Chapter 32
“Luna, are you okay?”
A voice growled from above his back, “I didn’t say you could talk to her.”
Luna sobbed. She sounded so desperate that Beckett clamped his eyes shut and yelled, “Fuck! What are you doing to her?”
Dan was on the dock. Speaking to the police, his voice calm and measured.
Beckett had trouble making out Dan’s words over the pain and confusion, but he listened, trying to make them out, “—one of our crew. Yes, sir. Of course. No, I didn’t know that—”
Beckett yelled, “Dan, what’s going on?”
Luna was all sniffles and whimpers. Dan didn’t answer.
A police officer said, “—registration at the camps, paperwork and mandatory health evaluations—”
Dan said, “—Captain will vouch for him, will take him back on board—”
Beckett asked, “Dan, what are they saying, Dan?”
The knee on his back grew heavier and more painful. It was hard to breathe.
Dan said loudly, “Can I speak with my crew member?”
The knee raised from Beckett’s back. A voice growled, “Don’t get up.”
A moment later a knee appeared in Beckett’s field of vision. “Dan?”
Dan leaned all the way down, face on the dock. Through the blood in Beckett’s eyes, Dan looked blurry and tinted red. “Beckett, these officers say that Luna has to be escorted to the camps. I’m talking them into letting you back on the ship and we’ll figure the rest out.” Dan clapped him on the shoulder.
Beckett nodded, scraping his cheek on the rough wood. “Yes, as long as she’s okay.” He raised his shoulders to turn his head. At the end of the dock Luna’s bare feet were surrounded by the heavy boots of the police.
Luna voice, her face out of his field of vision, said, “Look what you did to him.”
A police officer said, “According to the laws of the Unified Mainland you, Nomadic Water Dweller, will be escorted directly to the closest camp for Organization and Resettlement. The paddleboard will be impounded.”
Luna said, “You can’t do that, it belongs to me! You can’t take my things!” She struggled to get out of their grip. One of the police officers laughed.
Luna begged, “Please don’t take it.”
Beckett listened to Luna’s pleading and closed his eyes to try to block all the pain.
Dan whispered, “Stay calm, we’ll get this figured out,” and rose again to go to Luna’s side. She was still crying, asking where they were taking her paddleboard and trying to grab hold of it as two officers carried it down the dock to their boat.
Beckett wondered if he was forgotten until another knee dropped to his back, knocking out his breath, and causing his brain to panic with lack of air. The person attached to that heavy knee yanked Beckett’s wallet from his back pocket. From the corner of his eyes Beckett saw his driver’s license and his Army ID passed from officer to officer. Then there was quiet. Luna was sniffling. Beckett was held tightly.
Dan asked, “What’s happening now, can you release my guy?”
Capstone said, “They’re calling in his ID.”
Crap. Beckett closed his eyes.
A minute later police boots thundered down the dock. Fast. “Beckett Stanford, you are under arrest for Refusal to Report, Misconduct, and Felony Desertion during Time of Rising Waters.”
The pressure on his back increased, pushing him down, shoving his chest and chin into the wood. Capstone’s voice said, “Well, well, looks like you’re going to jail for a long, long time.”
The other officer said, “Not jail, he’ll be headed East, to the front. Worse than jail.” His voice sounded gleeful.
Luna whimpered, “Beckett?”
He said, “I’m sorry, Luna, I’m so sorry.” His cheek was sanded deep in the wood grain.
Police officers jerked him by the arms to a standing position.
He could see everyone now, his face damp with blood, his sight red-stained — Luna across the dock, arms bound, held by two police officers. The rest of the crew watching over the railing. Dan beside Luna, said, “Beckett, we’ll come up with something.”
The two officers yanked Beckett by the arms so fast he stumbled as he was pulled past Luna.
He caught her eyes, “I’m sorry. I’m coming for you, don’t worry, please don’t worry. It’s going to be okay, stay safe.” He was pulled down the dock and away.
