Duality (IV/III)

After his release on bail, Archie escaped by stealing a large yacht from his former employer; motoring off across the Pacific. Maxie, who had followed him, smuggled himself aboard, and was only discovered a day after Archie set out. The two men being evenly matched in armament (kitchen knives) and musculature, they fought, as was their habit, with words; furiously declaiming the other's infamy for so absurdly intending to sabotage the other at Hetch Hetchy. After this, they settled into an uneasy truce. In the close quarters to which they had confined themselves in their escape by boarding the yacht, some peace was necessary; that which developed, in the course of the two-week trip, nearly resembled their old friendship. The primary difference in their new relationship was that both Archie and Maxie assumed, implicitly, that the two of them were enemies, a state of affairs suspended for the duration of the voyage. Oddly, this assumption served to make their interactions rather a bit easier; by accepting their differences, and the inevitability of later hostilities, they were able to speak without fear of consequences; until they made landfall at last.

Archie had begun the trip merely fleeing, with no particular goal in mind. The day later, after he discovered Maxie, the two of them planned a destination together: China, which possessed a need for both their professions and no particular inclination to extradite U.S. criminals. (Archie had taken some Chinese in college, and taught Maxie the rudiments over the course of the voyage; they could only hope that it would suffice.) They made landfall a week early, however, at an island off all Archie's charts. When they disembarked the yacht in an attempt to discover their location, a sea serpent of sorts rose from the depths, grasped the yacht in its coils, and (as Archie and Maxie watched in astonishment and dismay), pulled the yacht beneath the waves, stranding the two criminals.

They discovered, to their relief, that the island was inhabited; a beachcomber helpfully informed them that they were on the island of Hōen-chihō, and suggested that they visit the nearby Minamo City. There, the two realized their predicament: stranded in a land with technology alternately advanced and primitive compared to that of the outside world. And, more importantly, a land with no contact with the outside world; no way to know of Maxie and Archie's criminal convictions. This was a place where they could be safe.

It was only days later, observing the workings of Minamo City, that Maxie and Archie realized that the society of Hōen-chihō centered absolutely around the all-pervasive creatures that every citizen owned. To possess at least one of these creatures was to be granted privilege, status, and to allow the capture of more with a trivial investment of time and money - the latter of which, it should be noted, Maxie and Archie had none. To lack them was to be denied even the most basic facilities; almost unintentionally, as the commonality of the creatures was such that no child older than 5 seemed to lack one. With this understanding, Maxie and Archie went their separate ways. To acquire one of the creatures, Maxie constructing a crude snare, which upon snaring its victim (in the course of things, a large dog-like creature), automatically triggered a control device Maxie had found abandoned on the ground. Archie bartered for a creature of his own with an old hermit, telling him tales of planes and motorcars in exchange for a carnivorous fish-beast. Each, with a foothold secured, traveled about Hōen-chihō, attempting to grasp the nature of their new home.

Maxie, in his travels, saw the tiny, cramped cities that were the home of most of the inhabitants of Hōen-chihō. To his American mindset, it was absurd; especially with the vast, shallow, rock-lined tide pools off much of the western coast of the island. He saw that, with the minor effort necessary to turn the existing rocky outcroppings into a single dike (or a generally lower sea level), a tremendous amount of flat, open land could be created for new cities to be built. Lacking any other purpose, Maxie began work on the project, planning the system of dikes necessary; and, somehow, in the course of his research, word of the project spread. Youths, enthused by the notion, pledged support to Maxie. For the inevitability of their success, and the heat of their passion, they named themselves Team Magma.

Archie, in his trips around the island, saw the tiny population of Hōen-chihō, but thought of a different cause. The absence of any farms from Hōen-chihō meant that the entire population depended solely on fish and wild game for food; severely limiting the population, especially as both fishing and hunting were strictly regulated for fear of depleting either resource. If the tide pools lining the shore were fenced in with netting, however, they could easily be transformed into hatcheries, providing food enough to drastically increase the population of Hōen-chihō (especially were the sea level to rise somehow, doubling the area of the hypothetical hatcheries through the elimination of the useless beaches). Maxie at first set out to persuade local leaders to adopt the plan, lobbying from town to town. While the leaders were loathe to accept his plan, citing 'tradition', youth followed him, naming themselves Team Aqua for "the color that will feed one hundred families."

And somehow, the two groups; Team Aqua and Team Magma, Archie and Maxie; came into conflict.

Three days after the two 'teams' had officially founded, their leaders met; ostensibly to discuss possible compromise.

Archie: "So, here we are again."
Maxie: "A bit more civil than the last time."
A: "I suppose."
M: "So. [pause] You've heard the rumors, then."
A: "Yes. The two creatures. Legendary, at best."
M: "I doubt it. From what I've found in this place, legends have a funny tendency to come true."
A: "The timing is ironic. That two creatures with the power to control rain and sun should be within reach once more, even as our plans near completion..."
M: "Appropriate, rather."
A: "...perhaps."
M: "I'd hoped that we wouldn't have to fight again. That once we'd found freedom, we could just walk away, and forget the whole nasty business."
A: "Not here."
M: "No. Once again, in complete opposition; for the greater good."
A: "..."
A: "Wait. Don't go just yet. I'd heard... something else."
M: "...what?"
A: "There's a child. Related to the Tōka City leader."
M: "So?"
A: "They say he... or she, it wasn't clear... is driven. One of those who expend all their effort to rise to the top."
M: "To be the very best... not that it matters, for anything other than boasting purposes."
A: "Children will be children."
M: "You haven't made your point."
A: "If the child is driven enough... there are those who will oppose our plans. If we were to... influence the greatest of their duelists, sway them to support us... we would be unstoppable."
M: "Whichever of us controlled the child, that is."
A: "Exactly."
M: "...it's a moot point for now. If the child is what you hope, then it will be a race."
A: "And may the best man win."
M: "Wait."
A: "Yes?"
M: "...for all your flaws... for all your wrongheaded notions... you're a friend, Archie. Maybe my only friend, here."
A: "What sort of friends don't have a few differences?"