Scavenger Alliance by Janet Edwards

Author:Janet Edwards
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Janet Edwards
Published: 2017-04-08T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-one

Ten minutes later, Donnell was pacing round the room, while the rest of us sat watching him. “It’s taken Mac six months to convince me the firestorm threat is real. How the chaos can I persuade everyone else to take it seriously enough to abandon their homes and possessions and leave New York this spring? I daren’t even tell them Tad is webbed. If I do, then someone is bound to try digging the web out of his head in the vain hope of using it themselves.”

A gory image of that appeared in my mind and I felt sick. Tad looked understandably nauseous too.

“The Resistance won’t need convincing to follow you out of New York. They’d follow you anywhere,” said Machico.

“I know that,” said Donnell. “Chaos knows why the Resistance members are still so loyal to me given the way I’ve failed them in the past, but they are. The other divisions are an entirely different matter though.”

Machico gave a dismissive shrug of his shoulders. “It’s not your fault if the other divisions choose to stay in New York.”

Donnell glared at him. “I’m not just the leader of the Resistance, Mac, but the leader of the whole alliance as well. Do you expect me to light-heartedly walk away in the spring and leave all the division men, women and children to burn to death?”

I felt as angry as Donnell. I knew many of the division people, especially the children, as well as I knew the Resistance members. I’d taught school classes, helped with the crèche, and done some nursing. It was horrific to think of leaving the babies and children I’d taught, cuddled, and nursed through the winter fever to die in a firestorm.

Machico lifted his hands in surrender. “I’m sorry if I seem callous about what happens to the other divisions, but try to understand my viewpoint, Sean. I’ve spent six months picturing a nightmare future. Even if I could persuade Natsumi and my daughters to leave New York with me, what chance would we have of surviving on our own? Right now I can’t think of anything other than the fact my family and the rest of the Resistance people may survive this.”

“Yes, from your viewpoint things have improved,” said Donnell, in a calmer voice, “but I’m the one having nightmares now. Think about the fact there can’t be any last minute escapes from a New York firestorm like there were in London, because we have no working portals here. Then remember that it’s my fault that those portals aren’t working.”

“It was Seamus who killed the portals, not you,” said Machico. “You misjudged the boy, but so did the rest of us. You have to focus your mind on planning for the future rather than brooding on past mistakes, Sean, or we’re all doomed.”

“You’re right,” said Donnell. “We’ll have to keep the firestorm threat secret until we’ve got a proper plan worked out. I can’t just tell people we have to leave New York. I need to offer them the prospect of a new and better home.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.