Portcoma

By Daniel Sandoval

The Great Drought of the West has divided the United States. In the middle of the division is a 16 year old named Lino Santiago, his sole purpose has been to prove that life can exist in the desert. His commitment to his family and friends sustain him through an arduous journey where he discovers the true protectors of the land he loves. By facing the greed of colonization and acknowledging the reality that darkness relentlessly invades the hearts of men, Lino finds his calling and attempts to restore order to the land suffering from the great drought.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Daniel Sandoval
• Release date: Jun 20, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458156686

Daniel Sandoval

As a native to Denver, Colorado I have been exposed to the high Rocky Mountains, urban revivals of art and population growth, and a western influence that includes everything from tamales and green chili to ten gallon hats and Powwows. While I enjoy writing and telling stories, my true passions lie in helping those around me. Writing is but one method to do this. As the father of an eleven year old avid reader, my books reflect themes and topics that are directed towards the juvenile reader. Recognizing that the young adult genre is burgeoning across the globe I recognize my voice is only one of the thousands. As a Hispanic/Latino author, I strive to incorporate a multicultural tone in my writing and hope that you find my style unique. I hope you take the time to enjoy reading what I have written and thank you for your time.

Book preview

Chapter 1:

The ancient polyester tablecloth hanging from the window reflected the mundane and boring life Lino lived everyday. His past fourteen years had been spent in an abandoned school in the middle of the barren rocky desert region that separated the 32 sates of America from the nation of Portcoma. Lino rolled his head away from the blistering morning sun and read the excerpt from the history book lying open on the floor.

Portcoma seceded from the United States shortly after the U.S. government closed the last highways connecting the Western United States to the East. Despite the controversy over Portcoma seceding from the U.S., giant corporations of the east encouraged it. They all felt threatened by Portcoma’s mega corporation Graphcomm. Scientifically, Portcoma was the creation of the great drought. The great drought started in the low valley deserts of the west and gradually worked its way higher in elevation. It climbed the Rocky Mountains and swallowed nearly every state below Montana and west of Nebraska. Prominent cities became ghost towns as people left their homes and possessions to find water. The great drought caused a great migration to the Mississippi River Basin and to the Northwest corner of the United States, which later became Portcoma…

The excerpt prompted Lino to reflect on how he was born in Portcoma but couldn’t remember what life there was like. His parents brought him to the desert when he was two years old. Their presence in the desert was regarded prestigious among the people of Portcoma. Colonizing the desert was Portcoma’s largest goal. If food could be grown or raised, the nation could expand. The 32 States of America gave the land to Portcoma in the agreement that Graphcomm would withdraw all their stores and businesses from the former United States. Lino and his family were the only ones in the desert, with the exception of the freight carriers and their workers and Portcoma Guardians. Every year they dropped off new supplies of food, clothing, animals, research equipment, and the most important supply, water. Lino learned everything he knew about Portcoma from the freight workers and the books they brought him.

The morning was already hot and Lino stared down a lone bright pane of blinding light. He sat up from his make shift bed on an old classroom floor and smiled. He knew that soon the school would be buzzing with people; the freight carriers always arrived shortly after sunrise. He sprang onto his feet and put on a silver metallic shirt designed to reflect light away, he had shoes and pants made of the same material. Lino then placed his pinky finger and index finger directly into his mouth and whistled for his dog Reno. Reno had been Lino’s since he was a pup and the two were rarely seen apart. Reno came running down the hallway and slid right into Lino’s knees. The ridge of brown hair on Reno’s back grew upwards and Lino loved to scratch the hair to make it stand up even more. Reno licked Lino’s sharp-featured face and dark black hair while giggles and panting echoed the empty hallway. After the usual morning exchange the tandem ran downstairs to the family kitchen.

Lino used to think the kitchen was a place all of the mechanically gifted children must have had class. It was apparent that the now family kitchen was the old cafeteria. Giant sized coolers and freezers lined the long walls. One oven and one cook-all were tucked in the back corner. In the middle of old giant mixers, stainless steel dishwashers, and buffet carts sat an out of place oak table. It was one of the only things homely about the old cafeteria. Lino raced with Reno into the kitchen hoping that he would beat his mom, dad, and sister to breakfast so he could wait for the freight carriers outside.

You’re up early rang a female voice from the back of the kitchen.

Lino’s heart was already pounding from the sprint he just ran. Now it sank knowing that he would have to eat breakfast with the rest of his family.

Mornin Mom, How’d you sleep?

Not well at all, I was up half the night trying to get my paperwork in order for the guardians, I sure hope your father is ready because he didn’t even make it to bed at all last night, he’s got me worried

I wouldn’t worry about dad; he’s got things under control, and just wait til the guardians get a load of his experiment

What are you talking about Lino, your father hasn’t made any progress whatsoever the past two years, both you and your father have had a chronic case of abulia since we got here, we’re just lucky to still be here.

Coming down the hallway was a booming laugh followed by a tiny chuckle. Lino perked up thinking that his dad had finally let the cat out of the bag to Cate. Glancing back at his mom setting the table Lino was certain that his father’s secret would soon be revealed to the whole family.

Good day to you my son and my beautiful wife whom I haven’t seen since yesterday’s breakfast Francisco grabbed his wife at the hips and kissed her cheek.

You’re in a rather odd mood Francisco,… sit down and eat. Alynn nearly blushed.

Papa has a secret to share with you mommy, I already seen it, huh Papa.

I already SAW it Cate, you really need to be working on your linguistics dear, … so what’s this about a secret Cisco.

Well, where do I begin, you know Alynn, as well as I do that I’ve been going nowhere with the gene enhancing experiments, my cows can’t stand the heat, my camels can’t put on weight, my pigs can’t pull a wagon let alone a seed loomer. I was running into dead ends so I took a leap of faith and now, I created a new species of animal. Francisco proclaimed.

The stainless steel bowl in Alynn’s arms dropped to the concrete floor.

You did what?!

I created a new species, don’t worry the guardians will love it, Lino loves them, Cate loves them, I love them, they are smarter, stronger, more durable than any desert mammal that has ever lived. They will revolutionize desert colonization.

Lino looked at his mom, he knew the look on her face. It was the same look she wore when he broke a box of her glass beakers, it was the same look she had when she found out she would be giving birth in the desert, it was the same look in the picture of the day they arrived to the deserted school. Francisco Raul Santiago! Get over here now!

Lino knew that his dad was in trouble this time, he didn’t think much about what his mom was yelling about this time, he just wanted to be outside to meet the workers. Slurping up the rest of his oatmeal Lino winked at Cate as he and Reno ran off to meet the workers.

The sun was unusually hot for January but Lino knew that the heat wouldn’t last. Soon the temperature would be dropping into the 70’s during the day and 50’s at night. Cooler weather always came in January. But as soon as March hit, the temperatures would be in the 100’s until early December. Still Lino didn’t like the cooler months. Unlike the rest of his family he preferred to be in the heat. Reno tolerated the heat just as well. It was because of their tolerance that Lino had navigated and charted a ten-mile radius around the school. His passion for charting and navigating started when he found strange footprints around the school; he decided to track them until the wind had blown away their traces. He knew every rock and barren hill, most importantly he knew all the caverns where the sun did not shine. It was in these caverns that Lino spent time resting, reading, and pondering his life after a busy day of navigating. Often he would find one after several hours of charting the area and get lost in history books the freight carriers brought him. It was here Lino was truly at peace.

Chapter 2:

Murphy had hoped the fires to the east would end this winter, he even thought a reduction from last year would benefit his home and fellow citizens. His hope had faded earlier than expected and now he stood in the steel caravan of freight carriers ordered to bring back what could be the saving grace for his people.

The freight carriers moved swiftly through the ash and burnt timbers left from the dry conditions, warm winds and vain attempts to control nature. Murphy thought back forty years ago to the day Portcoma seceded from the United States, as a young promising university student he believed in the hopes that a nation built upon strong corporate values and profiteering research could rescue a land that was rapidly dying. It was on that day when his brother called from Chicago, pleading for him to leave and remain an American. Murphy loved his brother, but did not love America. America abandoned the land he loved in order to save itself from economic destruction. America allowed the great drought to lay claim to millions of lives lost to dehydration and malnourishment. Murphy believed in the values of Portcoma, the code of ethics, the vision of prosperity which would be reclaimed by all citizens if he could succeed.

His maladjusted grimace was sagging and his wrinkled eyes squinted watching his megalopolis drift behind him. The regents unanimously voted to send him despite his age; they had said wisdom and creativity were needed to bring back the grace of their nation. Murphy had proven his wisdom and creativity by expanding the megalopolis into the Pacific which quickly put Portcoma at the forefront of oceanic technology. The technology made his nation richer than they ever dreamed but eventually locked their expansion because the technology could not increase beyond a certain depth in the ocean. Unlocking the deserts to the east was the next focus of Portcoma and Murphy again harnessed the creativity of Portcoma to revive 30% of the lost mountain forests. Unfortunately, nature removed those forests for a reason; and Murphy was now traveling through the final bits of forest he had helped revive. Now it was time to blow breath into a wasteland and watch the desert bloom.

...

Off to the west Lino spotted a dark blue dot and soon several dots followed, it was the freight carriers. Reno let out a bark as the carriers approached the school at a rapid pace. There were three oversized carriers. Lino guessed they stretched at least a half-mile in length lined together. The shock wheels stiffened as the carriers released the excess steam from their solar-hydro engines. Ramps from the carriers slowly descended as the anticipation in Lino nearly erupted. The first worker off the carrier was a big bald dark man.

Jeremiah? Man are you a sight for sore eyes!

Hey little buddy, I guess I wouldn’t call you little no more, you as big as they come anymore, here’s letters from my kids, you can read em later. Jeremiah said.

Lino clung to Jeremiah just as he did the past 14 years. He reminded Lino of a bull his dad had been experimenting on at one time. Jeremiah was big, round, strong, and dark. Unlike the bull, Jeremiah did not wear a ring in his nose or get fits of rage. He was calm, happy, and always on task. Most importantly was his smile, it was vast and beautiful as the desert wasteland at dusk. Around him the carriers opened their doors. Dozens of workers and guardians made their way into the school. There was always a bustle in the air when the carriers arrived and today was no exception. It wasn’t long before Lino noticed something odd about one of the guardians. He wore the same maroon suit the other guardians wore. It was always there job to protect the people of Portcoma, but it always seemed that they were equal, this one wore a platinum hood and had black stripes outlining the rest of his suit.

Jeremiah, who’s that? Lino asked.

That there be the new chief guardian of eastern Portcoma. Jeremiah replied.

I didn’t know there was a chief guardian. Lino said.

There wasn’t none, not til we started getting sloppy on keeping the codes. Jeremiah said.

Nobody has lived by those codes for a long time, why are they enforcing them now? Lino asked.

Here’s the way I see it, GraphComm started losing money in that London wall street, they thinks that some of us ain’t pulling no weight, so now they pushed the codes back on us in Portcomas name. Jeremiah said.

Well that’s stupid. How are we supposed to do something everybody forgot? Lino asked.

That’s exactly right, peoples is getting caught breaking the codes, some says that they is out in the desert to die, I think GraphComm is watching like hawks, but I aint getting caught. Jeremiah said.

Me neither, we’ll hide out in the desert if we have to, I know this place like the back of my hand. Lino said as Jeremiah let out a big boisterous laugh.

You stick by me and we all be right. Jeremiah said.

Jeremiah started to unload the carriers. He and Reno tried to help out every now and then but Jeremiah reminded him that the codes were being followed and that he shouldn’t get in any trouble. Despite Lino’s passion for the desert and navigation, he struggled with his parents’ criticism of him being too lazy. He knew they only valued science and any other interests were strongly discouraged. But the criticism got to Lino. He found himself more of an observer than player in all arenas of his life. People holographed to Lino year round in support of his families endeavors but he never replied. Reno would search old vermin holes and Lino would watch. Cate studied science under the tutoring of her mom and dad. Lino ignored the idea that science could help him and instead observed how he saw life. And so it was that Lino continued his pattern of observing as he sat and watched Jeremiah nearly the entire day.

As the sun started to fade in the west Lino wished Jeremiah a good night and then went back towards the kitchen to look for a bite to eat. Being with the workers all day made him lose track of time. He wondered about his parents and sister. Lino didn’t know if they knew what Jeremiah had told him about the codes. When he walked into the kitchen Lino was surprised to find his mom and dad getting ready to sit down with the chief guardian. Lino slipped into the food storage area and commenced his search for dinner. Soon the conversation between his parents and the chief guardian grew louder.

So what your telling me is that my whole experimentation must be shut down? I cannot live with that. I have worked for GraphComm, Portcoma, whatever you want to call it, all my life. I have sweated in the fields as a laborer and stretched the limits of science for your benefit and now you tell me my experiment is in jeopardy! Francisco said.

Lino had never seen his father so upset; there was typically a humorous demeanor to him. But for the first time he saw passion flow out of his father like a rattlesnake defending itself.

Calm down Dr. Santiago. I have simply been instructed to follow Portcoma’s basic code of ethics. And I quote; First, respect everything, Second, generate productivity, Third, communicate truth, Fourth, seek permission, Fifth, report failure, and Sixth, evaluate quality. The Chief Guardian said.

Yes, yes, yes, I know all that, but I respect life, I generate the greatest scientific breakthrough for desert colonization and tell you the truth of it and now my family is in danger of violating this ridiculous code of ethics? How does that work Mr. Chief Guardian? Francisco fired back.

Lino was now drawn into the conversation. He didn’t know what the adults were talking about but he had a sudden realization that he might be leaving the desert for good.

Francisco, relax, I’m sorry chief, my husband is not himself today. Alynn gave Francisco a deep stare then turned to the chief guardian.

I understand Dr. Santiago, but the facts are evident in your husband’s work log. He did not notify Graphcomm about his decision to create a new species of animal. This is not only a serious international infraction but it is also mad science. The Chief Guardian said.

Your people told me to do whatever it took to colonize this desert. Stop at nothing they said, reach new heights. I give you a highly developed species that runs like a horse, holds water like a camel, grazes on small amounts of food, slaughters like a cow, and you tell me I’m, internationally out of line? Francisco refuted.

Dr. Santiago, I’m sorry but you have not only violated Portcoma’s code of ethics but you are also on the fringe of bringing international regulators to our country and I will not stand for it. Either you destroy those monstrosities first thing tomorrow or I will be forced to take action against you. The Chief Guardian announced.

Damn you, and all of Graphcomm. This isn’t about a code of ethics. This is about control. A corporation starts their own country and governs themselves and what do we have to show for it? Nothing, you preach we are free and the wealthiest people in the world. You give us material stability but you lock our minds and creativity. It comes down to money. I give you a gift that will allow Graphcomm to grow and expand, but you are suffering financially, so my work, my life, my animals are squashed. But, I will comply. I sir, cannot allow my family to be separated. Francisco said.

Lino stood in shock. He thought of Jeremiah, surely he would know what to do. But in the back of his mind he could only think of Cate. He had to find her to tell her what had just happened. They might be leaving the desert for good and Jeremiah would know soon enough.

Chapter 3:

When Lino reached Cate’s room she was already sleeping. Reno started licking her hand while Lino shook his sisters’ shoulder. Cate slowly got up, she could barely understand the blabbering of her older brother. Lino told her of the plans to kill their fathers’ new animal. Cate couldn’t understand why the guardians didn’t like the animals; she decided that the animals needed to be set free. Lino agreed with her, if the animals were gone their father would be out of trouble and their lives might resume as normal.

Cate led Lino through the dark corners of the school. Guardians and workers seemed to be all over the place. Some were lying on bedrolls in classrooms while others played cards or holographed their families back in Portcoma. The two walked around as if nothing was wrong and no one seemed to care. By the time they reached the old gymnasium they found their fathers lab securely locked. There was one guardian at the entrance and another pacing the long hallway in front of the lab. Lino nearly started walking down the hall when he felt a tug on the back of his shirt. Cate motioned him to follow. She led them up a staircase and stopped at the first landing. There was a square door three feet from the ground that looked to be a utility entrance. On the door was a flyer. The flyer was unlike anything Lino or Cate had ever seen, it read.

Please be advised:

The Nation of Portcoma has declared the re-adoption of its original code of ethics.