RULE #12

Meet is food. And meet is meet… Just don’t think about it.

~ The Scavenger’s Handbook

“Lord Chancellor, once more you are avoiding my question!” Dr Varan yelled, overpowering the constant murmur and whisper in the Chamber of Representatives. Despite his advanced age, he was a man who demanded attention. “Why has the Ministry of Order refused to put an end to the Obsidian protocol? It was meant as an emergency measure!”

“That’s enough, Dr Varan,” Konrad rubbed his eyes, wishing that for once the old coot would do as all other old people did and sleep the day away at his seat. “If you continue with this, I will charge with wasting the Chamber’s time.”

“You will not silence me this time, Lord Chancellor!” The man screamed from the podium dedicated to the speaker. Konrad respected the man, but sadly, there wasn’t much left inside that bald scalp of his and the current outburst was proof of that. “The protocol is not sustainable! I should know, since I devised the bloody thing, just as I know you’ve read the reports because I placed them on your desk personally! We are the legal representatives of Axion’s people and by your actions, or rather the lack of such, you are overstepping the mandate we have entrusted upon you!”

“For the love of God! Shut up Aubrecht!” Enough was enough. “This is the fourth time today you have asked the same thing!” Konrad took a deep breath to calm down and continued in a normal tone. “Dr Varan, Obsidian was suspended nearly forty years ago. Form my predecessor.”

“That’s… I mean…” The aged man was visibly confused. “If you call my assistant, she will bring me a copy of the report…”

“Dr Van Bauren is no longer your assistant. She is in charge of the program and has been for ten years now.” With some effort, Konrad suppressed the urge to snap at the Doctor. “You were the one who recommended her.”

“No… No, no… Obsidian was meant to last for five years!” Dr Varan shouted, his mind switching back to the tune stuck there.

“Orderly Smith,” Konrad turned to the man standing by the door, who was in charge to make sure the representatives did not end up fighting one another. “Where is the medical unit I called for? It’s been over an hour now.”

“I am sorry, Lord Chancellor,” the stocky fellow bowed and it further irritated Konrad. Because everyone was so busy following tradition they were in this mess and had accomplished nothing in yet another session. “They are delayed due to the riots in Block Vert.”

“Lord Chancellor, once more you are avoiding my question!” Dr Varan’s shout was met with a chorus of laughter from the other six hundred representatives.

They had been silent observers of what was happening so far. But Konrad knew some were plotting to use this to put a motion to get him removed from the seat. While others kept the comfort chairs under their asses only to enjoy the benefits they provided. And because of Aubrecht, the changes he wanted to enact were becoming a distant dream. Well, the Lord Chancellor had had enough. He looked at the watch on his wrist and smiled. If they followed the rules so blindly, he was going to oblige them and spit on the three dozen motion the different groups had placed on the agenda.

“Honoured Representatives, according to article eight, section twenty-two of the Emergency Order Act, I am ending this session due to ongoing unrest.” With some satisfaction he flipped the switch that disabled the microphones in the room and left through his private door, turning a deaf ear to the outraged shouting.

“You look awful,” Jean said with a tired smile of her own when he stepped off the elevator leading to their apartment at the top of Axion’s highest spire.

She should be at work at this hour, Konrad noted, while a part of him was glad that she was not. The University was at the centre of the riots. Although she used her maiden name at work, people knew that she was Jean de Dagon, wife of the Lord Chancellor. And he was willing to bet that the reason the unrest had started there was because of that.

“That bad.” She commented while he stood at the door, pondering on who might be behind it all.

“A bit, yes,” Konrad sat next to her on the spacious couch and kissed her on the cheek, as he always did after a particularly frustrating day. “Aubrecht waisted the entire session with his idiotic accusations again.”

“Then have him removed from the Representatives.” Jean sighed and he could quote verbatim her argument at this point. “He is nearing ninety and has served in the Chamber for over six decades, well over what the charter allows.”

“If it was anyone else, there wouldn’t be an issue, but not him.” Konrad moaned and snuggled next to her, while she played with his greying hair. “Dr Varan and his damned Obsidian protocol saved Axion in its darkest hour. Trying to remove him will be used against me. Not to mention the outrage it will cause amongst the populace. I’m not willing to add more fuel to the riots caused by the food shortage.”

“People will always be angry about that. If you are so concerned about it, just stop trading it with those dregs down below.” She had brought that argument a hundred times, but this time she was serious about it.

“We’ve invested too much in the Véi Dron safe zone,” Konrad countered with the same emotionless words he had used in the Chamber a few hours ago. “Besides, we don’t have the resources to search for repair parts without the help of the Scavs. You of all people should know that Axion is desperate for those.”

“Yes,” Jean sighed. “But at this rate, it will be Val Roux all over again…”

“That’s not fair,” He jumped up shaking with anger. “You can’t blame me for my father’s mistakes.”

“I’m not blaming you, Konrad,” she hurried to pull him back next to her and kiss his cheeks repeatedly. It was a childish way to show she was sorry, but he appreciated it nonetheless. “I’m warning you so that you won’t make the same mistake as Rey.”

“What choice did dad have?” He snapped at her. “Expel a portion of the population or begin the Vermilion Lottery? Not much of a choice, is it?”

“Really, Konrad?” It was her time to bite back. “Forty thousand people were exiled in that sector! Over five percent of Axion’s population was lost! There is a word for what Rey did to the poor folk that had preserved the Val Roux Institute for so long and that word is genocide! And all done in the name to give our people a fighting chance. Please, remind me, how did that end?”

The Lord Chancellor had suspected that Jean knew the truth, or at least had pieced enough together from how she always avoided the subject. However, all those years he had been convincing himself of a comfortable lie. She had no clue. Well, if she wanted to argue so much, he was not going to spare anything. Not this time. He was tired of everyone put the blame solely on Rey de Dragon.

“No one made it down.” He felt a weight drop from his shoulders.”

“What?” Jean was stunned, doubtful if she had heard him correctly.

“Before he killed himself, dad gave me the reports from the Ministry of Order… The real ones.” Konrad took a deep breath before speaking again. “Those men and women were used as experiment subjects for Obsidian protocol. Less than a thousand remained by the time Dr Varan could produce the first soldiers.”

“What are you saying, Konrad?” Jean looked at him with horror in her eyes. “That program was used to produce improved crops.”

“No.” He said flatly. “It was used to create the soldiers that could breach Val Roux and overwhelm the remnants of the Militaire d’Arrê, who protected the food banks underneath it. Enough supplies to feed Axion for thirty-five years.”

“That… That’s monstrous…” his wife dropped like a puppet with its strings cut on the couch. “The Chamber would have never allowed…”

“It was the Representatives who order my father to approve Dr Varan’s project. It was either that or issue the Lottery. And they plan to do the same to me.”

After giving her a few moments to process his words, Konrad continued. “The short communication we managed with the research vault in Sector 7 stated that they had a functioning hydroponic facility. The Chamber is trying to force me to abandon Véi Dron and all we have achieved there.”

“I don’t understand,” Jean finally said, her face pale and emotionless.

“They want to remove Dr Van Bauren and cancel the Restoration program.”

“That’s insane!” She shouted at him.

The outburst was expected. Repairing Axion’s flotation systems was going to take a century at best. That was why Sandy Van Bauren’s plan to establish a proper safe zone that could ensure functioning farming facilities at Véi Dron was met with overwhelming approval during the referendum twenty years ago. It was not like Axion could go anywhere else at this point.

“Instead, those bastards want to put Sullivan and his cybernetic project as the top priority, so that within a year we could repeat the events at Val Roux in Sector 7.” He walked towards the large window that covered the entire wall of the apartment and looked at the floating city he was supposed to be in charge of. Konrad took a moment to enjoy the warm rays of the setting sun, before turning to his shaking wife.

“It’s either that or Vermilion. That’s why the opposition is fuelling the food riots. But I’ve taken steps to prevent that.”

“What have you done, Konrad?” Jane stood from the couch looking at him as if he was a stranger.

“The Lottery is the final option.” His felt his mouth was dry and de Dragon found it hard to swallow, but there was no turning back. He needed for her to understand and find a way to ease his conscience. “Every Lord Chancellor before me has always found a way to avoid it. I’ll be damned if I’m the first one to resort to it! That’s why I pressured Sandy into restarting Obsidian. As we speak a squad is making their way to Sector 7”

“But adults cannot survive the procedure. That’s why I ordered the Ministry to round up those kids… We stole their childhood, accelerated their growth and made them into…” He paused, incapable of uttering the word. “By any means, they must reach that underground facility and warn them and beg them to help us before it is too late...”

Konrad fell to his knees unable to hold back his emotions, he sobbed. “I cannot bear to see your name or that of Nikki come up in the draw. I cannot watch the automata come to our home and drag either of you to be reprocessed into food. Please, Jean, you must understand… I cannot be the one who approves the Vermilion Lottery… The one who approves… who approves sanctioned cannibalism...”

“Is that going to be a problem?” Joshua asked while surveying the path through his binoculars.

“Well, what do you think… kid?” Grey bit back the insult he had prepared, expecting some stupid question.

The arguing that all their equipment was vital and there was nothing they could leave behind, had nearly driven him into a rage. His plan to use Cake’s show to get a better idea at how skilled and observant the tourists were had failed as well. Not one of them had bothered to try to outdo her marksmanship. Instead, they called it stale and boring. All because, she had taken her time to stop, find cover and aim before firing, while she darted through the ruined streets. Well, that was the fucking point. What those brats failed to see was that she made sure to stay hidden on uneven and traitorous terrain. It wasn’t about speed or how cool it looked.

On the other hand, it had also failed to inspire confidence in the teens that she and Grey knew what they were talking about. The damned brats were way too overconfident in their abilities and the so-called training they had received back at Axion. He could only hope that would change after the first one or two died. Not that the experienced Scavenger would facilitate such a thing, but he was not going to go out of his way to prevent it either.

That hope shattered when they reached the bank of the acid river that flowed through Sector 5. The lesson he had tough Joshua and his Sergeants had lasted only for the time it took to exit the Hotel. Not to mention that they disregarded the rules he had laid down for them. Splitting from the group to get a better look at the plants that were slowly reclaiming the remains of the old world. Or sneak into a building to check if there was some something interesting inside. They were like cockroaches. Grey could let it slide if they were a bunch of five years olds.

However, that was all in the past. The real issue right now was the building that they were supposed to use as a bridge. Calling it a building was a bit of stretch. It was a portion of one of the tall skyscrapers that dominated the sector, which had fallen down. The acid waters had significantly compromised the piece, further gutting it. As it was now, it creaked at the slightest gust of wind. Even the red-skin vultures avoided it, despite the fact that the jutting steel beams and islands of bricks were their favourite place to nest.

“He has a point, Josh,” Heather shook her head next to them. “It looks unstable.”

“Last time I checked; everything looks that way around here.” The Master Sergeant was quick to retort. “Those beams are massive, meaning Etienne could go over the and string a support rope along the way.”

“It will be a waste of time,” Grey growled, tired of pointing the obvious. “See how most of them look like melted wax?” He pointed at the steel structure, not bothering to use the scope. “During the day, the sun heats the water, releasing corrosive vapours. There are definitely pockets filled with them inside the walls. One wrong step and they could burst. That’s why I wanted to cross through here after sunset.”

“Fine!” Joshua relented. “If we can’t use this path, we’ll go up.”

He pointed to his right at the nearby cluster of buildings. “The structures over there appear to be stable and there are plenty of sky-bridges between them. Even if some of them are impassable, there should be one to get us on the other side.”

“Sounds good to me,” Elisa nodded in agreement, a sentiment not shared by the other two women. “I still say we should keep to the upper levels. They will provide the fastest path.”

Grey checked if the filters at both sides of his mask were properly fastened for a moment. It was the only way to stop himself from hitting the girl. They had gone through the same argument back at Leeroy’s place and he hoped that his warnings had penetrated that thick skull of hers. Apparently, such was not the case.

Although they looked like unmovable titans, the skyscrapers were a literal death-trap. The end of the world had damaged them in ways the eye could not see and most were rotten on the inside. Not to mention that the small dark rooms and tight corridors were a preferred hiding place for the local wildlife, among other things. At the same time, they limited where one could run to when said wildlife decided that the lost Scavenger would make a fine meal.

Grey was yet to see a proper herbivore in the remains of the old world. From the blind rats to the furless cow herds, everything chose meat when presented with the option. How could he blame them? The flora was made predominantly of barky plants with hard thorns or resilient vines which collected acid-like mucus beneath their outer layer. Sure, the core was nice and nutritious, in some cases, but getting to it was quite the chore. The tall grass, which grew where the asphalt roads had eroded to nothingness, was not much of an alternative either. Well, the large packs preferred it, but those roamed the large open areas, not the streets that webbed around the colossal buildings.

There were rumours that outside of the ruined mega-city there was a far larger variety of plants and the animals were less dangerous. However, the trade-off was the staggering lack of supplies that could be found. Things like ammunition, medicine, proper canned food, even clothing were nearly impossible to find in that place. As if that was not enough, finding a proper shelter against the elements was no easy task. All of this was enough to dissuade Grey from the idea that he could try his luck outside of the ruined mega-city.

Having regained his compositor, Grey sat on the ledge of the refuelling station’s roof. It was the last building between them and the bridge across the river, making it the best place to stop and catch their breath. Facing the four kids and the bored Cake, who was drawing in the thick layer of dirt with a piece of rebar, he spoke slowly so that they could finally get it through their heads that the ruins were not some interesting playground.

“I’m not going through the buildings. They are dangerous…”

“Fuck it,” Cake stopped whatever she was doing and joined them. “If you are not going to tell them, I will.”

“Tell us what?” Joshua’s eyes narrowed in suspicion, something that was becoming a habit.

“Sector 5 is Skins territory,” Grey sighed and glared daggers at the smiling Cake. He would have a word with her later.

“Would you care to elaborate, for those of us who are not familiar with the local names?” Maité stepped forward with hands on her waist.

“It’s a term Scavengers use for the local cannibal groups.” He checked the magazine of his AK-24C, feeling at ease with the weapon in his hands.

Over the years, the assault rifle made of carbon and light-weight hardened plastic, which imitated furnished wood, had become an extension of himself. It was reliable, simple to maintain and packed a fairly strong punch. Sure, it wasn’t as accurate as Cake’s F305, especially where automatic fire was concerned. But the weapon but it was better balanced when Grey needed to switch the assault module for the sniper one. And he was stalling for time, all because he hated to even think about the Skins.

“Here’s the thing. They aren’t mutants, but I wouldn’t go so far to call them human either,” Cake continued impatiently. “However, Grey here is overly cautious, since they damned fuckers are smart and got a jump on him a few years back. They killed Scarlet and were about to eat him too when Baby-face swooped in and saved him.”

“That’s enough.” He said quietly, feeling that his anger was about to get the better of him.

“Who’s Scarlet,” Heather asked, most likely curious to learn more.

“She was this chick, Grey used to run with and…” Cake’s smile was infuriating.

“I said enough, Cake!” He snapped at the girl.

She needed to learn there were boundaries she shouldn’t cross. And telling tourists stuff that wasn’t their business was one of them. First Leeroy, now her. When did they stop fearing him? At what point had he lost their respect? The moment they hit puberty, old man, he reminded himself, as it would magically change anything. They were the last two people he still cared about and it pained him to see them drift away.

“Either way, we can’t go through the upper levels, because they have them booby-trapped,” Grey put his weapon down, his voice meant to challenge the others, but without intimidating them. “If it was one or two people, we could sneak through and be done with it. At four we are pushing our luck. However, with this many, there is no fucking chance in hell we go without getting into a fight. And trust me, up there, those freaks have the upper hand.”

“If they pose such a danger, why didn’t you say anything up till now?” Joshua demanded, his finger dancing around the trigger of his fancy white rifle.

“Because I thought that with the Sector 5’s reactor cycling down, they would have migrated by now. To somewhere where they could plunder actual working automated defences to use for their hunting grounds.” Grey snapped at the boy.

“I mean, everyone thought that,” Cake hurried to jump back into the conversation. “Yet, there are bodies hanging from the sky-bridges, in case you’ve missed them, pretty boy.”

“However, because you kept insisting, we get to Sector 7 as fast as possible, I agreed to this route.” He looked at red-faced Joshua who stood uncomfortably on one place.

“I told you, we need to reach there in four days or less. Any more than that and we won’t make it time to be in range to deactivate the shuttle’s self-destruction mechanism.” The boy recovered quickly and was back on the offensive again.

“And I pretended to buy that pile of crap, Master Sergeant.” Grey put just enough emphasis on the title to shut Joshua up and stared at the teenager, daring him to say more. Neither of them was willing to play their hand, not yet. But sooner or later, the tourists would have to come clean. All he could do, for now, was make sure they knew he was on to them.

“Seriously?! Cannibals” Heather broke the silence that settled over them, her expression spoke volumes about how revolting she found the very notion. “What is wrong with everyone down here?”

“In case you missed it, love, the fucking world ended,” Grey chuckled. “You stay hungry long enough and you realise that meat is meat. Think too much about it and you will go insane. Accept it and the guilt that comes with what you’ve done and there is a good chance you won’t become like the Skins.”

Finally! They were listening. They were appalled, but the Scavenger could see their brains working behind those horrified eyes. Whatever idiotic disillusion they harboured about the ruins was shattering. Those Axion brats needed to get it through their heads that the remains of the old world were a dangerous and unforgiving place.

“Believe me when I see this, the Sectors around Véi Dron will seem like paradise to what is waiting at Sector 7 and beyond.” Grey stood up and put a bullet in the rifle’s chamber. “This doesn’t change the fact that we’ll need to look for another way around. We skirt around through the neighbouring sector.”

“Not the Park,” Cake moaned. “I hate the Park!”

“Yes, through there,” He was not too thrilled about it either. “We can use the tunnels there.”

“The other day you said there was only one way into Sector 7!” All four said at once, even Cake looked confused.

“No,” Grey waved their accusations away. “I said, there is only one way I’m familiar with.”

“Fine! What’s the Park, then?” Maité asked.

Her question sprouted a mischievous grin on the Cake’s face. “You’ll see and then, you’ll hate it too.”

“Master Sergeant!” One of the Axion brats they had left to get some rest downstairs emerged through the hatch leading to the roof. “We might have a problem. There are several groups gathering around us. They are armed and look worse than the Scavs.” The kid hesitated for the moment before adding. “They look feral, sir.”

“So, they decided to come to us,” Grey exhaled slowly and nodded to Cake who dropped to one knee at the edge of the roof and began scanning the area through the scope on her rifle. “I honestly hoped the Skins were going to ignore us while we were on this side of the river.”

“Shit! Tell everyone to dig up! Those are not friendlies!” Joshua barked at the boy. “You three, go to your teams and make sure you have every direction covered.” He then pointed at Grey. “I’ll want to speak with you when this is over.”

Sure, if that’s what the kid wanted, the Scavenger was going to oblige and knock some sense into him. But first, they had to deal with the Skins. He tapped Cake on the shoulder and pointed at the area where the street had caved in. It was a sure sign that there was a service tunnel running underneath and if things went south, that was their exit.