Avatar: The New World

Chapter 13: A Lesson in Volatility Part I

"Excuse me?"

Lula looked up. Doctor Whynn was standing in the door staring at her. "Oh, Mariella, hi."

"Hi." The doctor mocked Lula's tone and moved forward to take the reports. "What were you doing in here looking at my files?"

"I just wanted to know about these terrorists. Election day is tomorrow, I'm going to be mayor and you want me to give you money but you won't tell me anything about what you're doing."

"You don't need to know anything, just do what I tell you."

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"I said, no!" Lula's fists were tightening.

Doctor Whynn snorted. It was a sound that was filled with glee and rage. "Fine, come with me then. We just so happen to be beginning one of our biggest missions yet."

"What kind of mission?"

"Just come with me."

Lula watched Whynn leave, then she followed after her. She was taken to a room filled with people. High ranking security officers mostly, and the only one of them she recognized was the blond woman, Calli. "It's about time," she said, "Our coptors are just about in position."

"Thank you, Calliope." The doctor moved to a chair beside Calli and gestured for the woman to get up. "Now give your seat to Miss Lavender."

Calli grunted and stood up then Lula slowly took a seat in her chair. The table in the middle of the room flicked on and a holo was projected over it. Lula could see the tops of trees rushing past and Whynn leaned over to say, "This is the view from our hovercopters. They're about to reach the terrorist colony."

Lula felt a wave of worry overcome her as she saw the treetops part to reveal a group of dozens of people standing together in the middle of a ramshackle village of handmade homes. She watched as the coptors erected a fence to gather the people even closer together.

"We're not going to kill them," Doctor Whynn said, "Don't worry. We're just taking them home, to help them."

Just as Lula was forcing herself to accept that she was being told the truth, the holo projected from the table erupted into chaos. The cameras were shaking and interrupting the image. There was fire and smoke and then the holo was gone. The security officers in the room went quiet at first, then all of the sudden everyone was talking. Lula stood up and shouted over all of them. "What the hell was that?" She raged. "You said you weren't going to kill them!"

Whynn's eyes were wide, Lula could see her hands shaking. "I, that, um." She stood up to be eye level with Lula, straightened her lab coat and stared defiantly. "I didn't plan that. I have no idea what that was but it wasn't what was supposed to happen."

"We gotta get people out there," Calliope said. "See what went wrong."

Whynn turned away from Lula and said, "Get the bodies back too, I wanna study them."

"Bodies?" Lula felt tears in her eyes. This wasn't what she wanted to happen. She had signed her life over to ToCo for a taste of power and now she realized the truly insidious nature of their work. "I gotta get outta here." She pushed out of the room, but Whynn was quick to follow.

"Lula!" She said, her voice more firm than usual. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm done with this! I can't help you, not anymore."

"Are you forgetting something?" Whynn asked as she stepped closer to Lula. The doctor's fingers pressed hard against Lula's chest and she said, "Tomorrow is election day, you're going to be mayor. I made you mayor! You're mine, you got that? I own you!"

"You do not own me! Nobody owns me!"

"Yes I do!" Whynn shouted and her eyes went crazy. "I own you, Lula! If you walk away now, I will destroy you. Financially, politically, emotionally... physically." He finger swept over the scar on Lula's chest.

"What'll you do? Send Lee after me? He was in the middle of that explosion, Mariella, remember that?"

"I don't need Lee to hurt you." Whynn turned to go back to the busy security officers. "If you're smart you'll fall in line. Otherwise I'll have to force you to and nobody wants that."

"Tell me how! How will you force me? You have nothing on me."

"No, but I'm the only one who can help you."

There were so many things Lula wanted to say, so much anger she wanted to vent. She didn't even know what she needed help with but still she said, "The only one?"

"The only one. Now get outta here and keep your phone on."

"As always," Lula said as she turned to leave. Tears flowed freely down her face as she rejoined Jing by the elevator. He looked concerned, lifting a thick hand to touch her cheek. "It's okay, Jing, I think. Let's just go home."

Jing led the way down to the car and Lula sat quietly behind him as they returned to her lake house. She dismissed the driver before allowing Jing to lead the way inside. As soon as she crossed the threshold, Mr. Lucky leapt up to her shoulder and she allowed him to rub his face against hers. "Hello, darling," She said, taking the cat to the couch. "I sure needed this kind of love today. Did you know that?"

They sat down together and Lula put Lucky in her lap. He put his paws gently on her chest and sniffed her face where the trails of tears had been. "A lot of people died today." She told the cat. "I think I could have stopped it if I wasn't so blinded by this whole election thing. Does that make it my fault?"

Lucky meowed and curled up in Lula's lap. His loud purr was soothing to her. "I mean, sure at least one of them was a terrorist. Rorrick Lahaye, the man who built me up by tearing the city down, but Jeera was there too. What if everyone else there was just like Jeera? A poor soul who wants to do good in a world that doesn't understand him?" She realized she was crying again but she didn't move to wipe the tears away.

"What have I gotten myself into?" She asked Lucky and the cat just purred in response.