Everyone returned to the conference hall. Each member was tired and silent. None wished to speak when they were about to discuss the opening of tombs that sealed away humanity’s dangerous artefacts. A conversation was not appropriate, not when they could have the power to end the world. That would be if they voted on opening the Vaults.
Jackson stood at the corner, far away from everyone else. Arms crossed as he continued to ponder whether it was a good idea to open them. Though looking back at his previous conversations, he remained firm on his idea of a partial opening. Get the necessary equipment to end the crisis, but not enough to cause another.
Gloria made her way to the stand with a bucket tucked under her right arm. ‘Thank you all for coming here. Today will be a long discussion about the opening of the Vaults. However, before the voting can commence, I will need to explain the process to those who are unaware.’ Gloria raised her bucket. ‘In here are a list of names of people who would be picked out to speak on the issue in private. They will discuss for an hour on their own about what should be done. Once the hour is up, each of them will make their case to all of you. If they all agree on the same thing. For example, they all agree to have the Vaults open. It would be an automatic ruling, and the Vaults shall be opened. If one of them disagrees, the voting will continue, but this time they must provide an explanation to justify their case.’
While Gloria prepared to pull names from the bucket, Jackson leaned against the wall and prepared himself for a long wait. Though the reptile was surprised that the Order Horrifica still had the system in place, he could understand why they kept it around. It was done to streamline the decision process and get it done as soon as possible. The first members would act as the larger body of the entire Order. The idea was that if they all could agree on something, then theoretically, every member would agree on it. If neither of them can come to a conclusion, then it would come down to a vote.
‘If you are called out, please go down the hall and into the breakroom.’ Gloria cleared her throat as she read four strips of paper. ‘Agent Darus of Unit 000, Operator Irene of Hell Blasters, Agent Williams of Unit 812, and Operator Abernu of Unit 247. Please leave this area. You all have one hour to come to an agreement or lay out your case to everyone here. You will be called back once your time is up.
Jackson heads off, following three other people to be isolated from the rest of the Order. Disgruntled that he had to voice his opinion on the matter. He was even more surprised that, even after so many important meetings, it would be the first time he would be picked to sway the vote.
‘We need to open the Vaults,’ Williams spoke up, not giving everyone room to soak in the gravity of their roles. ‘There is no point in beating around the bush; the weapons and equipment they hold will give us the advantage we desperately need.’
‘I agree with her.’ Darus injected. He was a kit, a bipedal cat-like creature with black and white fur. ‘As all of you know, being part of Unit 000 of the Disposal Unit means I am responsible for training everyone within this Order to become effective hunters against monsters. I’ve trained a thousand people each year to be the best, yet we are dropping like flies every day. Even with the best training and equipment of the modern era, none of us could do what is necessary to overcome this crisis.’
Irene walked over to the coffee machine, making himself a hot brew while Darus and Williams continued to make their case. Siting mission failures, the countless deaths, the new horrors they had no information or proper gear to combat them. Pouring himself a coffee, he casually walked between everyone and spilt his coffee onto the floor.
‘What are you doing?’ Williams shouted.
‘Making a point.’ Irene replied by throwing the styrofoam cup into the bin before heading back to look through the cabinets. ‘Now, look at what I have done and think about it for a second. How should you clean up that mess? Do you hose it down? Maybe pour acid onto the spill and hope it burns away? Or maybe, just maybe, you add more coffee to the mess and hope for the best.’
‘That analogy is fucking…’
‘It is not.’ Irene calmly interrupted with a roll of paper towels in hand. ‘All of you are making a decision that is not just overkill but insane. The monsters and the people empowered by The Cascade are nothing more than a symptom, a mess we have to clean up. Why throw in a bomb when a paper towel is good enough?’ He finished his point by whipping up his mess. ‘The issue isn’t that we lack dangerous equipment. We have access to a lot of them. What we lack is the means to replace our fallen. Our training makes us capable of dealing with anything, yet how can we deal with things effectively if we are overworked and doing jobs other units should be doing? I don’t know what exactly is in those Vaults, I doubt anyone in this room does, but there is a reason why they are kept secret. We are playing with fire if we are foolish enough to open them.’
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Williams rolled her eyes. ‘But we are not dealing with coffee spills, idiot. We are dealing with creatures who can tear us apart with their minds. This demands more than a simple paper towel.’
They continued their back and forth. Williams passionately pleaded her case while Irene demanded that all of them remain closed forever. Jackson remained silent, trying to get a better picture of both of their arguments so he could be swayed to one or the other. Yet none of them could make a strong case.
‘We look at a third option.’ Jackson raised his voice. ‘The Vaults do house some important gear and weapons, though some should remain close. I suggest we get the Council to pick out Vaults that fit our specifications and open ones that are appropriate to our needs and situation.’
‘That is still opening a Vault, Jackson,’ Irene hissed. ‘Doesn’t matter what they may have; them being open is still a bad thing, even if it is partial. Would you clean up a coffee spill with a gun?’
‘With cloth and disinfectant.’ Jackson replied with a blank expression and a monotone voice. Subtly pointing out that while a paper towel was good for the task, there were always better things to clean up a mess. ‘Some Vaults will have what we need, but I agree that not all of them should be opened. They would be classed as well, some signifying the lethal contents they held.’
‘Those classifications and designations were discontinued.’ Darus interjected. ‘The Vaults remained closed for so long without the prospect or intent of being opened again, the Council ruled that they would remain blank and marked as dangerous regardless of what they had in them. It is a thing that went on for over two decades. But I believe we are all wise enough to decide what is or isn’t necessary to achieve our mission.’
‘Even more of a reason to open them as well.’ Williams smiled, thinking she found something. ‘Opening them will give us a chance to categorise them again and see if they are for us.’
‘But we will need oversight. It shouldn’t be up to us to decide what is or what isn’t good for us,’ Irene argued, which Jackson nodded in agreement. ‘A separate Order or even the Council will need to step in to ensure we don’t accidentally pick something dangerous.’
‘Maybe for you, but I don’t need them to choose for my team. My people understand what is or isn’t useful to our current operations. All the Order Diplomatics and the Council will do is slow us down. If they are doing poorly now, why do you think they will suddenly improve when they need to supervise us?
The argument continued for an hour. People put forward their case and evidence, but neither of them can come to an agreement. The only thing that made Jackson dislike the whole thing was Williams’ enthusiasm for opening the Vaults while everyone else was hesitant. Even with Darus’ support to open them, the kit was reserved and later conceded with the idea that it shouldn’t be up to the Order Horrifica to decide what should be theirs to use. As even the most powerful weapons would only bring ruin to the people who used them.
As they were called in, all of them were making their way back to the conference room. Jackson tapped Williams’ shoulder. ‘Served for long?’
‘For a few years, why are you asking?’
‘You’re too eager to open them. Even when you should be taught to fear the Vaults and what was inside them. Why?’
‘The debate is over, reptile.’ She hushed him. ‘I want the best for our Order, I don’t have to answer to you.’
Though fruitless, Jackson kept an eye on her. Feeling that there was something wrong. She was right to call him out; the reptile didn’t take offence. Yet that couldn’t rub away the air of suspicion.
