CHAPTER 13
Watching Byron leave, I thought that it might be the last time I saw him. At six o’clock the next morning, a warrior awakened me. "They are coming up," he said.
I walked to the steel doors. Just as they swung fully open, Byron stepped out and smiling, told me we needed to talk. As we walked to the meeting room Byron said the committee was very displeased with our attitudes. And for the safety and well being of the settlement, they required that Cain, Sari, Saam and I must withdraw from governing the settlement and leave. If we didn’t agree to this, he said that the committee would be forced to take action against us. Just as Byron said this, there was a loud explosion. Then a few random shots were fired. And then it was very quiet.
Byron looked pale and said, "They told me they would wait for your response."
"Well it looks like you can’t trust them either. Please stay here," I said.
I looked at the nearest warrior and told him to watch him. "He's not to leave the room; cut him down if he tries to leave."
I hurried toward the underground doors. Cain was standing by the steel doors one was canted in a crooked manner. They were made to withstand and attack from the outside not the inside he said. I could see the damage to the mechanism that operated the doors. The bodies of several dozen guards littered the stairwell and the area just outside the doors. Several lay dead or dying with arrows protruding from their chest.
"I thought they might try something like this. They thought that we would be talking to Byron, and they would attempt to surprise us. Well, I guess the surprise was on them," said Cain.
I told the nearest warrior to bring Byron to me. When Byron arrived, I asked, "How many guards will they be able to send next?"
"There are about 50 in total so they still have about twice this many available. But all able bodied persons have at least target experience with the Uzi’s." Byron said.
"If you capture the committee members, I will seize control of the underground government. I will work with you as a partner not a controller." said Byron. I looked Byron in the eyes then at Cain.
Cain nodded his head and said, "I think we can trust Byron, but the committee has sealed their own fate."
I asked Byron, "Ok, where will we find the committee?"
"They are probably in the committee room. They can command operations from there and will feel secure." said Byron.
"Let's go Cain" I said.
Cain looked to the warrior on his right and said "Kill anyone but Remy or I that tries to exit."
The warrior saluted and said, "Yes, Sir".
I grabbed a couple of Uzi’s and extended one toward Cain. With a shake of his head he said that he would trust his own weapons. I extracted the ammunition clip from the declined weapon then I discarded the gun.
We started down the stairs. At the first level we pushed the button for the elevator. When the elevator arrived, two guards jumped out and started firing. Fortunately, we were halfway down the stairs by that time. One of the guards looked over the railing and fired a burst at us, but we were out of sight before the rounds ricocheted down the stairs. The guards started down the stairs in pursuit.
We were waiting two flights down. As they turned to start down the next flight of stairs, I cut them down with my own Uzi before they could fire at us.
At level eight we exited the stairwell and started down a corridor that led to the council room. Ten to twelve underground guards were maintaining a constant stream of Uzi fire. The guards were falling back in one direction and pressing the attack in opposite direction trying to guide us away from the committee room.
Cain and I had been at this type of hit and run far too long to be suckered that easily. We had each been wounded by ricocheting debris but were still completely mobile. By the time we finally reached the council chambers three of the underground guards had taken arrows to the throat or chest from Cain's bow and two had been hit by my return fire.
I put the second ammunition clip into my weapon and kept firing at them. Cain delivered several kicks to the doors lock mechanism. The committee was still seated at their table when we burst into the room.
"Who is chairman today?" I asked.
No one said anything. But several of the members glanced over at one member whom I recognized as the one Cain had wanted to throttle at our last meeting. I never had liked him due to his brusqueness whenever dealing with those of us from the topside.
I pointed the Uzi toward him and said, "I guess that must be you, even if you don't have the nerve to own up to it."
"Who do you think you are to threaten us-- the members of the council, barbarian?" he said not trying to hide his distain.
"Today I am your judge, jury and executioner, for your attempted treachery, and unprovoked attack on the topside-- I sentence you to death." I said.
Leveling the Uzi, I cut him down with a short burst. Several councilmen rushed toward him, but before they could examine his wounds, I stepped forward and pushing them back said, "He's dead or dying and there will be no treatment allowed. Everyone standup and pull yourselves together or you will be joining him. I want you to order the guards to stand down. And I want it done ...now!" I quietly told the remaining council members.
Grabbing one of the committee members by the shoulder, I said, "The two of us are going topside to get Byron. If I see anyone with a weapon you die first."
Within two hours, Byron was in control of the council. He announced that he was assuming the mantel of Chairman. Byron said that the Topsiders were demanding a reckoning for the councils past behavior.
One of the remaining council members protested that Byron wasn't a council member and therefore couldn't assume chairmanship. Byron told the councilmen that along with being tasked with forming a new council, he had also been tasked to defend the old councilmen. Byron said that he would of course be willing to withdraw his request to defend them and recall Cain if that was their wish. Not surprisingly, given that information, the council accepted Byron's assistance in their defense and would recognize his chairmanship.
After the uprising, the new committee met in the above ground meeting room. For the members of the old council, it was the first time any of them other than Byron, had been above ground in their lives. Three of them were so terrified of the openness that they had to be physically dragged to the committee room. Cain said they should be sentenced to death so they couldn’t leak information of the coup to the underground.
Sari agreed, saying it would be acceptable punishment since it was the method used by the council in dealing with topsiders. Although he argued of sparing their lives, Byron admitted that a death sentence was a method used often by the old committee.
For a week the Topside representatives presented the evidence of misbehavior. All of the former council members were found guilty and sentenced by a court consisting of Cain, Sari, Saam, Jace, and myself.
Cain and I executed three of the seven remaining old committee members. The other four were given a choice of permanent confinement or exile. All four chose confinement.
After the last of the old council members were dealt with, I asked Byron if he would allow us time to talk amongst ourselves. Cain, Sari, Saam, Jace, and I met in the council room and discussed the future of the settlement.
Shortly after the coup at the Sacramento settlement, Cain announced that he was through with the problems and restrictions required to run a settlement. He said he was going to wander for a while. He said that he needed to clear his head of all of the confusion and turmoil dealing with the council members had caused him.
"I need a few moons of just dealing with situations and problems as they occur. I'm tired of examining every move to try and anticipate the repercussions that may or may not happen because of that move. I will use the time to evaluate and approve Saam to warrior status." said Cain.
Sari's whole hearted trust of Byron had led her to convince Cain and I that Byron should retain his position as Chairman permanently. So, a new council
was formed with Byron as permanent chairman, three underground people he selected; Dean, Jason, and Mykel, and four topsiders; Sari, Saam, Jace, and myself.
To the underground inhabitants everything seemed the same, but in reality, the new council was now in control.