The Brave New World 84 The Things People Do For Love

The sand was as fine and soft as talc.u.m powder, and there was a pool of shade right under the cliff. The rocks that ran out into the sea on both sides made the water as calm and clear as in a swimming pool. Unfortunately, bathing called for great care: there were many small, sharp stones scattered on the sandy bottom.

They all bathed anyway, because they were sticky with sweat. Taking the shortcut had been a bad idea. It meant they had to make dozens of small detours around a variety of obstacles. All in all, it would have probably been easier just to follow the sh.o.r.e, as Candy had done the previous day. But Susanto actually appreciated all the little unexpected difficulties they had to deal with along the way. He felt it put him in the right frame of mind for his upcoming trip to the New World.

After he'd rinsed the sweat off his body, he dried himself with great care: seawater and sun was a lethal combination. The water evaporated quickly, leaving a residue of salt that the sun burned into the skin. Susanto was fairly sure that was the reason behind his rash. He just hadn't wiped his legs dry properly.

Noticing that morale was low, he instructed the others to eat something, have a drink, and generally relax for a while. They retreated into the shade: he remained at the water's edge, the sun beating down on him as he stared at the ocean with his mind racing. He needed to invent an argument that would make Candy follow him, all smiles, into the New World. It wasn't easy. His mind was constantly jabbering about Cruz: did he make it? What if he didn't? f.u.c.k! Susanto felt sure that a few more weeks on that island would turn him into a psycho killer. He would end up slitting the throats of all his companions, and eventually his own.

As he wrestled with all those complicated psychological issues, his right foot had been mindlessly playing with the sand, smoothing it, digging in, flicking a toe to send a spray of sand into the air. Suddenly, Suanto felt a painful pinp.r.i.c.k. He bent down and saw his exploring foot had uncovered a seash.e.l.l fragment. He bent down and picked it up.

Two white ridges ran around a pink oval that turned purple in its center. The piece was oval-shaped too, and overall it reminded Susanto of a c.u.n.t.

Of course! s.e.x was the only thing, the only motivation Candy could really understand. She'd follow him willingly into the New World if there was s.e.x involved. Susanto smiled: he loved it when he had one of those flashes of inspiration, an idea that solved the problem. He had taken along his cigarettes - just in case, it was good to have backup - and after a mournful glance at the few that remained, he took out a kretek and lit it.

Okay: that Candy business was solved. Now, what was his plan for the New World?

No dinosaurs chewing on his a.s.s: that was the priority. That was why he was taking Candy with him. He would tell her to walk ahead of him under the pretext of admiring her a.s.s. Snakes! It was a lizard world, it likely featured plenty of snakes. Yes, Candy would lead the troops.

Guided by wise advice from the troops, she would lead them to a safe observation point. It would have to feature thick vegetation that offered protection from those flying f.u.c.kers, those ptero-somethings that tore a strip of flesh off him on his last visit to the New World. And that vegetation had to be free of giant mosquitoes or spiders or ants eager to take bites out of his a.s.s.

He had a good plan in place by the time he had finished his kretek cigarette. He turned and walked up to James and Candy, who had finished munching coconut kernels and were busy refreshing themselves with the brackish water from the island's only spring. All the bottled water that had been salvaged from the ship was long gone; the plastic bottles were refilled periodically with a liquid very inferior to the one advertised on the label, although it likely had a richer mineral content.

Susanto noticed Candy grimace at the taste as he approached. It reminded him of the gagging business yet again, and he felt fresh delight at the thought of what he'd planned for her. He stopped in front of her and said:

"Candy. I would like to share something special with you."

She was smiling when she looked up at his face: he'd pressed the right b.u.t.ton. James got up from the sand and sauntered off, bottle in hand, to admire the rocks some distance away. That was the mark of a good manservant: he knew when to be there, and when not to be there. Susanto felt a wave of warm affection for James. They'd been together for so many years! He looked back at Candy and said:

"Candy, we will make love in the New World."

She liked that; she liked that a lot. But then her face creased and she said:

"But it's dangerous over there. You can get hurt. You can get killed! I saw what happened to everyone who went there. I remember how they screamed!"

"You won't scream," Susanto told her. "You'll enjoy yourself. Because if something bad happens - it's like a horror movie. People watch horror movies so that they can scream and feel scared while eating popcorn. We all need a bit of variety in our lives."

"I don't like horror movies," Candy said.

"Well, the moment you don't like something, you leave. You understand? James will stay here. He'll pull your implant and bring you back the moment you feel like it. It's all up to you. Candy! We could be the first couple ever to make love in the New World."

That got her, like he'd thought it would. She had built her career, her life on f.u.c.king people. Scoring a first in that category ranked big. She said:

"Really? The first couple ever?"

"Yes."

Candy frowned. She could remember the screams only too well. But being the first to f.u.c.k in the New World, ahead of Elena and the other wh.o.r.es, carried a powerful appeal. And who knows? Maybe she'd like it. She dimly remembered Cruz and Susanto explaining that the New World was located in another dimension. f.u.c.king in a different dimension! No, she just had to experience something like that.

The look on Elena's face when she learned Candy had f.u.c.ked Susanto in the New World was an extra motivation. She was going to be twisted with envy. Maybe she would convince Susanto to take her along too, but whatever happened, she would come second.

For the first time in her life, Candy thought, she would come first. Her mind, abundantly fed by pop culture, told her she could become a star. More than a star: she could become a G.o.ddess! The G.o.ddess of Love in the New World. She would get new business cards printed the moment she got the chance.

She smiled into Susanto's eyes and said:

"I think I would like that."

"You will, Candy," lied Susanto. "You'll like it a lot."

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