What? Theo was sure he'd heard incorrectly. The words "prison" and "twenty years" spun in his mind as he struggled to make sense of them.

  Tiberius was smiling. "Dismissed." He banged the gavel three times with emphasis on the final strike. Each strike of the gavel echoed. To Theo they were just small, barely audible sounds in the fog that had surrounded his brain. He thought of Bill and all that he would miss sitting in a cell somewhere while the best years of life passed by.

  The room filled with whispers. People were shocked, outraged, even confused, but all were afraid to speak loudly enough to be heard by Tiberius. The message, it seemed, had been received. Jamie wept quietly and Kylee and Michelle had their heads down. Theo knew that they too were crying. The shock of the injustice they had witnessed was overwhelming. Theo's chest was so tight he could barely breath. Crying was out of the question. Ryan looked angrier than Theo had ever seen him. His fists were clenched so tight that his nails were cutting little half moon shapes into his palms.

  The defendants were led out the same door through which they had arrived. Theo wished he could see Bill's face but he could not. He quickly decided it didn't matter.

  The teens regrouped outside the courthouse. Theo was the first to speak. "I'm going to talk to Mayor Lucas."

  "I don't think that's possible," said Ryan, "only people with a certain level of government clearance have been allowed to see the mayor. I've seen some of the software that works all the stuff out."

  "Can it be hacked?" asked Theo.

  "In theory, sure," said Ryan, "but I don't have access to that kind of thing, and besides, let's say you got the appointment through my messing around with the system. You walk in to the mayor's office and they'll know right away you don't belong. Then we've got much worse problems."

  "What about Menendez?" asked Michelle, "Kylee, can't you talk to him and see what he can do?"

  "I guess I could try," said Kylee. "I see him pretty often. I can't guarantee he can get Theo a meeting with the mayor but, I don't know, maybe he can do something."

  "We have to try whatever we can," said Theo. "What happened to Bill and the others is beyond unfair. Lucas is a good guy. He will see that this is all wrong and he'll make it right. I know it."

  Chapter 9

  It took the better part of a week for Kylee to have a chance to speak to Officer Menendez. When she returned home that night, Theo saw that she looked happy. "Well?" he asked, "What happened?"

  "So, he definitely knew what was going on, and he wasn't happy about it at all. Most of the people in the Security Force think Tiberius was out of line with his ruling. Of course, most everybody is afraid to say anything. Menendez knows the mayor pretty well and he said he would definitely talk to him about meeting with you. No promises but he's going to try. I should know something soon."

  It was another week before Theo got the answer that he was waiting for: the mayor would see him that Friday. The day of the appointment, Theo and Kylee walked to Caesar's Palace, where the self-proclaimed "leadership" had established offices. Theo had not been able to figure out why the government wasn't operating out of City Hall, but he assumed it had something to do with the opulence of the casino. It truly did resemble a palace, and no casinos were allowed to do business anyway.

  "Good luck!" Kylee said as she hugged Theo goodbye. They looked at each other and then kissed for a few seconds before Theo reluctantly broke away. It was time to save his friend.

  The level of security at the casino made that of the courthouse seem like a few mall rent-a-cops. Theo passed through five different checkpoints, some more invasive than others, on his way to the mayor's new office in the largest suite in the casino. Among the many government employees hurrying from place to place was an alarming amount of heavily armed Security Forces.

  Theo checked in with the mayor's assistant and sat in a plush, golden chair. The waiting area had been the living room of the suite and was in the middle of what had been two bedrooms. Now those served as the offices of Mayor Lucas and Deputy Mayor Tiberius. Theo turned and looked out the massive windows that showed a broad expanse of the beach and the ocean beyond. Theo had often sat on the balcony of the penthouse condo, or on the roof of the building and had the same thought that occurred to him now: the water was too clean. Theo had seen water like that on cruises his family had taken to the Caribbean when he was younger.

  The assistant startled him out of his contemplation. "Mr. Essex, the mayor will see you now."

  Theo rose from the comfortable chair and followed the assistant as she led him to the dark wooden doors that separated the waiting area from the office. She opened one of the doors and gestured inside. Theo stepped across the threshold. The large bedroom had been transformed into a functional and inviting office space. A heavy oak desk was positioned along the wall directly opposite the doors. Theo was sure that beneath the thick rug underneath the desk the carpet contained the indentations of the king size bed that had once been the centerpiece of this room and had seen its share of high profile visitors and inappropriate behavior.

  Across from the desk were two chairs as plush as the ones in the waiting room. It was to one of these that the assistant led Theo. He breathed slowly as he tried to keep his nerves at bay. Seated behind the large desk was Mayor Lucas. He smiled his famous warm smile at Theo and said, "Please, sit down Mr. Essex. Make yourself at home."

  Theo did as he was told. The mayor folded his hands on the sheet of glass that protected the dark leather inlay of the desk. "Mr. Essex, Carlos Menendez said that it was absolutely urgent that you see me. Now I've known Carlos a long time, and he is not a man prone to exaggeration and hyperbole. You must have something quite important to say and, by the way, Carlos must like you very much. He wouldn't do something like this for just anyone. Now then, what can I do for you?"

  "Mr. Mayor, sir, I want to talk to you about the ruling the deputy mayor came up with the other day in the trial of the protestors."

  "Ah. Yes." Lucas rubbed his chin. "I take it you have some connection to the protestors?"

  "Not exactly, sir. My friend Bill Mansfield was arrested with the protestors, but he wasn't one of them. He got involved when the fighting started. He was trying to protect people."

  "I see," said the mayor. "Mr. Essex..." he looked at a file on his desk. "May I call you Theo?" Theo nodded. "Very well. Theo, I am sure it was not lost on you that this was the first major trial we have had here in Atlantic Island. Deputy Mayor Tiberius has control and authority over the police and judicial proceedings on our island. It would not be right for me to interfere, were I even of a mind to try."

  "But sir," said Theo, "When you spoke at the arena, you said that the laws of the United States would be what we'd go by here. By those laws, the protestors had a right to protest, didn't they?"

  "They had a right to protest peaceably, Theo. The protestors, and your friend as well, engaged in violence against the officers of the Security Force. You may not want to hear this but they broke the law."

  "I'm not an expert in law, sir, but the one guy, Tom, hit an officer. Then the police started swinging. The others were defending themselves! Bill and I witnessed the whole thing and that's why he got involved."

  Mayor Lucas raised an eyebrow. "You witnessed the whole altercation?"

  "Yes, but nobody ever asked for witnesses. Tiberius just made up his mind to make an example."

  "Deputy Mayor Tiberius, Theo."

  "I'm sorry sir, but it wasn't a fair trial. And not all the defendants were guilty of the same thing!"

  The mayor leaned back in his chair and sighed. "You are an interesting young man, Theo. You are both bold and respectful, a rare combination. I see why Carlos likes you. You also raise an interesting point. I take it you work with the construction crew?"

  "Yes, sir," Theo said. He was curious where this question was leading.

  "Do you like it? The work you have been asked to do so far?"

  Theo considered this. "I do. It was hard at first, tearing homes apart, even if many of them were damaged, but I understand the situation we are all in, and I know how important the farmland is going to be to our survival."

  The mayor nodded slowly. Theo suddenly recalled sitting in his guidance counselor's office discussing his post-high school plans. The guidance counselor had not exuded a fraction of the warmth Theo felt in the presence of Sam Lucas.

  Mayor Lucas leaned forward again, his hands once again linked on the desk. "You believe in the farming initiative?" he asked.

  "Sir, I think it's a very smart idea. I was thinking that once the construction crew moves on to repairs and whatever on the rest of the island, I might switch to the farm team."

  Mayor Lucas smiled. "Fancy yourself a farmer, do you? Well Theo, what would you think about doing something a little more... cerebral?"

  Theo was confused. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean..."

  "What I mean is that I am looking to put together a council of advisors representing different groups on the island. I have been wondering if there was anyone with the right aptitude to represent the youth of Atlantic Island, and it occurs to me that you may be the right man for the job."

  Theo had to remind himself to speak. He was thrown off his game. "Sir, I really appreciate the offer, but honestly I'm not sure I'm the best guy for the job. My friend Ryan—"

  "Is, I'm sure, a lovely young man," said Lucas. "Right now we are talking about you. Tell me Theo, you don't think you're qualified to be on my council?"

  "I don't know. I guess I've never been told I'm qualified to do much of anything."

  The mayor laughed. "I find that fascinating. Have you considered that maybe those who judged you didn't know what they were doing? I like to think I'm a reasonably good authority on character and qualifications. You're hardly the first person I've offered a position, and my selections usually pan out just fine.

  "You don't have to decide now," the mayor continued, "just keep doing what you're doing with the construction work for the time being. But there will come a time when I will call on you and I do hope you'll seriously consider my offer. Bare in mind this won't relieve you of your obligation to finish school."

  "Thank you sir." Theo paused, deciding whether to get back to the issue at hand, and concluded that he had no choice but to press on. "About my friend…"

  Mayor Lucas laughed again. "Yes, yes, not to worry, I haven't forgotten. I may be old but I'm still sharp! I'm also a man who is willing to admit when he's in error. Allowing such an important case to take place without my oversight may have been foolish of me."

  "Sir, I didn't mean to say that you were foolish…"

  "I know, Theo. I'm simply saying that perhaps until we have a proper judicial system in place our cases, in particular high profile ones, could do with a little…monitoring."

  The mayor reached for a speakerphone on his desk and pushed a button. "Amanda, could you tell Deputy Mayor Tiberius to come in here for a minute?"

  The voice of the assistant came through the speakerphone. "Yes sir, I'll send him right in."

  Theo felt his pulse quicken. He hadn't counted on any interaction with Tiberius. The mayor saw Theo's reaction. "Relax," he said. "You have nothing to fear from the Deputy Mayor. It's the criminal element that needs to watch out for him."

  A knock at the door signaled the arrival of the deputy mayor. "Come in," called Lucas. The door flew open and revealed Tiberius, looking menacing in a black suit. Theo always thought of a vampire every time he saw Tiberius, and the deputy mayor's attire only reinforced that image.

  "What do you think you're doing, Sam?"

  Lucas smiled. "Paul, come take a seat."

  Tiberius stood stiff by the open door. "I'll stand, thank you. I'm not accustomed to being called in when we don't have a scheduled appointment."

  "I understand," said Lucas. "Paul, this young man came to me to discuss the case of the protestors. He has made a very valid argument that the sentence was...a tad severe."

  "You mean the sentence that I made in my authority as head of the Security Force." Tiberius sneered. His penetrating gaze was directed solely at the mayor. It was as if Theo wasn't in the room at all.

  "Yes," said Lucas, "but you'll recall that as mayor I have the authority to adjust sentencing."

  Tiberius's eyes flashed with anger. "You mean to override my sentence?"

  "I believe that in your desire to instill the proper sense of command and control in our country, you may have been slightly overzealous in your ruling. I do not question your intention, nor the fact that attacks on our officers cannot be tolerated. I simply wish to be reasonable in our policies. People understand that they must respect our control, but they need not fear us."

  Tiberius was furious. "I can not have my control questioned."

  "No one is questioning your control, Paul. We must look to the bigger picture."

  "And you, Sam, must not be swayed by the desires of children." For the first time he turned his glare to Theo, who immediately wished he could melt through the floor.

  Mayor Lucas stood up. "Paul, my decision is final. I am adjusting the sentences. The leader of the protestors who is the only one to initiate violence will be sentenced to one year in prison. The others shall be given a year's probation. Any violation of that probation will reinstate the original sentence. I think that should send the message that we believe in fairness and second chances, but our kindness should not be seen as weakness."

  "On the contrary," said Tiberius, still fuming, "you are presenting our government as weak, malleable and adjustable to suit the needs of its citizenry."

  "Is that so bad?" asked Lucas. "We are representatives of the people and we ought to take their concerns into consideration."

  Tiberius had made his way to the side of Lucas's desk. "These people would be lost without us! Lost and hopeless without my authority to lead the way!" He made to slam his fist on the desk but caught himself and slapped the glass with an open palm instead.

  "I assume you mean our authority, Paul?" asked Lucas.

  "You know what I mean. You have made a terrible mistake, and we will all have to live with the consequences." He turned to leave and Theo had just enough time to let out a sigh of relief when he realized the deputy mayor had paused and was staring directly at him.

  "You, boy, what is your name?"

  "Theo Essex, sir."

  "Well, Mr. Essex, I don't know why you have meddled in the affairs of something infinitely above your station, but I want you to know that you have my attention and the attention of my entire department. I will be watching you. If you know what is good for you, you won't make any mistakes. And I do mean any."

  With that, Tiberius left the room. Theo was frozen to his seat. The mayor came around the desk and put his hand gently on Theo's arm. "I apologize for what you had to witness there. Deputy Mayor Tiberius is...temperamental, but he has the best interests of our nation at heart just as he always wanted what was best for the city before the Event. Though we may disagree on methods, our goal is the same."

  Theo wasn't so sure, but he kept silent. The mayor walked back around the desk and sat down. "Theo, I will see to it that your friend is released from custody within the next day. I apologize for all that you and your friends have been through. Please do give strong consideration to my offer. Our country needs bright young minds like yours to give us the proper perspective, as you have done for me here today."

  Theo stood, shook the mayor's hand and thanked him profusely. As he turned to go, his peripheral vision caught a glimpse of the corner of the desk where Tiberius had made his angry argument. The surface where Tiberius's hand had slapped down was now a web of cracked glass.

  Bill returned the following morning. His arrival was met with celebration, though Kylee fretted that a proper celebration should have been planned in his honor. "It's fine," joked Bill, "I'm sure you'll plan something better the next time I get released from jail."

  Jamie seemed especially happy to see Bill returned, and particularly eager to have him return to the house. Nobody knew when Bill was going to get the opportunity to own a residence since there was still no system in place for sales or reassignments. Theo thought this was probably just the tip of the iceberg when it came to things the new nation was not prepared to deal with.

  Despite his misgivings about some of what had occurred in the time since the Event and certainly since they had found themselves as unwitting citizens of Atlantic Island, Theo believed in Sam Lucas and knew the man was doing everything he could to lead the thousands of survivors through an unprecedented disaster. Even so, there was no way things could be perfect right from the start. Ryan frequently referred to the mayor's first round of decrees and decisions as "Atlantic Island: Version 1.0." Theo thought this was probably true. There would be refinements, improvements and new ideas as the country developed. Of course, there remained the small glimmer of hope that this whole thing would turn out to be a temporary arrangement before everyone could be returned home.

  The more he thought about it, the more he realized there may be some value to Mayor Lucas's offer that he join the advisory council. He certainly held strong opinions about the operation of the new government. For Theo holding strong opinions about anything was a new sensation.

  The next week was the best fun Theo had had in a while. Bill was back with the construction crew and he seemed more like his old self than since before the Event. Theo suspected Bill's lifted mood was not only because of his sentence being changed but also because of something brewing between him and Jamie.

  Theo tried to broach the topic of Jamie but Bill would do everything he could to change the subject. On Bill's third day back on the job Theo decided to take a more direct approach. The crew was working on the west side of the deconstruction zone along Ventnor Avenue and Theo and Bill were enjoying lunch consisting of some kind of fish sandwiches (courtesy of what Theo assumed must be the "fishing crew") and canteens of desalinated ocean water.