Chapter 12: The Bounce Back
The next morning. Tiberius was standing on his balcony drinking hot chocolate. He was watching the technicians perform their morning dance routine. Julie stepped out on the balcony; she was carrying a cake.
‘So what now?’ moaned Tiberius as he turned to look at her. ‘Am I just your pet?’
‘Oh no, not at all,’ replied Julie in an upbeat tone as she placed the cake on the small table on the balcony. ‘Yesterday we were rather aggressive, but you did want to kill us.’
‘I was born to lead, not follow,’ sneered Tiberius.
‘You’re now part of our inner circle,’ replied Julie calmly. ‘You’re more powerful than you’ve ever been.’
‘Is that some kind of joke?’ responded Tiberius as his anger grew.
‘No!’ responded Julie curtly. ‘I’ll tell you what a joke is. Living in the shadows and walking around looking like something that should be my food.’
Tiberius frowned.
‘I don’t get the respect or adulation of a great leader,’ added Julie as she continued to speak with great intensity in her voice. ‘No fancy parades. No grand ceremonies. No amount of control that I may have over you will ever let me be who I truly am. You saw me with your own eyes. You know that.’
‘They only consider me a leader because they think I’m Hamish Alset,’ replied Tiberius angrily. ‘I have no official title and a chip in my brain.’
‘We can give you a title,’ replied Julie. ‘You can be chief of Downs. No, chief of Sapey.’
‘I want to be the first emperor of all of Sapey,’ said Tiberius firmly. ‘Above and below ground.’
‘I will support that and so will Colin,’ replied Julie. ‘Miro already thinks of you in that way, and we already have Duffo.’
‘What about the chip in my brain?’ asked Tiberius, still frowning.
‘The Jennifer chip in your head will be your greatest asset,’ said Julie energetically. ‘Just give us the few things we want and Jennifer will never be a threat to you. Most of the time you will be able to do as you please. This has already been the case so far.’
‘Get Duffo and Colin to call a meeting,’ said Tiberius firmly. ‘Let them raise the matter of my new title and powers.’
‘Absolutely,’ said Julie as she began to grin broadly.
‘You may go now,’ said Tiberius. ‘I need to put on my finest clothes to receive this great honour.’
‘Of course,’ replied Julie as she bowed acknowledgingly.
Colin and Henders were inside the resource office together. Colin was teaching Henders how to update his spreadsheet. Julie poked her head around the door; she had a big smile on her face.
'Hey, friends,’ chuckled Julie. ‘I have some great treats for you.’
Henders clapped his hands excitedly as he looked back and forth between Julie and Colin.
‘Looks like you had a good morning,’ said Colin with a wide grin on his face.
‘The best,’ said Julie as she strutted into the room. She was holding a large container full of treats.
‘Well, your joy is infectious,’ replied Colin as he watched Julie place the container on his desk.
‘Henders,’ said Julie. ‘I’ve heard great things about you.’
‘He’s learning so quickly,’ replied Colin excitedly as he looked at Henders, who had a big smile on his face. ‘This has been the smoothest handover I’ve ever done, and I’ve done a lot of them. It’s even more impressive when you consider that he’s non-verbal.’
‘I made plenty of brownies and chocolate muffins for you,’ said Julie as she lifted the lid off the container. ‘Help yourself.’
‘So what’s next, friend?’ asked Colin.
‘I want us to hold a meeting where we propose that Hamish Alset be declared emperor of all of Sapey,’ said Julie as she raised her eyebrows.
‘So you successfully seduced him with titles,’ said Colin, nodding slightly.
‘He’s just getting what any great leader deserves,’ replied Julie as her eyes quickly darted towards Henders, who had tucked into a brownie.
‘Sounds great,’ said Colin. ‘He has the support of Downs, which is us. The Alset family will back their own. Miro would see that as a great win for his leader. What do you think, Henders? Do you think Hamish would make a worthy emperor?’
Henders’ eyes darted back and forth between Julie and Colin, who were both smiling at him. He then smiled and nodded.
‘I want you to call the meeting twenty minutes before Hamish arrives so we can have a vote on it,’ said Julie as she turned her head slightly towards Colin. ‘If it passes, which I’m sure it will. We’ll surprise him with the great news when he arrives.’
Eugene and Yassme had gone to visit Denise, who was cleaning up the Downs Agricultural Zone.
‘How’s life, friend?’ asked Eugene.
‘Pretty depressing,’ replied Denise as she glanced at the shovel she was holding. ‘At least it’s better than being locked up in a cage.’
‘The hotel made a great prison,’ said Eugene, shaking his head. ‘Putting suspicious characters in cages is not the Downs way.’
‘We don’t think you’re guilty or even suspicious,’ replied Yassme. ‘We think you’ve been set up.'
‘Thinking isn’t going to help me,’ replied Denise as she shovelled up a large Sape turd and placed it in the mini-cart next to her. ‘We need proof. We need undeniable evidence.’
‘Innocent until proven guilty. I say,’ said Eugene as he thrust his hand to his eye level.
‘Well, that changed when we let the invaders take over the place,’ said Denise angrily.
‘Well, we’re working on something,’ said Yassme. ‘It appears Jennifer is back. She is controlling Polly, and I believe Vulay again. She could be controlling others as well.’
‘Then it feels like I’m trapped,’ sighed Denise.
‘A pardon will be difficult,’ said Yassme. ‘At least we know what or who we’re dealing with.’
‘You can never underestimate the power of the special Head Enforcer,’ said Eugene as he watched Denise scoop up another Sape turd.
‘You have to be careful,’ replied Denise. ‘Jennifer is dangerous and so are the forces behind her.’
‘When you say forces, do you mean Lily?’ asked Yassme.
‘One of them, I expect,’ replied Denise. ‘I know she’s your friend…’
‘She’s not anymore,’ said Yassme sharply. ‘She played me like a fool.’
‘Woah!’ gasped Eugene as his eyes bulged.
‘She needs to be at the top of your interview list,’ said Yassme as she turned to Eugene.
‘She was locked up in the Hotel Prison, friend,’ replied Eugene. ‘How is it possible?’
‘I guess she had some help,’ said Yassme firmly. ‘Come on, super sleuth! Who benefits the most from all this?’
Eugene’s phone beeped. He looked down at it. He had received a message from Colin.
‘I’ve got to run,’ said Eugene. ‘The leadership team needs me.’
Eugene sprinted out of the Downs Agricultural Zone.
‘Best I go too,’ said Yassme as she saw two enforcers approaching her. ‘The enforcers won’t let me stay now Eugene’s left.
‘I’ve got work to do,’ sighed Denise. ‘That Sape over there dropped three turds while we were talking.’
‘Stay strong,’ said Yassme as she ran off.
The leadership team arrived at the town hall to discuss the proposal to declare Hamish the emperor of Sapey. At this meeting were Miro, Henders, Duffo, Hermon, Lily, Louis, Eugene, Colin, and Julie. They all took their places around a large conference table.
Miro stood up to address the team. ‘I would like to thank Colin, our head of the Economic Institute, for calling this meeting,’ said Miro with a big grin on his face. ‘He has proposed something that I think could only come from a representative of the Downs Region. Please, explain what you have proposed.’
‘Thank you, friend,’ said Colin as he stood up and Miro sat down. ‘Hamish has been so kind to us. He has saved the lives of so many of our loved ones. At the same time, he has also suffered great tragedy. Despite that, he has remained strong. He is truly the leader we need right now.’
All around the table began to applaud enthusiastically.
‘Friends, I am proposing that we make Hamish the formal leader of all of Sapey both above and underground, and give him a title worthy of that,’ said Colin as he moved his hand from side to side while nodding.
‘You mean something like Lord Governor or Supreme Chief?’ asked Duffo.
‘I’d go with “Emperor”,’ said Hermon loudly. ‘That has some kick to it.’
‘That’s hilarious,’ interrupted Lily. ‘Even in your backward world, you had different chiefs ruling different districts. In our world we have democracy.’
‘It was through democracy that our family was persecuted,’ replied Hermon angrily. ‘It was nothing more than a scam to steal everything from us.’
‘It’s evolved since then,’ replied Lily as she shrugged her shoulders. ‘We’re much more civilised now.’
‘I find your words and your tone quite patronising,’ replied Duffo angrily. ‘We’re from an age of greatness. You’re from a world of decay. We are trying to help rebuild your world. That can only be done through strong, assertive leadership. We cannot entertain the games and fanfare of democracy.’
‘Lily, I understand your concerns,’ said Miro calmly. ‘Dictatorships are not perfect. However, we don’t have that luxury. I fear that could be at least a generation away. My ancestors had to suspend democratic practices until we had reached a certain level of stability.’
‘Can we be sure this is the right character for the job?’ added Eugene as he leaned forward slightly.
‘Well, he kept you as Head Enforcer,’ chuckled Louis. ‘I feel that might be a red flag.’
‘You’re the type of suspicious character who belongs in a hotel,’ replied Eugene as he stared angrily at Louis, who smiled back at him.
‘I invited him,’ said Duffo calmly. ‘I think he represents an important demographic.’
Eugene pointed two fingers at his eyes and then one finger back at Louis, who responded by poking his tongue out.
‘I question why she’s here,’ said Duffo as he pointed at Julie.
‘She’s my friend,’ replied Colin. ‘She’s everyone’s friend. We all trust her judgement. She’s perfect for this meeting.’
‘I agree,’ replied Miro as he gestured towards Julie while looking at Duffo. ‘The Downs residents should have extra representation in this discussion. It was their home first. Julie, would you like to share your opinion?’
‘I bake because I enjoy it,’ replied Julie with a wide smile. ‘I also bake because I love to see the joy it brings everyone.’
Henders smiled at Julie while raising both his thumbs up, and Eugene nodded in agreement.
‘Hamish has helped cure lots of my closest friends,’ added Julie. ‘If being emperor means he can help even more, I say yes. That’s because I want to give my treats to healthier, happier residents.’
‘Spoken like a simpleton, but you’re not wrong,’ remarked Duffo.
‘Hamish will be here soon,’ said Miro. ‘Shall we take a vote on who supports the idea of making Hamish the Emperor of Sapey?’
‘Let’s get this rolling!’ added Hermon energetically as he looked around the table. ‘It’s time to separate wheat from the chaff.’
‘Raise your hands if you support appointing Hamish as the Emperor of Sapey,’ called out Miro.
Only Louis and Eugene did not raise their hands.
‘I thought you were against it,’ chuckled Duffo as he looked at Lily.
‘As a mature adult, I considered the arguments and I reconsidered my position,’ replied Lily in a condescending tone. ‘I realised the merits of the idea outweigh the possible setbacks.’
Both Louis and Eugene leaned forward and stared intently at each other. Neither could bear the thought of voting the same way as the other.
Suddenly they both raised their hands at the same time.
‘It’s a unanimous yes!’ called out Miro excitedly. ‘I can’t wait to tell Hamish the great news.’
Louis and Eugene stared at each other in disbelief as they both slowly lowered their hands.
‘Just in time,’ said Duffo, excitedly, ‘He should be here any minute.’
Hermon began humming an annoying tune, and everyone else stared awkwardly at each other. This continued for three minutes.
Tiberius casually entered the town hall. He looked around at all those around the table who were staring at him. ‘Is everything okay?’ asked Tiberius in a perplexed tone.
‘We want you to know how much we appreciate you,’ said Miro. ‘You’ve so done much for everyone, and you have endured more than any of us could.’
‘Did you bake me a special cake or something?’ asked Tiberius with a slight smile on his face.
‘Yes, I did!’ replied Julie energetically. ‘It’s my…’
‘That’s not it!’ interrupted Duffo abruptly. ‘We are honouring you with an official title and the role of leadership for all of Sapey.’
‘Do you mean like Lord Governor or Supreme Chief?’ asked Tiberius, sounding surprised.
‘No, much better,’ replied Hermon as he got down on one knee. ‘We unanimously support appointing you as Emperor of Sapey, my liege.’
‘I don’t know what to say,’ said Tiberius in astonishment. ‘This is so unexpected.’
‘I understand,’ said Miro. ‘We have taken you for granted. We should have made this move a long time ago.’
'Oh, Miro,’ said Tiberius. ‘You have been nothing less than fully supportive and truly loyal.’
‘The higher power has called on you to lead us into a new era,’ added Lily as she joined Hermon, who was still kneeling.
All of the others followed and got down on one knee.
‘I’m truly honoured,’ replied Tiberius with a slight smirk on his face. ‘If the higher power calls on me. Who am I to resist?’
‘This higher power character seems suspicious,’ mumbled Eugene softly as he looked over at Louis, who was smiling at him.
Sapien Loop: Worlds Collide
Sapien Loop: Worlds Collide is the final book in the Sapien Loop trilogy. It continues directly after the events of the second book. The world above and the world below merge into one world. The conflicts in the underground world are brought to the surface. The new ruling elite attempt to crush any resistance from above and below in an attempt to create a new global empire.
Currently, three books from the series have been published on Amazon; see the links below:
All individual chapters can be found on my @captainhive account.
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