and this particular Rosebud hotel has a Starbucks in it. I just walked by it. Starbuck was Captain Ahab’s first mate on the Pequod in Moby Dick. That do it for you?

“How do you do that Maan? And you tell me you’re not smokin the Ganja down in Mexico. Where does it come from? How’d you get so far out of Babbalon without the Ganja? Your brain must be producin it, like all natural. I don’t have that power so I gotta smoke it. This is for you.” Etienne heard Balthazar take a long hit and blow it out. “OK my turn. Starbucks is from Seattle, and if you is really Rasta Baptist you oughta be on a plane here to where the Ganja is legal and Babbalon don’t mess with us. We want you here with us Etienne. You got 12 hours. You could get to Timbuktu in 12 hours.”

“Would you call me Ishmael if I did?”

“I’d call you father Abraham if you’d come. We could use you here today.”

“Amy told me the same thing but you know my deal.”

“Your deal. I’m bout fed up with your deal. What’s all the noise? What do I hear?”

“I’m walking by the basketball game.”

“I thought you liked to sit and watch it.”

“I do, but I gotta walk to the top of the park first. If I don’t walk up here first I’ll find fifty excuses not to and only forty nine to do it. So just walk with me a minute.”

“OK, I’ll walk as long as I can smoke a little too. Sun in Seattle. I’m going to meet Amy at The e Fect. She’s still working that crazy job.”

“You get good coffee don’t you?”

“Yeah, but..”

“But you get good coffee.”

“Yeah, good coffee.”

“And you met Frank there?”

“OK, OK.”

Etienne was glad Balthazar dropped it. Now he didn’t have to listen to him bitch about Amy’s job again. “Is there anything Amy needs? I just talked to her but you know she’d never ask me for anything.”

“She’s the same with me, so I got nothing. Anything you want me to tell her?”

“Tell her she has the best mind in the world and I owe her more than I can say.”

“I know what she say to that, ain’t nobody owe nobody nuthin.” They both liked that about Amy. No dredging up past slights, no baggage. When Etienne reached his destination. “I’m at the basketball game. You know this is my only spectator sport now.”

“Yeah, you only been living on it for the whole year. What’s so special. If you was here you could go see the Super Sonics. Real basketball Maan.”

“This is the real basketball. Real basketball is pick up games. Next five. That’s as good as it gets. No stacking teams, winner keeps the court and the next five challenge. Clean slates. Clean slates in every direction. Real, honest competition. The Supersonics got owners, draft picks, endless regular season followed by endless play offs. I see the talent, but the basketball comes last, the business comes first.”

“Yeah, but we get to know the team. The Supersonics is ‘our’ team.”

“I know these guys playing right in front of me too. Maybe not by name, but I know them. I even give some of them nicknames. I know their tendencies, their strengths and weaknesses.”

“That’d help if you still played or was a coach. But what difference does it make to know their tendencies if you’re just sitting in the park watching them. Come on Ishmael.”

“I’m not in Seattle yet Balthazar.”

“I like the yet. That means you’re coming sometime.”

“Yes I’m coming sometime, just not today. It’s crazy Balt. My plan was to create a life here where I could just pick up and go and the opposite happened. I’ve never been more entwined in a community in my whole life. I just don’t know how to leave. Put the immigration stuff on top of that and I’m pickled.”

“You watch your pickup basketball game my Rasta Baptist Brother. We’ll handle this here today. But don’t you tardy yourself too long down Mexico way. We need you here. It gonna be crazy and you know how crazy it gonna be.”

“Yeah I know Balt. The crazy is strong in us all or we wouldn’t be where we are today.”

“Are you sure you’re not smoking something down there.”

“Just the game Balt. I’m smoking ‘pick up basketball’. Got me all high.”

“Just imagine what things are gonna be like when La Disconquista has an open spot for everybody everyday. Don’t you sit down there in Mexico too long. You got some play left in you.”

The call dropped. Etienne wasn’t sure if Balthazar had hung up or not. But it was just as well. If they talked much longer he really might head on over to the airport in Léon and hop a flight. And he wasn’t ready for that, Yet.

The basketball game was wrapping up and Etienne had gotten so keyed up that he thought he’d walk off some his excess energy with a quick trip by the Jardin. He walked the few blocks up cobblestone streets and sat on a bench facing the Parroquia, a Gothic Cathedral for which San Miguel was justifiably famous. He had sat near this spot and watched a light show projected on the Parroquia during his first week here. It was Medieval Europe meets Haight-Ashbury. But that was San Miguel, so full of contradictions and irony that he thought at times it would break. It was like Amy and Balthazar stalking Virtual Reality in Seattle and finding him 3,000 miles away in Mexico. What were the odds? But odds had nothing to do with it. Cosmic Coincidence Control was now in charge.

Amy had jarred him out of his stupor. She already knew more about his work than he did just from reading his web site. Her “Maxwell’s Wallet”, was practically an overlay of his “excalibrator”. What made it bizarre was their different sources. Etienne’s excalibrator came from the Bible. He put together the Daily Bread of the Lord’s Prayer with the story of Zacchaeus the tax collector and the Transcendental Number e popped out. Amy had developed Maxwell’s Wallet from Information Theory and Thermodynamics and ended up with the Holy Grail of Game Theory the Minimax.

Etienne knew that Amy thought of him as something of an idiot savant. She was right. He had never really understood the math in excalibrator. At least he didn’t until Amy had begun to explain it to him. Money as Pure Information. Money as Pure Network. Money as Pure Game. .

Their first six months had been a little rocky until they brought Frank in to finish writing the code. He “eliminated the noise” as he liked to say. Now all they needed was players.

End Chapter 4

science fiction
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