Лю Цысинь - Supernova Era

Will Yagüe, the Argentine boy who was the first secretary general of the UN of the Supernova Era, was waiting for them at the entrance to the building. Half a year earlier, Huahua had watched the televised handover between him and the last secretary general of the Common Era, but the boy in front of him retained nothing of his former dignity. Now he was covered in dust, and he had taken off his tie to stanch the blood on his head. He looked thoroughly beaten down. When Mitchell asked about the situation, he answered irritably, “Another bomb hit the tower just five minutes ago. Look—right there!” He pointed at the smoking crater in the center of the building. “I had just come outside, and a storm of shattered glass rained down…. I repeat my demand that you provide adequate protection for the United Nations headquarters!”

Mitchell said, “We’ve done all we can.”

“All you can?” Yagüe snarled, jabbing a finger at the crumbling building. “I asked you long ago to clear out heavy weapons from the vicinity.”

Dowell said, “Please let me explain. That one,” he pointed at the building’s missing corner, “is at least a one-oh-five-millimeter, and has a range of roughly twenty kilometers.”

“Then clear out all heavy weapons in a twenty-kilometer radius!”

Mitchell shrugged. “That’s not realistic. Carrying out a search and then imposing military controls over such a large area will be tricky. It’ll give those Republican bastards an opening. Sir, we’re a democratic country.”

“A democratic country? I feel like I’m in some twisted pirates’ den!”

“Your country isn’t much better off, sir. A soccer game has broken out in Buenos Aires with more than a hundred thousand players on a playing field that covers the entire city, with two enormous goals bigger than the Arc de Triomphe set up at either end. A hundred thousand players with a single ball, surging after it wherever it goes. Thousands of people have been trampled to death in the fortnight the supergame has been in progress, and there’s no sign of it stopping anytime soon. Your capital has been thrashed to pieces. Play is in children’s nature. Sometimes it’s even more important than eating or sleeping. You think you can stop them?” Mitchell pointed at the building, “True, this place isn’t really suitable for a UN meeting. I also know that the General Assembly building had its roof caved in by a bomb. And that’s why we’ve proposed to hold the session in Washington, D.C.”

“Bullshit! This time it’s D.C., next time it’ll be on an aircraft carrier! This is the United Nations, not the US Congress, and we’ll hold it on UN territory.”

“But all the heads of state are in Washington already. That’s the only place in the country where the games are banned, so it’s the only place where security can be guaranteed.”

“Bring them back! They have to take that risk, for the good of the children’s world!”

“They and their countries won’t agree to holding it here. Besides, even if they did return, where are your staff? How many kids are you down to in that building?”

“Those cowards! They’ve all run off. None of them is worthy of working for the UN.”

“Who’d want to stay in this hellhole? We’re here for two reasons. First, to give the Chinese children a look, so they can understand why we’re not holding the session here. It’s their choice whether or not they go to Washington. Second, to invite you to come with us. We’ve arranged a dedicated workspace for the UN on Capitol Hill, and have outfitted a brand-new team for you—”

“Shut up!” Yagüe shouted. “I’ve always known you want to replace the UN!” Then, to Huahua, he pointed out places in the distance. “See, those buildings are all untouched. Only the UN has been hit so many times. I wonder who the hell fired all those rockets?”

Mitchell raised a finger and said, “Mr. Yagüe, you are maliciously slandering the United States government. If you did not have diplomatic immunity, we would sue you on the spot.”

Yagüe ignored him and tugged at Huahua. “As a permanent member state, you have a responsibility to the UN. Let’s stay here together!”

Huahua thought for a moment, and then said, “Mr. Secretary General, the purpose of our visit is to make contact with the other world leaders, to hear their views on the new world and to exchange opinions. If all the heads of state are in Washington, then we have to go there too. We can’t do anything by staying here.”

Yagüe waved a dismissive hand. “Fine. You all go then. It’s clear to me now that the children’s era is the most abominable in all of human history!”

Huahua said, “Mr. Secretary General, the world has indeed changed. You can’t solve any problems by applying the mentality of the adults’ era. We need to adjust to this new world.”

Smiling, Mitchell said to him, “You don’t appreciate the secretary general’s ambition. He once had the notion that the children’s world would eliminate all national governments and be unified under the direct leadership of the UN, in which case the secretary general would naturally become the head of Earth—”

“Shut up!” Yagüe said, thrusting a finger at Mitchell. “Wanton slander!” But Huahua recalled that he had indeed voiced such an idea not long after the start of the Supernova Era.

“You go adjust to the new world,” Yagüe said. “I’ll remain here and see the United Nations through to the end.” Then, cradling his head, he turned and walked back into the dark, smoking building.

The motorcade moved on to the outskirts of the city where helicopters were waiting for them, and they took off toward Washington with New York’s sea of lights blazing below them in the night.

Huahua asked Du Bin, “Are you aware of our domestic situation?,” and seeing Du Bin nod, he asked, “Do you see any similarities between their Candytown period and ours?”

Du Bin shook his head. “I only see how they’re different.”

“Look down there. New York remains brilliant even through the storm of bullets. Look at the roads, and all those cars and buses driving along like normal.”

“True, that’s a point of similarity. Even in these conditions, the systems of their society are still functioning normally.”

Huahua nodded. “It’s a phenomenon unique to the children’s world, unimaginable in the adults’ time. Back then, if social conditions deteriorated half as much, the country would have collapsed.”

“But I wonder how long things will remain normal. The American military apparatus is in a precarious state. American children have in their hands the greatest weapons systems in the world, and it burns them up that they can’t play with them. On the other hand, the biggest political transformation in America since the start of the Supernova Era is the ascent of the military to the political stage, and its expanding control over the country. To placate the military, the US government has staged exercise over pointless exercise. But drills will never satisfy the American child.”

“The key question now is how are the American children going to play?”

“They probably won’t just play among themselves. It’s different with light weapons, but when they bring out the big guns there’s no way to do it alone…. I’m not sure I should go on.”

Night now completely covered the North American continent. The only illumination was from the navigation lights on the other aircraft. They seemed to be hanging stationary in the night sky.

“The situation is grim…” Huahua murmured, clearly aware of what Du Bin was thinking.

“Exactly. We should prepare for the worst,” replied Du Bin in a shaky voice.