The Lord of Opium(57)

Listen got up and peered out the window. “Looks like they do,” she observed.

“They broke out of the zoo during the fighting,” said the jefe, “along with a lot of other animals. The elephants didn’t do well, and the hippos died from lack of water, but there’s still quite a wildlife population around Tucson. In winter they stay close to the nuclear power plant, where it’s warm. Some of the lions have adapted to the cold and moved away.”

Matt saw a herd of antelopes grazing along an old road. “We can collect some of these for Esperanza,” he said. “She won’t believe what we’ve got here.”

“Let’s keep it our little secret, in case we need to negotiate with her,” advised Cienfuegos.

As they went on, Matt saw more greenery and more animals. There were large stretches of desert covered with saguaro, paloverde, and ocotillo, but between them were green valleys where water ran. Clusters of deserted adobe buildings appeared, and rusting metal dwellings that Cienfuegos said were called trailers. The dead city of Tucson loomed ahead with skyscrapers like the ones Matt had seen in Aztlán, only these stood against a bright-blue desert sky, not the polluted air to the south.

To the north were two gigantic power plants, one nuclear and the other a cold-fusion energy producer. By the nuclear plant was a large lake surrounded by reeds and waterbirds.

“Are the power plants deserted too?” Matt asked.

“Oh, no,” said the jefe. “El Patrón had them built. This is where Opium gets its power. Most of it goes to protect the border. We’ll land here to recharge our antigravity pods.” They floated down to a large hovercraft port and clamped onto one of the magnetic strips.

Immediately, men swarmed out of a nearby building. “I’ve alerted them to our arrival,” said Cienfuegos.

He stepped out, and the men snapped to attention. “At ease, amigos. I bring you our new patrón. Try to look fierce,” he said in a lower tone to Matt.

As Matt stepped out, a cheer went up from the men. “¡Viva! ¡Viva El Patrón!”

“I’m not El Patrón,” Matt whispered.

“Oh, but you are,” said the jefe. “You’re the old man reborn. I’ve watched you develop these past weeks. You were nervous at first, but the power grows in you. You’ll make a fine drug lord.”

“I’m not—”

“Walk past them into the building,” said Cienfuegos. “Don’t wave. They don’t expect it. There’s a lunch waiting for us inside.” Matt, feeling uneasy, did his best to look tall and fierce as he went past the cheering men. Mirasol walked obediently at his side, and Listen followed with her head held high, as though she were already a drug queen. Inside was a table covered with a white tablecloth and bowls of food. Three places were set.

“What about Mirasol?” asked Matt.

“She will serve you,” said the jefe. “You can’t be seen treating an eejit as an equal.”

“Oh boy! Apple pie!” said Listen as her eyes lit on the dessert.

“Wait until you’re served,” Cienfuegos ordered. First Matt, then the jefe, and then Listen were given potato salad, fried chicken, and candied yams by Mirasol. She filled their plates until told to stop. When she cut pieces of pie, Listen demanded three slices, but Cienfuegos stopped her at two.

“I want ice cream and lots of it,” said Listen.

After the meal, various men came up and offered their greetings to Matt. They were all Farm Patrolmen in charge of supervising the technicians operating the plants.

“Mirasol needs to eat,” Matt said after the introductions were over.

“I’ll order a packed lunch. She can have it while she waits for us in the hovercraft,” said Cienfuegos. “Now we get the grand tour.” A technician guided them through the plants, explaining what each section was for. The man seemed very intelligent, but there was a deadness in his eyes that spoke of some form of control. Most of the workers were robots, but a few human technicians moved among them. They must have been performing jobs that required great skill, yet their faces were just as expressionless as the robots. They didn’t look up as Matt and his companions passed.

“They’re all men,” said Listen.

Matt stopped and looked around. She was right. “Why aren’t there any women?” he asked Cienfuegos.

“El Patrón didn’t think women were smart enough for this kind of work,” said the jefe.

“I could do it,” Listen boasted. “Show me how and I could run the whole damn plant.”

“You can’t even reach the on button,” said Cienfuegos. The technician who was guiding them went back to work, and the jefe led them outside to the lake. Here it was hot and humid, and strange trees formed a dense forest not far away. They were covered with vines, and dark shapes moved restlessly behind shaking leaves. Close by, a bird erupted from the reeds and flew toward them, honking angrily. The jefe caught it before it managed to attack and tossed it back into the lake.