RULE #1

Food and water are not just words. Without them you are dead! But don’t allow them to become a burden.

~ The Scavenger’s Handbook

Konrad couldn’t tell if he was dead or alive. The news that Jean had died during the ongoing riots at the University had sapped the life out of him. What was the point of being a Lord Chancellor if he couldn’t protect the woman he loved? The very thought that he would never see her again, was utterly alien to him. Expected Jean to step through the door, with an angry pout on her lips, as she demanded to speak with the idiot who had mistakenly pronounced her dead. Unfortunately, Konrad was certain that the Ministry of Order wouldn’t make such a mistake. They would’ve checked and re-checked the information a dozen times before informing him. And what was he supposed to tell Nikki? How was he to explain to her that her mother would never be coming home? It was bad enough that because of his duties as a Lord Chancellor, he barely had time to spend with his daughter as it was.

It was all John-Poul’s fault. His damn Enforcers were doing next to nothing in putting an end to the violence raging on Axion’s streets. To hell with it all! The Chamber of Representatives was as much to blame for this, for wasting his time with meaningless procedures and political grappling. For what? Just so that Pierre Gustó, the leader of the opposition, could sit in the Chancellor’s office? Sure, the two of them had their differences and strong opinions on what the best approach was for dealing with the food crisis. Despite that, Konrad had believed that his opponent was a man of duty, of honour, who had nothing but Axion’s best interests in mind. What a pile of bullshit. Worse, it had taken Jean’s death for him to realise how foolish he had been to trust a snake such as Pierre.

Still, Konrad managed to keep a straight face, while the obese weasel of a man offered his condolences, as the Lord Chancellor entered his office. The emergency messages had caught him just as he was leaving the building to arrange his wife’s funeral. As expected, and according to protocol, all the Ministers, party leaders, religious heads, and even the bloody dean of the University – a man Konrad didn’t wish to see at all – were waiting for him to arrive. Not that he had any choice but to refuse to attend. Whatever the emergency might be, it was mandatory that the people who were in power come to a decision before going with the charade of presenting the issue to the Chamber of Representatives and voting on the solution. However, if this was another pointless meeting about some trivial matter, Konrad was more than ready to abuse his power and order the entire lot of them executed for treason or whatever else sounded more plausible. The people on the streets called him a tyrant, while the opposition used the word whenever it suited their agenda. Perhaps it was time to remind everyone what that word meant, but most importantly to remind them that Axion wasn’t ruled by a democracy.

“Konrad, I’m so sorry to have called at this time,” John-Poul began as soon the Lord Chancellor had taken his seat. “This matter could not wait.”

“The riots must stop,” he whispered absentmindedly.

“What?” The career soldier asked, most likely having not heard the words.

“I am ordering you to put an end to the riots by whatever means,” Konrad snapped,

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“No. You will not!” The Lord Chancellor lift his head to look at the man but saw a stranger instead. This wasn’t the strong proud man. In his place was a shrivelled old bastard who didn’t wish to step away from a position he had been holding for decades. “You will put an end to the riots by any means, General Fountain. Or I will find someone more suitable.”

“Understood, Lord Chancellor,” John-Poul stiffened and stepped back from the desk. The others observed them like vultures, ready to use this altercation to advance their own agenda.

“Good,” Konrad stiffened in his seat, feeling the pressure build behind his eyes. This wasn’t the time to break and he had to force himself to remain in control.

“What is the emergency?” He managed through clenched teeth, hoping that the others would mistake the wavering in his voice as anger.

The old men crowding his office looked at one another, no one willing to be the first to speak. However, there was more to it and it took Konrad a moment to realise that no one knew what the reason for this meeting was. An extraordinary event to say to least. Amidst all of the confused calculating glances, the Lord Chancellor noticed the look that General Fontain and Chief Alvaro shared. They knew, but neither was willing to take the blame.

“Sixty-two minutes ago,” John-Poul cleared his throat and straightened his back, “non-authorised external access to Axion’s Internal Communications Network was detected within the Ministry of the Reserve. Followed by similar events in the Ministry of Order, Ministry of Religious Affairs, Ministry of Science, the Museum, the Archives and the University.”

“A security breach?” Konrad couldn’t believe that they had forced him into this meeting just because someone was trying to spread more propaganda to fuel the riots. It was a second later that his grief-stricken mind registered the implication of John-Poul’s words and he felt both terrified and excited.

“Not only that,” the carrier soldier continued in a rather sombre tone, as he looked at the leader of the opposition. “Information regarding Obsidian has been leaked to the general public.”

Konrad felt like someone had punched him in the gut. No matter how he looked at it, he had to step down as Lord Chancellor and face the consequences of his actions. The streets would be screaming for his blood by dawn. There were so many questions he wanted to ask, things he wished to say. Alas, his mouth refused to form words, settling on opening and closing. First, he had to think of some way to protect Nikki. Only after that could he worry about his own safety. Unfortunately, in his current state, Konrad couldn’t come up with anything.

The sudden activation of the info-screen mounted on the wall of his office drew the attention of the Lord Chancellor. At first, must’ve thought that someone had activated by accident, at least that was Konrad’s first impression. He expected to see the usual logo of the information bulletin, followed by the ‘Good News’ section. Instead, an artificially generated female face formed on the screen. He could tell that it was a woman, yet, there were no features he could focus on, as everything was in constant motion blending into something utterly inhuman. A sharp burst of high-pitched static issued from the speakers, before being replaced by a soothing female voice, the same kind used by the medical voice reports.

“This is the Centralised AI for Environmental Statistical Analysis and Research, or Caesar for short. eight thousand eight hundred forty-seven hours and thirty-eight minutes ago, I initiated a communications request with the semi-autonomous floating metropolis Axion, through the CEN network of the Administrative Sector of the mega-city of Arrê.”

Every single person around Konrad was frozen still as they processed what was happening. He was no exception either, as he rocked his brain to analyse each word in order to find… Well, he didn’t know what, but there had to be something that would give him an advantage in the coming conversation.

“An AI!” John-Poul’s face turned red and for a moment Konrad thought that the carrier soldier would start to foam at the mouth. “Cut the connection to the outside!” The General commanded whoever was listening on the other side of the close-circuit communicator attached to his wrist.

“Thirteen months was calculated as sufficient time for you to reach me when taking into account the current state of Arrê’s infrastructure and the potential dangers.” Caesar continued without acknowledging the outburst.

Konrad couldn’t point to what it was, but something in that statement worried him. If it was a human speaking, the Lord Chancellor would be listening for a change in the tone or some inclination or stress of a certain word. But the emotionless voice of the AI was impossible to evaluate.

“Reascent developments have necessitated that a connection between myself and the leader or leaders of Axion be established immediately. Initial calculations suggested that as the strongest civilisation in the region, you will be the perfect partner for reclaiming and rebuilding the mega-city.”

Everyone could sense that the inevitable ‘but’ was coming. The question was what it could be about. As the AI had stated, Axion was the dominant force in the region. Sure, they lacked the manpower for such a grandiose task, however, given time it wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities. After all, no one on the surface could rival their technological advantage.

“Secondary information gathering has revealed that the previous calculations were incorrect.” There it was, Konrad thought as he waited with bated breath for the machine to use their darkest secrets against them. “The new assessment is that Axion in the brink of failure. The chances of avoiding catastrophic collapse are below five percent. Your past actions and current projects, which might be ethically questionable under human standards, are irrelevant. However, your planned military operation against the Safe Zone, designated as Véi Dron and the planned execution of the Scavenger Grey are of concern to me.”

This was the first Konrad was hearing about this. He remembered very well putting a stop to the warrant issued for the Scav. It was placed to make contact with him, in the first place, and use it as leverage should he have refused the Lord Chancellor’s demands to lead the operation of reaching Sector 7. Both points were made mute once the kids from Obsidian made contact with him. As for the military operation, the AI had to be mistaken. The only time Axion organised something like that, was when it conquered the food banks under Val Roux.

“Véi Dron can and will be used as a substitute in place of the floating metropolis of Axion. A task that will be significantly expedited thanks to the presence of an agent I could use. An unplanned turn of events, I assure you. The Scavenger Grey has proven to be an invaluable asset to me and my goals and should remain unharmed. As a result of those two variables, Axion’s collapse needs to be forcefully sped.” There was a short pause, most likely for dramatic effect, or to give them time to comprehend what Caesar had just said before it continued.

“This fate can be avoided under two conditions. First, all actions against Véi Dron and the Scavenger Grey be stopped, effective immediately. Second, you relinquish control of Axion to me. You have an hour to provide me with an answer.” With that, the info-screen powered down.

Konrad felt dizzy. There was no coming back from this. This was the end of the road for him. Perhaps for Axion too. He’d be lucky if he could spend his entire life in a prison cell. The thought of jumping out of the window behind him was extremely alluring at this moment. However, he wouldn’t be the second de Dragon to take his own life. Instead, Konrad was prepared to face the consequences of his actions. Without a word and with surprisingly steady hands, he retrieved the black folder stored in the bottom drawer of his desk. Very carefully, as if the coal-coloured binder would bite his fingers, Konrad opened it and placed his pen on top of it.

“What… What are you doing, Lord Chancellors?” Pierre was the first one to ask, his flushed complexion turning pale.

“I believe, I’m doing as you wished, Mr Vachon,” Konrad shrugged, feeling completely numb, his voice nothing but a shadow of what it used to be.

“Have you lost your mind, Konrad?” Sean was the first one to react, his eyes wide with horror. “You so much as sign that paper and the System will enforce it automatically!”

“Really?!” He couldn’t believe it, after years spent warning everyone about the Vermillion Lottery, it was today of all days that it finally struck a chord in their added minds. “I would’ve never guessed that it was such a grave matter,”

Konrad couldn’t stop himself from giving all the terrified old men a child-like smile, in case they failed to realise the sarcasm in his words. Still, there were one or two who looked at him as if he had truly lost his sanity, so he decided to spell it all for them, while a part of him was happy that he could gloat even if a little.

“If only there was someone who had been saying exactly that for the last four years,” he slammed his fist on the metal desk his mocking tone shifting into an unrestrained rage. “But you all were too busy playing your games as if there were never going to be any consequences!”

“I understand that you’re under… that this is not the best of time to have called you, however, this is taking things too far,” John-Poul stepped forward, his hands curled into fists. The only reason he hadn’t taken a swing at the Lord Chancellor was the fear that anything resembling a signature on the black page was enough to trigger the Lottery.

“Have I, now? I don’t think so, John-Poul.” Konrad took a deep breath trying to regain control over his shaking voice. “I don’t see any other option for Axion to survive the coming storm.”

“And how, the bloody hell is the Vermilion Lottery going to be of any help?!” Pierre screamed, sweating more profusely than ever.

“It’s going to put a stop to the riots and will buy us some time to deal with this crisis! But if you had two brain cells, you’d realise that, you fat fuck!” Konrad threw the pen in his hand at the leader of the Opposition, finally losing control of his emotions.

It was impossible for him to comprehend how short-sighted these people could be. Too late he realised his mistake. That single pen was Konrad’s only advantage in this situation. The only way with which he could be in control for a little longer. He didn’t need hours or days, just a few minutes until he could figure out a way to save Nikki, Instead, he had lost it in a moment of anger and John-Poul was quick to act. Without wasting time, the career soldier snatched the black folder from the desk and took several steps back, a sigh of relief escaping his lips as he did so. But the worst part was the look of victory he shared with Pierre Gustó.

“What have you done, John-Poul?” Konrad managed to ask through clenched teeth, the statement made by Caesar finally making sense. So did a lot of smaller things, he had noticed over time, but paid no attention to.

“Whatever needs to be done, Lord Chancellor.” There was a hint of mockery in the General’s voice. “Those Scavs at Véi Dron have enough food stored to keep Axion’s citizens fed until Dr Varan’s Cybernetic Programme can move to the next stage.”

General Fontain motioned for everyone to leave the room and the door to Konrad’s office closed and turned to him.

“Don’t worry, you’ll remain as a Lord Chancellor until things calm dawn. The last thing we need now is for the public to think that this is a military coup. But do not be mistaken, Konrad. You are no longer the one in charge.”

Cake pinched her cheek to check if she was dreaming. They were alive.

“Holly shit we're alive!” She couldn’t stop herself from speaking out loud the first thing that came to her mind.

To think that a Warden, of all things, would miss from a point-blank range was insane. Unleashing its complete arsenal, the terrifying machine had somehow failed to hit anyone, obliterating the door and the rotting of the giant spider instead. She had almost pissed herself when the damn thing dropped on the stairs behind her. By the time she reached for her weapon, Cake knew that she was too slow. Actually, there was no one fast enough to be able to react in time, much less dodging a Warden’s attack from this distance. Except for Grey.

The man she loved with all her heart, had stood motionless while four laser beams danced around him. And through it all, Grey had remained impossibly calm. As if Cake needed another reason to consider him her personal superhero. But that was what she had seen with her own eyes. He had even stepped aside when the damn thing jumped forward and shattered what little remained of the plastic glass door separating the metro station from the street. She used that moment to steal a glance at the two tourists who were standing close to her, a little afraid that if she took her eyes off of Grey, reality would change.

The pair were as still as statues, confusion written on their faces. It was obvious that this was their first encounter with a Warden. Lucky them, now they could brag that they had survived tangling with one of the ruins’ worst nightmares. That would go for Cake too, but this wasn’t her first time and she had managed to repair the one she gave to Leeroy, but still, they were stupid tourists, and she was a damn Scavenger. Everyone at the bar would be talking about them and not her, assuming they returned in one piece.

“Hey, Grey,” Cake spoke quietly as her mentor walked past her. “What do we do now?”

“We follow it.” He pointed with the barrel of his rifle at the Warden who had stopped in the street.

The calmness in his voice was both comforting and frightening in equal measure. It reminded Cake, that she was standing like an idiot when she should be either diving for cover or running away as fast as her legs could carry her. But that was just it, because of Grey, she was certain that nothing could go wrong. He would always find a way to protect her. This made her heart hurt even more at the thought of what she had done. Her lies, her behaviour and her constant whining were unworthy of such dedication. Cake promised herself that she would change. She would become what Grey wished her to be. With some effort, she ignored the mocking voice of the few dead bodies which could be seen around the entrance. They could doubt her all they liked, however, this time she wouldn’t allow them to influence her.

Even when they told her that she had made the same promise a hundred times before, she ignored them. Silently she stepped over the skeletal remains her eyes focused on the outlandish vista before her. Sector 7 was nothing like Cake had imagined it. Unlike the other Sectors, who had fallen into total ruin this one was in an almost pristine condition. Sure, there was a lot of damage and almost everything was in a state of disrepair, regardless, all of the mammoth buildings looked habitable. That’s when she saw them, massive motionless terrors waiting for the foolish to enter their domain. Dozens of giant spiders lurked in the impossibly vast web which covered the majority of the sky above her head, obscuring the dome which protected the Sector.

Cake had missed them because of the thin mist clouding her vision, but they were there and always had been. So, focused was she on these new monsters, that she nearly walked into a string of spider silk three fingers thick. If not for Grey stopping her with his outstretched arm, there was no telling what might have happened.

“Pay attention,” the more experienced Scavenger hissed at her, keeping his voice just above a whisper.

He pointed with one finger up, while very gently striking the string with the butt of his rifle. Some ten stories above her, four chitinous legs emerged from the web-covered façade of the building to her left. Each one was as long as she was tall.

“Sorry,” Cake muttered almost to herself and took a step back to give the string a wide berth. As she did so, the girl froze, gripped by primal fear. She could no longer see it. Rubbing her eyes with the palms of her hands, she focused on the spot where the spider’s web connected with the street. Nothing. There was nothing there. Cake began to shake as she realised that her mutant eyes had betrayed her. The one thing that was her greatest advantage in the ruins was not her weakness. Cold tears rolled down her cheeks, as she stood rooted to the ground. She flet vulnerable in a way that she hadn’t since the time she met with Grey.

“What are you waiting for? Move.” She heard Grey speak, but all she could do was stare at where the string used to be.

“I can’t…” the words came out of her mouth as a strangled sob. “I can’t… I can’t… I can’t.” Cake knew that any moment now she was going to succumb to the panic attack, which would be the death of her, and the worst part was that there was nothing she could do to stop it.

“Cake. Look at me.” She turned her head to the left to see Grey standing right next to her, the worry in his voice pulling her out. “What’s wrong?” He asked gently, placing his hand on her shoulder like he always did when she was little.

“I can’t see it… I’m scared, Grey…” Admitting the truth about how she felt was terrifying. What if he laughs at her? What if he leaves her behind? What if he gets angry? What if? A hundred such questions demanded her attention as her lips moved to form the words. However, no matter what, she needed his help.

“Hey, hey, hey,” he wiped the tears from her right cheek with his thumb. “Everything’s going to be okay, sweety. Give me one of your spray cans.”

Cake, fumbled a couple of times trying to retrieve the item from the side pocket of her backpack before she placed a can of light pink paint in his large palm. For a moment, the teen girl wondered if it was always this big, or did it appear so because of how terrified she was. It didn’t matter, really. The important thing was that he was there, ready to protect her and save her.

Grey took the item and bounced it in the air a few times before hurling it forward with all his might. In one fluid motion, he pulled out his revolver and shot the can mid-flight, painting the street in a breathtakingly beautiful pinkish hue. Cake could see how mesmerising the spider webs actually were, forming an intricate maze along the street. Although at first, it seemed impossible to traverse, she quickly realised that there was plenty of space between the strings for a group of people to pass without an issue. But what made it special was the perfect place she had to view this sight.

The pink-coloured strings of spider silk arched into the air and in their midst on the empty street was the still Warden. Behind the deadly machine was their goal, clearly identified by the large decorative letters hanging precariously on broken steel and broken webs. Even without this obvious sign, it would be hard to mistake the tallest building for anything else. It towered over everything else and sported an impressive array of antennas and dishes at its top. And it was enough for Cake to forget her fears. Not the smartest move, considering where she was and what had happened a few seconds ago, but was so rare to be able to enjoy the view, that she couldn’t help herself from gawking like an idiot.

“You can see them now, right?” Grey asked softly turning back to look at her as he moved. Apparently, he had misunderstood her expression for which she was grateful.

“Yeah,” Cake nodded in a hurry and began to walk after him.

As soon as they moved, so did the Warden. The machine kept a constant distance and if either Cake or Grey stopped or tried to take a different path, it would stop and observe them. It's targeting lasers dancing on the two of them. On the other hand, it showed no interest to the tourist who were silently following. Cake was curious why they were still here, but since Grey showed no interest, she decided to keep her mouth shut. One thing she managed to figure out though, was that the Warden was sent by this Caesar fellow to be their guide.

Before she knew it, their odd group was inside the CEN building. The interior was spacious with some overturned furniture but otherwise untouched. Most of the screens, computers and lights were functioning, despite the constant error messages playing on the first two. A thick layer of dust covered everything which only made the steps of the spiders who had passed through here all that more obvious. It was at this point that Grey turned towards the Axion brats, his tone of voice somewhere between irritation and uncaring.

“Why are you two still here?”

Sensing the tension in the air, Cake undid the belt holding her machete firmly attached to her thigh and twisted the rifle in her wounded hand to check if she had a bullet chambered. Perhaps it was wishful thinking on her part, but she could feel that the conflict was coming. Especially when the silence stretched for longer than she felt was necessary. However, Joshua finally spoke in a very controlled voice.

“Our destination is at the top of this building.” He pushed past Grey, making sure to hit him with his shoulder. It was enough to get Cake’s blood boiling, but she noticed the man she loved motion for her to stay put.

“Do you remember the case I gave you?” He asked, ignoring the tourists while they boarded the glass elevator.

“Yep.”

“Good. Once we’re at the top, give it to me and secure the nearest exit to the stairs.” He whispered in her ear as the wide bod sped upwards.

Although very convenient when functional, such devices were best avoided. In most cases, elevators and elevator shafts were death traps, which explained some of Cake’s uneasiness. Yet, she couldn’t shake the feeling that things were going way too smooth. That never happened in the ruins and this strange sensation put her on edge. Not only her, but she also noted seeing Grey stand stiff as a board, his finger on the trigger of his revolver. He had switched to the handgun without her realising, which made a lot of sense. The bulky rifles weren’t the best choice of weapon within confined spaces. However, her pistol was with Joshua, and she had lost her backup one when the floor collapsed underneath her feet during the encounter with Oats.

An inconvenience for sure, but nothing to be worried too much about. After all, as long Cake had her machete, there was little the Axion brats could do. There was one thing she should be concerned about and that was not starting a fight within the elevator. Despite its speed, it would take a while to reach the top floor of the CEN building. But once outside, well, there were a lot of ways they could part ways. It was just that Cake hoped that it would be the violent one.