Starting the Slowpocalypse (Books 1-3 Omnibus)

by James Litherland

  Along the edges of the room, between the moving gaps in the crowd, she noticed a number of security officers—Lisa and Paul, Salazar and Gabe, even Susan, all by her lonesome. But no Tony.

  “Good morning, sleepyhead.”

  Hearing his mask-muffled voice sounding suddenly right in her ear didn’t faze her. She had gotten used to his tricks, though it had been a long time. It might mean his resolve was weakening, or that he’d buried his feelings for her deep enough to start acting normal around her again.

  She kept her eyes trained on the throng in front of her. “Why did you let me sleep? I should’ve been in here helping you keep an eye on things.”

  “You looked like you needed the rest, so I made sure you were left alone to wake up on your own. It wasn’t like there was anything for you to do out here anyway.”

  “As long as you wouldn’t have let me miss it all. You might need me.” Smelling the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee, Kat relented and turned to see Tony holding out a steaming mug, which she took before swiveling back to stare into the crowd.

  Knowing he was still there behind her, Kat kept talking to Tony. “Mother should not be schmoozing with all those people—she’ll get the dreaded flu, and then where would she be? She’s not even perturbed to hear she’s losing to Alvin Fox.”

  She heard Tony shake his head. “Care believes she’s winning. When they first announced the votes at eight, she was a few ahead, and with each update the lead has been going back and forth between the two of them. But the margin hasn’t been big. There are also a few thousand who haven’t voted yet.”

  “So you’re saying Dean Kittner might still win.” Of course it was a mathematical improbability, and from the sour look on the woman’s face, she knew it. “I’m surprised so many people are apparently waiting until the last minute to vote.”

  “Some may even refuse to vote, but I doubt that many will pass up this chance—people are probably just procrastinating. But Ben programmed the system to identify everyone who hasn’t voted, and then fifteen minutes before ten the FURCSnet will begin squawking an alarm through their pads.”

  Kat grinned. “I hope he made it where they’d be able to turn the alarm off. After it goes off.”

  Tony stepped forward and stood at her side, but his eyes were on the crowd. There must have been a few hundred filling the room. Most of them seemed to be students or technicians, but there was a handful of businessmen and another of laborers. At least all the chairs from yesterday’s open council meeting had been removed, or this would really have been a mess. Not that these people were likely to riot. And with half a dozen security officers and a couple dozen students in safety aide uniforms, nobody in their right mind would try anything anyway.

  The two of them stood there for a while, silently scanning the throng for indications of trouble starting. Kat sipped her coffee and let her mind wander until she heard the deputy director making another announcement, the nine-thirty update. It put Caroline ahead by sixteen votes, with still a couple thousand outstanding. Kat wondered how many people were using the vote alert as an alarm clock.

  Tony glanced at her. “I should get out there, be close to the principals. Just in case.”

  “It would be easier if they were all in one place. Why not herd them up onto the platform? Isn’t that where they’re supposed to be anyway?”

  He snorted. “You try herding a bunch of politicians anywhere if they’re not ready to go.” He went out into the crowd, heading straight for Caroline.

  It wasn’t until just before the nine forty-five update that Kat’s mother and the other councilors began to detach themselves from the throng and make their way onto the platform. Finally they took their seats with everyone watching.

  Kat noticed a palpable increase in the tension in the air. Tony paused as he passed by her. “You stay here and guard this end of the platform—and finish your coffee. Sara and a safety aide have got the other end.”

  “What about you?”

  “I’ll be down in front of the platform. Everyone else is ringing the perimeter.” Since the two threats they were most worried about were an attack from a mob outside and someone from the crowd inside attacking the winner after the results were in, that all made sense.

  Kat glanced up at the platform and realized Dr. Harker hadn’t taken her place with her colleagues, hadn’t appeared in the hall at all, as far as Kat could see. Maybe the woman was too busy to attend, with the flu outbreak still sweeping the community. She was about to ask Tony, to make sure, when they noticed Paul pushing his way toward them.

  The tall, lanky officer was breathless by the time he reached them. “Some young Ag workers showed up in the lobby just now, and Officer Courdray sent me to tell you—they don’t smell it but they’re acting drunk. She thought you’d want to handle them.”

  Of course, Lisa could’ve sent that message from her pad—what she’d really wanted to do was get her partner away from any real action. Paul had a level head, but he still wasn’t much of a fighter.

  Kat could see Tony revising his plans as he considered this new wrinkle. He turned to her first. “I want you to take up position in front of the platform in my place.” She really ought to have been his deputy. Then he nodded at Paul. “I’ll go help Lisa. You take this end of the platform. Got it?”

  When they both nodded, Tony plunged into the crowd, headed for the lobby. Kat set her coffee cup down on the edge of the platform and started working her way around to the front, grinning. Tony was trusting her to stand between any attackers and the councilors they might target. Including her mother and the community’s soon-to-be new leader—those possibly being one and the same person.

  Standing underneath that center spot put her in front of where Caroline sat, but Kat had her back to the platform as she faced the milling masses. Then she realized that the deputy director had announced the penultimate returns already, while Kat had been distracted. She hadn’t heard the new vote total and didn’t know who was winning now.

  Someone had strung a rope cordon a few feet in front of the platform to keep the crowd from getting too close, but it would only hold back those playing by the rules. Kat was herself the only real barrier to any attack on the councilors behind her. Still, those next ten minutes were tedious in the extreme, waiting. Everyone was just waiting.

  Without much ado, the deputy director stood to signify the moment was at hand. Watching the people in front of her, Kat only listened. She could imagine Ms. Belue squinting at the pad in her hands as she prepared to read the results.

  “Your attention, please, everyone. The final results are in, and the vote count has Caroline Sanderson in the lead by a margin of fifty-four votes. That makes her our new community leader, the first First Councilor of the FURC.”

  Kat heard Ms. Belue sit and another stand. She had expected that to be her mother, but it was Alvin Fox who spoke next.

  “Fellow residents, you’ve made your choice and your voices clear. While I expect you who voted for me may feel disappointed, don’t be discouraged. It wasn’t in vain. The narrow margin shows your support for my vision, and it means Caroline Sanderson has no mandate to run this community however she pleases. Your opinions will weigh heavily in the decisions made going forward. Or if not, we’ll have to have another election.”

  If that was a concession speech, Kat didn’t think much of it, but then she was biased. Apparently her mother, the victor, would be speaking last—glancing back, Kat saw Dean Kittner rising to her feet. Then she saw Sara sliding out of her chair on the end and wondered if there was trouble.

  Dean Kittner’s thin voice was unflatteringly amplified by the microphone the woman wore. “Fellow citizens, this election has been a fraud from the beginning. You were led to think you were choosing a leader, but the administration has been leading you all around by the nose. They were never going to let someone win who would challenge their authority—the results speak for themselves, and they say it was all a sham. This place will only be run acco
rding to our interests if we take control ourselves. By force if necessary. I speak now to everyone watching on the FURCSnet—rise up! Take this community for your own!”

  Kat could only stare at the woman as she talked with rising volume. She was too stunned to move—though she was unsure what she would have done if she could’ve. Then her mother was rising to her feet and speaking softly to Dean Kittner. “You do realize that just like in our council chambers, the video isn’t transmitted in real-time, Alice. There’s a thirty minute delay. By the time anybody outside this room hears your little rant, this will all be over. You’ll be over.”

  Shaking her head, Kat was just convincing herself that Dean Kittner must’ve had some sort of psychotic break when Sara stepped up behind Caroline and grabbed her hair with one hand. And put a gun to her head with the other.

  Even before Kat could react, Paul was bounding up the steps to the stage, yelling. “Sara! What in the world do you think you’re doing?”

  Sara yanked Caroline’s head back as she swung her other hand around in an arc and shot Paul. The stunned crowd broke like a rack of billiard balls into complete pandemonium, and Kat took the moment of chaos to leap onto the platform and rush to Paul’s side where he’d fallen onto the planks. Seeing it was a clean through-and-through shoulder wound, that it wasn’t bleeding badly, and he had already pressed his palm to staunch it, she knew he’d be alright. As soon as he got medical attention, which might take a while to materialize, under the circumstances.

  Glancing around, she saw that a dozen or more fights had broken out, with some students from the crowd and even some of the student aides trying to stop Susan and Salazar and Gabe from reaching the platform to help. And Sara was jabbing her gun into Caroline’s back and glaring at Kat.

  Kat tried to keep her voice calm. “Let me call an ambulance, Sara. For Paul. You still care about him too much to let him die, don’t you?”

  “It’s you people who forced us to break up. But some things are more important than Paul. So don’t think I’ll let you call anyone, because I know it’ll just be one of your tricks. I know your tricks. Make one more move, and your mother’s dead.”

  Kat didn’t move a muscle. “No tricks, Sara. You can call for help for Paul yourself, if you want, or ask Dean Kittner to do it for you.” Though as the woman had returned to ranting about revolution to whoever would listen, she probably wouldn’t be inclined to do anyone any favors.

  Sara shook her head. “The sisters aren’t in any shape to help anybody. By now our people will have taken the clinic, and the director as a hostage.”

  Her father. But Kat knew that couldn’t be—her dad was safe at home, but nobody knew that. These radicals might still be doing a lot of harm at the hospital though—why hadn’t anyone called for help?

  Sara must’ve been wondering the same thing. “I don’t understand why so much of Security stayed in the hall. We expected a good half of you to have run to the clinic to try to help the sisters.”

  Kat could’ve told her it was because they hadn’t gotten the call. But there was nothing she or anyone could do to help the sisters now—what she would do was take care of Sara and the hostage situation that existed right in front of her.

  Half-crouched beside Paul, Kat considered her options. If only she could swap places with Caroline—she could handle Sara easily enough then. Doubtless the girl knew not to let Kat get that close. What Kat needed now was an opening, even a split second when that gun wasn’t aimed at her mother.

  She wondered where Tony was. Then she realized that the trouble in the lobby must’ve been only a distraction to draw some of Security away. Looking up into her mother’s eyes, she wished she knew her better. Kat had a vague memory from long ago, of Tony trying to teach Caroline some basic maneuvers, but she couldn’t recall what he might’ve taught her. She certainly didn’t know how much her mom might remember of anything she’d learned so many years in the past. But it was all the hope she had.

  As she stared at her mother, hoping the woman would get some sense of what was needed, Caroline began to tear up. “My beautiful, amazing daughter, I’m sorry we haven’t had more time together. That’s not going to happen now, is it?”

  Then Kat could see her mother going wobbly in the knees and knew she meant now. Caroline’s eyes rolled back in her head, and as her mom was crumpling to the ground, Kat closed the gap between herself and Sara. The girl wavered for a brief moment, trying to decide whether to keep her hostage or aim her gun at Kat, and then Kat was driving her shoulder through the back of Sara’s elbow, pushing away the arm that held the weapon. Grabbing at the girl’s wrist as they swung around, a second shot was fired. Then Kat was slamming Sara’s face to the floor and stepping on the girl’s outstretched hand to force her to let go of the gun.

  Glancing up and around to assess the situation, she saw Dean Kittner slumped across the table with a hole in the back of her head, Caroline picking herself up off the floor, and Tony gliding through all the bedlam below toward the platform. It appeared her fellow officers were gradually gaining control of the situation though.

  Caroline turned to look down at her daughter as she brushed herself off. “Well, it had to be convincing, didn’t it? But I think I’ve ruined this outfit.”

  “Not ruined, mother. You’re just a little dusty.”

  “Dusty? I’m glad you didn’t say rusty, at least.” She turned to her fellow councilors, those that were left. “Perhaps we should proceed with the swearing in. Even without Alice or Dr. Harker present, we do have a quorum.” She glanced at Dean Kittner, then looked down again to where Kat had Sara pinned to the ground. “I’ll assume Ms. King would vote ‘nay’, but what about the rest of you?”

  Kat just shook her head, but the various council members all treated the suggestion seriously. After a unanimous vote, minus Sara’s assumed objection, the deputy director faced Kat’s mother with her pad in her hand, ready to read.

  “Caroline Sanderson, by the power that was invested in Director Jonathan Miles, and by extension in me as his official proxy, by the Federal University and Research Complex Charter that established this community, I hereby declare you First Councilor. I hereby devolve specific governing authorities to you and the Community Council according to the agreement of the nineteenth of May of this year, details of which are available online for anyone who wishes to read them.”

  Ms. Belue then nodded at Caroline and glanced around at the rest of them. “I’ve logged that into the FURCSnet record, so that’s it. But I suggest you all study the specifics of the authority you have so that you understand precisely what it does and does not consist of.”

  Kat’s mother squinted at the deputy director. “I know quite well the extent of my powers.” Then she stepped up to the table and faced the audience that was beginning to mill around aimlessly, as they now seemed to sense the danger had passed. “I’d like to say a few words to express my appreciation for your support, and also to pledge my services as your representative in the running of this community. But I hope you’ll indulge me by waiting a few minutes, so I can freshen up a bit first.”

  As soon as she had finished speaking, Tony took the opportunity to approach her and Kat. But it was Caroline who got in the first word. “Chief Nelson, if you and Lt. Miles would please escort me to my office? I would hate to encounter any unpleasant surprises at this point.”

  Kat sighed and zip-tied Sara’s wrists behind her back and left the girl for her colleagues to deal with. Then she stood and followed her mother, with Tony leading the way through the back door and into the corridor, right to the room where she’d recently had a nice nap. That seemed like a long time ago.

  Caroline fiddled with her FURCS pad along the way, then went straight to her desk on entering her office, where she grabbed a fabric brush and lint remover before placing herself in front of a full-length mirror in the corner. Seeming to inspect every inch of her clothes, she addressed Tony.

  “Tony, be a dear and lock the door. I don�
�t want to be disturbed.” Then she stared at Kat’s reflection in the glass. “Did you mean to shoot Alice, darling? Her death has certainly helped us avoid an awkward situation, but was that your intention?”

  “I’m not sure. I mean, it just sort of happened.” Kat had simply been in the moment, doing what she had to do without thinking about it.

  From Caroline’s blank expression, Kat saw her mother didn’t understand. “Well, I looked over the video on the way back here, and it plays like an accident, which is what counts. I also took my first official action as First Councilor.” Her eyes met Kat’s in the mirror. “I’ve watched what’s been going on with you and Tony, and I decided all this floundering has got to stop.”

  Kat glared at her mother in the glass. “We don’t know what you’re talking about.” She didn’t look to see how Tony was reacting.

  Caroline sighed. “You’re my daughter, and I see where this is going. I had to do something now, before the two of you got into real trouble. So I intervened.” Finishing with her dress, she walked to her desk again and replaced one set of tools for another—her makeup case—and began fixing her face in the smaller mirror in the lid. “I married you.”

  “What!?”

  Tony was more controlled. “Care, I don’t know what you intend by this joke, but it’s not funny.”

  Caroline paused as she touched up her lipstick. “It’s no joke. I’ve already recorded your marriage in the FURCSnet registry. If you’ll read the agreement that gives me my authority, you’ll see that it’s within my power to declare marriages official. Of course, it doesn’t make you really married. It’s only a technicality. But it will soon be public knowledge, and all the community will know about you two. Including Miles.”

  “Care, you can’t force us to do anything.”

  “I already have, Tony. Now you can explain this to everyone, even my husband—how it came about. Or you can accept what I’ve done and live with it. I’ll leave it to the two of you to work out between yourselves which it will be.”