~2.19~

“Another conflict averted?” Ivan asked when Mama returned from her meeting atop the Anderson Building… a meeting held not on the observation deck, but on a ledge normally inaccessible to the public, where the city of Jericho had established nesting boxes for peregrine falcons.

When the program had begun, they’d had a single webcam which sent an updated picture every five minutes. Now, there were three webcams that showed the nests from different angles. The new webcams updated in real time, with a gallery of past screen captures for visitors to view when the nests were empty or when, as had just happened, the cameras were offline for maintenance.

“A crisis averted,” Mama said. “The conflict’s still there, and always will be… peregrines hunt pigeons. It’s just that simple. The Flock needs to learn not to send its messengers out during the raptors’ feeding time.”

“So why talk to the Falconer?” Ivan asked.

“The Flock sees themselves as the injured party,” Mama said. “Every time one of the falcons snatches one of their pigeons, they take it personally, even if it is their own fault. But, we need their services, even as we need the falcons’ eyes. So I pretend to lecture the Falconer and he pretends he’s sorry, and I’ll go back to the Flock and tell them he’ll restrict his birds’ hunting times to dawn and dusk if they’ll not fly their birds during those times.”

“That is the natural hunting habit of the falcons?” Ivan asked.

“It is,” Mama said. “And the Flock knows it, but he has to seem like he’s giving something up. ”

“Interesting,” Ivan said.

“If it’s so interesting, you could have come up with me,” Mama said.

“What, and leave the van unattended?” Ivan asked, feigning offense.

“So, you didn’t leave it the moment I was inside?” Mama asked.

“I would never leave the van unguarded,” Ivan said. “And does it seem likely I would have agents waiting to take my place, this far uptown?”