“It’s decided then,” Claire, the Voice of the Council of Nine, said aloud, though she was alone in the dimly lit, round room. Nine communication screens hung, dark and lifeless, from the ceiling in a semi-circle opposite her, framing one half of a large, round table. The table was just for show, a holdover from the Old World, from a time when its leaders met in person to make important decisions.

It was a good decision, she thought, pressing a button on the panel set into the table before her. The screens silently curled up into an alcove in the ceiling and the far wall blinked off to reveal a view of the city below. More importantly, she knew, it was a necessary decision.

Claire ran a calloused hand through her short brown hair and approached the window. Capital Dome stretched out below her, its streets carefully organized to resemble the sprawling cities of the Old World. The sense of structured chaos had supposedly brought comfort to the first people to inhabit this life-saving prison. More than a dozen generations of New Washingtonians later and no one saw their enclosed city as anything but home.

Beyond Capital Dome, Claire could just see the ends of the branches supporting the other domes of New Washington. The city was modeled after a tree, towering several miles over the desolate land below. Capital Dome sat perched atop a massive trunk made from peresilium, the strongest alloy ever created. Twelve branches stretched from it, each housing its own unique set of domes, all of which were essential to the city’s survival.

Claire rested her forehead against the cool glass and took a deep breath. The sight of New Washington from this vantage point usually awed and amazed her, even after all these years. She didn’t know what was more impressive: that such a massive structure could withstand the winds and rain that beat the planet, or that human ingenuity and will to survive had forged a way to overcome the ruin they had brought to their once thriving home.

But now the sight of her beloved city only filled her with fear and anxiety. Her home was in danger. Her people were in danger. They would once again need that ingenuity and willpower if they were to have a chance to overcome what was coming.

Claire sighed, her breath fogging the glass before her. It was a good decision, she told herself again. A necessary decision.

She stepped away from the window, straightened her back, and ran a hand through her hair once more. It was time. She had to pass the decision on to the Planners. It would be their job to make it a reality. This new reality would take sacrifice and hard work, but she knew the people of New Washington would be up for the task.

They didn’t have a choice.

 

The Podkind is a science fiction/fantasy novel written by Johnny Cycles. Click here for Chapter 2.