Chapter 16 : Meeting

"This is outrageous!" barked James, the Leader of the 1st Division of the Dark Knights.

"Why are we even discussing this? Why should we attack a guild of that size with absolutely no reason?" demanded Albie.

"Why? Because we can! Just think about it for a moment." replied Alex. "There are three Powers standing in our way in the task of conquering London-"

"Wait a second, why are we conquering London?" interrupted Bella, Leader of the 6th Division of the Dark Knights.

"Do not interrupt me.' Alex bit back sharply, staring with graphite-like eyes.

Bella threw her hands up in exasperation as Alex continued.

"The Londeners, The Jackals, and the London Council. A confrontation with the Council is unavoidable. We've made a peace pact with the Jackals. If we can get the Londeners out of the way, our position in the city will be much stronger. If we can get enough of their members to join us, we might just get the London Council to back down." Alex's eyes were full of passion. The discussion wasn't quite going his way. He hadn't expected his top brass to retort so sharply. A terrible error in his calculation. So instead he was focusing on filling their minds with ideas, instead of trying to win them over immediately.

Slowly, those ideas would take root, his Division Leaders would start considering if their initial opposition of Alex's suggestion was wrong. And the next time he would bring this up, it would mean assured victory.

"Why do you think that the confrontation with the Council is unavoidable. As far as their 'Ultimatum' declared, we'll be fine as long as we don't go warmongering." asked Albie.

Alex's eyes turned darker. "What do you think they'll do to us after this situation is resolved, eh? Give us a kiss on the cheeks, tell us all our crimes our forgiven and let us roam free? " Alex gave a humourless laugh. "They will knock down our bloody doors, Albie. They knock down our doors, tell us to have our hands up in the air, take us to a pitiful court where they'll pretend like they are giving us a trial even though the verdict was decided before we even stepped foot in there, and then they'll send us to the gallows or throw us in a cell to rot and be forgotten."

Albie was silent for a few seconds. "The Captain would have never gotten into this mess." he whispered, but Alex heard it.

There it was again. Always the former Captain this, the former Captain that. Alex's patience was thinning. It took everything in him not to slam his hands on the table as he spoke. "The former Captain is dead, Albie. And your- actually, most of your loyalties lie with a ghost. "

Alex paused a bit, gathering himself. " And do not make the mistake of thinking that being out in the limelight has doomed us. The alternative was living on scraps and dying in the gutters."

Alex sat down, let the words take effect. Across the table to his left, Rose mouthed the word "Damn" to him.

A few moments passed in silence, and then Volkov spoke up.

"Does anyone have anything to say?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Alright then. We will first vote on how the voting will be done. If you think the matter is important enough to be decided by a two-thirds majority, raise your hands. " he said, and raised his left hand.

Bella, James, Allie, Albie and Andre raised their hands.

"The matter will be decided by a two-thirds majority. As per the rules, the Captain's vote counts as two votes. Is everybody in agreement?"

All seated around the table nodded their heads.

"I'll go first, then." Volkov declared, with a sense of pride that comes with being the seniormost in a group. "Alex. Before I give you my vote, I just want to confirm one thing. Do you have a plan, or are we heading in blind? Because it feels like the latter."

"Mr. Volkov." Alex replied, his voice betraying no emotion. "There is a method to my madness. I assure you, I know where I am going with this."

" I see. Then, I, keeping in mind the opinion of the Captain, vote in favour of attacking the Londeners."

Alex , although he didn't show it, was taken aback. Just what had changed, for a man like Volkov to suddenly go from berating him to trusting him?

"You're up next, James."

James took a deep breath, and spoke calmly. " You simply telling us that you have a plan is not convincing, Alexander. We need something more solid. Unless you can provide us with it, my vote is against."

"I'm afraid I can't provide you with anything yet."

"Alright then. I vote against the unprovoked attack on the Londeners."

"You're up next, Rose." said Mr. Volkov.

Rose leaned back in her chair, her short stature making almost her entire body invisible. "I'm gonna go with Mr. Volkov on this. I trust the Captain. I vote in favour."

"Alright, " said Mr. Volkov, and motioned to Bella. " Bella. It's your turn."

"I'm going with James. I trust you, but we need something more solid. I vote against the attack on the Londeners."

"Andre?" asked Mr. Volkov.

Andre perked up at the mention of his name. His chest muscles threatened to tear out of his shirt, and the chair groaned as he shifted his weight and spoke. "Well, I say we tear them apart. A fight can't hurt much. "

"So your vote?"

"What do you think? Of course I vote in favour favour."

"Good. Albie?"

Albie straightened his tie. " I vote against."

"Your reason."

"The idea is ridiculous. Attacking another guild unprovoked. That too, a guild that has been growing at almost the same rate as us. They are bound to have people with exceptional Abilities. And we haven't taken into account their allies. We'll be playing with fire."

The table was silent for a few seconds, even Mr. Volkov locked in thought.

"Alright. Jack?"

"I vote in favour. Simply because I have trust in the Captain, and I truly believe he wouldn't present such an idea without being adequately prepared."

"Maya?"

The Leader of the 9th division spoke up. Her voice seeming to flow, the way steam does. "I will be going with the flow here. I trust the Captain." She rested her head on her right hand. "And I vote in favour."

"Allie?"

"Well...I trust the Captain too, but I have my doubts. It just feels to risky. Too sudden. I vote against."

'Tch!' went a voice in Alex's head. 'We bet you didn't anticipate good ol' Allie turning away the offer, ey?'

"Shut up." Alex whispered back. The voice quietened.

"Alex?" Mr.Volkov asked.

Alex looked up.

"It's five in favour, four in opposition. Your vote?"

Alex shook himself out of it. "Yes, of course. I vote in favour."

Volkov waited for a few seconds before speaking.

"With a two-thirds majority of seven votes out of eleven, the decision to attack the Londeners has been approved. Alex , do you have anything to say."

"Yes."

"Go on."

Alex took a deep breath and calmed himself.

"The Captain of the Londeners, along with some skilled fighters and top brass, will be at Warehouse 12 at Six a.m. tomorrow for a strategic meeting. They will be heavily defended, and armed. At seven, the meeting will conclude. That's when we strike."

"How do you even know all of this?" James questioned.

"I have my sources. Now, the plan is simple. We execute their Captain, seize Warehouse 12, and return. "

"You just mentioned "Skilled fighters." What exactly does that mean?" asked Volkov.

'Good.' Alex thought. Everyone was in the zone. No more politics, just strategy.

" There will be powerful ability users. The Captain has an abiltiy which allows him to create shockwaves. They also have an "Elemental" as we like to call them. Its a talented fire manipulator. "

"What about that incredibly notorious guy?" Andre asked excitedly. "It would be fun to tear apart someone with a reputation. "

"Ah...yes. That guy's the main problem here. The only one I couldn't get any information on."

" "The Chopper." " said Jack solemnly. "That's what they call him, due to his rather obvious talent in chopping things."

"Yes, he's the one we have to be the most wary of."

"Anything else?" Volkov questioned.

"No. I shall be providing you all with a list of the people I'm certain we will encounter, along with their powers, and some information you can use against them."

"Let us adjourn the meeting then."

A few formalities were done, and minutes later, when everyone except Rose had headed out, Alex allowed himself to relax.

"That was close." Rose said , as she lit herself a cigarette. "But I'm sure you knew it would go your way."

"Actually, I didn't."

Rose raised her eyebrows.

"It was huge gamble. If I had failed we would have missed out on the perfect opportunity to execute this plan."

"And yet you never made anyone in the meeting aware of the extent of your control over this situation. You had all the information, and yet you refused to reveal anything, even if it cost you votes." Rose gave a smile. "Quite the interesting guy I've found for myself."

Alex gave a tired laugh. " Well, I like to keep my cards tucked to my chest."

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~Thomas

Thomas woke up to unfamiliar surroundings yet again. A bed that creaked with every movement, a fan that seemed determined on falling down, and a room that can be optimistically described as a minimalist's dream.

He rolled over and checked his phone.

A few messages from his friends. Not that he could reply. He didn't exactly have an internet connection. The time was 05:34.

He tried to go back to sleep. And after changing positions for half an hour, he gave up and decided to take a walk. Familiarizing himself with his surrounding couldn't hurt.

What was surprising was that the door in front of his own opened at the same time as his. Robin stood there, rubbing at her eyes absent-mindedly.

"Oh..Morning, Thomas."

"What are you up for?" Thomas asked, slightly amused.

"Couldn't sleep."

"You're awake because you couldn't sleep. That's your explanation?"

"Look," she said, annoyed. "I don't have the energy for this. And what about you, anyway? Why are you awake?"

"Well," Thomas shrugged. "Couldn't sleep."

"So...uh...you wanna get some coffee?"

Thomas raised his eyebrows. "You know cafes that open at six in the morning?"

Robin leaned towards him. "I spent my first seven days here foraging for cafes."

Thomas looked as if he was considering, but he had already decided. " Fine. Where to?"

"Its a ten-minute walk from here."

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