The Sovereign Individuals

Chapter 4: The Mainland

Martina looked out the window of the private jet taking them to Los Angeles and saw the entire Float from above. Her home... She saw the hundreds of Residences made of steel, concrete and glass. Most of them were connected by steel bridges. The largest ones, like hers, had their own private dock and storage for water toys. She saw the Rec Center with its enormous deck and her favorite sushi restaurant. She saw Guayabitas Beach where she'd learned how to surf.  Next to it was the Research Station where the many scientific projects were developed and sponsored.

As the jet turned towards the coast of Mexico, she saw the enormous peaks of Guadalupe Island. The small airport where they had taken off was right next to the Governance Committee near a cliff on the eastern end of the island. But most of the island was a natural reserve, open to Residents. On the northernmost part there was Port Esperanza, where the largest ships were docked. Next to it was the smaller marina which housed the ferries that transported personnel between the Mainland and the Float.

Aboard the jet, Helena frantically answered text messages and emails. Hank talked to his security team. No one said a word to Martina. She was OK with that. She didn't want to talk, she was so tired. She eventually fell asleep.

As the plane started the descent towards the airport, Martina woke up and saw the entire city of Los Angeles, from downtown LA all the way to the mountains up north. It was the most important city of the newly created sovereign territory of California. When she left 18 years ago, it was still part of the United States, and was its entertainment hub. Now, it was the logistics capital of the entire territory in large part thanks to his dad's company.

They touched ground at 1 pm. There were two cars already waiting for them.

Ten minutes from the airport, in what was once the Port Royal Marina in Redondo Beach, were the headquarters of the Sovereign Float Communities company, or SFC. The marina had been transformed into a world-class port with at least 20 large boats, and a marina for smaller ones. The main building was a three-story rectangle made entirely of glass, clad with a wooden screen that allowed for privacy and shade.

"Marti, why don't you wait at the lounge while we set up the conference room with the intelligence team," Helena said as they got out the cars into the building.

"I'd rather wait at my dad's office, Helena, I want to see if there are some documents that might help there."

Martina went into his dad's office located on the top floor of the building. She walked through the surprisingly cozy space. It was a large office, with a huge desk looking out to the pier, a sitting area and a round table for larger meetings. It was all light wood, maybe Ash or Pine. She was reminded of his dad's favorite childhood architect, Kengo Kuma.

Martina was amazed. The headquarters were beautiful and tastefully decorated. The workers seemed happy. Everyone was going about its business. It was obvious the news about his father weren't made public just yet. The building  was neither the steel warehouse she had expected, nor was it ultra-luxurious as her Residence. It represented a different side of her dad she had not seen. She felt guilty for not being more involved in this side of his dad's life. And it made sense, now. He, unlike Martina, had grown up in a very different world. One that no longer was. And yet he had to inhabit these opposing worlds, the one he helped built at the Float and the one he unintentionally helped dismantle in the Mainland. 

Martina looked at every paper and note she found, but none was helpful. They were just scribbles and some financial reports. His laptop was gone. There was nothing else that might offer clues. There were some leather-bound books and maps, and three pictures of her and Fernando.