Enlightenment [Book 2: SEKTOR V Trilogy]

Chapter 28: All Hands at Næsta Kynslóð

Chapter 28: All Hands at Næsta Kynslóð

Maddy completed her opening remarks. As she looked out over her audience, she sensed a slightly nervous, uneasy tension reflecting her own. She realized she'd be lying to her people for the next several minutes, but she had to do something...anything. It wasn't in her DNA to simply give up. Yes, she also knew the definition of insanity. But that was just it. She wasn't going to be doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result. No, to get that different result, she was going to try to do something different. Her people were, understandably, full of questions. But that was OK. It was why she'd called for the all-hands meeting in the first place.And that was when the potential finality of everything hit her. The last thirteen months had been brutal. For everyone. The Underground had been eviscerated. From 42,000 strong, now down to just over one thousand...1,122 to be exact. Everyone in front of her had experienced excruciating loss, including herself. And for what? To fight, claw, survive and persevere to live another year...maybe two? Even worse, none of the people in front of her had a clue what likely lay ahead of them. But that was exactly the piece she had to hold on to.'Likely.'

She was not going to give in. She was a fighter, and the fact that Næsta Kynslóð still existed at all was a testament to her inner strength and the inner strength of those who sat in front of her. Yes, they needed her, but she knew full well that she needed them even more. A day didn't pass where she didn't think about the tremendous loss they'd all endured. Justified or not, the guilt of the massacre was something she would never fully let go of. She accepted that. More than that, she embraced that pain. For her, it was just penance for something that was both unforgivable and unforgettable. And yet, here she was. Standing in front of 1,121 souls who were, unwittingly, likely to face their demise. And not just their demise, but possibly the demise of the entire Human race. That, however, was not something she was prepared to share. Not today anyway.

Maddy scanned the crowd in front of her."I'm sure you have many questions for me," she said. "This is understandable. And while I do not claim to have all of the answers during this trying time, I will share with you what I know." She made sure to parse her words very carefully. But that was no failsafe, given the average IQ in front of her was in the neighborhood of genius.

"Those working on Long Jump Operations know that we recently had a dramatic shift in our timeline roughly eight months into the future. While we do not yet have all the answers, I will tell you what we do know. Our existing timeline trajectory suggests that the earlier nuclear outcome, for the time being, has been averted. That's the good news. The bad news is that it has been replaced by a different, equally non-positive outcome that we currently do not fully understand."

She took a sip of water.

"As many of you also know, we've had little success accurately predicting future realities that have been verified via multiple Jump cycles. Given this unfortunate outcome, I've decided to dedicate the majority of our existing resources to the execution of additional short-to-medium-range Jumps. The primary objective of this effort will be to pinpoint when, and if we are lucky, how this new outcome has come to pass. Given this shift in focus, I have asked Alanta Andersdóttir to work with our current group leaders to shift current tasks and workloads such that they more closely align with our shorter-term goals. And please, know that we have every intention of getting you back to doing what you do best as soon as possible.

"Now, I would be very pleased to address your questions and concerns. I'm hopeful that I will be able to answer them all," she added with a smile, which she knew probably looked a tad forced.

Before any questions began, Alanta addressed the group and asked them to approach one of the four aisle speaking podiums that had been set up in advance of the gathering.