Chapter 13: Awakening II

London; a spectacular sight, a mixture of history and monuments surrounded by modern skyscrapers and infrastructure. The Thames parted through the city like a valley through mountains, the streets busy as millions made the city home, a cosmopolitan metropolis.

Within Ten Downing Street, an older male sat back in his leather chair, his wrinkled face closely reading a document. A light draft moved the few left-over hairs on his head. He sipped his coffee, hoping to keep himself awake as he worked later into the night than he should.

RING RING! RING RING! RING-

Forcing himself out of his perusal, he became dazed at the caller as his heartbeat quickened, sweat forming down his back and palms. He knew he had to pick it up; when the United States calls, you answer. It rang once more before he pressed a button, a holographic display hovering in the air before him.

The other side's face was obscured by a supernatural veil of mist, their deep and unfathomable purple eyes the only thing able to pierce through it.

'He... looks interested? Shit... what would he be interested in? Shit, shit. I guess there's only one way to find out.'

The Prime Minister of Britain coughed and wrestled with the collar of his shirt, hoping to put on a dignified and confident display.

"H-Hello, Mr President." He stuttered, "To what do I owe the pleasure of your magnificence?"

His attempt at confidence disappeared the instant he spoke, his nerves interrupting his speech as he mentally cursed.

"Ugh, it has been a while, Zackary Conwell... not long enough, in my view." The other side responded, "I hear there has been an... incident. It is one that has piqued my personal interest."

The President's voice was deep and calm, like the ocean. It unnerved Zackary, a feeling of inferior masculinity almost showing on his expression.

"An incident, Mr President? I- I can assure you that we voted for Aaban to be tried for war crimes."

"No, no. Not that; I care little about the petty squabbles of terrorists and freedom fighters with the uncivilised savages of the East." He paused, "No, what I am talking about is of far more importance. I hear you had an accident, one in Leicester. Ring a bell?"

"A- Y- Yes, I do recall that incident a day ago. An explosion of some sort, we haven't discovered the reason for it so far... but we are getting there, Mr President! We'll let you know our findings when they are conclusive, of course."

"Conclusive?" The President scoffed, "Do not play me for a fool, Zackary. I have a rough idea of why it happened; we shall be taking over the investigation. We have had dealings with this sort of thing before. Do you remember the Element? Used in the Eneph Bullet you... 'found'."

Zackary winced and licked his lips as deep regret welled inside his heart.

"I... I do remember. But they are in your hands only, right? So... you aren't accusing us of finding another, are you? I assure you we gave it to you, and we have had no aspirations of trying to get one!"

"Stop panicking, mortal. You world leaders are all the same."

"Ah- I apologise, Mr President. Are you then, perhaps, implying someone shot one in Leicester?"

"Perhaps, perhaps not. That is why I want access to the site; only we are equipped to deal with the Element. It would be most... unfortunate if there were more devastating deaths. Give us access to the site, blocks the news and your people, and we will take any danger out of your hands. You have my word."

'Your word? You mean, accept, or you'll fucking assassinate me? Fucking Americans.'

Zackary coughed nervously, his eyes flitting around the room as he thought of a way to benefit and placate the monster.

"I... can agree with that. But... Britain cannot show too much weakness, the news will notice it, you see."

"I see..." The President chuckled.

"So, I would like access to Mars; to cooperate and send British personnel there. E- Everything comes with a price; you should know that better than most."

The President's eyes flared, burning a brighter and colder purple as he huffed.

"Warping Horror is not a price; it is a gift. Do I take it you are trying to strong-arm me, Zackary?"

"What? No... I, I'm... I'm struggling right now. The Election campaign isn't going great. But, if I have something to give the public, it might help."

"Hmm, very well, I can agree with that. I will iterate to you as I did the French and Russians: The United States is in charge of the Mars Colonisation Project. And I mean complete control; if we need to sacrifice personnel, yours shall be first, and if we need to execute one, I expect no retaliation. Is that clear?"

'Fair.' Zackary mocked.

"That is fine, Mr President; I agree with those terms. I shall instruct my Defence Secretary to draft the needed paperwork and personnel. Thank you, Mr President."

The American leader audibly breathed out of his nose before responding for the final time in an almost bored tone.

"This conversation is now at an end. My personnel will be over in... ten minutes. May the next meeting be shorter than this one."

The call was cut instantly, the other side disinterested in Zackary's response, causing the Prime Minister to sneer.

"Fucking arsehole." He muttered.

Pressing a button, he spoke to the automated calling system asking for his Defence Secretary, Naya Grover. The system responded shortly after as ringing reverberated in the room.

'That... went well? At least, better than expected.'

Zackary leaned back into his chair, relaxing as he deeply exhaled. With access to the secretive Mars project, Britain could finally be on the mend, and his re-election chances had soared.

'All that for them to take any unstable Element away from Leicester. What a bargain!'

Of course, he would have liked to have gotten his hands on the Element, but from what he hears, the Tayi Corporation, Void Solutions and the US spent a better part of a decade just learning how to pick it up. It was a closely guarded secret, one that is likely not worth the ire of the US to learn, considering they are the only supplier.

"Prime Minister?" Naya repeated for the third time.

His hearing was not up to scratch anymore; Zackary shot up straight in his seat and apologised to his close aide.

"Seems I've finally gotten your attention, Prime Minister. I'm presuming it's a vital matter, considering you've rung me this late in the night. Or perhaps... another visit?"

Glancing at the clock and spotting the time, he rubbed his face.

"Yes, Naya. Very. The President just called; he wants access to the explosive site in Leicester."

Naya frowned, "The Leicester site? What would he want with that? No traces of Aaban terrorists or any other group he... dislikes. Unless it's the strange Element you mentioned?"

"That's the one."

"Seems to be the only thing he cares for besides his nation."

Zackary shrugged, "He is of the opinion someone used an Eneph Bullet there, or maybe the Element has appeared somehow. Honestly, I don't know enough about it to speculate."

"An Eneph Bullet?" Naya's frown deepened, "From the initial findings, I would suggest it isn't that; it's too secluded, a residential district. A normal family, no one significant except one did... survive. A boy."

The woman rummaged through a document on her desk, looking for a specific page as her superior spoke.

"We dismissed both him and the situation too early." Zackary hummed, "Perhaps he is more important than we think? If he survived an Eneph Bullet or the Element, there may be more to the boy than we know. The President might be after him, not the material!"

His eyes lit up, hoping to be right before they dimmed, the knowledge of America occupying the site causing him to annoyingly tut in disappointment.

"Ah! Here it is. He could just be lucky to survive; we need more information." She scanned through the reports, "Name: Mark Evans, twenty-two years old, no apparent injuries - interesting - was found naked by his neighbour who collapsed and died of a presumed heart attack or smoke inhalation.

"No apparent injuries, you said?" Zackary inquired, "The building exploded, no? That is... strange to be completely unharmed, yet the rest of his family are deceased. What was the state of the corpses?"

Naya puffed, "Utterly unrecognisable. Jesus... it's bad." She lingered, "Their identities are being checked, but everyone in the family is accounted for. Besides the neighbour, it is likely his girlfriend, Elise Taylor, was also there. Pretty usual gas explosion if you don't consider the US' interest and windows being shattered across the city."

"Interesting..." Zackary paused, "Try... try to delay the US finding out about the boy - that is, if they don't already know. We'll try to piece together what happened from him when he wakes up."

"If he wakes up. His brain activity is currently zero; he's effectively brain-dead. The body is still running perfectly fine, however. Very strange..."

"This is beyond us, Naya. Ring me tomorrow and give me a run-down of the State's actions and personnel. If the boy wakes, I want to know what happens; any leverage would be useful." Zackary grinned, "That reminds me before you go. I managed to get us a place in the Mars Colonisation project, so we've gained from this event either way."

"You've got us into Mars?" Naya said, elated, "That's huge, Zack! That's... monumental! Britain won't be left behind on Earth whilst the US expands outwards. This- This is a turning point for Britain."

Naya congratulated the Prime Minister for the next few minutes, pleasantries and sultry praises intermitted between them. She eventually stopped after Zackary dismissed her, ensuring she would be there for the Cabinet meeting on their next course of action.

With the call ended, he leaned back into his chair, pondering his glorious future as Prime Minister and the rise of a future interstellar power. He had done what his predecessors had not; he had gotten something from the monster.

Elsewhere, a young man finally opened his bloodshot, turquoise eyes.