by Wesley Chu
Today, Eriao came to pay him a visit, imploring him to speak with her. “More and more of these stragglers come every day. What will we eat when the winter comes?”
“Oldest Elise and Franwil lead,” James said, hefting one of the last containers of dried fruits the Elfreth had stored in preparation for the coming winter, the winter that hadn’t even arrived yet. “They must have a plan.”
“If their plan is to starve us, then they are doing a fantastic job,” Eriao grumbled. “I knew it was a mistake once Oldest Qawol passed…”
“Watch your words carefully, Eriao.” James scowled. This wasn’t the first time he had had to stare the man down on Elise’s behalf.
“I accept what has happened, Elder,” the war chief said. “But you must see as I do. Please just try to talk some sense into her.”
James looked around the room. The war chief wasn’t wrong. They had to do something. Elise had a big heart, but this was tomfoolery. “I will tell her we need to limit how much we give away,” he said finally.
“Thank you.” Eriao leaned in close. “The Oldest is an intelligent and kind woman. You and I both know, Elder James, that the world is not so. We must protect her from all, even her kindness, if necessary.” He patted James on the shoulder and walked out of the room.
James picked up a stack of boxes and left the storeroom. He proceeded down to the barricade floor, and continued outside the northern barricade, past the makeshift triage reserved only for the refugees, and finally to the food bank area the Elfreth had set up to accommodate the daily handouts. Elise hadn’t left that area in two days.
He found her talking to a tall, thin man with a pale face and blond braided hair, typical of many of the tribes here. He wore heavy hardened-leather clothing with thick ropes bound around his forearms, and a long, ugly weapon on his back that had ax blades on both ends. A warrior, and by the way he was speaking with Elise, one used to being in control. Then something jogged his memory. He had fought this man the night when that tribe attempted to overwhelm the Flatirons. He was skilled with his double ax, and at one point almost lopped off James’s arm.
James was definitely not comfortable with this guy standing so close to her. She barely stood taller than his chest. All the man had to do was reach out, and he could break her neck. She was the leader of the Elfreth. More importantly, she was the scientist who was supposed to cure Earth.
Elise saw him approach and brightened. “James, this is Murad, mayor of the Elmen tribe.”
They nodded at each other as two men sizing each other up would. “We’ve met,” James said. “Good to meet you without a blade in your hand.”
“You, too, Elfreth. You fight well,” Murad said. “Your Oldest tells me you are a chronman?”
“Former. They fired me.”
“For what?”
“For her.” He pointed at Elise, who blushed furiously.
Murad bowed. “Much respect to you then.”
James found himself beginning to warm to the leader of the Elmen.
“Your Oldest and your people have offered us a soft hand even when we came at you with fists,” Murad said. “We tried to take your floors by force and you opened your doors. For that, you have our eternal thanks.” He bowed again.
“Thank Elise,” James said. “I would have left you guys to rot in the cold.”
Murad nodded. “I respect your honesty, chronman. I would have done the same. However, it is a good thing for my people that neither of us lead the Elfreth. Therefore, I wish to offer a gift in exchange for your generosity.” He signaled to one of his people in the back. Eight of them carried over a large rectangular crate and placed it on the ground. James instantly recognized the markings on the outer shell.
“Oh, this isn’t necessary…” Elise began.
“You don’t need them anymore, do you?” James said.
A small smile appeared on Murad’s face. “The chronman knows, and yes, in our haste to flee those invading my building, we took only the necessary and the valuable. After many days on the run, the necessary becomes more valuable than the valuable. We will never have need these again, even if they are worth more than all the rest.”
“What is it?” Elise asked.
“A titan converter,” James said. “The most advanced form of energy conversion ever created. It can change most forms of energy units to almost any other from. Very useful, and very expensive.”
“Murad, we can’t possibly accept this,” Elise said.
“Speak for yourself,” James cut in. “Of course we can.”
Murad’s people placed the crate at their feet. “It is yours,” he said. “The Elmen no longer have machines that require energy to convert. It is also a heavy thing. My people have already carried this burden for too long. We have other burdens we must now address.”
“It is a generous gift,” Elise said. “We’ll continue to provide you with the resources your tribe needs. If we all work together, we can accomplish so much more.”
The Elmen chief nodded. “We would like that.”
Elise saw Franwil and Crowe on the other side of the floor and excused herself. She had a knowing look on her face when she turned away from the Elmen chief and flashed James a smile. James and Murad watched as she hurried off.
“Your Oldest is small in stature, but she is mighty,” the Elmen chief said. “She is not really from the wastelands, is she?”
“No, she isn’t.”
“From upside in space?”
“A little bit further, actually,” said James. “Mayor Murad, you say the Elmen are from the north buildings? Were you there when these invaders attacked?”
He nodded. “They appeared out of the fog. Within a day, our neighbors, the Barrios Block, were subjugated. My people have been fleeing ever since.”
“Can you describe to me what you saw? What these invaders were wearing?”
“Men and women who flew in the air, surrounded by white fields. They were joined by soldiers in white armor.”
“Were there others in black? Wearing helms with single points?”
Murad shook his head. “I do not recall. I can lead you to them if you like. It is not too far, but it will be dangerous. Most of the tribes we passed are wary of strangers.”
“No need.” James pulled up a map. “Can you show me where they hit you?”
He spent the next hour extracting as much information as he could. He had originally hoped the attack was just tribal warfare, that the attackers were possibly an advanced tribe from farther north fleeing the Arctic zone, which was not an uncommon thing. However, the Elmen mayor confirmed his greatest fear.
They had been found.
It was the Co-op, and they were heading south, systematically taking over building after building. The good news was, they were being methodical. At this pace, they would reach All Galaxy within a month. The bad news was, they could afford to take their time. The Elfreth may have hidden in a maze shrouded by the EMP fog, but they were also trapped on an island. James had no doubt the Co-op had the entire Mist Isle fully blockaded. They were trapped. A single ship or person could slip through, but there was little chance all the Elfreth could escape undetected again. Perhaps, with so many places to hide, the tribe could hide deep underground and try to wait the enemy out. To do so, they would need to start hoarding supplies again.
First things first. James went down the food line and saw that it spanned the entire length of the bridge. He walked to the end and realized that it continued to snake around for as long as he could see. He returned to the front of the line and pulled the young man working it aside.
“Shut it down,” he whispered. “Pass the message along.”
“But the Oldest—”
“Just do it. That’s an order. Spread the word.”
The young man—James couldn’t quite recall his name—took a hesitant step toward the girl serving the line next to him and looked back at James. Then, instead of doing as he was told, he ran off.
What the abyss? Where was that boy going? Irritated, James pulled the girl aside and told her the same thing he had told the young man. This time, she dutifully complied and passed the message. It earned him several scowls from the crowd. The mood in the room began to change.
“What in Gaia are you doing?” Elise barked, stomping toward him, flanked by both Franwil and Crowe. The boy trailed behind them, looking wide-eyed and terrified at James.
“We need to talk,” he said, putting a hand on her back and leading her away from the curious onlookers.
“Don’t touch me,” she hissed softly. “I’m the Oldest. You not only countermanded my order, you’re treating me like a little girl. Here’s what’s going to happen, James. I’m going to dress you down and then order you to continue the food lines, and then we’re going to go to some place private and I’m really going to dress you down.”
James knew Elise enough to know this wasn’t the time, no matter how right he was. Appearing properly chastised, he ordered the food lines to start back up. Feeling a little humiliated, he watched as all the people who had waited for hours returned. He noticed the different way they looked at him, and then at her.
Afterward, Elise led him and Franwil to the back room, where she really let him have it. “Don’t you dare do that ever again, James. We agreed that if we’re in danger, then you do what needs to be done. Otherwise, talk to me first. Don’t go over my head.”
He put both hands on her shoulders. “The Co-op will be at our doorstep within a month. We had a nice short vacation here, but we need to hide. With the dense population and the structures, and now with someone salvaging again, waiting them out is an option. We need to consider it.”
“You’re not listening to me…”
“We need to start hoarding supplies, not handing them out.”
Elise folded her arms. “I know they’re coming, James. I’m expecting it.”
He stopped. “What do you mean you know?”
“You don’t think I didn’t pump these people for information when I started feeding them?”
James reared back. “There’s better ways to get information than giving away all our food.”
“You’re not listening, boy,” Franwil interjected. “Oldest Elise knows what she’s doing.”
“I’m counting on them coming,” Elise said. “We’re not running this time.”
“They’ll kill us.”
“They’ll kill us no matter where we run. We can’t run from these people. We can only hide or fight. In this city, we can do both.”
“Elise,” James was nearly begging, “we can’t fight the Co-op. They’re better armed, better trained, and have much more advanced technology. All we have are these…”
She leveled an eye at him. “Say it. I dare you.”
“All we have are the Elfreth.”
“No, that’s where you’re wrong. Why do you think I’m feeding everyone, James? As sweet and soft as you think I am, I’m not a fool. I’m done running from the Co-op, and so is everyone else on the island who lost their homes and loved ones. We can’t beat them by ourselves, but we might have a chance if we fight them together. Are you with me?”
“You know I’ll follow you through hell.”
“Good.” She reached up and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Then she gave him a not-quite-so-light slap on the same cheek. “Don’t ever undermine me again. By the way, there’s an all-hands meeting in two days. I’m calling all the knights of the Round Table together.”
“What’s a round table?”
“Never mind. Just make sure you’re there.”
THIRTY
A NATION
Elise had never thought in a million years that she would be forming a government. Her only leadership experience besides her ill-fated tenure as captain of the badminton team was as vice president of the scuba diving club in Berkeley. In fact, she detested politics and most forms of organized governments. Yet here she was, standing on the podium in front of forty-three leaders from all the tribes that had flocked to the All Galaxy. She felt her stomach do a few flips. Well, she had laid out the honey and the trap for all these good folks; now was the time to spring it.
The leaders attending led tribes of varying sizes. Some, like Abel of the Madison Greens, led a tribe that was a thousand strong, nearly equaling Elise’s Elfreth. Others, like Jayul, of Spin-Spin, which lived on the mostly flooded ground-floor lobby of the All Galaxy, commanded only two dozen. Others were complete unknowns. Glads, the leader of a tribe of three hundred called the Carnegies, had just arrived a few hours earlier. Her people were still straggling to the tower in groups of tens and twenties.
In the end, Elise followed a rule her mom had always quoted from her time in the Peace Corps: “Hungry people are always too hungry to fight.”
Instead of wasting manpower and resources waging wars, Elise had opted to feed the elderly and the children instead. Once all the fighting folks realized what was happening, they, too, had put down their weapons and got in line for soup and bread. Word had spread quickly that one of the tribes on the upper levels was not only powerful but rich. Why else would they give away free food?
Within a matter of days, the Elfreth had received twenty requests from smaller tribes to merge and representatives from dozens more to meet. It was then that Elise and Franwil hatched the plan to unify the tribes surrounding the All Galaxy and create a loose coalition. This meeting was the result. It was a larger success than she had dared hoped. Too large, in fact.
Elise had not bothered stipulating who qualified as a leader and a tribe. If someone had wanted to come, she let them. It wasn’t like she was planning on setting up that old United States House of Representatives or anything, or was she? She really didn’t have a plan for this. Maybe it was something she should have thought out a little better. It was too late now.
She spent a few minutes chatting with Crowe, making sure they were on the same page before the start of the meeting. The teacher was wellknown and respected by all the other tribes in the area due to the Flatirons’ control of the All Galaxy, easily the largest tower in the area, and his and the Flatirons’ support was critical for the success of her plans.
Elise stepped to the podium and scanned the faces of the men and women as their chatter quieted. Many had come armed. She hadn’t bothered to stipulate that they shouldn’t, either. That had probably been an oversight. A few scuffles almost broke out between warring tribes when they had first gathered. Her hands shook. Her head barely rose above the lectern. She wished she was standing on something to make her appear taller. Elise looked to her left and saw Franwil, who waved and returned her attention to a bag of seeds she was munching on.
Standing next to her, leaning against a column, was James, looking uneasy and guarded. He seemed even more unsettled than normal, continually scanned the crowds, no doubt expecting an attack from someone in the audience at any moment. As if on cue, he looked her way, and their eyes met. His lips curved up into a small smile and he walked up to her and gave her a squeeze on the arm. “You can do this. Knock them out.”
“You mean dead, right?”
He frowned. “Why would you want to kill them?”
Elise chuckled. “Never mind.” James’s encouragement did settle her a bit. He had that effect on her. She shooed him off the stage and then raised her hand. “Thank you all for coming.” She waited for a response; none came. Of course they weren’t going to respond. What in Gaia did she think they were going to do? Something told her the men and women of the Mist Isle were not the clapping type. The short awkward pause felt like hours. She coughed and continued, “You are all the leaders of your people…”
A man stood up. He was large, bald, and scarred all over his body. “Not all should be here,” he said in a loud clear voice. He pointed at another large man next to him. “I, Durand, lead a group of three hundred. Polan only leads a group of fifteen. I have subchiefs with more tribe.”
The one named Polan stood up, holding a ma
chete in his hand. “Only because you Ziegfelds came in the night like the dark ones you are and murdered many of my tribe.” The people between them scattered as metal blades hissed out of their sheaths, and less than two minutes into her meeting to peacefully unify all the tribes for a common cause, a fight broke out.
For a second, Elise considered letting the two assholes poke a couple of holes into each other before pulling them apart. James had moved in front of the podium and was waiting for her signal. She shook her head. If she was going to play leader, it was time she took such matters into her own hands.
She willed her wrist beams to a low setting and aimed it at the big-mouth who had started it all. She prayed she didn’t miss. Her aim had improved since she had first gotten the bands, but it was still mediocre at best. She shot her beam and nailed Durand on the left shoulder, spinning him to the ground. Before Polan could take advantage of that, she plugged him in the chest as well. Both men lay groaning, stunned from the blast.
Elise tried to appear casual even as her hands shook uncontrollably. She resisted the temptation to pretend to blow smoke off her fists. “Anyone else?”
The room was quiet. Several of the leaders’ eyes widened as the two men picked themselves up and got back into their chairs. Between her previous generosity with food and this display of power, Elise was pretty sure she had everyone’s full attention. Her nerves were screaming, but she kept her face calm.
Once the room had settled, Elise took a moment to collect her thoughts. She thought about what they were trying to build today, and what she had to say to accomplish that. She saw in their eyes what they all desperately needed: hope, direction, and assurances for their people. Most of all, she could tell they were weary of the constant fighting. The looks of disdain they gave Durand and Polan spoke volumes.
That would be her opening.
“Those who wish to hold grudges and war with others in this room are not welcome here,” she began. “You may leave now. If you stay, then you will all make vows that the past disagreements between all of you are buried.” She paused for effect, waiting and daring any of these leaders to stand up and leave the room. When none did, she continued, “I am Elise Kim, Oldest of the Elfreth. Our line is long, stretching two hundred years in the wastelands. We hail from Philadelphia and Boston and now call the Mist Isle our home.” She noticed a few of the leaders nod. Surviving two hundred years was no small feat out here in the wastelands. For the first time, Elise was thankful that Franwil insisted that, as the new Oldest, she learn about the Elfreth’s history. The tribes put a lot of stock in stuff like this.