Inescapable (Talented Saga #7) (2 page)

“
The combined effects of
the battle against TOXIC and the introduction of Created talents
have altered the political climate in my country. I’m sure all of
you have seen a similar impact in your own,” Ian stated.

Several of the UNITED councilmembers nodded
in agreement.

“
The American people are
wary of the Talented these days,” Ian continued. “The ‘norms’—a
term that is gaining popularity—regard all Talented as a threat;
they aren’t able to distinguish between natural-born Talents and
the chaos-loving Created.

“
Nonetheless, our
government still intends to treat the Talented favorably, just as
we always have. They will be granted the same rights and privileges
as every other American citizen, regardless of the Joint Nations’
decision on the Coexistence Treaty.” Ian’s gaze landed on Amberly.
“That being said, there is simply not room or funding for more than
ten thousand refugees.”

“
That number is very
generous, Ian,” Victoria Walburton said firmly. The head of the
UNITED council eyed Amberly contemptuously. The two women had been
at odds since the meeting started, and Victoria was certain that
the animosity would escalate before the session
concluded.

Turning to the German representative,
Victoria posed the same question she had to Ian Crane. “Councilman
Neumann, how many refugees can your country accommodate?”

The man tented his short holographic fingers
and stared back at Victoria from beneath caterpillar-like eyebrows.
“The German government feels this talk of refugees is premature,”
he replied, carefully avoiding the question.

Victoria sighed, masking her irritation with
a thin-lipped smile.

“
That is not what I asked,
Alois,” she said calmly. “UNITED needs to prepare for the
worst-case scenario, no matter how remote the possibility may seem.
If the Coexistence Treaty is not upheld, UNITED is facing the very
real issue of where to house nearly one hundred thousand Talented
citizens.”

“
Honestly Victoria, how
likely is it that the Joint Nations will vote against the treaty?”
inquired Councilwoman Charlene Prinsloo, the South African
representative. “It is my understanding that they willingly
approved UNITED’s petition to delay the vote by thirty days,
granting us the additional time to campaign for the treaty’s
renewal in the wake of the Created. Many of the Joint Nations’
delegates have also publically supported our efforts. They have
regularly attended peace rallies. Several even held formal
gatherings in their home territories to dispel the people’s fears.
Those are not the actions of adversaries, but rather allies. I am
inclined to agree with Alois—the discussion of housing refugees is
inappropriate at this juncture. The Joint Nations has always passed
the Coexistence Treaty. Do you really think it will be so different
this time?”

“
The odds of failure are
slim…” Victoria started reluctantly. There was no point in lying;
the council had the same data that she did. “But I—”

“
I believe you mean that
the odds of failure are negligible,” interjected the Russian
representative, a middle-aged man named Alexi Astakhov. “The
current data calculates to only a fourteen percent chance that it
will not be renewed. That is significantly more promising than the
initial figure of,” Alexi consulted his communicator, “a
seventy-seven percent likelihood of failure.”

It was true that the odds of success had
increased, due to both never-ending peace rallies and the capture
and containment of several hundred Created. But Victoria couldn’t
forget the feeling of terror that had overcome her when she’d read
the preliminary numbers almost thirty days ago. They’d had less
than a one-in-four chance of preventing total exile of all Talented
from the countries represented by the Joint Nations. In no
uncertain terms, it would be utterly devastating to their race if
the treaty was not renewed; their fight for acceptance would become
an all-out war for survival.

“
I would hardly call
fourteen percent ‘negligible,’” a soft male voice spoke up. “That
figure is three times higher than the data from any of the previous
voting years. UNITED does have cause for concern, and devising a
plan to protect our brethren is never a waste of time. After all,
is it not our duty to serve and protect the Talented citizens of
the world? I cannot recall a time when they have needed us
more.”

Victoria spared a grateful glance at the
speaker, Councilman Michael Tanaka. Though quiet and reserved, the
Japanese representative had a commanding presence. Michael was the
most sensible of her colleagues, and Victoria was thankful for his
support.

“
Well said, Michael,” Ian
replied approvingly.

Several of the other councilmembers nodded
in agreement, though not everyone was done arguing.

“
But isn’t it likely that
the odds of success will continue to grow? Just as they have done
every day for the last month?” Alexi asked, undeterred by Michael’s
statements. Again, the Russian councilman consulted his
communicator. “Agent Erikson Kelley has made impressive strides
towards counteracting the unrest caused by the rogue Created.
Public opinion has quadrupled over the last month. And, judging by
their actions, a majority of the Joint Nations’ delegates appear to
be in favor of renewal. So why convene the council now? What are
you not telling us?” Alexi’s dark eyes studied Victoria intently,
as though searching for signs of deception.

Praying for the patience to make it through
the meeting without mauling one of her colleagues, Victoria clasped
her hands tightly. Being a Morpher, when her claws came out, there
was nothing metaphoric about it. Victoria offered Councilman
Astakhov a cold smile.

“
I have told you all I know
about the treaty vote, Alexi,” she said firmly. “I convened the
council because, as Michael said, it is our duty to serve and
protect the Talented. Part of that duty is to anticipate potential
issues and devise solutions
before
a minor concern becomes an epic
crisis.

“
Yes, the treaty is likely
to pass as of this moment,” Victoria continued evenly, once again
addressing the entire table. “But even if that is to happen, even
if the outcome that we are all hoping for and working towards comes
to fruition, the terms and conditions of the treaty might be
altered or appended. The Joint Nations may decide to downgrade the
few rights and privileges we’re explicitly granted, to appease the
very vocal factions who want our kind to be exiled entirely. Many
of the countries that choose not to have a delegate on this council
will jump at the opportunity to lawfully treat Talents like
rubbish. Even if the treaty passes, thousands of Talented may still
be displaced. Shouldn’t we prepare for every scenario?”

The Russian delegate audibly scoffed at
Victoria’s words.

“
Or they could choose to
elevate our status to equal citizens in all member nations, as this
council has asked for them to do,” Alexi argued. “If the Joint
Nations’ representatives are truly our allies, as Charlene
purports, I believe there is a good chance that this vote will
finally grant us totally equality.”

“
Of course total equality
is the outcome UNITED is hoping for,” Victoria countered, annoyed
by Alexi’s need to constantly undermine her. She raked her icy gaze
over the Russian councilman. “But need I remind you that this
council has proposed those exact same amendments every year the
treaty renewal is up for a vote? Never
once
has the Joint Nations seriously
considered upgrading our status. I do not hold my breath that this
year, of all years, will be the one to turn our dreams into
reality.”

Every second that passed without
accomplishing anything was a moment they didn’t have to waste, and
Victoria’s frustration was mounting. She couldn’t believe that
Alexi was stubbornly holding up the meeting for the sake of being
argumentative; the odds of total exile were statistically higher
than the odds of total equality, so it was simply illogical to plan
for the latter while ignoring the former.

It wasn’t that Victoria didn’t understand
the reticence of the council to spend time planning for a
worst-case scenario. In fact, she was painfully aware of the
pressing matters that vied for their attention in these final
critical days. What irritated Victoria was that many of the
delegates, like Alexi, were choosing to hide their heads in the
sand, skating along on optimism and hope. Ignoring reality was a
luxury they simply could not afford.

Victoria had reached the end of her
patience. She rose slowly to her feet, placing her palms flat
against the glass table and staring daggers at Alexi Astakhov. Then
Victoria panned the rest of the conference table, holding each set
of eyes for several heartbeats before continuing.

“
As head of this council, I
do not need to justify my actions. Whether you agree or disagree
with the purpose of this meeting is of no consequence. My authority
here is not a power that I take lightly, but I
will
use it to uphold the oath we
took to protect the Talented. We are all here, and the sooner we
get the numbers settled, the sooner we can move on to other
matters.” Victoria smoothed nonexistent wrinkles in her tailored
jacket and eased back down into her chair. “Now, I ask you again,
Councilman Neumann, how many Talented will Germany welcome? Do you
have accommodations prepared?”

Alois Neumann bristled. “There is an old
football stadium in Leipzig that is no longer in use. It is
scheduled for demolition early next year, but I suppose we can
delay that event, if need be. I believe that the capacity would be
approximately eight hundred people. We will erect temporary
encampments in the stadium until we are able to secure more
permanent housing.”

Victoria entered the figure into the
data-tracking program on her communicator, and then turned to
Charlene.

“
Councilwoman Prinsloo? Do
you have a figure for South Africa? Where will refugees be
housed?”

“
The Naidoo Wildlife
Reserve for Exotic and Endangered Animals is a privately owned and
operated preservation center outside of Pretoria that has offered
sanctuary to displaced Talents in the past,” Charlene began. “The
current head of operations is Talented, so I do believe she would
be amenable to repeating the goodwill gesture. I will confirm this
with her when we are finished here. They previously took in nearly
two thousand refugees during the last civil uprising in Botswana.
It is safe to assume their capacity would be the same
now.”

“
Does the South African
government have public facilities available to house refugees?”
Victoria pressed. South Africa had always been a Talent-friendly
nation, so Victoria found their government’s reluctance to offer
assistance odd.

“
At most, we can provide
for an additional five hundred
Talented
,” Charlene replied,
emphasizing the last word.

It was a problem Victoria had anticipated.
While every country with a representative on the UNITED council
would open their doors to the Talented, some would not extend the
same courtesy to the Created. In general, that was fine, since
UNITED planned to keep the majority of the Created in containment
on the Isle of Exile until they were able to “cure” them by
reversing the effects of the creation drug. But space was a limited
commodity on the islands, and Victoria had hoped that a few other
countries would set up containment facilities of their own. At
least she could count on the U.S. in that respect. Ian Crane had
several notable doctors and scientists on his payroll who were
already working diligently to develop a reversal drug. They would
likely welcome Created, if for no other reason than to have more
test subjects for their research.

“
That brings South Africa’s
total to twenty-five hundred Talented,” Victoria confirmed,
entering the number. Charlene opened her mouth to speak, but
Victoria cut her off. “I understand; no Created will be sent to
you.”

Councilwoman Prinsloo nodded, satisfied, and
Victoria moved on to the Frenchman sitting on Charlene’s right.
Barbar Belaire held up three fingers.

“
France will take three
thousand. We are still deciding on the best location for a
temporary camp. Depending on our selection, it may be possible for
my country to accommodate more. I will know definitively by
tomorrow,” Barbar said, his tone all business.

“
Thank you, Barbar,”
Victoria replied gratefully, her attention already moving on to the
next council member.

As she continued around the table, it
pleased Victoria to learn that an overwhelming majority of the
council members already had concrete plans in place for the
possibility of mass relocation. The Japanese government was not
only graciously accepting three thousand people, but their soldiers
were primed to provide military escorts for each of the refugees
from their current locations, ensuring the safe travels of their
new citizens.

Switzerland was also preparing for the
possibility of failure, and had spent the past thirty days
repairing homes and restoring facilities in the deserted town of
Interlaken. The two thousand refugees that could be accommodated
there would be more fortunate than others; they’d be living a world
away from persecution in their own town of Talents, nestled among
the beautiful Swiss Alps.

It took just over an hour—much longer than
anticipated—for Victoria to collect the necessary information from
each council member. As she weighed the numbers with a sinking
heart, Michael Tanka spoke up.