Chapter 117 The Fractured Council
The war room was not the grand, obsidian-tabled chamber of the old Council. That room was shattered, its glass walls blown out during the siege.
The new seat of government was the Spire’s old library on the 20th floor. It was a dusty, windowless space filled with stacks of pre-war books and scavenged furniture. The air smelled of old paper, unwashed bodies, and the lingering, sharp scent of the chloramine gas we had used to purge the vents.
I seated myself at the end of a lengthy oak table which had numerous scars on its surface. I began to rotate my ring. The Star-Metal held a blue seed which had lost its brightness and appeared as a divided crystal. The object continued to emit a soft heat but it had lost its ability to connect with the earth. I experienced feelings of insignificance. I felt like a human being who was not important.
Ryker occupied the table's uppermost position. He had replaced his torn tactical clothing with a fresh black shirt but his neck showed bruises and his face displayed extreme tiredness. His body resembled a figure who was starting to break apart.
Ryker declared the start of proceedings. The Alpha's presence made his voice sound soft yet it contained considerable authority.
The table hosted the creators of our upcoming disaster.
To Ryker's right sat Baron. The Wolf Alpha rested in his seat while his broken arm was secured in a sling. He showed dangerous signs because he appeared like a wounded animal who needed a valid reason to attack. His eyes continued to look at the vacant seats which should have been occupied by the Clan Leaders. The Wolf leadership structure suffered from a major disruption because Karn had switched his allegiance.
To Ryker's left was Gareth who headed the Ironworkers Union. His enormous body size made him look like a man with tree-sized forearms which he had stained with grease. He showed no interest in looking at Ryker because he was staring at the tabletop water pitcher with eyes full of culinary longing. Two additional Union representatives stood behind him with their arms crossed and their facial expressions displaying determination.
The chair at the far end of the room was occupied by Silas who occupied a space which was overly large for his body size. He was a New Citizen whose former accountant profession had caused his skin to become transparent and develop a chlorophyll green color. From his wrists, plant vines emerged which displayed rapid, nervous movements. He stood as a representative for the "Quarantined" group which identified itself with the thousands of mutated citizens who had been confined to the East Wing.
Ryker falsely reported that "The situation is stable." The city map appeared as a hologram which he projected onto the table surface. The surface displayed areas which were marked with red zones and blackouts. "The Spire is secure. The air filtration system operates at 98% efficiency. The Rot threat has been completely eliminated.
Gareth scoffed at the word "neutralized" while he spoke loudly in the empty room. "I looked out the window this morning, King. The streets are crawling with those... things. The black dogs. The spiders. And now we have warlords? I heard Karn took the North District."
Ryker stated that Karn posed difficulties as an enemy. "But he is a known variable. His goal is to get land while they fight us. We can handle him.
Elder Thorne interrupted to say "We should have killed him."
Thorne stood as the last Elder who remained from the Wolf Council. He had become an ancient man whose thinning grey fur and human form showed signs of aging. His eyes appeared yellow like flint stone. He sat beside Baron while he displayed a powerful disapproval presence.
Thorne looked at Ryker and accused him "You let a traitor walk away with half our strength. "You allowed him to escape without killing him because you wanted to avoid bloodshed in front of the sheep." He pointed dismissively toward the humans.
Ryker said "I didn't want a massacre in a refugee camp." His body tensed up while he spoke.
The Old King would have mounted Karn’s head on a spike before he reached the door.
I interrupted him by saying "The Old King is dead." His system of operation had nearly killed all of us. Ryker saved this city.
"He saved the building," Gareth corrected. "But what are we eating tomorrow, Your Highness? The pantry is empty. My workers are fainting on the line. We need to finish the generators and doors. We need to finish our work without food.
He pointed a thick finger at Silas.
"We are providing them with food supplies.
Silas flinched while his vines began to pull back. "We... we have to eat too. We helped build the barricades.
Gareth pounded his fist on the table while he shouted "You are the threat! "Look at you! You’re turning into a salad! How do we know you aren't leaking spores right now? How do we know you aren't a walking radio for the Rot?
Dr. Sato spoke from the corner area while she supervised a datapad. "We scanned them. The New Citizens are stable. The mutation results in physical changes rather than viral transmission. They aren't contagious.
The scientist who created the bomb that destroyed the world makes this statement according to Gareth. "Listen to me. The Unions controlled the food processing in Sector 1. We know the inventory. We know the math. The entire population has only three days worth of food left.
He paused while he surveyed the room to confirm that all present were paying attention.
"The population reduction enables us to remain alive for two weeks because we will eliminate all unnecessary individuals.
The entire space turned into complete silence.
"What do you want to propose?" Ryker asked softly. The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
Gareth made his announcement about mutant exile without showing any emotion. "Send them to the East Wing. Lock the doors. Cut the rations. They’re part Rot anyway; maybe they can eat the moss on the walls.
Ryker asked about his request to starve three thousand of his own people.
Gareth shouted his wish to save human beings. "The ones who aren't monsters!"
Baron growled at the person who sat near him. "You’re sitting next to a monster.
Gareth spoke to Baron directly when he declared the truth. "You’re a dog on a leash. But at least you eat meat. These things... they don't belong here.
Ryker interrupted the meeting by declaring, "Enough.
He spoke the word which marked the end of the discussion.
New Citizens must stay because they have entered the territory of our Ecosystem. The ecosystem requires us to maintain all its parts, instead of sacrificing some parts, which would lead to our extinction. We find another way.
Gareth raised his chair back toward the ground as he declared, "No other alternatives exist. "This is a survival situation which requires strict control because Ryker will not succeed with Unions.
Gareth threatened a strike when he asked whether Ryker needed to threaten him. "I will strike you, Gareth, because you are now taller than me.
Gareth promised the strike when he declared his face red. "No food for us? No power for you. Let’s see how your 'Ecosystem' works in the dark.
Ryker moved toward his sword when he declared that anyone who accessed the grid would become perceived as a terrorist. The punishment for sabotage during martial law leads to a death sentence.
Gareth lost his color yet he remained steadfast in his stance. "Go ahead. Kill me. Then who fixes the turbines? Your wolves? They can't even hold a screwdriver.
Ryker did not move from his position.
Gareth had proven his argument about who controlled technology and defense while the New Citizens handled all biological functions and farming.
If Ryker killed Gareth, the Humans would riot. The grid would fail. The Spire would die.
Ryker took his hand off his sword.
Ryker spoke the order to leave the premises.
Gareth wanted an answer by tomorrow noon about their decision to exile the Mutants or shut down the lights.
He turned and marched out of the room, his Union reps trailing behind him.
Elder Thorne stood up slowly, leaning on his cane.
Thorne made his observation about the king who did not have any fear of his enemies. "A King who is not feared is just a man with a target on his back.
Thorne addressed Baron by looking directly at him.
"The Black-Tooth Clan is weak, Baron. Karn has the young blood. If you do not show strength soon... you will be an Alpha of nothing.
Thorne left through the front door to the dusty library which he had shared with us.
Ryker returned to his chair to take charge of his body which needed both hands to cover his face while he let out a prolonged groan.
Vane spoke from behind the bookshelf where he had been standing. "That went well. The crew will be dead by the end of the twenty-four hours.
Baron made a rough response to Vane by telling him to stop talking.
Ryker confirmed the truth when he said, "He’s right. Ryker stopped looking at me. His golden eyes had lost their brightness. "I can’t kill Gareth. I can’t fight Karn. I can’t feed the people. I’m checkmated.
I said, "Not yet.
I stood up and walked to the map.
Gareth holds all power over food resources now because he falsely believes everything has disappeared.
I used my finger to show the East Wing, which functions as our quarantine space.
I said that New Citizens cannot be categorized as 'freaks' because they have undergone adaptation processes. Ivy... before she turned... she was growing corn in seconds. The Rot accelerates growth.
Sato demonstrated that Rot process makes plants grow at an unnatural rate when he explained that Rot-corn causes blood to turn black.
I asked about weed filtering to create food. I asked what would happen if we used New Citizens as our solution instead of treating them as the people we need to sustain our operation.
I looked at Silas, the green-skinned accountant who was still trembling in his chair.
I asked Silas about his ability to grow things when I spoke to him.
Silas looked at his vine-covered hands. "I... I don't know. Sometimes, when I sleep... moss grows on my pillow. It smells sweet.
We have the hydroponics bay in the Spire," I said to Ryker. "It’s empty, but the machinery is there. If we put the New Citizens in there... if we let them use their 'curse' to jump-start the crops...
Ryker completed the sentence by saying, "We will either obtain food or create a monstrous entity.
I have to admit that this venture carries danger because it presents a chance to defeat Gareth. We will secure food supplies for the city while proving that New Citizens are fundamental to our operation.
Ryker studied the map while looking at each face showing desperation among his remaining inner circle members.
Ryker called the move a hail Mary play but he stated his preference for Hail Mary moves.
The exhaustion remained with him yet his appearance from previous times had returned.
Vane, get the hydroponics bay online. Bypass the Union controls if you have to.
Sato received his task from Ryker to work with Silas on two different missions. The first mission requires him to establish growth limits while the second mission has him finding safe food options.
Ryker turned toward Baron, who needed to increase the security presence at the East Wing. If Gareth tries to hurt them, you have my permission to remind him that wolves do have teeth.
Baron showed his teeth while he smiled.
Ryker approached me and took my hand to show the damage done to the Origin ring.
We must establish control over the Spire according to Ryker who spoke to me in a quiet voice. "But eventually, Elara... we’re going to have to go back out there. We can't live in a bottle forever.
I have to survive until we reach the next day according to me.
The Unions activated the lights to issue a warning while darkness started to enter the library through all its open paths. The war room achieved its goal of establishing a working operational method.
It was fragile. It was dangerous. But it was hope.