Chapter 18 – The Council [Part 3]

Council Member: .M.

Date of Birth: 07/10/XXXX

Started office on: 28/05/XXXX

Aeternus

Council Member: Viona

Date of Birth: 15/09/XXXX

Started office on: 28/05/XXXX

Aeternus

Council Member: Clarice

Date of Birth: 22/08/XXXX

Started office on: 24/03/XXXX

Aeternus

Council Member: Gervas

Date of Birth: 12/11/XXXX

Started office on: 28/05/XXXX

Aeternus

Council Member: Bryant

Date of Birth: 18/12/XXXX

Started office on: 28/05/XXXX

Aeternus

Council Member: Oswine

Date of Birth: 21/08/XXXX

Started office on: 24/03/XXXX

Deviare

Standing in the centre of the rectangular office, facing The President, Zulu does not greet him nor does The President greet him. It has been a slow 30 seconds since he entered, Delia stayed near the door, far away from the eyes of all those present in the room.

Oswine fidgets whilst standing still, evidently eager to get the conversation started and thus impatient to the silence. The confident demeanour that Gervas, the middle aged man that first greeted him in the other room, had all but gone now that the Zulu was a few mere metres away.

The first words spoken in a meeting such as this is particularly important, everyone in the room knows this and such no members in the Council spoke out of place. Even Oswine knew that he would cause more trouble than he could handle if he broke this simple and important moment.

With perfect posture and impeccable uniform Zulu stares straight at The President, ignoring the Council. He knew what he wanted, but did not know how to get it. In this situation he was constantly trying to remember how Zulu 1 would have behaved. Would he have spoken when he first entered? Would he have waited like he was doing? Who was the one that was meant to start the negotiation? All these questions kept running through his mind, but nothing on the outside showed it. One thing that he did know though, was that, as he had started the silence, he could not be the one to break it.

All the Council saw was a Zulu, a man that wasn’t just a man. Young by the looks of it, inexperienced when they looked closely, but somehow threatening.

More time passes, more silence ensues, but the battle of silence does eventually break.

“I am sorry about the long wait,” The President ultimately folds, “Re-arranging our schedules was some-what difficult”

“What is it that you have to offer me?” Zulu ignores the apology that had to be stated.

“We offer you nothing” Oswine speaks out of turn, clearly interrupting The President who was about to speak “You will help us or you will leave.”

Looking to Oswine for a moment then passing his sight over to The President and the rest of the Council “Then I will leave” he takes a small step back.

“Stop” the masked man voices out, loudly, croaky, but clearly.

“You won’t leave in one piece” Oswine says

“We do not want you anywhere else.” Clarice, the daughter speaks out.

Resting one hand on his pistol and another upon his knife Zulu takes a small step forward.

“What is it that you have to offer me?” he asks again.

“Your life” Oswine states

Taking another step forward but this time to Oswine’s direction “Does he speak for you?” Zulu asks only looking at him

“I do” he says, making the Zulu take another step closer.

“He does not” The President finally states.

“Then why does he speak?” Zulu steps back

“I speak for the people!” Oswine says.

“The people do not rule” Zulu replies turning his attention back to The President. “What is it that you have to offer me?” he asks for a third time, articulating each and every word.

“Nothing!” he says yet again.

Sighing at getting the same reply from the same man Zulu looks down for a moment. Contemplating his course of action for a brief second before taking a small leap, rapidly closing the distance between himself and Oswine.

Quickly enough so that no one can react he sends a jab to his throat and another to his gut. Making him hit the wall he was standing in front of before falling to the ground, watery eyes open but knocked out and drooling.

“So much for a Deviare’s sixth sense.” Bryant, the sixth man, smiles at the unconscious Oswine.

“If you agree to work for us” The President finally starts to state his offer “we will give you a room in this tower, provide you with more than enough living expenses and give you command of a platoon to personally train.”

Moving back to stand in the centre of the office Zulu straightens his uniform. Delaying his reply to think upon the offer. It sounded fair but it wasn’t. A lesson he learnt from Zulu 1 popped up in his mind at this time as well, but he refrains from smiling.

“I refuse” he states calmly. Never accept the first offer in a negotiation.

“You refuse?!” Clarice questions out loud but quickly goes silent as the elderly woman touches her hand.

“Why do you refuse?” Viona questions with less emotion then her daughter.

“They are not favourable.”

“They are very favourable” she states calmly.

“I refuse to work for you.” He states to the president. “I refuse to train your soldiers” He states to the Council. “I refuse to comply without question” he takes a step back as he finds that he wasn’t in the centre of the room.

“Then what will you do?” She asks, not frustrated or flustered.

“I can work with you” he states it to the president “As equals.”

Clarice moves to speak but stops again at her mother’s touch. The president swirls around to face outside and thinks for a moment whilst the masked man re-adjusts his masks.

“But we are not equals” The President replies after more than a minute of silence.

“No” resting his hands on his two weapons and adjusting his stance “We are not.”

Swirling back around to face the Zulu “You will work with us when we request it. You will be given a room in this tower. You will be provided a more than adequate life. You will not command our military.” he changes the offer.

“I refuse” he says back without pause.

“You refuse?!” Clarice says again, this time ignoring the touch of her mother. “The terms are favourable to you!” she continues saying “you are being unreasonable.”

Turning to her “I am being very reasonable” he says again.

“You are not!” she says as he shifts his look to her mother, who in turn grabs her daughters arm. “But!” she tries to continue however stops as the grip on her arm goes tighter. “Sorry” she apologizes and goes silent again.

“What do you want than?” The President asks. “It is obvious that you will decline all that I offer”

“I want nothing to do with your ambitions.”

“Then you must not act against me.”

“I will not act against the people.”

The President raises an eyebrow and lets his view drift to Oswine “So you are telling me that if we leave you alone, you will leave us alone?”

“I want more than that Mr President.”

Staying quiet The President and Council waits, 4 of them patiently whilst one stayed visually annoyed and another unconsciously making the puddle of drool he was laying in larger.

“I will take that room you offered me. I will have my own team of 6 inclusive and I will attend missions at my own will.”

“The room I will provide, but the rest.” He scratches his chin. “If we are to leave you alone than you must leave us alone…completely.”

“I am agreeing to not act against the people, I am agreeing to let you, Mr President, continue to trick them. That is worth more than you leaving me alone.”

“We are a democracy” Bryant speaks out “The people vote publically.”

“Your use of peer pressure is impressive” Zulu replies looking at Bryant “No one here is a fool,” then pausing due to Oswine’s condition on the ground “Most of us are not fools” he corrects himself “do not treat me as one.”

Giving a nod Bryant stops speaking.

“Then we will decide who will be in your unit.” The president states

“Then we are at an impasse”

“I suppose we are.”

“And if we stay at an impasse…” Zulu leaves the ending unspoken.

“We are not equals” The President sighs

“No” Zulu lets out a genuine smile “We are not.”

Picking up a pen he holds it tightly “Then she at least” The President points to Delia with it “Will be in your unit.”

“No!” she shouts, immediately walking up to stand near but away from the Zulu.

“I can live with that.”

“No!”

“Then we are at an agreement?” The President asks standing up and offering a hand

“We are not!” she shouts

“We are at an agreement” he agrees walking forward and shaking it.

“I will not do this!”

With The President writing up the contract and the Zulu watching him do so, neither of them react to Delia’s outburst.

“You will do this.” Gervas finally says something now that an agreement was made.

“I will not!”

“For the pe…ople” The Masked man speaks “You will do…this”

“How is this for the people!?”

“What we do is for the people” Viona speaks out “Even if you cannot see it, you believe that.”

Clenching her fist “I do” she admits grudgingly “But this!”

“It is an order from the Council and the Army.” The President states as Zulu finishes signing the paper. “You have no choice in this matter” he smiles.

Holding in her anger “Fine” she spits out.

“Now for the blood oath.” Clarice says.

“The blood oath” Zulu repeats taking out his knife.

The blood oath has been around for as long as history can be remembered. There was a time where every living person was required to pledge eternal loyalty under it to a king, for it stamped out rebellion and secured a kings rule.

It restricted the rights of those who swore them, to uphold them. Normally putting them in a perilous situation later in life. Breaking a blood oath ended badly for those who did, it generally led to crippling pain for an unknown period of time followed closely by death.

However death did not always happen, on the rare occasion do people live through it; but with the passing of what is now known as the Old Laws

“I haven’t done the blood oath in a long, long time.” Zulu says clenching his left hand around the serrated edge of the knife. “And I will not swear one now.” Pulling the blade out of his hand. “This country follows the Old Laws and under those laws my word is enough.”

“I do not follow the Old Laws” The President states as blood drips upon his desk

“But I do.” Holstering his knife. “Are we at an impasse again?”

[Concentrated Healing Commencing]

Tightening his grip around the pen that he holds. “No” The President replies “We are not.”

“That is good” he answers moving away from the president and towards the exit.

“Your room is on the middle floor.” Viona says “The door with the letter Z on it.”

“Thank you” Zulu thanks her whilst pressing the button to open the door. “There is one more thing though” he pauses at the entrance “You will remove all images related to my unit, all images that are of them directly or indirectly from the public eye.”

Snapping the pen in his hand “Very well”

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A/N

Have you realized, Zulu has yet to kill anybody....But death is coming, i assure you. it'll be in a while. I have a plan okay!

I shall leave that "not a chapter" up ~

Thank you for reading by the way. And as always. Hope you enjoyed reading ^.^