YP – B2:UtGoaFN – Chapter 42 (Chapter 88)

202 Days Until Collapse And the Uncertain End (Part 2)

It was hours later when they were finally called back to the Council Room, much to Heia’s dismay. Everyone looked worse for wear but Evester, who stood with a smug look upon his face. They had not bothered cuffing him this time. There was no point. They could not contain him, or that was what Heia assumed that they would say. She did not blame them. He was far too shifty to be contained.

“Come to an agreement?” Evester asked before they could begin the meeting.

“He’s just ancy.” Heia apologized for him trying not to piss off those who could control their fate.

“We all are.” Estashia answered. “But yes we have.”

“And?” Evester pressed.

“Full immunity for all parties. Evacuation will begin, but full disclosure of the project.” Estashia announced to the world council and all those who were listening.

“Easy enough.” Evester agreed as if he wasn’t willing to give everything to them before.

“I thought you said—“ The Superior cut in.

“My mother has all the files, even if you can read them doesn’t mean you will understand them. And by this time the whole world will have all the files.” Evester had predicted this? Or was he planning on giving all the documents from the beginning?

“Where are you going to go?” A Council member asked.

“To find my father.” Evester spoke without a care, as if he were bored and hadn’t been bouncing in the cell minutes before.

“He’s alive?” The news spread like wildfire.

“I believe so. And then we will complete the Project’s plans.” Evester nodded.

“Which entail—“ It was at that moment that the ground began to shake and Heia’s heart flew to her throat. She gripped Evester who’s face turned grim. 

“What is happening?” Evester yelled out to a guard.

“We lost contact.” It was Lynx’ voice. She was there? She was recording everything? “We need to leave now.”

“The whole Tower is shaking!” Another guard answered not realizing that Lynx was not an officer.

“Zeydar was supposed to stop this.” Heia called to Evester. The sirens began to sound and the council feeds had gone black. Evester looked to Heia, with the exact look she didn’t want to see. “He didn’t…”

“You!” A Superior raced to them. “What did you do to Zeydar?”

“He’s fine.” Evester repeated as the Superior grabbed his collar. 

“He can not detox.” She warned him, which was all they needed to know to know that Arcadia might have been his fault.

“He caused the collapse of Arcadia?” Evester asked.

The Superior did not answer. “Get him back on Dreams and this will end.” Somehow from the way that the Superior said it, Heia didn’t trust the instructions.

Evester grabbed Heia and began to run, meeting up with his mother and Lynx. “Where are Europa and Endwin?”

“Evacuated already.” Estashia answered.

“If it is Zeydar…” Heia had always feared that it was, at least a bit. If they had caused this destruction… There was no way to stop it, for Sweet Dreams would do nothing now.

“No. Arcadia was not in the project. Valaria is. This is different. The other Tower collapses are different.” Evester disagreed.

“But not tied to the Aralax?” Heia clarrified.

“No. This is a design of—“

“It was different calculations, Evester.” Estashia interjected.

“What do you mean?” Evester looked at her wide eyed.

“The destructions that your father had listed were based on rumors he heard along with the need to cull the population. Things that I have heard about.” Estashia spoke quickly. “They were designed to look like Project predictions, but instead they are our personal predictions based on what we know.”

“Predictions of what?”

“That the Stars were planning to leave us behind, one way or another. The Space Project continued only for them. They were planning on making sure their people disappeared.” She spoke secrets that Heia believed to be national secrets, as if they were all going to die. As if Evester and Heia had to live, even if no one else did.

“Why were they with the project files?”

“We did not think Arcadia would happen. We assumed it would happen later, closer to the predicted end date of the Space Program completion for them. Its in the files again, did you miss it?” Estashia was rushed, flustered, anything but the dignified queen Heia had seen. However the mantle was reforming and her eyes were stern. She was a mess for but a few moments, caught off guard, but ready to act as she had to.

“I—“ Had he? Heia had to know but he did not answer. “So Arcadia was early…”

“What ever failsafe the Stars put in place with their magic was activated early, causing the fall.” Which had to have been Zeydar, Heia figured. 

“If we know this, and they know we know this, won’t it keep them from destroying the Towers? To prove the project wrong?” Heia asked.

“Not if we blame it on a structural damage that occurred Tower wide that was caused by the Catastrophe, that can be fixed with magic. Then the Superiors are in a bind.” Evester answered. “And that was the plan?”

“We had an idea that they were planning something, but it took me a while to cross the facts with your father’s sources, so I was not sure until today.” Estashia had returned to her sure self. “I noticed the disparity very quickly. Because he had talked to me about it.”

Heia was not sure what the relationship between Evester’s parents was. Sometimes she thought they hated each other, and at times she thought they loved each other. She was positive it was complicated and certain that at this time it didn’t matter.

The ground was shaking, sirens blaring, lights flashing, people screaming. They ran out of the council building to the guards and military moving council members away from the council building. The collapse had begun.

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