The Tomorrow Series Fanfiction: Who Will Lead Us? - Chapter 8
This is the eighth chapter in a fanfiction of The Tomorrow Series by theun4givables.
Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7
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Nem grinned at Jazz. “This control room has special security measures. Nobody outside it can possibly know what goes on in here, just like with the phone I gave you. Awesomesauce, yeah?”
“I didn't know Awesome was a sauce,” Alex quipped.
“It's the best sauce ever,” Nem retorted. “All my technology runs on Awesomesauce.”
Alex shrugged. “As long as it works and I can see what's going on, I'm good.”
Jazz's stomach knotted. He hoped those two guys would be done with their banter soon and he could get on with contacting Jordine. Jazz sighed, running his fingers through his hair. This was not something he wanted to do, at all. Nobody contacted Jordine for a nice social chat. He looked at Savin, who pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. He didn't look like he wanted to do this, either.
“When will the transmission go through?” Jazz asked nervously.
Nem said, “It should go through any second, now. That doesn't mean that the Queen will actually pick up. I may have gotten fourth place in the Hacker Idol competition, but I can't control someone's brain. Especially not a brain like Queen Jordine is said to have, dude.”
“Thank you, Nem,” Jazz muttered.
The computer in front of him made an odd noise, almost like it were yawning.
“Is it supposed to make that noise?” he wondered.
Nem smiled. “It's a bit noisy because of the security modifications, but, I assure you, unless Mitchel is psychic, he's not intercepting shit.”
Alex shook his head. “People can't read minds, Nem.”
Jordine's face appeared on the screen, smiling. It made Jazz even more wary. “Councilman Callahan, I wondered when I would be hearing from you.”
She anticipated their call? “We have an issue, and we need your help.”
“So I've heard. But, wait, Councilman, why should I deal with you? You're no longer a member of the Emperor's Council, are you? Just another lowly citizen, not even that. What benefits do I gain from helping you?” Jordine asked.
Jazz straightened his posture and tried not to let his nervousness show. How did Jordine know as much as she did? He didn't think information would travel that fast.
He said, “We're willing to work with you. Mitchel won't be.”
“Why do I want to work with anybody? How will an alliance help Hooba achieve its goals, exactly?" Jordine inquired.
Jazz looked her in the eye through the screen, having the oddest sensation that she could read his mind. He needed to listen to Nem and Alex less. They were making him paranoid.
Jazz explained, "Your goal is to expand your territory, correct? And I assume you don't want to waste resources on an unsupported war if you don't have to? Mitchel will attack.”
Jordine muttered, “Former Councilman Callahan, you're asking me to replace one war with another. What is the advantage to providing you aid in taking Second Earth's throne over going to war with Mitchel? Is the support of your Resistance so great that I would have such better odds of winning?”
He knew their Resistance barely existed. It couldn't provide any significant advantage in terms of military support, not yet.
“We are building our numbers as we speak. More importantly, we are willing to offer territorial concessions in exchange for your aid. Mitchel will give you nothing,” he said.
“Perhaps he won't, but if I go to war with him, I can take everything I want, yes? If I help you, I won't get as much as I want, will I? What reason do I have for choosing the alliance in that case?” she asked.
Jazz refrained from running his fingers through his hair and tried not to bite his lip. “You will get as much territory as you want, if you win. There is no guarantee of that. There is, however, a promise of territory if you provide us with military aid.”
She said, “If I help you, what guarantee do I have that you'll even win? Your Resistance cannot give me territory if it loses to Mitchel.”
It was, unfortunately, a good question. “No guarantees exist for either option, but if you help us, you will have more power on your side than if you turned down the alliance.”
“I will have an unspecified increase in military power, for a smaller territorial gain. Is that not accurate?” she murmured.
Jazz kept his gaze level. “The gain in power - should be significant, and the increase in your territory should be less costly.”
Jordine said, “I don't know if I want to risk anything on 'should bes' and possible gains. I will - consider your offer, at this time.”
“Thank -”
She cut off the transmission before Jazz could even finish saying “thank you.”
* * *
Savin still sat in his chair in the control room, trying to avoid thinking about everything that had happened. The attempt to form an alliance with Jordine could have gone better, but it could have also been worse. At least she didn't outright refuse.
He sighed and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Savin didn't want to look at Jazz, who also remained in the control room after everyone else had left.
“Savin?” Jazz's voice was hesitant.
“What is it?” Savin asked.
He said, “Are you okay?”
Savin didn't want to talk. “I'm fine,” he muttered.
“Are you sure? After what happened, I can't imagine - I mean, if you want to talk about it,” Jazz murmured.
Still avoiding Jazz's eyes, Savin said, “Christ, Jazz, I'm fine.”
Savin wanted to pretend it hadn't happened, which he couldn't exactly do when the cause of his grief was right in front of him. Jazz served as a reminder of - of everything that had gone wrong. On some level, he knew the younger man wasn't truly at fault, but Jazz had voted for Mitchel.
Jazz took a few steps towards Savin. He grabbed his shoulder and turned him around to face Jazz. “Savin, look at me. You're not fine.”
Savin pushed Jazz's hand away. Even now, he avoided looking the younger man in the eye, instead keeping his own eyes trained on the floor. He said, “There's nothing to talk about.”
“Nothing to talk about? What the fuck?” Jazz asked.
Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose again, Savin muttered, “I'm not talking about it, okay? Not - not with you.”
Savin got up from his chair and walked out of the room, not even looking at Jazz as he left.
* * *
Ravi sat on one end of the Compound bar, sipping his beer, when someone new entered. It was Blue, and he looked upset, maybe even like he'd been crying. Ravi watched as Blue sat down and waited for the bartender. Were his shoulders shaking?
Concerned, Ravi walked over to Blue's end of the bar and sat down at the bar stool next to his.
“Hey, Blue. You okay?” Ravi asked.
Blue turned towards the sound of his voice, eyes widening slightly in surprise. “Ravi! Yeah, I'm - I'm fine.”
Ravi raised an eyebrow. “You ain't look fine.”
“Really, I am fine,” Blue said.
He wasn't convinced. “Sure about that, Blue? This got somethin' to do with how Hooba might not be acceptin' your offer?”
“What?” Blue asked, evidently confused.
“Heard how Hooba didn't say 'yes' to you. That would upset me,” Ravi muttered.
Blue shook his head. “It's not that. It's - it's nothing.”
The bartender came back with Blue's drink. He sighed and took a sip. Ravi knew for a fact it wasn't “nothing,” not with that hurt look in Blue's eyes.
“You can tell me,” he murmured.
Sighing again, Blue said, “It's - it's Savin. He won't - won't talk to me. About - what happened.”
Ravi took a sip of his beer. “You mean about what we saw on the news, don't you?”
Blue picked up his drink, staring into it. He nodded. “Yeah, that.”
“It ain't your fuckin' fault,” he muttered.
Blue winced. “It kinda is.”
Ravi shook his head. “Somehow doubt that.”
“Trust me on this one,” Blue murmured. “And I don't wanna fucking talk about this anymore, okay?”
He thought the other man was avoiding something, but Ravi didn't think he would get anywhere by pressing the matter. Not with how closed-off Blue looked right now.
“Alright, Blue. But if you do ever wanna talk, I'm here,” he said.
Ravi hoped his offer would be enough.
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written for 500themes prompt #322 - "Wandering Hidden Paths"
Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7
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Nem grinned at Jazz. “This control room has special security measures. Nobody outside it can possibly know what goes on in here, just like with the phone I gave you. Awesomesauce, yeah?”
“I didn't know Awesome was a sauce,” Alex quipped.
“It's the best sauce ever,” Nem retorted. “All my technology runs on Awesomesauce.”
Alex shrugged. “As long as it works and I can see what's going on, I'm good.”
Jazz's stomach knotted. He hoped those two guys would be done with their banter soon and he could get on with contacting Jordine. Jazz sighed, running his fingers through his hair. This was not something he wanted to do, at all. Nobody contacted Jordine for a nice social chat. He looked at Savin, who pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. He didn't look like he wanted to do this, either.
“When will the transmission go through?” Jazz asked nervously.
Nem said, “It should go through any second, now. That doesn't mean that the Queen will actually pick up. I may have gotten fourth place in the Hacker Idol competition, but I can't control someone's brain. Especially not a brain like Queen Jordine is said to have, dude.”
“Thank you, Nem,” Jazz muttered.
The computer in front of him made an odd noise, almost like it were yawning.
“Is it supposed to make that noise?” he wondered.
Nem smiled. “It's a bit noisy because of the security modifications, but, I assure you, unless Mitchel is psychic, he's not intercepting shit.”
Alex shook his head. “People can't read minds, Nem.”
Jordine's face appeared on the screen, smiling. It made Jazz even more wary. “Councilman Callahan, I wondered when I would be hearing from you.”
She anticipated their call? “We have an issue, and we need your help.”
“So I've heard. But, wait, Councilman, why should I deal with you? You're no longer a member of the Emperor's Council, are you? Just another lowly citizen, not even that. What benefits do I gain from helping you?” Jordine asked.
Jazz straightened his posture and tried not to let his nervousness show. How did Jordine know as much as she did? He didn't think information would travel that fast.
He said, “We're willing to work with you. Mitchel won't be.”
“Why do I want to work with anybody? How will an alliance help Hooba achieve its goals, exactly?" Jordine inquired.
Jazz looked her in the eye through the screen, having the oddest sensation that she could read his mind. He needed to listen to Nem and Alex less. They were making him paranoid.
Jazz explained, "Your goal is to expand your territory, correct? And I assume you don't want to waste resources on an unsupported war if you don't have to? Mitchel will attack.”
Jordine muttered, “Former Councilman Callahan, you're asking me to replace one war with another. What is the advantage to providing you aid in taking Second Earth's throne over going to war with Mitchel? Is the support of your Resistance so great that I would have such better odds of winning?”
He knew their Resistance barely existed. It couldn't provide any significant advantage in terms of military support, not yet.
“We are building our numbers as we speak. More importantly, we are willing to offer territorial concessions in exchange for your aid. Mitchel will give you nothing,” he said.
“Perhaps he won't, but if I go to war with him, I can take everything I want, yes? If I help you, I won't get as much as I want, will I? What reason do I have for choosing the alliance in that case?” she asked.
Jazz refrained from running his fingers through his hair and tried not to bite his lip. “You will get as much territory as you want, if you win. There is no guarantee of that. There is, however, a promise of territory if you provide us with military aid.”
She said, “If I help you, what guarantee do I have that you'll even win? Your Resistance cannot give me territory if it loses to Mitchel.”
It was, unfortunately, a good question. “No guarantees exist for either option, but if you help us, you will have more power on your side than if you turned down the alliance.”
“I will have an unspecified increase in military power, for a smaller territorial gain. Is that not accurate?” she murmured.
Jazz kept his gaze level. “The gain in power - should be significant, and the increase in your territory should be less costly.”
Jordine said, “I don't know if I want to risk anything on 'should bes' and possible gains. I will - consider your offer, at this time.”
“Thank -”
She cut off the transmission before Jazz could even finish saying “thank you.”
* * *
Savin still sat in his chair in the control room, trying to avoid thinking about everything that had happened. The attempt to form an alliance with Jordine could have gone better, but it could have also been worse. At least she didn't outright refuse.
He sighed and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Savin didn't want to look at Jazz, who also remained in the control room after everyone else had left.
“Savin?” Jazz's voice was hesitant.
“What is it?” Savin asked.
He said, “Are you okay?”
Savin didn't want to talk. “I'm fine,” he muttered.
“Are you sure? After what happened, I can't imagine - I mean, if you want to talk about it,” Jazz murmured.
Still avoiding Jazz's eyes, Savin said, “Christ, Jazz, I'm fine.”
Savin wanted to pretend it hadn't happened, which he couldn't exactly do when the cause of his grief was right in front of him. Jazz served as a reminder of - of everything that had gone wrong. On some level, he knew the younger man wasn't truly at fault, but Jazz had voted for Mitchel.
Jazz took a few steps towards Savin. He grabbed his shoulder and turned him around to face Jazz. “Savin, look at me. You're not fine.”
Savin pushed Jazz's hand away. Even now, he avoided looking the younger man in the eye, instead keeping his own eyes trained on the floor. He said, “There's nothing to talk about.”
“Nothing to talk about? What the fuck?” Jazz asked.
Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose again, Savin muttered, “I'm not talking about it, okay? Not - not with you.”
Savin got up from his chair and walked out of the room, not even looking at Jazz as he left.
* * *
Ravi sat on one end of the Compound bar, sipping his beer, when someone new entered. It was Blue, and he looked upset, maybe even like he'd been crying. Ravi watched as Blue sat down and waited for the bartender. Were his shoulders shaking?
Concerned, Ravi walked over to Blue's end of the bar and sat down at the bar stool next to his.
“Hey, Blue. You okay?” Ravi asked.
Blue turned towards the sound of his voice, eyes widening slightly in surprise. “Ravi! Yeah, I'm - I'm fine.”
Ravi raised an eyebrow. “You ain't look fine.”
“Really, I am fine,” Blue said.
He wasn't convinced. “Sure about that, Blue? This got somethin' to do with how Hooba might not be acceptin' your offer?”
“What?” Blue asked, evidently confused.
“Heard how Hooba didn't say 'yes' to you. That would upset me,” Ravi muttered.
Blue shook his head. “It's not that. It's - it's nothing.”
The bartender came back with Blue's drink. He sighed and took a sip. Ravi knew for a fact it wasn't “nothing,” not with that hurt look in Blue's eyes.
“You can tell me,” he murmured.
Sighing again, Blue said, “It's - it's Savin. He won't - won't talk to me. About - what happened.”
Ravi took a sip of his beer. “You mean about what we saw on the news, don't you?”
Blue picked up his drink, staring into it. He nodded. “Yeah, that.”
“It ain't your fuckin' fault,” he muttered.
Blue winced. “It kinda is.”
Ravi shook his head. “Somehow doubt that.”
“Trust me on this one,” Blue murmured. “And I don't wanna fucking talk about this anymore, okay?”
He thought the other man was avoiding something, but Ravi didn't think he would get anywhere by pressing the matter. Not with how closed-off Blue looked right now.
“Alright, Blue. But if you do ever wanna talk, I'm here,” he said.
Ravi hoped his offer would be enough.
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written for 500themes prompt #322 - "Wandering Hidden Paths"