The Salvation

Chapter 26

|Deborah|

"Malcolm has been less than useful these past few days." Callus said to Deborah in his raspy voice. "I suggest allowing me to recondition him, same method used on your Onyx guards President Fisher." Callus' injuries had healed well since they first occurred, but his skin was now a leathery layer of melted skin clinging onto melted bones. His survival was beyond a miracle, but Callus' own sciences were to thank. He experimented on himself, hoping to bring back some of his former appeal. It didn't work, but he was fine now. A man with hard features and a man hard to look at.

Deborah waved her hand effortlessly. "Do whatever you need to do Callus..." Deborah said as she skimmed through the papers on her desk. Being President of a country was difficult enough at the best of times, but the President of a united planet, forced into unity after terrible devastation was even more so. Russia tried declaring itself an independent country once again, but Callus shut them down within a weekend. "How goes locating The Apex?"

Callus gritted his teeth irritably. "Not well. As I theorised, it's likely following the suns movements and patterns, but it's the night that's messing with my efforts." Callus explained from across Deborah's large ornate desk. "Once the sun sets, The Apex can't locate a major source of fusion energy so it simply wanders, the satellites should be able to find it due to its size but the clouds are too thick."

"Can your weather machines move the clouds?"

"I've been experimenting with them. They darken the clouds and cause rain, but breaking them apart is beyond them."

"Then the satellites are useless to us unless we can break through to give them a window of vision...?" Deborah said as a statement and a question, she wasn't certain which.

Callus grunted and nodded. "Perhaps. I've dispatched fourteen squadrons to all my essential positions to activate weather machines. We may have oceans by the end of the year if we're lucky."

"Good. We can make use of boats."

"I have received a message from Colorado City, it's rather unfortunate news." Callus announced. "Melinda Marez and her daughter to Oliver Simpson managed to escape, how exactly, I'm unsure."

Deborah's head shot up. "That's not good. They know too much!"

"I have also received another message from Colorado City stating there's a British woman present who may have information on the likes of Andrew Pratt, the brother of Michael Farrant and plans to attack some of our Colorado installations."

"Really? Wasn't Michael Farrant the one who broke through the firewalls all those years ago and exposed Apex and Overlord to the world?"

"Momentarily, Terry Mathers was the only one who glimpsed and exposed them, aside from SP-16C of course. But no bother, Terry is dead, SP-16C is plugged into a supercomputer keeping her dormant and Overlord remains uncompromised."

"No, Overlord is fine sitting beneath San Francisco whilst your other pet project is running rampant!"

"It's for the best if The Apex attacks, it's naturally unhostile and any attack will expose its location to us for sedation and extraction."

"How do you sedate something like that? Actually I want all details on The Apex. And when you're done, all details on all of your little schemes Callus." Deborah said sternly. She laughed when Callus' face dropped. "I'm the President of the world now and I don't like you keeping all these secrets!"

"You're enjoying this aren't you...?" Callus' raspy and cold voice went dark and bleak. He was noticeably annoyed. "Don't forget who's plan it was to put you in power President Fisher... Don't forget what I did for you..."

Deborah scoffed. Callus made her sick to her core, but tolerating him was necessary. "You started a nuclear war! You fucking destroyed the world! And you let loose something bigger than I've ever seen!" Deborah could feel herself getting worked up, but tormenting Callus was entertaining to say the least. "Now I want full disclosure and you will tell me all of the tedious little details about The Apex... All of them!"

Callus closed his eyes and sighed, gritting his teeth. "The Apex is a biological creation made from combining the genetic material of different types of reptilians. By classification, The Apex is a reptile but not conventionally, it's blood is less cold than the typical lizard or what have you, but it isn't warm. It's a pale white colour, at least I think it was hard to see it in containment, and it's eyes are red. It sees only in black and white but it's highly intelligent and can tell shapes apart easily and its sense of smell attracts it to food. It requires meat to survive as per anything, but it's destruction it craves in its heart," Callus paused for a breath, "it has a thirst for destroying that it hasn't activated yet, but soon enough it will learn. It's adapting to the wasteland at the moment and soon enough I'll activate a fusion reactor and it will be drawn to it."

"So what survives? The Apex or your fusion reactor?" Deborah asked, horrified.

Callus shrugged. "If The Apex isn't successful in completing its goals and proves uncontrollable, than we resort to Overlord. I need a fusion reactor to complete The Overlord, but it's still twenty years off due to delays. The size of Overlord also triumphs over The Apex, it's already large but when it's done... The Overlord will a sight to fear..."

"You like The Overlord more?"

"The Apex is essentially a large lizard waiting to knock a building down. The Overlord is a highly advance nuclear bomb with the capabilities to incinerate the surface of a selected portion of the planet. Tell me President Fisher, which one will leave our enemies trembling? The monster, or the missile?"

Incinerate. Deborah liked none of it. Having a walking beast waiting to learn its craving for destruction was enough to fear, but The Overlord... Callus is making something that will burn our planet... Who does he want burning with it? A knock on the door interrupted them. Katrina Lloyd walked in.

"Katrina. Callus was just explaining some of his... New developments." Deborah tried her best not to let her voice shake or show fear. "What is it?"

"Callus, your informant has arrived at Colorado City. She's being accommodated and awaiting your arrival at The Black Tower." Katrina informed.

Callus nodded and looked at Deborah. "You have my clearance to go. And take men with you, if you believe there's a fusion reactor in Colorado I want you to find it before your animal does..." Deborah said. Before Callus could leave, she grabbed him by the arm from over her desk. "Take Malcolm Howard with you and fix him for me, got it?"

"Your orders will be carried out efficiently and diligently." Callus said before nodding again and faking a smirk.

Deborah waited until he left before she walked over to Katrina and sighed. "I don't trust him Katrina, but it can't be me who does anything to Callus... I need you to set up spies around him at all times for a few months, I need to know what he is doing, when he his doing it."

"Yes President Fisher, I'll get on it!" Katrina confirmed. As the woman walked out, she turned to face Deborah once more. "You're right not to trust him..." I know Katrina... I know...