New World Order

by S. M. McEachern

  The inner door to the suites crashed open, and I turned my head for a split second. In that second, Leisel clocked me under the chin with the scrapbook. My head snapped back, and I was momentarily dazed.

  “I’m in here!” she screamed.

  And still, I couldn’t bring myself to kill her.

  I punched her in the face and felt her cheekbone shatter under my knuckles. She crumpled to the floor. The scrapbook fell beside her, and I picked it up, grabbed the cloak, and threw it over myself just as the office door began to splinter.

  The guards broke through and pushed the desk out of the way, weapons ready to fire. The doorway was clogged with Domers, so I waited quietly in the corner. Someone used his communicator to call for medical help. The Domer in charge stood in the middle of the room scratching his head, looking from Desmond to Leisel.

  “Did they shoot each other?” he asked.

  “President Holt isn’t shot. She has a contusion on her face,” said one of the guards.

  Another guard was pointing to Desmond. “And the one who’s shot is the one with the gun.”

  “Maybe he punched her and then tried to kill himself?” the Domer in charge mused.

  “By shooting himself in the leg?” the other asked.

  “How do you explain it? No one else was in here.”

  A commotion in the hallway and the sound of gunfire drifted into the office.

  “What’s going on now?” asked the Domer in charge. He was about to leave the office when the body of a guard flew past the open door. He backed up a step. “What the—” he began, and then he was thrown back into the office.

  Summer stood in the doorway. “Sunny?”

  I took off the cloak. “Here I am.”

  The two other guards in the room jumped. Summer pointed her pistol at them and motioned for them to leave the office.

  She smiled mischievously, saluted me, and said, “The Dome is secure, sir.”

  I smiled back. Not once during the ten months I had led the militia had anyone ever saluted me or called me sir.

  Jack stepped up behind Summer, saw me, and almost pushed her out of the way to get to me. “I’ve been going out of my mind. It’s been almost an hour and we agreed on forty-five minutes.”

  “Jack, I’m okay.”

  He hugged me so tight my feet left the floor, and he nuzzled the side of my face with his beard. I hugged him back with my free arm, my other hand still clutching the scrapbook. He set me down and shifted one of his hands to my belly. “Both of you?”

  I nodded. “We’re both fine.”

  “Did you get the codes?” he asked, looking down at Leisel. “Is it over?”

  “I think the codes are in here,” I said, handing him the binder. “Leisel and Malcolm West were planning to reseal the Dome, destroy the city with the warheads, and start again.”

  “Reyes and Mica have gone to arrest Malcolm West,” Jack said.

  “What about your mom?” I asked.

  “Ted’s gone to get her.”

  “It’s really over?” I asked.

  He pushed back my hood and kissed me. “It’s really over. Time to go home, Mrs. Kenner.”

  Epilogue

  Sunny

  Four months later...

  It was a beautiful late August morning as we gathered with the Nation for our first joint annual Spring Tournament. August was a little late for a Spring Tournament, but we all decided it was better late than never. Our spring had been a little busy with the search for Jack, Naoki, and Talon, and then there was the whole coup that we staged, and then trying to transition to a new government. And since we hoped that our new government would include the Nation, the Elders were very agreeable about waiting until we could organize a joint celebration.

  The transition to a new government hadn’t been easy since our people had been in a state of discord. Although all agreed on having a democratic government, none could agree on who should be in power. In the interim, the Alliance took control of the city, invoking martial law and ensuring the peace was kept. As the founders of the Alliance, Jack Kenner and I were voted to lead. I had never really considered myself a leader—Jack was always the diplomat, not me. But ours was an interim government until a new one could be formed, and we intended to accomplish a lot with the short time we had.

  My father’s books and his handwritten notes in the margins became our inspiration for the path to unity between bourge and urchin, and it helped us define our role as custodians of the science and technology preserved in the Dome. My father left behind an important legacy wrapped up in a simple message: that every person has the right to dignity, respect, and freedom. And from his philosophies, our council derived a new name for our city, which was presented to the citizenry for electronic vote. Today we would sign the paper that would sanction that name.

  The tournament was our first official gathering since the coup, and I was glad to see that spirits were high. Leisel Holt and the nuclear warheads were no longer a threat. The scrapbook we’d seized from her had been examined time and time again, but it was Doc who found the codes—on his first pass through. The writing on the back of a prewar photograph of Edward Holt and President Taylor revealed the longitude and latitude of the warheads, with the codes to launch them written below. As soon as we had the location of the warheads, steps were taken to disarm them.

  Leisel Holt recovered from her broken cheek, though she now had a chip in her throat as she languished in one of the corrals, behind barbed-wire fencing. So far she was the only female prisoner in what we had declared to be the female prison. The male prison had a higher population and included Malcolm West and Desmond. There was talk of putting Doc in prison as well. After all, he threatened the bourge with annihilation via biowarfare. But when his work in nanotechnology became known, the people elected that he be allowed to continue as a free man. So he was given a state-of-the-art laboratory, complete with a staff of scientists watching his every move. We seized his computer and confiscated the information on it. The nanotechnology stored in the computer banks was shared among field experts, and the science community buzzed with excitement over the discovery. It had an unexpected unifying effect among the population since it wasn’t just biological applications stored in the banks: solar energy, electronics, more efficient replicators, and the blueprints to a host of other applications were there too. The current prediction was that in just a few years, many surgical procedures would become a thing of the past and we would no longer rely on fossil fuels.

  With the expansion into nanotech development, exoskeletons were custom-made for every soldier of the Alliance. Metamaterial was more problematic. In a city where two cultures were trying to get along, accessible invisibility wasn’t a good idea. So the use of metamaterial was being applied solely to the Osprey in order to explore our post-nuclear world peacefully and without arousing fear or inadvertently drawing the wrong kind of attention. As custodians of the legacy of humankind, we owed the world much, but we weren’t equipped to handle an influx of people just yet or concentrate our energies into defending our borders against a possible attack. Ryder was one known enemy, but we still didn’t know much about the northerners, the scorchedlanders, or people to the west. And the possibility that others like us, who had weathered the nuclear storm in a bunker, wasn’t out of the question either. More nuclear warheads might even be hidden throughout the continent.

  Jack still planned to return to Ryder’s compound and exact justice, but for the time being he was preoccupied with our city and his role in the Alliance. Teegan had made a full recovery and lived with us now. Jack promised her he would find her family and bring them back to live in our city. In the meantime, she liked going to school every day and was growing attached to video games. Today, she was attending the tournament with my mother, part of the congregation who had come to watch the skill of the warriors on the field and participate in the celebrations.

  Everyone at our head table stood as the first of the warriors proceeded o
nto the field. Since the tournament was a decades-old tradition of the Nation, we followed their customs and their lead. It was held on their training field, not far from the hotel in Dena’s barangay. Keeping with tradition, the procession was very formal. The Elders, Jack, and I were seated at a head table while the warriors were led out onto the field. Naoki had been chosen to lead the Protectors, an honor that was bestowed upon a Protector who had shown great courage and strength during the year. We had more difficulty in choosing a leader for our troops, but in the end we all agreed on Bron in recognition of all she had done for the Pit and to bring the Alliance together.

  The discord that ran between bourge and urchin wasn’t lost on Dena or the rest of the Elders. Although they were amenable to forming a friendship with us, they were still wary. Jack and I knew we owed them a huge debt of gratitude for the sacrifice they had made in freeing the slaves from the corrals and their assistance in freeing the Pit, so we sent electricians and energy experts to repair the geothermal plant and wire all the barangays before winter. We also supplied them with medicines and promised to share our food during the long winter months.

  But our goal remained to join our society with the Nation and share the valley in peaceful harmony. Dena, in her ultimate wisdom, drew our attention to their customs: even though the six barangays that made up the Nation were separated by distance, ties between their communities were strengthened by blood. Family ties were the backbone of their culture. The annual Spring Tournament was an important event in creating and maintaining those family bonds, as it was the yearly event where the People could meet prospective mates from other barangays. Arranged marriages weren’t uncommon, so Dena didn’t think twice about suggesting that a marriage between our nations would go a long way to strengthening ties, reminding us that blood was stronger than treaties. I was immediately against the idea, as I felt that everyone should have the right to fall in love and marry someone of their own choosing. But Jack’s mother talked Ted into presenting himself as a possible mate for one of the People. I knew the Kenners were politically motivated. Jack had been groomed for Leisel and willingly agreed to marry her in order to get his family in power. Yet I hated to see the brave, stoic face Ted put on in order to “do his duty.”

  But today was a celebration, spirits were high, and I refused to dwell on anything that brought me sadness. Our community needed a weekend of festivities.

  Naoki led the Protectors, bringing them into formation in front of the head table. The Protectors stayed to one side of the field, leaving the other side for our troops. Bron marched onto the field, our soldiers behind her. Our military wore the black uniform designed for the Alliance. Exoskeletons, rifles, and advanced technology of any kind were banned from the games. Soldiers would use their basic combat skills. I knew our troops would end up losing to the Nation, but I also knew the more we trained with Protectors, the better defenders we would become.

  Bron stood front and center, shouting out orders for her soldiers to get into formation. Then she saluted the head table. I stifled a grin when I noticed Reyes watching Hayley, trying to copy her military-style step. The Pit militia had never been trained in quite the same manner as the Dome. Reyes caught me watching him, and he directed a lopsided grin at me. Discreetly I smiled back, happy that he and I had overcome our differences and were now friends. I still didn’t know what, if anything, was going on between him and Hayley, although Reyes’ love life was no longer any of my business.

  As was their custom, Dena, the head of the Nation’s military, gave thanks to the Protectors before the tournament began. She left the head table to stand before the troops.

  “We welcome everyone to the Annual Spring Tournament, especially our new friends from the biodome. It is a momentous occasion that our two nations come together in friendship. The journey to get to this point was difficult and often tragic. Today we remember those who lost their lives, praise their bravery, and draw strength and forgiveness from their sacrifice. For this we hold a moment of meditation.”

  She stopped talking, and the field became quiet. I didn’t really expect a moment of silence to have much impact, but as it dragged on and I got to thinking about how many people had died during the battle to free the corrals, how many lives had been lost in the Pit, the public execution of Crystal, and the torture and death of my father, a huge lump formed in my throat and tears flowed. Jack’s fingers laced through mine, and I hung on tight to the warmth of his touch. As I looked around the field, I saw that I wasn’t the only one affected.

  Dena’s voice rang out again, loud and strong, when the minute ended. “We gather here together as survivors of a cruel world. Our people have overcome persecution, prejudice, and discrimination to create a unified society, strong in our commitment to helping each other. Our Protectors dedicate their lives to ensure the safety of our communities. We give our thanks.” There was a murmuring among the People that I couldn’t quite make out. Dena continued. “And today we are privileged to participate in two very important proceedings. Our friends from the valley will sanction their city with a new name, and the first act of that new city will be an accord with us: the announcement of a marriage uniting our nation with theirs.” Dena turned to look at us.

  Jack nodded to Dena, squeezed my hand, and dragged me toward the front with him. That was not the plan. Jack was supposed to give a speech, and I was supposed to stand off to the side and clap. I tried to extricate my hand from his, but he held it firmly. He pulled me in front of the soldiers, warriors, and audience.

  Jack motioned for Ted to come forward. Usually getting engaged would be a happy occasion, but Ted didn’t look the part. He looked brave, stalwart, and every bit the dutiful soldier. I wanted to tell him to turn around and go back. He still had time to get out of this. But then Dena motioned to someone. We still didn’t even know whom the Elders had chosen for him. They had asked for lots of information about Ted in order to determine a suitable mate for him: birthdate, genealogy, interests. But as I watched their chosen one come forward, I knew exactly why she had been selected. Willow would do anything to become a Protector and one day hold a position on the Elder council. Leadership in the Nation was earned, not simply granted.

  Willow was every bit as stoic and stalwart as Ted as she stood beside him. As Dena declared them betrothed, announcing a wedding date to coincide with the winter solstice, the crowd clapped their approval, and the newly engaged couple flinched. They shook hands, turned, and went back to their places.

  “Now on to the next matter of business,” Dena said.

  Jack stepped up, pulling me with him. “Thank you, Dena,” he said, turning to acknowledge her. “It is an honor to attend the Spring Tournament, to engage in combat training with your warriors, and to learn from your expert skills. Our people owe you a huge debt for fighting beside us, helping to free our slaves, and extending the hand of friendship when there was no reason to give it. We have much to learn from you.” Jack turned around, picked up a document on the table, and held it up. “In the spirit of the unity and peace your Nation has taught us, and in memory of Sunny O’Donnell’s father, we share with all of you today the sanctioning of our city’s name: Pacem in Terras. Peace on Earth.”

  Jack placed the document back on the table, picked up the pen, and handed it to me. “Ladies first,” he said.

  Printed on a single piece of thick white paper, the official deed declared that the Biodome Treaty of 2024 had been fulfilled and the people of the Dome and Pit were now amalgamated within the new city of Pacem in Terras. My father’s own handwritten notes in the margins of the papal encyclical inspired the framework for the rights and freedoms of citizens and defined the technology left to us as the common heritage of mankind. I promised myself I wouldn’t get emotional when it came time to sign, but tears sprang to my eyes and my throat constricted. My father had left a legacy that would live on for generations. My heart swelling with pride, I signed my name: Sunset O’Donnell.

  I handed the pen to Jack.
He gave me an understanding smile and rubbed his thumb across my tear-stained cheek before he took the pen. After he signed, he placed the bottom right corner of the document between the plates of a small embossing press and stamped it with our official city seal: a circle with “Pacem In Terras, Year 2308” written around it, and the city’s initials in the center—P.I.T.—with the words, Lest we forget, written beneath.

  He set the press on top of the paper to keep it from blowing away, and turned his attention to me. His hands grazed either side of my sizable baby bump as they traveled around my back and pulled me close.

  I ran my fingers through his short hair and gazed into his intense blue eyes. “Whoever would have thought that Leisel’s betrayal would turn out to be just the beginning?”

  He gave me a crooked smile. “Do you think Leisel’s pissed?”

  I laughed. “I hope so.”

  Dena held up a scrap of cloth, waved it, and yelled, “Let the games begin!” A roar went up from the crowd, and the soldiers moved to clear the field.

  Jack took a step back from me and held out his hand. “Care to train with me, Mrs. Kenner?”

  I put my hand over my swollen belly. “Only if you let us win.”

  He did.

  The End of the Sunset Rising Trilogy

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