The Sovereign Individuals

Chapter 3: The News

Two days after the meeting with Xi Wan, as Martina was grooming Kat and talking to Axel about a new coding language she was learning, the doorbell rang. It was Jonas. He was with Helena, his dad's operating officer, and three other men.

"Hi Marti, you know Helena... Can we come in?" Jonas said, and immediately Martina knew something was wrong. She dropped her phone.

"Hi Jonas, Helena, what's going on?", she let them in and the three men started inspecting the house.

"They are security personnel, they are going to check that everything's safe here."

"Jonas, what the fuck is going on. Come on, you're scaring me. What happened? Where's dad and Fernando?"

Helena took her arm and guided her to the sofa. "Please sit. Marti, this is hard for me to say. But, your dad and Fernando were kidnapped a few hours ago in the Mainland. We still don't know who did it but their car was hijacked outside our headquarters in Los Angeles, near the airport."

Martina became lightheaded. An image of his dad popped up. She was small, around seven, and he was helping her tie her shoelaces. He would laugh because she always messed up. She laughed as well. She felt so safe with him. He was so gentle.

"Marti, are you OK? Do you want something to drink?"

"No." She took a deep breath. This didn't make any sense. "Who would do such a thing? Do we know who did it? Why?"

Her mind was racing.

"We are doing every we can trying to locate them. We have an entire team of security experts already working on it." One of the other men came forward. "I'd like you to meet Hank. He is a security director at your dad's company. He will be in charge of your security until we find your dad and brother. We still don't know if this was a coordinated attack to the entire family, so as a precaution, they will be staying here and will be with you at all times. I hope you understand that."

Martina looked at Jonas and started crying. "Jon, why is this happening? This doesn't make sense. My dad is a good person! Fernando is only 25 years old! 

Jonas hugged her. "I don't know what to tell you Marti, it doesn't make sense. I know your dad and he is an honest businessman."

Martina felt a bit better under his embrace. She wanted him to tell her that everything would be alright. That this was not going to end in heartbreak.

She sobbed some more.

Rob left Martina's house a couple hours later. Three more senior people from his dad's company had arrived. The dining room was being used as an office. Everyone was on the phone, calling frantically. It was 11 pm. She decided to take a bath. 

She turned on the faucet and watched the marble tub fill with crystalline water. Her bathroom had a beautiful view of the sea. Some plants shaded it and gave it more privacy. She had taken hundreds of baths here, but now it seemed unfamiliar. She looked at her tub. The beautiful Carrara marble had been shipped directly from Tuscany, before it fell in chaos when the civil wars started in Italy. Her hurricane-proof triple pane window was imported from the Sovereign City-State of Hamburg, as it was called now that it was independent from Germany. Her mirror had mother-of-pearl inlays from a rare mollusk from Mexico. The designer they had hired to remodel their Residence a few years back had told her all of this, and she just accepted it matter-of-factly.

She now felt repelled by it. Not because it was ugly. But because it reminded her of her blatant ignorance for what was happening in the world. Her insulation against all the bad stuff.

When had she given a serious thought about was what happening in the Mainland? The last time had probably been when she was 18. When her tutor had taught her all about the Big Exodus. When most rich people and corporations fled to the sea. But that had happened years ago, when this and other Floats consolidated themselves as real alternatives to the Nation States.

When the millions of people who couldn't afford to live out at sea saw their governments fail, she had been here, sheltered, surrounded by exotic woods and soft fabrics. When revolutions and wars happened,  she had been here, gossiping with Indi and Axel about love interests on the beach club. When only a select group of cities and regions became independent and served as centers of manufacturing and extraction of natural resources for the Floats, she had been here, competing with Rodrigo on water ski. She had been enjoying her life, having vast dinners with her dad's friends, talking about Float politics, Float people, Float life.

What had happened to her curiosity? Her responsibility towards others? But was she responsible? She had lived almost her entire life in the Float. This was her place. Was it her city? Country? It always felt more like a private club. But even then, was she really responsible for the life of other people she had never even met?

No, deep down, this wasn't about them, the people in the Mainland. This was not a philosophical exercise about responsibility. This was real. And it was about the well-being of her family. The two most important people in Martina's life. Even if they lived in luxury, and were focused their petty problems, and their day-to-day, no one had the right to kidnap and hurt them. And the people who had taken them away were going to pay, she would make sure of it.

She got out of the bathtub and saw her pocket watch. It was 2 am. She knew what she was going to do.

She went into the dining room in her pajamas and a ponytail. She took a deep breath. "Hey everyone, I did some thinking and I decided I want to go to the Mainland and help with the search."

Chaos ensured.

Helena told her it was impossible, it would be extremely risky to fly to the Mainland now, what if this group was also targeting her. Hank told her it was safest here, she could stay here with extra security personnel and not leave her Residence.

They kept going, but she was unshaken. She was not going to sit in her own little world and cross her arms while her dad and her brother were being kept somewhere dark and cold, in absolute fear. Fuck no. She was going to save them.

"I know it's not the logical thing to do. I know it's not safe. I know I should stay here. But I'm not. I don't care. And as next-in-line to my dad's company, I have the right to use all of our resources to find them. Helena, please tell the team that we'll be leaving in a couple of hours. Rest for a while and let's leave tomorrow at 8 am."

Martina barely slept. She was absolutely sure of her decision, but she also felt nervous about the journey ahead. Even though she was 23, she felt like a kid in many respects. But know, the situation had changed. She had to rise up to the occasion, grow up and find her dad and brother.

The sun started to rise.

In a few hours she would be in the Mainland, once again, after 18 years at sea.