War in the City Chapter 2

IN THE FIFTH YEAR OF THE NEW ERA
Ak, a famous Watcher, had lived about four hundred years before the first year of the New Era, yet his writings are still widely read at the present time. Few Watchers complete school without a thorough understanding of his writings. Ak's talents were numerous. He wrote plays, poems, short stories, and epic novels. In fact, his other talents were so great that people often forget he was a historian as well. Unlike Livius who, before his untimely death, was forever complaining about how boring the history of The Watchers was compared to the history of the rest of Fabulae, Ak specialized in the history of the city. Most Watchers would agree with Livius. Watcher history, while it does contain some interesting events, is on the most part uneventful. The attitude was the same in Ak's time, and Ak unsuccessfully tried to convince people otherwise. "People say nothing every changes in the city," he once wrote, "but if they would just look around them, they'd see how wrong they are."

Perhaps if Ak had been alive in the present time, he would have chosen it as an example to illustrate his point. Little has changed in the city since we saw it last a little over a year ago, and yet so much has. Julius kept his promise to Romulus, by keeping the Kalka project alive. Shortly after the tragedy, he and Andrew got together to work out more definite rules for the Project to avoid future tragedies. It was decided that the Kalka Project shall always be governed by a group of four people. As to how these four should be chosen, that was a matter somewhat harder to agree on. The most logical option discussed was to have a vote by the members of the Kalka Project, but Julius had some reservations about this. He was worried the Kalka Project might easily lose its vision as people were elected to the four that had nothing to do with the founding of the Project. Also, since the Kalka Project was still somewhat of a controversial organization, there was nothing to prevent those opposed to it from joining the organization for the sole purpose of voting in a leader who would work to deter the Kalka Project from its original goals. Therefore, a compromise was reached. Andrew and Julius appointed themselves to lifetime positions as leaders of the Kalka project. The other two would be elected democratically each year. Upon the death or retirement of Julius and Andrew, the positions they filled would then be chosen democratically as well. The two hoped that by that time, the Kalka Project would have established itself enough to achieve relative stability.

The ethics of appointing one's self to lifetime leadership is questionable, and something Julius and Andrew thought hard about before and after the decision. Their decision would probably have been regarded cynically by the rest of the Watchers, had not their fears been proved correct. In the first election, that of the fourth year of the New Era, a flood of the militant conservatives joined the project for the sole purpose of electing one of their own into the leadership. They succeeded, electing the conservatives Demoor and Elderan to the position. As a result, that year proved a harsh one for the Kalka Project. Before his death, Remus had completely pulled the Kalka Project out of Marram, leaving Kalka itself the only area the project concerned itself with. Despite hunger problems in other areas, and the decline of the famine in Kalka, Demoor and Elderan refused to approve any motion to distribute food to any new place. Without the three to one majority, all of Julius' and Andrew's proposals to expand the project died. Demoor and Elderan even once proposed to end the Project entirely, but of course that motion failed to receive the support of Julius and Andrew.

Andrew and Julius realized another such year could easily cause the project's death, so for the next election, they rallied all the support they could for two candidates of their own, Katina and Helmus. The conservatives fought it, and for a while things looked a little tight, but in the end, Katina and Helmus successfully ousted Demoor and Elderan from their positions.

As to the presidency of the city, that too was not without its changes. People talked a lot about Julius or Andrew being elected as President, since the Kalka Project had been overall popular (despite conservative objections) and many thought it was good for the city. Ultimately nothing came of the talk, although if one of them had decided to run, the possibility exists that they could have won, becoming the youngest President in almost two centuries.

Julius realized his well known impulsive and hot headed nature would cost him much support. With the memory of Jistap all to recent in the mind of the Watchers, Julius thought it best to wait before he tried his hand at politics. By this logic, Andrew would have been an obvious candidate for President but ironically his lack of ambition, the same thing that would have made him so appealing to the voters of the time, was the very thing that kept him from running. Neither ruled out the possibility of running sometime in the future. In waiting, they were probably wise, for the recent tragedy in the Kalka Project had somewhat lessened public opinion of its leaders, at least for the time being.

Van ran for re-election and won it in the fourth year of the New Era. He was hurting, though, as his role in the Kalka Project tragedy was becoming more and more public knowledge. Julius was especially responsible for this, as he blamed Van in part for the tragedy. Julius showed to the people, through the monitors, the way Van had acted, first against the Kalka Project, and then for it once it became popular. Van's conversation with Romulus was also shown, all of which was heavily damaging to Van's career. Despite Van's attempts to disassociate himself from the events, it was ultimately what lost him the election for the fifth year of the New Era, ending his three year reign as President of the city.

Van may have been rejected on the basis of his character, but his "don't rock the boat" policies still were sought after in a city that had too much change too quickly. Ducas was elected in his place. Although Ducas had a much more charming personality than Van, in policy he was practically identical. People trusted Ducas though, a lot more than they ever trusted Van.

And so, this is the condition of the Watchers, as they enter into the fifth year of the New Era.
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Paper watched the ice cube intently. He had taken it out of the freezer, and now it was slowly melting. A puddle gathered at its base as the ice itself shrunk. Gradually, the cube melted away to nothing, Paper watching it all the while. Paper then continued looking at the small puddle where the ice cube had been. "Deka, I'm bored," he remarked to himself. "I am really bored."

Paper shook his head, and picked up a remote control, and turned on the monitor. He rarely checked to see what was happening in the rest of Fabulae, but he was so bored now he couldn't think of anything else to do.
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"Finally," Navis remarked. "We've spent a month trying to get in touch with him. We've created volcanos, earthquakes, we even helped to start seven wars, and he didn't look outside the city once."

"Go quickly," Regile commanded Nuntius. "We can't afford to lose this opportunity." Nuntius also realized the urgency of the moment, and was gone before Regile had completed his sentence, transforming himself on the way.

"You're sure he is the one?" Regile asked Bella.

"Positive," Bella answered.

"I still don't believe he'd betray his own people," Navis said.

Bella laughed. "No matter where you go, there are always a few who people who are utterly worthless, who care only for themselves. The city is no exception, and Paper is our man."

"He'd better be," Regile answered. "Or else our whole plan is blown."
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"Teacher, show me something from Fabulae."

"Please specify."

"Oh, Deka I don't care. Something. Anything. Just pick a spot."

The monitor displayed a forest. The trees were all evergreens, and the monitor only showed the tops of most of them. A blue sky could be seen at the top of the monitor, with a few white clouds in it.

"Watching ice melt or watching trees blow in the wind, it's all just as boring." Paper reached for the remote to turn the monitor off.

"Is that so, Paper?"

The voice startled Paper, and he gave a little jump. He quickly looked all around the room, but could see no one. "Who's there?" he called out. "Who said my name?"

"I'm over here Paper."

Paper turned his head to follow the sound of the voice. The voice was coming from the monitor. The same serene setting of the tree tops was still there, but now a man was floating above the tree tops. Although floating would have been the last word Paper would have used to describe the man. He didn't look like he was floating, but rather standing on some invisible platform. In fact, it looked so much like this that Paper almost thought he could see the platform. Even more amazing to Paper was the fact that the man appeared to see him. The man looked right through the monitor at Paper, and when Paper moved, the man's eyes followed him around the room. Paper walked around his couch, and went right in front of the monitor, but was too surprised to talk.

"Hello Paper," the man said.

"What the hell is going on?"

"You are surprised to see me?"

Paper looked closely at the man. He thought he saw something familiar. "Teacher, focus in on the man," he ordered. The Teacher did so. The man's body took up all of the monitor. Paper took one more look at the man, then recognition set in. "Aked," he said, his voice fully conveying his amazement.

"You knew me by that name, yes."

Paper took a step back, his hands trembling. "Deka?" The man nodded. "But you're dead."

The man paused for a moment and looked down, as if he was unsure how to respond. Then, he raised his head and answered. "You are correct. Deka is dead, I am not he. I am one of the other gods. My name is Nuntius."

"You look exactly like Deka."

"I choose a form you would be familiar with, but as your memory serves you well, there is no need for this charade any longer." Nuntius discarded Deka's form as if he were shedding an old pair of clothes, and he resumed his own appearance.

"So that's why you're able to communicate with me through the monitor? Because you're a god, right?"

"Your powers of deductive reason do you credit, Paper."

"But how can you see me? Doesn't the force field keep you out?"

"I can see you. We gods can see the whole city. That is the only thing the force field allows us to do. It is that force field, Paper, that I would like to discuss with you."

"What do you want from me?"

"Paper, how would you like to become the most powerful man in the city? How would you like to be in complete control of everyone else? How would you like to get revenge on anyone you want, to fear no one, to completely rule the city? And everyone knows, with rule of the city comes complete rule of Fabulae itself."

Paper sat down. "You're speaking my language."

Nuntius smiled. "Listen very carefully."