Chapter 103: The shadow on the horizon
Chapter 103: Shadows on the Horizon
The weeks after the change were very tense in Vellion but the company kept on trying hard toward the success. The city had turned into a beacon of light and people are focused on it from all over the continent. Word about the rebirth quickly got round and people rushed to come and see the phenomenon with their own eyes and contribute in anyway they could; be it as travelers, activists, scientists and so on.
Natasha and Alison however realized that they had just begun and the triumph in Vellion had just started. It was through the jungles influence that the city had been reborn but at the same time the scale was off. They were there, weak entities as remnants of a bygone corporate boom, or gainful opportunists with warlord-like inclinations sobered by the new reality that was the city.
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One evening, Natasha gathered a council in the room, which used to be a boardroom in one of the upper stories of Vellion's highest building. Now the room was exposed to the outside elements and what was left of the balcony was covered in vines and there were birds chirping in the rafters of the roof overhead. Around the table sat a mix of old faces and new allies: concerned community upper echelon, environmentalists and other stakeholders and officials in the adjacent territories.
Alison stood back; he leaned against a post, with his arms folded as listened to the discussion. It was precisely the council wondering how the city could increase its agricultural capability without exerting the land too much.
"It is too dangerous to go too fast," said Lina, a botanist who was actively involved in the defense of organizing greenhouses in the city. "The soil requires some time for regeneration irrespective of the interference of the Heart."
"But we've got mouths to feed now," another former factory worker Malik said. "People are relying on us. If we let them down, they won't believe in anything anymore, we read in the text .
Natasha looked around the room and then came up and put her hand up, the arguing stopped at once. This is true, as Lina was right pointing out that, there is always the aspect of the long-term perspective in this. But Malik has a point, too. I'm very much a product of this mixed economy… I understand that if we're going to sustain ourselves out here, then there are some things we just can't have right now. Instead, there is a need for the development of the various crops and enhance the number of communal gardens. Trade only with what we are incapable of producing ourselves, we shall complement it by producing the rest ourselves.
The council listened attentively and bowed in acceptance but Alison saw something shifting in one corner of the door. He sat up, his hand automatically touching the handle of his axe.
A scout walked in, looking pretty serious. The instant he stepped on the set the words spilling from him were, "We've got trouble." A caravan enroute here was attacked on its way from the west. Words for the survivors report that it was a bunch of raiders—they are asking for tribute or they will siege the city.
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Another moment of heavy silence came over the room. Natasha clenched her fists. "How many survivors?"
"Little men," said the scout. "The raiders took most of the supplies and left a message: It REQUIRES either surrender Vellion's resources or war."
His thinking was interrupted by Alison cursing softly under his breath. This we knew, would eventually occur after Ornette had capitalized on streams amassed from other projects. He stated that the nature of the change makes the city a target for attack.
Natasha's mind raced. They strived so much to create a new world, but the world outside had not changed where people still killing each other due to, greed. "We do not know where the raiders are based."
The scout nodded. ''It is around a day journey from here, close to the old refinery.''
"Then we can't wait for them to come to us," Alison, one of the employees who were present during the interview, remarked. "We take the fight to them."
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The next morning, Natasha and Alison took several others fighters with them into the jungle. They also knew where they were going and how to avoid being seen because of this, they were fast and quiet. The actors continued, and the jungle appeared to apprehend the fact that the shooting party was in a hurry; the creepers divided them to open a way, the beast went ahead.
When they were near the refinery, Alison raised a hand gesturing for everyone to stop. They could make out the camp of raiders, which was struck through random tents and shelters, makeshift barriers. The guards included armed men who wandered around the perimeters with shiny guns.
Natasha watched the scene, thinking hard within her strategic mind. "They are equipped well but they lack discipline. If we can immobilise their cars and cause a distraction, we will always be in control."
Alison grinned his axe in the hand. "Leave the diversion to me."
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As the night approached they decide to separate. Natasha and a few others slowly moved toward the raiders' vehicles, as silently as could be. With parts taken from the Vellion, they blew up the engines so the raiders could not get away, or come after them.
At the same time, Alison walked to the edge of the camp area with a bundle of explosives that were manufactured out of the remains of scrap. He pulled the fuse and threw the bundle right at the middle of the camp with a flick of his wrist.
The explosion that went off was loud and illuminated the night; raiders scattered each in different directions. Alison threw himself in the middle of the battle, and the axe slices through them like a hot knife through butter. The viciousness of the raiders was matched only by the ferocity of the jungle: the vines of which ensnared the raiders and the branches providing him cover from bullets.
Natasha and her team saw this chance and moved from the flanks. The raiders, suddenly under attack were able to make only slight resistance, as they started to break up. Some ran into the jungle while the others threw down their arms and laid down their lives.
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The next morning the camp was destroyed. The other raiders that escaped were apprehended, and the stolen products were retrieved. Natasha looked sad as she found herself standing amidst the debris. "This cannot continue," she said. "If we're going to protect Vellion, then we need to make friends—create a string of cities such as this one."
Alison only nodded, cleaning blood on his axe. "Agreed. But first, we have to work with the prisoners."
The captured raiders were brought back to Vellion, where they were given a choice: remain part of the city's rebuilding exercise or go empty-handed. There were some who decided to live on the strength of the American dream. Some walked away with hatred in their hearts.
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On that night, the two women were on the same roof where they used to observe the change of the city. Vellion was, at least, a safe city for the darkness of the outside world was becoming that much more real at that time.
"We've made a lot of progress," Natasha sighed her tone speaking for her weary looks. "But it seems as if the problems continue to rise."
"They will," Alison replied. "But we're ready for them. This city is stronger than it has ever been before – and so are we as a community.
Natasha smiled faintly. "Then let's keep moving forward" One fight at a time."
And as the thick foliage pointed its song into the couple, they understood that their way was far from getting better. But they also knew they weren't alone. Together they would stand before whatever remained unknown but they would be ready to work and create a future worth the fight.