DESPERATE MEASURES

Despite having rescued nearly 400 people from the jaws of death, Logan still felt disheartened and responsible for the death of his comrades. The monstrous sight of a creature tearing through his men left indelible scars on his courageous soul. He couldn’t fathom ever defeating the machine in battle.

He had reasons of his own to continue persisting in the fight, even against overwhelming odds. Each time circumstances threatened to break his resolve, he reflected on the sacrifices that had brought him to this point. Shortly after the rescue, he parted ways with the people he saved and hastily rushed to Stork City. They had underestimated their enemies, and he needed to save his friends and make them aware of the true danger, their mission posed.

Despite the efforts imposed by the queen’s force to label the group as notorious criminals, word of their feats spread throughout Silvermoor. People whispered to one another about how a group of misfits, led by Darius King, rescued people from brutality at the Wellington estate and the mine.

Logan arrived in Stork City, weary and fatigued from his journey. Lacking a pass to enter the city, he struck a deal with a merchant, trading his gun and horse for passage and assuming the guise of one of the merchant's companions. Sneaking past the city gate, he marveled at the grandeur of the city, his mind fixed on a singular purpose, finding Flick's tea house, their agreed meeting place. However, his focus was abruptly interrupted when a group of men suddenly encircled him, catching him off guard.

“I finally caught you. You’re not going to escape this time!” A voice rushed through his ears from behind. He turned his head only to find Titus and Henry, together with their vanguards, pointing guns at him.

“Where are your friends hiding?” Titus continued. He and Henry had gone to extreme measures, using everything at their disposal to track Logan and his companions down. They had followed and captured the people he saved from the mine before they could escape to the sanctuary in LightShore.

Henry added, “This man! He’s the one that shot Rosie!” Then the vanguards seized and forced him down on his knees.

“How did you find me?” Logan asked upon realizing he was outnumbered and too worn out to fight them all.

Titus, “We captured the criminals who escaped from the mine. It didn't take much torture for them to give up your whereabouts.”

“What!”

“Titus, “It’s sad actually. Did you betray me for this kind of life? You’ll soon realize how terrible a mistake you and your friends made.”

“You think you’re the first guys to try an uprising. You and your friends have no idea the people you’re dealing with. Where are the rest of your friends hiding?” Henry warned him. He then hit Logan with the barrel of his gun and repeated, “Where are they hiding!?”

Logan, however, remained silent.

“Do you really think you and your friends can take down a kingdom full of thousands of armed soldiers? I mean, the thought that you guys even had such an idea is wildly hilarious. Look, here is what I'm offering; Tell me where Peter and the others are hiding, and I’ll consider keeping you alive. A strong man like you, I might even consider hiring you as one of my guards again,” Titus offered.

Then, Logan spat blood on the ground and said, “Go to hell! I’ll never let you people win.” Henry began hitting him, but the man was still recovering from his bullet wound, and his throws were not very aggressive. Then he said, “When I find Julius, I am going to skin him alive for betraying my father!”

“Let’s not do this here,” Titus suggested after people started to gather due to the commotion.

“Since we’re already here, why don’t we take him to the palace? He’s bound to talk at some point if we torture him.” Titus added. After that, they tied Logan up and headed to the palace.

Speaking of which, the atmosphere in the palace was tense as the struggle for power among the ministers played out in subtle yet significant ways. At the apex of this power hierarchy was the queen, her authority undisputed but constantly challenged by the ambitions of those beneath her.

Leading the ranks was Major Fred Wellington, the prime minister and second in authority after the queen. However, his position was not without its challengers. The other ministers, each vying for influence and control, engaged in relentless battles for resources and recognition, like scavengers fighting over meager scraps of gold.

Among them, the Minister of Finance stood out as a particularly cunning and greedy individual, always scheming and conniving to increase his own wealth and power.

As the time for their periodic meeting arrived, the ministers assembled in the grand halls of the palace, ready to present their progress and vie for the queen's favor.

"Any progress with the project, Major Wellington?" the queen inquired, her gaze sharp as she assessed the state of affairs.

"We're making strides, Your Majesty," Major Wellington replied with confidence. "Our focus is on stabilizing the quantum processor, and I am optimistic that we will achieve significant breakthroughs soon."

“You’ve been saying that for than 10 years now!” Minister of Finance, Erick Griffin, pointed out. “Perhaps it's high time we started considering the possibilities and ways to stay here permanently,” he added.

Major Doctor Fred Wellington countered, “How foolish! How many times am I going to tell you that the longer we stay here, the more danger we impose on our very own existence! Our priority should be to allocate all resources and manpower towards completing this project!”

“The major is right! The project still remains our best chance as of now! All of you should assist Major Wellington in every way possible.” The queen commanded. Fred Wellington and other scientists were working endlessly to finish the secret project, but without Huang, stabilizing the quantum core proved to be an almost impossible task.

Erick still standing firm against the major added, “It’s hundreds of you! and you’ve had more than twenty years and still failed to achieve something Huang could have done in one month.”

“Don’t ever mention that traitor's name in front of me!” Fred Wellington yelled.

Erick, “My point is...we’re running out of time. The population of these people is increasing. People are starving, and everyday conflicts are arising in many parts of the country. We all know there was an uprising just a few weeks ago at the Major's estate.”

Fred Wellington tried to hide the incident to save face, but word eventually got out. “I say we build deep water bunkers. From the information I gathered using Sapience, there is an area in the South Pacific that no one visits until our time. Let’s at least utilize this as our backup plan.” Eric Griffin proposed.

Fred Wellington responded, “Even if that’s possible, the cryonic chambers are still not perfected. It would be just a matter of time before we run out of resources.”

Erick questioned, “So what are you saying? We keep wasting our lives here, stuck waiting for you to finish a project that might take a hundred more years!”

“Gentlemen!” The queen intervened. She was the only woman in the room aside from her assistant. “Your concerns are well understood. Mr. Griffin, I’ll consider your proposal’s prospects more carefully. In the meantime, do assist the major with the project. So far, it’s still our most favorable option.”

Following the meeting, everyone was excused, and the queen requested a private audience with the Major. He held a pivotal role as her right-hand man, and she placed immense trust in him, especially regarding the completion of their mission. However, she harbored concerns about the extreme measures he was resorting to in pursuit of his objectives.

Queen Zenith asked, “Why didn’t you say anything? I could’ve dispatched a few men to help you handle the incident.”

Lord Wellington responded, “Don’t be concerned with this. It’s just a bunch of foolish, naïve men trying to play heroes. I’ve already sent a few men to handle the matter.”

Queen Zenith expressed, “I don’t question your methods or your abilities. But they are bound to retaliate if you hit them too much. I’ve heard about the conditions at your mines.”

Lord Wellington apologized, “Do forgive me! We need to secure as much CB19 as possible. To finish the project, we need to use all the manpower we can get.”

Queen Zenith insisted, “Still, do put a stop to using women and children in the mines. Let’s try to secure our humanity while in the pursuit of living for tomorrow. However Doomed as they may be.”

Lord Wellington assured, “I shall do so.”

Queen Zenith inquired, “What about the other matter? How is it going so far?”

“We got information that he’s hiding in LightShore City. We’ll be able to catch him soon.”

Queen Zenith questioned, “And you’re certain it's him?”

Lord Wellington replied, “It’s all second-hand information, but based on the description, I am positive it’s him. One of my men who used to work with him confirmed this with his own eyes. And we never found his body, so it’s highly likely that he was alive this entire time.”

The queen instructed, “Let me know when he’s found. Use all the manpower you need and bring him back so that we can all return home.”

While they were speaking, Titus and Henry arrived to greet the queen.

“Ah, my two favorite young men, Henry and Lord Harrison. How pleasant to see you after such a long time!” The Queen couldn't hide her delight, her expression brightening with the arrival of Henry and Titus. The contrast was stark, a refreshing break from the relentless arguments and debates with the older members of her council.

Lord Wellington took Henry aside and left Titus chatting alone with the queen.

“I leave you for one moment, and you turn everything upside down!” He scolded Henry.

Henry pleaded, “Father! Forgive me. I tried…”

Lord Wellington, “Letting weak farmers get the better of you. You’ve ruined our family's honor.”

Henry, “I am sorry. They were armed and escaped all the way from Rossfield city. Titus was after them too. But I can turn everything back to how it was. I caught one of them! With Titus’s help, I’ll soon apprehend them all!”

Lord Wellington, “Go back home. You’ve done enough already! I’ll handle this matter myself.”

Then Major Fred Wellington got a description of the rebels from Titus and put up their wanted posters around the city. However, Henry was not one to give up easily when losing his father's favor was at stake. So he asked Titus to help him secretly continue searching for Darius and the others. Logan’s fate however was about to take a turn for the worse. He was soon about to learn that torture was the least of his concerns at a palace full of secrets.