The Tomorrow Series Fanfiction: Who Will Lead Us? - Chapter 7
This is the sixth chapter in a fanfiction of The Tomorrow Series by theun4givables.
Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6
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Jazz's head felt heavy as he woke up after the surgery on his shoulder. That shoulder still hurt, but it felt better than before. He was alive and recovering. Jazz had to be grateful for that, and he was even more grateful Savin had survived to even get to the Compound. The news about him - Jazz still couldn't believe it.
He didn't want to believe it. Jazz wanted to put his head in his hands, but it still hurt too much to move his arm. This - this wasn't how things were supposed to be. Nothing had gone right since Jazz had voted so foolishly for Mitchel to become Emperor. He hadn't realized just what would happen when he did that, but he should have. If Jazz hadn't been so stupid, Savin wouldn't have lost - he didn't want to think about what the other man had lost, because of Jazz.
“You awake, Blue?” Ravi asked.
Jazz only then noticed he was there. “Yeah, I'm awake,” he muttered. With the thoughts swirling in his mind, he didn't really want to be awake anymore.
Ravi looked at him, his face showing concern. “You had a real close call. You gotta be more careful. You're becomin' a regular guest here. Don't want you to be 'everyone's favorite gunshot victim' anymore, alright?”
“I didn't really have a choice.” He shifted position on the bed, wincing in pain as he did so.
“Take it easy, okay?” Ravi said.
Jazz didn't think such concern was really necessary.
The door to Jazz's hospital door opened. It was Savin, who also looked deeply concerned. Jazz couldn't bring himself to meet his eyes, instead looking away from the other man.
Savin murmured, “Hey, Jazz? I need to check your vitals and see how you're healing.”
“Yeah,” Jazz muttered, still avoiding Savin's eyes.
First, Savin checked the various machines by Jazz's hospital bed. “Your vitals are okay for someone in recovery, but I need to see your surgical sites now.”
Jazz winced as he pulled off his shirt for Savin to check. He tried to shift away from the other man as he approached.
Savin said, “You have to try and stay still, Jazz.”
He knew that, but Savin was just too close right now. Jazz turned his head away as Savin examined his shoulder. The examination hurt; Jazz tried not to show how painful it was. He didn't want anyone to worry too much. He was recovering just fine, surely.
Savin finished examining his shoulder and moved onto his leg, which was a far less traumatic injury. All the while, Jazz wouldn't look at him. When Savin tried to meet his eyes, he deliberately turned his head away.
Ravi asked, “Hey, doc, how's he doin'?”
“He should be fine as long as he takes it easy,” Savin answered.
“You actually expect 'im to take it easy?” Ravi clearly didn't expect Jazz to do so.
Savin shook his head. “No, I don't, but he really should.”
Jazz rolled his eyes. “You're both worrying too much.”
“I don't think it's 'too much' when you nearly killed yourself getting here,” Savin said.
“I didn't almost kill myself,” Jazz muttered, though he knew he actually had almost killed himself.
Ravi asked, “You didn't? Really, Blue?”
Jazz ignored that as he put his shirt back on, wincing again at the pain. Right now, he didn't care so much that he had almost killed himself. He still couldn't look at Savin, who seemed to be trying to catch his eye. Jazz wished he wouldn't do that, not after what Jazz had done.
There wasn't much time to stew in guilt, though, because another person entered the hospital room. It was Alex, who looked considerably less smiley than when Jazz had last seen him.
“Let's not have you collecting any more bullet wounds, okay?” Alex said.
“I'll try, but it's not like I go out looking to get shot,” Jazz muttered.
Alex quipped, “Maybe the bullets just like you.”
“Well, it's definitely not mutual,” Jazz grumbled.
Then, Alex grew far more serious. “We have things to discuss.”
Jazz was confused. What kind of things could they possibly have to discuss, anyway? Why would the leader of the Compound want to discuss something with Jazz? He felt nothing but useless after his mistaken voting for Mitchel.
“Jazz and Savin, you were members of Mitchel's Council, right?” Alex asked.
His stomach sank because his being on that Council was what had caused everything to go wrong. It was why Savin - Jazz still couldn't bring himself to complete that thought.
Savin said, “Yes, we were. Is that going to be a problem?”
Alex smiled. “A problem? Not at all. The Resistance could use people with insider information.”
His words took some time to sink in. Jazz couldn't believe they would want him, but Alex didn't know he had voted for Michel, did he?
Jazz asked, “The - Resistance?”
“Yeah, a recently formed organization. It started coming together the moment Mitchel took office and decided mass killing NBs was a fun new hobby,” he said.
“And you want us as part of this organization of yours?” Savin wondered.
He nodded. “Indeed. We won't have a chance otherwise. It's like Mitchel knows everything, somehow. We need to stay one step ahead of the enemy, yeah? Who better to keep ahead than people who have seen up close how Our Esteemed Emperor operates?”
Jazz had to snort at the phrase “Our Esteemed Emperor.” His amusement didn't last long, as he remembered that was almost the exact phrase Victoria Glass had used to describe Mitchel on the news when she announced the NB Purge. All the people who would die because of Jazz - his stomach seized up at the thought.
Savin asked, “Jazz, are you okay?”
“Yeah, I'm fine,” he muttered, still not looking him in the eye.
“So, are you guys in?” Alex's eyes shone expectantly.
Jazz's first instinct was to refuse Alex. After all, who would want someone who had screwed up so badly? Something stopped Jazz, though. He didn't immediately say no to the question. Maybe - could this be a way for him to make up for his mistake?
“Are you sure you want us as part of your group?” Jazz asked.
“Of course I'm sure. I don't make offers if I'm not sure about them,” Alex said.
Jazz sighed. He pushed his hair out of his eyes with his good arm. This was probably a terrible idea, but he found himself saying, “I'm in. I'll - I'll join your Resistance.”
“Excellent!” Alex smiled again. He turned to Savin. “And what about you?”
Savin murmured, “I'll join, too. Mitchel can't be allowed to keep doing - the sorts of things he's done.”
Jazz's stomach twisted again at the mention of the things Mitchel had done.
Ravi spoke up. “Hey, if you got room for another, I'm up for joinin' your Resistance. Ain't think much of this fuckin' NB Purge.”
“We can always use more people,” Alex said.
Jazz looked at Alex. “There's one condition for me to join. I want to meet the leader of this Resistance.”
“I can arrange to have you meet her,” he responded. “She's in the Capital City, which is not too far from here. I assure you, she's legit.”
“When's the soonest I can leave?” Jazz asked.
“Not until you're fully healed, that's for sure,” Savin muttered.
Ravi said, “You kiddin' me, Blue? You ain't ready to be goin' anywhere.”
Jazz didn't want to waste any time. “If we're going to work against Mitchel, we can't just sit here.”
“We'll 'sit here' if it means keeping you from killing yourself,” Savin said.
He didn't think he would kill himself if he traveled to meet this mysterious leader.
“Is it possible to get her to come here?” Jazz wondered.
Alex looked thoughtful. “She's got a day job that keeps her real busy, but it's possible you might be able to get her to come here. I can have my tech guy, Nem, set up a call if you want. Audio only, you understand.”
“Then do that.” Jazz hoped he could convince the leader to come here. He wouldn't mind traveling, but he knew Savin and Ravi would be pains in the ass about letting him go anywhere.
“I'll be back shortly.” Alex waved and left.
He kept his promise to “be back shortly,” returning with another man who held a strange looking device in his hands.
This newcomer held up his device, beaming proudly. “It's a special secure phone that's about ninety-five percent Mitchel-proof. I win at life!”
Alex gestured to the man with the strange phone. “That's Nem. He's...very enthusiastic about his computer stuff.”
Nem punched some buttons on his odd phone and handed it to Jazz. “It should connect you to our leader in about a minute. Awesome, right?”
Jazz winced in pain when he took the phone from Nem. He hoped this would work and that he could convince the leader to come to the Compound, or at least otherwise determine how legitimate she was.
The phone made an odd, loud crackling noise. Jazz almost dropped it, but he managed to hold on. Pain shot through his shoulder, and he winced yet again. The others looked on in concern, but he ignored them.
“Hello? Who is this?” That voice. Jazz recognized that voice, as distorted as it was. If he were not mistaken, that was Samantha from the Council. She was leading the Resistance? It would actually make some sense, based on her reaction when Mitchel proposed reinstating the NB laws.
“C-councilwoman Wilkes?” Jazz asked, still not entirely sure of himself.
“Councilman Callahan? You made it out alive,” she said.
It was her.
“Yeah, it's me. I made it out alive,” Jazz murmured.
“Barely,” both Savin and Ravi muttered under their breaths.
Jazz ignored that. He was fine now, anyway.
“Councilman Bates is here, too,” Jazz said.
Samantha replied, “I'm glad to hear that. After what happened, I wasn't sure. I wasn't sure about anybody whom Mitchel wanted gone. His plans, they're only getting worse.” She sighed. Jazz could hear it, even over the distorted connection. “We just don't have the power to do much against him.”
Jazz realized the truth of Samantha's statement. They weren't in a good position to do much; the Resistance was new and couldn't have gathered much power. With the way Mitchel operated, they would need serious backup in order to move before things got irreparably bad.
“We need allies,” Jazz said.
“And where do you suggest we find these allies?” Samantha asked.
“Hooba,” Jazz stated simply.
“Did you forget the Empire is almost at war with Hooba?” Savin spoke loud enough Samantha must have heard him.
“Exactly,” Jazz said. “The Empire is almost at war with Hooba. Who's running the Empire right now? Mitchel is, and the Resistance is at war with Mitchel. That means, in a way, we might be on the same side as Hooba.”
Samantha wondered, “Do you think you could even convince Queen Jordine to help us?”
“I don't know, but we need to try.” As dangerous as his plan was, Jazz knew it was their only real hope.
Sighing, Samantha agreed, “If you think this is our best course of action, I will agree to it. Councilman Callahan, you had the most experience with Queen Jordine, so will you be the one to contact her?”
Jazz said, “I will attempt to initiate communications with Jordine.” He didn't look forward to trying.
“Alright, then. Unless there's any other important business, I really must be going now. Mitchel called yet another sudden Council meeting.” She sounded extremely unhappy about this fact.
“That's it for now,” Jazz muttered. “Goodbye, Councilwoman Wilkes.”
“Good luck,” she said.
The call cut off.
Nem smiled. “My phone works like a charm, right? There's almost no way Mitchel could ever know about this call!”
Jazz hoped that were true. If Mitchel had any way of knowing their moves, the Resistance was screwed. If he couldn't convince Jordine to help them, they were screwed, anyway. His stomach twisted; things were not going to be easy from here on out.
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written for the hc_bingo prompt "Hospital Stay"
Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6
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Jazz's head felt heavy as he woke up after the surgery on his shoulder. That shoulder still hurt, but it felt better than before. He was alive and recovering. Jazz had to be grateful for that, and he was even more grateful Savin had survived to even get to the Compound. The news about him - Jazz still couldn't believe it.
He didn't want to believe it. Jazz wanted to put his head in his hands, but it still hurt too much to move his arm. This - this wasn't how things were supposed to be. Nothing had gone right since Jazz had voted so foolishly for Mitchel to become Emperor. He hadn't realized just what would happen when he did that, but he should have. If Jazz hadn't been so stupid, Savin wouldn't have lost - he didn't want to think about what the other man had lost, because of Jazz.
“You awake, Blue?” Ravi asked.
Jazz only then noticed he was there. “Yeah, I'm awake,” he muttered. With the thoughts swirling in his mind, he didn't really want to be awake anymore.
Ravi looked at him, his face showing concern. “You had a real close call. You gotta be more careful. You're becomin' a regular guest here. Don't want you to be 'everyone's favorite gunshot victim' anymore, alright?”
“I didn't really have a choice.” He shifted position on the bed, wincing in pain as he did so.
“Take it easy, okay?” Ravi said.
Jazz didn't think such concern was really necessary.
The door to Jazz's hospital door opened. It was Savin, who also looked deeply concerned. Jazz couldn't bring himself to meet his eyes, instead looking away from the other man.
Savin murmured, “Hey, Jazz? I need to check your vitals and see how you're healing.”
“Yeah,” Jazz muttered, still avoiding Savin's eyes.
First, Savin checked the various machines by Jazz's hospital bed. “Your vitals are okay for someone in recovery, but I need to see your surgical sites now.”
Jazz winced as he pulled off his shirt for Savin to check. He tried to shift away from the other man as he approached.
Savin said, “You have to try and stay still, Jazz.”
He knew that, but Savin was just too close right now. Jazz turned his head away as Savin examined his shoulder. The examination hurt; Jazz tried not to show how painful it was. He didn't want anyone to worry too much. He was recovering just fine, surely.
Savin finished examining his shoulder and moved onto his leg, which was a far less traumatic injury. All the while, Jazz wouldn't look at him. When Savin tried to meet his eyes, he deliberately turned his head away.
Ravi asked, “Hey, doc, how's he doin'?”
“He should be fine as long as he takes it easy,” Savin answered.
“You actually expect 'im to take it easy?” Ravi clearly didn't expect Jazz to do so.
Savin shook his head. “No, I don't, but he really should.”
Jazz rolled his eyes. “You're both worrying too much.”
“I don't think it's 'too much' when you nearly killed yourself getting here,” Savin said.
“I didn't almost kill myself,” Jazz muttered, though he knew he actually had almost killed himself.
Ravi asked, “You didn't? Really, Blue?”
Jazz ignored that as he put his shirt back on, wincing again at the pain. Right now, he didn't care so much that he had almost killed himself. He still couldn't look at Savin, who seemed to be trying to catch his eye. Jazz wished he wouldn't do that, not after what Jazz had done.
There wasn't much time to stew in guilt, though, because another person entered the hospital room. It was Alex, who looked considerably less smiley than when Jazz had last seen him.
“Let's not have you collecting any more bullet wounds, okay?” Alex said.
“I'll try, but it's not like I go out looking to get shot,” Jazz muttered.
Alex quipped, “Maybe the bullets just like you.”
“Well, it's definitely not mutual,” Jazz grumbled.
Then, Alex grew far more serious. “We have things to discuss.”
Jazz was confused. What kind of things could they possibly have to discuss, anyway? Why would the leader of the Compound want to discuss something with Jazz? He felt nothing but useless after his mistaken voting for Mitchel.
“Jazz and Savin, you were members of Mitchel's Council, right?” Alex asked.
His stomach sank because his being on that Council was what had caused everything to go wrong. It was why Savin - Jazz still couldn't bring himself to complete that thought.
Savin said, “Yes, we were. Is that going to be a problem?”
Alex smiled. “A problem? Not at all. The Resistance could use people with insider information.”
His words took some time to sink in. Jazz couldn't believe they would want him, but Alex didn't know he had voted for Michel, did he?
Jazz asked, “The - Resistance?”
“Yeah, a recently formed organization. It started coming together the moment Mitchel took office and decided mass killing NBs was a fun new hobby,” he said.
“And you want us as part of this organization of yours?” Savin wondered.
He nodded. “Indeed. We won't have a chance otherwise. It's like Mitchel knows everything, somehow. We need to stay one step ahead of the enemy, yeah? Who better to keep ahead than people who have seen up close how Our Esteemed Emperor operates?”
Jazz had to snort at the phrase “Our Esteemed Emperor.” His amusement didn't last long, as he remembered that was almost the exact phrase Victoria Glass had used to describe Mitchel on the news when she announced the NB Purge. All the people who would die because of Jazz - his stomach seized up at the thought.
Savin asked, “Jazz, are you okay?”
“Yeah, I'm fine,” he muttered, still not looking him in the eye.
“So, are you guys in?” Alex's eyes shone expectantly.
Jazz's first instinct was to refuse Alex. After all, who would want someone who had screwed up so badly? Something stopped Jazz, though. He didn't immediately say no to the question. Maybe - could this be a way for him to make up for his mistake?
“Are you sure you want us as part of your group?” Jazz asked.
“Of course I'm sure. I don't make offers if I'm not sure about them,” Alex said.
Jazz sighed. He pushed his hair out of his eyes with his good arm. This was probably a terrible idea, but he found himself saying, “I'm in. I'll - I'll join your Resistance.”
“Excellent!” Alex smiled again. He turned to Savin. “And what about you?”
Savin murmured, “I'll join, too. Mitchel can't be allowed to keep doing - the sorts of things he's done.”
Jazz's stomach twisted again at the mention of the things Mitchel had done.
Ravi spoke up. “Hey, if you got room for another, I'm up for joinin' your Resistance. Ain't think much of this fuckin' NB Purge.”
“We can always use more people,” Alex said.
Jazz looked at Alex. “There's one condition for me to join. I want to meet the leader of this Resistance.”
“I can arrange to have you meet her,” he responded. “She's in the Capital City, which is not too far from here. I assure you, she's legit.”
“When's the soonest I can leave?” Jazz asked.
“Not until you're fully healed, that's for sure,” Savin muttered.
Ravi said, “You kiddin' me, Blue? You ain't ready to be goin' anywhere.”
Jazz didn't want to waste any time. “If we're going to work against Mitchel, we can't just sit here.”
“We'll 'sit here' if it means keeping you from killing yourself,” Savin said.
He didn't think he would kill himself if he traveled to meet this mysterious leader.
“Is it possible to get her to come here?” Jazz wondered.
Alex looked thoughtful. “She's got a day job that keeps her real busy, but it's possible you might be able to get her to come here. I can have my tech guy, Nem, set up a call if you want. Audio only, you understand.”
“Then do that.” Jazz hoped he could convince the leader to come here. He wouldn't mind traveling, but he knew Savin and Ravi would be pains in the ass about letting him go anywhere.
“I'll be back shortly.” Alex waved and left.
He kept his promise to “be back shortly,” returning with another man who held a strange looking device in his hands.
This newcomer held up his device, beaming proudly. “It's a special secure phone that's about ninety-five percent Mitchel-proof. I win at life!”
Alex gestured to the man with the strange phone. “That's Nem. He's...very enthusiastic about his computer stuff.”
Nem punched some buttons on his odd phone and handed it to Jazz. “It should connect you to our leader in about a minute. Awesome, right?”
Jazz winced in pain when he took the phone from Nem. He hoped this would work and that he could convince the leader to come to the Compound, or at least otherwise determine how legitimate she was.
The phone made an odd, loud crackling noise. Jazz almost dropped it, but he managed to hold on. Pain shot through his shoulder, and he winced yet again. The others looked on in concern, but he ignored them.
“Hello? Who is this?” That voice. Jazz recognized that voice, as distorted as it was. If he were not mistaken, that was Samantha from the Council. She was leading the Resistance? It would actually make some sense, based on her reaction when Mitchel proposed reinstating the NB laws.
“C-councilwoman Wilkes?” Jazz asked, still not entirely sure of himself.
“Councilman Callahan? You made it out alive,” she said.
It was her.
“Yeah, it's me. I made it out alive,” Jazz murmured.
“Barely,” both Savin and Ravi muttered under their breaths.
Jazz ignored that. He was fine now, anyway.
“Councilman Bates is here, too,” Jazz said.
Samantha replied, “I'm glad to hear that. After what happened, I wasn't sure. I wasn't sure about anybody whom Mitchel wanted gone. His plans, they're only getting worse.” She sighed. Jazz could hear it, even over the distorted connection. “We just don't have the power to do much against him.”
Jazz realized the truth of Samantha's statement. They weren't in a good position to do much; the Resistance was new and couldn't have gathered much power. With the way Mitchel operated, they would need serious backup in order to move before things got irreparably bad.
“We need allies,” Jazz said.
“And where do you suggest we find these allies?” Samantha asked.
“Hooba,” Jazz stated simply.
“Did you forget the Empire is almost at war with Hooba?” Savin spoke loud enough Samantha must have heard him.
“Exactly,” Jazz said. “The Empire is almost at war with Hooba. Who's running the Empire right now? Mitchel is, and the Resistance is at war with Mitchel. That means, in a way, we might be on the same side as Hooba.”
Samantha wondered, “Do you think you could even convince Queen Jordine to help us?”
“I don't know, but we need to try.” As dangerous as his plan was, Jazz knew it was their only real hope.
Sighing, Samantha agreed, “If you think this is our best course of action, I will agree to it. Councilman Callahan, you had the most experience with Queen Jordine, so will you be the one to contact her?”
Jazz said, “I will attempt to initiate communications with Jordine.” He didn't look forward to trying.
“Alright, then. Unless there's any other important business, I really must be going now. Mitchel called yet another sudden Council meeting.” She sounded extremely unhappy about this fact.
“That's it for now,” Jazz muttered. “Goodbye, Councilwoman Wilkes.”
“Good luck,” she said.
The call cut off.
Nem smiled. “My phone works like a charm, right? There's almost no way Mitchel could ever know about this call!”
Jazz hoped that were true. If Mitchel had any way of knowing their moves, the Resistance was screwed. If he couldn't convince Jordine to help them, they were screwed, anyway. His stomach twisted; things were not going to be easy from here on out.
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written for the hc_bingo prompt "Hospital Stay"