The Glass House: Chapter Eighteen
Aug. 2nd, 2008 06:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wolfanficsTitle: The Glass House
Author: Sashataakheru
Beta: The wonderfulrana_narsilion <3
Fandom: The Chaser/AusComedy RPS
Starring: Adam Hills, Sepulchre (OC), Wil Anderson, Hamish Blake, Craig Reucassel, Tim Minchin, Julian Morrow, Chas Licciardello, Charles Firth, Chris Taylor, Andrew Hansen, Caleb (OC), Dr Rachel Hardy (OC), Antoinette Laurent (OC), Dr Samantha Reddings (OC), Dominic Knight, Shane Cubis, Gregor Stronach, Tim Brunero, Andy Lee
Pairings: Andrew/Chris; Adam/Hamish; Jules/Chas; Rachel/Antoinette(/Samantha); Adam/Seb; Adam/Wil; Craig/Caleb; Adam/Wil/Tim; Andrew/Craig, Wil/Chas; implied Tim/Craig, Hamish/Andy (after a fashion. XD)
Word Count: 5,030
Chapter: 18/32 [Previous]
Warnings: language, technobabble, snark
Rating: FRAO
Disclaimer: I don’t know them, not associated with them, just a slashy fangirl admirer with a very active imagination.
Author’s Notes: FYI, fullwing = winged human capable of flight. Halfwing = fullwing/human halfbreed, usually unable to fly, sometimes have vestigial wings, but can be removed to pass as human and not as winged.
Summary: Adam catches up with what's been going on since he's been asleep, Sam and Rachel inject some technobabble into the mix (good for the soul. :P), Sepulchre and the dead finally get their remembrance, and the Chinese come to the table to play.
Chapter Eighteen
When they were at last allowed to leave, Hamish did his boyfriendly duty and accompanied Adam to the bathroom and then onto the mess hall. Wil and Tim were already waiting for him, piping hot meals ready to eat. Adam embraced them both, glad to see them again.
"Gave us quite a scare, you did. You alright?" Wil said.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll be alright. How's everything around here?" Adam said.
"Bit surreal, really. The whole place kinda stopped when we got you back. I mean, there were others who were drugged, or injured, or whatever, but it was you, you were out cold and not waking and everyone panicked. The raid was a complete surprise. We had no idea it had happened until Caleb called and said it had been attacked, and that Craig was injured. Then we found Tim and there were only six survivors and then it kinda sunk in how terrible it had all been and I still don't think it's quite sunk in yet. When we went to search the rubble for survivors, we were shot at and oh, that's right. We were given this. I haven't dared open it yet, even though I had it checked out when we got back and it's not carrying anything dangerous," Wil said, pulling out the letter from his jacket pocket that he'd quite forgotten about. "I thought it best to wait til you were awake. I figured it was meant for you."
Adam took it and looked at the cream envelope. It looked harmless enough. He picked up his knife and sliced it open, tapping it a little to let its contents fall out. It contained a letter and nothing more. Setting the envelope aside, Adam picked up the letter and unfolded it.
"'To whomever leads the rebellion now that your dear Adam has been destroyed,' well, they tried to destroy me at the very least, not sure they were very successful in that regard, 'let this be a warning to you. Not all are as stupid as they seem. We know you are organised. We know your numbers are growing. We will crush you and stop you from destroying our perfect world. Consider this your final warning. The arena you called "the glass house" has been razed to the ground. Your leaders are dead. You are nothing but rabble. Mutants. Where the rest of the Army tolerates you, we will move on you and wipe you from existence. Your fate awaits you.' Signed by one General Earnest P. Featherstone. What a charming man. How nice of him to send us a little death threat," Adam said, reading the letter.
"At least we know some of the commanders know we're organised. And that they don't know there are rebels amongst their own forces or they'd have anticipated them coming to help us and rescue you guys," Wil said.
"I bet he knows now," Adam said.
"I bet he's really mad they defected to us and helped their prisoners escape. And he lost you. That won't go down well with his mates," Wil said.
"I think it's just proof he doesn't know his own troops if he's managed to bollocks this up so badly," Hamish said.
"If I ever meet this General Featherstone, I'll be sure to thank him for the troops," Adam said.
"And the tanks, trucks, missiles and grenades we stole from him," Hamish added.
Wil laughed. "It really was too easy to steal from that bastard, wasn't it? Half his fucking base abandoned him. That says a lot about him."
"We only just had room for them all. Got some good men too. And women. We got a lot of women this time, for some reason," Tim said.
"That's good. Seems things are still going our way in spite of his attempts to crush us," Adam said.
"He seems a little dim-witted. Maybe he's one of those American generals who came over after the US self-destructed. I know there's a few of them around the place. I don't think they quite understand what it is they're doing," Hamish said.
"Not many who run this country know what they're doing, Ham," Adam said.
"Which is why we have to get rid of them and replace them with people who do know what they're doing," Wil said.
"People like us. Clearly more competent than this Featherstone guy," Tim said.
"Most definitely. We know how to run an organised rebellion. If he can't get that through his thick skull, then whatever happens is his own fault," Adam said.
Sam rushed off to the makeshift labs after she'd let Adam go. She had tests to run on his blood, and on the chemicals she'd managed to steal from the army base. Adam's recovery had been swift once he'd woken up. Sam had thought he'd need another few days' rest, but he was up and on his feet and seemingly suffering no ill effects from the drugs at all. Sam put it down to his biology. Perhaps it processed these things in a different and faster manner to normal humans. Indeed, she had previously witnessed the remarkable recovery times of fullwings that were much faster than normal human beings. Injuries that would take a normal human a week to recover from, a fullwing could pull off the same recovery in three days. Given the reason why they were created in the first place, Sam isn't that surprised fullwings had fast recovery times. It's what you want in a good soldier. She was eager to share this with Rachel and Antoinette, who were also busy preparing their treatise on winged human biology and genetics.
Truth be told, it wasn't that makeshift of a lab. The warehouse had obviously been some sort of chemical manufacturer. Definitely involved with chemical testing in some manner. There was a small but rather well fitted out lab a short distance from the main warehouse, and Sam had been very pleased to discover the equipment still mostly worked. They'd had to source some machines the lab didn't have, and rig up a more powerful generator, but now it was almost a professional looking lab. Rachel had even managed to procure some lab coats, for that added touch. Rachel just didn't feel right in the lab without one. They stored medicines in here as well as samples for their research. The lab meant their medical ward could treat a wider variety of injuries before calling in for help.
Sam found Rachel and Antoinette hovering over a collection of photos of gels they'd run recently. They hadn't felt so bad about starting their research while Adam was still asleep. Sam had waited, mostly because she'd wanted his blood and was too nice to take small samples while he was still out cold, though her official excuse was that she didn't want contaminated blood, which was plausible enough.
"How's the gene testing going? Isolated everything yet?" Sam said, coming up behind them. She clambered onto a stool and slid onto the bench to see what they were doing. There were significant disadvantages to being short, and having to clamber onto benches to see gel photos was one of them.
"Far from it, but we're narrowing down the searches. Wil helped me get access to the Government gene bank, which has sped things up nicely. We've isolated several bird genes, and several completely unknown genes that may have been artificially created to produce the desired effects. He's got very clean code. It's perfect, almost. I'd say about thirty to forty percent of his DNA is coding for genes, which is a seriously significant amount. It's also an indication of their heritage, that their genome was built and created by humans and hasn't evolved over millions of years, so it hasn't accumulated the junk that our DNA has. If they continue to survive, and survive for a long time and create more offspring, I think we'd see the beginnings of their evolution and the change in their DNA structure, which would be fascinating to watch. When all this is over, I'd really love to get some more halfwing samples, because I want to see the interaction between the fullwing and human DNA. It must be compatible, or they wouldn't create fertile offspring, albeit ones who can't fly. I want to know what that's doing to their genes. But that's all some time away when the war's over," Rachel said, sounding rather excited by her work.
"Excuse her, she gets a little carried away," Antoinette said, winking at Sam as she saw the look of utter confusion on Sam's face.
"I gathered that. Sorry, genetics isn't my big thing. I can do biochemistry til the cows come home though. Speaking of which, I have Adam's blood samples to analyse. I want to know what those drugs might've done to him and what they left behind, if anything. Do you need any more of his blood? I took a vial for you in case you needed it," Sam said, offering the spare vacuum flask.
"Actually, I was just about to go get some more. But it might fuck up the results if it isn't clean. But that might give me a chance to see if there's any foreign DNA in there that might be worth looking at. Thanks, Sam. You're a mind reader," Rachel said, grabbing Sam's face and kissing her forehead before taking the offered vial.
"Mind if I borrow Toni? I need to borrow her height for a while," Sam said.
"Sure, go ahead. I don't need her right now," Rachel said.
"Back soon, ma chérie," Antoinette said, pecking Rachel on the cheek.
Antoinette lifted Sam off the bench and together, they headed over to the other side of the lab to get to work on Adam's blood analysis. Rachel smiled as she watched them go. Antoinette made Sam look even shorter than she did next to Rachel.
"Poor girl. She needs stilts, she does," Rachel murmured, stifling a laugh, and turned back to her work, making notes about her latest results in a battered old notebook.
That evening, Adam gathered everyone in the main hall to farewell those who hadn't been able to escape. Adam took to the stage with a confidence surprising in someone who was unconscious several hours before. It was the first time Adam officially fronted the group as their leader and Seb's replacement. He carried Seb's sword and raised it high in the air, rallying everyone to their cause. It became clear no one would challenge Adam for the leadership, not even stubborn Craig, who was hanging around near Julian as they watched the ceremony. Wil, Tim and Hamish were on stage with him. Hamish felt a little out of place, but he couldn't complain. Adam had insisted he go up there with him. Adam merely raised a hand to silence the crowd and they obeyed almost immediately, so captivated by him.
"Friends! We've fought a long and bloody battle over the decades. We have not come out of this unscathed. We have lost dear, dear friends and noble warriors to the cause. We remember them on the far wall, their names enshrined for eternity. Today, we add to the fallen. Every single person at The Glass House that night was worthy of being there. None of them deserved their fate. To those of us who survived, we owe our lives to those who died. We must also thank those at the Army base willing to risk their lives to save us, even though they could not save us all. It is only fitting that I, as leader, add the names to the wall," Adam said as he walked through the crowds towards the wall as they cheered at his words in gratitude and grief.
Hamish followed, clutching a list of all the names that need to be added. Sepulchre hadn't been added yet. Everyone was too scared to add it, as if it would finalise things and make him really dead. Going against this fear, Sepulchre's name was the first to be added.
"Sepulchre, it was an honour to know you and fight by your side. May your name live on forever," Adam said as he began his task.
The crowd cheered at Sepulchre's name, shouting their own form of goodbyes to him. It was still a bit surreal to think that the one fullwing who'd been through everything, been there throughout their history, short as it was, was now dead. All they had were memories now.
Adam repeated this procedure for each of the dead, reciting a short prayer for them as he added their names. There were cheers and tears of remembrance as their little ceremony was played out. In spite of the sadness, it was a rare moment of peace in a world of chaos.
Afterwards, once everyone had said goodbye, Adam took to the stage again, choosing this time to sit on the edge, looking out over the diverse groups of rebels.
"I was going to talk to you about our plans and where we're going next, but I think it can wait til tomorrow. Let's take one night off to celebrate and remember those who died for us. We could all use the chance to let off a little steam. I still find it amusing that Seb picked me to lead you. I suppose it's sort of what I deserve for being called Invincible. I may have to reassess my role in the final battle to come if my wings aren't ready by then, which I doubt they will be, damned soldiers cutting my wing feathers. But we'll get there. If we don't fight now, we'll lose our last chance to be free. Fail now, and there'll never be a next time. Yes, that much hinges on what we're preparing to do. This is no easy feat we're trying to achieve. We're attempting to change the course of this nation's history. We can free the people from tyrannical oppression. We can save ourselves from being utterly annihilated. Now's the time to seize the moment and take our future into our hands! We can fight them, and we can win! We will take back this country and deliver it to the people again! Now go and celebrate!" Adam said.
The crowd cheered again. As Adam looked over the crowd, he was surprised to see so many happy faces. Clearly morale wasn't so bad after all. Indeed, the courage and bravery of the soldiers who had defected from their commanding officer and rescued their fellow soldiers were embraced gladly, much to Adam's joy. He had hoped they wouldn't be isolated because they were Army people and indeed they weren't. All across the room, there were humans, fullwings and halfwings, Army and non-Army, all embraced in the same cause, the same grief, and that unity was something so precious and powerful to the rebellion. Hamish came and sat down beside him, bringing Adam out of his thoughts.
"Hey, Adam," Hamish said.
"Hey. Think I did alright?" Adam said.
"Yeah, you did fine," Hamish said.
"That's good to hear. I'm still getting the hang of this leader business," Adam said with a smile.
"Look at them. Look at how close they are, how they listen to you. You're a fine leader, Adam. No one else can rally them all together. I'm convinced of it," Hamish said. "So what does happen now?" he said after a moment's thought.
"We're expecting a delegation from the Chinese Government tomorrow, or at least in the next few days. They're the only country who is willing to meet with us and potentially help us," Adam said.
"But they've got as bad a human rights record as us. What makes you think they'll help us?" Hamish turned to look at Adam.
"Uranium, and coal. Plus, they've been shut out by the State in favour of Russia and India. I've heard reports they're getting desperate for energy, more so than before. We're starving them of energy. They want to help us so they can take back some of the supplies we've been refusing them. Being forced to your knees after such prosperity will make you do desperate things. I think they'll be willing to overlook a lot of things if it means they can ensure their power supply and their food supply. It takes something like that, and the right leader, to make a Government finally realise it has to take care of its citizens. I've got scouts watching for the delegation in case they get caught and captured, since they're not entering the country legally. China hasn't had an ambassador here for years," Adam said.
"Didn't they bulldoze the Embassy when they kicked them out? Way to cut diplomatic ties," Hamish said.
"Yeah, they did. China was furious at that, watching the Army move in and destroy their Embassy. They've refused to talk to the State until they agree to sell them the energy they need to keep their people alive," Adam said.
"That seems unlikely to happen any time soon," Hamish said.
Just then, Dom came running up to them, pushing his way through the crowd. He looked battered and bruised, but generally okay. He was breathing hard, as if he'd just arrived and run straight to Adam.
"Hey, Adam, c'mon, the Chinese are here. Barely managed to make it here alive. Someone tipped them off and they were followed. We managed to shake them off, but still. We managed to get here in once piece," Dom said, reaching in his jacket pocket for his puffer. His asthma was getting to him again.
"Already? I wasn't expecting them til tomorrow. Ah well. C'mon, Hamish, I want you in on these talks. Dom, get everyone rounded up who's needed," Adam said.
"Will do. They want to get started right away in case there's trouble. I promised we'd keep them safe and protected," Dom said.
"Excellent. We can't have them getting hurt. That they risked so much to come and meet with us is a sign that they're willing to do this. I hope this meeting will tie up our alliance at last," Adam said.
"I hope so too. Come on, they're waiting for us," Dom said.
Adam and Hamish slid off the stage and followed Dom to where the Chinese delegation was waiting for them, a group of six men in rather drab clothing to avoid suspicion. Dom left them to go get everyone else rounded up who needed to be there for the meetings.
"It's an honour to have you here. I'm Adam, leader of the rebels, and this is Hamish. I hope you're not hurt at all from your travels here," Adam said, bowing to them.
"Shaken, but not badly injured. We come because there is no other option. Our people are dying, Adam. We are being choked and starved to death. So yes, it is a selfish desire to ally, but I fear neither of us will be better off if we do not act. I have been sent personally from the Chinese President with his offer of assistance. Can we discuss this somewhere private?" the delegation's leader said.
"Of course, this way. The rest are waiting for us," Adam said, ushering them down towards the meeting room.
Charles dutifully served coffee and what food they could muster from their dwindling supplies as everyone settled down for their meeting. Adam, Hamish, Wil, Tim and Julian, the Chinese delegation and Charles were present to hash out their allegiance. Once everyone had been served, Charles took his place next to Julian.
"So, what's the situation at present? Has anything changed since we last spoke?" Adam said.
"The Chinese are keen to ally. The President is sympathetic to your cause and is open to sending aid and weapons to aid your rebellion. However, he wishes to make it clear he would require significant access to your energy resources, specifically your uranium, coal and gas, in exchange for what aid we can offer. We are not as rich as we once were. We can survive, we are surviving, but at significant cost. Much of the country is in darkness. We need energy to power our economy again. Can you help us achieve this since we were so cruelly cut off from your generosity after supporting your economy for so long beforehand?" the delegation's leader said.
"Both our countries are suffering. The gap between rich and poor here is vast and impenetrable. If you can't pay for your safety, you go hungry and fight for the meagre food supplies. If you can't bribe the Army for protection, you're on your own. It's time for both our countries to break free from the shackles that have starved us all for so long. We're willing to let you have the energy supplies you need in exchange for your assistance. There are only so many of us and we cannot overtake the country by sheer weight of numbers. Any assistance will be greatly appreciated," Adam said.
"Our position is a selfish one. Our country is dying, as is yours. In freeing your country from tyranny, we can assure the survival of our own people. Here are the terms of our allegiance. If you agree to it, you will have our aid. Otherwise, may you find the help you need elsewhere," the delegate leader said, handing over a document.
Adam, Wil, Tim, Charles and Julian read through it, going over each detail in the agreement and clarifying anything they took issue with up with the delegation for explanation. Finding nothing to cause concern, Julian even read the fine print very thoroughly three times, they agree to accept it.
"Your offer of allegiance is acceptable. May our actions together bring about prosperity for both our people," Adam said.
"Excellent. I will contact the President immediately. He will be keen to meet you at last to seal our agreement," the delegate's leader said.
"The President doesn't need to risk his life to meet me," Adam said.
"He insisted on coming. He is waiting outside. Allow me to fetch him," the delegate's leader said.
"Certainly. It would be an honour to meet him," Adam said, surprised at the lengths the Chinese would go to, just to ensure their energy supplies and their future prosperity.
The delegate bowed and left the room, returning promptly with the President, who they'd smuggled into the country with them. The President cut an impressive figure in spite of not being in his best dress and surrounded by minders and PR reps. Adam rose and greeted him, bowing respectfully to him.
"It's an honour to have you here in our humble abode, Mr President," Adam said.
"It was important to come and meet you at last. I have only met one of your kind once before. I insisted on meeting the leader of our new ally. I hope you will forgive the secrecy. It is risky enough just being here," the President said, speaking in English.
"Travel into and out of this country carries great risk associated with it, no matter who you are. Most of the people can't afford to travel, anyway. It's a great honour to have you here. Rest assured we will do all we can to ensure your safety while you're here," Adam said.
"I appreciate what little hospitality you can offer. I understand these are difficult times. Allow me to be frank with you. Once we were shut out, and our economy failed because of America falling into oblivion, we were humiliated. We do not take lightly to being humiliated. We have fought hard to keep our country from following America into oblivion. We have barely come out of this alive. I do not speak of this to our people so as to not cause them any further trouble, but coming to your aid will benefit both our countries. It will be good for our people to be seen to take an international stance in this world, to take down a country that has wronged us. Your people will benefit from being freed from tyranny. I understand you have some allies from the Armed Forces willing to rally to your cause. Since our alliance is sealed, we must sit and discuss what exactly you need and the exact nature of your plans for attack. Then we can arrange for supplies to be shipped to you," the President said.
"As you wish. How long will you and your delegation be staying, assuming we can secure your safe passage out of the country?" Adam said.
"We will stay as long as it is safe for us to do so. We have our own communication channels out of the country, as do you. However, things may necessitate us staying on while we get our plans organised and our forces together to invade. Have you a guaranteed safe passage from the north to the south? We will need to discuss the best way to attack and use both our forces to the greatest advantage. I understand your kind were designed to be soldiers. Have you any ideas how best your talents should be used in the battle?" the President said.
"We were designed to be super-soldiers, yes, albeit disposable ones. We can fly, we generally have excellent vision, and we're very strong and agile. We can be used as scouts or as fighters. Our knowledge of the intricacies of each capital city will be invaluable to you. Warfare is always bloody, we are the first to acknowledge that, but we would like to limit the blood loss as much as possible, and civilian casualties must be minimised. Our quarrel is with the State and the Armed Forces, not with the people. They are victims just as much as we are," Adam said.
"So how do you wish to proceed then? Targets are to be army bases and the houses of parliament? What is the best plan of attack in order to bring about a quick resolution to this?" the President said.
"I fear there will not be a quick resolution. The Army are stubbornly loyal and will not hesitate to shoot to kill, and they've reneged on their promise never to torture humans, the ordinary people who do not have wings. They are concerned about a possible rebellion. We know this from radio chatter we've heard between the army bases and the State. However, they don't seem to know anything specific, or if they do, they're not disclosing it. They are aware of growing disquiet amongst the people that isn't just coming from us. For some reason, the people are beginning to wake up to tyranny. If that's true, it may be easier to secure a shorter and less bloody rebellion than we first thought. There is nothing more vital than convincing the people that we are not trying to replace one tyrant with another. Much thought has gone into what happens should we be successful and the handover of power from us to a new parliament the people can trust. We will need to put in place many things that the current regime ripped up when they took power. We also do not agree that we should place a human or a winged human in charge. We think the best choice would be one of the halfwings, the hybrid group that comprises the bloodlines of both. However, we would not aim to dictate to the people who they should choose to rule them. Parliament should be made up of representatives of all people in the country, not just humans. You do realise that getting hold of the energy you need will not come quickly. None of this will be achieved quickly. Are you prepared for that?" Adam said.
"We have waged war before, Adam. We understand this. However, no other option is available to us. It is unfortunate your country possesses all the resources we need, otherwise we would happily source these things elsewhere. We have nothing left to lose in doing this. We are already being starved to death. If we do not secure mine sites and resources now, we are finished. Yes, this is a selfish war we want to wage. There are not many countries that still are able to do such a thing when they are so desperate. The world economies will not recover unless something is done to kick-start both our countries into prosperity again. Someone must act, and if no one else will, then it must be us. There is nothing else to do," the President said.
"You are the only ones willing to talk to us. We did approach Japan and Indonesia, but to no avail. Japan refused to get involved in internal politics, and Indonesia was too distrustful of us to make any sort of decent alliance between us. They have been burnt by Australian diplomacy in the past. The damage is irreparable, which is regrettable on both sides. We are thankful you've agreed to help us out. We are in dire need of the manpower. We can smuggle weapons from the Army itself, which helps a lot, however, it may not be enough to ensure our victory. This is where you come in. The distraction will be enough to help us gain the upper hand. We've had plans to take out specific targets such as power stations and the like, in order to cut off their communication channels and allow us the best chance to take over. We do not want to massacre them as they would massacre us. Showing that kind of face to the people will not endear them to us. We are well aware of that. Our plan needs to be strategic, effective and efficient. We don't have the resources to wage an all-out war, so we need to find ways to use what we have in the most effective way," Adam said.
"Indeed, we don't have the army we used to have. But we will endeavour to help you in the best way we can, for the sake of both our countries," the President said.
Author: Sashataakheru
Beta: The wonderful
rana_narsilion <3Fandom: The Chaser/AusComedy RPS
Starring: Adam Hills, Sepulchre (OC), Wil Anderson, Hamish Blake, Craig Reucassel, Tim Minchin, Julian Morrow, Chas Licciardello, Charles Firth, Chris Taylor, Andrew Hansen, Caleb (OC), Dr Rachel Hardy (OC), Antoinette Laurent (OC), Dr Samantha Reddings (OC), Dominic Knight, Shane Cubis, Gregor Stronach, Tim Brunero, Andy Lee
Pairings: Andrew/Chris; Adam/Hamish; Jules/Chas; Rachel/Antoinette(/Samantha); Adam/Seb; Adam/Wil; Craig/Caleb; Adam/Wil/Tim; Andrew/Craig, Wil/Chas; implied Tim/Craig, Hamish/Andy (after a fashion. XD)
Word Count: 5,030
Chapter: 18/32 [Previous]
Warnings: language, technobabble, snark
Rating: FRAO
Disclaimer: I don’t know them, not associated with them, just a slashy fangirl admirer with a very active imagination.
Author’s Notes: FYI, fullwing = winged human capable of flight. Halfwing = fullwing/human halfbreed, usually unable to fly, sometimes have vestigial wings, but can be removed to pass as human and not as winged.
Summary: Adam catches up with what's been going on since he's been asleep, Sam and Rachel inject some technobabble into the mix (good for the soul. :P), Sepulchre and the dead finally get their remembrance, and the Chinese come to the table to play.
Chapter Eighteen
When they were at last allowed to leave, Hamish did his boyfriendly duty and accompanied Adam to the bathroom and then onto the mess hall. Wil and Tim were already waiting for him, piping hot meals ready to eat. Adam embraced them both, glad to see them again.
"Gave us quite a scare, you did. You alright?" Wil said.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll be alright. How's everything around here?" Adam said.
"Bit surreal, really. The whole place kinda stopped when we got you back. I mean, there were others who were drugged, or injured, or whatever, but it was you, you were out cold and not waking and everyone panicked. The raid was a complete surprise. We had no idea it had happened until Caleb called and said it had been attacked, and that Craig was injured. Then we found Tim and there were only six survivors and then it kinda sunk in how terrible it had all been and I still don't think it's quite sunk in yet. When we went to search the rubble for survivors, we were shot at and oh, that's right. We were given this. I haven't dared open it yet, even though I had it checked out when we got back and it's not carrying anything dangerous," Wil said, pulling out the letter from his jacket pocket that he'd quite forgotten about. "I thought it best to wait til you were awake. I figured it was meant for you."
Adam took it and looked at the cream envelope. It looked harmless enough. He picked up his knife and sliced it open, tapping it a little to let its contents fall out. It contained a letter and nothing more. Setting the envelope aside, Adam picked up the letter and unfolded it.
"'To whomever leads the rebellion now that your dear Adam has been destroyed,' well, they tried to destroy me at the very least, not sure they were very successful in that regard, 'let this be a warning to you. Not all are as stupid as they seem. We know you are organised. We know your numbers are growing. We will crush you and stop you from destroying our perfect world. Consider this your final warning. The arena you called "the glass house" has been razed to the ground. Your leaders are dead. You are nothing but rabble. Mutants. Where the rest of the Army tolerates you, we will move on you and wipe you from existence. Your fate awaits you.' Signed by one General Earnest P. Featherstone. What a charming man. How nice of him to send us a little death threat," Adam said, reading the letter.
"At least we know some of the commanders know we're organised. And that they don't know there are rebels amongst their own forces or they'd have anticipated them coming to help us and rescue you guys," Wil said.
"I bet he knows now," Adam said.
"I bet he's really mad they defected to us and helped their prisoners escape. And he lost you. That won't go down well with his mates," Wil said.
"I think it's just proof he doesn't know his own troops if he's managed to bollocks this up so badly," Hamish said.
"If I ever meet this General Featherstone, I'll be sure to thank him for the troops," Adam said.
"And the tanks, trucks, missiles and grenades we stole from him," Hamish added.
Wil laughed. "It really was too easy to steal from that bastard, wasn't it? Half his fucking base abandoned him. That says a lot about him."
"We only just had room for them all. Got some good men too. And women. We got a lot of women this time, for some reason," Tim said.
"That's good. Seems things are still going our way in spite of his attempts to crush us," Adam said.
"He seems a little dim-witted. Maybe he's one of those American generals who came over after the US self-destructed. I know there's a few of them around the place. I don't think they quite understand what it is they're doing," Hamish said.
"Not many who run this country know what they're doing, Ham," Adam said.
"Which is why we have to get rid of them and replace them with people who do know what they're doing," Wil said.
"People like us. Clearly more competent than this Featherstone guy," Tim said.
"Most definitely. We know how to run an organised rebellion. If he can't get that through his thick skull, then whatever happens is his own fault," Adam said.
Sam rushed off to the makeshift labs after she'd let Adam go. She had tests to run on his blood, and on the chemicals she'd managed to steal from the army base. Adam's recovery had been swift once he'd woken up. Sam had thought he'd need another few days' rest, but he was up and on his feet and seemingly suffering no ill effects from the drugs at all. Sam put it down to his biology. Perhaps it processed these things in a different and faster manner to normal humans. Indeed, she had previously witnessed the remarkable recovery times of fullwings that were much faster than normal human beings. Injuries that would take a normal human a week to recover from, a fullwing could pull off the same recovery in three days. Given the reason why they were created in the first place, Sam isn't that surprised fullwings had fast recovery times. It's what you want in a good soldier. She was eager to share this with Rachel and Antoinette, who were also busy preparing their treatise on winged human biology and genetics.
Truth be told, it wasn't that makeshift of a lab. The warehouse had obviously been some sort of chemical manufacturer. Definitely involved with chemical testing in some manner. There was a small but rather well fitted out lab a short distance from the main warehouse, and Sam had been very pleased to discover the equipment still mostly worked. They'd had to source some machines the lab didn't have, and rig up a more powerful generator, but now it was almost a professional looking lab. Rachel had even managed to procure some lab coats, for that added touch. Rachel just didn't feel right in the lab without one. They stored medicines in here as well as samples for their research. The lab meant their medical ward could treat a wider variety of injuries before calling in for help.
Sam found Rachel and Antoinette hovering over a collection of photos of gels they'd run recently. They hadn't felt so bad about starting their research while Adam was still asleep. Sam had waited, mostly because she'd wanted his blood and was too nice to take small samples while he was still out cold, though her official excuse was that she didn't want contaminated blood, which was plausible enough.
"How's the gene testing going? Isolated everything yet?" Sam said, coming up behind them. She clambered onto a stool and slid onto the bench to see what they were doing. There were significant disadvantages to being short, and having to clamber onto benches to see gel photos was one of them.
"Far from it, but we're narrowing down the searches. Wil helped me get access to the Government gene bank, which has sped things up nicely. We've isolated several bird genes, and several completely unknown genes that may have been artificially created to produce the desired effects. He's got very clean code. It's perfect, almost. I'd say about thirty to forty percent of his DNA is coding for genes, which is a seriously significant amount. It's also an indication of their heritage, that their genome was built and created by humans and hasn't evolved over millions of years, so it hasn't accumulated the junk that our DNA has. If they continue to survive, and survive for a long time and create more offspring, I think we'd see the beginnings of their evolution and the change in their DNA structure, which would be fascinating to watch. When all this is over, I'd really love to get some more halfwing samples, because I want to see the interaction between the fullwing and human DNA. It must be compatible, or they wouldn't create fertile offspring, albeit ones who can't fly. I want to know what that's doing to their genes. But that's all some time away when the war's over," Rachel said, sounding rather excited by her work.
"Excuse her, she gets a little carried away," Antoinette said, winking at Sam as she saw the look of utter confusion on Sam's face.
"I gathered that. Sorry, genetics isn't my big thing. I can do biochemistry til the cows come home though. Speaking of which, I have Adam's blood samples to analyse. I want to know what those drugs might've done to him and what they left behind, if anything. Do you need any more of his blood? I took a vial for you in case you needed it," Sam said, offering the spare vacuum flask.
"Actually, I was just about to go get some more. But it might fuck up the results if it isn't clean. But that might give me a chance to see if there's any foreign DNA in there that might be worth looking at. Thanks, Sam. You're a mind reader," Rachel said, grabbing Sam's face and kissing her forehead before taking the offered vial.
"Mind if I borrow Toni? I need to borrow her height for a while," Sam said.
"Sure, go ahead. I don't need her right now," Rachel said.
"Back soon, ma chérie," Antoinette said, pecking Rachel on the cheek.
Antoinette lifted Sam off the bench and together, they headed over to the other side of the lab to get to work on Adam's blood analysis. Rachel smiled as she watched them go. Antoinette made Sam look even shorter than she did next to Rachel.
"Poor girl. She needs stilts, she does," Rachel murmured, stifling a laugh, and turned back to her work, making notes about her latest results in a battered old notebook.
That evening, Adam gathered everyone in the main hall to farewell those who hadn't been able to escape. Adam took to the stage with a confidence surprising in someone who was unconscious several hours before. It was the first time Adam officially fronted the group as their leader and Seb's replacement. He carried Seb's sword and raised it high in the air, rallying everyone to their cause. It became clear no one would challenge Adam for the leadership, not even stubborn Craig, who was hanging around near Julian as they watched the ceremony. Wil, Tim and Hamish were on stage with him. Hamish felt a little out of place, but he couldn't complain. Adam had insisted he go up there with him. Adam merely raised a hand to silence the crowd and they obeyed almost immediately, so captivated by him.
"Friends! We've fought a long and bloody battle over the decades. We have not come out of this unscathed. We have lost dear, dear friends and noble warriors to the cause. We remember them on the far wall, their names enshrined for eternity. Today, we add to the fallen. Every single person at The Glass House that night was worthy of being there. None of them deserved their fate. To those of us who survived, we owe our lives to those who died. We must also thank those at the Army base willing to risk their lives to save us, even though they could not save us all. It is only fitting that I, as leader, add the names to the wall," Adam said as he walked through the crowds towards the wall as they cheered at his words in gratitude and grief.
Hamish followed, clutching a list of all the names that need to be added. Sepulchre hadn't been added yet. Everyone was too scared to add it, as if it would finalise things and make him really dead. Going against this fear, Sepulchre's name was the first to be added.
"Sepulchre, it was an honour to know you and fight by your side. May your name live on forever," Adam said as he began his task.
The crowd cheered at Sepulchre's name, shouting their own form of goodbyes to him. It was still a bit surreal to think that the one fullwing who'd been through everything, been there throughout their history, short as it was, was now dead. All they had were memories now.
Adam repeated this procedure for each of the dead, reciting a short prayer for them as he added their names. There were cheers and tears of remembrance as their little ceremony was played out. In spite of the sadness, it was a rare moment of peace in a world of chaos.
Afterwards, once everyone had said goodbye, Adam took to the stage again, choosing this time to sit on the edge, looking out over the diverse groups of rebels.
"I was going to talk to you about our plans and where we're going next, but I think it can wait til tomorrow. Let's take one night off to celebrate and remember those who died for us. We could all use the chance to let off a little steam. I still find it amusing that Seb picked me to lead you. I suppose it's sort of what I deserve for being called Invincible. I may have to reassess my role in the final battle to come if my wings aren't ready by then, which I doubt they will be, damned soldiers cutting my wing feathers. But we'll get there. If we don't fight now, we'll lose our last chance to be free. Fail now, and there'll never be a next time. Yes, that much hinges on what we're preparing to do. This is no easy feat we're trying to achieve. We're attempting to change the course of this nation's history. We can free the people from tyrannical oppression. We can save ourselves from being utterly annihilated. Now's the time to seize the moment and take our future into our hands! We can fight them, and we can win! We will take back this country and deliver it to the people again! Now go and celebrate!" Adam said.
The crowd cheered again. As Adam looked over the crowd, he was surprised to see so many happy faces. Clearly morale wasn't so bad after all. Indeed, the courage and bravery of the soldiers who had defected from their commanding officer and rescued their fellow soldiers were embraced gladly, much to Adam's joy. He had hoped they wouldn't be isolated because they were Army people and indeed they weren't. All across the room, there were humans, fullwings and halfwings, Army and non-Army, all embraced in the same cause, the same grief, and that unity was something so precious and powerful to the rebellion. Hamish came and sat down beside him, bringing Adam out of his thoughts.
"Hey, Adam," Hamish said.
"Hey. Think I did alright?" Adam said.
"Yeah, you did fine," Hamish said.
"That's good to hear. I'm still getting the hang of this leader business," Adam said with a smile.
"Look at them. Look at how close they are, how they listen to you. You're a fine leader, Adam. No one else can rally them all together. I'm convinced of it," Hamish said. "So what does happen now?" he said after a moment's thought.
"We're expecting a delegation from the Chinese Government tomorrow, or at least in the next few days. They're the only country who is willing to meet with us and potentially help us," Adam said.
"But they've got as bad a human rights record as us. What makes you think they'll help us?" Hamish turned to look at Adam.
"Uranium, and coal. Plus, they've been shut out by the State in favour of Russia and India. I've heard reports they're getting desperate for energy, more so than before. We're starving them of energy. They want to help us so they can take back some of the supplies we've been refusing them. Being forced to your knees after such prosperity will make you do desperate things. I think they'll be willing to overlook a lot of things if it means they can ensure their power supply and their food supply. It takes something like that, and the right leader, to make a Government finally realise it has to take care of its citizens. I've got scouts watching for the delegation in case they get caught and captured, since they're not entering the country legally. China hasn't had an ambassador here for years," Adam said.
"Didn't they bulldoze the Embassy when they kicked them out? Way to cut diplomatic ties," Hamish said.
"Yeah, they did. China was furious at that, watching the Army move in and destroy their Embassy. They've refused to talk to the State until they agree to sell them the energy they need to keep their people alive," Adam said.
"That seems unlikely to happen any time soon," Hamish said.
Just then, Dom came running up to them, pushing his way through the crowd. He looked battered and bruised, but generally okay. He was breathing hard, as if he'd just arrived and run straight to Adam.
"Hey, Adam, c'mon, the Chinese are here. Barely managed to make it here alive. Someone tipped them off and they were followed. We managed to shake them off, but still. We managed to get here in once piece," Dom said, reaching in his jacket pocket for his puffer. His asthma was getting to him again.
"Already? I wasn't expecting them til tomorrow. Ah well. C'mon, Hamish, I want you in on these talks. Dom, get everyone rounded up who's needed," Adam said.
"Will do. They want to get started right away in case there's trouble. I promised we'd keep them safe and protected," Dom said.
"Excellent. We can't have them getting hurt. That they risked so much to come and meet with us is a sign that they're willing to do this. I hope this meeting will tie up our alliance at last," Adam said.
"I hope so too. Come on, they're waiting for us," Dom said.
Adam and Hamish slid off the stage and followed Dom to where the Chinese delegation was waiting for them, a group of six men in rather drab clothing to avoid suspicion. Dom left them to go get everyone else rounded up who needed to be there for the meetings.
"It's an honour to have you here. I'm Adam, leader of the rebels, and this is Hamish. I hope you're not hurt at all from your travels here," Adam said, bowing to them.
"Shaken, but not badly injured. We come because there is no other option. Our people are dying, Adam. We are being choked and starved to death. So yes, it is a selfish desire to ally, but I fear neither of us will be better off if we do not act. I have been sent personally from the Chinese President with his offer of assistance. Can we discuss this somewhere private?" the delegation's leader said.
"Of course, this way. The rest are waiting for us," Adam said, ushering them down towards the meeting room.
Charles dutifully served coffee and what food they could muster from their dwindling supplies as everyone settled down for their meeting. Adam, Hamish, Wil, Tim and Julian, the Chinese delegation and Charles were present to hash out their allegiance. Once everyone had been served, Charles took his place next to Julian.
"So, what's the situation at present? Has anything changed since we last spoke?" Adam said.
"The Chinese are keen to ally. The President is sympathetic to your cause and is open to sending aid and weapons to aid your rebellion. However, he wishes to make it clear he would require significant access to your energy resources, specifically your uranium, coal and gas, in exchange for what aid we can offer. We are not as rich as we once were. We can survive, we are surviving, but at significant cost. Much of the country is in darkness. We need energy to power our economy again. Can you help us achieve this since we were so cruelly cut off from your generosity after supporting your economy for so long beforehand?" the delegation's leader said.
"Both our countries are suffering. The gap between rich and poor here is vast and impenetrable. If you can't pay for your safety, you go hungry and fight for the meagre food supplies. If you can't bribe the Army for protection, you're on your own. It's time for both our countries to break free from the shackles that have starved us all for so long. We're willing to let you have the energy supplies you need in exchange for your assistance. There are only so many of us and we cannot overtake the country by sheer weight of numbers. Any assistance will be greatly appreciated," Adam said.
"Our position is a selfish one. Our country is dying, as is yours. In freeing your country from tyranny, we can assure the survival of our own people. Here are the terms of our allegiance. If you agree to it, you will have our aid. Otherwise, may you find the help you need elsewhere," the delegate leader said, handing over a document.
Adam, Wil, Tim, Charles and Julian read through it, going over each detail in the agreement and clarifying anything they took issue with up with the delegation for explanation. Finding nothing to cause concern, Julian even read the fine print very thoroughly three times, they agree to accept it.
"Your offer of allegiance is acceptable. May our actions together bring about prosperity for both our people," Adam said.
"Excellent. I will contact the President immediately. He will be keen to meet you at last to seal our agreement," the delegate's leader said.
"The President doesn't need to risk his life to meet me," Adam said.
"He insisted on coming. He is waiting outside. Allow me to fetch him," the delegate's leader said.
"Certainly. It would be an honour to meet him," Adam said, surprised at the lengths the Chinese would go to, just to ensure their energy supplies and their future prosperity.
The delegate bowed and left the room, returning promptly with the President, who they'd smuggled into the country with them. The President cut an impressive figure in spite of not being in his best dress and surrounded by minders and PR reps. Adam rose and greeted him, bowing respectfully to him.
"It's an honour to have you here in our humble abode, Mr President," Adam said.
"It was important to come and meet you at last. I have only met one of your kind once before. I insisted on meeting the leader of our new ally. I hope you will forgive the secrecy. It is risky enough just being here," the President said, speaking in English.
"Travel into and out of this country carries great risk associated with it, no matter who you are. Most of the people can't afford to travel, anyway. It's a great honour to have you here. Rest assured we will do all we can to ensure your safety while you're here," Adam said.
"I appreciate what little hospitality you can offer. I understand these are difficult times. Allow me to be frank with you. Once we were shut out, and our economy failed because of America falling into oblivion, we were humiliated. We do not take lightly to being humiliated. We have fought hard to keep our country from following America into oblivion. We have barely come out of this alive. I do not speak of this to our people so as to not cause them any further trouble, but coming to your aid will benefit both our countries. It will be good for our people to be seen to take an international stance in this world, to take down a country that has wronged us. Your people will benefit from being freed from tyranny. I understand you have some allies from the Armed Forces willing to rally to your cause. Since our alliance is sealed, we must sit and discuss what exactly you need and the exact nature of your plans for attack. Then we can arrange for supplies to be shipped to you," the President said.
"As you wish. How long will you and your delegation be staying, assuming we can secure your safe passage out of the country?" Adam said.
"We will stay as long as it is safe for us to do so. We have our own communication channels out of the country, as do you. However, things may necessitate us staying on while we get our plans organised and our forces together to invade. Have you a guaranteed safe passage from the north to the south? We will need to discuss the best way to attack and use both our forces to the greatest advantage. I understand your kind were designed to be soldiers. Have you any ideas how best your talents should be used in the battle?" the President said.
"We were designed to be super-soldiers, yes, albeit disposable ones. We can fly, we generally have excellent vision, and we're very strong and agile. We can be used as scouts or as fighters. Our knowledge of the intricacies of each capital city will be invaluable to you. Warfare is always bloody, we are the first to acknowledge that, but we would like to limit the blood loss as much as possible, and civilian casualties must be minimised. Our quarrel is with the State and the Armed Forces, not with the people. They are victims just as much as we are," Adam said.
"So how do you wish to proceed then? Targets are to be army bases and the houses of parliament? What is the best plan of attack in order to bring about a quick resolution to this?" the President said.
"I fear there will not be a quick resolution. The Army are stubbornly loyal and will not hesitate to shoot to kill, and they've reneged on their promise never to torture humans, the ordinary people who do not have wings. They are concerned about a possible rebellion. We know this from radio chatter we've heard between the army bases and the State. However, they don't seem to know anything specific, or if they do, they're not disclosing it. They are aware of growing disquiet amongst the people that isn't just coming from us. For some reason, the people are beginning to wake up to tyranny. If that's true, it may be easier to secure a shorter and less bloody rebellion than we first thought. There is nothing more vital than convincing the people that we are not trying to replace one tyrant with another. Much thought has gone into what happens should we be successful and the handover of power from us to a new parliament the people can trust. We will need to put in place many things that the current regime ripped up when they took power. We also do not agree that we should place a human or a winged human in charge. We think the best choice would be one of the halfwings, the hybrid group that comprises the bloodlines of both. However, we would not aim to dictate to the people who they should choose to rule them. Parliament should be made up of representatives of all people in the country, not just humans. You do realise that getting hold of the energy you need will not come quickly. None of this will be achieved quickly. Are you prepared for that?" Adam said.
"We have waged war before, Adam. We understand this. However, no other option is available to us. It is unfortunate your country possesses all the resources we need, otherwise we would happily source these things elsewhere. We have nothing left to lose in doing this. We are already being starved to death. If we do not secure mine sites and resources now, we are finished. Yes, this is a selfish war we want to wage. There are not many countries that still are able to do such a thing when they are so desperate. The world economies will not recover unless something is done to kick-start both our countries into prosperity again. Someone must act, and if no one else will, then it must be us. There is nothing else to do," the President said.
"You are the only ones willing to talk to us. We did approach Japan and Indonesia, but to no avail. Japan refused to get involved in internal politics, and Indonesia was too distrustful of us to make any sort of decent alliance between us. They have been burnt by Australian diplomacy in the past. The damage is irreparable, which is regrettable on both sides. We are thankful you've agreed to help us out. We are in dire need of the manpower. We can smuggle weapons from the Army itself, which helps a lot, however, it may not be enough to ensure our victory. This is where you come in. The distraction will be enough to help us gain the upper hand. We've had plans to take out specific targets such as power stations and the like, in order to cut off their communication channels and allow us the best chance to take over. We do not want to massacre them as they would massacre us. Showing that kind of face to the people will not endear them to us. We are well aware of that. Our plan needs to be strategic, effective and efficient. We don't have the resources to wage an all-out war, so we need to find ways to use what we have in the most effective way," Adam said.
"Indeed, we don't have the army we used to have. But we will endeavour to help you in the best way we can, for the sake of both our countries," the President said.