Chapter 199: Alliance proposal
Sunshine had been unable to sleep ever since she got the construction robot. She wanted to show it to the children, but they had been busy, and she decided not to distract them.
So, she decided to spend the rest of her time working. She was working on making armor that was strong enough to survive the claw marks of a mutated or mutant beast.
At the same time, she was working on putting together the parts of the artificial sun which the system had acquired for her. The clink of metal echoed in the workshop as Sunshine twisted the head of the screw tighter into the small steel frame.
Her hands smelled of iron and oil, a scent that she had long become familiar with. Sparks hissed briefly from the welding rod in her hand and smoke traveled up.
The damaged fragments of the artificial sun lay spread across the bench like the broken parts of a very large old bulb. She exhaled sharply through her nose, already imagining the hours she would take straightening the pieces.
The crackle of the walkie-talkie cut through the noise of the welding rod and she placed it down. A voice came through an open line. "Mr. and Mrs. Quinn." The soldier’s voice was sounded grainy and urgent. "The leaders from the neighboring bases are here, they are demanding to speak to the two of you."
Sunshine froze and frowned. For a beat, silence returned to the workshop, only broken by the sound of humming generators outside. Then she gently smacked the screw against the table with a sharp clack.
"What do those troublesome rich idiots want this time?" She muttered, lips tightening.
The radio cracked again and she thought it was the comms officer passing on the same message again. To her surprise, it was Hades.
"Suni, can you believe that these people with nothing to do are showing up here again out of the blue? Do they think this is a rest room where they can come and go as they please?"
Sunshine dragged a hand across her brow, leaving behind a little smear of grease. "I can believe it. I am also very busy; Hades I am sure that you can handle them. Make sure that Jon does not have any new tricks up his sleeve."
In the third wall, Hades was monitoring as food was offloaded from vehicles and taken into the kitchen. He left Dwayne in charge and rushed to handle the task his wife had entrusted to him. Even if she had not done son, he would have gone to meet them to see what they were seeking.
"Open the gates but be alert for anyone that might try to sneak inside." He said into the walkie-talkie.
The heavy gates groaned as they opened, and a convoy of armored cars drove in. Engines sputtered in protest against the cold, their exhaustion billowing clouds that quickly dissolved into the warmer air of the Fortress four.
Jon’s car had undergone some ridiculous changes. The hood of the vehicle had a picture of his face!!! It was the most "Jon" like thing Hades had seen in a while.
And by "Jon" like thing, he meant stupid and unnecessarily extravagant.
Their arrival always entertained the soldiers greatly and they gathered close to eavesdrop.
One by one, the billionaires stepped out. Normally, they carried themselves with smug grins, cracking jokes as if there was no apocalypse. But today, their shoulders were slumped. Their eyes darted nervously, the weight of unsaid burden dragging on their expressions.
Jon Kingsley, usually the loudest voice in the room, lingered near the rear, his face pale, jaw tight.
Hades folded his arms. His tone measured but carried an edge. "What the hell were you thinking driving out in such weather?"
The men lingered, trading gazes. None of them rushed to answer. Instead, they breathed in the unnatural warmth of the base, shoulders relaxing.
Finally, Sheldon, rubbing his hands together, muttered, "How come it’s so warm in here? It’s like I walked into spring...." his tone carried both envy and awe.
Hades didn’t not indulge him. His expression remained carved in stone. "State your business and leave." He commanded
A silence fell. Jon stepped forward, his voice quieter than usual. "Hades, this is a serious matter. We think that one of those marauders tried to attack Cory’s base."
Hades’ brow furrowed. "We warned you that it could happen. I hope that you all put measures in place to protect your bases."
"Yeah, one of my landmines dismantled his body but Jon here thinks that they may regroup and come back to attack one of us." He clicked his tongue. "I doubt they will be tampering with mine though."
"Listen Hades, forget our differences, we are safer if we work hand in hand to protect this mountain." Jon politely said. "Please call your wife, let us have a civil meeting on how we can do that."
Hades wagged his finger. Yes, an alliance of all the bases on the mountain was good for everyone but it was mostly good for the members of the billionaire’s club.
As with any negotiations the party with the upper hand was king. The ones seeking his help needed to sweeten the pot.
"Tell me why we should be in an alliance with you?" He raised an eyebrow. "Being in one would mean sharing resources. We are not lacking for resources here. Why should we share ours with you?"
Jin cleared his throat. "We have discussed it, and we are willing to pay tribute and exchange the services we can provide. Tracy Kingsley can lend her services when you need her.
We have each discovered some individuals on our bases that have awakened. Their services can be exchanged too. Don’t they say no man is an island? Are you sure that you want to be an island?"
"Things change sometimes." Jon said, "your walls are high but someone on the inside can disrupt it all. If such a day comes, maybe you will need to move some of your loved ones to our base."
"And the same can happen to any of us." Sheldon pitched in enthusiastically. "If one of our bases falls, it won’t be long until and other follows. Westbrook must be united, or we might end up like the white house."
Hades arched a brow. "Do you even know what happened at the white house Sheldon?"
Sheldon shrugged. "I don’t know everything, but I know the white house is not a safe place anymore which means that their leader failed them." He stepped forward and looked Hades in the eyes. "Look, we are willing to be under your umbrella. You and your wife can be the leaders. We are simply members of the committee."
Jon raised his hands, as if in surrender. "You win Hades, you are a better businessman than all of us."
Hades tilted his head in surprise. Was he really watching them surrender and admit he was better than them? How many years had their superiority battle been ongoing?
"Can you repeat that again?" He asked Jon.
Jon rolled his eyes and repeated it.
"Now, all together but remove business and leave man." Hades told the billionaires.
Against every instinct they had, they reluctantly said the words Hades wanted to hear.
Hades folded his lips. He did not want to let out his victory laugh. He also did not want to thank the apocalypse for finally allowing the truth to prevail!